Argentine football icon Lionel Messi has disclosed that he envisions Inter Miami as the club where he will conclude his illustrious playing career. However, he has no immediate plans to retire.

In an interview with ESPN, Messi, who is under contract with the MLS side until the end of the 2025 season, expressed his sentiments.

“Yes, at this moment, I believe it will be my last club,” Messi stated to ESPN. However, he added, “I’m not ready to leave football either.”

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner achieved legendary status with Barcelona, securing four Champions League trophies and ten La Liga titles during his tenure.

Messi notably led Argentina to victory in the 2021 Copa America and played a crucial role in their 2022 World Cup campaign. He is preparing to represent Argentina this month in the upcoming Copa America in the United States.

Following his departure from Barcelona after a lengthy tenure from 2004 to 2021, Messi spent two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain before joining Inter Miami last year. He played a pivotal role in the club’s early success, including winning the Leagues Cup.

“It was a challenging decision to leave Europe and come here,” Messi admitted. “Being a world champion influenced my perspective.”

Messi’s arrival has significantly boosted MLS’s profile in the United States, with stadiums consistently selling out and his jersey becoming the top choice among MLS fans.

Looking ahead, Messi contemplates representing Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. He also reflects on the inevitable conclusion of his remarkable career.

“Football has been my life. I love playing. I enjoy training every day, playing matches,” Messi shared. “There’s a bit of fear about it ending, but I try to enjoy every moment. I feel fortunate to have great teammates and friends at my club and the national team.”

Messi emphasized his appreciation for the small football details he knows he will miss once he retires.

Gernot Rohr, head coach of the Benin Republic national football team and former coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, asserted that his team, the Cheetahs, displayed superior discipline compared to the Eagles following their historic 2-1 triumph over Nigeria in a 2026 World Cup qualifier held in Abidjan.

Benin’s victory at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny saw Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie score after Raphael Onyedika had initially put Nigeria in the lead. This cements Benin’s ascent to the group summit with seven points. Meanwhile, Nigeria languishes in fifth place with only three points from four matches, sparking concerns that they will miss out on a consecutive World Cup appearance since their 2022 disappointment.

In a post-match interview, Rohr praised his team’s organization and hunger for goals, contrasting it with the Super Eagles’ performance.

“These players consistently demonstrate solidarity. They possess a strong belief and scoring ability,” Rohr remarked. “Our organization was spot on. After conceding the first goal, perhaps they thought the game was won, but my team’s reaction and determination were immense to mount a comeback.”

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles expressed regret to Nigerians for their disappointing form in the qualifiers. In a tweet from the team’s official handle, they vowed to rally and secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

“We’ve held discussions among ourselves and are determined to fight till the end to achieve the seemingly impossible task of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.”

The Eagles’ next fixtures in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are scheduled for March 2025, visiting Rwanda on March 17 and hosting Zimbabwe on March 25.

The restructured Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) will begin accepting applications from June 30, 2024

Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, the Minister of Youth Development, has announced that over one million young Nigerians will benefit from the National Youth Skills Program (NYSP), which aims to equip them with the necessary skills for success in today’s economy.

The Minister made this disclosure in Abuja during the 25th Nigeria Democracy Day Anniversary Youth Program, themed “25 Years of Enduring Democracy: Prospects for the Future.” 

She revealed that the Ministry is drafting bills for the National Assembly to institutionalize a 30% youth quota, restructure the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), and establish the National Youth Fund (NYF).

“These legislative actions will cement the Federal Government’s commitment to youth empowerment and ensure sustainable development,” she explained.

Dr. Ibrahim also announced that the restructured Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) will begin accepting applications from June 30, 2024. She emphasized that the ministry has streamlined the process to enable more young entrepreneurs to access funds for innovation and job creation.

Furthermore, she disclosed that the implementation of the NYSP and reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will commence by July 30, 2024. These reforms aim to integrate skill development and entrepreneurship into the service year, enhancing its impact and economic benefits for graduates.

“The Youth Development Bank will be launched by August 30, 2024. This institution will provide customized financial services to youth-led ventures, supporting innovative ideas and business growth,” Jamila added.

Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, has explained his reasons for investing in the newly opened Dangote Sinotruk West Africa, a fully knocked-down CKD truck assembly plant in Lagos.

In his speech at the inauguration of the plant, Dangote emphasized the joint venture’s substantial investment of over $100 million, with Dangote Industries holding a 60% stake, Sinotruk China owning 30%, and Anders controlling 5%.

Dangote stated that the decision to venture into truck assembly was motivated by the urgent demand for vehicles in Nigeria’s construction, food and beverage, and logistics sectors.

He stated, “Our aim is to meet the expected current demand of this segment of automobiles required for logistics, construction, food, and beverage industries in Nigeria.”

He also emphasised the company’s commitment to contributing to the country’s shift towards Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles, saying, “I am sure we are going to fully participate in the new CNG, which I think the government is driving.

“But we in Dangote, we are actually committed to buy 10,000 of the CNG trucks.”

The opening ceremony, held on June 9, was attended by notable figures, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Hikmat Thapa, the group’s general manager for projects, provided further insights into the plant’s operations, noting that the facility handles welding, painting, and other major tasks.

Thapa also mentioned that with the launch of the plant, their production capacity is expected to increase to 30,000 trucks annually.

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has responded to Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, over comments about being unfit to lead Nigeria.

Naija News recalls that Soyinka had last month, during an interview with Journalists, said Peter Obi’s failure to curb his supporters attacking others with opposing views online was a pointer that he is unfit to lead a country like Nigeria.

The literary icon also accused Peter Obi of encouraging ‘Obidients’ to attack him and others with opposing views online.

Responding to Soyinka, the former Governor of Anambra State, in an interview with Arise News on Wednesday, dismissed claims of inciting his supporters to attack anyone on social media.

Obi said he had never, knowingly or unknowingly, asked the Obidients or the younger ones to say anything against anyone.

He said, “Quit frankly, I will not make a comment on that when Soyinka is a father, I have a policy, I don’t respond when my fathers talk. I leave it to them because when I become of their age, I want those younger generations to respect me, and I would put myself in a position to be respected. One of the things he also talked about was the Obidients me inciting them, I will never and I have never asked any of the Obidients or the young people to say anything bad against an elder or a priest, pastor, Imma or political office holder.

“On my competence, that is left for Nigerians, I have been a successful businessman in the private sector and I have been in the corporate world and I can say I am one of the most successful.”

Asked about his position on the recent comment of the former Director-General of his campaign, Doyin Okupe, Peter Obi said, “It does not hurt, it a personal assessment to him and what we are talking now is the present position of the economy, is garri cheaper? is the comment will make garri or yam cheaper, or manage corruption? it is fine with me. I don’t do politics of he says or she says. We have issues in the country, lets deal with them.”

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, has been suspended by the Office of the Head of Service due to allegations of sexual harassment.

Naija News reports that the Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, has constituted a committee to investigate the matter and the permanent secretary will remain on suspension until the outcome of the probe.

“The permanent secretary has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe by the committee set up, “ a senior director in the OHCSF told The PUNCH.

The allegations against Lamuwa were brought to the attention of the Head of Service by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, through a petition submitted on behalf of a staff member, Simisola Ajayi.

Ajayi has accused Lamuwa of serial sexual harassment, creating an unsafe and uncomfortable working environment.

The petition, signed by Adebayo A. Oniyelu of Falana & Falana’s, detailed multiple instances of harassment, including inappropriate advances and remarks made by Lamuwa during a policy retreat on October 7, 2023, and an incident on November 10, 2023, where Lamuwa allegedly invited Ajayi to travel to Hong Kong with promises of personal benefits.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, in a letter addressed to the Head of Service on May 27, 2024, expressed concern over the gravity of the allegations and requested that the matter be handled accordingly.

“I am compelled to write to inform you of a formal complaint against the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Adamu Lamuwa, on allegations of sexual harassment.

“Bearing in mind the gravity of the matter, I feel it necessary to draw your attention to it and ask that you handle it accordingly,” the minister stated in the letter.

An official familiar with the case has confirmed that a probe panel has been set up and pieces of evidence and witnesses will be gathered to investigate the matter thoroughly.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said, “Yes, the Head of Service has set up a committee to probe the whole matter. There are pieces of evidence, which will be tabled and witnesses who will also be invited to speak on the matter, so it is not a matter that will be swept under the carpet.

“The minister (Tuggar) is also very much interested in the outcome. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a special ministry that operates even outside the shores of the country, so you can’t expect that an issue of such gravity will be swept under the carpet.”

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has described the recent re-introduction of the old national anthem by the federal government as a waste of time and resources.

Governor Makinde lamented that there are more pressing issues that would impact the lives of Nigerians better than superficial issues such as a new national anthem.

Speaking yesterday, the Oyo State Governor said Nigerians are hungry, the economy is in shambles and the government needs to focus on solving such challenges rather than chasing frivolities.

He maintained that the return of the old national anthem shouldn’t be our priority when so many Nigerians are suffering.

The governor said: “Our country is in a state of crisis, and we must act now.

“Our people are hungry, our infrastructure is crumbling, and our economy is in shambles.”

“We should be focused on finding solutions to these problems, not wasting time and money on superficial changes like a new anthem.”

“We are at a point in Oyo State and our nation where we must prioritise economic development in Oyo and our nation. As a country, we have to prioritise production, we have to be productive. There cannot production without mobilisation.”

“Our strongest resource is our people. The training and education of our people is the best empowerment we can give them.”

“We have to keep on educating our people. Let them use their God-given talents to support what we are doing in Oyo State.”

Makinde called on the federal government to urgently take decisive actions that would tackle the myriad of challenges Nigerians are facing, stating that “We cannot afford to waste any more time.”

“Our people deserve better.

“They deserve a government that is focused on their needs, not on distractions and empty gestures.

“Let us put our resources and our energy where they are most needed, and let us work together to build a better, brighter future for all Nigerians,” he stressed.

he Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has compared the ongoing economic situation in Nigeria to the Titanic.

Naija News reports that Peter Obi made this known during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday night while discussing the state of Nigeria on the Democracy Day celebration.

The former Governor of Anambra State also linked Nigeria to an aeroplane going through turbulence, but its leaders are living in conspicuous consumption and acting like the country is not going through difficulties.

He said, “The first thing you do as a leader who inherited a difficult situation is to lead by example, and it starts by your own style, your behaviour, your conduct, how you manage resources. You cannot say that things are difficult when you’re living in conspicuous consumption.

“Nigeria today is the country with the highest amount of people without homes – over 24 million, yet you’re spending twenty-something billion to build a house for one person.

“You’re supposed to show a clear plan, it is not enough to say we’re going to go through problems. If we’re going to go through problems, this is very simple.

“You enter a plane, there is a bad weather, there’s going to be a turbulence. The pilot says, we’re going to go through bad weather, it’s going to take us maybe one hour, two hours because of this weather, and he follows it through. That is not the time- in that bad weather, everybody, even the crew, are asked to sit down. That’s not the time to start serving food and wine and everything when everything is up and down.

“I always say what happened to the Titanic is what is happening in Nigeria. While it was going down, people on the upper deck were busy dancing until the whole thing collapsed, that’s what is happening now. We should change and do things rightly. We can change and manage corruption and everything and all that.”

When asked what he believes should be done, Peter Obi said, “You start by living like somebody who is coming through difficulty, who is facing difficulty, who wants to change things. That’s how we do it. You don’t engage in what we’ve been doing- buying vehicles, partying and everything as if things are normal when you say there is difficulty. You need to deal with the issue of cutting the cost of governance, that’s where you start. You need to deal with the issue of massive corruption.”

The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused some ministers and colleagues of the embattled ex-governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, of shielding him from prosecution.

Naija News recalls that Bello has been in a legal battle with the EFCC over alleged N80.2bn fraud.

Following a failed attempt to arrest him and his repeated absence from court for his arraignment, the EFCC declared Bello wanted, while the Nigerian Immigration also placed the governor on a watchlist.

The EFCC acting Zonal Director, Benin Zonal Command, Effa Okim, during a familiarisation visit on Wednesday to the Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Asaba, Delta State capital, said Bello had ridiculed the Nigerian justice system by failing to present himself for trial in court.

When asked why the EFCC had yet to arrest the governor months after he was declared wanted, Okim claimed that the ex-governor was being shielded by some ‘political masters’ and associates.’

Okim noted that the case had a moral aspect beyond legality.

He said, “This is the last question I expected because the shame is on all of us. Is that a question I should answer alone? It’s not me, it is the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“That politically-exposed Yahaya Bello, whose crime has been traced to him by the allegation and has been invited by EFCC to come and explain, and for months he is acting drama and we are all here wanting to ask questions! The shame is our own shame!

“Can’t we catch him? We can, but do we go all out to catch him? Do we need to do that when he has his masters? Can’t they call him and tell him, ‘You are disgracing Nigeria’ What are you telling the world? Tell him to go and explain himself like others have done.

“Where are the ministers? Where are Yahaya Bello’s colleagues, even in his hiding? So, Nigerians can’t tell him ‘This is not fair, go and report; they are not going to kill you’? But people are still eating and dining with him.

“Where has morality gone before legality that we can’t summon that man and tell him to go and report himself to the EFCC? Some persons are writing, supporting him, while some are criticizing the commission.

“The problem is our own problem that borders on Nigeria’s image. Our children are watching their parents behave like children.

“To me, the truth has vanished. Even in Animal Farm, this will not happen, that a man who was part of the system that was a custodian of our culture, rules and laws can behave like this and you are asking questions.

“The media should come out for the first time to harmonise, criticise that action and forget about prosecution but tell him to make himself available; thereafter we know what to do.”

A former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani has urged President Bola Tinubu to pardon those incarcerated over the #EndSARS protest in 2020.

Naija News recalls that in 2020, Nigerian youths took to the streets to protest police brutality.

However, during the protest, some police stations, formations, and offices were damaged across the country, leading to some arrests.

While some of the arrested protesters were released, others are believed to still be in detention in various police stations.

Speaking at a special dinner organised to mark Democracy Day held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Sani said those who took part in the protest should also be considered champions of democracy.

According to him, he and other of his peers who were part of the fight to entrench democracy in Nigeria as the ENDSARS protesters learnt from President Tinubu to be dogged.

The dinner was attended by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside their spouses.

The President of the senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, secretary to the government of the federation, the chief justice of the federation, state governors, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), diplomats, traditional rulers, and lawmakers were among dignitaries that attended the dinner.