Author: David Great

Security forces in Madagascar fired tear gas on opposition candidates leading a protest in the capital Antananarivo on Monday, amid rising political tensions ahead of presidential elections next month. Eleven of the 13 presidential candidates in the running had called on supporters to demonstrate against what they have described as an “institutional coup” to favour incumbent Andry Rajoelina. Some of them, including former president Marc Ravalomanana, locked arms on Monday morning as they headed a march of a few hundred people towards the central May 13 square. But law enforcement and army officers, who were deployed in the hundreds ahead…

David Beckham has laid bare the lingering pain he felt he caused to his family following the red card he received at the 1998 World Cup, saying his dismissal left him a “mess”. The revelation is contained in a new Netflix documentary series entitled “Beckham”, set for release on Wednesday, in which the ex-England midfielder looks back on a career that included spells at Manchester United and Real Madrid. It also looks at his marriage to Spice Girls singer turned fashion designer Victoria. Beckham, now 48 and the co-owner of MLS franchise Inter Miami, was sent off for kicking the…

The Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the appeal submitted by Beatrice Itubo, the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State, challenging the election of Simnalayi Fubara of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Following Fubara’s announcement as the victor of the March 18 governorship election, the LP and the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with their candidates, petitioned the tribunal. Fubara received 302,614 votes to defeat APC candidate Tonye Cole, who received 95,274 votes, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Senator Magnus Abe, and Itubo received 46,981 and 22,224 votes, respectively. On September 13,…

The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Lafia has dismissed the petition brought by the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) contesting Governor Abdullahi Sule’s declaration as the legitimately elected Governor of Nasarawa state as lacking in merit, with no fee awarded. Sule of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was proclaimed the winner of the governorship election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 20 for receiving the most votes during the polls. He was re-elected for a second term after receiving 347,209 votes to defeat his nearest rival, David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party…

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, feels the country’s youths are its most valuable asset, claiming that with the correct backing, they can transform the world. The Minister made the remark on Monday while addressing at the Platform’s Independence Anniversary celebration in Lagos. According to him, Africa has a large youth population, with Nigeria accounting for a sizable portion of that figure, many of whom are tech-savvy. “If you have a second passport and you live in another country, you would find probably ten software engineers in Lagos before you find one in the UK in your…

Japan’s move to bar most used-car sales to Russia slammed the brakes on a trade nearing $2 billion annually that had boomed in the shadow of sanctions over Ukraine elsewhere, according to trade data and market participants. In early August, Japan’s government banned exports of all but subcompact cars to Russia, cutting off a lucrative backchannel in trade in used Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans for a network of brokers and smaller ports, especially Fushiki, an export hub on the Sea of Japan. While wiping out Russia’s biggest source of used cars, the sanctions have driven down prices for second-hand cars…

World number three Daniil Medvedev booked his place in the China Open men’s semi-finals with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over France’s Ugo Humbert in Beijing on Monday. An error-strewn first set saw a combined five breaks of serve but Medvedev edged ahead in the ninth game and finished it off with an ace. Both men were more consistent in set two until the Russian, at deuce, hit back-to-back double faults to hand the crucial break to Humbert. But Medvedev finally tightened up in the decider, notching two quickfire breaks before seeing out the match on his serve. The 27-year-old…

President Bola Tinubu’s lightning-fast reform push after taking office in May sparked hope that his administration would be a business-friendly antidote to mounting economic troubles facing Africa’s biggest economy. Fast forward to more than 100 days in office, and the key planks of Tinubu’s economic overhaul – unshackling the naira from its rigid regime, and allowing fuel prices to rise – are coming loose. The naira hit a record low of 1,000 to the dollar on the black market this week, widening the gap with the official rate, which stood at 785 on Thursday. Petrol pump prices, meanwhile, have not…

A University of Calabar probe panel has found Law Prof Ndifon guilty of gross misconduct, intimidation, and bargaining for sexual favours from female students; he has been ordered to return the N3 million extorted from undergraduates. The University of Calabar’s investigation panel, which was formed to look into claims of sexual harassment of female students by the suspended Dean of the school’s Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Cyril Ndifon, found the senior lecturer guilty of gross misconduct. The report of the panel constituted to investigate Prof. Ndifon’s alleged misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of office, obtained by…

There was a massive turnout in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State as tech company KSHOD Wireless Powerbank held a mega sales rally to introduce its new products and engage with existing customers. Speaking at the event, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Omokunle Soda, noted that it was important for businesses to engage with the customers and get feedback that could help them improve their services. He also stated that the country’s economic prosperity was in the hands of entrepreneurs, who should be supported. “Our new product, a power bank, uses the Qi technology (inductive charging) which allows…