Author: Opalim Lifted

Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has called on Nigeria to embrace Open and Distance Learning (ODL) as a national necessity, saying it is critical to meeting the country’s growing demand for university education. Osinbajo made the call on Tuesday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Distance Learning Institute’s Fifth International Colloquium in Lagos. The colloquium was themed “Reimagining Open Distance Learning Ecosystem: Technology, Policy and Institutional Priorities.” Osinbajo said more than 2.2 million young Nigerians seek university admission annually, while the country’s tertiary education system has historically admitted only about 25 per cent of applicants. He projected that Nigeria’s population could…

President Bola Tinubu has described the Hausa people as important pillars of Nigeria’s unity and progress. The President stated this in a message commemorating Hausa Day, which is being celebrated at the historic Daura Palace. In a statement on X on Wednesday, Tinubu said the Hausa community had continued to make significant contributions to the country’s development. He added that the Hausa language had grown into an important means of communication, unity, and commerce beyond Nigeria. He congratulated the Hausa community on the occasion, acknowledging the cultural and linguistic significance of the Hausa people to Nigeria and the wider world.…

Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for a people-centred approach to justice reform in Nigeria, urging stakeholders to redesign the justice system around the needs of citizens. Osinbajo made the call during a panel session at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The former Vice President, who is a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said a justice system focused on citizens would strengthen governance, improve the relevance of the legal profession and offer greater protection to Nigerians. Represented at the session by former Lagos State Attorney-General…

MTN Group is exploring banking licences in some of its African markets as the telecommunications giant considers using its own balance sheet to expand lending to customers. Ralph Mupita, MTN’s group chief executive officer, disclosed the plan on Tuesday while speaking with journalists. Mupita said the proposed banking licences could enable MTN to take deposits and eventually lend directly to customers in markets where it has large customer bases and significant funds held in mobile money wallets. “We’re beginning to explore, where it makes sense and where there are large customer bases and significant floats in wallets, whether it may…

Zacuten Technologies says it is owed more than $4 million after a disputed $13.07 million transaction involving Plaude Technologies Limited and Plaude Inc., raising questions over payment representations, financial capacity and other multi-million-dollar claims. In a press release, the Lagos-based company said Plaude has acknowledged that the transaction was valued at approximately $13.07 million and that about $8.95 million was transferred. Zacuten said the remaining $4.1 million to $4.2 million has not been paid. Godsreal Ojinaka, CEO of Zacuten Technologies, said the company had sought answers, supporting documentation and a clear payment timeline but remained without a satisfactory resolution. “This…

Bruno Fernandes, the lynchpin of Manchester United’s attack who provided a Premier League-record 21 assists during the 2025-26 season, was named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year on Tuesday. Club captain Fernandes, a United player since 2020, also scored nine goals as he helped the club finish third in the English top flight. Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw, who was the Women’s Super League top scorer with 21 goals, was named Women’s Player of the Year for the second time, having previously won the award in 2024. The men’s annual award, voted for by members of the…

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, has ordered a nationwide crackdown on jungle justice and mob action, directing police commissioners across Nigeria to treat every case of mob violence as homicide. Disu issued the directive in a video shared on the official X handle of the Nigeria Police Force. He said no community, vigilante group or association has the legal authority to arrest, try, convict or execute anyone based on suspicion, allegations, rumours or evidence circulated on social media. “Jungle justice is murder. It is not justice. It is a crime, and the Nigeria Police Force will treat it…

Paul Ibe, spokesperson for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, says an Atiku administration would temporarily restore petrol subsidy if elected in 2027 before gradually phasing it out. Speaking on AIT, Ibe said the intervention would give Nigerians and businesses time to recover, stimulate economic activity and boost productivity. He stressed that Atiku’s proposal would not revive the old subsidy system, which he described as opaque. Instead, government support would be tied to crude oil production and domestic refining. “We are not returning to Egypt. We are not going back to the old regime that was opaque,” Ibe said. Ibe said crude…

Dolly Parton, the American country music singer who rose from poverty in Tennessee to become a US cultural giant with hits like “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors”, has died at 80, her family said Tuesday. “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video on social media. He said the multiple award-winning artist had “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life.” Parton died after a brief battle with cancer, according to a statement from her team. The singer-songwriter was…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered urgent intervention on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road and the Ifaki-Kabba-Ado Ekiti road, following growing concerns over the worsening condition of the major routes. Minister of Works, David Umahi, said the President’s directive followed reports of severe hardship faced by motorists, with some road users reportedly stranded for hours and, in some cases, days. Umahi, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Francis Nwaze, said Tinubu directed the Federal Ministry of Works to take immediate steps to restore movement along the affected roads. “President Tinubu, GCFR, has directed the Federal Ministry of Works to urgently intervene and…