Author: Opalim Lifted

At a historic and well-attended event at the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, the Director of the Center for Africana Studies, Nigerian-born Professor Wale Adebanwi, presented the Centre’s 25th edition of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award to iconic filmmaker Spike Lee. The event, which took place in January 20, at UPenn’s Annenberg Center inside the Zellerbach Theatre, was attended by over 900 guests. The audience listened attentively as Spike Lee delivered the Social Justice Lecture associated with the award through a conversation with Heather Andrea Williams, Adebanwi’s colleague at UPenn. Williams has known Lee’s family for…

Harry Kane scored twice and missed a penalty as 10-man Bayern Munich secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a comfortable victory over Union Saint-Gilloise (USG). The result leaves Vincent Kompany’s side second in the table on 18 points from their seven games. Bayern are now three points behind leaders Arsenal and five points clear of Barcelona, who head a quartet of clubs just outside the top eight automatic positions. Belgian champions Union sit 31st on six points, two adrift of a place in the top 24 and a spot in the play-offs, with a…

Liverpool coasted past Marseille to put themselves in a strong position to finish in the Champions League top eight on a night where Mohamed Salah returned to the starting XI for Arne Slot’s side. A moment of genius from Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool the lead in the first half, an own goal from goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli doubled their advantage and Cody Gakpo added a third in the 92nd minute. The three points took Liverpool up to fourth in the Champions League standings and they host Qarabag at Anfield next week as they look to remain in the top eight, thereby…

The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria governor Godwin Emefiele resumed on Wednesday at the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja, with fresh testimony outlining intricate cash movements and bank transfers allegedly running into billions of naira. Emefiele is standing trial on an eight-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery and unlawful possession of properties suspected to be proceeds of crime valued at ₦7.83 billion. Testifying as Prosecution Witness 3, Richard Agulu, a staff member of the Nigerian Communications Commission and former Zenith Bank employee, told Justice Yusuf…

The internet did what it does best when presented with controversy. It erupted. That was its response after Afrobeats star Wizkid replied to Afrobeat legend’s son, Seun Kuti, with the unseemly “I big pass your papa.” After that, it did what the internet always does next: it created opportunities for screenshots, memes, and neatly split users into camps. One camp, filled with greying men, called the claim blasphemy and stopped just short of declaring a fatwa. Another camp, crawling with earring-wearing, bling-loving, dreadlocked men with a fondness for the hip-hop hand gesture or something like that, shrugged and said, “Numbers…

Wizkid has broken his silence on the escalating online conflict between his fans and Seun Kuti, the Afrobeats musician and son of the late music legend Fela Kuti. The dispute ignited last week after Seun, 43, publicly accused his colleague’s fanbase, known as Wizkid FC, of disrespecting his father’s legacy by drawing comparisons between Fela and the Grammy winner. But in a series of posts on his Instagram story on Tuesday evening, Wizkid, 35, vented his anger at the Afrobeat singer. The ‘Made in Lagos’ hitmaker started by sharing a video of a woman delivering a heated, Yoruba-language critique directed…

Five soldiers and a police officer have been killed by terrorist in an ambush along the Bingi-Kekun Waje-Gusau Road in Zamfara state. The incident occurred on Monday after troops of Operation Fansan Yamma conducted a three-day operation across Birnin Magaji and Anka areas of Zamfara. In a statement on Tuesday, David Adewusi, media information officer of Operation Fansan Yamma, said during the operation, three suspects were arrested and four terrorists were killed. Adewusi said after the onslaught, the troops were attacked by terrorists at Gidan Wagni while en route to Kekun Waje to respond to a distress call. “Despite the…

The identities of 177 worshippers abducted on Sunday at three churches in Kajuru LGA of Kaduna state have been revealed. On Sunday, gunmen attacked three churches in the community and whisked away more than 100 worshippers. However, on Monday, the Kaduna police command dismissed the report as falsehood spread by “conflict entrepreneurs” seeking to disrupt the state’s relative peace. Speaking during a press briefing in Kaduna, Muhammad Rabiu, commissioner of police, challenged persons spreading the reports to provide names and details of the victims, insisting that there was no record of such abductions. Their denial drew criticism from Nigerians, including…

Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Calvin Bassey have been named in the team of the tournament for the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. The best XI of the 2025 AFCON was announced by CAF on Wednesday. Osimhen scored four goals and provided two assists for the Super Eagles as Nigeria won AFCON bronze for the ninth time. Lookman had the most goal contributions in the tournament. He scored four goals and assisted three more to be named among the best AFCON players for the second consecutive tournament. Bassey was one of the standout performers for the Eagles,…

Hilda Baci, the celebrity chef, has become a three-time Guinness World Records (GWR) holder after achieving the record of largest serving of rice. In an Instagram post, Baci shared an email from Andrew Fanning, a member of the GWR creative team, informing her that during her June attempt to set the record for the largest serving of Nigerian jollof rice, she also broke the record for the largest serving of rice. Fanning said the record was achieved “proactively”, as the additional milestone was identified during the review of her original attempt. “It has come to our attention when comparing record…