Former Adviser on Food Security to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof Ango Abdullahi, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to fight the Niger Delta Avengers before taking on Boko Haram. Abdullahi, who also blamed politicians for political instability in the country, said the greatest challenge to national security was activities of the Avengers. He made this known during a book launch, titled: “The life and times of Umaru Turakin Bauchi at 2015 and Boko Haram: The charade versus the reality at 2016” in Abuja. He said: “If we find truly that we cannot peacefully develop this country, the solution is to…
Author: David Folami
For a host of prominent Anambra indigenes, all roads led to the Governors Lodge, Awka, last Saturday, as the state celebrated, in style, 25 years of eventful statehood. The event was the dinner/gala night, which capped a colourful festivity that started with a press briefing at the State Executive Chamber on Friday at the Anambra State Government House, Awka and lighting of the three flyover bridges along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Awka. The gala night, which ended in the early hours of Sunday, was graced by traditional rulers, elders, political leaders, the clergy, captains of industry and friends of the state. Prominent…
The Executive Director on Public Affairs to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Hon. Henry Okpamen has urged the people of Edo state to support the All Progressive Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the forthcoming election in the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. Addressing newsmen in Benin, Okpamen urged the people of Edo State to come out en masse and vote for Godwin Obaseki and Philip Shuaibu, saying they are tested and trusted gentlemen to continue the visionary leadership style of Gov. Oshiomhole. He charged Edo people to show more interest on who becomes their next governor in the forthcoming election,…
Despite continuous speculations about a secret marriage to music producer and singer, JJC, whose real name is Abdul Rasheed Bello, Funke Akindele has kept mum and refused to confirm or deny the rumours. However, she kinda confirmed that she is indeed now married to her long-time boo, by adding his last name to her social media pages. Congrats Mrs Bello! We wish you nothing but the best!
Nigerians are praying for stand-up comedian Julius Agwu after he missed his own show over the weekend. The entertainer has been in and out of hospital since undergoing a brain surgery in 2015. We reliably gathered he was hospitalized again in London, and could not make it to the London edition of his annual show Crack Ya Ribs. Those close to him say ‘it was just stress’. The London gig, which usually holds the Sunday before Bank Holiday in August, on the weekend of the Nottinghill Carnival, continued without him. He had earlier advertised this year’s event as usual and…
Kanye West and his adoring wife, Kim Kardashian West were all smiles and PDAs at the just-concluded VMAs and everyone couldn’t stop talking about how genuinely in love they seemed and how good they both looked. While the power couple were all smiles and kisses in front of the cameras and the public eye, things looked a little frosty with them behind the scenes. MTV’s backstage feed from their green room showed the couple, who had been unable to keep their hands off each other a while before, sitting apart, more interested in their phones than each other. Is this…
Reekado Banks has finally received the Hyundai SUV attached to his Headies ‘Next Rated’ award win, eight months after being awarded. His case could be compared to Port Harcourt-born singer Mercy Chinwo, who won Nigerian Idol season 2 but didn’t receive her N7.5m recording contract even after 12-months. Olamide and Don Jazzy had a misunderstanding at the last edition of The Headies over the ‘Next Rated Award’ on behalf of their protégés (Lil Kesh and Reekado, respectively), which ended up being the big take from the award night which was moved to New Year’s Day. While Lil Kesh, Kiss Daniel…
The police in Los Angeles have retrieved at least one gun, other weapons and drugs from Chris Brown‘s home, after Chris threw a duffel bag out the window of his home. According to TMZ, cops raced to Chris’ home early Tuesday morning after a woman called 911 and claimed he pulled a gun on her. Police have been at the house since 3 AM and are in the process of getting a search warrant. Chris has not left the house, but multiple sources say he was defiant as he threw the duffel bag out the window, taunting cops and saying,…
Akpororo and wife, Mary Josephine Abraham have welcomed their first child, a girl, into the world. The couple got married on November 14, 2015 at Eagle’s Club in Surulere, Lagos, in a ceremony graced by former first lady of Lagos Abimbola Fashola, comedian Ali Baba, comic actor Francis Odega, and other friends and family. He’s now joined the likes of fellow comedian Ushbebe, Nollywood actors Kenneth Okonkowo, Yomi Gold, singer Bez, soccer star Uche Kalu and more as 2016 celebrity dads. The comedian, who recently had a social media dispute with actress Kate Henshaw, is regarded as one of the…
For a while now, Drake and Chris Brown have had their fair share of back-and-forth rivalry, which mostly stemmed from one accusing the other of taking a chance with his girl. Back in 2012, both music stars feuded over Rihanna, Chris’ one-time girlfriend. They have also once feuded over Karrueche Tran, another ex-girlfriend of Chris. The news that Drake and Riri are once-again an item has been rocking the media, with the Canadian rapper making his boldest move yet when he took to the just concluded VMAs stage to say, ‘I’ve been in love with you (Rihanna) since I was…
Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg has only spent a few hours in the country, and we’re looking forward to showing him around. Here’s a few things we think he needs to try out before leaving the country.
Surrounded by a chaotic buildup to the Games, including a war of words between Nigeria’s Sports Ministry and football federation, the Olympic football team delivered the country’s lone medal from Rio. Bronze it may have been, but seeing as it was a very marginal improvement (cough cough) over the grand total of zero from 2012, there was some reason to be, well, less glum. In any case, there are a four key lessons to take away from Dream Team VI’s face-saving campaign: 1. Siasia has not changed much In his second spell as under-23 coach, and 11 years after his…
When Marcus Rashford’s late winner hit the net at Hull, the crazy celebrations were not confined to a raucous 3,000 travelling Manchester United fans in the away end at the KCOM Stadium. Six hundred miles across the North Sea, 1,000 supporters fans erupted in The Scotsman. The four-level pub is located on Oslo’s main shopping street and is busy whenever the club play, with almost all of the games televised. On Saturday, it had been hired out by for 35th anniversary celebrations by United’s Scandinavian Supporters Club, which has 42,000 paid-up members — around one percent of Norway’s population. Among…
Diego Costa has admitted that after a difficult year at Chelsea last season, he considered returning to Atletico Madrid. The 27-year-old, a £32 million signing from Atletico Madrid two years ago, was reportedly unhappy at Chelsea at the end of last season and there were doubts as to how the temperamental Brazil-born player would fare under Antonio Conte. But the forward has enjoyed a strong start to the 2016-17 campaign, scoring two goals in two league starts for Chelsea. He has also been called up by Spain for the first time since the 2014 World Cup. Costa spent two seasons…
Sergio Aguero faces a three-match ban after being charged with violent conduct by the Football Association for elbowing Winston Reid in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday. The incident, which happened in the 76th minute as Aguero challenged the West Ham defender from a long clearance, was not punished at the time by referee Andre Marriner, who put in his match report that he had not seen what had happened. Aguero has until Wednesday at 6 p.m. BST to answer to the charge, but if he does not contest it then he would automatically receive a…
Wayne Rooney has admitted he overruled former England manager Roy Hodgson by replacing Harry Kane on corner duty during Euro 2016. Hodgson was criticised for a number of his tactical and selection decisions as his side failed in France, with one of the earliest debates centring around his main striker delivering dead balls rather than getting on the end of them. Kane took all six corners in the opening game against Russia, only for Rooney to take over early in the second group match against Wales. The watching Hodgson, who had defended his use of Kane, looked surprised and Rooney…
Inter Milan have signed Brazil striker Gabriel “Gabigol” Barbosa on a five-year deal from Santos on the player’s 20th birthday. Inter had been leading the race for the Santos prospect, who is in Ecuador preparing to play in World Cup qualifying matches with the Selecao. He passed his medical over the weekend and the Nerazzurri are reported to have agreed a fee of around €25 million with Santos for the services of the forward, who starred for Brazil at the Olympic Games. “As we wait to see him in action at San Siro, the Nerazzurri club and fans give Gabigol…
Premier League clubs have now spent more than £1 billion on transfers in the summer window. The league had already broken its own transfer record last week, when Manchester City’s signing of Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo pushed clubs’ gross spending up to £880 million — topping the £870m of last summer. Arsenal completed the signing of Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia for a reported fee of £35 million on Tuesday night, which smashed through the £1bn mark with another day of dealing to go. It is the fourth successive summer that a new record has been set for Premier…
Arsenal have completed the signing of Spanish striker Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna. The announcement of Perez, 27, is expected to be followed by the arrival of Germany international Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia as manager Arsene Wenger brings in the attacking and defensive reinforcements he targeted in the latter stages of the summer transfer window. Perez, whose £17 million release clause was triggered by Arsenal last week, scored 17 league goals and added eight assists last season. Perez only emerged as a late target for Wenger, who also pursued Jamie Vardy and Alexandre Lacazette in this transfer window, but…
Paris Saint-Germain are considering the sale of David Luiz after former club Chelsea tabled a substantial offer to take the defender back to Stamford Bridge, a source close to the club has told ESPN FC. Luiz moved to the Parc des Princes in the summer of 2014 in a £50 million deal from Chelsea, and won nine trophies as part of a team that completed two consecutive domestic clean sweeps under former boss Laurent Blanc’s leadership. He has started all four of the French champions’ competitive fixtures so far this season. But Le Parisien reported earlier this month that new…