Author: Opalim Lifted

The Football Association is investigating Southampton’s conduct after the club admitted to spying on three other Championship sides during the past season. Southampton have been expelled from the Championship play-offs after admitting observing opponents’ training sessions within 72 hours of a game, with Middlesbrough reinstated to contest Saturday’s final against Hull City Saints have also been deducted four points in the Championship next season. Southampton’s appeal against the punishment on the grounds that it was “disproportionate” was dismissed on Wednesday evening. A spokesperson for the FA, which governs football in England, said it “won’t comment further until we have assessed…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved an additional $3.4 million to combat the growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. This brings WHO’s total emergency funding allocation to $3.9 million, part of a broader international response to contain the spread. Speaking during a media briefing in Geneva on Wednesday, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that the organisation has formally classified the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to concerns over the possibility of wider regional spread. Already, the suspected death toll has…

President Bola Tinubu has accused beneficiaries of the former fuel subsidy and multiple foreign exchange regime of being behind the growing insecurity in Nigeria. Speaking through former Ogun governor Olusegun Osoba at the launch of The NADECO Story in Lagos on Wednesday, Tinubu said individuals who profited from the old economic system are resisting ongoing reforms introduced by his administration. According to The Nation, the president said the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market disrupted entrenched interests that previously benefited from forex round-tripping and subsidy payments. Tinubu said some of those affected by the…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a massive methamphetamine laboratory hidden inside a forest in Ogun State, recovering drugs and chemical materials valued at more than N480 billion. Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency said the operation targeted an industrial-scale methamphetamine production syndicate allegedly run by a Nigerian drug cartel in collaboration with Mexican drug experts. In a statement issued on Wednesday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said operatives recovered over 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals estimated at $362.9 million in the international market. According to the agency, the clandestine laboratory was concealed inside Abidagba forest in…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for urgent government action following the abduction of pupils and teachers in Ogbomoso, Oyo warning that insecurity is spreading across communities in Nigeria. In a statement issued by NLC president Joe Ajaero, the labour union described the incident in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State as a disturbing sign of worsening insecurity. Ajaero said the attack on schools in Ahoro Esinele and Yawota showed that “no community is safe anymore”, adding that innocent children were increasingly becoming targets of criminal groups. The union condemned the abduction of pupils and teachers from Community…

Dominant Aston Villa dispatched Freiburg to win the Europa League and end a 30-year trophy drought. First-half stunners from Youri Tielemans and Emi Buendia gave Villa control before Morgan Rogers’ strike sealed a second major European title 44 years after they won the European Cup. Nine of that team from 1982 were at Besiktas Park in Istanbul to watch Unai Emery win his fifth Europa League. Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in November 2022 with Villa three points above the relegation zone and has transformed them into top five contenders and, now, a European champion. Aston Villa supporter Prince William celebrated…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that some individuals allegedly tried to sow distrust between him and President Bola Tinubu shortly after they assumed office in 2023, claiming that traditional outfits he gifted the president during the election campaign were spiritually manipulated. Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday during the public presentation of the autobiography of former military ruler Yakubu Gowon, Shettima said the incident happened about three months after their inauguration. According to the vice-president, he had provided northern-style garments and caps for Tinubu during the APC presidential campaign so the then-candidate could better connect with voters across the region.…

Chairman of First HoldCo, Femi Otedola, has pledged to invest $100 million in the upcoming public listing of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, revealing he sold his stake in Geregu Power to fund the acquisition. The disclosure was made during a visit by the board and management of First HoldCo to the refinery complex in Lagos, where Aliko Dangote said investor demand for the refinery had already climbed to nearly $2 billion ahead of its planned Initial Public Offering (IPO). The development highlights growing investor appetite for what is expected to become one of Africa’s largest industrial listings as Dangote prepares…

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed fears that the recent attacks and abductions in Oyo State signal the emergence of a terrorist stronghold in the South-West. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Major General Michael Onoja, director of defence media operations, described the attacks as isolated criminal incidents rather than evidence of an organised insurgent network operating in the region. The clarification follows coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Esiele, and LA Primary School in Ogbomoso, all located in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The attacks reportedly left two people…

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured travellers and Nigerians that enhanced health surveillance measures have been activated at international airports across the country following growing concerns over the Ebola outbreak in parts of Central Africa. FAAN said it is working closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Port Health Services and other agencies to strengthen screening and monitoring procedures for passengers arriving from high-risk countries. In a statement issued on Wednesday by FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, the authority said travellers are now being screened for Ebola-related symptoms at…