I have always defeated Atiku, Buhari tells tribunal (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari has faulted claims by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that they won February 23 presidential election. Buhari describes the claims as laughable because Atiku has never won any political contest with him (Buhari) and because he is more popular and acceptable among the electorate than the ex-Vice President. Buhari, in his response to the petition filed before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja by Atiku and the PDP, challenging the outcome of the February 23, 2019 presidential election, noted that he even defeated Atiku in his (Atiku’s) polling unit in his home state of Adamawa. Read more
APC in fresh plots to smear Adeleke, PDP alleges (Punch)
The Peoples Democratic Party on Saturday alleged that leaders of the All Progressives Congress were plotting “new set of fabrications and allegations,” to discredit and smear its 2018 governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said having failed to brand Adeleke’s school certificate as fake, the APC leaders, including those operating from Lagos State, were “knitting a very ludicrous allegation that Adeleke’s school testimonial was forged, with a view to smearing his image in public.” Read more
Lagos-Ibadan rail’ll be ready in June – Amaechi (Nation)
Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has assured that by early June this year, the rail transport system would ready for use between Lagos and Ibadan. The Lagos-Abeokuta rail had been completed earlier in the year as passengers were offered a three-month free ride. The period of free ride was however later shortened. Amaechi who spoke to some journalists over the weekend noted that his commitment to the full take off of rail transportation in Nigeria is aimed at making life easier and better for Nigerians. He undertakes rail inspection trips at least twice in a month. The Ghanaian government recently sent a team led by its Minister of Rail Development, Hon. Joe Ghartey, to come and understudy the progress being made in Nigeria’s rail projects. Read more
Low school enrolment spells gloomy future for Adamawa —Aisha (Punch)
The wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has decried the decline in school enrolment in Adamawa. Buhari raised the concern in her remarks at the Adamawa state Indigenes Town Hall meeting held on Saturday in Yola. She noted that the poor school enrolment was alarming, saying the trend spelled a gloomy future for the state. “The declining rate in terms of school enrolment and performance, coupled with the growing number of unemployed youth spell a gloomy future for our dear state Adamawa,” the First Lady said. Read more
EFCC probes N8.7billion fraud in JAMB (Nation)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched into a probe of the cash inflow and outflow of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) between 2010 and 2016. The anti-graft agency wants to get to the root of an alleged N8.7billion fraud in the board. Fifteen suspects have already been shortlisted for trial. Among them are some zonal heads and state coordinators. One of the suspects facing trial is a female accountant, Philomena Chise, whose sensational claim that a snake swallowed N36million raked in from the sales of e-facility cards rocked the nation. Read more
FRSC’s mobile court convicts 32 in Kano for traffic offences during Easter (Punch)
A Mobile court under the Federal Road Safety Corps in Kano State has convicted 32 persons for various traffic offences. The Commission’s Public Relations Officer, Kabiru Daura, announced this in a statement on Saturday in Kano. Daura said that 38 persons were arraigned before the mobile court on Thursday, where six persons were discharged and acquitted. He disclosed that the Command had deployed 853 personnel, including regular marshals, for the Easter operation. Read more
Police arrests four suspected armed robbery/ kidnap suspects in Edo (Nation)
The Edo Command of the Nigerian Police says it has arrested four armed robbery and kidnap suspects in the state. The Command’s Spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, said in a statement that the suspects were arrested based on credible intelligence through the Directorate of State Security (DSS). He said that the office of the IGP had alerted that the suspects were planning coordinated attacks against police formations in the state. He said that based on this, Edo Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed DanMallam, directed the tactical team of the command to go after the suspects. Read more
Gunmen kill two tourists in Kaduna, 11 in Benue (Punch)
Suspected kidnappers in the early hours of Saturday invaded a resort in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State and shot dead two persons including an expatriate, a woman. It was also learnt that the gunmen abducted three persons. Also in the early hours of Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed 11 persons in Ngibo and Tse-Aye villages in the Ikyurav-Tiev 1, council ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State. Read more
Libya crisis: Clashes erupt south of capital Tripoli (BBC)
Heavy fighting has erupted south of Tripoli after Libya’s UN-backed government announced a counter-offensive against insurgent forces. It comes after days of limited advances by either side, in clashes which have killed 220 people. Soldiers loyal to Gen Khalifa Haftar launched an attack earlier this month with the aim of taking Tripoli. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serra has condemned the “silence” of his international allies amid the fighting. Read more
Kenya’s ex-president Moi loses his firstborn (Punch)
Jonathan Moi, the eldest son of former Kenyan President Arap Moi, is dead. Jonathan died on Friday, Standard media says. His cause of death has not been ascertained, however. “Moi’s eldest son will be remembered for his daring exploits in the racing tracks, in muddy and dusty tracks,” the medium states. The Moi family has since released a statement announcing the former First Son’s passage, titled, Statement on Death of Jonathan Toroitich. Read more
Ukraine election: Voters to choose between comic and tycoon (BBC)
Ukrainians will head to the polls shortly in a run-off election to pick the country’s next president. Voters face a stark choice between tycoon Petro Poroshenko, the incumbent president, and television comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, new to politics. The TV celebrity is favourite in the polls, having dominated the first round of voting three weeks ago when 39 candidates were on the ticket. Poll stations will open 08:00 local (05:00 GMT) and close 12 hours later. Read more
13 people shot dead at a family party in Mexico (CNN)
Gunmen burst into a party hall in southeastern Mexico on Friday and opened fire, killing at least 13 people, authorities said. The attackers raided a family party in the city of Minatitlán in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Six men, five women and a child were killed and four others were wounded, the state’s public security department said. Authorities said the suspects were looking for a person known as “El Beky” when shooting ensued, according to preliminary reports obtained by the state police. He is believed to be the owner of a bar located in Minatitlán. Read more
Agent Orange: US to clean up toxic Vietnam War air base (BBC)
The US has launched a multi-million-dollar clean-up operation at an air base in Vietnam it used to store the notorious chemical Agent Orange. The ten-year programme, unveiled more than four decades after the end of the Vietnam War, will cost $183m (£141m). The site at Bien Hoa airport, outside Ho Chi Minh City, is considered the most contaminated in the country. Agent Orange was a defoliant sprayed by US forces to destroy jungles and uncover the enemy’s hiding places. Read more
Nigerian clubs are not developing young footballers — Adepoju (Punch)
How’s life in retirement? I give thanks to God for everything. A lot of things have happened after I retired. I managed 3SC and the Kwara Football Academy. At present, I’m La Liga Ambassador. I’m grateful with what I’ve been able to do since I quit playing. Managing football in Nigeria is a difficult task. Did you encounter any difficulties while at 3SC and KFA? Read more
U-17 AFCON: Eaglets top group after Uganda stalemate (Punch)
Two-time champions Nigeria finished as winners of Group A of the ongoing Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Tanzania after forcing Uganda to a 1-1 draw at the Chamazi Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday. In a pattern that has stuck with them since the tournament began, the Golden Eaglets created several chances, wasting them one after the other, starting from Akinkunmi Amoo’s poor touch after a sweet team move in the 17th minute. Three minutes later, Wisdom Ubani lashed a shot narrowly over the bar from a free-kick, and at the other end, Uganda came close to taking the lead when Samson Kasozi headed the ball against the upright from a corner. Read more
Juventus crowned Serie A champions as Cristiano Ronaldo makes history (CNN)
Juventus came from behind to beat Fiorentina and create Serie A history, while Cristiano Ronaldo made some history of his own. The Turin club became the team first in Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 or the Premier League to win eight consecutive league titles. Ronaldo, meanwhile, became the first player to win the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. The day was a double cause for celebration as Juventus’ women’s team won their second straight league title since being founded in 2017. Read more
Alexandre Lacazette reveals the difference between Unai Emery and Arsene Wenger (Metro)
Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has revealed how Unai Emery differs from former manager Arsene Wenger. Legendary Frenchman Wenger spent over two decades at Arsenal, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, before leaving the club last season. His successor, former PSG boss Emery, has largely impressed at the Emirates, with his Arsenal team currently fourth in the Premier League and through to the Europa League semi-finals. Read more
Jose Mourinho rates Liverpool’s chances of beating Barcelona in Champions League semi-final (Metro)
Jose Mourinho believes Liverpool have a fantastic opportunity to beat Barcelona and reach the final of the Champions League despite Lionel Messi enjoying such a brilliant season. The Merseysiders progressed to the last four with an easy 6-1 aggregate win over Porto, while Barca steamrollered Manchester United, scoring three times in the second leg at Camp Nou. Now they both face far sterner tests in the semi-final and Mourinho is struggling to split the two teams, though insists Liverpool can hurt Barcelona with their attacking arsenal. Read more
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich could replace Maurizio Sarri with Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe, says Paul Merson (Metro)
Paul Merson believes Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich could replace Maurizio Sarri with Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe next season. Sarri has endured a mixed first season at Stamford Bridge and the Blues, currently fifth, face an uphill battle to finish in the top four of the Premier League. Chelsea could still qualify for next year’s Champions League by winning the Europa League, however, and progressed to the semi-finals last week with two victories over Slavia Prague. Read more
Paul Merson expects Manchester United to miss out on Premier League top-four finish (Metro)
Paul Merson says Manchester United are a ‘million miles off at the moment’ and will not finish in the top four of the Premier League. The Red Devils are currently sixth in the table, two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, having lost two of their last five league matches. United have also been knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup recently, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side going through a difficult period. Read more