Author: Opalim Lifted

Lere Olayinka, media aide to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says his principal controls the political structure in Rivers state. Speaking on Wednesday during his appearance on the Morning Brief, a programme on Channels TV, Olayinka described Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, as a weak politician who lacks a firm grip on the state’s political structure. He said Wike controls the LG and state assembly structures, adding that Fubara should “prostrate” before the FCT minister. “If I am a minister and you are a governor, and I can control your house of assembly, then something is…

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has accused President Bola Tinubu of failing to live up to his campaign promise on electricity, following repeated collapses of national grid. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Obi recalled Tinubu’s 2022 pledge that Nigerians should not vote him for a second term if he failed to deliver stable electricity within his first four years in office. According to the former Anambra governor, recent events sharply contradict that assurance. He noted that the national grid has already collapsed twice in January 2026 alone, even before the month…

Nigeria must act with urgency and clear purpose to fix its power sector if it is to deliver reliable and affordable electricity, the Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Olaniyi Yusuf, has warned. Speaking on a Channels TV programme, Yusuf criticised the slow pace of Nigeria’s power reforms, drawing a sharp comparison between Nigeria’s delayed Siemens Power Project and Egypt’s swift execution of a similar deal. The Siemens Power Project, signed in 2019 and designed to boost Nigeria’s electricity generation from between 2,500 and 7,000 megawatts to 25,000 megawatts, only completed its first phase in early 2025. Phase…

List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Champions League after the league phase concluded on Wednesday, ranked by table position: Directly to round of 16: 1. Arsenal (England) 2. Bayern Munich (Germany) 3. Liverpool (England) 4. Tottenham Hotspur (England) 5. FC Barcelona (Spain) 6. Chelsea (England) 7. Sporting (Portugal) 8. Manchester City (England) Knockout phase play-off places (seeded) 9. Real Madrid (Spain) 10. Inter Milan (Italy) Arsenal top Champions League after 3-2 win over Kairat 11. Paris St. Germain (France) 12. Newcastle United (England) 13. Juventus (Italy) 14. Atletico Madrid (Spain) 15. Atalanta (Italy) 16.…

Mohamed Salah was on target for the first time since November as Liverpool thrashed Qarabag to automatically reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Salah scored Liverpool’s third as Arne Slot’s side once again found respite in the competition away from domestic troubles in the Premier League. The Egyptian last scored in Liverpool’s win against Aston Villa on 1 November – since when he put his long-term future in question with a public attack on Slot and the club after being dropped, then went to the Africa Cup Of Nations with his country. It was all smiles here, though,…

British prosecutors have accused Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources, of living a lavish London lifestyle funded by industry figures seeking influence over oil contracts. The allegations were outlined on Tuesday at the Southwark Crown Court in London, as Alison-Madueke’s long-running corruption trial continued. According to prosecutors, the former minister accepted bribes in the form of luxury goods and access to high-end properties from businessmen with interests in Nigeria’s oil sector. Alison-Madueke is standing trial alongside Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive, and her brother, Doye Agama, on five counts relating to bribery. All three defendants have pleaded not…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its affiliate unions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to continue the ongoing strike by workers of the FCT Administration (FCTA), despite a court order directing that the industrial action be suspended. The directive was contained in a circular dated January 27, 2026, and signed by Benson Upah, the acting general secretary of the NLC. In the circular addressed to presidents and general secretaries of all Abuja-based unions, the NLC said it was “reaffirming and reinforcing” its earlier instructions for workers to sustain the strike action until their demands are fully met. “We…

A political advocacy group, Niger Progressives & Prosperity Promoters (NPPP), has publicly called on the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, to contest the 2027 governorship election in Niger State. In a statement by its convener, Dr Ibrahim K. Mohammed, the group criticised the administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, accusing it of prioritising foreign travels and high-profile agreements over tangible development outcomes. The group alleged that despite Niger State’s vast natural and human resources, residents continue to grapple with poor water supply, unemployment, insecurity, weak agricultural support and deteriorating infrastructure. According to the statement, frequent international…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has increased the pump price of petrol to N835 per litre in Lagos and N839 per litre in Abuja. On Wednesday, Chronicle NG observed that the national oil company implemented the price adjustment across its retail outlets in both cities. NNPC raised the price by N50 from N785 per litre in Lagos and by N20 from N815 per litre in Abuja. The increase comes a day after the Dangote Refinery raised the ex-gantry price of petrol to N799 per litre. The refinery announced that MRS retail outlets will now sell petrol at N839…

The Presidency has pushed back sharply against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over comments comparing governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a military dictatorship, calling the remarks misleading, exaggerated and unfair to Nigeria’s democratic journey. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, said Atiku’s statement amounted to a distortion of history and a deliberate attempt to delegitimise democratic outcomes after electoral defeat. Dare was reacting to comments reportedly made by Atiku on Tuesday at a public event in Abuja — the launch of a book by Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson of the African…