Author: Opalim Lifted

About 3,374 registered voters out of a total population of about 8 million Sierra Leoneans will have another opportunity to elect a new president, members of parliament, district, mayoral, or district council chair, and those into the council seats as they go to the polls on Saturday. The polls opened at 7 in the morning and are expected to close at 5 in the evening, with the election taking place in 3,630 polling centres and 11,832 polling units. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term in a two-round absolute majority system of 55 percent. Sierra Leone…

President Bola Tinubu concluded his official trip to Paris, France, on Friday, during which he had an outstanding participation in the summit for ‘A New Global Financing Pact, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. Tinubu lauds AFDB’s $520m Agro-investments  Aside from his participation at the event, where he represented Nigeria well, President Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders, and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world. The summit afforded the President the opportunity to project, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examinations (JAMB) said on Saturday it is planning a “Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)” initiative for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations and the Direct Entry Examinations. The Registrar of the Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known during the 2023 policy meeting ongoing in Abuja at the National Judicial Institute. 2023 UTME: JAMB announces date for rescheduled exams According to Oloyede, the initiative is such that it would allow candidates to take the examinations on their mobile phones. The JAMB boss noted that the board has continued to spend huge amounts of money on the…

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush an armed mutiny after the private army of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin seized control of a southern city as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership. In Russia’s first armed insurrection since the Chechen wars decades ago, heavily armed fighters from Prigozhin’s Wagner militia were in control of the streets of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine. Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the…

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abia State command, foiled an attempted trafficking of two female students. The corps arrested the secondary school teacher, Ikechukwu Uduma, and his accomplice, Enyiazu Godswill. The state NSCDC Commandant, Paul Igwebuike, while briefing the press, said the suspects were apprehended around 12.20 a.m. on Thursday. Parading the men before journalists in Umuahia on Friday, Igwebuike said, “We got actionable intelligence that one of the suspects, Ikechukwu Uduma (33), who is a Mathematics teacher attached to Christ Firm International School, Ubaha, Umunna Nsulu, in Isialangwa North LGA, Abia State, had concluded plans to…

Anita Alaire Afoke Asuoha, also known as Real Warri Pikin, is a well-known comedian who recently disclosed that after her partner shattered her heart in college, she became celibate till her wedding night. After the separation, the mother of three claimed that she made a vow promising that no guy would witness her “nakedness again” until her wedding night. In an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Real Warri Pikin stated she was committed to serving God. She said, “E get one boy wey break my heart [during my university days], I come give my life to Christ. I said,…

President Bola Tinubu has welcomed an investment of $520 million in specialised agro-processing zones by the African Development Bank (AfDB), praising the leader of the multilateral institution, Dr. Adewunmi Adesina, for further opening up the economy for investments that provide job opportunities and reduce poverty. Receiving Dr. Adesina after the two-day summit on A New Global Financing Pact in Paris, President Tinubu said the agro-industrial project strengthens an area of the country’s competitive advantage as he listed other areas of priority that require Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The President urged the Bank to inject funds into projects that target women…

The Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking has apprehended a 48-year-old man, Anthony Igbinogun, and his girlfriend, Joy Umukoro, 28, for allegedly selling their one-month-old baby to fund their drug addiction. The suspects were arrested with their friend, 26-year-old Precious James, who facilitated the illegal transaction and linked them to the baby’s buyer in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Briefing journalists in Benin City, the Head of the Investigation Unit of the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking, Abigail Ihonre, said the baby was sold for N1.7 million, noting that the investigation was ongoing to rescue the baby and apprehend the…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered financial institutions to collect their clients’ social media handles, email addresses, contact information, residence addresses, and more. This is an effort to further strengthen the identification process in the banking system and is part of its new client due diligence standards. This information was provided by the top bank in its recently published regulation, “Central Bank of Nigeria (Customer Due Diligence) Regulations, 2023.” According to the CBN, the purpose of the new legislation is to give financial institutions that fall within its regulatory scope extra consumer due diligence processes. It noted, “To…

Bayern Munich have signed Portugal left back Raphael Guerreiro on a free transfer from rivals Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga champions said on Friday. Guerreiro, whose contract with Dortmund expires on June 30, has signed a three-year deal with Bayern. The 29-year-old will reunite with Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, who brought him to Dortmund from French side Lorient in 2016. “When the call came from Bayern, I made my decision quickly,” Guerreiro said. “It’s an honour for me to be able to play for this great club, and I also regard Thomas Tuchel highly from our time together at Dortmund.” Raphael…