Author: Opalim Lifted

President Bola Tinubu on Friday said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had justified the confidence reposed in it, citing its convictions, asset recoveries and other achievements in the fight against corruption. The President spoke in Awka, Anambra State, at the commissioning of the EFCC’s new Zonal Directorate, as the anti-graft agency moved to deepen its presence in the South-East and place greater emphasis on preventing corruption. Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, Tinubu said the EFCC’s work was consistent with his administration’s drive to reform the economy and promote good governance. “Supporting the…

Global life expectancy has almost returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, but recovery in the number of years people live in good health remains slower, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. According to the WHO’s latest Global Health Estimates, global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, compared with 73.4 years in 2019 before the pandemic. Life expectancy fell sharply during the Covid-19 crisis, reaching 71.5 years in 2021. “Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health,” said Alain Labrique, head of the WHO’s data department. “The next challenge is to ensure that those additional years are lived…

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has said nobody should be compelled to embrace Islam, stressing the need for Muslims to respect the rights and freedom of people of other faiths. He stated this while addressing the NSCIA General Assembly held at the National Mosque in Abuja. The Sultan said Islam does not support compulsion in matters of faith, noting that people should be allowed to make their religious choices freely. “We do not intend to force anybody to join Islam,” he said. “But we have seen…

Indian flydubai captain Smit Machchhar says he made a desperate “last push” to open the cockpit door after an alleged attack by his co-pilot, knowing the lives of 174 passengers were at risk. Machchhar, speaking from his hospital bed during a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, said he was badly injured when he realised the aircraft was losing altitude. “I was trying to save my own life, but I knew I could not let all those people die,” Machchhar said. The Boeing 737 was flying to Tel Aviv from Dubai when the confrontation occurred on Wednesday.…

German motorists began paying less at petrol stations on Thursday after a new government fuel subsidy took effect, offering temporary relief from soaring energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict. Petrol prices fell by about 14 cents per litre to an average of €2.06, while diesel dropped by around 15 cents to €2.20, according to Germany’s automobile association, ADAC. The German government has reduced the energy tax on petrol and diesel by 14.04 cents per litre from October 1 to December 31, 2026. Including the resulting reduction in value-added tax, the total relief is expected to be about 17…

Personnel of the Nigerian military have started receiving their increased salaries approved by President Bola Tinubu, the presidency has said. Dada Olusegun, special assistant to the president on social media, disclosed this on Thursday. Onyechi Anele, army spokesperson, and a source at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) also confirmed the development. Olusegun said the salary increase is expected to boost the morale of military personnel involved in the fight against insecurity. “I can categorically confirm that personnels of the Nigerian Military have now started receiving their newly increased salaries as approved by President @officialABAT in August,” the presidential aide wrote on…

The Federal Government has launched a new National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System designed to improve location identification, service delivery and access to opportunities across Nigeria. The system was announced on Thursday by Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. Launched by the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), the system assigns an 11-character digital postcode to addressable buildings across the country. New postcode identifies individual buildings Unlike the existing postcode system, which generally identifies wider geographical areas, the new system provides a unique digital reference for individual buildings. Tijani said the GIS-enabled postcode can narrow a location from the state…

XEJet Limited has sued Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) and the Aviation Ground Handlers Association of Nigeria (AGHAN) over an alleged breach of confidentiality and the publication of information concerning its outstanding ground-handling account. The company also sued four media organisations over reports concerning an alleged N300 million debt. XEJet filed the two suits at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. In the suit against SAHCO, XEJet is challenging the alleged disclosure of information about its account to AGHAN and the subsequent withdrawal of ground-handling services. The airline said it had a standard ground-handling agreement with…

YouTube has announced an update to its Shorts video recommendation system that will prioritise original content and reduce the reach of re-uploaded material. The video-sharing platform disclosed this in a blog post published on October 1, saying the change aims to improve the short-video experience for viewers while giving creators of original content a better opportunity to grow. According to YouTube, channels that primarily aggregate or re-upload videos from other creators without making significant changes are likely to receive less distribution in the feed. “If you use clips from another creator, make sure you’re adding real value through your own…

The European Union (EU) parliament has called for closer scrutiny of aid programmes in Africa to ensure they deliver measurable and sustainable benefits to people in partner countries. Udo Bullmann, a member of the European Parliament, said the move was necessary to inform future decisions on aid, especially as the global landscape shifts and African countries demand greater autonomy in their dealings. Bullmann spoke at a meeting with African journalists at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting was facilitated by the Taz Panter Foundation as part of a workshop on the impact of global powers on local realities,…