Author: Opalim Lifted

The pressure on Manchester United manager Michael Carrick was upped a further notch by another insipid performance as they slumped to a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth. The Cherries were superb throughout and thoroughly deserving of their victory, which extended United’s winless run to eight games. The pre-match narrative centered on Bruno Fernandes, with the United captain dropped to the substitutes bench after he blamed Carrick’s tactics for their 4-1 defeat by Como on Wednesday – though the manager said it was a “football decision”. But despite trailing 2-0 at half-time, Fernandes, so often United’s talisman was not brought on.…

Liverpool recorded their first home Premier League win of the season thanks to an impressive performance against in-form Brighton. Two goals in a four-minute first half spell – an own goal from Seagulls midfielder Pascal Gross followed by Alexander Isak’s sixth goal of the season – put the Reds in control. They should have conceded before the goals came, but Brighton’s Yasin Ayari fired wastefully over the top after a fine move from the visitors. Ayari’s miss proved costly as Liverpool took a 17th-minute lead when Florian Wirtz’s shot, which was going wide, was diverted into his own net by…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken the Federal Government to the ECOWAS Court of Justice over alleged financial irregularities involving ₦78.8 billion allocated to cash transfer and social protection programmes for vulnerable Nigerians. The lawsuit follows findings in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, which raised questions about payments and expenditures linked to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO). According to the report, approximately ₦33.751 billion reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in…

Zamfara State Government has activated Ebola surveillance at Gusau airport and major motor parks after a traveller arriving from Saudi Arabia recorded a body temperature of 38°C during screening. Nafisa Maradun, the state’s commissioner for health, disclosed this on Friday while leading a medical team to launch passenger screening at the airport. Maradun said the passenger, an indigene of Zamfara, was identified during the screening exercise and referred for further medical assessment. The state government has deployed medical personnel to the airport, motor parks and other entry points to screen travellers and facilitate the early detection of suspected cases. The…

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), is best suited to be the “president of social media”. Speaking on Saturday at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Bonny Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, Wike criticised Obi’s leadership style and questioned his ability to govern the country. Wike accused Obi, a former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), of abandoning political parties whenever they encountered internal crises. “I give him president of social media. If it’s to vote president of social media, I’ll vote for…

Seyi Makinde, presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has accused President Bola Tinubu of using Nigeria’s reported increase in foreign reserves to create a misleading impression of economic recovery, arguing that millions of citizens continue to face hunger and hardship. The Oyo State governor made the remarks on Saturday during the official launch of the Makinde and Daura for Better Nigeria (MAD) Resetter Movement in Lagos, describing the emphasis on rising foreign reserves as a political gimmick. Makinde said improvements in economic indicators would mean little unless they translated into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians. Makinde questions…

Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has said Nigerians who fail to recognise progress under President Bola Tinubu’s administration need what she described as “Bola Tinubu eyeglasses”. Mrs Tinubu made the remark on Friday while inaugurating the Abuja headquarters of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, a grassroots group mobilising support for the president’s re-election bid in 2027. She cited changes at Nigerian airports as evidence of progress, expressing hope that further improvements would make air travel faster and more convenient. “So things are happening in Nigeria, except, you know, those who don’t see; maybe we’ll give them some, you know, Bola Tinubu…

Shoprite Nigeria plans to reopen more outlets through standalone neighbourhood stores as the retailer restructures its operations to cut costs and revive its business. Adekunle Adebiyi, executive director of investments at MBO Capital Management Limited, disclosed this in an interview on Nairametrics’ Drinks and Mics, where he discussed the supermarket chain’s financial challenges and recovery plans. Adebiyi said three Shoprite stores had reopened after the company temporarily shut down operations to negotiate with suppliers and address outstanding financial obligations. “We took a very, very drastic decision to just shut everything down whilst we negotiated with suppliers. Now three stores are…

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has declared that the people of Northern Nigeria will repay President Bola Tinubu for his administration’s interventions in infrastructure, security, education and agriculture. Sani made the declaration at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off rally at Ranchers Stadium, Kaduna, where he commended Tinubu for what he described as progress in addressing challenges facing Kaduna State and the wider North. The governor recalled Tinubu’s visit to Birnin Gwari during the 2022 presidential campaign, when the area was grappling with insecurity. He said the President had fulfilled promises relating to road construction and security. Sani…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of blaming the opposition for hunger and poverty instead of accepting responsibility for the economic hardship Nigerians face under his administration. Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, said the President could not implement policies that worsened living conditions and then fault opposition parties for highlighting their consequences. In a statement issued on Saturday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku described Tinubu’s remarks as an attempt to deflect responsibility for his administration’s performance. “Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is…