SABINEWS MORNING NEWS UPDATE MAY 20, 2018
Hazard’s penalty wins the FA Cup for Chelsea (Westlondonsport)
Hazard casually slotted past keeper David De Gea after being brought down in the area by Phil Jones midway through the first half at Wembley. It meant the Blues ended a troubled season with a trophy in what could be Antonio Conte’s final game in charge – Chelsea are widely tipped to replace the Italian this summer. As expected, Conte, whose team were beaten by Arsenal in last year’s final, selected Thibaut Courtois despite Willy Caballero having been in goal for previous cup ties. And Courtois produced two crucial second-half saves as Chelsea absorbed pressure from a Manchester United side who were much improved after the interval. Read more
We’ll teach Nigerians political game –Saraki (DailyTrust)
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has boasted that he will teach Nigerians how the political game is played, saying “politics cannot be learnt overnight”. Saraki spoke on Saturday at the venue of the APC state congress held in Ilorin, He said Nigerians’ eyes are on Kwara State politics stating that, “nothing is perfect in politics.” He also assured his supporters that there is no cause for alarm on the trending issues in the country. He said, “there is nowhere in this country where you will see the serving governor, former governor and former-former governor sitting together just like we have it today. We shall show Nigerians how political game is being played.” Read more
Fayemi’s camp raises the alarm over Fayose’s plan to attack APC supporters (Vanguard)
The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Office says it has uncovered a plan by governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose to carry out attacks on supporters of Segun Oni. The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Office has uncovered a clandestine plan by Governor Ayodele Fayose and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to carry out coordinated attacks on supporters and associates of former Governor Segun Oni, using thugs who would pretend to be working for Dr Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Mines and Steel Development and Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Read more
Bauchi Assembly Speaker chides Dogara, others over court action (Guardian)
The Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Alhaji Kawuwa Damuna (APC) on Saturday in Bauchi, declared that members who dragged the All Progressives Congress (APC), to court are enemies of the party. Damuna was reacting to court a injunction secured by Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, and six others restraining the party from conducting its State Congress. “Any member of the party that takes the party to court is an enemy of the party, because there is a lot of avenue for reconciliation. “Six people cannot hold us to ransom. The state congress will hold and it will be hitch-free. Read more
APC returns party executives unopposed in Jigawa, Borno (Nation)
Delegates at the Jigawa State Congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday returned all former party executives for another four year term. The election which was held in Dutse, was done through consensus leading to the return of all the 35 former executives. Speaking at the end of the exercise, Chairman, Committee for the Congress, Alhaji Ahmed Umar, said all the executives were returned unopposed. Umar named some of the reelected executives to include Alhaji Ado Sani, State Chairman and Hajiya Binta Farindutse, Women Leader, among others. Read more
Fresh crisis hits Akwa Ibom APC, as party picks ‘ineligible’ consensus candidate (PremiumTimes)
The inability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom to elect a new state chairman and other executive members of the party has thrown it into a fresh crisis. The APC is holding its state congress nationwide today. A meeting convened on Friday night at the Uyo residence of President Buhari’s aide, Ita Enang, threw up a major political surprise in the state, as a relatively unknown politician, Ini Okopido, was handpicked as the new chairman of the party. Apart from being a younger brother to a former environment minister, Imeh Okopido, not much is known about Mr Okopido politically. Other aspirants have, however, rejected Mr Okopido, describing the development as an attempt to foist a candidate on them. Read more
Miyetti Allah says Ortom’s actions threat to peaceful coexistence (Guardian)
The leadership of Fulani pastoralist groups, yesterday, rose from an emergency meeting in Kaduna, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to call Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom to order over the anti-open grazing law in the state. They said the governor’s “actions are a fundamental threat to peaceful coexistence and food security in Nigeria.” The groups in attendance include the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association, Tabital Pulaaku Nigeria Chapter, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Mobgal Fulbe Development Association, Gam Allah Fulani Development Association, Fulani Title Holders Association, Pastoral Resolve (PARE), and Jonde Jam Fulani Youth Association. Read more
N’Delta ex-militant leaders support Sowore for Presidency (Vanguard)
Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, ex-agitators’ group known as Niger Delta Ex-militants For Peace and Good Governance Sunday threw their weight behind the aspiration of Omoyele Sowore to be the next President of Nigeria. The top ex-militant leaders forum in a communique issued at the end of a closed door meeting held in Okerenkoko, Gbaramantu Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, signed by its National Chairman, Alaowei Promise Lawuru (aka General Black), and made available to journalists, the ex-militant leaders said the reason for choosing Sowore for the Presidential position was borne out of insinuation by President Muhamadu Buhari that ‘Nigerian youths are lazy’; Read more
Sona Group tasks FG on Self-Sufficiency in Food Production (ThisDay)
The Managing Director, Sona Group, Mr. Arjan Mirchandani, has charged the federal government on the need for self-sufficiency in food production, stating that there is need for the Nigeria economy to tap into the vast opportunities in the Africa food market. Mirchandani who disclosed this recently in Lagos at the Food West Africa 2018, noted that the future of Africa is based self-sufficiency, locally made products and the Nigeria market is not an exemption. He also noted that the distribution chain in the market is expensive with importation taking large chunk of it, therefore he noted that by embarking local production of products, they are able to cut cost and export, “which on the long run lifts the standards of Nigeria products and enhance growth in the industry.” Read more
Fashola orders contractor to complete Zik Mausoleum by October (Guardian)
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has ordered the contractorhandling the Zik Mausoleum, Bouygues Construction Limited to complete and deliver the project before the end of October. Fashola gave the order on Saturday in Onitsha during an inspection of the project. He expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work and threatened to revoke the contract if the contractor fails to deliver as ordered. Fashola also threatened to report the Project Manager, John Ameh to his professional body, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) if he fails to deliver. The minister said the Federal Government was not indebted to the contractor adding that, there was no reason for the delay in the execution of the project. Read more
Health workers injured in Edo auto crash (Punch)
No fewer than 19 persons have been reportedly injured in an auto crash on the Benin-Auchi expressway in Edo State. The victims were said to be members of the Joint Health Sector Union from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. It was learnt that the accident occurred while they were travelling to Auchi, in the Estako West Local Government Area to attend an event on Saturday. Although details of the auto crash are still sketchy, a source said that no life was lost. The source also noted that the victims were taken to the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in the Esan Central Local Government Area for treatment. Read more
GSK campaigns for early treatment in the fight against Asthma (Vanguard)
Nigerians have been urged to address and treat cases of airways diseases as soon as they notice the symptoms rather than wait for the situation to deteriorate (Early detection and instituting appropriate management plays a significant role in disease prognosis). As in the case of asthma, early diagnosis and treatment will help in reducing frequency and severity of asthmatic attacks. The advice was given during the commemoration of the 2018 World Asthma Day by GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria at Young Pharmacists Meeting held at Sheraton Hotel Ikeja Lagos. The theme was “Never too early, Never too late”. Read more
Kano to host African film festival (DailyTrust)
Preparations have begun as the city of Kano sets to host the 2018 African indigenous languages film festival in October. Daily Trust gathered that, three working committees under the aegis of Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF) were inaugurated to champion the preparation process. The festival was organized to promote African films and its diverse rich cultures to the global market. Addressing the press shortly after the inauguration of the committees, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Moving Images, Abdulkareem Mohammed, who was the chairman of the planning committee, noted some shortfalls in the narratives about Africa as woven by the international media outlets, stating that the festival would create a platform for African culture industry to repackage its values for global consumption. Read more
‘With Ooni’s support, we want to turn Ibadan into the Yoruba multi-billion dollar media, entertainment hub’ (Vanguard)
What is the Ibadan Media Project all about? It is a major cultural project and has the potentials to transform not only the state but also the entire South-West region. It is a hub to propel the Yoruba culture. According to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, who is an entertainment and tourism freak, and who is equally interested in the project, the Yoruba nation, statically, has about 120 million people globally, from Brazil, Cuba, America and other places where you have considerable number of the Yoruba people. It is a project which will give Oyo State, Nigeria and Africa the opportunity to tap into the global creative economy. Demography has revealed that Yoruba people are about 60 million in Nigeria alone. Read more
Air Force launches rocket attacks against Boko Haram, kills insurgents (Nation)
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said on Saturday that it has used its newly acquired Mi-35 helicopter gunships to fire rockets and cannon at Boko Haram Terrorists at a camp South East Bonne, Borno State, and killing scores of insurgents in the process. The Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said in a statement that the operation was carried out after an Intelligence, Survaillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform had established the presence of the terrorists in the area. AVM Adesanya said: ” The newly acquired Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Mi-35M helicopter gunships have successfully unleashed their firepower on Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) at a camp, 9.7km South East of Bonne in the on-going OPERATION THUNDER STRIKE. Read more
How the Eagles fared in Europe (Punch)
The various leagues in Europe end this weekend. Idris Adesina takes a look at how the Europe-based Eagles players have fared at their clubs in the outgoing season. Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr during the week revealed the 30-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with the country’s overseas-based players dominating the list. The Eagles, who are in Group D along with Argentina, Iceland and Croatia, play friendly matches against DR Congo on May 28, England on June 2 and Czech Republic on June 6 as they prepare for the tournament in Russia. Some of the players were regulars at their various foreign clubs while some witnessed action only a few times for their respective clubs. Here are the performances of the players: Read more
Delta win national junior taekwondo tourney (Punch)
Delta State won eight medals to emerge as winners of the inaugural National Junior Taekwondo Championships in Abuja. Delta won four gold, three silver and one bronze while FCT were second with two gold, one silver and one bronze. Ebonyi finished third with two gold. Benue State came fourth with one gold and one bronze while Taraba State finished fifth with two medals one gold and one bronze. Nasarawa and Akwa Ibom states placed joint sixth with one gold respectively. Abia State won two silver seven bronze to finish eighth. Read more
Victor Moses lifts FA Cup with Chelsea at Wembley (Nation)
Super Eagles’ star, Victor Moses was in action for Chelsea on Saturday as they defeated Manchester united to win the FA Cup for the eight time. Eden Hazard’s first-half penalty proved the difference at the Wembley stadium. United improved in the second period and probably deserved an leveler. However, Thibaut Courtois made some important saves to deny United with Paul Pogba missing an absolute sitter Player rating for match shows that Moses who was in action for 90 minutes was a class of second best of players in the game that left Jose Mourinho side defeated. Read more
Zverev sets up Nadal clash for Rome title (Sport24)
Rafael Nadal closed in on an eighth Rome Masters title as he dismissed old rival Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final for a record-extending 10th time. The Spanish top seed will meet second-seeded holder Alexander Zverev, a 7-6 (15/13), 7-5 winner over Australian Open finalist Marin Cilic. His impressive win over Djokovic will give Nadal added confidence ahead of the French Open, where he has won a record 10 titles. Nadal, still unbeaten in semi-finals at the Foro Italico, unleashed a trademark clay-court attack after winning a tight first set lasting well over an hour in his 51st meeting with old rival Djokovic. Read more
Rafael Nadal: ‘I am playing to win Rome Open, not to be world No. 1 again’ (Tennisworldusa)
Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6 6-3 to advance into the Rome Open final, and in press conference the Spaniard recognized that they both played at a high tennis level: ‘Of course, was a good match. Difference was few points. In the first set, it’s true that I was in advantage. I played with the right determination. The important moments later, in the tiebreak. I think I played aggressive with my forehand. And then in the second set, in some important moments, too, was the key. I was able to change the rhythm of the point, combining high balls with shots down the line with my forehand.’ By winning the final, Nadal would be world No. 1 overcoming Roger Federer. However, the 31-year-old insisted that the rankings are not his priority: ‘If I win tomorrow, for me the main thing is win Rome. Read more
Jose Mourinho: ‘Chelsea were so predictable’ (Sportsmole)
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has criticised Chelsea’s “predictable” tactics despite falling to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of his former employers in the FA Cup final this afternoon. Eden Hazard scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea lifted the trophy for an eighth time at Wembley, although United ended the match with 66% of the possession and having registered 18 shots on goal to Chelsea’s six. Mourinho insists that he is “happy” with his players and believes that his side were in control of Chelsea for the most part, with the critical exception of Hazard’s winner from the spot. Read more
Prince Charles gives an incredibly moving speech at the first royal wedding reception (Nowtolove)
Well, it’s happened! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — tied the knot on a sunny afternoon (May 19) in England at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in front of 600 people and millions more watching from around the globe. The intimate proceedings — dubbed ‘the people wedding’ — left royal enthusiasts in a puddle of emotions, so we can only imagine how moving the nuptials must have been for all those close to the couple. Not least Prince Charles, who reportedly shared some heartfelt words with the newlyweds at their lunchtime gathering hosted by Queen Elizabeth at St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. Read more
Texas victims – From smiling Pakistani girl to fill-in teacher with 2 jobs (Reuters)
Eight students and two teachers fell victim to gunfire at a high school outside Houston on Friday morning, becoming the latest casualties in a wave of deadly school shootings in the United States in recent years. Among the fatalities at Santa Fe High School were a Pakistani exchange student and a substitute teacher trying to make ends meet for her family. Here are brief profiles of some of the victims: Sabika Sheikh
A 17-year-old Pakistani with a bright smile, Sheikh was proud to be studying in the United States as an exchange student. The experience was organised through YES, a programme funded by the U.S. State Department, according to a Facebook post by the Pakistan Association of Greater Houston. Read more
20 priests among those who died in Cuba plane crash (Skynews)
Twenty priests were among 110 people who died in the Cuba plane crash, it has emerged. President Miguel Diaz-Canel said an investigation had been launched into the crash on Friday of the almost 40-year-old Boeing 737. It was leased to the national carrier Cubana de Aviacion by a Mexican company. Three women were pulled alive from the wreckage and are the only known survivors. Details of some of the victims have emerged, including the Cuban Council of Churches saying that 20 priests from an evangelical church are among those who died in the crash. Read more
Luc Besson: French film director accused of rape (BBC)
Police in Paris are investigating a rape allegation made against Luc Besson, one of France’s best-known film directors. The complaint was filed by an actress at a Paris police station on Friday. “Luc Besson categorically denies these fantasist accusations,” the director’s lawyer Thierry Marembert told the AFP news agency. “[The complainant] is someone he knows, towards whom he has never behaved inappropriately.”F Besson, 59, a director, producer and screenwriter, is most famous for directing the 1988 film Le Grand Bleu, as well as Leon, Subway, The Fifth Element and action thriller Nikita. Read more
