Author: Opalim Lifted

The Lagos Chapter of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) Alumni Association has ushered in a transformative era with the election of Gafar Odubote as Chairman, alongside eleven other executive members.   The election, held last Saturday in Lagos during the association’s Biennial General Meeting (BGM), saw an impressive turnout of members from diverse professional fields.   In his acceptance speech, the newly elected Chairman expressed gratitude for the trust reposed in him and pledged to reinvigorate alumni engagement through expanded outreach and active participation across sectors. Odubote outlined plans to establish a structured funding framework for impactful alumni projects, alongside introducing mentorship…

Striker Omar Marmoush scored the winner as Man City came back from a goal down to beat Bournemouth 2-1 on Sunday to book their spot in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, with Erling Haaland having a penalty saved before netting the equaliser. With Haaland out of sorts and eventually having to be replaced due to an ankle injury, it was Man City’s bench that came to the rescue, as Nico O’Reilly slotted in at left back and changed the complexion of the game before Marmoush, who replaced the injured Haaland, scored the winner. Haaland, who flashed an early header…

Experts said that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modelling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number…

The chair of a charity Prince Harry set up to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana has accused him of “harassment and bullying at scale” after he quit this week over a dispute he described as “devastating”. Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles, co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in honour of his late mother Princess Diana. He left it, along with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees, following a dispute with chair Sophie Chandauka. In an interview with Sky News that will be broadcast in full on Sunday, Chandauka said,…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas “to immediately withdraw the oppressive bill which contains repressive provisions to jail any Nigerian of voting age for six months and/or impose a fine of N100,000 on them if they fail to vote in national and state elections.” SERAP urged  Akpabio and Abbas to instead “amend the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the Electoral Act 2022 to remove constitutional immunity for state governors and their deputies who commit electoral offences, including vote-buying, to facilitate the investigation and…

Aisha Achimugu, socialite and managing director/CEO of Felak Concept Group, was spotlighted in 2024 following news of her lavish 50th birthday bash in two cities. Achimugu turned 50 on January 22, 2024. However, festivities began a week earlier. The socialite had guests alternate between Calivigny Island and Silversand, an intimate and luxury resort on the sands of Grand Anse Beach in Grenada, for a seven-day extravaganza. Prominent figures, including a governor and some of the crème de la crème of the Nigerian entertainment industry, were in attendance. Here’s a breakdown of what the activities looked like. DAY ONE: On the…

The United Kingdom (UK) has announced a visa fee hike set to take effect on April 9, 2025. The increments cut across multiple visa categories, including study, visit, sponsorship, and transit. Before the Home Office’s announcement last week, a six-month tourist visa cost £115 (about $150). The revised fee was set at £127 (about $164) — a nearly seven percent hike. A visit visa for up to two years was increased from £432 to £475, a five-year visit visa was raised from £771 to £848, while a 10-year visit visa was increased from £963 to £1059. For individuals looking to…

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar on Friday, close to the country’s second city of Mandalay, home to around 1 million people and historic temple complexes, with tremors shaking buildings as far away as the Thai capital of Bangkok. Video posted online from both countries showed panicked residents running from swaying residential towers as dust fills the air, and traffic comes to a sudden stop on busy city streets. Myanmar is already reeling from more than four years of civil war sparked by a bloody and economically destructive military coup, with has seen military forces battle rebel groups…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians to continue to pray for the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and for peace, stability, and progress in Nigeria. At the close of the Ramadan period, Shettima specifically sought prayers for God to continue to give Tinubu wisdom and strength to pilot the affairs of the country toward peace, unity, and prosperity. Shettima, who made the call during the closing ceremony of Tafsir (reading of the Quran) for the month of Ramadan at the State House Mosque at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, noted that prayer remains the fortress of the believer, the…

The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum has condemned the declaration of businesswoman, Aisha Achimugu, as wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering. EFCC Head of Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, published this on the official social media handles of the commission on Friday. But reacting to the declaration, the Arewa youths, in a statement from Mallam Yusuf, described the EFCC’s action as persecution of the 51-year-old indigene of Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, whose last known address is listed as 6C, Rudolf Close, Maitama, Abuja. “The Arewa…