Author: Mohammad Adamu

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has released an updated guide enabling Nigerians living abroad to renew their passports without visiting a diplomatic mission for biometric capture. In the revised guide published on X on Tuesday, the Service urged diasporans to make use of its Contactless Passport Application System to complete the renewal process remotely. Under the process, applicants are required to visit the official NIS Passport Application portal, select the renewal option, verify their identity with their National Identification Number, complete the form, choose a processing embassy, upload documents, and pay the passport fee to obtain an Application ID and…

Substitute Mikel Merino scored a dramatic injury-time winner as Spain beat Portugal 1-0 on Monday to reach the World Cup quarter-finals and end Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career. The strike came in the first minute of stoppage time at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, where a crowd of 70,649 watched fellow substitute Ferran Torres slip Merino through to settle a tense last-16 tie.The result confirmed a disappointing farewell for the 41-year-old Ronaldo, now playing his club football in Saudi Arabia, who had revealed on the eve of the match that this World Cup would be his last. Spain, unbeaten and yet to…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is investigating about 34 tertiary institutions over allegations that they failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme. NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, saying the agency acted after receiving numerous complaints and petitions from affected students. He said the investigations are being conducted in collaboration with anti-corruption agencies, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), internal auditors and other stakeholders. “I can tell you that there are about 34 institutions that we are looking at…

Erling Haaland scored twice in the closing stages as Norway stunned five-time champions Brazil 2-1 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Brazil controlled long spells of the match and looked the more threatening side in the first half, with Vinícius Júnior, Gabriel Martinelli and Rayan all testing Norway’s defence. The South Americans were handed a golden opportunity in the 14th minute when a VAR review awarded a penalty, but Bruno Guimarães’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland. The two sides went in level at the break, with Martin Ødegaard and Haaland also forcing…

Nigeria Emerges as Africa’s Top Beneficiary, Ranks Among Global Top FiveThe European Union has awarded fully funded Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s scholarships to 89 Nigerians for the 2026 academic year, reinforcing Nigeria’s position as Africa’s leading beneficiary of the prestigious programme. The announcement was made by EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, during the 2026 Erasmus Mundus Pre-Departure Orientation held in Abuja.Ambassador Mignot revealed that 163 Nigerians secured admission into the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s programmes this year, with 89 receiving full scholarships — an improvement from the 81 recipients recorded in 2025. “Nigeria again, like in 2024,…

Rights group asks Akpabio and Abbas to explain funding for non-existent body, seeks full investigation and documents The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to account for the ₦1.3 billion allocated in the 2026 Appropriation Act to a presidential council the Presidency itself has described as non-existent. In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated July 4, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP demanded certified copies of all documents relating to the approval of the ₦1,302,978,784 allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise by two weeks, moving the deadline from July 10 to Friday, July 24, 2026. National Commissioner and Chair of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced the extension in a statement issued Friday, citing feedback from State Offices, political parties, civil society groups, and other stakeholders. The CVR exercise, which began on August 18, 2025, aims to give more eligible Nigerians the chance to register ahead of future elections. Alongside the extension, INEC announced a new online self-service registration option for first-time voters.…

Morocco and Egypt are the last two African representatives standing at the 2026 World Cup, both securing places in the Round of 16 after a dramatic set of knockout fixtures across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The two nations were part of a record nine African teams to reach the knockout stage, with only Tunisia missing out among the continent’s ten entrants at the expanded 48-team tournament. Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Cape Verde, Algeria, and Ghana were all eliminated in the Round of 32. Morocco advanced past the Netherlands on penalties, building on their run to the semi-finals…

Egypt’s Pharaohs survived a rollercoaster night at the World Cup, edging out a gutsy Australia side 4-2 on penalties to march into the last 16. Emam Ashour had the North Africans dreaming early with a slick opener, only for the Socceroos to claw level thanks to a cruel Mohamed Hany own goal. With the scores locked at 1-1 after extra time, it all came down to spot-kicks — and it was Hossam Abdelmaguid who kept his cool to fire home the winner and send Egyptian fans into wild celebration.

Argentina needed extra time to see off a resilient Cape Verde side, winning 3-2 in a round-of-32 thriller at the Miami stadium to book their place in the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.The defending champions twice had to come from behind before finally putting the tie to bed deep into added time. Lionel Messi broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, controlling a deep ball from Lisandro Martinez and finishing calmly past goalkeeper Vozinha — his eighth goal in as many appearances. He nearly doubled Argentina’s lead before the break but was denied by a sharp save.…