Author: Amina Mohammed

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must “flip that coin” as they chase Premier League leaders Liverpool in their quest to be crowned champions of England, following two agonising near-misses. The second-placed Gunners, who finished as runners-up to Manchester City over the past two seasons, trail Arne Slot’s in-form Liverpool by six points. Liverpool, who have a game in hand, have played half their league fixtures. A series of setbacks in October and early November have left Arsenal playing catch-up, and Arteta, speaking on Friday, called for greater consistency from his team as they prepare to face mid-table Brighton on Saturday. “We…

Investments by companies owned by Elon Musk don’t represent a threat to Italy, according to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “I work to have major investments in Italy and evaluate the usefulness of each investment through the prism of our national interest,” the premier told Corriere della Sera in response to a question on risks to national security. Meloni’s ties to Musk, the world’s richest person, have created headlines in Italy, with the billionaire even bestowing an award on her in New York. At the same time, Musk, according to a Bloomberg report on Friday, has waded into the Italian political…

Arne Slot says crisis-hit Manchester United are “much, much better” than their shocking position in the Premier League suggests as he prepares his Liverpool team for a clash against their fierce rivals on Sunday. Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League table — and are hot favourites to land a 20th English top-flight crown, which would pull them level with record-holders United. United, by contrast, are 14th in the table after five defeats in their past six league games under new manager Ruben Amorim. But Slot, also in his first campaign in England, is adamant…

A retired Controller of Works at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, AbdulRazaq Ajani, has been gruesomely murdered in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. It was gathered that Ajani was murdered by four young persons who had trailed him to his residence in the Tanke area, Ilorin on January 1, 2025. The incident reportedly occurred at about 3 pm, a few minutes after Ajani and his family returned from Offa, their home town, where they had gone to celebrate the New Year. The spokesperson for the State Police Command, DSP Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed the incident on Thursday. “Yes, the…

Nigerian telecommunications companies have proposed a 100 per cent increase in their tariffs, pending approval from the government. The proposal, which has been submitted to the Nigerian Communications Commission, aims to address rising operational costs, including inflation and increased service delivery expenses. The disclosure was made by the Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday. However, the CEO expressed that it remains uncertain whether the Nigerian Communications Commission—the telecom regulator, will approve the proposal. According to Toriola, the proposed tariff hike is necessary for the sustainability of the industry, which has been…

Four days after New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso repudiated the proposed opposition alliance talks, his Labour Party (LP) counterpart,  Peter Obi, has disowned the plan. Obi, former Anambra State governor, said there is no merger deal yet with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the NNPP or any other party. He told reporters in Abuja that no agreement had been established with other parties on collaboration ahead of 2027. However, Obi urged Nigerians to come together in 2027 and defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of mismanaging the country’s resources. Obi described the security…

Police authorities have recovered three projectiles in Borno State, averting an explosion.  The spokesman of the Borno Police Command Nahum Daso said the projectiles were recovered in the Dala Kafanti Area of Maiduguri, the capital of the North-East state. “On 2nd January 2025, at about 0925HRS, following a report received from one Asabe James of Dala Kafanti Area Maiduguri – Borno State reported to the command that she sighted a suspicious sack containing unidentified items behind her house, on receipt of the information, the Command EOD-CBRN Base 13 Maiduguri, swiftly moved to the scene, cordoned and swept the area, where…

A small plane crashed into a commercial building in California on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring 18 others, police said. The crash took place early in the afternoon near Fullerton Municipal Airport, 25 miles (40 kilometres) southeast of Los Angeles. The cause remains unknown. “There are two confirmed fatalities,” Fullerton police said on X. Additionally, 10 people were hospitalised and eight others were treated at the scene. Investigators do not yet know if the deceased were plane passengers or if they were workers at the building where it crashed, a police officer told local station KTLA. Television…

South Korean investigators on Friday began lifting the wreckage of the Jeju Air plane that crashed five days ago, killing 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on its soil, AFP reporters saw. The flight was carrying 181 passengers and crew from Thailand to South Korea on Sunday when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before slamming into a barrier, killing all aboard except two flight attendants. The exact cause of the flight’s crash is still unknown, but investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear, and an installation at the end of the runway that the…

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, says political meaning should not be read into his absence from governors’ New Year visit to the Lagos home of President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday. On New Year’s Day, governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum visited the President at his Bourdillon Road home in Ikoyi, Lagos. The governors in attendance included Abba Yusuf (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo). Others were Babagana Zulum (Borno), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Usman…