Author: News Room

Tanzania have never won a match at the Africa Cup of Nations, but head coach Miguel Gamondi believes their long wait for a maiden victory at the continental showpiece could end against Nigeria when both sides meet at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco on Tuesday, The PUNCH reports. The Taifa Stars have featured at three editions of the tournament—1980, 2019 and 2023—playing nine matches without a win. Their Group C opener against the Super Eagles will therefore mark their 10th AFCON game as they continue the search for a historic breakthrough. The clash at the Complexe Sportif de Fès will…

The Nigeria Police Force has foiled an alleged fraud valued at N17.03m involving imported goods from Canada, with the arrest of a 52-year-old suspect at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. According to a statement made available to PUNCH Metro on Monday by the Airport Command spokesperson, ASP Mohammed Adeola, the suspect, identified as Moshood Olayinka, was arrested following a complaint received on December 4, 2025, by the NAHCO Airport Police Division over a suspicious shipment originating from Canada and destined for Lagos. Police investigations revealed that Olayinka allegedly fraudulently procured goods worth $16,000 (Canadian dollars) from Duplicom Business Products…

Investors interested in the Federal Government offer to boost liquidity in the power sector have less than nine days to subscribe to the N590bn Series 1 Power Sector Bond issued by NBET Finance Company Plc, with the offer scheduled to close on December 30, 2025, The PUNCH reports. The bond, launched under the N4tn Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme, is designed to settle long-standing debts owed to electricity generation companies and restore liquidity to Nigeria’s power sector. This was disclosed in a mail sent to prospective investors by financial adviser, CardinalStone Partners Limited, and obtained by The PUNCH on…

Nigerian forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have vowed to transform Nigeria’s World Cup heartbreak into triumph at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Osimhen apologised to Nigerians for the team’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing to DR Congo in the play-offs, but promised the squad would fight to make amends. “AFCON is the opportunity for us to try to right our wrongs, to try to make the Super Eagles fans all over the world believe that there is so much that we can give,” the Galatasaray striker…

Microsoft says it is not planning to build a data centre in Nigeria anytime soon, focusing instead on cloud connectivity and partnerships to serve businesses in Africa’s largest economy. Nigeria’s push to deepen its digital transformation is increasing demand for reliable, local digital infrastructure, including data centres, according to industry experts. As government services move online and sectors such as fintech, e-commerce, health and artificial intelligence expand, experts say local data centres could help reduce latency, improve data sovereignty and strengthen resilience. Responding to a question on whether hyperscalers such as Microsoft are considering local facilities, the General Manager of…

BlackRock says its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund was one of its three biggest investment themes in 2025, putting it alongside Treasury bills and the largest US tech stocks.The asset manager named its iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) alongside its ETF tracking Treasury bills and another tied to the “Magnificent 7” tech stocks, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Nvidia, and Tesla.IBIT has attracted more than $25  billion in net inflows this year, ranking sixth among all ETFs and trailing broad index funds, despite the fund delivering a negative return so far for 2025.Nate Geraci, President of NovaDius Wealth Management, said on…

A Kansas City sports talk radio host got an earful from Taylor Swift fans after he threw shade at her fiancé, Travis Kelce. “The Nasty Swifties found a post of mine again 🤯,” Pete Mundo, who hosts KCMO’s Mundo in the Morning, wrote via X on Sunday, December 21, responding to the backlash.  The social media uproar was in response to a post Mundo made earlier in the day on Sunday, when he criticized Kelce’s habit of refusing to speak to reporters after games this season.  “WILL TRAVIS KELCE TALK TO THE MEDIA AFTER THIS LOSS? -200 odds he passes,…

Governor Uba Sani has signed the 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, with Education taking the largest share of 25% of the N985.9 billion budget of Kaduna State. Speaking at the Council Chambers of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Tuesday, the Governor said that the budget ‘’reflects our resolve to consolidate the gains we have made while laying even stronger foundations for sustainable growth.’’ Governor Uba Sani disclosed that N698.9 billion, representing 70.9 percent of the budget, has been devoted to capital expenditure, targeted at infrastructure development, economic expansion, and improved service delivery. He also said that ‘’recurrent expenditure stands at…

Vistara Solutions has received the National Outstanding Performance Award (NOPA) from the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) for its contributions to educational consulting and student development. Founded in January 2025, Vistara supports students seeking placements at universities abroad, providing study guidance, visa advisory services, scholarship support and academic pathways. According to a statement by the firm, the Chairman of the NAPS Award Committee, Rasheed Ibrahim Ajibade, said the recognition reflected the company’s commitment to creating opportunities for Nigerian students and contributing to national development. “This honour is a testament to Vistara Solutions’ dedication to creating global opportunities for Nigerian…

Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, on Monday raised the alarm over the killing of three farmers during a fresh attack by  gunmen in Igboho, his hometown in Orelope Local Government Area of Oyo State. Adeyemo, in a statement issued in Ibadan, called on President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government to urgently address the growing insecurity in rural communities across Oyo State and other parts of the South-West to avert further violence and chaos. According to a statement authorised by Adeyemo, the victims were identified as Aderoju Mukaila, Olawuwo Saka and Ojeniyi Ojebayo. “Though the…