Author: Opalim Lifted

A Zimbabwean court granted bail on Friday to 26 opposition party members who were arrested for holding what authorities said was an unlawful gathering. The arrest of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members, including two Members of Parliament, stoked fears of a crackdown on opposition politicians ahead of a crucial election this year at a yet-to-be-announced date. “This confirms that the arrest was an abuse of process in the first place,” CCC spokeswoman Fadzayi Mahere told journalists outside the court. “All this shows that the regime’s paranoia has reached fever pitch and they notice that they are staring defeat in…

Popular Nigerian musician, Abolore Adegbola Akande, professionally called by his stage name, 9ice has opened up on why he will be voting for the All Progressive Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the February 25 general election. 9ice, in a recent interview trending on the internet, had stated that Tinubu won his heart when he asked for his phone number after performing at an event. According to the ‘Gongo Aso’ crooner, “while performing at a show, the former governor asked one of his boys to get my number”, and this alone meant a lot to him. Tinubu is…

The Director-General of FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Alhaji Abbas Idriss, has condemned the hoodlum’s attack on the fire service men and vehicles that responded to a fire call at Enya filling station, Halli Brothers, Wuse Zone 1 Abuja on Friday. The media reports that the filling station went into flames at about 7 pm when a fuel-laden tanker parked within the premises caught fire. The fire which lasted for about two and a half hours razed down the filling station. It was reported that no life was lost, while virtually all vehicles queueing for fuel were safely evacuated except…

Pro-separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has raised the alarm about the clandestine plan to eliminate their leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu through poisoning, drug abuse, and starvation. Kanu, who is currently being detained in the custody of the Nigerian government’s Secret Security Agency the DSS, is allegedly said to be dying through a silent and systematic process of gradual starvation. Raising the alarm on Friday, the group through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful disclosed that Kanu now feeds twice a day on bread and water without medication for the treatment of his ailment while in the DSS…

Residents and motorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environment have continued to lament the hardship being experienced as the scarcity of ‘fuel’ Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol worsened. A Media reporter who monitored the filling stations on Friday reported that long queues of vehicles were seen at all the stations that have the petroleum product. Those that have the product were dispensing at N195 per litre while the NNPC Limited Retail stations were dispensing N194 per liter. A good number of the filling stations were seen without the product. In the city center, the NNPC…

Ukraine would not rule out boycotting the Olympic Games if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete in the Paris 2024 Games, its sports minister said. Plans by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to look at ways for those athletes to return to international competition would be opposed, the minister, Vadim Guttsait, said on social media late on Thursday. “Our position is unchanged: as long as there is a war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions,” Guttsait wrote on his Facebook page. “Work is currently underway on further possible steps and first steps…

Medical experts have warned against mixing alcohol with energy drinks, saying it is dangerous to health. The experts, who gave the warning, said the practice was common among young people in society. A Professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin, Tanimola Akande, said individuals who mixed alcohol with energy drinks were more likely to report unwanted or unprotected sex than individuals who did not mix their drinks. Prof. Akande said, “Mixing an intoxicating drink with an energy drink is a dangerous practice that is on the increase in our society. Energy drinks typically contain caffeine, plant-based stimulants, a…

It was one story of agony or another across the country yesterday as millions of Nigerians queued endlessly at automated teller machine (ATM) points to collect the new naira notes. Some moved from one bank to the other in search of scarce notes. Their situation was not helped by traders and petrol attendants who started to reject the old notes, leaving buyers and motorists seething with anger. And they now have only 72 hours to change their old notes to new ones or lose the opportunity forever. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said repeatedly that there is no…

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says it is ready to enhance awareness toward tackling climate change in Africa. Dr. Agnes Kijazi, WMO Regional Director for Africa, made the assertion on Friday in a telephone interview with media reporters. According to her, WMO will continue to enhance its advocacy and awareness to the communities in the region of extreme weather events through early warning and anticipatory actions. “You may know that Africa is vulnerable to extreme weather events with attendant socio-economic impacts. We will continue to enhance our advocacy and awareness of our communities of extreme weather events through early warning…

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) says its renewed commitment to support entrepreneurship is aimed at boosting the national economy. Mr. Olawale Fasanya, the Director-General of SMEDAN, made this known at the closing ceremony of training for 80 Women on Self Employment Programme (WISE-P) in Lokoja on Friday. “The training is aimed at boosting food production to enhance food security,” he said. Malam Shuaibu Haruna, the Deputy Director of Planning in the agency, who represented the director-general, assured that SMEDAN would continue to support all entrepreneurs nationwide. “We want to assure Nigerians that we would achieve…