Global Naija Info

Ronaldo wins FIFA best player award Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world’s best player at the inaugural Best Fifa Football Awards in Zurich. Real Madrid and Portugal forward Ronaldo, 31, beat Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann to the prize. Ronaldo also won the Ballon d’Or in December, with both honours recognition for success in the Champions League with Real and Euro 2016 with Portugal. Carli Lloyd of the United States was named the world’s best female player. Leicester’s Claudio Ranieri was named best men’s coach, ex-Germany boss Silvia Neid won the female coach award, while Penang’s Mohd Faiz Subri received the Puskas award for the best goal of 2016. For the past six years, the world’s best player has received the Fifa Ballon d’Or award. A version of that prize has been awarded by France Football magazine since 1956, but last year world football’s governing body ended its association with that honour. Instead, it introduced the Best Fifa Foot...

Buhari and Obazee President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the Executive Secretary of the board of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRN), Jim Obazee and ordered his replacement immediately. Obazee’s decision to enforce the FRCN regulation on churches led to Pastor Enoch Adeboye appointing a New General Overseer for the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, on Saturday in the person of Pastor Joseph Obayemi. The president ordered the reconstitution of the board and the replacement of Obazee with Mr Adedotun Sulaiman, as Chairman. This is contained in a statement issued on Monday by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public. According to the statement, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate removal and the replacement of the Executive Secretary and the reconstitution of the board of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRN). He has appointed a Chairman and a new Executive Secretary for the council. “The new Council a...

Musa Olawale Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has appointed his Principal Private Secretary, Musa Olawale as the new General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA. Olawale takes over from the former LASTMA GM, Bashir Braimoh, who has been redeployed to a yet to be known ministry. The new General Manager resumed work on Monday at the Oshodi headquarters of the traffic Agency. Addressing officers of LASTMA, Olawale pledged his commitment to staff discipline as the bedrock of ensuring motorists discipline and free flow of traffic on Lagos roads. According to him, he would ensure a highly mobile, efficient and effective traffic management system in the state. Olawale said he would ensure that the agency worked in line with the best global practices, urging every LASTMA official to demonstrate discipline on duty, shun corruption, dedication to duty and adequate respect to road users. He called for the cooperation of motorists and members of the public in go...

Putin and Obama Russia says US allegations that it ran a hacking campaign to influence the American presidential elections are “reminiscent of a witch-hunt”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Moscow was tired of the accusations. He said a report released by US intelligence agencies detailing the allegations was groundless. It is the first official reaction from Russia since President-elect Donald Trump received the report on Friday. The unclassified report contains allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the hacking of Democratic Party emails to damage Donald Trump’s Democrat rival, Hillary Clinton, and influence the election. In his comments on Monday, Mr Peskov said Russia “categorically denied that Moscow had been involved in any hacking attacks”. “Groundless accusations which are not supported by anything are being rehearsed in an amateurish, unprofessional way. We don’t know what information they are actually relying on.” The claims amou...

Dr. Jide Idris, Lagos State Commissioner for Health The Lagos State Government says there is no going back on the planned implementation of the Health Insurance Scheme, HIS, in the state this year. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris disclosed this in an interview in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, saying that government would soon begin sensitization of the HIS among the populace, adding that for residents to subscribed to the scheme, they must possess the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) card. According to Idris, the HIS is compulsory for all residents of Lagos State in a bid to bring affordable healthcare scheme to the people, especially the less privileged in the society. The commissioner explained that government had realized that if it was to continue to provide free healthcare in basic areas, it would cost government about N8 billion annually, saying that the HIS would easily addressed this. “The Health Insurance Scheme will address equity and the poor will...

Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that the Federal Government of Nigeria is on standby to evacuate its citizens in The Gambia if the need arises. Tension is building up in The Gambia following the refusal of President Yahya Jammeh to step down after losing the presidential election. Supporters of Adama Barrow, the winner of the election have vowed to swear him in on January 19 when Jammeh’s tenure will elapse. The Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting with leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the situation in The Gambia. Responding to a Twitter user’s question on Monday, Dabiri-Erewa said Nigeria was prepared to relocate its citizens should the need arise. According to the twitter handle @Darafat710, he twitted thus,“@abikedabiri Please what is the government doing to evacuate Nigerians in Gambia? They will...

Brigadier-General Sani-Kukasheka-Usman, Nigerian Army spokesman The Nigerian Army has advised members of the public to be wary as suicide bombers have devised a new method of carrying out their nefarious acts. Col. Mustapha Anka, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 7 Division, Maiduguri, gave the advice in a statement on Monday. “This is to draw the attention of the general public to recent trend used by desperate remnants of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT). “Recently, two female suicide bombers knocked at the door of one Bulama and Usman about 200 meters apart in Kalari general area of Maiduguri. “The daughter of the Bulama opened the door, while the Usman himself opened his own door immediately the suicide bombers detonated their suicide vest, in the process killing the unsuspected little girl, Usman and the two female suicide bombers. “The general public is hereby advised to be cautious and wary of strange persons knocking on their doors. “Security is a collective respon...