Author: Opalim Lifted

Omah Lay, the Nigerian singer, has secured his first-ever Grammy Award nomination. The nominees for the 2026 Grammys were unveiled on Friday, with several Nigerian artistes making the list. Omah Lay is nominated in the ‘Best African Music Performance’ category for his collaborative single ‘With You,’ which features fellow Nigerian superstar Davido. The track will face stiff competition from a lineup of heavyweight African artistes, including Burna Boy for his song ‘Love,’ Wizkid and Ayra Starr for their hit ‘Gimme Dat,’ South Africa’s Tyla for ‘Push 2 Start,’ and Ugandan artiste Eddy Kenzo alongside Mehran Matin for ‘Hope & Love’.…

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced the ex-gantry price of petrol to ₦828 per litre, a ₦49 drop from the previous ₦877. According to sources at the facility, the price slash comes as the refinery ramps up operations to reach a record-breaking capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd), surpassing India’s Jamnagar refinery, currently the world’s largest at 1.36 million bpd. Earlier this month, the refinery announced that its daily supply now exceeds Nigeria’s total demand, with over 45 million litres of petrol and 25 million litres of diesel being loaded nationwide each day. The refinery also reaffirmed its…

There are strong indications that President Bola Tinubu may soon carry out a slight reallocation of ministerial portfolios following the inauguration of two new ministers to fill recent vacancies in his cabinet. Presidency sources revealed that with the Federal Executive Council now complete with 48 ministers, the President is considering a minor reshuffle amid mounting distractions — including US President Donald Trump’s warning on human rights abuses and Nigeria’s sluggish response to insecurity. Tinubu last conducted a major cabinet shake-up on October 23, 2024, when he dismissed five ministers, appointed seven new ones, and reassigned ten others. Key portfolios such…

President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke, has declared that a Christian genocide is ongoing in Nigeria, urging President Bola Tinubu to collaborate with former US President Donald Trump to curb the violence and protect Christian communities. Speaking to journalists in Ibadan on Friday, Oke said it was “undeniable” that Christians were being systematically targeted across the country, citing the killings of Deborah Samuel, the abduction of Leah Sharibu, the Chibok girls, and attacks in Benue, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, Owo, Niger, and Plateau states. “There is Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is no other name to…

Elections in Nigeria have always been defined by controversies. Electoral malpractice, ranging from ballot snatching to result sheet manipulations, has persistently plagued our democracy. However, in 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced the smart card reader, which sought to verify voters electronically for the first time. It was far from perfect. Machines failed, networks crashed, and officials reverted to manual accreditation in many places. In fact, Business Day reported how over 5.8 million people had to without digital accreditation. Learning from those mistakes, INEC launched the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) in 2021 to replace the card reader.…

Barely sixteen days after taking charge, the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, faces his first major challenge as Anambra State goes to the polls tomorrow for its governorship election. Amupitan, who pledged to deliver elections that truly reflect the will of Nigerians, assured citizens that the commission is “fully prepared to deliver a credible, transparent, and peaceful election.” The INEC boss revealed that 24,000 officials will be deployed across 5,720 polling units in the state’s 21 local government areas, supported by 60,000 security personnel drawn from the police, army, air force, and…

The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is now battling the “nemesis” he foretold would confront it after the 2023 elections. In a statement released by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric said the ongoing controversy involving US President Donald Trump’s alleged threat against Nigeria is a spiritual backlash against Tinubu’s leadership. According to Ayodele, the alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria which has reportedly drawn America’s attention is “spiritually connected” to Tinubu’s political challenges. “Tinubu is reaping what he sowed. The genocide issue is meant to fight his government.…

Drama briefly unfolded inside the Oval Office when a pharmaceutical executive collapsed during US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a new deal on weight-loss medications. The man, who was standing near Trump during the live event, suddenly lost his balance and fell. Some reports initially identified him as Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Finlay, but the company swiftly clarified that was incorrect. Eyewitnesses told The Independent UK that Dr Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, quickly intervened to prevent the man from hitting his head. Journalists were escorted out while Cabinet members helped revive him by…

The Presidency has dismissed a viral video claiming that United States troops have landed in Nigeria following military intervention threats by President Donald Trump. The Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, while reacting on Friday to a video posted on X by @Italian_Spencer, wrote, “This is false!!!!” The X user had captioned the video: “Breaking News: US Army lands in Bonny Island, Rivers State!! Donald Trump wasn’t playing around.” The video, which had gathered over 1,300 comments as of the time of this report, shows a group of foreign military personnel in uniform and helmets…

The political landscape in Taraba is about to shift dramatically as Governor Agbu Kefas prepares to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on November 19. A source within the APC National Working Committee confirmed that APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, is personally overseeing the move, described as a “masterstroke” to strengthen the party’s base in the North East. Plans have been finalised for a grand rally in Jalingo, where Kefas will be officially received. Kefas, who had long been rumoured to be on his way out of the PDP, gave his…