With 15 teams already securing qualification and 24 set to participate, the battle for the remaining nine spots in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations intensifies.

The tournament, which will be hosted by Morocco next year, December 2025 to January 2026, as obtained from the CAF website, promises fierce competition as the road to the finals narrows.

PUNCH ONLINE reports on Friday that the defending champion and runner up in the last edition, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria have both secured their qualification spots in their respective groups.

Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda all confirmed their places on Thursday, some benefiting from other results in the latest round of qualifiers.

Tunisia clinched a dramatic 3-2 victory over Madagascar, courtesy of Ali El Abdi’s stoppage-time header, ensuring their record 18th consecutive AFCON appearance.

Meanwhile, Gabon qualified from Group B without playing, as their closest rival, the Central African Republic, lost 1-0 to Lesotho.

South Africa and Uganda also advanced without taking to the pitch, cementing the top two places in Group K after Congo fell 3-2 to South Sudan.

For Nigeria, a 1-0 win by Libya over Rwanda earlier in the day secured their top-two finish in Group D.

Later, the Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by Benin, with Victor Osimhen’s late equaliser sparing Nigeria from defeat.

Among other developments, Ghana’s qualification hopes were revived after Sudan suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Niger, setting up a tense finish in Group F.

However, Ghana must win their remaining two fixtures and hope Sudan falter in their last match against Angola.

Elsewhere, Algeria, already qualified alongside Equatorial Guinea from Group E, dropped their first points of the campaign in a goalless draw against Equatorial Guinea in stifling Malabo heat.

So far, these nations have secured their spots at AFCON 2025:
Morocco – Host (Automatic)

Burkina Faso (Group L)

Cameroon (Group J)

Algeria (Group E) – Table leader

DR Congo (Group H)

Senegal (Group L)

Egypt (Group C)

Angola (Group F) – Table leader

Equatorial Guinea (Group E)

Côte d’Ivoire (Group G)

Gabon (Group B)

Uganda (Group K)

South Africa (Group K)

Tunisia (Group A)

Nigeria (Group D)

With Friday’s qualifiers featuring 10 matches across the continent, the race to complete the list of finalists continues.

Teams like Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are poised to claim their places with home victories, while others will fight to keep their dreams alive.

The Nigerian Police Force has identified and detained officers allegedly involved in the extortion of N2.3m from one Nwosu Ndubuisi.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Zone 7 Police Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP M.B. Abdulkadir, on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

Abdulkadir added that the N2 3m has been recovered and returned to the victim.

He stated, “Further to the earlier statement issued on the alleged extortion of one Mr. Ndubuisi Nwosu by some officers of Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, investigation was carried out, the officers allegedly involved in the extortion have been identified and detained, while disciplinary proceedings have commenced against them.

“The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in Charge of Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, AIG Benneth C. Igweh, reassures the general public that in line with the transparency and accountability policy of the present Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, the zone will update members of the public on the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings against the defaulters.

“He further affirms that the Zone 7 headquarters remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the rule of law, public safety, security and its mandate of protecting lives and properties.”

The incident came to light after Harrison Gwamnishu, an X user with the handle #HarrisonBbi18, revealed that officers allegedly extorted N2.3m from Ndubuisi.

According to the report, the officers forced Ndubuisi to sell his laptop at Banex Plaza in Abuja to pay for his bail.

Following this revelation, Igweh ordered an investigation into the allegations.

The Labour Party (LP) youth leader in Ondo State, Hon. Samuel Boniface, has alleged that certain politicians tried to sway him with a ₦100 million offer to collapse the LP structure into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the upcoming election.

In an interview with DAILY POST, Boniface claimed he turned down the substantial offer from prominent PDP figures, stating that he was committed to his principles and would not betray his party.

He said: “As the state youth leader of the Labour Party, three weeks ago, some PDP stakeholders contacted me, asking me to collapse the Labour Party structure into their party. They asked me to name any amount from ₦100 million, but I declined because I have a goal. I have my own future. I can’t sell my conscience like that.

“I also told them that I will never betray my followers and my party. When I contested for the House of Reps in 2023, they did the same thing, but I told them that I’d rather lose the election than sell my conscience.

“They are doing everything possible to buy the structure. They are ready to offer any amount. But I strongly believe that if we stand our ground, they won’t succeed. Everyone is tired of both APC and PDP.”

Supporting LP Chairperson Remilekun Ojo, Boniface rejected recent media statements claiming that candidate Olusola Ebiseni had been disqualified by the Appeal Court.

He said, “The reports we are seeing on social media are big lies. It is so disappointing because the court had already struck out the case, and the party settled the matter out of court.”

Boniface revealed that the party plans to take legal action against media outlets that circulated the disqualification rumors.

He said, “We have decided to sue some newspapers that reported our candidate is no longer on the list. If you check the INEC portal, you will see our candidate there, so who removed him?

“With the election just two days away, such reports coming out now are disruptive, so we are suing the paper.

“Why would they claim that our candidate was removed from the race? They don’t have any evidence to support that.”

He further clarified that Festus Olorunfemi, who initially raised concerns, had formally stepped down for Ebiseni and received compensation of ₦5 million from Ebiseni and an additional ₦2 million from the National Chairman, with records and receipts to prove these transactions.

Boniface assured supporters, “I can assure you that everything is very much intact. We are not distracted by this misleading news.”

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has approved the appointment of Hon. Gani Audu as his Chief of Staff.

The appointment takes immediate effect.

This was made known in a statement on Friday by Okpebholo’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua.

In an official communication signed by the Secretary to State Government (SSG), Musa Umar Ikhilor, Audu’s appointment will help Governor Okpebholo in driving meaningful reforms in the State.

“It is hereby announced for the information of the general public, particularly the good people of Edo State, that His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has approved the appointment of Hon. Gani Audu as his Chief of Staff. The appointment takes immediate effect,” the official communication read.

Hon. Audu, born 18th August 1969, obtained an HND from Auchi Polytechnic in 1994, a PGD in Business Administration from Benson Idahosa University in 2011 and an M.Sc in Intelligence and Global Security from Baze University, Abuja in 2024.

Hon. Audu was an elected Chairman of Etsako West Local Government Council from 2004 to 2010. He was elected member Edo State House of Assembly (Etsako West Constituency 1) from 2015 to 2023.

Hon. Audu was the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2020 Edo State Governorship elections.

Award-winning British-Nigerian presenter and actress Simi Drey has shared personal details about a past relationship that almost led to marriage.

According to her, she canceled her marriage plans with her former lover after getting engaged.

Drey disclosed this during a recent episode of the WithChude podcast.

Revealing the reason for her decision, the actress explained that she realized she wasn’t fully fulfilled or happy after getting engaged.

She, however, lamented that she faced criticism after calling off the wedding.

She said, “My ex and I didn’t have a perfect relationship. He never cheated, never was abusive. But you know when you are not 100% fulfilled or happy. We do live in a part of the world where marriage is heavily emphasized, especially for women. My parents never pressured me, but I remember my friends asking me, ‘When will you get married?’

“Eventually, he proposed. I remember having this apprehension—‘Is he really the person I am going to marry?’ I was very close to my mum. When I told her that I was engaged, she said, ‘Simi, don’t do this.’ But I told her everything is fine.

“My mom is not the type who would ever stop me from doing something or blacklist me. But she knew I wasn’t feeling whole in the relationship. I called my dad and ended the call in tears of apprehension, not joy.

“Two months later, I called my fiancé and said that we should work on our relationship first, and then maybe we can think about marriage.

“A month later, I didn’t feel I wanted to marry this man because I wanted to marry with worth. I ended the engagement with him. And I received more criticism from people around me, but I had to be truthful to myself that I wasn’t happy in the relationship.

“It was after I left that reality hit me. I realized that being single and happy is better than being married and miserable. If I do not feel respected or feel a man is superior to me because of his title or finances, it is a no.”

Nollywood actor, Ugezu Jideofor Ugezu, has shared his observations about Nigerian politicians while asking them an important question.

The filmmaker, in a post shared on his Instagram page, said that Nigerian politicians only speak the truth about national matters after leaving office.

Ugezu stated that he fails to understand why this pattern thrives among politicians and questioned if there are demons that blind them after being sworn into office.

He said, “There’s something in Nigerian politics that someone should please explain.WHY IS IT THAT NIGERIAN POLITICIANS WILL ONLY START TALKING SENSE ONCE THEY LEAVE OFFICE? Is it that we have demons in all the government offices that blind them once they get sworn in? Nigeria is in a mess and only sincerity in administration can salvage things.”

Meanwhile, Ugezu recently kicked against Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye’s sack as Minister of Women Affairs.

Recalls President Bola Tinubu terminated her appointment on Wednesday, October 23, alongside five other ministers in his cabinet.

In a post via his Instagram page, Ugezu frowned over Kennedy-Ohanenye’s sack, stating the former Minister was working assiduously for citizens to feel the renewed hope of Tinubu’s administration.

The movie star stated that Kennedy-Ohanenye’s sack would discourage the people who genuinely wanted to transform the country by changing the various departments.

The Supreme Court on Friday, dismissed the suit of the 13 states challenging the constitutionality of the law that established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The seven-man panel of justices led by Justice Uwani-Abba-Aji, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the suit for lacking in merit.

Details shortly… 

A child born in a resource-rich country (RIC) like Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries today is expected to live four years less on average, and is 25 per cent more likely to live in poverty, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

In a report themed, “Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is Diverging,” the IMF stated that Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nine of the world’s top 20 fastest-growing economies this year.
 Such startling statistics, however, rarely feature in discussions of the region’s outlook, it said, noting that instead, headline figures typically emphasise the relatively modest average economic performance.
This disconnect reflects a two-track growth pattern, where a significant part of the region underperforms, it said.
According to the IMF, over the past ten years, growth in sub-Saharan Africa’s resource-intensive countries (RICs)—and especially in fuel exporting economies such as Angola, Chad, and Nigeria—has slowed down sharply, falling far below growth in non-RICs (such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Senegal).

 Indeed, it noted that incomes in RICs have essentially stagnated, marking a sharp contrast with the decade leading up to 2014, when RICs experienced rapid growth, in line with the region’s strong overall performance.
“The post–2014 divergence between RICs and non-RICs has been driven largely by the combination of two factors.
First, RICs and especially fuel exporters experienced a dramatic decline in their commodity export prices around 2014–15, as the commodity “super-cycle”—a period of sharply rising commodity prices—came to an end. Since then, the terms-of-trade decline has only been partially reversed.

“Second, and critically, the impact of the terms-of-trade shock on RICs was exacerbated by pre-existing structural vulnerabilities, including a poor business environment, limited human capital, weak governance, and poor management of resource revenues,” the report said.

It noted that weak governance, systemic corruption, and an unfavorable business climate take a toll on productivity and output, adding that the effects are most striking when commodity prices fall. “Such weaknesses affect both the resource sector itself and prospects for the economy diversifying into other sectors. For instance, the potential for theft of oil production undermines productive efficiency and diverts precious resources from more productive uses.
“Or weak governance can be a central impediment for private sector investment more broadly. Fuel exporters outside the region, with generally stronger governance, have weathered the commodity price slump far better,” the report said.

According to the IMF, staff analysis confirms that terms-of-trade shocks have a stronger and longer-lasting impact on growth in countries with weak governance.
“We estimate that for every one-per cent worsening in a country’s terms of trade, medium-term growth is around ¼ percentage point higher in countries with smaller governance challenges,” it said.
The report explained that fiscal policy in RICs, including in sub-Saharan Africa, is generally far more correlated with economic shocks, intensifying their effects, compared to other countries.

“For instance, when commodity prices are high, many RICs, particularly fuel exporters, have embarked on costly capital projects that are often poorly planned and implemented, with corresponding sharp reductions in capital spending when commodity prices fall. In addition, many fuel exporters also provide sizable fuel subsidies, the cost of which increases as oil prices rise, limiting their ability to save during booms, while crowding out growth-friendly development spending.

“The average oil-exporting country in sub-Saharan Africa has since 2011 consistently spent all its oil revenues in the year when they accrued,” the report said.
On the way forward, the IMF report argued that reversing the growth divergence is a regional priority, as RICs make up about two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and population.

“It is also a humanitarian priority. Poor growth performance has translated into poor development outcomes—progress in tackling poverty in RICs effectively halted in 2014.
“Compared to children in other parts of the region, a child born in a RIC today is expected to live 4 years less on average, and is 25 percent more likely to live in poverty.

“Reigniting durable growth will require a stable macroeconomic environment. More prudent and consistently implemented fiscal frameworks can help address poor resource management challenges—and also help ensure growth is more resilient going forward. Further, broad-based reforms to address structural weaknesses—strengthening governance, enhancing the business environment, accumulating human capital, and addressing infrastructure bottlenecks—can help countries diversify and grow.
“And for fuel exporters, facing the global green-energy transition, the need to diversify is ever more urgent,” it concluded.

The Federal government has confirmed the repatriation of 148 Nigerians from Niger Republic.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) which made this known in a statement on Thursday said the returnees were repatriated from Niger Republic on Tuesday.

The statement said they were received by the NEMA Lagos Territorial Office (LTO), alongside other key stakeholders, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“The returnees landed at Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Cargo Terminal, at approximately 2:15 PM on Skymali flight ER-CTZ, with a total of 148 individuals,” the statement added.

According to NEMA, the repatriated Nigerians include 120 adult males, nine adult females, 10 male children, seven female children, and two infants.

“Due to heavy rain, there was a brief delay in moving the returnees from the aircraft. Once the weather cleared, officials from the Nigerian Immigration Service arrived, and the aircraft handlers provided buses to transport the returnees to the biometric registration center for documentation.

“Other stakeholders present included representatives from NCFRMI, IOM, and FAAN'' the statement noted.

The Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Shehu Ahmad has been suspended indefinitely.

According to a statement on Thursday, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, the suspension of Ahmad is with immediate effect.

“Ahmad has consequently been directed to hand over to the Director of Engineering Services, Engr in the FCDA,” the statement added.

Olayinka did not, however, state the reason for Ahmad’s suspension.