Arch-rivals, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have failed to make the final shortlist for UEFA’s positional awards next month.
The awards will recognise the top performers in each at the 2019-20 Champions League campaign, and both Messi and Ronaldo missed out on the final shortlist due to their devastating Champions League campaign.
It is the first time the Barcelona and Juventus superstars failed to make the final shortlist for their position.
Champions League champions, Bayern Munich dominated the 12-man list with seven players nominated across the four categories.
Bayern’s star, Manuel Neuer is up for the best goalkeeper award, against PSG’s Keylor Navas and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak.
David Alaba, Alphonso Davies, and Joshua Kimmich dominated the defender list while Thomas Muller and Liverpool-bound Thiago Alcantara are up against Manchester City star, Kevin De Bruyne for best midfielder.
Robert Lewandowski is the favourite to win the UEFA’s best forward award will battle it out with PSG duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has raised the alarm over the influx of terrorists into the Kishi area of Oyo State.
Adams said the terrorists have also taken over the old Oyo National Park, noting that their invasion posed a great danger to the security of the South-West region.
He disclosed this in a statement by his media aide, Mr Kehinde Aderemi.
Apart from threatening the peace of the community, Adams alleged that the armed group had started kidnapping residents for ransom in the region.
He said, “I have received numerous reports from Kishi, North-West of Oyo State and these range from ceaseless kidnapping, rape and a threat to the lives of Yoruba people in the Oke Ogun area with Kishi as the present hub of terrorist attacks.
“The records are there. The recent intelligence report from Kishi is too frightening because terrorists have taken over the area with the number of victims growing by the day.
“We need to react to these senseless killings because of the timing and exigencies. I have sent the report to the Oyo State governor, Eng. Seyi Makinde.
“I have also alerted the Director-General of Amotekun in Oyo State. I have also informed the Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, through a message to Alaafin’s Personal Assistant, and I have informed the Okere of Saki.”
While noting that it was his responsibility to alert security agencies of such threat, Adams said he decided to raise the alarm because the region was becoming a den for armed bandits and terrorists masquerading as herdsmen.
He warned that if the criminal activities of the group was not quickly curbed, the South-West might be sitting on a keg of gun powder.
“The Aare in Council had earlier raised the alarm on the infiltration of terrorists and killer Fulani herdsmen in the region.
“Over 500 power bikes and assorted armour belonging to the terrorists have been physically sighted along the abandoned Lusada route moving towards Sokoto, from Igbo Ora in Oyo State.
“With the present situation, I think there is an urgent need for the state government to address the spate of insecurity in the area.
“We are ready to support the government in keeping the terrorists at bay with the approval of the Oyo State Government and other relevant security agencies.”
Adams promised to mobilize all Yoruba interest groups to join hands with the security agencies to flush out the criminals, who have also been invading the state’s forest reserve and national park.
The logo of Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations features a picture of a 51-carat Russian Dynasty Diamond.
The logo was unveiled on Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja.
Buhari said the government had four designs to select from and that the one selected was “a product of choice from the Nigerian people.”
“I’m informed that the selected option depicts our togetherness; a country of over 200 million people, whose natural talents, grits and passion glitter like the precious diamond we are,” President Buhari said shortly before unveiling the logo.
“This to me is a sufficient appreciation to our most precious assets; our people. Everywhere you go, Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack, whether in academia, business, Innovation, music, movie, entertainment and culture.”
The logo has a white background with figure 60 superimposed on a green map of Nigeria. “Together” is written in all caps below the 60 to the right. At the centre of the ‘0’ in 60 is the picture of the Dynasty diamond which was unveiled in August 2017 by Russian government-owned Alrosa.
“The Dynasty is the largest polished diamond with the best clarity characteristics throughout the Russian jewelry history,” Alrosa said on its website.
The 51.38 diamond is a part of a collection also called Dynasty. The collection includes the Sheremetevs, a 16.67-carat round brilliant-cut diamond; the Orlovs, a 5.05-carat oval diamond; “The Vorontsovs,” a 1.73-carat pear-cut diamond and the Yusupovs, a 1.39-carat diamond.
They were all cut from a 179-carat rough diamond named “Romanovs,” which was recovered from a diamond mine in the Republic of Sakha in northeast Russia in 2015.
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is set to fly to England on Friday to complete his return to Tottenham Hotspur.
A deal for Wales international Bale, 31, to rejoin Spurs on loan from Real Madrid is still being negotiated.
Talks between the clubs are progressing positively and as long as they are concluded in the same manner, Bale will travel to London.
He is understood to be training on his own at Real on Thursday and awaiting the outcome of negotiations.
Bale originally joined Spurs from Southampton in 2007 before moving to the Spanish giants for a then world record £85m in 2013. He has gone on to score more than 100 goals for Real and won four Champions Leagues.
Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, told BBC Wales Sport on Wednesday that talks over a move were “slowly progressing”.
Barnett said: “Gareth is closer to leaving Madrid than at any time in the last seven years. We are still negotiating. We shall see how it goes.”
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho refused to speculate on the discussions saying: “He is a Real Madrid player and I don’t comment on players from other clubs. I have to respect that. It’s better not to speak.
“I tried to sign him for Real Madrid, which was not possible to do during my time there. But the president followed my instinct and my knowledge and the season I left he brought Gareth to the club. It’s not a secret, even Gareth knows that.”
In July 2019, Real cancelled a deal for Bale to join Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning, and he played 20 times for the Bernabeu club last season.
Tottenham were beaten 1-0 at home by Everton in their first game of the new Premier League campaign on Sunday.
President Muhammadu Buhari (right), Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during the unveiling of the logo of Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary at the Presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday.
Federal Government’s plan to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence anniversary for a whole year — beginning on October 1, 2020 and ending September 30, 2021 — became subject of controversy yesterday, with ethnic nationalities and socio-cultural organisations taking a swipe at the official decision.
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the Middle Belt Forum, Arewa leaders and stakeholders within the Aka Ikenga, an Igbo socio-cultural organisation condemned the plan as “a joke.” Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, described President Muhammadu Buhari and his cabinet members as complete jokers who lack focus on what Nigeria actually needed to progress and unite.
Buhari had, yesterday, unveiled a logo and theme for the 60th independence anniversary celebration in a brief ceremony conducted just before the weekly virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. In what appeared a contradiction, the President said the anniversary celebration would be held low-key this year for reasons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The President, who spoke after the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, gave insight into how the logo was adopted and the modalities guiding the anniversary celebration, added that his administration would henceforth ensure inclusiveness.
The President disclosed the theme of this year’s anniversary celebration as “Together Shall We Be,” saying it was chosen to forge a more united and cohesive Nigeria.
“Today we stand on the threshold of history as we formally begin a series of activities commemorating Nigeria’s Diamond Anniversary,” he said. “The task history has saddled me with today is to proclaim a theme that will keep us united, help us forge ahead and unveil a logo that will form the critical pillars, which (our) 11 months modest commemoration activities will rest on.”
BUHARI explained that, although celebrating 60 years of independence called for pomp and pageantry, the global COVID-19 pandemic, which had forced all nations to think and act differently, had also forced on Nigeria the need for a low-key celebration. According to him, operating within the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government had created an Internet challenge for Nigerians to make a choice from a set of four pre-selected logos that would appropriately define the theme.
“Of these four options, Nigerians from all walks of life participated in making a choice and I’m happy to let you know that the logo I will be unveiling is a product of choice for the Nigerian people.
“I’m informed that the selected option depicts our togetherness, a country of over 200 million people, whose natural talents, grits and passion glitter like the precious diamond we are. This, to me, is a sufficient appreciation to our most precious assets, our people. Everywhere you go, Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack, whether in academia, business, innovation, music, movie, entertainment and culture.”
He explained that the neatly encrusted diamond on the Nigerian map symbolised “our age of treasure, the worth of the Nigerian people, who sparkle to the admiration of the world.
“In the same vein, the fair green and the dark green colours should respectively remind us of our warmth, welcoming spirit and love, as well as abundant wealth inherent in our human capital and the richness of our land.
“All these properties made us, unarguably, the most prosperous black nation in the world and Africa’s largest economy. It is, therefore, with deep feeling of national pride that I announce to you that “Together shall we be” is the theme of our nation’s 60th anniversary celebration.”
He thanked members of the inter-ministerial committee on Nigeria’s 60th anniversary celebration for the work they did and urged participation of all Nigerians.
WHILE the president assured of “greater inclusiveness” going forward, SGF Mustapha, who is also Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Nigeria’s 60th Anniversary Celebration, explained the choice of logo and the reason for a year-long celebration. Mustapha said the aim was to make the country heal.
According to him, “one major agreement also was the need to deviate from the norm of celebrating our landmark events with a conclusion of the day of such event. Thus, it was agreed that to make the diamond anniversary very inclusive and create opportunities for internalisation and buy-in by the Nigerian people, a year-long celebration would be pursued, starting from the date of launching a web portal, to September 30th, 2021.”
But Chief Ayo Adebanjo, an Afenifere chieftain, said President Buhari and his party were “joking and unfortunately toying with the destiny of the country. How can someone tell us he wants to spend a whole year to mark the anniversary of a nation that is in a crisis? Before we are talking of restructuring but today each of the ethnic nationalities is clamouring for secession and to stand on their own.”
He said Nigerians no longer trust the Buhari government, saying, as we speak, there is killing in Katsina, the home state of Mr. President, there is killing in Kaduna, Ekiti and the rest and some group of people want to mark Independence anniversary for a year; it is another avenue for corruption.”
A former Commissioner in Kaduna State, Isuwa Dogo said: “If Buhari truly meant to unite Nigeria what he should do is to simply adopt the report of the 2014 National Conference and implement it. “Instead of spending 365 days to mark Independence, he can as well spend three months to study the contents of the 2014 National Conference report and use it to restructure the country. The unity that has escaped would return immediately.”
Dogo, who is currently the spokesman of the Middle Belt Leaders Forum also urged the president to remove the face of ethnicity and religion from his various appointments just as he said he should change the incumbent security chiefs, who were bereft of ideas regarding how to save the country.
Dogo said the exercise would not only amount to a waste of resources and time but also would achieve nothing. In another reaction, the Secretary general of Yoruba Council of Elders (YCS), Dr. Kunle Olajide said it was good that Nigeria still remained united but that all the indices of progress and development were no longer intact. “I don’t see what the one year sensitization will achieve if the needful is not done. We need to go back to all the conference reports and government should immediately set up a committee to look at them and think of how to implement them in collaboration with the National Assembly.”
BOTH the leader of the Arewa Youths for Development and Progress (AYDP), Danjuma Sarki and immediate past Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Elder Anthony Sani said the present administration should ensure that wisdom prevailed in the midst of severe economic pains the citizens were going through.
Sarki said Federal Government’s plan to set up inter-ministerial committee for a year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary, even if “low-keyed,” was a confirmation that the Buhari government did not have the interest of Nigerians and the nation at heart.”
“How can this government even contemplate such plans after imposing hike in pump price and electricity tariff on Nigerians. Now that we are just coming out of COVID-19, the government is contemplating such plans. And it is the same government that is complaining of dwindling resources of the nation; yet they are going ahead to hold year-long celebration. This is unfortunate.”
ACF Chieftain, Elder Sani said he was not privy to the Federal Government’s decision to heal the nation with celebration of the 60th Independence. “As a result, I am not in a position to explain to you how government intends to heal the nation with mere celebration, if ever the government has said so.”
BUT the President Emeritus of Aka Ikenga Socio-Cultural Organization, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, stated that such programme could only emanate from a government that was totally removed from its citizens. He stressed that the average Nigerian was anxious to know how to get his daily food, take care of his health and safety as well as the educational needs of his family.
Former National Chairman of the defunct United Progressives Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie stated that he did not think that the intendment of the committee was “to roll out the drums for merry making as there would not be justification for much of expenditure to celebrate but to package the challenges and prospects for Nigerians and the world at large to see.”
On whether such committee and celebration of October 1 was needed to heal the country, he said that, it was no longer a pretence that Nigeria was deeply divided, stressing that the anniversary, no matter how it was handled, would not provide the needed healing.
Chief Uwazurike said: “60 years in the life of a nation is a diamond event but not at the expense of Abraham Marlow’s hierarchy of needs. It is painful that the Federal Government sat down and expressed a desire to spend our money and time on a year-long celebration. What are we celebrating? – Acute food scarcity, insecurity, corruption and lack of business opportunities?”
The Nigerian Army, on Wednesday, laid to rest the remains of Lance Corporal Benjamin Collins, who was tortured to death by three senior officers at the Mogadishu Barracks, Abuja, in 2017.
Soldiers from the Army Headquarters Garrison Battalion buried Collins with full military honours at the Guards Brigade cemetery along Kubwa Expressway.
The funeral was attended by his mother, Mrs Kate Dioma; uncle, Justice Daniel Isiagor of the Federal High Court; lawyer, Dr Johnson Oyewole; and representatives of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.
The national flag was presented to the deceased’s mother by Lt. Col. S. Shuaibu on behalf of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
Oyewole, who fought to ensure justice for the deceased, thanked the COAS and the Army Headquarters Garrison Battalion for approving the funeral.
A general court martial had in February sentenced Majors Akeem Oseni and Ogbemudia Osawe, and Second Lieutenant Nuhu Dogary to 10 years’ imprisonment for torturing Collins to death.
The officers were found guilty of manslaughter by the GMC comprised of the President, Brig. Gen. G. Umelo; Brig. Gen. S. Aliyu; Brig. Gen, A. Edet; Brig. N. Mohammed; and Cols. K. Ndamadu, T. Agbor, and I. Tanko.
The convicts were said to have moved Collins from a guardroom at Mogadishu Barracks to a bush near the Ihejirika Quarters along the Abuja-Nyanya Expressway, where he was assaulted while in handcuffs and leg chains.
Collins, who hailed from Rivers State, died after the assault, which took place on February 23, 2017, and his corpse was deposited in Asokoro General Hospital morgue.
After the incident, the officers reported to their superiors that Collins, who was held for over two years for travelling to Lagos to see his sick aunt without official permission, had escaped from custody.
The immediate past President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, has called for speedy passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
He also tasked Nigerian youth and politicians across the country to create awareness for its importance ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He disclosed this during a special webinar on ‘Electoral Reforms and Democracy’ to mark International Day of Democracy organised by Center for Advancement of Civil Liberties.
He said nothing threatens democracy more than faulty electoral process.
Saraki said rigging of election was an invitation to chaos, adding that for any country to claim to be practising democracy, electoral process must be transparent, free, fair and credible.
He said, “In all the fight against the threat to democracy across the world, it is the youth that take the lead. So, it is encouraging that Nigerian youth are playing that role too.
“This should be the case because socio-economic development presents a bright future for the youth in our country, where there are job opportunities as well as security of lives and property. All these can only be achieved when we have stability in our democracy.
“One would have expected this initiative to have been spearheaded by political parties, politicians, elected and appointed officials who should recognise that the issue of having a credible electoral reform is very important.”
He called on civil society groups, politicians, youths, professional groups, market women and other stakeholders to create awareness and mobilise their members on the need and importance to have a credible electoral reform.
He stressed that ballot box must remain the outlet for ventilating legitimate grievances and changing of government.
“However, instead of our democracy to be maturing and for the process to be getting better, certain ugly developments have shown that we are now beginning to have elections that are devoid of the tenets of representative democracy.
“The last time we were in this same situation was in 2007 and you all saw what happened.
“The election was largely unfair. So, if we do nothing, from what we saw in the election adjudged of 2019, the tell-tale signs we are seeing preparatory to Edo elections, 2023 elections could be worse.”
The former Senate President therefore urged the National Assembly to ensure the quick passage of the Electoral Act in the interest of Nigerians.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, said for Nigeria to surmount the security challenges confronting it, traditional rulers should be given specific roles to be enshrined in the Constitution.
Lawan stated this when a delegation from the Argungu Emirate visited him in his office at the National Assembly, according to a statement by his media office titled: ‘Traditional rulers should be given constitutional roles to tackle insecurity, says Lawan’.
The Senate President, the statement added, explained that giving roles to traditional rulers would allow them to support the efforts of government and security agencies in addressing the challenges of insecurity.
He said, “Traditional fathers have always been supportive of government. In fact, in the past, for those of us from the northern part of the country, the traditional leadership played a key stabilising role in administration.
“Before 1976 when local governments were created, the traditional leaders brought both administration and management into focus, and we still need them.
“We need to have a proper role given to them, and especially in the current security situation. I’m sure that the traditional rulers can provide a lot of support for the government and security agencies in fighting the challenges of insecurity that we have today.”
The delegation, which was led by Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan (Kundudan Kabi), said the visit was at the instance of the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Mera, to thank Lawan for honouring the emirate’s invitation to attend the Argungu Fishing Festival as a special guest.
Hassan, while conveying a goodwill message from the Emir, announced the conferment on the Senate President the esteemed traditional title of ‘Ganuwar Kabi’.
The Senate President in his acceptance speech, thanked the Emir for the honour bestowed on him and expressed his willingness to be a “protector” of the emirate.
Lawan, who also sympathised with the government and people of Kebbi State over the recent flooding, appealed to the Federal Government to provide interventions that would alleviate the plight of residents of communities affected by flood in parts of the country.
A Texas woman who received nearly $2 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was arrested Tuesday by USA authorities on fraud allegations.
Lola Shalewa Barbara Kasali, of Houston, was charged with making false statements to a financial institution, wire fraud, bank fraud and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions, according to a U.S. Department of Justice statement.
Officials say Kasali, 22, allegedly submitted two fraudulent PPP loan applications for two businesses — Lola’s Level and Charm Hair Extensions — and claimed to have several employees and large payroll expenses.
“According to the charges, however, neither entity has employees nor pays wages consistent with the amounts claimed in the loan applications,” according to the statement.
After receiving more than $1.9 million in loans, Kasali transferred the funds into four additional bank accounts, officials said. Kasali is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan in Houston on Wednesday.
This isn’t the first incident of a person being charged for fraudulently receiving PPP loans. In July, a Florida man was charged for receiving $3.9 million in loans to buy himself a Lamborghini sports car, among other things.
Last month, a House oversight committee reported that thousands of loans were incorrectly distributed, including 10,000 loans totaling more than $1 billion that went to companies that received more than one loan, a violation of the rules. More than 11,000 loans totaling about $3 billion were given to companies that failed to completely full out the application.
A report released earlier this month found that PPP loans, originally designed for small businesses, were wrongly dispersed to firms that had already received a loan or were excluded from the program. Among other things, the report shows that about 10,000 loans went to companies that received more than one PPP loan.
“Treasury must improve oversight and accountability to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not squandered,” said James Clyburn, D-S.C., chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
“Taxpayers should not have to choose between quickly getting aid to those who need it and wasting federal funds, and there are simple steps that could have been taken to improve oversight and reduce fraud,” he said during a hearing when the report was released.
The Paycheck Protection Program expired Aug. 8, with no clear plan to extend it. The program was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in March that offered assistance to more than 5 million businesses.
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, has signed the state penal code (amendment) law 2020.
In a document seen by TheCable, the law, which took effect on September 11, stipulates strict penalties for males and females convicted of rape.
The new law is an amendment to the state’s penal code law No. 5 2017. The state penal law prescribed 21 years of imprisonment for rape of an adult and life imprisonment in the case of a child.
But the new provisions include bilateral salpingectomy (removal of the two fallopian tubes) for female convicts and castration for male convicts.
It also included the punishment of death for the offenders, while their names will be listed in the sex offenders register and published.
“Whoever commits rape of a child below the age of fourteen years shall on conviction, be punished with surgical castration and death,” it read.
“Whoever has sexual intercourse with a male child below the age of fourteen years shall be punished with surgical castration and death.
“Where a female adult is convicted for the offence of rape of a child, the court shall punish the accused with bilateral salpingectomy and death.
“Where the victim is above fourteen years, the court shall on conviction sentence the accused with punishment of surgical castration and life imprisonment.
“Where the convict is a child, the court shall order as appropriate under the Children and Young Persons Law Cap 26 Laws of Kaduna State 1991.
“Where the victim is a child, the court shall in addition to the conviction under sub-section (1) and (2) order that the convict be listed in the sex offenders register to be published in the media by the Attorney General.
“Where the court is trying the offence of rape involving a child below the age of fourteen (14) years, corroboration of medical report shall be necessary.
Amid incessant cases of rape, the governor had earlier advocated stiff punishment for convicts, saying that they may assault more persons after serving their jail term.
“In addition to life imprisonment or 21 years’ imprisonment, anyone convicted of rape will have his organ surgically removed so that even after he finishes his term, he will not be able to rape anyone again,” el-Rufai had said.
“So long as the tool exists, there is the likelihood that he may go back to do it again. Most of the perpetrators are young people, so even after 21 years, they can come back and continue.”
