Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Maresca Named Premier League Manager of the Month

By
Justice Oladapo
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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has been named the Premier League Manager of the Month for November 2025, after guiding his side through an unbeaten run in the top-flight competition. The Italian tactician’s recognition follows a month in which Chelsea secured ten points from four matches, including victories over Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, and a 1-1 draw with league leaders Arsenal despite being reduced to ten men for a significant portion of the encounter.

Maresca’s performance saw him emerge ahead of several high-profile contenders on the shortlist, which included Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Fabian Hürzeler and Fulham’s Marco Silva. The award is determined through a combination of fan voting and expert assessment, and this latest accolade represents Maresca’s second Manager of the Month title in the Premier League, matching the achievements of notable former Chelsea managers.

The unbeaten November was a notable highlight in what has otherwise been a mixed period for Chelsea, who have encountered challenges in December. In accepting the award, Maresca acknowledged the significance of the team’s performance in November while emphasising the importance of consistency as the season progresses.

This recognition adds to Maresca’s growing reputation in English football since taking charge of Chelsea in July 2024, building on domestic and international experience gained during his managerial career.

EFCC Arraigns Peace Corps Commandant, Director of Finance over Alleged N60m Misappropriation

By
Laziz Olatunde
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The Abuja Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned the Commandant of the Nigeria Peace Corps, Dickson Akon, and the organisation’s Director of Finance, Omolola Aminat Ahmed, before Justice H. B. Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja. The duo were brought before the court on a two-count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation of funds allocated to the Corps.

According to the charge sheet, the defendants were accused of conspiring in 2024 to commit an illegal act by dishonestly converting funds meant for the execution of official duties. The first count alleged that Akon and Ahmed agreed among themselves to engage in criminal misappropriation, an offence punishable under Section 96 of the Penal Code Laws of the FCT.

The second count stated that the defendants dishonestly converted N46 million out of a total sum of N60 million earmarked for the procurement of badges for the Corps. The funds, according to the prosecution, were intended for the execution of an official contract but were allegedly diverted for personal use.

Both Akon and Ahmed pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them. Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, Khalid Sanusi, requested a date for the commencement of trial.

Justice Yusuf subsequently adjourned the matter to February 25, 2026, for trial. The court also granted each defendant bail in the sum of N5 million, with one surety in like sum. The sureties are required to be reputable individuals residing within Abuja.

Video: Lagos Police Clarify Viral Video, Arrest 13 For Assault

By
Kazeem Busari
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The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed misleading social media reports alleging that a police inspector seen being beaten in a widely shared video was caught stealing, clarifying the circumstances that led to the attack and announcing the arrest of 13 suspects involved in the incident. Authorities emphasised that the online narrative was false and called for calm and cooperation with law enforcement.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Police Public Relations Officer SP Abimbola Adebisi said the inspector is an officer attached to the Lagos State Taskforce and was on official duty enforcing the state government’s ban on illegal parking along Brown Street in Oshodi when the incident occurred. According to the police, the officer stopped a motorist who attempted to park unlawfully, but the situation escalated when the driver became violent, triggering a confrontation.

“During the incident, the inspector accidentally discharged his firearm onto the road, and debris from the impact affected some passersby,” Adebisi said. “The mob immediately gathered, during which the inspector was violently attacked and sustained serious injuries.”

Contrary to the theft allegations circulating online, the command emphasised that there was no evidence supporting claims that the inspector was stealing, describing such accounts as “false and misleading.”

While the inspector will face disciplinary action in line with established police procedures for what the command described as his unprofessional conduct, the focus has also shifted to those who assaulted him at the scene. Adebisi confirmed that 13 suspects captured in the viral footage have been arrested and are being held pending prosecution at the conclusion of investigations.

Those in custody include Dele Oriade (39), Adekunle Olalere (40), Mudashiru Olamilekan (28), Anayo Achusie (34), Joshua Enwonyin (24), Okoro Okechukwu (26), Rilwan Lateef (32), Damilare Odebode (22), Haruna Aleshi (25), Sodiq Omoniyi (26), Chukwudi Patience (25), Godstime Okafor (26) and Chinedu Divine (29).

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Olohundare Jimoh, condemned the unprofessional conduct of the taskforce officer but issued a stern warning against attacks on law enforcement personnel. He reiterated that assaulting officers performing lawful duties is a criminal offence that “will not be condoned under any circumstance.”

The police also urged members of the public to avoid spreading unverified information online and to work with security agencies to maintain peace and order across the state. Authorities highlighted that social media misinformation can escalate tensions and mischaracterise events, calling for responsible sharing of content.

This clarification follows widespread circulation of the video earlier in the week, which initially prompted concern among residents and online users after the inspector was seen being beaten by a mob accusing him of theft — a claim now firmly rejected by official police accounts.

The police command’s response reflects ongoing efforts to counter misinformation and uphold accountability in public discourse, reinforcing that lawful process and verified facts should guide public reaction to such incidents.

Meta’s ‘Avocado’ Marks Strategic Shift to Closed AI

By
Agency Report
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Meta Platforms Inc. is reportedly steering its artificial intelligence efforts in a new direction with a next-generation model code-named “Avocado,” reflecting a significant departure from the company’s long-standing focus on open-source AI development. The model is expected to be launched in the spring of 2026 as a closed-source, proprietary system, a move that could reshape Meta’s role in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

According to multiple industry reports, Meta’s internal AI teams are developing Avocado under tight controls, meaning that unlike previous models — such as those in the open-source Llama family — its core code and model weights will not be freely distributed to the public or developers. Instead, access is likely to be provided via APIs or hosted services, enabling Meta to monetise the technology more directly.

The Avocado project is being led by Meta’s TBD Lab within the AI Superintelligence Labs organisation, and the company has integrated technology from multiple third-party models, including inputs from Google’s Gemma and Alibaba’s Qwen, into its training pipeline. Meta is also reportedly investing heavily in infrastructure to support the model’s development, including a substantial order of high-performance chips for training clusters.

The shift away from open-source is widely seen as part of a broader strategic recalibration by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who previously championed open-access AI as a distinguishing pillar of Meta’s strategy. Recent business reports suggest that the lukewarm reception to Llama 4 — particularly delayed deployments and mixed responses from developers — has prompted internal restructuring and a rethink of how Meta competes with rivals like OpenAI and Google in the frontier AI space.

Industry analysts view Avocado as a potential competitor to leading closed models such as OpenAI’s GPT series and Google’s Gemini, and its commercial orientation suggests Meta may leverage the model across its ecosystem — including upgrades to AI assistants embedded in Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — while also offering enterprise API access to developers through cloud partners.

Despite the excitement around Avocado, timing and performance remain fluid. Multiple sources indicate that training and performance challenges have pushed the model’s debut to early 2026, and while Meta has not officially confirmed delays, internal reports describe a rigorous testing process designed to ensure robustness before launch.

The announcement of Avocado marks a notable pivot in Meta’s AI philosophy: from open-source democratization toward a proprietary, monetizable, and strategically controlled model. This change underscores the intensifying competition among tech giants to not only innovate but also to capture greater financial value from artificial intelligence.

Spurs Surge Past Lakers 132-119 To Reach NBA Cup Semifinals

By
Agency Report
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The San Antonio Spurs punched their ticket to the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals with a dynamic 132-119 victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, showcasing a potent blend of scoring depth and team cohesion at Crypto.com Arena. The win sets up a semifinal showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Rookie Stephon Castle led the charge, erupting for 30 points — including 21 in the second half — along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists in just his second game back from a hip injury. His all-around performance set the tone for San Antonio’s balanced attack and helped keep the Spurs ahead throughout the matchup.

“We all just want to win,” Castle said after the game. “We don’t care who does it — we just want to get it done. It’s going to be tough against the Thunder, but at the end of the day, we have supreme confidence in ourselves.”

Point guard De’Aaron Fox added 20 points to the Spurs’ offensive effort, while Keldon Johnson contributed 17 points and eight rebounds, helping San Antonio maintain a double-digit lead for much of the second half. The Spurs also benefited from a 48-31 advantage in bench scoring.

The Lakers were paced by Luka Dončić, who scored a game-high 35 points with eight assists, and LeBron James, who recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but their late push fell short as San Antonio held firm. Marcus Smart chipped in a season-high 26 points off the bench, hitting eight three-pointers to keep the Lakers competitive in stretches.

Los Angeles trimmed the deficit to eight points late in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs answered with key buckets down the stretch, including a clutch three-pointer from Castle with just over a minute left that helped seal the victory.

The Spurs’ win was impressive given the continued absence of Victor Wembanyama, who has been sidelined with a calf injury and missed his 12th straight game, though he travelled with the team. Despite that, San Antonio shot efficiently, making 50 percent of its field goals and 45 percent from beyond the arc, with contributions from seven players scoring in double figures.

San Antonio’s balanced play and high-tempo execution tripped up a Lakers squad that had run unbeaten through NBA Cup group play and entered the night as one of the tournament favourites. With the victory, the Spurs improved their overall record and carried momentum into the Cup’s penultimate round.

On the celebrity front, the high-profile matchup also drew notable courtside attendance. Rapper and business mogul Jay-Z and his daughter Blue Ivy Carter were spotted watching the game, drawing attention on social media for their stylish presence among the crowd.

The Lakers will pivot back to regular-season play, with their next game scheduled against the Phoenix Suns this Sunday, while the Spurs — riding a nine-win stretch in their last 12 games — turn their focus to the Thunder in Las Vegas as they seek the NBA Cup title.

Infantino Under Fire After Awarding Trump First-Ever FIFA Peace Prize

By
Kazeem Busari
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The decision by the world football governing body FIFA to grant its inaugural ‘Peace Prize’ to US President Donald J. Trump has sparked a formal ethics complaint and widespread condemnation, putting FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s leadership under intense scrutiny.

The prize was awarded during the 2026 World Cup final draw ceremony held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 2025. As Infantino presented Trump with the trophy and a medal, he praised the US leader for what he described as “exceptional actions” toward global peace and unity.

But the move has triggered a backlash from human-rights and sports-governance organisations. London-based NGO FairSquare submitted an eight-page complaint on December 9 to FIFA’s Ethics Committee, accusing Infantino of violating the organisation’s code of neutrality. According to FairSquare, awarding a political leader — especially one as polarising as Trump — represents “a clear breach” of FIFA’s mandate to remain apolitical.

FairSquare’s programme director, Nicholas McGeehan, said in the complaint that the prize may have been created without proper FIFA Council approval and that Infantino acted unilaterally — constituting “an egregious abuse of power.”

Critics have derided the prize as nothing more than a political stunt. “The award of a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader is in and of itself a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality,” FairSquare argued.

Some voices have also questioned the legitimacy of the prize, pointing out that there was no transparent selection process, no independent judging committee, and seemingly no criteria for what constitutes “peace-building achievements.”

Moreover, detractors argue that praising Trump for “peace and unity” sits uneasily against his controversial record on human rights and geopolitics — particularly his administration’s foreign-policy posture and military interventions.

Australia Locks Kids Out of Social Media

By
Fortune Temitope
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Beginning December 10, 2025, children under the age of 16 in Australia are officially barred from accessing major social-media platforms, as the country becomes the first in the world to enforce a nationwide age-minimum rule under the amended Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024.

Under the new regulatory framework, ten of the largest social-media networks — including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and Kick — are required to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. Those platforms must take “reasonable steps” to enforce the restriction or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (roughly US$33 million).

Already, some companies have begun implementing the measures. Under-16 Australians logging into previously active accounts are being greeted with lock-out screens, while others are being prompted to verify their age or download their data before deletion.

The move has stirred a spectrum of reactions across the country. Federal leaders frame the laws as a bold step in protecting children’s mental health and digital safety. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the legislation as “a major cultural shift,” urging young people to use the holiday period for offline activities instead of endless scrolling.

Many parents and child-safety advocates welcomed the ban, seeing it as necessary to shield minors from cyberbullying, addictive social-media features and online harms. Yet not everyone is convinced. Critics — including some teenagers and privacy experts — argue the law may push minors toward unregulated platforms, VPNs, or other workarounds. One Sydney teen, identified in media reports, warned that although banning apps won’t eliminate harmful content, it could force kids to find less safe corners of the internet.

Concerns have also been raised about the social and psychological impact on youths, especially those in remote or rural communities who often rely on social media to maintain contact with friends.

Meanwhile, enforcement remains a work in progress. The government concedes that age-verification systems — which may include facial recognition, document checks or behavioural-analysis tools — are imperfect and may not catch all under-age users at once.

NNPC E&P Sets 36-Year Production Record at 355,000 bpd

By
Kazeem Busari
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NNPC E&P Limited (NEPL), the upstream subsidiary of NNPC Limited, has achieved a landmark crude oil production figure of 355,000 barrels per day (bpd) — the company’s highest output since 1989 and a significant boost for Nigeria’s efforts to stabilise and expand its petroleum industry.

In a statement announcing the development, NNPC Limited described the milestone, recorded on December 1, 2025, as clear evidence that ongoing reforms across the corporation’s upstream operations are beginning to yield measurable results. The company noted that NEPL’s average daily production climbed from 203,000 bpd in 2023 to 312,000 bpd in 2025, representing a 52 percent rise driven by operational efficiency, improved asset management, and strengthened partnerships.

Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bayo Ojulari, said the achievement reflects a broader shift towards disciplined, commercially driven performance across the national energy company. “This milestone shows that the turnaround of Nigeria’s upstream sector is no longer an aspiration — it is already happening,” he said. “Our processes, partnerships and technical capabilities are now aligned to deliver consistent, world-class results.”

NNPC added that the record output enhances Nigeria’s standing as a reliable energy supplier, especially at a time when global markets are seeking stable crude sources. Ojulari noted that exceeding internal production benchmarks boosts investor confidence, remarking that the achievement “reinforces trust both nationally and internationally.”

Executive Vice President for Upstream at NNPC, Udy Ntia, stressed that the company’s focus is not only on volume but on responsible and sustainable operations. He said NEPL places strong emphasis on safety, community development and environmental stewardship, adding that “our ambition to grow production is matched by an equal commitment to operate with integrity and responsibility.”

Managing Director of NEPL, Nicolas Foucart, credited the workforce and the company’s cultural transformation for the breakthrough. “Our people, our processes and our principles are the real engines behind this success,” he said. Foucart added that the achievement strengthens Nigeria’s economic outlook by expanding government revenues and contributing to national energy security.

NNPC stated that NEPL’s performance brings Nigeria closer to its medium-term targets of reaching two million barrels per day by 2027 and three million barrels per day by 2030. Industry observers say the milestone could help revive investor optimism, provided that operational discipline, transparency and environmental safeguards remain central to the company’s strategy.

ECOWAS Declares Regional State of Emergency as Coups Surge Across West Africa

By
Kazeem Busari
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, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray

ABUJA — The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) officially declared a state of emergency Tuesday, citing a recent spate of military coups, attempted power grabs and growing insecurity across the region. The announcement came during the 55th ordinary session of the bloc’s Mediation and Security Council at ministerial level, convened in Abuja.

Addressing ministers and diplomats, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray described the wave of unconstitutional changes of government as “a grave threat to peace and democratic governance.” He warned of “a growing erosion of electoral inclusivity” and pointed to the rising influence of terrorism and banditry across the sub-region.

“Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community,” Touray said, declaring that “our community is in a state of emergency.”

The emergency declaration follows recent political crises across West Africa. The immediate trigger was the foiled coup in the Republic of Benin, where mutinous soldiers briefly seized state media and attempted to dissolve government institutions before loyalist forces — aided by Nigerian Armed Forces jets and regional troops — restored order.

Even before the Benin crisis, the region has witnessed a number of successful coups in countries such as Guinea-Bissau, as well as recurring threats to democratic stability in other member states. These developments prompted ECOWAS to invoke the emergency framework for the first time in recent history.

Under the new state-of-emergency status, ECOWAS leaders are expected to convene in coming weeks for an extraordinary summit to define and roll out concrete measures. Possible actions include strengthened sanctions against coup plotters, accelerated reforms of governance protocols, more frequent mediation sessions, and expanded coordination of regional security — including standby-force deployments where necessary.

In his remarks, Touray emphasized the necessity for more regular Security Council meetings — beyond the customary two sessions per year. “We must confront these threats with the attention they deserve,” he said, stressing the need for pooled resources to tackle cross-border terrorism and banditry that respect no territorial boundaries.

US Wheat Shipment Worth $15 Million Arrives in Lagos

By
Laziz Olatunde
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A bulk carrier loaded with 50,000 metric tonnes of U.S.-grown wheat, valued at about US$15 million, docked at Apapa Port in Lagos this Monday, signalling a deepening agricultural partnership between the United States and Nigeria.

At the port, Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), one of the country’s largest food-processing firms, formally received the shipment. The arrival was witnessed by the US Consul General in Lagos, Rick Swart, and U.S. Agricultural Counsellor, Chris Bielecki, who joined Nigerian port officials during the unloading process.

According to the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, this consignment underscores Nigeria’s status as the third-largest global market for American wheat exports.

The shipment arrives amid broader trends of expanding grain imports. Data from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest that U.S. wheat exports to Nigeria have surged in 2025 — driven by competitive pricing, relative stability in foreign-exchange rates, and growing demand by Nigerian millers.

As of mid-2025, imports of wheat into Nigeria are projected to reach 6.7 million tonnes in the 2025/26 marketing year — a notable increase compared with previous years.

Industry stakeholders say shipments like this one will bolster domestic food processing, support job creation, and provide Nigerian consumers with access to reliable and high-quality wheat for flour, bread, pasta, and other staples — especially as local production continues to meet only a fraction of nationwide demand.

The U.S.–Nigeria agricultural partnership is thus being cast as a strategic axis not only for commercial trade but for wider food security and industrial value-addition. According to estimates from U.S. officials, the bilateral agricultural trade between the two countries is on track to exceed US$700 million in 2025.

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