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FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have directed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to suspend its ongoing electoral process and announced plans to send a joint assessment mission to Abuja as the world football governing bodies intensify scrutiny of the crisis engulfing Nigerian football. The directive was contained in a letter dated 7 September and signed by FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer, Elkhan Mammadov, and addressed to NFF Acting Deputy General Secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme. The letter, which was copied to CAF, said FIFA and CAF are assessing the “legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications” arising from the recent…

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone shared an official apology for the delays around their forthcoming film collaboration with Kendrick Lamar. The musical, titled Whitney Springs, was originally announced in 2022. “We take full responsibility for the schedule delay of this movie,” Parker and Stone said in a statement to The Ankler. “We apologize to our partners at pgLang and Paramount, and we appreciate their patience. South Park and life’s circumstances have gotten in the way, but we still believe in the project.” Whitney Springs was written by Vernon Chatman, a longtime South Park writer, and set for…

Assam Assam, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Russia and a close political ally of Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno, has challenged the administration’s road development claims in Eket, saying “there’s no road at all in Eket urban area.” Mr Assam, a senior advocate of Nigeria, was the director-general (DG) of Governor Eno’s campaign in the 2023 governorship election. He is generally referred to as the DG of Government Business within the government circle in Akwa Ibom. The senior lawyer made the remark when media practitioners from Eket Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State visited him at his country home…

Studying in Australia has always been pricier beyond tuition, but the cost is now climbing faster. Universities Australia (UA), the body representing 38 institutions including the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney, has formally urged the government to widen student concessions, as new data shows that the cost of everyday student life has risen higher than the general inflation.For the lakhs of Indian students who see Australia as a top study-abroad destination, must understand that this directly affects how far a study budget will stretch in 2026 and beyond.Why Have Australian Student Living Costs Risen?Founded in 1920 and…

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested a suspect, Hafsat Abubakar, for allegedly creating and circulating a forged document falsely claiming that a fintech company was shutting down its operations. PREMIUM TIMES reported that a claim went viral last week, warning that OPay, a leading fintech company, would shut down operations on 01 September. The claim further advised customers to withdraw their money before the rumoured shutdown. The fintech company issued a statement on X, debunking the claim and describing it as “false.” At a press conference organised to clarify the situation, OPay’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi…

Edo State House of Assembly Minority Leader, Natasha Osawaru, has shared a new photo of her child with Nigerian music star Innocent “2Baba” Idibia amid persistent speculation about the state of their marriage. Natasha shared the photo on her Instagram Story on Wednesday, describing the child simply as “my heartbeat.” Natasha and the “African Queen” hitmaker welcomed their son in November 2025 and held a private naming ceremony. The couple have kept the child away from the public eye since his birth, with neither parent sharing pictures of him on their social media. Dressed in black, the lawmaker put her…

By Rosemary Iwunze  Following the conclusion of the insurance industry recapitalisation exercise, the sector is now expected to protect Nigeria’s manufacturing sector against costly industrial risks. It is also expected to have significant implications for manufacturers whose operations are exposed to risks ranging from factory fires and machinery breakdowns to marine cargo losses, engineering failures and prolonged business interruptions. These positions were contained in the June edition of the Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA) report. The report noted that for many years, limited capital constrained the ability of Nigerian insurers to retain large industrial risks. As a result, manufacturers seeking comprehensive…

Available for over a yearLots of people make a living from social media posts. But some have been targeted by an international extortion scheme. It involves a flood of false copyright infringement claims. It only stops if the extorter is paid. Imran Rahman-Jones has the story. Also this week: could AI help to spot wrong-way driving on Ireland’s major roads? And we bring you the latest titles and tech on show at Gamescom in Germany. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn (Image: Silhouettes of mobile phone users are seen next to a screen projection of Instagram’s logo. Credit: Reuters)Programme WebsiteShow…

Jamie Dimon, chief executive of the largest US bank, JP Morgan, is understood to have warned Andy Burnham and his chancellor, John Healey, against raising taxes on banks in his inaugural budget in October.The Wall Street billionaire met the politicians on Wednesday and cautioned them that higher taxes could put investment and employment in the UK at risk, it is understood.The meeting came amid speculation that Healey is considering a windfall tax on banks and oil companies in his budget on 28 October.Dimon has a long track record of lobbying against Britain’s additional bank taxes, which were imposed after the…

Nigeria U-20 women’s national team head coach Moses Aduku has declared that the Falconets are “condemned to win” against China as they look to revive their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign in Poland. The Falconets suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain in their opening Group F fixture, leaving them under pressure ahead of their second group game against China. Aduku admitted that the result was disappointing, but stressed that his players have quickly shifted their focus to the crucial encounter, knowing that anything short of victory would leave their qualification hopes in danger. Speaking to the media ahead of…