WAY
TUC: Electricity tariff hike another betrayal of trust
File Photo The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has expressed disappointment over the latest hike in electricity tariff, describing is as a betrayal of trust. TUC, in a statement by its President and Secretary-General, Quadri Olaleye, and Musa-Lawal Ozigi, respectively, said: “We are disappointed by the recent hike in electricity tariff, while negotiations were ongoing with the Organised Labour on the last hike because of the untold hardship it has brought on the workers and Nigerians as a whole. “Sometimes we wonder why this government espouses unfriendly policies that are capable of crippling the economy. “There are many companies that have either closed shops or relocated to neighbouring countries because they cannot afford to pay the last tariff hike, yet this government has done ...
Lucas Vázquez rejects first offer from Real Madrid
Real Madrid have got down to work with the renewal of Lucas Vázquez and for now, there’s no agreement. ‘Marca’ published that the winger has rejected the first offer from the club. A few months ago it was clear that Lucas Vázquez’s cycle at Real Madrid had ended, but the winger has surprised both as a full-back and in his natural position. He is another totally different player and this has led to the renewal. Lucas’ contract ends on 30th June and at the start of the season, there were doubts about his continuity. Only the insistence of Zinedine Zidane, who always trusted him, kept his options open. But in the end, he has ended up winning him over on the park. For that reason, with the arrival of the new year, Real Madrid have got down to work with the extension of his contract. The Madrid...
Frank Lampard under serious threat of being sacked as Chelsea boss
According to a damning on-the-whistle report from The Athletic, Frank Lampard’s job at Chelsea is under serious threat after the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. The loss to Pep Guardiola’s side marked Chelsea’s fourth in their last six Premier League games, the Blues have won just once over this period – against West Ham – who they are now level on points with. It’s not just the results though, the Blues have lost to sides that are firmly contenders for European competition like Wolves and Everton – whilst they were stunned by rivals Arsenal on Boxing Day. The Athletic report that the west London outfit have now begun to ‘explore alternative plans’ in regards to the team’s future, with the consideration that Lampard will be sacked if this run continues. Chelsea now sit eighth in the Premier...
Egypt to probe four coronavirus deaths due to alleged lack of oxygen
Egyptian prosecutors opened an investigation into the deaths on Sunday of at least four coronavirus patients at a public Egyptian hospital, after a video of nurses struggling to keep the patients alive was shared widely on social media. The governor of Sharqia province denied allegations by a relative of one of the patients that the deaths were caused by a lack of oxygen at the government-run intensive care unit treating COVID-19 patients. Governor Mamdouh Ghorab said the patients died because they suffered chronic diseases in addition to the virus. The relative, who also filmed the video, offered no immediate evidence to back up their claim that the hospital ran out of oxygen. Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country with more than 100 million people, is facing a surge in confirmed v...
Marcus Rashford tames Wolves to send Manchester United into second
Marcus Rashford’s deflected strike deep into stoppage time moved Manchester United to within two points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Wolves on Tuesday. United laboured for long spells against a youthful Wolves side, but got a huge slice of fortune in the 93rd minute when Rashford’s shot hit Romain Saiss to leave Rui Patricio helpless. Victory takes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men up to second and continues an excellent run of 23 points from the last possible 27 to mount an unlikely title challenge after a slow start to the season. Despite enjoying one more day’s rest amid the packed festive schedule than their opponents, Solskjaer made six changes from the side that drew 2-2 at Leicester on Boxing Day. Edinson Cavani made just his second Premier League start...
Governor Abiodun: Agro-allied airport underway in Ogun
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed plans by his administration to have an agro-allied based airport to aid the development of the state as a destination of choice for agriculture in Nigeria. Abiodun, who spoke during the inauguration of Agbeloba Aquaculture Hub in Owiwi, Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state, said the agricultural sector remains the sure way out of poverty and unemployment ravaging the country. The project is being promoted by a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. While also expressing optimism that his administration believes that the state and the country as a whole can actually grow what it eats, the governor commended Obasanjo for continuously and tirelessly walking his talk on agriculture. He said, “We are looking at having an ag...
Coronavirus: Rivers governor threatens to shut down churches
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has threatened to shut down churches if they fail to comply with the COVID-19 guidelines. Wike made this known during the thanksgiving service in celebration of the 90th birthday of Priscilla Mark, held at St. Martin’s Anglican Church, Omagwa in Ikwerre local government area of the state. He lamented the refusal of residents to use face masks, especially in churches and markets. “When you go to most churches, they don’t wear masks. Go to markets, they don’t wear masks. They believe COVID-19 is not real. It’s not real because it has not happened to you. Nobody has died whom you know that is very close to you. But if somebody has died and the person was close to you, you’ll know that COVID-19 is real,” he said. “I want to appeal to all of you that we have to...
Nigerian National Assembly spends billions of naira on constitution review
The perennial constitution amendment exercise by the National Assembly is characterised by proposals that keep resurfacing despite gulping billions of naira yearly, an analysis has shown. The federal parliament had from the 5th to the current 9th National Assembly made several attempts to amend some provisions of the 1999 Constitution to no avail. At every session, the parliament officially spends N1 billion shared equally between the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are reports that the lawmakers spend more than what is appropriated for the exercise. While some amendments were successful, several others suffered serial failures but kept appearing in new proposals. Considering the huge spending, lawyers and civil society groups have pointed out that no significant amendments ...
Millions of Americans risk losing jobless benefits as Donald Trump refuses to sign aid bill
Millions of Americans are about to see their jobless benefits expire on Saturday as U.S. President Donald Trump has so far refused to sign into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, insisting that it did not do enough to help everyday people. Trump stunned Republicans and Democrats alike when he said this week he was unhappy with the massive bill, which provides $892 billion in badly needed coronavirus relief, including extending special unemployment benefits expiring on Dec. 26, and $1.4 trillion for normal government spending. Without Trump’s signature, about 14 million people could lose those extra benefits, according to Labor Department data. A partial government shutdown will begin on Tuesday unless Congress can agree a stop-gap government funding bill before then. Af...
Kieran Tierney hopeful victory over Chelsea a turning point for Arsenal
Kieran Tierney is hopeful Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Chelsea can be a springboard to climbing the table. The Gunners came into the game on the back of a winless run in the league dating back to the start of November. Coach Mikel Arteta was forced into a reshuffle due to illness and a coronavirus scare , and the changes paid off for the Spanish coach as his side looked far more hungry than Chelsea. Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty following a foul by Reece James on Tierney set them on their way on 34 minutes. A brilliant free kick from Granit Xhaka on the stroke of half-time doubled the advantage, and Bukayo Saka’s cross-cum-shot over Edouard Mendy secured the three points despite Tammy Abraham netting a late goal for Chelsea. The win does little for Arsenal’s position in the table, as they only m...
Senator Sani visits survivors of 2012 Kaduna church bombing
CNN Ex-Senator from Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, on Saturday visited survivors of a 2012 Boko Haram bomb blast at St Monica Catholic Church, in Malali, Kaduna. In 2012, about eight worshippers had died at the explosion, with several others sustaining injuries. Those who survived the attack lamented that they have since been abandoned to cater for themselves. The survivors used the former lawmaker’s visit to call on the government and citizens for aid to be able to get back their life. A survivor, Polycarp Lawrence, who lost an eye in the attack, said that he has been paying for his medical bills with the little support from the church, which has not been enough. ‘Since the bomb blast of 2012, I have not found my rhythm back in life. Life has been so difficult for me and my family. There has...
Egypt to probe four coronavirus deaths due to alleged lack of oxygen
Egyptian prosecutors opened an investigation into the deaths on Sunday of at least four coronavirus patients at a public Egyptian hospital, after a video of nurses struggling to keep the patients alive was shared widely on social media. The governor of Sharqia province denied allegations by a relative of one of the patients that the deaths were caused by a lack of oxygen at the government-run intensive care unit treating COVID-19 patients. Governor Mamdouh Ghorab said the patients died because they suffered chronic diseases in addition to the virus. The relative, who also filmed the video, offered no immediate evidence to back up their claim that the hospital ran out of oxygen. Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country with more than 100 million people, is facing a surge in confirmed v...