Author: Chief Editor

Prominent Nigerians, including the immediate past President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo; a chieftain of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Thursday said there was an urgent need to restructure  Nigeria for it to attain its full potential. They made the call at the 18th Daily Trust Dialogue with the theme: ‘Restructuring in Nigeria: Why? How? When?’ The prominent Nigerians suggested that the country should be restructured to make Nigeria work for all citizens. But in an interview with The PUNCH, the President’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba…

After romping to a first league crown for 30 years last season, Liverpool are suffering a hangover in their title defence as Jurgen Klopp’s men have gone five games without a Premier League win for the first time since 2017. A remarkable 68-game unbeaten run in the league at Anfield came to an end in shock fashion on Thursday as Burnley became the first visiting side to emerge victorious in nearly four years with a 1-0 win. Liverpool are still just six points off the top in fourth, but momentum is with the Manchester giants as United and City look…

Jurgen Klopp admitted the end of Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield was a “massive punch in the face” as the Premier League champions crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat against Burnley on Thursday. Klopp’s side were beaten in a home league game for the first time since Crystal Palace won at Anfield in April 2017. Ashley Barnes clinched Burnley’s first win at Liverpool since 1974 when he converted an 83rd-minute penalty after being fouled by Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker. “It’s a massive, massive punch in the face,” Klopp said. “We had the ball a lot, created some and didn’t…

Eibar goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic scored a penalty against Atletico Madrid on Thursday but a brace from Luis Suarez saw the La Liga leaders come from behind to win 2-1 at Ipurua. Dmitrovic drove an early spot-kick past fellow goalkeeper Jan Oblak, only for Suarez to inspire the comeback, his second also a penalty which he earned himself and then converted in the 89th minute. Another late victory for Atletico means they pull seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid and 10 ahead of third-placed Barcelona, with another game in hand over both still to come. Dmitrovic said he was nominated…

On the eve of Christmas that has just come and gone, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Ph.D., the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto who is quite popular and more than well known to those who are glad to know men like him, at least, by reputation, held many of us under his sway. The critical Bishop aptly used the Christmas occasion to deliver his Christmas message which he contemplatively entitled “A nation in search of vindication.” It was a religious, moral, philosophical, political, psychological, historical, sociological, literary, in fact, an all-in-one message of aesthetic faith and taste of a connoisseur who numbers among…

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, prominent Yoruba political and opinion leaders have backed the presidential ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The support came yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State, during a summit organised by Yoruba Patriots Movement (YPM) and attended by traditional rulers, political functionaries, prominent Nigerians and stakeholders from the Southwest states, as well as representatives of Yoruba people in Kogi, Kwara, Edo and Delta. In his welcome address at the event with the theme, “Yoruba Nation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, YPM’s National Coordinator, Oladosu Oladipo, said Tinubu had over time displayed his…

The Federal Government on Thursday commenced the disbursement of N20,000 cash grant to 5,000 poorest and most vulnerable women across the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja, said that the exercise was in fulfilment of the Federal Government’s Cash Grant for Rural Women Programme. Farouq said the grant was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. ‘It is consistent with the president’s national vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out…

Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, yesterday, alerted President Muhammadu Buhari to growing feeling of frustration, disappointment and despondency among Yoruba people caused by nefarious activities of Fulani herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers, which, if not immediately addressed, could lead to other serious national catastrophes and security challenges. The revered monarch, in an open letter to Buhari, lamented the security situation in the country, especially in the South West geo-political zone, as well as Yoruba-speaking areas of Kwara, Kogi and Edo states. He blamed the situation on incessant menace of Fulani herdsmen who have laid siege to almost all highways in…

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), to meet urgently with some ministers and other security chiefs to deliberate on security and illegal mining, which is fueling crisis in Zamfara State. Apart from the NSA who will be the convener of the meeting, the Minister of Defence, Maj.Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd); Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola; and Minister of Mines and Steel, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, are to be in attendance. The president, in a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, named others to attend the meeting to include the directors-general…

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is open to criticisms, particularly those targeted at providing solutions to existing societal challenges. He has also charged journalists in the country to shun “fake news, axe-grinding, and sensationalism” in their reportage of issues and events in the country. Malami while noting that journalists play a vital role in the development of a country, expressed the readiness of the Buhari-led administration to work with journalists towards sustaining the peace, progress and prosperity of Nigeria, adding that as a government they…