Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, on Friday presented keys of 100 housing units of one bedroom apartment to 100 civil servants who won the houses through lottery. Ugwuanyi, who presented the keys to the winners at Elim Estate, Ugwogo, in Enugu East LGA, said the gesture was part of his commitment to improve the welfare of civil servants in the state. He said: “this is a very auspicious and historic occasion. We are here to celebrate the goodness of the Lord to the people of Enugu State. “You will recall that on Sept. 29, 2015, we took the unprecedented…
Author: David Folami
The Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured that there is adequate petroleum products and advised that people should not embark on panic buying. This is contained in a statement signed by Alhaji Garba Deen muhammad, Group General Manager, Group public Affairs division, on Friday in Abuja. It said the Corporation had commenced talks with the leadership of the industrial unions to address their grievances. “The Corporation has in stock enough products to satisfy local consumption requirements for the next 45 days. “There is no need for motorists and other users of petroleum products to embark on…
The outgoing US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle, says President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic recovery efforts deserve the understanding and support of Nigerians. Entwistle stated this in an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja on Friday. “I see a parallel between President Buhari and President Obama. “President Obama had not been in office for very long, but the people had same kind of impatience. “And I think in my country a lot of people forgot how difficult the situation was that President Obama inherited. “I think the same thing is happening with President Buhari – to a certain degree. “It…
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has expressed satisfaction with the ruling by the Federal High Court in Owerri which declared that his tax clearance papers were genuine. Reacting to the ruling in Umuahia on Friday, Ikpeazu described it as a victory for equity, justice, the Nigerian judiciary and lovers of Abia. “This matter which has been decided by the court is similar and of great importance with the one we are battling with in Abuja. “I am happy to say that the learned judge affirmed that my tax papers were genuine. “What happened is one of those distractions to set…
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun on Friday said the ongoing restructuring and reforms in all the state-owned tertiary institutions were not aimed at retrenching workers as being speculated. Aregbesola said this at the inauguration of a N140 million e-Library and N34.4 million ultra-modern lecture hall at the state College of Education, Ila-Orangun. The Governor, who described the speculation as baseless, said the idea behind the restructuring exercise was not to witch-hunt but to improve the quality of lecturers. He said his administration would not do anything that would inflict pains on workers and residents of the state. “The restructuring is…
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), has urged Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode and Lagos State House of Assembly to `show human face’ in the enforcement of the law banning street hawking in the state. The group made the call in a statement signed by CDHR Lagos Branch Chairman and Secretary, Mr Alex Omotehinse and Olumuyiwa Kushimo respectively and issued to newsmen on Friday in Lagos. It said that the government needed to do more on social welfare responsibility and unemployment before enforcing such a law. The statement read: “It must be very clear to all that the CDHR,…
Impressed with the academic standards of public schools in Lagos State, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode, said on Friday that his administration would spare no effort to transform the education sector. Ambode said this while receiving the 16th One-day governor, Master Olaseinde Olufemi, a student of Shasha Community Senior High School, Lagos, at the State House. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olufemi, who emerged winner of the 2016 Spelling Bee competition organised by the state government, was accompanied by six runners-up in the competition. Ambode expressed delight that students of public secondary schools in the state had been the…
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has played down the importance of his rivalry with Jose Mourinho, saying the presence of the Manchester United boss will help him to improve. The pair developed a rivalry in La Liga when Guardiola was in charge at Barcelona and Mourinho led Real Madrid. Mourinho, though, was diplomatic when asked about the new City boss at his media unveiling this week, saying: “To speak about one manager, one club, and I don’t like the word but one ‘enemy,’ is not right. “One thing is that you are in a competition like I was in Spain…
Imagine you could do an experiment. You could place Paul Pogba and Patrice Evra in front of a TV camera, interviewing each other with a mike. You agree that it would probably all go completely wrong, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Italian outlet RSI on Thursday evening after France beat Germany to qualify for the European Championship final. It started well, with Pogba telling Evra that “the job was not finished and that they had to beat Portugal now.” And then they couldn’t help having a big laugh and sending a cheeky message to Max Allegri and Juventus,…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was pleased with what he saw from Sadio Mane on his Reds debut, along with the other two new recruits that featured in Friday’s friendly with Tranmere Rovers. Joel Matip and goalkeeper Loris Karius also all made their first appearances for the club in the 1-0 win over the non-league opposition at Prenton Park, with Danny Ings grabbing the only goal of the night. Mane, who joined from Southampton in a £30 million move earlier this month, impressed in a 45-minute outing in the first of nine Liverpool preseason friendlies, leaving the German manager content. Klopp…
An Italian prosecutor has appealed against future Chelsea coach Antonio Conte’s acquittal earlier this year in a 2011 match-fixing scandal, a legal source said on Friday. Conte, who is heading to the English Premier League after bidding goodbye to Italy’s national team, was cleared in May of sporting fraud by a judge who said the charge was groundless. Prosecutors said he had been aware of, but had not intervened to prevent, the alleged fixing of a game between Siena and relegation-threatened AlbinoLeffe, which Conte’s Siena side lost 1-0. The challenge from a prosecutor in the northern Italian city of Brescia,…
A Spanish judge on Friday dropped a fraud and corruption case against Brazilian superstar Neymar and his father in relation to the player’s 2013 transfer to Barcelona. However, the judge said that irregularities in the high-profile transfer were detected, but it was an issue for a civil court, not a criminal court to settle. The case was brought by the Brazilian investment fund DIS, former owners of the rights of the player, now 24 and who moved to the Camp Nou from Santos in his homeland. DIS, which held 40 percent of Neymar’s sporting rights when he played at Santos,…
Uefa on Friday dropped a doping case against Liverpool and France international defender Mamadou Sakho, leaving him free to resume his career just two days before the Euro 2016 final. The defender, who moved to Anfield for £18 million in 2013, has 28 caps for France and had been earmarked for a starting place at the championships before the case threw his career into jeopardy. “Following a hearing with the lawyers of the player and experts of the Wada-accredited laboratories on this case, the CEDB has decided to dismiss the case,” Uefa said in a statement, referring to its independent…
Pep Guardiola knew the question was coming and when Jose Mourinho’s name was mentioned in his first news conference as Manchester City manager on Friday it was patted away nonchalantly. “It is not about him or me,” the Spaniard said, echoing Mourinho’s comments across the city at Manchester United three days earlier. The thing is that in many ways it IS about the pair, or it will be when their teams clash in a pre-season friendly in China on July 26 and for a Premier League derby on September 10. The global appeal of the Premier League sometimes lies in…
Thousands of supporters lined the streets of Cardiff to welcome home Wales’ footballers back from Euro 2016 on Friday. Chris Coleman’s side, who lost 2-0 to Portugal in the semifinals on Wednesday, were met by First Minister Carwyn Jones and given a water cannon salute by a fire engine after touching down at the airport in the early afternoon. Playing in their first tournament since 1958, Wales reached the last four for the first time in their history. There were screams from hundreds of flag-waving fans who waited for the squad as they moved through the arrivals hall. The players…
For so much of Cristiano Ronaldo’s majestic career, he has battled with Lionel Messi, often unsuccessfully, to be considered the greatest player in the world. If history ultimately judges the finest talents by their achievements on the international stage, where neither player has tasted success, then the Portuguese captain could use Sunday’s Euro 2016 final to land a haymaker blow in one of football’s great rivalries. Ronaldo has overcome rumblings of discontent at the tournament, with his form and attitude subjected to microscopic analysis, to lead his side into a showpiece finale where they will face hosts France in Paris.…
Nigerian international winger Ahmed Musa became Premier League champions Leicester City’s second acquisition in a week on Friday for what is believed to be a club record fee of £16.6 million. The 23-year-old, who announced his talent globally in scoring a brace against Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the 2014 World Cup, signed a four-year contract in England, ending a successful spell at CSKA Moscow. “I feel very happy joining Leicester City, for me it’s one of the best clubs and I feel very happy,” Musa told Foxes Player HD. “I joined because it’s one of the best clubs in the…
For Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal the Euro 2016 final on Sunday offers a golden opportunity to end a miserable record in meetings with France. As well as having home advantage and history on their side from wins in their last two major tournament finals on home soil, Les Bleus can claim to be Portugal’s bete noire. France have won their last 10 meetings with the Portuguese since going down 2-0 in a friendly back in 1975, and their head-to-head record includes victories in all three clashes at major competitions. The first of those came at the 1984 European Championship in France,…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s battle-hardened Portugal stand between hosts France and a cathartic victory in Sunday’s Euro 2016 final at Stade de France. The stadium was targeted by suicide bombers during France’s friendly against Germany last November in attacks across Paris that left 130 people dead. It cast a black shadow over the tournament, but following a joyous semifinal victory over Germany, France aim to prevail in a third major final on home soil after the 1984 European Championship and 1998 World Cup. “There is lots of fervour and lots of joy and happiness in France,” France coach Didier Deschamps said after…
Controversial columnist and public commentator, Femi Aribisala has alleged that N25.7b got missing under President Buhari’s watch, when he was in charge of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). He said the Haruna Adamu probe panel indicted Buhari, adding that another N500m disappeared under his watch. Aribisala also slammed Buhari for reportedly saying Gen. Sani Abacha did not steal money, sighting news reports of the recovery of the late dictator’s loot as evidence. The columnist added that there are people who also stole money that are in the All Peoples Congress (APC), adding that most of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)…