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Super Eagles midfielder Mikel Agu acquires Portuguese citizenship
Nigeria midfielder Mikel Agu has acquired Portuguese citizenship after a decade of residency in the European country. According to Portuguese law, an individual is eligible for citizenship through naturalisation after six years of residence. That is the process Agu has gone through to get acquire his Portuguese passport. The 27-year-old took to the social media to share the news on Tuesday. “What God cannot do does not exist, now a Portuguese,” he posted on the social media, while holding his Portuguese passport. Agu linked up with Portuguese giants FC Porto in 2011 made just two league appearances for the senior side. The talented midfielder spent time on loan at another Portuguese club Vitoria Setubal, Club Brugge of Belgium and Turkish Super Lig outfit Bursaspor. Currently on the books ...
Jose Mourinho: Why I accepted to coach Roma
Jose Mourinho has said he desires to ‘create a winning project’ at Roma and chose the Gialloross for ‘the incredible passion of the fans’. The 58-year-old returns to Serie A ahead of 2021-22 with 25 major trophies in his luggage so far. The former FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur coach has accepted a three-year contract and will succeed Paulo Fonseca after the season. “Thank you to the Friedkin family for choosing me to lead this great club and to be part of their vision,” Mourinho told the club’s official website. “After meetings with the ownership and Tiago Pinto, I immediately understood the full extent of their ambitions for AS Roma. It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me and together we want to build a winning proje...
Amotekun evicts another 137 northerners from Ondo forest
No fewer than 137 northerners have again been evicted from the forest reserves in Ondo state by the state security outfit codenamed Amotekun. Those evicted were occupying the Elegbeka forest reserves along Ifon-Owo road. Speaking with newsmen in Akure, the state commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye said that their continued occupation of the forest reserve was a security threat to the state. Adeleye said that all the illegal forest occupants would be escorted out of the state to wherever they came from. “We got an Intelligence report that very many people bombarded (forests at) Elegbeka–Ifon area in the state. “We moved in and questioned the majority of them and they said they were from the northern part of the country “We asked for their mission they were not able to give us a cl...
Nigerian government welcomes ECOWAS court judgment dismissing SERAP’s case
Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, on Tuesday welcomed an ECOWAS Court judgment dismissing a case filed by the trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the Federal Government. Malami, in a statement by Dr Umar Gwandu, his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, said the judgment has saved Nigeria from payment of billons of naira for bogus claims. He described the judgment as a clear vindication of the government’s efforts towards respecting human rights and international conventions. Malami, therefore renewed the commitment of his office to protecting the rights of citizens in all ramifications as well as protecting the public interest in the discharge of all constitutionally recognised mandate. Newsmen report that the judgment which...
Spotify & Fellow Streamers Soared in 2020, But Expect Growth to Slow
Don’t put too much stock in how companies’ quarterly earnings compare year-over-year to 2020. The pandemic caused some services’ subscriptions to spike early in the year (Netflix) or build throughout the year (Spotify). Long-term trends have not changed. On-demand streaming will continue to erode linear programming like cable television and broadcast radio. An odd quarter here or there won’t change the course of technology in entertainment. Streaming video on demand (SVOD) is a battle of titans — AT&T, Comcast, Disney, Apple, Amazon, ViacomCBS — that requires big pockets to survive the war of attrition. Music streaming companies get to focus less on original content and more on technologies to create better user experiences. Un...
2023: Niger governor makes case for Southern presidency
Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has made case for a southern Presidency in 2023, saying that there is going to be rotation of positions in 2023. According to him, “those allocated to the North would move to South while those in the south would move to North in 2023”. Governor Bello disclosed this in Minna on Tuesday when he received in audience North Central APC Stakeholders Forum on advocacy visit. He also said that the North Central Governors Forum has agreed that the position of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should be zone to north central. “As the chairman of the North Central Governors Forum, I have called a meeting of the Governors and we agreed that we should not be left out. There are many aspirants from North West and North East.”. ...
Whistleblower petitions EFCC, justice minister over corruption in maritime academy
Pool Photo A whistleblower in the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron in Akwa Ibom State, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and prosecute the management of the institution over multiple fraud, as well as systemic and perennial corruption. In a two-page petition to EFCC by Mr. Adamu Jibrin, a staffer of the Academy dated 6th April 2021 through his Attorney, Michael Edet and Associates, and made available to newsmen in Uyo titled, “Petition of Fraud, Embezzlement, Misappropriation and Criminal Conversion of Public Funds to Personal Use by the Rector of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron,” the petitioner alleged that millions of naira have been siphoned from the treasury of the academy. Copies of the petition to the EFCC Chairman, the Attorne...
35 killed in Boko Haram attacks in Borno
Jihadists have killed 35 people, including five troops and 15 militiamen, in two attacks in Nigeria’s troubled northern Borno state, sources told AFP Tuesday. Islamic State-aligned militants have intensified attacks on army camps in recent weeks as part of a decade-long insurgency that has killed 36 000 people and forced more than two million to flee their homes. Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) came in several trucks fitted with machine guns and stormed Ajiri town late on Monday. They attacked a military base, leading to intense fighting in which five soldiers and 15 anti-jihadist militia were killed, two military sources said. ISWAP had raided the same base on Sunday, killing the base commander along with six civilians and carting away weapons, military sources sa...
Tottenham to pay part of Jose Mourinho’s salary at Roma
Tottenham Hotspur will pay part of José Mourinho’s salary in his first season at Roma. The Special One will return to Serie A 11 years after leaving Inter, according to Sky Sport Italia, He had warned the Nerazzurri fans he was open to returning to Italy to coach one of their rivals. According to Sky Sport Italia, Mourinho signed his Roma contract on Monday and accepted a pay cut. Tottenham had sacked the Special One earlier in April. The Portuguese coach will earn €7m-a-year, way less than his €16m-a-year contract in North London. However, according to the report, Mourinho will earn the same money in his first season in the Capital as Spurs have agreed to pay part of his salary in his first campaign at the Stadio Olimpico. The so-called ‘Growth decree’ has also had an impact on Mourinho’s...
Ebonyi government closes illegal, private motor parks
IN a bid to checkmate the movement of arms and ammunition within the Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi State Government, Tuesday directed the closure of all illegal and private motor parks not expressly approved by the Ministry of Capital City Development. The Government further directed that all loading and offloading of vehicles within the state capital should only take place in approved public and private motor parks. In a joint press statement signed by Barr. Chief Onyekachi Nwebonyi, Commissioner for Capital City Development and Chief Anthony Oko Ewa, Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Ebonyi State Council, the duo explained that undercover security and precautionary measures were being put in place to avert further security breaches in the state. According to them:...
BudgIT: Over 315 capital projects duplicated in 2021 budget
BudgIT BudgIT, a civic-tech non-profit organisation, says it has uncovered 316 duplicated capital projects worth N39.5 billion in the 2021 budget. In a statement, Iyanu Fatoba, communications associate at BudgIT, said the organisation’s findings is contained in its publication titled, “Demanding Budget Reforms for Resource Optimization”, released on Tuesday. On December 31, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2021 appropriation bill of N13.588 trillion into law. The signing was done more than a week after federal lawmakers passed the budget and raised its total sum by N508 billion. Speaking on the report, Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s CEO, said out of the identified 316 duplicated projects, 115 are in the ministry of health. He said the development is “very disturbing” as the country is battl...
NBMA reiterates commitment to clamp down on GMOs
The National Biosafety Management Agency, NBMA, Tuesday, reiterated commitment to ensuring the eradication of Genetically Modified Organisms, (GMOs) in the country, as well as assuring Nigerians of safe products in the market. The Director-General of the NBMA, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, made the disclosure while addressing newsmen in Abuja, stating that Nigerians should be aware of the roles of the Agency in the proper regulation of GMOs in the country. He insisted that the NBMA has not been resting on its oars in ensuring that only safe and approved genetically modified seeds and grains for food and feed processing are allowed into the Nigerian market. Hence, he said, the constant upgrading of GM detection, analysis laboratory, and constant inspection of GMO facilities, confined field trial sites,...
