Forward Mario Balotelli has been dropped by Italy coach Roberto Mancini for Monday’s Nations League game against European champions Portugal in Lisbon. Nice striker Balotelli came under fire for his performance in their Nations League opener against Poland on Friday, where the Azzurri were held 1-1. The 28-year-old was substituted with a muscular problem, with […]

Friday Olokor, Jos Over seven months after the abduction of her daughter, Leah, by the Boko Haram sect, Mrs Rebecca Sharibu on Friday in Jos continued to share her agony with a plea to President Muhammadu Buhari to take action and rescue her daughter. Her saddest moment, she said, was when after expressing joy and […]

England midfielder Dele Alli will miss Tuesday’s friendly in Leicester with Switzerland because of a minor muscle strain, the Football Association announced Monday. The 22-year-old Tottenham Hotspur star suffered the injury in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Nations League. READ ALSO: Day I dreamt about Leah’s freedom, my worst moment – Mrs Sharibu Alli […]

Governor Abdul’aziz Yari has declared his intention to contest for Zamfara West senatorial seat ahead of the 2019 general elections. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the governor will seek to upstage Senator Ahmad Sani-Yarima who is serving his third term as a Senator representing Zamfara West. Yari, who announced this when he spoke to […]

Eze Onyekpere Is Nigeria ready for the 2019 elections just six months away? Have the executive and legislature given the Independent National Electoral Commission the resources and support it requires to organize and supervise the elections? These questions are raised within the context of the executive-legislative imbroglio over the funding of the elections. It is […]

Etim Ekpimah, Uyo A former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Dr Chris Ekpenyong, said he would unleash damning records of Godswill Akpabio’s secret deals if he (Akpabio) continued in his campaign of calumny against him. Akpabio, a former governor of the state, was alleged to have castigated Ekpenyong (his kinsman) that he deceived him […]

Niyi Odebode, Sam Awoyinfa, Ihuoma Chiedozie, Etim Ekpimah, Michael Olugbode, Theophilus Onojeghen, Godwin Isenyo, Peter Dada, Kayode Idowu, Chidiebube Okeoma and Tony Okafor There are indications that the scramble for the governorship tickets of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 elections is tearing many state chapters of the party apart. The PUNCH’s investigation showed […]

The question of when a business is big enough for a separate business account is a tricky one. Although, there are differing opinions on the subject, it is always best to have a business bank account, regardless of the size of your business.  In fact, small business owners are wise to open a business account […]

Femi Makinde and Oluwatosin Omojuyigbe The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said the party’s candidate for the September 22 governorship election in Osun State, Isiaka Oyetola, will follow in the footsteps of incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola. This, Tinubu said, was the reason he had thrown his weight behind Oyetola. […]

Hindi Livinus, Yola Comrade Rodney Nathan, Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers, Adamawa State, says the state government has not yet cancelled its plans to employ additional 1,500 teachers into the state universal basic education board. This is just as he also disclosed that over 26,000 persons applied for the available 1,500 teaching vacancies advertised […]

The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested a 60-year-old Ifa priestess and her two sons in connection with some kidnap cases in the state. The spokesman for the command, CSP Chike Oti, made the development known in a statement in Lagos on Sunday. Oti said that the suspects were arrested on Saturday at their […]

Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri and Egypt’s Dina Meshref emerged as winners of the men’s and Women’s singles event at the 2018 ITTF African Championships which ended in Mauritius on Sunday. According to a statement by ATTF-Africa, Quadri did not drop a point from the first round until the final when he defeated Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh 4-1 […]

Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress in Yobe have urged governorship aspirants in the state to accept the endorsement of Alhaji Maimala Buni, by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam as the preferred successor. The party chieftains, who made the call on Sunday in separate interviews with newsmen in Damaturu, said the governor acted on the directives of party […]

Sprint legend Usain Bolt’s football training has been put on hold after he flew out of Australia for a “previously planned commitment”, his A-League club has said. The Jamaican superstar is pursuing his long-held dream of playing professional football and arrived in Gosford, 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of Sydney, last month for training with […]

The National Bureau of Statistics says 3.65million passengers travelled through Nigerian airports in the second quarter of 2018 as against 3.84 million recorded in the first quarter. The NBS disclosed this in its “Air Transport Data” (Q1 and Q2 2018) report posted on its website. The bureau said the figure declined by 33.51 per cent […]

Mrs Chimay Thompson, the Assistant Director, Nutrition Division, Family Health Department, Federal Ministry of Health, has said improving the nation’s breastfeeding practices could save 100,000 lives in Nigeria yearly. Thompson made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Saturday. The assistant director said the findings were contained in the […]

Serena Williams has been fined $17,000 for three violations after losing her temper during her loss in the US Open women’s final to Naomi Osaka. Already down a set after losing 6-2 in the first to Osaka, the 23-time grand slam champion was in tears during an argument with chair umpire Carlos Ramos after being given two warnings, […]

Some youths in Okitipupa, Ondo State, under the aegis of Bring Back Our Light, say the people of their area may not participate in the 2019 general elections if electricity supply was not restored in their communities. In a statement issued by the Convener, Mr Olumide Akinrinlola, in Okitipupa on Sunday, the group advised its […]

Moldova’s President Igor Dodon was hospitalised with slight injuries after his car turned over Sunday, the Eastern European country’s security services said. Dashboard video from the car travelling behind the president’s, released by the security services, shows an oncoming truck moving to overtake before colliding with Dodon’s Mercedes. A doctor at a hospital in capital […]

Chinese Pilgrims to Nigeria have urged Nigerians to pray for the Christian community in China to enable them to spread the gospel. The Chinese Christians made the call during their pilgrimage to the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, Idemili South Council of Anambra on Sunday. The 18-man pilgrim said they were in Nigeria to draw […]

Exactly 35 days to his leaving office, outgoing Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Sunday says his handover note is ready for the scrutiny of people making enquiries about his government. The News Agency of Nigeria, reports that the governor did not cooperate with the Transition Committee set up by Incoming-Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi. Fayose […]

Authorities have issued health alert after 150 cases of pneumonia were recorded in a week, mainly in towns near the northern Italian city of Brescia. Suspecting the presence of a pneumonia-causing virus in the water supply, they have taken samples from the distribution network for analysis. Results are expected in several days. Autopsies will be conducted […]

Some food vendors of the Federal Government’s Home Grown School Feeding Programme in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday complained that N35 was grossly inadequate to prepare a quality meal. The vendors told the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaura that they supply the food at N50 per plate, with N35 as […]

Buying of used vehicles has been on a steady increase as against those buying brand new vehicles largely due to the economic hardship, unavailability or unfavourable credit and hire purchase facilities for low and medium income earners. In our glorious days, when Nigeria boasted of various functional vehicle assembly plants, buying brand new vehicles was […]

A 19-seater plane crashed into a lake in the centre of South Sudan on Sunday, a regional official told AFP, adding “many on board are feared dead”. “We have not yet established full details of the airline but what we know it is a 19-seater plane coming from Juba to Yirol this morning,” said regional […]

Theophilus Onojeghen, Warri The crisis rocking the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has worsened following the failure of the two factions to agree on whether to use the direct or indirect method in the forthcoming primaries of the party in the state. While the Chief Cyril Ogodo-led faction of the State Working […]

Samuel Awoyinfa, Abeokuta Forty-eight hours after the unveiling of Ogun State All Progressives Congress consensus governorship candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, the Governor, Senator Ibikunke Amosun, on Saturday unveiled Mrs Adepeju Adebajo as his running mate. Adebajo is the serving state Commissioner for Agriculture, who until her appointment, was in the private sector. Amosun, after meeting with […]

British police arrested a woman Saturday after she chased a man through a shopping district with a large knife before stabbing him, in an incident that raised fears of terrorism. “One woman has been arrested and remains in police custody following reports of a stabbing in Barnsley town centre” in northern England, South Yorkshire Police […]

The Police Command in Adamawa has expressed concern over the frequent disappearance of children in the state and urged parents to be more vigilant. The command in a statement issued on Saturday in Yola by its spokesman, DSP Habibu Musa said parents should monitor the movement of their children and those they relate with. The […]

A total of 47 aspirants under the All Progressive Congress have unanimously opposed the adoption of indirect primaries by the party in Katsina State in electing the party’s candidates for the 2019 general elections. This is contained in a communique signed by Alhaji Abubakar Samaila, on behalf of the aspirants, and made available to newsmen on Saturday […]

Some residents of Ibeju Lekki in Lagos on Saturday lamented their loss of valuables worth millions of Naira to flood caused by persistent rainfall, coupled with poor drainage facilities in the community. Some of the residents, in interviews with News Agency of Nigeria, said the early morning downpour left several roads and homes in the […]

Gibson Achonu, Owerri The National Chairman of United Progressives Party, Chief Chekwas Okorie, says that the party has reduced its nomination fees for all aspirants, seeking any political portfolio. This, he said, was resolved during the National Executive Council meeting of the party in Abuja. Speaking through his Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Ejike Uche […]

The Nigerian Air Force says the Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed Boko Haram hideouts in Kollaram, Bula Korege within the Sambisa forest. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said that the operation was carried out on […]

The Eko Electricity Distribution Company says its ongoing power project expansion will boost power supply to residents of Oniru, Maroko and Lekki within a month. Mr Godwin Idemudia, its General Manager (Communications), on Saturday said the company had commenced aggressive power projects within its network to improve supply to customers. Idemudia said that with the […]

The Super Eagles picked up their first points in the qualifying campaign for the 2019 African Cup of Nations after defeating Seychelles 3 – 0 at the Stade Linite on Saturday. Goals from Ahmed Musa, Chidozie Awaziem and Odion Ighalo saw the Super Eagles pick their first win of the qualifiers, with debutant Samuel Kalu […]