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The National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL), Archdiocese of Ibadan, would host the Jubilee of Hope: Day of Justice events, on Saturday, October 4, 2025.

The event will hold at the Catholic Church of the Ascension, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The event will begin with the Holy Mass at 10am, which would have His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin, Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan as the Chief Celebrant.

President of NACL, Archdiocese of Ibadan, Michael Agbolade and the Chairman, Planning Committee, Williams Tijani, said this year’s edition would be unique in a number of ways. ‘Firstly, it is organised to mark ‘The Jubilee of Hope: Day of Justice’, as declared by His Holiness, Pope Francis.

‘Secondly, it would feature the launch of a booklet titled, ‘Legal Guide for Catholic Faithful’, a practical resource package, compiling insights from the association’s legal clinics on key areas of law that touch on people’s lives in a way that aligns with both civil law and Catholic values.’

They said that the event would serve as an opportunity to reflect on justice as a source of hope in today’s world, and mark the commencement of the new legal year.

The statement said new wigs would be welcomed into the profession, while the St. Thomas More Award would be conferred on some NACL members to recognise their outstanding contributions to justice.

Distinguished guests expected include Catholic Bishops from the Ecclesiastical Province of Ibadan; Chairman of the Day, Hon. Justice Peter Ige (rtd), Patron of NACL Ibadan and Chairman, Board of Trustees, National Association of Catholic Lawyers of Nigeria; and the Chief Host of the Day, His Grace, Archbishop Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin.

The keynote address is to be delivered by a Professor of Law at the School of Law and Security Studies, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Prof. Titilayo Aderibigbe and is titled, ‘Is There Hope for Justice in the Present Nigeria?’; and panel discussion including the Pastoral Secretary, Archdiocese of Ibadan; Very Rev. Fr. Richard Omolade; and a former Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Chief Ayodele Adigun.

The lawyers have expressed appreciation to Archbishop Abegunrin for his unwavering support and fatherly care for the association and the legal profession.

‘With your continued prayers and guidance, we are confident that the Jubilee of Hope: Day of Justice will be a meaningful and impactful occasion, advancing the mission of justice and peace in our Archdiocese and beyond’, the statement added. The Ibadan Branch of NACL is dedicated to promoting justice and upholding the rule of law by bringing together Catholic lawyers from across Nigeria to work towards a just and equitable society.’, the statement said.

Nigeria’s sole representative at the IWF World Weightlifting Championship in Forde, Norway African Games and Commonwealth Games multiple gold medalists, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal will depart the country for the Scandinavian land today.

The competition will start from Thursday this week to 11th October with Lawal aiming to boost her chances of qualifying for the next year’s Commonwealth Games.

The Nigerian is expected to compete in the Women’s 58kg on October 4th and her decision to leave about five days to her event is to enable her to train in Norway and also to get acclimatized to the weather.

The Oyo-born weightlifter represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics where she placed fifth in the Women’s 59kg with a total lift of 230kg.

Lawal has been training very hard in anticipation of the competition and she told NWF Media that she’s doing all within her powers to finish on the podium and boost her chances of qualifying for the Commonwealth Games next year.

She said she’s thrilled with the spotlight on her and that she’s convinced she would give a good account of herself in Norway notwithstanding the weather and other factors.

Rotary International District 9111 has inaugurated Learning Committee Facilitators for 2026- 2027.

District Governor-elect, Bukola Bakare, said their journey for the year had started.

She urged them to live to their responsibilities and formulate the learning needs of the district and fashion out ways of maximising learning experiences of members.

The facilitators, among others, are Past District Governor, Bola Oyebade; Adviser, Past District Governor, Kennedy Ejakpomehwe; Executive District Secretary 2026-2027, Assistant Governor, Felix Nwagu; and Deputy District Learning Facilitator (DDLF) 1, and Past Assistant Governor Antonia Omotayo Taiwo.

Gernot Rohr, coach of the Cheetahs of Benin, and George Aluo, a prominent member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), have expressed their appreciation for FIFA’s recent ruling to deduct three points from South Africa. This decision has effectively intensified the competition for automatic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the race in Group C heats up.

FIFA cited a violation of regulations concerning player eligibility as the reason for the sanction, which stemmed from South Africa’s usage of Teboho Mokoena in a preliminary match against Lesotho on March 21, 2025. The original result, a 2-0 win for South Africa, was overturned and awarded as a 3-0 victory for Lesotho, resulting in South Africa not only losing three crucial points but also facing a fine of CHF 10,000, with Mokoena receiving a warning from FIFA.

‘Finally, FIFA has taken the decision we have been waiting for a long time. It’s a logical outcome that comes just before our last games, ‘ Rohr told NationSports moments after FIFA’s decision was made public.

With the points deduction, the former Super Eagles trainer noted that his team is now in a stronger position within the group but acknowledged the tough matches that lie ahead-one against Rwanda in Kigali and another against Nigeria in Uyo.

‘If I have a good calculator, we are mow the leader in Group C but with two difficult games to finish the qualifying competition . We have to go to Rwanda (Kigali) and Nigeria(Uyo).,’ the vastly travelled Rohr sais.

Aluo who doubles as the Chairman of the Nigeria national League (NNL), echoed Rohr’s sentiments, noting that the sanction opens up the competition for all teams in Group C. He views the three points taken from South Africa as a boost for Nigeria to push towards qualification.

‘The decision has made the group wide open,’ Aluo remarked, highlighting Rwanda’s potential as a dark horse in this race.

He went on to emphasize the importance of the upcoming match between Rwanda and Benin, suggesting that the outcomes of those games could dramatically alter the standings.

‘If Rwanda wins that match and we triumph over Lesotho, the dynamics of the competition will change completely. All four countries-Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, and Rwanda-are very much in the hunt for qualification, and I expect Rwanda to be competitive against South Africa if they manage to defeat Benin at home.’

Yet Rohr maintained that it would be foolhardy for anyone to doubt his history-seeking Cheetahs, adding they are at the ready for the upcoming deciding matches in October.

‘I know we still have a chance even against Rwanda and Nigeria,’ maintained the former Bayern Munich defender. ‘ I think the first three teams can finish as the first team in the group especially if South Africa did not win any of their next games with high score.’

He added: ‘The next game (away to Rwanda) will be very important for us. Even now, Nigeria has a chance because Zimbabwe can even shock South Africa . It is very interesting , very interesting. ‘

Indeed, as the qualifying campaign approaches its climax, the focus remains on the outcomes of each match, with tension and excitement building among fans and teams alike in anticipation of who will eventually secure the Group C automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

GROUP C: REMAINING MATCHES:

OCTOBER 12

Lesotho vs. Nigeria

Rwanda vs. Benin

Zimbabwe vs. South Africa

OCTOBER 14

Nigeria vs. Benin

South Africa vs. Rwanda

Singer Seyi Shay has revealed why the presence of a father in a girl child’s life is immeasurable.

In an interview on Honest Bunch podcast, Seyi said having a father figure can significantly contribute to a child’s stability and access to better opportunities.

She argued that father figures provide guidance, moral values, and set standards for relationships and friendships, which can positively impact a child’s development and future.

Seyi Shay expressed concerns about the narrative that men are not important in the home, calling it an agenda that creates disparity and division within families.

She opined that this can lead to more broken individuals and emphasises the value of having a father figure in a child’s life.

She said: ‘Most women that have a father figure are generally more stable growing up. They have a lot more access to a lot more things like good education, good moral values and there’s a bar when they want to get married or when they choose male friends and stuff like that.

‘All this agenda pushing of men are not important. You can do this. I think it’s bullshit because that’s just an agenda placed for there to be more disparity and more division in a home so that we can churn out more broken souls or more lost females and males’.

The mother of one credits her life experiences and the timing of her motherhood for allowing her to be a better parent to her daughter.

According to her, she sees herself as her daughter’s ‘cheat code,’ able to provide guidance and share her experiences to help her daughter avoid some of the challenges she faced.

‘Look at me. I’m just so very lucky that I didn’t have a child when I was like 20 or 23 because my daughter would probably grow up to be a mess. Like, having her at this age means that I’m her cheat code.

‘It means that I’m able to, like, put her on to certain things and she can avoid certain routes that I took. Because I’ve done them. I’ve been through them. I can tell her all about guys, all about certain friends and how and why and be real and honest with her, and hopefully she will be 10 million times better than me without having to also go through the tribulations and trials that I’ve been through.

‘And there are a lot of women like that, you know, today. And there are young mothers as well that are entrepreneurs,,’ she added.

ARISE New Channels was thrown into mourning yesterday when a female member of staff, Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, died during an armed robbery.

The incident occurred at her residence in Katampe District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja yesterday.

According to a statement signed by Hadiza Usman-Ajayi on behalf of the management of ARISE News Channel yesterday evening.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the management said has, however, launched an investigation into the incident.

Beyond the airwaves, ARISE News Channel described the 29-year-old journalist referred to as Sommie as ‘a lawyer who was a professional and supportive colleague and a friend to many.’

‘It is with heavy hearts that the management and staff of the ARISE News Channel announce the passing of our beloved colleague, News Anchor, Reporter and Producer, Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu. Sommie tragically passed away in the early hours of Monday, September 29, 2025 following an armed robbery incident in her residence in Katampe area of Abuja that is being investigated by the Nigeria Police.

‘Sommie, 29, was not only a cherished member of the ARISE News family but also a vibrant voice that engaged and connected with our viewers.

‘We extend our deepest condolences to Sommie’s parents, siblings, extended family, friends, and loved ones at this difficult time. Sommie’s voice is now silent but her spirit, passion and legacy will endure as part of our collective memory.’

We remain in shock and call for a speedy investigation, apprehension and prosecution of the culprits,’ Usman-Ajayi stated.

Also confirming the incident, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, who spoke with our correspondent said the police have started investigating the matter, adding though no arrest has been made.

Adeh said: ‘yes, we (the police) are aware of the incident and we are investigating it. Nobody has been arrested but all I can say is that we have commenced investigation’.

MTN Group has taken up a call to action from Nigeria to support the collection of datasets of African languages. These are required to develop the continent’s own large language models (LLM) to power AI-driven solutions for Africa’s 1.5 billion people, who otherwise risk being sidelined by the global AI ecosystem.

Speaking on ‘The Y’ello Chair Vodcast: Your link to the African continent’, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Dr Bosun Tijani said to leapfrog AI in Africa, a collaborative public/private effort was urgently needed to fund the academic research into the continent’s many languages. He challenged MTN Group – which has operations in 16 markets, 15 of them in Africa – to mobilise resources for this.

‘We like these kinds of partnerships. Challenge accepted,’ said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita in the vodcast, which was filmed on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. It was hosted by Angela Wamola, who is the head of sub-Saharan Africa for the GSMA mobile industry association.

The vodcast followed the launch of the Nigerian Atlas for Languages and AI at Scale (N-ATLAS). This is an open-source multilingual LLM designed to understand and generate Nigeria’s diverse voices, digitising and preserving the country’s linguistic richness and creating datasets for AI solutions.

More than 500 languages are spoken in Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country.

N-ATLAS is a public/private initiative of the government of Nigeria and Awarri Technologies.

The ATLAS framework is open and available to other African countries, providing a platform for innovation in local languages and in so doing, transform education, health, commerce and governance.

‘We have to avoid the risk of Africans being a digital underclass,’ Mupita said of the work to ensure that citizens didn’t feel excluded on the continent where there are more than 2 000 languages and most are poorly represented in the global AI ecosystem.

He said the digital economy was the ‘best bet’ to ensure that citizens have dignity, hope and opportunity.

‘The outcomes we want are that people are digitally included, economically included and that they have dignity. This dignity point for me is very important because poverty can include all sorts of indignity, but embracing technology should take all that away,’ he said.

The Y’ello Chair Vodcast is a platform where leaders and changemakers share insights, challenge norms, and drive Africa’s digital future. For episode 2, see here [insert link once vodcast is uploaded].

Coach Finidi George has acknowledged that Rivers United must perform better than they did against Aigles du Congo of DR Congo if they are to progress to the group stage of the CAF Champions League.

Rivers United advanced to the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League after securing a narrow 1-0 aggregate victory over Aigles du Congo in Port Harcourt on Sunday and will face Black Bulls of Mozambique next month.

Finidi expressed satisfaction with the hard-fought win, noting that his side dug deep to progress despite missed opportunities.

‘We are quite happy with the victory. It was not an easy one but any day, anytime, I will take the 1-0 win because we are now through to the next round,’ Finidi said after the game. ‘In the first half, we had a chance that should have been converted to calm the nerves, but it didn’t happen. We saw lapses and mistakes because the players were a little nervous. We spoke at halftime and the response was better, though we still couldn’t take our chances. Towards the end, our opponents tried to shock us, but we managed the game well.

‘It was not our usual style because we have a lot of new players. They will improve with time. I am happy we qualified, and the players know they must give everything to overcome our next opponents.’

Also Speaking on the game, team captain Temple Emekayi also reflected on the tactical approach of the Congolese side, noting that Rivers United had to adapt as the game progressed.

‘The opponents came with a clear game plan. They wanted to sit back and catch us on the counter. They kept to this until the goal came. In the second half, they threw everything forward knowing it was their last chance. With the pressure, we had to drop deep and defend our lead,’ Emekayi explained.

With the win, Rivers United will now shift focus to their second-round clash against Black Bulls of Mozambique, a fixture Finidi insists will require total commitment from his squad as they continue their quest for a group stage spot.

The Director of Alliance Française in Ibadan, Oyo State, Mrs Olaide Turner-Moyet, has called for more friendly immigration policies across Africa, to strengthen international trade, foster cultural and linguistic exchange, and advance continental prosperity.

She urged Africans to learn foreign languages, multilingual skills, particularly in international business, diplomacy, tourism and academia; build global friendships and professional relationships that would remain out of reach.

Speaking at the 2025 Ghana FESTAC Festival held at the International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana, Turner-Moyet said Africa remained blessed with creativity, resources and human potential, adding that friendlier policies, particularly on immigration, would enhance inter-country collaboration, productivity and cultural exchange.

The award-winning artist and Fellow of the Eccolerite Institute for Peace Advancement, expressed delight about the growing ‘Back to Africa’ movement, describing it as a modern ‘Japada’ trend that was bringing Afro-descendants in the diaspora home to reconnect with their roots, especially in Ghana and Republic of Benin.

She noted that ”this reconnection strengthens cultural bonds, deeps spiritual significance and affirms Africa’s relevance worldwide.”

Reflecting on African identity, Turner-Moyet said Africans were deeply spiritual at their core, noting that reparations and restitutions should go beyond the return of artefacts to include acknowledgment of Africa’s spiritual heritage as part of its global contribution, as Africans continued to honour their ancestors through libations and ceremonies.

In her advocacy for cultural diplomacy through food, she introduced her idea to transform ‘Jollof Wars’ into ‘Jollof Friendship’ at the Jollof competition between Ghana and Nigeria during the FESTAC Festival.

Turner-Moyet said food must be a unifying force, binding friendship, fun and flavour across Africa.

Citing the legacy of leaders like Leopold Senghor, Kwame Nkrumah, Obafemi Awolowo and Nelson Mandela, she told Africans that unity in diversity should inspire common trade, cultural integration and stronger bilateral ties.

Other distinguished voices, including Zimbabwean Ambassador Ruth Hungwe, Nigerian Professor of Literature and History Benjamin Okaba and Tourism Expert, Yinka Abioye, emphasised the importance of policies such as a continental currency and streamlined immigration protocols, to support deeper African integration.

Kwara United’s Head coach Tunde Sanni has lamented his side’s ouster from the 2025 CAF Confederation Cup following their 1-0 loss to Asante Koto of Ghana on Sunday at the MKO Abiola Stadium Arena in Abeokuta.

Kwara United entered the return leg optimistic of overturning their 4-3 first leg defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium penultimate weekend but failed to capitalise on several scoring chances in front of their home fans.

Sunday’s loss , therefore, sent out the Afonja Warriors on a 5-3 aggregate.

Speaking after the loss to the Porcupine Warriors, Sanni showed his displeasure and disappointment over his player’s lackadaisical approach as they lost several scoring opportunities.

‘I’m highly disappointed,’ Sanni said in an interview aired on Brila Fm. ‘Look at the number of chances we created, we scored three goals in Accra but we were unable to convert our chances here at home (Abeokuta).’

Incidentally, the loss to Asante Kotoko means that Kwara United cannot aim to their best showing in previous CAF Confederation Cup appearance having crashed out of the same competition in the Group Stage in 2007.In their last appearance in the same competition in the 2022/23 season , they were eliminated in the Second Round .

‘At times like this, I don’t know if the players were carried away,’ Sanni further lamented.

‘ We tried to score at all costs but were unable and look at the goal we conceded, it’s so painful.’

Aside Kwara United, Nigeria’s other representative in the CAF Confederation Cup, Abia Warriors also crashed out of the competition on Sunday following their 2-1 aggregate loss to the Djoliba Athletic Club of Bamako, Mali.