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UCL: Vinicius overtakes Kaka in Real Madrid’s win over Benfica

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Vinicius Junior on Tuesday surpassed Kaka’s UEFA Champions League goal tally after netting the winner in Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Benfica.

The Brazilian winger scored the decisive goal in the second half of the Round of 16 playoff first-leg encounter in Portugal, handing Madrid a slim advantage ahead of next week’s return leg in Spain.

 

The victory came against a Benfica side managed by Jose Mourinho.

 

According to OptaJose, the strike took Vinicius’ Champions League career tally to 31 goals, moving him ahead of Kaka, who scored 30 goals during his time in the competition.

 

With the milestone, Vinicius now ranks as the second-highest Brazilian goalscorer in Champions League history. He trails former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, who tops the list with 43 goals.

Top three Brazilian scorers in Champions League history:

Neymar—43 goals

Vinicius – 31 goals

Kaka—30 goals

Burna Boy, Tems set new record as Africans with most Billboard Hot 100 entries

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Nigerian music stars Burna Boy and Tems have emerged as the African artists with the highest number of entries on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100 chart.

The pair surpassed South African rock band Seether after previously being tied at seven entries each. Their latest milestone comes following new appearances on the chart through features on J. Cole’s album, The Fall-Off.

‘Bounce Road Blues,’ featuring Tems and Future, debuted at No. 34, while ‘Only You,’ featuring Burna Boy, entered at No. 78. The new entries bring both Nigerian stars to a joint total of eight Billboard Hot 100 appearances—the highest ever recorded by African artists.

Burna Boy, made history as the first African artist to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive years. His charting songs over the years include “Loved By You” (2021), “Last Last” (2022), “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” and “Talibans II” (2023), “Just Like Me” and “We Pray” (2024), “WGFT” (2025), and now “Only You” (2026).

on her part, Tems has now secured three Billboard Hot 100 entries in 2026 alone, thanks to ‘Raindance’ with Dave, ‘What You Need,’ and the newly charting ‘Bounce Road Blues.’ She currently holds the record for the most Hot 100 entries by any African artist this year.

Naira climbs to nearly two-year high against the dollar at official, parallel markets

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The Nigerian naira appreciated to its strongest level in almost two years against the United States dollar across both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets on Tuesday.

Data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria showed that the local currency strengthened further to N1,335.96 per dollar on Tuesday, compared to N1,347.78 recorded on Monday. The figure marks the naira’s highest level since October 2024.

 

This represents a day-on-day gain of N11.82 at the official foreign exchange market.

 

At the parallel market, commonly referred to as the black market, the Naira also recorded significant appreciation, gaining N10 to close at N1,490 per dollar on Tuesday, up from N1,500 traded the previous day.

 

The appreciation comes amid a steady increase in Nigeria’s foreign reserves, which rose to $48.37 billion as of February 16, 2026, according to data from the apex bank.

Recall that Nigerian Newsphere had earlier reported that the Naira rebounded strongly against the Dollar at the start of the week.

2027: Names of 15 Nigerian Senators who reject manual, e-transmission of election results 

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The identities of the 15 senators who voted for compulsory real-time electronic transmission of election results during deliberations on the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, have emerged.

The lawmakers rejected the retention of a contentious provision that permits manual collation of results as a fallback option.

However, the majority of senators, amounting to 75, supported the bill, and therefore it was passed on Tuesday.

It would be recalled that the Senate, during plenary on Tuesday, approved electronic transmission of election results but retained manual collation as a backup measure.

The decision followed a heated session in the red chamber of the National Assembly, culminating in a dramatic division.

During the vote, majority senators supported the clause allowing manual backup, while 15 lawmakers stood firmly against it, insisting that electronic transmission should be mandatory and exclusive.

Leading the dissenting group was Senators:

Enyinnaya Abaribe who is minority  caucus  leader,

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central)

Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central)

Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South)

Ireti Kingibe (ADC, FCT)

Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West)

Onawo Ogwoshi (ADC, Nasarawa South)

Tony Nwoye (ADC, Anambra North)

Victor Umeh (ADC, Anambra Central)

Ibrahim Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe Central)

Austin Akobundu (PDP, Abia Central)

Khalid Mustapha (PDP, Kaduna North)

Sikayo Yaro (PDP, Gombe South)

Emmanuel Nwachukwu (APGA, Anambra South)

 

 

 

Peter Jiya (PDP, Niger South).

NIN: NIMC goes paperless, launches WorkflowPro for digital correspondence

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The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has deployed WorkflowPro as its official platform for the digital submission and management of correspondence.

In furtherance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Government’s commitment to institutionalizing a paperless public service, the

 

In a statement by the Commission’s spokesperson, Dr. Kayode Adegoke, the adoption of WorkflowPro marks NIMC’s formal transition to a paperless operating environment and reflects the Commission’s resolve to strengthen governance, improve administrative efficiency, and standardize records management in line with approved public sector reforms.

 

“The platform provides a secure, structured, and traceable system for managing both internal and external communications, thereby enhancing accountability and operational transparency.

 

“Under the new framework, all external correspondence to NIMC will be processed electronically through WorkflowPro. The system enables end-to-end tracking of submissions, accelerates internal routing and response timelines, and ensures secure electronic archiving of official records.

 

“This approach eliminates the risks associated with manual handling of documents while reinforcing compliance with established information management standards.

 

“The implementation of WorkflowPro is consistent with the Federal Government’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) policy, which mandates the digitization of official records and the elimination of physical file movements across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

 

“Accordingly, all external correspondence addressed to the National Identity Management Commission must be submitted via the NIMC WorkflowPro platform, accessible through the official portal link or by scanning the designated QR code: Portal Link: https://workflowpro-nimc.com/Submit.

 

“To support effective implementation, NIMC has approved a 30-day transition period from the date of this announcement, during which stakeholders are expected to acquaint themselves with the new process. Upon the expiration of this period, the Commission will discontinue the acceptance of manually submitted letters and paper-based correspondence.

 

“WorkflowPro was developed by NIMC’s in-house technical team under the directive of the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. (Dr.) Abisoye Coker-Odusote.

 

“The platform forms part of a broader institutional reform agenda aimed at strengthening the security of official communications, reducing administrative delays, and entrenching digital governance within the public service.

 

“The National Identity Management Commission enjoins all stakeholders to take note of this policy directive and ensure full compliance,” NIMC stated.

Rapists should be castrated, burnt alive—Nigerian singer Simi sparks debate

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Nigerian Afrobeats star Simi has stirred intense reactions on social media after calling for severe punishment for rapists amid rising concerns over sexual assault cases in the country.

Her comments come as Nigeria grapples with a wave of reported rape and sexual assault allegations across various states in recent weeks.

 

In a strongly worded post shared on X on Tuesday night, the singer, whose real name is Simisola Kosoko, expressed frustration over the prevalence of sexual violence and urged authorities and citizens to take decisive action.

 

“I’m sickkk of this. Stop raping women. They need to castrate rapists and burn them,” she wrote.

 

The post quickly generated widespread debate online. While some users supported her outrage and demand for stricter consequences for sexual offenders, others argued that similar penalties should also apply to individuals who make false rape accusations.

 

Responding to critics, Simi maintained that her advocacy was focused on supporting victims of sexual assault, not those falsely accused. She stressed that sexual violence remains a pervasive issue affecting many women.

 

The singer noted that nearly every woman she knows has experienced some form of sexual assault, insisting that conversations about the problem should not be silenced because of concerns over false allegations.

 

“How many of your friends have actually assaulted women as vibes?? Women are terrified to go out. Women in their homes are not safe either. Ask your sisters. Ask your female friends and your girlfriends. Ask your wives. We’re not all crazy. Stop raping women,” she added.

 

Simi also called on men to hold one another accountable, arguing that failure to confront inappropriate behavior among peers contributes to an environment that enables sexual violence.

 

Her remarks continue to generate mixed reactions across social media platforms, highlighting the broader national conversation on how best to address sexual assault and ensure justice for victims.

‘Bring Him Out’—Igwe Agubuzo begs Tinubu to grant Nnamdi Kanu ‘Igboho Treatment’

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The Igwe of Ezema Olo in Ezeagu LGA of Enugu State, His Royal Highness, Ambassador Dr. Lawrence Agubuzo, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and repatriate him to Kenya or the United Kingdom if his continued stay in Nigeria is considered uncomfortable.

 

Kanu was arrested in Kenya during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and returned to Nigeria to face terrorism-related charges. The IPOB leader was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court and is currently held at a maximum security facility in Sokoto.

 

Several prominent Igbo leaders had previously appealed to the late former President Buhari and have continued to urge President Tinubu to consider releasing the pro-Biafra agitator, but those calls have yet to yield results.

 

Speaking at the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Agubuzo warned that Kanu’s continued detention was fueling anger and restiveness among youths in the Southeast.

 

“Having come now to Abuja and listened to His Royal Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, who was encouraging all of us to work as a family, to work as a team, to see Nigeria as one, I said, ‘Maybe this is good.’ But when you look at it, this same Ooni of Ife is planning to confer a very high honor on Sunday Igboho, who, in my own part of the country, we see as the Southwest counterpart of Nnamdi Kanu, and the Imperial Highness does not seem to understand the pain in my heart when Nnamdi Kanu is in Sokoto. So, sir, the ball is in your court.

 

“Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, send him back to Kenya or London, where he came from. Please do something about this,” Agubuzo told the President.

 

He added, “We can’t move forward in this country unless we face the truth.”

 

The monarch further stated, “I must tell you, Mr. President, that I don’t feel very happy because you weren’t here in the morning when the Ooni of Ife gave the opening speech and was encouraging everyone to work together as one.”

 

The summit, themed “The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Advancing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” was convened to strengthen community participation in health sector reforms. However, proceedings took an unexpected turn during the goodwill messages when the Enugu monarch directly raised concerns over Kanu’s continued incarceration.

UCL: He called Vinicius ‘Monkey’ five times—Mbappe on Benfica’s Prestianni

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Kylian Mbappe has claimed he clearly heard alleged racist remarks directed at his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior by Gianluca Prestianni during their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off clash.

The encounter was temporarily halted for 10 minutes after Vinicius initially refused to continue playing, following an altercation with the Benfica player.

The incident occurred shortly after Vinicius scored the only goal of the match with a superb finish. Moments later, he clashed with Prestianni, who appeared to pull his shirt over his mouth before speaking to the Madrid forward.

Referee Francois Letexier subsequently stopped the game for 10 minutes amid the controversy.

Speaking after the match, Mbappe did not mince words about what he allegedly heard.

“The number 25 from Benfica—I don’t want to say his name, because he doesn’t deserve it,” Mbappe told reporters.

“He pulled up his shirt [to cover his mouth] and said ‘Vinícius is a monkey’ five times.

“I heard it; there are players from Benfica that heard it too.”

Nigerian Govt to investigate acquisition of IHS by MTN—Minister, Tijani 

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The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, has said the federal government will conduct a comprehensive review of the acquisition of IHS Towers by MTN Group to ensure the move aligns with Nigeria’s broader telecommunications and digital economy objectives.

 

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dr. Tijani said the ministry is closely monitoring recent developments in the telecommunications sector, particularly the acquisition of IHS Towers by MTN Group.

 

 

 

Nigerian Newssphere reports that MTN Group recently acquired IHS.

 

Reacting, the minister noted that under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the administration has, over the past two years, implemented deliberate measures to stabilize and strengthen the telecommunications sector as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s digital economy.

 

He said the government’s interventions have focused on providing policy clarity, regulatory support, and sustained engagement with industry stakeholders to enhance long-term sustainability, boost investor confidence, and improve overall sector performance.

 

According to Tijani, recent financial results released by major telecom operators point to improved profitability, increased infrastructure investment, and greater operational stability across the industry.

 

“This progress reflects the resilience of the industry and the impact of reforms aimed at ensuring its viability and capacity to continue delivering meaningful connectivity to Nigerians,” he stated.

 

Highlighting the strategic importance of telecommunications infrastructure to national security, economic growth, financial services, innovation, and social inclusion, the minister said the ministry would undertake a thorough assessment of the acquisition in collaboration with relevant regulatory authorities.

 

He explained that the review would ensure that strategic actions by private sector operators are consistent with the market development agenda under the President’s Renewed Hope policy direction.

 

“Our objective is clear: to ensure that any market consolidation or structural changes protect consumers, safeguard investments, and preserve the long-term sustainability of the sector,” Tijani said.

 

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining a stable, transparent, and forward-looking policy environment to keep Nigeria’s telecommunications industry on a strong and sustainable path, in line with its broader vision of building a robust digital economy.

 

The statement was signed by Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

 

 

 

 

UCL: Osimhen’s Galatasaray thrashes Juventus 5-2

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Nigeria’s forward Victor Osimhen was on target as Galatasaray S.K. cruised to a commanding 5-2 victory over Juventus F.C. in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League playoff fixture.

The Turkish hosts delivered a dominant performance, with goals from G. Sara, N. Lang, D. Sanchez, and S. Boey sealing an emphatic win. A brace from T. Koopmeiners proved insufficient to rescue the Italian side from defeat.

 

Nigerian Newssphere reports that Juventus’ struggles were compounded in the second half after J. Cabal was shown a red card, a setback that significantly affected the team’s performance.

 

Meanwhile, other playoff fixtures scheduled for 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday include Real Madrid CF vs. S.L. Benfica, AS Monaco FC vs. Paris Saint-Germain F.C., and Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta

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