Super Eagles forward; Ademola Lookman has said that his game style has been patterned after Senegalese forward, Sadio Mane.

Lookman played for Charlton Athletic, Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester City before moving to Serie A side Atalanta.

The Nigeria international joined Atalanta for a fee in the region of nine million euros paid to Leipzig at the start of the 2022-2023 season.

The winger has scored 24 goals and made 12 assists from 65 all-competition appearances.

The former England youth teamer has now revealed that his game is shaped on former Liverpool star Sadio Mane.

“The guy who I always looked at the most would have to be Sadio Mane,” Lookman told The Athletic.

“Looking at his threat in the box, his threat in those little tight spaces, his movement — I have watched a lot of his game in particular.

“I watch my clips back, and it’s nice to be able to see your performance from a different perspective.

“It gives you more belief in knowing that you’re getting better and developing in certain areas.”

Eddy Olafeso, the former National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the south-west, has said Nigerians have witnessed nothing but hardship under the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Olafeso, who stressed that there is no remedy in sight, maintained that when the opposition party was in power, life was more pleasant for the people.

Speaking in Akure, the Ondo State capital, he expressed optimism that Nigerians will smile when the opposition party returns to the helms of affairs.

The PDP stalwart said, “No matter the challenges we are facing at this moment, we are very sure and confident that the future will be better and that the PDP will take back power and connect to do what it did in the past to develop Nigeria. I am very confident that we will return.

“There’s no middle class anymore; there is poverty in the land; there is insecurity.

“What else can we hope for but the support of the people that will make the PDP’s dream of creating prosperity for this country happen as quickly as possible?

“We are sure that the future will take care of itself, and we are very resolute, and beside that, the future of Nigeria, especially the current situation that Nigerians are facing under APC, can’t continue forever.

“I’m very excited that we are going somewhere. We’re heading somewhere, and that is success; that is victory.”

Mohbad: ‘I’m not the father’ – Oba Elegushi clears air on late singer’s sonPublished on April 12, 2024By Seun Opejobi

The Elegushi of IkateElegushi Kingdom, Oba Saheed Elegushi, has denied claims of fathering Liam, son of late singer, IleriOluwa Aloba aka Mohbad.

Elegushi said the rumours were a desperate attempt to tarnish his reputation.

Since Mohbad died, the issue of paternity has been at the forefront with the late singer’s father calling for a DNA test to ascertain if Liam is his grandson.

A TikToker, Oloriebimusicproduction2, made several posts on his TikTok page, alleging that the monarch might be implicated in the death of the late Mohbad.

It was also alleged that the monarch was leveraging his influence to obstruct justice for the late singer.

Reacting, the monarch described the allegations as baseless accusations aimed at besmirching his character.

Oba Elegushi also disclosed that a petition has been filed against individuals propagating these allegations.

A statement by his media consultant, Deyemi Saka read, “We would like to respond to a new desperate attempt at dragging His Royal Majesty, Oba Saheed Elegushi, into the needless paternity dispute over the son of Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.

“The widely syndicated falsehood was promoted by some persons with the underlisted profile on the social media app TikTok, namely: Oloriebimusicproduction2, PEKINS RULES, and WESTO4LIVE. Also, the same falsehood is being promoted by Auto Success Ola, Olubukola Jesse, Teni Ologo, and Tolani Ilesanmi.

“This is to inform the public that the allegation is false and a figment of the wicked imaginations of these persons.

“HRM Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, through his lawyers, has filed a petition against these persons with the Nigeria Police and other relevant security agencies in a bid to enforce his fundamental human rights and protect him from cyber bullies, while he is hopeful the Nigeria Police will collaborate with relevant international security organisations in this quest for redress.”

Oba Elegushi, while extending condolences to the family of the late singer, implored members of the public not to entangle the traditional institution in the paternity dispute.

“It must be stated emphatically that Oba Elegushi, just like many Nigerians, is saddened by the sudden demise of Mohbad, and demands a thorough investigation and a quick dispensation of justice.

“While we pray to Almighty God to grant the Alobas the immense strength to bear this painful loss, we urge people to refrain from dragging the integrity of His Royal Majesty, Oba Saheed Elegushi, and the revered traditional institution he represents into public disrepute,” the statement noted.

Following the fire outbreak which razed over 14 buildings in Dosunmu Market on Lagos Island, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared that many buildings with structural defects around the site of the inferno and those that do not comply with the state government’s building regulations would be demolished.

Sanwo-Olu issued the warning yesterday in Lagos during the inspection and meeting with stakeholders, victims of the Dosunmu Market inferno which occured in the highbrow Lagos Island on Monday.

The governor, who said the state government would not shy away from its responsibility in ensuring that building standards are followed, added that, “I am going to shut down this place as long as it takes, there will be zero-tolerance all around here.

“It’s not by force that you have to trade. If you don’t have a conducive environment, go and look for something else to do,” he said.

The governor who condemned the avoidable fire disaster said, “We just finished on-the-spot assessment of the very unfortunate and preventable fire disaster here at Dosunmu Market.

“As you are all aware, this fire started on Monday and immediately, the first responders were activated and we thought it was something that we could bring under control in the first couple of hours.

“But unfortunately, as you can see, our people have been very extremely reckless and access was denied to first responders for a couple of hours. Even 48 hours after, the site is still a live site, we still have an isolated burning site and it is still an active disaster site.”

Sanwo-Olu continued, “This is a complete disaster. It is extremely unfortunate. As at the last count, we had about 14 houses in one form or the other that have been affected and a bit more might still go down after the extensive fit-for-purpose test that will be conducted over the couple of days here.”

“What I have seen here is what could have been prevented. We don’t have a full report yet, so I don’t want to speculate. But the initial report that came to us was just gross carelessness and people don’t understand what it means when we say keep your environment safe.

“We will conduct a proper extensive audit into what led to this. But as you see from the initial assessment, we have had an activation of an advocacy that indeed from the month of December and all throughout the month of May, these are high combustible weather that we have known will come year-on-year.

“We have been advertising on the media that people should know that during the harsh harmattan, the weather is not only hard, that you need to also stay away from combustible materials that can activate easy spread of fire and that is a kind of thing that we have seen here today,” Sanwo-Olu further warned.

He lamented that a lot of residential apartments had been converted into warehouses, as inflammable materials were kept in people’s sitting rooms.

Covenant University has been ranked above the University of Ibadan and the Federal University of Technology, Akure, as the best university in Nigeria for the second time, according to Times Higher Education‘s 2024 rating.

Analysis of the latest ranking on Thursday showed that the university based in Ota, Ogun State, is among the top 1,000 universities in the world.

The 801st-ranked university in the world first gained prominence in 2018 after it got the prize for the best university in Nigeria and the sixth-best university overall.

The University of Ibadan followed Covenant as the second-best university in the country, while the Federal University of Technology, Akure clinched third.

The ranking web said the World University ranking includes 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.

“The Times Higher World University ranking includes 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.

“The table is based on our new WUR 3.0 methodology, which is carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across five areas; teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook,: it said. 

Other universities that achieve the top ranking in Nigeria include the University of Ilorin, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Afe Babalola University, the University of Benin, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Lagos State University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University, and the University of Port Harcourt.

Among the 15 top universities, nine are located in the South West, two in the South East, two in the South-South, one in the North West, and one in the North Central.

See full list below:

1. Covenant University
2. University of Ibadan
3. Federal University of Technology, Akure
4. University of Lagos
5. Bayero University
6. University of Ilorin
7. University of Nigeria
8. Afe Babalola University
9. University of Benin
10. Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
11. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
12. Lagos State University
13. Nnamdi Azikiwe University
14. Obafemi Awolowo University
15. University of Port Harcourt
16. Abia State University
17. Akwa Ibom State University
18. Alex Ekwueme Federal University
19. Babcock University
20. Baze University
21. Bells University of Technology
22. Benson Idahosa University
23. Delta State University, Abraka
24. Edo State University
25. Edwin Clark University
26. Elizade University
27. Evangel University, Akaeze
28. Federal University of Kashere
29. Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun
30. Federal University of Technology, Minna
31. Federal University of Technology, Owerri
32. Fountain University
33. Landmark University
34. Nassarawa State University, Keffi
35. Niger Delta University
36. Plateau State University
37. Thomas Adewumi University
38. Veritas University
39. Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano

Nigerian football star, Victor Osimhen could be heading to Ligue 1 champions, Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.

Osimhen, one of the most sought after strikers in football at the moment is wanted by Premier League giants, Chelsea and Arsenal.

But PSG are close to wrapping up a deal with Napoli for the talismanic forward, according to Caught Offside.

The French club are rumored to be willing to pay Osimhen’s entire release clause, which is estimated to be worth €120m.

In addition, they are eager to extend an offer of a four-year contract to the striker, who will make €13m a season at PSG.

Chelsea, unlike PSG, are not in a position to pay Osimhen’s entire release clause due to their financial state.

Osimhen, aged 25, has scored 14 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions for Napoli this season.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the Federal Government is still paying subsidy on electricity despite the recent hike in tariff paid by Band A customers.

Adelabu stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.

The minister said the government has about N1.8trn to pay in electricity subsidy for 2024.

Adelabu said the Electricity Act, 2023 made provisions for the review of tariff twice a year.

He said, “Review of tariff is actually legal once it is within the exclusive responsibility of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The Act actually provides for review twice in a year, every six months.”

“If we have been paying the tariff at the same level in the last two years, it logically means that someone has been paying the burden of all these increases.

“As it is today, looking at a total production, transmission and distribution cost, the Nigerian Government is bearing 67% percent of that cost before the increase in tariff for Band A customers.

“But when you look at generation cost, the Nigerian Government is paying 90% but in terms of total subsidy, it is about 67% of subsidy on the tariff.

“Last year, it was about N720bn which was not fully funded, we have about N305bn carried into this year. If we retain tariff at the current level, the Nigerian Government will be needing about N2.9trn to subsidise electricity but with the increase for Band A customers, we are going to have a reduction of about N1.1trn. So, we are looking at about N1.8trn in subsidy,” he said.

Recall that on April 3, 2024, NERC raised electricity tariff for customers enjoying 20 hours power supply daily. Customers in this category are said to be under the Band A classification.

The increase will see the customers paying N225 kilowatt per hour from the current N66, a development that has been heavily criticised by many Nigerians, considering the immediacy of the tariff hike and the current hardship in the land.

But, Adelabu said, “The fact that the tariff for Band A, which is 15% of the total consumers will increase by over 200%, does not necessarily translate into 200% increase in their electricity bill if power is properly managed in terms of consumption.”

He assured Band A customers of value for their money. He also assured Nigerians that consumers on other bands won’t be shortchanged by distribution companies as the regulators won’t hesitate to wield their big stick on any of such discos.

Adelabu said the government has shifted its attention on discos inefficiently ran and won’t hold back in taking the appropriate steps in the interest of consumers.

He said by cutting down the inefficiencies of some operators in the sector, couple with the gains by the naira against the dollar in the last few weeks, tariff paid by Nigerians should moderate positively.

“The tariff is flexible and I can tell you that even if naira gains more and the exchange rate comes down below N1,000, it must positively affect the tariff and the tariff even for the Band A will come to down below the N225 kilowatt per hour that we are currently charging,” he said.

The minister further said the government has been working on ramping up power generation from about 4,000 megawatts to 6,000 megawatts in the next six months.

He said 25% of Nigeria’s power generation is from hydroelectric power while the remaining 75% is from gas plants.

The minister said “the gas that is supposed to be the raw material has not been coming in adequate proportion” but the government has been working with electricity generation companies to ramp up power generated for the benefit of Nigerians.

According to Adelabu, President Bola Tinubu administration plans to decentralise power generation across states of the federation and strengthen transmission and distribution of the energy to power Nigeria’s industrial transformation.

The impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Philip Shaibu has said that his removal by the state House of Assembly will not stand the test of the courts, noting that the entire exercise was because of the September 21 governorship election in the state.

Shaibu stated this in a viral video released yesterday, when he received the acting State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jaret Tenebe in his Abuja residence on a solidarity and sympathy visit.

This is as the APC chieftain described the impeachment as a sham and urged Shaibu to use all legal means to upturn the action.

This position came barely 24 hours after some APC faithful in Etsako West local government area protested against a planned return of the former deputy governor to the APC.

But speaking, Shaibu said: “We have shared a lot of things both good and bad together. I am deeply humbled and happy that even this situation has brought us together as one that we are. You are one person that I have always admired, someone that I grew up with.

“The person that actually separated us has also united us and that is the beauty of what has happened. I want to assure you that as we move on, just like you said this whole thing happened between the lent and Ramadan and the lessons of lent and Ramadan are obvious. I am not ready to change my attitude, I am ready to be a friend, a loyal friend and partner.

“What has happened will not change my quest to be loyal to anybody that I will work with and I will encourage anybody to be loyal to their boss. I was a loyal person and I am still loyal, the price of loyalty is success.

“The impeachment that has happened is because God wants to open a new chapter and I see that new chapter, that new opportunity and I can assure you, my chairman.

“ I call you my chairman because you are already my chairman and I think you are also one of the reasons why they hurriedly did what they did because they know what it takes for you and I to be together and they thought they could use impeachment to get me to succumb but you know that I won’t succumb.

“I am somebody that is strong willed and when I mean something, I mean it and when I look at the whole thing, I am paying the price, I also believe that it is only the man that God impeaches that is impeached.

“By the grace of God, I know the judiciary will do the needful because it is an impeachment that I have not been served, so I want to assure you of my cooperation and my loyalty will remain my weapon and I will definitely be there at all times. I think our next target is September 21 and by the grace of God we will get there.”

Earlier, Tenebe assured Shaibu that he would not be abandoned, adding: “I am here to pay you this solidarity visit because I still regard you as the deputy governor of Edo State.

“That sham they did in the Edo state House of Assembly is a disgrace to the governor and it is an aberration to our democracy which I know that the court will not allow to stand.

“You are somebody who stood out, the price you paid is the price of loyalty, you were loyal even to the detriment of people you started with, you paid that price.”

Tenebe added: “We just celebrated Easter and we know the price Jesus Christ paid. He died for our sins, what has happened is a replica of what Jesus Christ did for humanity.

“ Today, they have removed you as the deputy governor but we still regard you as the deputy governor, it is the price that you have paid to ensure that Obaseki and his semblance are rooted out of Edo state and I can tell you that we will not allow you walk alone, we are with you in spirit.”

The Edo APC boss advised Shaibu to put on the spirit of an average Uzairue person which epitomises willpower all the time, believing that when a door closes, many are opened.

“You are a strong man and I am here as the chairman of APC in Edo state and I am also an Uzairue indigene. Where we both come from, we should be strong and I implore you to continue to pursue this matter in court and we will be with you all through and God is your strength.

“When one door is closed many more are opened and many are opened for you from today. That is what the detractors don’t know, be strong and we will match on together,” Tenebe declared.

A medical tribunal in Manchester, the United Kingdom is grilling a Nigerian cosmetic doctor, Oluwafemi ‘Tijion’ Esho, over an alleged sexual intercourse with a patient in exchange for free botox.

Botox injections are shots that use a toxin to prevent a muscle from moving for a limited period, which is used to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles, Daily Mail reports.

The British-Nigerian cosmetic surgeon, who has appeared on several popular TV programmes, was said to have admitted to an improper emotional relationship with the patient.

The woman, who is OnlyFans model, referred to as Patient A, earlier claimed she got free botox in return for sex at Esho’s clinic. She also alleged that they exchanged “inappropriate” sexual messages on Instagram.

During a recent hearing, the Medical Tribunal Practitioners Service (MPTS) found Esho exchanged toxin treatment for sex with the woman.

According to Daily Mail, the 42-year-old doctor, who has several celebrity clients, had told the tribunal he never had any physical sexual contact with Patient A.

But the panel, during sitting in Manchester, insisted Esho had sexual intercourse with the female patient at his clinic in Newcastle in 2021 and administered botox free of charge.

The tribunal also ruled that the doctor told the woman he “could get away with giving her botox in exchange for sexual services”.

The panel found that the overall conduct of the doctor was sexually motivated, but it did not find Patient A to be vulnerable because of her profession.

In response, Esho, who is the founder of the Esho Clinic, which also has locations in London, Liverpool and Dubai, said he was “disappointed” with the MPTS’ ruling.

He insisted that he only exchanged “inappropriate” sexual messages on Instagram but never had any physical sexual contact with the lady, but, however, apologised for his conduct.

“I am disappointed that the MPTS has today found against me in relation to the charges which I denied,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Throughout the hearing and investigation, with which I have cooperated fully, I stressed that I deeply regretted the mistakes which I made in engaging in communications with Patient A, and I admitted to the charges which related to those serious errors of judgement.

“I am truly sorry for those actions, and apologise to everyone I let down as a result. However, I have always been clear that whilst my conduct in communicating with Patient A was wrong, I repeat categorically that it never crossed over into any physical sexual contact.

“Whilst I respect the MPTS and the process, I do not agree with its decision. My life’s work has been and will remain focused on helping people. I remain dedicated fully to this purpose. I am incredibly grateful to my patients and friends who supported me throughout this incredibly difficult period.”

The panel will reconvene later this month to establish if Esho’s misconduct will endanger his fitness to practice.

The Accord Party urged the Federal Government to enhance its efforts in stabilizing commodity prices in the country, emphasizing that the appreciation of the naira against the US dollar is not mirrored in commodity prices.

The Lagos State Chairman of the Party, Mr Dele Oladeji, made the call in an interview with NAN on Wednesday in Lagos.

Oladeji said Nigerians were seriously anticipating a reversal of rising prices of consumer goods and food items in the country.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to look into all contributory factors causing inflation and intensify efforts at stabilising the prices of commodities.

“To crash the prices of consumer goods and food items, the plethora of high import duties, levies and fees at the port, road and markets have to be revisited, reviewed, slashed or removed.

“Many Nigerians have always wondered why the price of goods are not reducing to reflect the crash in the dollar rate against the naira.

“The reason is that the dollar rate is just one of the several factors that affect trade and production.

“Without a slash in or removal where necessary, of persisting high import duties on production materials and machinery; with the high levies and fees from local governments on goods on transit; warehouses and those in markets; prices of consumer goods will remain high and continue to rise, in reaction to these plethora high fees and levies,” Oladeji said.

According to him, a cursory tax holiday and rebate to some manufacturers are only enriching the hyper-rich industrialists, with zero impact on the general populace.

”Such tax rebates and tax holidays should come with a conditional agreement to subsidise prices of the produce.

”The FG has to look more into and resolve these other contributory factors to create respite and a reversal of rising prices in consumer goods and food items,” he said.