The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of June 12 as Nigeria’s new Democracy Day to honour late Moshood Abiola, presumed winner of 1993 presidential election. The President also conferred posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the late politician 20 years after his death. But the PDP said the Buhari is only using Abiola’s name to gain “political capital”. The spokesman for the opposition party, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the President’s move showed “smacks of hypocrisy and political desperation ahead of 2019 presidential election”. “President Buhari’s action merely sought to use the…
Author: David Folami
The declaration of June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day in honour of Chief MKO Abiola will not be complete without Nigerians knowing the result of the election, the Senate has said. The decision of the Senate was sequel to a motion by Ekiti state lawmaker, Biodun Olujimi, on Thursday, June 7, 2018. Chief Abiola was presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election but till date, the result has not been fully announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Olujimi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to honour Abiola for his…
Honorable Yusuf Lasun, has told anyone who cares to listen that he’s the next governor of Osun State. Lasun declared his intention to contest the September 22 governorship election in Osun state on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), on Thursday, June 7, 2018. Addressing a crowd of his supporters at the secretariat of the party in Osogbo, Yusuf said the people of Osun State are ready to hand him their votes as the next governor of Osun State. Lasun reiterated the need for a free, fair and transparent primary election and appealed to the party leadership not…
Senator Dino Melaye has slammed the ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC) as a sick party that may have a problem with Nigerians. The senator has had a troubled past few months with the party as he’s completely fallen out with Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello who is a close ally of President Muhammadu Buhari. Melaye believes his strong criticism of Bello and the federal government is how he has ended up with three criminal cases and a couple of failed assassination attempts on his life. When asked if he has a problem with his party, he said, “I don’t have a…
Enyinnaya Abaribe has said that December 31 should be declared as “democracy destruction day” as it was the day the Muhammadu Buhari military government unseated ex-President Shehu Shagari in a coup. He said this in reaction to the posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) conferred on Moshood Abiola, presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election. Speaking at the plenary on Thursday, June 7, during a debate on a motion regarding the Abiola honour, Abaribe said that the Presidency needs to “quickly” send an amendment to the Honours Act for the award to be proper and legal.…
Gareth Southgate admitted Marcus Rashford had given him a difficult decision to make ahead of the World Cup with a stunning strike in a 2-0 friendly victory over Costa Rica on Thursday. In England’s last match before their tournament opener against Tunisia in 11 days time, Manchester United’s Rashford was the star of a much-changed side in Leeds. Danny Welbeck was also on target as England extended their unbeaten run to 10 games, stretching back nearly a year. “What pleased me most is that Marcus Rashford enjoyed his football tonight. He played with a real swagger,” said Southgate. Rashford made…
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has stated that he will support the Super Eagles at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles kits for the World Cup released by international sport wear giants Nike has generated a lot of reactions worldwide, topping the rankings of jerseys of countries going to the tournament. Ina message on his official Twitter handle Aubameyang revealed he will be supporting the Super Eagles at the tournament. He added two reasons for supporting the Eagles, first, he said for his teammate Iwobi and the other for the amazing kits. His tweet read, “I support Nigeria for World…
Nabil Fekir is set to become Liverpool’s latest signing in a £53 million ($71 million, 60 million euro) deal, according to British press reports on Thursday. Looking to bounce back from the disappointment of losing the Champions League final last month, Liverpool have already bolstered their midfield options for next season with the arrivals of Fabinho from Monaco and Naby Keita, in a deal agreed with RB Leipzig last summer. Fekir, who can play in both midfield or attack, is set to fill the creative void left by the January departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona. The 24-year-old is part…
After a career laden with belts, cash and kudos, boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr retired undefeated over 50 fights — but his flawless record faces an unlikely challenge from an obscure Thai fighter known as the “dwarf giant”. At 5ft 2in (1.57m) and weighing just 105lb (47.6kg), minimumweight Wanheng Menayothin is shorter, leaner and significantly less wealthy than Mayweather, who briefly emerged from retirement last year to fight MMA star Conor McGregor for a $100 million purse. If Wanheng triumphs on Wednesday afternoon he will equal Mayweather’s feat of winning 50 successive fights. His WBC minimumweight belt is on the…
Juventus confirmed on Thursday they have activated the 40 million euro ($47 million) purchase clause to make Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa’s move to Italy permanent. The 27-year-old initially moved to Turin on loan for six million euros last summer with a 40 million euro option to buy. And the Brazilian was one of the key players for Massimiliano Allegri as the club wrapped up a seventh straight Serie A title and fourth Italian Cup in a row. “Juventus have exercised the option for the definitive acquisition of the registration rights of Douglas Costa from Bayern Munich for €40 million…
Amaju Pinnick has stated that Arsenal star Chuba Akpom is excited to commit to the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Akpom who was born in Canning Town, England is of Nigerian descent which makes him eligible to play for the Super Eagles of Nigeria. The 22-year-old came through the different youth setups for the England national team but is yet to make an appearance for the senior team in a friendly or competitive encounter. The NFF president praised his potential and stated his readiness to play for the Super Eagles unlike Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham who turned down the opportunity. Pinnick…
Gernot Rohr has banned goat meat and pepper soup for his players as they prepare for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles are camped in Austria where they are intensifying preparations for the tournament before they travel to Russia. Consecutive losses to England and the Czech Republic have raised doubts among supporters on the team’s chances at the tournament. Rohr is however intent on keeping his players in good condition for the tournament which includes restriction of certain meals for the players. In an interview with Omasports, Rohr stated that the Super Eagles players will not be permitted…
Super Eagles boss Gernot Rohr has been paid N32m ($15,000) for guiding Nigeria to qualification to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Rohr led the Super Eagles to four wins and two draws (one of the draws was ruled to be a loss as punishment for fielding a suspended player) during the group stage of the qualifiers. The German was appointed coach of the Super Eagles in August 2016 after they had progressed to the group stage of the qualifiers. For each game of the qualifiers, the 64-year-old earned N5m ($15,000) while his assistants received N3.6m ($10,000) per game.…
Sunday Oliseh will receive N10.8m ($30,000) for Nigeria’s qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Oliseh was coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria from June 2015 to February 2016 when he resigned abruptly after falling out with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Before his resignation, Oliseh led the Super Eagles to two games of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the two-legged second preliminary matches against Swaziland. For those two games, the former Super Eagles midfielder will receive N10.8m ($30,000). The money is part of the $8m the NFF are getting from FIFA for Nigeria’s qualification of the World…
Harry Kane gave a huge boost to Tottenham Hotspur on Friday by signing a new six year contract through to 2024 with the Premier League club. The 24-year-old striker scored a personal best 41 goals this season and had been mentioned as a possible target for European champions Real Madrid with other clubs also lurking in the wings. Some had speculated Kane would want a move away so he could win some silverware as despite Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino gaining plaudits for the attractive style of football they play they are yet to win a trophy under him since he…
Arsenal announced the capture of Swiss international defender Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus on Tuesday — new manager Unai Emery’s first signing for the Premier League club. The 34-year-old was out of contract at the Serie A champions and joins the Gunners on a free transfer before captaining Switzerland at the World Cup in Russia. Lichsteiner moved to Juventus in 2011 and won seven successive league titles with the Italian club. “It is a great moment for me, after Juventus, to come to Arsenal,” Lichtsteiner told the Arsenal website. “It is a project to come back into the Champions League, it…
Ronaldo has returned to training with Portugal national team after Champions League victory over Liverpool on Saturday, May 26. After his triumph with Real Madrid in the Champions League, Ronaldo has been on vacation with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and children. The 33-year-old has however ended his vacation to resume training ahead of his fourth World Cup appearance after failing to win in the last three editions. Ronaldo took time to sign autographs of Portugal supporters before he joined up with his teammates in training. Despite being out of full training for a while Ronaldo showed he was in high…
Dani Alves went under the knife Tuesday for the injured knee that ruled him out of the World Cup, his club Paris Saint-Germain announced. The 35-year-old former Barcelona star Alves suffered knee ligament injuries on May 8 during the French Cup final, meaning Brazil lost a senior player with 107 international appearances for the World Cup. “We waited for the right moment to operate so he would be fit again as soon as possible,” the club said. In his 17-year career, he won his first trophy with boyhood club Esporte Clube de Bahia followed by five at Sevilla, 23 with…
Nothing less than winning the World Cup in Russia next month will be satisfactory despite England’s failure to even progress to the later stages in recent tournaments, insist Three Lions’ stars Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli. Gareth Southgate’s men travel to their base in Repino, north-west of Saint Petersburg, next week looking to end 52 years without winning a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup. Sterling was part of the England sides that crashed out at the group stages four years ago and exited in humiliating fashion to Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016. But the Manchester…
Ola Aina is hopeful of making the 2022 FIFA World Cup after he was dropped from the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Aina who was included in Gernot Rohr’s initial 30-man provisional list for the World Cup played in the Super Eagles 1-1 draw with DR Congo in Port-Harcourt. Brought in as a substitute, Aina was responsible for the penalty awarded to DR Congo which led to their equalizer. He was not given any game time in the 2-1 loss to England and was not included in the final 23-man list for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Rohr…