Tag: Hot News - Page 199 - African News Today

Everton Outcast, Iwobi Mulls Transfer Options

17Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

English Premiership, News, Nigeria, Sports

Everton Outcast, Iwobi Mulls Transfer Options

Super Eagles forward, Alex Iwobi is considering a move away from Goodison Park after being overlooked for Everton’s first two fixtures of the season. Iwobi, 24 arrived at Everton last summer from Arsenal following a £34 million deal but has failed to tie down a place in the team this season. Last season, the forward scored just once in 25 Premier League games under former manager, Marcus Silva. The sacking of Silva led to the recruitment of veteran coach, Carlo Ancelotti who has been backed in the transfer market, a move which has seen Everton acquiring the services of Niels Nkounkou from Marseille as well as Allan, and James Rodriguez from Spanish giants, Real Madrid. Reports by the Telegraph claims Iwobi is among a group of nine senior players the English Premiership League outf...

UNICEF Expresses Concern Over Jailing of 13-Year-old Child in Kano for Blasphemy

17Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Child Abuse, Human Rights, Judiciary, Justice, News, Nigeria, Religion, United Nations

UNICEF Expresses Concern Over Jailing of 13-Year-old Child in Kano for Blasphemy

The United Nations Children’s agency, Unicef has condemned the sentencing of 13-year-old Omar Farouq to 10 years in prison with menial labour for blasphemy by the Kano State Sharia Court at Feli Hockey, Kano. UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins condemned the sentence by the Sharia Court for uncomplimentary comments describing it as an abuse of child right. “It also negates all core underlying principles of child rights and child justice that Nigeria – and by implication, Kano State – has signed on to,” Hawkins said. According to him, the sentence was in contravention of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Nigeria approved in 1991. It is also a violation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child – which Nigeria ratified in...

16Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Economy, Employment, Finance, News, Nigeria

NESG Vs CBN Faceoff: Prospects for SMEs

Most Nigerians were startled and bemused by the recent revelations by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), against Nigeria’s apex Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria. The NESG is a non-profit private sector organisation setup in 1966 with a mandate “to promote and champion the reform of the Nigerian economy into an open, private sector-led globally competitive economy”. It issued a 15-point statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Mr Asue Igbodalo and the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Laoye Jaiyeola where it made some damning accusations on the integrity of the CBN to stimulate the ailing Nigerian economy to thrive under the COVID-19 pandemic. It concerns bothered on issues such as transparency and efficiency of agricultural intervention under the anchor borrowers programme; foreign e...

Fan-Kayode Blasts Tinubu, Dismisses Attack on Obaseki as Comic Relief

16Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria

Fan-Kayode Blasts Tinubu, Dismisses Attack on Obaseki as Comic Relief

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has berated the National leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu over his call for Edo voters to reject Godwin Obaseki in the Edo state governorship poll. Fan-Kayode in a post on his official Facebook page described Tinubu’s comments as comic relief. Recall that Tinubu had posted a video on social media where he urged Edo voters to reject Obaseki as they gear towards their governorship election. Tinubu who described himself as leader of all democrats regardless of political party said that Obaseki having not partook in the struggle to entrench democracy in the country could not understand the pains and value associated with it. Reacting to the statement, Fani-Kayode said, “Tinubu's broadcast served as nothing but comi...

Soyinka Lampoons Buhari, Says Nigeria Divided Under Him

16Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Press Statement

Soyinka Lampoons Buhari, Says Nigeria Divided Under Him

Nobel laureate, Prof. Soyinka has backed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, as playing a key role in dividing the country as never before. He said this in a statement titled, “Between ‘Dividers-in-chief and Dividers-in-law” released yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, saying though he is not a fan of Obasanjo, he supports any accurate description of Nigeria as a country on the brink of collapse. Earlier, Obasanjo had alleged Nigeria was gradually becoming a failed state and more divided under the Buhari administration. His claims were countered by the presidency who described the former leader as a ‘Divider-in-chief.’ In his reaction, Soyinka backed Obasanjo saying, “I am notoriously no fan of Olusegun Obasanjo, General...

Economy Will be Revatalised Soon, Buhari Promises Nigerians

16Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria

Economy Will be Revatalised Soon, Buhari Promises Nigerians

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed optimism that the Nigerian economy would bounce back strongly, given the well-planned policy responses to the economic challenges which are fall out of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said his administration had implemented appropriate policies geared towards steadily addressing the challenges created by the pandemic. President Buhari disclosed this while speaking at the 13th annual banking and finance conference in Abuja themed: “Facilitating Sustainable Future: The Role of Banking and Finance.” He said, “So far, government has implemented a wide range of fiscal, prudential and monetary measures that squarely address four key necessities to ensure sufficient liquidity to support government programmes for saving lives and livelihoods, maintain st...

CBN Urges Nigerian Banks to Increase Agric Sector Lending to 10%

16Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Agriculture, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria

CBN Urges Nigerian Banks to Increase Agric Sector Lending to 10%

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele has asked banks in Nigeria to consider increasing the percentage of loans available to the agriculture sector to 10 percent by 2024. Emefiele advocated for a spike in the current four per cent. This comes on the heels of optimism by Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed that the Nigeria economy will bounce back strongly within the near term with the right policy responses to the multidimensional crises occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CBN governor while delivering an address at the opening ceremony of the 13th Annual Banking and Finance Conference said the sum of N69 billion had so far been disbursed to over N140,000 beneficiaries from the N100 billion CBN COVID-19 support...

CAN Extols Gov. Ugwuanyi for Good Governance, Peace, Security

15Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Religion

CAN Extols Gov. Ugwuanyi for Good Governance, Peace, Security

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State, has praised Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State for the respect he has continued to accord the Church in the state as well as his untiring efforts at entrenching peace, good governance and security of lives and property. The religious group also lauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for promoting love and unity “among adherents of different religious beliefs in Enugu State without discrimination”. The new CAN Chairman, Rev. Emmanuel Edeh, in his speech during the maiden courtesy visit to Governor Ugwuanyi, by the newly elected and appointed leaders of CAN in Enugu State, said the governor’s resolve in demonstrating that Enugu State is in the hands of God is unrivaled. The five bloc leaders and youth and women leaders were part of the vi...

15Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Religion

Emir of Biu, Umar Aliyu Passes on

The Emir of Biu, Umar Mustapha Aliyu, is dead. He passed on in the late hours of Monday at the Federal Medical Center Gombe. The emir who was born on 9th of November in 1940 survived by four wives and over 70 children with close to 200 grandchildren, a family source said. Reacting to his death, Former senator, Shehu Sani tweeted, “My condolences to the Government and people of Borno State over the demise of the Emir of Biu His Royal Highness Alhaji Mustapha Aliyu. May Allah in his infinite mercy grant him Aljanna firdausi. Amin.”

Ivory Coast Court Endorses President Ouattara’s Third Term ambition Amid Violent Protests

15Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Cote d'Ivoire, News

Ivory Coast Court Endorses President Ouattara’s Third Term ambition Amid Violent Protests

Ivory Coast’s top court on Monday endorsed the third term bid of President Alassane Ouattara as protests turned violent in several cities. Former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro were barred by the constitutional council from contesting in next month’s presidential poll. Only four out of the 44 candidates seeking to stand for election in the October 31 presidential election were cleared. It cleared former president Henri Konan Bedie of PDCI party, Gbagbo’s former prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and Kouadio Konan Bertin. Protesters in the Abijan torched a bus after an altercation between security forces and youths in the Yopougon district. Recall that a bloody conflict broke out in Ivory Coast after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to Oua...