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Liverpool’s centre-back crisis worsens as manager confirms Ozan Kabak injury
Kabak was brought into Anfield during the January transfer window following a series of injuries at centre-back for Liverpool. The 20-year-old has not made an ideal start to life in the Premier League. His debut came against Leicester City, where his mix up with goalkeeper Alisson allowed Jamie Vardy to tap home to put the Foxes 2-1 ahead late on. After a victory in the Champions League over RB Leipzig, the Turkey international was once again under fire after the 2-0 home defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby. This was followed by a victory at Bramall Lane, before a 1-0 loss against Chelsea. Kabak is now believed to be a doubt for the visit of relegation strugglers Fulham, as reported by Times journalist Paul Joyce on Twitter. The extent of his problem is currently unknown. The loanee ...
INEC intensifies consultation on new polling units
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has intensified consultations with stakeholders on the creation of new Polling Units (Pus), across the country. The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, who held a meeting with the media in Abuja, yesterday, said that existing 119, 973 PUs, created 25 years ago had become grossly inadequate, leading to crisis situations during elections. He said, “Nigeria has a critical problem of voter access to Polling Units. The country currently has 119,973 Polling Units established a quarter of a Century ago in 1996 by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON). At that time, the voter population was projected at 50 million. “The voters’ register increased to 84,004,084 by 2019. We envisage that by the next General Election in 2...
Official: NDLEA seizes N1.4 billion worth of cannabis in Edo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Edo State said it has uncovered suspected cannabis warehouses in Ukpuje forest in Owan West Local Government Area of the state. Buba Wakawa, the state commander of the agency, announced this at a news conference on Saturday in Benin City. Mr Wakawa said the village had four large warehouses with 233,778 kilogrammes of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis. The substance, according to him, has an estimated street value of more than N1.4 billion. Seven people believed to be running the cannabis trafficking syndicate have been apprehended, he said. “This is the largest single concentration of cannabis discovered by the command,” he added. Mr Wakawa said while the quantity seized weighed 2,249 kilogrammes, others weighing 231,529 kilogrammes w...
Arsenal outcast Mesut Ozil completes Fenerbahce move
Mesut Ozil has finally completed his move to Fenerbahce on a free transfer from Arsenal – and penned an emotional farewell message. The outcast playmaker, 32, sealed his return to homeland Turkey on Sunday and insisted the club’s supporters would ‘forever remain’ in his heart. Ozil said goodbye to his former team-mates at the Emirates last week and has now brought an end to his seven-and-a-half-year stint in the Premier League. In a statement released on Arsenal’s website, Ozil said: ‘I’d like to thank the club for this amazing journey over the past seven and a half years. ‘The support I have felt from the team and fans during my time here has been truly incredible and something I will always be grateful for. ‘Together we won trophies for the first time in years and created memories that w...
Rivers governor commiserates Akwa Ibom over death of PDP, PANDEF chairmen
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has commiserated with the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Emmanuel over the recent loss of prominent indigenes of the state. Wike described the death of the State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Udo Ekpenyong and the Director-General of Governor Emmanuel’s two terms Divine Mandate organization and Chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga rtd., as a grave loss not just to Akwa Ibom State but the entire South-South region and the party which, he said, is Nigeria’s hope. The Rivers State Governor who was on a condolence visit to Governor Emmanuel at Hilltop Mansion, Government House Uyo, on Thursday said what touches Akwa Ibom touches Rivers state. Hear him, “what I came here is that the Governor Udom ...
AC Milan close to signing Fikayo Tomori on loan with buy option
Serie A leaders AC Milan are aiming to secure the loan signing of Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea with a buy option in the next few days, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano reports. The England international has hardly played for the west London giants this term and he has made only four appearances in all competitions. Blues boss Frank Lampard recently said that Tomori could be loaned out and the Rossoneri are currently the leading candidates to sign him. However, the Serie A leaders want to keep hold of Tomori for the long-term and they are hopeful of negotiating a buy option for the centre-back worth €30m. The Blues are yet to given the go-ahead for the proposed deal, but Romano reports that the 23-year-old is prioritising a move to Stefano Pioli’s side. Tomori had a bright breakthrough seas...
2021: Banks to walk a tightrope amid low revenue environment
Nigeria’s deposit money banks (DMBs) must brace up for the challenge of 2021 that might tax their resolve to remain in business. Reason: the industry is faced with a tougher operating environment that could threaten the operators’ ability to meet their stakeholders’ needs and expectations yet perform meaningful corporate social responsibility roles. Their valuable customers such as high net-worth individuals, corporate bodies and other institutions are equally challenged. In his book, Business Stripped Bare, celebrated iconic entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, says, “without trustworthy banks, there can be no business, no employment, no money. According to Branson, “People have got to be able to go to bed at night secure in the knowledge that the money they depo...
Governor Wike: PDP‘ll rescue Nigeria in 2023
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said Nigerians have known clearly that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has their interest at heart with the commitment it has shown in fulfilling every promise made in ensuring an enduring improvement in their socio-economic situations. Governor Wike stated this at the commissioning of dualised Forces Avenue, Olumeni and Harvey Streets in Old Government Residential Area, Port Harcourt, by Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal on Friday night. Governor Wike said the administration of his predecessor under the All Progressives Congress (APC), deliberately ignored the roads in the Old GRA of Port Harcourt, thereby leaving the area in blighted condition. Governor Wike stated that his conviction in developing the city and building it into world class sta...
Coronavirus: Nigeria now at tipping point – PTF
The Federal Government, yesterday, took stock of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic vis-a-vis the attitude of Nigerians to embracing safety precautions, and concluded that the country was now at a tipping point. This came as government announced its decision to establish oxygen plants in all states of the federation as part of measures to resolve the “oxygen crisis” that had engulfed some of the isolation and treatment centres in the country. Meanwhile, Edo State has recorded 28 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 270, as the state government cautions residents to abide by the precautionary health and safety guidelines. Vanguard, meanwhile, gathered that former vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe and th...
U.S. agents search Nashville blast site, seeking clues behind Christmas explosion
Police and federal agents were scouring the charred site of a Christmas Day explosion in Nashville on Saturday, trying to determine how and why a motor home blew up and injured three people in the heart of America’s country music capital. The fiery blast, heard from miles away, destroyed several vehicles, damaged more than 40 businesses and left a trail of glass shards around the area. The motor home, parked on a downtown street of Tennessee’s largest city, exploded at dawn on Friday moments after police responding to reports of gunfire noticed the recreational vehicle and heard an automated message emanating from it warning of a bomb. The means of detonation and whether anyone was inside the RV when it blew up were not immediately known, but investigators were examining what they believed...
Fuel tanker loses control, kills 16, destroys 30 houses in Kwara
A fully loaded lorry tanker with fuel, lost control in Gaika area of Jebba in Moro local government area of Kwara state, on Wednesday, killing about sixteen persons while no fewer than thirty buildings and properties worth millions of naira gutted fire. Newsmen gathered that the incident occurred at about 9 am when the tanker was driving along the popular Gaika road in Jebba and suddenly lost control . The tanker was said to have violently hit the car in its rear which instantly caught fire, before it ran into the nearby buildings, not less than thirty, and burnt them all. The petrol substance which reportedly spilled on the floor after the crash, inflamed the fire inferno. “The entire Jebba is in deep mourning, we have never seen this kind of thing before, so tragic.”said a source. Kwara ...
Bisi Fayemi urges Nigerians to stop seeking medical care abroad, come to ABUTH
The First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has called on rich Nigerians to stop seeking medical treatments abroad, saying the multi-system nature of Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) can rival any hospital in the world. Fayemi added that ABUTH is well equipped with personnel and instruments with indisputable capacity to offer quality healthcare delivery that any hospital in India, United States of America, Britain and other advanced nations could offer. The state first lady stated this at her office in Ado Ekiti yesterday, while playing host to the family of Miss Precious Sodeinde, who suffered brain tumour, and was taken to the hospital by her for treatment. The operation done on Precious, who had gone partially blind before the issue was reported to the first lady,...
