Author: News Room

Blockchain payments company Ripple has acquired an equity stake in African fintech giant Flutterwave, deepening its push into one of the world’s fastest-growing cross-border payments markets.Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola said the undisclosed investment values the company at $3.3 billion, according to Bloomberg. The deal gives Ripple exposure to Africa’s fast-expanding payments ecosystem while providing Flutterwave with additional resources to scale its financial infrastructure.The investment makes Ripple a shareholder rather than an owner or commercial partner. Flutterwave operates in 35 African countries and has recently expanded its digital asset offerings by integrating stablecoin payment services.As part of the deal, Flutterwave will…

Seth Rogen and James Franco were friends and collaborators for many years before their shocking falling out. The duo met on the set of the cult classic TV show Freaks and Geeks, which aired in 1999. From there, Rogen and Franco continued to work together on films including Pineapple Express, This Is the End, The Interview and The Disaster Artist. In 2014, Franco was accused of propositioning a 17-year-old girl via Instagram. He stayed out of the spotlight for four years before breaking his silence about the claims made against him. “In my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility…

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Tuesday confirmed that a lieutenant of the Nigerian Army was killed during ongoing efforts to rescue abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of the state. The governor disclosed this while addressing protesters who trooped out in Ibadan, the state capital, to demand an urgent action over the continued captivity of the victims. The victims were abducted during attacks on schools in the Ahoro-Dada, Yawota and Esiele communities on 15 May. Mr Makinde said the officer was killed two days earlier during the rescue operations aimed at securing the release of the…

A fresh controversy has erupted in Gombe State over the political status of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami, as the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party laid conflicting claims to his party membership. The dispute followed Pantami’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections, after the APC primary election produced Jamilu Gwamna as its candidate. The Gombe State chapter of the PDP insisted that Pantami had validly resigned from the APC and is now a bona fide member of the opposition party. The APC, however, maintained that the former…

The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in Benue State, Ardo Muhammad, has alleged that the men arrested in connection with a suspected kidnap case in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of the state were travellers and not kidnappers. In a statement issued on Tuesday and made available to journalists in Makurdi, the MACBAN chairman claimed that the four Fulani men were travelling from Benue State to Onitsha, Anambra State, to visit relatives when they were allegedly ambushed. Residents had reported that youths in the area foiled a kidnap attempt last Wednesday and rescued five victims.…

In his Democracy Day Speech, Friday, June 12, 2026, President Bola Tinubu observed that “for 27 unbroken years… Nigerians have chosen their leaders through the ballot box, witnessed peaceful transitions of power, and resolved disagreements in courtrooms and legislative chambers—not through violence”. When he added, “We have experienced the longest stretch of civilian rule in our history,” and that “Our democracy is not perfect, but… we must … strengthen it,” and that “we have a duty to… deepen the democratic institutions for which (our heroes) fought,” he struck a chord. The ghost of the argument that Nigeria was running a…

Marketers of petroleum products say petrol prices may drop to about N1,200 per litre as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery leads efforts to reduce ex-depot rates. As crude prices continue to fall following a peace deal signed between the United States and Iran, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has slashed its petrol gantry price by N75 per litre, from N1,250 to N1,175. This has prompted other depot owners to lower their prices to about N1,180, according to Petroleumprice.ng. However, filling stations have yet to adjust pump prices, as many still sell petrol at around N1,280, as observed on Tuesday. Marketers attribute this…

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has admitted that he still misses life with the Nigerian national team months after bringing the curtain down on his international career, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Troost-Ekong retired from international football in December 2025 after serving Nigeria for a decade, ending a career that saw him captain the team, win AFCON and Olympic medals and become one of the country’s most influential defenders of his generation. The 32-year-old opened up about life after retirement during a roundtable discussion on the Bassey Talks podcast alongside current Super Eagles stars Ola Aina, Alex Iwobi, Joe Aribo…

Nigeria is betting on the blue economy as a new engine of growth, but environmental experts warn that deteriorating coastal ecosystems, weak ocean governance, and climate impacts could undermine those ambitions. Ahead of the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, DARE AKOGUN explores the environmental realities facing Nigeria’s coastline and what the country must do to transform ocean wealth into sustainable prosperity As world leaders, policymakers, scientists, and environmental advocates prepare to gather in Mombasa, Kenya, for the 11th Our Ocean Conference, Nigeria is coming under increasing pressure to align its growing blue-economy ambitions with the realities facing millions…

Snap is finally launching augmented glasses for the public. Specs, which Snap describes as “a wearable computer built into see-through augmented reality glasses,” will cost $2,195. You can preorder a pair of Specs now at specs.com with a $200 refundable deposit, and Snap says they’re expected to ship “this fall” in the US, UK, and France.This is a big moment for Snap: The company made a big entry into smart glasses with its original Spectacles in 2016, and the company has been toiling away on nonpublic AR versions of Spectacles over the past few years. CEO Evan Spiegel promised the…