Author: Chief Editor

Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game for Juventus in his native Portugal ended in 2-1 defeat as FC Porto out-played the Italians for much of Wednesday’s Champions League last-16, first leg tie. Such was Juve’s lacklustre performance that coach Andrea Pirlo claimed his team handed victory to their hosts on “a silver platter”. Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi put Porto ahead after just a minute at Estadio do Dragao following a Rodrigo Bentancur error. And Mali striker Moussa Marega added a second straight after the break. But Federico Chiesa pulled a goal back with eight minutes to go to keep Juventus afloat with…

Repeated strikes by university’s academic and non-academic unions are usually coated with good intention but with many collateral damage. Nigerians, especially students have become weary as they bear the brunt on many fronts, Head, Education Desk, IYABO LAWAL reports. It was with an ominous sense of sobriety that the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Gong, disclosed that Nigerian university students had lost one academic year and it’s not recoverable. His statement puts a backdrop on the insidious strength of the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) almost one-year-long strike, which ended in December. While…

Lawmakers confirms Adolphus Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has expressed discontent with the Office of Auditor General of the Federation not been accorded its rightful status to function efficiently in the nation’s administration. He noted that in recent years, Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have been promoted as lead anti-graft agencies, higher than the auditor general that is supposed to be the prime anti-corruption authority. Lawan made the comment, yesterday, in his remarks after the Upper Legislative Chamber confirmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s nomination of Aghughu Adolphus for appointment as auditor-general. According to the Senate…

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, yesterday, declared that they have lost confidence in the neutrality and capacity of community policing to serve the purposes assigned to it in the Police Act 2020. Speaking shortly after their meeting in Abuja, they said the newly introduced community policing infrastructure was already being abused. A communiqué issued by Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, noted that Nigeria Police Act envisaged that community policing should serve as a decentralised measure of grassroots policing and various roles were assigned to various parties, including governors. The forum lamented that partisanship has taken over the…

Disturbed by the prevailing tension across the country caused by activities of armed Fulani herdsmen, Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) has urged Federal Government to urgently douse the situation to prevent outbreak of another civil war. The northern youths made the call in a statement signed by its National President, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Gujungu, yesterday, in Kaduna. They said: “The Arewa Youth Forum is worried by the prevailing impasse and rising tension across the country precipitated by the quit notice given to Fulani herdsmen by the Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the actions that had trailed that incident. “As it…

• 36 state govs meet in Abuja • Angry senators declare govt incompetent • Demand state of emergency on security • APC assures of safe return of abductees • Defence Minister rally Nigerians to resist kidnappers, bandits • Fleeing terrorists kill 11 policemen, residents in Yobe In another bout of terror, armed bandits in military uniforms, yesterday, invaded Government Science College Kagara, in Niger State and herded unconfirmed number of students and their teachers into the forest. Failure to effect immediate release of the victims last night triggered concerns over their safety, as one of the pupils was said to…

“ A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our organisation faces a great many challenges but working together we can collectively make the WTO stronger, more agile and better adapted to the realities of today.” – Newly-appointed Director-General of World Trade Orgnisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria, on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s meritorious appointment on February 15, 2021 as the first female, first African Director-General of the 26-year-old Geneva-based World Trade Organisation is commendable and noteworthy. The WTO General Council agreed by consensus…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commision (EFCC) Tuesday night denied reports that the Chairman-dsignate, Abdulrasheed Bawa, was arrested and detained by the agency under former Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, over illegal sale of 244 forfeited trucks to proxies in Port Harcourt. The commission in a statement issued last night said Bawa was neither arrested nor detained by Magu. “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a report by an online publication, Peoples Gazette, alleging that Mr. Adulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman-designate of the Commission, was arrested and detained by the Agency under former Chairman, Ibrahim…

A counsel to Mr. Ibrahim Magu, the embattled former acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Tosin Ojaomo, yesterday lamented that justice has not been served on Magu’s case. Ojaomo stated this during an interview on a live television programme monitored yesterday. The Ayo Salami-led presidential panel was commissioned to investigate the suspended acting chairperson of the anti-graft agency. He said: “Suddenly, no report came out, and another appointment was made… Justice has clearly not been done in this matter, to Magu; we are talking about people’s integrity, reputational damage has been done to people. “It is…

Much attention has been devoted to the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on January 1, 2021. As the CEO of the pan-African provider of industrial ecosystems, I am convinced about the gains that can be achieved by uniting a market of 1.2 billion people. I am not the only one with high expectations. For the past two years, experts have bandied about a lot of ambitious figures. I may be optimistic, but I am no less realistic. The “political” launch of the AfCFTA is a positive starting point. Now, the real challenge is to ensure that…