The sport’s very biggest stars may be missing from the Olympics men’s football tournament, but others have stepped up to make an impact over the last two weeks. AFP Sport picks out four key players to follow in Friday’s final between hosts France and Spain: Jean-Philippe Mateta The bruising 27-year-old Crystal Palace striker scored 16 goals in the Premier League last season, including 14 in his last 16 appearances. Despite those impressive statistics, he was never likely to be called up to the full France squad for Euro 2024. But coach Thierry Henry chose him to lead the line at…
Author: UZDO Media
The All Progressives Congress Campaign Council in Kogi State has accused the Social Democratic Party of deliberately pushing out fake news using the identity of the party to claim victory. Recall that the SDP had been challenging the victory of Governor Usman Ododo on the November 11, 2023 governorship election. Whereas the election petition tribunal as well as the Appeal court have decided the outcome in favour of Ododo. A statement issued on Wednesday by the Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Council, Kingsley Fanwo, stated that the SDP had been adopting some surreptitious and nefarious publications to…
Terrorists have released the two abducted children of the slain lecturer of the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, the late Dr. Tiri Gyang, after spending about 37 days in their den. Gyang was killed by terrorists at his residence in Dutsinma while his two children were kidnapped by the hoodlums, PUNCH Metro learnt. Our correspondent learnt that the terrorists had earlier demanded an N20m ransom to release the children. However, it was not clear whether the exact amount was paid to secure their release. According to a source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted…
For the second time in 15 months, the family of a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd), has donated an ultramodern girls hostel to the University of Benin. In her remarks at the inauguration of the hostel on Wednesday, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Lilian Salami, said the edifice, named after the matriarch of the family, Daisy Danjuma, demonstrated a belief in girlchild and the development. She said, “We are here to celebrate someone who is just marvellous. I say so with no reservation. How can someone sit in her quiet corner and continue…
British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, has revealed that the United Kingdom government has so far given no fewer than 430,000 visas to Nigerians seeking to study and relocate to the European nation in 2024. Montgomery disclosed this during a meeting with the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja on Wednesday. He also assured the Federal Government that there would be adequate security measures in place for Nigerians in the UK. He noted that the UK remains a safe haven despite the ongoing unrest, highlighting the country’s diverse population. He explained further that…
A Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bello Makwashi, on Wednesday, charged the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Salman Garba, alongside other senior officers to sustain efforts toward ensuring public safety, robust intelligence gathering, and proactive measures to address emerging security challenges. Makwashi, who is the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Logistics and Supply, supervising the Northwest Geopolitical Zone on Wednesday, embarked on an on-the-spot assessment tour of the situation in Kano State. A press statement issued by the Kano State Police Command’s spokesman, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, stated that during the visit, Makwashi, on behalf of the Inspector-General…
The Nigeria Labour Congress has confirmed that its national office in Abuja was invaded by security operatives, believed to be from the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday night. According to a statement by NLC spokesperson Benson Upah, late on Wednesday, the operatives arrested the security guards, forcing them to hand over keys to the offices on the second floor. The operatives then broke into the floor, ransacked the bookshop, and stole hundreds of books and publications. The NLC condemned the invasion, stating that it was illegal and a violation of democratic principles. The organisation…
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum will deploy Girl Child Ambassadors across the 36 states in October, aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children in the country, estimated at 20 million. Although the Universal Basic Education Board Act of 2004 mandates free and compulsory basic education for all children in Nigeria, a significant number of children are still not enrolled in school. In a document exclusively obtained by The PUNCH and confirmed by NGF Education Advisor, Dr. Ebenezer Leo The Great, on Wednesday, the forum will collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Education and state governments to address girl child education.…
The Edo State government, on Wednesday, said it received some trucks of rice from the Federal Government early this year but described them as a drop in the ocean. “Twenty trucks of rice? We are close to seven million people in Edo State. How does that help?”Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, queried on Wednesday. Nehikhare, who addressed a press conference in Benin on Wednesday, said the clarification followed the insistence by the state All Progressives Congress, former governor Adams Oshiomhole and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Abubakar Momoh, that Edo State collected truckloads of rice from the…
The Nasarawa State Government has deployed health workers following the death of five children within 24 hours in the Gidinye community of Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Gidinye, one of the communities in the Jenkwe Development Area of the local government area, houses thousands of able-bodied men and women including children. Findings by PUNCH Metro on Wednesday revealed that the children, who were between the ages of five and 15, died after complaining of stomach aches, vomiting, and purging on Monday and Tuesday. Confirming the incident in Lafia on Wednesday, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Grace Tsakpa, said healthcare…