Author: Opalim Lifted

US President Donald Trump has sparked outrage after sharing a map that appeared to depict Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico and the Caribbean as part of the United States. The map, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Monday, showed the US flag covering the territories, while the entire landmass was labelled “United States of America”. No explanation accompanied the image. Iceland reacted strongly to the post on Tuesday, saying it had summoned the US ambassador to make clear that the map was “wholly inappropriate”. The controversial post was the latest in a series of unusual territorial images shared by Trump,…

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it needs 5,000 additional health workers to help contain a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The outbreak, officially detected on May 15, has spread to six provinces across the country’s conflict-affected east and northeast. According to the WHO, citing official Congolese figures, more than 6,600 people have been confirmed infected, with 3,175 deaths recorded since the outbreak began. Health facilities in affected areas are struggling with shortages of personnel and resources as the number of Ebola patients continues to rise. Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids and…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has linked the indiscriminate consumption of alcohol in Nigeria to rising social problems, including banditry. NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday. Adeyeye said excessive alcohol consumption could contribute to harmful behaviour while posing serious health risks, particularly to vital organs such as the liver and kidneys. She also defended NAFDAC’s restriction on the sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml, saying the measure was introduced to protect Nigerians, especially young people. According to…

Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has criticised what she described as an “aversion” to public service among some Nigerians. Adeyeye spoke on Monday at a press conference in Lagos while responding to calls for her removal over the circulation of counterfeit products in Nigeria. Asked whether she would bow to pressure and resign, the NAFDAC boss said she returned to Nigeria after a 30-year teaching career in the United States because she wanted to serve the country. “I lived in the U.S. for 37 years. I was a professor for…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa (SLUK) branch, has declared a two-week warning strike from September 15, 2026, over unresolved issues with the Jigawa State Government. The decision was reached at the union’s 54th Regular Congress Meeting held on Tuesday, September 8, at the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences of the university. In a resolution issued after the meeting, the union said it was dissatisfied with the government’s latest offer following engagements between both parties. ASUU-SLUK resolved to begin the strike at midnight on Tuesday, September 15, warning that the action could become…

The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom imposed an extra “admin fee” on citizens to facilitate the ongoing Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) passport intervention. The passport intervention was launched to clear backlogs involving new passport applications, renewals and pending cases. However, the exercise got off to a rocky start when applicants reported delays and other difficulties at intervention centres across the UK after it began on Monday. Videos shared on social media showed crowds in Manchester and London left unattended at the intervention centres. Nigerian immigration authorities were also accused of demanding £70 from citizens as a passport intervention…

The Federal Government has moved to accelerate the nationwide rollout of 112 as Nigeria’s single emergency number, directing key agencies to develop a comprehensive operational roadmap for its implementation. A committee comprising the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies has been constituted to finalise the roadmap and standard operating procedures. The framework will be submitted to the National Economic Council (NEC) for formal endorsement. The development was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media…

Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign, has declared that anyone who supports the continued sale of petrol at N1,300 per litre is unfit to lead Nigeria. Okonkwo made the remark during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, while criticising the administration of President Bola Tinubu over petrol prices, insecurity and electricity supply. “Anybody who is telling you that Nigerians can pay N1,300 for fuel… I heard diesel had exceeded N2,000 Naira per litre,” he said. “Anybody who is telling Nigerians to continue paying that is wicked, and is not fit to be a president in this country.”…

Aliko Dangote has said ordinary Nigerians, including the company’s drivers and cooks, will have the opportunity to own stakes in the Dangote Refinery through its planned Initial Public Offering (IPO). Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, made the declaration on Monday at the signing ceremony for the refinery’s IPO in Lagos. “What we are trying to achieve is to make sure our drivers, cooks, servants, and everybody have the opportunity of having stakes in the refinery,” he said. The IPO will offer 4.1 billion ordinary shares at ₦525 per share, putting the refinery’s implied market valuation at…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has shown a willingness to negotiate a settlement to the war following talks with US envoys in Moscow and Kyiv. According to Axios, Zelensky said US officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told him that “the Russians are ready to negotiate” after holding separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian leader. The weekend diplomatic mission is Washington’s latest attempt to break the deadlock in efforts to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Witkoff said there had been progress during the discussions and raised…