Author: Opalim Lifted

Nigerian singer Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has become the first African artiste to surpass 12 billion streams on Spotify across all credits. The milestone was announced on Monday by WizStatz, a music statistics account on X, which tracks the singer’s streaming achievements. In a post tagging Wizkid’s official handle, the account wrote: “WIZKID (@wizkidayo) becomes the first African Artist to surpass 12 Billion Streams On Spotify Across All Credits.” The figure combines streams from songs on which Wizkid is credited as the lead artiste, as well as collaborations and guest appearances on tracks by other musicians. Wizkid mocks…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced a nationwide recruitment exercise to fill vacancies across four employment categories, including the detective and professional cadres. The recruitment exercise covers the Detective Superintendent, Detective Inspector, Detective Assistant and Professionals/Skilled Workers categories. According to the recruitment notice, applicants for the Detective Superintendent cadre must possess a bachelor’s degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) from a recognised institution, alongside a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge or exemption certificate. Applicants for the position must be between 18 and 30 years old. For the Detective Inspector cadre, candidates are required to possess a…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded Sanusi Dankaka at the Kuje Correctional Centre over allegations that he threatened to publish nude videos and photographs of Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano State. Dankaka was remanded by the trial judge, Salim Ibrahim, after he was arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a two-count charge. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges. In a charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/699/2026 and filed on October 22, the DSS alleged that Dankaka committed the offences in October 2026. The secret police alleged that…

The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has urged Nigerians to communicate the country’s economic reforms and development potential with greater confidence, saying domestic perceptions can influence international investor confidence. Mohammed spoke during a fireside chat titled “Africa’s Next Development Frontier: Inclusive Growth, Resilience, and Human Dignity” at the 2026 Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja. She acknowledged public frustration over decades of economic policy discussions and questioned why Nigeria had yet to fully realise its development potential. “We have also had the feeling that we’ve been here before—that in Nigeria, we have been talking about these things for decades,”…

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on President Bola Tinubu to leave office in 2027, accusing his administration of worsening Nigeria’s economic and security challenges. Obi spoke on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of the NDC’s national campaign council, where he criticised the president’s leadership and called for a change of government. The former Anambra State governor said Nigerians were seeking new leadership, alleging that the country was experiencing a crisis under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration. “Tinubu has led this country into a crisis. Today, everything is collapsing. From our engagements…

Harry Kane completed his long quest for football’s highest individual honour on Monday, with the Bayern Munich and England striker winning the Ballon d’Or after a record-breaking season that cemented his status as one of the game’s greatest goalscorers. Kane is the first Englishman to win the prestigious award in 25 years, after Michael Owen won it in 2001. “Wow, wow, wow!” Kane said after taking the stage. “I am almost speechless. Being here in London has made it extra special. Made it a good omen for me tonight. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I can imagine…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his re-election, calling for stronger economic and diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Brazil. Tinubu described Lula’s renewed mandate as an opportunity to deepen the longstanding relationship between both countries and expand cooperation across key sectors. In a personally signed statement issued on Monday, October 26, 2026, the Nigerian president said the two countries could leverage their positions as leading nations of the Global South to promote economic integration and advance shared interests. According to the statement published by the State House, Tinubu expressed Nigeria’s readiness to strengthen…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria has not been officially declared Ebola-free despite having no confirmed active cases following the evacuation of the country’s index patient to Switzerland. The patient was evacuated by air ambulance on Monday for further medical treatment, prompting the WHO to clarify reports suggesting that Nigeria had been declared free of the virus. Mohamed Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, had earlier said Nigeria currently had no Ebola cases following the evacuation of the patient and her husband, both Swiss citizens. “With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola…

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani says the All Progressives Congress (APC) would consider it a failure if any opposition candidate secures 25 per cent of the votes in the state during the 2027 presidential election. Sani made the statement during an interview with TVC on Sunday, expressing confidence that Kaduna would deliver a higher share of votes for President Bola Tinubu. “In Kaduna state, allowing any candidate to even get 25 percent of the votes is a failure on our side,” he said. The governor attributed his confidence to federal government projects and interventions in Kaduna over the past three…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases following the evacuation of the country’s index patient and her husband, both Swiss citizens, to Switzerland. Mohamed Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Monday, adding that the 42-year-old woman was clinically stable after Nigerian medical personnel successfully managed the acute phase of her illness. “Both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens,” Janabi said. “The patient is clinically stable. The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilized her condition.…