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TEXT OF NATIONAL BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU ON THE 64TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA OCTOBER 1, 2024. Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard.  As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your…

FIFA banned Cameroon football federation president Samuel Eto’o for six months on Monday over his conduct at a Women’s Under-20 World Cup match. The former Barcelona star was deemed guilty of breaching FIFA’s rules relating to “offensive behaviour, violation of the principles of fair-play and misconduct of players and officials”. The charges relate to Cameroon’s last-16 game against Brazil, which the South Americans won 3-1 after extra time. Eto’o and the Cameroon delegation saw red over a penalty that led to Brazil’s equaliser at the match in Bogota, Colombia on September 11. Eto’o is suspended from attending any Cameroon matches,…

THREE civilians have been killed and nine others wounded in Israeli strikes on Syria’s capital Damascus, state-run media has reported. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) earlier reported that its television anchor Safaa Ahmad was killed on Tuesday in “treacherous Israeli aggression” targeting the Syrian capital. Footage posted on social media appeared to show a car engulfed in flames on a street surrounded by apartment blocks. It was not clear if the presenter was among the three civilian casualties referred to by state media. Israel’s Ministry of Defense and military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The…

A MAN was arrested on Monday after breaking into Morocco’s embassy in Stockholm and smashing windows before hanging a rainbow flag from a window, police said. Police stormed the building and arrested the man, who daily newspaper Aftonbladet said was armed with a knife and had barricaded himself in a room. The perpetrator, who has not yet been identified, is suspected of breaking and entering, aggravated vandalism and causing bodily injury, after shattered glass from a window fell on a passerby on the street, they added. “The person was not seriously injured and was going to seek medical help on…

A COURT in Tanzania’s capital has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for the gang rape and sodomy of a girl under the age of 18 in a case which caused outrage in the country. Among the convicts are Clinton Damas, a soldier with the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, and Praygod Mushi, a prison officer. The other two convicts are Nickson Jackson and Amin Lema. In addition to the life sentences, the four men have each been ordered to pay 1m shillings ($370; £275) to the victim. A fifth suspect – a senior policewoman suspected of ordering the sex attack…

AN instant porridge has been withdrawn from sale in South Africa after three young children died reportedly after eating it. Police spokesperson Lt Col Siphokazi Mawisa told local newspaper the Daily Maverick the children, aged 18 months to four years, had complained of stomach aches after eating Top Score Instant Porridge, before they died on Friday. Supermarket Spar, where the porridge was purchased, has instructed all stores to remove the product from its shelves. The Namibian company which made the porridge, Namib Mills, said although, “there is currently no evidence linking our product to this unfortunate event, we are taking…

TOTTENHAM produced a magnificent display to outclass 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford and pile renewed pressure on manager Erik ten Hag. Spurs, even without injured Son Heung-min, tore Manchester United apart as they set the platform for victory with a first-half masterclass, the only mystery being how they only had Brennan Johnson’s third-minute goal to show for their overwhelming dominance. Johnson’s simple finish was created by Micky van de Ven’s barnstorming run from his own half, and Spurs went on to create chance after chance without adding to their advantage – Timo Werner being the biggest culprit when he…

ISRAELI jets have continued attacking targets across Lebanon, including the capital, Beirut, for a seventh day, with Lebanese officials saying the nonstop bombardment had left up to a million people in the streets. As fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah grow, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Sunday the intense Israeli attacks had possibly caused the “worst displacement crisis” in the country’s history. Earlier, the Israeli military said its fighter jets had struck Hezbollah targets, including rocket launchers and weapons storage facilities, and carried out dozens of air raids across Lebanon. At least 11 people…

RESIDENTS of Nepal’s flood-hit capital returned to their mud-caked homes on Sunday to survey the wreckage of devastating floods that have killed at least 170 people across the Himalayan republic. Deadly rain-related floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. Entire neighbourhoods in Kathmandu were inundated over the weekend with flash floods reported in rivers coursing through the capital and extensive damage to highways connecting the city with the rest of Nepal. Kumar Tamang, who lives in a slum area by…

SIX people have died from an outbreak of Marburg virus in Rwanda, the health minister has announced. Sabin Nsanzimana said most of the victims were healthcare workers in a hospital intensive care unit. Twenty cases have been identified since the outbreak was confirmed on Friday. Marburg, with a fatality rate of up to 88%, is from the same virus family as Ebola. It spreads to humans from fruit bats and then through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals. Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss. There are no specific treatments…

IT was January 1998 and Robert Bourgi was waiting to see the Gabonese president Omar Bongo, in an antechamber at his seaside palace in Libreville. He was there to collect funds for the approaching French presidential election on behalf of the centre-right Gaullist candidate Jacques Chirac, who was mayor of Paris at the time. Who should then be ushered into the same antechamber but Roland Dumas, former French foreign minister and right-hand man of ruling Socialist President François Mitterrand, Chirac’s arch-rival. “Good day, Bourgi,” said Dumas. “I believe we are here for the same purpose.” Claiming seniority, Dumas went into…

VICTOR Osimhen has finally opened his goals account for Galatasaray. Osimhen, who joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in the summer, had gone three games without a goal for the Turkish champions. However, on Saturday, the Nigerian forward ended his mini-goal drought in the 20th minute of Galatasaray’s Super Lig clash with Kasimpasa at the RAMS Park in İstanbul. Osimhen needed only eight minutes to grab his second, after waiting for three games to score his first goal for Gala. The Napoli loanee also imitated a goal celebration of ex-Inter captain Mauro Icardi when the Argentinean netted the third goal…

HARRY Kane went off injured as Bayern Munich were held 1-1 at home by champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Robert Andrich put the visitors ahead after 31 minutes in Munich but Aleksandar Pavlovic pulled leaders Bayern level eight minutes later with an incredible long range shot. England captain Kane, who was largely anonymous in front of goal, hobbled off with a foot injury with four minutes remaining after a collision with Leverkusen’s Amine Adli. Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said he was unsure about Kane’s injury status, but added “when Harry leaves the field means something because…

IRAN’S Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Muslims around the world to unite and “stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah”, following reports of the killing of the Lebanese group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli air strike on Friday. In a statement issued on Saturday following Israel’s claim of the killing of Nasrallah, Khamenei described Israel’s policy as “short-sighted” and called the deadly strikes on Lebanon “criminal”. “The Zionist criminals need to know that they are far too weak to be able to inflict any significant damage on the solid structure of Lebanon’s Hezbollah,”…

SAUDI Arabia has carried out its highest number of executions in more than three decades after three executions announced on Sept 28 took the figure in 2024 to 198, according to an AFP tally. The Gulf kingdom executed the third-highest number of prisoners in the world after China and Iran in 2023, according to Amnesty International. The latest tally surpassed its previous highs of 196 in 2022 and 192 in 1995, according to the London-based human rights group, which began recording the annual figures in 1990. The official Saudi Press Agency announced the latest three executions, citing a statement from…

SEVENTEEN people have been killed in a mass shooting in a remote South African town with a manhunt under way to find the perpetrators, police say. Two homesteads on the same street in the town of Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape, were targeted, police said, with 12 women and one man killed in one location, and three women and one man at a second location. An 18th victim is in a critical condition in hospital, the South Africa Police Service said. The police minister, Senzo Mchunu, is expected to visit the area where the attack occurred. Officials said the victims…

A ROW between a prominent journalist and a king has captivated many in Ghana. It began when Afia Pokua criticised the Ashanti king’s handling of tensions with other ethnic groups, the deference that politicians show him, and expressed her frustration about the apparent supremacy of the Asante community. “Even the president… bowed to show respect to the chief,” Ms Pokua said in an interview with Mona Gucci earlier this month on local channel Onua TV. “Asante is not the whole of Ghana. If you are only thinking about Asante, they can amend the laws so that you can separate yourself…

ORDINARILY, Tuesday, the 1st of October, 2024 will pass on as a day of merriment, in line with tradition, to celebrate Nigeria’s independence from colonial rule in 1960. But there are signs that aside the expected burst of conviviality, pomp and panoply, this year’s Independence Day, the 64th, may be different. As the government, on one hand, is trying to mark the day with the usual formalities, though on a low key, certain individuals and groups have slated it as a day to begin a sustained match in protest against the current hardship in the country owing to what they…

UNDOUBTEDLY, the northern region in Nigeria is blessed with abundant football talents. However, since the inception of the country’s senior national football team in 1963, the region which houses some of the most gifted players in the round leather game has struggled to feature prominently in the Super Eagles. It is on record that in 61 years, only 13 northerners have played for Nigeria in the AFCON. The 13 most successful Super Eagles players from the north with their appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are Annas Ahmed , Racca Rovers (1978), Shefiu Mohammed, Racca Rovers, Kano (1980),…

MANCHESTER City boss Pep Guardiola says he’s been provoked into a more intense rivalry with Arsenal as the fallout continues from their Premier League clash at Etihad Stadium last weekend. Sunday’s 2-2 draw between the title rivals saw several flashpoints, including City striker Erling Haaland throwing the ball at the head of Gunners defender Gabriel. Following the match City’s John Stones and Kyle Walker said the Gunners used the “dark arts” while trying to protect their 2-1 half-time lead. Substitute Stones scrambled a leveller in the eighth minute of added time. Speaking on Friday, Guardiola said: “You want a war?…