Author: Opalim Lifted

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen says that a national census was long overdue to establish the actual population of the country. Abass, who spoke when the board and management of the National Population Commission (NPC) paid a courtesy visit, decried the delay in the conduct of the national head count, saying it would have established the country’s numerical strength. The speaker expressed support for an order by President Bola Tinubu that NPC should conduct a biometric census. He expressed readiness to meet with Tinubu after liaising with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the matter. Abbas said, “It is unacceptable for a country…

South Sudanese authorities have blocked access to social media platforms in response to recent unrest, drawing condemnation from the Committee to Protect Journalists and concerns over press freedom and public access to information. On January 22, South Sudan’s telecommunications regulator, the National Communication Authority, directed all internet service providers to “block access to all social media accounts” for a “minimum of 30 days” and a “maximum of 90 days,” according to a copy of the authority’s letter reviewed by CPJ as well as multiple media reports. The directive aims to curb the spread of footage showing the killings of South…

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Youth Province I, Joseph’s Palace, FESTAC, Lagos, is offering free Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination forms to students in need. The RCCG pastor-in-charge of the province, Leke Adeboye, said the initiative was to support students who could not afford the registration fees for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. The UTME is a crucial examination required to gain admission to Nigerian tertiary institutions. Adeboye on Monday shared the news, encouraging pastors and church leaders to spread the word to their members and communities. He also provided a link for interested students to access…

Sri Lanka announced the lifting of a five-year ban on vehicle imports as the country showed further signs of emerging from its worst economic meltdown. Information Minister Nalinda Jayatissa on Tuesday said buses, trucks and utility vehicles will be allowed in from Saturday, under a phased removal of restrictions in place since 2020. “We are moving very cautiously because we don’t want a surge of imports that will deplete our foreign reserves,” Jayatissa told reporters in Colombo. “Depending on the demand, we will open imports of other categories of vehicles such as cars, motorcycles and three-wheelers.” He said the imports…

Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Haruna Isa Dederi, has officially ordered the withdrawal of all criminal charges against #EndBadGovernance protesters in Kano State. Acting through the Director of Public Prosecution, the decision follows a petition submitted by a Civil Society Organisation, Citizens’ Gavel on November 5, 2024, urging the AGF to exercise his constitutional authority under Section 211(1)(c) of 1999 Constitution (as amended). Communications Associate, Citizens’ Gavel, Rachael Adio, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that the AGF officially withdrew the case on Monday, January 27. The petition had called for the dismissal of charges brought against…

Kano State High Court has restrained the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, from arresting the Chairman of the Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Rimin-Gado. Additionally, the court issued an interim injunction restraining the IGP from interfering with the litigation involving the ex-Managing Director of Kano Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO), Bala Muhammed, who is standing trial for N4 billion under the Anti-Corruption Commission. Recall that Rimin-Gado was arrested by the IGP monitoring team in his office and taken to the Zone 1 police command in Kano, where he was detained for several hours. He was subsequently released…

Former Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai has criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the party of straying from its founding ideals and fostering poor leadership. While addressing a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, El-Rufai labelled the state of governance and opposition in the country as a “national emergency.” El-Rufai, who shared the report on his X handle on Tuesday, expressed concern over the absence of internal democracy and active party structures within the APC. He stated, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing.…

Brazilian club Santos are in talks to re-sign Neymar after his contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal was cancelled by mutual consent. The 32-year-old Brazil international is expected to sign a short-term deal at the club where he began his career. The termination of his contract at Al-Hilal was considered the biggest step, according to sources close to Neymar. It ends an injury-hit spell in Saudi Arabia, where he played just seven times for the club he joined in a £77.6m deal in August 2023. The attacker made two appearances this season, most recently a substitute in November. Al…

Tragedy struck the Nwaji family from Izzi, Ebonyi State, when a fuel tanker explosion at Ugwu Onyeama, Enugu, claimed the lives of nine family members. The unfortunate incident occurred on January 26, when the Nwaji family was travelling to bury their late patriarch. Jeremiah Amuche Nwaji, his wife, their six children, his younger brother, and a family servant all perished in the fire, which also took several other lives. The family had departed Onitsha in Anambra State, preparing for their father’s burial scheduled for Friday, January 31, in Ebonyi State. Unfortunately, they lost their lives when the Sienna car they…

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a bidding war over the app. Microsoft declined to comment. TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for a comment outside regular business hours. TikTok, which has about 170 million American users, was briefly taken offline just before a law requiring its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on Jan. 19. Trump, after taking office on Jan. 20, signed an executive order seeking…