Author: Festus Adeloye

Ahead of the CAF awards ceremony scheduled for today in Marrakesh, Morocco, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed strong support for Nigerian stars Ademola Lookman and Chiamaka Nnadozie, who are finalists for the CAF Player of the Year awards in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively. Lookman and Super Falcons goalkeeper Nnadozie are leading Nigeria’s quest for recognition at this year’s awards, with the country in contention for a total of seven categories. The men’s Player of the Year category features a competitive lineup, with Lookman competing against Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and…

Doctors treating Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after surgery this week to stop a hemorrhage inside his head took him out of intensive care on Friday but kept him hospitalised. Lula, 79, “remains in the Hospital Sirio-Libanes, in Sao Paulo, under semi-intensive care,” they said in a public medical update. The update came after doctors performed emergency surgery on Tuesday to drill through Lula’s skull to relieve pressure built up because of bleeding in protective intracranial membranes. The injury was linked to a blow to the head Lula suffered in October, when he fell in a bathroom in…

England were placed in a group with Serbia as the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe took place on Friday. As they prepare to begin life under new coach Thomas Tuchel, England were also drawn alongside Albania, Latvia and Andorra in the five-team Group K. England, who have qualified for every World Cup since missing the 1994 tournament in the United States, played Serbia in their opening game at Euro 2024, winning 1-0 thanks to a Jude Bellingham goal. Matches will take place between March and November next year, with the group winners qualifying directly for the…

The immediate past Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has said that the galloping inflation caused by the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government led to the review of contracts under his administration in the state. Obaseki, in a statement issued through his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, on Friday, said the claim that the contract sum for a 17.5 km Benin-Abraka road project, Phase 1C, was increased by 100 per cent from N8 billion to N16 billion within one year under the immediate past administration was baseless. The Edo State Assets Verification Committee, through the Physical Assets and Infrastructure Committee, headed…

Liverpool boss, Arne Slot, has insisted that Darwin Núñez remains an important part of Liverpool’s plans despite the struggling striker falling below “standard” during the Champions League win against Girona. In the midst of a lengthy slump, Núñez has scored only one goal in his last 10 appearances and three in total this season. In Liverpool’s victory over Girona on Tuesday, the Uruguayan international appeared increasingly frustrated after missing several chances. Slot admitted he kept Núñez on the pitch for an extended period, before eventually substituting him in the 71st minute, in the hope he would score a confidence-boosting goal.…

The United States Attorney, Susan Lehr has announced the extradition of Abiola Kayode, 37, from Ghana to the District of Nebraska, United States over an alleged $6m cyber fraud indictment. According to the statement by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Nebraska on Thursday, Kayode, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, is alleged to have participated in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme from January 2015 to September 2016. The BEC scheme defrauded businesses in the District of Nebraska and elsewhere of more than $6 million. The case was filed in August 2019 in Omaha,…

All 36 states have submitted their positions on state police, with a majority agreeing on the need for state-controlled policing. The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, revealed this to State House Correspondents on Thursday after the 147th meeting of the National Economic Council at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. He said, “Today, one of the discussions we had at the NEC meeting was the update on the creation of state police. As you are aware, there was a submission by states towards the establishment of state police. “Thirty-six states have submitted, minus the FCT. The FCT is not a…

The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Friday, pleaded not guilty to the 18-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The charge is bordering on money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of about N80.2 billion. After the charge was read to him, Bello responded that he was not guilty of all 18 counts. When the case was called for hearing, counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, of the intention of the prosecution to withdraw…

Access Bank Plc has entered into a binding agreement with South African-based Bidest Group Limited for the acquisition of a 100 per cent equity stake in Bidvest Bank. A statement by Head, Media Relations, Access Holdings Plc, Olakunle Aderinokun on Thursday, said the agreement reflects the bank’s commitment to strengthening its footprint in South Africa, and consolidating its position as the continent’s gateway to global markets as it seeks to optimise the benefits of recent acquisitions and accelerate its transition towards a greater focus on efficiencies. Founded in 2000, Bidvest Bank is a South African financial institution providing a diverse…

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Resources Authority has commenced clampdown on illegal LPG retail outlets in Akwa Ibom State. The state Coordinator Ikechukwu Eseka, disclosed this when he received the state commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps Bakshar Hussaini, in his office on a courtesy visit on Thursday. “We have started enforcement of LPG retailers embarking on illegal decanting of LPG, filling stations, LPG refilling plants, and other illegal downstream operations in the state. “We are currently working on the illegal proliferation of decanting of LPG in the state, Eseka stated, adding that gas is very…