Author: Opalim Lifted

Lawrence Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom in Enugu State, has asked Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), or return him to Kenya, where he was arrested before being brought to Nigeria. Agubuzu spoke on Tuesday while delivering a goodwill message at the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. The traditional ruler said Kanu’s continued detention is fuelling agitation among youths in the South-East. “Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to…

African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Peter Obi has renewed his call for election reform and criticised President Bola Tinubu over Nigeria’s struggling power sector, accusing the government of failing to meet key promises. In posts shared on Tuesday, Obi said peaceful Nigerians demanding free and fair elections were tear-gassed for exercising their democratic rights. He described the development as evidence of democratic backsliding. The former Anambra state governor called for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results, arguing that transparency is essential to public trust. Comparing Nigeria and India Obi contrasted Nigeria’s electoral process with that of India, which…

Growing desperation among young Africans; Nigerians seeking opportunities abroad is fuelling a dangerous cycle that leaves many vulnerable to exploitation, including alleged recruitment into foreign military conflicts, foreign policy and security experts have warned. Professor of International Relations, Femi Otubanjo, said unfolding reports of Africans, including Nigerians, ending up in military camps in Russia reflect a complex global pattern driven by economic hardship and long-standing international recruitment practices. “It takes two to tango. So, you have to have a partnership for certain things to be achieved,” Otubanjo said, noting that stories of foreign job seekers being redirected into military service…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna State, as Renewed Hope Ambassador and Deputy Director-General for All Progressives Congress (APC) outreach, engagement, and mobilisation. In a statement on Tuesday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on media and strategy, said Sani’s appointment takes immediate effect. Onanuga said Tinubu appointed Sani to the role because of his outstanding leadership and organisational abilities. “The governor’s responsibilities will include working in close collaboration with the Director-General of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and the party hierarchy, particularly the national chairman of the APC,” the statement reads. “The overall objective of…

Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives staged a dramatic walkout on Tuesday after the chamber approved a controversial manual collation clause in the amended Electoral Act. The protest erupted over Section 60(3), which allows manual collation of results where electronic transmission fails. Opposition members insisted that election results must be transmitted electronically without any fallback to manual processes. The amended clause states that presiding officers must electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s result viewing portal (IReV). However, it also provides that if electronic transmission fails due to technical or communication issues, Form…

About 100 US military personnel have arrived at Bauchi airfield under a new security cooperation deal between Nigeria and the United States. In a statement on Monday, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed that the deployment follows a recent bilateral security agreement between Nigeria and the US government. According to DHQ spokesperson Samaila Uba, the Federal Government formally requested US assistance in military training, technical support and intelligence sharing for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He stressed that the US personnel are technical specialists serving strictly in advisory and training roles not combat troops. “The collaboration will provide access to…

Proceedings in the House of Representatives turned chaotic on Tuesday as lawmakers clashed over a motion seeking to rescind the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment bill. Tensions flared after Francis Waive, chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, moved a motion to reverse the green chamber’s earlier decision on the bill passed on December 23, 2025. When Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House, put the motion to a voice vote, the “nays” clearly outweighed the “ayes”. However, Abbas ruled in favour of the “ayes”, triggering loud protests across the chamber. Lawmakers openly challenged the ruling, shouting in…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has firmly stated that it does not determine or adjust foreign exchange (FX) rates used for import and export valuation. In a statement issued by its National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, the agency addressed growing public debate over exchange rate discrepancies, investor reactions, and customs valuation processes. According to the NCS, all FX rates applied within its digital clearance platform, B’Odogwu, the unified customs management system are electronically transmitted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Maiwada stressed that the customs service has no authority to generate, alter, or apply margins to exchange rates.…

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched an investigation into the data processing activities of e-commerce platform Temu over alleged violations of the Nigeria Data Protection Act. The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, ordered an immediate probe yesterday following concerns that the company’s operations may not comply with provisions of the Act. According to the Commission, the investigation was triggered by issues surrounding online surveillance through personal data processing, accountability, data minimisation requirements, transparency, duty of care, and cross-border data transfers. Preliminary findings indicate that Temu has processed the personal information of…

Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says the country is set to play a central role in designing Africa’s future single-currency framework, following the African Union’s latest approvals on the African Monetary Institute (AMI). On February 13, the executive council of the AU agreed to grant Nigeria a permanent seat on the board of the African Central Bank (ACB). In a recent statement, Cardoso said the decision for Nigeria to host the African Monetary Institute (AMI) and, eventually, the African Central Bank (ACB) positions the country at the heart of Africa’s emerging monetary union and strengthens…