Author: Olukayode Oke

Manchester City pulled off a dizzying second-half comeback to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Thursday night. Goals after the break from City’s Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland and a Riyad Mahrez brace canceled out strikes from Tottenham duo Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal. Ahead of the game, City boss Pep Guardiola called this a must-win affair for his side, which came in sitting second in the Premier League and having lost twice in a row following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United and an exit from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Southampton on…

Bayern Munich have signed goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Borussia Monchengladbach as a replacement for injured goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, the German champions confirmed on Thursday. Sommer’s contract at Bayern will run until the summer of 2025, one year longer than Neuer’s current deal, which expires in 2024. The 36-year-old Neuer was ruled out for the remainder of the season after breaking his leg in a skiing accident in December. Sommer said he was “very excited about the new challenge at FC Bayern”. “We have some big challenges ahead of us. I’m hugely looking forward to starting here with my new teammates,…

Full agreement has been reached between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion for winger, Leandro Trossard. The £27million deal reached on Thursday evening is inclusive of add ons. News about Arsenal having interest in the former OH Leuven man was made public on Thursday morning and in a quick turn of events, the North London club has agreed terms with Brighton and personal terms have been completed with the player on a long term deal. Medical tests are set to take place in London as soon as possible and the deal is to be sealed before Saturday ahead of Arsenal’s…

The Yobe State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has advised eligible voters in the state to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, for the forthcoming general elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said it had registered 1.3 million eligible voters in the state. However, it said as of December 2022, over 78,000 eligible voters are yet to collect their PVCs. In a communiqué issued by the NUJ Chairman and Secretary, Rajab Mohammed and Alhassan Mamudo, in Damaturu after their congress meeting, it appealed to eligible voters to collect their PVCs and exercise their voting rights. It…

Erik ten Hag has warned Arsenal that Manchester United will beat them with or without their Brazilian talisman Casemiro. Casemiro picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, meaning he will not be available for the trip to Arsenal on Sunday. The Brazilian is widely seen as Manchester United’s best player this season since arriving from Real Madrid in the summer. Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday, and the bad news was Casemiro picked up a yellow card with 10 minutes to play thanks…

Some power experts have condemned the increase in electricity tariff, describing it as arbitrary and calling for the immediate reversal of the increase. The experts who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday said the sudden increase was illegal. NAN reports that condemnation has continued to trail the increase in electricity tariffs by power distribution companies (Discos), with consumer groups and industry experts describing the hike as illegal. Mr Sina Odugbemi, National Coordinator, WhereIsTheLight, an advocacy group, said, “There’s no noble reason for the perennial and at times secret increase in electricity tariff by the…

The naira on Wednesday exchanged at 461.25 to the dollar at the Investors and Exporters window. The figure represented an appreciation by 0.05 per cent compared with the 461.50 it exchanged on Tuesday. The open indicative rate closed at N461 to the dollar on Wednesday. An exchange rate of N462 to the dollar was the highest rate recorded within the day’s trading before it settled at N461.25. The naira sold for as low as 440 to the dollar within the day’s trading. A total of N55.54 million was traded at the official Investors and Exporters window on Wednesday.

Tragedy struck on Wednesday evening, when a storey building at number 12 Aromire Avenue, opposite Dominos Pizza, Ikeja, suddenly collapsed killing one yet-to-be-identified person. The incident, according to eyewitnesses, occurred at about 6.45 pm, when the building, still under construction, partially collapsed. Permanent Secretary, of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident. According to Oke-Osanyitolu, “The agency responded to distress calls and upon arrival, discovered that a storey building formerly occupied by KUMS MART, was being worked on by unskilled labourers resulting in a partial collapse. “An adult male reported to be a welder lost…

The Lagos State Government has declared a four-day work-free day for public servants to enable them collect their Permanent Voter Cards at their respective local government/local council development areas in the state. The Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, who confirmed the development in a circular issued on Wednesday, said the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, graciously approved the work-free day for the public servants. He explained that the work-free day would commence on Tuesday, January 24, and end on Friday, January 27, 2023, for different grade levels of workers in the public service. Muri-Okunola said, “Consequent upon the extension of the…

England forward, Marcus Rashford is set to sign a new five-year deal at Manchester United. The new deal will see a significant 50% increase in his wages from £200,000 to 300,000 per week, according to the Sun. Rashford has been in impressive form, netting in seven consecutive games for the Red Devils. United triggered a one-year extension on the 25-year- old’s current contract last month. The forward has been linked with a move to Ligue 1 giants, Paris Saint-Germain. Rashford has scored eight goals and notched three assists in 18 Premier League matches this season. He scored three goals in…

British billionaire Jim Ineos company officially joined the race to buy Manchester United on Tuesday. United’s owners, the Glazer family, said they were willing to listen to offers for the Premier League club in November and Ratcliffe is keen to strike a deal. Boyhood United fan Ratcliffe, who made an unsuccessful £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion) bid to buy Chelsea last year, has long been linked with the Old Trafford outfit. “I can confirm that we have formally put ourselves into the process,” an Ineos spokesman told AFP. After failing with his Chelsea takeover when Roman Abramovich sold the Blues to…

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria has disclosed plans to inaugurate 1,071 completed houses in eight project sites across the country. The states include Akure, Ondo state; Yola, Adamawa state; Katsina, Abakiliki, Ebonyi state; Damaturu, Yobe State; Sokoto, Maiduguri, Borno; as well as Kogi State. The FMBN Managing Director, Hamman Madu, in a statement by the FMBN Group Head, Corporate Communications, Timan Elayo, on Tuesday, said the housing units are part of the over 3,560 homes under phases one and two of the national affordable housing delivery programme. According to him, the housing scheme is a collaboration between the bank…