Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan has reacted to the loss of her world women’s 100m hurdles crown to Jamaica’s Danielle Williams on Thursday in Budapest.

Speaking after the race, Amusan said she will be back “stronger” next year.

It was quite “a journey getting into the final” despite all I had gone through in the last couple of weeks, the track and field sensation told journalists after the race.

“It has been God, my team and my family,” the 2022 gold winner told reporters.

She thanked all her fans for supporting her through the ups and downs, promising that she will be back stronger.

Amusan hopes to get her “medal” back next year.

“Yeah, it’s a tough one; nobody likes to lose but considering what I have gone through in the past couple of months, I’m so grateful that I came out,” she enthused.

Williams, the 30-year-old, who previously won in Beijing in 2015, timed 12.43 seconds to edge out Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico (12.44sec) with Kendra Harrison of the United States taking bronze (12.46).

Amusan and 2019 winner Nia Ali were never in the hunt, finishing sixth and last respectively.

Amusan was cleared of doping violations with the provisional suspension on her lifted ahead of the championship.

Last month, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) provisionally suspended the Nigerian track and field athlete for three missed whereabouts failures.

The suspension was announced after it was discovered that Amusan had missed three drug tests within a 12-month period. This charge carried a two-year suspension term, even if an athlete has never failed a drug test.

Ultimately, the Disciplinary Tribunal announced the verdict which stated, “Tobi Amusan has not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period”.

The claims that Julius Abure has been sacked as the national chairman of the Labour Party by the Appeal Court are false, the party hierarchy has said.

The party said the judgement of the appellate court is, in fact, a fatal blow to the suit of the Lamidi Apapa-led faction.

LP leadership said the Court of Appeal in Owerri dismissed the appeal filed by one Mr Basil Maduka, who it said is contending for the Labour Party governorship candidacy for Imo State.

The LP, therefore, called on members, supporters and the general public to distance themselves from what it described as “falling and compromised members of the party”, who it said have since been shoved out of the party.

The party in a statement issued on Thursday by the LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, claimed that Apapa’s camp had misinformed the public by twisting the judgement of the appellate court.

There were reports in some newspaper on Wednesday that the Court of Appeal in Owerri on Thursday sacked Julius Abure as Labour Party National Chairman.

It was also alleged that the court, in the same judgement, recognised Lamidi Apapa as the National Chairman of the party.

According to the statement, the court held that the appeal was not necessary as the decision of the trial court was in its favour and that mere comments of the trial judge in the matter was not a judgement and, therefore, should be discountenanced.

Ifoh explained that the Labour Party had asked the Court of Appeal to quash the comments of the trial court in the Federal High Court in Owerri and also told the court that Senator Athan Achonu won the party’s primaries.

He further added that “It is, therefore, important to state that neither the Federal High Court Owerri nor the Court of Appeal Owerri, which sat in Abuja today, made any orders in the matter other than for lack of locus standi against the plaintiff (Basil Maduka).”

The party rather insisted that “the status quo remains with Senator Athan Achonu as the validly nominated candidate of Labour Party for 2023 Imo governorship election”.

Explaining further, Ifoh stated that the Court of Appeal judgement and the endorsement of Senator Achonu by its national leader Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and other stakeholders and party members, have settled the gubernatorial ticket issue.

A new report has revealed that a rising number of Nigerians are falling victim to a deceitful scheme that involves paying substantial amounts in naira for job opportunities that do not actually exist within the United Kingdom’s skilled worker visa system.

The recent investigative exposé by Sky News, released on Wednesday, highlighted the distressing situation of Nigerian migrants coerced by “travelling agents” into paying exorbitant sums to enter the UK, only to find themselves stranded and without the promised employment upon their arrival.

According to the report, a Nigerian woman, who paid £10,000 to an “agent” for a skilled worker visa that was supposed to secure her a job as a carer in the UK, has been left stranded.

The unnamed woman said she arrived only to find out the job did not exist upon her arrival.

The report showed “how the skilled worker visa system is being abused, with middlemen allegedly being paid huge sums of money to arrange jobs in the UK as carers that do not exist. Many of those who can’t get work are struggling to survive, turning to food banks and even sleeping rough.”

The founder of the Nigerian Community Centre in Rochdale, Mary Adekugbe, says those on skilled worker visas now needing support is a big issue that is increasing her workload—something she describes as “shameful”.

“About 15 of the 35–40 people who generally come to the weekly food bank have skilled worker visas. We are overwhelmed. People are desperate. It’s so worrying,” she said.

Also, a community volunteer, Jones Adekube, lamented the situation of another homeless lady who was too shy to speak with the correspondent.

Adekube said, “Last week we gave her bread and tuna because that’s what she can eat easily without cooking or warming.

“She did some work when she came in. Initially, they gave her one shift a week, which is 12 hours a week. As time went on, there were no shifts.”

According to the report, in the 12 months to March 2023, 170,993 skilled worker visas have been awarded. In the health and care sector alone, grants have increased over two and a half times and represent over half of all work visas issued in the same period.

The management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has confirmed that Hannatu Musawa, the minister of art, culture and creative economy, is a serving corps member.

This follows a claim by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), a civil society organisation, that Musawa is undertaking the one-year mandatory youth service scheme while she is still a member of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.

Eddy Megwa, director of press and public relations at the NYSC headquarters, confirmed to TheCable on Thursday, that the minister is a corps member.

“Yes she is a serving corp member,” Megwa wrote in a message to TheCable when he was contacted for enquiries.

On Monday, President Tinubu swore in 45 ministers, including Musawa as members of the federal executive council (FEC).

But in a statement on Wednesday, HURIWA claimed that the culture minister is a member of NYSC, whose place of primary assignment is a law firm in Abuja.

When contacted by TheCable, the minister did not answer calls put through her mobile phone, nor did she reply to messages sent to get her response.

The rights group asked the management of the NYSC to compel Musawa to focus on her national youth service or the ministerial appointment.

“HURIWA wondered why the correct status of Musawa wasn’t made known to the members of the public before the senate sensationally failed to screen her as it should,” the statement reads.

“HURIWA wonders about the kind of scrutiny being conducted by the Department of State Services so much so that it wasn’t disclosed that the minister is actually a youth corper.”

The rights group alleged that years back, Musawa abandoned her NYSC in Ebonyi state but later showed interest in completing it.

The organisation added that the minister was mobilised this year and got posted to a law firm in Abuja before President Tinubu picked her as a nominee.

“She was confirmed by the senate without proper screening and sworn in by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as minister of arts, “HURIWA further alleged.

BACKGROUND

In September 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari nominated Musawa as a national commissioner representing the north-west geopolitical zone on the national pension commission board.

But the senate in October of the same year rejected her nomination over a report from the committee on establishment and public service matters that Musawa failed to provide her NYSC certificate or exemption letter.

An NYSC certificate or exemption letter is a mandatory requirement for those seeking public offices on the basis of election or appointment.

When the culture minister appeared before the senate during the ministerial screening, the lawmakers did not ask her any questions regarding her NYSC certificate.

WHAT THE NYSC ACT SAYS

However, according to the NYSC act, those who are 30 years and above are exempted from taking part in the mandatory one-year scheme.

Others who are excluded are those who have served in the armed forces of the federation or the Nigeria police force for a period of more than nine months, or a staff member of the Nigerian security organisation, the state security service, the national intelligence agency, the defence intelligence service or anyone who has been conferred with any national honour.

…Says Two-Year Loan Repayment Period Too Short

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the members of the House of Representatives to amend the Student Loan Act such that access to loans would become less stringent for interested students.

The union added that the criteria for access to the loan according to the Act were too stringent, and the 2-year time frame for repayment should be reviewed to 4 – 5 years as that was too short.

The NANS President, Usman Barambu, made the call while speaking at the legislative summit on student loans and access to higher education, organized by the ad-hoc committee on Thursday in Abuja.

He asked that the list of guarantors needed to access the loans be looked into, as most students would be unable to meet that requirement.

Barambu also urged the House to include students on the board as well as representatives of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, as opposed to only members of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

“Student loan is for us and there is no student representation on the board. The board only captured NUC sidelining the polytechnic and colleges of education, they should all be included for fairness and equity.

“Also, the method of payment should be looked into as most students are not able to find their ground financially two years after graduation, it should be revised to 4 to 5 years. The Act also gives no room for forgiveness in cases of death, especially for security officers, that should also be looked into,” he said.

The Nigerian Telecommunications Commission on Thursday disclosed that Nigeria was rated eleventh in terms of Internet penetration and seventh in terms of mobile phone usage worldwide.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Umar Danbatta, said this at the opening ceremony of the two-day Emerging Technology Forum for the Telecommunications Industry in Abuja.

The EVC, who spoke through the Head, Spectrum Database Management, NCC, Abraham Oshadami, stated that the worldwide data gathered by the NRI team demonstrated that digital transformation was a global need in order to optimise the social and economic effects of the digital era.

He added that the NRI examined the performance of 131 economies across four categories: technology (infrastructure), governance, people, and effect.

He said, “Nigeria is a telecommunications powerhouse, accounting for 82 per cent of the continent’s telecom subscribers and 29 per cent of the continent’s internet consumption.”

“Our country ranks eleventh in the world for Internet penetration and seventh in mobile phone usage.

“The NRI team’s global data shows that digital transformation is a global imperative for maximising the social and economic effects of the digital era. Despite these remarkable metrics, our Network Readiness Index (NRI) ranking for 2022 of 109th out of 131 countries is both humbling and challenging.”

Danbatta went on to state that, as representatives of social and economic development in the country, prioritising network preparedness is not only a strategic need but also a mission.

“It can create new inequalities, which can hinder the ability of younger generations to engage in the digital economy, but it also remains a powerful way to do more with less at all levels of income. Formal education is evolving, and metrics are important to support informed policy making.”

Serena Williams, widely hailed as the greatest female tennis player of all time, is solidifying her position as one of the world’s multimillionaires, with her net worth soaring to new heights.

The tennis icon, also recognized as one of the wealthiest Black women in America, has experienced a remarkable surge in her financial fortunes, with her net worth inching closer to the coveted $300-million mark.

According to a recent report by Forbes, a U.S. business magazine renowned for tracking the wealth of ultra-high net-worth individuals, Williams has witnessed a substantial $30 million increase in her net worth since the beginning of this year, rising from $260 million on Jan. 1 to $290 million on Aug. 24.

This surge in Williams’ fortune follows a significant boost of $20 million in 2022, when her net worth leaped from $240 million to $260 million.

Over the past three years, her net worth has witnessed a notable surge of $65 million, soaring from $225 million in 2020 to her present $290 million.

The accomplished tennis star, who gracefully retired from professional tennis in 2022, has left an indelible mark on the court and established herself as one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.

Her earnings in 2022, a staggering $45.3 million, were primarily the result of lucrative endorsement deals inked with prominent brands such as Nike, Lincoln, and Michelob Ultra. In a significant testament to her influence and success, Williams secured the 49th position on Forbes’ esteemed list of the highest-paid athletes globally.

Throughout her professional career since debuting in 1995, her earnings have accumulated to an astonishing $470 million, underscoring her status as a trailblazer both in the realm of sports achievements and financial triumphs.

Looking towards the future, Williams is expanding her horizons beyond the tennis court. Her focus has shifted toward private equity investments, a domain she has been exploring through her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures.

A testament to her acumen, the firm has raised an impressive $111 million from investors, facilitating the creation of a diverse portfolio featuring 60 firms.

What sets Williams’ investment approach apart is her commitment to promoting underrepresented communities.

A remarkable 78 percent of her investments are dedicated to companies founded by individuals from marginalized groups, whether people of color or women.

The Minister of Information and Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has responded to Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, after he accused the Bola Tinubu administration of failing to properly plan for the economic consequences of removing petrol subsidy.

Idris said Obaseki’s absence from National Economic Council (NEC) meetings led by Vice President Kashim Shettima resulted in his lack of knowledge about the reliefs and support measures initiated by the Tinubu administration to alleviate the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on citizens.

Governor Obaseki on Wednesday raised concerns about the impact of the administration’s alleged incompetence on the “weakest and most vulnerable” members of society during an interactive session with journalists in Benin, the Edo State capital.

The governor, who is a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), spoke against the backdrop that some states were yet to receive the N5 billion earmarked as part of the Federal Government’s palliative package for each state.

But reacting, Idris first clarified that the removal of fuel subsidy had been widely advocated by Nigerians, state governors from various political parties, as well as global institutions like the World Bank and IMF.

He noted that Edo State under Obaseki had significantly benefited from the fuel subsidy removal, resulting in a substantial increase in federal allocations to the state.

The financial boost, according to the minister, was evidence of the positive impact of the policy change on state finances.

Idris challenged Governor Obaseki to explain to the people of Edo why he absented himself from “the two NEC meetings under the current administration”.

The minister advised that rather than shift “focus to the nation’s economic challenges as cannon fodder to divert attention from his poor performance at the state level,” the governor should pay attention on “how the Edo State Government will be using available resources to drive impactful projects that genuinely uplift the people of Edo State.”

Idris noted some of the measures taken by the Tinubu administration to mitigate impact of fuel subsidy removal to include the allocation of N5 billion to each state for the purchase of food items for distribution to families.

The measures, he added, include the establishment of a committee by NEC to negotiate a new national minimum wage with Labor Unions and to review salaries for public sector employees.

“President Tinubu is guiding our country through very challenging times. We are supremely confident that we will soon turn the corner into a prosperous future.

“What is required at this time is for leaders at all levels to cooperatively bind together to make life better for Nigerians, not to play cheap politics that serves no better purpose.

“As President Tinubu has admonished, the time for politics and politicking is over. We are now in the season of the serious business of governance to build a stronger, more viable, socially cohesive and more prosperous Nigeria,” Idris affirmed.

Confusion over the leadership of Labour Party (LP) continued, yesterday, as the Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, removed Julius Abure as national chairman.

The court, consequently, recognised Lamidi Apapa as national chairman and the one Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should deal with, in terms of candidates of the party for the coming Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

The court also ordered INEC to immediately recognise and publish the names of candidates produced by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states for the governorship elections.

The court further annulled the candidature of Senator Athan Achonu for the governorship of Imo State and others produced for other states by the Abure-led faction.

In April, Apapa had said his suspension as a member of the party was invalid and that he remained the ‘legitimate acting chairman.’

The ruling followed judgment of the Court of Appeal in Benin City on April 14, which affirmed Abure as national chairman.

In the case of Mr. Lucky Shaibu v. Julius Abure & 5 ORS (Appeal No: CA/B/93/2023), Justices Theresa Ngolika Orji Abadua, Fatima Omoro Akinbami, and Sybil O. Nwaka-Gbagi, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal of the appellant.

Shaibu, who claimed to be a member of LP in the Ward 3 executive, in Esan North East local council of Edo State, had suspended the LP chairman.

In her lead judgment, Justice Abadua affirmed the decision of the High Court of Edo State and held that one man could not suspend the national chairman, in line with Article 13 and 17 of the constitution of the party and extant Electoral Act of 2022, particularly when the appellant has been described by the party as unknown.

Also, the state High Court in Edo had dismissed the notice of suspension of Abure by some LP members at his ward in Edo State.
Reacting, the Lamidi Apapa faction maintained that the ruling on the Imo governorship primaries has invalidated all off-season governorship primary elections conducted by the Abure faction.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Apapa insisted that the Federal High Court order restraining Abure from parading himself as LP chairman is yet to be vacated.

He said the Court of Appeal judgment in Benin City, which affirmed Abure as national chairman, was a civil matter.

Apapa said: “The Edo state issue, more or less, has to do with civil matters. The excos in Edo suspended him and they went to court because of that, and they don’t have the right to suspend him. I’m talking about ward level.

“But the FCT restraining order has to do with criminal matters. It is between the state and Abure, and nobody is above the law. That’s the difference between the civil matter and a criminal matter.

“The order of FCT has not been vacated, and that is why on the basis of that, the Appeal court reaffirmed that by the time he conducted his primary, a restraining order was in place. And up till today, the order is still in force. That’s the difference between the two.”

Apapa said he was ready for reconciliation, adding that the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, acted against the judgment of the court during the party’s mega rally in Edo, held earlier this week

He said: “From the look of things, you will also agree with me that the day before yesterday, our principal and Abure went to Owerri, despite the court order against them, that Ikenga was the right person for Imo State.

“He went ahead and raised somebody’s hands; somebody that had been asked not to go ahead by the judgment of Imo State. Today, it has also been reaffirmed by the Appeal Court. I don’t know what he will do again, whether he will reaffirm that again.

“What I want everybody to know is that nobody is above the law. Anybody who is above the law should not be in politics because it’s a creation of law, and where you are disobeying the law that provides you the authority, then you are not supposed to lead the people. So, like I said, we are ready for reconciliation but not at our expense.”