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The Federal Government has waded into the ordeal of the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Libya.
Naija News has reported that the Super Eagles flew to Libya on Sunday, October 13, in preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Mediterranean Knights at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15.
After landing at the Al Abraq Airport in Libya, the Super Eagles were left stranded for over 13 hours without any assistance from the host Libyan Football Federation.
The captain of the national team, William Troost-Ekong had also taken to his Instagram story to lament over the ill-treatment and announced that the Super Eagles have resolved not to honour the game.
Also, a statement from the NFF has confirmed that the football body is making arrangements to fly the national team back to Nigeria, which means that there is little or no chance of honoring Tuesday’s fixture.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Media and Communications Special Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, disclosed that the Minister has been in contact with the Super Eagles.
He disclosed that the Libyan authorities were yet to authorize the Nigerian Mission in Libya to travel to Bayda City where the Super Eagles are located.
Abdulkadir wrote on X: “Update: @YusufTuggar is in touch with the Nigerian Mission in Libya through the CDA Amb Stephen Anthony Awuru who has also been in touch with the NFF and Libyan authorities since last night, but Libyan authorities were yet to authorize them to travel to Bayda City where the airport is located.
“However, the CDA instructed the head of the Nigerian Community in Benghazi Mr Morris Eromosele who arrived there this morning with supplies and internet access.
“The Minister continues to monitor the unfortunate event through the CDA and awaits a report for further action.”
[NaijaNews]
Some members belonging to a faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) have publicly disowned Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as the leader of the party, burning the Kwankwasiya group’s iconic red cap.
The factional National Chairman of the party, Dr. Gilbert Agbo, who led the anti-Kwankwasiya campaign at the party’s secretariat in Minna, Niger State, accused the former Kano State governor and his Kwankwasiya group of being threats to the progress and existence of the party.
Speaking at the North-Central Zonal meeting of the faction in Minna, Agbo stated that Kwankwaso’s suspension by the National Working Committee in Lagos automatically terminated his membership and stake in the party.
Agbo who also led the burning of the group’s iconic red caps, maintained that the move signified a clear separation from the Kwankwaso’s leadership.
He added that the Kano State governor, Kabir Yusuf was also expected to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee for allegedly failing to comply with the party’s principles and supremacy.
Reacting to the development, the leader of the Kwankwasiya Movement in Niger State, Mallam Danladi Abdulhamid described Agbo-led national chairmanship of the party as illegal.
Abdulhamid stated that the move by the faction was meant to serve Agbo’s personal interests rather than the interests of the people.
He insisted that Kwankwaso remained the national leader of the party under Dr. Ahmed Ajuji’s leadership as chairman.
[Leadership]
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, has said that the removal of the Premium Motor Spirit(Petrol) subsidy by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has brought about price parity.
According to Channel Television, Kyari disclosed this in a recent interview with journalists.
He spoke on the back of the recent hike in fuel by NNPCL retail outlets to N1,030 per liter from N898.
Speaking on the important of fuel subsidy in June last year, Kyari said that it lead to an end to price arbitrage and deincentivized fuel smuggling to neighbouring countries.
“In the last 40 sometime years, PMS has always been subsidized. Fuel Subsidy created arbitrage, that is difference between the price in one location to the other.
“When Mr President announced the removal of fuel subsidy in June what it did was to calibrate price. There is no longer in the value of anyone taking the product to the borders”, he said.
Recall that in June 2024, Tinubu announced fuel subsidy removal which saw the price of fuel increase to above N517 per liter from around N238.
DAILY POST reports that the price hike increased several times in the last months as it stood at N1030 per liter in Abuja.
[DailyPost]
The World Bank says 26 poorest countries worldwide “are deeper in debt than at any other time since 2006,” while being increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters and other catastrophes.
In its analysis, the World Bank found that these 26 nations, which have an annual per capita income of less than 1,145 dollars a year, “are poorer today on average than they were on the eve of Covid-19, even though the rest of the world has largely recovered.”
“Yet international aid as a share of their GDP [gross domestic product] has dwindled to a two-decade low, starving many of much-needed affordable financing,” the World Bank said in a press release.
According to the world bank, the 26 nations examined are home to some 40 per cent of the global population most affected by poverty.
It added that 22 of the 26 low-income countries listed are in Africa, plus Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and North Korea.
Government debt is now 72 per cent of economic output on average, the highest level recorded in 18 years.
According to the World Bank, the ability of low-income economies to obtain low-cost financing has largely been exhausted, making the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) “their single-largest source of low-cost financing from abroad.”
The IDA plays a key role in the fight against global poverty. It provides grants and nearly interest-free loans to the most vulnerable economies and is crucial for the 26 poorest of them, according to the World Bank.
The World Bank also noted that low-income economies are much more prone to natural disasters than other developing countries.
According to the report, natural disasters caused annual losses averaging two per cent of economic output between 2011 and 2023, five times higher than the average for low-middle-income countries.
The costs of adapting to climate change are also far higher for low-income economies.
(dpa/NAN)
The Minister of Sports, John Enoh, has condemned the Libyan authorities’ treatment of the Super Eagles team ahead of its second leg match slated for Tuesday in the country.
The Nigerian contingent, who were billed to land in Benghazi for the second leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, scheduled for Tuesday, was unexpectedly diverted mid-flight to Al Abraq, a small airport typically reserved for hajj operations.
The unexpected diversion left the players and officials stranded without any assistance from the Libyan Football Federation, which failed to provide transportation.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Monday, Enoh said he had reported the incident to all necessary authorities, adding that the focus was the safety of the senior men’s team.
The minister described the current situation of the Super Eagles as an ‘almost hostage’ situation.
The statement reads, “I strongly condemn the obnoxious treatment meted out to players and officials of the Senior National Team, the Super Eagles, who arrived in Libya yesterday, the 13th of October, for the reverse version of the match played on Friday in Uyo, the AFCON 2025 Group D qualifiers.
“The National Team was en route to Benghazi but was diverted on approach the airport(with very scant attention to their safety) to Al Abaq Airport, which is hours away from Benghazi, where their match is slated to take place.
“All through the night, I have escalated the matter and involved all necessary authorities. From the Foreign Affairs Minister, the National Security Adviser, the DG NIA, Amaju Pinnick, our CAF Executive member. I have also remained in touch with both the president of the NFF, who is on the ground with the team and the Chairman of Value Jet, owners of the plane that airlifted the team to Libya.
“All hands must be on deck to protect our National Team. The Team have succinctly stated that they have been unattended to for upwards of about 15 hrs since arrival, with no food, no accommodation, left in a mosquito-infested environment and cordoned off by Libyan security not to step out of the airport, and they have access to nothing. To say the least, they face an almost ‘hostage’ situation. These are sportsmen set to compete in an AFCON qualifying match come Tuesday!
“For now, our primary concern is the safety of the members of our national team. With the events of the past hours, their safety is not guaranteed, and the team insists they’re unable to go ahead with the match not just because of the trauma and consequent psychological torture but also because of fear for their safety.
The minister stated that he had directed the Nigeria Football Federation President to lay a formal complaint to the Confederation of African Football to take action on the matter.
He said, “As Sports Minister, I have instructed the NFF president to lay a formal complaint to CAF without prejudice to any actions already taken. This must be on record and thoroughly addressed. This morning, I was on a conference call with the CAF President and CAF Secretary General.
“While the CAF President’s concern seems to be what to do to get the national team to participate in tomorrow’s match, I have instead informed CAF that the concern of the Government and people of Nigeria is first, the safety of the team and their safe return, urging that CAF should focus on working with us to achieve this. There must be a serious adverse conseqùence to the Libyan football federation for this unspeakable behaviour.
“This can not be done by insisting that Nigeria still takes part in this match, given the very obvious situation. I strongly condemn the obnoxious treatment meted out to players and officials of the Senior National Team, the Super Eagles, who arrived in Libya yesterday, the 13th of October, for the reverse version of the match played on Friday in Uyo, the AFCON 2025 Group D qualifiers.
“The National Team was en route to Benghazi but was diverted on approach the airport(with very scant attention to their safety), to Al Abaq Airport, which is hours away from Benghazi, where their match is slated to take place.”
Enoh stated that he has escalated the ill-treatment meted out to the Super Eagles by the Libyan authorities since they landed at the Al Abaq Airport on Sunday to all concerned authorities.
He added, “All through the night, I have escalated the matter and involved all necessary authorities. From the Foreign Affairs Minister, the National Security Adviser, the DG NIA, Amaju Pinnick, our CAF Executive member.
“I have also remained in touch with both the president of the NFF, who is on the ground with the team and the Chairman of Value Jet, owners of the plane that airlifted the team to Libya. All hands must be on deck to protect our National Team.
“The Team have succinctly stated that they have been unattended to for upwards of about 15 hrs since arrival, with no food, no accommodation, left in a mosquito-infested environment and cordoned off by Libyan security not to step out of the airport, and they have access to nothing.
“To say the least, they face an almost ‘hostage’ situation. These are sportsmen set to compete in an AFCON qualifying match come Tuesday! For now, our primary concern is the safety of the members of our national team.”
[Punch]
Super Eagles forward, Victor Boniface, has raised his voice after the team were left stranded at Al Abraq International Airport in Libya, ahead Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against the Mediterranean Knights.
Blueprint reports that Super Eagles players and officials were stranded at the airport after arriving in Libya on Sunday evening, a development which has prompted the NFF to mull boycotting the game.
Speaking on the incident via his X account on Monday morning, Boniface, a Bayer Leverkusen forward said the Nigerian team have been stranded at the Libyan airport for about 13 hours.
“Been at the airport for almost 13 hours no food no wifi nowhere to sleep. African we can do better,” Boniface wrote.
[blueprint]
Nigeria’s oil production, including condensates, declined to 1.544 million barrels per day (bpd) in September 2024, down from 1.570 million bpd in August 2024, reflecting a 1.7 per cent decrease month-on-month.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) revealed this in its October 2024 Crude Oil and Condensate Production report.
Developing story…
[Vanguard]
A two-storey building has collapsed in the Orile-Iganmu area of Surulere, Lagos.
The incident occurred at about 8am on Monday.
Social media footage showed the moment the building caved in as people in the vicinity scampered for safety.
Nosa Okunbor, head of public affairs unit of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said there were no casualties from the incident.
“LASEMA Response Teams in Search & Rescue Operation at a self-collapsed building on Amusu Street, Baale Bus Stop, Orile Iganmu,” he said.
“Incident summary: Transmitted at 08:54am; No Casualties.”
Okunbor said the agency would share more information in the coming hours.
In July, three site workers died when a building collapsed in the Maryland area of Lagos. The incident occurred at No 13, Wilson Mba street, Arowojobe Estate.
Three other site workers were rescued alive and were rushed to hospital.
Building collapses are commonplace in Lagos — Nigeria’s commercial capital and most populous city.
[TheCable]
Falz, the Nigerian singer, has shared his unsuccessful attempts at engaging in threesomes.
A threesome is when three people engage in sexual activities with each other.
Speaking on the Over The Top show, the ‘Ndi Ike’ singer disclosed that he attempted a threesome twice but it did not go well on both occasions.
Falz said he sought professional help to understand why his threesome experiences were unsuccessful. The 33-year-old said he was told the problem was because he was “planning it”.
The rapper said he was also advised to allow the act to happen spontaneously.
“What might be interesting to note is that I have only attempted it twice and on both occasions, they did not really go well. To answer your question, the last time was about two years ago or so,” he said.
“This is because, after that second time, I was like I give up. I also spoke to some professionals and they said to me that the problem is that you are planning it. They said just let it happen.”
Falz, who rose to fame in 2009, is renowned for using his music to address societal issues and bad governance. Some of his popular tracks include ‘Wehdone Sir’, ‘Child of the World’, and ‘Talk’.
His impressive career has earned him multiple awards, including ‘Album of the Year’ at the 2016 City People Entertainment Awards.
Aside from his music career, Falz has also made a mark in Nollywood. He made his movie debut in ‘Couple of Days’ (2016).
Falz was recently involved in controversy when activist VeryDarkMan shared a purported audio conversation wherein Bobrisky, the social media celebrity, claimed he and Femi Falana, his father, helped drop the money laundering charges against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
[TNG]
Samson Dauda, the Nigerian-born bodybuilder representing the United Kingdom, has been crowned the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Mr. Olympia is an annual bodybuilding competition and title awarded to the professional men’s bodybuilding contest winner in the open division at Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend. The international bodybuilding competition is sanctioned by the IFBB Professional League.
Dauda made history by winning the 60th Mr. Olympia contest at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada, United States.
He defeated top competitors on Saturday with Hadi Choopan taking the runner-up spot, while 2023 champion Derek Lunsford secured the third position.
Dauda also became the first bodybuilder of Nigerian descent to win the Mr. Olympia competition.
He previously finished third in the 2023 Mr. Olympia. This year, he won the title and was named People’s Champion, receiving a championship belt and trophy.
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Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti State, has said the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi is currently the voice of the opposition and not his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP counterpart, Atiku Abubakar.
Fayose, who spoke on Sunday during an interview on Channels TV, dismissed chances of his party, the PDP to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 presidential election.
Lamenting the leadership crisis rocking the party, the former governor said PDP members no longer have a party.
”As I always say, we can defeat the APC but when we don’t have a party again, how can we defeat them?” He queried.
Fayose, who also urged Atiku to stop contesting elections in Nigeria, said, “when we complain about the APC and we don’t have a party and you can say you will do this and that, but when Obi is the voice of the opposition now.
“The press will call Obi than call the PDP and when the Publicity Secretary is suspending people and vice-versa, so where is the party?”
The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested 26-year-old Nura Mas’ud, a resident of Mu’azu village of Sule Tankarkar LGA, for allegedly setting his 60-year-old grandmother, Zuwaira Muhammad, ablaze.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Sunday that Mrs Muhammad had repeatedly expressed concern over her grandson’s physical appearance and mental health status, who is said to be mentally unstable.
Mas’ud was said to have been provoked by his grandmother’s frequent inquiries and warned her to stop but she continued.
In a confessional audio clip made available to PUNCH Metro, Mas’ud said he was fed up with his grandmother’s endless inquiries about his health status.
He noted that his decision to set her ablaze using petrol had put to a halt her questioning.
“She frequently asked about my health, and I asked her what was happening to me but she kept mum. That was what informed my decision to pour petrol on her,” Mas’ud stated.
When contacted, the Jigawa State Police Command’s spokesman, Shiisu Lawan Adam, who confirmed the tragic incident to our correspondent, stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect, who is suffering from mental derangement, has been receiving treatment at the Kazaure Psychiatric Hospital.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is suffering from mental illness and has been receiving treatment at the Kazaure Psychiatric Hospital”, Lawan emphasised.
“One Nura Mas’ud, ‘m’, age 26 years of Mu’azu village, Sule Tankarkar LGA, went to his family house with a petrol canister and suddenly poured it on his grandmother, Zuwaira Muhammad, ‘f’, aged 60 years, of the same address, and set her ablaze”, Lawan said.
According to him, the victim died while receiving treatment at a hospital, adding that the suspect had voluntarily confessed to have committed the offence because of the endless enquiries the victim was making about his life on several occasions.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has appointed Professor Toyin Ogundipe as the new Chairman and Pro Chancellor of the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
Prof. Ogundipe before his appointment was the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos.
Professor Ogundipe, DAILY POST gathered, replaces Pastor Ezekiel Odeyemi, the Assistant General Overseer in charge of Training and Education of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Adetunji Adeleye on Monday in Osogbo.
According to the statement, the other members of the reconstituted Governing Council are: “Professor Shadrach Olufemi Akindele, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ahmed Parker Yerima, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olalere Gabriel Adeyemi, representing the University Senate, Professor Christian Happi, representing the University Senate, Professor Idowu Odebode, the University Congregation, Professor Emmanuel Ajav, representing the RCCG, Pastor (Mrs.) Tomi Somefun, representing the RCCG, Pastor Sola Olukoya, representing the RCCG, Dr. Olaniyi Salau (Legal Practitioner) representing the RCCG, Mr. Tobi Aniyi, representing the Redeemer’s University Alumni, Mrs. Funmilayo Olusola Kolade, representing the National Universities Commission, and Mrs. Mojisola Oje who is the Registrar and Secretary to the Council.
Former Green Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, has passed away.
Naija News reports that sad news was announced by his longtime friend and ex-international, Segun Odegbami, on Sunday.
Odegbami revealed that Fregene died peacefully after a prolonged illness, with his wife, Tina, and two of his children by his side.
The football legend, who had been on life support for the past week, finally succumbed to his health challenges, marking the end of an era for Nigerian football.
Earlier this year, Odegbami had publicly sought financial assistance for Fregene’s medical care.
In a statement issued in March, he shared that the former goalkeeper was hospitalized in Sapele, Delta State, and required urgent medical attention.
Although some support was provided, including an ambulance covered by Tony Ojesina, more funds were still needed for further treatment at a teaching hospital.
Odegbami also used the opportunity to highlight the absence of a functional welfare system for retired athletes in Nigeria, lamenting the hardships many face in their later years.
In his update on Sunday, Odegbami expressed his grief, writing, “A few minutes ago, Peter ‘Apo’ Fregene, OLY, former goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Green Eagles, who has been on life support for the past one week, passed on to meet his creator. He died quietly in the presence of his two children and his devoted wife, Tina.”
Fregene’s legacy is well remembered, especially his standout performances for Nigeria’s national team in the 1960s and 70s, including his participation in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.
Known for his incredible reflexes and shot-stopping ability, Fregene earned the nicknames ‘Apo’ and ‘Flying Cat,’ a testament to his agility and skill between the posts.
Tributes have since poured in from across the sports community, honoring his contributions to Nigerian football and his impact on the generations that followed.