Author: Amina Mohammed

Union Berlin have sacked head coach Bo Svensson after only six months at the helm, the Bundesliga club announced on Friday. The 45-year-old Dane took over in July after Union narrowly avoided relegation last season. But he was fired with the club sitting 12th in the German top flight, seven points clear of the relegation play-off place. “We are convinced that a significant change is necessary to reverse the trend,” said Union managing director Horst Heldt in a statement. AFP

Osamu Suzuki, who grew small-car specialist Suzuki Motor into an international brand with huge successes in India, died Wednesday at age 94 after bouts with cancer, the company said Friday. Under the charismatic businessman’s four-decade leadership through 2021, the firm’s sales grew more than 10-fold. Born on January 30, 1930, in the central Japanese region of Gifu, he married into the firm’s founding family and later became its president in 1978. Calling himself an “old man at a small business,” he focused on building light-weight “kei” vehicles, many of which became big hits for their fuel efficiency and easy-to-handle quality.…

Manuel Akanji believes a 1-1 draw with Everton could yet spark a revival in the form of faltering Premier League champions Manchester City. Thursday’s result left City with just one win in 13 games in all competitions since October, with Pep Guardiola’s side now 14 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand. “It felt like a frustrating afternoon but, when you compare it to the other matches, we played really well from the first minute to the last,” said Swiss international Akanji. “We tried to score a goal, we tried to play offensive football, but…

German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved parliament on Friday and confirmed the expected date of February 23, 2025, for the early general election prompted by the collapse of Olaf Scholz’s government last month. Scholz’s coalition was brought down by internal fights over how to revive Europe’s largest economy, but a deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market last week has renewed the country’s heated debates over security and immigration. Confirming the date for the election, Steinmeier emphasised a need for “political stability” and appealed for the campaign to be “conducted with respect and decency.: He also said he wanted “the campaign…

The North-East Governors Forum has expressed heartfelt condolences to the Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi over the loss of his mother, Maryam Namadi, and his eldest son, Abdulwahab Namadi. A statement by the forum’s Chairman and Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, described the loss that occurred within 24 hours as devastating and acknowledged it as the will of Almighty Allah. The statement was released by Zulum’s spokesman, Dauda Illiya, on Friday. The statement read, “On behalf of the people of Borno State and the entire North-East region, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to Your Excellency and the people…

Senator. Jimoh Ibrahim, representing Ondo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has donated N10m to traders affected by the fire incident at the Caring Heart market in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State. Ibrahim, who visited the scene of the fire incident on Thursday, in company of some traditional rulers in the district to assess the level of damage, sympathised with the affected traders. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a midnight fire engulfed the market on December 12 and razed fewer than 18 shops stocked with frozen foods and other goods worth over N50m. Ibrahim,…

Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister whose economic reforms made his country a global powerhouse, has died at the age of 92. Singh, who held office from 2004 to 2014, was credited with having overseen an economic boom in Asia’s fourth-largest economy in his first term, although slowing growth in later years marred his second stint. India “mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders”, current Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media platform X on Thursday, shortly after news broke of Singh’s passing. “As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives.”…

Barely less than 30 hours after the passing of his mother, Governor Umar Namadi has again lost his eldest son, Abdulwahab Umar Namadi, who died in a fatal motor accident on Thursday. The accident occurred around 3pm on Thursday, December 26, 2024, at Agura village, less than three kilometers to Kafin Hausa town, the governor’s hometown. Abdulwahab and his friend were on their way to Kafin Hausa from Dutse, the State capital, to continue to receive condolences from sympathisers over the death of his grandmother, late Hajiya Maryam Namadi, when the accident occured. Confirming the incident in a…

The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), has called on Nigerians to support the Tax Reforms Bills under consideration in the National Assembly, saying it will make adjustments to the derivation sharing formula that will improve finances of states across the country. In a Christmas message shared via a personally signed statement on Wednesday, he debunked claims that the bills were geared towards giving more states revenue than others, noting that four states, for example, were getting wrong calculations of what is due to them. He stated, “Credible data have shown, for instance, the new model recommends…

Ruben Amorim has insisted he knows what he’s doing as the Manchester United manager looks to revive the fallen English giants amid a row over the future of Marcus Rashford. Amorim has had a rollercoaster ride since succeeding the sacked Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. United enjoyed a late comeback win over local rivals Manchester City only to then slump to a 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth last weekend following a midweek 4-3 League Cup quarter-final defeat by Tottenham. Rashford was omitted from all three of those games, with the 27-year-old, a product of the United youth system,…