Author: News Room

The National Pension Commission has commenced the pilot phase of a free healthcare initiative for low-income pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme, with registration now open for 30,000 retirees nationwide. The commission, in a notice issued on Friday, said the initiative, known as PenCare, is designed for retirees aged 60 years and above who earn monthly pensions of not more than N70,000 from Pension Fund Administrators. PenCom stated that the programme would operate on a first-come, first-served basis and urged eligible retirees to register through its website or the websites of Pension Fund Administrators. “The National Pension Commission invites retirees…

Veteran Nollywood actor Olamide Blessing, popularly known as Baba Esu, shares his lifelong passion for football and his loyalty to Manchester United from his first encounter with the club in 1989 to the miracle of 1999 and the team’s recent resurgence under Michael Carrick, in this interview with The Sports Illuminator monitored by OLAMIDE ABE We’ve seen you countless times in Nollywood movies, but which football club do you support? I am not an Arsenal fan, and I will never be an Arsenal fan. I used to argue it with Yemi Solade, whose entire life is about Arsenal, and I…

As digital media continues to reshape the global entertainment industry, African-owned platforms are increasingly positioning themselves for international relevance, with Hitztv emerging as one of the growing brands in the space. Founded in 2016 by Nigerian media entrepreneur, Tayo Fadeyi, Hitztv has evolved from a modest entertainment blog into a multimedia platform covering celebrity news, music, sports, lifestyle, technology and biographies. The platform has steadily expanded its audience beyond Nigeria through a mix of entertainment reporting, multimedia storytelling and culturally relevant content targeted at online consumers. According to industry observers, the rise of platforms such as Hitztv reflects a broader…

Cryptocurrency ATM company Bitcoin Depot reported “substantial doubts” about the company’s ability to continue operating amid ongoing litigation and a challenging regulatory environment.In a Form 10-Q filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday, Bitcoin Depot chief financial officer David Gray reported that the company had accrued more than $20 million in legal judgments in the fourth quarter of 2025 and “ongoing litigation matters.” The company also reported “substantial year-over-year declines in revenue” amid US states and municipalities passing laws and regulations banning or restricting crypto ATMs.“As a result of these factors, management has concluded that substantial…

Anna Delvey didn’t let an ankle monitor ruin her outfit. Delvey, 35, demonstrated how she got a pair of tights underneath her ankle monitor, which she wears after she was charged with grand larceny in 2019, in a new video posted via X on Thursday, May 14. In the clip, she slipped the bottom of her black sheer tights onto her foot before threading the other leg through the monitor’s cuff. The Dancing With the Stars alum then gently pulled the stocking up until they were perfectly slipped under the monitor. Delvey completed her look with a little black A-line…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Blessing Gozi-Anyaokei, the managing director of Viscount Microfinance Bank, over alleged fraud involving N19 million and $30,000. She was arraigned at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, 12 May, on two counts: dishonestly obtaining the funds from a victim and converting them to her own use. According to a statement from the EFCC on Thursday, Ms Gozi-Anyaokei was arraigned before trial judge Yusuf Halilu. In separate counts, EFCC alleged that while serving as the managing director of the microfinance bank in 2022, she dishonestly obtained N19…

Sterling Financial Holdings reported a 74.8 per cent increase in net profit for 2025, compared to the preceding year, amid improvement across the group’s key revenue streams, according to its audited results released on Friday. The financial services group, which has operations in commercial banking, non-interest banking as well as fund & portfolio management, posted N76.3 billion in profit after tax, up from N43.7 billion a year earlier. Gross earnings rose 44.4 per cent to N486.8 billion, the highest on record, supported by a jump in interest income and fees & commission income. Net interest income advanced to N208.7 billion…

The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has called on farmers to avoid blocking cattle routes and illegally converting grazing reserves into farmlands across the country. This was contained in a communiqué signed and issued by the association’s National President, Khalil Mohammed Bello, at the end of its 7th anniversary celebration and National Executive Council meeting held in Damaturu. KACRAN also warned pastoralists to refrain from destroying farmlands in the course of livestock movement, while calling on both parties to resolve disputes through negotiation, dialogue, traditional rulers, and other peaceful mechanisms rather than resorting to conflict or extrajudicial…

Former Executive Director of Housing, Finance and Accounts at the Federal Housing Authority, Abuja, Mathias Byuan, has officially obtained the Labour Party’s expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the 2027 Benue State governorship election. Despite joining the Labour Party, Byuan reaffirmed his support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The governorship hopeful visited the Labour Party national secretariat on Friday alongside several other aspirants seeking tickets for the Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly positions across Benue State’s three senatorial districts. Addressing journalists after picking up the forms, Byuan…

Gunmen suspected to be bandits attacked Lakwaya village in Gwarzo Local Government Area of Kano State, killing two people and injuring several others. The attackers reportedly stormed the community on Thursday around 4 pm, riding on more than 30 motorcycles. They opened fire indiscriminately, causing panic among residents. Daily Nigerian quoted an anonymous traditional ruler in the area, who said the attackers came from Gidan Biris, a border town between Kano and Katsina states. He said two people were killed in the attack, one in Lakwaya and another in Gidan Biris. The attackers also stole cattle before soldiers arrived and…