Author: Opalim Lifted

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said its 330kV Ugwaji–Apir Double Circuit transmission lines 1 & 2 tripped due to a fault, leading to a power outage in several parts of northern Nigeria. In a statement on Tuesday, the TCN General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the development “forced power outage affecting the communities in the North-east, North-west, and parts of North-Central”. “At approximately 4:53 am, the Ugwuaji–Markurdi 330kV Line 2 tripped and 243 MW on that line was transferred to Line 1 on the same route. At 4:58 am, Line 1 also tripped, resulting in a total…

Unai Emery wants Aston Villa to “break barriers” and become regular contenders for silverware as they prepare to take on Bologna in the Champions League on Tuesday. Emery has guided Aston Villa from the bottom half of the Premier League to the Champions League since taking over as head coach just two years ago. They have made their best start to a league season since 1998 and have won both of their Champions League games so far, including a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich. “I don’t want to waste my time here, that is my message,” said the Aston Villa…

The World Bank has revealed that Nigeria’s government incurred a significant loss of N13.2tn in foregone revenue as a direct consequence of the implementation of its foreign exchange subsidy policy between 2021 and 2023. It said Nigeria lost N2tn in 2021, N6.2tn in 2022, and N5tn in 2023. The amount forgone in revenue was due to its insistence on regulating the value of the naira against the dollar in the official exchange market but allowing a fair market value price at the parallel market. This subsidy, designed to stabilise the currency and support certain sectors ultimately led to significant reductions…

The Executive Director of the Niger State Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, Bako Mohammed, has declared that the recent Federal High Court ruling prohibiting the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) from stopping vehicles on the road does not apply to the state. This statement was made during a press conference in Minna, North Central Nigeria, ahead of the National Conference on Standardization and Harmonization of Vehicle Testing and Licensing. Bako said the state governor is constitutionally empowered to formulate laws guiding vehicular movement within the territory. This stance, he argued suggests that Niger State will continue to operate its VIO as usual,…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has called on his side to use the “pain” of their first defeat in six months as motivation for their Champions League meeting with Shakhtar Donetsk. The Gunners lost ground on Premier League leaders Liverpool on Saturday after they were beaten 2-0 at Bournemouth following William Saliba’s first-half sending off. Arsenal return to European action on Tuesday when they host Shakhtar at Emirates Stadium and Arteta wants his players to quickly “move on” after the loss. “You have a defeat, that’s part of the game, it happens in very specific conditions as well,” he said. “Let’s…

Brazil forward Neymar has made his first appearance for Al-Hilal in over a year after recovering from surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee. The 32-year-old came on in the 77th minute of his side’s 5-4 win over UAE Pro League side Al-Ain in the Asian Champions League. Neymar sustained the injury on 17 October 2023 while playing for Brazil in their 2026 World Cup qualifier with Uruguay. The forward, who is Brazil’s male all-time top goalscorer, underwent surgery the following month. The substitute came close to marking his return with a goal following…

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed reports that it appointed a senior officer as the acting Chief of Army Staff. The DHQ also emphasized that there is no leadership vacuum following the absence of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja. It also issued a warning to those calling for a military coup, describing it as a treasonable offence under the law. The DHQ clarification comes in a statement signed by the Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau on Monday, after a viral video where some persons were aggressively calling for a military takeover surfaced online. It…

Former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State was on Monday re-arraigned alongside his finance commissioner, Ademola Banu, on a 14-count charge bordering on alleged stealing and mismanagement of N5.78 billion public funds. The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arraigned them before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin. Their re-arraignment was sequel to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin to another division, according to a statement by Dele Oyewole, Head, Media and Publicity of the anti-graft agency,…

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has said he has opened talks with the club about signing a new deal. The 33-year-old has been at Anfield since January 2018 and his current contract runs out at the end of the season. “Discussions are ongoing, we will see what happens in the future,” said Netherlands centre-back Van Dijk. “My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else. “What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have started and we will see.” England…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned against calls for the scrapping of the anti-graft agency . About 16 governors are in court challenging the legality of the establishment of the EFCC. But the commission’s spokesman Wilson Uwujaren has defended the agency, saying without the anti-graft agency, Nigeria will crumble under corruption. “We are really shocked by what is happening,” Uwujaren told Channels TV on Monday. “Nigerians should see through this shenanigan and oppose it because I don’t see how this country can survive without the anti-graft agency with the kind of corruption problem that we have. Nigeria…