The family of former pension reforms boss, Abdulrasheed Maina, has claimed he was reinstated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as part of its ‘change agenda’. The family made this claim in a public defence of the fugitive former chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms (PTTPR) and blamed his troubles on the manipulations of a cabal bent on tarnishing his image. The family talked to the media in Kaduna two days ago, through spokesman Malam Aliyu Maina who also protested against the shutting down of houses linked to Maina. Aliyu blasted the actions of the…
Author: David Folami
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Mohammed Danmallam, has warned trouble makers to avoid the state during the forthcoming council elections. ‘‘Be warned that the command, under my watch, will not tolerate ballot box snatching, political thuggery and any form of violence that will lead to the breakdown of law and order in the state. ‘‘Rest assured that we are going to arrest, and anybody found wanting would be taken to court as soon as possible to answer for his or her misdeeds. ‘‘So, be warned that police and other sister security agencies will not tolerate any act…
Ayodele Fayose narrowly escaped death three days ago, after his vehicle caught fire on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos State. The Governor was said to be on his way to the airport when his Mercedes-Benz G-Class mysterious caught fire but the Governor was reportedly not in the vehicle at the time. Fayose’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka revealed this on Wednesday, October 25. He said, “There was an accident involving Ekiti state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose’s vehicle on his way to the airport yesterday. “Though he was meant to be in the vehicle, by providence, he was not there. “What caused the sudden…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, said that it had been involved in 419 court cases over election matters from 2016 to date. Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this in an interactive session with a group of civil society organizations, under the umbrella of the Situation Room, on Tuesday, in Abuja. “Between 2016 and 2017, till this week, we have appeared for 419 cases in four different courts; so, I will say that in the last two years INEC has been dragged to court 419 times. “Conversely, 187 of them are at Federal and state…
Aisha Buhari has shut down the claim by Senator Isa Misau that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris gave her two Sports Utility Vehicles for private engagements. n a response on her Twitter account (@aishambuhari), on Thursday, October 26, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari posted, “I am still using my personal cars” . Senator Misau has been at the forefront of a very public spat with the IGP who he has accused of collecting bribes on several occasions. While speaking to the committee on Wednesday, he had said, “I still have some contract papers that the IG himself submitted…
The Kaduna State Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) on Thursday said they would close down all public schools if any of its members is sacked by Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i. Audu Amba, NUT Chairman in the state said at a press conference in Kaduna, that the union would go on total strike if the government should dismiss any teacher. According to him, the teachers were not tried based on professionalism, adding that the NUT will only recognise test conducted by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria. “The so-called competency test was not a true test, because you can…
Goodluck Jonathan has denied allegations by the Presidency that government officials loyal to him reinstated the embattled ex-chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina. The former president, who spoke through his media, Ikechukwu Eze, described the claim as funny. He said, “It is ridiculous to say that Jonathan’s loyalists brought Maina back into service. Is it his loyalists that are in government? Somebody who has left office over two years, his loyalists still brought in a fugitive to power? It is laughable. “Is it his loyalists that also promoted him and made him an acting director from the…
Ibrahim Magu has praised President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign, while also refusing to comment on the controversial return of Abdulrasheed Maina. He said, “You and I know that he is not kidding. He is not pretending. There is no pretence there in his will to fight corruption. There is no doubt about that. “You know me enough and we would go ahead. We will not disappoint the rest of the world. “They have recognised that the president is doing well and they have come here, the African Union, our brothers and sisters and we will do everything possible to contribute…
Marseille’s Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has said coach Rudi Garcia told the players to target Neymar during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain at Stade Velodrome. “It was my job to poke him and prod him. The coach had warned me that ‘he is a supreme talent but he can be driven crazy.’ “So, without making big fouls and by simply using small nibbles here and there, occasionally sending him to ground, I managed to get to him. At one moment, he was in [Hiroki Sakai’s] area on the right and I went 30 metres towards the middle before I fouled…
After seeing Sir Alex Ferguson and Guus Hiddink in their heyday, South Korea legend Park Ji-Sung has declared that coaching is not for him, but he still wants to play a major part in the future of Asian football. “I watched Hiddink and Ferguson at close quarters and I realised that I was not a coach,” Park said in an interview with Yahoo Japan. “Tactics and strategy are important, but you need to be a strong leader to deal with the players on a psychological level,” Park said. “The best coaches have strong charisma to motivate the whole team while…
Mauricio Pochettino has said that Tottenham have come dropping back to earth “after a few weeks in the sky” with Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to West Ham in the Carabao Cup. “I think it’s easy to explain. We showed a lack of aggression, all that we had in the first half, that belief and everything that we were doing very well, [we lost] in the second half,” Pochettino said at Wembley. “But that happens in football. We are so disappointed. The players are so disappointed and we are feeling for the fans. That is football. “I think that we allowed them…
Manchester United will assess Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera ahead of Tottenham’s visit to Old Trafford this weekend after both picked up knocks against Swansea, sources have said. Rashford reported a tightness in his hamstring during the first half of the 2-0 win at the Liberty Stadium while Herrera was caught on the ankle after a challenge involving Kyle Naughton. The issues are thought to be minor but both Rashford and Herrera will be monitored by medical staff at Carrington this week. The pair were substituted as a precaution after 67 minutes against Swansea and United are hopeful both will…
Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Harry Kane is in doubt for Saturday’s crunch Premier League match at Manchester United. Kane was taken off for the final two minutes of Sunday’s 4-1 win over Liverpool and left the field holding his hamstring after scoring twice. Afterwards, Pochettino played down any injury concerns but said Kane would be rested for the Carabao Cup fourth-round match against West Ham, and he played no part in Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat. Pochettino surprisingly withdrew Fernando Llorente, the only other natural centre-forward in his squad, with 20 minutes remaining against the Hammers, despite trailing by a goal.…
Antonio Conte is of the opinion that Michy Batshuayi is “ready to start” more often for Chelsea after the striker helped his side to a 2-1 victory over Everton in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. “I think Michy is improving a lot,” Conte said. “He’s working very well and he’s understanding this football and what I want from him. He’s improving, he’s improving a lot. “I’m very happy. Tonight he didn’t score, but he played very well. I don’t judge if my striker scores or doesn’t score; I judge the player’s performance for the team. “Last season was…
Jesse Lingard was the best player on the pitch for Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in midweek, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. Lingard celebrated his goals by pretending to play the flute in front on the United fans — a routine apparently inspired by a song on Drake’s latest album. Of course, as with most things Lingard does, the flute celebration hasn’t pleased everyone, not least Paul Pogba, who took the time to tease his buddy about the weird choreography on show. The good news for United fans is that, seeing…
Ander Herrera has insisted he has a “fantastic relationship” with Jose Mourinho as he urged Manchester United to recover in the Premier League title race against Tottenham. “We have a fantastic relationship, but what I said was that in the first 30 minutes they had a better attitude than us,” Herrera said. “That’s what happened. But after that we had a good attitude and we were even close to drawing the game, which is not so easy after playing bad the first 30 minutes. “But now we want to forget what happened on Saturday. “We want to move forward for…
Zinedine Zidane hailed his heavily rotated team’s “patience” after two late penalties brought a 2-0 Copa del Rey last-32 first leg at third-tier Fuenlabrada on Thursday evening. “I’m very happy with the performance, it is a positive result,” the Los Blancos coach told the postgame news conference. “We showed seriousness and intensity from the start. It is a 2-0, clean sheet, and by being patient in the second half we found the gaps.” “This is an important competition for me,” the former galactico said. “It’s true those who played had less time before, but they showed intensity and physically lasted…
Harry Kane is a better striker than Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku, according to former Red Devils’ full-back Paul Parker, who says the big forward can be made “redundant” by Jose Mourinho’s defensive tactics. Spurs go to Old Trafford for the early kick off in the Premier League on Saturday, with both teams on 20 points, five points behind leaders Manchester City. “There’s definitely a lot more in Harry Kane’s game than there is in Lukaku’s,” Parker said in Singapore where he works as a junior coach and media pundit. “When I look at Lukaku, and I look at the way…
The damsel splitted with singer The Weeknd in November 2016. And one year after splitting with the artist, Bella Hadid reportedly had a fling with rapper Drake. The 21-year-old model has caused a rift between the two Canadian-born musicians, according to Page Six. The website’s source detailed the tension between Drake and The Weeknd, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. The artists have the same friends in Toronto and members of the crew are ‘having to pick sides’ Page Six reports. When The Weeknd performed, Drake’s group have ‘to have allegiance’ and not ‘show up to that,’ the insider revealed. ‘The groups…
IK Ogbonna has a shocking opinion about married people who cheat. According to the actor cheating really is not sex but the devotion of your time and attention to someone who is not your spouse. “Cheating is not even having sex with a woman. That’s one mistake people make. Cheating is when you find yourself developing feelings for someone” he said in an interview with Broadway TV. “If a man finds himself in a situation, sleeping with a woman for thirty minutes, then he is done and dusted and you move on with life. “That ceases to exist the second…