Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Vatican announced that Catholic cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to begin voting for a new pope following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at age 88. While 252 cardinals were summoned to Rome, only 135 under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the secretive conclave, which requires a two-thirds majority. Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti noted the fraternal atmosphere among the diverse global voters, while Spanish Cardinal Jose Cobo predicted an unpredictable outcome. Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the former secretary of state under Pope Francis, is considered a frontrunner by British bookmakers William Hill, leading ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, Ghana's Peter Turkson, Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Guinea's Robert Sarah, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa of Jerusalem. Roberto Regoli, a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, suggested the conclave might be lengthy as the Church seeks a leader to unify factions polarized by the previous reforms. Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga from the Central African Republic emphasized the need for a courageous, universal leader to guide the Church through modern uncertainties. Meanwhile, ordinary Catholics like Patrizia Spotti, visiting Rome for the 2026 Jubilee holy year, expressed hope for a successor similar to Pope Francis who can address challenging issues like low church attendance and past clerical abuse scandals.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service has ordered banks to immediately find and close all unauthorized accounts used for collecting taxes and levies that are not connected to its automated system called TaxPro Max. The directive, aimed at boosting transparency, improving tax collection efficiency, and making payment reconciliation smoother, was issued through a public notice signed by the Chairman of the agency, Zacch Adedeji, and shared with the media by his Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi.The locally developed TaxPro Max platform simplifies several official processes, such as registering taxpayers, filing returns, making payments, and issuing certificates that show clear tax status. Under this new order, all future tax and levy collections must be handled strictly through assessments generated directly on this centralized platform. The agency instructed all banks involved in its collecting, sending, and balancing system to follow these rules without any delay. Finally, the Federal Inland Revenue Service advised any taxpayers or stakeholders who need help or further explanations to reach out to its Revenue Accounting and Refund Department.