Agbani Darego  one the five African  queens.  Among the 71 editions of Miss World, Africa has produced five remarkable titleholders who have left an indelible mark on the international stage. These queens, hailing from various African nations, including Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria, have showcased elegance and grace and served as symbols of empowerment and inspiration. Venezuela and India have each held the title six times, while Jamaica and the UK have held it four times respectively. Here are the 5 African Queens who have held the Miss World title Antigone Costanda – Egypt 1954 Antigone Costanda, born November 13, 1932, in Alexandria, Egypt, gained international fame as the first Miss Egypt to win the Miss World title in 1954. Fluent in Arabic, Greek, English, Italian, and French, her linguistic skills were as impressive as her beauty. Penelope Coelen – South Africa 1958 Penelope Anne Coelen, born April 15, 1940, in Durban, South ...

Nigerians are now required to pay N16,000 to correct their date of birth on the National Identity Management Commission ( NIMC ) mobile application. Naija News  reports that the NIMC recently unveiled the charges that Nigerians must pay in order to update the information on their National Identification Number ( NIN ). In a post via its official X handle over the weekend, NIMC revealed that a newly introduced mobile app allows users to change inaccurately registered names, dates of birth, and phone numbers. The app and online platform enable users to sign up for the service. Following this, users are required to input their NIN, last name, and email address before accessing the data modification feature. Initially, NIMC did not specify a fee for data modifications, but seven days later, in response to user complaints about technical issues with the mobile app, the commission announced varying fees for different self-service options to modify data such as name, age, date...

Kate henshaw.  Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw has reacted to reports that she received a bribe from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to delete all her social media posts against President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu. An X user @Caulcrick has weeks ago alleged that the APC bought the actress’s loyalty and consequently, she deleted all her vitreous posts against Tinubu and Sanwo-olu. Reacting on Sunday morning, Henshaw shared a screenshot of the report as she cursed both the X user and the blogger She explained that she has been silent on the accusations for personal reasons, daring the accuser to come up with evidence. She wrote, “My silence for the past few weeks was for a personal reason. “I’ve never been known to not speak my mind. Both the handles and the blogger, you will not end well!! You will meet such an unlucky fate in this life that you will wonder why you existed. You have the visibility you so h...

Earlier this week,  Dani Alves  was released from prison for the first time in over 14 months. The former Barcelona and Sevilla defender had been behind bars since he was charged with sexual assault – which he was later convicted of, but has since appealed – in January 2023, but after his bail was paid, he has now been freed temporarily. Alves’ bail request was granted last week, but it went unpaid for a few days. The player himself couldn’t offer to pay as he was denied access to his fortune, but nevertheless, €1m was sent to the Court of Barcelona, which facilitated his release. As per Fiesta (via  MD ), the source of that payment has now been revealed. They say that a renowned Brazilian magazine were the ones to pay, and they did so in exchange for an exclusive interview. “The magazine, known in Brazil, makes great reports of important people in Brazil, but also at an international level, and it would have done so in exchange fo...

The national president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Dr Emeka Rollas, has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for intervening in the health of Nollywood actor Zack Orji, who recently traveled to the United Kingdom for post-surgery assessment. In a statement issued on Saturday, Rollas thanked President Tinubu for his fatherly attention to the creative industry, and also commended the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for her motherly care towards the veteran actor. The Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, was also lauded for her efforts in ensuring Orji’s quick recovery. The AGN president said Zack Orji was grateful to his longtime friend, Ahmed Bala, for standing by him throughout the period. “We have witnessed the unprecedented support that President Tinubu is giving to the creative industry,” he said. This has clearly shown his clear determination to uplift the sector to be more relevant and beneficial to both the practitioners and ...

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye-Agbazue, after she was caught attempting to export 20 parcels of  Cannabis Sativa  weighing 10.70kg to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State. The illicit drugs were said to have been concealed in African salad popularly called Abacha; and dried vegetables. The operation was carried out in conjunction with operatives of the Department of State Services. The anti-narcotics operatives also reportedly rejected a N5m bribe from another suspect in Lagos State. The spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, revealed the development in a statement on Sunday while detailing arrests and recoveries made by the agency over the past week. Babafemi said, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye-Agbazue after she was caught attempting to export 20 parce...

Bayer Leverkusen are probably the best team in Europe right now. That is not a statement you often make about a club who are not even in the Champions League but it seems pretty accurate for the Bundesliga leaders. They have not lost a single game this season so far and are leading Bayern Munich in the German league by 13 points. In the process, they are also closing in on one of Celtic's records. Bayer Leverkusen  are now undefeated in 39 games after their thrilling win over Hoffenheim. As reported by  Football Scotland , Celtic have the second longest such run. 42 games in the 2016/17 Invincibles season. The all-time record belongs to Juventus. It is just a game more, at 43, in the 2011/12 campaign under the management of Antonio Conte. It is safe to say that that record is very much within Bayer Leverkusen's reach. They avoided an upset this weekend. Hoffenheim led until Xabi Alonso's side found an equaliser in the 88th min...

The National Examinations Council has concluded arrangements to conduct the Senior School Certificate Examinations (Internal) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This follows the successful accreditation of the Nigeria International School, Jeddah, by a NECO delegation led by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf  Sununu, and the Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi. During the visit, the delegation undertook an assessment of the school facilities and had an interactive session with the management and staff of the school. This was according to a statement released by NECO on Saturday. The statement read, “The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sununu, in his address, enjoined the staff and students of the school to continue to be good ambassadors of Nigeria not only in Saudi Arabia but the entire Gulf States Cooperation Council. He explained that after a careful assessment of the school’s learning facilities such as examination halls, classrooms, laboratorie...

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel conceded the Bundesliga title race was over after Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund left Bayer Leverkusen 13 points clear with seven games left. “Congratulations to Leverkusen,” Tuchel told Sky Germany after the match, which came hours after unbeaten league leaders Leverkusen came from behind to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 at home, thanks to two goals in the final minutes. Asked if the title race was over, Tuchel replied “of course,”  saying “it’s self-evident, clear” that Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen would win their first-ever Bundesliga crown . After the game today there’s nothing left to say,” said Tuchel, who will leave Bayern in the summer. Leverkusen, who have dropped only eight points all season, need just nine points from their final seven games to lift the Bundesliga title for the first time. Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who has won 12 titles in Munich, including the last 11 straight, told Sky: “I’m not a professor o...

A Nigerian lady who sells akara and other fried foods said she has added N250k to her business and also disclosed how she got the money The lady said she was given N250k to use and buy an expensive wig for herself, but she decided to add it to her business In a video she posted, she was seen dancing close to the yams and other items she had bought at her business place  The lady, @sexyakarafryer, mentioned that N250,000 was given to her for the wig, but she used it wisely. Instead of buying the wig, the lady who fries Akara by the roadside said she used it to buy tubers of yam and other things for her business.

A Nigerian political activist, Chude Nnamdi has rubbished claims by Allen Onyema that someone earning a N200K salary in Nigeria is better than another person earning £2000 in the UK.   According to him, earning N200k in NIgeria is as good as being unemployed.   Recall that Air Peace airline boss, Allen Onyema had made the claim in a recent interview.   According to Chude in a series of posts via X, the poverty level in Nigeria worsened in 2024 as inflation climbed higher than it was in the last quarter of 2023. Ridiculing the statement made by Allen, Chude insisted that N200K salary is barely sufficient to survive, let alone provide enough comfort as suggested by the Air Peace boss.   In his words;   “Anybody earning 200k in the present Nigeria is as good as unemployed. This is to put things into perspective, why do you think they say 70% of people in Nigeria are living in poverty? “People are already depressed and you have someone saying a 200k sala...

Ronaldo finally joined the party after the hour mark. He looked ordinary in the opening hour but two moments of individual brilliance saw him get on the scoresheet twice within a span of three minutes. The first one was a typical Roanldo-esque one-touch finish after being set up by Mane, while the second stemmed from his knack for being at the right place at the right time after Al-Tai defenders failed to clear their lines. The two goals shattered Al-Tai's resolve to stage a comeback and in the final quarter they were playing mostly for scraps. The final nail in the coffin was hit in the 87th minute when Ronaldo completed his hat trick with a thumping header at the far post. Ronaldo  stole the spotlight with his two goals within three minutes. However, the Portuguese talisman was an anonymous figure for the entire first half and barring the two goals he hardly made any significant contribution. But those two moments of sheer individual brilliance...

The PAOK F.C. star, who has been sidelined for a while, is actively working towards making his comeback to the game following successful surgery. Ekong was noticeably missed at the Super Eagles international friendlies in Morocco. Meanwhile, Ekong has just announced the launch of the “Troost-Ekong Foundation”. The non-profit organization is dedicated to empowering Nigerian and African youth with football and education to inspire success, resilience, and community leadership. The Nigerian football star joins the likes of Asisat Oshoala and Odion Ighalo, who have created initiatives to empower the youth. Beyond enjoying the lifestyle and luxury of being a successful footballer, these football players also use their resources to create better opportunities for young people. In other news, Ekong has made significant progress in his recovery and is dedicated to being in top shape ahead of his imminent comeback. The Nigerian striker recently  shared a ...

As the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) prepares for the appointment of a new head coach for the Super Eagles, one issue is creating apprehension; who? As the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) prepares for the appointment of a new head coach for the Super Eagles, one issue is creating apprehension; who will be the next head coach of the team and from where? Is it going to be yet another foreign coach or will the NFF go with the majority of the football-loving Nigerians calling for the appointment of an indigenous coach? All these questions are expected to be addressed by the NFF sooner than later to enable the newly appointed coach to prepare his team for the World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic on June 3 and 10, respectively. But, wherever the pendulum of this argument swings, the fact remains that it is the turn of the North. It is our turn to coach the team for the first time in the history of this country. Since 1945 when the football federati...

Dozens of French schools have been placed under armed guard after more than 130 schools received Islamist terror threats over a national ban on wearing religious clothing.   Fears of violent retaliation over law-enforced school policy come as the Jean-Perrin Lycée in Rezé, near Nantes, was evacuated Thursday, March 28, after students received videos showing beheadings, directed to an online portal for pupils, parents and staff.   It followed similar “serious threats” containing “justification of and incitement to terrorism” sent out to 30 schools around Paris last week, and the resignation of a headteacher in the capital after receiving death threats for asking a pupil to remove her Islamic head-covering.  Police were ordered to patrol the Maurice-Ravel Lycée in eastern Paris and a 26-year-old man was arrested for making death threats against the headteacher.  The resignation sparked indignation in France, where concerns for educators' safety ha...

Men of the Ogun State Police Command have confirmed the abduction of two worshippers at a Celestial Church in Mowe, Obafemi/Owode local government area of the state, by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.  In a statement released, the spokesperson of the command, SP Omolola Odutola, said the incident occurred at the church located near Oriyarin village, Mowe on Thursday, March 28. Odutola, who identified the victims as Oladapo Seyifunmi and Oluboboye Abiola, added that the hoodlums escaped through a thick forest behind the church. "Report at my disposal reveals that on 28/3/2024, unidentified gunmen invaded a Celestial Church around Oriyarin village, Mowe, and abducted one Oladapo Seyifunmi and one Oluboboye Abiola, and escaped through the thick forest behind the church.  The Commissioner of Police, Alamutu Abiodun, has been briefed, and he has ordered immediate mobilisation of security personnel to go after the hoodlums.”    

According to  L’Equipe , Nigeria are one of the suitors looking to appoint Hervé Renard as head coach of the Super Eagles. Jose Peseiro left the position earlier this month after leading Nigeria to a commendable second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Former international Finidi George, who served as Peseiro’s assistant, handled the team on an interim basis for the country’s two friendly games against Ghana and Mali last week. Finidi is also one of the leading candidates, together with Emmanuel Amunike, Michael Nsien, and Ndubuisi Egbo, to be named as Peseiro’s successor. However, the NFF remains open to appointing a foreign coach to manage the national team, leaving the door open for Renard to secure the Super Eagles job. Nigeria will face stiff opposition to securing Renard, though, as the 55-year-old Frenchman is also reportedly a target of Poland, South Korea, Cameroon, Nigeria, and even Morocco.

Mesut Ozil has showed off his incredible body transformation in a new photo on Instagram. The former  Arsenal  and  Real Madrid  star  retired from football at the age of 34 , a year ago last week.  He has dedicated himself to staying active however, and  has impressed even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo  with his rigorous gym workouts in recent months - which he has shared on social media.  See photos below.