The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday removed the traditional ruler of the Emohua kingdom, Chidi Awuse, as the chairman of the state’s council of traditional rulers.
He had since appointed the traditional ruler of the Apara kingdom, Chike Worlu Wodo, as the council’s new chairman.
Fubara, who broke the news during a meeting with members of the council at the Government House in Port Harcourt, said Awuse-led council did not show any sign of working with his government.
Awuse is a close ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads since October last year with several key stakeholders in Rivers State queuing behind the friends-turned foes.
The governor said: “At this particular time, I have to say that with the power vested in me, I announce that the tenure of Chief Sergeant Awuse as the chairman of Rivers State Council of traditional rulers has been terminated.
“Let me announce here that the new chairman from this particular moment will be Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, Eze Ohna Apara, the paramount ruler of the Apara kingdom.
“I want the council to live up to its responsibility. From my observation, the council is moribund.
“So, I can feel that the council, for a while now, has been very inactive. Inactive because, maybe, the chairman has decided not to be responsible as a chairman. I think that is the best way to describe it.”
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Fubara removes Wike’s ally as chairman of Rivers traditional rulers’ council
Man jailed one year for stealing N1000 food items in Ogun
An Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court in Isabo, Ogun State, on Friday, sentenced one Kazeem Salami to one-year imprisonment for stealing food items worth N1,000.
The prosecutor, Insp. Lawrence Olu-Balogun, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 5 at Duroja Street in Ake village via Laderin in Abeokuta.
He added that the convict was noticed by residents of the community loitering around the community.
“When the convict was accosted and interrogated, by security officers in the community, he could not give a satisfactory account of where he was going to in the community
“He also failed to give an account of where he got the yam flour, palm oil, and other food items in his possession, all worth N1000,” Olu-Balogun said.
The offence, according to the prosecutor, contravened Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun 2006.
Salami, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In her ruling, Magistrate V.B. Williams said the prosecution had proved his case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the defendant to one year in prison.
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Naira slumps marginally at official, parallel windows
The naira slumped marginally against the United States dollar on Friday.
Data from the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) showed that the domestic currency traded at N1, 485.53/$1 on Friday.
At the end of trading today, the naira lost less than N1 against the dollar as against the N1,485.36/$1 it recorded on Thursday.
The intra-day high and low recorded during the day were N1, 505/$1 and N1, 401/$1 respectively, representing a very lean spread of N104$1.
Similarly, the naira slumped against the dollar at the parallel section of the market to trade at N1,495/$1, as against the N1,490/$1 it traded the previous trading day.
However, the Nigerian currency appreciated slightly against the British Pound to trade at N1,890£1 s against the previous trading day’s N1,900£1.
For several weeks consecutively, the Canadian dollar closed flat against the naira to trade at N1,200| CA$1.
The naira also lost N10 against the Euro to trade at ₦1,590/€1 as against the previous trading day’s ₦1,580/€1.
By: Babajide Okeowo
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Griezmann misfires as France struggle without Mbappe
France and the Netherlands edged towards the last 16 of Euro 2024 after a 0-0 draw in Leipzig that failed to catch fire in the absence of Kylian Mbappe.
The French captain sat out the whole match from the bench after breaking his nose in France’s opening 1-0 win over Austria just four days ago.
Xavi Simons had a goal controversially ruled out for the Dutch, while Antoine Griezmann wasted two glorious chances for France.
A share of the spoils leaves the sides level on four points at the top of Group D, one ahead of Austria who beat Poland 3-1 earlier on Friday.
France take on the Poles, while the Netherlands face Austria in the final games of the section on Tuesday.
Les Bleus had won both meetings when these sides met in qualifying but Mbappe scored four of France’s six goals in those games.
Roared on by an orange wall around two-thirds of the Leipzig Stadium, the Dutch nearly pounced on any French uncertainty within a minute.
The explosive pace of Jeremie Frimpong took him clear on goal but the Bayer Leverkusen man could not produce a clean finish and Mike Maignan turned his shot behind.
Aurelien Tchouameni replaced Mbappe in France’s only change as coach Didier Deschamps sought the security of an extra midfielder.
Without their captain and talisman, the 2022 World Cup finalists turned to Griezmann for inspiration.
The stand-in skipper stung the palms of Bart Verbruggen from distance.
But the Atletico Madrid forward had a moment to forget with the biggest chance to open the scoring before half-time.
An intricate move played in Adrien Rabiot but when he decided to pass rather than shoot, Griezmann failed to connect on his weaker right foot.
At the other end, Maignan had to produce another fine save low to his left to turn Cody Gakpo’s drive behind.
France had the better chances in the second period.
Marcus Thuram fizzed a shot just wide from the edge of the area before Tchouameni could not keep a header down.
The normally reliable Griezmann was guilty of another big miss when his weak effort was turned behind by Verbruggen with the goal gaping.
But the major talking point of the first goalless draw of the tournament saw the Dutch denied a winner.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Simons fired in on the rebound after Maignan saved from Memphis Depay 18 minutes from time.
The goal was ruled out by the officials on the field for offside as Denzel Dumfries was adjudged to be interfering with Maignan’s ability to stop the shot.
After a lengthy VAR check, which has been a welcome rarity at the tournament so far, the offside was confirmed and France handed a reprieve.
Deschamps rejected the chance to risk Mbappe for the closing stages as he instead sent on Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman in search of a winner.
But both sides settled for a point that is already likely enough to secure their passage to the knockout rounds thanks to the safety net that sees the four best third-placed finishers advance.
AFP
Poland crash out of Euro as France, Netherlands share spoils
Poland have crashed out of the ongoing European Championship after losing their second group match against Austria 3-1 on Friday night.
Their exit from the championship was confirmed after France and the Netherlands played a goalless draw in Group D’s other game.
Late goals by Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic gave Austria a hard-fought win over Poland.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe did not feature for France in their goalless draw against Netherlands.
The Real Madrid star broke his nose in France’s win over Austria in the first game of the group.
More to follow…
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British Airways grounds aircraft, apologises for hitch
British Airways has grounded its aircraft at the Murtala International Airport in Lagos due to a technical fault.
However, the airline has apologized to its passengers and the country’s aviation authorities for the flight disruption.
The airline’s Regional Commercial Manager, Nigeria and Ghana, Mrs. Tutu Otuyalo, told journalists on Friday the airline would take up the costs of accommodation and meals for affected passengers.
She said the majority of passengers had been accommodated on other flights, while the carrier’s team continued to work hard to book the remaining customers on a flight as soon as possible.
The British Airways flight number BA 74 which was scheduled to depart Lagos for Heathrow, London, at 10:50 p.m. on Wednesday developed a technical problem.
The flight was rescheduled and later cancelled due to a technical problem.
Otuyalo said: “We will cover accommodation and meal costs for the customers.
“We would never operate a flight unless it is safe to do so. Most of the affected passengers have been re-accommodated to other flights.
“We have been in contact with our customers to apologise for the delay in their flight caused by a technical issue with the aircraft.”
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CAF announces new dates for 2025 AFCON in Morocco
The next Africa Cup of Nations will be played in Morocco from December 21 2025 to January 18 2026, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe said on Friday.
“I am confident that the CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 will be extremely successful and the best AFCON in the history of this competition,” he said.
CAF held a virtual executive committee at their headquarters in Cairo on Friday evening after which Motsepe made the announcement.
Originally scheduled for June and July 2025, the AFCON was moved to avoid a clash with the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States from June 15 to July 13 next year.
An added challenge for CAF officials was the desire to avoid a clash of dates with the UEFA Champions League in Europe.
Matchday six of the elite European club competition ends on December 11 2025 and matchday seven begins on January 21 2026.
However, the new dates are sure to upset many Premier League clubs as the Christmas-New Year period is frenetic with teams playing many matches in a short period.
English media reports have suggested clubs might not release African stars as they are compelled to do so for only one international championship per year and the next World Cup is in 2026.
CAF could argue that it is the 2025 AFCON, although most of the tournament will be staged the following year.
Finding suitable dates for the AFCON, a 24-nation tournament won by hosts the Ivory Coast last February, has become increasingly difficult.
A switch to mid-year worked for the 2019 edition in the searing heat of Egypt in so far as it avoided a clash with the European club seasons.
– Dramatic profit increase –
However, the two subsequent editions, in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, had to be staged in January and February to avoid the rainy seasons in central and west Africa.
The qualifying draw for the 2025 AFCON is scheduled for Johannesburg on July 4 with 48 hopefuls to be divided into 12 groups.
Morocco will take part to gain competitive match practice but are guaranteed a place at the 24-team finals as hosts.
Unlike the four-yearly European Championship, Copa America and Asian Cup, the AFCON is held every two years because it delivers most of the CAF revenue.
In a recent TV interview, Motsepe said CAF made an $80 million (€75 million) profit from the last AFCON, hosted by the Ivory Coast in January and February this year.
This was a dramatic increase from previous editions, which produced an average profit of about four million dollars, according to the South African billionaire.
The 2024 Women’s AFCON (WAFCON) has also been postponed and will now be played in Morocco from July 5-26 next year.
New dates will also have to be found for the African Nations Championship (CHAN), originally scheduled for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda this year.
Not even the qualifying draw has been made for a competition restricted to home-based footballers and won by Senegal in Algeria last year, and CAF has not explained the delay.
There has also been no news from CAF on a second edition of the African Football League (AFL), initially called the African Super League.
Planned to be a 24-club mini-league and knockout competition featuring the highest-ranked clubs in the continent, it debuted last year with just eight sides involved in a three-round affair.
Were the original format to be introduced, clubs would play between 14 and 21 matches in a continent where air travel presents challenges due to limited direct flights between countries.
“You can turn the lights off on domestic football if this (AFL) goes ahead,” warned John Comitis, the chairman of top-flight South African club Cape Town City.
AFP
World Bank grants Oyo N3.5bn to renovate 105 schools
The World Bank has supported the Oyo State Government with an N3.5 billion grant for the renovation of 105 selected public primary schools across the state.
The state governor, Seyi Makinde, made the disclosure on Friday in Ibadan during a symbolic presentation of cheques to representatives of some of the beneficiary schools.
Makinde, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Bayo Lawal said the grant was meant for the renovation of primary schools with critical attention.
The governor explained that the works would commence simultaneously in all the 105 schools selected across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He admonished those in charge of the exercise to avoid doing shoddy jobs but to ensure that all the projects were in accordance with the prescriptions.
He said that doing quality jobs would make the essence of the projects realisable and equally make the general public to appreciate government efforts in the education sector.
“A huge amount of money is being put into this project, and the beneficiaries must pay attention to what is being done in their respective schools.
“The standard must be in accordance with prescriptions, so that our children will take maximum advantage of the facilities government is putting in place,” Makinde said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education Intervention, Mr Suraj Tiamiyu, said that the renovation of the 105 approved public primary schools, mostly in the rural areas, was expected to be completed within six weeks.
Tiamiyu said the renovation would include construction of toilets, boreholes drilling among other facilities that would make learning environment more condusive for pupils.
He added that the exercise would be properly monitored for effective delivery to standard and time framework.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the grant support is a World Bank Project under Better Education Service Delivery for All – Additional Funding.
The project is a form of educational grant from the World Bank with Global Partnership for Education aiming to increase equitable access for out-of-school children and improvement of literacy in beneficiary states.
Oyo State and two other states, namely; Adamawa and Katsina were beneficiaries of the grant, which is also seeking to strengthen accountability for results in basic education in Nigeria.
NAN
Nigerian govt approves N21bn to DisCoS for purchase of meters
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved N21 billion for the 11 electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to provide meters for customers.
NERC gave the approval in ORDER NO: NERC/2024/072 on The Operationalisation of “Tranche A” of the Presidential Metering Initiative under the Framework of Meter Acquisition Fund signed by its chairman, Sanusi Garba.
It read: “The order signed by NERC Chairman, Mr Sanusi Garba and Commissioner Legal, Dafe Akpeneye, shall become effective From June 2024 and may be amended or revoked by subsequent orders issued by the commission.
“The commission hereby approves the sum of N21 billion apportioned pro rata to contribution by the DisCos as Tranche A of the MAF scheme.
“Attached to this order as Schedule 1 is a breakdown of the funds available for each DisCo for the purchase of end-use customer meters.
“All the meters to be procured and installed under the MAF framework shall be at no cost to the customers of the DisCos.”
The commission introduced the Meter Asset Provider (“MAP”) Regulations 2018 and subsequently, the Meter Asset Provider and National Mass Metering (“MAP&NMMR”) Regulations in 2021 to address metering challenges in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (“NESI“).
The regulations provided several options for metering end-use customers but the interventions, though significant, had not resulted in the closure of the national metering gap which currently stood in excess of seven million customers.
“The inability of distribution companies (DisCos) to raise financing in the form of debt or additional equity was identified as the major constraint in the acquisition and deployment of end-use meters and other capital investments.
“The Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) scheme was therefore, developed and approved by the commission, primarily to address the challenges of DisCos creditworthiness inhibiting the deployment of end-use meter in NESI.
”By creating a credible revenue stream from the market funds on the back of which long term financing may be secured by the utilities,” it stated.
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Onazi calls for action after sister-in-law died in auto crash
Former Nigerian international footballer Ogenyi Onazi has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Federal Road Safety Corps to intervene following a tragic accident that claimed the life of his sister-in-law and left his brother severely injured.
A post by Onazi on Friday via his Instagram noted that the incident occurred on Tuesday at approximately 4 PM when Onazi’s elder brother, was driving with his wife to visit an acquaintance.
Their journey was cut short when a truck loaded with fertilizer careened out of control, crashing into more than 10 vehicles.
“On the traffic then came this truck loaded with fertilizer without control to crash more than 10 cars killed my brothers wife instantly and my brother managed to survival with several dislocated joint arranged for surgery, with other people dead,” Onazi wrote.
He added that there were other fatalities in the accident as well.
The midfielder, who currently plays for Italian Serie D club Avezzano, expressed his frustration with the circumstances surrounding the crash. “After interrogation, I got to know that the driver does not have a proper driving license and he was handed this kind of truck to destroy lives,” he revealed.
Onazi used this personal tragedy to highlight the situation plaguing the Nigerian roads.
“Driving in Nigeria, you will know that a lot of people driving on the road don’t have proper driving knowledge,” he observed.
The footballer further emphasised the danger posed by truck and tanker drivers, stating, “Lately, trucks and tank drivers have been killing a lot of people because of reckless driving.”
The 31-year-old, who was part of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad in 2013, called for stricter enforcement of driving regulations and better training for commercial vehicle operators.
