Author: Opalim Lifted

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Nigeria will officially inaugurate its booth at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan on Thursday, just a day before the three-day summit concludes. The conference opened on Wednesday and is scheduled to end on Friday. As the summit got underway, booths representing various countries welcomed investors and visitors. However, Nigeria’s stand stood conspicuously empty on the opening day of the conference, leaving some delegates to take up the task of manning it. The situation quickly drew criticism from Nigerians online, who lamented the country’s poor representation…

President Bola Tinubu has called for sweeping reforms at the United Nations (UN) to give Africa permanent representation on the security council. Delivering his intervention at the plenary session on peace and stability during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, Tinubu argued that Africa deserves two permanent seats with full privileges. The president said the continent also deserves additional non-permanent seats in line with the Ezulwini consensus and Sirte declaration. “It is the view of Nigeria that Africa’s quest for fair and equitable representation in the UN Security Council is a just and fair…

Delegates held the fort at Nigeria’s booth during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) on Wednesday pending the arrival of government officials. The conference will run from August 20 to 22 at the Pacifico Yokohama, Japan. Idris Bello, one of the delegates, said he felt compelled to act after repeated questions from Japanese attendees who identified him as a Nigerian thanks to his outfit. “I hate to show negative things about Nigeria but it is sad that Nigeria is the only unmanned booth at TICAD9 in Japan,” he tweeted. “Upon all the folks who probably got estacode for…

Labour Party (LP) chairperson in Lagos, Dayo Ekong, has urged Peter Obi to “pause and reflect” amid what she described as his declining political influence. In a statement shared on her X page on Tuesday, Ekong said Obi’s rising profile in 2023 was not just about his personality but a combination of party structures, grassroots mobilisation and public desire for change. According to her, that “grace” which carried him then is now fading because of his divisive choices and inconsistent political moves. “In 2023, Nigerians rallied behind him because he represented a fresh alternative,” Ekong wrote. “But today, his actions…

Mohamed Salah became the first player to win the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) men’s Player of the Year for a third time on Tuesday after guiding Liverpool to Premier League glory. The Egyptian scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists to propel the Reds to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title with four games to spare last season. Salah also scooped the award in the 2017/18 and 2021/22 seasons. The 33-year-old picked up the Football Writers’ Association and Premier League Player of the Year awards in recent months Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers won Young Player of the Year following a…

The State Department has revoked more than 6,000 international student visas over alleged violation of United States laws, overstays, and terrorism-related concerns. The department said the majority of the cases involved offences such as assault, driving under the influence (DUI), burglary, and “support for terrorism”, BBC reported. About 4,000 of the cancelled visas were on account of general US law violations, while between 200 and 300 others were specifically withdrawn under section 3B of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which defines “terrorist activity” broadly as acts that endanger human life or violate American law. The decision comes as part…

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed that all mobile phones must be completely switched off during airplane take-off and landing. In a post on X on Tuesday, Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s director of public affairs and consumer protection, said the regulation on phones and other electronic devices in Nigeria has now been unified. The decision followed an emergency meeting with aviation stakeholders on Tuesday. “All phones must be switched off during the critical aspects of take-off and landing,” Achimugu said. “All airlines must amend their security programmes to reflect this if different in their current programmes.” He added that…

After recording 100 percent victories in three matches at the group stage, the stage is set for a heavyweight clash as D’Tigers face the Lions of Senegal in the quarterfinals of the 2025 AfroBasket on Wednesday afternoon in Luanda, Angola. Nigeria secured their quarterfinal ticket by thumping Cameroon 99–90 to top Group B, while Senegal booked their spot after defeating South Sudan 78–65 in the playoff round. The Lions boast a rich history in the competition, with five championship titles (1968, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1997), six silver medals, and five bronze medals. This year marks their 30th AfroBasket appearance. D’Tigers…

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is considering reviewing the salaries of political officeholders. By its enabling Act, the RMAFC is charged with determining the remuneration of political officeholders, including the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, ministers, commissioners, special advisers, legislators, and other officials listed under sections 84 and 124 of the constitution. The last adjustment to the remuneration package of political officeholders reportedly took place in 2008. When President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, plans were initiated to review the remuneration. However, the move was suspended in September of the same year due to “economic…

A late penalty from new signing Lukas Nmecha earned promoted Leeds United a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Everton in their first match back in the Premier League on Monday night. Leeds dominated the first half in front of a raucous Elland Road crowd, but wasted a host of chances to break the deadlock. Everton, on the other hand, did not muster a single shot, on or off target, in the opening period. The visitors brought on close season arrival Jack Grealish as they improved after the break, but James Tarkowski’s handball gave the hosts the opportunity to snatch victory six…