Author: Chief Editor

The Muhammadu Buhari government’s support for under-fire minister of communication and digital economy Isa Ali Pantami has drawn sharp criticisms from many Nigerians. Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu Thursday said the government was contented with Pantami’s apologies over his past support for Taliban and Al-Qaeda and described the calls for him to resign as a “manufactured dispute”. Al-Qaeda carried out multiple attacks on Western countries including the bombing of the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. “The Minister has, rightly, apologised for what he said in the early 2000s,” Shehu said in a statement. “The views were absolutely unacceptable then…

Borussia Dortmund moved back within four points of the Champions League places in the Bundesliga as Raphael Guerreiro’s late goal helped seal a 2-0 home win over Union Berlin on Wednesday. Dortmund have four games left to bridge the gap to the Champions League spots but can boost their chances with a win at third-placed Wolfsburg on Saturday. “We created a lot of opportunities but didn’t take advantage of them,” Dortmund goalkeeper Marwin Hitz told Sky. “The second goal came at the right time – better late than never.” Dortmund are four points behind fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, but also only…

Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City’s role in the European Super League controversy is a “closed chapter” as he urged his players to focus on clinching the Premier League title after Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa. City signed up to the breakaway Super League on Sunday, only to start the collapse of the tournament 48 hours later when they became the first club to officially pull out after a furious public backlash. Guardiola’s side ignored the off-field drama to come from behind for a vital victory at Villa Park as the Premier League leaders moved 11 points clear of second…

Barcelona president Joan Laporta described the European Super League as a “necessity” on Thursday but said the final decision would be given to the club’s members. Barca, Real Madrid and Juventus are the only clubs yet to withdraw officially from the breakaway competition, which lasted just 48 hours before the project imploded. Nine of the 12 clubs involved have pulled out. With total debts of more than a billion euros, Barcelona are struggling to keep up with Europe’s elite, making the prospect of a hugely lucrative new tournament particularly attractive. But Laporta said Barca’s members would have to approve the…

Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu held his last political office in 2007 when he completed his tenure as the second civilian governor of Lagos State. That is 24 years ago. Yet, his name is more recurring in political, social, and economic conversations than those of many politicians that are in government today. The criticisms, as well as adoration that greets the mention of his name in any part of the country, is only second probably to that of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria himself, President Muhammadu Buhari. It is a two-edged sword. His critics would not deny his…

Mrs Rachael Shelleng, Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Rivers, has restated the agency’s commitment to track down drug law offenders in the state. Shelleng, who restated the commitment, on Wednesday, in Port Harcourt, when members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists visited her, stressed that drug and substance abuse remained inimical to human health as well as societal decency and development. “Drug abuse destroys society, it is a serious issue that requires the collective commitment of government and the public to tackle. If we don’t come all out to fight against drug abuse,…

Greg Odogwu “…a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. – Daniel 2:34 There is something useful in the ongoing controversy concerning the unveiling of the past (religious extremist) life of Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami. It is a moment that could help us self-examine ourselves on the individual level. We could also consciously – and temporarily – isolate ourselves psychologically from our different religions, and then ask some critical questions of the faiths we ascribe to. This…

By: Abimbola Adelakun Yes, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has renounced his past fundamentalist views but let nobody be fooled by the ease with which he did so. The move was less about repentance; he just could not afford to do otherwise. For a man who holds a “juicy” government position, the privileges he currently enjoys would have been imperilled if he had stayed with his zealot’s creed. A better test of his purported ideological conversion would have him repudiating his past without a lush job at stake. As long as he sits…

By Olusegun Adeniyi Last week, the Kano State Hisbah Board confirmed the arrest of eight young ladies and four men for eating in the daytime during Ramadan. This, according to the Hisbah Board Director General, Dr. Aliyu Musa Kibiya, proves conclusively that these young people were not observing the fast. “We will investigate and if they have cogent reasons we will release them. Those found wanting will however be enlightened and even prosecuted if need be,” said Kibiya. “Fasting is compulsory for healthy, adult Muslims in the month of Ramadan except for the travellers, menstruating women or old people.” The…

Statements from all six English clubs after their withdrawal from football’s proposed European Super League: Arsenal “It was never our intention to cause such distress, however when the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future. “As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologise for it.” Chelsea “Having joined the group late last week, we have now…