Author: Opalim Lifted

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified about 2,000 polling units as potential flashpoints for violence ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State. INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan disclosed this on Thursday in Osogbo during the signing of the peace accord by political parties contesting the election. Amupitan said the commission had adopted a proactive security strategy through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), with intelligence-led deployments to identified flashpoints across the state. He said additional security personnel would be deployed to safeguard voters, election officials and electoral materials during the poll. Reaffirming INEC’s commitment…

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has stepped down from his role with immediate effect, BBC ‌and Sky Sports reported on Thursday. The 48-year-old leaves after five years in charge, having guided Newcastle to their first major domestic trophy in 70 years with the League Cup title in 2025. He ⁠also led the club to Champions League qualification in 2023 and 2025. While the club has yet to make an official announcement, Sky Sports reported that the decision followed discussions between Howe and Newcastle’s hierarchy over the last 48 hours. Several British media outlets reported that Howe informed the club of…

Spain defender Marc Cucurella has fulfilled his promise by getting a tattoo of World Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente. Cucurella played a key role as Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final earlier this month to lift the trophy. The 28-year-old, who joined Real Madrid from Chelsea FC for £52 million in June, unveiled the tattoo on social media. The artwork features a portrait of De la Fuente holding the World Cup alongside the number 26. “Promise kept,” Cucurella wrote, sharing photos and a video of the tattoo process. Following Spain’s victory, De la Fuente joked that…

Former Special Assistant to former Lagos State governor and current President Bola Tinubu, Dapo Thomas, has revealed that Tinubu relied on a close-knit circle of five trusted commissioners during his administration in Lagos. Thomas, now a professor of history at Lagos State University, made the disclosure in excerpts from his autobiography, Lagos Boy and Lagos Politics, scheduled for launch on July 9, 2026. According to Thomas, Tinubu privately grouped members of his cabinet into different categories based on the level of trust he placed in them, with only five commissioners occupying the highest tier. “The governor told me the names…

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu played a decisive role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and personally financed key aspects of the 2015 presidential campaign that brought the late former President Muhammadu Buhari to power. Speaking during an interview on Symfoni TV, Lawal said Tinubu shelved his own presidential ambition to unite the opposition and ensure the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was defeated in the 2015 general election. According to Lawal, Buhari asked him to help facilitate talks between the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and…

I have listened to Pastor Femi Emmanuel for years. Like many Nigerians, I grew up listening to his sermons, his words of wisdom, his practical teachings, and his balanced approach to issues affecting society. That was why I made a deliberate effort to listen to his recent comments on Christians and politics instead of relying on the short clips making the rounds on social media. I wanted to hear him in full context before arriving at any conclusion. To be honest, I found myself agreeing with a considerable part of what he said. He was absolutely right when he argued…

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has accused the Minister of Works, David Umahi, of neglecting critical federal roads in Edo and Delta states, urging the Senate to prevail on the minister to adopt a more balanced, national approach to road infrastructure development. Raising the issue during plenary, Oshiomhole said: “The Minister of Works needs to be guided. While many existing roads are in terrible condition, new roads are being proposed even though the existing ones have not been properly addressed. Just three weeks ago, about 20 new roads were approved. “Yet, sir, between Edo and Delta states, there is a manifest bias…

The death toll from the powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Japan has risen to 13, as emergency teams continue a desperate search for survivors trapped beneath a partially collapsed shopping mall. According to Reuters, eight people were pulled from the wreckage of the damaged Aeon shopping mall near Kumamoto after an explosion occurred more than an hour after Tuesday’s earthquake. Three of those rescued later died, while three workers remain missing. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said rescue operations remain a race against time. “Even now, there are people waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against…

Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the rollout of electronic processing for registration services for Capital Market Operators (CMOs), marking another step in its drive to fully digitise regulation of the country’s capital market. In a circular dated July 28, the commission said the new e-registration platform, integrated into its e-portal, will become operational on August 10, allowing existing CMOs to submit applications, undergo regulatory reviews and receive approvals entirely online. The SEC said the initiative is designed to create a seamless digital regulatory system that improves operational efficiency while strengthening oversight across the capital market. According to…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 2,339,233 registered voters are eligible to participate in the August 15 Osun governorship election, describing the poll as a key test ahead of the 2027 general election. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, as he began a five-day readiness assessment tour of Osun State. According to Amupitan, the registered voters are spread across 3,763 polling units in 332 registration areas covering the state’s 30 local government areas. He said the commission was making every necessary arrangement to ensure…