Author: News Room

Nigeria’s poverty rate is projected to rise sharply to 62 per cent by 2026, with about 141 million people expected to be living below the poverty line, according to PwC. The projection is contained in PwC’s Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026, titled “Turning macroeconomic stability into sustainable growth.” The report notes that despite recent policy actions aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability, weak growth in real incomes and persistently high living costs are likely to push more households into poverty over the next two years. PwC estimates that most Nigerians will struggle to record income gains strong enough to offset rising prices…

Fenerbahce are stepping up their pursuit of Ademola Lookman and are preparing an opening bid for the Atalanta forward as the Turkish side target another high-profile signing in the January transfer window, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. According to Sport Mediaset journalist Orazio Accomando, the Istanbul club are ready to submit a proposal structured as a paid loan worth €5m, with a right or potential obligation to buy set at €37m, bringing the total signing package to €42m. “Fenerbahce continue to monitor the situation of Ademola Lookman. The Turkish club are preparing an offer for a paid loan worth €5m, with…

While most attention in the AI race is focused on model builders and cloud platforms, Lenovo sits closer to millions of users than most companies. As the world’s top PC maker by volume, Lenovo ships tens of millions of devices every year. What it decides to ship, bundle, and integrate can directly shape how AI shows up in many everyday lives.That’s what made Lenovo’s announcement today at CES notable. At a flashy event on Tuesday at The Sphere in Las Vegas, it introduced Qira, a system-level, cross-device AI assistant designed to live across Lenovo laptops and Motorola phones. It’s Lenovo’s…

A group of US community bankers is pressuring Congress to change the GENIUS Act to close a supposed “loophole” that allows yield-generating stablecoins to undercut banks.The American Bankers Association’s Community Bankers Council said in a letter on Monday to the Senate that it must tighten the stablecoin regulating bill passed last year to stop stablecoin issuers from offering yield to tokenholders through third parties.“Some companies have exploited a perceived loophole allowing stablecoin issuers to indirectly fund payments to stablecoin holders through digital asset exchanges and other partners,” the group of more than 200 community bank leaders said.The GENIUS Act banned…

Influencer Haley Kalil (a.k.a. Hayley Baylee) is opening up about her experience with domestic violence — and how her social media presence helped her escape an abusive ex. “I’ve dealt, of course, as any girl has, with a lot of emotional abuse in relationships, cheating, all of that stuff. But no, one of my exes was physically abusive,” Kalil, 33, said during the Tuesday, January 6, episode of Amanda Hirsch’s “Not Skinny but Not Fat” podcast, revealing that she was in the abusive relationship when she posted her first viral TikTok video, a New York City apartment tour, in 2022.…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered an interim forfeiture of N30.7 million recovered from a bureau de change (BDC) operator with links to an official of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Judge Emeka Nwite gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte motion brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). EFCC said it discovered the money during a review of a bureau de change operator’s financial records, obtained primarily for the purposes of investigating the activities of some “high profile” officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. But when confronted with…

Activist lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has claimed that former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, has been reduced to nothing by karma. Adeyanju said Malami never  believed in the rule of law while in office. Posting on X, Adeyanju said Malami never obeyed court orders as AGF. He wrote: “Malami didn’t believe in rule of law even as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and didn’t obey several court orders as AGF. “Look at him today, reduced to absolutely nothing by karma. Those in power always forget they will soon be out of power.” This comes as…

The factional leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-South zone has criticised Ajibola Basiru, National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), over comments he allegedly made against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. This was disclosed in a statement released on Tuesday by the PDP South-South Zonal Publicity Secretary, Prince Etim Isong. He described Basiru’s remarks as a personal attack on Wike, warning that such comments were inappropriate and harmful to President Bola Tinubu’s administration and his chances of securing re-election in 2027. Isong further said the PDP was surprised that Basiru, whom…

Group Chief Economist and Managing Director of Research and Trade Intelligence at Afreximbank, Dr Yemi Kale, has stated that while the Nigerian economy is entering a phase of greater stability after years of turbulence, deep structural weaknesses continue to limit growth and prevent most citizens from reaping its benefits. He said this on Tuesday at the FirstBank Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026 held under the theme ‘The Great Calibration: Mastering Resilience in an Era of Asynchronous Growth’. Kale cautioned against mistaking stability for economic resolution. “We are in an era of stability, yes, but stability does not eliminate risk,” he said.…

At least 12 suspects have been arrested following an attack on an estate in Mbodo, Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday afternoon, during which a resident was shot in the leg and abducted. The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement made available to PUNCH Metro on Tuesday. According to the police, the attackers—said to include members of a vigilante group known as OSPAC and hired thugs—stormed the estate in a commando-style operation, firing shots indiscriminately and damaging vehicles and parts of the estate. Iringe-Koko disclosed that operatives responded to…