Author: Opalim Lifted

The Rivers state house of assembly reconvened for plenary after the emergency rule imposed on the state elapsed on Thursday. President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with all democratic structures in the state asked to resume duties. The plenary is being presided by Martins Amaewhule, speaker of the house, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters. The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government. Ibok-Ete Ibas, who was sole administrator of…

A large crowd has gathered in front of the Rivers state government house in Port Harcourt to welcome back Siminalayi Fubara as governor of the state. On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state in the wake of a protracted political crisis. In his statement, the president asked Fubara, the suspended governor, to resume work on Thursday, September 18. He also asked Ngozi Nma Odu, the deputy governor, and members of the Rivers state house of assembly to resume their duties. The crowd began converging outside the Rivers government house, located off Azikiwe Road,…

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of ₦2.22 trillion among the federal, state and local governments for August 2025. The disbursement, announced at FAAC’s September meeting in Abuja and chaired by Finance Minister Wale Edun, came from a gross revenue of ₦3.63 trillion. According to the breakdown: The federal government received ₦810.05 billion States got ₦709.83 billion Local governments shared ₦522.23 billion Oil-producing states pocketed ₦183.01 billion as 13% derivation. In addition, ₦124.84 billion was set aside as the cost of collection, while ₦1.28 trillion went into transfers, interventions, and refunds. VAT and Revenues Value Added…

Tragedy struck on Tuesday when a fire engulfed at Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos, a multiple storey building that houses offices of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and United Capital Plc (UCAP), a branch of United Bank of Africa (UBA), and other financial institutions. The fire was said to have started in the inverter room in the building’s before spreading upward. Videos from the incident on social media showed occupants of the high-rise building escaping through the windows. On Wednesday, the FIRS announced that four of its staff died in the incident. A statement by Dare Adekanmbi, media…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a public alert over falsified versions of two essential medicines, warning of serious health risks. In a statement numbered 030/2025, the agency said counterfeit batches of the anti-malarial Artemetrin DS and the antibiotic Ciprofit 500 were in circulation, despite being sourced from licensed vendors and wholesalers. Laboratory tests showed the products contained dangerously low levels of active ingredients. NAFDAC said Artemetrin DS, labelled as manufactured by A.C. Drugs Ltd in Enugu State, contained only 59.2 per cent artemether and 71.2 per cent lumefantrine — well below the…

President Bola Tinubu has pledged that his administration will deliver a Nigeria where every citizen’s identity is secure, trusted, and recognised across all platforms. Speaking in Abuja at the 2025 National Day of Identity, themed “Public Key Infrastructure (PKI): Backbone to Digital Public Infrastructure”, Tinubu said the celebration was not just about progress but about recommitting to building a trusted digital ecosystem. “Identity is the foundation of citizenship and the gateway to opportunity,” the president declared. “The National Identity Number (NIN) is not merely an administrative figure — it is the common key that unlocks opportunity, strengthens governance, and builds…

Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general (DG) of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), says indigenous creative artistes should tell Nigeria’s story in a way that highlights the full range of the country’s positive developments in the country rather than narrating one-sided negativities. Represented by Funke Salako, the southwest director of NOA, Issa-Onilu spoke in Lagos on Tuesday at the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) conference. The WIFT conference is a yearly event that draws participants from female creative artistes in Nigeria to network, share ideas, and find solutions to issues affecting the country’s film and creative industries. Joke Silva, a Nigerian movie…

Liverpool delivered another dramatic late twist as they opened their Champions League campaign with victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Alexander Isak made his eagerly awaited Liverpool introduction but it looked as though Arne Slot’s side would be disappointed as Atletico came from 2-0 down to level, only for Virgil van Dijk to head a stoppage time winner. It was an established superstar rather than Liverpool’s new faces who provided the inspiration, with Mohamed Salah instrumental as the Premier League champions went 2-0 up inside six minutes. Salah’s free-kick took a decisive deflection off Andrew Robertson to wrong-foot Atletico keeper…

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has released the list of 21 players in the Flying Eagles team representing the country at the 2025 U20 World Cup in Chile. The NFF, in a recent statement said the team will be accompanied by 11 officials to the South American continent for the 24th edition of the tournament. Led by coach Aliyu Zubairu, the team departed the shores of Nigeria on Sunday night for a 12-day camping before the competition begins. Nigeria will face Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia in group F. The team, which includes ten foreign-based players, is headlined by Ebenezer…

Utah prosecutors say they will pursue the death penalty against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University last week. Court filings reveal chilling text messages in which Robinson allegedly confessed to the rooftop sniper attack, telling his roommate: “I had enough of his hatred.” Prosecutors allege Robinson, a trade student, planned the killing for more than a week. The rifle used reportedly belonged to his grandfather, with DNA evidence tying Robinson to the weapon. After the shooting, Robinson texted his roommate to check under his keyboard, where a…