Author: Opalim Lifted

President Bola Tinubu has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime African Achievement Prize by Ghana’s Millennium Excellence Foundation in recognition of his leadership and contributions to the continent. Represented by Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Tinubu received the honor as the Special Guest of Honour during the Millennium Excellence Prize’s 25th-anniversary celebration in Kumasi, Ghana. In his acceptance speech, Tinubu praised Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene and patron of the Foundation, for the invitation and the successful event. He commended the Foundation for its decades-long commitment to celebrating African excellence. “I salute the visionaries behind this…

Nigerian universities’ academic staff union (ASUU) has elected Professor Chris Piwuna, a distinguished psychiatrist and former University of Jos administrator, as its new national president. The election concluded Monday following a four-day voting process at the University of Benin. Piwuna, who previously served as vice president, emerged victorious over Professor Adamu Babayo from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in the closely contested election held during ASUU’s 23rd National Delegates Congress from May 8-12. Outgoing president Emmanuel Osodeke confirmed the leadership transition, noting an official union statement would follow shortly. Piwuna becomes the 14th president in ASUU’s history. The new leader brings…

An Air Peace plane hit and killed an antelope at Asaba airport, causing significant damage to the aircraft and disrupting flights. Michael Achimugu, the director of public affairs and consumer protection, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), announced the accident on X on Sunday. “Monitoring reports yesterday indicated that an Air Peace aircraft ran into a large antelope, decimating the animal and leaving the aircraft AOG (aircraft on ground),” Achimugu said. “As a result, flights meant to be operated by this aircraft would naturally be disrupted, even though engineers are on the ground to assess and fix the plane. Passengers waiting…

The Anambra Government has imposed a one-month sanction on Blossom Fount School, Awka, for allegedly selling the position of head prefect during a student election. This was disclosed in a recent statement by the Anambra Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh. According to the commissioner, the school reportedly demanded N5,000 from each pupil aspiring to become head prefect in the primary section. Chuma-Udeh condemned the act, describing it as an attempt to “sell the psyche of the children to the highest bidder from the cradle.” According to her, such practices are unacceptable under the administration of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo. JAMB:…

Crystal Palace geared up for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City with a derby victory against Tottenham that helped them equal their record Premier League points tally. Eberechi Eze scored for the fourth game running to pull 12th-placed Crystal Palace ahead at the end of a one-sided first half before the England international sealed the win for Oliver Glasner’s side soon after restart. The Eagles now have 49 points with two games left – equalling their record tally first set during the 1992-93 season and matched both in 2018-19 and 2023-24. Meanwhile, Tottenham fell to a record 20th league…

Newcastle United moved within touching distance of Champions League football next season with a crucial victory against 10-man Chelsea at St James’ Park. The Magpies and Chelsea started the day locked on the same 63-point tally before Newcastle got the perfect start when Sandro Tonali’s close-range finish gave them the lead after just 112 seconds. The visitors’ task was made even harder when striker Nicolas Jackson was rightly sent off for a needless forearm smash on Newcastle defender Sven Botman 10 minutes before the break. Manager Enzo Maresca adjusted by using Cole Palmer as a false nine, inspiring a Chelsea…

Taliban in northern Afghanistan have detained 14 individuals for playing musical instruments and singing during a private gathering, sparking concerns over the group’s strict interpretation of Islamic law. The arrests were made in the capital of Takhar province on Thursday night. The provincial police stated that the individuals “took advantage of the nighttime to gather in a residential house where they were playing musical instruments and singing songs, which caused disturbance to the public.” The detainees remain under investigation. Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed severe limitations on music and public entertainment. Music schools have…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Olayemi Cardoso, to urgently disclose whether the bank has begun the direct disbursement of funds to Nigeria’s 774 local government councils from the Federation Account. In a Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 10 May 2025, SERAP pressed the CBN for clarity on the amounts sent to each council, and whether Rivers State councils have received any direct payments. This call follows a landmark Supreme Court ruling from July 2024, which declared that no governor or agency is permitted to…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) disclosed that a blind candidate enlisted another visually impaired individual to impersonate him in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB registrar, provided updates on the conduct and outcome of the 2025 UTME. Oloyede said the incident occurred during the examination of blind candidates under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), which facilitates inclusive testing for candidates with disabilities. He said a total of 501 visually impaired candidates were successfully examined at 11 centres nationwide. “Sadly, one of them was also…

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central, has disowned a viral TikTok video that shows her in a playful clip with a background song associated with President Bola Tinubu.  In a public disclaimer on her verified X account, the Kogi lawmaker said she does not own a TikTok account. Natasha Akpoti added that the post, which featured a short clip of her with the background tune “Omo Ologo,” did not emanate from her. “I do not own a TikTok account,” the senator wrote. “Many parody accounts exist in my name on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Some have garnered large…