Season
Yuletide: NSCDC chief orders deployment of personnel to flash points
SIGNAL The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, has ordered the deployment of personnel to all nooks and crannies of the country in order to maintain peace, order and effective security of lives, property before, during and after the yuletide season. This is done against the backdrop of various reports of kidnapping, bandit attacks, assassinations and other forms of criminal activities in recent times. In a statement issued yesterday, DCC Emmanuel Okeh, CDPRO, said Gana reiterated that the determination to make the yuletide season hitch free is upper-most in the scheme of things as lots of Nigerians will be traveling to different parts of the country to celebrate with family and friends hence, the need for citizens’ safety. H...
Pep Guardiola: No new striker for Manchester City due to coronavirus impact
Manchester City’s strikers will have to rediscover their scoring touch because reinforcements will not be signed in January, manager Pep Guardiola has said. Guardiola explained that even with the backing of their Abu Dhabi owners, City were subject to the same financial pressures as their rivals due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. City have scored only twice in their last three league games but hope to welcome back Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus for Tuesday’s League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the League Cup holders’ record goalscorer Argentinian Sergio Aguero is sidelined by an undisclosed issue having had knee and illness problems already this season. Asked about the prospect of new blood coming to the club, Guardiola replied: “No I don’t think so because the eco...
Imo governor orders workers to stay home over spike in coronavirus
Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, yesterday ordered the workers in the state, to stay home from Monday next week till further notice, ahead of the festive period. The governor in his state-wide broadcast to Imo people in Owerri, said that the reason was that due to the expected influx of people coming home for Christmas that there could be a surge in the cases of covid -19. Uzodimma while wishing his people fruitful Christmas celebration noted that the wearing of facemask would be compulsory and that mobile courts would be deployed to within the state, to enforce the order. He continued: “My dear good people of Imo State, it is with a great sense responsibility that I address you on this auspicious season of Christmas.In normal times, with just a few days to Christmas, I should be saying ...
Bernd Leno: Arsenal ‘don’t have time’ to feel sorry for themselves
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno says there is no time for the players to feel sorry for themselves after an eighth Premier League defeat of the season ramped up the pressure on manager Mikel Arteta. Sunday is an unhappy first anniversary for the Gunners boss as he reflects on a 2-1 reverse at Everton that extended their winless run to seven league matches and left them just four points above the Premier League’s bottom three. “A lot of things are going wrong for us but we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves, we have to fight for every ball, for our team-mates,” said Leno. “Now the confidence is not at the top level but the only thing that can be said is we should stick together and come out of this situation.” The 28-year-old German said Arsenal showed a good attitude in the second h...
Joe Aribo helps Rangers extend Scottish Premiership unbeaten run
Joe Aribo provided an assist to help Rangers extend their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership following a 3-1 victory over Motherwell on Saturday. The midfielder was handed his 11th league appearance as a second-half substitute and made a vital contribution for his side. Rangers started the game unimpressively, allowing their visitors to open the scoring as early as the sixth minute of the encounter through Callum Lang. The Gers struggled to level proceedings as Motherwell frustrated their efforts before respite eventually came their way when Kemar Roofe found the back of the net in the 73rd minute. Eight minutes before full-time, Cedric Itten handed Steven Gerrard’s men the lead for the first time in the game after benefitting from Ianis Hagi’s assist. Aribo then set up Roofe to scor...
Governor Sanwo-Olu: Lagos can’t afford another total lockdown
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the state cannot afford another total lockdown amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Friday said there were indications that the country had entered a second wave of the pandemic. “In Nigeria, the indication is that we have entered a second wave of infections, and we stand the risk of not just losing the gains from the hard work of the last nine months, but also losing the precious lives of our citizens”, Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, who represented Boss Mustapha, chairman of the PTF, said. Sanwo-Olu, who went into isolation last Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19, advised residents to adhere to health protocol and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to help limit the ...
Yuletide: Bayelsa CP orders police officers to be on red alert
The Commissioner of Police Bayelsa State Command, CP Mike Okoli, has suspended all casual leave and directed all officers of the Command to be on red alert during the Yuletide. CP Okoli, gave the directive during the end of year gathering for senior police officers at the Police Officers Mess, in Yenagoa the state capital on Friday. He directed Divisional Police Officers and Heads of Departments to rejig their strategy of fighting crime and enhance the visibility of policemen to ensure a peaceful yuletide in the State. The CP reiterated the ban on the use of knockouts and unauthorized fireworks during the festive season and advised parents and guardians to warn their wards to desist from using knockouts as the command will be out to arrest anyone who violates the order. While assuring memb...
Jose Mourinho drums support for under-fire Steven Bergwijn
Tottenham Hotspur coach Jose Mourinho said the team are supporting Dutchman Steven Bergwijn who missed two clear chances in Wednesday’s top-of-the-table clash at Liverpool and received criticism on social media after the 2-1 defeat. “I don’t know what I can do apart from the player knowing in this club we are all together,” Mourinho told a news conference ahead of Sunday’s game at home to Leicester City. “We lose, we win and we draw all together. So he has us and we have him. In here we don’t feel any individual criticism, we never feel it that way, it is always about us, so no problem. “He’s one of my boys, period. There is no point to boo, to individualise. He’s a good professional, he works hard for the team, he gives everything he can.” Second-placed Spurs slipped three points behind L...
Taiwo Awoniyi keen to get Super Eagles chance
Taiwo Awoniyi hopes he will get the chance to play for the Super Eagles any time soon. Awoniyi has represented Nigeria at youth levels but he is yet to get the chance to play for the senior side. The forward has impressed on loan so far at Bundesliga club Union Berlin, with three goals and one assist in 10 league appearances. The 23-year-old is keen to maintain the impressive scoring form which he believes will help him gain recognition at international level. “The national team question for me is a big thing. I remember in the U17 and U20 days, the pride to wear the national colours is massive,” Awoniyi said. “I understand that the country has talents in abundance, But I also have to stick to my principle of time and season and continue to work hard. When it’s my time I’ll take the opport...
PSG confirm Neymar’s ankle injury
Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain say an initial assessment of key forward Neymar’s ankle injury has been “reassuring”. The Brazilian striker was stretched off in Sunday’s loss to Olympique Lyonnais, with the Paris side saying on Monday that he had sprained his left ankle, adding that further examinations will be carried out in the next 48 hours. In the extra time of the tie, the 28-year-old went down screaming in agony and clutching his ankle after a poor challenge from Lyon midfielder Thiago Mendes, who was thereafter sent off with a straight red. “The medical examinations carried out on Neymar are reassuring following his twisted ankle in Sunday’s game against Lyon,” PSG said. The club, and Neymar in particular, will hope the damage is not too deleterious and does not rule him out of t...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must avoid Jose Mourinho’s mistakes to succeed
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has arguably fallen into the Jose Mourinho trap and needs to sort things out before they get out of hand. Sir Alex Ferguson often spoke about how, when setting his teams up, he would mostly focus on his own side and only a little attention was spent on the opponent. The legendary Scotsman made it a point to reiterate the balance was delicate and couldn’t sway too much in the other direction or it’d become dangerous. Mourinho often set United up on a match by match basis and it was why he was accused of not having any real tactics, philosophy or style at the club. When Solskjaer came in it was clear what he wanted the team to do and it was just a case of making the players do it better to show progression. It was partly why he won the job- for hav...
Chioma Ubogagu scores first goal of the season for Real Madrid
Chioma Ubogagu scored her first goal in the 2020-21 Spanish Primera Iberdrola campaign as Real Madrid thrashed Espanyol 8-1 at Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque on Sunday. The 28-year-old had starred for the USA at youth level before playing for England at senior level thrice, albeit in friendlies, and still eligible to represent Nigeria due to the new Fifa eligibility rules. Having been handed her second start of the season, the England international put up an impressive display in front of goal as her side extend their winning streak in the Spanish top-flight. Las Blancas made a fantastic start to the encounter as Sofia Jakobsson’s perfect pass allowed Olga Carmona to score the opening goal for the visitors after just nine minutes. In the 33rd minute, Teresa Abelleira set up Ubogagu to double...
