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Infantino Promises Bigger Support For African Football

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has promised more resources and continued support for African football.

He said FIFA will look for extra funding to help the continent reach the top of world football.

Reuters reported that he made the pledge on Thursday while speaking to the presidents of Africa’s 54 football associations at a strategy conference in Cape Verde.

Infantino said FIFA has put $1 billion into Africa over the past 10 years through its FIFA Forward programme, covering 124 projects and many other actions.

He said FIFA wants to give African football more chances to grow and asked the Confederation of African Football, CAF, to tell FIFA what it needs.

He also said ten African countries at the last World Cup was a success for the whole continent.

He added that when concerns are raised, FIFA must deal with them in the spirit of dialogue, with an open heart and an open mind, and that it can always do better.

The conference comes as Infantino faces pressure over the collapse in July of his plan to sell a stake in FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup.

Mostly European and North American football nations opposed it, and some have since withdrawn their support for him ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election.

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Entertainment News

Nancy Isime Enters A New Chapter With First Production Project

Nollywood actress Nancy Isime is starting a new chapter in her career as she prepares to make her debut as an executive producer.

She shared the news in a video online, where she admitted she feels nervous but excited about the new responsibility.

She said this is her first production as executive producer, and she is wondering if she is ready, but she thinks it is about time.

The move builds on years of work behind the scenes.

As the executive producer and host of The Nancy Isime Show, she has helped shape the programme beyond appearing on camera.

Isime said the step is deeply personal.

After years of acting in stories created by other people, she is now ready to go behind the camera and tell one of her own.

She also promised to take her fans along for the whole journey, including the meetings, the madness, the outfits, the decisions, the wins and the things that do not go as planned.

Isime began her entertainment career as a model before moving into television and acting.

She made her acting debut in the 2011 television series Echoes and has since built a name in film and television.

 

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Entertainment News

Peller And Jarvis Are Expecting Their First Baby

Content creator Habeeb Adelaja, popularly known as Peller, and his wife Amadou Aminata, known as Jarvis, are expecting their first child.

The couple shared the news online, on Thursday with a pregnancy photoshoot.

Jarvis wrote that they started as two people with no idea where the journey would lead, and are now husband and wife and soon to be parents.

She said they have laughed, cried, prayed and grown, and that God kept writing their story.

She called the baby their greatest blessing and an answered prayer, and thanked God for everything.

Celebrities and fans filled the comment section with congratulations.

Influencer and content creator Tomike Adeoye wished them well as mummy and daddy, while content creator Folagade Banks sent joyful congratulations to the couple.

Social media reported in August that the couple had a lavish, star-studded wedding in Lagos.

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Entertainment News

Big Esther And Her Sister Die In Tragic Ijebu Ode Road Crash

Fast-rising online influencer and chef Esther Meinzide, popularly known as Big Esther, has died alongside her sister in a road accident near Bethel, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

The crash happened at about 4:55pm on Wednesday on a wet, rainy road.

A first report from the Federal Road Safety Corps says a speeding vehicle ran head-on into a Sino Gas truck.

Nine people lost their lives, three men and six women.

Esther, known on social media as @BigEsther30, was reportedly travelling to Delta State with her sister when it happened.

She was a recent Philosophy graduate of Delta State University, Abraka, and had been gaining attention online while chasing her love for cooking.

The bodies were taken to the General Hospital morgue in Ijebu-Ode, and the two vehicles were towed to the Ilese Police Station.

Many people are mourning online, especially after reports that she posted barely a month ago about the kind of death she feared most, which is said to match how she died.

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President Trump To Honour Musk And Other Tech Giants With Top US Awards

President Donald Trump will give Elon Musk and other tech leaders the top US science award at a ceremony on Thursday, the White House said.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia boss Jensen Huang and AMD chief Lisa Su will also get the National Medal of Science at a summit called Science: A New Golden Age.

Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the top award in that field.

White House spokeswoman Liz Huston told AFP that the administration is grateful for what these leaders have done and that they are helping America stay ahead in innovation.

Musk is back in Trump’s good books after the two fell out last year over his role leading the cost cutting Department of Government Efficiency.

He was also the biggest donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Musk and Huang were both at the state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, and tech chiefs were at the White House last week, where they promised to regulate themselves against possible risks from artificial intelligence.

Trump has brushed off warnings that AI could wipe out humanity and says it is key to the golden age he promises for the US economy in his second term.

But his Republican Party could lose control of Congress in next month’s midterm elections as voters worry about the Iran war and the cost of living.

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Sport News

Messi Says Goodbye To Argentina With Emotional Tribute To Maradona And His Father

Lionel Messi has paid tribute to Argentina legend Diego Maradona and his late father, Jorge Messi, after what is being described as his last appearance for the national team.

He shared his thoughts in an online post on Wednesday.

Messi said he already misses wearing the sky blue and white shirt but feels sure he is making the right decision.

He called his time with Argentina an incredible journey with happy days and hard days, and said every step was worth it.

He also remembered Maradona, saying he did not want to forget the man who put the country where it deserved to be.

Messi believes Maradona backed Argentina in life and still does from heaven.

 

For his father, who died on August 8, 2026 at 68 after a long illness, Messi posted a photo of himself in the Argentina shirt looking up at the sky.

 

He wrote that his father had no idea how much he was missed the night before.

During his farewell on the pitch, Messi said his first thought was of his father.

He also thanked his family, friends, teammates, coaches, the clubs that backed his international duty, God and the Argentina fans.

Messi, 39, scored a penalty and made two assists as Argentina beat Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium on Monday in front of more than 85,000 fans.

It was his 208th game for Argentina, closing a 21-year international career in which he became the most capped player and the all-time top scorer for the country.

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News

20 Kidnapped Corps Members Regain Freedom As Uzodimma Thanks Security Agencies

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has praised security agencies for quickly stepping in to free 20 corps members who were kidnapped along the Onitsha-Owerri Road.

In a statement he signed himself on Wednesday, he thanked the agencies for working together and showing love for the country.

The 20 prospective corps members and one other person were taken on the same road and came home safe on Wednesday.

The governor also thanked the Imo and Oyo State governments for teaming up to get them out.

He said because human lives were at stake, the authorities kept details away from the public while the rescue work was going on.

Uzodimma also thanked the parents of the victims for staying patient through the ordeal.

He asked Nigerians to keep trusting the Federal Government as it works to fix the security problems in the country.

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Rufai Oseni Questions Peter Obi Over Claim That He Won 2023 Election

Social media anchor Rufai Oseni has come hard on Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, after Obi spoke about the 2023 election.

Obi recently said he has no evidence to prove that he won the presidential race under the Labour Party.

Oseni reacted online and said Obi should not say things he cannot back up.

He said people will stop taking Obi seriously if he keeps saying he won without proof.

Oseni also asked if Obi checked the results one by one before making the claim.

He wanted to know where the data sheets and backend collation are that support it.

He said Obi may have won, but without evidence the claim means nothing.

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Bwala Admits Tinubu Reforms Increased Poverty, Reveals What Could Change Next

Presidential aide Daniel Bwala has admitted that the economic reforms have pushed more Nigerians into poverty.

Speaking on social media this week, he said the pain is real but the government has made good progress since the reforms started in 2023.

The reforms removed the petrol subsidy and merged the forex market.

Since then, it has become more expensive to move goods, run a business and feed a family, and many households and companies are feeling the squeeze.

Bwala said the early months were hard for many people.

He said every serious reform in the world brings some discomfort, and that the government has spent three years explaining what it is doing and why.

He also predicted that Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election by a much bigger margin than in 2023.

He said part of his confidence comes from governors who won on opposition tickets and have since joined the APC.

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News

INEC Trains Election Workers Ahead of 2027 Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has started a training of trainers for state coordinating supervisors of its Electoral Operations Support Centre, EOSC.

The aim is to make the reporting of election incidents faster and more accurate ahead of the 2027 General Election.

INEC shared this in a post online on Wednesday.

The training is organised by its Electoral Operations Department and is meant to give the supervisors the skills to run EOSC activities and train the staff who will support election operations.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Director, Operations, Jibril Mohammed, represented the Director of Electoral Operations, Isa Magaji.

He said the programme is meant to build teams that can give quick and reliable support across the country.

He described the EOSC as an important platform that helps the Commission keep track of what is happening in the field and pass on problems to the right authorities quickly.

Mohammed said every report involves a real situation affecting people.

According to him, every call or dashboard entry could involve election staff, materials, processes or voters who need guidance and practical help.

He urged the supervisors to give clear direction and use good judgement when leading their teams.

He also asked participants to pass on what they learn to staff at the state level.

He said the success of the training will be measured by how confidently and effectively the people they train do their jobs during the elections.

He encouraged them to take part fully, ask questions and share experiences, since clearing up doubts now will help avoid problems during the elections.

By the end of the programme, participants are expected to understand their EOSC duties better, along with reporting procedures, checking information, passing incidents up the chain and following up.

Mohammed stressed that reports must be accurate and quick.

A good report, he said, should clearly state what happened, where and when it happened, what action has been taken and the current status of the incident.

He also urged supervisors to treat field officers with calm, respect and kindness, especially those working under pressure.

He said how information is received can affect both the quality of information the Commission gets and the support given to staff in the field.

He asked the facilitators to make the training practical and interactive, using real-life situations that participants could face during the 2027 election.

He thanked the facilitators, organisers, sponsors and partners, and urged participants to justify the trust and resources put into the training.

The training is part of INEC’s plans to strengthen its response and improve how it handles problems during the 2027 elections.