Author: nmkdj

Nigeria International striker  Victor Osimhen can now leave  Napoli permanently  in the forthcoming January Transfer Windows after the Italian Serie A side  reportedly backed down  on  his release clause to €90m (about N167,699,629,800.00). Osimhen missed moving to top European clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester  United as the English Premier League sides  refused to meet the humongous €130m (about N242,076,133,390.00) release  clause by Napoli. The 25-year-old striker  is now  on  loan to Galatasaray until the end of the 2024–25 season after negotiations with Al-Ahli, Chelsea, and PSG  reportedly collapsed during the summer transfer window. Galatasaray’s  vice-president Ibrahim Hatipoglu said recently that  Osimhen was happy  in Turkey, hence  he won’t leave to any club in January . Osimhen extended…

FIFA banned Cameroon football federation president Samuel Eto’o for six months over his conduct at a Women’s Under-20 World Cup match. The former Barcelona star was deemed guilty of breaching FIFA’s rules relating to “offensive behaviour, violation of the principles of fair-play and misconduct of players and officials”. The charges relate to Cameroon’s last-16 game against Brazil, which the South Americans won 3-1 after extra time. Eto’o and the Cameroon delegation saw red over a penalty that led to Brazil’s equaliser at the match in Bogota, Colombia on September 11.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick is delighted to have midfielder Frenkie de Jong back available after injury ahead of the Champions League match against Young Boys on Tuesday. The Dutch international will be named in the squad to face the Swiss champions and Flick says he is ready for a brief cameo, having not played since April. De Jong, 27, has been out since then with an ankle injury and missed the European Championship this summer as a result. “This is super good news to have Frenkie back with us, whether it’s for five or 10 minutes, he’s very important for us,” Flick…

Atletico Madrid said on Monday they had permanently banned a fan for throwing objects onto the field during the weekend’s heated derby draw with Real Madrid. Sunday’s match at Atletico’s Estadio Metropolitano was halted for 15 minutes after home fans threw objects including lighters at Madrid players. Atletico claimed a late point thanks to Angel Correa’s 95th-minute equaliser. “Our security department continues to work with the police to identify the rest of those involved, who will be permanently expelled as soon as they are located,” Atletico said. “The club’s firm conviction to eradicate any form of violence and our defence…

Recently, the federal government announced the establishment of a “Disaster Relief Fund” to address national disasters like flooding. I struggled to understand the aim and objectives. Yes, there is no doubt that when disasters occur, it is incumbent on the government to provide relief for those affected promptly to cushion the effect of such disasters. Does the country have a framework for addressing disaster situations, and have the agencies involved in disaster management lived up to expectations? While establishing the Disaster Relief Fund seems a brilliant one on the surface, it left many unanswered questions about the core…

In the run up to the anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s one year in office, not a few ministers took up copious spaces in print, electronic and social media spaces to advertise/celebrate their “extra-ordinary performances” in office within 12 months. Some smart ones commissioned write-ups or hired praise singers. It was all part of the game of survival in a political space with limited oxygen. When it was his turn to sing his own praises, he authored a news commentary outlining (not eulogising) the achievements of his principal, President Tinubu. He did not do embellishments. He did not exaggerate.…

A painting that was found by a junk dealer while he was clearing out the cellar of a home in Capri, and was regularly decried by his wife as “horrible”, is an original portrait by Pablo Picasso, Italian experts have claimed. After he stumbled across the painting in 1962, Luigi Lo Rosso took the rolled-up canvas home with him to Pompeii, where it hung in a cheap frame on the living room wall for the next few decades. The portrait, which is now believed by its owners to be a distorted image of Dora Maar, a French photographer and painter…

In the realm of public service and governance, reputation is a cornerstone of lasting impact. For any individual or institution aiming to earn respect and foster trust, cultivating a strong and honorable public image is imperative. This is particularly true for Rt. Hon. Dr. Musa Ahmed Mohammed, the Accountant-General of Nasarawa State, whose professional and economic contributions have been instrumental in shaping both local and national development. Baraden Nasarawa, as he is widely known, has emerged as a pivotal figure in Nasarawa State, distinguished by his commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical leadership. His influence extends beyond the financial sector,…

Communities in Nasarawa State are recovering degraded farmlands through oil palms, mahogany, cashews and other economic trees to improve their livelihood and checkmate climate change. (Synopsis) In Nasarawa Eggon local government area of Nasarawa State, the Agunji community’s “Malaysian oil palm plantations” revolution dream is already evolving. The 1, 500 improved oil palm seedlings from the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) donated to it at the commencement of the wet season last year have transformed from mere seedlings. Across three farmlands belonging to the community, plantations are gradually emerging with the transplanted sprouts of 2023 in rows running…

Stakeholders in North Central states have decried the increasing impact of climate change on livelihood across the zone and called for collaborative efforts aimed at addressing the situation. At an event organised by the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), stakeholders agreed that climate change effect such land degradation occasion by incessant yearly flood, decreasing rainfall, deforestation among others have affected agricultural activities across the zone. Our correspondent reports that agriculture is the main occupation of people in the area with the zone said to be contributing more than 30 percent of the country’s yearly yields. The stakeholders which were…