Author: Opalim Lifted

Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign, has declared that anyone who supports the continued sale of petrol at N1,300 per litre is unfit to lead Nigeria. Okonkwo made the remark during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, while criticising the administration of President Bola Tinubu over petrol prices, insecurity and electricity supply. “Anybody who is telling you that Nigerians can pay N1,300 for fuel… I heard diesel had exceeded N2,000 Naira per litre,” he said. “Anybody who is telling Nigerians to continue paying that is wicked, and is not fit to be a president in this country.”…

Aliko Dangote has said ordinary Nigerians, including the company’s drivers and cooks, will have the opportunity to own stakes in the Dangote Refinery through its planned Initial Public Offering (IPO). Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, made the declaration on Monday at the signing ceremony for the refinery’s IPO in Lagos. “What we are trying to achieve is to make sure our drivers, cooks, servants, and everybody have the opportunity of having stakes in the refinery,” he said. The IPO will offer 4.1 billion ordinary shares at ₦525 per share, putting the refinery’s implied market valuation at…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has shown a willingness to negotiate a settlement to the war following talks with US envoys in Moscow and Kyiv. According to Axios, Zelensky said US officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told him that “the Russians are ready to negotiate” after holding separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian leader. The weekend diplomatic mission is Washington’s latest attempt to break the deadlock in efforts to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Witkoff said there had been progress during the discussions and raised…

Israeli opposition leaders have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being unfit to remain in office following a report that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned him about a planned Hamas attack shortly before October 7, 2023. Haaretz reported that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan allegedly spoke with Netanyahu about a week and a half before the attack and warned him that Hamas was preparing a major operation. Netanyahu’s office strongly denied the claim, describing the report by the left-leaning newspaper as “an absolute lie”. It also said Netanyahu did not speak with the Emirati leader at the…

Lawyers to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, have demanded ₦10 billion in damages from Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa (retd.), over alleged defamatory remarks made about their client. The demand was contained in a letter before action dated September 7, 2026, and addressed to Musa at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Abuja. The legal threat followed the minister’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, where he discussed insecurity in Kaduna State and made allegations concerning the former governor. According to El-Rufai’s lawyers, Musa accused the former governor of deliberately planning the killing of people in…

The Federal Government’s special passport intervention for Nigerians in the United Kingdom (UK) has opened amid complaints over delays, poor organisation and alleged additional administrative charges. Videos shared on social media on Monday showed Nigerians gathered outside a locked entrance believed to be the Nigerian Passport Intervention Centre in Manchester, waiting to gain access. One X user said applicants who arrived as early as 9am were still waiting by 11:30am without being attended to. “It is now 11:30 a.m., and people who arrived as early as 9:00 a.m. are still waiting, with nothing happening. This is not the way to…

The re-election of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has come under legal challenge as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed separate petitions before the state governorship election petition tribunal. The petitions were displayed on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal secretariat in Osogbo on Monday, formally commencing the legal process against the outcome of the August 15 governorship election. The tribunal secretary, Pefe Belemore, confirmed that petitions challenging the election had been filed. The APC petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by its candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, against Adeleke, Accord…

The Federal Government is set to begin disbursing the long-delayed Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to qualified Nigerian shipowners, with successful applicants eligible for up to $25 million in financing. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the initiative was designed to strengthen indigenous participation in Nigeria’s maritime industry and reduce the dominance of foreign operators. Oyetola disclosed this on Monday, saying the government was moving to unlock the fund more than two decades after it was established under the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act of 2003. According to the minister, the financing will help Nigerian shipowners…

The Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, says President Bola Tinubu and members of his family enjoy unimpeded transit and cannot be arrested in the United States while attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Ibrahim, who also chairs the United Nations Committee on Budget and Administration, made the clarification in a statement issued by the Office of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York. He said the Nigerian Mission had received no notification from the US government imposing any restriction on Tinubu’s movement during the UNGA. Citing Section 11 of the 1947 UN-U.S.…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Osaretin Osagiede over an alleged N700 million fraud involving Best Start Micro Finance Bank. The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC arraigned Osagiede on Friday, September 4, 2026, before Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja. According to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Osagiede is facing a three-count charge bordering on unauthorised access to computer material and receiving stolen property. One of the counts alleged that Osagiede and Zacharia Lorshe, who is still at large, bypassed the two-factor authentication (2FA) method on Ravenpay user accounts between…