Global Naija Info

Benteke scores one of his goals Two goals from Christian Benteke helped Crystal Palace gain a much-needed win over Southampton to ease the pressure on Eagles boss Alan Pardew. The hosts went ahead when Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster, in front of watching England manager Gareth Southgate, sliced a clearance and Benteke scored from close range. Palace doubled their lead when an unmarked James Tomkins prodded home from three yards out after a corner. Benteke grabbed his second late on as he tapped in after Jason Puncheon’s pull-back as Palace secured their first win in eight matches. -BBC

Tottenham’s Harry Kane celebrates his first goal Tottenham consolidated their position on the fringes of the Premier League top four with a commanding home victory over struggling Swansea. However, there was controversy over their opening goal, scored by Harry Kane from the penalty spot, after Dele Alli appeared to dive in the box. Son Heung-min’s brilliant acrobatic strike doubled the lead at the end of a first half Spurs totally dominated. Kane added his second when smashing home Son’s unintentional lay-off, before Christian Eriksen nodded home from close range and later drove in his second to further punish the Swans in stoppage time. Defeat means the Welsh side are bottom of the table after Sunderland’s victory at home to Leicester. Spurs’ win – just a second from their past 11 games – keeps Mauricio Pochettino’s side in fifth place, but narrows the gap to fourth-placed Arsenal to one point.

Sergio Ramos scored a stoppage-time equaliser to extend Real Madrid’s unbeaten start to the season and deny Barcelona victory in a bad tempered El Clasico. Luis Suarez’s glancing header from Neymar’s left-wing free-kick put Barcelona ahead at the Nou Camp. But in a frantic ending, Cristiano Ronaldo went close before Ramos headed home Luka Modric’s free-kick to earn a point for Zinedine Zidane’s La Liga leaders. Real remain six points clear of defending champions Barca after 14 matches.

Falcons celebrating their win The Nigerian Super Falcons have won the 2016 African Womens Nation Cup after defeating Cameroon 1-0 in Yaounde. Desire Oparanozie scored the only goal of the match in the 84th minute to give Nigeria their 8th win of the African Women Nation Cup. The Falcons held on to win the match despite Cameroon’s upsurge in the later part of the game. The game ended Cameroonian’s ambition of winning the nation cup after it lost to Nigeria in the final two years ago. The Indomitable Lionesses’ best chances of winning the womens nation cup was this year as they were the host, but they lost to Nigeria again after it lost 2-0 two years ago, and were also beaten by Nigeria in their other appearances in the final in 2004. -Kazeem Ugbodaga

Adebayo Ogunlesi President-elect Donald Trump has appointed a Nigerian, Adebayo Ogunlesi, a member of his economic advisory team known as the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum. Ogunlesi is the Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners, a private equity firm and one of Fortune 500 companies. The 63 year-old Nigerian is the only African face in the 16-man team, which has Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman/CEO and co-founder of private-equity giant Blackstone, as chairman. The President’s Strategic and Policy Forum which is composed of some of America’s most highly respected and successful business leaders, will be called upon to meet with the President frequently to share their specific experience and knowledge as the President implements his plan to bring back jobs and Make America Great Again. Members of the Forum will be charged with providing their individual views to the President – informed by their unique vantage points in the private sector – on how government policy imp...

Abuja Carnival The Abuja Carnival which began on Saturday recorded poor turnout of FCT residents due to the economic hardship in the country. Some of the residents who spoke on the poor turnout said that the carnival should not be the priority of the Federal Government, adding that measures should be taken to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians. This year’s carnival was devoid of the usual funfare that used to characterise the event. In the past, the streets used to be lined up with residents of the FCT who created time to watch the event, while others simply closed down their businesses just to catch a glimpse of the street procession. It was also observed that some designated streets of the FCT that were usually decorated for the carnival were left bare as they were not decorated. Samuel Olawale, who was at a newspaper vendor’s stand while the street procession was going on, said that though there was a bit of awareness on the carnival, “but the citizens are hungry’’. “I am...

el-Rufai and Senator Sani Senator Shehu Sani says the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is responsible for the attack on his campaign office in Kaduna on Saturday morning. Gunmen had attacked the office on Saturday morning, but the quick arrival of the police prevented the building from being set ablaze. Sani, in a statement on his facebook said el-Rufai should be held responsible for the attack. According to Sani, he received a report that some heavily armed thugs raided and attacked his constituency office located at Stadium Roundabout by Constitution Road, Kaduna and unleashed terror on his social media team who were meeting in the office as they vandalized the office in their violent act. “Some few minutes ago I received a report that some heavily armed thugs raided and attacked my constituency office located at Stadium Roundabout by constitution Road Kaduna.They unleashed terror on my Social media team who were meeting in the office.They vandalized the office in t...

ifako-ijaiye-bye-election Residents of Iju-Ishaga, Ogba, Agege and Ifako/Ijaiye areas on Saturday resorted to trekking due to partial road restrictions resulting into heavy traffic over the ongoing Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency By-election in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there was heavy traffic along Agege/Ogba and Fagba axes; shops were also closed and security men with patrol vans were seen in the areas. Some of the residents who spoke lamented low publicity as they were not aware of the by-election. Mr Seye Adeoti, a civil servant, said that due to heavy traffic he alighted from the bus and started trekking from Iyana-Orile in Agege to Ogba. Mrs Biola Abdul-Lateef, a trader at Fagba, said she was not aware of the by-election that it was the heavy traffic and the mass trekking of people on the road that suggested something was happening in the area. She said she was not allowed to open her shop because of the election as a polling unit was situated ...

University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. The University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has expressed worry that patients have resorted to self-medication due to biting economic condition in the country. Prof. Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, stated this on Saturday at the 2016 SERVICOM customers/stakeholders’ interactive forum held at Ilorin. He observed that the health care needs of many residents within and outside the state capital, Ilorin have been badly affected. Olatinwo, who was represented by the Chief, Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Mikail Buhari, lamented the severe toll the economic recession has had on the financial capacity of many household. He said that some people could no longer properly take care of their health needs. He narrated the experiences witnessed at the UITH which he described as a “worrying trend” in which the hospital often become helpless to handle cases of patients who resort to self medication. “Some ...

Abuja Carnival The Abuja Carnival which began on Saturday recorded poor turnout of FCT residents due to the economic hardship in the country. Some of the residents who spoke on the poor turnout said that the carnival should not be the priority of the Federal Government, adding that measures should be taken to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians. This year’s carnival was devoid of the usual funfare that used to characterise the event. In the past, the streets used to be lined up with residents of the FCT who created time to watch the event, while others simply closed down their businesses just to catch a glimpse of the street procession. It was also observed that some designated streets of the FCT that were usually decorated for the carnival were left bare as they were not decorated. Samuel Olawale, who was at a newspaper vendor’s stand while the street procession was going on, said that though there was a bit of awareness on the carnival, “but the citizens are hungry’’. “I am...

California club fire At least nine people have died in a fire during a club night near San Francisco, authorities say. The fire started at 23:30 local time on Friday (07:30 GMT Saturday) in Oakland, police told the BBC. The venue was hosting a concert by electronic group Golden Donna. The event’s Facebook page indicates a number of people are missing. Local broadcasters said some 13 other people were missing. The KTVU network said about 50 people were inside. The building housed artists in studios, it said. It did not appear to be a formal concert venue. Videos posted on social media by the fire department showed a large fire burning through the roof of the building. Three fire engines were called out.

Willian celebrates his goal Chelsea’s eighth successive Premier League win cemented their place at the top of the table – but their victory at Etihad Stadium ended in chaos as Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were sent off in injury time. Antonio Conte’s side delivered an impressive statement of intent as they cut City apart on the break after going behind to Gary Cahill’s own goal on the stroke of half-time, when he diverted Jesus Navas’s cross beyond Thibaut Courtois./ The game turned on Kevin De Bruyne’s 56th minute miss with City in control, crashing Navas’s cross against the bar from inside the six-yard area. Chelsea were level on the hour when Diego Costa outmuscled Nicolas Otamendi to score and they were ahead ten minutes later when substitute Willian raced clear to beat City keeper Claudio Bravo with ease. Eden Hazard completed a magnificent win for Chelsea with another goal on the break, showing too much pace for Aleksandar Kolarov to wrap up three vital p...

File photo of an INEC official on voting day Only two party agents cast their votes out of 534 registered voters at Polling Unit 043 in Ward 3, Ogba, at the Saturday’s Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency by-election in Lagos. This was made known during ballot counting at the unit at Blue-Cross Car Park Ogba. The party agents – those of PDP and APC – were not happy about the situation. They refused to speak to journalists on that. INEC poll officers at the unit were seen discussing the development while waiting to go for results collation. The election recorded poor turnout of voters. Meanwhile, results of the by-election started trickling in for collation at 2:15p.m. The results were being collated at the Registration Area Centres (RACs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who monitored the election, report that poor turnout of voters resulted in early conclusion of voting by 2p.m. Poll officers started bringing the resu...

The remains of Paraguayan crew member Gustavo Encina was handed over to his father in Paraguay. The bodies of 50 people killed in a plane crash that wiped out a Brazilian football team have arrived home. About 100,000 people are expected to attend a memorial service at Chapecoense’s stadium in south Brazil. Seventy-one people died in Monday’s crash outside Medellin, Colombia, where the team was due to play. Six survived. The cause of the crash is unclear. But a recording has emerged of the pilot asking the control tower for priority to land because he was out of fuel. Brazilian President Michel Temer greeted the planes at the airport. Fireworks exploded as the first of two military planes arrived in Chapeco early on Saturday. A procession to the stadium then followed, through heavy rain. On Friday, hundreds of people had lined the road in Medellin to pay their final respects. The victims include 64 Brazilians, five Bolivians, a Venezuelan and a Paraguayan. Nineteen of the de...

Senator Shehu Sani The campaign office of the senator representing Kaduna Central District, Shehu Sani, has been attacked by unknown gunmen, the police said. Suleiman Sule, the senator’s aide, said some supporters of the lawmaker were meeting at the campaign office on Saturday when armed men invaded the property. PREMIUM TIMES reports that there were no immediate reports of casualties. “Police officers have already cordoned the office area,” Mr. Sule said. Residents of the area said the attackers came in large numbers. “They were all with dangerous weapons and all headed across the road where Shehu Sani’s office was. They dispersed some people who were holding meeting in the office,” one resident said. “Thank God it is a busy area and there is always the presence of police officers. Before it could get out of hand they thugs ran away.” A police spokesperson who identified himself as Abba Danjuma, an Inspector, confirmed the incident, but called for clam. “The Kaduna police ar...

Mr Fatai Owoseni, Lagos State Commissioner of Police. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, says he is satisfied with the security situation in the areas he has so far visited in the Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency. Voters in the area are casting their ballots in a by-election to pick their representative in the House of Representatives following the death of Mr Elijah Adewale, who formerly represented them. Adewale died in Abuja on July 20. Owoseni disclosed that having visited 90 per cent of the election area, he was happy that all was calm. The commissioner, who spoke a few minutes before 1.00p.m, said that everything was going on well. The police had deployed thousands of its men to ensure security during the election. They are being supported by security officers drawn from the military, Civil Defence Corps and the Directorate of State Security (DSS) The police commissioner had announced a restriction of movement in the constituency between 12 midnig...

ifako-ijaiye-bye-election The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday blamed the low turnout of voters for the Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency by-election in Lagos to poor awareness. The election resulted from the death of Mr Elijah Adewale, who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives. Adewale died in Abuja on July 20. Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama, Supervisory Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency By-election, made the observation in an interview during the election. He said that although the commission did its best to create awareness on the exercise, awareness of by-election generally in the country was low. ”Actually, awareness of by-election in Nigeria is low because people don’t know much about it. ”It may also be because political parties did not carry out enough campaigns, but generally, the conduct has been peaceful, ” he said. The commissioner said that poll officers and materials got to polli...

Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, on Saturday called on Nigerians to support the Nigeria Police in its effort to tackle the kidnapping challenges in the country. Idris made the call in Kano after receiving 25 fully equipped vehicles donated by Kano state government to the state police command. He said that the call was necessary in view of the fact that most of the criminals lived within the people. “Kidnapping is a serious challenge to the force, but with the support and assistance of the people, the force will overcome it,” he said. He reiterated the force determination to address the security challenges facing the country with a view to ensuring safety of lives and property. On the donated vehicles, he commended Kano State government for the gesture and assured that the vehicles would be effectively by the force. “I want to assure you that the vehicles will be judiciously utilised for the benefit of the peop...

ifako-ijaiye-bye-election Residents of Iju-Ishaga, Ogba, Agege and Ifako/Ijaiye areas on Saturday resorted to trekking due to partial road restrictions resulting into heavy traffic over the ongoing Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency By-election in Lagos. There was heavy traffic along Agege/Ogba and Fagba axes; shops were also closed and security men with patrol vans were seen in the areas. Some of the residents who spoke to NAN lamented low publicity as they were not aware of the by-election. Mr Seye Adeoti, a civil servant, said that due to heavy traffic he alighted from the bus and started trekking from Iyana-Orile in Agege to Ogba. Mrs Biola Abdul-Lateef, a trader at Fagba, said she was not aware of the by-election that it was the heavy traffic and the mass trekking of people on the road that suggested something was happening in the area. She said she was not allowed to open her shop because of the election as a polling unit was situated close to her shop. Also, Mr Celestine...

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State The Yobe government has said it will review obsolete tax and revenue charges inherited from defunct North Eastern state 40 years ago, to boost its Internally Generated Revenue. Alhaji Idi Gubana, Yobe Commissioner for Budget, stated this in Damaturu on Saturday. “Some Ministries, Departments and Agencies had, during the budget discussion, complained on obsolete tariffs like 5kobo, 10kobo and 20kobo revenue charges but lacked legal framework to review the charges,” he said. The commissioner attributed the drop in statutory allocation and low internally generated revenue as responsible for the shortfall in resources accrued to the state for the outgoing year. He said of the estimated N88.9 billion budget for the year 2016, only N49.8 billion was actually realized, as such government must look inward to boost the revenue base of the state. He said government had through the state ministry of Justice reviewed such obsolete laws to be presented ...

NSCDC Operatives The Borno Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Saturday, urged parents and guardians to protect their children and wards from manipulative elements that can make them commit crimes. The Commandant in the state, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, in Maiduguri said many of the children are now used as beggars instead of being given proper parental upbringing and education. Abdullahi, who decried the influx of small children into the state capital engaged in begging, said the ugly trend posses a great threat to the future development of the children. “These toddlers were normally transported from neighbouring states to come and beg in Maiduguri without considering the security implications. “Some parents now see it as business to engage their children and wards to beg to source for their upkeep. We spoke to some of them who confirmed that they came in from Gombe and Zamfara states simply to beg. “These children were normally seen in traffic lights...

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State The Anambra Government is to de-worm over 2.5 million preschool and school age children from Dec. 7 to Dec. 9, an official said on Saturday. Dr Joe Akabuike, the state Commissioner for Health, made this known to newsmen in Awka, saying that the exercise would cover children aged one to 15 years. He said that the exercise would be flagged-off by Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra at the Central School, Isi-Anaocha in Awka North Local Government Area. The commissioner said that the state-wide exercise would hold in all public and private primary and junior secondary schools to achieve the desired objectives. He said that the exercise was aimed at reducing worm loads on children and enhance their health. According to him, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends periodic treatment with anthelmintic (de-worming) medicines, without previous individual diagnosis to preschool and school age living in endemic areas. “Treatment should be given o...

EKEDC logo The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) on Saturday apologised to customers over continuous shortage of electricity supply. A statement by Mr Godwin Idemudia, the company’s Head of Corporate Communications in Lagos, blamed the shortage on a drastic reduction in the amount of electricity coming to EKEDC from the national grid. According to the statement, the company could only distribute what was allocated to it from the national grid. “We are, therefore, appealing to all our customers to bear with us as we try to ration whatever power is given to us in the interim. “EKEDC highly regrets any inconveniences caused by this prolonged blackout, though most of our consumers are affected by this outage but some areas are deeply affected. “Areas deeply affected by the drop in generation are Ikoyi, Park View Estate, Victoria Island, Awolowo Road, Obalende, Idumagbo, Lagos Island, Oniru and Lekki areas,” the statement said. The statement disclosed that ...

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State No fewer than 80 patients in Lokoja received free paediatric and general surgeries, as well as dental services and gynaecological procedures, offered by an NGO, Mark Anumah Medical Mission (MAMM). The programme coordinator, Prof. Felicia Anumah, disclosed this on Saturday after a week-long free medical treatment offered to patients at the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja in Kogi. Anumah, who also works at the Endocrinology and Diabetology Department, University of Abuja, said that they had treated 2,321 patients and performed 80 different surgeries. “We have done our best, we rounded up on Friday and on the whole we have treated 2,321 patients and performed 80 surgeries. “We really do not feel any different as a foundation; but what is important to us is that we have made positive impacts in the lives of other human beings,” she said. Anumah noted that the programme was brought by MAMM, an organisation set up after the death of Mark Anumah, a Paed...

FRSC The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kebbi has refuted allegation of the recruitment of 200 employees by the Corps. The Sector Commandant of the corps in the state, Mr James Mbatse, said in Birnin Kebbi on Saturday that there was no recruitment throughout this year in the country by the corps. He described the allegation as unfounded and mischievous, adding that the rumour was still trending on social media platforms. “I wonder what sometimes rumour mongers want to achieve by concocting lies and trend it on social media. “There has not been any recruitment from the corps this year; and anytime there is such recruitment it must be public and on quota system so as not to short change any state,” he said. Mbatse added that the only exercise conducted was the selection of 60 Special Marshals, pointing out that “the marshals will be selected from the three senatorial districts of the state”. The commander said that for one to be eligible as a special marshal, such an applic...

Right to left, IAAF chief Sebastian Coe, Ayana and Usain Bolt after winning  IAAF awards Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and Ethiopian distance runner Almaz Ayana were crowned as the IAAF’s athletes of the year on Friday. The ceremony held at Fairmont Hotel in Monaco. Bolt completed his amazing Olympic “triple triple” of 100metres, 200metres and 4x100m relay golds at the Rio Games in August despite missing much of the season through injury and took the award for the sixth time. He clocked season’s bests of 9.81 and 19.78 to win the 100m and 200m in Rio and then anchored the Jamaican team to a world-leading 37.27 when winning the 4x100m. He also went undefeated throughout the whole season at all distances, including heats. Bolt, 30, plans to run the 100m at next year’s world championships in London, seeking to add to his haul of 11 world titles. Ayana produced a stunning run on the first day of athletics in Rio when she shattered the 10,000- metres world record that had stood for 23 y...

President-Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the President-elect of The Gambia, Mr Adama Barrow, on his victory in the country’s presidential election. The President also saluted the spirit of statesmanship displayed by the out-going President of the country, Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, by conceding defeat. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, on Saturday in Abuja, Buhari noted that such uncommon gesture was crucial in calming fears of unrest in the West African nation. While expressing delight at the gallantry shown by Jammeh, President Buhari enjoined President-elect Barrow to be magnanimous in victory. He also commended Gambians for peacefully exercising their democratic right to freely choose their leader and called on all stakeholders to maintain the peace. According to him, he looks forward to a smooth transition of power and working with the incoming President of The Gambia to deepen existing cordial relations be...