Saturday
Edo deputy governor: Godfatherism bane of Nigeria’s democracy
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has blamed the advent of godfatherism in Nigeria’s politics as the bane of democracy in the country. This is even as he called for the removal of a bicameral legislature to reduce cost of running governance. Shaibu stated this on Saturday at the Government House in Benin, the state capital, while addressing hundreds of youths who were protesting alleged misrule in the country. The protesters under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, Students’ Unions and other concerned Nigerians, brandished placards of various inscriptions, as they joined others across the country to seek for good governance and sustainable democracy. The protest which commenced at 10 am, lasted for more than two hours and disrupted free flow of hu...
June 12: Lagos markets shut, traders express fears
Despite Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu’s appeal to Lagos residents to disregard any sit-at-home order by activists, marketers in Ogba axis of Lagos, shut their stores Saturday over fear of violent clashes between protesters and security agencies. A trader who pleaded anonymity told newsmen he had been at his shop since 6:00am but couldn’t open his shop because he was scared protesters may attack him. “Saturday market is the best because you have more people who couldn’t visit the market during the week come to the market to shop for the week. But I can’t open because I don’t know what form the protest will take. All the markets in my shop were secured by loan” he said. As observed, the Area G Police Station was peaceful and calm with no baracade, but four patrol vans we...
COVID-19: Hard choices made by Nigeria responsible for successful impact – President Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the hard choices made by his administration to tackle the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world have yielded successful impacts. The president, who addressed Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast on Saturday to mark the 2021 Democracy Day, was referring to some measures, including travel restrictions across the states of the federation and beyond, compulsory use of nose masks, hand washing protocols and other relevant protocols instituted to limit spread of the virus. Mr Buhari said; “Our response to the pandemic involved making hard choices in balancing livelihoods and public health concerns. “You are all living witnesses to how successful this has been due to a number of proactive measures put in place. Our response to COVID-19 is globally acclaimed. “...
Euro 2020: We’re prepared to face Switzerland, Italy, Turkey – Gareth Bale
Wales captain Gareth Bale says he’s optimistic the team will qualify to the knockout stages of Euro 2020 despite been pitted alongside Italy, Turkey and Switzerland. Wales are expected to kick-off their campaign against Switzerland on Saturday and Bale in a pre-match press conference stated that they are well-prepared for the tournament. Bale is one of eight survivors from the Wales squad that reached the last four in France when Chris Coleman was in charge, and the Real Madrid star is looking no further than the crunch first game against the Swiss. “I think it’s similar,” said Bale when asked at his pre-match press conference about Wales’ expectations heading into Euro 2020 compared to last time out. “Coming on the back of 2016 people will argue that maybe we should be doing things, but w...
Kaduna governor: I don’t have a Koo account
The governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufai, has disowned an account passed off as his on Koo, an Indian microblogging platform. An image of the purported account, with the Koo handle @nelrufai and account name, Nasir El-rufai, has surfaced online. It also has a post that reads, “I am also here”. However, el-Rufai, in a statement by Muyiwa Adekeye, his spokesman, asked the public to disregard the impostor account. “The Kaduna State Government has disowned an account that is passing off as Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Koo, an app that recently debuted in Nigeria,” the statement said. “Malam El-Rufai has not signed on to Koo. As such, any account currently on that app purporting to be him is fake and should be treated as such. “The general public is advised to kindly disregard the impostor...
Nigeria orders broadcasters not to use Twitter to gather information
Nigerian television and radio stations should not use Twitter to gather information and have to de-activate their accounts, the broadcast authority said following the move to suspend the US social media giant in Africa’s most populous country. Nigeria’s government on Friday said it had suspended Twitter’s activities, two days after the platform removed a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish secessionists. Nigerian telecoms firms have since blocked access to Twitter. International diplomats responded with a joint statement in support of “free expression and access to information as a pillar of democracy in Nigeria”. Buhari, who was Nigeria’s military ruler in the 1980s, has previously been accused of cracking down on freedom of expression, though his government has ...
Marcus Rashford penalty gives England win over Romania in Euro warm-up
Marcus Rashford’s penalty earned England an unconvincing 1-0 win over Romania in their final warm-up friendly ahead of Euro 2020 in Middlesbrough on Sunday. However, victory for Gareth Southgate’s men was again overshadowed by booing from supporters as the players took the knee before kick-off. Southgate’s selection will also be questioned as he named an experimental line-up with five players who are not part of his final squad making an appearance at some point in the game. There is still one place up for grabs in Southgate’s 26-man squad, though, due to an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold. James Ward-Prowse, Ben Godfrey and Ben White were all given the chance to further their case from the start, while Jesse Lingard and Ollie Watkins came off the bench in the second-half. An inexperience...
India warns Twitter of consequences if it fails to follow new rules
India’s government has told Twitter it could face “unintended consequences” if it fails to comply with the country’s new social media rules, Reuters reported. India’s technology minister wrote in a June 5th letter to Twitter that the company’s responses to previous government letters about the new rules did not confirm whether Twitter was in full compliance, according to Reuters. Under India’s Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, which took effect in May, social media companies could be subject to legal action if they fail to follow the code’s provisions, which are aimed at regulating the platforms’ content. The new rules call for platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp to remove content within 36 hours of receiving a legal order. The rules also require the compani...
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy receives hero’s welcome in Senegal
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was given a hero’s welcome by his Senegal teammates on his arrival at the national team camp on Thursday evening. Players and members of the national team management waited until late on Thursday evening to welcome the 29-year-old, who helped Chelsea win the Uefa Champions League trophy last Saturday after a 1-0 victory over Manchester City. Mendy is the second Senegalese player to lift the coveted European title after Sadio Mane won it with Liverpool in the 2018-19 season. He played a vital role in the Blues’ successful European campaign with a record nine clean sheets in 12 games. Following an impressive debut campaign in England, Mendy, who has made himself Chelsea’s no. 1, said he will continue working to improve his game. “I don’t set limits for myself...
IMF, World Bank urge G7 to release surplus vaccines
The heads of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank on Thursday urged the Group of Seven advanced economies to release any excess COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries as soon as possible, and called on manufacturers to ramp up production. In a joint statement to the G7, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass also called on governments, pharmaceutical companies and groups involved in vaccine procurement to boost transparency about contracting, financing and deliveries. “Distributing vaccines more widely is both an urgent economic necessity and a moral imperative,” they said. “The coronavirus pandemic will not end until everyone has access to vaccines, including people in developing countries.” Malpass and Georgieva will meet in person ...
Belgium coach: Kevin De Bruyne’s Euro 2020 participation still unclear
The possibility of Kevin De Bruyne competing for Belgium in the European Championship remains unclear as he recovers from facial fractures, coach Roberto Martinez said on Wednesday. The midfield talisman broke his nose and eye socket in a clash in the Champions League final last weekend but it would be days before Belgium were clear about his chances of competing, Martinez told reporters. “I would say that until next week we won’t know exactly where we are with Kevin. Now, allow him now to relax. “He could be available for the Euros but when, we don’t know at the moment. It’s too early to give you an answer now, we must first get the green light from the medical side.” De Bruyne had been scheduled to join up with Belgium’s squad just days before their opening Group B match against Russia i...
Roger Federer hints at withdrawal from French Open after Saturday’s hard won match
Former world one, Roger Federer, was made to go at great lengths to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam for a record-extending 68th time by Germany’s world number 59 Dominik Koepfer in their battle, which the Swiss won 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in a late-night slugfest at Roland Garros. Although the tennis icon was solid in his opening two matches, with encouraging victories over qualifier Denis Istomin and former US Open champion Marin Cilic, upon his return to Open action after two knee surgeries, he got a tough test of his mettle on Saturday. The 20-time Grand Slam champion knew it was not going to be plain sailing, as newsmen reported him as saying, and he found out just how in the night-session showdown with Germany’s Koepfer. It was tough enough to make Federer admit that, base...