Author: Olukayode Oke

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has said it has received reports of diphtheria cases in Lagos and Kano states and is currently watching the situation in Osun and Yobe States where cases are rising by the day. The NCDC announced this in a public health advisory signed by its Director General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, issued on Friday amidst the outbreak of the disease in the country. The body also stated that it is working toe to toe with various state ministries of health in order to properly monitor the situation and curb the disease to avoid a…

Chelsea have had a £55m bid for 21-year-old Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton. Chelsea have made an inquiry about Tottenham’s Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma, 26, but have received no encouragement from Spurs regarding a deal that would send Morocco winger Hakim Ziyech, 29, in the opposite direction. Newcastle United have a nine-man transfer list, which includes Everton and England Under-21 forward Anthony Gordon, 21, and three Chelsea players: Ziyech and England midfielders Conor Gallagher, 22, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 26. Newcastle United have offered Flamengo a £14m package for 18-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder Matheus Franca.  Wolves forward Goncalo Guedes, 26, is in his native Portugal before completing a loan move to Benfica.  Wolves have agreed…

Real Madrid produced a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Villarreal 3-2 on Thursday and book their place in the Spanish Cup quarter-finals. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will hope the victory is a turning point after struggling in 2023. They were soundly beaten by rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final last Sunday. Los Blancos looked ready to suffer cup elimination on Thursday, after Etienne Capoue and Samuel Chukwueze struck in the first half for the hosts. However goals by Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos after the break turned the last-16 clash on its head and…

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…