Author: Faith Babatunde

President Bola Tinubu has directed that liquid funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission be transferred to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to support its growing financial obligations to Nigerian students. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting. Alausa said the council also approved a directive for unclaimed dividends from the Capital Market Trust Fund and the Dormant Account Trust Fund to be channelled to NELFUND. According to the minister, the measures are aimed at strengthening the education loan scheme and ensuring that…

Ipswich Town have emerged as one of the biggest-spending promoted clubs in Premier League history after investing more than €178m on new players ahead of the 2026/27 season. The Tractor Boys, back in the top flight after another promotion, have adopted an ambitious recruitment strategy under manager Gary O’Neil as they seek to avoid another immediate return to the Championship. Ipswich’s current spending places them among the highest-investing promoted sides in Premier League history, although history shows that heavy spending does not always guarantee survival. Sunderland currently top the list after spending €188.7m following their promotion in 2025. Nottingham Forest…

The Nigerian military has relocated the tactical headquarters of Operation Safe Haven to Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State as part of efforts to strengthen security operations and respond more quickly to attacks. The redeployment followed a recent wave of violence in the area, including an attack on Binper Village that reportedly claimed more than 25 lives. Speaking during the relocation on Wednesday, the Commander of Operation Safe Haven and General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen Williams Dangana, said the move would allow military leadership to maintain direct oversight of the security situation. He disclosed that additional…

Francis Clifford Smith, a US prisoner who survived eight scheduled execution dates and spent more than 70 years behind bars, has died at the age of 101. Smith was convicted of first-degree murder in Connecticut in 1950 after being accused of killing Grover Hart, a night watchman at a yacht club, the previous year. He maintained his innocence throughout his imprisonment. Doubts surrounding his conviction grew over the decades. Some witnesses later recanted their evidence, while another prisoner confessed to the murder. An officer involved in Smith’s interrogation also told the state’s Board of Pardons that he was not convinced…

The Oyo State Government has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day to allow residents to celebrate Isese Day and honour the cultural and traditional heritage of the Yoruba people. The declaration was contained in a memo signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Musibau Babatunde, and released on Wednesday through the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju. Governor Seyi Makinde extended his greetings to adherents of African Traditional Religion across Oyo State, Nigeria and beyond, wishing them a peaceful and spiritually enriching celebration. The governor also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fairness and inclusiveness across…

A bitter power struggle is unfolding within FIFA as football’s governing body faces growing opposition over its plans to restructure the commercial side of the global game. The crisis intensified in late July after FIFA President Gianni Infantino unveiled the FIFA Forward Enterprise, a proposed commercial vehicle designed to consolidate FIFA’s lucrative commercial rights and tournament operations. Under the plan, FIFA would retain control while selling a 20 to 21 per cent minority stake to private investors. The proposed investment target was reportedly around $20bn, with future World Cup revenues among the assets expected to underpin the enterprise. FIFA argued…

Nigeria’s ambition to more than double the livestock sector’s estimated $32bn annual contribution to the economy will require a major shift from traditional open grazing to modern, commercially viable ranching. President Bola Tinubu recently said his administration would transform livestock from a largely subsistence activity into a technology-driven and competitive industry. The Federal Government has established the Ministry of Livestock Development and launched strategies focused on improved genetics, animal health, commercial feed production, ranching and stronger value chains. However, Nigeria’s large livestock population has not translated into affordable animal protein or sufficient domestic production of dairy and meat. Experts say…

Lagos State is facing renewed concerns over waste management as uncollected refuse piles up across parts of the megacity, with some residents reportedly living with waste on their streets for months. The state’s Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, recently disclosed that Lagos generates about 17,000 tonnes of waste daily, significantly higher than the previously estimated 13,000 tonnes. The increase has complicated waste collection efforts, particularly as many of the approximately 420 Private Sector Participants reportedly lack enough functional trucks. Lagos State Waste Management Authority boss Muyiwa Gbadegesin also cited ageing landfills, flooded access roads, rising diesel costs and rapid urbanisation as…

Nigerian football fans were among the biggest participants in SuperSport’s digital FIFA World Cup 2026 experience, accounting for 21.2 per cent of registered users on the broadcaster’s Predictor platform. SuperSport said Nigerians ranked second behind South Africans, who accounted for 29.5 per cent of registered users. The tournament, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, ended with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. The SuperSport Predictor recorded 175,615 users, who made 3.81 million predictions during the competition. It also recorded 257,299 game sessions and 160,749 completed challenges. Across its digital platforms, SuperSport…

Four nursing mothers and their babies have been rescued from an illegal dumpsite in Agboju, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, highlighting the severe poverty and vulnerability affecting some residents in Lagos. The women were rescued on Monday by the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as KAI, during an inter-agency cleanup operation. According to the agency, the women were living in shanties within the dumpsite under harsh conditions marked by poor air quality, filth and hunger. They were subsequently taken for medical assistance. The rescued women, aged between 20 and 25, reportedly had babies ranging from nine days to two years…