Author: Opalim Lifted

Nigerians who hold second citizenship from Caribbean countries operating citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programmes may have been hit with a double whammy. This follows the United States’ decision to impose partial travel restrictions on several countries, including Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica. The two Caribbean nations, both popular among wealthy Nigerians for offering CBI without long-term residency requirements, were added to Washington’s updated list of countries facing partial entry restrictions on Tuesday Nigeria was also named among the affected states. This means some Nigerians could now face limitations regardless of whether they travel on Nigerian or Caribbean passports. The White House cited…

Confusion has gripped Nigerians following the United States’ suspension of new tourist, student, and exchange visa applications as part of its latest update to travel restrictions. The suspension covers both immigrant and non-immigrant visas, including B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J categories — routes most commonly used by Nigerians — despite data showing relatively low visa overstay rates. B visas are issued to temporary visitors for business (B-1) or tourism (B-2); F and M visas are for students (academic and vocational); while J visas are for exchange visitors. President Donald Trump signed the proclamation on Tuesday. “The entry into…

The United States (US) has added Nigeria to a list of countries facing partial travel restrictions, citing “security and documentation” concerns. The White House announced the presidential proclamation on Tuesday, updating its list of countries facing full and partial travel restrictions. Nigeria was among 15 mostly African countries, including Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, and The Gambia, slammed with a partial travel suspension. Others listed are Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. “Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial…

The Lagos state police command has arrested Habeeb ‘Peller‘ Hamzat, the TikTok star, following a viral video of a dangerous driving incident that culminated in a crash during a live broadcast. In a statement issued on Tuesday by Abimbola Adebisi, the police public relations officer (PPRO), the command confirmed that the arrest was prompted by widespread public outcry. The live-stream incident occurred on December 14, 2025. The police stated that the suspect’s actions presented a grave risk to public safety and necessitated immediate action. The command condemned the act as “extremely dangerous,” emphasising that such behaviour could have led to…

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the dispute between Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, and Farouk Ahmed, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution after adopting a motion of urgent public importance. The motion was moved during Tuesday’s plenary by Midala Balami, a lawmaker representing Askira Uba/Hawul federal constituency of Borno State. In a newspaper advertisement on Tuesday, Dangote alleged that Ahmed spent about $5 million on the secondary education of his four children in Switzerland over six years. He said the…

A new biography of former President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that the controversial naira redesign policy introduced ahead of the 2023 general election originated from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), not the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as had been widely assumed. The revelation is contained in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, a biography authored by Dr Charles Omole and presented at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The book states that the proposal to redesign the naira was advanced by the then Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, with the stated…

Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and legal practitioner, has criticised the Supreme Court’s ruling, which upheld President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of elected officials. The apex court, in a six-to-one decision delivered on Monday, affirmed that the President has constitutional authority to declare a state of emergency to prevent a breakdown of law and order. It further ruled that elected officials may be suspended during such periods, provided the suspension is for a limited duration. The judgment followed a suit filed by states governed by…

Former President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly did not support Yemi Osinbajo’s bid for the presidency in 2023. In the biography ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, written by Charles Omole, the former president didn’t back Osinbajo primarily because president Bola Tinubu was in the presidential race. Omole said Buhari found it “strange” that Osinbajo would contest against Tinubu, whom he regarded as the vice-president’s political benefactor. Quoting sources close to the late president, Omole said Buhari remarked: “I don’t know Osinbajo from anywhere; I met him only through Tinubu”. The author said Tinubu’s emergence as the All Progressives…

Agbu Kefas, governor of Taraba, has officially registered as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Kefas, who received his membership card on Sunday, expressed appreciation for the warm welcome from APC party executives and members across the state. “I received my All Progressives Congress (APC) membership card from Hon. Umaru Tanko, the Chairman of the APC Hospital Ward in Wukari LGA,” Kefas said in an X post. “I appreciate the warm welcome from the executives and members of the APC in Taraba state.” The registration took place at the government house in Jalingo, with prominent political figures in…

A former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad (retd.), is dead. The 71-year-old former chief justice of Nigeria reportedly died at a hospital in Saudi Arabia, about two weeks before his 72nd birthday on December 31. Muhammad’s death was confirmed in a condolence statement on Tuesday in Abuja by the Nigerian Association of Muslim Law Students (NAMLAS). In the statement titled “NAMLAS Condolence Message on the Passing of Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, GCON, Former Chief Justice of Nigeria,” the association described his passing as a significant loss for the country. “Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to…