Author: Opalim Lifted

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Rome, Italy, to attend the installation of Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Sunday. A statement by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said President Tinubu was received at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and officials from Vatican City and the Nigerian Embassy after the plane touched down at 6 pm local time. Tinubu is in Rome at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV, who was elected by the College of Cardinals during a conclave held 17 days after the…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a Freedom of Information request to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, demanding a full public explanation regarding the alleged disappearance of N500 billion in oil revenue between October and December 2024. The call follows a recent World Bank revelation that out of N1.1 trillion generated from crude oil sales and other income during that period, the NNPCL remitted only N600 billion to the Federation Account, leaving a shortfall of N500 billion unaccounted for. In the request dated 17 May 2025…

Abdullahi Bello, chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), has asked Nigerians to report public servants living above their means. Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust, Bello said the bureau will soon launch a platform for Nigerians to submit such complaints. “One of the first things I did upon assumption of duty was to establish a forensic accounting and financial investigation unit within the bureau,” he said. “I previously worked with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and I understand the importance of technical analysis. “What this unit does is to examine public officers’ asset declarations, comparing…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has finally dismantled longstanding barriers that have kept millions of Nigerians in the diaspora disconnected from their homeland’s financial system. With the official launch of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) yesterday in Abuja, the CBN has systematically removed the obstacles that once restricted Nigerians abroad from making seamless and cost-effective financial transactions to Nigeria. This transformative initiative is already generating excitement among Nigerians living overseas, who see it as a long-awaited dream come true. With the NRBVN, they can now carry out financial transactions from anywhere in the world as if they were…

Crystal Palace won the first major trophy in the club’s history with victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Eberechi Eze was Crystal Palace’s hero when he crowned a superb counter-attack by sweeping home Daniel Munoz’s cross after 16 minutes. City, meanwhile, endured a day of total frustration as they failed to win a trophy in a season for the first time since manager Pep Guardiola’s first campaign in charge in 2016-17. They were furious when Palace keeper Dean Henderson was not shown a red card when he handled outside his area under pressure from Erling…

R&B superstar Chris Brown has been remanded in custody after appearing in court over an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub in 2023.   The 36-year-old American artiste was arrested on Thursday at The Lowry Hotel in Salford and later charged with grievous bodily harm following the alleged assault at Tape nightclub in Mayfair. Chris Brown, often called by his nickname Breezy, is accused of attacking music producer Abe Diaw with a bottle during the incident. The Grammy winner had been in Manchester preparing for his upcoming UK tour, which includes performances at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester and…

Nigerian thespian, Adebowale Debo Adedayo, better known as Mr Macaroni, has revealed that he is scared of getting married. In an interview on Dating In Lagos, Macaroni said he is not ready to get married because he fears committing deeply to someone who might not reciprocate his love. The 32-year-old actor and content creator said he believes dating someone who doesn’t love him completely could hurt him and make him lose focus. The skit maker added that for now, he is prioritising his career while admitting that he might consider marriage in the future. “When I notice that I start…

The legal team of Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs has testified that Cassie Ventura, the rapper’s ex-girlfriend, “maintained contact with him” after they split. Ventura, the prosecution’s star witness, took the stand earlier this week in the high-profile sex trafficking trial, delivering disturbing testimony about her past relationship with the rapper. She testified that Diddy coerced her into participating in drug-fueled “freak off” sex parties that left her with recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs) and mouth sores. However, Diddy’s legal team argued that she was a willing participant in the parties, while showing an alleged 2009 text message of the singer telling…

Emmanuel Kunde, Cameroonian football legend, has passed away at the age of 68 years. The demise of Kunde was announced by the Cameroonian football federation (Fecafoot) on Friday. Emmanuel Kunde played as a midfielder and was a lynchpin in the Cameroonian team at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. The Cameroonian side became the first ever African nation to reach the quarter-final of the World Cup. Emmanuel Kunde was also part of a Cameroon side that tormented Nigeria in the 1980s, winning two continental titles at their expense. He was a substitute as Cameroon defeated Nigeria to lift the AFCON…

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) stated that its operatives have rescued 19 girls suspected to have been impregnated by a man in Abuja. Binta Bello, NAPTIP director-general, spoke on Friday at a meeting with Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. Bello thanked Dabiri-Erewa for NiDCOM’s support, especially in the recent rescue of 231 young Nigerians from Ghana. She said tackling human trafficking requires joint action from government and key stakeholders, stressing the need for more awareness across all levels. “We rescued last week 19 girls,…