Author: Opalim Lifted

Xabi Alonso has left Real Madrid by mutual agreement a day after their 3-2 defeat by bitter rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, the LaLiga club said on Monday. “Xabi Alonso will always have the love and admiration of all Real Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has represented the values of our club at all times. Real Madrid will always be his home,” the club said in a statement. They added that second-team manager and former defender Alvaro Arbeloa will take over the first team job. Real Madrid parted ways with Alonso a little…

Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1) has reportedly written a letter to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, following his exclusion from the nomination process to fill the vacant stool of Awujale of Ijebuland. Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, made this known on Sunday. Olayinka, via a post on his official X account said that KWAM 1, in the letter to Governor Abiodun aired his grievance over the nomination process of candidate(s) to fill the vacant stool of Awujale of Ijebuland, saying…

The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu Land has criticised popular Fuji musician Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM 1, over his protest letter to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun. In a letter dated January 8, 2026, KWAM1, through his lawyer, Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN), alleged that he was being excluded from the selection process for the next Awujale of Ijebu Land due to directives from the ruling house which he claimed were not in line with state laws. Responding, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, the Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, dismissed the protest letter as “arrant nonsense” with no…

As Nigeria marked the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day (AFCRD), strong messages of restraint, professionalism and loyalty to democracy echoed across the country, with clerics and state governors cautioning the military against political interference or any form of unconstitutional takeover. At interdenominational services held nationwide to honour fallen heroes, members of the Armed Forces were urged to remain apolitical, defend democracy and focus strictly on their constitutional mandate, especially as the country approaches the 2027 general elections. In Abuja, Reverend Uche Dan Okafor delivered a pointed sermon, appealing directly to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede,…

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has drawn a fresh battle line in Nigeria’s long war against corruption, declaring that the struggle goes far beyond arrests and prosecutions to confront the beliefs and attitudes that make crime seem acceptable. According to him, economic and financial crimes do not flourish merely because laws are weak or institutions fail, but because society has, over time, tolerated ideas and narratives that portray wrongdoing as smart, profitable, and even admirable. Olukoyede disclosed this in his foreword to a new book, titled: Crime Is a Bad Market. The book is…

Africa Magic, in partnership with MultiChoice, has opened entries for the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), with submissions running from January 11 to February 15, 2026. The awards recognise film and television works produced and broadcast across Africa. Eligible entries must have been publicly screened or broadcast between January 1 and December 31, 2025. Feature-length films must have been shown in cinemas, television, or streaming platforms to qualify. The 2026 edition will feature 32 award categories, including 18 jury-decided categories and 11 audience-voted categories. There will also be two Lifetime Achievement Awards and one Trailblazer…

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, has commissioned the Third Mainland Bridge Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring centre, emphasising it as a key safety and infrastructure upgrade on the bridge as part of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to rehabilitate and secure critical federal bridges across the country. The facility includes high-definition CCTV cameras covering the bridge deck and underwater sections, a dedicated surveillance boat, and two operational Hilux vehicles to support monitoring and rapid deployment. Umahi said that upon assumption of office in 2023, the administration met the Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Iddo…

Paul Ibe, a media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned Nigeria’s presidential air fleet management under President Bola Tinubu. In a post on his official X account on Sunday, Ibe detailed the presidency’s purchase of a used Airbus A330 (5N-FGA) for $100 million in 2024 to replace the aging Boeing 737 (5N-FGT). He also asked questions about unexplained shifts to a Luxaviation-chartered Boeing 737 (T7-NAS) and the old 737’s recent reregistration to T7-ZMK, suggesting an opaque potential sale. “For a change, fellow concerned Nigerians, let’s talk about the presidential air fleet and interrogate what appears to be…

Euracare Hospital says it has launched an internal investigation following Chimamanda Adichie’s allegation that negligence at the facility led to the death of her 21-month-old son. On Wednesday, Nkanu Nnamdi, one of the author’s twin sons, died after an emergency during a medical procedure at the hospital. Adichie, however, alleged that her son’s death was a result of what she described as “criminal negligence” at Euracare Hospital. She had recounted how the toddler initially seemed to have a cold but quickly developed a severe infection. Adichie claimed the anaesthesiologist in charge was “criminally negligent, fatally casual, and careless with the…

Amid increasing calls for the sack of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the minister has shut down demands for his sack. Staunch critics of the minister, while wading into the hostility between Wike and his successor as Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, have advised President Bola Tinubu to remove Wike from office to resolve the political crisis in the state. Some of his critics include a coalition of leaders within the All Progressives Congress (APC), operating under the APC Leaders Forum (ALF) and the Tinubu/Shettima Solidarity Movement (TSSM). The group issued an open letter, calling…