Author: Opalim Lifted

David Mark, national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says the party will adhere to electoral rules during the 2027 elections but will resist any attempt to manipulate the process. Mark spoke on Wednesday in Abuja when the governing council of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, led by Olukayode Ariwoola, former chief justice of Nigeria, visited him at the ADC headquarters. “We hold ourselves to the highest standards of good conduct as a political party. We will play by the rules,” Mark said. “But we will not accept rigging or allow ourselves to be rigged out.…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the 1967 Asaba massacre as one of the most painful episodes of the Nigerian Civil War, saying he wept after reading documents detailing the tragedy. Obasanjo spoke virtually on Wednesday as chairman of the occasion at the 59th anniversary memorial of the massacre in Asaba, the Delta State capital. “This marks the remembrance of one very sad aspect of the Nigerian civil war. Of course, the war in its entirety was an unfortunate event which should never happen,” he said. “But the Asaba Massacre, as it is called, was one of the most painful,…

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to tackle kidnapping and banditry following the release of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State. The state government expressed relief after the victims, who were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in the South-East, regained their freedom. In a statement issued on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, the government congratulated the Oyo and Imo state governments, as well as the Federal Government, on the release of the abducted prospective corps members. Oyelade described the victims as “our…

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has directed its members to report to work as usual, distancing itself from an indefinite strike declared by the FCT Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). In a statement issued on Thursday, the FCT TUC said the NLC announced the strike without consulting its council or affiliated unions. The dispute centres on the FCT Administration and the Nigeria Union of Teachers, with the NLC directing public and private sector workers in the territory to begin an indefinite strike on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The TUC said it neither…

US President Donald Trump has labelled people who continue to use the term “artificial intelligence” rather than his preferred phrase, “super intelligence”, as “THE ENEMY”, without specifying the consequences. Trump made the statement on Thursday in a post on his Truth Social platform, escalating his push to replace the widely used term with his preferred alternative. “The White House considers anyone that uses the term, ‘Artificial Intelligence,’ as opposed to the highly accepted new and more accurate term, ‘Super Intelligence,’ THE ENEMY!” Trump wrote. Trump Pushes ‘Super Intelligence’ Terminology Trump first proposed the name change during his address to the…

A shallow 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The earthquake’s epicentre was approximately 110 kilometres (68 miles) east of Luganville, the country’s second-largest city, the USGS said. In its initial assessment, the agency rated the risk of landslides and the number of people exposed to potential hazards as low. There were no immediate reports of damage, while Vanuatu’s natural hazards department had not issued a tsunami warning at the time of reporting. Vanuatu Experiences Frequent Earthquakes Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, an archipelago located along the Pacific…

Workers under the aegis of the Support Staff Union of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) have threatened to shut down operations at the refinery over seven months of unpaid salaries. The workers also alleged that a newly approved salary structure had not been implemented, saying that if their demands are not addressed within 48 hours, they will shut down operations at the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State. After barricading the entrance to the PHRC, the protesting workers displayed placards with various inscriptions and mounted tents in front of the refinery gate, temporarily disrupting activities at the complex. Some…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to exceed expectations when it eventually lists on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), using the Dangote refinery’s market debut as a benchmark. Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu, made the call on Tuesday at the fifth anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in Abuja. Addressing NNPC chief executive officer Bayo Ojulari, Shettima said: “I learnt that you are going to the stock market very soon, so you will overwhelm us the way Dangote did.” Ojulari had said in July 2025 that NNPC planned to…

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has launched the 2026 Nigerian Licensing Round, putting 40 oil and gas blocks up for investors. NUPRC Chief Executive Officer, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, announced the licensing round on Wednesday in Abuja during the commission’s 55th anniversary celebration. “Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over. It is with great joy that I announce that pursuant to the approval of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian 2026 Licensing Round is hereby launched,” Eyesan said. The 40 blocks span land, shallow water and deepwater terrains and are open to investors…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has heightened surveillance and vigilance following Kenya’s confirmation of its first imported case of Ebola virus disease (EVD). In a statement released on Tuesday, Jide Idris, NCDC director-general, said the case was linked to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Idris said the development increases the risk of international importation through travel and population movement, including into Nigeria. According to the NCDC, the confirmed case was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC. “He travelled from the DRC by road to Kampala, Uganda,…