Author: Opalim Lifted

President William Ruto on Friday took a decisive step, scrapping the budget for the offices of Kenya’s first and second ladies after nationwide protests. Ruto announced this in a live broadcast on Friday. He also dissolved 47 agencies, suspending non-essential travels for officials. Ruto said he is cutting “the number of advisors in government by 50% immediately.” “The operations of the office of the first lady, second lady and the wife of the prime cabinet will be removed,” Ruto added. Ruto withdraws salary increment for ministers, lawmakers amid protests According to the Kenyan president, all non-essential travel by state and…

Israel Adesanya has knocked middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis’ colonial mindset, claiming the South African is not one African as the build-up to their UFC 305 main event in Australia on August 18 intensifies. The animosity between du Plessis and Nigerian-born Adesanya stems from comments the South African made about Adesanya, and fellow African UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou over a year ago. During his impressive run to the middleweight title, du Plessis said he wanted to become the “first real African champion” because he still lives and trains in South Africa. Meanwhile, Adesanya is based in New…

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria could greatly benefit from the support of the UK as it grapples with issues of insecurity, education, healthcare, and poverty. Obi’s statement came after the Labour Party was declared the official winner of the United Kingdom’s general election, having reached the required 326 parliamentary seats. The former Anambra State Governor suggested that both countries should work together to build a brighter future for the Commonwealth. In a post on his X handle on Friday, Obi said he expects stronger ties between the United Kingdom and Nigeria…

The Imo command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Friday, handed over a prison escapee, rearrested by the corps, to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS). The state commandant of NSCDC, Matthew Ovye, handed over the 28-year-old suspect shortly after parading him and one other in Owerri. Ovye said that the suspect, Chinonso Kalu, was arrested by his men on duty at the Hero Square, Owerri, on June 6. He said that Kalu was caught after he was seen jumping a fence shortly after allegedly robbing unsuspecting passersby of their valuables. “In the course of our investigation,…

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC) tasked with strategising a way out of the current economic situation in the country. The Council has a mix of government officials, top private sector players, and consultants including President of the Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote; Chairman of the United Bank of Africa, Tony Elumelu; and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane. Briefing State House Correspondents after the Inauguration of the Council, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun said the Council is to meet and report to…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has shut down four unregistered bakeries in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The South-South Zonal Director of NAFDAC, Chukwuma Oligbu, revealed that the bakeries were operating without licences and in unhygienic environments. NAFDAC listed the affected bakeries as He Reigns Bakery, Rumuigbo; Divine Freedom Bread, Rumuomasi; De Heroes Bakery, Psychiatric Road, Rumuigbo; and The Lord’s Abundant Bakery, Rumuigbo. In a statement by the regulatory body, the owners of the bakeries have been directed to report to the zonal office for questioning while investigations continue, and samples of the produced bread…

Britons headed to the polls on Thursday in a general election widely expected to emphatically return the opposition Labour Party to power and end nearly a decade-and-a-half of Conservative rule The first national ballot since Boris Johnson won the Tories a decisive victory in 2019 follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s surprise call to hold it six months earlier than required. His gamble looks set to backfire spectacularly, with polls throughout the six-week campaign — and for the last two years — pointing to a heavy defeat for his right-wing party. That would almost certainly put Labour leader Keir Starmer, 61,…

The Senate has launched an investigation into transactions in the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project from 1999 till date. The resolution was adopted on Thursday after a motion moved Senator Manu Haruna representing Taraba Central in the Senate, on the urgent need to address the challenges of commencing the project. Lawmakers highlighted the failure of previous governments to prioritise the national project with its capacity to generate 3050 megawatts, and reposition the Ajaokuta Steel Complex with $1.7bn. The upper chamber also resolved that in reviving the project, the original idea of 3,000 megawatts capacity be maintained. A number of persons are…

India’s microblogging platform, Koo, has announced plans to shut down services, leaving millions of users stranded. The platform, which prided itself as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter), was launched in 2020. Chronicle NG reports that in 2021, the Federal Government opened a Koo account after suspending X (formerly Twitter) operations in Nigeria. Nigeria suspended the microblogging and social networking service X (formerly Twitter) after the platform removed a post by the country’s then-President, Muhammadu Buhari. The platform’s founders said a shortage of funding and high technology costs had led to the decision, BBC reports. Koo offered messaging in more…

Italy’s top flight soccer league will have a new logo to mark the start of the sponsorship by the biofuel unit of energy group Eni, the chief executive of Enilive and Serie A said late on Wednesday. Enilive signed a deal in February to become title sponsor of Serie A for three seasons starting from the 2024-25 championship.  It is replacing Telecom Italia, which sponsored the league for more than two decades. The new logo unveiled during an event late on Wednesday in Rome combines a capital A, representing the soccer league, and a blue dog, which symbolizes Enilive. Enilive…