Alhaji Balarabe Musa who stated this in an exclusive interview on Wednesday May 18, 2016, added that it is already impossible for Buhari to return as President in 2019 because many Nigerians who supported him in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 have lost confidence in him. “As the president, Buhari has the means of transforming everything but obviously, it is quite clear that Buhari’s popularity before 2015 elections and now have gone down drastically,” Balarabe said. Balarabe Musa who is the first civilian governor of Kaduna State said Buhari can only make it in 2019 if he can completely tackle…
Author: David Folami
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the source of funds used for the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) campaign in 2015. The PDP also accused the Buhari administration of witch-hunting its members in the guise of fighting a war against corruption. The comments were contained in a six-point resolution reached by the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. The resolutions were as follows: That the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party will hold in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State at the Shark Stadium on Saturday, the 21st of May 2016 as earlier…
Doyin Okupe, a former aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday, May 18, said Jonathan confirmed to him that he gave PDP spokesman, Olisa metuh, N400 million. He said the purpose of the fund was for Metuh to fine-tune the former president’s image ahead of his public declaration for the 2015 presidential race. Okupe disclosed this at the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja while testifying in the trial of Metuh on allegations of receiving N400 million from the office of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. He told the court that Jonathan released the fund to Metuh…
Officials say the successes were recorded in continuation with the special clearance and rescue operations otherwise known as Operation CRACKDOWN, within the Sambisa forest. According to army spokesman Col Sani Usman Kukasheka, troops of 7 Division had on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, cleared Boko Haram terrorists out of their Njimia camp within Sambisa forest. “While advancing earlier in the morning on the same day, the troops also cleared Boko Haram terrorists camps at Alafa, where they encountered heavy resistance from Boko Haram terrorists and killed 15 of them,” Kukasheka said. “The troops continued their advance through Alafa Main, Alafa Extension…
One of the missing Chibok girls has been rescued around Sambisa Forest, incoming reports say. The girl has been identified as Amina Nkeki Ali and she was found while breastfeeding a baby, The Cable reports. Amina is said to have told troops that six of the Chibok girls had died in captivity. “She said all of them are still in Sambisa forest, that six were already dead. She added that they are well secured and protected from the Nigerian army. She has been talking to troops at Damboa after verifying her to the Chibok Community at home,” Tunji Olarenwaju, a…
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed confidence that its nationwide indefinite strike over fuel price hike, which commenced on Wednesday, May 18, would gain momentum in the coming days. Speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, earlier on Wednesday, the Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Amechi Asugwuni, said “as we progress on the indefinite strike, it will expand itself.” The negotiation between the Ayuba Wabba-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Federal Government had ended in a deadlock on Tuesday, May 17. Wabba stormed out of the meeting with his team after the government…
President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed corruption for the inability of the Nigerian military to quickly defeat Boko Haram insurgency. Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, May 18, while receiving the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Egypt, Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Buhari said that the loss of 14 local government areas to Boko Haram had greatly tarnished the reputation of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He, however, noted that with measures taken by his administration to curb corruption and provide better weaponry, logistics, training and welfare for soldiers on the frontlines, the Nigerian military has now almost totally incapacitated Boko Haram as a fighting force.…
The Federal Government has promised to make about 2,000 kilometres of road network motorable. in 2016. The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this while answering questions at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Wednesday, May 18. Fashola said that the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is focusing on completing all strategic roads that demand urgent attention before undertaking other road rehabilitation projects. “There are roads that only sections of them are bad. There are roads that are really devastated that need to be totally rebuilt,” the Minister said. “And so, that is why our…
The nationwide strike championed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the fuel price hike, which commenced on Wednesday, May 18, paralysed commercial activities in Gombe state. Ministries, government offices, schools and commercial banks were said to have been shutdown. Comparing reports from other parts of the country, only Gombe may have recorded total shutdown of commercial activities as it was business as usual in many states despite NLC protests. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the NLC Chairman in the state, Haruna Kamara, said a monitoring committee was set up to to go round and ensure compliance. He said that…
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the proposal by billionaire Aliko Dangote to to construct Lokoja-Obajana-Ilorin Road, around where his Cement factory is located. The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola disclosed this while briefing newsmen after the FEC meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, May 18. He said in return, the government will forgo 30 per cent of Dangote company’s income tax for some years. “We presented a proposal by one of the subsidiary of Dangote group, a construction company, for the construction of a section of Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba-Ilorin road. “Specifically, the section between Obajana-Kabba Road using cement…
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane says he has silenced his doubters by winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot this season. The 22-year-old, who scored 21 goals in his debut season in 2014-15, failed to find the back of the net in his first six league games of the 2015-16 campaign, leading some sections of the British media to dub him a “one-season wonder”. But Kane soon rediscovered his knack for scoring and ended the season as the Premier League’s top scorer with 25 goals, becoming the first Englishman to win the honour since Sunderland’s Kevin Phillips in the 1999-2000 season.…
History-making Gonzalo Higuain has declared his love for Napoli but left doubts hanging over his future as rumours persist of a possible move to the Premier League. Higuain hit a hat-trick in a dramatic 4-0 win over relegated Frosinone on Saturday to take his league tally for the season to 36 in 35 games, in the process breaking a 66-year-old Serie A scoring record. AC Milan forward and Sweden legend Gunnar Nordahl’s record of 35 goals in a single, 20-team, three-points-for-a-win Serie A season had stood since 1950. But at a packed San Paolo stadium Higuain defied torrential rain to…
German sportswear firm Puma has seen sales of Leicester City soccer jerseys rise fifteen-fold as a result of its winning the English Premier League title, chief executive Bjoern Gulden told a German paper. Puma has provided the kits for Leicester, who were 5 000-1 outsiders at the start of the season, since 2012. “The fans love such stories – the underdog coming from behind and pulling off something unlikely,” Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted Gulden as saying in its Thursday edition. “The demand for jerseys has risen by fifteen-fold,” he said. Gulden did not say, however, whether Puma would pay more money…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted his team became nervous after they lost the Europa league final 3-1 to Sevilla on Wednesday. Daniel Sturridge scored a fine goal to put the English side ahead in the first half but Sevilla equalised seconds after the interval and ran out comfortable winners to win Europe’s second-tier club competition for the third year in a row. “We had our chance, 1-0 at halftime is usually good,” Klopp said. “Their first goal was not really a problem but we lost faith in our style of play. Didn’t defend well. Nervous.” Defeat meant Liverpool will not…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp collected his fifth successive losers medal after the Reds’ 3-1 defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Liverpool had been hoping to end their 15-year wait for Europa League glory having last won the competition, as the Uefa Cup, in a nine-goal thriller against Deportivo Alaves in 2001. But a second-half fightback on Wednesday saw Spanish midfielder Coke hit a brace in the space of six minutes to help Sevilla to their third consecutive and fifth trophy overall from Europe’s second-tier competition. It means five-time European champions Liverpool have not won a European…
The past few weeks were, in the end, a disaster. Who knew that after their sensational performance at Stoke in April, after which Tottenham Hotspur were hailed by some as the best team in the land, they wouldn’t win another game and finish behind Arsenal? But this shouldn’t obscure what a terrific season this has been for Tottenham: They challenged for the title for the first time in a generation, qualified for the Champions League and finished third, which was their highest finish since 1990. All of this was achieved with a young, talented and attack-minded team, a vibrant manager…
Manchester United’s decision on whether to sack Louis van Gaal might be more important than The FA Cup final this weekend against Crystal Palace, as the Mail alleged that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will snub the Red Devils if the Dutchman remains in charge. There is growing concern at Old Trafford that Van Gaal’s style is becoming a real turn-off for Europe’s best players and United risk losing out on Dortmund’s star striker as a result. The Gabonese has banked 36 goals in just 44 matches this season, which has alerted plenty of suitors around Europe. With a plethora of options at…
James Rodriguez would favour a move to Manchester United if he left Real Madrid this summer, sources close to the Spanish club have said. After a respectable first season at the Bernabeu following his £80 million move from Monaco after the 2014 World Cup, the Colombian midfielder has suffered injury and spent long periods out of the team this season, and the Champions League finalists are now considering a sale. Sources close to Real Madrid said that although Zinedine Zidane likes Rodriguez as a player, the tactical shift to 4-3-3 means there is no place for him in the formation.…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted that his team fell apart in their 3-1 Europa League final loss to Sevilla as soon as striker Kevin Gameiro scored an equaliser in the first minute of the second half. At that point, Liverpool had been leading through a fine 34th-minute Daniel Sturridge strike, but conceded two further goals to Sevilla captain Coke in the 64th and 70th minute. Klopp, who has now lost five straight cup finals as a manager, admits his team lost their way following Gameiro’s gut-punch early in the second period. “It’s obviously the first goal of Sevilla,” Klopp said.…
Sevilla lifted the Europa League trophy for a third successive season by beating Liverpool 3-1 in the final in Basel, Switzerland, on Wednesday night. Liverpool squandered the chance to end an 11-year European drought, while Sevilla qualified for next season’s Champions League group stage despite finishing seventh in La Liga. Daniel Sturridge’s exquisite first-half goal would have been worthy of winning any UEFA showpiece, but manager Jurgen Klopp’s side failed to capitalise and went to pieces in the second half. Kevin Gameiro scored just seconds after the interval as the Reds were exposed defensively before Coke grabbed two in the…