Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday its forces had destroyed four U.S.-supplied high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) between July 5-20.
Ukraine has hailed the arrival of eight HIMARS in Ukraine as a possible gamechanger for the course of the war. The advanced weapons are more precise and offer a longer range than other artillery systems, allowing Kyiv to strike Russian targets and weapons depots further behind the front lines.
Moscow has accused the West of dragging out the conflict by supplying Kyiv with more arms, and said the supply of longer-range weapons justifies Russia’s attempts to exert control over portions of Ukrainian territory in the south of the country, beyond the eastern Donbas region, for its own protection.
Russia says it has now destroyed four of the launchers.
“Four launchers and one reloading vehicle for the U.S.-made multiple launch rocket systems (HIMARS) were destroyed,” Russia’s defence ministry said in a daily briefing on Thursday night, July 21.
On July 6, just days after the first HIMARS arrived in Ukraine, Russia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed two of them, releasing a video of the alleged strike.
Ukraine rejected those claims and said it was using the U.S.-supplied arms to inflict “devastating blows” on Russian forces.
The United States said on Wednesday it will send four more HIMARS to Ukraine in its latest package of military support to the war torn nation.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has revealed he will break his silence on the recent happenings in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that led to the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the party and his subsequent snub of Wike to appoint Delta state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as vice presidential candidate.
Taking to his Twitter handle, Wike wrote;
I will speak soon and Nigerians will know the truth of all that has transpired in the PDP in recent times.
Wike’s tweet comes hours after his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, released a statement on Saturday, July 23 in Port Harcourt, that it is pertinent for him to reveal to Nigerians all that has transpired in the PDP since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar’s ticket.
“On Atiku, I will speak soon, and Nigerians will know the actual truth of all that has transpired in the PDP in recent times,” he was quoted to have said in the statement.
In the party’s presidential primary held in May, Atiku polled 371 votes to emerge as the PDP’s flagbearer ahead of Wike who scored 237 votes to come second in the contest.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki (70); Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel (38), Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed (38), Former Senate President Pius Anyim (14), Mrs Tari Diana Oliver (One), and Mr Sam Ohuabunwa (1) shared the remainder of the valid votes.
Following weeks after the primary held, Atiku then named Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate in the forthcoming election, allegedly fracturing his relationship with Wike in the process.
General Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has denied claims of endorsing the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu and criticizing the Christian Association of Nigeria for speaking up against the APC’s choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential election and the controversial appearance of “clergymen” at the unveiling of Kashim Shettima as APC’s vice-presidential candidate.
In a statement titled ‘Reffutal: The statements credited to me are outright lies’, Bakare described the statements credited to him as “concocted and ridiculous” and accused “unscrupulous writers and bloggers” of being responsible for them.
Bakare challenged anyone with evidence that he actually made the statements credited to him to make the evidence public.
He said;
“Amongst other things, I was quoted to have said that the ?agitations by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, were ploys by the opposition party, PDP, to force a weak candidate on APC. In addition to this, I was alleged to have said that CAN wanted to lure APC into presenting a weak candidate.
“The spurious writers also alleged that I stressed that Christians are righteous people who behave like Christ, and that CAN are politicians who behave like PDP.
“As if the poorly strewn lies were not enough, I was quoted as saying that Tinubu is my candidate.
“Isn’t this the same Tinubu that I announced to all and sundry at the APC Presidential Convention that I was not stepping down for? He has suddenly become my candidate!
“I wish to state unequivocally that the statements are absolute lies. There was nowhere I granted anyone any interview, or preached on any platform, where I said the ludicrous statements.
“I challenge anyone who is in possession of the video or audio file of the statements to please put it in the public space.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I am a nation builder who will not in any way create real or imaginary division among the people of our great country, through the medium of political parties or religion.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: Elon Musk and Maye Musk arrive to the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)
Elon Musk was reportedly involved in a romantic affair last fall with the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a long-time friend of Musk and a Tesla investor.
Musk is the richest person in the world, with an estimated fortune of $240 billion, while Brin is ranked eighth world-wide, with a $95 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Both were long time friends, with Musk saying for years he regularly crashed at Brin’s home in Silicon Valley.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the affair allegedly prompted Brin’s divorce from Nicole Shanahan in January.
According to court filings, the two cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split and the filings were submitted just weeks after Brin learned of the affair, according to the Journal.
Tensions between the two men and their teams have been growing over recent months, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Wall Street Journal.
A source close to the matter told the Journal that Brin instructed his financial advisers to sell his investments in the Tesla CEO’s various businesses. Brin formerly invested $500,000 in Tesla in 2008.
At the time of the affair which reportedly began in December 2021 in Art Basel in Miami Brin and Shanahan were separated, but still living together.
Sources said Brin and Shanahan were encountering difficulties in their marriage at the time, largely tied to stressors connected to COVID-19 and caring for their 3-year-old daughter.
The affair also allegedly started when Musk and his girlfriend, Grimes, were broken up. Grimes and Musk have two children, including most recently a daughter who was born via surrogate the same month of the affair.
In the divorce filing, Brin cited December 15, 2021, as the date of their separation.
In an interview earlier this month with the news website Puck, Shanahan who spoke about her divorce said: “I hope for Sergey and I to move forward with dignity, honesty and harmony for the sake of our child. And we are both working towards that.”
Musk has been in the spotlight recently, following a string of personal and business issues. He has faced manufacturing problems with his Tesla company and a court battle over his wish to backout from a $44bn bid for the social media site Twitter.
Musk’s private life has also come under scrutiny over the previous few months. He has been accused of exposing himself to a flight attendant at his aerospace company SpaceX – although he has denied the allegations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the monkeypox outbreak to be a global health emergency following its ‘extraordinary’ spread to more than 70 countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision to issue the declaration despite a lack of consensus among experts serving on the U.N. health agency’s emergency committee.
It was the first time the chief of the U.N. health agency has taken such an action.
‘We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission about which we understand too little and which meets the criteria in the international health regulations,’ Tedros said.
‘I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views among the members of the committee,’ he added.
A global emergency is WHO’s highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal.
WHO’s emergencies chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, said the director-general made the decision to put monkeypox in that category to ensure the global community takes the current outbreaks seriously.
The UN health agency’s declaration could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease – and also worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines.
Declaring a global emergency means the monkeypox outbreak is an ‘extraordinary event’ that could spill over into more countries and requires a coordinated global response.
Media personality, Amanda Chisom has been arrested over her alleged participation in a “N50bn” Ponzi scheme carried out by Marksman Chinedu Ijeoma a.k.a Chinmark.
Media personality, Chukwudi Iwuchukwu who shared a video of her arriving the office of FCID in Abuja after she was arrested, said she might be detained for a long time based on court order procured by the victims of the Chinmark’s heist that she was allegedly part of.
Giving an update on her arrest, Iwuchukwu wrote;
Update on Amanda Chisom’s arrest.
1) She was actually picked up on Tuesday morning from her residence by a team of crack detectives after her arrival from her Ponzi sponsored foreign vacation trip.
2) She is going to be detained for a long time based on court order procured by the victims of the Chinmark’s heist that she was part of.
As I type this, she has been singing like a canary bird about what she knows about the 50 billon Naira stolen by Chinmark and herself from innocent retail investors.
3) She would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigation by the team of crack of detectives currently interrogating/questioning her.
4) Her ordeal is a lesson to every young person including me.
There is no short cut to success.
The money from Ponzi is sweet but e dey hook for throat.
Stay away from ponzi. Stay away from scam and fraudulent business.
The hard way of building a brand/business from the bottom still remains the only sustainable way of being wealthy in Nigeria.
5)Attached below is a rare video of the ponzi queen walking majestically into the office of FCID in Abuja after she was arrested.
6) I will bring more updates as I receive them from my source.
The Chief Minister of Indian Punjab Bhagwant Mann has been hospitalized after he drank “polluted water from a river to prove that water is clean”.
In a video, Mann can be seen scooping up a glass of water from a river and gulping it down amid cheers from supporters. The CM drank the water, which is usually polluted with sewage waste from neighboring towns and villages, without hesitation to prove that it was clean.
Professor of Peace and Conflict Research in India, Ashok Swain, shared the video of the politician scooping the water from the river and wrote
”Punjab Chief Minister openly drinks a glass of polluted water from a ‘holy river’ to prove that water is clean. Now admitted to hospital.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday July 21, approved cut-off marks for universities and polytechnics in the country.
The announcement was made after a heated session comprising officials from JAMB, the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, and the National Board for Technical Education among others.
While 140 was approved as the minimum cut-off mark for universities, Oloyede said 100 has been approved as cut off mark into Polytechnics and Monotechnic while 80 for Colleges of Education.
This is coming after JAMB registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede disclosed that only 378,639 of the 1,761,338 candidates who wrote the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scored 200 and above.
Fifteen chieftains of the All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State have dumped the ruling party.
The chieftains who cited lack of internal democracy as their reason for leaving the ruling party include; Mallam Audu Bode, Alh. Shuabu Ahmed, Hon. Habila Latu, Boniface Ubandoma, Mr. Yakubu Simon, Jashua Peter, Camio Bitrus, Patrick Paul (Pato), Mr. Samuel Wyah, Zaka Makoshi, Jonathan Fedelix, Barnabas Samuel (Barry), Shua’ibu Yusuf, Alexander Danladi (Lulu), Samuel Ibrahim.
APC Legal Adviser in Jema’a Local Government Area, Hon. Ibrahim Samuel in a letter conveying his decision to leave the party and addressed to his Ward Chairman pointed out that there is “internal crises in the party, lack of internal democracy and total disrespect.”
The Dubai Police has arrested a group of African nationals including Nigerians involved in a violent brawl.
Videos of the fight that went viral on social media showed the suspects assaulting each other and damaging public property.
The police in a statement on Thursday, July 21, 2022, said the suspects are of African origin and warned residents against engaging in such fights, highlighting how they affect the security in the emirate.
“The Dubai Police has arrested a group of people, who were engaged in a heated argument in their residence at late hours. The group of African people appeared in a viral video on social media platforms while fighting in a public place and damaging properties,” the statement read.
“A criminal case has been registered against the suspects and they will be referred to the public prosecution for further action,” the statement read.
“The Dubai Police warned against such unacceptable behaviour and urged the community members to report such negative behaviour through ‘Police Eye Service’ on Dubai Police app or by calling the emergency hotline 999.
“The Force also warned the public of publishing or forwarding clips to avoid legal accountability according to article 52 of the UAE Federal Law No 34 of 2021 on countering Rumors and Cybercrimes.
“The law stated that whoever uses the information network to announce, disseminate, re-disseminate, circulate, or recirculate news or data, or broadcasts any provocative news that would incite or provoke public opinion, disturb the public peace, spread terror among people, or cause harm to the public interest, the national economy, the public order, or the public health shall be punished with at least one year of imprisonment and a fine of not less than Dh100,000”
A woman who hails from a minority ethnic community was chosen as India’s new president, a largely ceremonial position.
Droupadi Murmu, a leader from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, was elected Thursday, July 21, by the Indian Parliament and state legislatures in voting held Monday, making her the first president from one of the country’s tribes and the second-ever woman to hold the position.
She will be formally sworn in as the president next Monday.
Murmu, 64, who hails from the eastern state of Odisha and was governor of Jharkhand state from 2015-2021, is a member of the Santal ethnic minority, one of India’s largest tribal groups. She started out as a school teacher before entering politics and has been a two-time lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.
Murmu’s father and her grandfather were village headmen in Baidaposi in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha.
Prime Minister Modi congratulated Murmu by visiting her at her residence in New Delhi, and in a tweet wrote he was “certain she will be an outstanding President who will lead from the front and strengthen India’s development journey.”
The president’s role in India is largely ceremonial, but the position can be important during times of political uncertainty such as a hung parliament, when the office assumes greater power. She is bound by the advice of the Cabinet led by the prime minister, who is the chief executive.
She will replace Ram Nath Kovind, a Hindu nationalist leader from the Dalit community. Kovind has been president since 2017.
A request by a civil rights organization under the aegis of Incorporated Trustees of Center for Reform and Public Advocacy, to apply for order of mandamus that will compel the Inspector General of Police to prosecute the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over alleged perjury, was on Thursday July 21, granted by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The organization filed the request after the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba allegedly refused to effect the arrest and prosecution of Tinubu for supplying false information on oath in respect of his educational qualifications.
In his argument, the civil organization’s lawyer Ugo Nwofor stated that the application is predicated on the rule of the Federal High Court to first obtain permission of the Court before proceeding with a suit seeking order to compel the police chief to carry out his constitutional duties.
Justice Inyang Ekwo who held that the ex-parte application was meritorious and subsequently granted it, fixed November 1 for the hearing of the substantive suit.
The CSO had in its petition to the IGP, claimed that Tinubu lied on oath in the form CF 001 he submitted to INEC in aid of his qualification for the governorship election in Lagos State in 1999.
“Tinubu forged all the educational certificates he listed in his INEC Form CF 001 which he admitted he did not posses in annexure C”.
”For purpose of clarity, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the said INEC Form deposed on oath that he attended Government College, Ibadan and University of Chicago, USA when in actual fact he did not.
“On the strength of the above, we respectfully demand that you initiate the criminal proceedings of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu consequent upon the express findings of the Lagos State House of Assembly as captured above.”
The applicant who also claimed that the Presidential candidate of the APC was indicted by the Lagos State House of Assembly in 1999, also pointed out that Sections 214 and 215, of the constitution and Section 4 of the Nigerian Police Act, 2020, stated that the Police have the statutory responsibility to “prevent, detect and investigate criminal allegations whether brought to their notice by individuals, person or persons, corporate bodies, institutions etc”.
Sadio Mane has been crowned African Footballer of the Year for the second time running.
Mane finished ahead of Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, his former Liverpool team mate, and fellow Senegalese Edouard Mendy in the voting, and was awarded the trophy at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) awards ceremony in the Moroccan capital Rabat on Thursday night, July 22.
Mane scored the winning penalty as Senegal beat Egypt in a shootout in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations final to lift the trophy for the first time.
“I am very, very happy to receive the trophy this year,” Mane, 30, said as he collected his prize.
“I thank the Senegalese people, and dedicate this trophy to the youth of my country,” added Mane, who also helped Senegal reach the World Cup and won two domestic cups with Liverpool.
Mane’s prize was one of five picked up by Senegal in a total of seven men’s categories after a night to remember for the West African nation.
Long-standing Senegalese boss Aliou Cisse won coach of the year, with his side named men’s team of the year, while Pape Sarr was named young player of the year and another Senegalese, Pape Ousmane Sakho, won best goal for his overhead kick for Tanzanian side Simba.
“We waited a long time for this Nations Cup,” said Augustin Senghor, the president of Senegal’s football federation. “We are a good example to all those teams who have not yet won (the tournament).”
Sarr, who appeared just once during Senegal’s historic Nations Cup triumph, won an award previously lifted by Salah after his season on loan with French side Metz, edging out Red Bull Salzburg’s Ivorian Karim Konate and Manchester United’s Tunisian Hannibal Mejbri.
African and Moroccan champions Wydad Casablanca took the club of the year prize for the second time in a row, while Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, whose Nations Cup ended early because of injury, was named the interclub player of the year.
South Africa coach Desiree Ellis was named women’s coach of the year for the third time in a row, after previous successes in 2018 and 2019.
Two Russian tourists and a Russian sports star were mauled and eaten by bears after their helicopter crashed in the Russian wilderness.
World junior biathlon champion Igor Malinovsky, 25, died alongside Zoya Kaygorodova, a businesswoman and mobile phone company boss Sergey Kolesnyak, 39.
Malinovsky was piloting the helicopter in the Kamchatka peninsula in far east Siberia when it crashed on Saturday, July 16. It is believed the aircraft was en-route to the village of Milkovo, Malinovsky’s home.
The three travelers lost communication due to bad weather, before the Robinson chopper, named Nadezhda, caught fire.
Rescuers found the charred remains of the helicopter the next day, while an investigation allegedly determined their bodies were dragged away and eaten by bears after the crash.
‘The remains of the dead tourists after the crash of a Robinson helicopter in Kamchatka were dragged away by bears,’ said 5TV channel, citing local sources.
Malinovsky was a five-time junior world champion in biathlon, who had retrained as a pilot for a company run by his father Vladimir.
The cause of the crash is still unclear but an investigation will take place.
A statement from the Russian Emergencies Ministry read: ‘Unfortunately, none [of the three people on board] survived the crash.’
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday July 21, said only 378,639 out of the 1,761,338 candidates who wrote the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scored 200 and above.
Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede who spoke during the 2022 policy meeting, said an Ekiti indigene attained the highest score during the 2022 UTME examinations conducted by the board.
Reeling out the figures, Oloyede said 378,639 candidates scored above 200; a total of 520,596 candidates scored 190 and above ; 704,991 scored 180 and above; 934,103 scored 170 and above; 1,192, 057 scored 160 and above.
Oloyede also said the board allowed candidates with awaiting results to register for the 2022 UTME.
He said;
“JAMB allowed awaiting results candidates to register and sit for the 2022 UTME. These candidates can’t be considered for admission on awaiting result status. They must present their O’level results on the board’s portal before the commencement of admissions”.
An Ekiti State indigene, Adebayo Eyimofe scored the highest mark in the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Adebayo who wrote his examination in Abuja, scored a total of 362 marks. He was followed closely by Ugwu Chikelu, an indigene of Enugu state who also wrote his UTME in Abuja. Ugwu scored 359.
Other high scorers include Igbalaye Ebunoluwa 357; Emmanuel Oluwanifemi 357; Ozumba Samuel 357; Olumide-Attah Ayomide 355; Lawal Olaoluwa 355; Dokun Jubril 354; Amaku Anthony 354 and Aghulor Divine 353.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed the final list of nominees for this year’s award.
Egypt and Liverpool star, Mohamed Salah will be up against the Senegal duo of Sadio Mane and keeper Edouard Mendy for the men’s Player of the Year award.
Zambia’s Grace Chanda will compete with four-time winner Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria and Cameroonian Ajara Nchout Njoya in the women’s category.
The CAF Awards 2022 will take place in Rabat, Morocco, on 21 July 2022 at 9 pm CAT.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Player of the Year (Women) Ajara Nchout Njoya (Cameroon & Internazionale Milano) Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona) Grace Chanda (Zambia & BIIK Kazygurt)
Player of the Year (Men) Edouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea) Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool) Sadio Mane (Senegal & Bayern Munich)
Interclub Player of the Year (Women) Andile Dlamini (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns) Bambanani Mbanie (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns) Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies/Alvaldsnes)
Interclub Player of the Year (Men) Achraf Dari (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club) Aliou Dieng (Mali & Al Ahly) Mohamed El Shenawy (Egypt & Al Ahly)
Young Player of the Year (Women) Doris Boaduwaa (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies) Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies/Alvaldsnes) Yasmine Zouhir (Morocco & AS Saint-Etienne)
Young Player of the Year (Men) Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia & Manchester United) Karim Konate (Cote d’Ivoire & ASEC/RB Salzburg) Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal & Tottenham Hotspur)
Coach of the Year (Women) Bruce Mwape (Zambia) Desiree Ellis (South Africa) Jerry Tshabalala (Mamelodi Sundowns) Reynald Pedros (Morocco)
Coach of the Year (Men) Aliou Cisse (Senegal) Carlos Queiroz (Egypt) Walid Regragui (Wydad Athletic Club)
Club of the Year (Women) AS FAR (Morocco) Hasaacas Ladies (Ghana) Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Club of the Year (Men) Al Ahly (Egypt) RS Berkane (Morocco) Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)
National Team of the Year (Men) Cameroon Egypt Senegal
National Team of the Year (Women) The winner will be announced on 23 July 2022 during the final match of the Women’s AFCON.
Goal of the Year Gabadinho Mhango (Malawi & Orlando Pirates) Pape Ousmane Sakho (Senegal & Simba) Zouhair El Moutaraji (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
Suspended DCP Abba Kyari, on Wednesday, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to grant him bail following the July 5th attack on Kuje custodial center by Boko Haram terrorists who freed scores of their members.
DailyTrust reports that Kyari and other officers of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP)’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT), through their counsel, told Justice Emeka Nwite that their lives are in danger in the custodial facility.
Moving the motion for bail, their counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, who appeared for 1st (Kyari), 4th and 5th defendants, said granting his clients bail was a necessity because their lives are no longer safe where they are currently detained.
He said the officers who had performed excellently well in their profession by apprehending dangerous and high-profile criminals, most of who are in the same prison with them, should not be kept in the facility.
Ikpeazu urged the court to admit them to bail on liberal terms. Also, Gboyega Oyewole, counsel for the 2nd defendant, spoke in the same vein.
However counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Sunday Joseph, disagreed with the defence counsel. He urged the court to dismiss the bail application.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until Aug. 30 for a ruling.
Earlier in the trial, NDLEA’s lawyer, Joseph, tendered the sum of 61, 400 dollars allegedly used by suspended DCP Abba Kyari to bribe the agency’s officer in the drug trafficking suit preferred against him and four other police officers.
Joseph tendered the cash in the open court before the judge when the third prosecution witness, Peter Joshua, was being led in evidence in the trial of the suspended IRT members.
At the resumed trial, Joshua, who works at the NDLEA, FCT Command as an Exhibit Officer, testified against Kyari and his men.
Justice Nwite admitted the cash in evidence as Exhibit 11 after the defense counsel did not oppose to the application.
Robert Lewandowski has officially been unveiled as a Barcelona player after joining oining the Spanish giants from Bayern Munich.
The 33-year-old joined the Spanish side for £42.5million this week following eight years at Bayern Munich, where he scored 344 goals in 375 games and won countless trophies.
Speaking during his unveiling, Lewandowski revealed he had to work hard to force through the move to Barcelona, but now he is ready for more success as the Catalan-based side look to climb their way back to the top of European football.
Lewandowski who could make his Barca debut in Las Vegas this weekend against arch-rivals Real Madrid and said: “We worked hard to get to this moment but we got there in the end.”
“I am always hungry to succeed and have the winning mentality. This is a new challenge for me and I have already seen this is a squad with huge potential. There is a lot of quality and I want to do my best for the club. I am ready.”
Lewandowski joined Bayern in 2014, scoring 344 goals in 375 competitive matches and broke the Bundesliga’s single-season scoring record.
Emmanuel Osodeke, president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), says the union’s strike would have been addressed earlier if politicians’ children attend public universities in the country.
Osodeke spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television.
ASUU has been on strike since February 14 over the federal government’s failure to honour an agreement on issues bordering on funding of universities, as well as salaries and allowances of lecturers.
Earlier, TheCable reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has given Adamu Adamu, minister of education, two weeks to resolve issues of contention regarding the ASUU strike.
Reacting to Buhari’s directive, the ASUU president said the two-week ultimatum is “too long”, and that the union can suspend its strike in less than two days if the federal government honours its agreement with the union.
“Two weeks is too long. The issue of renegotiation has been completed by both sides, which means that one is gone. They should just come back to us and say ‘we have agreed, sign it’. That should not take two days,” Osodeke said.
“If you have a crisis in your house, you will source for money to resolve that crisis — the way they are sourcing for money to do all kinds of things.
“We were told they spent billions to feed children in schools. Is that correct? How many children have you seen being fed. They released N200 billion for entrepreneurship programme.
“Your universities are closed for five months, you did not release N100 billion, but you released money to share in villages because election is coming. It is the priority you place on education.
“Government should prioritise education as number one priority in the country, because all of us here, wherever you are, you must pass through the school. Now that you have killed it, we are wasting our money on foreign countries.
“Last year, according to CBN, Nigerians spent N1.6 trillion as school fees to other countries. N1.6 trillion will turn around all the universities in Nigeria and bring them to standard and people will come from outside. We go outside; nobody comes in.
“For this strike, universities are shut down. Those who run the affairs of Nigeria – national assembly and executive arm – they do not have any problem. Their children are not here. If the children of all the ministers and senators are all in our public universities, this will not last two days.
“When the aviation people wanted to shut down, the national assembly called them immediately and settled them overnight because fear could not allow them pass through roads. They quickly resolved it.”
Boxing legend, Mike Tyson says he believes he is getting closer to his death.
The 56-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion interviewed therapist Sean McFarland, who specializes in trauma and addiction, on his “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast and told him he believes his ‘expiration date’ is near.
“We’re all gonna die one day of course,” Tyson said. “Then, when I look in the mirror, I see those little spots on my face, I say, ‘Wow. That means my expiration date is coming close, really soon.”
Tyson then said he doesn’t believe money brings the happiness and security that many associate with it.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) July 20, 2022
“Money don’t mean s**t to me,” Tyson said.
“I always tell people, they think money’s gonna make them happy, they’ve never had money before, when you have a lot of money, you can’t expect nobody to love you. How am I gonna confess my love to you when you have 500 billion dollars?
“The false sense of security. You believe nothing can happen.
“You don’t believe the banks could collapse.
“You believe that you’re invincible when you have a lot of money, which isn’t true. That’s why I always say money is a false sense of security.”
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi Wednesday met behind closed doors in the Governor’s private residence in Abuja.
The meeting came less than 24 hours after the Governor returned from his two weeks working leave and trip to the United Kingdom and United States of America.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nathaniel Ikyur, made available to newsmen in Makurdi, at the end of the meeting the two leaders jointly addressed the media.
Governor Ortom challenged presidential candidates of the various political parties in the coming general elections to put Nigeria above personal interests. He said Nigerians were in dire need of people with “commitment and competence” that would fix the leadership crisis that had plunged the country into outright chaos.
The Governor noted that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate was one among the qualified Nigerians that the people looked forward to help take the country out of the woods.
“Governor Ortom commended the decision of the former Anambra State Governor to engage Nigerians, especially major players in the country’s politics, irrespective of political leaning on his desire to serve as the country’s next President.
“He said even though he was a major stakeholder of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, the LP candidate considered him as a Nigerian to consult on his aspiration.” Earlier, the LP presidential candidate, had explained that the visit was to show respect to his former political ally in the PDP, pointing out that though they were now in different political parties, their friendship as citizens of the country was most important. In his response to the question that he did not have the needed structures to win elections, Mr. Obi stated that the millions of Nigerians who had been impoverished by bad leadership over an extended period “are my structures to win.” He pointed out that it was time for all hands to be on deck to correct the wrongs for a better Nigeria.
The US administration has revealed it will provide additional weapons and security assistance to Ukraine later this week, as the U.S. has collected “ample evidence” and intelligence that Russia is laying the groundwork to annex additional sovereign Ukrainian territory.
The revelation by the US comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state media on Wednesday, July 20 that Russia’s objectives in Ukraine now extend beyond the eastern Donbas region into the country’s south.
As the war in Ukraine approaches its fifth month, Sergey Lavrov told state media that the “geography is different.”
“It is far from being only DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic), it is also Kherson Region, Zaporizhzhia Region and a number of other territories, and this process continues, it continues steadily and persistently,” Lavrov said during an interview with RIA Novosti, published Wednesday.
Lavrov pointed out that as the West continues to supply Ukraine with more long-range weaponry, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), Russia’s geographical objectives in Ukraine would move further away from the current line of the Donbas region.
“We cannot allow any weapons in the part of Ukraine controlled by Zelensky or whoever will replace him that pose a direct threat to our territory or the territory of the republics that declared independence or those that wish to determine their future independently,” Lavrov said.
“The President was very clear, as you quoted: denazification and demilitarization in the sense that there should be no threat to our security, no military threat from Ukraine’s territory, and this objective remains,” Lavrov said.
The White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby has now said that downgraded intelligence shows that Russia is beginning to roll out an “annexation playbook” — similar to its plans in 2014 as it annexed Crimea.
Kirby said Russia is installing “illegitimate proxy officials.”
“We know their next moves,” Kirby said, noting proxy officials will “arrange a sham referendum on joining Russia. Then Russia will sue those sham referenda as a basis to try to claim annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.”
“The Russian government is reviewing detailed plans to purportedly annex a number of regions in Ukraine” Kirby said, including “all of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast.”
In Kherson, Kirby said Russia has taken control of broadcasting towers, established “loyalist security forces” and replaced telecommunications infrastructure. Kirby said the Kremlin has also forced residents to apply for Russian citizenship, and are issuing Russian passports.
“The Kremlin has not disclosed the timeline for the referendum, but Russian proxies in these territories claim they will take place later this year, possibly in conjunction with Russia’s September regional elections,” Kirby explained.
Annexation by force, Kirby said, would be a “gross violation of the U.N. charter.”
“We will not allow it to go unchallenged or unpunished,” he said, adding that the U.S. will “continue to provide Ukraine with historic levels of security assistance.”
Later this week, the US will announce the 16th presidential drawdown package of weapons and equipment for Ukraine since President Biden took office.
Kirby said the package is expected to include more HIMARS — also known as highly-mobile advanced rocket systems, and additional rounds of multiple launch rocket systems and artillery ammunition.
“We’re also going to continue to expose Russian plans so the world knows that any purported annexation is premeditated, illegal and illegitimate,” Kirby said, adding that the Biden administration is also sanctioning the “Russian-installed puppets and proxies” in areas of Ukraine that are under Russian control.
“If Russia nevertheless proceeds with their annexation plans, we’re going to respond swiftly and severely and in lockstep with our allies and partners,” Kirby continued. “Russia will face additional sanctions and become even more of a global pariah than it is now.”
He added that the U.S. “will never recognize any purportedly annexed territories belonging to Russia,” and said the Biden administration will “support accountability, efforts for forced deportations, prosecutions of oppositionists and other gross human rights abuses carried out by Russia.”
A man has killed five of his family members including his father and three younger siblings after he took them hostage.
According to Mail Online, the 22-year-old man barricaded himself in a house with his father, stepmother and three children in the small eastern town of Douvres about 30 miles east of Lyon on Tuesday night, July 19.
Local reports said negotiators descended on the scene overnight and set up a perimeter around the town, before they ‘attempted in vain to remain in contact with the suspect throughout the night’.
Early Wednesday, the man, armed with a firearm and a large katana, began executing his family members.
Armed police officers stormed the house and killed him, but it was late to save all five hostages, including the three children, who all had been executed.
French outlet Le Progres reported that the shooter’s father was the head of a building company in the Ain region, of which Douvres is a part.
The killer’s other victims included his mother-in-law, originally from Gironde, his 17 -year-old sister, his 15-year-old half-brother and his 5-year-old half-sister.
Town mayor Christian Limousin said the family had moved into the house where the murders took place in July of 2020 and ‘began to invest in the village’.
A family acquaintance who visited the scene told Le Soir that the killer worked at a local fast food restaurant, but gave no indication to his physical or mental condition prior to the attack.
Having set up a perimeter during the night to close off the town, authorities told local business and shops not to open while they continued their attempts to negotiate with the hostage taker.
The owner of the village bar, which sits in the town square, said she was told around 8:30am local time by gendarmes not to open the premises and said the town of roughly 1,000 inhabitants were constantly calling the bar to find out what had happened.
French police are yet to release a statement on the fatal incident, while the scene as of 4pm was still heavily guarded by officers.
Dana Airlines’ air transport licence (ATL) and air operator certificate (AOC) has been suspended indefinitely by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
This was announced in a statement released on Wednesday July 20 and signed by NCAA Director-General Musa Nuhu.
NCAA said the license was suspended after they “discovered that the airline is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations”.
The suspension takes effect from midnight on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. The statement read;
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended Dana Airlines’Air Transport Licence (ATL) and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) indefinitely, with effect from midnight of Wednesday,20th July 2022.
“The suspension was made pursuant to Section 35(2), 3(b), and (4) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3(a)(1) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (http://Nig.CARs), 2015.
“The decision is the outcome of a financial and economic health audit carried out on the airline by the authority, and the findings of an investigation conducted on the airline’s flight operations recently, which revealed that Dana Airlines is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations.
“The NCAA acknowledges the negative effect this preemptive decision will have on the Airline’s passengers and the travelling public and seeks their understanding, as the safety of flight operations takes priority over all other considerations.”
The airline has reported two incidents with same aircraft.
The police in Osun say efforts are being made to apprehend a lady who was said to have set her husband ablaze.
On Wednesday, reports surfaced that the lady was on the run after allegedly setting her husband on fire over “infidelity”.
There were other reports that claimed the suspect committed suicide in Osogbo, the state capital, where the incident occurred.
Sources alleged she left an angry note on her WhatsApp stories, saying her man had pushed her “to the edge”.
The suspect Akanji Ifeoluwa Haddasah
“I’ve always been a calm girl and I’ve never done this in my life but Teebam has pushed me to the edge,” the alleged WhatsApp note reads.
“At this point y’all will weep over myself and him before daybreak. I’m promising y’all that!!!”
It was gathered that the man lives in Cairo and was on a visit to his home in Nigeria before the arson that killed him.
When TheCable Lifestyle contacted Yemisi Opalola, the Osun police PRO, to ascertain the facts of the case, she revealed the identity of the woman as Akanji Ifeoluwa Haddasah and the man as Bolu Bamidele.
The PRO said the incident occurred on July 17 at about 11:30 pm at their home in Koka community, Ibokun LGA.
The victim Bolu Bamidele
Opalola said the victim was rushed to the Osogbo Central Hospital and was later referred to UCH Ibadan.
The PRO, who did not reveal further details on the case, said Bamidele passed away on Tuesday at about 4 pm.
Opalola, when questioned further, denied claims that the culprit committed suicide after the incident.
A photo of Bamidele made available to this reporter showed the victim naked on the hospital bed with severe burns.
“Effort is in top gear to arrest the fleeing wife,” the Osun state police spokesperson added.
Governor Nasir El-rufai may have denied supporters of Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi access to Arewa House in Kaduna due to past grievances.
Recall that the Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) had slammed Governor El-Rufai for allegedly ordering the management of Arewa House to refuse the group access to the venue it paid for.
In a press statement signed by its spokesman, Sani Altukry, POSN noted that El Rufai, through his spokesperson, reportedly called the Manager of Arewa House to notify the POSN spokesman of the unavailability of the venue for the Peter-Datti Northern Summit.
He said: “The summit is not a political campaign of any sort, but a convergence of volunteers, would-be volunteers, and supporters of the Obi-Datti project for necessary interaction and cross-fertilization of ideas.”
Facts have now emerged, revealing that the governor’s action may not be unconnected with Obi’s restriction of El-Rufai’s movement during a governorship election in Anambra State close to a decade ago.
A Kaduna Government source told The Guardian that “all is fair in love and war,” recalling how, in 2013, during the Anambra governorship poll, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) confined El-Rufai to his hotel room, reportedly on Obi’s orders.
He stated: “The table has turned. Nine years ago, Mallam (El-Rufai) was kept at Finotel in Awka against his will when he arrived Anambra to monitor the election in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige, was contesting.
“So, this time around, we are protecting the place and the organisers against any breakdown of the law. If anything happens to the attendees or the premises, the Kaduna State government would be held responsible. As a responsible Chief Security Officer of the state, the governor decided on that measure. I did not say you should quote me.”
Russia is forming plans to annex more parts of Ukraine, the White House has said, claiming the Russian federation is planning to repeat a playbook it used in the 2014 annexation of Crimea to seize territory,
The steps Russia is planning could include “sham” referenda, installing illegitimate proxy officials, establishing the Russian Ruble as the official currency and forcing Ukrainian citizens to apply for Russian citizenship, said John Kirby, the communications coordinator at the US National Security Council.
The US and its Western allies have sought to turn around momentum in Ukraine as Russia makes gains in the Eastern and Southern part of the country. Biden has approved billions in arms shipments and other security assistance and applied several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Kirby has warned the US would punish Russia with additional sanctions for attempts to further annex Ukrainian territory, and said the White House would unveil additional security assistance to Ukraine later this week..
Kirby cited US intelligence that had been downgraded and approved for public release to make the claims about Russia’s plans.
“Russia is beginning to roll out a version of what you could call an annexation playbook, very similar to the one we saw in 2014,” Kirby told reporters at the White House. He said the potential referenda could take place soon.
“The Kremlin has not disclosed the timeline for the referenda, but Russian proxies in these territories claim they will take place later this year, possibly in conjunction with Russia’s September regional elections,” Kirby said, listing the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, along with the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, as likely targets of Russia’s annexation plans
Streaming giant, Netflix say they have lost 970,000 subscribers in the last quarter, a good result for the company who predicted to lose 2 million subscribers.
The news comes as Netflix’s stock tumbled more than 65 percent in the past year following customer dissatisfaction over high subscription costs and also spring up of other cheaper streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO.
During the first quarter, when Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers and spurred Wall Street and Hollywood to reevaluate the economics of the streaming business, the company warned that it expected to lose an additional 2 million subscribers during Q2. Though the quarter still ended with a net loss in subscribers, the streaming giant is projecting it will add 1 million subscribers in Q3.
Netflix on Tuesday, July 19 said it now has a total of 220.67 million subscribers, a decrease from the 221.64 million reported at the end of Q1. Revenue hit $7.97 billion for the second quarter, representing a roughly 8 percent year-over-year growth in part due to a “stronger U.S. dollar,” according to Netflix’s letter to shareholders, while net income landed at $1.44 billion.
By region, Netflix saw the most losses in the U.S. and Canada, despite major English-language series like Stranger Things‘ fourth season premiering during the quarter. US and CANADA saw a 1.3 million loss in subscribers, dropping to a total of 73.3 million paid subscribers in the region.
Europe, Middle East and Africa region also saw a decline in subscriber growth during Q2, losing 770,000 subscribers, while Latin America saw a modest addition of 1,000 paying subscribers.
The Asia-Pacific region emerged as the strongest contributor to Netflix’s subscriber growth, bringing in 1.08 million subscribers during the quarter.
In the aftermath of its Q1 earnings report, Netflix went into overhaul mode: The streamer implemented several rounds of layoffs, with the most recent resulting in the loss of 300 staffers, which amounted to $70 million in severance costs; reevaluated its film strategy to focus on fewer but better projects, moving away from the low-budget fare; then decided to staft an advertising-supported subscription tier by partnering with Microsoft, which will handle sales and tech for the streaming company.
In its letter to shareholders, Netflix said it planned to release its ad-supported tier “around the early part of 2023.” The offering will likely first roll out in markets where “advertising spend is significant.” The letter continued, “While it will take some time to grow our member base for the ad tier and the associated ad revenues, over the long run, we think advertising can enable substantial incremental membership (through lower prices) and profit growth (through ad revenues).”
The Federal Government has said it has almost finished investigation into individuals financing the Boko Haram terrorist group in the country.
The government disclosed this at the opening session of a five-day Compliance Summit organised by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA.
According to the Director of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, Mr. Mohammed Jiya, the Federal Government has requested from 28 countries including Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana and Niger for more information about the suspected terror financiers.
The NFIU boss said: “The intelligence report submitted to the government led to formation of inter agency operation, which resulted in degrading of Boko Haram activities.
“I am happy to intimate this gathering that the Chad platform on terrorism financing, last week, expanded its membership to 11 countries, active members as Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger and Benin; and observers as Ghana, Guinea and Central Africa Republic.
“Meetings will now be holding every three months with the Chad Basin and Sahel countries. This new synergy is good for both experience sharing and operational success of security agencies.”
He described the summit, which has the theme, ‘’Current and Emerging Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Issues,” as apt and timely, noting that three of top 10 countries in the 2022 Global Terrorism Index, GTI, were from West Africa.
The revelation comes after the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, said last September that investigation to unravel those behind activities of insurgents in the country had reached advanced stage.
He said the government would at the appropriate time, disclose their identities through a judicial process that would entail prosecution.
“The position, as it stands, is that investigation has reached advanced stage and the government will make statement in that direction in due course,” he said.
China has warned that it would take “resolute and forceful measures” if US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan.
Pelosi, who is second in line of succession to the US presidency, has reportedly outlined plans to take a delegation to Taipei in August, according to the Financial Times,and if she makes the visit it would be the highest-level delegation from the United States to the self-governing island in 25 years.
On Tuesday, July 19, China’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at the potential visit, saying it would “have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and send a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”
“If the US insists on going down the wrong path, China will definitely take resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news conference. “The United States must be fully responsible for all the consequences caused by this.”
Also, August 1 is the anniversary of the founding of China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Beijing’s ruling Communist Party has long claimed Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to “reunify” the island of 24 million people with the Chinese mainland by force if necessary despite having never governed the region in 70 years.
Pelosi had previously stated plans to lead a US congressional delegation to Taiwan in April, but the trip was postponed after she tested positive for Covid-19. At the time, China had strongly opposed the trip and issued similar warnings.
A visit by Pelosi would be the first by a sitting House Speaker since Republican Newt Gingrich traveled to Taiwan in 1997.
US officials and lawmakers have embarked on more than 20 trips to the democratically controlled island since the Taiwan Travel Act was signed into law by then US President Donald Trump in March 2018.
China, meanwhile, has sent record numbers of war planes near Taiwan, as tensions soared to their highest in recent decades.
Premium Breadmakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN), comprising owners, Managing Directors and Partners of premium bakeries in Nigeria, will be embarking on a four-day warning strike beginning from Thursday July 21, 2022.
The strike decision was taken by the bread makers due to increasing prices of baking materials in the country.
The entrepreneurs who disclosed that it has become impossible to operate bakeries in Nigeria, asked the Federal Government to stop charging 15% Wheat development levy on wheat import.
President of the Association, Emmanuel Onuorah and Public & Industrial Relations Officer, Babalola Thomas also asked NAFDAC to review downwards the N154,000 penalty charged bakeries on late renewal of certificates.
Asides calling for stoppage of multi-agencies regulation of the breadmaking industry, PBAN also asked the federal government to grant members access to grants and soft loans being given by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Minor, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs).
The statement read;
“Operating a bakery in Nigeria has become near impossible as the incessant increase in the prices of baking materials and diesel rendered the industry comatose. Bakeries are mostly running on huge losses and this is no longer sustainable.
“Bread is a staple food and one of the cheapest ‘grab and go’ food that is available for both the poor and rich. It therefore behooves on the federal government to be mindful of this and ensure the survival and sustainability of the industry.
“In a move to ensure the survival of the Premium breadmaking industry in Nigeria, we have decided to embark on a withdrawal of services beginning from Thursday 21st July, 2022 for four days in the first instance and where no intervention from the government, we shall escalate the duration of the withdrawal.
“Our efforts to ensure the survival of the industry led to series of meetings with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Abuja (FMITI) with our sister association in the breadmaking industry in 2021. Our best attempts to ensure that suggestions we put forward for survival of the breadmaking industry has not yielded the desired result.
“Therefore, the withdrawal of service is the only way we believe we can use to get to Federal Government and Nigerians and let them know our plight and how difficult it has been with the breadmaking industry in Nigeria.”
Russia accidentally shot down one of its own $40million fighter jets in the skies over eastern Ukraine.
Pro-Russian Telegram channel published footage of flaming wreck falling from the sky over Luhansk overnight on Sunday, saying Moscow’s forces shot it down. The words ‘Russian Aerospace Forces’ written down the side of the aircraft.
Alongside the video, he wrote: ‘Last night, the air defense crew of the allied forces destroyed a target in the sky over Alchevsk (LPR).
‘The nature of the target is not clear. The burning ball fell to the ground for more than a minute.’
🟥Dün gece Rus kuvvetleri Luhansk bölgesinde kendi savaş uçağını düşürdü.
🔶Rus Hava Kuvvetlerine ait Su-34 savaş uçağının enkazı bugün erken saatlerde bulundu. pic.twitter.com/2BeHbgKdJn
According to the reports, Putin’s men accidentally shot down one of their own jets identified as a rare $40million variant of the Su-34 fighter-bomber.
The shoot-down came shortly after Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered his anti-air defences to prioritise taking out American-made HIMARS rockets.
HIMARS have been playing havoc with Russia’s invasion by taking out headquarters and ammo dumps deep behind the frontlines, with Putin’s anti-air seemingly struggling to stop them.
Michael Weiss, a respected security correspondent, tied the two events together – tweeting that: ‘They just downed their own Su-34, aiming at HIMARS.’
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu, has given reasons his party lost the Saturday, July 16 Osun State governorship election.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Adamu said the crisis within the APC caused the party’s defeat at the polls and not that the party was not capable of winning.
“We lost the race not because we are incapable but because of the crisis within. We had a massive gathering of supporters a few days before the election in Osogbo. No one could ever anticipate that we would lose the election.
Osun defeat doesn’t in any way mean that we will lose at the general election. We only lost one state out of the 22 we have; you see, we are still strong.
We will sit and check ourselves. We must ask ourselves what is right and wrong and what needs to be corrected.”
The party’s candidate and incumbent governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola lost the election to his main rival, Ademola Adeleke, of the PDP.
Inter Miami president, Jorge Mas has confirmed that he and co-owner David Beckham wants to bring Lionel Messi to the club.
Messi is entering his second season with Paris Saint-Germain, but the two club owners are ‘very optimistic’ that a deal can be done in the future.
The former Barcelona striker has just turned 35 but Mas still believes he is the best player on the planet and hopes to convince him to join one day.
When asked about bringing Messi to the club, Mas said: ‘Well, look, both David Beckham and I aspire to bring the best players in the world here to Miami, not only because of the project we are creating.
‘We want to be the point of reference for soccer in the United States, but when you talk about the best players in the world, Leo is obviously the best player on the planet.
‘Hopefully, the conditions will be met for him to be there, playing with the United States Inter Miami jersey. We aspire to that.
‘I hope the circumstances are given. We have nothing guaranteed, there is no agreement, but I am a very optimistic man and I hope that in the future Leo Messi can be part of our project.’
He added: ‘There are a lot of Catalans here: there is Xavi Asensi, Víctor Oliver, who has just arrived here from Barcelona to bring up topics for the future.
‘We are going to build a new stadium… I was with Laporta last night for a long time. And nothing, it is an honour to see clubs of the category of Barcelona here and it is what I aspire to, that Inter Miami has close relations with this type of club.’
Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, has lost its accreditation over non-payment of salaries and allowances of staff for 30 months.
The National Board for Technical Education made the announcement on Tuesday July 19, in a statement released by the Head of Media Department, Fatima Abubakar.
The accreditation was withdrawn after several warnings which management of the school including Governor of the state, Okezie Ikpeazu, did not heed to.
The NBTE further disclosed that they had to withdraw the accreditation status of the polytechnic just to safeguard the quality assurance mechanism of the Board as well as to ensure that students were not left at the mercy of demoralised staff that might resort to ‘under the table’ practices to survive.
The statement read;
“Regular payment of salary is one of the key components of the Board’s normative instruments for quality assurance in the polytechnics, and Technical & Vocational Education and Training institutions under her purview.
“The Board had drawn the attention of the polytechnic to the dangers of non-payment of salaries, including the suspension of quality assurance visits.
“The Governing Council and management of the polytechnic made several failed promises to settle the backlog of salary arrears and ensure regular payment of staff salaries.
“The Board went the extra mile of writing His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, informing him of the dire situation of the polytechnic but all to no avail.”
The board also told the National Youth Service Corps that “no product of the Abia State Polytechnic should be mobilised for national service until the management of the polytechnic resolves the issue of nonpayment of salary to its staffers, while the Board promised to notify the NYSC once the accreditation status of the polytechnic is restored.”
NBTE also said notice of the withdrawal of the accreditation of the polytechnic had been sent to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and Industrial Training Fund in order to stop any official transaction with the polytechnic by those organisations.
The statement added;
“Polytechnic proprietors across the country are advised to take regular payment of salaries of staff seriously as failure could lead to loss of accreditation.”
This is also coming months after Abia state university teaching hospital also lost its accreditation over non-payment of salaries among other issues.
A Russian court has fined Google 21 billion rubles ($360 million) for failing to remove content concerning Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, the nation’s telecommunications regulator has revealed.
The Moscow court said the Google-owned video platform YouTube had failed to block “false information” on the offensive in Ukraine, “extremist and terrorist propaganda” and content “calling on minors to participate in unauthorised demonstrations”.
The regulator, Roskomnadzor said that as this was a repeat conviction for Google hence the huge fine.
Russian authorities have increased pressure on Western social media firms in recent years with repeated fines and threats in a bid to remove criticism from the internet, the only source of free speech in Russia.
Like most of its Western rivals, Google recently quit the Russian market in protest against Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
According to Vladimir Zykov, an expert cited by Russian news agency Ria-Novosti, the fine is the largest ever imposed on a Western tech firm by a Russian court.
Russian authorities can impose on Google “as many fines as they wish, they won’t receive the money” as the firm has pulled out of the country, he said.
Russia’s internet regulator, Roskomnadzor branded the activities of Google and YouTube with the “terrorist” label in March, opening up the possibility they would be blocked in Russia, as have Twitter, Instagram and many independent media following the start of the military operation.
In Russia, the legal penalties for speaking out against the conflict has been increased with thise found guilty of spreading “false information” about the Russian military facing up to 15 years in jail.
Several journalists, some politicians and citizens have already been jailed on such charges.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God has denied meeting/endorsing the All Progressives Congress and its Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
The church described claim of endorsing the ruling party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket as false, adding that its General Overseer, Pastor E.A. Adeboye is under the authority of God, the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, and will not speak on behalf of Christians on issues regarding policies.
The RCCG further stated that Adeboye and the church will not endorse any candidate in the 2023 general election in Nigeria.
The church also threatened to seek legal redress should such claim be made again.
The Kedah state assembly in Malaysia has approved amendments to the state Islamic Family Enactment to raise the minimum marriage age for Muslim women to 18 years.
Speaking at the assembly this week, speaker Datuk Juhari Bulat said the amendment involved raising the age of marriage for women from 16 to 18 years old as well as the punishment for polygamy without court permission.
The punishment is imprisonment for one year or a fine of RM3,000 compared to six months imprisonment or a fine of RM1,000 previously.
“If you want to get married, there is any problem, you can apply through the court, if the court finds that the candidate should be allowed even if she is 16 years old, she can marry with the court’s permission.
Speaker Datuk also said Muslim girls aged below 18 who wished to get married may seek approval from the court.
“If the court decides that the applicant should be allowed (to enter marriage) despite being 16 years, the applicant may get married with the court’s approval.
“Those doing so without the court’s approval will be fined,” he told reporters at the end of today’s assembly sitting.
Juhari added that lawmakers also approved an amendment to increase the current RM1,000 fine and six months’ jail for those entering polygamy without obtaining the court’s consent to RM3,000 and one-year jail term respectively.
Petrol price has officially been raised above N165 across all regions in the country.
Guardian reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited approved an upward review in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from N165 per litre to N179 per litre, effective today, Tuesday July 19.
In a notice to fuel marketers, the NNPC ordered a change of petrol price on pumps to the new price effective today. This is also coming after the company equally increased the ex-depot price from N148.17 to N167 per litre.
This is coming after fuel queues resurfaced across the country, with fuel retailers adopting different price bands to force unofficial deregulation attempts
A man has gone viral for wearing a skirt to work after the company he works for banned men from wearing shorts despite the summer heat.
The UK is suffering through one of its most extreme heat waves ever.
The extreme summer heat wave, which meteorologists call an “apocalypse” caused a runway to “melt” at Royal Air Force Airport.
The heat has also caused Brits to strip to their bathing suits as they visit beaches and pools to cool off.
For the first time, the Met Office issued a “Red warning” in response to the extraordinary heat.
“The Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said in a statement: “It is important people plan for the heat and consider changing their routines. This level of heat can have adverse health effects.”
Due to the heat, workers have been wearing less, with many forgoing suits for shorts.
One company decided to ban shorts and a male employee responded to the ban by wearing a skirt to work.
He shared a photo of himself in a shirt tucked into a skirt on Twitter.
His caption reads: “Work dress code states no shorts.”
His photo immediately went viral, with many commending him.
Asked whether he got in trouble for wearing a skirt, he said that hasn’t happened yet.
The wedding introduction of gospel artiste, Mercy Chinwo, and her fiance, Pastor Blessed Uzochikwa, the head pastor of The Water Brook Church in Lagos, was held on Monday July 18.
The couple announced their engagement in June.
See more photos and videos from the introduction below…
Ukrainian football club, Shakhtar Donetsk have demanded that they receive €50million (£43million) worth of damages from FIFA for lost transfer fees following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Last month, the governing body ruled that foreign players and coaches in Ukraine can suspend their contracts with clubs until 30 June 2023, in light of Russia‘s invasion of the country.
13-time Ukrainian champions Shakhtar believe they have missed out on significant revenue as a result and have appealed against the ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The club had 14 foreign players in the squad before Russia’s invasion and planned to sell them to help cover their losses which have stacked up since fighting started in late February.
However, FIFA’s ruling in June means that these players are able to join new clubs without Shakhtar receiving any compensation.
In a letter addressed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, seen by The Athletic, the Ukrainian club’s CEO Sergei Palkin said: ‘Because of FIFA’s decision, FC Shakhtar has lost a chance to transfer four foreign players for the total amount of about €50m.
‘Four foreign players immediately withdrew from further negotiations regarding their potential transfers.
The players’ agents advised them to withdraw from negotiations in order to leave the club without any compensation, which would allow them to secure more lucrative arrangements with new employers.’
Palkin told The Athletic that the club had agreed a £6.4million fee with Fulham for Israeli winger Manor Solomon, but he is now set to join the Premier League club on a free loan.
Also, Brazilian midfielder Tete has joined Lyon on a free loan after Shakhtar claim they were in negotiations with the French club to sell the 22-year-old.
‘Everyone believes we are one football family,’ Palkin told The Athletic. ‘This decision just crossed out this slogan. We are not one football family because nobody cares about Ukrainian clubs. This is a very big pity. FIFA does not care about us.’
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a new contract with AC Milan that ties him to the Serie A champions until next year.
Zlatan who turns 41 in just three months has defied the odds to still play at the top level and helped AC Milan win the serie A title last season.
According to Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano, Ibrahimovic has officially put pen to paper on a new deal with Milan and is expected to bag £15,000 per week with the Rossoneri, a far cry from the £250,000 weekly salary he earned at his epak with Manchester United.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic has just signed his new official contract with AC Milan until June 2023.
0“He will play for one more season as expected,” Fabrizio Romano wrote on Twitter.
Ibrahimovic has played for some of the best clubs in the world, such as Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
He joined United in 2016 and impressed during his two-year stint at Old Trafford as he scored 29 goals and bagged 10 assists in 53 appearances before his move to Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy.
He initially joined Milan on loan in 2010 from Barcelona before making his transfer permanent a year later.
His first spell with the Rossoneri lasted only two years as he later moved to PSG but returned in 2020.
The star centre-forward has netted 92 goals and registered 35 assists in 158 appearances across all competitions with Milan.
Banks listed on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange scooped a total of N36.04 billion from account maintenance charges in the first quarter of 2022. This is according to data extracted from the quarterly financial statements of listed commercial banks in the Nigerian stock market.
Zenith Bank, Access Bank and GTB led the list of banks in Nigeria with the highest income from current account maintenance in the period under review. The amount generated from account maintenance charges in Q1 2022, represents a 17.5% increase compared to N30.67 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021.
According to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the account maintenance fee are charged on current accounts only in respect of customer-induced debit transactions to third parties and debit transfers/lodgements to the customer’s account in another bank.
Banks’ earnings from account maintenance charges, though low when compared to other revenue streams, still make up a significant portion of their non-interest income. According to the directive by the CBN on bank charges, Nigerian banks are allowed to charge their customers a “negotiable” N1 per mille.
What this means is that banks can charge N1 per N1000 debit transactions on current accounts. Banks’ account maintenance charges come in the form of COT (i.e., Commission on Turnover) which is a charge levied on customer withdrawals by their banks.
Below is a ranking of Nigerian commercial banks based on their account maintenance earnings in the first quarter of 2022.
#5: UBA – N3.92 billion
United Bank for Africa came fifth on the list with N3.92 billion revenue from account maintenance, which is 24.5% higher than N3.15 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021.
The pan African bank’s account maintenance income accounts for 10.9% of the total N36.04 billion recorded by the 12 banks under consideration. In terms of the bottom line, UBA grew its profit after tax by 8.8% year-on-year to N41.49 billion in the review period.
#4: First Bank – N4.14 billion
First Bank of Nigeria saw its account maintenance income increase marginally by 2.2% from N4.05 billion generated in Q1 2021 to N4.14 billion in the same period of 2022. It accounted for 11.5% of the total account maintenance income of the industry.
First Bank’s profit after tax increased significantly by 107.7% year-on-year to N32.4 billion in Q1 2022 from N15.59 billion posted in the previous year.
#3: GT Bank – N5.17 billion
GT Bank generated a sum of N5.17 billion from account maintenance income between January and March 2022. This represents a 23.8% increase compared to N4.18 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021.
However, its net profit dropped by 5.1% compared to N45.55 billion recorded as of the same period in the previous year to stand at N43.21 billion.
#2: Access Bank – N6.04 billion
Access Bank, the largest financial institution in the country by customer base and total asset value, with a total asset of N12.08 trillion, recorded a 16.2% year-on-year increase in its account maintenance income in Q1 2022 to stand at N6.04 billion from N5.2 billion.
In a similar fashion, the newly restructured bank grew its profit after tax to N57.39 billion from last year’s figure of N52.55 billion, representing a 9.2% year-on-year increase.
#1: Zenith Bank – N9.27 billion
Zenith Bank seats comfortably in top position having generated a sum of N9.27 billion from account maintenance, representing 25.7% of the total income by the 12 banks. Zenith Bank increased its account maintenance income by 17.6% compared to N7.88 billion that was made in Q1 2021.
Similarly, the tier-1 giant printed a year-on-year 9.7% increase in its profit after tax to N58.19 billion compared to N53.06 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021. In comparison to other listed banks, Zenith Bank recorded the highest net profit, representing 21% of the total N275.7 billion recorded by the industry in the period under review.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a shock return to LaLiga to join his former club’s rival Atletico Madrid.
Spanish outlet Diario AS have published a sensational report that the player could be on his way to city rivals Atletico Madrid in what would be a dagger to the hearts of all Los Blancos fans.
Ronaldo, 37, has already made it clear that he wants to leave Manchester United this summer.
According to the report, Ronaldo’s representatives have made contact with Diego Simeone’s side and persuaded the Argentine manager to make a move for the player.
Ronaldo who scored 311 goals in 292 games for Real Madrid including claming victory over Atletico in two Champions League finals in three years, is hated by Atleti fans, and a move would surely create friction with the fanbase.
This comes Portuguese legend took to Instagram to deny rumours of a return to Sporting, after a photo was posted by Sport TV Portugal claiming his car was spotted at the club’s stadium.
But Ronaldo was straight to the point with his response to the claims, simply commenting: ‘Fake’.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin has admitted his nation is facing ‘colossal’ problems due to the unprecedented Western sanctions over Ukraine.
The Kremlin chief said the West’s sanctions had cut Russia off from major technology products and conceded the nation could not develop in complete isolation, but added it would be impossible to fully sever Moscow’s connection to the rest of the world.
‘This is a huge challenge for our country,’ the president said today during a video conference with other Russian officials.
‘Realising the colossal amount of difficulties we are facing, we will look for new solutions in an energetic and competent manner.
‘Clearly, we cannot develop in isolation from the rest of the world, but we won’t. In today’s world, you can’t just, you know, circle everything with a compass and put up a huge fence, it’s just not possible.’
Many top tech companies including Apple, Microsoft and Intel suspended their operations in Russia or left the country altogether after Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, leaving Russia with few domestic alternatives.
Putin also said that many fast-growing Russian firms in the sector, such as online retailer Ozon or internet company Yandex, had their growth stunted as their access to Western financing had been severed.
But the warmongering Russian leader said the nation would focus on developing ‘sovereign ‘technology and innovation from domestic companies, calling on the nation’s finance ministry and banks to make plans for major cash injections.
‘I very much look forward to detailed proposals from both the finance ministry and the Bank of Russia,’ Putin declared.
His admission that Western sanctions are crippling Russia’s tech industry came as EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss fresh proposals of yet more sanctions.
Ministers from EU nations are reviewing a potential ban on gold exports, among other things, to further cripple the Russian economy.
The European bloc’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said that at the moment ‘the most important thing is a ban on Russian gold’, which is Moscow’s second-largest export industry after energy.
Aero Contractors has announced the temporary suspension of flights from Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
In a statement released today, July 18, the airline said the temporary suspension would not affect the maintenance activities of the Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO), otherwise known as AeroMRO, or the Approved Training Organisation (ATO), also known as Aero Training School; and its helicopter and charter services operations.
The statement, titled “Aero suspends scheduled commercial flight operations”, reads: “Due to the impact of the challenging operating environment on our daily operations, the management of Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd. wishes to announce the temporary suspension of its scheduled passenger services operations with effect from Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
“This decision was carefully considered and taken due to the fact that most of our aircrafts are currently undergoing maintenance, resulting in our inability to offer a seamless and efficient service to our esteemed customers.
“We are working to bring these aircrafts back to service in the next few weeks, so we can continue to offer our passengers the safe, efficient, and reliable services that Aero Contractors is known for, which is the hallmark of Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd.”
A bride has sadly been shot dead at her own wedding ceremony after a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire hit her in the head.
Mahvash Leghaei, 24, got married at Firuzabad in Iran when a guest, who is believed to be a cousin of the groom, fired his unlicensed high-powered hunting rifle. The bullet reportedly went straight through her skull and also injured two male guests at the event.
Police spokesman Colonel Mehdi Jokar said: ‘We had an emergency call of a shooting at a wedding hall in Firuzabad city and officers were dispatched immediately.
‘The officers discovered that somebody had fired shots with a hunting rifle as part of the local nomad tradition, but unfortunately because of the crowds and the person’s poor control of the weapon, he managed to shoot three people, two men and the bride.
‘The shooter then fled the area but police located the man still carrying the unlicensed hunting rifle that had been fired at the wedding.’
According to initial reports two bullets were fired, the first without incident, but the second hitting the bride in the head, passing through her brain and hitting the two other guests.
The police spokesman said the bride was placed in a coma and later died but the two others who had been shot were not seriously injured.
The shooter was identified as a 36-year-old who was not named but was reportedly a cousin of the groom.
The police spokesman added: ‘Naturally any disturbance of public order like this crosses the red line with the police need to act, and people need to know that to create a safe community shooting is banned at weddings.
‘We will take tough action against anybody found to be breaking this rule.’
The victim’s family said her organs were donated and they have helped three people.
The custom of firing a gun at weddings is illegal but still common in the Middle East.
Ghana has officially confirmed two cases of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease similar to Ebola.
Tests conducted in Ghana came back positive on July 10, but the results had to be verified by a laboratory in Senegal for the cases to be considered confirmed, according to the World Health Organization.
One case was a 26-year-old male who checked into a hospital on 26 June 2022 and died on 27 June. The second case was a 51 -year-old male who reported to the hospital on 28 June and died on the same day. Both cases sought treatment at the same hospital within days of each other.
Ghana Health Service (GHS) said in a statement;
“Further testing at the Institute Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal has corroborated the results.”
GHS is working to reduce any risk of the virus spreading, including the isolation of all identified contacts, none of whom have developed any symptoms so far, it said.
This is only the second outbreak of Marburg in West Africa. The first ever case of the virus in the region was detected last year in Guinea, with no further cases identified.
There have been a dozen major Marburg outbreaks since 1967, mostly in southern and eastern Africa. Fatality rates have varied from 24 percent to 88 percent in past outbreaks depending on the virus strain and case management, according to the WHO.
It is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials, the WHO says.
Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. It is only the second time the zoonotic disease has been detected in West Africa. Guinea confirmed a single case in an outbreak that was declared over on 16 September 2021, five weeks after the initial case was detected.
A West Virginia woman woke from a two-year coma after being brutally attacked and identified her brother as the assailant.
Wanda Palmer had been in a long term care facility in New Martinsville, West Virginia, after being beaten in her home in June of 2020, according to the West Virginia Metro News.
When Palmer was discovered, Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellenger said she was so savagely attacked, authorities thought she was dead.
Last week, the care facility where Palmer was kept contacted authorities to let them know the woman had come out of her coma.
Medical staff told authorities that, despite suffering brain damage from the assault, Palmer was able to speak enough to identify her assailant.
“The keys to the whole thing lay with the victim herself and with her unable to communicate we were left with nothing. Now low and behold two years later and boom, she’s awake and able to tell us exactly what happened,” Sheriff Mellenger told Metro News.
Daniel Palmer, Wanda Palmer’s brother, was arrested after being identified as the attacker.
“He didn’t give us any fight or anything. There was a little bit of surprise, but not entirely,” Mellenger told Metro News of the arrest.
Officials said they believed Daniel Palmer attacked his sister with a machete or a hatchet.
He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and malicious wounding.
The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has said he is not underestimating the ‘ability of Peter Obi to lead his party to victory’ in the 2023 presidential election.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and a frontline candidate in respect of the forthcoming elections.
He has a massive following online and among the youths.
Adamu while speaking on Obi’s candidacy during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, described the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential candidate as someone who is “well-grounded”, but said his party, the APC, is “better organized”, and would win the 2023 presidency.
“Peter Obi… I knew him when he was Governor of Anambra State; I visited him when I was governor or minister. These are people that mean well from their outbursts, as far as I’m concerned. They are well-grounded, I don’t have any doubt about that. So, I have no reason whatsoever to underestimate their ability to lead their party to victory. But I’m telling you that we are better organised,” Adamu said.
Ajax have offered £19million plus-add-ons to sign Super Eagles of Nigeria defender Calvin Bassey from Rangers.
Bassey has been lined up by Ajax to replace Lisandro Martinez who is joining Manchester united for £46m.
Rangers are keen to retain Bassey in the wake of his excellent breakout season and have placed a £25million price tag on the player.
Coach Alfred Schreuder identified Bassey as his preferred replacement for Martinez, with one report in the Netherlands claiming they have already spoken by phone.
The versatile defender is also attracting interest from the Serie A and Bundesliga with at least seven sides tracking the 22-year-old.
The defender, who still has two years on his deal left, made 50 appearances across all competitions last season and was named in the Europa League team of the season following the club’s run to the final.
He also played a key role as Rangers won the Scottish Cup in May, adding to the Scottish Premiership title he won the previous campaign.
Prophet Godfrey Gbujie of the Ministerial Leader of World Zionist Union has said that the presidential bid of the candidate of the Labour Party ( LP), Mr. Peter Obi was not ordinary, stating that there were strong spiritual forces backing him in the race.
Speaking in Awka yesterday, Gbujie said Nigerians might witness surprises in the polls and called for prayers for a peaceful exercise.
He said: “The level of problems we are witnessing now will be a child’s play to what shall happen next year and so everyone should pray and prepare because things will not be easy.
“What is happening around Peter Obi ahead of 2023 presidential election is not ordinary and everybody especially those in authorities should be very careful.
“I am saying this because nothing happens accidentally in the religious, economic and socio-political realm.
“The hand of God is behind what is happening around Peter Obi, especially the mass support from the youths across the country.
“This calls for serious warning for those at the corridors of power. Obi, Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and many others have been listed among actors to fulfill the divine plans for the country.”
Portable, the controversial singer, hasflared up on yet another public outburst over the situation of things in Nigeria.
In a video that surfaced online on Friday night, the fast-rising musician ranted in the Yoruba language while cursing “anyone who votes for the politicians who put Nigeria in this condition”.
Portable, who appeared to have filmed the footage at the Abuja airport, lamented that his flight to Lagos was delayed and that the excuse was no fuel to move the plane.
He also claimed he is being asked to refund payment made to him for a show he was supposed to perform after the money had been spent.
“I’ve suffered. The money I already spent. You should talk about paying another one. Are you kidding? Is the fault not with Nigeria as a country? A whole Abuja? No fuel inside the airplane. If you all are man enough, vote for the bad politicians,” he said.
“They’ve conned your generation. You can’t con us the way you conned our grandparents. It should be us enslaving you all. Imagine [them] telling me to refund the money paid for the show.”
It is not exactly clear if the refund Portable speaks of is for a stage performance not delivered.
It also remains to be seen if his rant is directed toward his political engagements in Osun state.
Portable earlier endorsed Gboyega Oyetola, the governor of Osun who is seeking a second term in the ongoing election.
He had flaunted wads of naira notes given to him by the governor.
Photos also surfaced last Thursday showing Portable performing at a road show campaign for Oyetola.
Portable’s outburst comes as the latest in a series of controversies involving the singer.
He had previously called out Davido, the Afropop star, for unfollowing him on social media.
The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said that it is difficult to control the sexual libido of Internally Displaced People IDPs after 80 babies were delivered in its IDP camps in the state in seven months.
The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr Emmanuel Shior, disclosed this to newsmen during the agency’s monthly distribution of relief materials to the IDPs on Friday, July 15.
He said that the deliveries were registered by the agency and most of the IDPs were staying with their partners and this accounted for the high number of births recorded in the camps.
“The agency is very strict on illicit sexual affairs in the camps. It is very difficult to control the tide of births in the camps, the IDPs are human beings.
It is the nature of man, even when they don’t have food to eat, they have the desire for sex; that cannot be taken away from the IDPs. Most of them have their families at the camps.
The aspect we try to control is unmarried people sleeping with each other; other unlawful sexual acts are also forbidden in the camps” Shior said
