Author: News Room

Stepping into a parenting role in midlife is not a picnic; at the same time, it isn’t rocket science. As a 40-year-old, you have lived through uncertainty, navigated difficult seasons, and grown into a version of yourself that is more grounded, more aware, and more intentional. So when a child comes into your life at this stage, it does not feel rushed or accidental; rather, it feels just right, like something that has come at the exact moment you are ready to carry it well. You understand struggle in a way your younger self did not. You remember the early…

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has said constructive engagement with workers has enabled his administration to maintain focus on development. Okpebholo stated this on Friday in his address at the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration, noting that workers’ welfare has remained a top priority since he assumed office. He said his administration increased the minimum wage to ₦75,000, sustained the payment of the 13th-month salary and ensured prompt payment of salaries. “I am delighted to join the hardworking men and women of Edo State on this special occasion of Workers’ Day 2026. “Today, we celebrate those whose daily efforts keep our…

Nigeria’s debt to the World Bank rose by $2.08bn in one year to $19.89bn as of December 31, 2025, according to an analysis of external debt stock data released by the Debt Management Office. The figure represents an 11.7 per cent increase from the $17.81bn owed to the global lender as of December 31, 2024. The World Bank debt comprises loans from the International Development Association and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. IDA provides concessional grants and loans to low-income countries, while IBRD provides financial products and policy advice mainly to middle-income and creditworthy developing countries. DMO data…

Nigeria is expanding its malaria vaccination programme to additional states in a renewed push to reduce the country’s high malaria burden, even as declining donor support and rising costs place pressure on immunisation financing and distribution systems. The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Muyi Aina, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja. Aina disclosed this during the agency’s first quarterly media conference for 2026, noting that funding comes from both federal allocations and development partners, particularly Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. However, he warned that external support is declining. “Countries are now expected to increase domestic…

Street artiste and ZaZoo crooner, Habeeb ‘Portable’ Badmus, suffered his first defeat in celebrity boxing on Friday night as social media comedian, Carter Efe, outclassed him across three rounds to win by unanimous decision at the Chaos in the Ring 4 event held at the Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. All three judges scored the bout 27-30 in favour of Efe, stripping Portable of his status as celebrity boxing king. Portable, who had beaten Charles Okocha and Speed Darlington in previous bouts to claim two belts, had entered the ring with characteristic swagger, promising to add a…

Popular skit maker and streamer, Carter Efe, recently paid a surprise visit to the winner of the N10m grand prize in the ongoing Afrimillions campaign. In a video shared online, the comedian was seen arriving at the hotel where the winner and his wife were staying following the announcement of the cash prize. Known for his energetic personality, Efe was warmly received by the couple as he congratulated the winner on his windfall. During the visit, he engaged the man in a light-hearted conversation, asking how he correctly guessed the winning numbers that earned him the N10m reward. The winner,…

The Calabar Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned of a looming “total, comprehensive and indefinite” strike in state-owned universities over the Federal Government’s non-implementation of agreements, unpaid allowances and continued neglect of staff welfare. The ASUU Calabar Zone represents academic staff across public universities in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Cross River in parts of the South-East and South-South. In a statement issued after a zonal meeting on Tuesday in Calabar signed by the Zonal Coordinator, Ikechuku Igwenyi, and chairpersons of ASUU branches within the component states, the group noted that the union could no longer guarantee…

China’s Artificial Intelligence boom is in full swing, with the release of a new large language model (LLM) by top startup DeepSeek on Friday, highlighting the country’s rapid progress despite US export restrictions on advanced microchips. Here’s a look at the companies, big and small, driving China’s AI ambitions and rivaling US and European firms. Legacy players Chinese internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent are racing to invest in AI, using existing vast user bases and cloud infrastructure to their advantage. Search engine provider Baidu, sometimes called China’s Google, has been a vocal proponent of the potential of AI in the…

Following its disputed national convention, held despite the Independent National Electoral Commission’s refusal to recognise any faction of the party, the African Democratic Congress still faces a critical test of cohesion, legitimacy, and survival in Nigeria’s evolving political landscape, ahead of the 2027 elections, writes FELIX OLOYEDE Despite internal conflicts, obstacles, and the April 1 derecognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the African Democratic Congress’s National Working Committee, headed by David Mark, held its national convention on Tuesday and elected new members to its NWC. The INEC, led by Prof Joash Amupitan, had relied on a March 12 judgment…

Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone’s whereabouts. This time we’ve discovered a little more evidence that the phone is on its way to a release.Trump Mobile’s T1 Phone has just passed another milestone on its slow road to release. The phone has received the little-known PTCRB certification, a first step toward being certified to work on major networks and be issued with IMEI numbers.You probably haven’t heard of PTCRB certification — I hadn’t until recently. It doesn’t come up very often. It’s…