Author: Opalim Lifted

In a scathing rebuke of Nigeria’s oil sector leadership, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and over 75 civil society organisations have demanded the arrest of former NNPCL Group CEO, Mele Kyari, calling for an open judicial probe into what they described as a “financial calamity” at the state oil firm. The coalition, under the banner of the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs), issued a 21-day ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu to act or face a wave of lawsuits, international petitions, and mass protests. Speaking in Abuja, CNCSOs spokesperson Dr Agaba Iduh accused Kyari and his management…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced its ex-depot price for premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to N840 per litre. The reduction represents a N40 decrease from the previous rate of N880 per litre. Five days before the reduction, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had increased the pump price of petrol to N925 per litre in Lagos. The decrease also came a week after Dangote refinery increased the ex-depot petrol price to N880 per litre. In an update on Monday by Anthony Chiejina, chief corporate communications officer of Dangote Group, refinery announced the price slash. Dangote refinery…

Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour kicked off with a heart-stopping moment in Houston on Saturday night when the superstar’s flying car malfunctioned mid-performance, nearly sending her tumbling before a crowd of thousands. The 32-time Grammy winner dazzled fans with hits from her chart-topping ‘Cowboy Carter’ album, joined onstage by her daughter Blue Ivy, who led a team of dancers in an electrifying routine. But the night’s most talked-about moment came during the closing act, when the futuristic red convertible Beyoncé rode, suspended by cables above the audience, abruptly tilted mid-flight. As the vehicle soared over screaming fans, one of its two…

Defending champions Manchester City were knocked out of the Club World Cup at the last 16 stage after being stunned in extra time by Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal following an incredible seven-goal thriller. Pep Guardiola’s side had come through the group stages unscathed but failed to reach the quarter-finals after conceding four times in a haphazard defensive display. City have been fast starters in this competition and for the fourth game running, they opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes. Captain Bernardo Silva swept home from close range after the opposition defenders failed to clear, but the Al-Hilal players…

Brazilian club Fluminense shocked Inter Milan with a 2-0 win to reach the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup, where they could face Manchester City or Al-Hilal. Striker German Cano’s stooping header in the third minute put the Brazilian giants, Fluminense ahead early and substitute Hercules scored a curling edge-of-the-box shot against the run of play in a difficult last 25 minutes. Inter’s star forward Lautaro Martinez had a series of chances to equalise before the second goal, including one against the post late on, while Federico Dimarco also came close to scoring from two free-kicks and had a close-range…

A prosecution witness, Mr Ajayi Michael Folaseye, on Monday, told the Federal High Court in Lagos how he rejected a $7,000 bribe allegedly offered by a colleague seeking to illegally access Premium Trust Bank’s internal IT systems. Ajayi, a staff member in the bank’s Information Technology department, testified before Justice Alexander Owoeye in the ongoing trial of Kehinde Odeyemi and Matthew Adeniyi Damilola, both employees of Premium Trust Bank. They are being tried alongside three others, Samson Latshin Dakup, Bolaji Omotosho Yinka, and Sunday Badeniyi Okunola on a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy to steal. The case is being prosecuted…

The Benue State Police Command has announced the rescue of 11 passengers who were recently abducted in Okpokwu Local Government Area. On June 22, 13 passengers, including the driver of a Benue Links bus, were abducted by gunmen at Eke-Elengbecho community. The bus was traveling from Abeokuta, Ogun state, to Makurdi, before it was intercepted by armed men. Two of the kidnap victims had earlier been rescued. A statement issued on Sunday by Udeme Edet, Benue police spokesperson, said the police got information that the kidnappers were moving the victims through Ondo village in Ugbokolo area of Benue state. Edet…

The caucus meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has descended into chaos on Monday as security operatives forcefully ejected some members from the national executive committee (NEC) hall. The meeting is scheduled to hold at the NEC hall of the party’s headquarters in Abuja, with members already arriving at the venue. Two members were forcibly removed by security operatives, after some protocol officers claimed they had no business being at the meeting. In the course of dragging them out, the glass door was shattered. “Are you NWC member?” Chinwe Nnorom, national director of publicity, yelled before the PDP members…

Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, has renamed two sports institutions after the 22 athletes from the state who died while returning from the National Sports Festival (NSF) in Ogun. On May 31, a bus carrying the contingent back to the state from the NSF slipped off the Dakatsalle bridge in Kura LGA. The accident led to the death of 22 members of the team, while others sustained injuries. In a statement on Sunday, Mustapha Muhammed, the chief press secretary to the governor, said the Kano State Sports Institute and Sports Commission have been named after the dead athletes. The two…

Australia is heading toward a critical shortage of skilled workers across finance, technology, and business (FTB), with a shortfall of 250,000 expected by 2030, a new report warns. According to the Future Skills Organisation (FSO) , a jobs and skills council funded by the federal government, the demand for FTB professionals is set to outpace the rest of the workforce, but the local talent pipeline isn’t keeping up. By 2030, Australia will need 3.5 million FTB role nearly 450,000 more than today with the largest demand in technology (131,000), followed by finance (64,000) and business (48,000). Education Falling Behind Demand…