Tuesday
Lionel Messi makes contact with Pep Guardiola over Manchester City move
Lionel Messi has reportedly already been in touch with Pep Guardiola over a possible switch from Barcelona to Manchester City this summer. City are among the contenders to sign the 33-year-old after he allegedly handed in a formal transfer request on Tuesday. The Argentina international enjoyed illustrious success playing under Guardiola at Barca between 2008 and 2012, winning four of his six Ballons d’Or during that period. According to Radio Catalunya, Messi has been in touch with the Catalan coach about reuniting at the Etihad Stadium in the coming weeks. Messi’s contract stipulated that he could leave on a free transfer this summer, but Barca insist that clause expired in June and it may now be a case of City waiting 12 more months. Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are also be...
Plateau PDP congress date surprises chairmanship aspirant
File Photo Mr Bitrus Kaze, Plateau State Chairmanship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed surprise at what he called “the sudden decision of the party” to hold the state elective congress on Aug. 29. Newsmen report that the party’s acting spokesperson, Mr John Akans, had on Tuesday announced that the elective congress would hold on Saturday. But Kaze in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos described the decision as hasty, considering what called the numerous unresolved issues in the party, including the fact that “the state has taken a decision that the caretaker is not fit to be in office much less conduct a state congress.” He also cited the court cases and petitions by party members, “yet we saw a communication from Akan that a date for the election h...
Justice Essien: I never sat over Unilag vice chancellor’s case
File Photo Justice J.I. Essien of the National Industrial Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday urged the University of Lagos (Unilag) Governing Council and the Senate to embrace peace. The judge gave the advice while striking out two suits challenging the removal of the university’s Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe. The suits also challenged Ogundipe’s replacement with Prof. Theophilus Soyombo by the governing council. Newsmen report that Ogundipe and the Senate of the University had filed applications before the court to discontinue the suits. “Controversy is not good for the image of a university. “We hope that peace will reign because when two elephants fight, in this case, the grass will wither,” Essien said. The judge said that he was glad that the parties decided to withd...
Central bank, bankers’ committee to support airlines, media with special facilities
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bankers’ Committee have unanimously agreed to extend special facilities to Nigerian-registered airlines and the media industry in the country to enable them adequately address the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CBN Director Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okorafor, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday. Okorafor said the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, announced this while addressing the Bank Chief Executives at the bi-monthly virtual meeting of the Bankers’ Committee on Tuesday. Emefiele urged the banks to do all within their powers to support airlines in the country, noting that such support was critical to helping the industry recover from the economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the ape...
Brazilian president’s son contracts coronavirus
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, said Tuesday he has tested positive for the new coronavirus but was asymptomatic. The 39-year-old senator’s office said in a statement he was “feeling fine,” isolating at home and taking the anti-malaria drug chloroquine, which his father has aggressively pushed as a treatment for COVID-19 despite studies finding it is ineffective against the virus. Known for his staunch support of his father, the younger Bolsonaro is under investigation for an alleged embezzlement scheme when he was a state lawmaker for Rio de Janeiro. He is the fourth member of the presidential family to test positive for the virus. Bolsonaro himself, 65, caught it last month, forcing the far-right leader, a fierce critic of lockdown measures agai...
Police seek support to meet operational, infrastructural needs
The Inspector General of Police (I-G), Mr Mohammed Adamu, has called on well meaning individuals and corporate bodies to support the Nigeria Police to meets its operational and infrastructural needs. The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the I-G made the call when he received three operational vehicles donated by Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited. He said the I-G, represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), in charge of Operations, Mr Abdulmajid Ali, said the vehicles were donated to support the Community Policing programme. The I-G said the force had continued to receive commendable support from governments, corporate bodies and private individuals to ensure effective implementation of the community p...
UK education academy confers prestigious senior fellowship on Nigerian born academic
A UK-based Nigerian academic from Osun State and Chairman of TEXEM UK, Dr Alim Abubakre has been awarded UK’s prestigious Senior Fellowship of the Advanced Higher Education Academy (HEA). According to a statement on Tuesday from TEXEM’s website signed by Caroline Lucas, this followed a rigorous review of Abubakre’s impressive record of accomplishment of contributing to advancing Executive Development in the UK, Africa and North America. He was subsequently adjudged worthy and conferred with the UK’s prestigious Senior Fellowship of the HEA which is the UK’s Gold standard in pedagogy. The senior HEA fellowship is also a UK national recognition for leadership, excellence, expertise and commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning. Abubakre has been able to present a thorough unders...
Governor Obaseki: My administration‘ll rejuvenate economy of Ovia, if re-elected
Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, PDP candidate for the Sept.19 governorship election in the state, has assured the people Ovia that his administration will rejuvenate the area’s economy, if re-elected. Obaseki gave the assurance on Tuesday when the PDP Edo governorship campaign council met with the monarchs from Ovia at the palace of the Enogie of Obazuwa, Edun Akenzua. He said Ovia was a very vital part of the Benin kingdom, and given the next four years, his administration would rejuvenate the economy of the area so as to improve the people’s living condition. The PDP governorship candidate explained that Ovia was blessed with vast forest resources, adding that plans were already on to cultivate the vast land. He said that his administration would collaborate with the Central Bank of Nigeria ...
West African delegation ‘very hopeful’ after meeting Mali junta
A West African delegation visiting Mali to push for a speedy return to civilian rule following a coup said it was “very hopeful” on Saturday after meeting with the country’s military junta and the president it ousted. The head of the delegation from the regional Ecowas bloc, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, said that detained Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was doing relatively well. “We saw him, he’s very fine,” said Jonathan, who had earlier met for half an hour with the soldiers who seized power on Tuesday, including new strongman Colonel Assimi Goita. Jonathan told AFP that negotiations were going well and he was “very hopeful”. Rebel soldiers seized Keita and other leaders after a mutiny on Tuesday, dealing another deep blow to a country already struggling with a b...
Jürgen Klopp ‘very, very happy’ as Liverpool win first friendly
Jürgen Klopp admitted he was “very, very happy” with his Liverpool side as they beat Stuttgart 3-0 in their first pre-season friendly of the summer. Goals from Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Rhian Brewster gave the Reds a win, but it was the weather that was the most difficult opponent at times – a huge downpour turning the pitch into a quagmire. But Klopp was delighted with how his side performed and will now face Red Bull Salzburg in four days time. “I’m very happy, very happy,” he told the club’s official website. “It was a super intense session for us today because the weather, wow, it rained like crazy, the pitch was really difficult – you could see the water was still on the pitch. That makes football games always tricky. “Good organised opponent obviously but we scored nice goals a...
Mali junta open talks with opposition leaders after coup
Mali’s junta headed by Army colonel Assimi Goita which seized power in a coup on Tuesday has begun to meet with senior opposition politicians in the country. This comes amid global condemnation of the coup and mounting calls for the release of President Ibrahim Booubakar Keita and his prime minister Boubou Cisse. There were few signs that political opposition leaders were aware of the coup plot in advance but now they stand to benefit from a transitional government promised to be put in place by the military junta “I think the hardest part starts now. It’s a question of bringing everyone together, as I’ve always said, there are no winners and losers, we’re all Malians, so for us, even those who were with IBK (ed: Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta), if they don’t have blood on their hands, if they’re ...
Mali: ECOWAS to hold emergency meeting
The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) will on Thursday hold an Extraordinary Summit on the socio-political situation in Mali. The Directorate of Communications of the ECOWAS Commission made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. The summit would be held virtually through video conference. The summit became necessary following the military coup d’etat that took place in the Republic of Mali on Tuesday. Newsmen recall that President Ibrahim Keita and his government resigned after soldiers arrested him. The soldiers have set up a body to work out modalities for elections. ECOWAS has strongly condemned the undemocratic change of government, adding that it is against its protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. The Au...
