Osun State heads to the ballot to choose a new governor on September 22, 2018, as Aregbesola’s constitutionally-allowed two terms of eight years in office draws to a close. The APC in Osun will hold its primary election on July 7. At the last count, 27 APC members have declared an interest to take over from Aregbesola who cites his modern classroom blocks and a slew of roads as his legacies. “I am passionate about a worthy successor that will take it higher than we are now”, Aregbesola said at a media parley when asked if he has a succession…
Author: David Folami
Adams Oshiomole has weighed in on the rift between former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that he would arrest the former president if he had the powers of the president. Last week, Obasanjo alleged that Buhari’s administration has an active plan to indefinitely detain him by using false witnesses and documents to frame him. He said, “He should be arrested if he has committed any offence. He arrested many of us. So, if we are celebrating Chief Gani Fawehinmi, we have compelling reasons to do so. In all of these, we didn’t pay any money to Gani…
Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim says Nigerians are tired of the two dominant parties in Nigeria — the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Olawepo-Hashim, was founding member of the PDP and a former deputy publicity secretary of the party. Addressing select journalists in Abuja at the weekend, the politician and business mogul noted that the APC and PDP will not win the presidential seat in the 2019 elections. He said that Nigeria under the President Muhammadu Buhari is “almost in a disaster” due to some actions inactions of the government. “Both political parties (APC and PDP) are…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state to ‘be sensible’ and ‘stop digging his ditch’ even further. APC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, cautioned Okorocha against attacking the APC since the party’s congress in Imo state. The APC further accused Okorocha of Imo of forging court ruling to prevent the party’s state congress and election of chairmen. The ruling party has also announced plans to investigate and punish those culpable of the crime. The statement reads: “In recent weeks, the Imo State Governor, H.E. Rochas Okorocha, has made…
Olusegun Mimiko has reportedly dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mimiko was said to have announced his resignation from the party in a three-paragraph letter addressed to the PDP Chairman, Ondo West Local Government Area. The immediate former governor said in the letter that he left the PDP based on personal reasons. “I hereby with utmost humility inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the PDP with effect from today, June 13, 2018 for some well thought-out personal reasons”, Daily Independent quoted Mimiko as saying in the letter. “It was an honour working with the many prominent…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Wednesday that it had suspended the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in some communities in Bassa and Dekina local government areas of Kogi. The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. James Apam who announced this at a news conference in Lokoja blamed the development on persistent violent communal clashes in the affected communities. Apam also disclosed that the commission has had cause to suspend the exercise in Omala Local Government sometime this year for a similar reason. He said that the communities where the exercise is being put on hold were unsafe…
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in Niger has deployed 1,225 personnel to provide security in public places during the 2018 Eid-El-Fitr festivities. The state’s Corps Commandant, Mr. Philip Ayuba, said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday, that sufficient personnel would be deployed to places of worship and recreation centres to ensure adequate security. “We have taken sensitive security measures that will enable residents observe the festivities in a peaceful atmosphere without hindrance,” he said. He also said that the NSCDC had mapped out elaborate security measures in the 25…
Police formations in Lagos State would embark on a Show of Force between 6a.m and 9p.m. on Thursday to demonstrate the command’s crime fighting ability ahead of the Eid-il-Fitr celebration. Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Imohimi Edgal, who ordered the operation, said the Show of Force was to assure residents of the police readiness to provide adequate security during and after the Sallah holidays. The command spokesman, SP Chike Oti, said in a statement that the Show of Force was designed to send a clear warning to criminal elements. “The police, at the forefront of internal security in the state,…
Ibrahim Idris has reportedly ordered the independent audit of detention cells of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) nationwide. This comes after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) accused the SARS operatives and police generally of human rights abuse. The Commission had requested access to cells in all police commands and formations in Nigeria in order to “oversee human rights situation of detainees”. In the past months, there have been campaigns against police brutality on social media. Photos and videos of policemen, especially SARS operatives, harassing young Nigerians abound on the internet.
Mohamed Salah gave Egypt’s World Cup hopes a huge boost Wednesday when he joined a squad training session at their Grozny base. The Pharaohs’ superstar was sidelined after suffering a shoulder injury in Liverpool’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid on May 26, casting doubt on his World Cup participation. He took part in his first training session since the injury, going through a range of warm-up exercises with his teammates. Team doctor Mohamed Abou al-Ela said Salah “participated in part of the training with the team and completed the other part alone”. Team director Ihab Lahita was cagey…
England trained for the first time in Russia on Wednesday, with midfielder Eric Dier praising coach Gareth Southgate’s ability to shield his players from the hothouse World Cup atmosphere. A day after touching down in Saint Petersburg, England held an open training session in nearby Zelenogorsk watched by hundreds of excited young fans. Harry Kane was presented with a trophy by women in traditional local dress while an announcer introduced players one by one to the squealing Russian children. The manager’s loyalty amid the sometimes feverish atmosphere generated by England’s media and public expectations has not gone unnoticed. “I think…
The United States, Mexico and Canada will host the 2026 World Cup after easily beating underdogs Morocco in a vote of FIFA member nations in Moscow on Wednesday. The joint North American bid defeated their north African rival by a margin of 69 votes, 134 to 65, to win the right to organise the first World Cup to be expanded to 48 teams. The result at the FIFA Congress on the eve of the 2018 tournament means global football’s showpiece event will return to the North American continent for the first time since the United States hosted it in 1994.…
Genort Rohr has admitted that Nigeria’s opponents, Croatia, are a better team ahead of their meeting in the opening game of group D of Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles arrived Russia on the back of consecutive losses to England and the Czech Republic which has raised doubts among supporters on the team’s chances at the tournament. The Super Eagles and Croatia and have been tipped to battle for the runners-up spot in group D and Rohr was full of praise for Zlatko Dalic’s side. He said, “We admire this team, but we do not plan to watch…
England’s World Cup stars have been given a briefing by security experts on how to stay safe from hackers during the tournament in Russia. Gareth Southgate’s players and his coaching staff received advice from GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on how to protect their personal information and possessions. Russian hackers have wreaked havoc with global cyber-attacks in recent years, including targeting top British cyclist Bradley Wiggins, and the English Football Association called in the experts in a bid to avoid any World Cup security breaches. According to a Daily Mail report, protective software has been added to the team’s…
Paulinho believes his side are in much better shape heading into this year’s World Cup in Russia than they were as the host nation four years ago. Now 29, Paulinho was part of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side in 2014 as they were humiliated by Germany in the semi-finals, losing 7-1. He came off the bench in that match and is one of only four players in Tite’s squad this year in Russia who appeared on that fateful night in Belo Horizonte. Thiago Silva was in the squad but was suspended, while Neymar was injured. “We have greater confidence. From the…
UEFA have closed their financial fair-play case against Paris Saint-Germain after the Qatari-backed French Ligue 1 champions were cleared of any wrongdoing on Wednesday. The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) had been monitoring PSG’s ‘break-even requirement’ for 2015, 2016 and 2017. “Compliance with the break-even requirement for the 2018 financial year will remain under close scrutiny,” UEFA said. The French champions now have some breathing space to move out a string of players before the start of next season. PSG observers claim the club are open to offers for Javier Pastore, Gonzalo Guedes, Angel Di Maria and Adrien Rabiot,…
Jerome Boateng is effectively up for sale at the World Cup after Bayern Munich supremo Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed Wednesday that the Brazil 2014 winner can leave the Bundesliga champions for the right price. “The idea is not out of this world and has been revealed to me by his advisor, so we know that the topic may come to us,” said Rummenigge at an event in Munich. “If a club comes and he announces that he wants to move, we will deal with it.” The burly centre-back was a key player when Germany won the 2014 World Cup and is…
Joachim Loew has called on German fans to stop booing Ilkay Gundogan and Mesut Ozil after the Premier League stars found themselves at the centre of a political row. Gundogan and Ozil, who were born in Gelsenkirchen to Turkish parents, were jeered and whistled by fans during pre-World Cup friendlies after posing for a photo alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “My job is to get both players, who have certainly suffered from this situation, in good shape,” said the head coach on Wednesday at Germany’s first press conference in Russia. “It may be that these players will still be…
With just a day to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, a psychic pig has given hope to Nigerians by predicting that the Super Eagles will get to the semi-final of the tournament. The black micro pig called Mystic Marcus has a history of predicting winners and rightly called Donald Trump to become the president of the United States of America. The owner Juliette Stevens told Daily Mail that Mystic Marcus has a 100% winning record. Juliette used 32 apples with flags of the all the participating countries and Mystic Marcus was made to eat the four semi-finalists. After…
England trained for the first time in Russia on Wednesday, with midfielder Eric Dier praising coach Gareth Southgate’s ability to shield his players from the hothouse World Cup atmosphere. A day after touching down in Saint Petersburg, England held an open training session in nearby Zelenogorsk watched by hundreds of excited young fans. Harry Kane was presented with a trophy by women in traditional local dress while an announcer introduced players one by one to the squealing Russian children. The manager’s loyalty amid the sometimes feverish atmosphere generated by England’s media and public expectations has not gone unnoticed. “I think…