Gani Adams ‘ordained as Apostle’ at Saviour’s Ministeries in Lagos (Vanguard)
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, on Sunday, was ordained as an Apostle at the Saviour’s Ministries in Lagos.
Speaking shortly after his ordination, Gani Adams said President Muhammadu Buhari lacks the courage to tackle the security challenges facing the country adding that leadership remains Nigeria’s biggest problem.
Gani Adams blamed President Buhari for the security situation in the country, saying the recent abduction of about 600 students in a school in Katsina is a clear evidence of the porous security situation in the country.
He said the president lacked the courage to tackle the spate of insecurity in the country, declaring that the present administration under Buhari has failed to address the spate of insecurity in the country. Read more
Lagos establishes LACE fish centre, targets 10,000 new jobs (Nation)
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says his administration will establish an ‘aquaculture centre of excellence’ to boost fish production and create 10,000 jobs.
The centre, to be called the Lagos Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (LACE), Sanwo-Olu said, would be set up in collaboration with a private sector investor.
The governor announced this at the 2020 edition of the Lagos Seafood Festival held at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos on Sunday. Read more
Deregulation: Nigerians overpaying for petrol – Expert (Vanguard)
At a pump price of ₦167 per litre, Nigerians are currently overpaying for fuel, an industry expert, Alhaji Rabiu Bello has revealed.
Bello, a former Chief Operating Officer/Group Executive Director, Upstream Business Unit at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation NNPC disclosed this at the weekend during a roundtable on ‘Deregulation of Nigeria’s Downstream Oil Sector’ in Abuja.
At the event which had other industry experts like Dr Adeoye Adefulu, Henry Adigun, and others, Bello pegged the exact pump price of fuel at N146.75, saying for the month of November alone, Nigerians subsidised the NNPC to the tune of about ₦700 million daily. Read more
Katsina abduction: 333 schoolboys still missing, says Masari (Punch)
Governor Aminu Masari on Sunday said 333 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara are yet to be found.
He made the disclosure in Katsina State when the Minister of Defence, Gen. Salihi Magashi (retd.), led the nation’s service chiefs on a sympathy visit to the state over Friday’s bandits’ abduction of the students of the school.
Those on the entourage included the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Air Staff, and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency. Read more
20 killed as troops repel another attack in Borno village (Nation)
No fewer than twenty Boko Haram terrorists were killed by troops in what could have been another deadly attack at Askira Uba in Borno State, barely two weeks after the insurgents slaughtered over 43 rice farmers in the state.
The heavily armed insurgents were promptly repelled by troops of 28 Task Force Brigade of Sector 1 Operation Lafiya Dole, resulting in heavy casualties on the side of the terrorists.
Four gun trucks were captured by troops, apart from other ones that were destroyed by airstrikes conducted by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole. Read more
Gunshots were fired because my life was under threat – Seun Kuti (Punch)
Musician, Seun Kuti, says gunshots were fired during a party on Allen Avenue, Lagos, on Saturday because his life was under threat.
Seun, who is the son of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela, said this while reacting to allegations that he fired gunshots at some party guests on Saturday.
He said the party guests parked their vehicles indiscriminately on the street and played loud music without regard for residents.
The musician said one of the guests parked a vehicle in front of his house and blocked the entrance to his gate. Read more
Buhari hails Anthony Joshua’s victory over Pulev (Vanguard)
President Muhammadu Buhari has celebrated the decisive victory of Nigerian-born boxer, Anthony Joshua over Kubrat Pulev Saturday night.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, in Abuja, Sunday, the President said “by retaining his IBF, WBA, and WBO titles, Joshua has given boxing lovers round the world, and particularly in Nigeria, something to cheer.”
He recalled his meeting with the heavyweight champion in London earlier in the year, describing Anthony Joshua as a humble, well brought up young man, “who will still go places.” Read more
Buhari blames elite for state of the nation (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday that the elite are responsible for what Nigeria is and what it can become.
He also declared the fast growing young and dynamic population that feels alienated and disempowered as a threat to national stability.
The President, who stated these at the graduation ceremony of 78 participants of the Senior Executive Course 42 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) on Saturday, said it was based on this premise that his administration set its sights on lifting 100 million people out of poverty over the next decade. Read more
Niger votes in city, regional polls ahead of presidential ballot (Guardian)
Voters in the poor West African country of Niger cast ballots Sunday in municipal and regional polls two weeks ahead of a presidential election which the incumbent, Mahamadou Issoufou, will not contest because his two terms are up.
The ruling Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) is the overwhelming favourite in Sunday’s poll and its presidential candidate Mohamed Bazoum is the runaway frontrunner in the December 27 ballot.
Some 7.4 million people are eligible to vote in the long-delayed polls in the country’s 266 municipalities. Read more
EU, UK agree to push Brexit trade talks beyond Sunday deadline (AlJazeera)
The United Kingdom and the European Union agreed to “go the extra mile” in coming days to try to reach an elusive trade agreement despite missing their latest deadline to avert a turbulent “no-deal” exit for Britain from the EU’s orbit at the end of the month.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen had given negotiators a Sunday deadline to find a way to resolve an impasse on arrangements that would guarantee Britain zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the EU’s single market.
Both said on Friday that a no-deal Brexit was now the most likely outcome, but on Sunday they mandated negotiators to continue. Read more
French schooner Tara sets sail on scientific mission to study climate change (France24)
French sailing ship Tara has set off on a nearly two-year-long research expedition. The team on board will study the role played by micro-organisms in the context of climate change.
On December 12, 2020, five years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the schooner Tara set sail from Lorient, its homeport in northwestern France, to begin a new scientific expedition.
Over a two-year voyage, the sailing laboratory will travel 70,000 kilometres in the South Atlantic, along the South American and African coasts, as far as Antarctica.
Conceived by the Tara Ocean Foundation, this is the boat’s 12th mission and it involves 42 research institutions around the world. Read more
Sudan PM visits Ethiopia as Tigrayan refugees surpass 50,000 (AlJazeera)
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has arrived in Ethiopia, his office says, amid a growing refugee crisis that has seen more than 50,000 Ethiopians flee conflict in the Tigray region into neighbouring Sudan.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed greeted his Sudanese counterpart at Addis Ababa’s airport, where Hamdok arrived with the acting Sudanese Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din and top intelligence and military officials on Sunday.
“I look forward to having productive discussions on political, humanitarian and security matters of common concern,” Hamdok tweeted. Read more
Scores killed after Taliban attacks on military checkpoints in Kandahar (France24)
Dozens of Taliban fighters were killed in fierce overnight fighting between Afghan forces and militants who attacked multiple checkpoints in the insurgent bastion of Kandahar, officials said Sunday.
Taliban militants attacked checkpoints in five districts surrounding the city of Kandahar, which Afghan forces countered with heavy air and ground assaults, the ministry of defence said in a statement.
“The security forces repulsed the attack, killing 51 terrorists and wounding nine,” the ministry said, without offering details of any casualties among government forces.
Seven members of a family were also killed in an Afghan air strike in one of the districts, a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Read more
Germany to impose stricter COVID lockdown during holiday season (AlJazeera)
Germany will close most shops from Wednesday until January 10 as it tightens coronavirus restrictions and tries to rein in the spread of the disease.
In the US, shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are ready to set in motion the biggest vaccination effort in American history.
South Korea has reported 1,030 new coronavirus infections, its largest single-day jump and the second daily record in a row. Read more
Belarus protesters demand Lukashenko’s resignation (Guardian)
Protesters in Belarus weathered icy conditions Sunday, hitting the streets to demand the resignation of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko who is facing down months of historic protests against his rule.
The Viasna rights group said dozens of people were detained in Minsk as authorities deployed water cannon and large numbers of law enforcement blocked off areas of the city centre.
Demonstrators waving the opposition’s red and white flag marched on the outskirts of the capital to thwart a large-scale police crackdown. Read more
Southampton into top four with win over Sheffield United (BBC)
Southampton moved into the Premier League’s top four by sweeping aside bottom club Sheffield United.
Che Adams pounced in the box to poke in the opener, Stuart Armstrong scored a deflected second, and Nathan Redmond came off the bench to add a delightful third.
Saints climb as high as third, at least until Leicester play later on Sunday, and are only a point behind top two Tottenham and Liverpool, who are also both still to play.
The season is only 12 games old, but Sheffield United’s situation is looking increasingly dire. They still have only one point and will be at least six points from safety regardless of Sunday’s other results.
No team in the Premier League era has had so few points at this stage of the season and gone on to avoid relegation. Read more
Petr Cech set to play for Chelsea’s reserve against Spurs (Guardian)
Petr Cech is most likely to play for Chelsea’s reserve team against Tottenham on Monday, a year and a half after his retirement, his Czech agent Sport Invest said Sunday.
“He will play unless something unexpected happens,” said Sport Invest spokesman Pavel Pillar.
Chelsea’s technical director since his retirement in May 2019, Cech was registered in the Blues’ Premier League squad in October as a precaution in case coronavirus restrictions hit coach Frank Lampard’s goalkeeper options. Read more
Borussia Dortmund sack Lucien Favre as manager (BBC)
Borussia Dortmund have sacked Lucien Favre as manager in the wake of the 5-1 thrashing by Stuttgart.
The defeat, which was a third in five league games for Dortmund, left them fifth in the Bundesliga and five points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
However, 63-year-old Swiss Favre had led the club into the last 16 of this season’s Champions League after they finished top of their group.
He had been in charge at Dortmund since leaving French club Nice in July 2018. Read more
Inter Milan fight back to reclaim second spot in Serie A (Guardian)
Inter Milan hit back after their Champions League elimination to reclaim second spot in Serie A on Sunday with 3-1 comeback win over Cagliari.
Antonio Conte’s side had trailed a goal down with a quarter of an hour to go in Sardinia, after Riccardo Sottil put the hosts ahead before the break and a series of fine saves from home goalkeeper Alessio Cragno.
But former Cagliari player Nicolo Barella volleyed in the equaliser after 77 minutes with Danilo D’Ambrosio coming off the bench to immediately nod in a second with six minutes to go. Read more
I’ll knock out Joshua in three rounds – Fury (Punch)
WBC champion, Tyson Fury, says he can’t wait to knock out the unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, when they meet in an all-British bout in 2021.
Joshua knocked out his mandatory challenger, Kubrat Pulev, in round nine after a dramatic and entertaining affair that saw the Bulgarian knocked down four times to set up a possible clash with Fury.
Joshua after the fight had indicated that he wanted a fight with Fury but will also entertain other challengers for the belt. Read more
Rangers 15 points clear after beating Dundee United (BBC)
Rangers edged Dundee United to move 15 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership and extend their unbeaten run to 26 games.
James Tavernier has now been involved in 30 goals this term after scoring one and setting up Connor Goldson’s second.
Liam Smith’s superb volley had drawn United level after Tavernier’s brilliant free-kick opener before Goldson’s header at another set-piece.
Celtic can narrow the gap at the top later when they entertain Kilmarnock.
Rangers’ fifth consecutive victory means that Steven Gerrard’s side have only failed to win one of their last 10 away from home – a 3-3 Europa League draw with Benfica. Read more
