A traditional barrister’s wig. The NLS says the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 still recognizes the title. A fresh disagreement has broken out between the Nigerian Law Society and the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria over what lawyers should be called. The CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, had in a memo dated July 13, 2026, ordered lawyers and court staff to stop using “Barrister” as a prefix in the Supreme Court. The memo, signed by the Chief Registrar, Kabir Akanbi, said the decision was to uphold standards at the top court. But the Nigerian Law Society, NLS, says that order does not stand on any law. Speaking for the group, Executive Director Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja said the Legal Practitioners Act of 1962 clearly gives Nigerian lawyers two titles after they are called to Bar: “Barrister” and “Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.” Jaja pointed out that the CJN wants lawyers to now use “Esquire” or “Esq.” instead. The problem, he said, is that “Esquire” is also not mention...

T he Anambra State Government has put its foot down on the holding of separate New Yam festivals in communities across the state. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Chief Vin Ezeaka, said the government will no longer tolerate individuals and groups organizing their own “Iwa Ji” or “Iri Ji” ahead of, or on the same day as, their traditional rulers. According to Champion Newspaper , the warning came after the ministry noticed a rise in what it called unlawful celebrations that clash with the culture and traditions of the people. Ezeaka said the government had earlier sent a letter to all Presidents-General and royal fathers to address the issue. But despite that, some people have continued to go ahead with their own versions of the festival. “The government has observed that certain individuals and groups now organize new yam celebrations in their communities before the traditional ruler, or on the same day with him,” Ezeaka ...

T he National Association of Nigerian Students has called on state governors to step in quickly and prevent another shutdown of public universities. In a statement issued on Tuesday, NANS said undergraduates must not be forced to pay for disagreements between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and government. The group warned that any new closure of campuses would add to the academic delays, emotional stress and financial pressure already faced by millions of students nationwide. NANS was responding to ASUU’s decision to allow 20 university branches to issue 14-day strike notices over parts of the 2025 agreement with the Federal Government that are yet to be met. With those notices now active, the possibility of industrial action is getting closer. The effect is already being felt. Teaching and learning have been halted at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, sparking fears that the academic calendar could be disrupted again. NANS President, Dist. Comr. Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, sai...

C ristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez are officially married. The Portugal captain and his longtime partner held a private civil ceremony in Cascais on Tuesday. The coastal town just outside Lisbon hosted the small event, with the couple’s five children in attendance. Ronaldo, 41, confirmed the news to fans on Instagram by sharing a photo of their wedding rings. The announcement came only days before he is due to return to Al Nassr for the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season. The two first met in 2016 in Madrid, where Rodriguez was working at a high-end fashion store. Over the last decade their relationship has played out in public. They have appeared together at major award shows and football finals, built a family, and supported each other through personal highs and lows. On the pitch, Ronaldo remains one of the game’s biggest names. He came through Sporting CP, became a star at Manchester United, made history at Real Madrid, won titles with Juventus, and now plays in Saudi Arabia fo...

T he media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, is asking police and security agencies to arrest a Muslim cleric over a sermon that has angered many Nigerians online. The cleric, Shafiy Adeba, was filmed preaching in Yoruba at a mosque in the Southwest. In the video, he told his congregation that Muslims have the right to enslave people who are not Muslims. ‘’God said you should go to war with them. Take them as slaves, lock them inside their house, tell them they can't go to the market or anywhere, they must not be seen outside. We Muslims have the right to lock infidels in their houses, not the other way…pin them down wherever you meet them, kill them where they hide, lock them up in their houses. That's what the Quran said'' Olayinka shared the video on Tuesday and condemned it.  “This Cleric, by name Shafiy Adeba said Muslims have ‘Right’ to enslave Non-Muslims. He declared war against those he called infidels ‘Rooted In Islam’,” he wrote. The Wike aide...

P eter Obi has pushed back hard against a story making the rounds online that he told Nigerian soldiers to turn down any salary increase until after the 2027 elections. The Labour Party leader said the claim was false, and that it twisted everything he stands for when it comes to the men and women in uniform. “I wish to address a recent report that falsely attributes a statement to me, suggesting that Nigerian soldiers should refuse any salary increments until after the elections,” Obi said on Tuesday. “This assertion is entirely untrue.” For Obi, the issue has never been about pay. It’s about protection. He said his respect for the military, especially those on the frontlines, has not changed.  “My profound respect for our security forces, particularly the Nigerian Army personnel who diligently serve and protect our nation under challenging conditions, is unwavering,” he stated. “I have consistently advocated for the adequate provision of equipment, motivation, and protection for ...

N ollywood actress Temitope Osoba’s death has sparked new questions after her fiancé said she died at a police station in Ikorodu, not from cancer. According to a report by Punch Newspaper , Prophet Itunu Onadeko said he was told around midnight by a stranger that the 40-year-old actress died at the station. He added that he does not know which exact station, but later reported himself at a nearby one. Onadeko explained that Osoba had gone to visit Mrs Kehinde Osoba with her hairdresser before the incident. He dismissed claims that cancer, lack of money, or abuse caused her death, saying she had recovered from surgery and that donations for her treatment went directly to her account. He also denied preventing her from driving, noting she drove herself to Iperu days before she died, and said they lived together peacefully. Recall that in November 2024, the actress spoke publicly about her diagnosis and surgery to treat breast cancer in an interview which surfaced online, alongside appea...

O n Sunday, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Sarah Adi Enoch, addressed the issue and said the real debt figures are much lower and are already recorded by the Debt Management Office. According to Champion Newspaper , Taraba’s local debt stood at N85.51 billion as of December 31, 2025. That’s N2.45 billion less than the N87.96 billion the state had before Governor Agbu Kefas came into office. Dr. Enoch explained that an old DMO report from March 2023 is being misquoted online. That report only showed the state’s position as of September 2022, not what things look like now. She also spoke on foreign loans. Taraba’s external debt moved slightly from $46.47 million in 2022 to $48.04 million in 2025. She described the increase as small, but said the government is keeping an eye on it because of exchange rate changes. On the N206.78 billion bank loan that has been trending, she clarified that the State Assembly approved it in 2023 with Zenith, UBA, Fidelity and Keystone banks. The loan was...

T he campus journalists’ body at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, has applauded Gidado Shuaib over his new role as a United Nations Youth Representative. The National Association of Campus Journalists, UDUS, NACJ-UDUS, said the honour from the International Public Relations Association reflects Shuaib’s impact in journalism, public relations strategy, and youth development. In a release dated August 9, 2026, the association explained that Shuaib will now work alongside the IPRA UN Bureau in New York. His mandate will include driving programs centered on young people and bringing youth perspectives into international development dialogue. NACJ-UDUS noted that the appointment is particularly significant because of Shuaib’s record of supporting student reporters. Through Youths Digest and the Campus Journalism Awards, he has built platforms that help young writers grow their skills, gain exposure, and make their voices heard. The association described the development as a major perso...

SDP presidential hopeful Prince Adewole Adebayo is standing firmly with Nigeria’s anti-corruption bodies, saying they need room to operate free of politics. Addressing reporters in Abuja on Tuesday, Adebayo commented on the back-and-forth over Osun State’s frozen bank accounts. He said there is no reason for EFCC boss Ola Olukoyede to step down. “I don’t have proof to demand the EFCC chairman’s resignation. The EFCC is a tough place to work, and from what I know of Olukoyede, he is trying to do his job,” Adebayo stated. The SDP leader said security and law enforcement agents face hard conditions daily, so they should get backing instead of criticism. He noted he has supported the EFCC since Nuhu Ribadu’s era and will not attack the IGP, DSS DG, or military chiefs like some politicians do. According to The Nation , Adebayo pointed fingers at President Bola Tinubu, not the EFCC, for the confusion around Osun’s accounts. He said the President’s direct instruction to unfreeze the funds ove...

P icture this for a second. One day, you are a slow, crawling caterpillar munching on leaves close to the ground. The next day, you melt down completely inside a shell, only to wake up with wings, ready to paint the sky. If you went through a transformation that radical, would you remember anything from your past life? For generations, science textbooks gave us a firm, definitive answer: absolutely not. The common belief was that the gooey metamorphosis inside a chrysalis completely rewires an insect's biology, acting like a cosmic factory reset that wipes the memory slate entirely clean. Jo Nagai. He is not a veteran entomologist with decades of field research under his belt. He is just a 10-year-old kid living in Kobe, Japan, who loves bugs. Jo’s scientific journey didn't start in a high-tech university lab funded by millions of dollars. It started out of pure curiosity. While raising butterflies at home, he noticed something odd: the ones he released seemed to recognize him....

J orge Messi, the father of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, has died at 68.  Reuters reported that the family said he passed away on Friday night at a hospital in Rosario after a long illness. In the last few months, Jorge split his time between the hospital in Rosario and his home. He was with his wife Celia and their children Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol during that period. Beyond being a father, Jorge played a key role in Lionel’s career. He was his first guide and closest adviser. From Lionel’s early days at Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario to his years at Barcelona and now with Inter Miami, Jorge was there at every stage. For many years he handled his son’s deals, protected him from outside pressure, and helped shape the decisions that turned a young talent into one of football’s biggest names. Lionel has often talked about how close they were. “I always needed my dad’s approval, ever since I was a kid. After every match, I would ask him what he thought of how I played,” the Int...

N orway’s football association has called on Fifa President Gianni Infantino to resign immediately, saying it no longer has confidence in his leadership, according to a report by The Guardian . The demand came late Thursday after the Norwegian Football Federation board held an emergency meeting. For NFF President Lise Klaveness, the relationship with Infantino has reached a breaking point. “There is no trust left in Infantino,” she said. “For us, there is no turning back.” With this move, Norway becomes the first national body to publicly ask the Fifa president to step down. The decision follows weeks of backlash over the Fifa Forward Enterprise plan a proposal to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors. Fifa shelved the plan after facing strong opposition from member associations. Klaveness described the current state of football governance as divided and unstable. She said Norway will follow up with a formal letter to Infantino next week asking him to quit. But the concerns ...

   A Kano Magistrate Court has ordered the detention of a 25-year-old woman accused of attacking her boyfriend and inflicting a serious injury on him. The accused, Maimuna Idris from Maigatari Local Government Area in Jigawa State, was arraigned on Friday on two counts: attempted culpable homicide and causing grievous harm. Citing a report from the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the Prosecutor, H.A. Sani-Buhari, told the court that the incident took place on July 27 in Badawa area of Kano metropolis. Sani-Buhari said staff of Durbar Hotel in Badawa called the police at about 12:50 p.m. after Idris allegedly attacked her boyfriend, Ashiru Sani, with a knife. The court also heard that around 11:00 a.m. that same day, the woman cut off Sani’s manhood after finding out he planned to marry another woman.  “The victim was immediately taken to Abubakar Imam Urology Hospital in Kano for treatment,” the prosecutor told Magistrate Sadiya Usman. Idris pleaded guilty to both charges. ...

M any Nigerian students woke up to double credit alerts this week as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund began clearing backlog payments, but the joy came with confusion. The National Association of Nigerian Students confirmed that a system error on the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System platform caused some beneficiaries to receive both June and July upkeep allowances twice. NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed this on X on Friday while responding to complaints and screenshots posted by students. He said the duplicate payment was not deliberate and advised affected students not to spend the extra money. “To those of you who got NELFUND June and July twice, it was a glitch caused by the NIP payment platform,” Babatunde wrote. “NELFUND is not Father Christmas, so keep the money safe. That may likely be your upkeep for the next two months.” In effect, NANS is telling beneficiaries to treat the excess as an advance. Future payments may be skipped to cover it. NELFUND has not issue...