FAAN guard dies in Lagos airport (Punch)
A security man, identified as Usman Mohammed, of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, died on Friday while on duty at the General Aviation Terminal at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. According to eyewitnesses, the deceased fell and hit his head on the floor and some travellers, who were medical experts, tried resuscitating him for over five minutes, but eventually lost him. They said the airport’s emergency ambulance did not come on time. The immediate past General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Olayinka Abioye, confirmed the incident and said the deceased collapsed while on duty and died before receiving medical attention. Read more
God will not allow any other party in Lagos except APC – Oba Akiolu (Nation)
The Oba of Lagos, Oba Akiolu 1, has said that God will not allow any other party to take over governance in the state in the forthcoming general elections apart from the All Progressives Congress (APC). Oba Akiolu stated this in his remark yesterday at the 11th Annual Hijrah Lecture and inauguration of the new House of Assembly Mosque at the Assembly complex yesterday. The new mosque, he said, is unique especially as it is built inside the Assembly complex where bills are passed into laws. The Oba also pointed out that it is not enough to build mosque but that the custodians of the mosque should be properly taken care of. Read more
Buhari must win in 2019 for Yoruba’s chances in 2023 –Osinbajo (Punch)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday, restated that the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election would guarantee the South-West a shot at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in 2023. Osinbajo, who went on a house-to-house campaign in Oyo-Alaafin and held a 45-minute closed-door meeting with the Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, said the 2019 presidential election mattered to the Yoruba people of the South-West because the region had a larger interest in 2023. The vice president was accompanied to Oyo by Governor Abiola Ajimobi; the APC governorship candidate in the state, Chief Bayo Adelabu; a former Senate Leader and the APC senatorial candidate for Oyo Central Senatorial District, Senator Teslim Folarin, among others. Read more
Fasehun is one with nationalist blood, say Niger Delta groups (Guardian)
Some Niger-Delta groups, including the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG), Ijaw Professionals Association (IPA), Ijaw Elders Forum, Lagos, Ijaw Community, Lagos, Niger-Delta People’s Forum, NDPF (SW); Women Wing of the Niger-Delta People’s Forum, NDPF (SW) and a host of others in the Niger Delta region, led by their presidents, have described the late Dr. Frederick Fasehun as a Nigerian with nationalist blood. They said this when they paid a condolence’s visit to family of the late founder and leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in Lagos. Read more
2019 elections must not destabilise Nigeria, Ezekwesili warns (Punch)
The Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has urged politicians to avoid making statements capable of destabilising the country before, during and after the 2019 general elections. Speaking at a summit on ‘Violence-free election’ organised by the Presidential Summit Centre in collaboration with the Forum of Presidential Candidates in Abuja on Saturday, the former Minister of Education said President Muhammadu Buhari must lead by example. She said, “The idea that our election should end up destabilising the country is not something that I will ever subscribe to. Read more
We’ll report Amosun, Okorocha candidates to INEC for fraud – Oshiomhole (Punch)
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, says the APC will take action against the parties using President Muhammadu Buhari’s photographs for their campaigns. Oshiomhole said this on ‘The Platform’, a programme on TVC on Saturday while reacting to the crisis in the party’s chapters in Ogun and Imo states. He said the APC would write a letter of complaint to the Independent National Electoral Commission on the matter. Read more
Why we dumped Atiku, PDP – Bello (Nation)
Your group during the week dumped the PDP and Atiku to work for Buhari. What informed such decision? It is quite obvious that the leaders and chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not learn their lessons. It is now very clear that the party is not serious about returning to power in 2019. How do you expect a party that betrayed itself in 2015 to still win election come 2019 with the same set of characters that were at the saddle of command when APC defeated the party four years ago. Read more
Buhari may extend IG’s tenure by six months, CUPP kicks (Punch)
President Muhammadu Buhari may have approved a six-month tenure extension for the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, Sunday PUNCH has learnt. But the opposition political parties, under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties, are threatening to drag President Muhammadu Buhari before the court over the plannedtenure extension. The President was said to have agreed in principle to grant the IG additional six months in office to enable him to coordinate and supervise the forthcoming general elections in the country. Read more
Shun criminals masquerading as politicians, Dickson tells youths (Guardian)
The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has called on youths in the state not to be misled by criminals and cultists masquerading as politicians. Dickson said the sole motivation of such unscrupulous characters was to destabilise and subvert his administration’s achievements in the past seven years. The Governor made the comment during a live radio media chat in Yenagoa last Thursday. He advised politicians not to overheat the polity, as they go about their campaigns, insisting that people should be free to campaign and vote candidates of their choice. Read more
Dozens of migrants found dead on Mediterranean Sea (Nation)
No fewer than 25 people are believed to have died or are missing, including a pregnant woman, when a group of migrant boats got stranded at sea and was rescued off the Spanish coast on Thursday. Briefing reporters in Geneva on Friday, spokesperson for the UN High Commission Refugees (UNHCR), Elizabeth Throssell, said that colleagues in the field had reported that bodies had been found on two of the boats. “You can imagine how traumatising that was for the people who were rescued,” Ms Throssell said. According to reports, the migrants had sailed from North Africa. Read more
Deadly ‘volcano tsunami’ hits Indonesia (BBC)
At least 43 people have been killed and 584 injured after a tsunami hit the coast on Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, government officials say. The country’s disaster management agency says hundreds of buildings were damaged by Saturday’s tsunami. It says the possible cause of the tsunami was undersea landslides after the Krakatoa volcano erupted. The strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra, connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean. Read more
Opeyori, Adesokan win Rivers Governor’s Badminton Tourney (Guardian)
Anuoluwapo Opeyori and Dorcas Adesokan each won the top prize money of N300,000 after emerging champions in the men and women’s singles categories respectively of the Rivers Governor’s Badminton Championship, held yesterday at the Alfred Diette Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In the men’s class, Opeyori humbled Godwin Olofua 2-0 (22-20, 21-17), while Adesokan defeated Deborah Ukeh 2-1 (21-14, 18-21, 21-17) in the women’s cadre to emerge winners of the first edition of the championship. Read more
Norwich back on top of Championship after late winner (Guardian)
Norwich returned to the top of the Championship thanks to a late goal at Blackburn that earned them a 1-0 win on Saturday while West Brom thumped Rotherham 4-0. With leaders Leeds not playing until Sunday, Norwich knew a victory at Ewood Park would take them top and Teemu Pukki ensured they earned all three points with an 86th-minute goal. Dwight Gayle fired a hat-trick as West Brom kept the heat on the top two with their dismantling of Rotherham. Read more
Palace comeback stuns champions Man City (BBC)
Crystal Palace had what manager Roy Hodgson described as “one of those bonanza days” as they stunned Manchester City to leave Liverpool four points clear at the top of the Premier League. Andros Townsend smashed home a sublime 30-yard volley to help Palace cause the biggest shock of the campaign to date by claiming their first win at City for exactly 28 years and end the defending champions’ 100% home record in the top flight this season. “You get your work-rate as it should be, you get your shape and discipline as it should be, then you also score goals,” said former England boss Hodgson. Read more
Real Madrid win Club World Cup (Guardian)
Spain’s Real Madrid yesterday won the Club World Cup for a third consecutive year, and record fourth in total, by beating Abu Dhabi side Al Ain in the final. Luka Modric curled home the opening goal from the edge of the area after Karim Benzema’s lay-off. Marcos Llorente hit a stunning 25-yard half-volley – his first professional goal – and Sergio Ramos headed in the third from Modric’s corner. Tsukasa Shiotani nodded in for Al Ain before Yahya Nader’s own goal. Read more
Man Utd rampant in Solskjaer’s first game (BBC)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got off to a perfect start as Manchester United’s interim manager with a 5-1 thrashing of his former club Cardiff. The former United striker succeeded Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in midweek, and got his first win courtesy of a performance that will encourage United fans as some of their more marginalised talent came to the fore in a performance full of attacking intent. Marcus Rashford’s stunning free-kick, a deflected effort from Ander Herrera and a fabulous team goal by Anthony Martial effectively won the contest before half-time for a United side inspired by the recalled Paul Pogba, who had a hand in all three first-half goals. Read more
Police arrest native doctor using army uniform to rob (Punch)
The robbery escapade of a native doctor, who dressed in Nigerian Army camouflage to snatch cars, has reached the end of the road following his arrest by the police. The suspect, Abdullahi Mudi, was apprehended along with his accomplice, Christopher Illia, at different locations in Abuja. Our correspondent learnt that one of the operational strategies of the two-man gang was to dress in army uniform, pose as passengers by hailing a cab and strike with toy guns after they had entered the cab. Read more