Author: Opalim Lifted

Bologna will face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final after overcoming Inter Milan 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time on Friday. The penalty shootout featured several missed attempts before Ciro Immobile converted to send Bologna into the final. Bologna take on Napoli on Monday after the Italian champions secured a 2-0 victory over AC Milan on Thursday. Inter struck early on at King Saud University Stadium, as Alessandro Bastoni swung in a cross to the back post in the second minute where Marcus Thuram arrived at full stretch to fire into the net. However, despite…

Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the late iconic Afrobeat musician, is set to be honoured with a special merit award at the 2026 Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy’s special merit awards ceremony celebrating the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical Grammy Award recipients will be held on January 31, 2026, during Grammy Week 2026, on the night before the 2026 Grammys. The Recording Academy announced via Instagram on Friday that Fela is among ten people to be honored with the special award. Grammys described Fela as the “architect of Afrobeat,” adding that his influence shaped the genre and inspired a new…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned three Indian nationals and a Nigerian before a Kwara State High Court over an alleged criminal breach of trust involving KAM Steel Integrated Company Limited. Those charged are Lalit Sarwat, Ravi Raghavendra and Gagan Sarswat, alongside an Ilorin-based dispatch manager, Oniyide Samuel. They appeared on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, before Justice Sulaiman Akanbi sitting in Ilorin. The EFCC accused the defendants of conspiring between November 2024 and September 2025 to unlawfully divert company property while working as employees of KAM Steel. The offences are contained in a two-count charge bordering on…

Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, has disclosed that Nigerian soldiers released by Burkina Faso have arrived at an Air Force base in Accra, Ghana. The minister announced the arrival of the soldiers in Accra in an X post shared on his handle on Friday evening. “I can confirm that the pilots and crew of NAF C-130 (913) have safely arrived at the Air Force Base in Accra. The successful outcome reflects Nigeria’s commitment to diplomacy, regional cooperation, and the leadership of @NGRPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR @officialABAT , in resolving sensitive matters through dialogue,” he wrote. The Burkina Faso…

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Bola Tinubu, has approved the 2026 appropriation budget, with aggregate expenditure projected at N58.47 trillion — a six percent increase over the 2025 budget estimate. Tanimu Yakubu, director-general of the budget office, announced while briefing journalists on Friday. Yakubu said the proposed expenditure includes N4.98 trillion for government-owned enterprises (GOEs) and N1.37 trillion for grants and donor-funded projects. Statutory transfers were put at N4.1 trillion, while debt service accounts for the largest share of spending at N15.52 trillion. He noted that the debt service figure includes N3.38 trillion allocated to the…

“Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity” Presented by: His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR President, Federal Republic of Nigeria At the Joint Session of the National Assembly, Abuja Friday, 19 December 2025 PROTOCOLS Distinguished Senate President, Rt. Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the National Assembly, Fellow Nigerians, 1. I appear before this Joint Session of the National Assembly, in fulfilment of my constitutional duty, to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 2. This is a defining moment in our national journey…

European Championship winners Spain will face Copa America champions Argentina in the ‘Finalissima’ game in Qatar in March next year, European soccer body UEFA announced on Thursday. The contest between the two continental champions was revived in 2021 when UEFA and South American confederation CONMEBOL strongly opposed FIFA’s plans for a biennial World Cup. Lionel Messi’s Argentina outclassed Italy 3-0 in the 2022 contest and the South American side will return to the Lusail Stadium in Qatar where they were crowned world champions three years ago. Finalissima 2025: Argentina face Spain to compete for Intercontinental Cup The match will be…

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court has rejected an application by Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, seeking bail from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In a ruling on Thursday, Babangida Hassan, the presiding judge, said Malami’s detention was lawful and backed by a valid court order. Malami, a senior advocate of Nigeria, had approached the court through his counsel, Sulaiman Hassan, arguing that his continued detention by the EFCC in the course of an ongoing investigation was illegal and violated his constitutional right to personal liberty. The EFCC,…

A former senior aide to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has firmly dismissed claims that President Muhammadu Buhari opposed Osinbajo’s 2023 presidential ambition, describing recent accounts as misleading and historically inaccurate. Babafemi Ojudu, who served as Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of the Vice President between 2016 and 2022, was responding to excerpts from a new book by Dr Charles Omole, Muhammadu Buhari: From Soldier to Statesman. The book has sparked controversy by suggesting tensions within the Buhari presidency over Osinbajo’s bid. According to Ojudu, the suggestion that President Buhari was unsupportive is “implausible and mischievous”. Drawing on…

President Bola Tinubu will be hosting a national caucus meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Villa today, bringing together Vice President Kashim Shettima, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, state governors, serving and former top functionaries of the National Assembly, former governors, and members of the National Working Committee of the party. The National Caucus of the party normally holds ahead of the National Executive Council meeting. Today’s meeting is described by party insiders as strategic and consultative, called to strengthen party cohesion and chart key directions for upcoming political engagements. Participants are expected to deliberate…