PEN TO THE WORLD

Click on the link below for full details; Sultan sets new date for Eid-El-Fitr as moon can’t be sighted

Click on the link below for full details; Barcelona advances to women’s Champions League final

Click on the link below for full details; Iran plans to pardon, commute the sentences of over 1,500 convicts as Ramadan ends

Click on the link below for full details; ASUU strike: Activist criticizes education, labor ministers over presidential bids in 2023

Click on the link below for full details; Football agent Mino Raiola dies at 54

Davido celebrates baby mama, Chioma, on birthday

Click on the link below for full details; Sleeping with animal attracts 14 years imprisonment in Nigeria -Lawyer

Click on the link below for full details; Lack of transparency affecting entertainment industry, says talent manager, Abiodun Alabi

Click on the link below for full details; EPL: Ronaldo tipped to dump Man Utd, join Messi at PSG

Click on the link below for full details; US frowns on Indonesia’s invitation of Putin to G20 summit

Click on the link below for full details; Man United manager Ralf Rangnick named Austria coach

Click on the link below for full details; Mbappe to Real Madrid: Coaches can’t tell whole truth – Ancelotti reacts to Pochettino’s latest comment

Close to the link below for full details; Actress Chinedu Bernard slump, dies in church

Click on the link below for full details; Ex-tennis star Boris Becker jailed in UK over bankruptcy

Click on the link below for full details; Tinubu picks N100m APC presidential form

Click on the link below for full details; 2023: I’ll fix Nigeria using my seven years’ experience – Osinbajo

Click on the link below for full details; EPL: John Barnes hands Man United name of player to sign this summer

Click on the link below for full details; Gov Abiodun never admitted to committing any crime anywhere – Commissioner

Click on the link below for full details; Over 1400 South-West farmers receive training on climate change

Click on the link below for full details; EPL: Why I don’t feel sorry for Rangnick at Man United – Tuchel

Eid-el Fitr: FG declares Monday, Tuesday public holidays

Kwara NSCDC deploys 800 personnel for Eid- el-Fitr celebration

2023: Why I’m right candidate to succeed Buhari – Osinbajo

Mino Raiola: Anxiety over Pogba, Haaland’s agent health

Osun announces new third-term school resumption date

Refrain from unhealthy inter-agency rivalry, Obaseki tells NSCDC Commandant

Judge rejects Elon Musk’s bid to free tweets from oversight

Electoral Act: As Buhari’s ministers refuse to resign, more commissioners resign

President Muhammadu Buhari has sworn in four new Permanent Secretaries. The quartet took an oath of office on Wednesday at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja. The new officials are Beatrice Jiddy-Agba, Kachollom Daju, Shehu Ibrahim and Mary Ogbe. The weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting commenced afterwards. In attendance were Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government, Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari. Others include National Security Adviser, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno; Head of Civil Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan and nine ministers. NAN reports that a minute’s silence was observed in honour of former FEC member, Tonye Graham-Douglas. The 82-year-old died on Monday in a private hospital in Abuja. Graham-Douglas served as Minister of Aviation, Minister of Labour and Productivity, and Minister of Tourism. Source: DAILY POST

Nigerian  players in Europe have a chance to make history with their various clubs with eight of them still in contention to win a title in different categories of the 2021/22 European competitions. Nigeria has never had it this good with eight players in the semi-final stages of European competitions in a single season. Samuel Chukwueze leads the pack with Spanish side, Villarreal, taking on Liverpool in the semi-finals of the biggest European club competition UEFA Champions League, as he hopes to join the elite list of Nigerian players who have won the tournament. Trio Finidi George, Nwankwo Kanu, and Obi Mikel are the only Nigerians who have had the luxury of lifting the trophy with Ajax and Chelsea respectively. Coming off the bench with just six minutes left, Chukwueze struck a dramatic and decisive late goal as the Yellow Submarines secured a shock 2-1 aggregate victory that sent tournament favourites, Bayern Munich, crashing out of the Champions League in the quarter

Multi-award-winning Nigerian artiste, Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has been announced as one of the stars headlining the 2022 Rolling Loud music festival. Dubbed the largest hip-hop festival in the world, Rolling Loud will be held from the 9th to the 11th of September. The festival, which usually takes place in the United States, will hold in Canada for the first time in history. “This is our first year in Canada and we’re hyped! Rolling Loud Toronto is the beginning of something beautiful for the city,” the festival’s official account tweeted on Tuesday. The three-day festival will also be headlined by American hip-hop stars, Dave and Future, with Wizkid headlining the third day of the festival. Source: PUNCH

The former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has said nobody can predict President Muhammadu Buhari’s preferred candidate. Okorocha, who was a guest on Channels TV said Buhari is unpredictable and is yet to endorse anyone to succeed him. According to the presidential aspirant, Buhari has not revealed his preferred candidate or given his support to any aspirant yet and anyone saying otherwise is lying. “If you know President Muhammadu Buhari, he is a general and you can’t predict. He is so unpredictable, you can’t predict what he will do. He might pull anybody by surprise. “That’s the military training that he has but anybody that goes there, I’m sure whatever he says is what he says to be. “If anybody comes out to say that Buhari has endorsed him, the person will not be telling the truth”.

Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp, has named Villarreal manager, Unai Emery, as a world-class coach. Klopp said Emery, a former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain manager, is doing an incredible job at Villarreal. The German spoke during his pre-match press conference on Monday ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final tie with Villarreal on Wednesday. He said: “Ofcourse, we did the proper analysis. I had a lot of respect for Unai Emery and Villarreal before because I saw the games [Villarreal vs Juventus, Bayern Munich] wow! Impressive. Unai is obviously – or at least it looks like it when you watch his team – a detail-obsessed manager who prepares for all different situations in a game and that is what his teams execute. "It is really, really good. And obviously, Unai is a world-class coach and is doing an incredible job there.” Source: DAILY POST

As politicians jostle for the nation’s presidency in 2023, former Senate President Bukola Saraki has said that it was the turn of the North-Central geopolitical zone to lead the country. Saraki spoke on Tuesday in Jos when he addressed delegates from Plateau ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary elections slated to hold in May. The former Kwara governor, who is among the many aspirants in the race for the PDP ticket, pointed out that the North-Central had consistently supported other regions to lead the country and deserved similar support from other zones, this time. “You remember that before the national convention of our party, we held a meeting in Abuja with delegates of North-Central extraction. “We said to ourselves that for many times and many years, we, in the North Central, have worked hard, we struggled, used our efforts, used our money, used our energies to support other people to lead. “Everybody, who had become President under this great party, go

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Monday, said his government will sustain efforts at ensuring a resilient and equitable health system to deliver quality health care services to all residents. Obaseki gave the assurance while declaring open a five-day free medical outreach for over 4,000 residents, in collaboration with the Association of Nigeria Physicians in the Americas. The beneficiaries during the five-day medical mission are to receive surgical interventions and treatments for heart, kidney, eye and other ailments. Obaseki said, “For the thousands of those who are going to get care from the team, we expect that you should know that this is not a one-off service. When they are gone, we expect that you should continue to come to the centres where you got care to follow up. “The Nigerian professionals who are working with them are going to continue to be here; come for your follow-ups. The disease that kills people does not start in one day and kill them in one

Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo has professed Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback, Tom Brady a ‘GOAT’ (Greatest Of All Time). Ronaldo made the remarks after Brady won the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the World Sports Awards on Sunday. The award was gifted to Brady for his remarkable career in American football that has been going on for so many years now. During his acceptance, Ronaldo decided to drop by and send his message to the American. He said, “The GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). It’s an honour to send you this video because you are truly an inspiration for all of us. “For your hard work, your dedication and your longevity, I think you deserve to win this award, this one and all of the awards. I wish you all the best, keep going with that motivation, even with your age.” Recall that Brady made a remarkable U-turn in his career choices this year. The 44-year-old came out of retirement, just a month after he announced his plans to stop playing the sport. Sou

A group in the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, on Monday, raised a cheque of N50 million to purchase the 2023 governorship nomination and expression of interest forms for the state Governor, Dapo Abiodun. The organisation, under the aegis of Dapo Abiodun Mandate, said it was throwing its weight behind the second term bid of Abiodun as the state governor. The Chairman of the group, Biyi Adeleye, disclosed this at a press briefing held on the premises of the Governor’s country home in Iperu-Remo. Adeleye who is the Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the Governor, maintained that the group decided to support the second term bid because the governor completed all the abandoned projects of the past administration. He described the Abiodun as a silent achiever, adding that his administration has fulfilled all its promises. Adeleye said “Governor Dapo Abiodun has touched all the senatorial districts, every local government in Ogun State. He also took upon himself to

Citizens Network for Peace and Development has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan has yet to make his decision on the 2023 presidential election known because he is still consulting. The human rights organisation while calling on Jonathan to contest said on Monday that the ex-president may contest the election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress. The national coordinator of CNPD, Raphael Okorie, made this known during a press conference in Abuja. Okorie said, “The entire country, men, women, East, North, South and West are unanimous for Jonathan to contest the 2023 presidential election. “The presidential election is not a Local Government election and a man who has been the Grand Commander-in-Chief of this country knows the full import of running in a presidential election. “What he is doing is to respect every facets that have a role to play in the 2023 presidential election by consulting and having discussions with them and having them buy into

The President, Major General Muhamamdu Buhari (retd.), has congratulated the French President, Emmanuel Macron, for winning a second term in office, and making history as the only sitting leader of the country to return in two decades. This is as the President also assured Macron of Nigeria’s support as he (Macron) “continues with his advocacy of humanising policies, promoting peace and stability.” This was contained in a statement by Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, on Monday, titled, ‘President Buhari hails French President Emmanuel Macron’s victory’. Buhari affirms that Macron’s iconic leadership style, who spent six months in Nigeria working as an intern at the French Embassy in 2002, continues to inspire a new generation of leaders and interest in politics and governance, starting from his country and beyond. The statement read, “The President notes the warmth and friendliness that has redefined Nigeria/France relations since President Macron assumed office in 2017, pa

United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin has revealed the only way Ukraine can win its ongoing war with Russia. The war between Russia and Ukraine started in February 2022 and many casualties have already been recorded. Russian President, Vladimir Putin had ordered the invasion of Ukraine due to political differences between both neighbouring countries. However, according to Austin, Ukrainians can win the war against Russia if they have the right equipment and the right support. Speaking on how Ukraine can win the war against Russia, the Pentagon Chief was quoted by BBC as saying: “The first step in winning is believing that you can win… We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.” Austin also added that Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was grateful for everything the US is doing amid the war with Russia, but is focused on what he needs next in order to be successful. Source: DAILY POST

The mayor of Ukrainian city of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, has cried out that President Vladimir Putin wants to kill all Ukrainian citizens. The mayor, who was detained by Russian forces for five days in March, told CNN that his city is in a “very difficult and dangerous situation.” Putin’s army occupied Melitopol, in southeastern Ukraine, within days of the invasion. Russian forces detained Fedorov and installed a new mayor in the city, which is under Russian military control. He was later released as part of a prisoner exchange. Now the mayor said that Putin’s goal was to “kill all of Ukrainian nation,” starting by occupying its cities. The mayor added that Melitopol’s citizens are not able to receive aid. “We can’t deliver humanitarian aid. We can’t deliver pharmacy. We can’t deliver for emergency services. That’s why it’s a very dangerous situation,” he told the CNN. Source: DAILY POST

Tymofiy Mylovanov, aide to Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has revealed Russia’s “clear message” in the ongong war. Recall that Russia had last week made public the goal of its invasion of Ukraine which is to take “full control” of southern region of the country, as well as the eastern Donbas, and to establish a land corridor connecting Russia to Crimea, the peninsula it annexed in 2014. Mylocavov, Zelensky’s adviser, said that Russia is “trying to depopulate the east of Ukraine.” “I think the message they’re sending is very clear,” Mylovanov told CNN “If you surrender, like Crimea in 2014, nothing is going to happen to you. "If you resist, like Donbas, like the east of Ukraine, you’ll be destroyed. (It) doesn’t matter if you’re military or civilians. So the message Russia is sending is, ‘surrender or be erased.'” Source: DAILY POST

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has summoned all aspirants jostling to contest for various political positions in 2023. They were all asked to report to a meeting scheduled to hold at the Oyo State Government House. Meanwhile, the governor summoned the aspirants due to some disagreements that have characterised the  forthcoming primary of the party.  It was gathered that leaders and aspirants of the party in some constituencies are yet to agree on the candidates to flag the party’s flag due to some  internal wrangling. Makinde has now mandated all the aspirants to attend a meeting where the issues would be resolved. The meeting is expected to commence at 11.am today (Monday). Some of the aspirants said that they would attend the meeting. They described the meeting as a bold step aimed at resolving all the pending issues ahead of 2023. The State Secretary of the party, Alhaji Wasiu Adeleke, confirmed the invitation in a statement obtained on Sunday evening. Adekeke said,

Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger will leave Chelsea at the end of the season after turning down the offer of a new contract, manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed on Sunday. “The situation is that he wants to leave the club,” Tuchel said after their 1-0 English Premier League win over West Ham. “He informed me of this in a private talk. “It is disappointing. We will miss him a lot.” The 29-year-old Rüdiger was reportedly offered record terms for a defender from Chelsea. Tuchel said competing for his signature was made harder by UK government sanctions imposed on the club owned by Russian Roman Abramovich as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. “We gave everything — me and the club — but we could not fight anymore because of the actions,” Tuchel explained. “Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied.” Chelsea are prevented from signing new players, and even renewing contracts with their existing squad is far from straightforward. M

A chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum and leader of Arewa Community in South-South and South-East geo-political zone, Alhaji Musa Saidu, has cautioned Northerners against supporting the presidential aspiration of Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi. According to the ACF chieftain, the minister was only pretending to love northerners, adding that his antecedent as governor of Rivers State did not attest to that. Saidu, who spoke to journalists in Kaduna on Sunday, noted that all northerners residing in Rivers State could attest to how Amaechi treated Northerners, especially in areas of politics and appointments. “Amaechi discriminately appointed Yorubas and Igbos as special assistants but declined to appoint any Northerner despite our long stay and role in the development of the state,” he said. Besides, the ACF chieftain noted that it was on record that Amaechi as governor of Rivers state, demolished mosques and cemeteries for Northern christians and Muslims as we