Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

The D’Tigress of Nigeria have defeated the Opals of Australia in their first match at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Rena Wakama-led ladies pulled off a spirited performance to beat the Australians 75-62 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Monday. The victory was the team’s first win in an Olympic match since Athens 2004, when they defeated South Korea in an inconsequential classification game after crashing out. The Australians were listed as third on the competition’s power ranking, while Nigeria was named 12th.

Prices of cement may likely be reduced, the founder and chairman of the BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu has said. Rabiu who said the prevailing price of cement in the country is the most friendly compared to what obtains in other African countries, however, emphasized that with a strengthened naira, the current price would be further reduced. He disclosed that BUA had begun working towards that goal with the addition of a fourth cement production line to its Edo State factory. Rabiu disclosed this in Abuja during a strategic business partnership agreement and the celebration of a 12-year partnership between…

Veteran actor Jide Kosoko has expressed satisfaction with his decision to vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating that he “does not regret” his choice. In a recent interview on “Curiosity Made Me Ask” with Bae U Barbie, Kosoko praised Tinubu’s performance, saying he is “doing very well” despite the challenges of fixing a battered economy. Kosoko emphasised that repairing the economy is a difficult task and requires time. He reaffirmed his support for Tinubu, citing their long-standing relationship and Tinubu’s contributions to nation-building. Kosoko highlighted Tinubu’s role in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria, stating that his name cannot…

Senator Jibrin Barau, the Deputy Senate President and first Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, has called on the organisers of the upcoming nationwide protest to reconsider their plans to ensure the preservation of peace in the country. In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, Barau emphasised that President Bola Tinubu is actively working to address the nation’s issues. He asked the protest organisers to allow the government more time to implement its policies outlined in the Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at socio-economic development. Barau acknowledged the challenges faced by the country and…

Russia on Monday said it had downed 39 drones fired by Ukraine overnight mainly targeting border regions. “The anti-air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 19 drones in the Kursk region, nine above Belgorod, three over Voronezh and five over Bryansk,” all bordering Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram. Three others were neutralised in the northwestern Leningrad region near Saint Petersburg in an “attempted terrorist attack”, it said. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian fuel depots, refineries and energy facilities are frequent, particularly in the border regions. Russia has also launched massive attacks on Ukraine’s power plants, causing severe electricity…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is mobilising Abuja youths and other stakeholders against joining the planned August 1 to 10 nationwide protests over hunger and hardship. Speaking during a ministerial engagement with FCT youths from Abuja South Federal Constituency, in Kwali Area Council of the FCT on Sunday, Wike said, ”Youths and other stakeholders in Bwari and Gwagwalada Area Councils will also be engaged on the same issue in the coming days.” The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a similar interaction was held with stakeholders in Abuja Municipal Area Council, in Abuja on Saturday. The…

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Monday, advised students in Nigerian universities to remain on campus during the planned nationwide protests to avoid risking their lives. The minister, through the acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Chris Maiyaki, made this known in a letter addressed to Vice-Chancellors of universities. Certain activists have organised a nationwide protest slated for August 1 to 10, 2024. The planned protest has gained traction on social media, trending under the hashtags ‘#EndBadGovernance,’ ‘#TinubuMustGo,’ and ‘#Revolution2024.’ The presidency and police authorities have called on youths to abandon the plan. “The Honourable Minister…

Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has appealed to displeased Nigerians to give President Bola Tinubu more time to address the country’s economic woes. The minister, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, appealed to intending participants of the August protest to be patriotic. He said Tinubu should not be judged with the expectation to solve a 100-year-old problem in one year. He said an economy is not built overnight. “What you see today is an accumulated mismanagement over the last 100, 60, 30 years,” he said. Tunji-Ojo said, “Mr President, to the best of my knowledge, never campaigned…

The Senator Danjuma Laah-led Kogi State Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has suspended the state ward congress of the party earlier scheduled for Saturday. The caretaker committee explained that the decision to suspend the ward congress became necessary when hoodlums invaded the state secretariat and made away with sensitive electoral materials. According to a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the committee, Dayo Akande, on Sunday, the decision was taken in collaboration with the congress committee chairman, Boyelayefa Debeleme. According to the statement, the impersonators came with an 18-seater bus and other vehicles without any means of…

A UK-based company, LH Telecommunication Limited, has acquired a majority stake in Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited, the parent company of 9mobile. According to a statement on Sunday by the company, the acquisition, approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, allows a new board to take over the struggling telecom operator. Although the deal’s financial terms were not disclosed, the company indicated that the takeover is subject to regulatory approvals. “The investment, approved by the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM), the senior lender to 9mobile in May 2023, has resulted in a change in…