Author: Opalim Lifted

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has announced plans to establish Cottage Industry and Enterprise Hubs across strategic locations in the state as part of efforts to accelerate industrialisation, promote local production, and create employment opportunities. The governor made the announcement during the Empowerment Programme for Registered Butchers organised by the Cottage Trade and Street Hawking Agency (CTSHA) at the Government House, Kano. According to a statement issued on Friday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the project has been captured in the state’s approved 2026 budget. Yusuf said the proposed hubs would serve as modern production centres for…

The Government of Canada has reaffirmed its travel advisory for Nigeria, urging its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, because of persistent security threats. The updated advisory, published by the Government of Canada on July 14, 2026, cites terrorism, violent crime, kidnappings, armed attacks and inter-communal clashes as major concerns across Nigeria. However, the advisory excludes the cities of Lagos and Calabar, where Canadians are instead advised to exercise a high degree of caution due to elevated crime levels. Canada also maintained its “avoid all travel” warning for several parts of Nigeria,…

United States President Donald Trump has said no country can achieve greatness without free, fair and honest elections, renewing his criticism of the country’s electoral system during a primetime address from the White House. Speaking on Thursday, Trump said the United States was making significant progress but argued that concerns over election integrity remained a major challenge requiring urgent attention. “America is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country can be great without fair and honest elections,” he said. Trump also announced the release of previously classified…

A large-scale search and rescue operation is underway after a pontoon boat capsized near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, United States, leaving one person dead and three others missing. According to BBC News, the San Francisco Fire Department received a distress call at about 3:37 p.m. local time on Tuesday, reporting a vessel in trouble roughly 600 yards from the historic island. Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen said the first marine rescue team to arrive found a man in severe distress in the water. Emergency responders immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but he was pronounced dead after being brought…

Uganda has begun the official 42-day countdown towards being declared Ebola-free after discharging its last remaining Ebola patient. The patient was released on Thursday after testing negative for the virus for a second consecutive time. Under World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, if no new cases are recorded within 42 days—equivalent to two maximum incubation periods for the Bundibugyo virus—the outbreak can officially be declared over. The WHO described the development as “an important milestone in the country’s response” to the outbreak. Uganda declared the Ebola outbreak on May 15. Since then, the country has recorded 20 confirmed cases and two…

The United States has approved a proposed weapons sale worth nearly $2 billion to Saudi Arabia in a move aimed at strengthening the kingdom’s air defence capabilities as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East. The US State Department authorised the possible sale of military equipment valued at approximately $1.96 billion, including up to 20,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) and related support equipment. The proposed package also includes launchers, rocket motors, spare parts, logistics support and technical assistance to improve Saudi Arabia’s defence readiness. According to the State Department, the sale is designed to enhance Saudi Arabia’s…

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced plans to deploy a biometric identity verification platform, known as V-Pass, across the country’s domestic airports to enhance security and improve passenger processing. The initiative, developed in partnership with Verxid Technologies Limited, will introduce facial recognition technology that enables passengers to verify their identities electronically, reducing reliance on physical identity documents and speeding up movement through airport security checkpoints and boarding gates. According to a statement issued by FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, the project was reviewed during a strategic meeting between FAAN and Verxid Technologies…

Mathesis Analytics, a Nigerian fintech specialising in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, has secured a strategic investment from institutional investor First Ally Capital to accelerate its expansion and strengthen access to credit across Nigeria and Africa. The investment will support the growth of the company’s proprietary credit decisioning platform, designed to help financial institutions assess borrowers who lack traditional credit histories using alternative behavioural and transactional data. According to the company, many Nigerians build strong financial records by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities. However, these activities often remain invisible under conventional…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is spreading faster than any previous outbreak recorded in the country, raising fresh concerns over efforts to contain the virus. According to an AFP report, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said more than 2,000 confirmed Ebola cases, including 796 deaths, have been recorded since the outbreak was declared on May 15. He described the crisis as the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record in the DRC, noting that the country’s 2018–2020 outbreak took more than 10 months to reach the same number of confirmed…

Thousands of tickets remain available for the FIFA World Cup bronze medal match between England and France, while even Sunday’s final has not completely sold out. As of 10:00 BST on Friday, around 7,000 tickets were still listed on FIFA’s official ticketing platforms for Saturday’s third-place playoff in Miami, which kicks off at 22:00 BST. A total of 1,246 tickets were available on general sale, priced at $865 (£657) and $1,125 (£855). Another 5,864 tickets were listed on FIFA’s official resale platform, with the cheapest category three tickets available at their face value of $455 (£346), plus FIFA’s mandatory 15%…