Author: News Room

Ride-hailing company Uber has announced plans to discontinue its operations in Nigeria and Uganda effective 2 September, citing a review of its evolving business priorities and investment focus across Africa. Uber disclosed its decision to exit Nigeria and Uganda in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, noting that this does not affect its operations in other African markets. Uber’s departure came weeks after controversy over the operation of e-hailing platforms at Nigerian airports. On 30 July, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) directed airport managers to stop Uber and Bolt from operating commercially at its managed…

Super Eagles winger Femi Azeez has completed a move from Millwall to the Premier League after signing a four-year contract with Brighton and Hove Albion FC for an undisclosed fee. The transfer was completed after both clubs submitted a deal sheet ahead of the 11pm deadline on Monday, extending the window until 1am on Tuesday to allow the formalities of the deal to be concluded. The club’s sporting director, Mike Cave, expressed delight at the arrival of the Nigerian winger, describing him as one of the Championship’s most exciting attacking talents. “We are delighted to add Femi to the squad.…

The Rivers State Police Command has dismissed three of its officers linked to the killing of a graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, Anthony Obodo, along Ada George in Port Harcourt last Thursday. Also, the command said a member of the team, an inspector who fled after the shooting of the victim, has been declared a deserter. The State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this while parading the three officers before newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. Adepoju said the action followed the conclusion of the investigation and the establishment of the ‘culpability’ of the officers involved. Adepoju…

Google shutting down the servers for its 1st- and 2nd-gen thermostats drove “significant sales” for Tado, Christian Deilmann, cofounder and managing director of Tado, told The Verge in an interview. The third-generation Nest has at least 10 times the penetration in Europe, he says. And while Google still supports it, Deilmann sees the writing on the wall. “At some point, I think they will continue their strategy,” he says. “There’s nothing we know for sure … but it doesn’t make too much sense to pull out of some generations and not others.”Tado’s newest thermostat costs £159.99/€179.99 for a wired starter…

Bitcoin has all the factors in place to a seven-figure price over the next four years, according to BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes.But he’s buying ETH right now, because he believes it could easily do a “3x to 5x pretty quickly.”On the latest episode of Trade Secrets, Hayes says the collapse of the AI bubble, “massive” money printing, and potential US yield curve control are among some of the reasons why Bitcoin could go to $1 million by 2030“We have the ingredients. The time is now. So I think the $58,000 was probably the bottom in Bitcoin, and now it’s going…

Zendaya is embracing a digital detox, according to her mom, Claire Stoermer. Stoermer, who shares Zendaya with ex Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, posted a childhood photo of the actress via Instagram on Tuesday, September 1, to mark Zendaya’s 30th birthday. “Happy 30th birthday to the love and light of my life!! even tho you’re not on socials anymore, and you won’t see this!! we just got off facetime!! 🤪☺️,” Stoermer captioned the post. However, just hours later, Zendaya returned to Instagram for the first time in nearly two months, thanking fans for their well wishes as she enters a new decade.…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have introduced a one-off N4,000 fee for the verification of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions. The two examination and admissions bodies said the new arrangement is designed to prevent candidates from paying multiple verification fees to different institutions during the admission process. Under the arrangement, candidates whose admissions are regulated by JAMB will verify their WAEC results through a JAMB-provided verification platform. The verified outcome will then be made available to the tertiary institution where…

The State Security Services (SSS) and the Nigeria Police Force are investigating the circulation of a false message claiming that OPay would shut down its operations in Nigeria, the company said on Wednesday. The leading financial technology company disclosed this at a press conference and town hall meeting on Wednesday, in response to the viral message, which claimed that the company would cease operations in September. Earlier, a viral post circulated on social media claiming that OPay would shut down its operations on 1 September and stop processing transactions until further notice. The viral post also urged OPay customers to…

The Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, has met with the mother of a young squash player who featured in a viral video over an alleged obstruction to her daughter’s participation in a sporting engagement. Mr Fatodu met with Abike Oshodi and her daughter, Tanimola Oshodi, on Wednesday to hear directly from them and understand the circumstances surrounding the incident. Tanimola, who represents Lagos in squash and competes in the Under-15 category, had reportedly been prevented from participating in a crucial sporting engagement by personnel of Surulere Local Government. During the meeting, Mrs Oshodi acknowledged the role…

Trabzonspor have parted ways with head coach Fatih Tekke after initially rejecting his resignation following the Turkish club’s Europa League play-off exit. Tekke submitted his resignation after Trabzonspor were eliminated from the Europa League play-off round by Hungarian side Ferencvaros, losing 5-0 on aggregate. The club initially rejected the 48-year-old’s request, saying it appeared to have been made under the intense emotional impact of the European exit. However, Trabzonspor confirmed on Wednesday that they had reached a mutual understanding with Tekke and agreed to end their partnership in the interests of the club’s long-term objectives. “Over his approximately 18-month tenure,…