Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

African Film Festival Takes Place In Dallas. The African Film Festival (TAFF) will return to Dallas for its 11th edition later this month, coinciding with the global attention generated by the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Scheduled for 18–20 June at The Royal Palace in Addison, Texas, the festival will bring together filmmakers, artists and audiences from across Africa and the diaspora, with organisers hoping to capitalise on the increased international interest surrounding the World Cup. Founded in 2015, TAFF has grown into a recognised platform for showcasing African cinema outside the continent. This year’s edition will…

His Excellency, Dr. Dauda Lawal, Executive Governor of Zamfara State, has approved a minor cabinet reshuffle involving three Honourable Commissioners as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance and enhance service delivery across the State. Announcing the development, the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Malam Abubakar Mohammad Nakwada, stated that the redeployment is aimed at strategically repositioning key Ministries for greater efficiency and effective implementation of the Administration’s Rescue Agenda. The affected Commissioners are: I. Hon. Abdulrahaman Tumbido, redeployed from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; II. Hon. Kasimu Yahya Kaura,…

Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Funeral activities will begin in Tehran on July 4 and continue for three days. Iran has announced plans to bury its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on July 9, more than four months after he was killed in airstrikes carried out by Israel and the United States. According to reports from Iranian state television, the burial will take place in Mashhad, the northeastern holy city where Khamenei was born. The funeral was originally expected to hold in March but was delayed because of the conflict that followed his death. The funeral activities will…

Jim Swartz – Chairman and Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria and Mid-Africa region The non-technical phase begins June 15, 2026, with Blueshell Energy Training Services. LAGOS, Nigeria, June 15, 2026 – Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Bristow Helicopters, has launched a helicopter pilot development programme that will train 10 Nigerian cadet pilots and two trainees from CNL’s neighbouring communities, advancing local capacity in Nigeria’s oil and gas aviation sector. Speaking on behalf of the company, Olusoga Oduselu, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, said the programme, which is the first of its…

Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein The Federation Account Allocation Committee has shared N2.26 trillion among the Federal Government, states and local government councils as April 2026 revenue, representing an increase of N217 billion from the N2.04 trillion distributed in the previous month The latest allocation marks a 10.6 per cent increase from the March 2026 revenue shared in April. The details were contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, following the Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting held in Abuja. According…

Telecoms tower • Optasia’s revenue rose by 75.5 per cent to $265.36 million in 2025 from $151.19 million in 2024. Millions of mobile subscribers across Africa borrowed airtime worth about N4.6 trillion ($3.18 billion) in 2025, underscoring the growing role of telecom-based lending as households grapple with rising living costs and limited access to formal credit facilities. The latest figures contained in the financial statements of fintech firm Optasia, showed that airtime advances issued through mobile network operators increased by 12.3 per cent to $3.18 billion in 2025 from $2.83 billion recorded in 2024. Africa accounted for $2.99 billion of…

The new British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Peter Vowles. Photo: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office * Vowles is currently serving as the British High Commissioner to Zimbabwe. The United Kingdom has announced the appointment of Mr Peter Vowles as the new British High Commissioner to Nigeria. This was announced in a statement released by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on Monday. “Mr Peter Vowles has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in succession to Dr Richard Montgomery CMG. “Mr Vowles will take up his appointment during September 2026”, the statement partly read. According…

Bobrisky was originally sentenced to six months in prison on April 12, 2024, for abusing the Naira, and was released on August 5, 2024. An independent investigative panel set up by the federal government has shown that controversial crossdresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, enjoyed unlawful privileges during his six-month jail term. The panel, which was established to investigate whether Bobrisky actually served his sentence, found that the ex-convict was kept in a special soundproofed cell and enjoyed extraordinary treatment that went far beyond what is allowed under Nigerian correctional laws. According to the official report, these special privileges…

Lady Diana Eyo-Enoette Not all diplomats wear suits, some wear purpose – DeeEnvoy Whenever children are abducted in Nigeria, our collective prayer is simple: Bring them back alive. And rightly so. But I often wonder: what happens after they return? Who helps the child who cannot sleep because every loud sound feels like danger? Who sits with the teenager who has learned that schools are no longer safe spaces? Who supports the parents whose relief is mixed with guilt, fear, and emotional exhaustion? When the headlines fade and the cameras leave, what becomes of the minds of those who survived?…

A board showing the current levels of the Tokyo Stock Exchange along as his threat of further strikes against Iran and said a deal to end the war could be signed in coming days. * Both sides confirmed the agreement with a signing ceremony set to take place in Switzerland on June 19. People pass a board showing the current levels of the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in Tokyo on June 12, 2026. Japan’s Nikkei share index soared more than four percent on June 12 after US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat of further strikes against Iran…