Even before the submission of ministerial nominees to the Senate for final screening, names of those likely to make the list have been a subject of heated debate and prognosis. The matter has dominated the social media, leading to a rebuttal by the presidential spokesman, Mr. Dele Alake, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has concluded plans to submit the list of the ministerial nominees to the Senate.

Having appointed new security chiefs on June 19, attention has now been drawn to the quality of Nigerians to be appointed as ministers. Not a few have applauded and commended President Tinubu’s choice of security chiefs. So far, the resolution by the new security heads to frontally confront criminal groups has given hope for citizens of a nation that has suffered irreparable damage by gunmen. Not many are in doubt that the country is set to roar against blood-thirsty monsters. Considering the fact that the newly appointed security chiefs have demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to smoke out criminals from their caves and bring them to justice, the list of ministerial nominees must be devoid of politicians whose sole interest is advancing national development.

If the appointment of new security chiefs is anything to go by, citizens are full of excitement and looking forward to good quality men and women to be nominated as ministers. To ensure they are not left behind, politicians, mostly governors, are leaving nothing to chance to ensure they breast the tape. While whopping sums of money are being allegedly deployed to recruit people who have the ears of the president, certain desperate elements, among a horde of office seekers, are not resting on their oars to pass through the eye of the needle.

Unlike in the past where presidents had no option but reciprocated the generosity of political sponsors for their electoral victory, the Tinubu presidency did not come about through sponsorship of his presidential ambition through imprecise forces and some nebulous members of the private sector. This is the first time in the history of Nigeria that a presidential candidate walked through the fiery furnace of campaigns without resorting to influential politicians or moneybags for funding.

Allegations of funding presidential campaigns and their sponsors have always dominated national discourse in the past. This time around, the Tinubu-led campaigns were not distracted with such insinuations as, this time around, he was said to have doled out funds to politicians, including serving governors. There were reports in some states where some of these governors refused to avail critical stakeholders of funding in order to frustrate the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaigns.

For Tinubu to appoint security chiefs without recourse to some previous forces controlling levers of power reveals his independence and commitment to ensure only competent military officers with the capacity to deliver within available deadlines were chosen. Succumbing to the sense of entitlements as practised by politicians was completely absent, thus giving the president the chance to recruit firm military officers as security chiefs.

Before the 2023 polls, democracy had been hijacked by the club of governors. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo made efforts to checkmate their rising excesses. Subsequent presidents found these serving and former state executives uncontrollably powerful with vast financial muscles capable of torpedoing any political system.

Over 24 years since the return of this unbroken democracy, the rising influence of these powerful governors has mostly undermined democracy and turned them into controllers of election outcomes. These governors not only turned the states into fiefdoms and farm houses, some of them continue to unleash incredible heists on their citizens to foot their greed avarice.

As Tinubu is set to appoint ministers to assist his administration in driving his dream of providing a renewed hope for our country, the president should avoid some of these governors whose divisiveness has driven Nigeria down the slippery slope of self-destruction. Also in the list of governors to be rejected are those who have plunged their states into irrecoverable foreign debt holes.

For some of the governors, whose only qualification to be included on the ministerial list is their long stay in the corridor of power; let their hope continue to be a mirage. Most of these governors left despairing footprints in their collateral powerlessness to uplift the living standards of their state citizens as they remain the butts of public cynicism on the prospect of how not to use the ballot government to work for the good of majority electorates.

President Tinubu should beware of those who play disruptive politics and are eternally afraid of being thrown into the pit of oblivion if they don’t make the ministerial list. These politicians, who are always in love with the klieg lights to boost their ego and for selfish interest, should not be included as ministerial nominees.  Our president should be cautious of politicians who wake up drinking 40-year old whisky at public expense. Those who claim to have paid foreign terrorists to stop the decimation of Southern Kaduna communities and killing of innocent and defenceless citizens should no longer be allowed to occupy public office.

Trust is a huge burden, and anyone whose loyalty cannot be trusted should not be on the next ministerial list as public office is about trust. Professional politicians, who still have their eyes fixed on future presidential elections, should be totally avoided. Recycling these dead old woods into the next cabinet should never be contemplated at any level of government.

Some of these former governors, who were unable to tackle insecurity in their states, are quick to regale the public with several tales behind their embarrassing failures; President Tinubu should treat them with utter contempt and disdain. If they failed in the past to perform as governors, there is no assurance that they will act differently in the future by providing renewed hope for the citizens of a nation that is being threatened.

The past eight years have been horror-ridden for our traumatised citizens. Apart from the massacre of over 60,000 people across various parts of our nation, particularly Zamfara, Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, Katsina and Niger, among others, the subtle use of religion to compromise our collective unity became institutionalised.

What Nigeria needs now is the recruitment of our best technocrats and experts to assist the new government tackle security and developmental challenges that have festered for many years. President Tinubu should only appoint patriotic politicians who possess competence and not to recycle old faces that see public office as their birthrights in order to brighten their chances ahead of the next polls.

It is obvious that some of these former state executives and other professional politicians, who see politics as self-serving, have constituted themselves into an albatross. Appointing some of these governors is akin to giving them another opportunity to continue undermining the country and creating a platform for their survival. While serving as governors, they forgot where they were coming from as they violated valid judgements of the courts to punish and dehumanise the Nigerian people.

Democracy is globally recognised as the popular form of government that seeks the overall good above personal interest. In Nigeria, the government of the ballot has become the triumph of greedy politicians whose only objective is to perpetually dominate the political space for themselves and their cronies. The only way to save our democracy from the stranglehold of these political power-seekers is for President Tinubu to deny them and their Men Friday another opportunity to concretise their hold on power.

The attention of Governor Ademola Adeleke has been drawn to a fake news alleging that the state chief executive has appointed his supposed daughter in person of Adenike Folasade Adeleke and his alleged uncle, Prof Maroof Adeleke into the State cabinet.

There is no truth whatsoever in the report as neither of the two nominees are daughter or uncle of the Governor. Prof Adeleke was born at Ilesa and hails from Osogbo, the state capital. Mrs Adeleke is the daughter of Chief Omidiran of Osogbo Land and wife of the late Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke.

We had expected those pushing the fake news to engage in basic investigative journalism if they have any altruistic motive. If however the goal is to malign the state Governor, the truth can not be hidden as the nominees are bona-fide indigenes of Osogbo Land.

We therefore urge members of the public to ignore those merchants of fake news. No biological member of the Governor's family is included in the cabinet list. Governor Adeleke is committed to fair distribution of appointments based on competency, spread and sectoral representation.

Signed:
Mallam Olawale Rasheed,
Spokesperson to the State Governor

Former Manchester United and Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is in intensive care after suffering bleeding around his brain, Dutch club Ajax have announced.

Van der Sar, 52, won the Premier League four times during his time at United, as well as the Champions League in 2008, which he also lifted while at Ajax.

After retirement, Van der Sar, who also enjoyed a spell at Fulham before signing for United, returned to Ajax where he took up the role of chief executive in 2016, from which he decided to stand down at the end of last season.

“On Friday, Edwin van der Sar has had a bleeding around his brain. He’s currently in hospital in the intensive care unit and is in a stable condition,” Ajax said in a statement on Twitter.

“Once there is more concrete information, an update will follow. Everyone at Ajax wishes Edwin a speedy recovery. We’re thinking of you.”

Although no further details were given by Ajax, it has been reported Van der Sar was admitted to hospital while away in Croatia after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage.

Following a disappointing season for Ajax, the club finishing third in the Eredivisie and missing out on Champions League qualification, Van der Sar announced he would be stepping down from his role after almost 11 years on the club’s board.

“I feel the need to take some distance, to get some rest, and to do other things,” he said on Twitter at the end of May.

“It doesn’t feel good to take decisions about the future of this wonderful club in the coming period. That is why I have decided to resign.”

United offered Van der Sar the club’s best wishes.

“Sending all our love and strength to you, Edwin,” a post on the club’s Twitter feed read.

[telegraph]

Kylian Mbappe has been linked with a move away from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, with Real Madrid his likely destination.

Kylian Mbappe will be a free agent next summer, and Paris Saint-Germain could look to cash in on him this year to avoid losing him on a free transfer next year. A report from Sky Sports claims that the French club fear that the 24-year-old has already agreed to join Real Madrid in a Bosman move in the 2024 summer transfer window.

Mbappe has recently revealed that he does not wish to leave the French outfit this summer, and he will see out his contract at the club. But Paris Saint-Germain will be desperate for him to sign an extension with them so that they do not lose him on a free transfer.

Alternatively, they will look to cash in on the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, considering the precarious situation they find themselves in. So it will be interesting to see if they can convince the player to sign a new deal with them with a nominal release clause.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid certainly need someone like him to lead their attack, especially after the departure of Karim Benzema. Mbappe is one of the best players in the world, and he scored 41 goals across all competitions last season.

He is versatile enough to play anywhere across the front three and could transform the Real Madrid attack next year. The player has been linked with clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool as well. But it would be highly surprising if he decided to join them.

A move to Real Madrid will appeal to him more than any other club, and the player was heavily linked with the Spanish giants before he signed his last contract with PSG. Mbappe will be hoping to take the next step in his career and fight for major trophies with Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants have a phenomenal record in the Champions League, and the French international will want to win that competition soon. Despite spending massive sums of money in recent seasons the Champions League trophy has proven to be elusive for Paris Saint-Germain.

So Mbappe might feel that a move to Real Madrid could finally help him secure the european crown. Signing a player of his quality on a free transfer could prove to be an absolute masterstroke from the Spanish giants, and it will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds.

[thehardtackle]

Arsenal's summer transfer window is in full swing now with Granit Xhaka becoming the second senior player to depart permanently in the past week.

With Pablo Mari's £5.9million move to Serie A outfit Monza being completed last Saturday as the international transfer window officially opened, five days later brought about confirmation that the Switzerland international had completed a switch to Bayer Leverkusen thus earning the Gunners a £21.5million windfall.

As reported by football.london, more first-team players are expected to leave the Emirates Stadium between now and deadline day at the beginning of September with the club open to selling Thomas Partey, Nuno Tavares, Runar Alex Runarsson, Auston Trusty and Folarin Balogun.

Meanwhile, in terms of additions, Arsenal have agreements in place for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber to push their spending over the £200million mark - having already completed the signing of Kai Havertz for £65million from London rivals Chelsea - and there could be one or two more following suit.

Having said that, the north London outfit have to be wary of not exceeding the limit of 17 non-homegrown players. This has previously been a problem as in the 2020/21 season Mesut Ozil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos missed out on both Premier League and Europa League squads.

Of course, with the Gunners competing in the Champions League next season and their hopes of toppling Manchester City in the title race, they'll have to ensure they adhere to both UEFA and Premier League rules when it comes to submitting the two squads lists after the summer transfer window closes.

With regard to the Premier League, Arsenal cannot name more than 17 non-homegrown players. The departures of Mari and Xhaka means as things currently stand, Gabriel Magalhaes, Mohamed Elneny, Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior, Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leandro Trossard, Matt Turner, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Havertz, Runarsson, Cedric Soares, Nuno Tavares, Trusty, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nicolas Pepe all fall into this particular category

Over the limit by three, that number (20) will have to drop over the next couple of months - especially in order for Timber to be registered - but it would appear that Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have the situation under control with the pair expected to oversee a number of non-homegrown player sales.

As for the Champions League, UEFA states: 'No club may have more than 25 players on List A during the season. As a minimum, eight places are reserved exclusively for "locally trained players" and no club may have more than four "association-trained players" listed in these eight places on List A. List A must specify the players who qualify as being "locally trained", as well as whether they are "club-trained" or "association-trained".

Arsenal no longer have to consider Mari and Xhaka following the double departure but because Marquinhos, despite being born after January 2002, is only eligible for List A as an overseas player due to not being at the club 'for any uninterrupted period of two years, or a total of three consecutive years' they are currently over the limit by four (21).

Once again, that number is expected to drop in the coming months when taking into consideration the players whom the Gunners are open to selling but it's important those deals are completed one way or another otherwise there will be a registration issue for Arteta to face.

[Football.London]

Everton are pushing to broker their first addition to the senior squad for more than 10 months after agreeing the double sale of two academy graduates.

The club have sanctioned the sales of striker Ellis Simms to Coventry and 17-year-old academy prospect Ishe Samuels-Smith, who will join Chelsea for around £4m.

i understands that Everton will bank an initial £3.5m for Simms in a deal that will feature staggered payments and could be worth up to £8m eventually.

The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season back at Goodison Park after Everton failed to make any additions in January and scored a memorable late equaliser at Chelsea in a crucial 2-2 draw.

But he is surplus to requirements and, in a summer where Everton know they need to sell to spend substantially, the sale could be crucial.

The Toffees are still wrestling with Financial Fair Play issues and the cost of the new stadium project, with the club in advanced talks over investment from New York-based private equity firm MSP Sports Capital.

Sources close to the deal told i that there remains “no timeline” on when that could be concluded, pointing out the “very complex” nature of the investment.

“There are a lot of moving parts in the deal and it is not just a case of pressing the button and then it’s done,” a source told i.

They added that the group remained hopeful it would be done soon, having already provided an interim loan to help stadium construction in advance of the investment deal being concluded.

Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell has made a number of enquiries and the club are hopeful of securing a first incoming deal since September 2022, having gone through the whole of January without bringing anyone in.

The club returned for pre-season training on Thursday, with former England international Dele Alli noticeably the first to return for fitness tests ahead of his latest new start.

Sean Dyche will hold talks with Alli but with Everton required to pay £10m if he plays another seven games for the club, he would need to convince the manager quickly that he was over his recent travails.

Dyche has prioritised new forward additions, putting a premium on pace and power for his new recruits, with the scouting team reluctant to take risks on players with patchy fitness records.

They have been scouring the loan and free agent market and have an active interest in Lyon’s former Celtic forward Moussa Dembele.

They are also keen on Leeds United’s Italy striker Wilfried Gnoto, although there is a reluctance to sell at Elland Road. A fee of around £40m would surely require further outgoings at Goodison Park, where Amadou Onana could also be sold to raise funds.

The Belgium midfielder has interest from Chelsea and has been linked with Newcastle United.

Meanwhile, i understands that there has been no move for Almeria forward El Bilal Toure, despite reports in Spain that a £34.3m bid has been launched for the Mali international.

Almeria managing director Mohamed El Assy name-checked Everton in an interview this week as one club who had made an offer for Toure but sources at Goodison Park say that is not correct.

[inews]

Germany lost their last warm-up game for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at home to Zambia despite retrieving a two-goal deficit in added time.

Racheal Kundanaji’s long ball saw Barbra Banda open the scoring past Merle Frohms three minutes into the second half, with Kundanaji herself netting shortly afterwards.

Carolin Simon hit the crossbar, before Lea Schüller reduced the arrears just after the 90 minutes by heading in Simon’s corner.

Ten minutes into stoppage-time, Alexandra Popp turned in Svenja Huth’s cross to equalise, only for Banda to lob Frohms from 20 yards for a dramatic winner.

Elsewhere, Portugal defeated Ukraine 2-0 with Jessica Silva scoring both goals in the first half.

USA host Wales at 9pm UK time on Sunday 9 July, live on BBC One Wales, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

[shekicks]