FRESH FM TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

The hottest and most trending news articles for this week in all categories are captured in one shot. Find articles ranging from News to Sports, to Politics, to Entertainment, to Economy, to Metro plus, and many other categories. See below the top news for the week:

NEWS

• Democracy Day: Govs demand credible elections, OPC, don decry feeding bottle federalism

State governors and other dignitaries on Sunday made a case for credible elections in the country. They also called for concerted efforts to tackle the nation’s challenges. They made the calls in their separate messages to mark this year’s Democracy Day. The Federal Government had declared June 12 of every year as Democracy Day in honour of late Chief MKO Abiola who won the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Celebrating this year’s Democracy Day, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, called on citizens to build on the hope and potential of June 12, 1993 in order to create a better country. Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, said commemorating June 12 as Democracy Day has continued to bring the nation closer closer to credible elections.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, reiterated the need to identify and tackle the challenges confronting the nation and its people.

A former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, said the true celebration of Democracy Day lied with Nigerians, as he urged them to get their Permanent Voter’s Card ahead of the 2023 general election. Meanwhile, the Oodua People’s Congress has said regionalism will solve all the problems bedevilling the nation if practised.

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, said there was no alternative to democracy in Nigeria. Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, called on Nigerians to jettison the age-old primordial sentiments that have continued to threaten unity, peace, and progress of the country.

• Owo attack: Oyo govt declares three-day mourning

The Oyo State Government on Monday declared a three-day mourning period in honour of the victims of the terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
The decision, according to a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun, is in compliance with the communique issued at the end of a virtual meeting of the governors of the South-West states held on June 10. In view of the decision, Adeosun stated that Governor Seyi Makinde had approved that flags be flown at half-mast from Monday, June 13 to Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in honor of the slain victims.

The statement quoted the communique signed by the governors; Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo; Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti; Gboyega Oyetola, Osun; Dapo Abiodun, Ogun; Seyi Makinde, Oyo and Babajide Sanwoolu of Lagos state. “The governors condemned in very strong terms, the horrendous crime perpetrated by terrorists against the people and residents of Owo, Ondo State and by extension, the peace-loving people of the South-West. The governors noted with great discomfiture, the increasing agitations about spaces taken over by unidentified and unknown migrants in all South-West states,” the statement said.

The governors’ meeting recommended an increase in the scope of surveillance of the activities of the undocumented settlers by relevant security agencies in all the states. The governors, as chief security officers, resolved to continue to assist the security agencies in the areas of crisis management and intelligence gathering at all times. The governors reviewed reports from various states on the factors militating against peace and security in the region.

“They expressed grave concern on the influx of Okada riders into all parts of the South-West, especially the state capitals, and further resolved that efforts be geared toward identity management of Okada riders and stringent regulations put in place for their operation,” the communiqué said. It stated that the South-West governors decided to reconvene the South-West Security Committee “to look critically into the menace of Okada riders’ influx.” The committee would subsequently submit its findings on the desirability of Okada operations in the region, as well as come up with a multi-level template to combat the threat of insurgency and terrorism in the region.

• Akeredolu warns against further unprovoked attack on South-West

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has warned that the people of the South-West will not tolerate another unprovoked attack on the region under any guise. He said this on Monday, while receiving Ogun, Lagos and Kwara state governors, Dapo Abiodun, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq respectively, at the Government House, Alagbaka, Akure. Akeredolu, while welcoming his colleagues who paid a condolence visit to him over the terror attack on worshippers at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, said the people of Ondo State and South-West region at large had always been in peace and unity.

The immediate past governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, also joined the entourage as members of the Ondo State Executive Council (SEC), led by the Secretary to the State Government, Oladunni Odu, joined the governor to receive the visitors.
Akeredolu, who described the Owo attack as one too many, noted: “We are part of this country and we have always come in peace and we have maintained peace. We have been trying every time to maintain Nigeria because we believe in it.”

He thanked the governors for their solidarity, while describing their visit as not just symbolic but important. Abiodun, who spoke on behalf of the governors, said the attack was not just on the good people of Owo and Ondo State but the entire South-West region. He said that the six governors of the South-West region would soon hold a security meeting on how to consolidate on the existing security system in the region.

• 40 Owo massacre victims get mass burial Friday

The Catholic Diocese of Ondo has fixed Friday, June 17, 2022 for the mass burial of those who lost their lives in the terrorists attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo , Ondo State last week Sunday. According to the church, no fewer than 40 people died in the attack while many others sustained injuries. The Diocese’s Director of Social Communication, Rev. Fr. Augustine Ikwu, confirmed the date of the mass burial to newsmen on Monday.

According Ikwu, the mass burial would take place at the church’s new cemetery at Emure Road, Owo. “The mass burial would take place at the new cemetery of the church on Friday in Owo,” he said. He maintained that the number of the deceased still remained 40.

It was gathered that the injured victims are still receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre and the St. Louis Catholic Hospital both in Owo and some other private hospitals in the state. However, no one has been arrested in connection with the attack.

• Owo attack: Reps want raid on forest reserves, victims get mass burial Friday

The House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on forest reserves in parts of Ondo State as part of efforts to arrest and prosecute the terrorists who on June 5 massacred about 40 worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo. The lawamkers made the call after unanimously adopting a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in Ondo State, Oluwatimehin Adelegbe, which was titled, ‘A Motion of Urgent National Importance Brought Pursuant to the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives on the Killing of Innocent Worshippers in Owo, Ondo State.’

Adelegbe recalled a series of similar attacks in the state, saying, “In Molege community within Ose LGA, earlier in January, farmlands and houses were set ablaze and three persons killed. “On Sunday, January 23, 2022, there was a deadly attack carried out on Okeluse community, also in Ose LGA by armed men who razed farmlands, houses and left three persons dead. In November 2021, a group of armed men killed the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adewusi, in the same LGA.”

The House asked that “The Federal Government declares a state of emergency in the various forest reserves in Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in order to comb and fish out the perpetrators of these crimes.” Meanwhile, Commanders of the South West Security Network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, in Akure on Thursday, declared their commitment to ensuring adequate protection of lives and property of the people of the region. The team included Corps Commanders from Ekiti, General Joe Komolafe (retd.); Oyo, Colonel Olayinka Olayanju (retd.); Ogun, David Akinremi; and Osun, Brigadier General Bashir Adewinbi (retd.).

Ondo State Commander and Chairman of the Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, who spoke on behalf of the others, during a visit to the Olowo palace said, “As a team, we are here on a condolence visit and also, to assess the security situation and proffer our own solution with a view to ensuring that a repeat of this does not happen anywhere in the South-West region again.”

• Owo killings: We can’t be slaves in our land — Akeredolu

Tears flowed freely yesterday at the funeral mass for the victims murdered by terrorists at the Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo, on June 5, this year. The state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu and his wife, Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu attended the funeral mass held at Owo. Akeredolu, who wept during his speech said the government failed to protect the victims of the terror attack. He said that the forces on the other side were evil, assuring that they would not triumph forever. The governor noted that something must be done in the country, adding that the security architecture of the nation needed to be rejigged.

In a swift response, the Bishop of Ondo Catholic Diocese, Dr. Jude Arogundade declared that Governor Akeredolu has not failed in protecting his people. Bishop Arogundade said: “You didn’t fail, you are a strong soldier. Your determination to protect those who voted you into power is unquestionable. This was done by cowards, you have tried your best.”
He wondered why the people of the country need to beg for state police, despite the endless attack and killings. The clergyman thanked the Governor for accepting to designate a memorial park in honour of the victims, stressing that those who created the situation that made the incident happened had blood on their hands.

Meanwhile, the venue was filled to the brim as families of the victims, people of Owo, and other sympathizers thronged the venue of the funeral mass. Dignitaries at the funeral mass included former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko; Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Engr. Ade Adetimehin and Chieftain of the APC , Chief Olusola Oke,SAN. The local government chairmen were also led by the chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALCON) Ondo State chapter, Hon. Augustine Oloruntogbe.

• Owo Attack: Amotekun commanders meet, agree on protecting southwest from further attacks

The commanders of the South West Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, have lamented the terror attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, vowing to put up measures to forestall future occurrences. The corps commanders from the states of Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, and Ondo, were in Ondo to review the attack.

The commanders include Joe Komolafe of Ekiti, Olayinka Olayanju of Oyo, David Akinremi of Ogun, B. Aderonbi of Osun, and Adetunji Adeleye of Ondo. Mr Adeleye, who spoke on their behalf of the commanders, said they had also come to condole with the families of the dead. He also said the corps commanders were in Owo to assess the security situation and proffer solutions. This, he said, would ensure that there was no repeat of the incident anywhere in the southwest.

• Police have failed Nigerians, Akeredolu declares

The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Thursday warned the Federal Government that its inability to secure life and property in the country would soon leave citizens with no choice but to arm themselves in self-defence. Akeredolu, who gave the warning while delivering the keynote address at the meeting of the Attorney-Generals of the 36 States of Nigeria held in Lagos, said the police were overwhelmed.

The governor asked the police to “close shop” if the Federal Government could not meet their equipment needs. Akeredolu insisted that the police had failed in their constitutional role of protecting Nigerians. “We will carry arms very soon, Oga Malami (the AGF), there is no other way, the police have failed,” the governor declared.

In his address at the event, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said state governors cannot continue to agitate for restructuring and state police when they are responsible for the compromise and mismanagement of the current system.

Malami said state governors who have taken over the allocations of local governments in their states have no moral right to ask for restructuring. “The present controversies surrounding the Paris/London Club loan refunds could have been avoided if the NGF/state governments and ALGON, who engaged the services of consultants and contractors honoured their agreements. NGF and ALGON have not denied engaging the consultants and contractors on behalf of their respective states and local governments,” Malami said.

• ‘Register With CAC, Delete Harmful Accounts’: FG Sets Rules For Facebook, Twitter, Others

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Monday issued new regulations for Internet platforms available in Nigeria. A statement signed by NITDA spokesperson, Hadiza Umar, said the new code was designed to protect the “fundamental human rights of Nigerians and non-Nigerians living in the country as well as define guidelines for interacting on the digital ecosystem.”

The code requires Internet platforms to “register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities.” It also requires that they comply with all regulatory demands and comply with all applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law.

On content moderation, NITDA said Internet platforms must “provide a comprehensive compliance mechanism to avoid publication of prohibited contents and unethical behaviour on their platform.” They must also “provide information to authorities on harmful accounts, suspected botnets, troll groups, and other coordinated disinformation networks and deleting any information that violates Nigerian law within an agreed time.”

NITDA said the new rules were “developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as well as input from Interactive Computer Service Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and Tik Tok amongst others.

• Deadline for voters registration remains June 30 — INEC

Contrary to speculations that the deadline for the ongoing registration of voters has been been extended to August 31, 2022, the deadline remains June 30, 2022. Following clamour for extension of the deadline due to upsurge in the number of potential registrants and the attendant logistics hitches, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last week, said extension might be considered.

On Monday, online reports claimed the deadline had been extended prompting celebration in some quarters. Asked if was true the deadline has been extended to August 31, 2022, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said: “No. It is not true. The deadline for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is still 30th June. The online pre-registration service closed since 30th May.

“What the Commission has done to respond to the surge in numbers of those who want to register, is to deploy more INEC Voter Enrollment Devices (IVEDs) to areas where the pressure is highest. These areas are all the states in the South-East region, Kano, Lagos and the FCT.”

• Be security conscious, vigilant – IPOB urges South East residents

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has alerted residents of Southeast region to be vigilant against marauding bandits attacking and killing innocent people in churches and homes. The separatist group urged the people to be cautious of strangers that may disguised as worshippers, with the evil agenda of attacking them in churches and markets.

According to the group, church and market leaders should beef up security while everyone should return their homes early, warning that they should not fall for any deceit of killer Fulani that have flooded Abia State and other parts of the region. IPOB disclosed these in a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful on Tuesday.

The statement reads further, “Don’t be quick to point or direct a stranger to your Pastor and your reverend fathers or rabbi or any other worker in your church. In the meantime, avoid night out and late night meetings and programmes. Dangers ahead are too enormous, be ready for what is to come Biafrans and report suspected movements to IPOB office around you, we must bring them down they will not succeed. “We have been encountering some of them at nights and day, carrying Security jobs beyond your imagination. Everybody be watchful.”

• Akeredolu warns against further unprovoked attack on South-West

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has warned that the people of the South-West will not tolerate another unprovoked attack on the region under any guise. He said this on Monday, while receiving Ogun, Lagos and Kwara state governors, Dapo Abiodun, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq respectively, at the Government House, Alagbaka, Akure. Akeredolu, while welcoming his colleagues who paid a condolence visit to him over the terror attack on worshippers at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, said the people of Ondo State and South-West region at large had always been in peace and unity.

The immediate past governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, also joined the entourage as members of the Ondo State Executive Council (SEC), led by the Secretary to the State Government, Oladunni Odu, joined the governor to receive the visitors.
Akeredolu, who described the Owo attack as one too many, noted: “We are part of this country and we have always come in peace and we have maintained peace. We have been trying every time to maintain Nigeria because we believe in it.”

He thanked the governors for their solidarity, while describing their visit as not just symbolic but important. Abiodun, who spoke on behalf of the governors, said the attack was not just on the good people of Owo and Ondo State but the entire South-West region. He said that the six governors of the South-West region would soon hold a security meeting on how to consolidate on the existing security system in the region.

• Police Academy lacks adequate manpower, sewage system, road network, Commandant tells Buhari

The Police Academy in Wudil town, Kano State is said to be facing serious challenges that might affect performance of its trainees. The challenges include acute shortage of manpower in both academic and non academic sectors.

The attention of President Muhammad Buhari was drawn to the loads of problems facing the Academy, yesterday, by its Commandant, AIG Abdurrahman Ahmad, during the passing out parade of its fourth Regular Course Cadets. Other deficiencies include “delay in payment of cadets’ stipends or allowances, lack of central sewage system to take care of cadets hostel and and staff quarters.” Ahmad also spoke on the need to complete abandoned Police Reform Projects that include perimeter fence, faculty buildings and lecture theatres. He listed the challenges as “Poor road network and lack of drainages for easy flow of water within the Academy, lack of staff accommodation, desertification leading to destruction of roofs, inadequate power supply and lack of obstacles or training facilities.”

The commandant stated that it wass not hyperbole to state that the annual budgetary allocation of the Nigerian Police Academy was grossly inadequate to finance development projects that will facilitate peaceful learning and a working environment, and appealed for support from government to increase the budget allocation to address the challenges of the Academy which is the first in West

POLITICS

• Senate 2023: INEC not aware of Akpabio’s emergence, REC says

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Mike Igini, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state is not aware of the June 9 re-run primary that led to the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress flagbearer for Akwa Ibom North-West (Ikot Ekpene) senatorial district of the state. This was coming shortly after he (Igini) had written to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, stating that there was no APC governorship candidate for Akwa Ibom State.

It had reported Sunday that a former Deputy Inspector-General of Police and senatorial candidate of the APC for Akwa Ibom North-West, Mr. Udom Ekpoudom, had said that he would not relinquish his ticket to Akpabio, no matter the pressure. The Stephen Ntukekpo-led chairman of the party had, while citing security infractions in the May 27, 2022, APC primary in the district, claimed he was directed to conduct a re-run primary by the national headquarters of the party on June 9, 2022

During the midnight re-run primary which was held at the Ikot Ekpene Empowerment Centre, the former minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State emerged the winner, having scored a total of 478 votes out of 512 accredited delegates, while DIG Ekpoudom (retd), who won the first primary, secured just three votes.

But Igini while fielding questions from journalists on Sunday, on the re-run primary, has said that the commission is not aware of the emergence of Senator Akpabio as the APC standard flagbearer for the district and therefore does not recognise his ticket. “INEC is not aware of any senatorial primary conducted on Thursday (June 9) that was monitored by INEC, none,” Igini was quoted to have said.

• 400 delegates sue INEC, PDP, seek Ogun primaries nullification

Some delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State have dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission before Justice O.O. Oguntoyinbo of a Federal High Court in Abeokuta over alleged disenfranchisement in the just concluded primaries of the party in the state. The PDP, its governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu and three governorship aspirants, Segun Showunmi, Jimi Lawal and one Abodunrin were listed as respondents in the suit which said about 400 of the ‘certified delegates’ were barred from casting their votes at the election held on June 30.

The plaintiffs, Taiwo Idris, Kehinde Akala and Ayinde Monsuru among others in a suit with number FHC/AB/CS/87/22 sued for themselves and on behalf of over 400 delegates who emerged from the April 30 ward congress most of who have reportedly deposed to affidavits before the court except the delegates from Ikenne, Sagamu and Remo North Local Government Areas. They prayed the court to nullify the governorship primary in the state.

The aggrieved delegates said most of the people that were disenfranchised were supporters of Jimi Lawal and would have cast their votes for the aspirant. The PDP delegates alleged that the party chose those who were not elected delegates to vote at the election, adding that it was a strategy to install the preferred candidate of some party leaders.mThey further alleged that 400 out of the 728 elected ad hoc delegates from all the wards as well as those elected from 20 local government areas as national delegates were not allowed to participate in the election. The court however granted an order for substituted service on all the parties and has fixed the return date for the 22nd of June, 2022.

• Ekiti Election: Choose Peace Over Violence, NPC Tells Residents

The National Peace Committee (NPC) has appealed to the residents of Ekiti to choose peace over violence in the coming governorship election in the state. Chairman of the committee and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, made the appeal in a statement barely a week to the Election Day. He urged the people to come out without fear, but with hope to exercise their franchise and vote to deepen the democratic process in the state.

General Abdulsalami also advised the youths not to make themselves pawns in the hands of the political class but should be aware that the security, stability, and future of Nigeria remain their common patrimony.

He urged everyone taking part in the election to follow due process, conduct themselves with civility and patriotism, and ensure they do not take the laws into their hands no matter the grievances they may hold against individuals and other stakeholders in the poll.

The NPC chairman reminded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and others that Nigerians and the world were monitoring them as they expect a level-playing field for all parties. According to him, the conduct and peaceful outcome of the Ekiti State off-cycle election will put to test all the claims of reforms and strategic policy implementations of the last four years.

• Abdusalami Group Raises Concern Over Monetisation Of Primaries

The National Peace Committee has raised concerns that the 2023 elections might not be the best following the monetisation of the primary elections so far conducted by political parties in the country. The committee also cited the acrimonious conduct and the elevation of delegate position above the citizens as other impediments that might affect the 2023 elections.

In a statement on Monday, the committee’s Chairman, General Abdusalami Abubakar,(retd.), however called for due process during the Ekiti governorship election holding on Saturday. He disclosed that a peace accord would be signed by the various political parties and stakeholders on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Abdusalami also called on youths not to make themselves willing tools in the hands of politicians. He added, “In particular, we call on our youths not to make themselves pawns in the political chessboard of the political class.

• Moghalu dumps ADC, cites political corruption

A presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, Prof Kingsley Moghalu, has resigned his membership of the party. In a letter obtained by newsmen on Monday, which was addressed to the party’s chairman, Okey Nwosu, Moghalu cited alleged infractions from the party’s presidential primary election as reason for leaving. Reports have it that the former presidential candidate of Young Progressive Party in 2019 general elections was defeated at the just-concluded primary election of the ADC in Abeokuta. While the winner, Dumebi Kachikwu, scored 977 votes, Moghalu polled 589 votes to come second.

Moghalu’s resignation letter read in part, “I am writing to hand in my resignation of my membership of the African Democratic Congress, effective immediately. “I have resigned because the process and conduct of the party’s presidential primary on June 8, 2022 at Abeokuta revealed a fundamental clash of values between me and your leadership of the party. Moghalu, who didn’t disclose his next political move, blamed his loss to “cash and carry politics,” revealing that his former party which he joined in 2021 is not a credible alternative.

• Keyamo Asks Moghalu To Join APC, Says Third Force Are Untested Nigerians

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has asked a presidential aspirant, Kingsley Moghalu to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). He made the appeal in a tweet on Monday following the announcement by Moghalu that he had resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), exited the ADC after losing the party’s presidential ticket to the founder of Roots Television, Mr Dumebi Kachikwu. In a letter dated June 13 and addressed to ADC’s National Chairman, Okey Nwosu, he explained that the presidential primary had been wrought with inconsistencies. “I have resigned because the process and conduct of the party’s presidential primary on June 8, 2022, at Abeokuta revealed a fundamental clash of values between me and your leadership of the party,” the presidential hopeful had said.

Reacting to the development, Keyamo, who described Moghalu as his brother, advised the latter to pitch his tent with the ruling APC. According to him, joining the Third Force whom he tagged as a group of untested Nigerians might be worse off than his previous party. “My own dear brother, @MoghaluKingsley, you’ve just seen that the so-called Third Force are just some untested Nigerians who may just be worse off,” said the Senior Advocate of Nigeria. They’re not from the moon; they’re Nigerians. It’s all sound and fury and nothing more. Welcome to the real world. Please, join us in APC.”

• Oyo Senator resigns from PDP, joins APC

Senator Kola Balogun (Oyo South) has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Balogun’s notice of defection was contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and read at the start of plenary on Wednesday. His defection brings the number of APC Senators in the Upper Chamber to 70.

According to the lawmaker, his decision to defect from the PDP was due to the lack of internal democracy in the party at the state level for the emergence of leaders and representatives. He added that the development has further led to the existence of several factions and aggrieved groups within the party.

• Wike’s camp fumes, warns PDP as Atiku picks Okowa running mate

Supporters of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his appointees on Thursday expressed anger over the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to pick the Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate. Wike’s loyalists, who reacted shortly after Atiku unveiled Okowa as his running mate, dismissed the Delta State governor as a featherweight politician and warned that the decision would have implications for the PDP in the 2023 elections. But supporters of Okowa and his appointees, in separate interviews with newsmmen, described the Delta State governor as a politician, who would add value to the PDP presidential ticket.

Earlier on Thursday, the PDP standard-bearer, via his Twitter handle, @atiku, announced the governor of Delta State as his running mate. He said, “I am delighted to announce Governor @IAOkowa as my vice-presidential candidate. I look forward to travelling our great country together, engaging with all Nigerians and building a shared future of peace, unity, and prosperity for all. As one, we can get it done. #OneNigeria. -AA”

The former Vice-President, who emerged as the presidential candidate on May 28, began the search for a running mate together with the leadership of the party by setting up a committee by the party’s National Working Committee on June 9. The ad hoc committee, consisting of representatives of former governors, incumbent governors, the NWC and the Board of Trustees members, was saddled with the responsibility of recommending candidates for the vice-presidential slot.

• Akwa Ibom APC Crisis: INEC backs Igini, says ‘there’s only one INEC’

The headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja, has confirmed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary which produced Akanimo Udofia as a governorship candidate was not monitored by the commission’s officials. The primary which produced the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, as the APC senate candidate in the state was also not monitored by INEC. Both primaries were held around midnight on May 26 and June 9, respectively.

It, therefore, means the APC may not have a governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State for the 2023 general elections, and that Mr Akpabio is not recognised by INEC as a candidate, as previously reported by this newspaper. INEC spokesperson in Abuja, Festus Okoye, said there is no distinction between INEC at the national headquarters and those at the different states in the country. “There’s only one INEC that operates through its state offices at the state level,” Mr Okoye told newsmenn, Monday.

“When a political party wants to organise a primary, what the political party does is that it gives INEC that mandatory 21 days’ notice of its intention to organise the party primary.
Then it gives INEC the venue and the date of the primary. The commission will constitute a monitoring team for that particular state headed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC),” Mr Okoye added.

Mr Okoye’s position validates a report filed by the REC in Akwa Ibom, Mike Igini, on the matter. The clarification became necessary following the misinformation on social media that the INEC headquarters had deployed officials from Abuja to monitor the contentious primaries, and that the INEC authorities distanced themselves from Mr Igini.

• 2023: Clark, Adebanjo, Others Blast ‘Traitor’ Okowa For Accepting VP Nomination

Chief Edwin Clark and Ayo Adebanjo have criticised Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for accepting to run with Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential elections, describing him as “a traitor.” The elder statesmen made the comment under the aegis of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum.

In a statement on Friday, they said it was “unspeakable and quite disappointing” that Okowa accepted the Vice Presidency nomination after it had been agreed, by Southern Governors, for the position of President to be zoned to the southern region. Others who signed the statement include President-General, Middle Belt Forum, Pogu Bitrus and President-General, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador (Prof.) George Obiozor.

Clark is the leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum while Adebanjo heads the Yoruba group, Afenifere. Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday had announced Okowa as his running mate.

• Vice Presidential Candidate: Tinubu Has Named Kabiru Masari As Running Mate – Faskari

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu has named Kabiru Masari as his running mate for the 2023 elections. A chieftain of the party Kabiru Faskari said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“Ibrahim Kabiru Masari is our vice presidential nominee. He was the Welfare Secretary of the APC under Oshiomhole (former national chairman of the party),” he said during the show on Friday. “He is a well-known politician in Kaduna State and his name has been submitted.”

Faskari explained that picking Kabiru, who hails from Katsina State, does not violate the country’s laws as against the clamour for a Muslim/Christian APC ticket. According to him, Kabiru is experienced, close to Tinubu, and will not have a problem working with the former Lagos State governor.

The APC, it is believed is putting Kabiru as a placeholder to beat the deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for presidential candidates to submit the names of their running mates. INEC had given a Friday, June 17th, deadline for the submission of the names.

ECONOMY

• Fuel Scarcity: FG raises freight rate for marketers

The federal government announced Thursday it has approved the upward review in freight rate for transporters to help alleviate the challenges associated with distribution of petroleum products nationwide. The revised freight rate takes effect from June 1 while the pump price of petrol remains at N165 per litre, a statement by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said Thursday.

The statement said the approval was granted after due consultations with industry-wide parties. It said the review was necessitated by the upswing in the global price of petroleum products especially diesel, and its implication on the cost of transporting petrol nationwide.
The development came after the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) asked for an increase in the freight rate for petrol due to the high cost of diesel in the country.

In May, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) claimed that the government owed its members half a trillion naira. However, the NMDPRA told newsmmen it had paid oil marketers bridging claims of about N59 billion to marketers in five months. In recent months, fuel scarcity has worsened in Abuja and several other cities across the country.

• ‘Ukraine war, inflation will push seven million Nigerians to poverty’

The World Bank has warned that the war in Europe could effectively push an additional one million Nigerians into poverty by the end of the year. The figure excludes the six million earlier predicted to fall into poverty this year owing to the rise in prices of essentials, especially food. The bank also cautioned against inefficient exchange rate approaches saying: “Clarity on exchange rate policy, and transparency in its management are necessary to attract more significant capital inflows, including foreign direct (FDI).”

The concerns were contained in the latest World Bank Nigeria Development Update (NDU), tagged, ‘The Continuing Urgency of Business Unusual’, on Monday. The report, which was launched at a function attended by Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, and other government functionaries, gave a scary verdict about the country’s fiscal and monetary outlook and warned that urgent reforms are required to save the economy.

• World Bank forecasts Nigeria’s public debt to hit 36% of GDP

The World Bank yesterday raised its forecast for Nigeria’s public debt to 36 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in 2022, citing worsening revenue collection at the federation level, which is increasing budgetary pressures and pushing many states into precarious fiscal positions. The new forecast is 3.7 percentage points higher than the 32.3 per cent earlier projected by the bank in November last year. The World Bank gave the new forecast in the June 2022 edition of its Nigeria Development Update, NDU.

Though the World Bank also raised its 2022 GDP growth forecast for Nigeria to 3.8 per cent, citing robust recovery in the non-oil economy and higher global oil price, it however expressed concerns over rising inflation, and thus raised its inflation rate forecast for 2022 to 15.5 per cent, up from 13.5 per cent projected in the November 2021 NDU edition.
Consequently, the World Bank said that reducing inflation is the key policy priority for the country, stressing that rising prices continue pushing millions of Nigerians into poverty.

• Diesel price may hit N1,500/litre, 75% filling stations closed – Marketers

About 75 per cent of filling stations across the country are currently out of business due to their inability to purchase diesel required to power their tankers and transport Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, to their various outlets, oil marketers stated on Tuesday. Marketers also stated that the cost of diesel would keep increasing and might hit N1,500/litre in the next two weeks if nothing drastic was done to curtail the current challenge faced by importers of the deregulated commodity.

Dealers under the aegis of the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association told journalists in Abuja that this was also the reason why petrol scarcity had failed to abate in Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger states, among others. Speaking on behalf of the marketers, the National President, NOGASA, Bennett Korie, explained that the only solution to the current challenge was for the Federal Government to raise the pump price of petrol a little in order to reduce the huge foreign exchange used in PMS imports.

Economic experts and operators in the oil sector had repeatedly called on the Federal Government to stop subsidising petrol in order to halt the humungous foreign exchange spent on its imports. A former President, the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Dr. Sam Nzekwe, told newsmen that petrol subsidy was eating deep into the finances of Nigeria. Also, the Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr. Muda Yusuf, has also told newsmen that subsidy in petrol should be cautiously and gradually removed based on its depleting effects on both federal and state governments’ revenues.

• Why FG should remove fuel subsidy — Soludo

Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has kicked against retention of fuel subsidy in Nigeria. This was even as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Limited said payments for petrol subsidy cost the Federation Account N1.217 trillion in the first five months of 2022.

However, Soludo, noted that fuel subsidy should be charged from the federal government and not subnational states. He also argued that the subsidy ought to have been removed ‘like yesterday,’ adding that its non-removal could cause the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to spill money.

Soludo, who made his intentions known at the launch of the Nigeria Development Update, NDU, by the World Bank group in Abuja yesterday, emphasised that the solutions to Nigeria’s problems were obvious and not far-fetched.

• ‘Ukraine war, inflation will push seven million Nigerians to poverty’

The World Bank has warned that the war in Europe could effectively push an additional one million Nigerians into poverty by the end of the year. The figure excludes the six million earlier predicted to fall into poverty this year owing to the rise in prices of essentials, especially food. The bank also cautioned against inefficient exchange rate approaches saying: “Clarity on exchange rate policy, and transparency in its management are necessary to attract more significant capital inflows, including foreign direct (FDI).”

The concerns were contained in the latest World Bank Nigeria Development Update (NDU), tagged, ‘The Continuing Urgency of Business Unusual’, yesterday. The report, which was launched at a function attended by Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, and other government functionaries, gave a scary verdict about the country’s fiscal and monetary outlook and warned that urgent reforms are required to save the economy.

The report notes that, “stagnating oil revenues harm fiscal accounts at both federal and sub-national levels” and that fiscal performance has suffered enormously from sluggish oil production and rising petrol subsidy, amid “expenditure pressures”, which remain high.
The institution reiterates its call for reform of the foreign exchange market, noting that a more liberal model would reduce misalignments and attract more foreign investments required to grow the economy.

BUSINESS

• Over 10m Nigerians engaged in fishing activities, we’ll support them — FG

The Federal Government, Thursday, revealed that over 10 million Nigerians are actively engaged in fishing activities in the fish subsector.

This was made known by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, while closing the Internal Coordination Meeting of Implementation of Fisheries Governance Project Phase 2 ( FisheriesGov 2), which was held on June 13-17,2022 in Abuja.

Abubakar said government will support them and it is to boost local production in order to reduce imports, as government is currently encouraging backward integration through commercial aquaculture production. However, according to the Minister, the Buhari-led administration has put in place measures to boost Nigerian fisheries subsector.

• CBN’s intervention funds fuelling inflation, World Bank warns Nigeria

The World Bank has said the Central Bank of Nigeria’s development finance intervention is fuelling inflation in the short term and weakening the ability of the apex bank to control inflation. According to the global bank, the CBN’s continued provision of subsidised funding to certain sectors has to slow down as it is undermining the ability of commercial banks to lend on a risk-adjusted pricing basis. It added that the apex bank’s disbursement in the private sector as its share of private sector credit rose from 6.5 per cent in 2019 to 10 per cent in 2021.

It disclosed this in its ‘Nigeria Development Update (June 2022): The Continuing Urgency of Business Unusual.’ It said, “The CBN’s continued provision of heavily subsidised funding to certain sectors undermines commercial banks that lend on a risk-adjusted pricing basis and needs to be dialled down. According to the Washington-based bank, expanding government programmes to support micro, small, and medium enterprises is a priority to protect viable and vulnerable MSMEs against rising uncertainty.

It said while the banking system had proved resilient in the face of the pandemic, the operating environment for banks and firms has become more challenging recently. It stated that the fallout from the war in Ukraine is driving inflation higher, increasing production costs and the cost of borrowing through higher rates.

It further said that loan quality over the next several quarters is likely to deteriorate. It added that certain medium-sized banks that cater to SMEs and intermediate CBN development finance could be stressed if economic recovery falters and SMEs, many of which have already suffered over the last two years, typically have less resiliency in revenue generation than larger, more diversified companies.

EDUCATION

• We’re Not Beggars, Slaries Stoppage Won’t Force Us To Resume – ASUU Tells FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said its members are not beggars and the stoppage of their salaries by the government won’t force them to call off their strike. The leadership of the union also commended the members for keeping faith with the union despite the hardship imposed on their families as a result of the No-Work-No-Pay directive of the Federal Government.

Following the failure of the government to meet some lingering demands of the union, ASUU on February 14, 2022 announced a one-month warning strike, followed by another eight-week strike before it eventually commenced its indefinite strike. The continued strike led to the imposition of No-Work-No-Pay by the Federal Government. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said the directive was in compliance with Section 43 of the Labour Law.

Though some of the demands by the union are still undergoing negotiations, the ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed optimism that the union was on the threshold of victory. He however noted that the resolve of the union forced the government to engage in negotiations.

HEALTH

• Buhari restates Nigeria’s commitment to safer, healthier global climate

President Muhammadu Buhari has restated Nigeria’s commitment to a safer and healthier global climate, listing the country’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution to include the elimination of kerosene lighting by 2030. Buhari spoke during a virtual meeting, hosted by President Joe Biden of the United States, at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change. He listed other measures to include an increase in the use of buses for public transport and a reduction in the burning of crop residues.

Buhari said that an updated NDC to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change had been submitted to replace the interim contribution of May 27, 2021. Buhari also said that Nigeria was developing national frameworks for Article 6 and for carbon pricing.

He added, “We have finalised the Sectoral Action Plan for the implementation of the revised NDC in the key priority sectors, namely Energy, Oil & Gas, Agriculture & Land use, Power, Transport and Water and Waste’’. On the Global Methane Pledge, the President said Nigeria joined the Global Methane Alliance in 2019 with a commitment to methane reduction targets of at least 45 per cent by 2025 and a 60-75 per cent reduction by 2030.

WORLD

• Macron Seeks Bigger Military Budget In ‘War Economy’

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for a boost to defence budgets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying France was now on a “war economy” footing. Speaking at Eurosatory, a weapons industry fair, Macron said Europe needed “a much larger defence industry” to avoid relying on suppliers elsewhere for its equipment needs. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, France “has entered into a war economy in which I believe we will find ourselves for a long time”.

Macron said he had asked the defence ministry and armed forces chiefs of staff to adjust a six-year framework defence spending plan running to 2025 to the new geopolitical situation, to “match the means to the threats”. Even before Ukraine, French military spending had gradually increased since Macron came to power in 2017 to reach 41 billion euros ($43 billion) this year, and is currently scheduled to hit 50 billion euros in 2025.
Macron said that “anybody doubting the urgency of these efforts only needs to look to Ukraine, where soldiers are asking for quality weaponry and they are entitled to a response from us”.

According to Le Monde newspaper, the government’s armament agency DGA is considering a draft law that would allow the requisitioning of civilian equipment or civilian factories to make weapons. As European governments bolster defence budgets, they need a larger EU-based defence industry to meet the new military needs, Macron said.
“Let’s not repeat the errors of the past going forward,” he said. “Spending large sums on purchases from elsewhere is not a good idea.” Europe needs a defence industry that is “much stronger and much more ambitious” than now, he said, “or we will create our own future dependencies”.

• UN Seeks $426 mn To Avert ‘Starvation’ In South Sudan

The UN’s World Food Programme on Tuesday appealed for $426 million to stave off famine in South Sudan, where conflict and floods have placed millions at risk. “We are already in a crisis, but we need to restore food assistance… to prevent people from falling into starvation and famine. To do so, we urgently require $426 million for the next six months,” WFP’s programme officer for South Sudan, Adeyinka Badejo, told reporters.

“South Sudan is facing its hungriest year since independence,” Badejo warned from the capital Juba. The reasons, she said, were accumulative — “continuing sub-national conflict, climate crisis of three consecutive years of floods, and severe economic shocks exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine.”

The youngest country in the world, South Sudan has experienced chronic instability since becoming independent from Sudan in 2011. A civil war between 2013-2018 left nearly 400,000 dead and millions displaced. A peace accord provided for a power-sharing arrangement in a unity government gathering the two rivals, President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar. But many articles of the accord are still to be implemented and armed clashes between the two sides have resumed.

• Two Black Women In Historic Move To Become Colombia’s First Vice President

For the first time, Colombia will have a black woman vice president, as voters decide Sunday between a pair of rival candidates aiming to make history in the South American nation. Colombians head to the polls for a run-off to choose their new president, either leftist former guerrilla Gustavo Petro or eccentric millionaire construction mogul Rodolfo Hernandez. Both men have named a woman running mate with African roots.

Environmentalist Francia Marquez, 40, is running alongside Petro, with Hernandez having chosen conservative academic Marelen Castillo, 53. Whichever one replaces outgoing Vice President Marta Lucia Ramirez — the first woman to hold the position — will break new ground as the first person of African descent named to the post. “In political, symbolic, and cultural terms it is very important because Colombia is a country with a lot of racism,” Cristina Echeverri, an analyst from the National University, told AFP.

Just over nine percent of Colombia’s 50 million people identify as black but few, especially women, manage to reach positions of power. There is only one black person in the current cabinet and just two out of almost 300 members of Congress.

• EU Beefs Up Fight Against Social Media Disinformation

The EU is stepping up its fight against disinformation spread by accounts on Facebook, Google, Twitter and other social media with a bolstered code of practice presented Thursday. The text — a reinforced revision of the code originally launched in 2018 — aims to push the platforms to more urgently and systematically crack down on false advertising, demonetise accounts spreading disinformation and boost fact-checking. The code, obtained by AFP ahead of publication, remains voluntary.

But officials expect around 30 bodies to sign up, including some of the biggest social media companies, including Facebook parent Meta, Twitter, Microsoft and TikTok, along with big advertising corporations.

They all had input into the drafting of the updated code along with fact-checking outfits and media watchdogs such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF by its initials in French).
It was to be presented Thursday by the EU commissioner for transparency, Vera Jourova, and internal market commissioner Thierry Breton. The new code of practice contains some 40 commitments, around double the number in the previous version, along with indicators to measure how well they are being met.

While the previous text relied on self-regulation, the new one holds the biggest platforms — those with at least 45 million users in the EU — to binding measures set out in the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

• Hunger Crisis Could Swell Already Record Global Displacement – UN

Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed global displacement numbers above 100 million for the first time, and the UN warns the resulting hunger crisis could force many more to flee their homes. Efforts to address the global food insecurity crisis, which has been dramatically aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is “of paramount importance… to prevent a larger number of people moving,” the United Nations refugee chief Filippo Grandi told reporters. “If you ask me how many… I don’t know, but it will be pretty big numbers.”

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, traditionally a breadbasket to the world, has sparked dramatic grain and fertiliser shortages, sent global prices soaring and put hundreds of millions of people at risk from hunger. “The impact, if this is not resolved quickly, would be devastating,” Grandi said. “It is already devastating.”

His comments came as he presented the UNHCR refugee agency’s annual report on global displacement, showing that a record 89.3 million people were displaced at the end of 2021 — more than doubling in a decade.

But since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, as many as 14 million Ukrainians may have fled within their own war-ravaged country or across borders as refugees, pushing global displacement past the grim 100-million mark for the first time.

• Migrants Sent $605 bn Home In 2021, More By Mobiles – UN

Migrant workers sent home an estimated $605 billion to low- and middle-income countries last year, a UN study said Thursday, boosted by an increase in payments sent via mobile phones.bGlobal remittances rose 8.6 percent compared to 2020 and are projected to grow to $630 billion in 2022, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Such payments are a major source of income for many low-income households, with around 800 million family members expected to benefit in 2022. Between now and 2030, global remittances will amount to $5.4 trillion, the equivalent of twice the GDP of Africa in 2021, IFAD has estimated. “Remittances lift people out of poverty, put food on the table, pay for education, cover health expenses, allow housing investments and many other family goals beyond consumption,” IFAD president Gilbert Houngbo said.

However, the report warned that the upward trend would likely slow this year as inflation erodes wages, and as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many countries in central Asia depend on remittances from Russia, with payments accounting for as much as 30 percent of their GDP, said the report. But the decline in the value of the ruble and the economic impact of sanctions has triggered a “sharp decline in transfers”, IFAD said.

Most of the money sent home by migrant workers is transferred through bricks-and-mortar institutions with clients paying cash, but the coronavirus pandemic saw a important shift towards digital. With lockdowns and border closures making physical services more difficult to access, mobile phone payments jumped by 48 percent in 2021. They still only accounted for three percent of the global total, but Pedro De Vasconcelos, manager of the Financing Facility for Remittances at IFAD, said the trend is set.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Beyonce announces release date for new album, ‘Renaissance’

After teasing the internet with days of cryptic hints Beyonce on Thursday announced the arrival next month of her long-awaited seventh studio album “Renaissance,” the megastar’s first since 2016. Overnight the streaming service Tidal, a platform formerly owned by Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z, announced on Twitter the album would land July 29, with rival companies Spotify and Apple Music tweeting the same news minutes later.

Beyonce’s social media accounts — which last week removed their profile photos, a sure sign that something was up — meanwhile had bios updated to read “act I … RENAISSANCE.” The blockbuster singer’s website also showed what appeared to be a new solo album available for pre-order, along with “Renaissance”-related merchandise.
Thursday’s news was accompanied by the announcement of a cover shoot with British Vogue that presents Queen B as a retro-futuristic glam club kid. The July 2022 issue is slated to hit newsstands June 21.

“Soaring vocals and fierce beats combine and in a split second I’m transported back to the clubs of my youth,” wrote Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue who spent time at Beyonce’s Los Angeles home for the story, of the star’s new music. “I want to get up and start throwing moves. It’s music I love to my core.” “Music that makes you rise, that turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to our people past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul.”

• Adekunle Gold didn’t decide songs on my album — Simi

Singer, Simi, has said that her husband and fellow singer, Adekunle Gold, did not decide which songs went into her last album titled, ‘To be Honest’. During a question and answer session at a listening session for the album, a fan sought to know if Adekunle Gold had a say in the selection of songs on the album, and she said, “No. Obviously, his input is very important to me and I can ask how he feels about certain things. But at the end of the day, all the songs and the way they came out was my decision.”

The ‘Naked wire’ singer also maintained that she does not take for granted the position she is in. She said, “Honestly, I am really grateful because I know that there are many incredible musicians that put in work and want to win. I don’t take the position I am in for granted. “I don’t think it definitely has to be me because many people also deserve these things. I am just really grateful. I am grateful for my supporters, and I am grateful that I am able to continue excelling at my craft.”

SPORTS

• Egypt Sack Coach Ehab Galal After Two Months

Ehab Galal was sacked as coach of the Egyptian national football team on Thursday, two months after he took over from Carlos Queiroz. Egyptian Football Federation official Hazem Emam told a press conference in Cairo that the “negative results of the Egyptian coach precipitated his departure”. “The names of a number of foreign coaches are being considered with a view to starting negotiations with them,” said Emam.

Egypt, without injured captain Mohamed Salah and several other key players, were beaten 2-0 by Ethiopia last Thursday in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Egypt lost the last edition of the Cup of Nations to Senegal on penalties in the final in February and the following month fell to Senegal again in a shootout, this time in a 2022 World Cup play-off. Former Pyramids and Zamalek coach Galal, 54, took over on April 12 after Portuguese Queiroz quit because he could not agree terms for a new contract.

• La Liga Confirms Complaints To UEFA Against City And PSG

La Liga confirmed on Wednesday it has filed complaints to UEFA about Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City “continuously breaching the current regulations of financial fair play”. La Liga said the complaint to UEFA against City was made in April while the complaint against PSG was filed “this week”. The Spanish league insisted it will continue to ramp up legal action against the two state-backed clubs. La Liga has hired legal firms in France and Switzerland “with the aim of undertaking administrative and judicial actions before the relevant French bodies and the European Union as soon as possible”, read a statement from the league.

And in Switzerland, La Liga is “studying different representation options” to investigate the “possible conflicts of interest” of Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is PSG chairman, in charge of Qatar-owned BeIN Sports, leads the European Club Association and sits on UEFA’s executive committee. Manchester City won the race to buy Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund after paying the striker’s £51 million ($63 million) release clause but the deal, including salary and agents fees, could reportedly exceed £250 million.

And PSG will pay Kylian Mbappe a yearly salary of between 40 and 50 million euros, after the Frenchman chose to reject Real Madrid and sign a new three-year contract with the Qatari-owned club. PSG suffered a 224.3-million-euro ($240m) loss in 2020/21, an increase of 80 percent on the previous year, the annual report from French football’s financial authority (DNCG) said earlier this month. “La Liga considers that these practices alter the ecosystem and the sustainability of football, harm all European clubs and leagues, and only serve to artificially inflate the market, with money not generated

• 19 Players Storm Abuja As Super Falcons Open Women’s AFCON Camp

Nineteen players have arrived in Abuja as the Super Falcons opened their camp for the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). The team is camping in the nation’s capital for the tournament billed for Morocco between July 2 and 23rd. In a tweet on their official handle, the Super Falcons listed the players in camp as Onome Ebi, Rita Chikwelu, Osinachi Ohale, Tochukwu Oluehi, Glory Ogbonna, Asisat Oshoala, Rasheedat Ajibade, and Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Others are Chidinma Okeke, Rita Akarekor, Gift Monday, Opeyemi Sunday, Charity Adule, Christy Ucheibe, Suliat Abideen, Chinonyerem Macleans, Peace Efih, Ugochi Emenayo, Akudo Ogbonna. Yewande Balogun, Toni Oyedupe Payne, Michelle Alozie, and Amanda Uju Mbadi are also expected to arrive at camp later on Friday.

Nicole Payne, Uchenna Kanu, Desire Oparanozie, and Regina Otu will also be in camp this weekend while Ashleigh Plumptre, Francisca Ordega, Vivian Ikechukwu, Halimatu Ayinde, and Ifeoma Onumonu will join the team in Morocco.

• Nigeria Record Biggest-Ever Win, Thrash Sao Tome And Principe 10-0

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen scored four goals as the Super Eagles walloped Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Monday to give Nigeria their biggest win in history. Osimhen opened the score sheet in the 9th minute of the tie, before adding one each in the 48th, 65th, and 84th minutes. This was his first hat-trick and haul for the senior team. Terem Moffi netted twice, just as Oghenekaro Etebo, Simon Moses, and Ademola Lookman got one each in the tie.

Watford star Emmanuel Dennis, who was introduced in the later stages of the match, grabbed a goal to complete the demolition in the game played in Morocco. Last week, Jose Peseiro’s men beat Sierra Leone 2-1 in Abuja to open their 2023 AFCON qualifier account. The Super Eagles now top the Group A standings with six points followed by Guinea Bissau on three but with a game at hand.

With five goals, Osimhen is now the top scorer in the qualification series for the competition billed for next summer. Nigeria’s next game in the race for the biennial showpiece is in September when they take on Guinea Bissau.

• Liverpool Agree 75mn-Euro Deal For Benfica Striker Nunez

Liverpool have reached a deal with Benfica to buy the Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez for an initial 75 million euros (£64 million), the Portuguese club said on Monday. The transfer could eventually rise to 100 million euros, Benfica said in a statement, eclipsing Liverpool’s club-record £75 million paid to Southampton for Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk in 2018. Nunez scored 26 goals in 28 league appearances last season in Portugal.

The 22-year-old, who was left out of Uruguay’s squad for Saturday’s 5-0 friendly victory over Panama, was expected to begin a medical on Monday which could take two days to complete. Personal terms are not anticipated to be a problem, with the player having expressed his desire to play for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp despite interest from Manchester United.

Nunez is set to sign a reported six-year contract with Premier League and Champions League runners-up Liverpool, who have been in talks with Benfica for several weeks. He netted in both legs of Benfica’s Champions League quarter-final defeat against Liverpool in April, earning praise from Klopp.

Nunez is likely to arrive at Anfield as a direct replacement for Sadio Mane after Bayern Munich stepped up their pursuit of the Senegal forward. Liverpool have rejected two offers from the Bundesliga champions and are holding out for a fee in excess of £40 million for Mane, who has one year left on his contract.

• Djokovic Slips To Third As Medvedev Tops ATP Rankings

Daniil Medvedev returned to the top of the ATP rankings on Monday, ahead of Alexander Zverev, with Novak Djokovic slipping out of the top two for the first time in nearly four years. The 26-year-old Russian, who was surprisingly beaten by Tim van Rijthoven in the final at ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Sunday, briefly occupied the number one spot for two weeks at the end of February and the beginning of March. But with Djokovic losing in the quarter-finals at the French Open, where he was defending champion, the door opened for Medvedev to rise again to top spot.

Medvedev is unable to compete at Wimbledon as Russian and Belarusian players have been barred following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Rankings points, however, will not be awarded. Zverev climbs to number two for the first time having spent a total of 56 weeks since November 2017 at number three. The German, however, is facing a spell on the sidelines after tearing ligaments in his right ankle during his French Open semi-final with Nadal.

Djokovic’s grip on the number one ranking had already been weakened by his exclusion earlier in the year, because of Covid regulations, from the Australian Open where he was also the defending champion. It is the first time since October 2018 that Djokovic is not in the top two.

Rafael Nadal, who beat the Serb at Roland Garros and went on to take the title for the 14th time, stays at number four, now only 245 points behind his great rival. Casper Ruud, who was overwhelmed by Nadal in the Paris final, reached his best career ranking of fifth in the world, up one place ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas. Former world number one Andy Murray climbed 21 places to 48 following his journey to the final in Stuttgart at the weekend while Medvedev’s conqueror Van Rijthoven jumped 99 places from 205 to 106.

• Mayweather to face MMA fighter in Japan exhibition

Newly enshrined Hall of Fame boxer Floyd Mayweather will fight Japanese mixed martial arts star Mikuru Asakura in a September exhibition in Japan, organisers said Tuesday.
The former welterweight world champion, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday after retiring with an unbeaten 50-0 record, beat “Dangerous” Don Moore in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi last month. The date, venue and rules of his fight against 29-year-old featherweight Asakura will be announced later this month.

It will be the 45-year-old Mayweather’s fourth exhibition and his second in Japan, after beating kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa by TKO in just two minutes in December 2018, in a bout that was widely ridiculed. Mayweather called himself the “pioneer of exhibitions” and promised to “put on a show” for fans when he returns in September.

Mayweather said his “legacy is already set in stone” after entering the Hall of Fame. He retired from professional boxing in 2017 after beating UFC star Conor McGregor.