Jose Mourinho said the Manchester United job had come at just the right time in his life and he would be targeting legend Alex Ferguson’s two Champions League trophies. The 53-year-old self anointed ‘special one’ — who replaced the sacked Louis van Gaal as united boss at the end of last season – was facing the media on Tuesday for the first time since taking the reins at Old Trafford. “I don’t hide. I chase Sir Alex’s record in Champions League matches,” said the Portuguese. The former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto boss added the departure last weekend…
Author: David Folami
He is the big-name forward yet to score at Euro 2016, but Thomas Mueller says his main concern is helping Germany beat France in Thursday’s Euro 2016 semifinal. Mueller, top scorer at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and who hit 32 goals for Bayern Munich last season, has yet to open his account at the European Championship finals. The self-confident forward says his sole concern is helping Germany win in Marseille in their bid to add the European crown to their 2014 World Cup title. Mueller said Germany are at the contest as world champions “and the chance…
The Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Usman Yakubu, on Monday confirmed the arrival of a 50-member police special strike team in the state over incessant crises. Yakubu told newsmen in Lokoja that the special force was deployed from Police Headquarters in Abuja on Sunday in fulfilment of the promise of the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris. He said that the team was sent to boost the ongoing clamp down on kidnappers and armed robbers who had held the state and its people to ransom for many months. Yakubu said that members of the special squad had been…
The Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), has deployed over 1,000 personnel to ensure hitch free celebration of Eid-el-Fitri in the state. The state Commandant of NSCDC, Lawan Bashir-Kano made the announcement on Monday in Lafia, while briefing newsmen on the preparedness of the corps to ensure security of lives and properties during the festivity. He said the deployment was in compliance with a directive issued by the headquarters of the NSCDC that its personnel be deployed to strategic locations and flashpoints across the state. He said that the 1,000 personnel including those in…
The FCT police command has arrested some suspects in connection with the murder of Mrs Olufunke Omotuyi, acting Registrar, Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and Sunday Yusuf. Omotuyi and Yusuf, a former Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, were murdered on June 13 and June 9 at their residences in Apo and Wuse Zone 5, Area of the FCT respectively. The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr Alkali Usman, made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while fielding questions from newsmen. He said that investigation was being conducted in all the recent murder cases in the territory. “All the cases are…
The Nigerian Army troops have foiled a suicide bomb attack near Monguno Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, Borno state, while the people were fetching water in the morning. According to the Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, the attempted attack which was carried out by three female suicide bombers, occurred on Monday, July 4, at about 6:15am. Usman said the vigilant troops detected and killed two of the terrorists instantly, but the explosive they were strapped with exploded and injured two civilians nearby, he said. He explained that the third suicide bomber, who followed a different route, detonated hers some distance…
The Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) has suspended 14 officers in connection with the recent Kuje Prison break. This is contained in a statement issued on Monday, July 4, in Abuja by Mr Francis Enobore, the NPS spokesperson and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The affected officers and men are: DCP Musa Tanko; SIP Buhari Dogo; PIP Stephen Edogbanya ; PIP Patrick Teru; IP Usman Peter; IP Dennis Makum. Others are: IP Fassan Akin; SPA Daka James; SPA Adamu Luka; SPA Zakari Yunasa; PA Asnamal Samuel; PA Ejegwa Patrick; PA 11 Isah Ibrahim, and PA 11 Ngede…
The committee on staff screening and verification in Kogi has discovered 9,720 ghost workers in the payroll of the state government. The Chairman of the committee, Mr Jerry Agbaji, announced the development during a stakeholders meeting in Lokoja. Agbaji said that the figures represented the number of workers in ministries and local governments who did not show up at all for the screening. He said that the figure comprised of 4,060 state government workers, 3,054 teachers and 2,936 local government workers. Agbaji, who is currently the acting permanent secretary in the ministry of information, arts and culture, said the committee…
The Federal Government has declared Wednesday, July 5, and Thursday, July 7, as public holiday to mark the Eid el-Fitr celebration following the non-sighting of the moon on Monday. The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration on Tuesday in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Bassey Akpanyung. He said the declaration became necessary following the directive by the President General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III to the effect that the Ramadan fast would continue on Tuesday as a result of the non-sighting of the moon. The…
The Wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, on Tuesday paid the fines for the release of five inmates in the Garu Satellite Prison in Dutse Local Government of Jigawa. Aisha was represented by a Chieftain of All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Mustapha Fari. She said that the gesture was part of a nationwide visit by her foundation “Future Assured’’ to commemorate the holy month of Ramadan. According to her, the foundation will be paying fines to free inmates and offer donations to any prison it visited across the country. The wife of the president told the freed inmates that the…
The embattled Governor of Abia state, Okezie Ikpeazu has insisted that he is still in charge of the state. This is following reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued a certificate of return to Uche Ogah as the new Governor of the state. Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High court sitting in Abuja gave an order on June 27, 2016, sacking Ikpeazu as Governor. The Governor was alleged to have given false information to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the governorship primaries in December 2014. Ikpeazu, in a swift reaction, told Abia residents that…
The spokesman for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nick Dazang revealed that the notice of appeal which Governor Okezie Ikpeazu sent to the electoral body, did not contain a stay of execution. A stay of execution would have stopped INEC from issuing a certificate of return to Uche Ogah as the new Abia Governor. INEC said as a matter of policy, they had to recognise Ogah, based on the Abuja High court ruling ordering Ikpeazu to vacate office. This is coming after the Attorney General of Abia State, Umeh Kalu slammed INEC for saying they did not receive the…
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said that the desperation of the All Progressives Congress in will throw Ekiti State into chaos just because it refused to accept defeat. He said the party should stop chasing shadows over the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the State, saying the party sould wait for 2018. The Ekiti APC had sent 102 petitions to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) against the election that produced Fayose. “Writing over 100 petitions to the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on an election conducted two years ago and was adjudged as free,…
The Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu for writing the United Nations, and other international organisations about his forgery case. The party also called on Ekweremadu not to politicise the allegations of forgery levelled against him and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. The Deputy Senate President had alleged that there was an attempt to silence him as the leader and highest ranking member of the opposition in the country, all in the name of prosecuting an alleged forgery case. According to the Enugu APC Chairman, Ben Nwoye, “After all,…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia state has alleged that the Governor elect, Uche Ogah is planning to kidnap judicial officers to swear him in by force. The Abia PDP spokesman, Chief Don Ubani also told Ogah to stop nursing what he called an unbridled political ambition. Ubani said “The Peoples’ Democratic Party in Abia State has frowned on the reports making round in the state that a certain desperate politician in the state, whose illegal efforts to seize power from the back door which has been frustrated by decent application of the rule of law, is now directing…
The Edo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ignore Ali Modu Sheriff’s candidate for the upcoming governorship elections. The PDP also added that Osagie Ize-Iyamu remains the only recognised candidate who will stand in the elections. The National Publicity Secretary of the Ahmed Makarfi faction, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said “In Edo, the Sheriff faction is saying INEC must recognise the candidate submitted by it (Sheriff faction). How would INEC take something from a man that is only a busybody to the party? “If a court had ruled that Sheriff…
The disputed National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, said he remained in charge until Court of Appeal’s decision on the position. Sheriff made this known on Monday in Abuja while reacting to the judgment of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, that the party’s May 21 National Convention that removed him as chairman was legal. He told newsmen that he had instructed his lawyers to appeal the Port Harcourt judgement and to seek a stay-of- execution of the judgment. “The court where the judge gave judgement in Abuja last week and the Federal…
A Federal High Court sitting in Owerri on Monday fixed July 8 for judgment in a suit filed by Chief Friday Nwosu, seeking the removal of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu as Abia governor. Justice A. I Alagoa fixed the date after oral submissions and written addresses by counsel. Chief Friday Nwosu, a governorship aspirant under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the December 2014 PDP governorship primary in Abia, had approached the court seeking the removal of Ikpeazu as governor. Nwosu claimed, among others, that Ikpeazu submitted false tax receipts and other documents to his party. Mr Francis Unyimadu,…
The factional Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Soji Adagunodo, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of plotting to render the party politically irrelevant with his anti-corruption war. He said the anti-corruption crusade is characterized by gross impunity, selectivity and high-handedness, adding that the President uses it to boost the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2019 general election. The politician said this in a statement issued on Monday, July 4. “It is becoming evident daily that the Buhari administration is using its much-vaunted war against graft as a tool to decimate the…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, said the introduction of single currency by West African states would promote economic integration and progress within the region. Obasanjo said this while playing host to the President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Commission, Mr Marcel de Souza, at his hilltop estate, Abeokuta. The former president said it was high time the organisation started using single currency, adding that it would help boost the economy of all members of ECOWAS. “We have decided that our unit of currency will be ‘eco’, let us now start using eco, let eco become our unit…