Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Manny Ita ​Lagos State has reinforced its position as Africa’s “Creative Capital” as the 9th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) enters its final phase. To herald the main ceremony, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu hosted a series of diplomatic soirees, convening international delegates, policymakers, and over 1,216 creative industry professionals. Supported by partners including the British High Commission, these engagements are intended to utilize “creative diplomacy” to position the music industry as a driver of continental economic integration and peace-building. The week-long festival previously featured the Africa Music Business Summit and a 25-artist “Music Village” concert at Ikeja City Mall, leading up…

Manny Ita Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has officially set a new record for the highest-grossing tour by an African artist. Data released by the analytics platform Touring Data confirms that his “I Told Them” world tour generated a total of $30.5 million in gross revenue from 302,801 tickets sold across 22 shows in Europe and North America. “@burnaboy’s ‘I Told Them…’ is officially the highest-grossing tour by any Afrobeat artist in history, with $30.5 million from 302,801 tickets sold in 22 shows,” the platform reported. The revenue was nearly evenly split between the two…

Manny Ita In a significant move to address Nigeria’s long-standing deficit in creative economy infrastructure, a consortium of international and local private equity firms has officially broken ground on a 15,000-capacity multipurpose arena in Lekki, Lagos. The facility, scheduled for completion by late 2026, is engineered to operate as the primary hub for international-grade musical tours, sporting events, and cultural festivals, signaling a shift away from the industry’s reliance on hotel ballrooms and makeshift outdoor venues. Investors spearheading the project view Nigeria as the epicenter of the global Afrobeats movement but identify the lack of high-capacity, technically specialized venues as…

Manny Ita ​Arise News anchor and former international supermodel Ojy Okpe has announced the advanced development of a high-budget cinematic epic centered on the 16th-century warrior-queen, Amina of Zazzau. Under the banner of her production company, Africa Shape, the project aims to drive a movement of “Historical Reclamation,” designed to transition the continent from a consumer of foreign narratives to a creator of indigenous storytelling. This initiative represents a strategic escalation in Nigerian cinema, seeking to merge authentic Northern Nigerian history with the technical sophistication associated with global blockbusters. ​Drawing upon her professional experience on the sets of major Hollywood…

NAF interdicts terrorist camps in Borno, gives access to ground troops NAF highlights its critical role in enabling ground forces to maintain momentum and deliver decisive effects against terrorist networks. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), operating under the joint task force of Operation Hadin Kai, has conducted a coordinated air interdiction operation at AbbagaJiri in the Timbuktu Triangle in Borno. The Director, Public Relations and Information of NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, in a statement on Saturday said the air interdiction successfully cleared the way for the ground troops. Ejodame said the Air Component acted on actionable, multi-source intelligence that…

MFM attends to Lagos community, builds road, digs borehole The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Tent Maker Pastorial Ministry (TMPM), Region 1, Lekki, Lagos, has provided humanitarian services to the people of Itedo community and its environs. The services, which are part of the church’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), include construction of access road spanning in Itedo and digging of a borehole for potable water. The church also trained over 50 members in different skills, and gave them starter packs to ease financial burden. TMPM Region 1, also gave scholarships to indigent but brilliant students. The Regional…

Falconets Prepare For Senegal Clash, Train In Abuja By Elegbede Abiodun This year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals take place in Poland. Nigeria’s U20 Women’s National Team, the Falconets, have started their training in Abuja in preparation for their upcoming FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying match against Senegal. The team opened camp on Saturday, 4 January 2026, at the Westpoint Hotel, marking the beginning of a rigorous training regime. Notably seventeen players are currently in camp, with more invited players expected to join the squad. Training has begun earnestly, focusing on team cohesion, tactical organisation, and physical…

Central Bank’s Liquidity, For December, Drives 38% Increase In Dollar Inflows By Elegbede Abiodun This change believed to have been largely driven by heightened activity by the CBN in the foreign exchange deals. Dollar supply rebounded by 38 percent month on month in December 2025 as increased foreign exchange sales by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) helped support market liquidity, data from FMDQ showed. Total foreign exchange inflows into the FX market rose sharply by 38 percent month on month to $2.8 billion in December 2025, marking a rebound from the much steeper 67 percent contraction recorded in…

CAF effects change of referee for Nigeria-Algeria clash, Senegalese takes whistle By Elegbede Abiodun This match will start by 5pm Nigerian time. The Confederation of African Football has named Senegalese referee Issa Sy to officiate Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final between Nigeria and Algeria in Marrakech. CAF had initially appointed Omar Artan for the encounter but withdrew the appointment amid growing tensions surrounding officiating decisions at the tournament. Sy, having served as the Video Assistant Referee during the group-stage match between Morocco and Tanzania, is no stranger to the 2025 AFCON. The appointment is expected to calm nerves…

INEC Amupitan prepares tech-driven polls for 2027 Elections By Elegbede Abiodun He gave five non-negotiable pillars that will guide the Commission’s work. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), has pledged that the 2027 General Election will be free, fair, transparent and technologically driven, declaring that the Commission will tolerate no misconduct in the electoral process. Speaking in Lagos at the 2026 Induction and Strategic Retreat of the Commission, held from January 9–10, Amupitan said INEC was preparing for a rapidly evolving electoral landscape and must rise to the expectations of Nigerians. “We gather…