Author: Vincent Osuwo

Nigerian-American beauty queen Victoria Oluwakotanmi has been crowned Miss Grand USA 2026, replacing Mekayla Li, whose title was revoked just over a week after she was crowned. The Miss Grand USA organisation announced Oluwakotanmi’s appointment in an official statement shared on social media on Friday. “With great excitement, @officialmissgrandusa proudly announces #tori_olu Victoria Oluwakotanmi as Miss Grand USA 2026,” the organisation said. Oluwakotanmi, who finished first runner-up at the pageant, will now wear the Miss Grand USA crown and represent the United States on a global scale. “Victoria now steps forward to carry the crown, represent the United States, and…

The federal government has declared Tuesday, August 25, 2026, a public holiday in honor of this year’s Eid ul Mawlid, which commemorates the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, announced the holiday on behalf of the federal government in a statement issued on Friday by Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the ministry’s permanent secretary. Tunji-Ojo thanked Muslims in Nigeria and in the diaspora on the occasion, urging Nigerians to focus on the virtues of compassion, humility, and service connected with the life of the Prophet Muhammad. “Every Eid ul Mawlid gives us reason to pause and draw lessons from…

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has revealed that Jamal Musiala’s repeated collapses during pre-season matches have been due to a prescription adjustment. The 23-year-old Germany international fell during Bayern Munich’s four-day friendly against RB Leipzig and Heidenheim. Musiala recently stated that he is being treated for a neurological malfunction that produces temporary seizures, which he described as brief and manageable. As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, speaking ahead of Bayern’s German Supercup meeting with Borussia Dortmund, Kompany stated a little tweak to Musiala’s therapy had caused negative effects. “I spoke with Jamal, he said, ‘no problem, you can say…

Real Madrid player Yan Diomande has expressed his strong admiration for José Mourinho, saying he is ready to give everything for the Portuguese manager. The Ivorian forward was cited as adding that when players work for Mourinho, they form a special link. According to Fabrizio Romano on X on Friday, Diomande stated, “When you play for José Mourinho, you want to die for him.” “I am willing to die for him,” Diomande stated. Despite the hefty transfer amount invested to lure him to his new club, the teenage forward insists he feels no pressure. He believes the money reflects the…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have opened investigations into the utilisation of the N12bn Federal Government intervention fund released to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for players’ wages and bonuses. President Bola Tinubu approved the fund in 2024 to cover unpaid payments owed to Nigeria’s national teams. A high source acquainted with the situation revealed to our correspondent on Thursday that some officials involved had been summoned by investigators and had given statements. “They have been under our radar before now. We invited some officials over to…

A plane crash at a remote United States  Air Force site in Alaska killed people on Thursday, the military said. The civilian-contracted plane crashed at the long-range radar site’s airport near Cape Newenham, on the state’s southwestern tip, according to an Alaskan Command statement. Rescuers who landed near the crash site “confirmed there were no survivors,” the report stated. The message did not specify what people on board were doing at the radar station, which monitors planes traveling in Alaskan airspace. An Alaskan Command spokesperson stated that it was investigating the crash and would name the dead after their families…

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has stated that his monthly pay is ₦503,000, less than the ₦900,000 paid by permanent secretaries in the state. Oborevwori made the announcement on Thursday while inaugurating 12 four-bedroom terraced duplexes for permanent secretaries and presenting 12 government vehicles to newly appointed permanent secretaries in Asaba, the state capital. The governor, who spoke at the ceremony in a video posted by ARISE TV on YouTube, stated that the state government had boosted permanent secretaries’ salaries after they complained that certain directors were getting nearly the same amount as them. “When the permanent secretaries said most…

Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of Kano State’s Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency, believes President Bola Tinubu will defeat former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso in the state’s presidential election in 2027. Jibrin made the forecast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, when addressing the Kano political fight leading up to the 2027 election. Kwankwaso, a former two-term governor of the state, is the running partner to former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi on the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) platform. Jibrin, who previously worked closely with Kwankwaso but is now a member of Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that his…

The death toll from the boat mishap at the Gorau crossing point in Sokoto State’s Goronyo Local Government Area has risen to 53, as more bodies have been recovered from the river. The tragedy has plunged communities in the vicinity into sadness, with families anxiously awaiting word on relatives who are still missing after the boat capsized while transporting passengers across the channel. Previously, 48 bodies were found from the location. The total jumped to 53 as rescue workers worked harder to find victims who were believed to have been trapped or washed away by the river current. A resident…

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) announced it had sealed a residential apartment suspected of being converted into an illegal maternity facility by a child-trafficking syndicate in Elelenwo, Port Harcourt. According to a statement released Thursday by the agency’s Head of Press and Public Relations Unit, Vincent Adekoye, NAPTIP detained the facility’s owner, who was identified as a facilitator in the alleged baby sale, as well as one other staff member. The announcement is headlined ‘NAPTIP Seals High-Profile Maternity in Port Harcourt for Alleged Baby Sale and Trafficking Involving a Foreign National.’ Adekoye stated that…