Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Chelsea are back in the top half of the Premier League standings after beating Sheffield United 2-0 on Saturday. An appalling first half came and went without any real action – Conor Gallagher had a dipping shot easily saved by Wes Foderingham, while Cameron Archer saw a curling strike deflected narrowly wide off the heel of the Blues skipper. At the start of the second half, Cole Palmer worked his way in from the right and sat Max Lowe on his backside with a neat piece of trickery, before his shot was blocked by Auston Trusty. With 54 minutes on…

Luton’s Premier League match at Bournemouth has been abandoned after their captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch. Both sets of players were taken off midway through the second half as Lockyer received medical treatment. After several minutes, he was taken off on a stretcher, applauded by all four sides of the ground. Reports from the ground later said the 29-year-old defender was “alert and responsive”. Lockyer collapsed during the play-off final win against Coventry in May before being taken to hospital. He subsequently had heart surgery and was given the all-clear to return to playing in June. After confirmation the game was abandoned,…

The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega has called for the restructuring of Nigeria before the 2027 general elections. The former INEC boss insisted that the presidential system of government practised in Nigeria is defective. He said power devolution to the sub-nationals was critical for the country to develop, adding that the president is too powerful. Jega, however, expressed strong opposition to the parliamentary system of government, saying restructuring was necessary to have the best of a federal system. He shared his reservation while speaking on Saturday at the convocation lecture in Bauchi State University, Gadau,…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed readiness to act on the ongoing political conflict in Rivers State, citing its impact on workers’ welfare. The labour union believes the political unrest is detracting from the governor’s ability to effectively govern the state. The Chairman of NLC in the state, Alex Agwanwo highlighted the growing tension and its negative effects on workers during a meeting in Port Harcourt. Agwanwo criticized the political strife, emphasizing how it hampers the timely delivery of workers’ benefits. He said, “We categorically condemn in totality the crisis in Rivers State and we call for immediate peace between all…

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, said on Friday that the military was gaining nothing from the fight against insecurity in many parts of the country. According to him, the military daily loses troops in the ongoing fight against insecurity across the federation, adding that he has nightmares. Musa spoke during the maiden parley with journalists in Abuja on Friday. The CDS cautioned the citizens against demoralising the troops from effectively discharging their constitutional duties with their actions. He alleged that some individuals and countries were sponsoring Simon Ekpa to destabilise the country. He urged them to desist…

Students across Nigerian tertiary institutions, in partnership with Gender Mobile Initiative (GMI), have donated their pens to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu while soliciting for him to speedily assent to the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill before him. The students gathered the pens from across different campuses and presented them to the president through his Senior Special Assistant on Students Engagement, Sunday Asefon, on Friday in Abuja, in attribution to shortage of pens as a likely factor for the delay in assenting to the bill. One of the students, Abdul Fatima Zara of the University of Abuja said, “The most symbolic tool for…

The Defence Headquarters has confirmed the killing of four notorious terrorist commanders in air strikes within the week. They are Machika, Haro, Dan Muhammadu and Ali Alhaji Alheri, popularly called Kachalla Ali Kawaje. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja. Buba said that Machika was a top terrorist bomb expert and younger brother of a notorious terrorist (Dogo Gide) while Haro and Dan Muhammadu were specialists in kidnapping and assault operations respectively. He said a synchronised strike between air and ground forces aimed at the same target on Dec.…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has shifted all materials from the Kogi State governorship election to Abuja, following orders from the National Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu. The decision to move these materials comes from security considerations. Under strict security, multiple trucks were used to transport the election items, including results and BVAS, to the nation’s capital. An INEC official who spoke on condition of anonymity with Daily Trust said the order was from above and that it was in order to ease the smooth operation of the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal. The source stated, “The materials…

Ten-man Tottenham condemned Nottingham Forest to a fifth Premier League defeat in six games as they underlined their top-four ambitions at the City Ground. Richarlison’s third goal in two games set Spurs on their way with the outstanding Dejan Kulusevski sealing victory for Ange Postecoglou’s side who had Yves Bissouma sent off in the 70th minute. The result moves fifth-placed Tottenham level on points with Manchester City, although the champions have played a game less. Forest who sit 16th in the table, five points clear of the bottom three, have now won just once in their previous 13 matches in…

Manchester City have a title race on their hands. After four Premier League games without a victory, Pep Guardiola’s men did what champions do last Sunday, fighting back for a 2-1 win over Luton Town to remain within touching distance of Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa. However, with City likely to lose ground next week when they head to Saudi Arabia for the FIFA Club World Cup, three points is a must here, as they face Crystal Palace in their final league game before Christmas. Palace have sometimes been awkward opponents for City in recent years, with only Manchester United (three) winning…

President Bola Tinubu on Friday, December 15, inaugurated the Tertiary Education Tax Funds (TETFUND) N1 billion Central Library Complex with a sitting capacity of 2,000 at Bauchi State University, Gadau. Represented by member House Committee on TETFUND and other services, Hon. Bappa Misau, Tinubu acknowledged TETFUND’s impact on various Bauchi state institutions, emphasising the significant strides made in the Nigerian tertiary education sector. According to him, apart from the Bauchi State University, Gadau, other public tertiary educational institutions in the state such as Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), and Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, College of Education Azare,…

An Ukrainian village councillor set off hand grenades at a meeting, wounding 26 people, national police said Friday, triggering the launch of a terror investigation. The incident took place Friday morning at the headquarters of the village council of Keretsky in western Ukraine’s mountainous Zakarpattia region. A video posted by the police on Telegram showed a man dressed in black entering the door of a council meeting during a heated discussion. He then pulled three hand grenades from his pockets, released the safety pins and dropped them on the floor, triggering explosions as those at the meeting screamed. “As a…