Author: Chief Editor

France have lost Ousmane Dembele for the rest of Euro 2020 after X-rays showed the Barcelona winger’s knee injury would not heal in time, the French Football Federation said on Monday. Dembele, 24, was hurt in the closing minutes of the 1-1 draw against Hungary in Budapest on Saturday after coming on as a substitute. X-rays on Sunday evening showed he would not be back before the end of the Euros. “The recovery time is incompatible with keeping him in the squad,” the FFF said. Dembele came off the bench in both France’s matches in the Euros. He replaced Adrien…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court in Abuja “to stop the federal government and the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Muhammed from using their patently unlawful directive to all TV and radio stations not to use Twitter, and to delete their accounts as a pretext to harass, intimidate, suspend or impose criminal punishment on journalists and broadcast stations simply for using social media platforms.” This is in reaction to the order by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) asking TV and radio stations to “suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately”…

The President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, has raised the alarm that the disturbing insecurity in the northern part of Nigeria was already affecting the disposition of young people, especially girls, towards education. He said the attacks on school hostels by bandits and insurgents who usually kidnap the students was affecting the attitude of girls in the North to education. Lawan stated this in Abuja on Saturday evening when he spoke as the special guest of honour at the art exhibition organised by Stephen Binos, the son of the Senator representing Adamawa South Senatorial District, Yaroe Binos. He said,…

Barcelona president Joan Laporta insisted Sunday that the controversial Super League project “is still alive” despite it being widely condemned as a crude land grab. “The project is alive,” Laporta said at a meeting of club members where he claimed the competition would be worth “a minimum of 700 million euros ($830.3 million) per season for Barcelona”. Despite opposition from UEFA, fans and rival clubs, Laporta insisted the Super League would mean “financial sustainability for the clubs and makes for a more attractive competition”. “Do not make us apologise for thinking about or organising a competition, or for wanting to…

The latest on the needless and embarrassing saga of the Nigerian government versus Twitter is that the former has been served with the notice of hearing tomorrow in the case filed jointly by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 other concerned parties in the ECOWAS Court of Justice. They sued the Nigerian government for suspending Twitter operations in the country thereby denying the people’s universally guaranteed basic right to share and receive information. This incident embarrasses Nigeria because, as a leading member state of the sub-regional body, Nigeria should not be one to be seen to pick…

The spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria continues to record significant decrease as the latest statistics by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reveal Nigeria now has 167,206 confirmed cases. The NCDC, said on its verified website on Monday, that the case count has continued to creep down in the country. It revealed that no new additional case count was recorded as of June 20, adding that the update does not include data from Lagos State. It stated that seven additional people were discharged from isolation centres across the country as of June 20. The agency added that with the…

• Shun bad counsel, heed gov’s demands, Afenifere tells leaders The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of calls for structuring as unacceptable and an attack on the people’s rights. The party said: “As citizens of a democratic state, Nigerians have every right to demand constitutional restructuring as well as a democratic forum to deliberate on good governance and national cohesion.” The PDP, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that such demands are neither synonymous nor contiguous to warfare. It said: “It is appalling, and to say the least, despicable, that Mr.…

• Group urges N’ Assembly to begin impeachment process against the president The umbrella body of pro-democracy groups in Nigeria, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), has formally written a ‘Save our Souls’ letter to the United Nations (UN), asking the international body to prevent the collapse of the country. The letter made available to the media, yesterday, and signed by NADECO’s General Secretary/Spokesman, Mr. Ayo Opadokun, was a reference to the one earlier written to President Muhammadu Buhari and entitled: ‘Re-Open Letter to President Muhammadu Buhari about the Unacceptable Deterioration of National Security and Political Stability Under Your Watch’. It reads:…

The Peoples Democratic Party has cautioned the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), against “pushing the nation to the precipices by his arrogant and dictatorial remarks as well as inflammatory referencing to war, particularly in his apparent aversion towards the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Nigerians.” The party said this in response to reports that the President described those demanding restructuring of the country as “mischievously dangerous.” According to the party, “President Buhari’s reported remarks that he and his All Progressives Congress had no time for the call by Nigerians, across board, for a discourse on the state of the nation,…

The Pan Niger Delta Forum has taken a swipe at the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (red.), over his comments on restructuring, saying the presidency was insensitive to the unity of the country and her future. PANDEF’s national publicity secretary, Ken Robinson, stated this while reacting to the president’s comment that those calling for the restructuring of the country are dangerous and naive. Robinson in a statement released on Sunday and made available to our correspondent in Port Harcourt further said the comments of the President was an indictment to his party, the All Progressives Congress. The statement by PANDEF…