Author: News Room

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has opened 50 oil and gas blocks across five sedimentary basins for bidding and exploration in the 2025 licensing round, warning that only technically competent and financially strong firms will be allowed to scale through the process. The Commission said the exercise is designed to eliminate speculative participation and reposition Nigeria’s upstream sector as a transparent, rules-based destination for long-term investment. NUPRC Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, made this known on Wednesday during the 2025 licensing round pre-bid webinar, where the regulator outlined the framework, evaluation criteria, and commercial terms guiding the bid process. Eyesan…

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the August 8, 2026, Osun State governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, on Wednesday, met new members who defected into the fold of his party from the Social Democratic Party and the Peoples Democratic Party. Speaking at the meeting facilitated by Ajisope Development Initiative, a group within Osun APC, held in Osogbo, Oyebamiji charged the defectors to return to their various wards and work for the APC’s victory in the poll. The ex-Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority, who dismissed insinuations that President Bola Tinubu authorised defection into the Accord Party by some…

Beyond Leather Culture, a Nigerian shoe brand, has launched a premium men’s leather shoe collection at its newly opened store in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, marking a significant move in the country’s footwear market. The collection features loafers, sandals, Oxfords, and Derbies, all crafted from top-grade leather with attention to detail, reflecting BLC’s commitment to quality and durability. The launch was celebrated with a Sip-and-Shop event, aimed at appreciating the brand’s loyal customers. Speaking at the event, BLC Visionaire Mrs Olufunke Isichei said the launch was both a celebration and a milestone in the brand’s journey. “This isn’t our first…

A Chelsea supporter has described his “shock” after being stabbed and taken to hospital ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Napoli in Italy. As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, Marcus, 22, who declined to give his surname, said he and a group of Chelsea fans were targeted in the centre of Naples by a group of Napoli “ultras” – a term used for hardcore supporter groups in European football. “We turned a corner – it wasn’t technically an alleyway, but it felt like one because there were no lights,” he said. “There were about 20 or 30 people,…

The Nigerian Communications Commission says Nigeria’s major highways and intercity roads enjoy near-universal mobile coverage, with only about 0.1 per cent of surveyed routes recording complete service outages. Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, Mr Edoyemi Ogoh, disclosed this on Wednesday during a virtual presentation of the commission’s Fourth Quarter 2025 Industry Network Performance Report. Ogoh said the results reflected steady progress in nationwide mobile deployment across trunk, primary and secondary roads, which form the backbone of connectivity for economic and social activities. He said environmental and terrain-related factors still affect signal quality and consistency, particularly…

Popular iPhone camera app Halide is debuting a major update today: Halide Mark III. It’s been years in the making, and it’ll be available as a “Public Preview,” letting users get their hands on new features while design is finalized. This update includes the next iteration of the app’s much-discussed Process Zero mode, adding HDR and ProRAW support to what is intended to be a hands-off, anti-computational image processing method. There’s a new black-and-white film simulation that also supports HDR, and more new “Looks” to come.This is my semi-regular cue to remind you that HDR is not a dirty word.…

Crypto-backed political action committees (PACs) are gearing up for the 2026 US midterm elections, with industry-funded groups signaling plans to expand their influence as debates over digital asset regulation intensify on Capitol Hill.Fairshake, the cryptocurrency industry-backed PAC, disclosed on Wednesday holding $193 million in cash on hand ahead of this year’s US midterm elections. In an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, Fairshake spokesperson Josh Vlasto said the PAC had received $25 million from Ripple Labs and $24 million from a16z in addition to a $25 million contribution from cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase in 2025. According to Vlasto, these donations contributed to Fairshake having…

Troian Bellisario and Patrick J. Adams are officially outnumbered following the arrival of their third baby. “Tag. You’re it,” Adams, 44, captioned a black-and-white Instagram photo on Tuesday, January 27, which showed an infant’s small hand resting on top of the actor’s. Fans and famous friends gushed over the couple’s newest addition in the comments section. Pretty Little Liars showrunner I. Marlene King wrote, “Oh baby! Mazel Tov! A party of five now! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️,” while Adams’ former Suits costar Sarah Rafferty gushed, “We love you sweet baby. ❤️❤️❤️❤️.” Actress Katie Lowes wrote, “Yay we love you little baby and cannot…

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed claims that the newly enacted tax laws contain discrepancies, describing the allegations as misleading. Mr Akpabio said the gazetted versions of the laws fully comply with the resolutions reached by lawmakers during the clause-by-clause consideration of the bills. He stated this during Wednesday’s plenary session of the upper chamber of the National Assembly. He, thereaftet, directed the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, to circulate copies of both the Acts passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted versions to senators for review. “Copies of the Acts will be made available to all…

In every functioning democracy, power comes with a timer. It starts ticking the day an oath is taken, and it stops the day the law says it must. That timer is not symbolic, it is the foundation of electoral legitimacy. Nigeria’s constitution understands this clearly. It draws firm lines around how long elected officials may remain in office, and those lines are not suggestions; they are safeguards designed to protect the people’s sovereignty. For governors, the rule is straightforward: four years per term, two terms maximum. At the local government level, tenure is defined by state assembly laws, often three…