Author: News Room
Sigourney Weaver is clearing the air about a kiss between her and Jack Champion’s characters in Avatar: Fire and Ash. “That scene where I say, ‘You’re perfect just as you are,’ we had to be very delicate about that scene because it included a kiss,” Weaver, 76, told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Saturday, December 20. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to kiss Jack, who was 14 or 15, in real life.” Weaver returned in the third Avatar film to play Kiri, a Na’vi teenager who is also the adopted daughter of Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and Jake Sully…
Some police officers attached to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, Lagos Annex, on Monday, arrested a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Sodeeq Atanda, after allegedly detaining his wife and nine-month-old child to lure him out. FIJ’s founder and editor-in-chief, Fisayo Soyombo, confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday evening. “They released the wife and the child and arrested Sodeeq. They handcuffed him. The wife confirmed this to me at 8:24 p.m.,” Mr Soyombo said. FIJ reported that the officers first arrested Mr Atanda’s wife and infant at their home, detained them for hours at…
The agreement…signals a recalibration in how partnership is defined. Bilateral health arrangements that combine grant financing with explicit domestic co-financing at this scale are increasingly uncommon. By insisting on measurable national investment alongside external support, the United States is aligning assistance with fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainability, rather than substitution. At a time when global attention is fixed on migration, visa restrictions, border controls, and the language of exclusion, Nigeria has concluded a bilateral health agreement with the United States that deserves to be understood on its own terms. Not as a partisan gesture or as a counter-narrative, but as…
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State on Monday presented an appropriation bill of N605,506,704,066.16 for the 2026 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly. The governor said the 2025 budget of N550 billion had recorded a performance level of 73.2 per cent as of November, amounting to N402.691 billion. While providing a breakdown of the proposed 2026 appropriation bill, Governor Alia stated that N342.420 billion had been earmarked for capital expenditure. According to him, the proposed recurrent expenditure stood at N281.086 billion. He added that 3.68 per cent of the capital budget had been allocated to social protection. In…
A Computer Engineering scholar at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Segun Aina, has promised a renewed sense of responsibility following his appointment as Professor of Computer Engineering at the age of 39. Aina’s elevation makes him one of the youngest professors in his field in Nigeria. He currently lectures in the Department of Computer Engineering at OAU, where he also holds several departmental and faculty responsibilities. Reacting to the appointment, Aina described the attainment as humbling, noting that it came with greater expectations to serve academia, industry and national development. Aina said, “This milestone is a humbling reminder that excellence,…
Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi has revealed plans to curb Nigeria’s marauding attack when both sides clash in their opening Group C fixture of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the Complexe Sportif de Fès on Tuesday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The encounter in Fez will be only the second AFCON meeting between Nigeria and Tanzania, coming 45 years after their first clash at the tournament. In 1980, both teams met in the opening match of the 12th AFCON at the National Stadium, Lagos, where Nigeria secured a 3–1 victory en route to lifting the trophy for the first…
The newly established Federal University of Education, Pankshin, in Plateau State, has uncovered a syndicate involved in forging and issuing fake academic results and certificates, leading to the imprisonment of two men. PUNCH Metro learnt this on Monday during a press conference addressed by the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, Jere Ndazhaga. He said the two convicts, Friday Tunkyes and Harvey Ringsum, were each sentenced to one and a half years’ imprisonment for the offence. Ndazhaga revealed that the suspects were arrested after a suspicious certificate was presented at the Examinations and Records Section of the institution, prompting an investigation…
Regent Microfinance Bank has distributed over N10bn in cumulative loan disbursements to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises across the country. Disclosing this in a statement on Monday, the MfB said that the milestone reflected its commitment to close Nigeria’s persistent credit gap, empower entrepreneurs, and accelerate sustainable economic growth. The PUNCH reports that Regent Microfinance Bank is a financial institution dedicated to promoting inclusive and accessible financial services for individuals and businesses. The lender revealed that its diverse loan portfolio included loans to fast-moving consumer goods businesses, SME loans, asset financing, micro-business support and more. Speaking on the achievement, Managing…
Super Eagles stars Alex Iwobi and Semi Ajayi have pledged to deliver the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations trophy, with both players determined to achieve continental glory for the national team, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Iwobi, who will be crucial to head coach Eric Chelle’s plans in Morocco, insists the current generation of players is eager to be remembered for winning silverware rather than individual talents alone. “People normally get remembered for their accolades, and as a team, there’s no better way to be remembered than winning something,” the Fulham midfielder told Kelechi Anyikude. “So we’re very ambitious, and we’d…
The National Information Technology Development Agency has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to open governance, transparency and inclusive digital development following the country’s recognition at the 2025 Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Spain. Nigeria emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category at the summit, organised in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in recognition of its use of digital tools and policies to strengthen transparency, accountability and citizen participation. The country also received a Regional Award for advancing Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East, underscoring its growing leadership role in the region. The IT regulator said on Monday that…
