Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Lionel Messi now has his own football club. Argentine legend Lionel Messi has become the new owner of Catalan club Cornella. The 38-year-old, who helped Barcelona win the Champions League four times and also claimed 10 La Liga titles with the Catalan giants, is currently playing for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami in the United States. Cornella announced “eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Leo Messi has formalised the acquisition of the club”, who are in the fifth tier of Spanish football. They added: “This move reinforces Messi’s close ties to Barcelona and his commitment to the development of sport and…

Manny Ita  – Candidates sitting for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) under Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have begun sharing real-time updates and experiences from centres across the country following the commencement of the exams on April 16. An online discussion thread created by Myschool.ng has become a hub for candidates to report activities at their various examination centres, highlighting both smooth processes and areas of concern. Participants were encouraged to arrive early at their centres, at least 30 minutes before their scheduled time, and to come along with required documents such as their examination slip. They were…

Manny Ita- Ecobank Transnational Incorporated has announced a final dividend of 0.16 US cents per share for the 2025 financial year, marking its first payout since 2023. At an exchange rate of ₦1,342 to the dollar, the dividend translates to about ₦2.15 per share, bringing the total distribution to approximately ₦52.8 billion based on over 24.5 billion outstanding shares. The dividend, which is subject to shareholder approval at the company’s Annual General Meeting scheduled for June 3, 2026, will be paid electronically on June 30, 2026, to shareholders on record as of June 12, provided they have completed their e-dividend…

Manny Ita  – Governor Dapo Abiodun has approved a set of temporary relief measures for public servants in Ogun State, including a weekly day off and a ₦10,000 monthly transport allowance. The initiative, which will last for three months starting April 2026, is designed to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices and the increasing cost of living, particularly the burden of daily commuting on workers. According to the Head of Service, Kehinde Onasanya, eligible workers will be entitled to one day off each week while also receiving the transport allowance throughout the duration of the programme. He explained that…

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has concluded the second phase of its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise, recording a total of 3,748,704 completed registrations across the country, as it now shifts attention to the display of the voter register for Claims and Objections. According to the commission’s weekly update for Week 14 of the second phase, the total figure comprises both online pre-registrations and in-person completions at designated centres nationwide. A breakdown of the numbers shows that 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalised the process physically at registration centres. INEC noted…

His Majesty, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III Elegbede Abiodun His Majesty, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, will deliver the keynote at the 2026 African Development Conference (ADC), holding April 17–18 at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School. Organized by the Harvard African Law Association, the event will convene global leaders and scholars under the theme “Reclaiming Africa’s Agency in a New Global Order.” His selection highlights the growing global recognition of traditional African leadership in shaping governance and development. The Monarch will speak on “A New Era of Leadership in Africa: Value, Institutions, and Influence,”…

Elegbede Abiodun Airtel Nigeria has announced the suspension of its airtime and data credit services, a move the telecommunications company says is part of efforts to align its operations with evolving regulatory and compliance requirements. The affected services, widely used by prepaid subscribers, allowed eligible customers to borrow airtime or mobile data and repay on their next recharge, providing short-term access during low-balance situations. According to the statement released today in Lagos by the Director, Corporate Communications and CSR at Airtel Nigeria, Femi Adeniran. Airtel Nigeria clarified that the suspension would not disrupt core services, assuring subscribers of continued seamless…

Alert Group said its subsidiary, Alert Microfinance Bank has secured a national microfinance banking licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria, upgrading from its Lagos State licence and clearing the path for nationwide operations. CEO of Alert Group, Dr. Olanrewaju Kazeem stated this at a media chat session organised by the company. Kazeem said the Bank is targeting N250 billion in total assets and N180 billion in loan disbursements by December 2026, following a strong first quarter that saw assets rise to N90 billion, deposits hit N70 billion, and loans expand to N64 billion. He noted that the licence marks…

Elegbede Abiodun … says only civilian vessels would be allowed passage through designated routes and with permission. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz, vital for the global oil trade, will remain “completely open” to commercial ships as long as a ceasefire in the Middle East holds. “The passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Araghchi said on X. It was not clear whether he was speaking of the 10-day truce agreed by Lebanon and Israel that went into effect at midnight…

Elegbede Abiodun The 2026 budget is expected to play a central role in advancing the government’s policy. President Bola Tinubu has signed into law the 2026 Appropriation Bill of ₦68.32 trillion, while also approving an extension of the 2025 budget implementation period to June 30, 2026. The new budget, which takes effect from April 1, outlines key spending priorities, with ₦4.799 trillion allocated for statutory transfers and ₦15.8 trillion earmarked for debt servicing. Recurrent expenditure is set at ₦15.4 trillion, while ₦32.2 trillion has been designated for capital projects under the Development Fund. With capital expenditure accounting for about 50…