Author: admin

By Orapine Augustine Aondofa The priests of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City have concluded their annual retreat with renewed strength and spiritual refreshment for the mission ahead. The retreat, which held from August 24 to 29, 2025 at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre, Airport Road, Benin City, was facilitated by His Lordship, Most Rev. Anthony Ovayero Ewherido, Bishop of Warri Diocese. In his reflections, Bishop Ewherido explained that a retreat is not merely a withdrawal from pastoral duties, but a divine invitation to enter into deeper communion with God. “It is a journey of renewal, akin…

The invitation of Nigerian-born defender Ime Okon to Bafana Bafana has sparked mixed reactions among South African football fans. Okon, 20, was born in South Africa to a Nigerian father and South African mother but was raised solely by his mother after losing his father as a baby. The young defender, who currently plays in Germany with Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga 2, earned recognition after breaking out with SuperSport United in 2023. While many in South Africa’s football community have welcomed his inclusion, others remain critical. Nigerian fans, boasting of a wealth of football talent, have also waded into…

Novak Djokovic has admitted he is worried about his physical conditioning as he chases a record 25th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. The 38-year-old Serbian star overcame American teenager Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in two hours and 25 minutes on Sunday but required a medical timeout to treat a blister on his right foot between the second and third sets. “I started great — just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good,” Djokovic said after the match. “Then some long games to start the second set… I really was surprised how bad…

Archbishop Ugorji’s Prophetic Address from Ikot Ekpene: A Call that Nigeria Cannot Ignore By: Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos | September 15, 2025 At the ongoing second plenary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, at Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, the nation witnessed an intervention that has already begun to reverberate far beyond the ecclesiastical setting in which it was delivered. Few days ago, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the CBCN and Archbishop of Owerri, stood before the assembly of bishops and lay faithful and gave a speech that was both a lamentation of Nigeria’s wounds and a…

EPL: United Still Winless After Fulham Draw Manchester United’s search for a first Premier League victory of the season continued on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham at Craven Cottage. Ruben Amorim’s side missed a golden chance to take control when captain Bruno Fernandes blasted a first-half penalty over the bar after a VAR review penalized Calvin Bassey for grappling Mason Mount. United eventually went ahead on the hour mark when Rodrigo Muniz turned Leny Yoro’s header into his own net. But the hosts hit back 17 minutes from time as substitute Emile Smith Rowe…

After the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo turns his thoughts to Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province and to Ukraine, urging prayer and closeness for peoples wounded by violence and war. At the conclusion of the recitation of the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV once again drew the world’s attention to regions suffering from violence, calling for prayer and concrete solidarity. The Pope first expressed his concern for the people of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique, who have endured years of insecurity caused by extremist violence. Since 2017, attacks in the northern province have killed thousands and forced more than…

 By Augustine Oraoine The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirms a famine in Gaza City for the first time, raising its alert to Phase 5 — the highest level on its acute food insecurity scale. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has confirmed a famine in Gaza City for the first time, raising its alert to Phase 5 — the highest level on its acute food insecurity scale. More than 500,000 people are facing catastrophic conditions, according to the IPC report released Thursday. An additional 1.07 million residents, or 54% of Gaza’s population, are experiencing emergency-level food insecurity, classified as…

On Ukraine’s national feast, Pope Leo XIV send a message to the president of the war-torn nation, assuring his prayers for the country and its people. Marking Ukraine’s national feast on the 24th of August, Pope Leo XIV has sent a heartfelt message to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressing his spiritual closeness to a nation scarred by the ongoing violence of war. “With a heart wounded by the violence that ravages your land, I address you on this day of your national feast,” the Pope wrote. The Holy Father particularly remembered the wounded, families bereaved by the loss…

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has distanced himself from an alleged plot to remove the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Hyacinth Dajoh. His denial comes after four lawmakers — Alfred Berger (Makurdi North), Cyril Ekong (Oju 2), Abu Umoru (Apa), and Shimawua Terna (Kyan) — were suspended for three months during Friday’s plenary for allegedly spearheading moves to impeach the Speaker. The suspension followed a motion by the Majority Leader, Saater Tiseer, who told the House that the lawmakers had secretly mobilised colleagues to unseat the Speaker despite a recent vote of confidence passed on both…

FG empowers Colleges of Education to run NCE, degree programmes The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening teacher education by granting Colleges of Education across the country the authority to run both Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, disclosed this at the National Summit held in Abuja. He described the policy shift as “a historic milestone in Nigeria’s educational development.” “For the first time in our history, our Colleges of Education have been legally empowered to run NCE…