Author: damazah@gmail.com

Edo Queens will begin their quest for a return to the CAF Women’s Champions League on Monday when they face AS Garde Nationale of Niger in their opening Group B fixture of the 2026 WAFU B qualifying tournament in Burkina Faso. The encounter is scheduled for 6pm at the Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou, with the reigning Nigeria Women’s Football League champions aiming to make an early statement in a group that promises a stern test. Having already conquered the WAFU B region in 2024, Edo Queens arrive with valuable experience of the competition and will be targeting another…

Following the death of Dolly Parton at age 80 on Tuesday, Beyoncé shared a heartfelt tribute to the country icon. The “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” singer took to her website, writing, “Dolly, you were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself.” “I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship. I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you,” Beyoncé continued. “I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel…

Joseph Onoja, Director-General of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), speaks on Nigeria’s worsening land degradation, the financing gap in environmental protection and the need for greater synergy among the three major UN environmental conventions. In this interview, Mr Onoja, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES’s Abdulkareem Mojeed on the sidelines of the ongoing COP17 in Mongolia, shared insights into NCF’s Green Recovery Nigeria initiative and Nigeria’s prospects of accessing the $1.3 billion financing announced at COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Monday. Excerpt: PT: Why is the Nigerian Conservation Foundation participating in COP17 in Mongolia? Onoja: One of the things we are…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the redesign and total reconstruction of the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road and other major federal highways across Edo State and adjoining corridors, as the Federal Government moves to tackle worsening road conditions that have disrupted transportation, damaged vehicles and increased the cost of doing business nationwide. The directive came on Tuesday as the Minister of Works, David Umahi, inspected the troubled Benin-Agbor-Asaba road in Edo State, while the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, visited the Ifaki-Oye-Kabba and Efon-Iwaraja roads in Ekiti State, where motorists and residents have endured prolonged delays and hardship. Umahi apologised to…

The gunmen, reportedly dressed in military-style clothing, attacked the villages of Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida and Masaka.Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun told the BBC that more than 40 people were killed, but the exact number of deaths had not been confirmed.Looking at the footage released on social media, the local youth leader, who asked not to be named, said he recognised several individuals from his community.”I was able to identify many people. There is an elderly man in the video who is like a grandfather to us,” he said. “He lives in Gidan Zana village.”He said families who had spotted…

Ebere Nwoji Heirs Insurance Group (HIG), has announced a gross written premium of N115 billion. The group announced this in its audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2025. The N115 billion written premium achieved during the year under review represents 88.5 per cent increase from N61 billion recorded in 2024. The group said its combined earned insurance revenue rose by 70 percent from N29.43billion in 2024 to N53.4 billion in 2025. The company said its combined total assets grew by 83 percent from N89bn in 2024 to N169.7in 2025, underscoring its sustained momentum. The group profit before…

Tuesday’s launch was noteworthy for a couple of other reasons. First, it marked the 37th flight for SpaceX’s fleet-leading Falcon 9 first stage booster, a new record. The timing of the launch shortly before sunrise also allowed skywatchers up the East Coast to catch a glimpse of the Falcon 9 as it rocketed northeast from Cape Canaveral. SpaceX’s launch team poses with a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s launch team poses with a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in…

Andy Burnham is facing new pressure to act over electoral reform, with nearly 100 of his MPs backing a commission to decide on a route to replace the first-past-the-post voting system. Why is this an issue for Labour – and will anything happen?What is the official government view?Officially, no change. The 2024 Labour manifesto only discussed elections in terms of changes to ID rules and allowing 16- and 17-year-olds the vote. Before becoming prime minister, Burnham said he would not deviate from the manifesto.Unofficially, things are very different. Burnham is a longstanding supporter of electoral reform, which is also the…

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has restated his pledge to restore petrol subsidy if elected president next year. Atiku restated his position in a post on X on Tuesday evening, in apparent response to criticisms that trailed his earlier pledge to restore the controversial petrol subsidy, removed by the Bola Tinubu administration. “On the question of subsidy, my position has not changed and will not change: I will restore it! A nation as blessed as ours has no business abandoning its citizens to hardship. Nigeria is rich enough to look after her own,” the former…

In the open air of the Raiffeisen Arena, with bedlam all around, there was nowhere to hide for Celtic or Martin O’Neill.The Scottish champions had endured one of the darkest nights in their European history. After going out to Kairat Almaty on penalties last year at this stage of the Champions League play-offs, that is saying something.Four goals up on aggregate against LASK, O’Neill’s Celtic somehow conspired to implode in a second half with little sign of a response on the way to a 5-4 aggregate loss following extra time.There was no hiding place, and the Celtic manager was frank…