Author: Opalim Lifted

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched a new security operation aimed at clearing Abuja and its satellite towns of street beggars, traders, scavengers, and “criminal elements”. In a statement on Wednesday, Lere Olayinka, spokesperson of Nyesom Wike, the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), said the immediate removal of these groups would restore order and security in the nation’s capital. Olayinka said the operation, code-named “Operation Sweep Abuja of miscreants, street beggars/traders, scavengers and other criminal elements”, is already underway. “In line with the Abuja Environmental Protection Act and other relevant laws, the FCT Minister has directed…

Paris St-Germain (PSG) demolished Real Madrid to set up a FIFA Club World Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday. This semi-final tie at the MetLife Stadium was over as a contest within 24 minutes as the Champions League winners tore the Spanish side apart. Fabian Ruiz tapped in the sixth-minute opener following a big mistake from Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio – after the referee let play continue following Thibaut Courtois’ foul on Ousmane Dembele. French winger Dembele raced away three minutes later to finish calmly after a mis-kick from Antonio Rudiger. Ruiz then slotted home the third after a…

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has been sentenced to a year in prison by a Spanish court for tax evasion but he will not have to serve time in jail. The former Chelsea and Everton boss was accused of failing to pay 1m euros (£830,000) in tax on his salary during his first spell in charge of Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015. He will avoid prison but does have to pay a fine of 386,361.93 euros (£333,045.92). Ancelotti, 66, ended a second spell with Real at the end of last season and took the Brazil job. Under Spanish law, any…

The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution is set to hold a high-stakes zonal public hearing in Calabar on Saturday, 19th July 2025, as part of a broader national effort to reshape Nigeria’s legal foundation. The Calabar hearing tagged Centre B will gather voices from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, starting 10:00 a.m. The session is one of several regional engagements aimed at promoting inclusive governance and ensuring that the new constitutional amendments reflect the will of the people. From civil society groups to traditional leaders, citizens are…

The United States (US) embassy in Nigeria has asked all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas to adjust their social media privacy settings to public. The directive, published on the embassy’s official website, applies to individuals seeking to study or participate in academic and vocational exchange programmes in the US. The F visa covers academic study, the M visa is for vocational study, while the J visa applies to exchange visitor programmes. According to the notice, the measure is part of enhanced vetting procedures aimed at verifying the identities and admissibility of applicants under US law. The instruction…

Jack Dorsey, former chief executive officer (CEO) of Twitter (now X), has introduced BitChat, a messaging tool that allows users to send encrypted messages without internet access. The app, which is still in its early stages, was revealed by Dorsey in a recent post on X. He described it as a personal project exploring Bluetooth mesh networking, message encryption, and decentralised communication. “My weekend project to learn about bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models, and a few other things,” he wrote. A beta version of the app is currently available via TestFlight for iOS…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied allegations by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of a plot to destabilise the party, describing the claims as false, baseless, and a cover-up for its internal crisis. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Felix Morka, APC national publicity secretary, said the ADC is “haunted by its own shadow” by resorting to “lies and deception” in a bid to stay relevant. On Monday, the ADC alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is working with unnamed federal officials to coerce its state chairmen in the north-east and north-west during a “secret meeting”. But Morka said…

The United States (US), has announced a major change to its visa policy for Nigeria, reducing the validity period and entry allowance for most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens. In a statement on Tuesday, the US embassy in Nigeria said most of the affected visas will now be limited to single-entry with a three-month validity period. The change takes immediate effect. But the embassy said visas issued before July 8 will remain valid under their original terms. It noted that the revision is part of its global visa reciprocity process, where its visa policies are aligned with how…

Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, has predicted that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition will disintegrate within six months, attributing its imminent collapse to an absence of ideological direction. Speaking recently during an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels TV, Bwala said Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, sensed the looming crisis. On July 4, Baba-Ahmed said the battle for a presidential candidate could pose a major challenge for the ADC, warning that the “excitement” trailing the coalition should be managed and that citizens should…

The Federal Government has officially set the minimum age for entry into Nigerian tertiary institutions at 16 years, warning that underage admissions will no longer be tolerated. Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the new directive in Abuja on Tuesday during the 2025 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) policy meeting. Alausa said the decision was made to uphold academic integrity and ensure that students are emotionally and mentally mature enough to handle the rigours of higher education. “We must discourage premature entry into tertiary institutions. Universities, polytechnics and colleges of education must strictly enforce the age…