Author: Opalim Lifted

The Federal Government has delayed the fourth evacuation flight for Nigerians stranded in South Africa after engineers discovered cracks on the cockpit windscreen of the aircraft scheduled for the operation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Wednesday that the aircraft was grounded in Johannesburg as a safety precaution after the fault was detected before take-off. Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said Air Peace has been directed to deploy another aircraft later on Wednesday to complete the evacuation. “The flight couldn’t take off because cracks were discovered on the windscreen in the cockpit. Air Peace will deploy another aircraft to South…

The African Union (AU) is facing backlash over a recruitment advertisement featuring a poster with people perceived to be Caucasian alongside only one visibly dark-skinned African. “We’re hiring, and we’re looking for you. The African Union offers careers that challenge you, help you grow, and connect you to work that genuinely matters for Africa and the world. If you’re ready to bring your skills to the continent’s leading institution, we want to hear from you,” the post reads. The accompanying image featured five individuals. Two appeared to have visible Caucasian features, two were light-skinned, while one was dark-skinned and visibly…

Nigeria recorded an impressive outing at the 2026 International STEM Olympiad Grand Finale in Rome, Italy, as two young representatives secured gold medals in the global academic competition. Don Anele Munachimso emerged as the gold medallist in the Science category, while Egejurum Onyedikachi Ethan won gold in Mathematics and was named the World’s Best in Mathematics (Primary Category). The achievements capped a remarkable journey for the Nigerian team, which qualified for the international competition after excelling at the Southeast Mathematics Olympiad. The Olympiad in Rome brought together outstanding students from more than 150 countries to compete in Mathematics, Science, Technology…

Gregor Kobel was Switzerland’s penalty hero as he pulled off a stunning shootout save from Colombia’s Cucho Hernandez to help set up a quarter-final against Argentina. The keeper pushed away Hernandez’s spot kick after centre-backs from both sides had earlier missed. Colombia’s Davinson Sanchez rattled the underside of the bar but former Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji skied his spot-kick to restore the balance. But Kobel’s stop from Hernandez was impressive before Cedric Itten and Ruben Vargas scored to add to earlier successful penalties taken by Granit Xhaka and Zeki Amdouni as Switzerland won the shootout 4-3 in the last-16…

More than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents have now been enrolled in the National Identity Database (NIDB), according to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). The announcement was made on Tuesday by NIMC’s Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the commission’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke. The latest figure marks a significant increase from the 117.36 million enrolments recorded as of February 28, 2025, highlighting the Federal Government’s push to expand the National Identification Number (NIN)…

Ekperipe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), says the International Energy Agency (IEA) has officially admitted Nigeria as its newest associate member. Ekpo spoke on Tuesday at the NOG Energy Week 2026 conference held in Abuja. He said the admission makes Nigeria the IEA’s sixth African associate member and the first member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to attain the status. According to the minister, “On July 2, 2026, the International Energy Agency officially admitted Nigeria as its newest associate country.” “As the first OPEC member to partner with the IEA and its sixth…

TikTok personality Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, has been arraigned before a magistrate’s court in Lagos on three counts of resisting police officers and breaching the public peace. Peller, alongside Bello Oladipo, was arraigned before the court on Monday following an incident that occurred on July 2, 2026, along Coastal Road in Lekki, Lagos. The charges, as read in court, include conspiracy to commit a felony, obstruction of police officers in the discharge of their duties, and conduct likely to cause a breach of the public peace. The case stems from a viral video that surfaced last week showing…

Nigeria’s Senate has called on the federal government to immediately halt the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members, arguing that the programme poses a threat to national security and undermines justice for victims of terrorism. The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Ali Ndume, who maintained that former insurgents should face prosecution rather than be reintegrated into society. Ndume said many communities affected by the insurgency remain traumatised and continue to oppose the policy. The senator argued that allowing ex-fighters to return to civilian life while victims continue to suffer sends the wrong message and could weaken public…

Femi Gbajabiamila , Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has threatened a ₦10 billion defamation lawsuit against Adeniyi Adeyemi, who describes himself as the convener of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), over allegations of murder and bribery. In a letter signed by his lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, Gbajabiamila demanded that Adeyemi immediately remove all videos in which he allegedly made defamatory claims against him. The letter also called on Adeyemi to publish a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms where the press conference he addressed on June 26…

A prosecution witness in the alleged N7.8 billion fraud trial of Godwin Emefiele has told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court that he deposited billions of naira in cash on behalf of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Richard Agulu testified as the third prosecution witness (PW3) before Justice Yusuf Halilu on Tuesday. He said the cash was delivered by Eric Ocheme, identified as Emefiele’s personal assistant. Agulu, a former Zenith Bank employee, made the allegation during cross-examination by Matthew Burkaa, counsel to the defendant. He told the court that the funds were either paid into…