Author: Chief Editor

Dr. Mike Okonkwo, the presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), is one cleric who rarely dabbles into political matters in the country but who does not mince words when he chooses to. Two days ago, he was his usual self when he spoke with select journalists, including The Guardian’s ONYEDIKA AGBEDO, at the TREM headquarters in Lagos on the state of affairs in the country. He condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s style of governance, especially the manner of his appointments and his handling of the security situation in the country, warning that the situation in Afghanistan was a big…

• Tackles Buhari Over Obsession For Open Grazing • Appeals To Benin Republic To Release Sunday Igboho Nobel prize winner, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday, declared that the international community was duly obliged to wade into the security situation in the country, saying the Federal Government has failed to fulfill its obligation under the United Nations Charter to which Nigeria is a signatory. According to him, he was calling for the intervention of the international community at this stage because he does not want what was going on now to become the new normal in Nigeria. Soyinka also urged the government…

DSS Denies Dispersing Them At Saudi Govt’s Recruitment The face-off between the Federal Government and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has further degenerated, as the government has ordered the implementation of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy with effect from Monday, August 2, 2021. Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in a memo dated August 26, 2021, which was seen by The Guardian yesterday, directed the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors (MDs) of all the federal tertiary hospitals across the country to commence the implementation of the policy following the insistence of the doctors on continuing…

Serena Williams won’t be chasing a 24th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, but with her 40th birthday only a month away, she will be starting perhaps her greatest challenge in closing out her career on her own terms. Williams revealed Wednesday she would miss the New York hardcourt showdown with a torn right hamstring suffered in a first-round match last month at Wimbledon. “After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring,” Williams…

Harry Kane ended speculation over his future by announcing on Wednesday that he will remain at Tottenham this season. Manchester City were interested in the England captain as a long-term successor to all-time top goalscorer Sergio Aguero. But with three years left to run on Kane’s contract, even the deep pockets of the Abu-Dhabi owned Premier League champions could not tempt Spurs chairman Daniel Levy into selling. AFP Sport looks at what Kane staying put means for the player, City and Tottenham. Can Kane satisfy trophy quest? Behind Kane’s desire to leave his boyhood club was a desire not to…

Defending champion Naomi Osaka seeks her third US Open title in four tries as the year’s final Grand Slam begins Monday with top-ranked Wimbledon winner Ashleigh Barty leading a host of rivals. What’s uncertain is whether New York will see Osaka rediscover the dominant form that saw her win the past two Grand Slam events she played to the finish. The 23-year-old Japanese star lit the flame in the Olympic cauldron at the Tokyo Games, but has played only two matches since Japan ahead of the Open. “I know there are a lot of things I need to fix within…

Lekan Sote The Yoruba say the death of an age mate is sending a proverb; that the time of going to heaven, or hell, is nigh. English poet, John Donne, puts it this way, “Any man’s death diminishes me/ because I am involved in mankind/ and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls/ it tolls for thee.” The takeover of Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan, a sign of effective takeover of the government, after the exit of the American GIs, reminds one of the alarm raised by Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello, recently. The governor had…

Niran Adedokun I find it interesting that the President, major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), says he does not want to leave office as a failure.  Two weeks ago, this column raised the question about what legacy the President hopes to leave behind in 2023. That question arose because, contrary to what many people think, big infrastructural projects would not count whenever Nigerians remember the President’s stewardship. So, with the recent manner of speaking, he seemed now conscious of what history would say about him, as should any man of his age and status. One is, of course, not unmindful that…

Abimbola Adelakun On Tuesday, the foremost military school, the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, was attacked by supposed bandits. The media reported that those attackers killed two officers, abducted one, demanded a ransom of N200m for his release. Officially, he is still considered missing. Other details are still sketchy for now, but it seems that the attack occurred at midnight while people were asleep and while the CCTV cameras were left un-surveilled by officers who had probably fallen asleep too. The perpetrators reportedly made their way into the NDA premises camouflaged in military fatigues, overpowered the guards, and headed for…

Plateau State Government has re-imposed the 24-hour curfew earlier relaxed in Jos following growing tensions arising from the attack on Yelwa Zangam community where over 36 persons were killed and properties destroyed. The people of the community had conveyed the remains of those killed to the Government House wailing and chanting sorrow songs asking the Governor to “eat” the flesh of the people killed in the attack. Efforts by security personnel to deny them access into Government House failed. This created serious tension in the entire city as people scampered to safety for fear that the situation may degenerate into…