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Unhealthy issues will occur to Joshua – Ngannou instructor

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Unhealthy issues will occur to Joshua – Ngannou instructor

Francis Ngannou’s trainer Dewey Cooper has fired a warning to Anthony Joshua ahead of their highly anticipated heavyweight boxing clash on Friday night in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, nearly caused a seismic upset against Tyson Fury on his professional boxing debut, flooring ‘The Gypsy King’ in the third round before losing via split decision.

Next up for the Cameroonian is a showdown with Joshua, who is coming off the back of three successive victories as he plots a route back to the title.

But Cooper is confident Ngannou is going to thwart the Brit’s hopes and once again defy the odds.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Cooper said, “Can he go one better? Absolutely. That’s the goal and that’s the plan.

“In the Tyson Fury fight, we told you guys he was going to at least drop him once, that he could win the fight. We mean our words; this is not poetry, not fantasy.

“I know Joshua is your guy, you’re supposed to support him, but just know what he’s up against. He is up against a man who has proven life wrong from childhood all the way up.”

In the UFC, Ngannou was renowned for his devastating power, earning knockout victories in 10 of his 12 wins in the promotion.

It seemed to translate immediately when he swapped the octagon for the boxing ring as he sent Fury to the canvas, but Cooper says it’s not the only weapon in his arsenal.

“He has gargantuan power. It’s natural, in both fists. If he lands clean, bad things are going to happen for Joshua,” Cooper added.

“His precision is on point, his mentality is on point. It’s going to be one heck of a fight.

“We’re going to gain more from that first outing than anyone’s expectations could be. He’s going to be a much better, much more improved fighter than in his first outing against Tyson Fury.

“He can win it in a multitude of ways. Impossible when it comes to Francis Ngannou simply means ‘unpossible’.

“Beware and be worried if you’re a Joshua fan.”

Such is the confidence of the Ngannou team, they are already targeting the winner of the unification bout between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on May 18, live on TNT Sports Box Office.

Nigeria ready for ‘robust’ cricket teams

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Nigeria ready for ‘robust’ cricket teams

Head coach of Nigeria’s male cricket team and the high-performance manager of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Steve Tikolo, insists the country’s male and female teams for the 13th African Games in Ghana are in strong groups and poised to spring surprises when the games begin on Thursday at the Achimota Cricket Grounds, According Sports Extra reports.

Cricket is debuting at the Games in Ghana, with seven out of the 18 International Cricket Council Associate member countries, including Nigeria, hosts Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Namibia, as well as the two full ICC members, South Africa and Zimbabwe, doing battle in Accra.

In the women’s event, which starts Thursday, the Female Yellow Greens are in Group A alongside South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania – the team they met twice at the just-concluded tournament in Lagos, just as the Yellow Greens are in Group B with Namibia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

While both Nigerian teams are the least-ranked in their groups, Tikolo believes nothing can stop them from making their mark at the event.

“I will say our group is strong,” Tikolo told our correspondent at the TBS Oval in Lagos.

“We have Zimbabwe, Namibia and Tanzania in our group. They are all tough teams, but I am sure if we play to the best of our abilities, we will be victorious. We prepared well during the training camp and come the 7th of March we will be good to go.

“The same goes for the female team who even had a tournament before the Games,” Tikolo added.

Meanwhile, the Female Yellow Greens landed in Accra on Tuesday ahead of their first game against Tanzania.

The team recently finished second at the NCF Women’s T20i invitational tournament on Sunday after beating arch rivals Rwanda by 20 runs at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval, Lagos. They had their last training session at the TBS Oval on Monday before departing Tuesday morning.

Their first game will be against Tanzania, ranked 19th, March 7. That will be followed by another test against Namibia, who are ranked 17th in the world, while their last group game is against South Africa, who are the fifth-best team in the world at the moment.

 

BIC information double-digit earnings upward push

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BIC information double-digit earnings upward push

Manufacturing corporation, BIC, has recorded double-digit growth in its revenue for the year ended December 2023 across its operations in West Africa. This was revealed in its just-released financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023. BIC manufactures stationeries, lighters, and shavers. The company ended the 2023 fiscal year with strong adjusted

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Fayemi mourns Ekiti APC chairman, Omotoso

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A former Governor of Ekiti State and former Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has expressed his condolences on the death of the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, Paul Omotoso.

Fayemi described Omotoso as a committed leader, unifier, and key figure in the party in the state.

He made this known in a statement signed by the head of his media office, Ahmad Sajoh, on Wednesday.

Fayemi said the party chairman’s unexpected exit has created a significant gap within the APC family in the state and among all those familiar with the departed party leader.

 

Paul Omotoso
Paul Omotoso

He praised the late Omotoso as a dedicated leader and unwavering advocate of the APC’s principles and agenda in Ekiti State.

“Under his stewardship, our party achieved significant victories in recent elections, gaining the trust of our people. This would not have been possible without his commitment to uniting our members and working selflessly for the greater good of our state and nation,’’ he said.

Fayemi noted that Omotoso had been a loyal member of the party for many years, starting from the Alliance for Democracy days.

Omotoso also held various positions within the party, including secretary and chairman of the APC. He had previously served as Commissioner for Local Government and Environment during Fayemi’s first term as governor, from 2010 to 2014.

Fayemi added, “Omotoso’s contributions and sacrifices for our party will never be forgotten. He was a man of integrity who led by example, inspiring the party faithful with his passion for service and dedication. His leadership kept us united and focused on our mission even in the face of challenges.

“Ekiti State and the APC have lost a pillar, a grassroots mobilizer, and a committed leader. We mourn this devastating loss, but we take solace in the lasting legacy and sterling example he leaves behind.

“His ideals and examples will continue to guide us as we rededicate ourselves to the vision of a more prosperous Ekiti. In this moment of sorrow, I urge all members and supporters of our party to remain strong and united in honouring the memory of our late chairman.

“On behalf of my family, I extend my deep condolences to the Ekiti State chapter of the APC, the family and associates of the late Chairman and the people of Ekiti on this irreparable loss.”

Knockouts galore at AKO Championship 3

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Knockouts galore at AKO Championship 3

The third African Knockout Championship held at the SOL Beach by Box Mall in Oniru, Lagos on Saturday delivered amazing performances with the main event of the night ending in just two minutes with the competition filled with knockouts.

The main event of the AKO 3 fight night between Josias ‘the K.O Wizard’ Musasa from DR Congo and Abdelghani Saber of Egypt ended in the first round as Musasa, living up to his alias, took less than two minutes to win the featherweight fight, beating Saber by technical knockout.

The Lagos crowd was visibly disappointed as Nigeria’s Segun Ogunnoiki suffered defeat to Congo’s Flex Munwe in their middleweight bout. Ogunnoiki was on the back foot in all three rounds against Munwe, who recorded a split decision victory.

The night started badly for Nigeria when Abdulbasit Bello suffered defeat in the first fight, losing against Uganda’s James Opio. The East African dominated the lightweight bout before securing a second round technical knockout win.

however, Dennis Johnson gave the home fans something to cheer about in the second fight of the night as the Nigerian did enough to record a split decision victory over Israel Mano of Burkina Faso in the light-heavyweight fight.

The night got better for Nigeria and cheers went louder for Jackiel ‘Smiling Assasin’ Anyana, who stunned Kenyan Benard Seret in the lightweight fight with a technical knockout win after a perfect head-kick in the first round.

The women’s bantamweight division fight between Precious Okoh of Nigeria and Togo’s Cythia Jibidar was stopped by the referee after the Togolese dominated the fight and scored a TKO win over Okoh.

The first of two Nigeria/Ivory Coast contests saw Nigeria’s Cornell Thompson delivering a wrestling master-class to secure a unanimous decision win over Francios Ahizi in the featherweight bout.

Ahizi’s defeat to Thompson was swiftly avenged by Xavier Adams, who knocked out Ugochukwu Melvin of Nigeria in the light-heavyweight contest in the second round.

The lightweight fight between Jibrin Baba of Nigeria and Jean Do Santos from Benin Republic ended in a split decision win for the visitor.

The African Knockout is the leading Mixed Martial Arts organisation in Africa, propelling the fast-growing sport on the continent, helping talents to achieve the goal of competing at the top level and following the steps of global stars, Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya.

The 2024 AKO season, featuring over 40 professional Mixed Martial Artists from over 15 African countries, continues in May with the African Knockout Championship 4.

Quadri gold jinx continues, Edem wins first medal

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Quadri gold jinx continues, Edem wins first medal

Nigeria’s highest-ranked table tennis player, Aruna Quadri, lost the men’s singles final of the table tennis event of the 2024 African Games to arch rival Omar Assar in Acrra, Ghana on Tuesday.

Quadri lost 4-3 to the Egyptian to settle for silver, Nigeria’s second medal at the Games, after Offiong Edem had earlier claimed bronze in the women’s singles event on Tuesday.

Quadri, who is making his fourth appearance at the Games in Accra since his debut at the 2011 edition in Maputo, Mozambique has never won an African Games gold medal.

In Maputo, he reached the semi-finals and eventually finished fourth, while at the 2015 edition in Brazzaville, Congo, he qualified for his first-ever final in the men’s singles event but lost the pulsating final 4-3 to Assar.

A the 2019 edition in Rabat, Morocco he stopped Assar from reclaiming the title in the semi-finals, only to lose it to compatriot Olajide Omotayo in the final.

In Accra, Quadri defeated two Egyptians in the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the final, first beating Mohammed Abdel Aziz, before dispatching El Beiali Mohamed 4-0.

For Quadri, it’s another mission unaccomplished at the Games, as he had hoped to eventually claim the elusive gold in Ghana but he insists he lives to fight another day.

“It’s really hard and tough. But of course, we keep fighting and fighting. It’s not about winning all the time, it’s about sportsmanship,”   Quadri said.

This is why we are professionals; this is what we are made to do. It’s always a very difficult match; it shows that the level of the competition is actually improving.”

Meanwhile, Offiong Edem became the first athlete to earn Nigeria a medal at the Games in Ghana after finishing in the top three of the women’s singles of the table tennis event on Tuesday.

The Spain-based star played her best matches in the last 16 and quarter-finals when she defeated the Alhodaby twins – Marwa and Mariam – to join the league of medallists in the women’s singles.

Set up against defending champion Dina Meshref of Egypt in the semi-finals, Edem caved in with a 4-0 defeat to settle for bronze, just like she did at the 2019 edition in Rabat, Morocco.

“I am so happy that we were able to attend the last World Championships in Korea and this really helped my game a lot. I want to thank the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation for their support and I believe attending such a competition really helped me personally here in Ghana.

“The Egyptians are ahead of us because they attend more competitions than us and we hope we can get such support to return to the top of the game in Africa,” Edem said.

United get ready €110m Osimhen bid

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United get ready €110m Osimhen bid

According to UK publication, The Independent, English Premier League giants, Manchester United, are preparing an offer of €110m as they hope to land Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen, during the next transfer window, The According reports.

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group taking control at Old Trafford, the Premier League giants are eyeing a massive overhauling of their squad ahead of the 2024/25 season.

United are ready to make a statement in the transfer market after reports emerged on Monday that the Devils are ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea, in the race for the Napoli striker.

Per The Independent, United are ready to put in a major bid in the forthcoming summer’s transfer window.

“The Nigerian forward has 13 goals this season and helped Napoli win Serie A last time around. Osimhen is wanted by Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and a host of other top teams. He is said to have a €110m release clause in the new contract he signed in Naples recently.”

Despite missing a large chunk of the 2023/24 season due to injuries and his involvement with Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, the striker still boasts 14-goal involvement (11 goals and three assists) in 16 appearances in the Italian topflight league.

The 25-year-old has been in fine form for Napoli, guiding the Serie A club to their first league victory in 33 years with a league-high 26 goals in 32 Serie A games last season, and 31 goals across all competitions.

His recruitment will come as a big boost for 20-time Premier League winners United topflight league title winners who have been without a prolific striker since the departure of Dutch striker, Robin van Persie, in 2015.

Osimhen has dominated the headlines with his achievements and is one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe and it came as no surprise that United are ready to splash the cash on the former Lille forward ahead of next season.

After ending the 2022/23 season as the top scorer in Italy’s top division, the Nigerian also became the first African to achieve the feat.

He was also named the Italian Footballers’ Association Serie A Player of The Year for the 2022/23 season.

For the national team, Osimhen, after helping Nigeria qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and finishing the qualification series as top scorer with 10 goals, the Napoli man only managed to score a goal at the competition but his involvement in the team played a major role in their journey to the final of the competition, where they lost 2-1 to the hosts in the final.

In what has been an astonishing period of his career for the Lagos-born striker, Osimhen became the first Nigerian footballer in history to be named in the Top 10 of the Ballon d’Or with an eighth-place finish.

He also became the first Nigerian, since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999, to be named African Footballer of The Year, beating Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah to the award at the CAF awards ceremony in Marrakech last December.

NiMet’s varsity programme to advertise early local weather warnings to farmers

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NiMet’s varsity programme to advertise early local weather warnings to farmers

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Prof Charles Anosike, has said that the university network programme of the agency is aimed at promoting early weather and climate warnings to farmers around the university’s vicinity to boost agricultural yield.

Anosike, while speaking at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the agency and Greenfield University, Kaduna State, on Tuesday, charged the relevant parties to the MoU to endeavour to fulfill all obligations contained in the MoU.

“NiMet is exploring more avenues to reach Nigerian farmers. This will guarantee that all citizens are protected by early weather and climate warnings against the vagaries associated with climate and weather disasters

“NiMet is fully committed to assisting farmers with weather information to ensure food security. This is a key component of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government”, he said.

The MoU covers data sharing between NiMet and Greenfield University, staff development, and establishment of an automatic weather observatory within the University.

The weather observatory will form part of NiMet’s network of weather stations transmitting data to the agency’s general server, which would be analyzed for the overall benefit of Nigerians and critical sectors.

The Vice Chancellor of Greenfield University, Prof John Aiyedogbon, accompanied by the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Prof John Laah, and the Registrar, Muhammad Bashir, applauded  the agency’s management for the successful presentation of the 2024 seasonal climate prediction.

He said that the information contained in the SCP document will help to ensure that all sectors, especially the agriculture sector, are better prepared for any weather-induced disaster.

He added that the university was looking forward to a robust relationship with the agency

“We will also leverage on the university’s network of collaborations and influence to support the development of meteorology within the university’s area of influence”, Aiyedogbon said.

The MoU signing was witnessed by the Director, Legal Services of NiMet, Barr. Shola Gabriel and other staff of the Agency. The VC of Greenfield University, Aiyedogbon, signed the MoU on behalf Greenfield University while Anosike signed on behalf of NiMet.

NIN-SIM: retrieve your barred cell phone numbers

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The Nigerian Communications Commission has said that the over 40 million telephone lines barred after failing to link to the National Identity Numbers face the risk of being forfeited soon.

The NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking with According Online in an interview.

According to him, the telephone lines barred by their telecommunication operators have breached the February 28, 2024 deadline issued by the commission mandating telecom customers to link their Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) to their NIN.

He said, “If the barred lines are not acted upon in the next 180 days. They won’t be able to receive calls but will only be able to text and make calls. But after the stipulated days, they would be barred from making calls too and theybmight forfeit their lines to their respective service provider within 365 days.”

 

However to unbar your phone lines, According Online highlights the processes of the retrieval as explained by the NCC’s Director of Publicity to our correspondent.

1. For subscribers that have not registered for their NIN, get your SIM registered at accredited centres across the country.

2. Then link the NIN with your SIM through channels provided by your service provider.

3. For subscribers with registered NINs, simply visit your service provider centre and present the NIN or link your SIM through channels provided by your service providers.

4. But if you have NIN but it was forgotten, retrieve your NIN conveniently using your mobile phone by dialling *346# to get the number.

5. From the options displayed, select “NIN Retrieval”, by typing in ‘1’, if you are using the same phone number you enrolled with for your NIN.

6. Follow the steps displayed on your screen and provide the required inputs.

7. Note that using this service attracts a N20 fee only (deducted from your phone airtime balance).

8. However, the four Mobile Network Operators in the country have designated certain USSD codes for seamless and quick linkage of your NIN and your SIM cards. They are as follows:
a. For MTN Customers
Dial *785# using the phone number you wish to link, enter your NIN and submit or dial *785*Your NIN# from the phone number you wish to link. The number will be linked to your NIN automatically.

b. For Glo Customers
Simply send “UPDATENIN NIN FirstName and LastName” to 109.

c. For Airtel Customers
Just dial *121*1# now to link.

d. For 9Mobile Customers
Dial *200*8# and follow the prompts on your phone screen.

Trump hails Tremendous Tuesday wins in race to the White Area

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Trump hails Tremendous Tuesday wins in race to the White Area

Donald Trump celebrated an “amazing night” as he closed in on the Republican presidential nomination with easy wins in the Super Tuesday primaries, setting up an all-but-certain rematch with President Joe Biden in November.

Fifteen states and a US territory staged nominating contests on the biggest day of the 2024 race so far, with both candidates coveting a second term in the White House.

Texas and California were among the major victories for Trump over Nikki Haley as he picked up support in every demographic, taking conservative southern states and more liberal battlegrounds such as Virginia, one of his longshot challenger’s best chances.

He was denied a clean sweep, with Haley edging a tight contest in the northeastern state of Vermont, but the former president told supporters they had witnessed “an amazing night and an amazing day.”

“They call it ‘Super Tuesday’ for a reason,” Trump told a cheering crowd at his Mar-a-Lago beach club in Florida.

“This is a big one. They tell me, the pundits and otherwise, that there has never been one like this, never been anything so conclusive.”

This year’s Super Tuesday was sapped of much of its suspense as Biden and Trump had effectively secured their parties’ nominations before a ballot was cast Tuesday.

Haley, a former UN ambassador, has failed to throw any significant obstacles in Trump’s path to the nomination since finishing a distant third in the opening contest in Iowa in January.

Impeached twice, beaten by seven million votes in 2020 and facing 91 felony charges in four trials, Trump has a profile unlike any US presidential election candidate in history.

Yet his appeal among working-class, rural and white voters has propelled him toward the nomination in one of the most lopsided primary seasons in modern history.

Haley — a favorite of affluent, suburban voters and university graduates — was set to collect only a handful of the delegates needed to secure the nomination.

– Biden v. Trump, again? –

“I expect Nikki Haley to finish and drop out. There is no pathway after tonight for her to get the nomination,” Kenny Nail, a grassroots Republican activist, told AFP at Trump’s Florida watch party.

Trump’s victories included Maine, one of three states that had sought to keep him off the ballot over his push to overturn the 2020 election and the assault on the US Capitol.

The Supreme Court rejected the expulsion effort on Monday, clearing the path for Trump’s participation in every state.

The states up for grabs Tuesday offered 70 percent of the delegates Republicans need to be named the party’s candidate at the summer convention.

Trump was not able mathematically to close out the contest but he expects to be anointed by March 19 at the latest, according to his campaign.

Haley, who set low expectations ahead of Super Tuesday, traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to watch the results but wasn’t expected to speak and scheduled no events for Wednesday.

Some primary watchers expect the 52-year-old to end her campaign shortly, though she argues that she is more likely than Trump to beat Biden in November and could forge on.

“There remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump,” her spokesperson said late Tuesday.

Biden was on the ballot in the Democratic primaries, but he faced little threat from two outsider challengers, making his re-nomination a formality.

He is due to deliver the annual State of the Union address to Congress on Thursday, a chance to lay out his campaign platform.

The 81-year-old raced to clear wins — minus a loss in the tiny Pacific Ocean territory of American Samoa — and warned that Trump was “determined to destroy” US democracy.

Trump will “do or say anything to put himself in power,” Biden said in a statement released by his campaign.

Stephanie Perini-Hegarty voted for Biden in Quincy, Massachusetts.

“I think we need a leader who is not involved in any corruption, and who is going to look out for the best interests of the people,” the 55-year-old told AFP.

AFP

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