Author: Faith Babatunde

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has suggested that some students may have received financial support from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund without informing their parents. Oyedele made the comment during a media briefing in Abuja after a participant said his three children had not benefited from the programme and that he was unaware of any friends who had received NELFUND support. The minister advised parents to ask their children whether they had applied for the scheme and request evidence of their applications. He also encouraged families whose children had not applied to assist them…

Getafe midfielder Christantus Uche has undergone successful surgery after suffering a serious knee injury during a pre-season friendly against Monaco. The 23-year-old sustained the injury on August 6 following a tackle from Monaco defender Christian Mawissa. Medical examinations later revealed multiple ligament and meniscus tears in Uche’s right knee. Uche confirmed on Wednesday that the surgery had gone as planned and thanked the medical team, his representatives, Getafe, teammates and supporters for their encouragement. The midfielder described the operation as an important first step in a long rehabilitation process and said he was ready to remain patient and work towards…

Young Nigerian writers have been encouraged to use storytelling to promote the maritime sector as an industry that welcomes women. The call was made at the 6th Annual Maritime Writes Project Creative Writing Bootcamp held at Apapa Port, Lagos. Port Manager of the Lagos Ports Complex, Nigerian Ports Authority, Debo Lawal, said participants should use their writing to highlight the growing presence of women in technical and operational positions within the maritime industry. The 2026 bootcamp, themed Voyages Through Chokepoints: Power, Passage and Life at Sea, brought together young writers, academics, maritime professionals and mentors. Participants were encouraged to look…

Nigeria’s National Single Window platform processed 114,122 licences and permits and facilitated payments worth N11.27 billion between March 27 and August 17, 2026. The Phase One rollout update showed that 10,818 importers and agents had registered on the platform, while five Ministries, Departments and Agencies had been fully onboarded. More than 8,000 users had also received training on the system. The platform has recorded stronger adoption among airlines, with 24 of 27 airlines onboarded and 2,139 air cargo manifests transmitted. However, participation among shipping lines remains significantly lower. Only 23 of 88 shipping lines had been onboarded, with 43 manifests…

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has threatened legal action against Zuffa Boxing boss Dana White over claims surrounding the proposed Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury superfight. Hearn accused White of falsely presenting himself as having the authority to organise the highly anticipated bout and alleged that he was using Joshua to negotiate a venue deal despite having no such rights. The dispute is the latest escalation in a long-running public feud between the two promoters, whose rivalry has intensified since White entered the boxing business. Hearn said both Joshua and Fury have signed agreements to fight but revealed that Fury’s camp…

Elite athletes are increasingly turning to supplements such as creatine in search of small performance advantages, although sports nutrition experts say supplements should come after the basics of a healthy lifestyle have been established. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound produced by the body and found mainly in foods such as meat and fish. It provides muscles with a rapid source of energy and can be particularly useful during short, high-intensity activities such as sprinting. The supplement became increasingly popular in elite sport during the 1990s. Reports of British athletes using creatine during preparations for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics helped…

The Federal University Oye Ekiti has dismissed reports that its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, was arrested or detained by the police following the recently concluded Osun State governorship election. The university described the reports as false, baseless and deliberately fabricated. FUOYE Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Dr Sunday Saanu, said Ogunwole had neither been arrested nor invited by the police or any other security agency over his role as the Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer for the election. The university explained that Ogunwole successfully performed his duties as returning officer and declared Governor Ademola Adeleke the winner of…

The Department of State Services has arrested a man accused of impersonating a DSS officer and using a fake firearm to extort motorists and commuters in Abuja. The suspect, identified as Moferewa Maiye, was reportedly arrested at his hideout around NITEL Junction on Adetokunbo Ademola Way, Wuse II, following intelligence received by the security agency. According to security sources, Maiye was wearing a DSS tactical uniform and was found with a fake pistol when operatives apprehended him. He allegedly used the uniform and weapon to intimidate commuters and motorists and collect money from them. During questioning, the suspect reportedly claimed…

China has sentenced Evergrande founder Xu Jiayin to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of multiple financial crimes linked to the collapse of the property giant. A court in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, also fined Evergrande Group and its real estate arm a combined 15.82 billion yuan, equivalent to about $2.4 billion. Xu, also known as Hui Ka Yan in Cantonese, was convicted of offences including large-scale financial fraud. The court said he and Evergrande had engaged in sustained financial misconduct between 2016 and 2021, allegedly inflating assets and concealing liabilities. The sentencing marks a dramatic fall for Xu, who once…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he will not contest the Nigerian presidency again if he loses the 2027 election, describing the upcoming poll as his final presidential race. The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate made the declaration during a Hausa-language interview on Wednesday while responding to questions about whether he would seek the presidency again in 2031. Atiku, who has contested the presidency several times, said he had already made up his mind not to return to the race after 2027. “No, I have said it before, right from this election, I will not contest again,” the former…