Author: Tahir Ahmed

By Abubakar Ojima-Ojo Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League as Declan Rice’s thunderbolt sealed a 1-0 win against top-five rivals Newcastle on Sunday. Rice’s brilliant second-half strike at the Emirates Stadium guaranteed Arsenal will compete in Europe’s elite club competition next season. Mikel Arteta’s side ended a five-game winless streak to avoid a nervous last day of the season next weekend, with the battle for top-five places no longer a concern for the Gunners. Second-placed Arsenal are likely to finish as Premier League runners-up for a third successive season after failing to keep pace with champions Liverpool. The…

By Abubakar Ojima-Ojo The Flying Eagles have won the U-20 AFCON a record eight times. Photo: CAF Online. Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have won the bronze medal at the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after beating hosts Egypt on penalties. The game ended 1-1 after normal and extra time. But the Flying Eagles won 4-1 following the spot kicks. The victory marked Nigeria’s fifth bronze medal and 14th top-three finish in U-20 AFCON history. Nigeria were hoping to finish strong after missing out on the final spot, however, Egypt’s Osama Omar struck early in the third minute to unsettle Aliyi…

By NEXTER The North Central People’s Forum (NCPF) has called for a correction in the appointment of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) board to ensure fairness and equity among its constituent states. The forum said that the composition of the NCDC’s board and Executive Management, as it is currently, does not reflect the principles of inclusion, balance, and fairness across all states in the zone. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had last week forwarded to the Senate the list of 19 nominees for the newly established North Central, South West, and South South Development Commissions, seeking their statutory screening and…

By NEXTER The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a 21-year-old female suspected arms trafficker in a mission that cut across key local government areas of the state. The suspect, Fatima Salisu, a native of Funtua town in Katsina State, was intercepted at a Azuba area of Lafia local government while allegedly transporting a deadly haul of ammunition through Keana and Doma LGAs, en route to deliver the consignment to criminal elements in Katsina. The command’s public relations officer, SP Ramhan Nansel said the arrest followed credible intelligence on the movement of the woman. “Acting swiftly on the intelligence tip-off,…

By Abubakar Yunusa Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in induced coma following surgery for an abdominal injury. According to the BBC, the Super Eagles striker was intubated on Tuesday evening following the first phase of the surgery. An induced coma is a state of unconsciousness deliberately administered by medical professionals to focus the energy on healing a particular part of the body. On Sunday, Awoniyi suffered an abdominal injury after colliding with the post in Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw against Leicester at the City Ground. A day later, he was operated on and remains in the hospital as the medical…

By Abubakar Ojima-Ojo Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has had “urgent” surgery on a serious abdominal injury sustained in last weekend’s Premier League match with Leicester, it was announced Tuesday. The Nigeria international, 27, collided with the post in the 88th minute of the 2-2 draw at the City Ground as he attempted to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga while under challenge from the Foxes’ Facundo Buonanotte. “The club can confirm Taiwo Awoniyi has undergone urgent surgery following an abdominal injury sustained during Sunday’s match against Leicester City,” said a Forest statement. “Everyone at Nottingham…

By NEXTER A non-governmental organisation, Accountability Lab Nigeria, has called for the strengthening of existing legislation on data privacy, digital rights, and freedom of expression in Nigeria. It specifically advocated for full implementation of the Data Protection Law in order to be able to curtail breaches. NEXTER reports that in furtherance of numerous municipal and international instruments on the fundamental right to privacy and in recognition of the unprecedented, positive impact of Nigeria Digital Economy and Policy Strategy (NDEPS) on datafication of the nation’s economy, the Federal Government of Nigeria signed into law the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. The…

By NEXTER Pix:At the Nasarawa Trade Fair, a sea of onlookers encircled the Dangote Peugeot 5008. Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has urged Dangote Industries Limited to consider investing in more sectors of the State economy. The Governor who was speaking at the ongoing Nasarawa Trade Fair Exhibition said Nasarawa is home to solid mineral resources, adding that the strategic partnership between the duo will speed up Nigeria’s industrialization project. Representing the Governor, Hon. Muhammed Sani Otto, Nasarawa State’s Commissioner for Trade, Industry, and Investment, commended the Dangote Group for its outstanding performance at the Nasarawa Sugar Company Limited…

By NEXTER The Amalgamated Civil Societies of Nigeria (ACN) has urged the general public, social media users, and well-meaning Nigerians that after thorough investigations, it has uncovered a coordinated plot by faceless actors within the “Dirty Oil Mafia” to sponsor fabricated stories and protests against Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari, the immediate-past Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). These elements, driven by motives yet unexplained, aim to pitch the current administration against Kyari through extortion, mischief, and unsubstantiated claims devoid of empirical evidence. This was contained in a statement Thursday by its Convener, Comrade Wale…

By Mohammed Aliyu A piece of news which many will term as insignificant has been generating interest in faraway Yobe State for about two weeks now. It was an information requesting or rather urging representatives of communities without access to portable water in the state to come forward and be provided same. The information which was earlier posted on the facebook wall of the originator, Kashim Musa Tumsah, one of the state’s stakeholders, went viral and trended with even some major national dailies publishing it on their news pages. One needs not to herald a guess that at the core…