Author: Opalim Lifted

Voting has commenced in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states for the governorship elections in the three states. Voting started around 8:00 a.m. in polling units observed by reporters in the three states. The accreditation of voters and voting commenced simultaneously. This followed the arrival of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at polling units with sensitive and non-sensitive materials. The decision of who will become the next governor of the three states rests on the electorate, as over five million voters in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states go to the polls today.

Soldiers on election duty engaged some policemen in a heated argument who were allegedly escorting a politician in a three-vehicle convoy at a checkpoint at Agbadu Bunu village in Kaba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Saturday. The convoy, which consists of three tinted Toyota Jeeps, was stopped alongside other vehicles. It was observed that when the convoy was stopped, the policemen alighted to meet the soldiers while their ‘principal’ was at the back of the Jeep. All efforts to appeal to the soldiers by the policemen were rebuffed as one of the soldiers was shouting, “You are not…

The government of Saudi Arabia on Friday announced plans to invest in the rehabilitation of Nigerian refineries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also said it was ready to support Nigeria’s foreign exchange reforms through a substantial deposit aimed at enhancing the country’s forex liquidity. The commitments were made during a bilateral meeting between the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and President Bola Tinubu at the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh. Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Friday titled ‘Saudi government to invest in Nigeria’s refineries, support Central…

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insists he does not have an issue with centre-back Raphael Varane and is just “very happy” with Harry Maguire’s form. Varane has not started in the last four games across all competitions, only coming on from the bench in the previous two matches against Fulham and FC Copenhagen. Ten Hag has opted to play Jonny Evans alongside Maguire, and he justified the decision by stating how pleased he has been with the latter’s performances. The United boss said: “Maguire is doing very well at the moment, and I am very happy with that. “As…

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be the most profitable in history, according to Rogers Byamukama, a board member of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA). Uganda will host the tournament alongside East African neighbours Kenya and Tanzania – the first time in history that three countries have delivered the continental showpiece. “There’s a minimum guarantee of nine completely sold-out home games—a record that has never been achieved before since a single host can only guarantee three home games,” Byamukama told BBC Sport Africa. “I can declare with confidence that the 2027 tournament will be the most…

President Bola Tinubu on Friday assured potential investors that their investments are safe in Nigeria. Chronicle NG reports that Tinubu sought collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to combat national insecurity. In a statement, Ajuri Ngelale, the president’s spokesperson, disclosed this on Friday, titled ‘President Tinubu to Saudi investors: Your investments are safe in Nigeria.’ The President premised this on recent “bold economic reforms” by his administration to remove wasteful subsidy on petroleum and merge the foreign exchange market, among other incentives, to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria. “I also wish to assure all potential Saudi…

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, gave an account of how he was brutalized in Imo State on Friday, saying police operatives handed him over to some suspected thugs for beating. Ajaero narrated his traumatic experience at a world press conference in Abuja. The development comes barely 24 hours before the governorship election in Imo State. Addressing journalists in Abuja, Ajaero, who wore a dark shade to cover his swollen eyes, lamented that the kind of beating he received after security agents handed him over to the thugs was better imagined than explained. This was even as…

Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has released his 23-man squad, leaving out KAA Gent striker Gift Orban for this month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Gift Orban, the in-form 21-year-old striker, bagged a perfect hat-trick—header, right foot, left foot—for Gent in their 3-2 win over Icelandic side Breiðablik, which has put the Buffalos in a good position to qualify for the knockout stage. Gift Orban’s latest hat-trick was his third in the Europa League, and he has now scored nine goals in nine games, which is an average of one goal per game in the…

Liverpool were second best in virtually all the decisive moments against Toulouse on Thursday and fully deserved their 3-2 Europa League defeat, manager Juergen Klopp said. Liverpool, who beat the French side 5-1 at home last month, remain top of Group E with nine points from four matches, leading Toulouse by two points with two games to go. “It was well-deserved to lose because they won pretty much all the decisive challenges and battles,” he told reporters. “We have too many situations where we should have won the ball, but we didn’t.” It was the second disappointing result in a…

A loaded truck crushed a car in Abule Egba area of Lagos State on Friday. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) shared photos from the accident on its social media platform. The photos were captioned, “An accident involving a loaded truck and car occurred a few minutes ago at Ijaiye inward Abule Egba due to some impatience. LASTMA said, “Situation is under control even as effort is on for the removal of the vehicles.” The efforts of the traffic authority has created a free flow of traffic. Chronicle NG