Author: Editor

NO fewer than seven persons were confirmed dead on Sunday while 16 others sustained injuries in an accident involving a Toyota Hiace bus and Mack tanker few meters to Gofamaint on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Mr Ahmed Umar, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta. Umar said that the accident occured at 4:10pm and was caused by excessive speed on the part of the bus driver who lost control and rammed into the tanker from behind. He added that 25 people were involved which comprised of 17 male adults and eight…

BARELY three weeks after bandits killed an abducted victim in Kubwa a satellite town of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, four men were abducted in the early hours of Sunday, new year day. Our source reliably gathered that the bandits that were over 15 invaded the Kubwa extension after Biazyn abducted four at about 2am. Another source privy to this development said that,  at Baipe where the incident took place, “when they came they knew those that they wanted to kidnap and they surrounded their houses. “They kidnapped two Igala men, one Yoruba and a Tiv man in our area…

COUNTRIES around the world have celebrated New Year, after two years of muted or cancelled events due to the Covid pandemic. Celebrations have taken place on the east coast of the United States, and in Brazil, Argentina and the Caribbean. Cities across Europe, Africa and Asia have also held firework-filled festivities marking the start of 2023. In China, huge crowds gathered to take advantage of recently-lifted restrictions. Until recently, the country had been following a zero-Covid approach, continuing to enforce strict lockdowns even as other nations around the world appeared to return to normal. However, the disease is surging across…

LUIZ Inacio Lula da Silva has been sworn in as the new president of Brazil – the third time he has held the country’s highest office. The veteran left-wing politician, known widely as Lula, also led the country between 2003 and 2010 – and defeated Jair Bolsonaro in October’s poll. There has been tight security for the ceremony amid fears that Bolsonaro supporters may try to disrupt it. Mr Bolsonaro himself did not attend, having left Brazil on Friday. A sea of Lula supporters gathered in front of Congress since early in the morning – decked out in the red…

URUGUAY striker Luis Suarez has joined Brazilian Serie A side Gremio on a free transfer, signing with the club until the end of 2024. The former Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid player, 35, returned to his first club Nacional in July and stayed for three months. He scored eight goals in 16 games during his second stint with the side, winning the Uruguayan championship. Gremio’s first game of 2023 is against Sao Luiz on 17 January. The club, based in the city of Porto Alegre, were promoted from Brazil’s Serie B in the 2022 season, which ended in November. Suarez…

Tottenham 0 vs Aston Villa 2 ASTON Villa increased the pressure on Tottenham manager Antonio Conte with victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. An error by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in his first game back since the World Cup allowed Emiliano Buendia to score before Douglas Luiz doubled the lead. A lacklustre Spurs, who fell out of the Premier League top four on Saturday, have now won only two of their past seven matches. Villa have won back-to-back away league games as they improve under Unai Emery. It appeared this contest would pit the two keepers who faced off in the 2022…

AT least 148 civilians have been killed by law enforcement agents over the last two years across Nigeria, media reports’ data has revealed. According to the data, the killings, which may likely be higher, were perpetrated in different locations by 92 policemen, 35 soldiers and five other law enforcement agents from the paramilitary forces like customs and immigration. Based on the statistics mined by this newspaper, which relied primarily on news accounts, the number of civilians killed by the police surged in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2020. According to the data, 50 people were killed within nine months in…

MARCUS Rashford has said he was dropped from Manchester United’s starting XI against Wolves because he missed a team meeting after oversleeping. Manager Erik ten Hag praised the 25-year-old after he came on to score the winner in the second half at Molineux. But the Dutchman said breaches of internal discipline at Old Trafford have to be punished if his team are to be successful this season. “Everyone has to match the standards and rules,” said Ten Hag. “[If they don’t] there has to be consequences. “That is what I expect on the pitch, otherwise you can’t be successful. When…

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a Brazil returnee, Agbasi Prosper Chux with 105 parcels of cocaine concealed in candies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Christmas Day. SOLACEBASE reports that the suspect was arrested at the ‘D’ arrival hall of the MMIA during inward clearance of passengers from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Doha on Qatar Airways on Monday, 25th December 2022 following credible intelligence. A statement issued by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA , Abuja, on Sunday said an initial search of the suspect’s two checked in bags almost…

ZHANG Daqian may not be a household name in the West, but in China — and the global art market at large — he is on par with the likes of Warhol and Monet. A master of classical Chinese painting who later reimagined modern art in his adopted American homeland, Zhang’s work spanned traditions from ink landscapes to abstraction. And while the pervasive “Picasso of the East” comparison is misleading stylistically, it nonetheless speaks to his ability to transcend genre — and the sky-high prices his paintings now command. In April, almost 40 years after his death, Zhang’s 1947 painting…

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky has told Russians that their leader is destroying their country. Speaking after Vladimir Putin delivered a New Year addressflanked by people in military uniform, Mr Zelensky said the Russian president was hiding behind his troops, not leading them. Saturday saw a day of deadly strikes across Ukraine, and Zelensky said Ukrainians would not forgive Russia. At least one person died and dozens were injured in the attacks. There were further missile strikes on Kyiv just hours into the new year on Sunday, officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The head of Ukraine’s armed…

FORMER president Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians to put the nation first as they explored opportunities before them in 2023, including voting for candidates of their choice in forthcoming general elections. Jonathan in his in his new year message said that 2023 held great possibilities in spite the challenges faced by the nation in previous years. “Last year was, without a doubt, filled with gains and losses. “As a country, we experienced a devastating flood that resulted in the death of many lives and the destruction of property and sources of livelihood of millions of citizens. “As a people, we…

Brighton 2 vs Arsenal 4 ARSENAL moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with an entertaining 2-4 victory at Brighton. This result, allied to Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Everton, extends Arsenal’s advantage heading in to 2023. The visitors were cruising at 3-0 thanks goals by Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Eddie Nketiah before Kaoru Mitoma pulled one back. Gabriel Martinelli settled any nerves with Arsenal’s fourth before Evan Ferguson added Brighton’s second with his first league goal. Wolves 0 vs Man United 1 Marcus Rashford turned from villain to hero as he came off the…

NEPAL’s Kusunda language has no known origin and a number of quirks, like no words for “yes” or “no”. It also has only one fluent speaker left, something linguists are racing to change. Through the winter mist of the hills of the Terai, in lowland Nepal, 18-year-old Hima Kusunda emerges from the school’s boarding house, snug in a pink hooded sweatshirt. Hima is one of the last remaining Kusunda, a tiny indigenous group now scattered across central western Nepal. Their language, also called Kusunda, is unique: it is believed by linguists to be unrelated to any other language in the…

NEWLY released tax returns for former President Donald Trump have shed light on his business losses, complicated tax set-ups and tax payments during his White House years. However, they are unlikely to have a major political impact as he eyes another presidential run, experts say. The documents confirmed that Mr Trump paid no federal taxes in 2020 and only $750 (£622) in 2016 and 2017. He paid close to $1m in 2018, however. A long legal battle led to the release of the records, and Mr Trump criticised the disclosure, warning that it will deepen the US political divide. He…

A RECENT record obtained from Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board (KSPHCMB) revealed that Kano state received the highest allocation of Covid-19 vaccines totaling 209,520 covid19. Out of this allocation, Gwale was 1,046,038, and Kumbotso got 1,341,852. These vaccines were administered to residents of the communities in the 86 vaccination centers across Gwale and Kumbotso Local Government Areas (LGAs), however, the health workers that were directly involved in the vaccine administration met some challenges. This investigation is focused on the challenges of incentives and motivation packages to the frontline health workers involved in the Covid-19 vaccine administration in the two…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that a total of 460,643 Permanent Voter Cards were uncollected in 11 years in the Federal Capital Territory. The latest document from the Commission office in FCT, on Saturday, revealed that uncollected old PVCs from 2011-2019 were 230,007 while that of 2021-2022 was at 230,636. The document tagged, ‘Total PVC received and collected as of December 24, 2022’ had the year 2022 excluded. A total of 305,960 PVCs were received from the Commission’s Headquarters in 2021-2022 out of which 75,324 were collected and 230,636 were uncollected. The breakdown of PVCs collected in…

FORMER Jigawa State Deputy Governor, Ahmad Mahmoud Gumel has resigned his membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a resignation letter signed by deputy governor, dated 30th December and addressed to the Chairman, All Progressives Congress APC Galangamawa Ward, Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa state. The letter reads in part: “With all sense of respect and regards as a Chairman, your person and your party, I wish to notify you of my resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC). “I’m constraint to take this decision due to the obvious intra-party conflict, disunity and lack of commitment and confidence…

A VERY happy and prosperous New Year to you. First, I would like to thank and honour the Almighty who saw us through the year 2022 and has given us the opportunity to see another year. Each New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, reposition, and move forward with the New.  As we celebrate the opportunity to be alive in the year 2023, we must also acknowledge the passing away of our brothers and sisters who didn’t make it into this new year. May their souls rest in perfect peace.  This year is particularly important to…

THE high command of the Nigerian Army has directed over 120 major-generals, brigadiers, colonels, lieutenants, captains and others to proceed on compulsory retirement. The affected officers, who include those who failed their Senior Staff Course Examinations, were ordered to submit their letters of voluntary retirement or face summary retrenchment. The exercise was in accordance with the Public Service Rules and the Armed Forces of Nigeria Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service, 2017 (Revised). It was gathered that the number of senior and middle level personnel that would be required to leave the service might be higher than 120 as those…