🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
StarTimes Nigeria to broadcast all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches live
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
StarTimes Nigeria has announced it will provide comprehensive live coverage of all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 to July 19, 2026. According to StarTimes Nigeria Marketing Director, Oke Umurhohwo, the initiative aims to ensure all Nigerian football fans can enjoy the tournament regardless of location or income. The company is also launching a "Watch the World Cup. Win Big." campaign, offering subscribers the chance to win prizes totaling N50 million, including a N10 million grand prize to be awarded on July 19, 2026. Other prizes include StarTimes H30 Solar Home Systems and StarTimes S130b Solar TV bundles. Subscribers can qualify by purchasing and activating a new StarTimes DTH or DTT decoder, renewing or reactivating eligible bouquets, or purchasing and activating a StarTimes S130b Solar bundle, with the campaign running from June 1 to July 19, 2026. StarTimes has also introduced special World Cup decoder discounts from May 18 to July 31, 2026, and offers its Basic Bouquet starting at N4,000. Matches will also be available for streaming on the StarTimes ON app.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
Payaza Africa Limited has received upgraded credit ratings from four agencies, indicating increased investor confidence in the fintech company's financial stability and operational performance. DataPro raised its rating from A to AA-, Intelligence Africa assigned an A- investment-grade rating, Agusto upgraded it from BBB to A-, and GCR, an affiliate of Moody’s, moved it from BBB to A-. These upgrades reflect a company's financial strength and its ability to meet debt obligations. Payaza Africa's Chief Executive Officer, Seyi Ebenezer, stated that these ratings validate the company's disciplined growth and operational resilience, positioning it as a future-ready brand within Africa and the global fintech space. He emphasized that the recognition highlights the company's strategic execution and strong risk management practices, reflecting a commitment to building a sustainable and globally competitive institution. Payaza Africa provides payment infrastructure solutions for collections, payouts, embedded finance, and digital commerce enablement for businesses across Africa, with products like Payaza Checkout, Chat and Pay by Payaza, Payaza Give, and Shopaza.
Medical specialists at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, have expressed concerns about the scarcity of skilled emergency medicine personnel in Nigeria. They are urging governments and development partners to support specialist training to enhance emergency healthcare delivery. Dr. Dalhat Ibrahim, Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at ATBUTH, highlighted that the shortage of trained professionals, exacerbated by healthcare worker migration and limited accredited training centers, significantly impacts the quality of emergency healthcare services. Emergency medicine is a relatively new specialty, with ATBUTH being the only center in the North-East offering such training. Dr. Ibrahim emphasized the need for more skilled personnel to improve patient care, reduce mortality, and enhance outcomes. He also noted that inadequate manpower leads to increased pressure on healthcare workers, contributing to workplace stress and potential misunderstandings with patients' relatives. The experts also raised concerns about rising incidents of violence against healthcare workers, describing it as a global challenge. Dr. Ibrahim appealed to the Federal Government, state governments, and donor agencies to sponsor healthcare workers for specialist training, citing the high cost as a barrier for many professionals. Dr. Safiya Tanko, a registrar in the Department of Emergency Medicine, attributed many disputes in emergency units to a lack of public understanding
Residents across Kwara State are experiencing significant hardship due to a sharp increase in cooking gas prices, with Liquefied Petroleum Gas reaching up to N2,200 per kilogram in some areas. This surge is impacting households and small businesses, forcing many to reduce consumption or consider returning to charcoal and firewood, despite health and environmental concerns. Residents like Abdulganiyu Obanguru, Aishat, Rafat Kolawole, and Ruqoyat Ayelabowo describe the rapid and unpredictable price hikes as unbearable, with some reporting prices jumping from N1,150 to N1,750 per kilogram, or from N1,300 to N2,000 per kilogram within days. Food vendors, such as Mrs. Kafilat Ibrahim in Offa, are seeing their profits shrink as they cannot increase meal prices to match the rising cost of gas. Industry stakeholders attribute the increases to rising foreign exchange rates, higher importation costs, and transportation expenses, noting that a 20-metric-tonne truck of LPG now costs between N25.2m and N26.2m. Experts also point to the depreciation of the naira and difficulties in accessing foreign exchange, which increase the cost of importing and distributing cooking gas despite Nigeria's large natural gas reserves. There are warnings that these sustained price increases could reverse progress in clean energy adoption, as more households may revert to traditional cooking methods.