Sunday
Ethiopia: From historic peace to the brink of war
As Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replaces his army chief on Sunday amid an escalating conflict in the northern Tigray region, here are the key developments since Abiy came to power in 2018: First leader from biggest ethnic group In February 2018, prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns after several years of anti-government protests. In April, Abiy is sworn in as premier, becoming the first leader from the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia’s largest. Ethnic divisions Oromos and the country’s second-biggest group, the Amharas, had fuelled the protest movement over perceived marginalisation at the hands of the ruling coalition, dominated by the Tigrayan group. But with the authoritarian coalition now dissolved, ethnic violence has emerged as a persistent problem under Abiy, regularly r...
#EndSARS: 15 policemen arrested protester in Lagos – sister
No fewer than 15 armed policemen arrested a promoter of the #EndSARS protest, Eromosele Adene, after invading his apartment on Adeleke Street, in the Allen area of Ikeja, Lagos State, on Saturday. PUNCH Metro gathered that a protest had been slated to hold at the Allen Junction in Ikeja when the policemen besieged Eromosele’s house and whisked him away. His sister, Florence, who spoke to newsmen on Sunday, said one of the policemen deceived her by claiming that he had a parcel to deliver to their father around 7am on Saturday. “When I met them, they told me that they were actually looking for my brother and instructed me to take them to our house, but I refused. They said they did a business with him and sent money to his Zenith Bank’s account but the commodity was not delivered. I told th...
Ohanaeze, South-East governors meet Governor Wike
Some Governors of the South-East and apex socio-cultural organization of the Igbo, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, are in a crucial meeting with Governor Nyesom Wike in Government House, Port Harcourt on Sunday. Though the agenda of the meeting could not be immediately ascertained, newsmen report that it may not be unconnected with the recent issues concerning the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and Wike’s stand on the issue. Also at the meeting were selected leaders of the Igbo community in Rivers State. Some prominent names at the meeting include Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and his Abia State counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu as well as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo. Also at the meeting which just ended was prominent Igbo politician and chieftain...
Police parade 27 ‘bandits,’ others in Katsina
The police in Katsina State, on Thursday, paraded a 30-year-old man, Idi Dila, suspected to be one of the bandits who recently launched an attack on Diskuru and Kadsau villages of the state, where no fewer than 12 people were killed. According to the police, Dila, from Mumunu village, Faskari Local Government Area of the state, was arrested on Sunday. He was paraded by the police alongside 26 other suspects arrested for various crimes ranging from kidnapping to armed robbery. The spokesman for the Katsina Police Command, Gambo Isah, who paraded the suspects at the police headquarters in Katsina, said Dila was arrested at Sheme on his way to Faskari. He was said to be a member of a notorious gang of bandits of Melaya Alhaji Gandu of Munhaye Forest in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfa...
Cristiano Ronaldo to make Portugal return against France, Croatia
Cristiano Ronaldo was on Thursday named in the Portugal squad to play a friendly against Andorra and Nations League matches against France and Croatia. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner tested positive for coronavirus on October 13 when with the Portugal squad, going on to miss the 3-0 victory over Sweden. The 35-year-old finally tested negative 19 days later, returning to the pitch with a double for Juventus against Spezia in Serie A action on Sunday. The Portugal captain also played in Juve’s 4-1 victory over Ferencvaros in the Champions League on Wednesday. Reigning European champions Portugal take on Andorra on Wednesday before Nations League A3 matches at home against France on November 14 and away to Croatia three days later. The main absentee from Fernando Santos’ 25-man squad is Pep...
Flying Eagles: WAFU B Zonal U-20 qualifiers postponed due to virus
The WAFU B Zonal qualifiers which will feature the Flying Eagles of Nigeria and six other West African countries billed for Lome, Togo, has been shifted to a later date due to coronavirus. The Togolese Football Federation (FTF) confirmed the postponement of the tournament in a communique published on their Twitter handle on Thursday. The WAFU B Zonal qualifiers which will be the qualifiers for the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Mauritania, was originally scheduled for November 18 to December 2. According to FTF they will engage WAFU and CAF to find a new date for the competition. “The Togolese Football Federation is announcing to the sporting world that the WAFU Zone B tournament scheduled for Lome between November 18 and December has been postponed to a future date following a decisio...
Lagos APC, PDP bicker over calls for governor’s resignation
The ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos State says Babajide Sanwo-Olu remains undaunted and could not be distracted from delivering on his social contract with the people. Lagos APC spokesman Seye Oladejo said this while reacting to calls by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Sanwo-Olu to consider resignation in view of what PDP called “the collapse of good governance in the state, particularly in the last 10 days”. Oladejo said the PDP call is an invitation to anarchy, saying “the call for resignation remains the wish of a frustrated opposition battling its permanent implosion”. The dream of PDP to govern Lagos through the back door after persistent rejection at the polls remains a nightmare. Oladejo said that the fact that the wanton destruction of public propert...
NiMet predicts hazy, sunny weather activities Monday to Wednesday
Facebook Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted hazy, sunny weather activities from Monday to Wednesday across the country. NiMet’s weather outlook released on Sunday predicted dust haze conditions over the northern region with a moderate visibility range of 2KM to 5KM throughout the forecast period on Monday. According to it, the North central region is expected to be in sunny and hazy condition throughout the forecast period. “The inland and coastal cities of the South are expected to be in partly cloudy to cloudy condition with slim prospects of thunderstorms over Rivers, Cross River, Eket and Bayelsa in the morning hours. “There are prospects of few thunderstorms over parts of Cross River, Ebonyi, Delta, Awka, Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Benin and Lagos state during the a...
#EndSARS: PDP asks Lagos governor to resign
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Lagos State chapter, has asked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to resign as he no longer enjoys the confidence of the people. Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Taofik Gani, on Sunday, said Gov Sanwo-Olu can no longer be trusted in the wake of the Nigerian Army’s disclosure that it was the governor that invited them to quell and disperse the #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll-Gate, where an unspecified number of people were either killed or injured. He said, “The PDP is of the view that it is more expedient for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to step aside now that the Nigerian Army has revealed him as the person who invited the soldiers to go quell the Lekki protests which have led to unfortunate fatalities and grievous injuries. Obviously, Lag...
South African main opposition party elects new leader
South Africa’s largest opposition party on Sunday elected John Steenhuisen as their leader, who vowed to take the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) to greater heights after a slump in electoral support. Steenhuisen, who has acted as interim party leader since its first black leader Mmusi Maimane quit over a year ago, has also served as party chief whip in parliament. The triumph will see him lead the DA in the 2024 presidential elections against the ruling African National Congress (ANC). In his acceptance speech, Steenhuisen said under his leadership “people power” would be the order of the day, promising to “fight to give power and opportunities to every law-abiding, honest and hard-working citizen, regardless of their background”. Securing a whopping 80 per cent of the historic virt...
US election: Nigerian primate tells Joe Biden how to oust Donald Trump
Just two days to the United States, US, presidential election, the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual church, Primate Elijah Ayodele on Sunday, issued a waning to the candidate of the Democrat Party, Joe Biden. Primate Ayodele warned that Biden would lose the presidential election if fails to focus on some states like Ohio, California, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Colorado. Addressing his members in a live service, the clergyman said the Democrat candidate should not rejoice over results of polls which puts him ahead of of the incumbent President, Donald Trump. According to Primate Ayodele, “Joe Biden should not rejoice yet if at all he is leading in any part of the country according to the polls. Trump still has some technicality to come ahead of Joe Biden, unless Joe Biden uses Trump w...
Senate faults minister for blaming legislature for bad roads
The Senate has described as, “fallacy of the highest order,” a statement credited to the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on the state of Nigerian roads. Fashola, according to the red chamber, had alleged that the National Assembly members should be held responsible for the poor state of the federal roads in Benue State. The upper chamber accused the Minister of trying to incite members of the public against the federal lawmakers by his allegation. The Senate stated this in a statement by its spokesperson, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, titled, “Senate debunks Minister’s claim on budgetary allocations to road construction,” issued in Abuja on Sunday. The red chamber said it took exception to the statement credited to Fashola, that the National Assembly should be held respon...
