Author: Opalim Lifted

Vinicius Junior scored twice as Real Madrid came away with a draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie with Bayern Munich. The Brazilian took advantage of two errors from Bayern defender Kim Min-jae – beating him for pace and slotting a shot past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for the opener, before the South Korean fouled Rodrygo in the box and Vinicius put away the resulting penalty. England captain Harry Kane had netted a penalty of his own, beating goalkeeper Andriy Lunin early in the second half after Jamal Musiala was tripped by Lucas Vazquez in the box.…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that the much-talked-about prospects of wage increments for Nigerian workers remain a mirage despite prolonged pledges and flowery words by the government. Atiku, who said this in an International Workers Day message to Nigerian workers on Tuesday, noted that as they join their counterparts across the world to celebrate International Workers Day, “it is a sobering truth that the plight of the Nigerian worker remains dire.“ He expressed sympathy with Nigerian workers, stating that they have not had it so bad with government policies skewed against their welfare. According to the 2023 PDP…

The Federal Government has declared Wednesday, May 1, a public holiday to mark this year’s Workers’ Day. This declaration was contained in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Aishetu Ndayako, on behalf of the minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. Dr. Tunji-Ojo, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, re-iterated the need for excellence, efficiency, and equity in all spheres of labour, re-affirming President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to fostering a culture of innovation, productivity, and inclusivity in the workplace. He said, “In alignment with this year’s theme, which…

The immediate past president of the World Medical Association (WMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has been awarded as a labour hero for his exceptional organizational leadership. Enabulele profound achievements have spanned the last 30 years. This recognition, along with the conferment of a distinguished leadership award, took place during the historic commissioning of the Labour House by the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, on Monday, April 29, 2025. Presenting the award and formal recognition on behalf of the Edo State Government and organized labour, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Engr. Godwin Marvellous Omobayo, applauded the progressive leadership strides of…

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced deregulation for metres deployed to electricity consumers under the Metre Asset Providers Scheme (MAPs). Chronicle NG reports that Nigerians will have to pay more to get electricity metres at the price determined by MAPs. Sanusi Garba, the Chairman of NERC, and Dafe Akpeneye, the Commissioner of Legal, Licensing, and Compliance, signed an order disclosing this on Monday. The Commission stated that this will enable end-use electricity customers to acquire metres from MAPs of their choice based on competitive open market prices. The implication is that customers paying CAP prices of N81,975.16 and…

The Senate stated on Monday that it will intervene if the current fuel crisis persists beyond the NNPCL’s explanation. According to the Senate, even though it suspended members’ recess sittings, relevant committees are carrying out their oversight functions. It was noted that Nigerians are going through hardships and difficulties getting fuel at the filling stations at exorbitant prices. Speaking with reporters on the fuel crisis in some major cities, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, said the Senate would resume plenary and do the needful. “Our relevant committees in the oil sector told…

Four Nigerian fintech companies have been directed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend onboarding new customers. The affected fintech are OPay, Palmpay, Kuda Bank, and Moniepoint. This directive comes amidst investigations into allegations that accounts on these platforms have been used for illegal foreign exchange transactions. A representative from two of the affected companies confirmed the CBN’s order is linked to these accusations. However, they noted that the directive might be misdirected, as the majority of the implicated accounts belong to commercial banks, not fintech platforms. Economics 101: Unraveling CBN’s mystery of the appreciating FX rate “I…

The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team. The interim coach George beat Emmanuel Amuneke who was said to secure the job as inside sources revealed. The announcement came in a statement on Monday, with the NFF Board approving the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward. Finidi George, who spent 20 months as an assistant to the outgoing José Santos Peseiro, had been serving as the interim coach…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the release of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results. Over 1.94 million candidates registered and took the exam in 118 towns and over 700 centres across the country. The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, announced the release of the results at a press conference held at the board’s headquarters, Bwari, in Abuja on Monday. Oloyede also noted that the results of 64,624 out of the 1,904,189 who sat the examination have been withheld by the Board and will be subject to investigation. The Board Registrar noted that, though…

Sport journalist, Ben Jacobs has stated that the Saudi Pro League is still interested in the services of Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah. Jacobs, “In his X post on Monday, he stated that Saudi dealmakers have always been prepared to be patient with Mo Salah, including waiting until 2025. “Aside from respecting Salah’s wishes, one commercial reason is that the current TV rights for the Middle East, for which Saudi Sports Channel pays $80 million per year, end in June 2025.” “Egypt is included in the package. So if Salah does arrive in 2025, this can be leveraged during the next…