Author: Opalim Lifted

As Nigeria marked the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day (AFCRD), strong messages of restraint, professionalism and loyalty to democracy echoed across the country, with clerics and state governors cautioning the military against political interference or any form of unconstitutional takeover. At interdenominational services held nationwide to honour fallen heroes, members of the Armed Forces were urged to remain apolitical, defend democracy and focus strictly on their constitutional mandate, especially as the country approaches the 2027 general elections. In Abuja, Reverend Uche Dan Okafor delivered a pointed sermon, appealing directly to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede,…

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has drawn a fresh battle line in Nigeria’s long war against corruption, declaring that the struggle goes far beyond arrests and prosecutions to confront the beliefs and attitudes that make crime seem acceptable. According to him, economic and financial crimes do not flourish merely because laws are weak or institutions fail, but because society has, over time, tolerated ideas and narratives that portray wrongdoing as smart, profitable, and even admirable. Olukoyede disclosed this in his foreword to a new book, titled: Crime Is a Bad Market. The book is…

Africa Magic, in partnership with MultiChoice, has opened entries for the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), with submissions running from January 11 to February 15, 2026. The awards recognise film and television works produced and broadcast across Africa. Eligible entries must have been publicly screened or broadcast between January 1 and December 31, 2025. Feature-length films must have been shown in cinemas, television, or streaming platforms to qualify. The 2026 edition will feature 32 award categories, including 18 jury-decided categories and 11 audience-voted categories. There will also be two Lifetime Achievement Awards and one Trailblazer…

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, has commissioned the Third Mainland Bridge Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring centre, emphasising it as a key safety and infrastructure upgrade on the bridge as part of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to rehabilitate and secure critical federal bridges across the country. The facility includes high-definition CCTV cameras covering the bridge deck and underwater sections, a dedicated surveillance boat, and two operational Hilux vehicles to support monitoring and rapid deployment. Umahi said that upon assumption of office in 2023, the administration met the Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Iddo…

Paul Ibe, a media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned Nigeria’s presidential air fleet management under President Bola Tinubu. In a post on his official X account on Sunday, Ibe detailed the presidency’s purchase of a used Airbus A330 (5N-FGA) for $100 million in 2024 to replace the aging Boeing 737 (5N-FGT). He also asked questions about unexplained shifts to a Luxaviation-chartered Boeing 737 (T7-NAS) and the old 737’s recent reregistration to T7-ZMK, suggesting an opaque potential sale. “For a change, fellow concerned Nigerians, let’s talk about the presidential air fleet and interrogate what appears to be…

Euracare Hospital says it has launched an internal investigation following Chimamanda Adichie’s allegation that negligence at the facility led to the death of her 21-month-old son. On Wednesday, Nkanu Nnamdi, one of the author’s twin sons, died after an emergency during a medical procedure at the hospital. Adichie, however, alleged that her son’s death was a result of what she described as “criminal negligence” at Euracare Hospital. She had recounted how the toddler initially seemed to have a cold but quickly developed a severe infection. Adichie claimed the anaesthesiologist in charge was “criminally negligent, fatally casual, and careless with the…

Amid increasing calls for the sack of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the minister has shut down demands for his sack. Staunch critics of the minister, while wading into the hostility between Wike and his successor as Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, have advised President Bola Tinubu to remove Wike from office to resolve the political crisis in the state. Some of his critics include a coalition of leaders within the All Progressives Congress (APC), operating under the APC Leaders Forum (ALF) and the Tinubu/Shettima Solidarity Movement (TSSM). The group issued an open letter, calling…

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its sustained fight against violent crime with the arrest of three notorious armed robbery suspects involved in “one-chance” criminal operations and the gruesome murder of a legal practitioner, Barrister Chigbo Nwamaka. The arrest, announced on Sunday in a statement by Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Command, SP Josephine Adeh, followed clear directives issued by the Commissioner of Police in Abuja, CP Miller Dantawaye, to ensure that all perpetrators connected to the heinous murder of the victim and other similar crimes within the FCT are swiftly identified and…

Managerless Manchester United completed an unwanted cup double as former striker Danny Welbeck helped Brighton send them crashing out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford. In front of his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson and with former team-mate Darren Fletcher in interim charge at his old club, Welbeck belted home Brighton’s second to send them into the fourth round. It was the 35-year-old’s eighth goal against United and his sixth visiting the stadium he used to call home. The thunderous drive into the roof of Senne Lammens’ goal doubled a lead given to Brighton by Brajan Gruda’s first-half opener.…

Gabriel Martinelli scored a hat-trick as Arsenal came from behind to beat Portsmouth comfortably at Fratton Park and progress to the FA Cup fourth round. After FA Cup shocks involving Wrexham and Macclesfield earlier this weekend, it looked as if the Gunners, who made 10 changes to their starting line-up, could be on the end of another when Colby Bishop put the Championship hosts ahead after three minutes. But Arsenal were only behind for five minutes before Christian Norgaard forced the ball in via Portsmouth’s Andre Dozzell after a trademark Gunners corner to level. That goal settled the visitors down…