Yes, those photos you’ve seen are real.
More than 18 years ago, a baby named Lamine Yamal and his mom Sheila met Lionel Messi at a UNICEF fundraising photoshoot.
Today, their achievements on the pitch inspire millions. Off the pitch, both Messi and Lamine Yamal use their voices and platforms as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors to support and advocate for children around the world.
The goal? That every child survives, thrives, and fulfils their potential.
We are proud to have them on our team.
Credit: Joan Monfort
PRESIDENT TINUBU IS INTENTIONALLY REBUILDING THE SOUTH EAST
I can’t contain my joy and that of my people regarding the great news from DIKESIMBA Anambra; DIKESIMBA NDIGBO, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR!
Certainly, President Tinubu has a date with history, and even more so with the Southeast. He continues to demonstrate his avowed commitment to orchestrating the reconstruction of the Southeast, thereby finally healing the wounds of the Civil War. There are several unprecedented, foundational infrastructural rebirths going on in the Southeast at the moment. We will celebrate the full list later….
But the news from him today is history in itself. I met the President on Wednesday, July 1. The next day, the Hon. Minister for Works and Infrastructure (our own ever-productive and beloved Sen. Dave Umahi) contacted me to send him the details of the roads we had repeatedly discussed. On Friday, July 3rd, I sent him the following two roads:
1. Otuocha–Anam–Abaji (Kogi), about 108km to be dualized; and
2. Oba–Nnewi–Uga–Ihube (Okigwe Junction), connecting Anambra/Imo to the Enugu–PH Road, which also passes through Abia, about 150km to be dualized.
Today, 15th July, I received a message from the Min. of Works that the President has graciously approved both roads for “design and procurement”! What can I say? These two roads constitute critical game-changers for the Southeast, South-South and North Central. The man who tamed the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos is certainly redefining politics, and the Southeast won’t be the same again! For me personally, this is why politics makes sense to me: working collaboratively and building alliances to achieve concrete results that improve the lives of the people.
Thank you, ASIWAJU! History will be kind to you!!
How else do I break this down for you and your thick people? I gave you the football analogy and it still flew right over your head. If football, a sport with no real stakes beyond bragging rights, is fierce enough that no club will help solve a rival club's crisis, what makes you think a political candidate will lift a finger for a rival party's?
Men once competed with honour, valour and spine. Today we have weaklings like your principal, crawling to the very opposition he claims to want to defeat, begging him to come and sweep his own house. How shameless can you be?
Go to the UK and ask Labour to bail out the Conservatives. Go to the US and ask the Democrats to prop up the Republicans. You won't find it, because rivals don't nurse rivals back to health.
At least, you studied Law. What you're asking is for the defense counsel to be gentle with the prosecution witness. If your principal's house is burning, that is the whole point of the contest. Nobody hands the arsonist a fire extinguisher and calls it fair play.
A ruling party that fixes its opposition is not being noble, it is being reckless, and it is insulting the very voters who worked to put it in power. You do not ask the man who won the fight to also stitch up the man he defeated. If your principal cannot organise his own party, he has no business asking anyone to vote him in order to organise a country.
In the next 6 months, when Chinese vehicles will be flooding our markets properly, you can get a very neat brand new salon equivalent of Peugeot 406 for 700k.
If you are struggling to buy a car now, just calm down.
KIDNAPPED STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN OYO STATE RESCUED FOLLOWING, SURGICAL INTENSE AND WELL COORDINATED OPERATIONS IN OLD OYO NATIONAL PARK AND OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
1. Following an intelligence-led carefully planned and executed operations, on 10 July 2026, troops of the Nigerian Army, led by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, *Major General CR Nnebeife*, in collaboration with special units from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) specifically the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC),the Defence Headquarters with Special Forces elements from the Nigerian Army, Navy the Air Force and the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies as well as local vigilantes/hunters/Amotekuns, in a well coordinated operation rescued a total of 44 pupils and teachers kidnapped by terrorists from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on 15 May 2026.
2. The operations, which lasted for more than a month, focused on identifying the terrorists kingpins that masterminded the kidnapping, bursting and dismantling their networks and logistics links, including their informants and hideouts located within the Old Oyo National Park Forest, Oyo State.
3. As part of the operations, multiple arrests were made within Oyo State and in other locations across some States in the Country. These arrests completely disorganized the group, exerted overwhelming pressure on them and ultimately led the terrorist group to *unconditionally release* the pupils and teachers. Further operations are to be conducted.
4. It suffices to note that the operations were carefully planned and executed to avoid collateral damages and to equally ensure that the innocent children and teachers were safely rescued. However, there were some casualties on the part of the security forces.
5. The pupils and teachers are currently receiving medical attention in an undisclosed hospital and will be handed over to the Oyo State Government in due course so as to be reunited with their families.
6. The GOC 2 Division wish to on behalf of all the participating agencies most sincerely and respectfully thank and appreciate His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the Strategic Guidance, Support and for all the provisions that made the operations a huge success.
7. The GOC also wishes to once again thank the Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde and indeed the good people of the State for their continous support to security agencies especially during the trying period.
8. The GOC also appreciates the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Hon Minster of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff and other Service Chiefs, Inspector General of Police and the Directors General DSS and NIA as well as Heads of other Security Agencies for their support and for the opportunity to relate directly with all the security agencies to ensure a seamless coordination and execution of the operations.
9. We sincerely thank the various media houses and indeed the entire Nigeria populace for their support, understanding and for having faith in the security architecture of the Nation. We urge all to remain vigilant and continue to support all security agencies by providing timely and credible information that would assist in the ongoing efforts to safeguard lives and properties across Nigeria.
DANJUMA JONAH DANJUMA
Lieutenant Colonel
Acting Deputy Director
2 Division Army Public Relations
10 July 2026
In Zamfara, troops responded to an attack on farmers, neutralised notorious terrorist commander Alhaji Tukur, identified as the younger brother of terrorist kingpin Alhaji Shehu Bagiwaye.
Several other terrorists reportedly escaped with gunshot wounds.
They also responded to reports of terrorist activity at Sabon Gari in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Zamfara, where the approaching force compelled the criminals to abandon their mission and flee. A follow-up exploitation led to the neutralisation of one terrorist and the recovery of a motorcycle.
In neighbouring Katsina State, troops on fighting patrol along the Danmusa-Yantumaki axis overwhelmed another terrorist group, forcing its members to abandon their position. Exploitation of the area resulted in the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, two magazines containing 25 rounds of ammunition and a motorcycle.
The operation highlighted continued air-land integration within the theatre.
"For me, I would say IGCSE Mathematics is easier than WAEC Mathematics." — Tolulope Israel Adekimi.
Following his triumph as the world's top performer in Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics, the Year 12 student outlines how decoding real-world scenarios makes the international paper more approachable than its domestic counterpart (WAEC).
#CTVTweets
Tonight, our nation has reason to give thanks.
The children and teachers abducted by Ansaru terrorists in Oyo State have been rescued by our security forces, alive and unharmed. No ransom was paid. No concession was made.
I salute every officer and operative whose courage, discipline, and professionalism made this possible.
To those who seek to spread fear through terror, know that the Nigerian state will pursue you relentlessly. We will protect our people, defend our communities, and never relent until peace and security prevail across our country.
BOLA AHMED TINUBU
President & Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Whenever Nigerians gather to discuss the country’s problems, one phrase is almost guaranteed to come up:
“We just need a functional system.”
I hear it everywhere. In interviews. On social media. In taxis. At conferences. In political conversations. At some point, I stopped listening to the phrase itself and became more interested in the people using it.
So one day, I asked someone a simple question:
“What exactly is a functional system?” And he couldn’t give an answer.
That conversation proved that many people use the phrase because it sounds intelligent, not because they truly understand what it means.
A system is not magic. A system is simply a structure made up of rules, institutions, processes, incentives, consequences, and people who consistently make those things work.
A functional system is one where the rules are largely predictable, institutions perform their responsibilities, excellence is rewarded, incompetence has consequences, and the average citizen understands that there are standards that cannot be negotiated.
Now let me say something uncomfortable.
Many Nigerians say they want a functional system, but the truth is, many are not yet prepared to live in one. If you think I’m lying think about it.
The same people who complain about corruption but become excited when they know someone “at the top” who can bend the rules for them, they are also the same people who will make excuses for fraudster and yahoo yahoo.
They criticize politicians for nepotism but call their uncle to secure jobs they are not qualified for. They want law and order until the law applies to them. They want accountability until they are the ones being held accountable.
That is not a desire for a functional system, that is a desire for a system that works only in your favour.
In a truly functional system, you do not drive against traffic because you are in a hurry. You do not skip queues because you know someone. You do not evade taxes while demanding world-class infrastructure. You do not bribe your way out of offences. You do not submit fake certificates. You do not forge documents. You do not throw refuse into drainage and then complain about flooding. You do not expect electricity without paying for it. You do not ignore building regulations and then blame government when buildings collapse.
A functional system is expensive, not necessarily because of money, but because of discipline. It demands that everyone, rich or poor, connected or unknown, submits to standards. It inconveniences everybody equally, and that is why many societies appear orderly, not because they have angels living there, but because the cost of breaking the rules is often higher than the benefit.
Sadly, many of the people who loudly demand a functional system have built their own success around dysfunction. Some businesses exist only because of these loopholes , some careers thrive because merit is absent, some fortunes were built through regulatory loopholes.
Ironically, if Nigeria suddenly became completely functional tomorrow, many people currently celebrating their success would struggle to maintain it.
This is why I believe our conversation must mature. Yes, government has enormous responsibilities, institutions must improve, and leadership matters.
But systems are also strengthened, or weakened by the everyday behaviour of citizens.
A nation where millions of people constantly look for shortcuts cannot magically produce world-class institutions.
The same values that destroy homes eventually destroy organisations. The same attitudes that weaken organisations eventually weaken nations.
A functional Nigeria will require functional citizens.
Perhaps we should start asking:
“Are we becoming the kind of people who can sustain a functional system?”
Because systems do not exist independently of people. People build systems. People protect systems. And ultimately, people either strengthen them, or destroy them.
#Tadé
#iyawooga
#refinedlady