Author: Opalim Lifted

Super Eagles of Nigeria’s B team are eager to emulate the success of the Super Falcons and the national women’s basketball team at the 2024 African Nations Championship, Junior Nduka said. The country’s women’s football team clinched a record-extending 10th African title at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, defeating hosts Morocco in a thrilling final. Most recently, D’Tigress won the Women’s AfroBasket, becoming the first African team to claim the title five consecutive times. As the Super Eagles kick off their CHAN campaign against Senegal on Tuesday evening, the defender says the team is eager to build on the…

House of Representatives member, Kabiru Maipalace, has sponsored the renovation of 80 cemeteries in Gusau and Tsafe Local Government Areas of Zamfara. Speaking at the inauguration of the projects in Tsafe town on Tuesday, the lawmaker representing Gusau/Tsafe Federal Constituency, Zamfara said the initiative was part of his constituency projects. “Today, we embarked on the renovation of 80 cemeteries in Gusau and Tsafe LGAs as part of my second anniversary as a second-term member, House of Representatives for Gusau and Tsafe Federal Constituency,” he said. “We had noticed the dilapidated conditions of our cemeteries in various communities across my constituency.…

The United States (US) will soon introduce a controversial visa rule requiring certain foreign nationals to post a refundable bond of up to $15,000 before being allowed entry. Under a 12-month pilot programme beginning 20 August, travellers from countries deemed high-risk for visa overstays could be hit with the hefty bond, a move aimed at curbing prolonged stays beyond visa limits. According to a notice on the Federal Register, the rule targets B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourist) visa applicants from nations identified in a 2023 Homeland Security report for having high overstay rates, poor internal document systems, or offering citizenship…

Ubi Franklin, Nigerian artiste manager and founder of Made Men Music Group (Triple MG), has revealed that his record label includes a “no-pregnancy clause” in contracts for female artistes. Speaking on the Culture Sonic Podcast, Franklin argued that pregnancy can disrupt an emerging artiste’s momentum, making it difficult to stage a comeback without an already established fan base. “Imagine you’re investing in a female artist and she gets pregnant — that’s it, it’s over,” Franklin said. “It takes a lot for artistes to make a comeback. Tell me one female artist in our industry who hasn’t already built a strong…

The Federal Fire Service (FFS) says it saved property worth over ₦319.5 billion and rescued 162 people across Nigeria in the first quarter of 2025, thanks to faster response times and strengthened inter-agency efforts. Releasing its Q1 operational report at the National Orientation Agency in Abuja on Monday, the Service highlighted major improvements in its emergency response capacity. Inferno outbreaks dropped slightly to 544 nationwide, with urban response times slashed from 15 to 10 minutes — a significant leap in efficiency. “These gains reflect recent upgrades in infrastructure, training, and strategic collaboration,” the document noted. Between January and July 2025,…

Odumodublvck, the Nigerian rapper, has revealed that he will step away from music once his “closest friends” achieve success in the industry. The ‘Declan Rice’ hitmaker brought the revelation to light on Sunday in a post on X. “Once all my nighas make it in music, I’m out,” the post reads. While he didn’t specify which friends he was referring to, fans speculate he was talking about members of the Anti World Gangstars. Anti World Gangstars is an Abuja-based rap collective known for their raw, gritty sound that mirrors the realities of street life. Odumodublvck recounts humble beginnings, says he…

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has stated that 53,473 inmates are awaiting trial in custodial centres across the country are on death row. In a document released on Monday during the national joint security press briefing at the National Orientation Agency (NOA) headquarters in Abuja, the NCoS said as of July 24, the total inmate population stood at 81,558, comprising 79,615 males and 1,943 females. NCoS said 24,252 are convicted inmates, while 3,833 are on death row. The service also supervises 476 non-custodial offenders and has recorded 3,026 new admissions and 3,347 discharges during the review period. NCoS said to…

The Military Pensions Board (MPB) has attributed Monday’s protest by retired soldiers at the Ministry of Finance to a breakdown in communication. Speaking on behalf of the Board, its Public Relations Officer, Squadron Leader Ahmed Mohammed, clarified that the demonstration stemmed from a communication gap between relevant authorities and the aggrieved retirees. He further noted that some of the grievances raised by the protesting ex-servicemen were beyond the statutory mandate of the Military Pensions Board. He said, “For instance, the issue of parking allowances has to do with the respective services. Our brief is basically to pay pensions and gratuities.…

Some retired military personnel protested at the main gate of the federal ministry of finance on Monday over unpaid entitlements. The group, which disengaged from the army in February 2024, barricaded the main gate of the ministry, demanding the immediate payment of outstanding shortfalls in their gratuity, parking allowance and security debarment allowance (SDA). Speaking to journalists, Corporal Eze Moses, retired, said they were fighting for their entitlements. “We served the army for years, and our entitlements have not been paid. We don’t want to be tempted to commit a crime,” Eze said. “If almost 1,000 of us should go…

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has stated that the emergency rule declared in Rivers state ensured that LGs accessed funds from the federation account. Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike said President Bola Tinubu acted within the law when he declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the expiration of the tenure of elected LG officials. “People say the declaration of emergency was illegal — how many of them have pursued the matter in court till today?” he asked. “Filing a matter for people to say we have filed a matter…