Author: Chief Editor

Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, yesterday, picked Captain Ahmed Musa, Watford defender, William Troost-Ekong and Enyimba duo of goalkeeper John Noble and midfielder, Anayo Iwuala, among 24 players that will battle with Cameroun in an international friendly in Vienna, Austria, next week. Other players in the squad for the game slated for Friday are regular goalkeepers, Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho, defenders Ola Aina and Chidozie Awaziem, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Abdullahi Shehu, and forwards Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon and Simy Nwankwo.Turkey-based former U-20 defender Valentine Ozornwafor, Denmark–based midfielder Frank Onyeka and Lorient FC of France’s Terem Moffi…

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema said he’s targeting a trophy with France after he was recalled to their provisional Euro 2020 squad following a controversial, six-year international exile. The prolific star, sidelined by Les Bleus since 2015 over his alleged role in a blackmail plot, missed out on France’s 2018 World Cup win and their run to the Euro 2016 final on home soil. Benzema, 33, told L’Equipe he was “proud” of his call-up, which followed talks with France coach Didier Deschamps earlier this month. “I want to win a trophy with the French team,” he said, adding that he hoped…

Former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has said the bulk of socio-economic and political challenges confronting Nigeria, especially the worsening state of insecurity, could be resolved economically if the will is there. Daniel, who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while addressing the media yesterday, disagreed with the country’s excess borrowing, saying, “The bulk of our problems could be resolved with minimal borrowing. This is because the bulk of our expenditures have not been planned to remain in our country otherwise we would have been out of the current economic quagmire.” The former governor who…

• Saudi monarch, Anglican Church mourn COAS, 10 others President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented the loss of military officers, especially at a time the country is facing a serious security crisis, stating that last Friday’s air crash had worsened the nation’s predicament. Receiving yesterday at the State House, Abuja, a delegation from the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) that were on a condolence visit over the death of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 others, the Nigerian leader resolved to work harder in tackling the country’s woes. He told the team that included NGF Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi…

• Asaba Declaration questionable offered no solutions • Promises to move against killer herdsmen • Scores killed in Benue, Plateau midnight raid President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, expressed a strong resolve to address the conflicts of herders and farmers permanently, but not without chiding the Southern Governors’ Forum for their recent ban on open grazing, which he described as an act of questionable legality. The president further accused the governors of politicking with serious security issues and an attempt at a show of power. The presidency’s position was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media…

In 1999-2002, I was a cabinet member in Katsina State Government. When I was preparing our first budget, I was unsettled by the past trends in government support for agriculture. Year in year out, 80% of the budget for agriculture went into fertilizers procurement. Knowing the requirements of agriculture as I did then, I felt that I needed to interrogate the tendency to give so much financial support to one need out of 20 clearly identified necessities of the sector. I appointed consultants to go round farmers all over the state to generate a list of their actual needs. They…

Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, has said he does not believe in any entity aside from the Nigerian State. The governor also specifically said he does not support agitation by secessionists for Yoruba Nation in the South-west region. Akeredolu, who is the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, was reacting to a statement made at a rally in Akure on Saturday by Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho. Igboho had said, “The governor is aware of these things we are doing, we have his support. We are no more under the Fulani. All we want…

The Senate has queried the National Examination Council (NECO) over an alleged award of contracts worth N6.5 billion without due process. It also mandated its Committee on Public Accounts to probe the reported illegal contract awards. The contracts were for the printing of security and non-security documents by the examination body. The committee was guided by the 2017 report the Office of Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF) submitted to the parliament for consideration in issuing two queries to the NECO. According to the auditor general’s report showed that the examination body could not present any record to show that…

Juventus qualified for the Champions League on the final day of the season on Sunday with a 4-1 win at Bologna and were joined by AC Milan who beat Atalanta 2-0. Napoli had to settle for a Europa League spot, finishing fifth, one point behind Juventus, after a 1-1 draw at home against Hellas Verona. A pair of Franck Kessie penalities at the end of either half ensured AC Milan finished the season second — 12 points behind city rivals Inter Milan — and return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. “We deserved the…

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis on Sunday confirmed that coach Gennaro Gattuso will leave the club after failing to qualify for the Champions League. The southerners finished fifth, one point behind fourth-placed Juventus, after a 1-1 draw at home against Hellas Verona A win would have guaranteed a top four finish, but Napoli miss out on a second season of Champions League football. “Dear Rino, I am happy to have spent almost two seasons with you,” De Laurentiis wrote on Twitter. “Thanking you for your work, I wish you success wherever you go. A hug to your wife and children…