Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Ollie Watkins continued his prolific form with two goals as Aston Villa boosted their European hopes with an emphatic victory over Newcastle, whose five-match winning run came to a shuddering halt at Villa Park. Watkins had already struck the foot of the post, forced two fine saves out of Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope and had an effort ruled out for offside by the time he gave Villa a two-goal cushion midway through the second half. The former Brentford striker completed a one-sided victory with eight minutes remaining, converting a low shot via a slight deflection off Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier.…

The National Bureau of Statistics has revealed that Nigeria’s inflation rate climbed to 22.04% in March 2023. The per cent represents a 13.4 basis points increase compared to 21.91% recorded in the previous month. It noted that food inflation was 24.45% in March 2023 from 24.35% in February 2023, while urban inflation was 23.07% and rural inflation was 21.09%. The Bureau disclosed that the increase in the food index was driven by increases in prices of oil and fat, bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, fish, fruits, meat, vegetables, and spirits.

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, has reacted to the claim by Cairo Ojuogbo that he worked against the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President-elect. Ojuogbo, a former Director of Projects at the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, had earlier alleged that the deputy senate president was involved in an anti-party activity by working against Tinubu in Delta State. But, Omo-Agege, APC governorship candidate in Delta State, said Cairo Ojuogbo does not deserve a response on his recent claim that he worked for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, in the March 18 presidential election. Omo-Agege, in…

Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen has been ranked the fourth best player in the UEFA Champions League this season. The ranking was published on the Sky Sports Premier League Twitter handle Real Madrid winger, Vinicius Junior is number one on the ranking, while Manchester City’s Erling Haaland occupy second position. Osimhen has scored four goals in five appearances for Napoli in the competition this season. Four of his Napoli teammates made the top 10. Osimhen missed the first leg of Napoli’s quarter-final clash against AC Milan on Wednesday. The 24-year-old is expected to feature in the second leg after returning to…

Former Barcelona midfielder, Arda Turan has been appointed as the new coach of Turkish 2nd-tier side Eyüpspor. Eyüpspor Club Vice President, Fatih Kulaksız, made the announcement on Friday. In a statement to Anadolu Agency (AA), Kulaksız said, “We signed a 1.5-year contract with Arda Turan for the position of technical director. We believe that we will achieve our goals with him.” Turan has played for clubs like Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray and Medipol Başakşehir in the past. Turan, 36, is poised to embark on his first coaching role at Eyüpspor. Eyüpspor is currently third in the Spor Toto 1st League…

The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo will today know his fate as a candidate in the 2023 election. Oluomo is contesting for the fourth time to represent Ifo Constituency 1 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The election initially, which held on March 18, was keenly contested between Oluomo and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okikiola Ogundele, a son of the PDP Chairman in Ogun, Sikirulahi Ogundele. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the Ifo Constituency 1 election inconclusive because the margin of lead is not up…

Operators of tricycles, known as Keke NAPEP in Umuahia and Aba are to undergo biometric capturing and obtain rider’s permit in Abia State. The exercise, according to the State ministry of transport, is to be coordinated by leaders of various tricycle unions in the State in accordance with the directive of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. The permanent secretary, ministry of transport, Ijeoma Okere made this known in Umuahia, adding that rider’s permit would be issued after the biometric capturing exercise. The ministry said the venues for the planned biometric capture are offices of tricycle unions and accredited cyber cafes. The riders,…

Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage, has confirmed she recently escaped an attempted kidnap. The incident happened on Thursday in Lagos State. Her management disclosed this in a statement issued via her verified Instagram page on Friday. According to the statement, some suspects have been arrested and are “currently being held under investigation at Alagbon Police Station, Ikoyi.” It added that Savage and her family are safe. Meanwhile, self-acclaimed investigative journalist, Kemi Olunloyo, alleged that the singer’s new driver masterminded the kidnap attempt alongside his cohorts. In a post shared via her Instagram page, Olunloyo claimed that the kidnappers trailed the singer…

The former Auditor General for Local Governments in Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary election held in the State on Friday. Ododo, who scored a total of 78,704 votes, won the direct primary election with a wide margin to defeat six other contestants in the governorship race. About seven other aspirants including the state’s deputy governor, Edward Onoja, Governor Yahaya Bello’s Chief of Staff, Pharm. Mohammed Asuku, had earlier withdrawn from the gubernatorial race on the eve of the primary election. Ododo, defeated a fellow Egbira man the Barr. Mohammed Ozigi Salami,…

Bayern Munich coach, Thomas Tuchel has defended Sadio Mane after the Senegalese was suspended by the club for punching his teammate Leroy Sane. The Africa Cup of Nations winner had an altercation with Sane and Tuchel revealed that the former Liverpool forward has duly apologized for his behaviour. Mane and Sane were said to have had a bust-up in the dressing room following Bayern Munich’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Etihad. Bayern Munich has since suspended Mane for violating the code of conduct. Addressing a press conference on Friday, the former…

The World Bank has said the growth rate of Sub-Saharan Africa would slow by 3.6 per cent in 2023 as funding tied up to aid and private finance shrink. In a press briefing, the IMF’s African Department Director, Abebe Aemro Selassie, disclosed this on Friday. According to Selassie, if no measure is taken, funding shortage may force counties to reduce fiscal resources earmarked for education, health, infrastructure and other critical development affecting the Sub-Saharan region. The IMF leader called on Countries in the region to gear up reforms needed to strengthen their economies’ resilience. He said the acceleration of domestic…

The 2023 Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi has said nobody can force him out of Nigeria. Obi spoke at Onitsha Holiday Resort in Anambra State while responding to calls for him to leave Nigeria. A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode had challenged Obi to leave Nigeria and never come back. Fani-Kayode made the call in response to Obi’s outcry that he was under pressure to leave the country. On Wednesday, the LP flag bearer in the last election accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, and some government agencies of trying to divert the country’s attention from the infractions…