Author: Opalim Lifted

Brahim Diaz scored a brilliant winner to give Real Madrid a slender advantage over city rivals Atletico after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Rodrygo put the hosts Real Madrid ahead inside four minutes in the Bernabeu when he sprinted past Javi Galan and chopped inside the box before bending a wonderful hit past Jan Oblak. Atletico, though, quickly settled into the game and levelled in the 32nd minute with another wonderful goal. The in-form Julian Alvarez picked up the ball on the left side of the box, wrongfooted Eduardo Camavinga and whipped a spectacular curling strike…

Arsenal demolished PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands to take a commanding lead into the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. The Gunners scored three goals in the first half and four goals in the second half to all but confirm their place in the quarter-finals of the competition. Ismael Saibari hit the crossbar early on for the home side but Arsenal took control after Jurrien Timber scored Arsenal’s opener in the 18th minute. Ethan Nwaneri doubled the Gunners’ lead just three minutes later when Myles Lewis-Skelly cleverly cut the ball back for the 17-year-old to powerfully score past…

Aston Villa will be favourites to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals after scoring two late goals to beat Club Brugge in Belgium. Leon Bailey had given the Premier League club a lightning start in the last-16 first-leg tie – Villa’s first knockout tie in European football’s premier competition since the 1982-83 quarter-finals. Bailey marked his return to Belgium with a goal as the former Genk player produced a sumptuous half-volley after just two minutes and 15 seconds, following a headed assist by Tyrone Mings. It was a satisfying moment for Mings after the England defender gave away a needless…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Babatunde Ogunjimi as the new Accountant General of the Federation after a rigorous selection process. His appointment, approved on Tuesday, takes effect from Friday, the same day the incumbent, Oluwatoyin Madehin, will retire. Ogunjimi, 57, was first named as Madehin’s successor last December. A selection committee later chose him through a competitive, rigorous, and merit-based process involving Directors of accounts in the Federal Civil Service. The committee conducted the process through three stages: a written assessment, an ICT proficiency test, and oral interviews. Tinubu appoints Babatunde Ogunjimi as Acting Accountant-General of the Federation The selection…

The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to prohibiting corporal punishment in public schools, instead advocating for counseling as a constructive disciplinary method. The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday. Alli-Balogun said that flogging students for indiscipline and other forms of misbehaviour remained prohibited. He said that the aim was to guard against inflicting injury on students, fainting of students or even death of any student due to flogging by a class teacher. According to him, flogging is not the…

Jude Okoye, the elder brother and former manager of the defunct music group P-Square, has been remanded in prison after his arraignment on fresh charges of $1,019,763.87 and £34,537.59 fraud. On Monday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed fresh four-count charge alleging that Okoye “dishonestly converted” funds received as music proceeds from three companies to his own use. According to the charges, Okoye’s actions were intended to permanently deprive his brother Peter ‘Mr. P’ Okoye of his benefits from the payment. The charges, dated January 27, 2025, specifically stated that Okoye and his company Northside Music Limited converted…

Nottingham Forest booked an FA Cup quarter-final trip to Brighton after a penalty shootout win over Ipswich. Keeper Matz Sels was the hero, saving Jack Taylor’s low effort as the hosts went through 5-4 on spot-kicks after Ryan Yates had cancelled out visiting striker George Hirst’s opener to force extra time. Watching England manager Thomas Tuchel – preparing for his first squad announcement next week before World Cup qualifiers with Albania and Latvia – may not have gleaned much from a dull game, which struggled to get going until the second half. Taylor’s miss was the only one in the…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has reduced its pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, from N945 to N860 per litre. This adjustment comes a few days after the Dangote Petroleum Refinery lowered its ex-depot price, influencing market trends. Checks revealed that some the state-owned oil company retail stations in Lagos have adjusted their pumps to N860 per litre from the previous N945 per litre. As of the time of filing this report, there is no official statement from the company yet on the reduction. The national Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers…

Mojisola Meranda has been reelected as the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. Meranda, representing Apapa Constituency I, announced her resignation earlier during plenary, paving the way for fellow lawmakers to re-elect Mudashiru Obasa to take over as speaker. “This is a notice of resignation as speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” Mrs Meranda said when she read out her resignation letter. Meranda explained that her reason for resigning as speaker was to protect the institution of the assembly and pledged to serve the state in good faith. The lawmakers commended her strength, humility and…

The Lagos state house of assembly descended into chaos on January 13, when Mudashiru Obasa, its speaker of nearly a decade, was removed while abroad. In a twist worthy of a Hollywood script, 36 of 40 lawmakers ousted him, electing Mojisola Meranda, his deputy, as the first female speaker in the state’s history. But Obasa didn’t fade quietly. On Thursday, he stormed the assembly, flanked by armed police officers and loyalists, declaring himself the rightful leader of the house, while Meranda’s security vanished and rumours of her resignation went viral. As lawmakers split, supporters clashed. The saga exposed raw ambition,…