Author: David Great

Barcelona are close to beating Chelsea to the signing of Jules Kounde, 23, after agreeing a 50m euro fee with Sevilla for the France defender. (Guardian) Cristiano Ronaldo has told Manchester United he wants to be freed of his contract in order to play for a Champions League side but United have reiterated that they don’t want to sell the 37-year-old Portugal forward. (Mail) Ajax have raised their asking price for 22-year-old Brazil winger Antony, who has been linked with Manchester United, from £68m to £84m. (Mail) A deal for Liverpool’s 30-year-old Brazil forward Roberto Firmino to move to Juventus is reportedly “very close”. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian) The move could put…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out the chances of further extension of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). Chief Ken Okeagu, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States, said this at a news briefing in Abakaliki on Wednesday. Okeagu, who was on a one-day monitoring visit to Ebonyi, said his assignment was to appraise the exercise in the state. He said that he had visited the commission’s local government area offices to assess the progress so far made in the exercise. He expressed satisfaction with the turnout of prospective registrants. Okeagu commended…

The Presidency has frowned at the threats by some opposition members of the Senate to begin impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari over nation’s security challenges. Some Senators from opposition political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) were reported to have expressed frustration over the nation’s security problems, giving the president a six-week deadline to address the issue or face impeachment proceedings. However, Malam Garba Shehu, the Buhari’s spokesman, in a statement on Wednesday night described the impeachment attempt as ridiculous. The statement read in part: ”The performative and babyish antics of…

Senators from opposition parties have issued a six-week ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country. They also threatened to commence the impeachment proceedings against the President should he fail to address the insecurity within the period given by the lawmakers. The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Phillip Aduda, made the position of the lawmakers known on Wednesday while briefing reporters at the National Assembly in Abuja, the nation’s capital. More to follow…

The Senate, on Tuesday, considered two critical bills seeking to tackle poverty and put a stop to intellectual property theft in the country. One of the bills provides for the establishment of the National Poverty Alleviation Management Commission; while the other seeks to re-enact the Patent and Design Act 2021 to revise the existing intellectual property law to prohibit theft. Both bills scaled second reading during plenary. The bill to establish the National Poverty Alleviation Management Commission seeks to empower the Commission to coordinate and regulate all forms of poverty alleviation funds. The bill was sponsored by Senator Kabir Abdullahi…

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi has expressed grief over the death of the Army officials killed in an ambush on the Presidential Guard Brigade on Sunday by suspected terrorists in the Federal Capital Territory. Bello also commiserated with the families of the deceased presidential guards and the Nigerian Army in a statement made available by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed, on Tuesday in Abuja. The Army officers were ambushed after they responded to a distress call from the Nigeria Law School, Bwari. The governor stated that it was more saddening to find out that two out of the fallen…

Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong would only leave Barcelona for Chelsea but the London club are not prepared to pay as much as Manchester United for the 25-year-old. (Sport – in Spanish) Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo says he does not know who “invented” the story linking Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo to the Spanish side and that it is “practically impossible” the 37-year-old Portugal international will join them. (El Partidazo de COPE, via Eurosport) Newcastle United are interested in 26-year-old Chelsea and Germany striker Timo Werner. (Christian Falk, head of football at Bild) Juventus will look at Werner and Manchester United and France forward Anthony Martial, 26, if they cannot complete the capture…

West Ham have signed Italy striker Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo in a £30.5m deal. Scamacca joins the Premier League club on a five-year contract with the option to extend another year. A message from your new striker! ???? pic.twitter.com/VFOPGLcHpG — West Ham United (@WestHam) July 26, 2022 The 23-year-old was the second-highest Italian scorer in Serie A last season with 16 goals from 36 games. “I’ve waited a long time for this moment – it’s been a dream to play in the Premier League,” he said. “I am really excited to join West Ham – I feel like they are…

Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists are planning to attack Lagos and Katsina states with the use of Rocket-propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers, anti-aircraft (AA) guns, NSCDC has disclosed. The NSCDC noted that terrorists have mobilised fighters and weapons which they intend to use to attack in Katsina state while other terrorist groups are preparing to attack Lagos state. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in a memo issued on 25 July and signed by one DD Mungadi, the DCG Operations noted that the anti-aircraft (AA) guns can bring down aeroplanes. The memo titled, Re: Heightened Plots By Terrorists To Stage…

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has denied that it was complicit in the passing of Modibo Usman, who died from cardiac arrest. Denying a news report titled, “Hypertensive man dies as bribe-chasing LASTMA men seize vehicle” the traffic management agency noted that its officers only engaged Usman after the vehicle that was conveying him broke traffic laws. “The attention of the management of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has been drawn to a newspaper report that claimed an individual named Modibo Usman died from cardiac arrest as a result of an encounter with its officers,” the agency said.…