Category: News

High stakes for Emery as Villarreal aim for Europa League shock against Man Utd

 

Unai Emery will add to his already sparkling Europa League record if Villarreal beat Manchester United on Wednesday but victory would also turn an otherwise mediocre first season in charge into a great one.

 

Villarreal had just finished fifth in La Liga when they appointed Emery as coach last summer, with the Spaniard’s remit to take the club closer to winning titles and securing Champions League qualification.

He could achieve both in one fell swoop in Gdansk, where an upset against the much-fancied United would not only clinch Villarreal their first-ever major trophy but also a place in Europe’s premier tournament next season.

“We respect United but we think we’re capable of winning this trophy,” said Emery last week. “We are going to play with the confidence we’ve shown throughout the whole competition.”

The drop-off though with a defeat would be huge, given Villarreal would not only end the season without silverware but shorn of a place even in the next Europa League.

Their loss to Real Madrid on Saturday meant Emery’s side finished seventh in La Liga, two spots lower and two points fewer than they managed last season, and enough only to qualify for UEFA’s new and less lucrative Europa Conference League.

There is no real sense yet of Emery being under pressure, in part because so much depends on how Villarreal fare against United, in what is their first European final since winning the Intertoto Cup in 2004.

“Villarreal have reached the Europa League semis three times before so if we hadn’t got to the final again it would have been hard for us,” said the club’s former midfielder Marcos Senna, who was in the team that won the Intertoto Cup 17 years ago.

“Manchester United are clear favourites because of their history and their budget. We’ve snuck through the back door a bit but if they play well, I think they can spring a surprise.”

 

Fifth final appearance for Emery
Emery knows what it takes to win the Europa League, having triumphed three times in a row with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, the last time by beating Liverpool 3-1 in the final in Basel. He also reached the final two years ago with Arsenal, only to lose to Chelsea.

“Manchester United were the favourites from the start to win this tournament and they’ve managed to reach the final,” said Emery. “There were other teams who were favourites and haven’t done that but we have always seen ourselves as a contender.”

Villarreal is also flying the flag for Spain as the one team that denied the English Premier League a clean sweep of European finalists, with Manchester City up against Chelsea in the Champions League final on Saturday.

If Villarreal defeats United, Spain will boast seven of the last 10 Europa League champions, the others belonging to Chelsea in 2013 and 2019, and United in 2017 when Jose Mourinho’s side beat Ajax.

“The Premier League is dominating football in Europe,” Emery said. “But to reach a final you always have to knock out big teams, or teams that have knocked out big teams themselves, like Dinamo Zagreb. Games like these are a challenge. They tell you what level your team is at.”

 

20 dead, 322 infected as Cholera outbreak hits Bauchi

 

At least 20 people have died while 322 have been infected with cholera following the outbreak of the disease in Bauchi state.

State commissioner of health Dr Aliyu Maigoro disclosed this Tuesday while briefing newsmen on the epidemic at the ministry of health headquarters Bauchi.

Maigoro explained that nine of the people who died hailed from Bauchi local government, four in Misau, three in Ningi, three in Toro and one person in Giade local governments.

He said the ministry through the state primary health care development agency responded immediately having been notified of the disease to avoid its spread to other communities in the state.

Maigoro added that other response actions so far conducted by the ministry to tackle the disease include establishment of the state public health emergency operation centre and isolation centres in all general hospitals of the affected local government areas.

“Four cholera treatment units have been activated in Bauchi metropolis in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), urban maternity and primary health centre Kandahar.

“Drugs and consumables have been provided to all the isolation sites in the state. Doctors, nurses and paramedics have been mobilized to provide care to the victims,” he said.

The commissioner also noted that chlorination of wells and decontamination of households would be done in the affected local government areas.

 

ZONE 5 COMMAND NOT INVESTIGATING LAND OWNERSHIP DISPUTES—-AIG AKINMOYEDE

 

Zone 5 Police Headquarters, Benin, has reacted to the news trending on social media that operatives of the Zone are investigating land ownership dispute and has arrested Human Rights Activist and President of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Eholor on the instruction of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom.

In a release signed by DSP Tijani Momoh, Zonal Public Relations Officer and made available to NAOSRE, the Command clarified that its operatives are not investigating ownership of land or any land dispute between Chief Patrick Eholor and the Esama of Benin Kingdom as this is clearly a civil matter, a matter to be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The statement added that Police Operatives from Zone 5 Headquarters actually invited Chief Patrick Eholor to have an interview with the AIG over a petition of assault written by one Mr. Friday Eregboa who alleged that Chief Patrick Eholor physically assaulted him on the 27th April, 2021, while he was working on a farm land he was temporarily assigned to cultivate.

Based on this, Chief Patrick and other parties involved were invited and the AIG addressed and warned them to continue to be peaceful and not engage in any act capable of breaching public peace while the police continues with investigation.

The allegation of police involvement in land dispute between Chief Patrick Eholor and the Esama of Benin is therefore untrue and should therefore be disregarded.

NNPC awaits FG, labour resolutions today on Petrol Subsidy Removal

 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is not halting the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, despite the recent recommendation of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum that the subsidy regime by stopped immediately.

Rather, the oil firm is awaiting the outcome of today’s (Tuesday) meeting between the Federal Government and the organised labour as touching the cost of petrol and whether to discontinue subsidising the commodity.

NNPC is the sole importer of petrol into Nigeria and has maintained this position for more than three years, as it also subsidises the cost of the commodity despite being humongous.

A committee set up by the Nigeria Governors Forum had last Wednesday suggested a petrol price of between N380/litre and N380/litre and N408.5/litre. The committee also called for immediate removal of petrol subsidy.

The Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, told The PUNCHthat the NLC would meet with the Federal Government today (Tuesday) on issues bordering on petrol price and the sacking of workers in Kaduna, among others.

The meeting between the Federal Government and labour to decide on an amicable petrol price has dragged for about three months and the NNPC has continued to wait, thereby retaining petrol subsidy and incurring huge under-recoveries.

NNPC recently complained that the continued stay of subsidy would warrant zero remittances from the corporation to the Federation Account in the months of April and May 2021.

But when contacted to state how long petrol subsidy would be retained since the proposed meeting between the Federal Government and labour had been dragging, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Kennie Obateru, said the corporation would not alter petrol price until a resolution was reached on the matter by the involved parties.

He said, “We are waiting for the discussion between labour and the government to be concluded. That is, let them reach an amicable position. It is not NNPC that is holding the talks.

“We are the national oil company and so we just wait for the parties to complete that discussion. When a position is taken as to how best to implement the deregulation, it will be communicated to NNPC and then we can now take a position.

“But for now what we do is to implement whatever the government decides.”

The government’s decision on petrol price was announced on Friday by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, as he stated that there would be no price hike in June this year.

Sylva, while reacting to the recommendation of the NGF, admitted that petrol subsidy had been a huge burden on government, but assured Nigerians that the cost of the commodity would remain at between N162/litre and N165/litre in June.

He said, “Once again it has become necessary to assure Nigerians that despite the huge burden of under-recovery, the Federal Government is not in a hurry to increase the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to reflect current market realities.

“The current price of petrol will be retained in the month of June until the ongoing engagement with organised labour is concluded.”

He added, “This clarification becomes necessary in the light of recent reports regarding the resolution of the Nigeria Governors Forum to increase the pump price of petrol.”

Source: The Punch

The dead can’t bury the dead” – Nnamdi Kanu reacts to President Buhari not attending Ibrahim Attahiru’s burial

 

IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has blown hot during his Biafra podcast yesterday. During his podcast, he reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari not being able to attend Ibrahim Attahiru’s burial.

 

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari was trolled on social media by Nigerians over failure to attend the burial ceremony of Chief Of Army Staff and 10 other military officers who died in a BEACHCRAFT350 aircraft crash on Friday May 21, 2021.

During the Biafra podcast, Nnamdi referred to President Buhari as the dead, and says “The dead can’t bury the dead.” He ended that part by saying if the real President Buhari was alive, he would have attended the funeral.

He said: “A general died and a general didn’t attend his burial?” The dead can’t bury the dead. The real Buhari would have gone for the burial if only he was alive.”

“I stole plantains to raise N10k for my girlfriend‘s makeup” — Suspect

 

A young man arrested for stealing bunches of plantain in Ebedebiri, Sagbama LGA of Bayelsa, has claimed that he committed the offence because of his girlfriend.

 

According to reports shared by community leaders on Monday, May 24, the suspect was caught and during interrogation by a community leader, Peres Double, the suspect claimed that his girlfriend demanded for the sum of ten thousand naira (N10,000) supposedly to buy make-up and had given him a deadline to get the money.

The suspected thief from Angiama community, said he became so frustrated that he entered people’s farms in the community, harvested their plantains in a bid to sell them and raise money for his girlfriend. The suspect pleaded with the community leadership to forgive him.

 

Real Madrid Flop Hazard Eyes Chelsea Return

 

Belgian star Eden Hazard looking for a way out at Real Madrid this summer and a return to Chelsea is his preference, according to Spanish TV.

Hazard has struggled since his £130m switch to Madrid from Chelsea in the summer of 2019.

Things have not worked out for the 30-year-old with injuries and a loss of form limiting him to just 21 starts in two seasons.

 

Hazard was part of the Madrid side that lost to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final recently. And he angered one half of the Spanish capital when he was seen laughing with former team-mate Kurt Zouma on the final whistle at Stamford Bridge.

That led to Zidane defending Hazard and an apology from the Belgian to the Real squad.

“Eden has apologised and he did it well. It was not his intention to hurt anyone, that is the most important thing.”

“He knows what he has to do on the pitch and he’s going to do it. We spoke the other day, after the match, but to say that. He was apologising for his reaction – to me, to the club, to the players – and that’s it.

“All the players have their hearts in the club but for now it hasn’t been possible to see the Eden Hazard we want to see.

“But I believe he is going to get there. It’s a difficult moment with everything that’s happened but he has a contract and what he wants is to succeed here.”

However, according to Spanish station El Chiringuito de Jugones (via Metro), Hazard is keen on leaving Madrid.

And he has his heart set on a return to Chelsea, where he notched 110 goals and 92 assists, winning the Premier League and Europa League twice, as well as the FA Cup and League Cup.

 

Rise up and defend yourselves with weapons not prohibited by law – Gov Ortom tasks Benue People

 

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom on Sunday urged the people of the state to obtain dane gun licences from local government areas for self-defence.

 

He spoke at an interdenominational church service this evening at the Chapel of Grace in Government House, Makurdi to round up a seven-day prayer and fasting programme for peace in the state.

 

“I’ll no longer announce the deaths of those killed by Fulani herdsmen, rise up and defend yourselves with weapons not prohibited by law, bows and arrows, spears and knives. Get licence for dane guns from local government Chairmen and use them to defend yourselves,” he said.
He added that as long as he remained within God’s circle no weapon fashioned against him would prosper.
“God assured me some time back that as long as I lived within the circle of his presence, no weapon fashioned against me shall prosper,” he said.

The State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Akpen Leva, assured the governor of the support of the Church to secure the lives of the people and for always rising up in their defence.
The CAN chairman commended the Southern governors on their decision to prohibit open grazing in their states stressing that it was the right thing to do.

Intercessory prayers were offered against all social vices in Benue, peace and prosperity of the state as well as for God to protect leaders at all levels in the state.

 

 

Senate Queries NECO over Alleged Award of N6.5bn Contracts Without Due Process

 

 

The Senate has queried the National Examination Council (NECO) over an alleged award of contracts worth N6.5 billion without due process.

It also mandated its Committee on Public Accounts to probe the reported illegal contract awards.

The contracts were for the printing of security and non-security documents by the examination body.

The committee was guided by the 2017 report the Office of Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF) submitted to the parliament for consideration in issuing two queries to the NECO.

According to the auditor general’s report showed that the examination body could not present any record to show that approval was given for the contract by the ministerial tenders board in the first contract that cost about N451 million.

The committee also alleged that due process was not followed in the second contract, which was worth N6.1 billion.

It further alleged that quotations were not collected from three bidders as required by Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2017 while taxes were not deducted from some of the contract payment.

Taxes were not deducted from some of the contract payments and there was no Technical and Financial evaluation.

The query reads: “Examination of records and documents revealed that the commission’s tenders board approved the award of contract for printing of security materials in the sum of ₦451 million to a company in March 2017 in contravention of provisions of Federal Government Circular No.SGF/OP/I/S.3/XI/849 of January 16, 2016, which reiterated the approved revised thresholds for service wide application, for which the Parastatal Tender Board can only exercise authority on works whose value is less than ₦250 million while any sum above this, is to be referred to the Ministerial Tenders Board for approval.

“We sought for the authority for the above approval including the ministerial approval but none was provided.

“The above unilateral award of contracts without following due process may lead to awarding contracts to unqualified contractors. Recommendation: The Registrar/CEO should be sanctioned in line with provisions of Financial Regulation 3117. “

However, in his response, the Registrar of the NECO, Professor Godswill Obioma, explained to the committee that the said N461 million “were payments to Data Science Nigeria Limited for the supply of Optical Mark Readers for objectives questions paper for various examinations conducted by the council.”

However, Obioma’s explanation could not dissuade the committee, which sustained the query on the ground that the council could not provide evidence of approval from the Ministerial Tenders Board before awarding contracts beyond its threshold.

The second query reads: “Examination of contracts awarded for the printing of Security and Non- Security Documents valued at ₦6,166,405,407.42 revealed that the contracts were awarded without compliance with the provisions of Part VI, Section 24 (I) of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2017 as amended, which states that except as provided by this Act, all procurements of goods and works by all procuring entities shall be conducted by open competitive bidding.

“The following irregularities were also noted, quotations were not collected from three bidders as required by PPA 2007 but the taxes were not deducted from some of the contract payments.

“There was no technical and financial evaluation, Evidence of placement of advertisement was not attached to either payment vouchers or contract files. The amount expended was above the threshold of the Council, The contracts were split as some contracts were awarded to the same contractor with LPO and work order issued on the same date.”

Obioma said in his response to the second query that “the contracts for the printing of our questions were awarded through selective tendering. This is the case to avoid leakages of our examinations and award of contract to printers of doubted integrity.”

But, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Urhoghide, sustained the query because the registrar was unable to defend the query.

Residents protest after 15 people got kidnapped today on Abuja-Kaduna highway

 

Residents at Tarfa Local Government of Niger state, are currently protesting after 15 young people were kidnapped by suspected unknown bandits. According to a source, the operation lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes, despite the fact that police station and Army barracks are close to area.

 

According to the source, police and army officers weren’t seen at the scene of the operation from the unknown bandits.

Angry youths have blocked Gauraka Abuja-Kaduna highway along Tarfa Local Government with bonfires, stones and long sticks to protest constant kidnaps of people. According to the eyewitness, a Hilux belonging to Army has been blocked from getting into the protesting zone.

 

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