The head coach of the Argentina national football team, Lionel Scaloni, has stated that any decision reached by Lionel Messi on participating in the 2026 World Cup or not would be respected. Scaloni made the declaration amidst uncertainties surrounding Lionel Messi’s potential absence from the 2026 World Cup. Naija News understands Messi played his last official match for Argentina in a 3-0 victory over Venezuela on September 4, where he emotionally waved goodbye to fans. However, while speaking during the post-match interview, the talismanic forward said he is yet to make a final decision on representing Argentina in the upcoming World…
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The head coach of the Argentina national football team, Lionel Scaloni, has stated that any decision reached by Lionel Messi on participating in the 2026 World Cup or not would be respected. Scaloni made the declaration amidst uncertainties surrounding Lionel Messi’s potential absence from the 2026 World Cup. Naija News understands Messi played his last official match for Argentina in a 3-0 victory over Venezuela on September 4, where he emotionally waved goodbye to fans. However, while speaking during the post-match interview, the talismanic forward said he is yet to make a final decision on representing Argentina in the upcoming World…
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has taken a swipe at Super Eagles striker, Cyriel Dessers and captain William Troost-Ekong following Tuesday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein. Naija News reports that the result leaves Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for next year’s tournament in North America hanging by a thread, with just two games left to play. The Eagles’ troubles began as early as the eighth minute when defender Ola Aina limped off injured. Matters worsened in the 25th minute when Troost-Ekong mistakenly swept the ball into his own net, gifting Bafana…
A United States District Court has found a Nigerian lawyer based in Los Angeles, Paulinus Okoronkwo, guilty of receiving a $2.1 million bribe from a Chinese oil company to influence drilling rights in Nigeria. Okoronkwo, 58, popularly known as “Pollie,” was convicted on three counts of money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice. The verdict was delivered on August 29 after a four-day trial in California. Prosecutors told the court that in October 2015, while serving as General Manager of the upstream division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC, now NNPC Ltd.),…
Nollywood actor Bucci Franklin has spoken about his early years and the challenges he faced growing up without his father. Naija News reports that the actor, who featured in To Kill a Monkey, made the revelation during an interview with Chude Jideonwo on YouTube, where he recounted how his mother raised him alone. Franklin explained that his father was alive but absent, which left his mother to shoulder the responsibility of caring for him. He described her as hardworking and resilient, saying that raising a child as a single parent came with many difficulties. The actor stressed that boys need…
Big Brother Naija Star, Emuobonuvie Akpofure, better known as Neo, has reflected on how meeting ace music executive, Don Jazzy, ten years ago changed his life. Naija News reports that Neo, while recounting his experience in a post via his Instagram page, revealed he was randomly selected as the winner of an MTV Base trivia competition titled “A Day with Don Jazzy.” The reality TV star said he missed the chance to travel to South Africa for an award show due to his university exams, but his meeting with Don Jazzy in Lagos State and the ₦500,000 compensation made a…
The meeting of princes in Ipetumodu, Osun State, turned chaotic after a member of the royal family demanded that the throne of the Apetumodu be declared vacant. Naija News reports that the controversy follows the conviction of the 27th Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, recently sentenced to prison in the United States over COVID-19 loan fraud. The monarch was also ordered to forfeit assets and pay over $4.4 million in restitution. However, during the royal meeting on Tuesday, Prince Olaboye Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House urged the most senior kingmaker, Sunday Adedeji, to formally notify Governor Ademola Adeleke and…
Former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has expressed outrage over the killing of traders, including a pregnant woman, allegedly by members of a state-backed security outfit in Onitsha. Peter Obi, in a statement posted on his official 𝕏 handle on Wednesday morning, described the incident as deeply troubling, warning that some of the very groups created to safeguard communities were now turning into a source of fear for citizens. The former governor said it was worrying that state-backed security outfits, meant to complement law enforcement and provide protection, were…
Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) has announced that he has saved ₦5 billion from the state’s August salary bill. Speaking on Tuesday during the grand finale of the 2025 Civil Service Week Celebration at the Dr. Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt, Ibas explained that the decision to initiate a comprehensive staff verification exercise facilitated the savings. According to him, the verification successfully identified and removed non-existent staff and impostors from the government payroll. The sole administrator declared that the recovered funds would be immediately channelled into critical developmental projects and programmes designed for the direct…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other financial regulators to intensify monitoring of cryptocurrency and digital payment activities, warning that the rapid migration of Nigerians to non-bank platforms poses risks to the economy. According to the President, the pace at which citizens are turning to stablecoins and other digital currencies outside the traditional banking system has become a matter of concern. Speaking through the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, at the 18th Annual Banking and Finance Conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in…
