Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday assured Nigerians that there would be no issues with Card Reader machines in the 2019 general elections. “We have taken steps to improve the process of the smart card readers and we will continue to do so. We will also use improved smart card readers in Anambra election,” he said. “We will deploy specific machine to the specific community and we will also provide additional machines and speak to the community leaders. We will treat all states equally.” He revealed that the commission had suspended voter registration in Anambra until after the Nov. 18 governorship election…
Author: David Folami
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it can do without former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who recently promised never to return to the party. The PDP said as much as it respects Obasanjo’s decision, his absence will not have a negative impact on the party. “I have told the chairman that I was in the PDP before but not now. God forbid, see when dog vomits, it will go back to eat its vomit, no,” OBJ said. “I have said no partisan politics for me again, but Nigeria is my passion until death do us apart. And anything that concerns…
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia state, Nduka Anyanwu has described President Muhammadu Buhari as the best thing to have happened to the country. The APC chieftain, however, begged President Buhari to reshuffle his cabinet. “Abians are very likely to vote for Buhari in 2019 if he re-contests and indeed we are going to ask Buhari to run in 2019,” Anyanwu said. “Nigerians need to believe that Buhari is the best thing that has ever happened to this country. Sadly, few persons that are working for him in the South-east are not really taking care of…
Ibrahim Idris has displayed his disappointment at the recent increase in the kidnapping of officers and advised them to improve their personal security more seriously to stop the trend. He said, “We must take the protection of our officers seriously. We have a problem. Two days ago, one of our DPOs was kidnapped. How can you be a DPO, you have all the policemen under your command and then you start driving as if you don’t have anybody. “You allow the ‘useless kidnappers’ to pick you and your orderly, it is very embarrassing. We had the same issue in Zamfara…
Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Turkey, laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Turkey’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, before meeting President Recep Erdogan at the Presidential Palace. According to Shehu, President Buhari laid the wreath in red and white colours of the Turkish flag at the tomb of Ataturk and later observed a minute silence. He said that the President also signed the official Anitkabir memorial Book of Honour at the Misaki-i Milli Kulesi (National Pact Tower), within the precincts of the mausoleum, and toured the museum. President Buhari wrote: ‘‘It is an honour and privilege to visit Anitkabir,…
The federal government has proposed the sum of N8.6 trillion for the 2018 budget. President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter to the Senate mentioned that the MTEF and FSP was ready against a back drop of a general adverse global economy uncertainties as well as fiscal challenges and recovery in the domestic recovery. “In line with current realities in the international oil market, including weakening outlook of future prices occasioned by rising oil and unconventional oil supplies and slow economic recovery, as well as other potential downside risks, a benchmark oil of $45pb for 2018, $50pb for 2019 and $52pb…
The World Bank has said it is in full support of the Nigerian government on the need to borrow to finance infrastructure. The Bank commended the Federal Government for efforts to rebalance the nation’s debt portfolio. The statement quoted Benmessaoud, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria as saying, “On October 11, during the launch of Africa’s Pulse, the World Bank’s biannual analysis of African economies, the World Bank Senior Economist for Nigeria, Gloria Joseph-Raji, was asked by a reporter to share her views on the Federal Government’s plan to increase external borrowing. “At no point did she mention that the…
Mr Babatunde Fashola has declared his support for external borrowing by the Federal Government to finance capital projects in the country. The minister praised stakeholders in the mining sector for the amazing milestones recorded, saying that very little could be achieved in the power industry without inputs from the sector. “As we roll out transmission stations, we install transformers, the steel casing and copper winding inside it stem from the operations of the mining industry,” minister said. The statement also quoted the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi as commending the organisers of the Nigerian Mining Week.…
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has accepted he has to fight for a regular first-team place at Liverpool but insists he is ready to seize his chance. “It’s a competitive team that I’ve come into,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told BT Sport. “Everyone’s fighting for their place and I’m just ready for when I get the opportunity. “I need to keep developing and learning a new style of play here and get used to that and then whenever I get my opportunities try to do as well as I can.” “We’re in an important part of the season where we want to get off to a…
Eden Hazard admitted avoiding defeat was a important for Chelsea in their 3-3 Champions League draw with Roma. “We talked about this,” Hazard said of the preceding defeats. “But we gave everything at the end of the game and we scored one [to equalise] and maybe we should score another one to win the game. “But one point is enough today after two defeats, it’s not easy to bounce back against a great team but we did.” David Luiz had fired Chelsea ahead before Hazard doubled their advantage but Roma stormed back, inspired by ex-Manchester City pair Aleksandar Kolarov and…
Ernesto Valverde recently joked he hoped to see Lionel Messi score 200 goals after Barcelona’s starboy clinched himself another milestone as he scored for the 100th time in European competition from a second-half free kick in a 3-1 win against Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday. “I hope he reaches 200 goals this season!” Barca coach Ernesto Valverde said when asked about another Messi landmark. “His numbers validate what we see every day, he’s beating statistics that seemed impossible. He’s been doing it for a long time now, constantly breaking down barriers.” Messi dazzled the crowd in the first…
Divock Origi has confirmed he is not currently in contact with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp but was pleased to see his parent club cruise through a 7-0 Champions League win at Maribor on Tuesday. “Liverpool have deserved it,” Origi told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s always good when the folks there are all satisfied, and you need those good results for that.” “I must focus on myself. The future will show what happens. You never know in football. “He [Klopp] is focused on Liverpool, and I am focused on my task here.” Origi praised Gomez, who has returned from an ankle…
Jose Mourinho has replied critics of his style of football by insisting good defending is not a crime. Mourinho told a news conference: “Not that I read it a lot, but sometimes when I read the press, not only English but Portuguese, I feel that sometimes defending properly is seen as a crime but it is not. “That’s why we controlled the game because we defended properly and the goal was not against the current of the game, but we end up ending the game and we are almost qualified so that’s it.” Mourinho added: “You think we have any…
Antonio Conte has replied Jose Mourinho for the first time after Chelsea’s injury crisis increased with fresh issues for David Luiz and Tiemoue Bakayoko in Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Roma in the Champions League. United also endured an injury scare in their 1-0 win over Benfica as striker Marcus Rashford limped off with a knee injury, but Mourinho afterwards insisted: “I never speak about injuries. Other managers, they cry, they cry, they cry when a player is injured. “If I wanted to moan I could cry like the others for five minutes; [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, [Marouane] Fellaini, [Paul] Pogba, [Marcos] Rojo…”…
Nemanja Matic has said that even though Jose Mourinho is not always an easy guy and can be very demanding, the Manchester United boss is the best he has worked with. He said “Mourinho is a brand, and the best coach I’ve ever worked with. “Sometimes it isn’t easy to work with him, because he always demands more. Even when you play the best match in your career, he considers that you can play better in the next match. “I cooperated excellently with him at Chelsea, and the fact that Mourinho is the coach at Manchester was the decisive factor…
Kevin De Bruyne has said that the Premier League title race is going to be a showdown between Manchester City and Manchester United. Asked if he believed the Manchester clubs were the favourites in the title race, De Bruyne said: “For the moment I think so, but everybody’s still there. “It’s so early, if you lose two or three games you go back to a [lower] position. We have to maintain this hopefully.” Marouane Fellaini has also received praise from manager Jose Mourinho but De Bruyne says the rivalry among the Belgians has not intensified just yet. “We see each…
Paul Scholes has said he was very willing to manage Oldham and has not ruled out applying for more jobs in the future. Scholes said: “I had a good chat with Mark [Moisley], the chief executive, and Simon Corney, the owner. Talks went very well. “I’m sure they interviewed quite a few people. It was something I was very interested in but Rick Wellens had done so well, they couldn’t ignore that. “He’s brought a really good style of football, something Oldham fans haven’t been used to for quite a while. I lost out but hopefully Rick will take them…
Edinson Cavani has hailed fellow Paris Saint-Germain attackers Kylian Mbappe and Neymar but warned that neither him or them should see themselves as “Galacticos.” After implying that he and Neymar are not friends in the first, Cavani said he enjoys playing alongside the Brazil star and Mbappe, who both arrived at PSG in the summer. “It gives me great pleasure,” Cavani said. “It is something motivating for us, for the team — playing with top players on a daily basis is motivating. “However, we should not compare ourselves with other teams, we must concentrate on ourselves instead. We should not…
Kendrick Lamar fans can spend days going back and forth about his music, debating what his best song is or what album ranks No. 1 in his catalog but he already makde his choice. During a new interview, the Compton rapper reveals what he believes are his best verses, coming straight off of a track on his recent DAMN. album. The Cali says his best verses come from his “FEAR.” record, where he speaks on the different things he was afraid of growing up, including his parents as well as the world at large. “It’s completely honest,” he says about…
Eminem’s ex-bodyguard has expressed his fears for the rapper’s safety after a freestyle which condemned Donald Trump. Byron ‘Big Naz’ Williams said he was worried about the reaction to his former employer after the star hit out at the US President in a rap broadcast at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Eminem, who turned 45 recently, blasted Mr Trump over racial tensions, the NFL row and North Korea in a performance called “The Storm”. The former guard said he agreed with the sentiment of Eminem’s rap but added his bodyguards could now have “their work cut out”. He also said…