Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Bayern Munich on Thursday finally secured the signing of Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha from Fulham for a reported fee of 49 million euros ($53 million) after coming close to acquiring him last year. The 28-year-old, who spent two years at Fulham after arriving from Sporting Lisbon in 2022 for 22 million euros, signed a four year contract. Bayern had been poised to sign Palhinha in 2023, the defensive midfielder had even posed in the club’s strip, but the deal fell through just before the transfer window closed when Fulham failed to find a replacement. In a statement, Palhinha said it…

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, July 11, 2024, declared that henceforth all Local Government Area allocations should be paid directly into their accounts. Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of the justices of the Supreme Court, gave the order while delivering judgement in a suit filed by the federal government against the 36 state governors. “Henceforth, no more payment of the Local Government Area allocations to the state government accounts,” the judge declared. The federal government approached the Supreme Court with a suit seeking to compel governors of the 36 states of the federation to grant full autonomy…

United States President Joe Biden will Thursday give his first press conference since his debate disaster against Donald Trump, in a pressure-cooker moment that could seal the fate of his reelection bid. The eyes of the world will be on the 81-year-old at a NATO summit as he tries to calm growing calls from his Democratic party to step aside over his age and health. The White House has dubbed it a “big boy” press conference, and Biden will be under severe pressure to show he can handle what has become a rare unscripted moment in his presidency. Any missteps…

A former acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Anamekwe Nwabuoku, on Wednesday, pleaded with Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja to give him more time to conclude the refund of the public funds allegedly looted by him and his co-defendant. Nwabuoku and his co-defendant, Felix Nweke, are facing 11 counts of money laundering to the tune of N1.6bn. They are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The defendants were accused of committing to the act while Nwabuoku served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.…

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has announced its support for a service project by the Rotary Club of Lagos, District 9112, to empower over 200 widows through micro-credit and skills acquisition. This initiative underscores FCMB’s commitment to promoting women’s empowerment and financial inclusion. The announcement was made during the installation ceremony of Adetunji Lamidi as the 64th president of the Rotary Club of Lagos. The event in Lagos, highlighted the club’s ongoing efforts to expand its community impact. “Our goals for the year are audacious, yet achievable,” said Lamidi. “We plan to commission a secondary school in Iboku Aro village,…

The Federal Government, yesterday, sealed a sand dredging and mining company, operating in Ilate-Etido Community in Obafemi/Owode local government area of Ogun State over illegal mining activities. The company, operating under the name of Ojibas Nigeria Limited and owned by a businessman from Osun State, was sealed, on Tuesday, by officers from the Mining Inspectorate Department, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals and Development, Oke Mosan in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Vanguard reliably gathered that the operating license of the mining company dredging sand in the community had been revoked by the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office, Abuja, since August 12, 2022. It…

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says herders and traders can soon move their cows from northern Nigeria to the country’s southern region using rail services. NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, disclosed this on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief breakfast show on Wednesday, hours after President Bola Tinubu announced the creation of a new ministry for livestock development. He said the movement of cows and other goods would resume with the Warri-Itakpe route. The NRC, famous for passenger traffic, had in 2017 suspended the movement of cattle by train following technical hitches. However, Okhiria said in a matter of one or…

A drug baron on the wanted list of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, identified as Joachin Mbonu, has been arrested. Mbonu was arrested by operatives of the NDLEA in his village mansion in Imo State on July 5. A statement on Tuesday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said Mbonu was arrested along with his associate. He stated that Mbonu belongs to a drug cartel behind the production of methamphetamine. Babafemi said, “A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of deadly psychoactive substance, methamphetamine, popularly called ‘Mkpuru mmiri’ has been taken down by operatives of the NDLEA…

The Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, on Wednesday, found the Federal Government guilty of violating the fundamental human rights of youths that participated in the October 2020, EndSARS protest. The court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices, held that there was merit in a suit that three participants in the protest- Obianuju Catherine Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka- lodged before it. Specifically, the court held that the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through its security agencies, violated Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter…

Global music streaming platform, Spotify, has announced Nigerian music sensations, Ayra Starr and Tems, as the most streamed Nigerian artistes globally. Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub- Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, announced this in Lagos on Wednesday. Okumu said that the top 30 artistes who had gained the biggest global numbers were revealed in Spotify’s music global impact list for 2024. She said that Rauw Alexandro and Ayra Starr’s Santa came top on the list, and Ayra Starr’s Comma emerged second while Tem’s Love Me Jeje, came third. Luciano and Omah Lay’s Another Vibe came fourth; 21 Savage, Burna Boy and…