Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked the news milling about that the commission budgeted N6 billion to feed the Police during the election in 2019. In a statement issued, INEC said, “There is no budget head for feeding the police in the INEC Election Budget”. 415 Views
The 2018 U.S. Open doesn\’t kick off until August 27, but tennis fans are already getting pumped. Why? Well, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the tennis match. And more importantly, Serena Williams is hitting the court once again. Of course, she\’ll be wearing Nike, like always. But this year, the athletic brand turned to Off-White and Louis Vuitton Men\’s Virgil Abloh to help design her dress. \”With Serena, we have one of our generation\’s most powerful, inspiring athletes as the muse,\” Abloh explains in a statement. \”I was trying to embody her spirit and bring something compelling and fresh to tennis.\” Don\’t be jealous. You can grab your own Virgil Abloh x Nike design, too. Later this month, Abloh\’s creations, which are titled The Queen Collection, will be up for grabs at select Nike stores. The roster includes an asymmetric, tulle dress that comes in two different colors, a bomber jacket, and three sneaker designs to choose from. There\’s the NikeCourt Flare 2, The Ten: Nike Air Max 97, and The Ten: Nike Blazer Mid SW. 371 Views
Since last year, numerous Nigerians have taken to social media to accuse officers of the unit of several misconducts ranging from harassment, extortion, assault to extra-judicial killings. This has led to relentless calls for the unit to be completely scrapped to ease the fears of Nigerians who live in dread of the unit. In a statement issued by Osinbajo\’s spokesperson, Laolu Akande, the Acting President ordered the IGP to shut down the unit \”with immediate effect\”. The statement read, \”Following persistent complaints and reports on the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that border on allegations of human rights violations, His Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, Acting-President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, has directed the Inspector General of Police to, with immediate effect, overhaul the management and activities of SARS and ensure that any unit that will emerge from the process, will be intelligence-driven and restricted to the prevention and detection of armed robbery and kidnapping, and apprehension of offenders linked to the stated offences, and nothing more. \”The Acting President has also directed the IGP to ensure that all operatives in the emerging unit conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to International Humanitarian Law and the constitutionally guaranteed rights of suspects. The operatives should also bear proper identification any time they are on duty. \”In the meantime, the Acting President has directed the National Human Rights Commission to set up a Committee that will conduct nation-wide investigation of the alleged unlawful activities of SARS in order to afford members of the general public the opportunity to present their grievances with a view to ensuring redress.\” While speaking at a town hall meeting at the launch of National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, Clinics in Ibadan, Oyo State on June 26, 2018, Osinbajo had disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari was concerned with the operations of SARS and had already ordered a review of the unit. The vice president further said the unit cannot be scrapped but be rehabilitated to curb the atrocities of the bad eggs. End SARS campaign When the earlier calls for the scrapping of the unit grew in December 2017, IGP Idris ordered the reorganisation of SARS\’ operational roles and activities. Under the reviewed arrangement, state Commissioners of Police were installed as overall heads of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad nationwide. The IGP also ordered for all SARS personnel nationwide to undergo a new training program to be organized in collaboration with some civil society organisations, local and international NGOs, and other human rights organisations. Despite the reorganisation, the calls to scrap the unit resurfaced again this year with the unit still operating with impunity that mostly targeted Nigerian youths. 685 Views
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday said that he was confident President Muhammadu Buhari would win the 2019 elections. Tinubu made the statement in Lagos while addressing party members at a stakeholders meeting of the state chapter. He said that the president had acquitted himself as a leader so far inspite of the challenges of governance. The APC leader condemned what he called the frequent attacks on Buhari-led administration by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He said that the criticisms of Obasanjo were in bad faith, pointing out that he could not stop Nigerians from re-electing the president. “Our president, President Muhammadu Buhari has done well, he deserves another term, and we will support him to win because he is our man. “Forget about Obasanjo’s letter and his frequent attacks on our president, he cannot stop the president because Nigerians would re-elect him. “Obasanjo has spent his own time; he should leave Buhari alone and face his business because he cannot tell us who to vote for. “He is part of some of the challenges we are facing in the country today, because he did not lay the right foundation when he was president,” he said. Tinubu added that the exit of some members from the APC would also not stop the re-election of President Buhari. The chieftain said that the party was unshaken by the defections and was on course to recording victories in the 2019 election. Tinubu said that the results of the Kogi, Katsina and Bauchi bye elections, in which the APC was victorious, were a precursor to the pattern of the general elections. “I congratulate the winners in the election and their victory is proof that our party is getting more popular by the day. “Those who want to defect can defect, that is their problem. APC remains unshaken and these people will know the reality in the election,” he said. He commended the National Chairman of the party, Mr Adams Oshiomole, saying members were pleased with what he was doing in the party. He said that the direct primary system was good for democracy, and the party would adopt it to conduct its primaries. Tinubu urged members to play by the rules in electing candidates at the primaries. He urged the members to mobilse others to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards as that was necessary for victory in 2019. 686 Views
The demand was made in the budget for the general elections presented to the House of Representatives by the commission on Wednesday, August 15, The Punch reports. Surprised by the figure, the lawmakers have asked the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, to defend it the amount requested. 653 Views
A member of the House of Representatives, Sunday Katung (PDP-Zangon Kataf/Jaba), has blamed undue rivalry between the executive and National Assembly for the slow pace of development in the country. Katung made this known on Wednesday, August 15, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Zonkwa, Kaduna state. The lawmaker attributed the rivalry between the two arms of government to “selfish interests” thereby depriving the larger society the opportunity to reap dividends of democracy. He expressed regret that the two arms of government were not paying enough attention to germane issues bordering on the collective interests of Nigerians, but more with matters that only benefit them. Katung called on stakeholders come together to tackle the problem including the security situation in the country in the overall interest of the Nigerian people yearning for progress. The lawmaker assured his constituents of quality representation at all times and urged them to support him with suggestions and ideas that would make his work more relevant to their yearnings and aspirations. He said his priorities for the constituency included skills acquisition for the teeming unemployed youth, computer literacy and sports development among others. The Presidency has denied reports that the Electoral Act amendment bill passed by the National Assembly was rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari. The senior special adviser to the president on National Assembly matters, Ita Enang, said the bill which was passed by the lawmakers on on July 24 and transmitted to President Buhari on August 3 is still awaiting the President’s assent. 699 Views
Emery has faced a dilemma ahead of the new season with both Aubameyang and Lacazette competing for the role as Arsenal’s spearhead in attack. Aubameyang started as the central striker in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday but his role changed when Lacazette replaced Aaron Ramsey in the second half. When asked about his relationship with Lacazette, Aubameyang told ESPN: ‘We really get on well. ‘There is a spark between us when we are both on the pitch together. ‘We look for each other, we saw it [on Sunday] against City when he came on. ‘I don’t mind playing on the left if Laca is in the centre. We both want to do our best for the team.’ 401 Views
The 23-time Grand Slam champion fought back from a set down before losing 3-6 6-2 3-6 to the Czech in an entertaining contest at the Western and Southern Open. Kvitova picked up just her second win against the American great in seven attempts, although she has now picked up back-to-back victories over the 36-year-old. Williams had responded well to the heaviest defeat of her career against British No. 1 Johanna Konta in San Jose by thumping Daria Gavrilova in the first round and she put in a decent performance against 2018 WTA title leader Kvitova. And though she fell short, she was happy to perform at a ‘really high level’ and believes there’s a long, exciting road ahead of her. ‘I think it was a good match today,’ she said. ‘We both played at a really high level. Only one person could win. ‘You know, this is a long comeback. I just began. I just started — definitely at the very, very beginning. ‘I’m getting there, and I’m going to just continue to work hard and, hopefully, I’ll start winning more matches.’ Two-time Grand Slam winner Kvitova – who will go on to face Kristina Mladenovic in the third round – was full of praise for Williams, who forced her to dig deep to claim her 40th match win of the season. ‘It was a pleasure to share the court with Serena, she’s such a champion,’ Kvitova said. ‘We are both coming back – from injury, from motherhood – so it’s something really special to play her. ‘Unfortunately it’s in the second round, but playing a night session against Serena in front of a USA crowd, it’s been great.’ 469 Views
The 23-year-old joined Chelsea on a five-year deal for a fee of around £40million last summer but struggled in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, finding himself out of Antonio Conte’s starting XI towards the end of the campaign. While Maurizio Sarri’s arrival appeared to hand Bakayoko a lifeline and a chance to resurrect his Chelsea career, the France midfielder has agreed to a temporary move to the San Siro. Milan have the option to make their deal permanent at the end of the season but it appears Bakayoko sees his long-term future in the Premier League with Chelsea. ‘Wishing my Chelsea family the best this season! #TILWEMEETAGAIN,’ the former Monaco man told his followers on Instagram. The Frenchman also praised Milan for showing belief in him ahead of the 2018/19 campaign. ‘AC Milan, thank you for believing in me and for all the support,’ Bakayoko wrote in a separate post. New Chelsea boss Sarri hinted that Bakayoko could be one of the players out of the exit door this summer. ‘Now I think the squad is too large,’ the Italian said ahead of Chelsea’s victory over Huddersfield. 415 Views
The Swiss was stunned by Kevin Anderson at the All England Club just over a month ago, leading by two sets before the South African secured a remarkable comeback on Court 1. Federer returned to action for the first time on Tuesday evening, comfortably beating Peter Gojowczyk 6-4 6-4 in his first appearance in Cincinnati – where he’s a seven-time champion – since 2015. He withdrew from the Rogers Cup last week in order to keep his body fresh for the final Grand Slam of the year, but now believes he has a new-found fresh state of mind having beaten the German. And he’s made no secret of his ‘big goal’: to win the US Open. ‘I felt good in that first match, to be honest, walking out, hardly any nerves,’ he said. ‘I think I knew what I had to do. ‘It’s fast-court tennis. I knew my opponent was going to go for it and take big cuts at the ball. So there is only so much you can really do. ‘It’s nice to have played a match so that my last match was not the Anderson match… you’ve kind of turned the page. It’s a good thing. ‘The goal is now to recover from this match, take the positives with me. Of course, the big goal is the US Open.’ The 37-year-old will face Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer in the third round, after his 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 win over Lucas Pouille. Elsewhere, Nick Kyrgios saved match point with a second serve ace in a 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 7-6 (11-9) win over Denis Kudla, while Denis Shapovalov beat British No. 1 Kyle Edmund 6-4 7-5. Dominic Thiem was forced to withdraw from the tournament with a virus – a move which will allow Novak Djokovic to be a top-eight seed at the US Open unless results go dramatically against him this week. 465 Views
The 46-year-old is currently out of work after he resigned as Real Madrid manager in May just five days after guiding the club to their third consecutive Champions League trophy. Zidane also won La Liga with Madrid in 2017, as well as two Club World Cup trophies during his two-and-a-half years as first-team manager at the Santiago Bernabeu. According to L’Equipe, Zidane is already considering his next role and has his sights set on the Premier League. The report claims that the World Cup-winning midfielder is especially keen on managing Manchester United. Mourinho is under increased pressure to deliver success to United after failing to win a trophy at Old Trafford last season. Despite finishing 19 points behind Manchester City, Mourinho is adamant that last season’s second-placed finish in the Premier League should be considered as one of his ‘biggest achievements’. Mourinho, however, has been at odds with United’s hierarchy this summer, primarily over their refusal to sign an experienced central defender before the transfer window closed last Thursday. Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld and Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng were both wanted by Mourinho, but United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was unable to strike a deal for either player. Mourinho warned United’s board that the club face a ‘difficult season’ if the squad was not improved. And Mourinho also disagreed with Woodward over the future of Anthony Martial, with the United manager happy for the French forward to be sold. Last month, reports claimed that United have Zidane on their shortlist of candidates to replace Mourinho if the 55-year-old leaves at the end of the season. 368 Views
Late music legend, Sikiru Ololade Ayinde Balogun, MFR, (February 9, 1948 – December 16, 2010) better known by his stage name Ayinde Barrister was a Nigerian born Yoruba singer songwriter and music performer. He is regarded as one of the pioneers and revolutioneers of Fuji and Were music. After his first break into music in 1965, Ayinde Barrister went on to release over 146 studio albums. Ayinde Barrister was born to the family of Salawu Balogun of Ibadan, his father was a butcher, and while his mother Alhaja Shifau Odee Oshodi Was a trader. He had his early education at Muslim Mission School and the Model School, Mushin, Lagos. He later studied typing and other commercial related classes at Yaba Polytechnic. Ayinde Barrister started playing music at a young age as an ajiwere singer during the period of Ramadan; he continued playing music in between various jobs. He worked as a typist for Nigerian Breweries and was later enlisted as a clerk in the Nigerian Army during the Nigeria Civil War. He served in the 10th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army under. Col. Adeniran and fought in Awka, Abagana and Onitsha. On his return from the war, he was posted to the Army Signals Headquarters, Apapa and later to the Army Resettlement Centre, Oshodi. He left the army to become a full time musician and proceeded to start a full fledged band of 34 percussionists and vocalists called the \”Supreme Fuji Commanders\”. In 1966, Ayinde Barrister 413 Views