Author: Moyosore Rokosu

Superstar Lionel Messi of Argentina talked about his future, the 2026 World Cup, and the role he sees himself playing after retirement in an interview with Fabrizio Romano for “433” on Thursday. Lionel Messi has made it known that he has no plans to become a coach, despite having a successful football career. “I wouldn’t like to be a coach. But I’m still not sure what I’d like to do in the future. I value much more than before everything I do on a day-to-day basis, so I just think about playing, training, and having fun,” Messi stated. When asked…

GCR Ratings has confirmed the stable outlook of Airtel Networks Limited, also known as Airtel Nigeria, with national scale long and short term issuer ratings of AAA(NG) and A1+(NG), respectively. In accordance to the rating statement from GCR, Airtel Nigeria’s affirmed ratings demonstrate its consistent strong market position in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding telecommunication sector, which is bolstered by a solid financial profile and access to both domestic and foreign funding sources. The ratings also benefit from the credit profile of the company’s strong and supportive shareholder Airtel Africa Plc, GCR stated. Airtel Nigeria, a wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel Africa,…

An urgent warning has been issued by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) about the unlawful distribution and sale of an unregistered condom brand called Foula Condoms that is now in circulation in Nigeria. The warning comes after NAFDAC officials found the product in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, and Zango, Katsina State, while conducting a risk-based post-marketing surveillance research. The agency stressed, “The condom is not registered by NAFDAC for use in Nigeria, and the labelling of the product is not in the English Language.” This raises significant concerns about the safety, quality, and efficacy of…

Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan or VDM, is set to appear in court today facing allegations of impersonation. The accusations are based on a recently circulated video that showed VeryDarkMan wearing Nigerian Police Force uniforms “without authorisation.” NPF had condemned VeryDarkMan, in the recently released video where he described himself as CSP VeryDarkMan and Nigeria’s “number one online police officer.” Nigeria Police Force disclosed this in a Friday post on its X account. According to the release, the FCT Police Command is spearheading the prosecution, emphasising the force’s stance on maintaining the integrity of its uniforms and preventing unauthorised…

Alexander Ikwechegh, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Aba North and South Federal Constituency of Abia State, was granted N500,000 bail by a Kuje Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory, which then postponed the hearing until Friday, November 8. After being arraigned before His Worship Abubakar Umar Sai’id on Wednesday for allegedly beating Bolt driver Stephen Abuwatseya at his Abuja home, Ikwechegh the Abia Rep entered a not guilty plea to the accusations. The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, arraigned Ikwechegh the Abia Rep on three counts bordering on abuse of office, assault and threat…

In the official FX market, the Naira exchange rate has shifted to the opposite side, trading at N1675 per US dollar as the liquidity crisis worsened. According to spot data from the FMDQ platform, the naira lost 2.72% of its value and ended the trading session at ₦1,675.49 to the US dollar on the official market. “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is more likely to come to the FX market to sell US dollars to authorised banks on Friday to avoid exchange rate slipping to N1700…which is quite possible in a single day trading without FX intervention,” analysts said in…

As October trading activity on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) came to a negative conclusion, equity investors lost almost N225 billion on Thursday. The main performance indicator fell by 0.38%, according to data from the local stock exchange, while the year-to-date return further decreased. As the All-Share Index dropped 372 basis points during today’s trading session to settle at 97,651.23, the stock market has had a rough week. Blue-chip firms like ARADEL and 25 other counters saw sell-offs, causing the stock market to close down for four straight trading days. In its market update, Atlass Portfolios Limited stated that the prolonged…

Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon have reached an agreement for the 39-year-old Ruben Amorim to become the club’s new head coach. Amorim’s term will start following the November international break. The deal was reached soon after Erik ten Hag, United’s two-and-a-half-year manager, was fired. According to The Athletic on Thursday, United’s leadership team, including chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, travelled to Lisbon to finalise terms with Sporting. Amorim’s release comes with a few conditions; he will remain at Sporting to oversee three crucial matches, including a high-stakes game against Manchester City, before moving to Old Trafford.…

The recent national grid collapse that left 17 states in the region without power for several days has prompted the federal government to issue an apology. During a courtesy call to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf on Thursday, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, tendered the apology and called the situation “very unfortunate.” Adelabu said the Federal Government was overhauling the national grid to reduce the frequent disturbances in the system and improve power supply across the country. He said that the national grid was over 50 years old, with components that are weak, obsolete, and dilapidated, including the…

Abdulsalam Sanyaolu, a veteran actor widely recognised as Charles Olumo and Agbako, has passed away. The president of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Bolaji Amusan, also referred to as Mr. Latin, announced the passing of Charles Olumo on Instagram on Thursday. He wrote, “#tampanglobal announces the passing of Pa Charles Olumo Sanyaolu, fondly known as AGBAKO. Details of the burial arrangements will be shared at a later time. Good night father, 25/02/1923 to 31/10/2024.” Nollywood actor, Jide Kosoko, also confirmed Agbako’s demise as he wrote: “Good night ooo, Baba Charles. a.k.a Agbako, 101 years,…