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Sevilla sign Oscar Rodriguez from Real Madrid
Real Madrid midfielder Oscar Rodriguez has joined Sevilla on a five-year contract, the clubs announced on Sunday. Oscar came through Madrid’s youth system but never made an appearance for the first team and has spent the past two years at Leganes, scoring 13 goals and making six assists. The Spaniard was one of Leganes’ key players last term, even as the club were relegated from the top flight. He has earned a particularly strong reputation as a free-kick taker, after scoring four goals last season from 16 attempts. Sevilla have paid Madrid around 15 million euros ($17.9 million) to sign Oscar, according to reports in the Spanish press. “The 22-year-old signs with the club for the next five seasons,” read a statement from Sevilla, who added he has a “powerful shot and an excellent set-piec...
President Buhari mourns deceased Attah Igala
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, mourned Attah Igala, Michael Oboni II, who died on Friday. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President extended his condolences to the deceased’s family and the Kogi State government. The statement titled “President Buhari mourns Attah Igala, Michael Oboni II” read, “President Muhammadu Buhari expresses profound commiserations with the family, friends, and associates of His Royal Majesty, Attah Igala, Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni II, over the transition of the Paramount Ruler of Igala Kingdom and President, Kogi State Council of Chiefs. “The President also condoles with the Kogi State Government, describing the late royal father as a ‘man of peace who devoted his life and reign to the unity and prog...
Mali junta postpones transfer of powers meeting as cracks emerge
Mali’s military junta on Saturday postponed the first meeting on the transfer of power after rising tensions with the group that sparked the August 18 coup. The junta had invited civic groups, political organisations and former rebels to consultations on Saturday, but said in a statement that the meeting was postponed at the last minute to a later date due to “organisational reasons”. A protest coalition that had campaigned against former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the June 5 Movement, was not invited to the meeting and accused the new military rulers of trying to hijack the coup. The group has demanded that the military junta give it a role in the transition to civilian rule, in keeping with its role in spearheading Keita’s ouster. The military has promised to do so, though without...
Senator Basiru: Senate has no plan to secretly pass social media bill
Senator representing Osun Central and Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, has said the Red Chamber has no plan to hurriedly pass the controversial Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation and Other Related Matters Bill 2019 into law. An online platform, SaharaReporters, has published that the Senate on its resumption on September 15 has sealed a plot to pass the Bill popularly known as Social Media bill for presidential assent. Sponsored by Senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa, the bill was unanimously rejected at the Senate Public Hearing. Reacting to the report at the weekend, Senator Basiru dismissed it as “false and a lie concocted by the medium to ridicule and tarnish the image of the senate.” The former Attorney General and ...
Ovie Ejaria completes Reading move away from Liverpool
Liverpool forward Ovie Ejaria has left the club to join joined Championship club Reading on a permanent basis. The England born Nigerian youngster sealed signed four-year contract with Reading to bring an end to his Liverpool adventure. Ejaria joined Liverpool at the age of 16, he then struggled to break into the first team and therefore spent most of his career away from Anfield. Ejaria, first signed for Reading on loan back in January 2019, however, the club has now triggered their right to sign him on a permanent deal. “Reading Football Club are very pleased to announce that midfielder Ovie Ejaria has put pen to paper on a permanent move to the Madejski which will secure his future as a Royal until the summer of 2024.” Reading wrote on their official website. The FIFA Under-20 World Cup...
Central bank grants 9mobile service payment bank license
9PSB (Payment Service Bank), a subsidiary of 9mobile, says it has been granted approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to commence operations in the country. 9mobile, in a statement on Saturday, said that its *990# payment service banking platform would help drive financial inclusion in Nigeria’s ecosystem. It said that CBN’s approval to 9PSB would also save bank customers from long queues in banking halls, consistent network failure, stringent documentations to access credit facilities and frequent transaction/dispensing error, among others. Speaking on 9PSB’s entrance into Nigeria’s financial sector, 9mobile Chief Executive Officer, Alan Sinfield, said there was a huge potential in the market and 9PSB was strategically positioned to expand its operations into financial services. “W...
Gary Neville: I hope Lionel Messi doesn’t do very well for Manchester City
Gary Neville cannot see his former employers at Manchester United joining the race for Lionel Messi and hopes the mercurial Argentine “doesn’t do very well” if he ends up leaving Barcelona for Manchester City. A switch to England continues to be mooted for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. Messi has informed those at Camp Nou of his desire to move on, with further talks set to be held with the Liga club’s board as he mulls over his options during a period of personal frustration. Neville believes a compromise will be reached that keeps the South American in Catalunya, with an all-time great merely “flexing his muscles” and sending warning signals to the Blaugrana. If a stunning switch were to be made, though, then the ex-United defender concedes that the Ethiad Stadium – alongside one-time ...
NBA to resume games after player protest, turn stadiums into voting sites
NBA players who boycotted games as part of a protest against racial injustice have agreed to resume the playoffs on Saturday in a deal that includes increased access to voting in the United States presidential election. The league and players association (NBPA) said on Friday. As part of the agreement, the NBA and its players will establish a coalition that will focus on access to voting for the Nov. 3 general election, promoting civic engagement, and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform. “These commitments follow months of close collaboration around designing a safe and healthy environment to restart the NBA season, providing a platform to promote social justice, as well as creating an NBA Foundation focused on economic empowerment in the Black community,” NBA Comm...
FIFA ‘requests suspension’ of Ivorian federation election
FIFA have called on the Ivory Coast Football Federation (FIF) to halt its election campaign after Didier Drogba’s bid was rejected, a letter seen by AFP on Friday showed. FIF’s election has turned into a soap opera marred by incessant infighting and on Thursday the former Chelsea forward’s candidacy was thrown out as he had only received the official support of two of a required four Ivorian clubs. “We request the suspension of all action in relation to the election process until further notice,” the document dated August 27 and sent to FIF said. Drogba’s election team said on Thursday it expected FIF’s decision which claimed he was ineligible to run for the position. “Drogba’s staff isn’t surprised by this decision to reject the bid. But we remain unfazed. We will react to conform to the ...
Atletico Madrid to battle Juventus for Barcelona star
Atletico Madrid are considering a shock move for Barcelona star Luis Suarez, if the Uruguayan international leaves the Camp Nou this summer. Suarez has been linked with an exit from the Camp Nou, as part of a wider reshuffle of the squad by new manager Ronald Koeman ahead of the 2020-21 season. Serie A giants Juventus are rumoured to be monitoring the situation with Suarez’s future in Catalonia, however as per the front page of Saturday’s edition of Diario AS, Atletico are keen. Both clubs will keep an eye on the evolving changes between Suarez and Koeman, with club captain Lionel Messi aslo reportedly unhappy at Suarez’s potential departure as part of his own exit talks. The former Liverpool man is into the final year of his contract with the Catalans, and at 33 years of age, he might not...
Governor Zulum: I criticise troops to help them improve
Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno state, says he is critical of the Nigerian army so that they can improve in their fight against insurgency. Zulum said this on Thursday when he commissioned the Tukur Buratai Institute for War and Peace, located in Biu local government area of the state. The institute is named after Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff. The governor has come down hard on the army in recent times. In January, he accused troops of extorting road users. He also threatened to replace soldiers with local hunters if they are unable to secure Baga following the attack on his convoy in June. While the attack was believed to have been carried out by Boko Haram insurgents, Zulum accused the military officials of sabotage, alleging that they were the ones who attacked him. The military...
Louisiana coastline begins recovery from Laura
Chad Peterson planned to board up a window and head to Florida. “There’s no power. There’s no water. There’s no utilities,” he said. Thousands of people who heeded dire warnings and fled the Gulf Coast returned to homes without roofs, roads littered with debris and the likelihood of a harsh recovery that could take months. Lawrence “Lee” Faulk came back to a home with no roof in hard-hit Cameron Parish, which was littered with downed power lines. His metal storage building, 24 feet square, was thrown into a neighbor’s oak trees. “We need help,” Faulk said. “We need ice, water, blue tarps — everything that you would associate with the storm, we need it. Like two hours ago.” The White House said President Donald Trump would visit the region Saturday and survey the damage. Simply driving in L...
