Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has backed Samuel Kalu to rediscover his best form for club and country. Kalu struggled to get near his best for French club Girondis Bordeaux last season. The pacy winger managed just one goal and two assists in 20 league appearances for Les Girondis. He fell out with former manager Paulo Sousa, who criticised him for his lack of effort in training. The former KAA Gent of Belgium player was also linked with a number of clubs during the winter transfer window. The 23-year-old is now enjoying a new lease of life under Jean-Louis Gasset. Kalu scored his first goal of the season in Bordeaux’s 2-1 away loss to Lens last weekend. “There’s this Kalu who was playing very, very well with me and Nigeria, who lost a bit of confidence last season. It was not going very ...
The artificial intelligence (AI) market is predicted to reach revenues of $156 billion by the end of 2020, according to IDC, with the largest segments being application and enterprise relationship management (ERM) at 20% and 17% respectively. The scale of AI growth alongside developments in automation, machine learning, deep learning, and the Internet of Things is equally driving the creation of extraordinary volumes of data. In fact, research has found that the number of digital bits produced every year could exceed the number of atoms on the planet by the year 2245. But as data grows and AI interprets and organisations analyse, so does the risk – the risk of non-compliance with regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the Protection of Personal Informat...
File Photo Some stakeholders of the opposition All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State have embarked on community by community endorsement for former governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party, for the Bayelsa West Senatorial seat. The stakeholders of the APC in Ekeremor and Sagbama Local Government Area converged at Isampou yesterday and decided that efforts must be made to prevent the political ambition of any politician from damaging the existing cordial relationship between Ekeremor and Sagbama, the two local government areas in the Senatorial district. The stakeholders and community leaders of Isampou community, Aleibiri community, Amanaigbene, Peretorugbebe, and others were unanimous in their position that they would not support any political party and candidate that...
Lagos State Employment Trust Fund Lagos State Government in partnership with First Bank of Nigeria has launched N5 billion Post-Coronavirus (COVID-19) Recovery Support capital for the education sector to support low-cost private schools across the state in mitigating the negative impact of the pandemic. The intervention fund, which targets over 2,000 private schools, was formally launched by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday at a ceremony held at the Banquet Hall in the State House, Alausa, Ikeja. Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) collaborated with First Bank of Nigeria Limited to facilitate the matching fund, which will be given as a loan to schools and vocational education centres across the State. Sanwo-Olu said the intervention was part of the State Government’s sustainable...
The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has called on Nigerians to continue praying to witness the end of COVID-19 Pandemic as Nigeria prepares to mark her 60th independence anniversary. The First Lady during a Public Lecture to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence anniversary at the National Mosque, Abuja, urged Nigerians to offer special prayers for peace, progress and sustainable development of the country. “We need to pray for forgiveness and a special prayer for forgiveness. The world is no longer the same as a result of the pandemic, and the pandemic is a sign that almighty God is not happy with us. I think we have no choice than to continue asking for forgiveness from Almighty Allah”, she said. Aisha urged leaders to always do the needful by ensuring justice for all. She, later joined other Musli...
The reigning African women Long Jump champion, Ese Brume, recorded an impressive outing at the Doha Diamond League on Friday. The Nigerian finished second in the Women’s Long jump event after a commendable leap of 6.68m (+0.4m/s) in the final. Brume had recorded a Season’s Best (SB) of 6.71m (+0.4) in the 4th round of the competition but her final jump was used in determining her final position going by newly introduced rules. Brume who won Nigeria’s only medal at the last World Championships held also in Doha has been starved of competition due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was World Silver medallist, Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, who won the women’s long jump event having soared to a SB of 6.91m (+0.6) in her final try. Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia who was the top seed going into the contest, jumpe...
Manchester United have been linked with a move for the Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho this summer. The Premier League side are yet to find an agreement with the German club for the England international but latest reports claim that the Red Devils believe a deal can be done before the transfer window closes next month. Sancho managed to score 20 goals last season and he picked up 20 assists as well. There is no doubt that he is a world-class winger and he would improve Manchester United immensely. If he moves to Old Trafford, he is likely to start in place of Daniel James and it would be a massive upgrade for Solskjaer’s side. Sancho would add goals, assists and unpredictability to the United attack. He could form a lethal partnership with Rashford and Martial for years to come. I...
Ian Wright has urged Manchester United to sign RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano. The 21-year-old impressed with his performances in the Champions League last season, most notably against Atletico Madrid. Upamecano recently revealed he held talks about a potential move away from RB Leipzig and his focus, for now, is the Bundesliga club (via Manchester Evening News). We all know that would quickly change if United came knocking with an offer in the morning, and former Arsenal star Wright thinks we should make move. When you look at the defence — despite Solskjaer claiming to be happy with it — it shouldn’t be hard to look into the transfer market to find better options. Victor Lindelof is an awful partner to Harry Maguire, but hopefully we see more combinations in the foreseeable future —...
Associate disputes ‘marriage’ between NAF chief, minister
As news continued to spread on the purported marriage between the Nigerian Chief of the Air Staff, Sadique Baba Abubakar, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, a VOA Hausa report has quoted a close friend of the Air boss describing the report as false. It was reported that Sadique and Sadiya got married in a mosque located in the Maitama high brow area of Abuja on the 18th of September, 2020. However, the VOA Hausa reported that when contacted on the matter, senior Air Force officers in Abuja said they were not aware of the marriage. “Even an intimate friend of the Air boss, who was in charge of his affairs, said he had inquired from his friend the Chief of Air Staff, and he told him the story was a fallacy.” A public commentator, Mohammed Usman, told the VOA that i...