Author: News Room
Orange Money Group and Visa have announced a strategic partnership aimed at expanding access to secure online payments and accelerating financial inclusion across Africa and the Middle East, as digital commerce gains momentum across the region. The partnership, which has already been deployed in Botswana, Madagascar and Jordan, where it has been renewed, was recently extended to the Ivory Coast with the launch of the Orange Money Visa virtual card. The companies said in a statement that the Ivory Coast rollout recorded strong uptake, reinforcing their shared goal of building a more inclusive and accessible digital payments ecosystem. Under the…
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, speaks with JOHNSON IDOWU on the challenges of managing disasters and emergencies in Nigeria’s commercial capital, among other issues. Excerpts… What are some of the challenges with managing emergencies in Lagos State? LASEMA was established due to a gap in the coordination of emergencies in Lagos State, which was realised after the January 27, 2002, bomb blast in Ikeja. The challenges are enormous because the agency has not reached its peak. One of the challenges is that the personnel assigned to LASEMA, which is what we…
deBridge founder Alex Smirnov has urged validators on the Flow blockchain to stop processing transactions until the Flow Foundation devises a remediation plan for users impacted by its controversial rollback of the chain.The rollback was in response to the theft of $3.9 million on Dec. 27 when an attacker exploited a flaw in Flow’s execution layer and siphoned funds off the chain via multiple cross-chain bridges.deBridge is one of Flow’s main bridge providers and Smirnov called on Flow to clarify plans to address doubled balances for users who bridged out during the rollback window.Flow validators haven’t been able to heed…
Little House on the Prairie has been beloved by fans for decades — but that doesn’t mean the behind-the-scenes escapades were always wholesome. That’s why fans were thrilled to learn that Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson, who played sisters Laura and Mary Ingalls, respectively, had reunited in December 2025. (The pair famously did not get along while filming the iconic series, which aired from September 1974 to March 1983. At one point, Gilbert called Anderson “bossy” on set.) “I’ve been keeping [this] close to my heart for a while now. Reconnection with a sister. Long, healing talks,” Gilbert wrote…
Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to travel to Europe amid escalating security challenges in Nigeria, calling the move “insensitive and alarming”. Abdullahi spoke in statement titled ‘PBAT’s lack of care scary’, posted on his official X account on Sunday. The ADC spokesman noted that the President’s foreign trip comes at a particularly troubling time, as the country faces renewed insecurity, including a deadly bomb blast in Zamfara State and growing public anxiety following a United States military strike on Nigerian soil. He noted that Nigerians were still awaiting reassurance from…
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has opened up on his relationship with teammate Victor Osimhen. Lookman spoke to reporters in his post-match interview after leading Nigeria to victory over Tunisia in Saturday’s AFCON encounter. The Atalanta star, who has been linked with a move to join Osimhen at Galatasaray next year, said he enjoys a good relationship with the former Napoli striker. Both Lookman and Osimhen were on the scoresheet as the Super Eagles won 3–2 against Tunisia in Morocco. “We are pleased with the performance today. Victor [Osimhen] is a good striker, and we have a good relationship and…
A Nigerian fintech company, MySub, has ceased operations as an independent entity following its acquisition by a private firm. In a statement issued by the firm, the acquisition, which involved the full transfer of MySub’s assets, effectively brings the company’s journey as a standalone fintech to an end. The firm, however, did not reveal the financial details of the deal, and the identity of the acquiring firm remains unknown. It described the acquisition as a natural next step for its technology and team, noting that investors and established players are increasingly seeking proven infrastructure to strengthen their offerings. Unlike many…
A yet-to-be-identified driver has allegedly caused the death of a nine-year-old boy and injured four others after losing control of his vehicle due to suspected speeding and crashing into the children. PUNCH Metro learnt on Sunday from a statement by the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, that the incident occurred at about 2:31pm along Wole Olateju Crescent in the Lekki area of the state. Adeseye noted that preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle lost control due to overspeeding and rammed into the children, who were standing at the gate of a house in…
I do not write as a stranger to faith, nor as a cynic peering from the margins. My late maternal grandmother, a revered Iya Suna in Ota, raised me within the discipline of Islāmiyya. My first prayers were uttered in Arabic long before I learned English. Being a Christian by birth and, later, an ordained deacon, I have stood at the altar watching politicians crowd into churches and mosques, hoping to baptise ambition in holy water, anointing oil or other rites. This dual heritage ─ mosque and church, Qur’an and Bible ─ has taught me the nobility of devotion in both…
Nigeria plans a major expansion of mobile spectrum capacity by the end of the decade as surging data consumption threatens to outpace existing network resources, according to a draft roadmap released by the Nigerian Communications Commission. Internet usage reached a record 1.24 million terabytes in November 2025, up from 1.235 million terabytes in October, the latest NCC data show. The increase reflects steady growth in digital activity across the country and underscores rising pressure on mobile networks. The regulator says current spectrum holdings will be insufficient to support projected growth in broadband demand, driven by rising smartphone adoption, 5G deployment,…
