Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Newcastle United and Chelsea will look to make winning returns to Premier League action following the international break when they clash at St James’ Park on Saturday. The pause for national team fixtures came at a good time for Newcastle, who were suffering a brutal injury crisis and coming off the back of two straight defeats in all competitions, while Chelsea will have been frustrated by the interruption, having finally built up some momentum over the previous weeks. Mauricio Pochettino’s side come into Saturday’s game having lost just one of their last eight in all competitions, aided by the fact…

The Premier League returns after the international break on Saturday, and it does so with a bang as rivals Manchester City and Liverpool battle for top spot in a mouthwatering early kick-off. With just a solitary point separating these two giants after 12 games, who will come out on top? A decade of competition between Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp in Germany and England has seen them face each other more often than either has faced another manager in their respective careers (28 times). Klopp’s 11 wins in those matches are more than any other manager has recorded against Guardiola. The City…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the police to immediately withdraw from the Ondo State House of Assembly premises in Akure, the state capital. Tinubu gave the order at a meeting with the embattled Ondo Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, State lawmakers and All Progressives Congress (APC) members, who converged on the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday night. The police withdrawal was one of the decisions reached after nearly six hours of deliberations between the president and Ondo officials to resolve the political crisis in the state. Recall that police operatives had been stationed in the premises of the Ondo Assembly after lawmakers served…

Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Yemi Cardoso said yesterday that the apex bank will soon introduce a new set of foreign exchange laws and guidelines to address naira depreciation and achieve exchange rate stability. The CBN, according to him, will also conduct a new recapitalisation exercise for the banking industry, by directing banks to increase their minimum capital base to a level sufficient to support the vision of a $1trillion economy. Cardoso also disclosed that the CBN will introduce a new licensing framework for fintechs and payment banks, warning that operators found engaging in activities outside their…

A total of 1.63 million Nigerians out of the 1.8 million persons currently living with HIV in the country are on Antiretroviral treatment, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS ( NACA), has said. Director-General of the agency , Dr Gambo Aliyu, stated this Friday while briefing newsmen ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day, Nigeria has the second-largest burden of HIV infection. Aliyu said Nigeria like many other countries has made significant strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS, adding that there is however still much to be done to achieve the goal of ending AIDS as a public…

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 2.54 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the third quarter of 2023. This growth rate was higher than the 2.25 per cent recorded in the third quarter of 2022 and higher than the second quarter 2023 growth of 2.51 per cent. The performance of the GDP in the third quarter of 2023 was driven mainly by the Services sector, which recorded a growth of 3.99 per cent and contributed 52.70 per cent to the aggregate GDP. The agriculture sector grew by 1.30 per cent, from the growth of 1.34 per cent recorded in…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike,  has directed existing landowners with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to re-certificate them. Speaking on a live television programme monitored by Daily Trust in Abuja, Wike said the new C of O would require a National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN). The minister said since assumption of office, he had refrained from signing C-of-Os because of the need to introduce enhanced security measures. He said the new C of Os would cost individuals N50,000 and corporate bodies, N100,000 each. He said, “There are a lot of discrepancies,…

Pep Guardiola has asked for patience before deciding whether Manchester City are guilty of breaches of financial rules but insists he’s more likely to stay at the club “if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League.” Everton’s 10-point penalty for one breach of the Premier League’s financial rules has opened the door for City to receive an even harsher punishment if the 115 charges made against them in February are proved. Guardiola, however, said the cases are “completely different” but confirmed he would stay on as manager if City were relegated or expelled from the league. “You are questioning like…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos State has affirmed the election of Francis Nwifuru as the duly elected Governor of Ebonyi State. In a ruling on Friday, a three-man panel said the appeal filed by Ifeanyi Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked merit. Recall that the Ebonyi Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has affirmed the election of Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress (APC)as the governor of the South Eastern state. Nwifuru, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18 election, polled 199, 131 votes to defeat Odii, who secured 80, 191 votes. While Bernard Odoh,…

The Appeal Court sitting in Lagos State has dismissed the petition filed by Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege challenging the victory of Hon Sheriff Oborevwori for lacking in merit. Omo-Agege is of the All Progressives Congress, APC, while the governor is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. A three-member panel of the appellate court handed down the judgement on Friday, thereby upholding the judgement of the Election Petition Tribunal in Delta State. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State has congratulated Governor Oborevwori. In a congratulatory message signed by the PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Ifeanyi Osuoza, he said the…

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has applauded the Court of Appeal verdict which affirmed his election in the March 18 governorhip election. Reacting to the appeal court judgement on Friday, Sani described the verdict as a “testament to the strength of our legal institutions, a win for democracy and a validation of the people’s will”. Muhammad Lawal Shehu, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, in a statement on Friday, said Sani, while expressing joy and gratitude at the confirmation of his victory by the Appeal Court, also extended a hand of fellowship to his opponents in a bid to move…

Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is “in good health” after being involved in a car accident, say his Turkish club Adana Demirspor. Giornale di Brescia reported the incident happened in Balotelli’s hometown Brescia on Wednesday when his vehicle crashed into a wall. No-one else was involved and the 33-year-old was able to walk away from the car, which was severely damaged. The former Italy international is currently recovering from knee surgery. “We would like to inform you that our player Mario Balotelli, who was involved in a car accident yesterday in his country, Italy, is in good health, resting…