Author: Opalim Lifted

Bitcoin has shattered all previous records, surging past $125,000 on Sunday morning, a milestone that cements its dominance as the world’s leading cryptocurrency. The fresh all-time high marks a 97% leap from October 2024’s $62,000 level, driven by strong investor sentiment and upbeat global market performance. The latest surge followed a rally in US equities, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closing at record highs. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin traded at $124,913 as of 8:55 am, while Ethereum the second-largest crypto climbed 2.4% to $4,609. The global crypto market capitalisation also jumped 1.9% to $4.35 trillion, with over $150…

The House of Representatives committee on constitution review is scheduled to meet with leaders of political parties on Monday. In a statement issued on Sunday, Akin Rotimi, spokesperson of the house of representatives, said the “high-level consultation” meeting with leadership of registered political parties forms part of the broad-based stakeholder consultations by the parliament in the ongoing review of the 1999 constitution. “It is a key component of the committee’s outreach to critical stakeholders to ensure that the amendment process reflects the voices and aspirations of Nigerians,” the statement reads. He said that national chairmen, national secretaries, and national women…

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has fired back at US Senator Ted Cruz for alleging that Nigerian officials are turning a blind eye to the “mass murder of Christians” in the country. Cruz had claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that “Islamist jihadists” are slaughtering Christians with the “complicity” of Nigerian state officials. He also touted his proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, which seeks sanctions against those he accused of enabling religious persecution. Onanuga swiftly dismissed the claim as “malicious, contrived lies”, insisting Nigeria is not engulfed in any religious war. “Senator, stop…

Founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has revealed he is facing mounting pressure to join the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) — but insists he will not make the move. Speaking at the inaugural Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series on Saturday, Bakare said several influential politicians, including a former governor and minister from the South-West, have approached him to align with the ADC. “There has been a lot of pressure on me from who is who to join ADC. They come to my home. Even while I was abroad, the hierarchy of that party kept calling,…

Indonesia has lifted its suspension of TikTok’s local operating licence after the social media platform shared data requested by the government about recent protests, the ministry of communication and digital affairs said. Indonesia has the second biggest audience on TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, with more than 100 million users. The ministry said Friday it had “temporarily suspended” the app’s operating licence for failing to provide adequate data on its live feature’s activities during anti-government protests in August. But the social media giant supplied the requested data that same day, the ministry’s director general Alexander Sabar said in a statement…

The Church of Uganda has described the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury as “sad news”, due to her “unbiblical” stance on same-sex marriage. Mullally’s appointment was announced on Friday, making her the most senior cleric in the Church of England, the mother church of the 85-million-strong global Anglican communion. More conservative members of the communion, particularly in Africa, have been at odds for years with their more liberal Western counterparts, particularly over women priests and LGBTQ issues. Tensions peaked in 2023 when Uganda enacted one of the world’s most repressive anti-homosexuality laws, supported by…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing demolition of properties belonging to Igbo traders in Lagos State. The demolitions, which affected several plazas at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, were carried out by officials of the Lagos Ministry of Physical Planning, Building Control Agency, and related bodies. During a visit to the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) section of the market, Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, condemned the exercise, insisting that the affected structures had valid approvals. However, Olumide Oluyinka,…

Every Nigerian who earns an income from sex workers to street touts  has a legal duty to declare it, says Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee. Speaking during an interactive session with journalists and analysts on Friday, Oyedele stressed that the obligation to “self-declare” income is not a new law but an existing responsibility now being enforced more strictly. “The law says everyone who earns an income must declare it. That includes sex workers, agberos, accountants, waiters — everyone,” Oyedele explained. “The new tax laws are not introducing fresh taxes; they are simply ensuring…

Declan Rice scored his first goal of the season before Bukayo Saka added a second as Arsenal comfortably beat West Ham in manager Mikel Arteta’s 300th game in charge. Arsenal have had an excellent start to the season losing just one game and Arteta looked to ensure that continued with his attacking selection. The Arsenal manager named a midfield three of Rice, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze as he utilised the options in his squad after a £250m spend in the summer. However, that trio did not last long with Odegaard having to go off with an injury, the third…

Under-pressure Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim marked his 50th game in charge with a crucial victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford. Mason Mount gave the hosts a perfect start with a well-taken goal after just eight minutes. It was the earliest United had scored in the Premier League since Marcus Rashford’s second-minute effort at Ipswich in Amorim’s first game last November. Benjamin Sesko doubled the home side’s lead with a close-range finish for his second goal in as many games while United’s first clean sheet of the season was Amorim’s reward for handing a debut to £18.1m goalkeeper Senne…