Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Nigeria’s Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro and Prestina Ochonogor made history on Tuesday by reaching the women’s long jump final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. That is the first time three Nigerians have made the event’s final at the Olympics. Brume leapt 6.7m to seal an automatic qualification for the final of women’s long jump event at the Games. While she was in danger of not reaching the final after struggling initially – was 9th – the Nigerian came up big in her last jump to make the final. Her compatriots Usoro jumped (6.76m) while Ochonogor leapt 6.65m) to make the…

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, has expressed hope that the suspension of duties and taxes on imported food items over some time would help reduce food prices. Adeniyi stated that his service is dedicated to implementing the policy as outlined by the government. He spoke at the security heads’ meeting in Abuja on Tuesday. Adeniyi said, “The protest was premised on a number of things, one of them being to end hunger. We discovered that a significant amount of food consumed in Nigeria is imported. Importation takes some time. So one of the things the president has done to…

In Abuja, the atmosphere is gradually returning to normal as protests have significantly diminished. On Tuesday, the Moshood Abiola Stadium was the focal point of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests, with only two prominent activists, Ene Obi and Hauwa Mustapha, seen holding a sit-out. This marked the sixth day of nationwide demonstrations aimed at addressing issues of hunger and hardship. Security forces have restricted protest activities, enforcing a court order that confines demonstrators to the stadium. Journalists covering the event were also prohibited from remaining outside the stadium, as part of the enforcement of this order. Obi and Mustapha have pledged…

The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma has unveiled a renowned football administrator and tactician, Mr. Emmanuel Amuneke as the Technical Manager of Heartland Football Club Owerri, Imo State. He did at the New Executive Council Chambers, Government House Owerri on Monday (August 5, 2024), where he said that the idea was to “reposition the Heartland Football Club for a brighter future to the happiness of Imo people and football enthusiasts in particular.” The Governor recalled that on assumption of office in 2020 his administration met a Heartland Football Club that was relegated and that he made frantic efforts…

The forthcoming local government elections in Ogun State have been fixed for Saturday, November 16 2024. The Chairman of Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr Babatunde Osibodu, disclosed this in a statement signed by him and made available to journalists in Abeokuta on Tuesday. Osibodu, according to the statement, said, “Thursday, August 8, 2024, is scheduled for the release of guidelines for the conduct of the elections and stakeholders meeting while campaigns by the political parties begin on Friday, August 9. “The political parties are also scheduled to hold their party primaries between Monday, August 26 to Monday, September 9,…

Tech giant Meta apologised Tuesday for removing social media posts by Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, about the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The apology came a day after Anwar’s office summoned Meta representatives to seek an explanation on why the leader’s Facebook and Instagram posts about Haniyeh’s death had been removed. Meta is the parent firm of the two popular social media platforms. “We apologise for an operational error where content from the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram Pages were removed,” Meta said in a statement emailed to AFP. “The content has since been restored with the correct…

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied any involvement in the usage of the European nation’s flag by some persons during the #EndBadGovernance protest. Protesters in some northern states were spotted waving the Russian flag, raising concerns among authorities. But the country’s embassy in a Monday statement said neither the Russian government nor its officials are involved in the protesters’ activities. “The Government of the Russian Federation, as well as any Russian officials, are not involved in these activities and do not coordinate them in any way. “As always, we emphasise that Russia does not interfere in the domestic affairs…

Bitcoin’s price has dropped below $50,000 for the first time since February, hitting a low of $49,351 before rebounding to around $51,000. This decline comes as BTC dominance rises to 58% amidst significant drops in both the altcoin and stock markets. The cryptocurrency market has seen a drastic contraction, with over 17% of its total market capitalization erased. CoinMarketCap reported that the market cap, which was approximately $2.16 trillion, has fallen to about $1.76 trillion as of August 5. In the early hours of August 5, Bitcoin’s drop triggered the liquidation of $600 million in leveraged long positions. This market…

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 poll, Peter Obi, has reacted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broadcast to the nation, saying the address failed to address the issues that triggered the protest. Writing on his X handle on Monday titled ‘My Response to the President’s Address’ the LP standards bearer said, “Having led the call for the President to address the nation and respond to the demands of the people, and having listened to the belated speech, I needed to delay my response to see if my understanding of the address was aligned with others. “I…

Chelsea will find out their Europa Conference League play-off opponents on Monday when the draw takes place in Nyon, Switzerland. The Blues finished sixth in the Premier League last season but missed out on a Europa League spot after eighth-placed Manchester United defeated champions Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Enzo Maresca’s side has had a challenging start to pre-season, with only one win in four matches, including a recent 4-2 loss to Manchester City on Saturday. Chelsea are in the main path of the play-off round, meaning they are seeded and will start their campaign against an unseeded…