Author: News Room

Veteran Nollywood actor, Kunle Afod, has criticised Arsenal for lacking a winning mentality, suggesting they are not equipped for title challenges. In the interview with Raymond Tolulope monitored by OLAMIDE ABE, he also reflected on his Chelsea allegiance and his deep connection to Shooting Stars of Ibadan as part of his football identity How is your sporting life. Why do I feel your club might surprise people? Many fans already know I am a Chelsea fan for life. If you look at Nigerian clubs, Chelsea has a lineage here: 3SC Shooting Stars. Both wear double blue. Football is tied to…

The National Film and Video Censors Board is intensifying efforts to expand Nigeria’s film industry beyond its traditional centres, identifying Kaduna as a key hub for indigenous film development and capacity building. This was disclosed by the Board’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Shaibu Husseini, during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the Federal Secretariat Conference Hall in Kaduna. The session brought together film practitioners, guild representatives, and officials from the Kaduna State Ministry of Business and Innovation to discuss industry practices, regulatory compliance, and strategies for sustainable growth. Husseini announced plans to host the grand finale of the Nigerian…

Twelve of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in 2014 will next Saturday graduate from the American University of Nigeria, Yola, in what the institution’s president has described as a global testament to resilience and the power of education. The graduation, coming 12 years after the mass abduction that shocked the world, marks a significant milestone for the girls who escaped from captivity and subsequently enrolled at the university. Addressing journalists on Wednesday on the university campus, AUN President Prof Dewayne Frazier said the occasion represented far more than an academic achievement. “The graduation of several students who…

Ilorin, a city long associated with academia and public administration, is positioning itself as a new node in Nigeria’s expanding technology ecosystem, as policymakers and investors look beyond Lagos in search of the country’s next wave of startup growth. At the Ilorin Innovation Hub Demo Day on 17 April, venture capitalists, corporate executives, policymakers and founders gathered in Kwara State’s capital to assess whether Nigeria’s innovation economy, still heavily concentrated in Lagos, can successfully decentralise. The event, which brought together stakeholders including local and international investors, was framed as a test case for a broader shift: whether Nigeria’s digital economy…

A former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, speaks with journalists on his bid for Nasarawa State governorship, promising to leverage his security background to tackle insecurity while outlining plans to boost agriculture and improve electricity, excerpts by WALE AKINSELURE Why are you in the Nasarawa governorship race? My coming out is because I have what it takes to add value to the development of the state. My coming out is really to see how we can improve on what we have on the ground and also to harness the resources we have in the unity, peace and prosperity of the…

Tokyo-based SBI Holdings has opened talks to acquire shares in cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank and make it a consolidated subsidiary, extending its push to consolidate regulated crypto trading platforms in Japan as the country moves toward securities-style rules for digital assets.The financial conglomerate said Friday it is considering a share acquisition as part of a potential capital and business alliance with Bitbank. The deal remains subject to due diligence, negotiations and internal approvals, SBI said.The talks come a month after SBI VC Trade absorbed Bitpoint Japan on April 1, with SBI VC Trade becoming the surviving company. A Bitbank acquisition would…

Addison Rae’s dad, Monty Lopez, has claimed that his estranged wife, Kaitlyn Lopez, pulled a gun on him prior to his arrest for felony marijuana possession. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Monty asked the court to grant him an order of protection against Kaitlyn after she allegedly physically attacked him multiple times throughout their relationship. He claimed that Kaitlyn slapped and shoved him and, at one point, pulled out a gun and told him it was not for her. Monty, 50, further claimed that Kaitlyn has problems with her parents, according to the report. He said her parents…

The House of Representatives has directed 11 electricity distribution companies to refund ₦55.42 billion obtained as loan under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP). The lawmakers on Thursday adopted a committee report giving the DISCOs a seven-month deadline to repay the loan to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Presenting the report, the committee chairman, Uchenna Okonkwo, said the probe followed the discovery that the metering scheme failed to achieve expected outcomes. Mr Okonkwo said the programme, introduced in 2020, aimed to close metering gaps, promote local manufacturing, curb losses, and end estimated billing practices. He listed beneficiaries as Abuja, Eko…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the removal of Saidu Mohammed as the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the removal of Mr Saidu Mohammed as the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), in the public interest,” the statement said. It added that the president has also approved the nomination of Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as the new Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, subject to Senate…

Ugo Agbo As I watched my son step into the night, poised and self-possessed, moving toward a life I can no longer direct, I felt pride. But beneath it lay something more complex. We devote years to teaching our children how to live without us, yet we are seldom prepared for how much we must learn to live without being needed by them. This past Saturday was prom day in our neck of the woods. My one and only son joined hundreds of his peers to mark that peculiar American rite of passage. But prom did not begin that evening.…