Author: Ifetayo Adeniyi

Saka was the undisputed star of the show, becoming the first England player to score a World Cup hat-trick in a third-place play-off.  England won the bronze medal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after surviving a dramatic French comeback to record a pulsating 6-4 victory in an unforgettable third-place play-off, with Bukayo Saka producing a magnificent hat-trick. The Three Lions appeared to have the contest wrapped up by half-time after racing into a stunning four-goal lead, only for France to stage a remarkable second-half fightback before England sealed victory with two late goals. Declan Rice gave England the perfect…

The RCCG Leader Worldwide, Pastor EA Adeboye By Steven Ede There is a passage in Shakespeare’s Macbeth where Ross, returning from a ravaged Scotland, tells Macduff: “Each new morn, new widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face.” He was describing a land under siege , a country whose grief had become its daily rhythm. You would be forgiven for thinking he had seen Nigeria first. This is not a nation merely struggling; it is a nation in which uncertainty has become the permanent weather. We build, but we build over rubble. We hope, but our…

Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Burna Boy and Colombian music icon, Shakira have reunited ahead of Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final, sharing a lighthearted moment during rehearsals at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Burna Boy posted a video on X showing the pair exchanging smiles, laughter and a warm embrace as preparations intensify for the tournament’s first-ever halftime show at a World Cup final. The singer teased the upcoming performance with a message to fans, expressing excitement about taking the stage alongside Shakira during the global football spectacle. FIFA previously confirmed that Burna Boy and Shakira will headline the halftime entertainment, performing…

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has launched a Digital Standards Platform (DSP) offering selected internationally recognised standards at discounts of up to 35 per cent, in a move aimed at reducing compliance costs, improving product quality and helping Nigerian manufacturers compete more effectively in regional and global markets. Unveiled in Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of action, the platform gives manufacturers, researchers, public institutions and businesses digital access to Nigerian Industrial Standards, conformity assessment services, certified products and verified manufacturers through a single online portal. Director-general of SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, said the platform marks a major shift in the…

Nigeria’s petrol importation surged by 207 per cent in June 2026, even as domestic Premium Motor Spirit supply fell by 22 per cent, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. The development marked a sharp reversal from the pattern recorded at the beginning of the year when domestic refining was supplying the bulk of the country’s petrol requirements. The NMDPRA’s June 2026 Fact Sheet, obtained by our correspondent on Saturday, showed that average daily PMS imports rose from 5.9 million litres in May to 18.1 million litres in June. The 12.2 million-litre…

Abeokuta, on Friday, witnessed something that has eluded Ogun State’s political class for years, a single figure commanding the loyalty and reverence of camps that ordinarily trade barbs across party lines. The occasion was solemn. The burial of Mrs Sabainah Ibironke Opawole, mother of Yeye Olufunke Daniel and mother-in-law of former Governor Otunba Senator Gbenga Daniel, drew a gathering that read like a roll call of Ogun’s political history. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was represented by his wife, Mrs Bola Obasanjo. Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun sent his wife, Chief Mrs Olufunso Amosun, to stand in for him. Governor Dapo Abiodun…

Lionel Messi Lionel Messi, Argentina captain, praised the 19-year-old, saying his future in football remained exceptionally bright. Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, has described it as “crazy” that he will come up against Spain’s teenage star, Lamine Yamal, in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final, years after a photograph captured him holding the future football sensation as a baby. Speaking at the Fan Fanantics event on Friday ahead of the final, Messi reflected on the iconic image, saying it was remarkable how life had brought them together on football’s biggest stage. Lionel Messi with baby Yamine Lamal. Photo: Joan Monfort “That picture…

Taiwo Oyedele  * Highlights technology, agro processing, energy, manufacturing and financial services. Nigeria could unlock more than $100 billion in additional economic value by expanding access to credit, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, has said, as he unveiled the federal government’s sector driven roadmap aimed at growing the country’s economy to $1 trillion by 2030. Oyedele, speaking at the BusinessDay CEO Forum in Lagos, said the government had identified technology, agro processing, energy, manufacturing and financial services as the priority sectors that would drive the next phase of economic expansion, adding that the…

Union Bank of Nigeria, in furtherance of its commitment to building a cleaner and more sustainable environment, organised a beach cleanup in partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) at Alpha Community Beach, Lekki, Lagos, on July 3, 2026. Nigeria currently generates an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with Lagos alone accounting for approximately 870,000 tonnes of that figure. More than 88 per cent of this waste is never recycled, and a significant proportion finds its way into rivers, lagoons, and the ocean, posing grave consequences for marine biodiversity and coastal communities. It is against this backdrop,…

Airtel Africa Foundation, through Airtel Nigeria, has reaffirmed its commitment to developing Nigeria’s future workforce with a high-impact virtual masterclass designed to equip young people with the practical skills required to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven economy. The Initiative, held to commemorate World Youth Skills Day 2026, themed “Skills for a Shared Future – The NextGen Advantage,” presented a platform on which experienced Airtel professionals provided mentorship and coaching to undergraduates, interns, and recent graduates for the current realities of formal work environments. Organised on the auspices of the Airtel Employee Volunteer Programme (EVP), by which staff donate their time…