Author: Opalim Lifted

South Africa’s coach, Hugo Broos, has accused Nigeria of triggering FIFA’s decision to dock three points from his team for fielding an ineligible player even as he now hopes the Super Eagles rescue Bafana Bafana’s World Cup dream. FIFA punished South Africa after discovering that Teboho Mokoena, who was suspended, featured in the 2–0 win over Lesotho in March 2025. The deduction has left Bafana two points behind Group C leaders Benin heading into Tuesday’s final qualifying matches. But Broos insists the world football body would never have noticed the infraction if Nigeria hadn’t raised the alarm. “Not Lesotho, not…

The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has secured the commitment of the Qatar Foundation to support Nigeria’s renewed efforts to address the challenge of Almajiri and out-of-school children’s education. Mrs Tinubu met with the Founder and Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, during her visit to Doha. The First Lady said the meeting was aimed at seeking the Foundation’s partnership in tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, which affects over 15 million children, the largest number globally. She explained that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, is set to implement a transformative Almajiri Education…

Former Super Eagles midfielder and skipper, Sunday Oliseh, has claimed that the late coach of the national men’s side, Joe Erico, stripped himself naked and cursed the Nigerian football team after feeling betrayed, following events surrounding the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Oliseh made the disclosure during his recent appearance on the Home Turf Podcast, with the former Borussia Dortmund and Juventus midfielder suggesting that the alleged curse could be linked to the team’s ongoing struggles in major tournaments, including the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The 51-year-old explained that the 2002 World Cup qualification period was not…

Maryam Sanda, the woman convicted for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, has been granted a presidential pardon after spending more than six years in prison. Sanda was convicted for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, son of former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Haliru Bello, to death during a heated argument at their home in Maitama, Abuja, on Sunday, November 19, 2017. The case drew national attention as images of the couple circulated online. In January 2020, Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sentenced Sanda to death by hanging after finding her guilty of premeditated murder.…

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has vowed to assemble a powerful legal team to compel the Federal Government to deliver environmental justice and compensation for the long-suffering Niger Delta region. Falana made the declaration while delivering the keynote address at the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Anniversary Memorial Lecture in Rivers State, themed “Ken Saro-Wiwa, The Man, His Legacies, Struggles and Challenges.” He condemned the persistent neglect of the oil-rich region, particularly the lack of basic amenities such as electricity and clean water, despite decades of wealth extracted from its soil. According to Falana, the time has…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has hailed the decade-long leadership of its former Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, calling 2015 to 2025 one of the most transformative periods in Nigeria’s electoral history. In two new reports, Election Management in Nigeria: 2015–2025 and Innovations in Electoral Technology: 2015–2025, INEC credited Yakubu’s administration with modernising the nation’s electoral system through groundbreaking technological and legal reforms. Appointed in 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari and reappointed in 2020, Yakubu became the first INEC Chairman to serve two full terms. His tenure spanned two general elections (2019 and 2023), 19 off-cycle governorship polls, and hundreds…

President Bola Tinubu’s South-East spokesman, Josef Onoh, has strongly condemned the recent presidential pardons granted to 175 convicts, describing the move as a “moral travesty and a rape of justice.” The President, through the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, approved clemency for a mix of offenders including drug convicts, foreigners, and capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute. Onoh argued that releasing such offenders under the guise of mercy “undermines the rule of law” and damages Nigeria’s global…

Over 707 ethnic nationalities youth leaders across Nigeria have thrown their support behind President Bola Tinubu for a second term, while calling for a constitutional amendment to introduce a single seven-year tenure for all elective offices. The youth leaders made the demand at the 1st All Nigerian Ethnic Nationalities Youth Conference 2025 held in Abuja, themed “Emboldening a New Nigeria of Our Dream.” Convened by Aare (Barr.) Oladotun Hassan, President of the Nigeria Youth Coalition (NYC), the event marked the 30th anniversary of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s execution, honouring his legacy as a defender of environmental justice. In his keynote, Hassan described…

Nigeria’s university campuses are set for fresh disruption as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) kicks off a two-week warning strike, despite last-minute appeals from the Federal Government. The union’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the industrial action on Sunday at the University of Abuja, saying the government had failed to act meaningfully within the 14-day notice issued on September 28. “All branches have been directed to commence a full withdrawal of services from midnight, Monday, October 13,” Piwuna declared, stressing that the strike will be total and comprehensive. In response, the Federal Government has reminded lecturers that…

The Nigeria Police Force say it has uncovered credible leads on the gun suppliers who armed the gang accused of killing Arise News anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, in Abuja. The late journalist and a security guard, Barnabas Danlami, were brutally murdered during a robbery on 29 September 2025 at Unique Apartments, Katampe Extension. Following intense investigations, the FCT Police Command arrested 12 suspects linked to the attack. Police investigations revealed that the gang sourced their weapons from a supplier in Niger Republic, raising concerns about the growing cross-border arms trade fuelling violent crimes in Nigeria. Among those arrested are Shamsudeen Hassan,…