As David Adeleke, the famed music star pretended to be unavailable as the world spun around him over his latest sexual adventures, a political dimension to the marital infidelities of one of the country’s biggest musical stars began to emerge.

Indeed, by Friday afternoon, the issues flowing from the revelations about Davido and his alleged moral failures were dovetailing into an informal cultural war between Nigeria and America.

The controversy came after two ladies, the American, Anita Brown, and a French lady, Ivanna Bay in the space of days claimed to have been impregnated by Davido.

For most of the week, Nigerians and the world had entertained themselves with the perceived deficits in the marital bond of the David Adelekes. Indeed, some spiritual entrepreneurs even developed messages for Chioma, the wife.

Well, that was until yesterday morning that the alleged sexual eruptions of Davido began to take a political hue.

As many Nigerians know, Davido is not just an ordinary musician. He has along the way also espoused political ideas emitting from the inclinations of his family.

Davido comes from what one can describe as the most political family in Osun State. His paternal grandfather, Senator Raji Adeleke represented Oyo State in the Second Republic Senate.

Two of his uncles, Ademola and Isiaka followed up to be senators and also governors of present-day Osun State. Indeed, it is one family that has bettered the Sarakis, having produced one more governor to the three senators that the two families have each produced.

Indeed, the politics in the Adeleke family your correspondent understands, defies sexes. Indeed, the political powerhouse of the family is one of Davido’s aunties popularly referred to as Auntie Yemisi. She is the one who gives the political directions for the men to act!

When Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa pushed the last-minute deals that helped Ademola to trounce the incumbent governor at that time, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola in the 2022 governorship election, Auntie Yemisi was said to have been the fulcrum serving political instructions and also reportedly providing food as she is also said to be a good cook!

Besides defeating the then-incumbent governor who is a family relative of President Bola Tinubu in 2022, the Adeleke family was able to deliver the state to Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.

Davido’s political frame is also further defined by his parentage. While his father is known to be Yoruba, his mother, the late Dr Victoria Adeleke was Edo, and his paternal grandmother, Mrs Nnena Adeleke from Enugu.

So, when Nigerians woke up on Friday morning to the rants of Anita Brown over her fallout with Davido, they continued to entertain themselves with the foibles of the musician.

That was until she ranted a collective insult on all Nigerians.

Miss Anita in her offensive tweet wrote:

“Evil ass Nigerians. Sacrificing babies and shit. I would never want part(s) in no demonic culture!”

The comment triggered a national outrage as reported by GWG.ng bringing Nigerians of different political shades to rally round the flag. It was not surprising that the caustic comments caused Anita Brown to lock her comment section.

One Twitter user noticing the unity among Nigerians on the issue pointed out how Anita Brown may have inadvertently helped to unite Nigerians irrespective of the failures of Davido.

He wrote: “You don’t drag Nigerians together. You’re supposed to pitch one tribe against the other. This way, at least you’ll have the support of one. But now, you don unite us.”

You could imagine if Anita Brown had castigated Davido as a poorly brought up Yoruba boy who lacks the spirit of Omoluabi. Twitter would have cheered if she slammed him for marrying an Ibo like his grandmother and inputted. Twitter would have overflowed with excitement.

Imagine she had said that Davido was a moral wreck who did not see marital fidelity of Bola Tinubu to one wife in Remi.

You could well have also imagined that such a comment would have caused on Twitter as many Nigerians would have taken sides either deprecating the president for his other gaffes or taking aim at PDP leaders over their own moral issues.

Indeed, unlike the united front that Nigerians brought against Anita Brown, you would have seen APC, PDP, and Obidient tweeps taking different positions with some backing Anita.

However, Anita’s failure to diagnose the cracks in Nigeria’s political landscape speaks much about her person. One tweep on Friday dismissed her as a common street girl. Others saw her as being like many Americans ignorant of the world beyond the west and east coasts.

Anita Brown failed to exploit the political divisions in Nigeria and as such suffered the indignity of the joint resolve of Nigerians that forced her to lock her comment section.

Indeed, this tells us that Nigerians if allowed to freely express themselves would do wonders. Only if the leaders will allow them.

It’s now one month that Asíwájú Bola Tinubu has mounted the saddle as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One month in office may be considered too short a period of time for any objective assessment of the impact of the decisions and policy options of a government on the nation and the people, but the period can at least give an idea of where the government is headed, as they say, that the morning is a pointer to what the day may look like. The one-month of the Bola Tinubu administration in office has been marked by pragmatic solutions and ideas, decisive decisions and breath-taking actions at a fast pace such that some have nicknamed the President “Baba Go-fast”.

The media has been awash with reports of all the remarkable decisions taken by the government, notably the removal of the humongous fuel subsidy through which some greedy oil merchants were cashing out at the expense of the poor the subsidy was meant to help, the unification of the multiple exchange rates where arbitrage walked on all fours and the signing into laws of landmark bills like the new electricity and student loans legislation.

With the new electricity law, states, companies and individuals can now generate, transmit and distribute electricity, meaning this important power has been devolved down the ladder. Under the Student Loans law, indigent students will no longer drop out of universities on account of their inability to pay school fees. They will now be offered loans to pay their fees and repay the government later.

During the period also, the president granted audience to important dignitaries like former military Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, state governors (he even inaugurated the national economic council headed by Vice President Kashim Shettima), humanists and philanthropists like Bill Gates and Alhaji Aliko Dangote who came to discuss issues around polio and malaria eradication, among others.

On the global stage, President Tinubu has also represented the country remarkably well. On his first official trip outside the country after assuming office, he attended the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris, France, where he announced to the whole world that Nigeria is back and ready for business. His administration will ease the structures and processes of doing business and ensure investors can repatriate their profits home anytime they want to. The president sounded a note of warning to unscrupulous civil servants and business people and other wayward Nigerians that it would no longer be business as usual in Nigeria.

On the sidelines of the summit, he met with Afreximbank President B. O. Oramah and AfDB President Akinwunmi Adesina among others during which he extracted commitments from them about using facilities in their institutions to aid Nigeria’s economic development.

I have taken time to chronicle some of the giant strides recorded within just a month by the Bola Tinubu administration in order to underscore the significance of these initiatives and point out that these evidently important decisions and actions did not come about by accident or by chance. No, they were properly planned and designed. Though some were part of the promises the president made to Nigerians during the electioneering and enunciated in his manifesto christened “Agenda for a Renewed Hope for Nigerians,” I dare say that these actions were born of courage, conviction, clear vision and empathy on the part of Mr President.

The audacious courage and clear vision behind the solutions the president has offered in just four weeks and other remarkable decisions wherein he demonstrated good leadership remain largely clearly unstated by the media and it’s the focus of this piece.

For instance, only a bold and courageous leader with eyes on the country’s progress and economic development would frontally confront and remove the subsidy monster, which had sounded the death knell of at least one president and defied the seemingly tough posture of another. Tinubu made the removal of the subsidy a campaign promise, telling the people that if elected, he would yank it off and free the money for the development of necessary infrastructure for the people. Many political aspirants in our climes would never toy with subsidy, talk less promise its removal before the election for fear that it may work against them at the poll. On assumption of office on May 29, the president removed the subsidy albatross on the nation’s economic neck, which gulped a whooping N3.36 trillion in the first half of this year.

The government is now moving speedily to put in place compensatory palliatives to cushion the biting effects of the subsidy removal on the masses. Some people reckon that the president should move a step further by going after the unpatriotic oil merchants and cabals who had turned the subsidy funds into their personal ATM. It is noteworthy that despite the inevitable and undeniable hardships the inescapable imperative of fuel subsidy removal has exposed the vast majority of Nigerians to, the people have obviously decided to exercise faith in the Tinubu administration and to give it the benefit of the doubt that its policies will ultimately turn out to manifest in the greatest good for the greatest number of the people.

Indeed, appraising the policy options and initiatives of President Tinubu in just one month, the Reuters news agency said in a tweet during the week: “New Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has moved at lightning speed in his first one month in office implementing a raft of radical changes aimed at finally unleashing the full potentials of Africa’s sluggish economic giant”.

There are, however, other aspects where Mr President has demonstrated good leadership. One is in the appointment of the new service chiefs. When the appointments were announced, some unashamed ethnic jingoists, uninformed analysts and commentators had gone to town, particularly on social media, saying the southeast was left with no representation, implying this might be because the Igbo largely went with their kinsman, Peter Obi of Labour Party, during the election. But President Tinubu who knew he had done justice to all would not flinch. The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, hails from Enugu state, though some of his kinsmen now want to deny him his claim to genuine Igbo ancestry in the name of politics, claiming he is from the northernmost part of Igboland.

No less important in this regard is the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major-General Christopher Musa, a Christian from Southern Kaduna. News of his elevation reportedly elicited keen excitement and applause especially in Christian circles which, before the presidential election, had been misled into perceiving the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket as signalling an imagined ‘Islamization’ agenda should the Tinubu/Shettima ticket emerge victorious. And the appointment of the Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, from the south-west, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice -Martial H.B. Abubakar, from the north-west, the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja, from the south-west and the Chief of Defense Intelligence, Major-General E.P.A Undiandeye, from the south-south, the long expressed grievances at the perceived lack of balance in the composition of the country’s top security hierarchy has been laid to rest. The service chiefs will thus surely enjoy greater pan-Nigerian trust, confidence and support to succeed in their challenging assignments.

Two, and perhaps more remarkable, is the case of the new Acting Comptroller-General of Immigration, Caroline Wuraola Adepoju, because her case is intriguing. She had served meritoriously and waited patiently for her time to be CG to come, having enlisted in the service as deputy superintendent of the Immigration Service in 1988. One of her immediate-past bosses, Mohammed Bandede, was to have retired in September 2020 but he was left in office till September 2021. Isah Jere Idris who took over from Bandede (though a DCG Non-Operations) was to retire in May 2022, but was given an extension of tenure twice to remain in office until May 29, 2023. When Adepoju was eventually given a letter to become acting CG, it was a few days before her retirement and in fact, the Monday, May 29, 2023, she was to assume duty was also the day she was due to retire from service. That was the day President Tinubu assumed office.

When the matter was brought to his attention in his office that day, the president placed a call to the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, urging her to investigate the case of Adepoju. She was then granted a three-month extension. President Tinubu was apparently moved by empathy and the need to ensure a woman who had served her country excellently got a deserving icing on her career cake. It was also a service to the womenfolk and a motivation to others that all hope is not lost when you serve your country well. Needless to point out that by the president’s commendable gesture, Adepoju thus became the first from the south-west to emerge CG in the 60-year history of Nigeria’s Immigration Service. It is significant that all appointees of President Tinubu so far including those of service chiefs, special advisers and senior special assistants feature men and women with impressive academic credentials and the requisite rich cognate experience while also fulfilling the president’s pledge to actively involve women and youths in his administration.

There is no doubt that President Tinubu’s mastery of the political terrain including the strategies and tactics of alliance-building and networking played a key role in the ruling party’s ability to ensure that its preferred nominees emerged as the leaders of the national assembly. With Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Jubrin Barau, emerging as President and Deputy-President of the Senate, respectively and Honourable Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the stage has certainly been set for a harmonious working relationship between the executive and the legislature in making and implementing of laws and policies for the benefit of the people.

The order given by the president right from his first day in office for men of the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately vacate the premises of the EFCC in Ikoyi, Lagos, which the former had invaded and cordoned off, was an early indication that the new administration would not tolerate the kind of inter-agency rivalry and conflicts that had been prevalent in the past. In the same vein, the suspension from office of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and the former executive chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, pending investigations of serious allegations against them is a clear indication that in the new dispensation, public office holders will be kept on their toes and be held accountable for their actions and inactions at all times.

During the period under consideration, the president, apart from the former heads of state as well as former and incumbent governors mentioned earlier, has also played host to frontline politicians, students union leaders, repentant militant leaders, and civil society groups among others who visited him at the Presidential Villa. It has been an exceedingly busy and productive one month in office for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and Vice President Kashim Shettima (GCON).

Rahman, former editor of Thisday on Sunday, is a presidential aide

Daniil Medvedev described Novak Djokovic as “the greatest” yesterday, defying the conventional wisdom to place Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the same pedestal as the Serb.

Djokovic racked up a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam title with a third French Open triumph last month.

He is about to launch a bid to equal Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles which will move him alongside Margaret Court as the all-time top major winner with 24 titles.

“I think if I saw it right, Novak is almost 50%. I think I saw he played 70 majors, and 35 times he was in the final. I don’t know how is it possible. He doesn’t have bad days?” said Medvedev.

“Actually, he does, like everybody but even on these bad days, he manages to beat the opponent. I don’t know how he’s doing it. That’s why he’s for me the greatest in the history of tennis.”

Should Djokovic successfully defend his Wimbledon title, he will just need to pocket the US Open in September to become the first man since 1969 to claim a calendar Grand Slam.

Djokovic had the same opportunity in 2021 but lost the final in New York — to Medvedev.

“To be able to beat him when he was going for a Grand Slam, maybe he was a little bit tighter than usual, but I played an amazing match,” recalled Medvedev.

Djokovic’s career-long rival Andy Murray, meanwhile, described the Serb’s achievement in reaching 23 majors as “phenomenal”.

Murray, a former world number one, was the last man to defeat Djokovic on Centre Court when he won the first of his two Wimbledon titles in 2013.

That was the only time in their 36-match head-to-head they have ever met at the All England Club.

“What he’s gone on to achieve the latter stages of his career, it’s been incredible. Also doesn’t look like he’s slowing down,” said Murray who practised with Djokovic at the tournament yesterday.

“What he did at the French Open, it was phenomenal.

“Brilliant performance against Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. Just very clinical, considering how much was on the line. It shows the strength of character that he’s got.” — AFP

[malaymail]

Former two-time French Open finalist Alex Corretja thinks Emma Raducanu is "paying now" for going from a regular girl to a global superstar overnight. In 2021, an 18-year-old Raducanu made tennis history when she became the first-ever male or female player to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier.Raducanu, who was ranked around No 150 at the time, instantly became one of the most popular tennis players and her face was grazing the covers of magazines.But when injuries and a poor form struck, that's when things went south for Raducanu.

"I think what happened to her is super difficult to digest, to deal with. All of a sudden, you are a regular girl and she goes there as a qualifier [US Open in 2021] and then she is capable to win the tournament. You have to speak to the press, people recognize you in the street and know where you are in the world.

It goes from zero to a thousand in a few weeks. And that process she didn't get through, she's paying now. The understanding of everyone looking at you, expecting you to win every match or tournament you play, it's super difficult.

When she was playing the qualifiers at 19, she was still developing," Corretja told Express-Sport.

Corretja advises Raducanu to find a long-term coach

After undergoing multiple surgeries in May, Raducanu also split with coach Sebastian Sachs.

With that move, Raducanu changed her fifth different coach in the last two years. When Raducanu returns to action, Corretja thinks she should be looking to find someone with whom she can develop trust."I don't know exactly what [she needs] to do next, but she needs to be committed to a team and get confidence in the people you work with.

Because if you keep on changing [coaches], they didn't get to know you and you don't trust what they are saying because the one from five weeks ago was better. You need to say 'these are my goals and this is what I want to do. Let's work together for them,'" Corretja said.

[tennisworldusa]

Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka opened her Wimbledon press conference by telling reporters she won't be answering any political questions during The Championships. During the French Open, Sabalenka had a tense moment with a Ukrainian journalist in back-to-back press conferences.That resulted in Sabalenka being pardoned from conducting a regular press conference after her third and fourth-round wins at the French Open.When Sabalenka returned to the press room in Paris, she highlighted that she wasn't supporting the invasion of Ukraine.

"Before we continue I would like to say I'm not going to talk about politics. I'm here to talk about tennis only. If you have any kind of political questions, you can ask WTA or the tournament. They can send you the transcript of my answers from the previous tournaments," Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka on returning to Wimbledon

Last year, Sabalenka was banned from competing at Wimbledon.After a strong push from the ATP and WTA, the Wimbledon organizers changed their stance and allowed Russian and Belarusian to return to The Championships this year.In her pre-tournament press conference, Sabalenka revealed she couldn't watch Wimbledon last year because it was too painful for her.

"I was at home having a little vacation, then practicing. But, no, I didn’t watch Wimbledon a lot. I felt so bad and I just couldn’t watch it. Every time if Wimbledon would be on TV, I would cry, so I decided just to stay away from Wimbledon last year," Sabalenka revealed.In 2021, Sabalenka made her first Wimbledon semifinal.

At this year's Wimbledon, Sabalenka is considered among the top favorites for the title.In her Wimbledon opener, Sabalenka will be playing against Panna Udvardy. When Sabalenka and Udvardy meet, it will be their first meeting. Going into the match, anything but a routine win for Sabalenka would be a surprise.

[tennisworldusa]

Novak Djokovic is looking to tie his legacy with Roger Federer this month and Chris Evert's ex-husband, John Lloyd, has detailed the Serb's stature if he conquers the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Djokovic has had an impressive run this season as he has decimated challenges from professionals performing at their best, and his journey is far from ceasing. After recently capturing the 2023 French Open title and achieving the feat of winning all the Grand Slams at least thrice, the 36-year-old has now set his eyes on the prestigious Wimbledon crown.

With the addition of the Paris Major, the Serb not only surpassed Spaniard Rafael Nadal's slam count but also equaled Serena Williams' Grand Slam record (23 titles). He is now looking forward to tying his legacy with Magaret Court's untouched 24 slam count.

This, however, isn't the only milestone that the World No. 2 is speculated to achieve. According to John Lloyd, Djokovic will be distinctively recognized in the Centre Court of the All-England Club and share Federer's solely held position at the grasscourt event. The 68-year-old stated that the feat will come into play if the 23-time Major winner manages to match the Swiss Maestro's eight Wimbledon titles.

"If Novak Djokovic wins this year, he’s equaled Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles. We’re used to thinking of Centre Court as Roger’s place but if Novak wins this year it is his place too!" wrote Lloyd.

The Serbian icon is set to appear in the third slam of the season, starting July 3, and will face Argentinian Pedro Cachin in the first round.

Novak Djokovic claims extra motivation is immaterial to winning slams

Novak Djokovic is scheduled to appear in the 2023 Wimbledon Championship and his biggest challenge in the slam will be Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

The No.1 seed, Alcaraz, is set to pose as the Serb's biggest threat owing to his jaw-dropping performance this season. Furthermore, the duo's notable age gap potentially gives the Spaniard an edge over the legendary player.

In a recent press conference at Wimbledon, the 36-year-old was asked how bracing can it be when facing someone like Alcaraz. The Serb quickly dismissed such inquiries and claimed that he doesn't need the Spaniard or extra motivation when eying a Grand Slam, and he rather stays focused on himself.

"There's always someone out there. There always has been and always will be. For me, I don't need to have Carlos or anybody else really to find that extra drive and motivation when I enter slams because I know that I have to win seven matches to win a title."

"Most of my attention is focused on my body and my mind, my game, trying to I guess bring it to the optimal state where I'm performing my best every match," he said.

[sportskeeda]