Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina. (Photo by Roberto SCHMIDT / AFP) FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer, Pierluigi Collina, has defended the independence of World Cup match officials following controversy over the VAR decisions in Argentina’s Round of 16 victory over Egypt, insisting that referees cannot be influenced by anyone, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Collina made the remarks in an interview published by FIFA on Thursday after criticism over officiating decisions during the knockout tie, saying allegations questioning the integrity of referees were unacceptable and had exposed officials and their families to threats. “Nobody can claim that FIFA…

Nigeria Immigration Service logo The Nigeria Immigration Service has announced the disengagement of Online Integrated Solutions, popularly known as OIS Services, as the operator of Nigeria’s Visa Application and Submission Centres in the United States. The service disclosed this in a public notice shared on its official X account on Thursday, directing prospective travellers and Nigerians residing in the US who require a Nigerian visa to note the change. “The Nigeria Immigration Service hereby informs the general public, particularly prospective travellers and Nigerians residing in the United States of America who may require a visa to enter Nigeria, that Online…

UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba * UBEC had helped to build more than 4,600 classrooms. * Invested over ₦20.4 billion in teacher professional training. The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Aisha Garba, has disclosed that the commission has facilitated the mobilisation of more than ₦100 billion in previously unaccessed matching grants by states and the Federal Capital Territory, describing the development as a major milestone in the Federal Government’s drive to improve basic education across Nigeria. Garba disclosed this on Thursday during a high-level media luncheon with education correspondents in Abuja. Garba said the funds, which had…

File: A Nigerian Police symbol The Plateau State Police Command has cautioned its personnel against stopping members of the public to search their mobile phones without a court warrant. The Commissioner of Police, Bassey Ewah, gave the warning in a statement issued on Wednesday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Alabo Alfred. According to the statement, no officer of the command has the legal authority to stop any citizen on the road and demand access to the contents of their mobile phone without a court warrant. “In line with his unwavering stance against misconduct and unprofessional behaviour by Police personnel,…

TikToker Peller Recounts Experience While In Police Cell Peller. Photo: Instagram / @peller089 Nigerian TikToker and streamer, Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, has given details of his experience in police detention, saying he neither bathed nor ate for most of the four days he spent in custody. Peller, 21, was arrested on Friday in the Lekki area of Lagos, following a confrontation with police officers over a tinted vehicle without a number plate. Following his release, Peller took to his Snapchat account to give an account of his time in custody. “I am ugly now, I can’t show my…

The Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Dr Dauda Lawal, PhD, has declared that the passage and signing of the State Police Bill by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly will transform governors from mere figureheads into truly empowered Chief Security Officers of their states. Lawal made the remarks on Thursday, July 9, 2026, while speaking as a panellist at the Arise News Town Hall meeting, themed “Building a National Consensus for State Police and National Security,” held at the Thisday Dome in Abuja. During the session, the Zamfara governor laid bare the paradox facing state governors; while constitutionally…

Lateef Adedimeji Actor and filmmaker Lateef Adedimeji has revealed that crying on screen early in his career was a deliberate strategy to distinguish himself in the competitive movie industry. Speaking during an interview on The Morayo Show, Adedimeji said breaking into Nollywood was difficult, and he needed a unique trait to make audiences remember him. The actor noted that he was initially recognised for his resemblance to a senior colleague. While he appreciated the comparison, he wanted to be known for something uniquely his own. “When I came into the industry, it was quite challenging. I resembled one of my…

ExxonMobil Says the company was bringing its technical capabilities and financial strength to grow its deep-water portfolio. ExxonMobil, through its subsidiary ESSO Exploration and Production Nigeria Offshore East Limited, has announced a $1 billion investment to unlock about 40,000 barrels per day of new deep-water oil production from the Usan field, located on Oil Mining Lease (OML) 138. Chairman, managing director, and lead country manager of ExxonMobil affiliates in Nigeria, Jagir Baxi, made the disclosure while speaking at the 25th edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja, themed “Advancing Energy Ambitions for Competitive & Resilient…

Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.) The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has ordered security personnel not to hesitate in confronting armed bandits and terrorists, declaring that any operative who fails to neutralise criminals under the excuse of awaiting orders would be treated as collaborating with them. He gave the charge on Wednesday in Sokoto State while commissioning 62 operational vehicles and security equipment worth ₦27.127 billion procured by the Sokoto State Government to strengthen security operations across the state. “Once you are deployed, do not wait for any order from anybody to shoot any bandit or…

File photo: Nigerian Communications Commission.  … ensuring that telecommunications ducts are installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated. The Nigerian Communications Commission and relevant stakeholders have commenced moves to end the repeated excavation of roads for fibre-optic deployment by developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing underground telecom ducts under the Federal Government’s Dig Once policy. The initiative, unveiled at the Second Stakeholders’ Forum on the Consultancy Study for the Development of a Pricing Mechanism and Cost-Based Structure for Sharing Ducts under the Dig Once Policy in Abuja on Wednesday, is expected to lower broadband deployment costs, promote infrastructure sharing…