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According to GOAL, Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has invited 26 players for the first phase of preparatory camp ahead of 2016 African Nations Championship billed for Rwanda. The Super Eagles will be making their second appearance in the competition having made a debut appearance at the 2014 edition staged in South Africa where they finished as bronze medal winners. Oliseh’s men will battle Niger Republic, Tunisia and Guinea in Group C at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo, Kigali in their quest to emerge as winners. Topping the list are regular suspects, Gbolahan Salami, Paul Onobi, Chima Akas and goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa. Others are Ezekiel Bassey, Tunde Adeniji, Ifeanyi Mathew, Paul Aggrey and Chisom Chikatara. Camp resumes on December 14, 2015 at the Bolton White Apartment in Abuja. ••FULL LIST ¤¤Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Sunshine Stars); Olufemi Thomas (Enyimba FC); David Obiazor (Heartland FC); Okiemute Odah (Warri Wolves) ¤¤Defenders: Kalu Orji (Enugu Rangers); Austin Oboroakpo ...

I DIDN’T vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in the last election, though I know that Nigeria needed change. I just disagreed with the change agent due to reasons I have explained in various write-ups in the lead up to the election. I didn’t vote for Jonathan either; the PDP as was constituted and operated just wasn’t a Party I could even consider for anything. In the end, I voted for one of the lesser known Parties. But Buhari it is. The majority vote will always prevail and that is respected here without any equivocation. So we move on. As we move on however, it is becoming a struggle not to be uncomfortable in the way things have unfolded and in the way they are playing out. Some of the reservations expressed by some of us are now rearing their ugly heads. Contrary to his inauguration speech, and contrary to reasonable, logical expectations, Buhari hasn’t put a fully functional government in place. This is already the end of July. As we say around here, nothing spoil. The only harm ...

Below is what President Obama said to President Buhari and his entourage... Well, it’s a great pleasure to welcome President Buhari and his delegation here to the Oval Office for his first visit since the historic election that took place. Nigeria is obviously one of the important countries in the world and one of the most important countries in the African continent. Recently, we saw an election in which a peaceful transition to a new government took place. And it was an affirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to democracy, a recognition that although Nigeria is a big country and a diverse country with many different parts, nevertheless the people of Nigeria understand that only through a peaceful political process can change take place. President Buhari comes into office with a reputation for integrity and a very clear agenda, and that is to make sure that he is bringing safety and security and peace to his country. He’s very concerned about the spread of Boko Haram and the violence tha...

President Barack Obama has praised President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts at working to bring “safety, security and peace” to Nigeria and Nigeria. At a joint press conference at the Oval Office in Washington DC, Obama said President Buhari had “a very clear agenda in defeating Boko Haram and extremists of all sorts inside of his country. And he has a very clear agenda in terms of rooting out the corruption that too often has held back the economic growth and prosperity of his country.” Speaking to reporters at the outset of the meeting, Obama said the US hoped to partner with Nigeria “so that Nigeria ends up being not only an anchor of prosperity and stability in the eastern part of the continent, but can also be an outstanding role model for developing countries around the world.” Obama said, “It is a great pleasure to welcome President Buhari and his delegation here in the White House for his first visit since the historic election that took place. Nigeria is obviously one of the most ...

The Federal Government has formally hands off the payment of salaries of teaching and non-academic workers of staff schools in institutions across the country. The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission specifically said government should not be responsible for the payment of their salaries because of its overbearing effect on the budget. Part of the mandate of the commission includes monitoring the wage sector and advising the Federal Government on the fixing and regulation of workers’ salaries and other remuneration as well as the control of personnel costs. The announcement by the chairman of NSIWC, Chief Richard Egbule, during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja came on the heels of threat by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities to embark on strike if the Federal Government refused to fund the schools which were said to have been established by the institutions. “I would like to appeal to staff unions not to distract the new government with unnecessary ...

BERLIN -- There are times when Barcelona relies on casual brilliance to pick apart the opposition and win matches. This gripping UEFA Champions League final demanded more than just than the collective to subdue Juventus once and for all. This occasion required that extra moment of brilliance. Once again, Lionel Messi provided it. Messi prompted Luis Suarez’s winner with a determined, enterprising run to quell the willing Italian champions and secure a fifth European title with a 3-1 victory at Olympiastadion. Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring after just four minutes by capping off one of those compelling sequences with a neat finish. Juventus survived the forthcoming onslaught and summoned a tidy sequence of its own to equalize through Alvaro Morata after the break. Suarez tucked home the remnants of Messi’s darting run and rasping drive after 68 minutes secure the victory. Neymar rounded off the night with a deserved third in second-half stoppage time to wrap this compelling final in st...

BERLIN -- There are times when Barcelona relies on casual brilliance to pick apart the opposition and win matches. This gripping UEFA Champions League final demanded more than just than the collective to subdue Juventus once and for all. This occasion required that extra moment of brilliance. Once again, Lionel Messi provided it. Messi prompted Luis Suarez’s winner with a determined, enterprising run to quell the willing Italian champions and secure a fifth European title with a 3-1 victory at Olympiastadion. Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring after just four minutes by capping off one of those compelling sequences with a neat finish. Juventus survived the forthcoming onslaught and summoned a tidy sequence of its own to equalize through Alvaro Morata after the break. Suarez tucked home the remnants of Messi’s darting run and rasping drive after 68 minutes secure the victory. Neymar rounded off the night with a deserved third in second-half stoppage time to wrap this compelling final in st...

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Nigerians who often feel unsafe in Nigeria’s airspace and yet cannot endure a nine-hour road trip between Lagos and Abuja, have received cheery news from the federal government who announced the planned take-off of a three-hour high-speed train project between the two cities. Announcing this in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, disclosed the federal government’s partnership arrangements with private firms within and outside Nigeria towards the commencement of the project. Umar made this disclosure at the public presentation of a book, “Showcasing Goodluck Jonathan’s Monumental Strides: A Third Party Perspective,” authored by the Director-General of Citizens Network For Peace and Development in Nigeria, Mr. Dressmann Preye. According to Umar who also said the Abuja-Kaduna rail project would commence full operation next month, the federal government equally carried out a number of feasibility studies with the plan to construct more standard gauge lines...

Gov Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the DG of the APC campaign organization has accused the PDP of paying some Christian clerics N6billion to campaign againts the APC and its presidential candidate, Gen Buhari. Amaechi made the allegation during the state's APC governorship candidate, Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside's campaign in Emohua local government area of Rivers State today. ¤¤¤"Some pastors collected N6 billion and they are circulating documents and telling you not to vote for an Hausa man, not to vote for a Muslim because they want to Islamise Nigeria. Tell them to return our N6 billion. They gave them N6 billion. They should return it to the Federal Government coffers. They will tell you that Buhari wants to Islamise Nigeria. Tell them we are too educated. I am a Catholic, but no Catholic priest has told me that story right now in the Catholic Church, because I will ask him how. If any Pastor tells you that, tell him to return the money. Nobody can Islamise Nigeria. They hav...

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.-Gen. Muhammad Buhari (retd), on Monday said if elected on February 14, he would ban the importation of basic items like rice and tomato in order to enhance local production of the products. He also said his administration would focus on agriculture, mining, infrastructure and job provision at the top of its economic agenda. Buhari, who gave a summary of how he intended to revive the economy in a meeting with the Organised Private Sector in Lagos, said his government would place emphasis on three key issues of security, tackling corruption and reviving the ailing economy. The meeting, which had all the key members of the APC in attendance, was hosted by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. “How can Nigeria be importing virtually everything? How can we be importing even tomatoes? If I am elected, basic items like rice and tomatoes, which we have the capacity to produce, will be banned from being imported,”...

An Alaba International Market trader who was not satisfied with the gains he was making in the sell of musical and electronic equipment and delved into cross-border robbery, has been nabbed at last. It was a bad day in the office for a popular trader at the Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos, John Nnamdi, as he and his gang of cross-border robbers » were nabbed after they had stormed a bank and stole a whopping N100m. Apart from that particular robbery, Nnamdi and his gang also operated in Benin Republic, and other West African countries like Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo and their home base, Nigeria. But he and his deadly gang met their waterloo when men of the Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command led by SP Abba Kyari, swooped on them and got them arrested while they were preparing for another operation. Other members of the gang include Samuel Igbi, Anthony Umeh, Chineye David, Uchenna Eze, Victor Anamalechi, Ifeanacho Igwe, and Desmond Obinna. While parading the noto...

Yes, it's true! Actor Muna Obiekwe has died. He died this afternoon around 4:15pm in a hospital in Lagos after a battle with kidney failure. He was rushed to the hospital today after he collapsed at his home. Muna has been quietly battling this kidney disease but kept it hush hush from friends and colleagues. So Sad! A colleague said for over two weeks before he died didn't go for his dialysis. Muna needed money for his health problems but instead of going public to raise money, he told friends he was planning a stage play to raise money but died before he could do it. Unbelievably sad! Meanwhile, there's some twitter handle called @MunaObiekwe that's denying his death. That is not Muna! Unfortunately the real one is gone. Unbelievable! RIP to a great actor!Tweet @Lastborn11 (07060428346)

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday said that it registered 68, 833, 476 voters for this year’s general elections. Similarly, the commission has also cleared 14 presidential candidates for the presidential election, 739 candidates for the Senate while 1780 candidates are for the Federal House of Representatives election. It also said that schools would be closed few days to the elections to allow those that would be used for the election duties time to do so. INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega told a news conference that the action was in line with the requirements of the relevant laws which stipulate that the list should be made public 30 days to the polls. He said the names had been sent to the political parties and published on their website. Jega, however, added that the names of the candidates cleared for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly would be published by the 27th of January, 2015. He further said that the Federal Government had released...

The ancient city of Ikare Akoko in Ondo State was on Tuesday rattled by armed robbers, who raided a bank, leaving 11 persons dead. An eyewitness said the robbers, who came dressed in army uniforms, stormed the bank located at the heart of the town at about 1pm and held the town hostage for about four hours. It was learnt that the robbers arrived on the bank premises in two vehicles painted in army colours. They were said to have shot at the riot policemen at the bank, killing four of them, while a 10-year old girl was found dead near the bank. The eyewitnesses said, “We also saw six other persons lying lifeless around the ATM area of the bank.” It was learnt the robbers spent time ransacking the bank and used dynamites to destroy the bank’s vault before making away with unspecified amount of money. Residents were said to have deserted the streets while the robbery lasted and many refused to return to the area after the robbery. The Police Public Relations Officer, Wole Ogodo, told our ...