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A mother who still breastfeeds her 7-year-old son and his 4-year-old brother has been criticized by social media users who called her a sick paedophile. But she has hit back at the trolls.

Australian Lisa Bridger, 46, revealed in a Kidspot post in June that she still feeds her autistic son Chase, 7, and his four-year-old brother Pheonix, who is also autistic. She defended her decision by saying breastfeeding calms them.

But her post was bombarded with comments from people who told her that she was damaging her children. Some even accused her of incest and child abuse.



Replying to the harsh comments, Lisa wrote an open letter posted to Kidspot today. In the letter, Lisa said she would have continued to breastfeed Chase until he no longer wanted it, even if he didn’t have autism.

Her letter reads:

To the adults who have commented that I am sick and need to get help, there is nothing mentally wrong with me, I am only doing what is natural.

It's not a s*xual act, I’m not a paedophile which is what quite a few have suggested.

My son is very independent, self-assured, not damaged. His friends and peers don't tease as they have been educated in the fact that what he is doing is ok.

Watching and seeing all you adults bully and abuse me, telling me what I need to do for your comfort, overriding my child's comfort, I can see why so many children bully these days.

Lisa explained that her son uses a cup to drink water, eats normal food - although he is “picky” - and dresses himself. This, she said, is proof that his extended breastfeeding was doing nothing to slow his development.

She added:

Breast milk contains some amazing things, antibodies, white blood cells, vitamins that my body produces and transfers to his, and no these nutrients don't just disappear because he's older. Breastfeeding offers him comfort and security among other things.

She also revealed that she breastfeeds only at night, or “to help reconnect after a meltdown”, although sometimes he preferred a hug.



Lisa added that her 7-year-old son will stop breastfeeding when his milk teeth fall out.

She said:

I don't need a man, it's not a s*xual act, you can't force a baby or toddler or older child to breastfeed, in fact I'm ready for him to wean whenever as I have been for quite some time.

Ex-footballers, Efe Sodje, 46, and Stephen Sodje, 43, and ex-rugby player Bright Sodje, 52, were found guilty and jailed for siphoning-off cash from their own charity set up to help African children, BBC reports.

This was made known on Monday following the conclusion of a separate trial involving former Reading and Nigeria footballer Sam Sodje, 39.

Sam was cleared of money laundering charges.

The fraud trial, which began in 2017 had heard how the family set up the Sodje Sports Foundation (SSF) in 2009, ostensibly to help provide facilities in Nigeria.

However, cash raised at black-tie dinners, auctions, charity football matches and a clay pigeon shoot went into Sodje bank accounts, prosecutor Julian Christopher QC said.

In once instance, in 2011, there was a gala dinner at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester for the SSF and the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

The £150-a-head black-tie event raised almost £11,500, but Mr Christopher said “not a penny” went to the hospital.

Judge Michael Topolski QC told the defendants: “You have brought shame to your family. At least £63,000 can been shown to have been received by the fund.”

He added that the £63,000 did not include cash donations.

“The defendants went out of their way to ensure that proper records were not kept. Any good works done in the past would be forever tainted by their dishonest and disreputable conduct,” the Judge added.

Stephen Sodje, of Bexley, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for receiving £30,000 in charity funds.

Efe Sodje, of Cheadle in Greater Manchester, who was “the face” of the charity, was given 18 months in jail for receiving £7,500 from the SSF and an unknown amount from a clay pigeon shooting event.

Bright Sodje, of Sale in Greater Manchester, was jailed for 21 months for receiving £3,000 from the charity and signing cheques to other family members totalling £18,000.

Efe Sodje was cleared of money laundering at the Old Bailey in January 2018 but Emmanuel Ehikhamen, 53, of south-east London, and Andrew Oruma, 50, of Bexley, south London, were convicted.

The case against Sam Sodje collapsed and his retrial began on 7 January 2019.

Mr Sodje, who also played for Charlton Athletic, Brentford and Leeds United during his career, was charged with four counts of taking part in a fraud in which bank accounts were used to channel money from companies around the world.

He was found not guilty of two of the charges on 14 January and cleared of the remaining two counts earlier on Monday.

Another of the brothers, Akpo Sodje, 37, was implicated but moved to Dubai and refused to return to Britain for questioning.

Even when not starting games, Lionel Messi makes his impression felt and produces - doing so again on Sunday night as Barcelona beat Leganes 3-1 at the Nou Camp.

With one eye on the Copa Del Rey quarter final first leg against Sevilla on Wednesday, Ernesto Valverde rested his talisman and captain for the game but when the visitors equalised through Martin Braithwaite in the 57nd minute, Messi's presence was required.

And rather predictably, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner turned the game on its head almost single-handedly after entering the fray just after the hour mark.

His curling effort in the 71st minute was too much for Ivan Cuellar to keep hold of and it led to Luis Suarez putting Barcelona ahead again with the rebound.

Then, in stoppage time, Messi linked up gloriously with Jordi Alba and finished off the move with an exquisite finish with his right foot to take his tally to 25 for the season, his Barcelona record to 577 and his La Liga goals haul to 401.

But the most impressive statistic to emerge from the latest Messi masterclass, is that the 31-year old has scored more goals as a substitute than any other player in La Liga in the 21st century.

He's been the first name on the teamsheet for years but has also bagged 22 times off the bench in league games. What's more, he has a total of 34 goals and five assists in 76 appearances as a sub for Barca.

Messi seemingly breaks a new record every time he steps foot on the pitch - and it wouldn't be a major surprise if finishes his career with more club goals than Pele - who notched 619 for Santos when you take out all the irrelevant ones he counts.[b][/b]

Afe Babalola advocates unified exams for final year students
By Mod - 6 hours ago - [ Update ]

….Confers awards on ABUAD’s alumni

By Dayo Adesulu & Rotimi Ojomoyela

ADO-EKITI—LEGAL icon, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, yesterday, advised the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Ministry of Education to adopt unified examinations for final year students in every course in Nigerian universities.



Afe Babalola
Babalola said this is one of the potent weapons that can be deployed to engender quality education in the country and rout the culture of laziness in the system.

He said this during the 10th matriculation ceremony and award conferment on alumni of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, ABUAD, who had done the institution proud in their academic and career pursuits.

ABUAD to honour AfDB boss, Channels TV CEO

At the twin events, Miss Ekpo Naomi, received the star prize of N525,000 as the best graduating student ever produced by the university since inception in 2010, among other alumni that were honoured.

Babalola said: “I want to suggest to NUC and the Ministry of education that in order to maintain quality and high standard in Nigerian universities, the final year in all programmes across all our universities should take the same national final examinations.

“In this way, every university shall work hard to ensure that their students pass the national examination thereby ensuring high standard in teaching and learning.

“I am going to present a position paper to the Federal Government on this and those with influences should join in pushing it.

ASUU Strike: Resolve all issues today, Buhari orders Ngige

“What we have done here in ABUAD is education revolution. We have built new generation of Nigerians, I mean a new Nigeria. We are building students who are honest.”

Former Manchester United captain, Gary Neville, has admitted he is not convinced by the club’s winning run under new manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.

The Norweigan took over from the sacked Jose Mourinho in December, and has guided the Red Devils to seven victories from seven games.

However, despite impressive results, Neville isn’t totally convinced that all the problems have been solved at the club.

“I think when he [Solskjaer] came in, the club couldn’t have been any lower in terms of expectation.

“There was a bad feeling around the club.

“He’s done an incredible job, he’s put himself in the frame and he keeps on winning. I think it’s the best start for any Manchester United manager in the history of the club. It’s unbelievable really.

“The Manchester United players at the end were obviously not trying for Mourinho as they just switched the tap on and off. The difference is incredible but I must admit I have my doubts about those group of players.

“It’s that they can just switch on and off like a tap, it doesn’t fill me with confidence that they can take Manchester United back to the title but what they are doing at least is performing to their capabilities,” Neville said on v*rg*n Radio’s Chris Evans Breakfast Show.

United’s next fixture is against Arsenal in the FA Cup on Friday night at The Emirates.

Nollywood actress and business woman Lizzy Anjorin was recently conferred with a chieftaincy title in Lagos, as the the Borokini Adini of Nigeria.

The actress had a lavish party with top dignitaries including the Alaafin of Oyo and his Queens in attendance.

She has taken to social media to reveal that Alaafin of Oyo state can only marry a v*rg*n, says she's not his wife. She wrote;

"Instanbul ..done who noticed that I resemble BAAMI (MY FATHER ) (IKU BABA YEYE ALAFIN OF OYO).. For those that are curious that maybe am his wife.. For your information ,he can't marry a woman that is not a v*rg*n..Alafin is not OBA shakushaku ..For those that don't like me or pick on me it's because your internal and spiritual eyes are not functioning...A born ruler and authentic king can easily identify his/her fellow young or old and the chemistry always work like a magic.....Save your energy from curiosity and pray for who will love you like that. Just leave me and that baba alone. His love for me is something I can't explain because am too young and I no get kobo for hand ..He is the one giving me and it shows my parent are not sleeping ...Abeg help tell him that his daughter(Princess Lizzy Anjorin aishat eganmidogo Adeyemi) is heading to Italy.. Spain, Austral, Germany, Portugal, France, Gambia, Jedda.

To buy wosiwosi ...as a princess that want her father to be proud of her...I need to work well.

Feel free to send me any erran ..forget this packaging in business class wosiwosi is my business I buy and sell anything legit and sellable ..as I dey waka up and down what do you wan buy in brand shops ..some are doing discount now feel free to send me anything and you will be paying me back small small."

A 27-year-old man has lost an eye in his quest for spiritual powers to help him win lottery games, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN reports.

Emmanuel (surname withheld) reportedly sought help from a witch doctor in Ishiagu village, near Ogwashi-Uku in Delta State to acquire spiritual sight to see lucky numbers.

A friend of the victim, Osita, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Ogwashi-Uku that the incident occurred on January 12, 2019.

“He went to see a juju man to help him acquire spiritual sight so that he could be wining lotto games, popularly known as ‘Baba Ijebu.’

“He once told me that he was worried that he had been playing lotto games without success,” Osita said.

According to him, Emmanuel later sought the help of a witch doctor who assured him of spiritual solution.

Osita narrated how Emmanuel later went to the witch doctor who reportedly prepared some concoctions for him.

He said the witch doctor gave Emmanuel the prepared substance to drink and to also rub on his eyes.

“He never told anyone what he did, but when he started feeling some discomfort in his left eye, he cried out.

“I heard about it from one of our friends; so, I went to see him, that was when he told me what transpired.



“He was taken to the hospital following a swollen eye, but no solution. Right now, he has lost his left eye,” Osita said.

An elder brother to Emmanuel, Justin, told NAN that the family is devastated by the incident.

“We don’t want to say anything about it. We are really shocked by Emma’s desperation. For now, we want to forget about the whole incident. He has his life to live,” Justin said.

NAN gathered from village sources that the witch doctor, whose name was not given, has since gone into hiding.

OUR superstar and former captain is in intense pain at this period, and we empathise with him. This is a tragedy. Losing precious possessions like medals, trophies and plaques can be heartbreaking.”



Kanu Nwankwo
This was how the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, reacted to the shocking news of the theft of invaluable plaques, awards, medals and an Olympic Torch belonging to former Super Eagles Captain, Nwankwo Kanu, at his hotel, the Hardley Apartments, in Victoria Island, Lagos. As of Wednesday, January 16, 2019, there were as yet no clues as to who perpetrated the dastardly act, but Kanu had hinted earlier in the week of strenuous efforts by the Assets Management Company, AMCON, to confiscate his property.

Kanu had told newsmen that AMCON was already renovating the hotel in spite of a pending case at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi. Quite obviously, efforts to locate the whereabouts of Nwankwo Kanu’s lifetime achievements unparallelled by any Nigerian sportsman or woman should start with the AMCON. They must explain why they are tampering with the said property without court order.

Kanu could coach Arsenal

Though no citizen deserves to be high-handed by anyone, least of all government officials, it is frightening that Nwankwo Kanu, one of the nation’s living sporting legends who served the nation with uncommon patriotism, winning many laurels at all levels for himself and country, and capping his illustrious career with a humanitarian project, the Kanu Heart Foundation, can be treated with such impunity by AMCON.

At the media briefing last Monday, Nwankwo Kanu had summarised the implications of his travails as follows: “This hotel serves many purposes. I have been using the money I get here to fund my Heart Foundation and also create jobs for people. Over 500 children are on the line for surgery and 200 are on the waiting list.

“Since the hotel has not been functioning I find it difficult to get funds to assist these children. I have to go the extra mile to beg for funds. This is not fair. The government always tells former footballers not to invest overseas after retirement. They tell us to come home and invest. I came back to invest and see what I am facing”.

We call on the Police and higher political authorities to intervene and save the day. If Nwankwo Kanu has committed an unpardonable offence and the law is to take its rightful course, then so be it. But the idea of tampering with his property without lawful authority should be investigated and if anyone is guilty of trespassing, such persons should be sanctioned according to the law.

2019: Buhari remains prefered president for Nigeria’s survival-Adamu

Above all, Nwankwo Kanu’s medals and awards should be tracked down and fully restored to him. The Labour of our heroes past should never be in vain!

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has confirmed the death of four persons due to a fire incident at Ede Obuk area of the state.

The victims are: Daniel Usoro, Anthony Anthony, Enobong Sampson and Akpabio John.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Odiko MacDon, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

He said that investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the accident and to prevent such from occurring again in the state.

“I can confirm the unfortunate incident, as the matter had been reported to the station.

“In fact, the Director of the company is currently receiving treatment in an unknown hospital in the State.

“The Commissioner of Police, Mr Musa Kimo had commiserated also with the families of the deceased.

“We are calling for safety measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.

“However, we are asking that there should be more safety checks to ensure that similar occurrence does not happen again.

“Meanwhile, we are also interested in knowing how and why the accident happened,” MacDon said.

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has extended condolences to Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, over the passing of his elder brother, Air Vice Marshall Aliyu Rufai (rtd).

Atiku, in a message on his Twitter page, expressed sadness over the death.

The former Vice President wrote: “On behalf of my family, I express my deepest condolences to Gov. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai and the entire Rufai family over the loss of his elder brother, AVM Aliyu Rufai. May Allah grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.”

The deceased was born on Nov. 10, 1948 in Zaria, Kaduna State and was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force in 1972.

Aliyu retired in 2002 at the rank of Air Vice Marshall after a meritorious military career.

He is survived by his wife, Hajiya Safiya Rufai, six children, brothers and sisters, including Gov. El-Rufai and Alhaji Bashir Ahmad El-Rufai.

A 14-year-old Aboriginal girl took her own life just hours after crying out on Facebook.

Rochelle Pryor, from Perth, wrote: 'Once I'm gone, the bullying and the ­racism will stop.'

Only one friend replied and later that night her father Geoffrey found her unconscious in her bedroom.

The schoolgirl died in hospital nine days later on January 10, making her the fifth Aboriginal girl to commit suicide in the past two weeks.

Her sister Kyanne described her as 'sweet, happy and funny' but said she was worried that her friends had 'turned against her' and said she was being bullied.

'She was really upset by it,' Kyanne, 17, told The Australian. 'There was racism involved - a lot of the time it was just random people who don't ­realise what they're saying.'
In August, Rochelle was involved in an altercation outside the school gates and came home with cuts on her legs.

Her mother said after that she didn't want to go in to school anymore and her mental health went downhill.

Friends paid tribute to the youngster, who loved animals and one day dreamed of going to university.

One fellow student wrote on Instagram: 'My vision is so blurry from my tears … come back please.

'The last day we were talking about what colour you should dye your hair and you were thinking about… blue or purple.

'If I knew that was your last day, I would do anything to stop you. I remember telling you whenever you weren't in the right mindset I would repeat telling you 'I'm always here for you'.'

The recent wave of suicides affecting the Aboriginal community include three cases in Western Australia, one in Queensland and one in South Australia.

In addition, a 12-year-old boy was treated in hospital in Brisbane after a suicide attempt.

The five most recent cases began on January 3 when a 15-year-old from Western Australia who was visiting relatives in Queensland was admitted to hospital after self harming. She died two days later as a result of her injuries.

On January 4, in South Hedland in Western Australia, a 12-year-old girl took her own life, while two days later on January 6, a 14-year-old girl in the Kimberley region of the Northern Territory also died from suicide.

Head of the Federal Government's indigenous critical response team Gerry Georgatos said that poverty was a major factor in the deaths but that s*xual assaults were behind one-third of cases.

Indigenous lawyer Hannah McGlade, who has advised the UN High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva, said there is a clear link between child s*xual assault, family violence, and the high levels of indigenous girls and women who were taking their own lives.

'Last year the UN highlighted the level of violence against indigenous women and girls in Australia and called for a specific national action plan,' Dr McGlade told The Australian.

'The people funded to provide suicide prevention plans are not properly addressing the level of s*xual violence suffered by our women and girls.'

Super Eagles forward Samuel Kalu has been named in Whoscored.com’s Team of the Week for the latest round of matches in the French Ligue 1.



Samuel Kalu
The Bordeaux number ten is joined in the Team of the Week by some illustrious names such as Paris Saint-Germain offensive quartet Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, ángel Di María and Edinson Cavani.

Kalu occupied the right wing in a 4-4-2 formation, with RC Strasbourg’s Anthony Caci deployed as the left midfielder.

The 21-year-old earned a place in the Team of the Week after inspiring Bordeaux to a 1-0 win against Dijon on match day 21 and the highlight of his performance was the game-winning assist he produced in the 77th minute.

Kalu showed off his shooting skills with a game high five shots of which two were on target and recorded four successful take-ons, more than anyone else on the pitch.

In other stats, the former Gent star made one key pass, was fouled twice and registered two interceptions and two tackles.

He got a rating of 8.24 for his efforts against Dijon.

Armed Robbery Syndicate Busted By Police In Abia, Stolen Car Recovered. Photo
By Mod - 8 hours ago - [ Update ]

The Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday announced that its personnel attached to Umuopara Police Station in Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state on an intensive stop and search operation has arrested an armed robbery and car snatching gang.



This was disclosed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna in a statement released to journalists on behalf of the state commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike.

Ogbonna in the release gave names of the four-man gang members as Alegu Anaeto ‘m’ of Ezea, Ebonyi State, 22yrs, Daniel Omeh ‘m’ of Mgbo, Ohaukwu LGA Ebonyi State, 25yrs, Peter Onuameme ‘m’ of Obowo Imo State, 38yrs and iv. Emeka Ibeh ‘m’ of Obokwu Obizi Ezinihitte Mbaise Imo State, 48yrs.

The police personnel was also said to have recovered a Toyota Sienna SUV with Registration number HM 67 EKY, which they allegedly snatched on gunpoint from its owner, one Iwuchukwu Prince Chimuanya of No. 24 Amaigbo Road, Port Harcourt in Rivers State.

The suspects were said to have also made away with cash sum of his N25,000.00, Permanent Voters’ Card, original Driver’s License and other valuables of the victim.

According to Ogbonna the Umuopara officers intercepted Alegu Anaeto with the vehicle and when he was questioned, he could not give proper account of the vehicle.

Anaeto was later transferred to the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit where he made confessional statements that led to the arrest of his cohorts and revelations of more of their escapades.

It was learnt that the Commissioner of Police has directed the immediate transfer of the suspects to Rivers Command, where the matter was originally reported.

Ogbonna said that arrest of the suspects and recovery of the SUV was because of the determination of the Police Commissioner to purge Abia of crime and criminality which was why he (Ezike) created tactical operational units which include Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Monitoring Unit and Anti-Cultism, stressing that the units since their creation have made significant and remarkable marks in investigations and crime fighting in the State.

Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, recovered 13 buildings, 10 cars, two tippers, a trailer truck and three AK-47 rifles from notorious kidnapper, Collins Ezenwa, aka E-Money.

E-Money, a dismissed policeman that had been terrorizing Imo, Abia, Enugu and Rivers states, was killed during a gunfight with the Police from Imo State Police Command, last year, in Owerri, where he had gone to kidnap a businessman.



He is said to have acquired several property with proceeds from his exploits in kidnapping and robbery in the South-East and South-South states.

Four of his buildings, including a hotel, was recovered in Enugu State. Seven were traced to Owerri and Okigwe areas of Imo State, while one was traced to Aba, Abia State.



Seven cars, two SUVs, one Hilux truck, a commercial bus, two tipper-lorries and a trailer truck were equally recovered at several locations within the South-East.



All the seized property are currently in the custody of the Police and a motion to have them forfeited have been filed in court.

Nigerians were happy to hear the news that acting inspector general of police, Mohammed Adamu, had earlier disbanded the federal special anti-robbery squad (FSARS) but in truth there was nothing like that.

The IG only returned the unit to state commands. FSARS was not disbanded as contrived but simply drafted under the Police Commissioners. They would now be answerable to the commissioners of police in the states they are drafted.

So basically, SARS is now back to being SARS, not FSARS anymore. SARS is no longer under the IG’s office, the commissioners of police now control them.

Their reactions:

We struggle to take one step forward, another person enters power and take us 40 steps back. Can't we please just sell Nigeria to Ghana or South Africa?? Please. #EndSARS pic.twitter.com/gR9xrz4uLb

— niightmares 🦋 (@naiightt) January 21, 2019

FSARS is back, intimidation is back, abuse of power is back, armed robbery is back. I knw if there's chance, greater % of young Nigerians would like to dump Nigeria for oda beta country. What we want is #EndSARS & #ReformPoliceNG

— Kunle Adebayo (@AA_kunleola) January 21, 2019

I thought this #endsars has ended since.

— Why not if not. (@stylesenami) January 21, 2019

I really don’t even want us to go into this phase, phase I thought we passed like months ago 💔 #EndSARS

— Why not if not. (@stylesenami) January 21, 2019

We don't want SARS again, we have been experiencing peace of mind, they are bad for the country. #EndSARS

— You_owe_me 💰💰 (@kuppylee) January 21, 2019

I hope this new development by @PoliceNG will not take us back to the days of #EndSARS

— Asher Jocos (@AsherJocos) January 21, 2019

The Adamawa State leader of Blackcap Revolution Movement, Mustapha Atiku Ribadu, has alleged that Muhammed Yusuf Adamau, the Aide de Camp (ADC) to state governor, Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow, is planning to assassinate him.

The Blackcap Revolution Movement is the youth wing of the support group of Nuhu Ribadu, a governorship aspirant who lost to Governor Bindow in the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last October.

Nuhu Ribadu is yet to accept that Bindow truly won that primary election, but some members of his group recently expressed support for Bindow, apparently without Ribadu’s blessing.

Mustapha made the allegation against Bindow’s ADC in a petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police and made available to newsmen in Yola Monday; but the ADC quickly refuted the claim, insisting that no such thing as Mustapha was alleging existed as far as he (Muhammed Adamu) is concerned.

In the petition, Mustapha stated that his brush with the ADC started after the ADC “used funds to compromise” some supporters of Nuhu Ribadu to side with Bindow, and that he incurred the anger of the ADC after he defended his group, the Blackcap Revolution Movement, “from the incursion of some unscrupulous people who wanted to reap from where they did not sow.”

“That basically set me on collision path with the ADC who was responsible for bankrolling the whole plan of dividing our team,” Mustapha added.

In the petition entitled, ‘Threat to my Life by the ADC to Gov Bindow of Adamawa State,’ Mustapha stated, “Sufficient evidence at my disposal has revealed a covert plan by the ADC to get me eliminated. A police officer attached to the ADC is given the task of eliminating me by all means.”

He urged the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter “before a law abiding citizen is condemned to death.”

But reacting in a telephone interview Monday afternoon, the ADC dismissed the alleged plot by him against Mustapha, insisting that he had no plan to harm Mustapha.

“He is just attaching my name to nothing. I have nothing to do with his allegation,” the ADC said, stressing that, “I am a professional police officer doing my job and I really don’t want to join issues with anyone. But I must stress this: I have nothing to do with what he is saying.”

The Associated Press reports that a Brazilian footballer recently needed medical attention after lightning hit the field during a youth tournament match.

Lightning struck during the Copa Sao Paulo event in Diadema, outside Sao Paulo, sending players scattering for cover.

Images that went viral showed Henrique, a defender for the Agua Santa team, groggy and lying on a bench.


Henrique surrounded by staff and players after being struck

Agua Santa said on Monday that Henrique recovered shortly after leaving the stadium in an ambulance and did not need to be taken to a hospital.

The opposing goalkeeper in the same match, Matheus Mendes of Atletico Mineiro, told ESPN Brazil he felt head pain because of the incident.

Mendes did not go with Henrique in the ambulance.

Watch a video showing the incident below:

Say total dependence on imported drugs is security risk

By Sola Ogundipe

THE Federal government has been called upon to patronise the local pharmaceutical industry by purchasing made in Nigeria pharmaceutical products even as pharmacists have warned that overdependence on imported medicines is a health security risk to the country.

Newly elected president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, who made the call in Lagos last week,said government should believe in the locally manufactutured products.

“Government should practice what it preaches and patronise Nigerian pharmaceutical companies, and show in word and in action that it supports the local manufacturing industry especially the pharmaceutical industry.”

Nigerian

Ohuabunwa, who was one time President of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria, PMGMAN, blamed factors such as policy inconsistency, deficit of infrastructure, lack of patronage of locally manufactured goods, and uncontrolled space for proliferation of imported medicinal products into the country.

“It is cheaper to import medicines than to manufacture locally, every drug involves some active ingredient, and the process of importing each ingredient required for manufacture is the same for the finished products.

“The management of pharmaceutical companies and cost of production of medicines is too high, and locally manufactured drugs cannot compete with imported drugs.

Nigeria, UK partner on health security

“We will not allow importation take over the country. Nigeria must expect to be like the rest of the world. We know there is a Federal policy that says local production of medicines should be at least 75 percent, but we are currently nowhere near this range, so we must work with the industry too incease that.

‘’The issue of medicines is one of national health security and it is risky to be wholly dependent on imported drugs, because if there is shortage in supply or the drugs are no longer available, what do we do, when people begin to die? “The PSN will not let that happen so we are determined to improve local production and increase local sourcing of raw materials for increased manufacture of drugs.”

‘’Many companies have invested, but the consequence of inability to control our borders lead to smuggled imported goods competing unfairly with the local products.

Ohuabunwa said towards ensuring sanity in the drug distribution system, the PSN is advocating for signing of the new Pharmacy Council Law, which will give the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, PCN, greater mandate.

“The law has been approved by the National Assembly but it is still with the President and awaiting signing into law. All these concerns about drug abuse and misuse cannot be done without the appropriate law that will ensure its distribution and use.

“We expect that the smooth take off of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines, NDDG, will help address the challenges and restorre pharmacists as direct custodians of medicines.

“My vision is that we should be able to trace every tablet, every bottle, spoon of syrup, capsule, and vial of injection to the custodian who is the pharmacist. That is the ideal role of the pharmcist is to protect the interest of the patient getting the right outcomes.”

Warning that medicines are complex chemicals, he said they have potential to cure and to kill and destroy, but that the difference is in how they are handled.

“We need to position the phamaceutical profession so that we can improve healthcare and wellbeing of Nigerians and welbeing of healthcare professionsal.

“The system is still not orderly, disorderliness creates room for counterfeits and access to regulated medicines that should not be available to inappropriate persons to handle. We want to stop drugs getting into the hands of unqualified persons.

Also speaking on fortunes of the pharmaceutical industry, the Chairman, PMGMAN, Dr Okey Akpa noted that the right incentives should be in place.

“We have moved up to 40-45 percent, but we have deviated. As far back as 2005, we have said 60 percent of what we produce should neet 70 percent of what we consume and 40 exported

The PMGMAN has advocated that Nigeria with 200 million people must achieve medicine security, it is risky risky to be dependent on imported medicines, we saw the effects during the Ebola outbreak. Medicine security is a must.

“We are calling for the right level of protection for the industry and this is to discourage importation of products that can be manufactured in Nigeria.

“Where we have shown capacity to meet the need of Nigerians, prices will be stabilised and quality guaranteed. NAFDAC can regulate locally manufactured products than those imported.

“Government is the biggest spender, and we are urging that they should patronise locally manufacturedpharmaceucal industry. Government should treat pharmaceutical manufacturing as prioority and target it as the agriculture sector is being targeted to achieve food security.

“We want the pharmaceutical industry to be targeted to achive medicine security. We have said that this industry requires a N300 billion pharmaceutical expansion and export fund, we are asking that this fund be set aside and administered with an interest that will make it attractive for investment.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the Buhari government for accusing the party of sponsoring Boko Haram and herdsmen.

Its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said the address by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, exposed complicity at very high level of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

He said Mohammed displayed desperation by the APC ahead of the general elections and that Nigerians must hold President Buhari directly responsible for any escalation of violence in our nation.

The statement added: “It is imperative to state that the PDP finds the claims of Alhaji Lai Mohammed, irresponsible and ludicrous. It is just a measure for building the ground for framing up and arrest of leading members of the opposition as he has just confirmed our concerns.

“Severally, we have alerted the nation that the APC and the Buhari Presidency, having come to the reality of their imminent and disgraceful loss at the polls have embarked on a strategy to foment crisis in our dear nation and blame the opposition.

“The PDP, as known to all Nigerians and the world is a party that preaches and function by peace. We have conducted rallies in many states and geo-political zones without a record of violence. The APC cannot make a similar claim of a peaceful rally in its few attempts at interacting with its members and the public.

“Its party primaries ended in violence and multiple deaths. Its rally in Lagos state ended in a fiasco and recorded fatalities. Its Presidential candidate is known all over the world for inciting supporters against peace-loving Nigerians, when he said that baboon and dogs will soak in their blood.

“On behalf of Nigerians, we thank Alhaji Lai Mohammed for mustering the courage to bring the nefarious plans of the APC to the public. The PDP and Nigerians are prepared for a peaceful election in defence of our democracy.”

Aheadof the forthcoming general elections, the Lagos State branch of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, is organising a Gubernatorial debate for governorship candidates in Lagos on improved health and welfare of the citizens.

The medical doctors who were of the view that it has become necessary to critically look into some issues bordering on accessibility, availability, quality and affordability of healthcare in the state, said the forthcoming election provides a platform to set agenda for the incoming governor.



Briefing journalists on the Gubernatorial Debate/ Leadership Retreat slated for January 30th, 2019, at the Radisson Blu, Ikeja, the Chairman, Lagos NMA, Dr. Saliu Oseni confirmed that seven of the candidates have indicated interest.

Candidates that have indicated interest include those from the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Babajide Sanwo-olu; Action Democratic Party, ADP, Mr Babatunde, Gbadamosi; National Conscience Party, NCP Mr. Funso Awe; Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN, Mr Francis Adebayo; UDP, Dr Sam Anyamele, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Mr Jimi Agbaje, and AD, Mr Owolabi Salis.

Ambode Launches Lagos Health Insurance Scheme

“The citizens have been forced by law to co-fund health provision in the state. Therefore, it has become important to create a platform for the gubernatorial candidates to unveil their plans for health and welfare of the people.

“This informed the efforts of the Association as the custodian of our people’s health to bring the candidates to task in Governorship Debate,” Oseni explained.

To ensure adequate representation of the views and opinions of various segments of the public in setting the agenda for health, the association involved other concerned parties and the media.

Addressing journalists earlier on their forthcoming, Leadership Retreat billed to hold 28th through 29th January, Oseni explained that the retreat was solely to address issues including, brain drain, quackery, the recently launched Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme and shortage of health workforce.

The activity would also look at the issues being raise about the Lagos health insurance scheme.

“Despite the brain drain, we still have a lot of doctors that are jobless. We really need to critically look into why we are still short staffed; so it became very important that we should bring together all the stakeholders in the health sector to look into this.

“These and more are questions we wish to provide answers to through robust discuss by professionals and stakeholders at the leadership retreat, and at the same time ensure industrial harmony and improvement in health indices in the overall interest of Lagosians,” he added

The Senator Representing Anambra South, and state coordinator, President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Council, Andy Uba, has promised President Buhari a landslide victory in Anambra State, in the Febuary 16 Presidential election.

The lawmaker made the promise when he met with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in his Uga ward one, Aguata local government area of Anambra State.

The meeting was to intimate the party leadership of the task ahead, which is delivering President Buhari in the state.

Uba said his reason for beginning his campaign in the ward was to fulfil the saying that charity begins at home.

He further assured that he would use his position to mobilise voters from the state to vote for himself as the senator representing Anambra South and most importantly for president Buhari who he adjudged as performing very excellently.

He said, “There are a lot of things that the President is doing that the people do not know about, but what we are going to do is to take those good works to the rural people of Anambra and ensure that they assimilate this, and use it to see reasons why they should vote the president.

“There are projects like the Zik’s Mausoleum that have been abandoned for several years, but now constructed by the Buhari administration, there is the second Niger bridge which is still on going and seriously too, and there is also the Enugu-Onitsha expressway.

“There are several more projects and our job is to tell the people of them and mobilise them to vote for our able president.”

The Senator said if Igbos voted Buhari in the coming election, he was sure that the senate presidency would come from the south east, especially as the people were also ready to vote senators from the zone on the platform of APC.

“You need to have people who are ranking senators from the zone who can be made the Senate President. I am vying for a seat in the senate for the third time, and that among other things qualify me to be a ranking senator, who would be qualified to be a senate president.

“To be a senate president, you have to be a ranking senator, and you have to have been in the senate for at least eight years and must have a number of bills you have sponsored. So Igbos must vote wisely in their choice of senators,” Uba said.

On-Air-Personality, relationship adviser and vlogger, Toke Makinwa stepped out in the colours Nigerian military men will frown at.

Toke Makinwa

Toke Makinwa, who is a media personality has always been a great fashionista as she comes up with different fashion trends.

She rocks an army camouflage with a sleeveless black top where she poses to flaunt her heavy backside.

She paired her look with a pair of heeled stilletos and a cream designer bag.

TWON – PARMOUNT ruler of Twon Brass, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, HRM King Alfred Diete-Spiff, has led his subjects to resolve the political commotion between rival youth groups in the troubled oil- rich community.

The residents who have now resolved to make the town an oasis of peace, proclaimed every last Sunday of November as annual Thanksgiving Day.

The coastal settlement, which is host to the famous Whiteman’s Grave, has been embroiled in political crisis caused by youths belonging to one of the political parties with the attendant loss of lives and destruction of property worth millions of naira.

Rival groups meet

But the natives, who are predominantly anglers, led by their paramount ruler, the first military administrator of old Rivers State, HRM King Alfred Diete-Spiff and his wife, HRM Queen Josephine Diete-Spiff, recently covenanted and dedicated the kingdom to God for peace and calmness to return to the land.

The wife of the monarch, HRM Josephine Diete-Spiff, known for her activism on issues bordering on the wellbeing and development of the family and the girl-child, said the vision to covenant and rededicate the kingdom back to God was to restore lasting peace to the kingdom.

“It was indeed an amazing ceremony and God did accept our prayers as calm has since returned to our kingdom. To God be all the glory and praise as we give Him thanks for His great mercies to us as a people, a race and a kingdom.

“A few days after the event, the rival party had meeting with the opposition party members and spoke about building peace in the kingdom,” she said.

Peace walk

NDV recalls that a group formed by some concerned Twon-Brass youths called the Twon-Brass Peace and Development Initiative, last week, organised a peace parley between the two opposing groups, whose activities had occasioned loss of lives, destruction of houses and property in the past.

The meeting, it was also learned, had in attendance 20 persons (10 each) from the rival youth groups, members of the Twon Brass community, Ministers’ Forum, a former chairman of Brass Local Government Area, top security officials, chiefs, elders, women and youths of the community.

According to the Coordinator, Twon Brass Ministers’ Forum, Pastor Ken Anjola, the peace and development initiative members presented white colored T-Shirts and a copy of the Bible to them, while the Twon Brass Ministers’ Forum led them to the exchange of vows to shun violence and pray for each other.

He said: “At the end, everyone went out for a peace walk for more than three hours showing the town that peace has come to stay in Twon Brass Kingdom.”

Ghanaian forward Kevin-Prince Boateng has joined Barcelona in a shock loan move from Italian side Sassuolo, the Spanish club said on Monday.

The leaders of La Liga said in a statement they had agreed on a deal to take Boateng on loan until the end of the season with an option to make the move permanent in the summer.

“The agreement includes an eight-million-euro ($9 million) purchase option,” the club said.

The arrival of Boateng, 31, will provide much-needed cover for Luis Suarez up front in Ernesto Valverde’s squad following the departure of Munir El Haddadi to Sevilla.

Born in Germany, the half-brother of Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng moved back to Serie A last year after helping Eintracht Frankfurt win the German Cup. He has scored five goals in 15 games this season for Sassuolo.

“With the experience of playing in four of the biggest leagues in Europe, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga, he is a man who has scored goals wherever he has been,” FC Barcelona said.

The former Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, and Schalke 04 player have previously had a spell in Spain, with Las Palmas in 2016-17.

Bola Tinubu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday said former President Olusegun Obasanjo’ s criticisms of President Muhammadu Buhari, was in bad faith and should be ignored.

Tinubu, who spoke at the inauguration of the President Muhammadu Buhari campaign in Maiduguri, noted that Obasanjo was not happy with the feat attained by the APC government in the clean-up of the mess of the past 16 years of PDP administration.

According to him, no amount of such criticisms will stop the electorate from giving Buhari another four-year mandate.

“When we came on board in 2015, we promised Nigerians that we are going to turn the ship of this country to the right direction and we have done that.

“We are sweeping webs of collateral corruption, to give Nigerians a new life, new home and a solid foundation; that is what President Buhari is doing and we are 100 per cent behind him.

“President Buhari is upright, firm, steady and focused, with great vision for the betterment and progress of the country,” he said.

Tinubu added that Buhari was committed to upholding the rule of law and entrenchment of democratic principles, and therefore urged the electorate to give him their mandate for the second time.

Business mogul and legal practitioner, Jimoh Ibrahim, on Sunday gave an insight into the death of his mother, Theresa Jimoh, describing her as “a mother we will always love to have at all times.”

According to him, the death is “a big loss” because she was “somebody you won’t like to part with.”

Ibrahim, who spoke with PUNCH Metro from the United Kingdom, said “death must occur; something must cause death.”

He stated, “I’m not in Nigeria; I’m at the Cambridge University and not yet home. As a PhD student, I need to get the permission of the university to travel. All I can say is that mama will be given a befitting burial; she is right now in the mortuary.

“When the family announces the date for the burial, we will make it known. Her family will have to handle that because in our culture, I am to do nothing. The family takes charge and decides. At this time, I don’t do anything. I will have to wait for family instructions. So, her immediate elder brother is the one in charge.

“But we thank God that we were able to recover her remains from the fire. Her body is right now in the mortuary, but she will be given a befitting burial. She was a great mother; she did her best and was well taken care of too. My mother was once kidnapped.

“She was a lovely mother; one we will always remember and the mother we will always love to have at all times. Her words are left behind; we will take care of the training she imparted in us and what she did to us when she was alive. The death of my mother is a big loss; she was somebody you wouldn’t like to part with.

“But death must occur; something must cause death. You cannot control that; some people die while asleep or in a plane crash. Something must cause death; it doesn’t just happen. Something must cause it. The greatest thing is that we are happy that she left a good legacy.

“She usually had her prayers as a Catholic. What I was told was that she was having her prayers. She had an altar where she prayed and she lit a candle at that altar. I think that on this occasion, the candle must have ignited the window blind. She had aides; she has her own house where she stayed with a house boy, house girl and security guard.

“By the time rescue came, the fire had already had a serious impact. My mother was 78 years old; she couldn’t survive much stress because of the impact of carbon monoxide on her. We’ve taken everything like that; but the good thing is that we were able to recover her remains. What if there was fire and we couldn’t see her? That would have been more painful.”

Ibrahim’s brother, Dipo, however, said their mother died as a result of family mismanagement.

Dipo, who released a brief statement on the incident on Sunday, denied that the deceased was killed by a candle fire.

The statement read, “Dipo Jimoh (last born and the closest son to the late mother, Mrs Theresa Jimoh), who recently graduated from the Columbia University, and the MD/CEO of Barama Energy Resources, has denounced the root cause of his mother’s death as candle fire. He also denied that her remains were deposited in a morgue by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency.

“Dipo has promised to face any heavy weight individual or group, which plans to misinterpret or confuse the populace about the root cause of his mother’s death. My mother died as a result of family complications and mismanagement.”

When a correspondent called him for further explanation, he said he would not make any further comments for now.

When PUNCH Metro sought Ibrahim’s reaction to his brother’s statement, he simply said, “Please don’t involve me in that. My mother has just died; I am bereaved. I have no comment.”

The septuagenarian was in her house at the Victoria Garden City Estate when she was burnt to death by fire that engulfed her apartment in the early hours of Saturday.

An official of the state fire service had said preliminary information revealed that she was praying when she probably dozed off and that a candle she lit started the fire.

Her remains were reportedly deposited in a morgue after the intervention of firefighters from the Lagos State Fire Service.

In 2011, the deceased was kidnapped in Igbotako, Ondo State, and was released in Sapele, Delta State, after the family reportedly paid huge sums of money as ransom.

She was then relocated to the VGC in Lagos after she was released by her abductors.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, in a tweet, claimed that the fire was caused by power surge.

“Please let’s all endeavour to check all power units in our individual homes regularly,” the agency added.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, to end the three-month-old strike by Nigerian university teachers at the ongoing meeting with the teachers.



Minister of Labour and Productivity , Chris Ngige
Ngige disclosed this in a statement issued during the resumed negotiation with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday.

The statement by the Assistant Director, Press at the ministry, Rhoda Illiya, said the president told the minister that the strike must be called off at the end of the meeting on Monday.

The university lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike on November 4, demanding improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government.

Breaking: OAU s*x-for-Mark Prof bags 6 years jail

“Mr President has directed me to pass the night here until all issues that have kept our children away from school are resolved and the strike called off.

“The president has also directed me to impress upon you, the imperative of little sacrifice from all sides, knowing fully well that the revenue of the Federation has dwindled from what it was before the present administration assumed office,” Ngige said.

He said the President was concerned by the prevailing crisis in the university system, hence his steady commitment to a “holistic approach to tackling the rot through adequate funding, notwithstanding the dwindling accruals.

“The president told me to assure you of his determination to reposition our universities as he would do everything possible to cast the present challenges in our tertiary education to the dustbin of history,” the minister said.

The union had asked government to release N50 billion to demonstrate its commitment to the revitalisation of public universities, in line with previous agreements with them.

The striking lecturers gave this as one of the conditions for calling off the strike.

Stakeholders decry poor occupational health services in Nigeria

The ASUU delegation arrived for yesterday’s negotiation at the ministry some minutes before 4:00 p.m.

The meeting, which held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Abuja, is not the first since the beginning of the strike. Prior to yesterday’s meeting, the two parties held at least six other meetings.

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, says the statement by former president Olusegun Obasanjo on the Federal Government’s TraderMoni microcredit scheme is most unfortunate.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, in a rejoinder Monday night noted that “it is either that the former leader is ignorant of the true workings of Trader Moni and the role of the Vice President in its implementation or perhaps he is on a mischievous mission.”

According to Akande, the former President has demonstrated “a surprising but complete misunderstanding of the workings of TraderMoni, that is if we assume there is no mischief intended.”

He said: “Firstly, the Vice President does not personally distribute money during his visits to the markets. He goes there to assess the progress of the implementation and to create awareness for a programme designed to meet the financing need of 2 million petty traders across the country in the first instance.

“Secondly, while one will not bother to further address the issue of timing of the implementation since such issues are now known to be political posturing, it is important to note that TraderMoni is being actively implemented across all states of the federation and the FCT. It is not only Lagos and Abuja as was insinuated.

“These petty traders at the bottom of the economic ladder, with an inventory often less than N5,000, are beneficiaries of the TraderMoni scheme which provides N10,000 collateral/interest-free loans to them, empowerment that improves their small businesses, their families, while also contributing significantly to the economy.

“Thirdly, in what is certainly a curious comment, the former President has also been quoted as describing the TraderMoni scheme as idiotic. To label such people-friendly scheme as idiotic is not only an absurdity, it is also an affront to the sensibilities of these hard working Nigerians, the beneficiaries of the micro-credit scheme.

“For emphasis, the Bank of Industry implements the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, GEEP, one part of our Social Investment Programme. Enumeration Agents have been engaged to visit the markets and other points where petty traders are found to confirm that they are traders and also take their biometric information for recording purposes. After the enumeration, the N10,000 collateral free loans are then disbursed electronically through the petty traders’ phones.

“TraderMoni is designed to meet the needs of the larger population of petty traders at the bottom of the pyramid who do not meet the more stringent criteria of BVN, bank accounts, market associations, cooperatives, required for bigger Market Moni loans.

“Under GEEP – which has MarketMoni, FarmerMoni and TraderMoni, at least 1.5 million Nigerians are already beneficiaries of the three-pronged approach of GEEP, while N-Power has created jobs for 500,000 young Nigerians graduates, besides non-graduates. Also, almost 300,000 Nigerians have benefitted from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), which is given to the poorest and most vulnerable among us, and over 9.2 million school pupils are being fed a free meal daily in 26 states under the Home Grown School Feeding Programme.

“It bears repetition that higher economic growth potentials are associated with lower income inequality. This makes a most overwhelming case for welfare payments like the social investment schemes like the TraderMoni/MarketMoni schemes. Such a micro-credit scheme provides a higher rate of inclusion into the financial bracket and is crucial in lifting hardworking people out of poverty as has been the case in other countries like India and Brazil.

“Fourthly, the former president also rehashed discredited claims suggesting that TraderMoni beneficiaries were required to tender their PVCs, and questioned the timing of the implementation.

“Let me, therefore, state again that beneficiaries of TraderMoni are not required to show their Personal Voters Cards (PVCs) or any document indicating their political affiliations to qualify for the loans. This is why the enumeration is done in the open markets and wherever the traders ply their trade. This issue has been addressed several times by the Presidency in the public space. Therefore the former president’s alleged comments smirk of outright mischief as it regurgitates blatant falsehood.

“Equally, if the former president had conducted a simple act of diligence, he would have found that the National Assembly had approved this programmes and budgeted for them duly.

“When President Muhammadu Buhari came into office, one of the major hinges of this administration was to uplift the common man out of poverty and ensure the welfare of ordinary Nigerians. TraderMoni is one of such schemes conceived in 2016 under the Social Investment Programme of this administration.

“Being a former president, Chief Obasanjo ordinarily should appreciate the impact of such far-reaching social investment schemes, which has provided what is now the largest social safety net for millions of Nigerians and is unprecedented in the nation’s history.

“Again, the former president’s attack on TraderMoni and the person of the Vice President is an indicator that he may be wittingly or unwittingly playing to the sinister script of the opposition party to spread falsehood and attack the social investment programmes of the Buhari administration, which champions such impactful schemes, and which is now attracting the praise and commendation of Nigerians everywhere.

“It is pertinent to state that the false allegations against TraderMoni raised again by the former president is sadly a rehash of baseless claims previously made by leading chieftains of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, whose record of profligacy, corruption and mismanagement clearly show it has no agenda to uplift the common man or improve the lives of Nigerians.

“Finally, attacks such as this on a scheme that benefits the masses of our people is a direct attack on the people and this kind of conduct does not reflect very well on a former president but is only self-denigrating and of no public value. As is already now obvious, the generality of the Nigerian people will not only reject that attack but will also condemn its source. We, therefore, urge the former president to be far more circumspect and more public-spirited in his utterances going forward.”

opening University
By Mod - 9 hours ago - [ Update ]


The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma chapter, has refuted claims that the institution will be reopening for its academic activities a few weeks from now.
‎
This was contained in a statement signed by the chairperson, ASUU, AAU chapter, Dr. Monday Igbafen and made available to newsmen in Benin.

Igbafen said that plans by the university administration to reopen the institution for academic activities a few weeks from now, would not work.

“We wish to notify the public that we just closed from our congress meeting this morning, the 21st of January, 2019, and resolved to continue with the nationwide strike approved by our national body on 4th of November, 2018, a strike that is meant to revitalise public universities, including our own AAU, Ekpoma.

“For ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma, it is only the national leadership of the union that can direct the suspension of the strike. We are intact and in support of our national strike action.

“ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma, wishes to advise our dear parents and guardians that ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma, is fully on strike and therefore, should be guided not to risk the lives of our dear students by allowing them to travel unnecessarily, because of a purported resumption of lectures.”

The release said it would be counterproductive to reopen the university, when members of the union would not be available to attend to the students or teach because of the ongoing strike.

“The strike is total, indefinite and comprehensive,” he emphasised.

At least 24 people were killed when a bus in southwest Pakistan burst into flames after crashing with a truck on Monday, officials said.

The bus carrying dozens of passengers was heading from the southern city of Karachi to Panjgur district when it crashed in Lasbela district.

“We have recovered 24 bodies from the vehicle. All of them were burned,” local administration chief in Lasbela district, Shabir Mengal, told AFP.

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“The bus is very hot from the inside, we are taking out bodies slowly.”

Senior police official Agha Ramzan Ali also confirmed the crash and said a rescue operation was underway.

Deadly traffic accidents are very common in Pakistan owing to reckless driving and the bad condition of roads.

Every year hundreds of people lose their lives in traffic-related incidents in the country.

Sassuolo midfielder, Kevin Prince Boateng will likely leave the club after just eight appearances, to join La Liga champions, Barcelona.

Boateng has been identified as the right player to give Barcelona coach, Ernesto Valverde more options offensively in the middle of the pack.

According to Gianlucadimarzio, Barcelona and Sassuolo have agreed to a deal ‘in principle’ to loan Boateng for €2 million with an option of buying the player for €8 million deal which is being negotiated by Boateng’s agent, Edoardo Crnjar.

The Italian medium reports that Sassuolo Sporting Director, Carnevali will head to Spain on Monday (today) to finalize Boateng’s deal.

The report also claimed that Sassuolo and Barcelona are already in advanced talks for the Ghanaian international.

Barcelona will tackle Girona on Sunday in the La Liga following their 3-1 victory over Leganes last weekend.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has ordered his government not to issue or renew licences for sports betting firms, the country's Finance minister David Bahati has revealed.

Mr Bahati said President Museveni issued the directive because of the negative impact the betting craze has had on young people.

“We have received a directive from President Museveni to stop licensing sports betting, gaming and gambling companies. The President has now directed the board which has been regulating them.

From now onwards, no new companies are going to be licensed. Those which are already registered, no renewal of licences when they expire,” Bahati said on Sunday.

NNU T-Shirt Support


Confed Cup: Rangers will do well in group stage – Chukwu
By Mod - 23 minutes ago - [ Update ]

Rangers Technical Director, Christian Chukwu, has promised that the club will do well in the group stage of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup.



Rangers International
Speaking in Enugu on Monday, Chukwu said the club would do well to qualify from the group in spite of the calibre of teams in the group.

Rangers International Football Club of Enugu has been paired in group B with Esperance of Tunisia, C.S Sfaxian of Tunisia and Salitas FC of Burkina Faso.

”People may see our group as a tough one, but we will only know when the stage kicks off as all the teams in the group respect one another.

READ ALSO: ‘More English than Spanish’ – Fabregas admits wrench of leaving Premier League

”As we are talking of the clubs in the group, even the teams will be afraid of Rangers and we are not going to underrate any club.

”We have our own job to do and we must do it well. Our job is to prepare well for the matches because the teams would like to prove a point against us.

”Rangers is a team known to survive difficult situations and our never-say-die spirit has not departed us,” he said.

He noted that the teams from Tunisia are ‘regular customers’ to continental competitions, but posited that the Tunisian clubs could not get it right always.

”When the group stage kicks off, we will know the strength of the teams in the group and it will even be an added advantage to our ambition.

”This is because to face and qualify from a strong group will do us a favour of facing other teams strongly after the group stage.

”If you want to be a champion, you must be ready to wrestle down other champions.

“So, we welcome the challenge and hope to come out on top,” Chukwu said. (NAN)

Hello NiPers,

With the absence of both the PDP and APC political parties’ presidential candidates in the presidential debate, do you think any of those two parties deserve to keep ruling this great nation of ours?

What’s your opinion?

Drop your comments below:

England’s coach Gareth Southgate looks on during the Russia 2018 World Cup quarter-final football match between Sweden and England at the Samara Arena in Samara on July 7, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Yuri CORTEZ / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – NO MOBILE PUSH ALERTS/DOWNLOADS

Gareth Southgate insisted on Sunday his work as England manager was far from done as he indicated he had no interest in taking charge at Manchester United any time soon.
A recent report in Britain’s Sunday Telegraph said Southgate was on a shortlist being drawn up by Old Trafford chiefs as they sought a permanent replacement for the sacked Jose Mourinho.

But with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the caretaker manager, having won his first seven games in charge of United, the Red Devils may have a ready-made successor in their former striker.

In any case, Southgate, who last year in Russia took England to their first appearance in a World Cup semi-final since 1990, and has since guided them to qualification for the inaugural Nations League finals, has unfinished business with the Three Lions.

The former England centre-back made that clear when, at a Football Writers’ Association dinner in London on Sunday he was asked, following the United speculation, if he felt fulfilled by the England post.

‘Job is not done’
“I’m the England manager and it’s a privileged position to be in,” Southgate told Sky Sports.

“We’ve had the best year for 28 years and we’ve got a semi-final this summer and a European Championship that’s predominantly at Wembley, providing we take care of business to qualify.

“So it’s a hugely exciting time with the team. I don’t think we’ve progressed as far as we can yet. I think there’s room for us to grow.”

The 48-year-old added: “I am still a young coach. I’ve managed less than 200 matches, so, for me, it’s an honour to be in the role I’m in and I thoroughly enjoy it.”

As for Sunday’s event, staged in honour of Southgate, his England squad and staff, he said: “When you’re having tributes, you’re thinking, ‘Well, the job is not done for us yet, there’s a lot for us to go for and a lot of improvement for us to make’.”

England captain Harry Kane, the Golden Boot winner in Russia, has been a key member of Southgate’s side.

But Kane has been ruled out until March after suffering an ankle injury during Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend.

While saddened to see Kane injured, Southgate said his absence could yet benefit both club and country.

“I’m sure they (Spurs) and England will get a player that’s refreshed from that little break and stronger again, and hungry to go,” Southgate said

Heavy machinery arrives to the place where rescue teams are working around the clock to find two-year-old Julen, who has been trapped inside a well since last Sunday.
Heavy trucks today brought drilling equipment and giant pipes to the scene in Malaga, southern Spain.

Chelsea’s English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek (L) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge in London on December 2, 2018. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) /

Chelsea and Arsenal clash in the Premier League this weekend, with both managers looking nervously over their shoulders at a charging Manchester United as Tottenham adjust to life without the injured Harry Kane.

Arsenal has lost three of their past six Premier League matches to fall six points behind Chelsea in the race for a top-four finish.

Unai Emery’s side is now level on points with sixth-placed Manchester United, who have won all five league matches under the temporary leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Elsewhere, Manchester City travels to manager-less Huddersfield while Premier League leaders Liverpool host Crystal Palace.

AFP Sport picks out some of the main talking points ahead of the weekend fixtures in the Premier League.

Can Emery stop Arsenal slide?
Unai Emery led his side on a 22-game unbeaten run between August and December as Arsenal mounted a strong challenge for a return to the Champions League.

But the feel-good factor has vanished at the Emirates and United now trail fifth-placed Arsenal only on goal difference.

Mesut Ozil, the club’s biggest earner, is being frozen out and there are reports that head of recruitment Sven Mislintat could be on his way out of the club.

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit said Emery needs to completely rebuild the squad and fears the mood could quickly change against the manager, describing the game as a “must-win”.

“This team is not good enough to fight for the title,” he told the Daily Mirror. “This team is strong enough to fight for third or fourth place and that’s it. They’ve been like that for years and years. You don’t have to be a magician to understand that.

“I was thinking, ‘OK, you sacked Arsene Wenger for good reasons’. But then I was expecting a revolution at the club. But it’s not happened.”

Will Higuain solve Chelsea goal drought?
Chelsea hope to have Gonzalo Higuain signed up in time to feature at the Emirates, but will the Argentine solve the Blues’ striking woes?

Former Arsenal favourite Olivier Giroud and Athasco Madrid bound Alvaro Morata have scored a paltry six Premier League goals between them this season, with Eden Hazard leading the way on 10.

Higuain, 31, has struggled at AC Milan this season, on loan from Juventus, with just eight goals in all competitions — prompting doubts over whether he is the man to make the difference.

But Higuain enjoyed his most prolific season under Sarri at Napoli in 2015/16, prompting a 90 million euro move to Juventus.

Sarri will hope Higuain’s arrival will not only guarantee goals, but improve Hazard’s mood by allowing the Belgian to return to his favoured berth wide on the left.

Kane injury gives Pochettino striking headache
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has lost talisman Harry Kane until March and is also without forward Son Heung-min for a crucial part of the season.

Kane’s injury and Son’s participation in the Asian Cup leave Pochettino short of options up front.

Spanish striker Fernando Llorente is likely to come into the side for Sunday’s match against Fulham, with Lucas Moura another option, even though he is returning from a thigh injury himself.

No side has conceded more goals in the Premier League this season than Fulham, so Pochettino’s men should have enough to bounce back at Craven Cottage.

But with Spurs involved in four competitions in the next month, Tottenham may finally have to spend some money in the transfer market to provide cover for Kane.

Can Solskjaer make himself indispensable?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is gunning for his seventh straight win since he took over as interim manager from the sacked Jose Mourinho and has a clutch of winnable fixtures to look forward to, starting with Brighton on Saturday.

The Norwegian has not put a foot wrong at Old Trafford since he arrived last month and has forced himself into the reckoning to be the next permanent manager.

Premier League meetings with Burnley, Leicester and Fulham are also on the horizon before a stiffer test against Liverpool on February 24.

Following his side’s statement win against Spurs last weekend, Solskjaer is now the bookies’ favourite for the job, ahead of Pochettino.

Premier League fixtures

Saturday (1500 GMT unless stated)

Wolverhampton v Leicester (1230), Bournemouth v West Ham, Liverpool v Crystal Palace, Manchester United v Brighton, Newcastle v Cardiff, Southampton v Everton, Watford v Burnley, Arsenal v Chelsea (1730)

Sunday

Huddersfield v Manchester City (1330), Fulham v Tottenham (1600)

In what might come as a shock to many lovers of Mr Eazi and his work, the singer has revealed that he does not have a car.

He made the revelation in a recent interview with Saturday Beats.

In his explanation, he stated that he preferred using Uber. He further said, “If your self-esteem is based on how much you have in your bank account, then you have a serious self-esteem issue. Right from when I sang my very first song, someone offered me N80m record deal but I turned it down and at the time, I did not have N300,000 in my account.

“My first record deal offer from the UK was £356,000, I turned it down but at the time, I had done a tour and the total amount I earned was £12,500. I used the money to shoot the videos of some of my songs. I was left with £20; they were offering me £365,000, but I turned it down. The reason I did that was because my value was not dependent on what was in my account.

“Till today, I use Uber but I do not care and by the way, I don’t even pay for the ride because I was given Uber credit. But if you see me in the Uber vehicle and feel that Mr Eazi is poor, what is my business (with that)? For instance, everybody around me has cars, and besides, I buy cars for people. If it makes sense for me to use an Uber, why should I drive? Why would I pay about N100m for a car that I would probably drive just five times a year?

“There are better things to do with that money. In the short time I have spent on earth, I have made a lot of money. While I was into mining, I had so much money that I was living at a place that was a stone’s throw away from the airport in Accra and I was paying my rent in dollars.

“I was making a lot of money. That shows you how expensive it was but I went from there to squatting with my friend in a one-room apartment. I was sleeping on the floor in his room. Also, when I was doing the business of selling beverages, we started with a crate and in a short while, we began to import four containers every two weeks. From importing four containers every two weeks, we went back to nothing. In my life, I have had ups and down. If my self-worth was based on material things, I would have killed myself.”

The singer admitted that he had received a lot of backlash on social media simply because of his relationship with Temi, one of the daughters of a billionaire oil magnate, Femi Otedola.

However, Mr Eazi said such things would never faze him.

“People can say what they want to say and if you want to let everything they say about you bother you, then you are not going to live, especially when you are in the public eye.

“You have to realise that as an entertainer, your life becomes a form of entertainment to others. I really do not care about what anybody thinks. He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world, so why care about what the world is saying?” The singer said.

Caption This Photo": Anita Joseph, Tonto Dikeh And Bobrisky Hang Out Together

Arsenal and France legend, Thierry Henry who is currently the coach of French club, Monaco has been forced to apologise after calling a player's grandmother a 'whore' during his team's 5-1 defeat by Strasbourg on Saturday.

The former striker was caught on camera clashing with Kenny Lala from the touchline as the defender took a throw-in near the dugouts just before half-time.



Henry who took his first managerial job with the Ligue 1 side in October, felt the Strasbourg star was wasting time with his side 2-1 up, and then shouted: 'It's the 43rd minute, your grandmother's whore.'

Speaking during his press conference on Sunday, the 41-year-old apologised for his comments.

'It's an expression of the street, unfortunately,' he said.

'I regret my comments from the bench. It was a human reaction, I'm still human. I regret it.

'Sometimes I do it in English. Maybe in English, it wouldn't have been as noticeable. No, I'm joking. I should not do it.'

A nine-month-old baby boy suffered 25 heart attacks in a single day but miraculously managed to survive.

Little Theo Fry, who is now 19 at months, is believed to have the most heart attacks in 24 hours ever seen by British doctors.

But his cardiac problems begun when he was just eight days old in May 2017.

He started turning blue and then grey after appearing very sleepy to his mum, Fauve Syers, who rang 111 as a precaution.

The NHS helpline said Theo should be immediately taken to Salford Royal Hospital where a team of 40 medics were waiting for him.

They said he had heart failure and would die without urgent surgery.

Doctors managed to stabilise him, but he needed open heart surgery four days later at the children's hospital Alder Hey in Liverpool.


Theo has since made a great recovery and is now 19 months old

Theo was diagnosed with an interrupted aortic arch which means his heart — which also has two holes in it — couldn't pump blood around his body.

Dad Steven Fry, 35, told The Mirror: "We were told if we hadn't called 111 that night, Theo wouldn't have woken up next morning."

He even made it through a heart attack during the operation in which surgeons battled to keep him alive.

Medics kept him in Alder Hey for three months, during which he contracted sepsis and had another cardiac arrest.

But after he was discharged, Theo had arrhythmia for weeks — when the the pulse jumps to dangerous speeds — and he was taken back to hospital.

He was supposed to be in for 24 hours' monitoring, but he didn't go home again for another six months.

After being in intensive care over Christmas and suffering three separate heart attacks, things became even more deadly on the night of January 31 2018.


Theo with dad Steven, eight-year-old sister Leila, and mum Fauve

He suffered 25 cardiac arrests in just one day.

Mum Fauve said: "It was horrific. He was having attack after attack. I knew he couldn't take much more. Every time it happened, nurses would buzz for the arrest team.

"I watched the resus team working on him with every chest compression, thinking, 'Oh my god, please don't let this be his last breath'."

Theo was sent into theatre for ten hours where surgeons found his left ventricle covered in scar tissue, which stopped it from working properly.

But once once doctors successfully completed the operation, Theo made an instant recovery and was back home within days.

In the last year, Fauve and Steven have been fundraising for Healing Little Hearts — a UK charity that sends NHS surgical teams to poor countries to operate on children who would otherwise die.

Barcelona’s French forward Ousmane Dembele (down) gestures in pain next to Leganes’ Spanish goalkeeper Pichu Cuellar and Spanish referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea during the Spanish League football match between Barcelona and Leganes at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on January 20, 2019. Josep LAGO / AFP
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has been ruled out for two weeks after spraining his ankle at the weekend, the Spanish champions announced on Monday.

“Tests carried out on first team player Ousmane Dembele have confirmed a sprained ankle that will keep him out of action for approximately 15 days,” the club said in a statement.

The 21-year-old will miss both legs of Barca’s Copa del Rey quarter-final with Champions League-chasing Sevilla after picking up the injury during his side’s 3-1 home win over Leganes on Sunday, which maintained the Catalans’ five-point lead at the top of La Liga.

France international Dembele opened the scoring in the 32nd minute of his 50th Barca appearance with his 13th goal of the season.

He will also be unavailable for La Liga clashes with Girona and Valencia.

A woman known for hiking mountains wearing only a bikini has been found frozen to death in a national park. The Taiwanese named Gigi Wu, 36, who called herself ‘The Bikini Hiker’ when posting about her climbs on social media, had embarked on a solo hike through Yushan National Park.



More than a week after setting off, she called a friend on a satellite phone and said she had fallen down a ravine.

Black Hawk helicopters were scrambled to save her high, however poor weather conditions prevented them from taking off and Wu was found 28 hours later frozen to death.

In a message to be passed on to the Nantou fire service, Wu revealed she had stumbled more than 65 ft into a narrow gorge while trying to ascend Taiwan’s highest peak. Gigi Wu, 36, is known for hiking in bikinis and has a large social media following on Facebook and Instagram

Wu said she was trapped at the bottom and unable to move due to the injuries sustained during the fall.

The island’s National Airborne Service Corps said it attempted to dispatch Black Hawk rescue helicopters to her location on three separate occasions, but the flights were ultimately grounded due to poor weather conditions.

It finally decided to send in two search and rescue parties comprising three members each.



They found Wu’s body at the location of her distress beacon.

Rescuers say they are still waiting for stable weather in which to airlift Wu’s body out the narrow gully, with the search party having since set up camp near the site of the accident.

Minister of Education, Professor Adamu Adamu (left); Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige; President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba; Deputy President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Victor Osoduko and President ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi during a meeting between Federal Government and ASUU in Abuja. Photo: Lucy Ladidi Elukpo.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Nigerian government will on Monday resume talks in an attempt to end the ongoing industrial action by the union.

“The Academic Staff Union of Universities @ASUUNGR and the Federal Government @AsoRock are to resume talks Monday 21st January 2019,” ASUU tweeted Sunday night.

“Time and venue will be communicated.”

This will be the eighth meeting since the union embarked on the strike on November 4, 2018.

The union is demanding improved funding for universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government.

The Union has on Thursday gave conditions upon which the prolonged industrial action will be suspended.

“The Academic Staff Union of Universities @ASUUNGR have asked @AsoRock to release N50 billion to demonstrate its commitment to the revitalisation of public universities, in line with previous agreements with the union,” ASUU tweeted.

The union said the N50 billion will form the first share of the N220 billion federal government agreed for the project this year and add to the N20 billion earlier released for the year.

It also disclosed that it has “submitted its suggestions and awaits a meeting with the government next week.”

Although the minister of labour, Chris Ngige, previous Thursday said the government has approved N20 billion to be used to offset the outstanding arrears, ASUU said it was still awaiting its payment.

Mr Pelu Awofeso, a travel writer, who recently toured some of the tourism sites in the South-western zone, on Monday said that the nation’s heritage sites were naturally beautiful to behold.



Pelu Awofeso
Awofeso told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the sites were attractive enough based on their natural endowment to command the attention of local and international tourists.

According to him, their attraction will enable visitors and guests to appreciate God the more.

The travel writer had visited Olumo Rock,s Alake and Alaafin’s Palaces, Ogun Dam and Idanre Hills.

Others are the Olumirin Waterfalls, Igbara Oke Petroglyphs, Ado Awaye Hanging Lake, Centenary Building and National Museum (Abeokuta Branch).

Awofeso, who toured the heritage sites in eight days, suggested that resorts should be built around some of them.

He said this would make them more lively and afford more tourists the opportunity of visiting and be well-entertained.

READ ALSO: Nigeria’s first storey building records 13,609 visitors in 2018

“My aim of embarking on the tour is to make Nigerians know that there are several adventurous places that are hidden within the country.

“Instead of Nigerians travelling abroad; I intend to inform, educate and enlighten them about the tourism opportunities that exist in holiday-making, travelling for leisure for individuals and families.

“ That is why I kept updating my friends on the different social media platforms, while on the journey, and I was quite excited that a lot of people had learnt some things.

“We should have resorts and fun activities established around most of our heritage sites, that people can have other forms of entertainment around.”

Awofeso canvassed the distribution of souvenirs at heritage sites, which tourists can go away with after visiting; this will serve as remembrance for such tourists later in life.

He said that Nigerians must cultivate the attitude of learning to know more about the tourism potentialities in the country.

He said that many people could earn a living from investing in some tourism value chain.

Awofeso advised Nigerians to recreate and have their leisure within the country, because there were several places of excitement which they had not taken time to explore.

“Nigeria has a whole lot of attractive sites which are naturally endowed; this makes our tourism industry unique.

“We should cultivate the habit of exploring our sites here; when we do this, we should share our experiences with others through our social media platforms.

“Several other people will be aware and these sites will be gaining more publicity,” he said.

Awofeso said that just like Nollywood and music, which initially suffered some setback before they finally gained government and private investors’ support, the tourism industry should not be left out.

He urged the three tiers of government to work tirelessly to make the tourism industry a money spinner for the country. (NAN)

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, says there is no possibility that the 2019 general elections will be postponed.

Yakubu said this over the weekend in an interview on The Osasu Show which was aired on AIT.

He said, “I cannot see any possibility of a postponement. We started this a long time ago; we have gone ahead with preparations. INEC is not even contemplating the possibility of a postponement.”

He also said the commission had contacted the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to release corps members for the elections.

Yakubu added, “We are liaising with the NYSC for ad hoc workers to be used for the elections, and where there are shortfalls, the commission has a very clear policy: we will make up the difference by using students of federal tertiary institutions.

“Unless the number is exhausted and there is still a shortfall, we will then go to the state tertiary institutions.”

Twenty-four children with congenital heart diseases have benefitted from the Open Heart Surgery program of the University Of Nigeria, Nsukka Teaching Hospital Ituku/Ozalla.

The free surgery was done in collaboration with a team of doctors from India, who extended their charity works to Nigeria, through their project tagged: The Gift Of Life.

The delegation, however, expressed worry over the size of the hospital facility and promised to partner with the hospital to improve its overall quality and efficiency.

On its part, the hospital management said it was happy about the opportunity not just to perform more surgeries but the opportunity for capacity building.

The Chief Medical Director (UNTH), Dr Chirs Amah, said, “We’re building capacity for the staff of the hospital because it’s not just about coming to do surgery.

“What is even more important is the exchange of skills, knowledge and all that.

We’ve been doing Open Heart surgery right from 1974 till 2003 when it stopped, particularly due to the relocation of the hospital from the old site to this place. So, there was a ten-year slip before 2013 when we re-activated it again. So, the local team had lost their skills and so many things had gone bad.

“Reactivating it and getting all these collaborators from overseas, our people are increasingly able to regain their skills, there is a lot of knowledge transfer and as part of the MOU, some of our own staff go there”.

Speaking further, one of the members of the delegation, Ricky Sharma, noted that over 68,000 children are estimated to be born with heart diseases.

He, therefore, called on the government and other concerned individuals and groups to support the cause.

“We do request the parastatals in the highest order to support us monetarily, giving us concessions, grants, to bring in the materials, logistics, medicines that are required.

“There should be duty waivers on them, the facilities should be given to us free to use.

“We also go forward to requesting other organisations who have a strong CRS policy to support us because there are around 68,000 children roughly estimated to be born with this kind of congenital heart disease,” Sharma said.

Regina Daniel has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari in an Instagram post.

The teen star who was recently appointed Youth Campaign Coordinator for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, called the president a myriad of lies.

The Nollywood star further disclosed that she has accepted her appointment as a Youth Campaign Coordinator for Atiku. She disclosed that the land bleeds from hunger and inertia.

According to her, it is time for Nigerian youths to join her and vote Atiku/Obi 2019 to protect the future.

In her Instagram post, she wrote,

“I’m Regina Daniels. Proud to be 100% Atikulated with Atiku Abubakar who is in the race to become Nigeria’s next President. I accept my appointment as Youth Campaign Coordinator For Nollywood with humility and youthful zeal. Atiku is a youth-friendly leader who has assured that every 4 out of 10 of his cabinet will be a youth. The drift is brazen. The nation is at crossroads. The land bleeds from hunger and inertia. It’s time to steer the ship away from caput. From Bama to Bori, Aba to Abuja, kaura Namode to Kaduna, the sky is gloomy.
Time for Nigerian Youths to join me and vote Atiku/Obi 2019 to protect our future.”

A Nigerian referee who officiated the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match day three encounter on Sunday, January 20 between Remo Stars and Bendel Insurance, was beaten mercilessly by supporters who attacked him shortly after the match.

The Nigerian referee was beaten by fans of the Sagamu based football club, who were not impressed with the way he officiated the match. It was gathered that Remo Stars were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Bendel Insurance.

Charles Omokaro had put the visitors ahead, before Skipper Victor Mbaoma equalised for the Kennedy Boboye’s side. However with two minutes left on the clock, Remo thought they had secured the three points after Victor Mbaoma scored from close range from a well worked freekick only for the referees to ruled the effort out for offside.

Remo Stars management who released a statement over the assault incident, vowed to apprehend the perpetrators. The statement reads;

“A manhunt has started immediately as the management of the club and the Nigeria Police Force Sagamu division are working closely to ensure that the intruder is brought to book to face the consequences of his actions.“

“We totally regret and condemn this act as we don’t encourage violence in football.



“In the same vein of condeming this act we would also like to indicate that the centre referee Bethel Nwanesi calls all through the game were questionable and in the 88th minute a good goal was scored, which would have been the winning goal, was ruled offside and disallowed by the referee which caused an uproar among the fans.

“This of course is no reason why anyone should get hurt, we have lost games at home in the past against Plateau United, Enyimba FC, MFM FC, Rivers United without witnessing such violence.

We also want to make a staunch warming to supporters or individuals who come with the intention of disrupting or causing violence in the stadium as the club will severely deal with anyone found guilty of such behaviour.”

A girl was found dead by her dad in her bedroom moments after posting a cry for help on Facebook. Rochelle Pryor, 14, took her own life hours after she wrote on social media: “Once I’m gone, the bullying and the ­racism will stop.”



The teenager died in hospital on January 10, nine days after her dad Geoffrey discovered her unconscious in her room.

Only one person replied to her post online.

In a heartbreaking tribute, her older sister Kyanne described her as “sweet, happy and funny”. The teenage girl was concerned her siblings’ friends had “turned against her”.

Kyanne told The Australian: “She was really upset by it. “There was racism involved – a lot of the time it was just random people who don’t ­realise what they’re saying.”

Rochelle was involved in an altercation in August outside school and she returned home with cuts on her legs.

Following the incident her mum said her mental health began to decline and she stopped wanting to go to school.

Rochelle’s death makes her the fifth Aboriginal girl in Australia to commit suicide in the past two weeks.

There have been three cases in Western Australia, one in South Australia and another in Queensland

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said the only condition to suspend the ongoing nationwide strike is for the Federal Government to pay, at least, N50 billion Revitalisation Fund; out of one tranche of N220 billion.

ASUU national Chairman, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi spoke to newsmen in Ibadan, Oyo State on Sunday, ahead of the union’s scheduled meeting with the federal government on Monday.

ASUU said that the federal government must also present concrete evidence of implementation of the promised N20 billion Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and how the balance of N85 billion would be paid; with timelines.

He pointed out that the union and government since the strike started, “have had seven meetings. We have been having promises. We have demanded that some of their promises, which we took back to our members, some items on their list, have been rejected.

“And, there have been demands for the review. We want them to pay, immediately, N50 billion as a sign of commitment this quarter and, for the next three quarters, the government can pay N50 billion each quarter.

“So, our members have rejected the N20 billion they proposed that will be spread over two quarters in 2019. Our members have insisted on the release of at least N50 billion.

“In relation to EAA, which they have an outstanding N105 billion, our members are saying even if you (government) are releasing N20 billion, let it be stated clearly that it is only for ASUU members and the balance which you promised to pay in four instalments, attach timelines to the balance and figures.

“In 2017, this government promised to mainstream the EAA into the budget so that we won’t be coming to talk about arrears. If government had put that into the 2018 budget, we would not be talking about arrears now.

“Our members are saying government should take steps, mainstream it into the 2019 budget and that is note late because they (National Assembly) are still working on the budget.”

He added, “We have gone beyond these promises. In fact, the first meeting we had, we were told that before the end of the week, the matter would be resolved. But, that was government speaking. After that first meeting, we have had some other six meetings, yet, we are still relating to promises.

“We don’t really take government’s promises seriously again because we have heard promises upon promises.

“What our members told us when we were starting this meeting, was, ‘come back with concrete evidence of implementation.’

“And, we have told them (government) in clear terms. By the way, let me also tell you that today, we are meeting again, and we are still hoping that concrete evidence on implementation will be put on the table.

“So, that is what our members have been talking about. The National Executive Council of ASUU is our principal, and, each time we engage government, we keep reminding them that our members said or our NEC said ‘don’t come back to us unless you have concrete evidence of implementation.’ So, on that, we stand.”

A couple has left internet users in awe after doing the unexpected. The pair decided to tie the knot in a hospital after the bride delivered a bouncing baby boy.



The couple identified as Francis Mungai and Veronica Kainu, got wedded at Thika Level 5 hospital in Kenya.

According to Thika Town Today, the Kenyan couple welcomed their son on Thursday, January 17, forcing the new mum to spend her nights in a hospital bed.

Veronica had just delivered her baby through cesarean section and was not in shape to be discharged.

Before the arrival of their son, the pair was set to wed on Saturday, January 19, but their plans fell through when their son arrived earlier than expected.

“We had no alternative but to do our wedding here. The doctors told me that my wife was not in a position to go home for the wedding and so I requested them to permit us go ahead with our plans from within the compound,” the groom said.



Veronica was ecstatic as she explained she never saw this coming and was beyond grateful to welcome her son and new life as a married woman.

“I really never expected that this will happen. I am very happy that I delivered safely and we have now crowned the joy of welcoming our newborn son with exchanging our wedding vows. I only have God to thank for everything,” she said.

An Indian man was mauled to death by a lion after he scaled the wall of a zoo in northern Punjab state, officials said Monday.

The man climbed the 20-foot (six-metre) wall of Chhatbir Zoo, home to four lions, on Sunday and entered the restricted area where he was attacked.

Hearing his screams, the staff rushed to try and rescue the man.

“He was an intruder in the zoo. We took him to the hospital but he succumbed to his injuries,” said Roshan Sunkaria from the state forest department.

The animal that attacked the man was an Asiatic lion — a critically endangered species and a major tourist draw.

Only around 500 exist in the wild, all in the Gir sanctuary in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

The authorities have not yet been able to contact the victim’s family.

The zoo has stepped up warnings inside the premises and advised visitors to travel with an escort and keep vehicles locked.

President Muhammadu Buhari, Sunday night lambasted former President Olusegun Obasanjo for attacking and his government.

Obasanjo has compared the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to that of the Abacha era.

Reacting, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement said: “The sixteen-page letter the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari and released this afternoon is the last push by desperate politicians who can’t handle the President politically and have resorted to subterfuge.

Our first message to the former President is that he needs a good doctor for good treatment and to say to him, “Get well soon.”

As repeatedly said of him, since Chief Obasanjo left office in 1979, he never let every succeeding leader of the country function freely, and this included the one he personally handpicked against all known rules drawn up by the party that put him in the office of the President. But Chief Obasanjo is jealous because President Buhari has more esteem than him and the sooner he learns to respect him the better.

It is a notorious fact that in dealing with any leader that he failed to control, he resorted to these puerile attacks. As the grand patron, more correctly the grandfather of corruption as described by the National Assembly, Chief Obasanjo released today’s letter purely for the reason of rescuing his thriving corruption establishment.

The elections starting in February will be free and fair as promised the nation and the international community by President Buhari.

What Chief Obasanjo and his co-travelers in the PDP should expect is that from the outcome, we will teach them a political lesson that they will never forget. This margin will be much bigger than we had in 2015.

Claims that President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have embarked on the president’s “self- succession project, by recruiting collation officers who are already awarding results based on their projects to actualise the perpetuation agenda, in which the people will not matter and the votes will not count” is not only utterly false, but a copious note from the book on the failed third term agenda of President Obasanjo.

The man, President Buhari who has taken Nigeria’s reputation to a higher level internationally and is working hard to improve on the records of elections he found in place cannot descend to the level that Obasanjo has himself sunk.

As for his attacks of the administration’s records in fighting corruption, what the former President said is no more than evidence that President Buhari’s war against corruption is succeeding. They thought it is all a joke.

A leader who took USD 16 billion “upfront” to supply electric power yet failed to add a single megawatt to the national grid and to date, there is no trace of the money is jittery that he will be called to account. He is a coward.

Chief Obasanjo, manifesting a confused state of mind blames President Buhari for the fall of Libya into a failed state and the unholy alliance between the Boko Haram terrorists and the ISIS, while at the same time calling it an African problem, saying “the struggle must be for all West African, Central African, North African and most East African States,” which really does not amount to saying anything new.

Nigerians looked up to him as a role model and a ray of hope to ethical and clean leadership until President Yar’Adua called him out to explain what happened to the sixteen billion dollars of taxpayer’s money. It is clear that with him sitting on top of the heap of corruption, he is no different from the crowd he leads.

This language of his 16-page letter, likening President Buhari to General Sani Abacha, a man he dreaded and the one who jailed him under military laws is most unfitting from a former President of Nigeria.

The claim that President Buhari has put in place rigging machinery is both outlandish and outrageous. We are unable to get the words to describe a 90-year old liar, except to say that by the publication of this tissue of lies against the President, he Obasanjo, not the President will fall from everyone’s esteem.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the weekend revealed that the union can only suspend its ongoing industrial action when the federal government releases the sum of N50billion revitalisation fund.

ASUU President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi who stated this in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, insisted that the federal government must pay the N50 billion revitalisation fund for the union to consider suspending the ongoing strike.

Ogunyemi, while speaking during a press conference held at the ASUU Secretariat, University of Ibadan, disclosed that members of the union have said only concrete evidence of implementation by the government would make them return to the classrooms.

He maintained that the union has lost confidence in government making empty promises which it will not keep to after agreements have been reached.

Ogunyemi further revealed that other conditions attached to the suspension of the strike is the presentation of concrete evidence of the payment of the promised N20billion earned academic allowances and showing how the balance of N85billion will be paid with timelines.

According to Ogunyemi, while ASUU has rejected government’s proposal of N20billion (which is to be paid in two tranches) for the revitalisation of universities, the union is asking government to mainstream the earned academic allowances into the 2019 budget which is still being worked upon by the National Assembly.

He lamented that Nigeria’s ruling class does not see education as a priority but prefer to create new education colonies of private educational institutions which cannot meet the needs of Nigerian children.

Ogunyemi said, “We want them to pay immediately N50billion as a sign of commitment this quarter and for the next three quarters government can pay N50billion in each quarter.

“So our members have rejected the 20billion proposed by them that will be spread over two quarters in 2019.

“Our members have insisted on the release of at least N50billion. In relation to earned academic allowances which they have an outstanding N105billion our members are saying that even if you (Government) are releasing N20billion let it be stated clearly that it is only for ASUU members and the balance which you promised to pay in four instalments, attach timelines to the balance and figures. In 2017, this government promised to mainstream the earned academic allowances into the budget so that we wont be coming to talk about arrears.

“If government had done put that into the 2018 budget we would not be talking about arrears now.

“Our members are saying government should take steps to mainstream it into the 2019 budget and that is not late because they (National assembly and executive) are still working on the budget,” he said.

Paul Pogba

Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba arrived the Carrington training ground in a brand new yellow Ferrari worth a whopping £250,000, which is over a hundred million Naira).

This is coming after he welcomed his child with his partner Maria Salaues.

To celebrate the welcoming his baby into the world, the Frenchman splashed out on his yellow speedster – a Ferrari 812 Superfast that retails from around £250,000.

The news of Pogba’s new born baby was actually revealed by Manchester United legend Bryan Robson. He said:

“When I saw Paul last week in Dubai with the United squad, I had a little chat and congratulated him on the birth of his baby. He just seemed so relaxed and easy with things.”

See photos of Pogba’s £250,000 Ferrari below:

Bottles, chemicals, office structures and furniture are reported to have been destroyed by the wild fire that engulfed parts of the Guinness Nigeria Plc, Aba Brewery in Abia on Friday.

Fire fighters battled hard to contain the fire, which started at about 11 a.m. on Friday until about 6:46 pm

Okezie Uche, Aba Fire Service Commander, told NAN that his men reached the site at about 1 p.m. and fought hard to extinguish the fire with the help of other staff of near-by companies who volunteered.

“We have water challenges but today, we refilled from the NNPC.

When the fire seems to be out of control, I called the Controller of Abia Fire Service, Mr V.O Gbaruko in Umuahia office for backup and he sent men and more equipment.

“We used techniques with the support of NNPC that gave us a foaming chemical which helped to extinguish the fire.

“Without that chemical, we cannot do much because we are fighting a highly flammable material,” he said.

Uche said the materials at the brewery included empty bottles, plastic crates and others.

He said that “poor house-keeping” might have been responsible for the fire, stressing that when the staff could not contain the fire, they called the fire Service.

A Police Officer who preferred anonymity, told NAN the police got information on the fire at about noon and called in the Fire servicemen in Aba.

“They came, the Commander of MOPOL 55 also sent his men; the villagers also assisted in fighting the fire but it has not been easy as efforts were slowed because there was no power from EEDC to pump water.

“And the water the Fire Service brought finished but the efforts continued with the help of Glover Paints that mobilized their men to bring water to help.

“When the Umuahia Fire Service Commander sent his men, they joined with the help of staff of Geometric, to contain the fire to this level,” he said.

He assured that the fire would be over before 6 p.m. following combined efforts, addig that fire reached nearby NNPC Gas Pipeline but was put out at that end.

He said the fire reached the NNPC Gas Pipeline area near the depot but when the Fire Service came, they first tackled the area which was why the pipeline did not explode.

Eric Otuonye, the Station Officer in charge of Security of the Brewery, said workers noticed the fire and smoke in the compound at about 11:30 a.m. from a nearby bush hence they mobilized to fight it.

He said that the fight had been tough as firemen from Fire Service office in Aba and Umuahia, the Staff of Clover Paints and Guinness Nig. Plc fought the fire from 12 p.m.

“I think the fire got to a chemical that has escalated it, this is after 6 p.m. and if it is not put out, I do not know what will happen at night.

“I believe the fire must have started from our compound. But there is a bush close to our fence on that side where it started, that is what we are suspecting.

“But now what is important is fighting the fire, when it is over we can now trace where it started,” he said.

Otuonye said that the damage was to be estimated in billions of Naira.

Otuonye said the brewery had been shut down already since July 2018, adding that only a few police personnel and company security guards were around. (NAN)

If you are a man and you have a wife or you are in a serious relationship, then I want you to invest the next 5-10 minutes of your time to read this article right now.

And here’s why…
According to a recent study by condom manufacturer Durex; 29,000 people in 36 countries were interviewed on their likelihood to cheat of their partners, Nigerian Women were considered to be the most unfaithful in the world!
As a Nigerian, you might dismiss this survey as untrue on religious and cultural basis; however, Durex may not be far from the truth actually.

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My True-life story:
To tell the truth, the unfortunate day I discovered that my wife was cheating, I wasn’t prepared for it. In fact, I had not suspected her once since we got married five years ago.
I mean I TRIED to satisfy her as a man the best way I can, the s*x wasn’t bad (at least not to me…I ASSUMED); although I was battling with some s*xUAL ISSUES, however, she always told me that there was no problem that she loves me regardless of my s*xual weaknesses. She promised me that we were going to find a solution to it together.

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I am an author and a successful one at that. The day my entire world crumbled before my eyes was the day I came back home 5 hours earlier than normal because I forgot a very important office document.
To my dismay and utter betrayal, I saw my beloved and ‘faithful’ wife being banged and spread wide from side to side by another man who seemed to be in total control of the game. My wife was screaming, moaning, and enjoying herself in ways I had never seen her before.



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Suddenly, warm tears involuntarily started to drop down my cheek because she was not just the mother of my little children, but she was also my lover and best friend (at least that was what I thought).

They were totally into each other, very unaware of my presence in the room. I sat by the corner of the room almost losing my breath like an asthmatic patient.

My first impulse was to pick a knife off the kitchen cabinet. I almost did. If I had done that, chances were that I would have committed murder that day and my entire family and bright career would have been brought to shambles.

I decided to kill that thought of murder, and at least see the face of the person who is rough handling my wife. Then I saw his face, it wasn’t my boss, or neighbour, or best friend. It was hers.

The guy who had always been there. They were very close friends before I met her. They were still friends even while we dated. When we were getting married, she asked me to make him one of my groomsmen.

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They had been friends ever since. At first I was uncomfortable with how close they were. However, she told me he was like a brother to her. Then he got a girlfriend, who he eventually married and I never saw him in that light again – a threat.

Until that unfortunate moment of course, when stark reality stared me in the face like a one-eyed monster…ALL BECAUSE I HAD A s*xUAL PROBLEM AND DIDN’T FIX IT IN TIME; AND SHE ALWAYS TOLD ME NOT TO WORRY TOO MUCH THAT SHE UNDERSTANDS.It was at that moment that the eternal words from my grandmother resounded in my head:

Alatise lo moatisearare (meaning, it is only you who can fix your own problems not someone else).

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Here are eight (8) STAGGERING STATISTICS about how negligence of YOUR s*xual activeness can destroy your home, happiness, and life.

1. 39% of Nigerian women are currently cheating on their husbands due to lack of attention and of course the INABILITY of the MAN to perform is MATRIMONIAL DUTIES.

2. 24% of Nigerian women are tending towards depression and extra-marital affairs due to s*xUAL STARVATION or BAD s*x LIFE. There is a 65% chance that they will cheat on their husbands in a matter of weeks.

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3. 77% of Nigerian men actually believe that they are great in bed…A s*x god! Very funny. However, studies show that only about 21% are actually good at knocking the hell out of their partner’s P*SS*Y; the remaining 56% are living in delusion because when they bang their wives, they hear her moan.

4. 55% of women moan not because they are enjoying the s*x, but because they don’t want to bruise the ego of their partner. So they just keep deceiving the men.

5. 45% of divorce cases in Nigeria are as a result of the man not being able and willing to SERVICE HIS WIFE CONSTANTLY, and in ONE CORNER…EVERY CORNER.

6. Every woman wants the PRINCE & the GANGSTAR. Be her Prince by showing care and providing for her and the family; Be Her Gangstar by firing her Everyday, Everytime, and in Everyway…UNTIL SHE SCREAMS!

7. There is a 75% chance that even a faithful woman will cheat on her husband at least 5 times in her life time if HE consistently UNDER-PERFORMS in the OTHER ROOM.

8. Finally, there is a 69% chance that the person your wife might be cheating on you with is very close to you. Women most times cheat not with a total stranger, but with a man that is known and familiar with both of you.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested six suspected internet fraudsters in separate raids carried out in Abuja.

Acting Head Media and Publicity of the Commission, Mr. Tony Orilade, listed the suspects as Chemezie Ezeife, Onwochei John, Onwochei Joel, Marvin Nwankwo, Prince Ojenike, and Jude Olatekobowale.

He said they were arrested following a tip-off.

In statement in Abuja, on Friday, Orilade said that Ezeife was arrested on Jan.16, at the Life Camp residential area in Abuja following intelligence reports of shady activities traced to him.

Among items recovered from him were a Mercedes Benz C300, Toyota Camry and Lexus, Seagate Hard Drive, Four Laptop Computers, an ECOWAS International Passport, various Wrist Watches, Two iPhones and Blackberry phones, and a Samsung phone.

“Several suspicious emails are also traced to his account.

“Investigation into the activities of another syndicate traced to the Nova Estate in Apo, led to the arrest of Joel and John Onwechei, both brothers.

“John, the younger of the brothers confessed that he got involved in internet fraud as a student of the Delta State University.

“He successfully defrauded one Miss Lynese from Zambia, using Facebook in the guise that he is one Carlos Gomes, a British citizen.

“Among items found in his possession are an iPhone 6 and iPhone 7, and he confessed to having a landed property in Benin, Edo State, all of which he acquired for N1 million he made from Internet fraud.

“Two laptop computers, a white Range Rover Sport, white Mercedes Benz E350, and a grey Toyota Camry.

“His brother Joel confessed that he got into yahoo-yahoo through his brother, and asked him to teach him how to go about love scam.

“Thereafter, he tried to create an email account, but he was unsuccessful,” the EFCC spokesman said.

[b][/b]Former Premier League and La Liga striker, Michael Owen has tipped Chelsea to beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Premier League fixture on Saturday evening at the Emirates Stadium.

He also predicted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United to defeat Brighton 2-0 on Saturday in the Premier League fixture at Old Trafford.

According to Owen, Liverpool will beat Crystal Palace at Anfield when both sides clash in the Premier League on Saturday.

Owen told BetVictor: “Arsenal have won just one of their last 14 league games against Chelsea although it should be noted that the Gunners have a good recent home Premier League record in London derbies – unbeaten in their last 12 at the Emirates.

“Gunners keeper Bernd Leno has only kept one clean sheet in his first 15 Premier League starts.

“I would be surprised if the hosts kept their north London rivals at arm’s length given the Blues have won their last three away Premier League games. Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard might be the difference.” “Prediction is Chelsea 2 and Arsenal 1”.

On the Manchester United vs Brighton game, Owen said: “Manchester United continue to go from strength to strength under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer although they rode their luck in the second period, and were grateful for the brilliance of David de Gea, at Wembley on Sunday.

“United have never lost a home game against Brighton in any competition (W8 D2) and I expect history to be made at Old Trafford with Solskjaer becoming the first manager of the club to win his first six league games in charge.” “Prediction is Man United 2 and Brighton 0”.

Commenting on the Liverpool vs Crystal Palace game, Owen said: “Palace have won three of their last four Premier League games at Anfield but did the Reds a favour when gaining a famous 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium last month.

“Jurgen Klopp’s side have kept a clean sheet in 12 of their last 16 home Premier League games and I feel it will be difficult for the Eagles, managed by former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson, to create goalscoring opportunities. “Another Liverpool home win for me.”