Author: News Room

In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES on the sidelines of COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Oluseyi Ifatimehin, a Professor of Geography (Environmental Resource Planning) at Kogi State University, Nigeria, and Science and Technology Correspondent to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), outlines the scientific and institutional gaps confronting Nigeria and other African countries and proposes stronger land and drought observatories, artificial intelligence, satellite technology, indigenous knowledge and improved science-policy mechanisms to tackle the challenges. Excerpt: PT: What are the biggest scientific gaps preventing Nigeria and other African countries from effectively addressing land degradation and drought? Ifatimehin: From my perspective,…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has ordered manufacturers of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml to recall the products nationwide. The agency also ordered the destruction of the recalled products under its supervision, saying manufacturers will bear the full cost of the exercise. In a statement issued on Monday by its Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC said the directive followed the signing of an Irrevocable Enforcement Undertaking by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), and their member companies. Under…

Social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has cleared the air over the reason for his invitation to the ongoing 2026 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association. VeryDarkMan stated this on Tuesday while he spoke as a panellist at the conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. In his remarks, VeryDarkMan cautioned that while he wasn’t a professional who was invited to lecture the law professionals on legal matters, he believes his wealth of experience covering insecurity issues in the country could speak for him. “There has been a lot of debate about why I…

Without thinking, I scribbled over what I’d just written.It’s what I would have done if I was writing with pen and paper. But I didn’t have a pen in my hand; my canvas was an LCD and the letters on my page were just pixels. Score one point to the TCL Note A1.TCL’s Note A1 Nxtpaper tablet (its full government name) is supposed to make you forget that you’re using a tablet. It has one of the company’s signature low-glare matte displays and ships with a stylus. The pen’s haptics even mimic the scratching of a pencil on paper.On the…

India reportedly plans to launch its first tokenized corporate bonds in September as part of a pilot involving blockchain-based transactions settled using a central bank digital currency (CBDC).REC Limited, a state-controlled Indian power infrastructure finance company, plans to issue less than 5 billion Indian rupees ($57 million) in tokenized bonds, Reuters reported on Monday, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the plans. The pilot will initially be open only to a select group of investors and could be unveiled at an annual financial technology event in Mumbai in September.“India’s central bank digital currency will be used to buy the…

Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more! It’s still shorts season, but if you refuse to wear stiff denim until fall, you’re not alone. In fact, Christie Brinkley wore sleek trouser shorts for a Hamptons Spa Weekend watch party, proving that you don’t need denim to nail transitional style. Her pair has a mega-flattering detail, and we found the look hiding on Amazon! At the outdoor Hamptons event, the model turned up in a fitted black long-sleeve top tucked into crisp white trouser shorts, which were pulled together…

Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has admitted that efforts by opposition politicians to form a united coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections remain difficult due to the ambitions of individual political leaders. Mr Amaechi spoke on Monday during a panel discussion at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, where he represented the ADC presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. “Coalition as it is today is difficult to achieve. If it is possible, I am sure that Vice President Atiku Abubakar would be willing to participate,”…

Living Faith Church Worldwide founder, David Oyedepo, has disclosed that the church built The Ark, its massive auditorium at Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State, without resorting to special offerings or financial appeals to its members. Mr Oyedepo disclosed this in a viral video on Tuesday, extracted from his sermon at the fifth-day Impartation Service of the 2026 Annual Youth Alive Convention (AYAC2026), held at Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, on Saturday. He said the megachurch auditorium, whose foundation was laid and construction began in 2021, has a seating capacity of 109,000 and features 126 escalators, among other modern facilities. The 71-year-old described the…

Nigerian champions Edo Queens will face ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire in their second Group B fixture of the 2026 WAFU-B CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers after making a sensational start to their campaign with a 7-0 demolition of AS Garde Nationale of Niger. The Edo State champions produced a dominant display in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Monday, opening their campaign in emphatic fashion to immediately establish themselves as serious contenders for the tournament’s sole CAF Women’s Champions League qualification ticket. Chioma Moses led the rout with a hat-trick, while Atume Doosuur scored twice. Aminat Folorunsho and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi were…

The All Progressives Congress has dismissed reports that it withdrew the list of members of its 2027 presidential campaign council for review. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the reports as rumours, saying any changes to the list would be formally announced. Morka spoke with TheCable on Tuesday morning in reaction to reports that the party had withdrawn the list following concerns over the inclusion and omission of some names. “Rumours are not news. When people are carrying rumours, that is not news. There is fake news, and there is real news. “Nobody will give any list at…