Challenge
President Buhari orders IGP to reduce insecurity to barest minimum
President Muhammadu Buhari, has ordered Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba to ensure insecurity is reduced to the barest minimum. This is even as the Police Council made up of the President, Vice President, governors, ministers of Police Affairs, Interior and the Federal Capital Territory, confirmed Baba as the IGP. Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, who confirmed the development at the end of the one and half hours meeting, said he was unanimously confirmed. President Buhari had on April 6, appointed Baba as acting the Inspector General of Police. Baba was a Deputy Inspector General of Police before his promotion. Briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting held at the First Lady Conference Room, the main purpose of the meeting was to “get the appo...
Nigerian government mulls deployment of GPS to monitor constituency projects, expenditure
The Federal Government, yesterday, considered the deployment of Global Positioning System (GPS) across the six geopolitical zones, in a bid to monitor constituency projects and expenditure. It also considered a bottom-up approach in the siting and location of zonal/constituency projects to enhance and ensure ownership by the constituents. This was contained in a communiqué issued at a 2-day stakeholders’ interactive forum organized by the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, yesterday in Abuja. The communiqué which was signed by Simon Tyungu, a Special Adviser to the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, George Akume, added that ICT platforms should be created for monitoring and evaluation of projects to reduce physical exercise. According to him, “...
Rivers governor: Why I shun building more state universities
Governor Nyesom Wike on Monday said he was apathetic to establishment of more Rivers State owned universities because of the enormous challenge of adequately funding such institutions to effectively meet set development objects. Wike at the flag off of Emohua Campus of the Rivers State University (RSU) in Emohua Local Government Area said he was rather concerned about committing more funds to state’s existing varsities so they can offer needed holistic grooming for requisite man power for the country. However, a dissenting voice, Enefaa Georgewill of Rivers State Civil Society Organisation (RIVSCO) accused Wike of “expressing hypocrisy” in his disposition on ground that RSU multi campuses the state has embarked on under Wike amounted to building more varsities in disguise. Wike had stated,...
Ebonyi governor urges residents to ignore IPOB’s sit-at-home order
Ebonyi State governor David Umahi has urged the people of the state to ignore the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and go about their normal activities. He stated this on Saturday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital. He said: “I have been getting voices from certain agitators that tomorrow there will be no movement, this is foolishness. If there is no movement in the southeast, is there no movement in the whole country? What an Ebonyi man will never accept is to go into second slavery under any guise. “We know the Biafra we need is to have enough money so that we cleanse up the toga of the slavery that our brothers and sisters subjected us into when we were under what they want us to be under. “We need money, if you love Ebonyi state, bring money, come up and put ...
Gunman kills at least 8 in mass shooting at California rail yard
At least eight people were killed when a transit employee opened fire at his co-workers at a light rail yard in San Jose, California, on Wednesday morning, the county sheriff’s office said, in the latest in a string of mass shootings this spring. The gunman, who like the victims was an employee of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), was also dead, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy Russell Davis said at a news conference. He did not say how the gunman died or whether police officers fired their weapons at the scene. The name and age of the suspect were also not disclosed. The first emergency calls reporting the shooting at the VTA light rail yard near the city’s main airport came through shortly after 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time (1330 GMT). A bomb squad was searching the yar...
Manchester United step up Kingsley Coman transfer bid
Getty Images Manchester United have reportedly told Kingsley Coman they are ready to pay him £200,000 a week after tax. The Bayern Munich star has two years left on his contract but is yet to agree terms over a new deal. Bild claim Coman, 24, earns £200k a week before tax but ‘would like to have it in net’. United have apparently ‘indicated’ to the Frenchman they are willing to meet his demands – and make him their joint fifth top earner. But there is no guarantee of a quick transfer as Bayern are in no rush to make a decision on his future. And the Bundesliga champions will be able to demand a hefty fee with Transfermarkt valuing him at £58.5million. United are in the market for a new winger with Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo both top targets. Coman has long been linked and could be ...
Bernd Leno: I don’t want to leave Arsenal
Bernd Leno has insisted that he does not want to leave Arsenal while outlining his ambition to help the club reach the Champions League again. Leno completed a £23 million ($33m) move to Emirates Stadium from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018, venturing outside of Germany for the first time in his professional career in the process. The 29-year-old has since nailed down the number one spot in Arsenal’s team; however, it has been suggested that he is one of several first-team stars likely to depart in the summer transfer window. Mikel Arteta is being tipped to reshape his squad after a turbulent 2020-21 campaign, but Leno has dismissed the ongoing speculation surrounding his future while revealing he intends to see out the final two years of his contract. “I don’t want to flee here, I feel good and ...
West Ham boss won’t rule out re-signing Marko Arnautovic
West Ham boss David Moyes won’t rule out re-signing Marko Arnatovic. Reports have surfaced linking forward Arnautovic, who thrived under Moyes during his first spell in charge of West Ham, with a return to the club. Moyes said: “Marko was great for me. I loved having him at the club because I liked the challenge of trying to manage him. “He’s someone who maybe wasn’t easy at times but I actually quite enjoyed it. “I would never rule Marko out – but I’m trying to move forward. I’m trying to build towards a new team, a new West Ham. I’m trying not to go back if I can help it. “It’s not to say that I would never go there. I would do, of course. We might get a chance to see how Marko plays in the Euros. I hope I do because I really like him.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve t...
U.S. envoy wants pope to attend climate conference, sway debate
Pope Francis has the moral authority to sway public opinion over global warming and might attend the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Scotland, U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry said on Saturday. COP26 is being held in Glasgow in November and could accelerate measures by the world’s biggest polluters to tackle climate change, a challenge which activists, scientists and world leaders say could ultimately endanger the planet. “I think that his voice will be a very important voice leading up to and through the Glasgow conference, which I believe he intends to attend,” Kerry told the official Vatican News outlet after meeting the pope. There was no immediate confirmation of this from the Vatican. “Because he is above politics and outside of the hurly-burly...
Christian Pulisic: Chelsea battle ready to overcome Leicester City at Wembley
Chelsea midfielder, Christian Pulisic has revealed that the team is battle-ready to overcome Leicester City in today’s FA Cup clash at Wembley Stadium. Pulisic, who is expected to be in the starting lineup against Leicester City made this known in an interview with ESPN. “We know what Leicester is all about. They are going to battle, they are a tough team. They’ve done extremely well in the league this year. We know about their attacking ability and some of the players they have. “So we expect them to come and battle. We are going to give it everything, and hopefully, if we play the way we do and we match their intensity, I think we can beat them.” The US international also debunked reports circulating in social media that he’s unsettled at Stamford Bridge. “I’m obviously happy here. It ha...
Christian Pulisic dismisses Chelsea exit rumours
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has dismissed rumours he could quit Stamford Bridge this summer. The United States international has found himself in and out of the side under Thomas Tuchel and admitted he was “very frustrated” not to start against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg earlier this month, giving rise to speculation he could seek a move this summer. However, Pulisic says he isn’t going anywhere and is “up for the challenge” of proving himself in west London. When asked whether he saw his long-term future at Chelsea, Pulisic told ESPN: “Yeah, I’m obviously happy here. It has been an incredible two years. “People have always doubted and said: ‘Oh, he’s not playing, does he want to go here, does he want to go there?’ I’m always up for a challenge, I love c...
Guatemalan president says graft fighter biased, ahead of Harris visit
Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei criticized the country’s best-known graft prosecutor for what he said was a left-wing politicization of the fight against corruption, a view at odds with strong U.S. backing for his work. Speaking in an interview with Reuters late on Tuesday, Giammattei nonetheless expressed hope that a visit to Guatemala next week by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will produce shared strategies to create prosperity in rural areas prone to emigration. Harris, a Democrat, is in charge of Washington efforts to tackle the causes of mass migration from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, collectively dubbed the Northern Triangle, including a focus on corruption and poor governance that she says limit opportunities. There is a $4 billion U.S. aid package to the reg...