Author: Opalim Lifted

Just days after helping Crystal Palace reach the FA Cup final, Eberechi Eze has celebrated another victory – triumphing in an online chess tournament. The 26-year-old England international pocketed $20,000 (£15,000) in prize money for winning Chess.com’s four-day amateur PogChamps tournament, contested by 12 celebrity content creators and athletes. The Palcace forward, who scored in a 3-0 win against Aston Villa at Wembley last weekend as Palace set up an FA Cup final against Manchester City, beat American Youtuber Sapnap in the final of the event, which had a $100,000 (£75,000) total prize fund. Eze began playing chess after he…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, immediate-past Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, governors Lagos and Oyo States; Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Seyi Makinde were among the eminent Nigerians that joined the Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to bid the elder statesman, Pa. Ayo Adebanjo, farewell on Saturday. The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; the General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Chief Ayo Opadokun, as well as former deputy governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor Akerele joined other eminent Nigerians to give the late leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, a befitting burial. The remains…

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he will speak about his future at the club only on the last day of the LaLiga season, as Spanish media reports continue to link him with a move to the Brazil national team. Ancelotti, who has led Real to three Champions League trophies and two Club World Cup wins, is seeking a third LaLiga title with them as they sit four points below leaders Barcelona with five matches left. “I can make it clear, the truth is that I am very fond of my club, my players and my fans. I’ll talk about…

Nigeria has recorded three Mpox-related deaths in Abia, Ebonyi and Rivers states, involving a young male with advanced HIV and Tuberculosis (TB). This brings the national Case Fatality Rate (CFR) for 2025 to 2.2 per cent. Meanwhile, a total of 723 suspected cases of Mpox were reported across 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Out of this number, 136 cases were laboratory-confirmed, spanning 27 states and the FCT. Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this at the National Health Security meeting on Friday in Abuja, said that…

Xabi Alonso kept his cards close to his chest when questioned about his future as Bayer Leverkusen boss as the Spaniard on Friday declined to comment on reports linking him to the Real Madrid job. Spanish media have reported that Alonso is a frontrunner to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real if the Italian leaves the LaLiga club after a poor season despite having one more year on his contract. Alonso previously played under Ancelotti at Real, where he spent five seasons, helping the Spanish club win the Champions League after a gap of 12 years before moving to Bayern Munich.…

Emeka Okonkwo, the socialite better known as E-Money, has cautioned the public against naira abuse — a few days after his release from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody. E-Money was arrested on Monday night at his Omole residence in Lagos and taken to the EFCC’s Abuja office for interrogation. He was released the following night. The anti-graft agency accused him of violating the Foreign Exchange Act by spraying US dollars at a social event and defacing the currency. In an Instagram post, the socialite emphasised the legal consequences of abusing the naira or any other currency at…

US President Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed as Pope. The incumbent US president posted the image on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Saturday morning. The picture, which has garnered over 12,000 reactions, has been reposted by the White House’ X handle. Francis Bergoglio, the last Pope of the Catholic Church, died on April 21, 2025, after a protracted illness. The conclave to elect a new Pope begins on May 7. Trump renames world war anniversaries as ‘Victory Day’ Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote, with 135 electors expected…

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, has said it may be forced to shut down its operations in Nigeria after a tribunal insisted that it must pay the $220 million slapped on it in July 2024. Meta was also asked to pay the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) an additional $35,000 as the “cost of investigation.” The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) fined the company N60bn ($37.5m) and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission $32.8m, bringing the total to $290.3m. The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal “ruled that the multiple actions by WhatsApp and Meta, for which…

President Bola Tinubu has urged governors across the 36 states to focus on delivering tangible results that directly impact citizens’ lives and ignore “armchair critics” who may seek to distract them. The president spoke on Friday as he commenced a two-day working visit to Katsina. During the visit, the president inaugurated key infrastructure projects completed by Dikko Radda, the governor of the state. “Let the people be at the heart of your programmes,” he said. “Your hard work and concrete achievements will answer any criticism. Ignore distractions — your results will speak for you.” He inaugurated a 24-kilometre Eastern Bypass…

Funke Akindele, the Nigerian filmmaker and actress, has revealed her intention to return to politics. In 2023, she contested as the deputy governorship candidate of Lagos under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), running alongside Olajide ‘Jandor’ Adediran. However, her party lost the election to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Speaking at the WithChude Live event in Lagos, the ‘Jenifa’s Diary’ star revealed she entered politics with a mission to contribute to society. Akindele admitted the political arena was initially intimidating but credited female leaders like Abike Dabiri, chair of the Nigerians in…