Author: Chief Editor

In what appears to be a response to the cry over youth unemployment in the country, the Federal Government recently earmarked N75 billion as youth empowerment fund. In principle, this is a gesture laced with good intentions because it is a modest but necessary intervention to the employment crisis in the country. According to the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, the fund, which is billed to cater for youths within the age bracket of 18 and 35, “is meant to create a special window for accessing credit facilities and financing on the part of our youths…

• Denies returning as APC chair, seeks more security for Edo poll Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has accused those he described as “cowards” in the party’s Progressive Governors’ Forum and other chieftains of allegedly using the Director General, Salihu Lukman, to attack him. He came down hard on the forum’s DG yesterday while fielding questions from State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja. Lukman had last week claimed that the ex-labour leader was frustrating the party’s caretaker committee to ensure his return. The panel was inaugurated…

After months of speculations, former Super Eagles Captain, John Obi Mikel, has teamed up with English Championship side, Stoke City. The significance of yesterday’s chapter in his career is that it marks exactly 15 years after his first match for the national team on August 17th, 2005 when Nigeria played a friendly against Libya in Tripoli. Interestingly, the same day marked the end of the career of former Super Eagles strongman in the defence line, Taribo West as Obinna Nwaneri replaced him. Mikel also came on for Christian Obodo in final preparatory match for away World Cup qualifying game against…

•Optimistic of victory at appellate court •ANDP fielded underage running mate, INEC insists Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, yesterday expressed optimism about upturning on appeal, the judgment of the State Election Petitions Tribunal, which earlier in the day nullified the election that brought him to office. Diri, who was reacting to the tribunal’s nullification of the November 16, 2019 governorship election, said he had already instructed his lawyers to appeal the judgment at the Court of Appeal. In a split decision, the tribunal ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erred when it disqualified the candidate of the…

•Rules out APC national chairmanship comeback Ousted National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja, where he called for the deployment of more security agents in Edo State for the September 19 governorship election. He also dismissed the allegation that he was plotting a comeback as the national chairman of the ruling party and wondered why he would seek to return to the office at the age of 68. He described those accusing him of plotting his return as empty brains and cowards who lack…

Barcelona insisted they had not heard from Lionel Messi that he wants to leave the club, as an emergency board meeting was being held at Camp Nou on Monday. Barca officials, including under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu, were due to discuss wholesale changes following the team’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich on Friday. A report from Esporte Interativo on Sunday even claimed Messi has made up his mind to leave this summer, although a Barcelona source told AFP shortly before the board meeting was due to start that there had still been no communication with the…

Belgian international defender Vincent Kompany has hung up his boots at the age of 34 to become manager of Anderlecht on a four-year contract, the club announced Monday. Kompany joined Anderlecht from Manchester City in 2019 as player-manager and now takes over from Franky Vercauteren, who had been handling coaching duties, in a purely managerial role. “I want to fully commit to my role as a coach and need 100% of my time and focus for it. That’s why I’m quitting as a football player,” said Kompany, who enjoyed a trophy-laden 11-year spell in England with City. “Our ambition and…

Governor Abdullah Umar Ganduje has challenged Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate and prosecute anyone found culpable of corrupt practice including members of his cabinet if the need be. Besides, Ganduje called for replication of Federal government fight against corruption across states and local government, if truly determined to nip the pandemic in the bound. The governor, who gave the commission the nod on Sunday while inspecting construction work at the Commission’s headquarters, insisted that “no comprise should override any priority” in a bid to purge the state of corrupt tendencies. Ganduje, who used the occasion to…

The Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Petition Tribunal has nullified the election of Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State. The election was nullified based on a petition filed by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party, which argued that it was unlawfully excluded from participating in the election. Delivering judgment on Monday, the panel led by Justice Yunusa Musa ruled that the election was unlawful due to the exclusion of ANDP and its candidate. Justice Musa also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa within 90 days. Diri’s nullification came two days after a three-member panel of…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Manchester United face a busy few weeks in the transfer market after losing a third semi-final this season as Sevilla reached the Europa League final by coming from behind to win 2-1 in Cologne. United were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal after Bruno Fernandes’s early penalty put them in front. Suso quickly levelled for Sevilla before goalkeeper Bono kept them in the game and substitute Luuk De Jong continued the Spanish side’s remarkable Europa League run in recent years by slotting home the winner 12 minutes from time. United had already…