Author: Opalim Lifted

Alexer Peres, the estranged wife of singer Harrysong, has announced her decision to forgo custody of their two young children following a recent court order. In a video shared on Instagram, the entrepreneur expressed distress over the legal development, accusing the singer of deliberately frustrating her efforts at co-parenting. “He comes to my house unannounced and harasses me everywhere. At this point, I am tired,” she said. Alexer strongly objected to the court granting custody to Harrysong, questioning his availability and capacity as a parent. “He is barely around. It’s his house helps that are usually there. He just wants…

The federal government’s N58.47 trillion 2026 appropriation bill has passed second reading at the House of Representatives. The money bill scaled second reading during Thursday’s plenary after the House reconvened from over 30 minutes of executive session. Julius Ihonvbere, lawmaker representing Owan federal constituency and majority leader, moved the motion for the consideration of the budget. Presenting the bill’s general principles, Ihonvbere described the budget as part of a long and difficult journey towards peace, growth, stability, and sustainable development. He said true development must be sustainable, noting that temporary progress does not amount to real development. The majority leader…

Ghana’s cedi is expected to weaken further next week on firm corporate demand, while Nigeria’s naira is seen holding steady and Kenya’s shilling is likely to remain stable, reflecting mixed currency trends across sub-Saharan Africa, traders said. Ghana The cedi is forecast to depreciate in the coming week, pressured by steady corporate demand from the energy, services, and construction sectors. On Thursday, the cedi traded at 10.97, compared to 10.85 a week ago, according to London Stock Exchange data. “The local currency remains under mild pressure, with FX demand persistently outpacing supply,” said Ronald Mensah, a trader at Stanbic Bank…

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has suspended Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s head coach, for five games and fined him $100,000 for “unsporting conduct” after he ordered his players to leave the pitch during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against Morocco. In a ruling announced on Thursday, CAF also fined the Senegalese federation $615,000 for the team’s conduct and the behaviour of the country’s fans at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium during the final. The CAF disciplinary committee also sanctioned two Senegalese players — Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr — with two-game suspensions for “unsporting behaviour towards the referee”.…

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), says Turkish officials were “shocked” to learn that President Bola Tinubu’s stumble in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, became a major issue back home. Tinubu stumbled on Tuesday during a welcome ceremony in Ankara as he walked alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Officials quickly assisted the Nigerian leader and helped him regain his balance. After the band rendered both countries’ anthems, there was a moment when the Turkish president used his hands to adjust Tinubu’s posture to properly face the band. The stumble made headlines across Nigerian dailies, blogs, and social media.…

The naira continued its steady recovery on Wednesday, strengthening to N1,400.47 against the US dollar at Nigeria’s official foreign exchange market. Data from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) showed the currency gained 75 kobo, or 0.05 per cent, from the N1,401.22 recorded on January 27. It is the first time the naira has traded at the N1,400 level since May 2024. This performance also marks the strongest showing for the local currency since the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the electronic foreign exchange matching system (EFEMS), designed to improve transparency and price discovery in the FX market. The…

Lere Olayinka, media aide to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says his principal controls the political structure in Rivers state. Speaking on Wednesday during his appearance on the Morning Brief, a programme on Channels TV, Olayinka described Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, as a weak politician who lacks a firm grip on the state’s political structure. He said Wike controls the LG and state assembly structures, adding that Fubara should “prostrate” before the FCT minister. “If I am a minister and you are a governor, and I can control your house of assembly, then something is…

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has accused President Bola Tinubu of failing to live up to his campaign promise on electricity, following repeated collapses of national grid. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Obi recalled Tinubu’s 2022 pledge that Nigerians should not vote him for a second term if he failed to deliver stable electricity within his first four years in office. According to the former Anambra governor, recent events sharply contradict that assurance. He noted that the national grid has already collapsed twice in January 2026 alone, even before the month…

Nigeria must act with urgency and clear purpose to fix its power sector if it is to deliver reliable and affordable electricity, the Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Olaniyi Yusuf, has warned. Speaking on a Channels TV programme, Yusuf criticised the slow pace of Nigeria’s power reforms, drawing a sharp comparison between Nigeria’s delayed Siemens Power Project and Egypt’s swift execution of a similar deal. The Siemens Power Project, signed in 2019 and designed to boost Nigeria’s electricity generation from between 2,500 and 7,000 megawatts to 25,000 megawatts, only completed its first phase in early 2025. Phase…

List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Champions League after the league phase concluded on Wednesday, ranked by table position: Directly to round of 16: 1. Arsenal (England) 2. Bayern Munich (Germany) 3. Liverpool (England) 4. Tottenham Hotspur (England) 5. FC Barcelona (Spain) 6. Chelsea (England) 7. Sporting (Portugal) 8. Manchester City (England) Knockout phase play-off places (seeded) 9. Real Madrid (Spain) 10. Inter Milan (Italy) Arsenal top Champions League after 3-2 win over Kairat 11. Paris St. Germain (France) 12. Newcastle United (England) 13. Juventus (Italy) 14. Atletico Madrid (Spain) 15. Atalanta (Italy) 16.…