Author: Opalim Lifted

The senator representing Ondo South senatorial district, Jimoh Ibrahim, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately dissolve his cabinet. He made this call in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. Ibrahim, who is a member of the Appropriation Committee in the Senate, noted that President Tinubu’s ministers are too cold. He said: “You have to dissolve the cabinet. You have to come up with knowledgeable people. The cabinet is too cold.” Ibrahim said the ministers do not fall in the country’s ‘Grade A’ and are not the best for Nigerians considering the economic situation of the…

Real Madrid snatched an incredible semi-final victory as two late goals defeated Bayern Munich and set up a Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund. Bayern looked to be heading to the final when Alphonso Davies cut in and blasted past Andriy Lunin after England captain Harry Kane had found him with a superb pass. But Joselu grabbed an 88th-minute equalizer when he reacted quickest after Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had been excellent up until then, fumbled Vinicius Jr’s effort. There was even more drama to come two minutes later when Joselu, a former Stoke City striker, swept home from…

US-based multinational tech giant, Microsoft, has considered closing one of its operations in Nigeria, known as the African Development Centre located in Lagos. Microsoft’s ADC is located in Ikoyi, a highbrow area of Lagos, the commercial headquarters of Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy. According to industry insiders who spoke to The Guardian newspaper on Tuesday, Microsoft informed staff on Monday of the closure plans. According to reports from the newspaper, affected employees are slated to receive salary payments up until June and will continue to be covered by health insurance. However, an unnamed source within Microsoft’s Lagos office neither confirmed nor…

Binance’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Teng, has called the Nigerian government’s detention of its employee, Tigran Gambaryan, “unjust” and a “dangerous precedent” for international businesses, and he insists that Gambaryan’s release is necessary for a swift resolution. Teng also said that despite Binance’s repeated efforts at constructive engagement and cooperation with Nigerian authorities, Gambaryan remains in detention for ‘spurious’ reasons. Binance CEO, in a statement mailed to Chronicle NG on Tuesday, said, “To invite a company’s mid-level employees for collaborative policy meetings, only to detain them, has set a dangerous new precedent for all companies worldwide.” He added, “The message…

Borussia Dortmund produced a fine away performance to beat Paris St-Germain and reach their first Champions League final since 2013. Dortmund held a 1-0 advantage following the first leg and doubled their lead when Mats Hummels was left unmarked five yards out to head in from Julian Brandt’s left-wing corner. That goal came just after PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery wasted a glorious chance as he volleyed against the post from close range early in the second half. PSG hit the upright twice in the opening match in Germany and, after falling 2-0 behind on aggregate, again struck the post through Nuno…

Toronto police have said a security guard was shot overnight outside the home of Canadian rapper Drake. Police said suspects in a vehicle shot the guard at the corner of the Park Lane Circle mansion around (06:00 GMT) on Tuesday before fleeing the scene. It remains unclear if Drake was at home when the incident occurred or whether he was a target of the shooting. He is currently embroiled in a war of words with US rap rival Kendrick Lamar. But police said it was too early in their investigation to speak about a motive. “We are in contact with…

Nigerian government official reportedly demanded $150 million in cryptocurrency bribe from Binance Limited. New York Times disclosed this on Tuesday in its report ‘Behind Nigeria’s Arrest of Binance Employee, Claims of a Bribe’. NYT, quoting Richard Teng’s recent blog post on the allegation, said an agent fronting for a government official requested the said bribe after a meeting between Nigerian lawmakers in January 2024 before Binance executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla who were arrested in February. Quoting Teng, the report said the purported agent demanded “a significant payment in cryptocurrency to be paid in secret within 48 hours to…

The Bola Tinubu administration has drafted a plan to reintroduce the previously suspended telecommunications tax and other revenue-generating measures to secure a $750 million World Bank loan. This is in accordance with the recent Stakeholder Engagement Plan for Nigeria: Accelerating Resource Mobilisation Reforms programme between Nigeria and the World Bank. The World Bank’s website revealed that the Nigerian government may reintroduce telecom taxes, electronic money transaction levies, and other fiscal measures. The Washington-based World Bank’s contribution of $750 million constitutes a significant portion of the programme’s budget, and the government is expected to contribute $1.17 billion through the annual dget. Nigeria requested the loan…

Social media was practically set ablaze early in the week when popular singer, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, fired ‘shots’ at his longtime rival, David Adeleke, aka Davido; and singer, producer and record label owner, Don Jazzy. In the early hours of Monday, April 29, 2024, Wizkid had made some controversial tweets, which became the major topic of discussion in the entertainment industry for the week. Saturday Beats takes a look at the ‘Pakurumo’ singer’s on-and-off relationship with Davido; and other people he has had feuds with over the years Never-ending fight with Davido The rift between Wizkid and Davido is…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a warning to the Federal Government to reverse the 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy imposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria. SERAP also threatened to deal in legal action against the government of if it failed to reverse the levy within a 48-hour timeframe. The non-governmental organisation stated this Tuesday via its X handle, calling for the immediate reversal of what it regarded as levy ‘imposition’. SERAP stated, “The Tinubu administration must immediately withdraw the grossly unlawful CBN directive to implement section 44 of the Cybercrime Act 2024, which imposes a 0.5%…