The Presidency has dismissed Senate President Bukola Saraki’s allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari is to blame for the delay in approving the supplementary budget for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, who stated this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said on the contrary, the Saraki-led senate should be solely held responsible for the delay. According to him, the Senate President to look into the mirror and what he will see is his own face. “He is solely to be held responsible for deliberately driving the…
Author: David Folami
It’s all about spin, I guess. Spin, and how you view the person doing the talking. Paul Pogba came out after Manchester United’s 3-2 defeat at Brighton and, as I saw it, took the loss on the chin. “The attitude that we had was not like we wanted to beat them,” he said. “They had more hunger than us and that showed on the pitch. I put myself first. My attitude wasn’t right enough. We’ll keep trying and pushing and obviously it’s a lesson for us.” I read that as a team captain saying the blame rests with the players…
Lionel Messi put World Cup disappointment with Argentina behind him to kick off the new season with a bang, scoring twice in Barcelona’s 3-0 win against Alaves at Camp Nou on Saturday. The forward’s first goal, Barca’s 6,000th in La Liga (he also scored their 5,000th in 2009) was delivered under the Alaves wall and coach Ernesto Valverde says we’re lucky to be living in the same era as him. “Messi is a genius,” Valverde said in his postgame news conference. “We’re lucky to be able to see him every day. “We’re lucky to be involved in football during the…
Marco Reus was happy with a “dirty win” after scoring a dramatic 121st-minute extra-time winner against Greuther Furth in the German Cup on Monday. “Furth did incredibly well. They acted very compact and kept their ranks closed,” Reus told Sky after the game, explaining that his team acted too timidly. “At times we just didn’t find the courage to play actual attacking football. In the end, we’ll gladly take a dirty win home.” Albeit being a late hero, Reus was the main culprit of squandering several golden opportunities to decide the match in Dortmund’s favour sooner. As more chances went…
UEFA have announced their final shortlists for the Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards, with Lionel Messi missing the cut. Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah make the final three-man list for the men’s award, with Wolfsburg’s Pernille Harder and Lyon duo Ada Hegerberg and Amandine Henry are up for the women’s award. Ronaldo and Modric won the Champions League for Real Madrid against Salah’s Liverpool in the final, while Hegerberg and Henry scored against Harder’s Wolfsburg in Lyon’s triumph in the Women’s Champions League. The 2016-17 men’s award was won by Ronaldo, who finished ahead of…
Mino Raiola has hit back at Paul Scholes after the former Manchester United midfielder was critical of Paul Pogba’s performance in the loss at Brighton. Raiola, posting on Twitter on Tuesday morning, appeared to joke that he would have “sleepless nights” trying to find Pogba a new club. There has been speculation Raiola has already lined up a move to Barcelona for Pogba after a breakdown in his relationship with United manager Jose Mourinho. Scholes accused Pogba of going missing during the 3-2 defeat to Brighton on Sunday despite being named captain for a second game in a row, prompting…
James Milner’s converted a penalty on the stroke of halftime and Sadio Mane added a late second goal to secure a hard-fought 2-0 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday. While many will feel that Liverpool’s early form has confirmed pre-season predictions that they will be the main challengers to champions Manchester City for the title this season, Klopp said he had no interest in such talk. “It’s very early. I couldn’t care less really. We are not in a race with other Premier League teams each weekend. I was not 100 percent sure tonight in the…
Wayne Rooney has said MLS opponents have started showing D.C. United more “respect” in the weeks since he joined the club. The former Manchester United star has scored three goals and added three assists in eight games (six starts) since his debut on July 14. “I think what you’re seeing now is teams respecting us a bit more,” Rooney said after playing 90 minutes in the 2-0 win. “I think in previous games, New England have pressed a lot. … I think today you could see their hesitance in doing that. And leaving the space for us to get on…
Jan Oblak has indicated that defender Filipe Luis will sign for Paris Saint-Germain before the transfer window shuts at the end of August. The Brazil left-back has a verbal agreement to join the French champions according to media reports in Spain. “It’s a bit sad but that’s how it is,” Oblak told reporters after Atletico’s opening 1-1 Liga draw at Valencia on Monday. “Filipe has a good opportunity and you have to respect a player’s decision. Let’s see what happens.” However coach Diego Simeone expected the defender to stay with Atletico. “I think so, yes,” he said when asked if…
Vincent Kompany has said Manchester City only have to look at recent history to see that they won’t defend their Premier League title if complacency settles in. “I can only say it’s different from previous years we have won the league,” Kompany told reporters. “I think everyone has been warned enough as well. No team in the last nine seasons has been able to repeat and win the league. “There’s been so many warnings we have had and every single time we almost have to fight against ourselves and our nature, not to fall in the same trap as the…
The Kaduna State Government has imposed a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew on Kwaru and Ungwan Yero communities in the Kaduna North Local Government Area of the state with effect from Friday. This followed the killing of two youths in the communal clashes that took place in the two communities. Samuel Aruwan, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, announced this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Friday. The statement said that more security agents had been deployed to the area to maintain law and order,…
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said nomadic herdsmen have concluded plans to ambush his motorcade and kill him. “The armed herdsmen, according to the intelligence report, would ensure that all my security aides were killed, after which they would kidnap and torture me, before killing me”, Ortom said. Ortom detailed that according to intelligence reports reaching his desk, the herdsmen have concluded plans to waylay his convoy along the Makurdi/Lafia highway and murder him in cold blood. “Already, I had reported the matter to the police and other security agencies and they are aware of this. “Therefore, any…
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has invited Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, for questioning. Fani-Kayode is expected to report to the Force headquarters on Monday, August 28, 2018. FFK would answer questions bordering on “conspiracy, criminal defamation, inciting publication, injurious falsehood and conduct likely to cause breach of peace” according to the letter signed by Haruna Sani, Commissioner of Police in charge of the IGP Monitoring Unit. The former aviation minister recently accused the Federal Government of allegedly plotting to silence some activists and the dissenting voices in Nigeria.
The Pankshin unit of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), in Plateau, on Friday embarked on the training of youths on how to rescue accident victims. “The training is to empower the youths with the skills to assist accident victims; many victims of accidents die not because they had particularly bad injuries but because they did not get any assistance,” the unit commander, Mr Nnamdi Ikeh-Akabogu, told NAN. He said that the trained youths would be expected to attend to accident victims before the arrival of FRSC personnel, and expressed confidence that their interventions would “minimise unnecessary deaths”. Ikeh-Akabogu charged…
Mr Yakubu Dogara has congratulated the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar lll, on his 62 birth anniversary. He said that the royal father had endeared himself to all Nigerians of goodwill, regardless of cultural, religious or political persuasions, owing to his relentless pursuit of peace and ethno-religious harmony among the diverse people. “As a spiritual leader and traditional ruler, you have over the years, distinguished yourself as an exemplary leader, traversing the length and breadth of the country, preaching peaceful coexistence and building bridges across religious and cultural divides.…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of leaking information on its Congresses and Primary elections submitted to the commission. The party said that it was aware of leakage of a letter by its National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, to INEC informing it of the schedule of the party’s congresses and primaries to elect party candidates for the 2019 elections. “These leaks of our sensitive and confidential correspondence to INEC are becoming commonplace and totally unacceptable. “We strongly request that INEC looks into its internal handling of official correspondence and put a stop to these…
Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central – APC) has backed President Muhammadu Buhari on his second term bid as he pledged the support of his constituency to the 75-year-old. While speaking to the media after a meeting with the president, Sani said he discussed several issues with Buhari bordering on uniting the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) and ensuring his second term victory. He said, “I am also here to fully assure him of the support of my constituency, Kaduna Central, to his aspiration for the second term. I’m also here to assure him of my own wholehearted support to the success…
Mr Peter Babalola, the Chairman of Osun Local Government Service Commission, has resigned his appointment and defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Babalola, who was received by the South West PDP Deputy Chairman, Mr Yomi Akinwonmi, and the State Chairman, Mr Soji Adagunodo, at the party secretariat on Friday in Osogbo, said he left the APC because of imposition and impunity. He expressed the belief that the next governor ought to come from Osun West. Babalola promised to work with the PDP in order to ensure victory for its candidate in the Sept. 22 governorship election. In his remarks,…
Muhammadu Buhari on Friday congratulated President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe on their victories in their respective country’s elections. The ECOWAS Chairman urged Keita’s main challenger, Soumaila Cisse, and his supporters to abide by the verdict of the people as confirmed by the ruling of the constitutional court. He enjoined Cisse to cooperate with Keita in the interest of the country in particular, and peace and stability of West Africa. Buhari expressed his optimism that the successful outcome of the election in Mali would further strengthens Africa’s democratic credentials as the citizens exercised their franchise…
Muhammadu Buhari has said the string of victory recorded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in by-elections in Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi States is sufficient proof that 2019 elections will be won by the party. He said: “Coming against the backdrop of the victory in Ekiti governorship election, the string of victory by our party, the APC, is a clear indication of the way things will go in 2019. ‘‘For those who are discerning; those who have ears and eyes they will see, hear and understand. Those who don’t understand are entitled to their mistaken assumptions.” The President, therefore, emphasized…