Author: David Great

Former Vice President of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osinbajo has congratulated President Bola Tinubu on the occasion of his 72nd birthday. In a short post on his verified X handle, Osinbajo prayed for strength, excellent health, wisdom, and God’s help for the president. “Happy 72nd Birthday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. May the Lord God Almighty grant you robust health, unyielding strength in this year and the many years to come, and divine help and wisdom always,” the post read. The duo of the former vice president and Tinubu shared a long history working together in the fold of the Progressives, as…

Former Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm is convinced Bayer Leverkusen, who are seeking their first Bundesliga title, will end the Bavarian team’s 11-year hegemony this year. Lahm, a 2014 World Cup winner and now tournament director for Euro 2024, has followed leaders Leverkusen’s remarkable unbeaten run this season which has taken them to 70 points, 10 clear of second-placed Bayern. “There are eight games to play and 10 points is a very big gap. I believe that Leverkusen will become German champions this season,” Lahm told Reuters. “I don’t think it’s bad for the Bundesliga if someone other than Bayern…

The Dei-Dei Grade I Area Court, Abuja, sentenced a man, Nasir Idris, to 15 months’ imprisonment on Thursday for stealing a fan and praying mat from a mosque. The court, however, gave Mr Idris an option to pay a N50,000 fine. The prosecutor, Chinedu Ogada, stated that Ali Zuma arrested Mr Idris on March 17 and took him to the police at Zuba, also in the FCT. The prosecutor said Mr Idris trespassed on the mosque at Dei-Dei and stole the fan and mat but was caught in the act. Court jails man 10 years for defiling nine-year-old daughter He…

Mali’s army has killed at least 13 civilians, including seven children aged between two and 17, in drone strikes in the north of the country, Amnesty International said Wednesday. One man told the London-based rights group he had lost his wife and six of his children in the night-time air raid on the area of Amasrakad on March 17. The army had described the two strikes as “having contributed to neutralising many terrorists”, Amnesty said, but that claim was refuted by the accounts of seven survivors and witnesses. A first strike hit a pick-up truck, then a second struck a…

Troops of the Nigerian Army, in conjunction with Hybrid Forces, neutralised some terrorists and recovered arms, ammunition and rustled cattle in Borno and Katsina states. The Nigerian Army made this known in a post on its official X handle on Wednesday. The post said the operations were carried out on identified Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province enclaves within the Gori general area in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno. It said the troops successfully neutralised one terrorist, rescued several cattle and recovered two AK-47 rifles, 38 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, AK-47 magazines, one improvised…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has uncovered discrepancies in foreign exchange forwards transactions valued at $2.4 billion. Disclosing this while addressing a press conference after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso, stated that law enforcement agencies are currently investigating the transactions. He noted that these transactions are deemed ineligible for payment. The CBN governor further shed light on the meticulous forensic audit conducted on these transactions, uncovering numerous discrepancies and rendering them invalid. The CBN, upon settling certain tranches of FX backlog, encountered transactions marred by issues concerning their authenticity. IMF…

• As Nigeria’s former VP spearheads Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and former Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo convened in Kigali over the implementation of the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation, driving the recently launched $1 billion fund for African startups. Richard Tusabe, the Rwandan Minister of State for National Treasury, who made this known, praised Osinbajo for fruitful discussions regarding the implementation of the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation, stating its aim to empower African youths. Tusabe emphasized the significance of the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation, saying, ‘The Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation aims to empower African youth…

Agents from the United States Department of Homeland Security have launched an investigation into hip-hop singer Sean “Diddy” Combs, searching his houses in Los Angeles and Miami, agency officials announced on Monday. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in New York spearheaded the investigation, which began when a former girlfriend filed a federal lawsuit against Combs in November, accusing him of sex trafficking. Combs, 54, has said that he is innocent and that his accusers were seeking “a quick payday.” His New York-based lawyer, Ben Brafman, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Los Angeles television stations showed aerial…

Nigerian-born Italian, Sonia Aimy, will launch her forthcoming album at the El Mocambo on June 14, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura said on Tuesday. The album is a fusion of storytelling inspired by Sonia’s birthplace, Nigeria, and her global experiences and perspectives on life, events, and aspirations. Sonia, a singer, songwriter, actor, and activist born in Nigeria and raised in Italy, is the definitive expression of current African world music. Her music combines Afro-jazz, Afrobeat, highlife, and spiritual elements in a fluid yet dexterous performance style. Her seductive rhythms and melody, as well as her infectious joie de vivre, bring…

English Premier League giant Chelsea are set to make a £77m bid to secure the transfer of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in the summer. According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino, Chelsea are set to launch a bid of £77m to acquire the services of the Nigerian striker at the end of the 2023/24 football season. The report also suggests that Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis may consider accepting an offer below Osimhen’s €130m release clause, given Osimhen’s desire to leave the club. The Nigeria international recently signed a contract extension until June 2026 and the new deal includes a release…