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Serbia end Nigerias Super Eagles unbeaten run
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the serbian forward protested that the ball had crossed the line but there was no goal-line technology or video assisted referee in use1 the nigerian national football team the super eagles lost 0-2 to serbia in a pre-world cup friendly match at the hive stadium in london on tuesday1 rohr made four changes to the side which started against poland on friday with ogenyi onazi given the nod in the midfield while ahmed musa replaced kelechi iheanacho in attack1 at the back chidozie awaziem was picked following leon baloguns injury concern1 mitrovic was a thorn in the flesh of the super eagles defence led by william troost-ekong throughout the match as he kept on creating chances for the serbians1 goalkeeper francis uzoho was jittery at the opening stage and almost gifted the serbians the lead in the first half when his indecision led to mitrovic heading a loose ball into the net1 the eagles managed by coach gernot rohr ended their six-match unbeaten run no thanks to a second half brace by aleksandar mitrovic1 however his persistence paid off in the 68th minute when he guided the ball home following a good footwork by dusan tadic before completing his brace the 81st minute1 serbia had lost 1-2 to morocco in their previous friendly match and needed a morale-boosting display against the super eagles1 the eagles best chance fell to alex iwobi after a deft touch by wilfred ndidi but the arsenal player saw his effort blocked by a serbian defender1 odion ighalo was introduced in the second half in place of victor moses who was unusually quiet in the match but it didnt stop the serbians from dominating proceedings1 rohr threw in john ogu and moses simon to firm up his side but the serbians exploited the right side of eagles defence to the advantage of mitrovic1 junior ajayi was introduced late on for his senior national team debut nothing could deny the europeans a perfect outing against the three-time african champions as they went home winners1 -
Messi-less Argentina bag six goals from Spain
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argentina might have taken the lead in the opening five minutes but striker gonzalo higuain volleyed wide from close range which was an omen of things to come1 spain sent out a warning to their world cup rivals as real madrids isco grabbed a hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of argentina who were missing the injured lionel messi in a friendly on tuesday1 it will have made uneasy viewing for coach jorge sampaoli and emphasized more than ever how reliant his side are on their talisman messi who has been struggling with a muscle problem1 should the barcelona forward be missing at any point during this years finals in russia argentina are likely to struggle judging by their meek surrender in the spanish capital1 without messi on the pitch there was room for someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and real madrids outstanding isco filled the void1 the diminutive midfielder dictated play from the centre of the pitch throughout as spain ruthlessly and consistently exploited the high argentine defensive line1 on what was supposed to be a historic night for argentina captain javier mascherano who joined javier zanetti on 142 caps as his countrys record appearance holder things quickly turned sour as diego costa thiago and iago aspas also found the net1 costa then bravely prodded in from close range after 12 minutes despite being clattered by goalkeeper sergio romero. both players required lengthy treatment and eventually left the pitch at different stages1 romeros replacement chelsea back-up willy caballero who starred in fridays 2-0 win over italy suffered a nightmare. a wayward pass with his first touch saw isco gleefully sweep home spains second in the 27th as they threatened to run riot1 defender nicolas otamendi briefly offered the visitors hope as he towered above the defense to nod in before the break1 but after the restart it was again all spain with haphazard goalkeeping and defending all contributing to a procession for the former world champions who condemned argentina to their heaviest defeat since a 2009 loss by the same score to bolivia1 spain face european champions and iberian rivals portugal as well as iran and morocco in group b at the world cup while argentina will play iceland croatia and nigeria in group d1 -
Sloane Stephens joins tennis big girls at No. 10
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reigning wimbledon champion gabrine muguruza was emphatically dispatched in straight sets monday before kerber received similar treatment1 american sloane stephens had cause for a double celebration tuesday after beating germanys angelique kerber 6-1 6-2 to reach the wta miami open semi-finals1 it also means the reigning us open champion will finally be named in the worlds top 10 when the wta release their rankings next week1 i am so tired of hearing that i am number 11 in the world said a smiling stephens who will face either victoria azarenka of belarus or sixth-ranked czech karolina pliskova for a place in saturdays final1 its very exciting to get there something i have wanted to do for a while. getting into the top 10 is pretty special and something i have worked on for a long time1 stephens previous best here in key biscayne came with a quarter-finals run in 2015 so the emotions on display at the end of what was an ultimately straightforward win over the world number 10 were understandable1 since her debut grand slam triumph at the us open last september the 25-year-old has struggled to follow on. stephens arrived at key biscayne having not beaten a top-50 player since the run at flushing meadows1 but this week has seen the american who was raised in south florida get back to her roots and to winning ways1 the us 13th seeds comprehensive triumph in tricky wind conditions over the former world number one ensured stephens reached the last four at key biscayne for the first time1 wind hampered both players but it was stephens who adapted far better the power of her groundstrokes and superior movement leaving kerber frustrated and unable to find a way into the encounter1 the wind is uncomfortable for both of us. but it can help push you outside of your comfort zone. you just have to embrace it stephens said1 stephens took just 23 minutes to wrap up the first set kerber looked sluggish from the start1 kerber was deep in conversation with coach wim fissette during the break being urged to assert herself1 kerber saved four break points in the fifth game but stephens was did not allow her opponent into the match and a 22nd winner sealed the triumph1 you have to execute your game well and make sure you stick with it stephens said. its easy to start doing other things so i just need to keep to my plan and make sure i didnt venture off1 kerber admitted coming through a grueling three-set win over qualifier wang yafan the day before had left her flat1 i was really feeling a little bit tired today kerber said. it was windy it was tricky but ive played so many matches in the last three months that i was feeling it a little bit in my body1 -
2019: Declare without further delay, group tells Atiku
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we assure him that nigerians are desirous of a leader that commands his kind of leadership credentials and he must heed to the call to serve by contesting the 2019 presidential election1 mr theophilus ohuoba the national chairman intellectual think-thank for atikuitta has urged former vice-president atiku abubakar to formally declare his intention to run in the 2019 presidential election without further delay1 he said that there would be an unprecedented participation of youths in atikus government which would be unparalleled in the history of nigeria1 the itta national chairman said that there would be 40 per cent youth affirmative action in atikus government1 according to him the former vice-president will restructure nigeria in a way that the north south east and west will be carried along1 to this end we are calling on atiku to formally declare his intention to contest the 2019 presidential election without further delay1 ohuoba in a statement on tuesday in abuja said that atikus presidency would among other things build a robust economy that would create wealth for all nigerians1 itta has a mandate and this is to work with all well-meaning nigerians to ensure that come 2019 atiku becomes the president of nigeria he said1 ohuoba said that atiku was a detribalised nigerian with a progressive and resourceful background1 itta had on march 24 inaugurated its national and state executives1 ohuoba had during the inauguration said that the zonal and state coordinators of the group would go back to their various bases and inaugurate their executives1 he said they would move to the grassroots to mobilise delegates and subsequently voters to support atikus candidacy1 -
Return looted funds, not apology, FG tells PDP
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the pdp presided over an unprecedented looting of the public treasury perhaps the worst of its kind in nigeria or anywhere else in the world2 he added that returning looted funds would provide more money for the programmes and make life more meaningful for nigerians1 a statement issued in abuja on tuesday quoted the minister of information and culture alhaji lai mohammed challenging the party to show the genuineness of its apology through a discernible change of attitude1 mohammed said pdp should complete its apology to nigerians by returning all the funds looted from the public treasury during its 16 years in power1 by rotimi ijikanmi1 therefore the best evidence of penitence for such a party is not just to own up and apologise but to also return the looted funds as anything short of that is mere deceit1 the minister said with the paucity of funds the administration had spent an unprecedented amount of money on infrastructural development and social investment programme among others1 the apology rendered to nigerians by thepeoples democratic party pdp appeared to have been rejected by the ruling all progressives congress apc as thefederal government has said looted funds should be returned rather than the partys apology1 mohammed also reminded the pdp of the quote if you find yourself in a hole stop digging saying it applies to the pdp at this time1 pdp press the reset button. stop sabotaging the work of this administration which is packing the mess you left behind through your reckless statements and unfounded allegations1 play responsible opposition politics. put nigerias interest over and above partisan interest1 temper your desperation to return to power. spend quality time in the purgatory and you will be forgiven he said1 the pdp had on monday reflected on its 16 years stewardship and admitted it made mistakes and asked nigerians to forgive its wrongdoings1 national chairman of the pdp prince uche secondus who spoke at a public discourse had said the party was sorry for its mistakes1 -
Buhari shocks Oyegun, reverses tenure elongation
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this motion was duly carried by a majority of members present at the last nec meeting even though some of our party members have since spoken up very vehemently against it. others have even taken the matter to court2 buhari said he was optimistic that the on-going meeting would provide an avenue to resolve the outstanding issues and consolidate plans towards making apc stronger1 he told the national executive committee meeting of the party in abuja on tuesday that he had reflected on the elongation and also sought advice and had come to the conclusion that it is unconstitutional1 the apc had in its nec meeting on february 27 extended the tenure of members of national working committee nwc led by john odigie-oyegun by one year1 president muhammadu buhari has ordered the reversal of tenure elongation of chief john odigie-oyegun and other national and state executive officers of the all progressives congress apc1 i have taken some time to review and seek advice on the resolution. and what i found is that it contravenes both our party constitution and the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria1 while the apc constitution in article 171 and 13.2b limits the tenure of elected officers to four years renewable once by another election the 1999 constitution of nigeria as amended in section 223 also prescribes periodic elections for party executives at regular intervals which must not exceed four years1 furthermore article 31 of our party constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest or contest for another post must resign from his current post at least one month before the election1 he described the elongation of their tenure by one year as unconstitutional1 buhari explained however that it was expected that a fresh elections be conducted once the tenure of the current executives approaches its end1 a caretaker committee cannot remedy this situation and cannot validly act in place of elected officers1 furthermore i think if we deviate from the constitutional provisions we might be endangering the fortunes of our party. if the tenure of our party executives can be legally faulted then it means that any nominations and primary elections that they may conduct can also be faulted1 this is not to talk of divisions that would arise and is already arising within the party when some of our members feel that they are being denied the right to aspire to executive positions or that internal democracy is not at play within the party1 i am therefore of the firm view that it is better to follow strictly the dictates of our party and national constitutions rather than put apc and its activities at grave risk1 he said that a timetable had already been approved for the holding of congresses and elections1 i think these should be allowed to go forward and all efforts should now be geared towards making them a great success1 -
Just In: Nigerian youths form political party
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this is not a party registered for the 2019 presidential elections. we are here for the long haul and wish to call on all true patriots of our fatherland to get involved as we embark on this journey towards building nigerias first and truly modern democratic party olateru-olagbegi said1 nigerian youths have formed a political party modern democratic party mdp to enable them place active role in the upcoming elections in 2019 and beyond1 the registration of the political party is an strategy to enable the youths in nigeria to position themselves for political leadership1 the new party led by 27-year old activist and entrepreneur prince bukunyi olateru-olagbegi represents the new face of active youth involvement in politics1 the party which was registered by the independent national electoral commission inec on january 10 2018 intends to galvanise youths into engaging in policy formulation government accountability and running for political office1 according to olateru-olagbegi the party belongs solely to nigerians who yearn to see a difference in politics and governance1 he explained that the mission of the party is to be home for those who are weary of the status quo and want to be part of something fresh new untainted and different1 we are focused on harnessing the mental and physical resources of this unique generation of youth brimming with fresh ideas and innovations which will finally put nigeria in its rightful place on the world stage1 we know that the journey ahead of us will be long1 the formation of the party came at a time that when not too young to run bill is still pending assent of president muhammadu buhari1 last year the nigerian senate passed the not too young to run bill which seeks age reduction for elective officers in the country and allows the youths an opportunity to contest for the office of the president at the age of 35 and governor or senator at the age of 301 as young people across the country are calling on buhari to assent to the bill the modern democratic party has gone ahead to unveil its manifesto and planned activities in preparation for next years general elections1 the party is a youth-driven political organization committed to producing and sustaining efficient transparent and accountable leadership in all spheres of governance for the benefit of nigerian citizens1 the party meant for an emerging generation of young people with an unwavering love and belief in nigeria and her potential to take its rightful place as one of the greatest nations on earth1 nigerias youth have finally come of age they have become mature and they fully understand the shifting power dynamics of nigerian and global politics1 never in the history of nigeria has there been such a technologically-savvy generation with access to information and knowledge that can transform this country profoundly1 mdp hereby offers to nigerias emerging and immensely talented generation a credible and powerful platform to realise their dreams for this great nation he said1 the vision of the party is to build a nation where the aspirations of citizens can be realized irrespective of their social political ethnic or religious convictions1 it values includes fairness inclusiveness transparency and accountability1 -
Tinubu praises Buhari for steering APC back to legality
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while it would have been easy to allow the ill-conceived motion of 27 february to stand president buhari showed principle and courage by steering the party back to its original and correct path1 the all progressives congress national leader asiwaju bola ahmed tinubu on tuesday applauded president muhammadu buhari for steering the party back to the correct path after the president in a surprising announcement ruled against elongation of the tenure of the apc national working committee nwc 1 president muhammadu buhari had earlier on tuesday advised the party to dump the elongation of the tenure of national and state executive officers of the all progressives congress apc1 he told the national executive committee meeting of the party in abuja on tuesday that he had sought advice on the elongation and had come to the conclusion that it was unconstitutional1 the apc at its nec meeting on feb. 27 decided to extend the tenure of members of national working committee nwc led by john odigie-oyegun by one year1 in his reaction tinubu said president buharis action saves the party from serious legal turmoil1 if the elongations were deemed illegal then all subsequent party actions including the nomination of all of our candidates for elective offices might also be of questionable legality1 such a predicament would constitute an unnecessary and mortal blow to the party and its role in promoting progressive governance to nigeria1 moreover president buhari has affirmed for all to see that our party is one based on the rule of law coupled with a firm adherence to internal democracy1 tinubu heaped praises on the president in a statement released by tinubus media officer mr tunde rahman in lagos1 according to him the president has spoken1 today is a good day for those who cherish democracy and legality1 his action will also serve to strengthen the party by allowing party members including present incumbents to seek to contribute to the party by vying for executive offices as they see fit1 his action will go far in advancing the process of internal reconciliation that is now underway he said1 tinubu said it was time for the party to move forward and begin to plan and organise the needed congresses according to the existing timetables1 after all a party bearing the name all progressives congress should be the last party to resist holding congresses in which all its people have a fair say and fair chance to aspire to any position in the party for which they are qualified to hold1 again this is a good day for the apc and democratic practice in nigeria1 we shun the politics of old to move toward a new and better way of governing ourselves and this nation he said1 -
Discrepancies in NNPCs remittance stalls FAAC meeting
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the inconclusive federation account allocation committee faac meeting has forced finance minister kemi adeosun to liaise with the nnpc over discrepancies in payment into the federation account1 this is coming after faac noticed discrepancies of about n37.76 billion in revenue presented by the nnpc1 adeosun who is also the chairman of faac said she called for an emergency meeting next week with the group managing director of nnpc mr maikanti baru and other key management staff over revenue payment into the federation account1 the minister in a statement made available to newsmen by her senior adviser on media and publicity mr oluyinka akintunde assured nigerians that the faac meeting would hold on wednesday at 9. a. m1 she said that the accountant general of the federation commissioners of finance and accountant-generals of the 36 states would also be present at the meeting1 similarly she said that other representatives of the nnpc federal inland revenue service nigeria customs service department of petroleum resources would also be at the meeting. nan1 -
Trump cancels special status for Liberians
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president donald trump on tuesday ordered an end to special legal status for certain immigrants from liberia including some who have lived in the united states for decades effective next year citing improved conditions in the west african nation1 liberia is no longer experiencing armed conflict and has made significant progress in restoring stability and democratic governance according to a memorandum signed by trump and released by the white house1 trump has pursued a crackdown on legal and illegal immigration since becoming president last year1 some liberians have been eligible for either temporary protected status or deferred enforced departure since march 1991 due to civil war fragile political and economic conditions and an ebola virus outbreak in 2014 the memorandum said. the special status will end on march 31 20191 liberia has also concluded reconstruction from prior conflicts which has contributed significantly to an environment that is able to handle adequately the return of its nationals trump said1 the 2014 outbreak of ebola virus disease caused a tragic loss of life and economic damage to the country but liberia has made tremendous progress in its ability to diagnose and contain future outbreaks of the disease trump added1 a 12-month wind-down period starting march 31 2018 will allow the liberian government to prepare to re-integrate returning citizens and give time for affected liberians to make necessary arrangements said the memorandum which was addressed to the department of homeland security1 trump previously included three other african countries chad somalia and libya among several nations whose citizens were blocked from entering the united states1 african politicians and diplomats blasted trump in january after he was reported to have used vulgar language to describe african countries and haiti with some calling him a racist1 trump later denied making the remark1 -
Mandelas hands sell for $10m
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mr mandela was jailed for 27 years for fighting white minority rule in south africa1 solid gold castings of the hands of south africas first black president nelson mandela have been sold for 10m 7m in bitcoin1 canadian crypto-currency exchange firm arbitrade bought four casts from south african businessman malcolm duncan according to a report by bbc africa1 the firm said it planned to launch a global golden hands of nelson mandela tour to educate young people about the anti-apartheid icons life1 this is the first time artefacts of mr mandela have been sold in bitcoin1 the castings of the late former south african presidents hand palm and fist are believed to be the only ones left in the world1 he was released in 1990 and served as president from 1994 to 19991 mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. he had turned into a global brand with businessmen and artists cashing in on his name1 mr duncan who now lives in canada bought the casts from mining group harmony gold in 2002 for about 310001 half of the money paid to harmony gold was meant to go to charity but it remains unclear as to whether that happened bloomberg news agency reports1 harmony said it had supplied mr duncan with the necessary paperwork verifying the provenance as requested by his attorneys but declined to comment on what happened to the donation bloomberg reports1 -
Nigeria’s journey in the last three (3) years has been very turbulent - Buhari
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nigeria’s journey in the last three 3 years has been very turbulent - buhari1 turbulent naija1 president muhammadu buhari on monday admitted that nigeria has been turbulent since he came on board in 2015. the president made this comment while inaugurating the food security council chaired by him. at the inauguration1 the president spoke about nigeria’s “very turbulent” journey in the past three years1 -
Pure water seller and dapchi schoolboy freed by Boko Haram
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dapchi4 dapchi school girls4 dapchi girls3 dapchi school girls finally re-unite with their families2 pure water seller and dapchi schoolboy freed by boko haram1 the boy came to the dapchi girls secondary science and tech college to sell pure water1 when he was kidnapped alongside the dapchi schoolgirls1 -
PDP should be axed for playing politics with security issues - Lai Mohammed
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apc8 pdp3 pdp should be axed for playing politics with security issues - lai mohammed1 for alleged politicising dapchi incident1 disgraceful and insensitive politics1 the former ruling peoples’ democratic party pdp deserves to be de-registered1 -
Dapchi school girls finally re-unite with their families
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buhari15 dapchi4 dapchi school girls4 dapchi girls3 dapchi school girls finally re-unite with their families2 the 105 rescued dapchi schoolgirls1 have reunited with their families amidst celebrations after their meeting with president muhammadu buhari1