Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

FIFA has banned fans from bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup venues in a last-minute policy change that will force thirsty supporters to pay for bottled water, The Athletic reported on Wednesday. As recently as last month, FIFA’s official stadium code of conduct included a clause which read: “For the avoidance of doubt, empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to (1 liter in) capacity, may be brought into the Stadium.” However The Athletic reported on Wednesday that those guidelines had now been tweaked to explicitly ban refillable bottles. “For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be…

The International Finance Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank have launched a $300m risk-sharing facility to expand access to supply chain finance for businesses across eight African countries, including Nigeria, as firms on the continent continue to grapple with funding shortages. The initiative, announced in a statement by Standard Chartered Bank on Wednesday, is expected to support supply chain and trade finance transactions worth about $1.9bn over the next three years, benefiting more than 500 suppliers, including small and medium-sized enterprises. According to the statement, the programme will be implemented in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and…

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. Photo: File The Federal Government announces that the number of repeat offenders within the Nigerian Correctional Service has dropped significantly from 11,616 in 2023 to 1,382 in 2025, attributing the development to ongoing rehabilitation and reformation programmes. Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Wednesday during the presentation of an investigative report on the NCoS, describing the trend as evidence that reforms in the correctional system were yielding results. “Recidivism was 11,616 in 2023 when we came in, dropped to 3,156 in 2024 and came down to 1,382 recidivists in 2025. “It means…

Sanwo-Olu (sixth from the right) with NSC DG Olopade (seventh from the left) after the inspection of facilities on Wednesday. Photo: NSC Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has shown the state’s readiness to host the maiden edition of the National Intermediate Games as the Main Organising Committee of the event inspected facilities across the state on Wednesday. The National Intermediate Games, recently introduced by the National Sports Commission, is aimed at strengthening the transition from grassroots to elite sports for emerging athletes, with the inaugural edition scheduled for September. The MOC inspection team was led by the Director-General of the…

Nigeria’s wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and Wife of the Adamawa State Governor, Hajiya Lami Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, have distributed free sanitary pads to hundreds of schoolgirls during the launch of the “Flow with Confidence” Menstrual Hygiene Initiative in Yola. The programme, held at Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Yola, was organised by the Office of the Wife of the President in collaboration with the Office of the Wife of the Adamawa State Governor. The initiative is aimed at supporting adolescent girls and promoting menstrual hygiene across 424 secondary schools in the 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa…

Harvard University, Dept of African and African American Studies Massachusetts, US ‘Re: invitation to Serve as Keynote Speaker at the Tenth Anniversary Conference of the Ife Institute of Advanced Studies.’ “Africa continues to produce exceptional individuals. Yet, it has not built institutions that can consistently sustain excellence. This conference asked why and whether that can change at scale. “For the past decade, the Ife Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS) has worked to address this gap by investing in rigorous and independent scholarship. “Since its founding, IIAS has trained over 850 scholars, many of whom now shape academia, policy, and public…

Wiśniewski struck the last kick of the added six minutes to rescue a dramatic equaliser for the home side. Nigeria’s Super Eagles were forced to a 2-2 draw by hosts Poland in an international friendly played inside the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw last night. Eric Chelle and his wards were cruising to a 2-1 win on the night until the usual inability to manage lead in the last few minutes of a crucial game cropped up. Defender Przemysław Wiśniewski, struck a thunderbolt in the fifth minute of stoppage time to rescue a dramatic 2-2 equaliser for the home side…

The plant, developed under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), is now positioned to dispatch up to 375 Megawatts to the national grid. The Honourable Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has commended the Management and Staff of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for their recent demonstrations of professionalism and commitment to restoring and expanding Nigeria’s power infrastructure, in line with their mandate to ensure visible improvement across the electricity value chain. In a statement made available to the media, Tegbe lauded the management and staff of TCN for…

• The NBS said that foreign direct investment stood at $135.08m. Nigeria attracted $10.37bn in capital importation in the first quarter of 2026, representing an 83.83 per cent increase from the $5.64bn recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The latest Capital Importation Report released by the bureau on Wednesday also showed that capital inflows rose by 60.97 per cent from $6.44bn recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting renewed foreign investor interest in the country’s financial markets. The report stated, “In Q1 2026, total capital importation into Nigeria stood at $10.37bn,…

Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, has won the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports. The award was announced on Wednesday by the jury responsible for conferring the award. A statement released by the convener, Princess of Asturias Foundation, said Messi was selected in recognition of a career defined by sustained excellence, sporting achievement and global impact. Born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, Messi rose from Newell’s Old Boys youth system before joining FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the age of 13. He made his first-team debut in 2004 and went on to establish himself as one of…