Decade
Super Eagles midfielder Mikel Agu acquires Portuguese citizenship
Nigeria midfielder Mikel Agu has acquired Portuguese citizenship after a decade of residency in the European country. According to Portuguese law, an individual is eligible for citizenship through naturalisation after six years of residence. That is the process Agu has gone through to get acquire his Portuguese passport. The 27-year-old took to the social media to share the news on Tuesday. “What God cannot do does not exist, now a Portuguese,” he posted on the social media, while holding his Portuguese passport. Agu linked up with Portuguese giants FC Porto in 2011 made just two league appearances for the senior side. The talented midfielder spent time on loan at another Portuguese club Vitoria Setubal, Club Brugge of Belgium and Turkish Super Lig outfit Bursaspor. Currently on the books ...
Nigeria’s president under fire over surging violence
With his country ensnared in mounting jihadist violence, bandit attacks and kidnappings, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is under fire from allies and enemies alike for appearing incapable of tackling the security crisis. April saw an almost daily toll of bloody assaults and abductions in Africa’s most populous nation. In the past week alone, at least 240 people have been killed and more than four dozen kidnapped, according to tallies by local media. The fatalities included 19 Fulani herders gunned down in southeastern Anambra state; five students in the northwest who were shot to death days after gunmen snatched them from their campus; 31 troops, slain in a jihadist ambush in the Lake Chad region; and nine police killed by cattle thieves in northwestern Kebbi state. Senators, local go...
Rebels attack Myanmar army near border, junta knocks back ASEAN plan
Ethnic minority Karen insurgents attacked a Myanmar army outpost near the Thai border on Tuesday in some of the most intense clashes since a military coup nearly three months ago threw the country into crisis. The Karen National Union (KNU), Myanmar’s oldest rebel force, said it had captured the army camp on the west bank of the Salween river, which forms the border with Thailand. The Myanmar military later hit back against the insurgents with air strikes, an aid worker in the area said. The fighting took place as the junta, in a setback for diplomatic efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said it would “positively” consider the bloc’s suggestions to end the turmoil in Mynamar but only when stability was restored. The ASEAN leaders said after meeting at the weekend...
Zimbabwe street vendors reel under virus curbs
For years, Zimbabwean single mother Spiwe Tembo would sell buns on the streets of central Harare, earning enough to feed her three children. But her fortunes have dived. Since authorities banned street hawkers a year ago as part of a raft of measures to limit the spread of Covid-19, she plays cat-and-mouse with the police who comb the streets to rid them of vendors. “Things are tough,” the 34-year-old said, waving a packet of large buns to potential customers on a busy street in a part of Harare that locals call “Third World” because it is always teeming. She said: “We get arrested by municipal and national police. Almost daily I pay bribes to police officers to avoid getting arrested.” On the days she doesn’t have any cash, the inevitable happens and she is arrested and her wares seized. ...
Gunmen kill six, injure many in Plateau village
Fresh attack on Thursday night claimed six lives as gunmen opened fire on some villagers at Wereng village, Riyom local government area of Plateau State, killing six and injuring three villagers. The attack occurred at the time villagers returned from their day’s businesses and were preparing to retire for the night when sporadic gunshots jolted them Before the incident, there were rumours being circulated that the villagers may be attacked any moment but it was unclear if security agencies acted on the information. Wereng has consistently been under attack in over a decade now and all appeals for the dastardly act to end have been rebuffed by the attackers. Although Operation Safe Haven on peace mission in the State did not confirm the incident at the time of this report because the spoke...
Mino Raiola wants Erling Haaland to be 1st £1 millon-a-week player
Mino Raiola is determined to make Erling Haaland the first £1 million-a-week player. Haaland has grown into one of the deadliest strikers in world football, having scored a ridiculous 49 goals in 52 appearances for Borussia Dortmund. The Norwegian sensation is attracting interest from all of Europe’s elite but according to The Mirror, super-agent Raiola wants any transfer to be a “once in a lifetime deal”. Raiola, along with Haaland’s father Alf-Inge, recently travelled to spain for meetings with both Barcelona and Real Madrid. It’s said the two Spanish giants were shocked at the finances it would take to secure the former Red Bull Salzburg man, while Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are all aware how costly and complex a potential deal will be. Still only 20 but w...
Manchester United boss rules out suggestions of move for Kun Aguero
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled out suggestions that Sergio Aguero could cross the Manchester divide by joining Man Utd. The Manchester City legend has confirmed that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season after a decade of success at the Etihad, winning four league titles, five league cups and an FA Cup, as well as establishing himself as the club’s record goalscorer. He does of course still have the chance to add four more winners medals to his collection before the end of the season as City chase an unprecedented quadruple of honours this campaign. However, with Aguero set to finish his career away from the Etihad, attentions have understandably turned to where he will be moving to, with a whole host of top European sides looking to bolster their attacking lineups. Barcelon...
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan launch new Nile dam talks in DRC
A new round of African Union-mediated talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan has begun aimed at resolving a years-long dispute over a massive dam built by Addis Ababa on the Blue Nile, a main tributary of the Nile river. The three-day talks that kicked off on Saturday are taking place in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the current chair of the AU. Foreign and irrigation ministers of the three nations were attending the talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), along with AU experts, according to Ethiopia’s Irrigation Minister Seleshi Bekele. A Sudanese diplomat was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that the experts from the three countries and the AU met on Saturday, ahead of ministers who would meet on Sunday and Monday. He s...
DPR: Market forces should determine gas prices
File Photo The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has advocated that market forces should be allowed to determine gas prices to guarantee the security of supply and demand of the commodity. Mr Sarki Auwalu, the Chief Executive Officer, DPR, disclosed this while presenting keynote address at the pre-summit conference on “Decade of gas’, in Abuja, on Monday. Auwalu said that the right and market-based pricing of gas was critical, as it would assure producers of returns on their investments. He also outlined five critical levers for gas development, especially as Nigeria moves to leverage its abundant gas resources for national growth, diversification of the economy and to use gas as the fuel for economic transformation. According to him, the levers include availability, accessibility, a...
OPEC: Gas is vital to Nigeria’s future
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) says gas remains vital to Nigeria’s future in the global oil and gas sector. The OPEC Secretary General, Mohammad Barkindo, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, at the pre-summit conference on “Decade of Gas”. He said that the move of the country to develop its huge gas deposit was a step in the right direction. “Gas is vital to Nigeria’s future, as is oil, and both will be fuels of choice globally for the foreseeable future and instrumental in facilitating the energy transition,” he said. The secretary-general said that the ‘Decade of Gas’ from 2021 to 2030 was likely to place Nigeria at the forefront of the vital global industry. Barkindo commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort as Head of Nigeria’s Delegation to OPEC, in the or...
Edinson Cavani: I almost joined Manchester United ahead of Napoli
Edinson Cavani has revealed he almost joined Manchester United 11 years ago. Cavani revealed he almost joined Manchester United in 2010. The Uruguayan was with Palermo at the time but ended up joining Napoli and then Paris Saint-Germain – before signing for United a decade later. Discussing it with Inside United, Cavani said: “Just imagine it! I can’t remember exactly what happened. “I do remember there was talk about one or two different teams, but hey, if I’d had that opportunity [to join United], I would have taken it, of course I would, without giving it a second thought. “I don’t remember definitively if that was the case. “But what I do remember is that I was due to travel to the World Cup in South Africa, and during that tournament, I had a conversation with Napoli, and well, told t...
Kim Jong Un: North Korea facing its ‘worst-ever situation’
Kim Jong Un says North Korea is facing its “worst-ever situation” and called on “grassroots” members of the ruling Workers’ Party to be more proactive and responsible in carrying out the country’s new five-year economic plan. The comments, reported by state media on Wednesday, came as experts warn Kim is facing perhaps his toughest moment as he approaches a decade in rule, with North Korea’s coronavirus lockdown unleashing further shock on its sanctions-battered economy. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during an opening speech at a meeting of the Workers’ Party’s cell secretaries on Tuesday. “Improving the people’s living standards … even in the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges depends on the ...