Author: Opalim Lifted

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,…

Citigroup erroneously credited $81 trillion, instead of $280, to a customer’s account and took hours to reverse the transaction, a “near miss” that shows up the bank’s operational issues it has sought to fix, the Financial Times first reported on Friday. The error, which occurred last April, was missed by a payments employee and a second official assigned to check the transaction before it was cleared to be processed the next day, FT said, citing an internal account and two people familiar with the event. A third employee caught the error one-and-a-half hours after the payment was processed and the…

Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was the hero with two saves in the penalty shootout to knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup. After three precise spot-kicks from both sides, Leno denied Victor Lindelof, then, after skipper Antonee Robinson had extended Fulham’s perfect record, the German also kept out Joshua Zirkzee’s effort to send the Cottagers into the quarter-finals. Fulham had taken the lead in first-half stoppage time when Calvin Bassey was left free at the far post to head in from close range after Rodrigo Muniz had flicked on a corner. But, days after former United captain Roy Keane…

Danny Welbeck scored an extra-time winner as Brighton beat Newcastle to reach the FA Cup quarter-final after an incident-packed tie that ended 10-a-side. The Magpies thought they had booked their place in the final seconds of normal time, but Fabian Schar’s cushioned volley was disallowed for offside by the video assistant referee (VAR). Newcastle had taken a 22nd-minute lead through an Alexander Isak penalty, but Yankuba Minteh levelled just before half-time against the club that sold him in the summer. Both teams had players sent off in a dramatic climax. Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon was shown a straight red card in…

A new report by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has revealed that fraudsters exploited weaknesses in the banking system to steal over N1 billion using Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) illegally registered for minors. The report revealed a growing trend of financial fraud, with compromised bank officials and agents facilitating the illegal registration of BVNs for underaged individuals. These BVNs were then used to open enterprise accounts, through which fraudulent transactions were carried out. The NIBSS report, which detailed two major cases where BVNs were fraudulently created for minors, leading to significant financial losses, disclosed that in one instance, a…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend its recent increase in Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transaction fees. The advocacy group insists that the new charges should be put on hold pending the resolution of an ongoing lawsuit challenging their legality. In an open letter dated March 1, 2025, and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said that allowing the CBN to proceed with the hike while the matter is in court would undermine the judicial process and the rule of law. The…

Saturday’s 4-1 win over Lille was a test for Paris St Germain ahead of the Champions League round of 16 clash with Liverpool, PSG coach Luis Enrique said. PSG scored four goals in the first half to win their 10th match in a row in all competitions. The French champions are unbeaten since a loss at Bayern Munich in November. “It’s the best first half of the season,” Enrique told reporters. “Now we have to think about the… two games against Liverpool, think about recovering and be ambitious. “They’re the most in-form team in Europe, both in terms of results…

Philip Agbese, a member of the house of representatives, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, urging Nigerians to exercise patience for the reforms to yield results. Agbese was reacting to comments by Attahiru Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto state, who criticised the administration’s handling of the economy. Bafarawa, in an open letter, asked Tinubu to deliver on his campaign promise to tackle insecurity and improve the economy. “The blight of insecurity which you promised to curtail is getting out of hand,” Bafarawa wrote. “The economic outlook is frightening. Inflation is galloping out of control. Hunger is ravaging the land.…

Bukola Saraki, former senate president, has called for a transparent investigation into allegations at the heart of the clash between Godswill Akpabio and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The fray between Akpabio, the senate president, and Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central, started over a recent seat re-arrangement in the red chamber. Akpoti-Uduaghan fought fiercely against her new seat position following the re-arrangement, alleging that the move was an attempt to silence her. The clash reached a crescendo on Friday after Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the senate president of making sexual advances towards her in his office and residence in Akwa Ibom. “Mine is the case…

The chairmen of Kaduna State’s 23 local governments have passed a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani, dismissing recent criticisms by opposition elements against them as the handiwork of failed politicians. Addressing Journalists at a conference in Kaduna, the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kaduna State chapter, Jamilu Albani, the council chiefs reaffirmed their loyalty to President Tinubu and Governor Sani while commending their achievements in governance, security, and economic development. “We, the 23 Local Government Chairmen of Kaduna State, unequivocally acknowledge the strides recorded under the leadership of Governor…