Author: Opalim Lifted

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has sparked controversy after dismissing the Africa Cup of Nations as not a major tournament while discussing Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or this year. Speaking on Sky Sports after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, Carragher suggested that Salah’s nationality and Egypt’s international record could hinder his chances of claiming football’s most prestigious individual award. “I think the problem [is] the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning,” Carragher said. “I think it’s either…

Inter Milan beat Lazio in the Coppa Italia last eight to set up a semi-final against city rivals AC Milan. Marko Arnautovic’s sublime first-half volley gave Simone Inzaghi’s men the breakthrough before substitute Hakan Calhanoglu secured the victory from the penalty spot late on. Serie A leaders Inter have a top-of-the-table match against Napoli on Saturday, so captain Lautaro Martinez and centre-back Alessandro Bastoni were only on the bench in the cup. Inter boss Inzaghi has had to deal with injuries to Yann Sommer, Marcus Thuram and Joaquin Correa in recent weeks and his problems mounted further when Matteo Darmian…

Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and five other former African Heads of State, have moved to tackle the debt crisis in Africa. As a result, seven former African Heads of State have come together to sign the Cape Town Declaration, a decisive call for urgent debt relief and fairer borrowing terms for African nations. This was disclosed in a statement, entitled, ‘Historic initiative to be launched to tackle Africa’s debt crises’, by African Leaders Debt Relief Initiative. The declaration marks the launch of the…

Prominent leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including former President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other party’s topnotch members, were conspicuously absent at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling party on Wednesday. Others who did not attend the APC NEC meeting, which was held at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, included former Governors Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; former Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and host of others. However, President Bola Tinubu,…

Ruggedman, the ace Nigerian rapper, has revealed why he does not have children. The 51-year-old rapper, whose real name is Michael Stephens, opened up about his personal life in a recent episode of TVC’s ‘Your View Pidgin’. Ruggedman shared that he made a vow to himself when he was younger to never have a child out of wedlock. The ‘ Baraje’ hitmaker explained that he believes parenthood requires a lot from both parties involved and should only be taken with someone he loves. The rapper, who is not married, admitted that he sometimes questions whether he made the right decision.…

Jude Chukwuka, the actor-turned-singer, has revealed details of his near-death experience in Ikorodu, Lagos, following allegations that he resembled the father of singer Naira Marley. In an interview on Seun Oloketuyi TV, the actor claimed some residents of Ikorodu attacked him, mistaking him for the singer’s father. The incident, according to him, occurred a few months after the death of Mohbad, a former signee of Naira Marley’s Marlian Music. Mohbad’s demise in September 2023 had sparked widespread criticism and allegations of mistreatment against Marlian Music, Naira Marley, and promoter Sam Larry. Chukwuka, who had publicly declared himself a “Marlian” and…

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has countered former vice president Yemi Osinbajo. During the public presentation of ‘A Journey In Service’, an autobiography by former military president Ibrahim Babangida, Osinbajo jokingly remarked that Tinubu was ironically at the event to celebrate with his “former tormentors”. “And then, of course, there’s a gentleman here who was an elected senator in 1992 because of Babangida’s transition programme,” Osinbajo said. “When Babangida annulled the 1993 election and General Abacha took over, dissolved the senate, that senator tried to reconstitute the senate in resistance to the dissolution.…

Roberta Flack, the US singer best known for her ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ hit, has died at the age of 88. The Grammy-winning musician died “peacefully surrounded by her family” in New York on Monday, a statement from her representatives revealed. “We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24,” the statement reads. “She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator.” In 2022, Roberta Flack was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was reportedly unable to…

A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tolu Bankole, on Tuesday, said that President Bola Tinubu will serve his full term of eight years and warned there is no vacancy in the State House until 2031. There have been talks of the 2027 presidential election with some leading opposition members already meeting on the possibility of forming an alliance against the ruling party. But Bankole said the ruling party is not moved by such a threat. In a statement released in Abuja, the APC chieftain said President Bola Tinubu would serve out his…

Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that former President Muhammadu Buhari forced him to run for the office of governor. El-Rufai made this disclosure while hinting at the possibility of joining another political party if the All Progressives Congress, APC, fails to uphold its values and ideals. Speaking on Arise TV’s on Monday evening, he said: “I have never had an ambition. You can ask Buhari—he forced me to run for governor of Kaduna State because I was afraid of running. “I’m a worker. Others run for office, and when difficult assignments arise, they look for people…