DONALD OTITO

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been named the Football Writers’ Association’s (FWA) Footballer of the Year. The Reds won the Premier League title with seven games to spare, ending a 30-year wait for their 19th top-flight championship. Playing arguably the best football of his career, England midfielder Henderson was influential in leading the side in a dominant campaign. The FWA revealed Henderson, who has been out with a knee injury since early July, secured more than a quarter of the votes. ALSO READ:  Sane hints Havertz’s move to Chelsea is a done deal Team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane were in contention, along with Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. Liverpool pair Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold also had votes cast in their favour. Henderson said: “I’d like to say how appreciative I am of the support of those who voted for me and the Football Writers’ Association in general. “You only have to look at the past winners of...

Magu By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA — SECRETARY to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede and the Directors of the Commission on Thursday appeared before the Presidential panel investigating corruption allegations against the acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu. Magu is facing 21 corruption allegation from the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. Vanguard reliably gathered that the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel summoned the top management officers from the commission to give insight on some of the allegations against the embattled Chairman. Meanwhile, the absence of the embattled Chairman is creating a bit of confusion within the commission. It was gathered that two top management officers are in contention over who oversees activities of the commission since Magu’s ordeal. The anti-corruption boss appears before the panel from the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, where he was held since Monday. Inv...

By Tordue Salem – Abuja The Ambassador of Lebanon to Nigeria, Mr. Houssam Diab, on Thursday, walked out on the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs. Mr. Diab was summoned by the House Committee headed by Rep. Tolulope Akande-Shadipe, to respond to questions on the maltreatment of Nigerians in Lebanon, especially one Temitope Arowolo. But as the hearing was about to commence, at about 10: 52am, the Lebanese envoy, walked out of the room and shut the House’ hearing room 348 door, behind him. The Chairman of the Committee, who was miffed by the development, said they were “shocked that the Ambassador will just get up and walk out on us”. Shortly after the development, she excused the Media from the room and called for an Executive Session. The lawmaker after the session, however, recanted, saying the meeting was cordial, and the walk-out was a misunderstanding. “It was an informal meeting because the Ambassador was nice enough to join us at the meeting. There is no law t...

Heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has called on elite athletes to create a ‘union’ to help the fight against racism. Joshua has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and believes the best course of action to take is for athletes to come together in the fight against racism because “an individual trying to make a change is a lot more difficult than a union of people trying”. ALSO READ:  Manuel Pellegrini returns to Spain as coach of Betis Speaking to the Sun, Joshua said: “Athletes have the biggest platform, so we all judge on that. I think an individual trying to make a change is a lot more difficult than a union of people trying. “And I think the images that we need to represent are important. The same way I rally for Under Armour, the same way I rally for Range Rover is the same way I should rally for the African Caribbean community. ALSO READ:  Mainz 05 looking to re-loan Liverpool’s Taiwo Awoniyi “In 300 years, when none of us are here, there’s...

Dayo Johnson – Akure A former Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association in Ondo state, Dr. Michael Adeyeri has died of COVID-19 complications. Adeyeri died on Thursday, at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, in Owo. His death is coming a week after the death of the state Health Commissioner, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro who also died of complications from COVID-19 at the same hospital. Sources said that the late doctor had been battling underlying illness before he contracted the deadly virus. READ ALSO:  COVID-19 testing: FG is shifting responsibility to citizens — NMA He was reportedly taken to the hospital after noticing that he had contracted the virus. The state chairman of the NMA, Dr. Wale Oke confirmed this to newsmen in Akure. Adeyeri’s death has continued to elicit reactions from medical practitioners and health workers across the state. His private hospital, Shekinah Hospital, Alagbaka in Akure metropolis has continued to host sympathizers of different shades. Vanguard News

Suspended EFCC Boss, Ibrahim Magu Embattled Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  Ibrahim Magu, was forcibly taken to Aso Villa to face the panel  on Monday having failed to honour several invitations to appear. A source close to the panel disclosed to Vanguard that on Monday, Magu was taken as he was spotted leaving through the back door of the commission. The Source said: “On Monday, detectives were in his office to again invite him to appear before the panel, but he said they should allow him to pray, only to pass through the back door and drove out of the commission’s head office. READ ALSO:  EFCC: Anxiety over who replaces Magu “Detectives positioned at the gate outside immediately blocked and diverted him to Aso Villa to face the panel.” The source also said the President was aware of the complaints and petitions against Magu, but asked the panel, which had been sitting for some time, not to invite him yet. According to the source, the Preside...

The mum who delivered three healthy triplets contracted COVID-19 during her third trimester and spent a better part of the period nursing the deadly virus. [ Legit.ng ]

In this file photo taken on August 07, 2018 (FILES) In this file picture taken on August 7, 2018 shows a Air France planes parked on the tarmac of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport, north of Paris. JOEL SAGET / AFP   The Federal Government has commenced the evacuation of another batch of 15 Nigerians stranded in Europe. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) disclosed this on Thursday via its Twitter handle. As of 11am, the commission said the evacuees would depart the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris via an Air France flight to Nigeria and Cotonou, Benin Republic. It explained that the evacuation exercise was coordinated by the Nigerian Mission in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and monitored by NIDCOM. According to the commission, the returnees are expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at about 4:45pm. It noted that the evacuees would proceed on 14 days self-isolation as mandated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), t...

By Okiemute Abraham Never has there been a time in history when women’s rights have been so radically glorified than now. Rights laws and groups dedicated to the female cause in various parts of the world have done great in amplifying the voices of vulnerable women in our generation. Even in Nigeria, abused women don’t lack needed attention from numerous rights groups, except, of course, the abuser is a fellow woman! Violence on Women by Women This situation is not obscure especially in a typical Nigerian home where two “mighty” females exist: “Oga Madam” and the Maid. You can always tell who the maid is from a distance. She’s oftentimes a relative or a paid domestic staff usually between the ages of 5 to 18 (and above). READ ALSO:  Police Brutality: Woman tortured in viral video condemns Oritsefemi for using clip in music video She’s the most unkempt in the house whose sole duty is keeping the house tidy. She’s the early riser who spends her free time doing chores she was paid to ...

A file photo of members of the NGF at a meeting in Abuja in January 2020.   Members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) met on Wednesday to discuss issues affecting the country, including the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Nigerians and the economy. At the meeting which held virtually and was presided by the NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, the governors resolved to approve the work of the NGF Sub-Committee interfacing with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, to consolidate measures to gradually open the formal and informal sectors of the economy. Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who is the chairman of the committee, had briefed the Forum on steps taken to provide a coordinated strategy between the Federal and state governments to ease the lockdown and open the economy. His counterpart in Kaduna State, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, also provided an update on the implementation of the final report of the NEC Ad-Hoc Committee on COVI...

Rehan Staton who was abandoned by his mother when he was eight has had his life transformed as he now heads to Harvard Law School, a leading law school in US. [legit.ng]

Says drugs produce little or no reduction in mortality By Chioma Obinna The World Health Organization, WHO, weekend said it has discontinued the hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir treatment arms for COVID-19 following the result of its interim trial which showed that the drugs produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients when compared to standard of care. WHO had established the Solidarity Trial to find an effective COVID-19 treatment for hospitalised patients but in a press statement, the health agency announced that it has ‘accepted the recommendation’ from The International Steering Committee to discontinue the trial for hydroxychloroquine, as well as HIV/AIDS medications lopinavir and ritonavir, because they failed to reduce COVID-19 mortality. The International Steering Committee formulated the recommendation in light of the evidence for hydroxychloroquine vs standard-of-care and for lopinavir/ritonavir vs standard-of-care from the Soli...

By Demola Akinyemi A legal expert, Yusuf Ola-Olu Ali, SAN, has expressed concern that the state of insecurity in Nigeria will be on the increase unless President Muhammadu Buhari effect the overhaul of the nation’s security architecture which he stressed is beyond removing the Service chiefs. He stated that with the lingering cases of insecurity in the country ranging from insurgency, kidnapping and banditry among others, the government must act fast to do the needful in the security sector. Recall that proponents of  service chiefs’   removal hold the belief that they had outlived their usefulness in office and it behoves of the government to inject fresh blood. Ali, a senior lawyer based in Ilorin also tasked politicians to be honourable in their desperate fight for powers and save the judiciary from avoidable embarrassments of conflicting judgements. Speaking in an interview with Journalists in Ilorin, on the state of the nation, the erudite legal icon said the sustained cl...

Virgil van Dijk has revealed the Jurgen Klopp factor was the reason he joined Liverpool instead of Manchester City or Chelsea. The centre-back left Southampton for Anfield in January 2018 for a reported fee of £75million, which represented a record transfer for a defender. There were other interested parties in Van Dijk’s services, notably City and Chelsea, but the Netherlands international only had eyes for the Reds due to manager Klopp, who led Liverpool to their first Premier League title this season. ALSO READ:  Lewandowski passes 50-goal mark as Bayern win 20th German Cup “I had the chance to go to Chelsea and Man City,” Van Dijk said in quotes published in several national newspapers. “When you compare the clubs, you look at the history, the town, the current squad, their plans for the near future. “But the most important thing you look at is the manager – and Jurgen Klopp is an important reason why I chose for Liverpool. “Klopp has something special. Is it his energy? Is it ...

Britain’s police said Sunday that revellers who packed London’s Soho district the night pubs finally reopened made it “crystal clear” that drunk people cannot socially distance. England’s hospitality sector sprung back to life after a three-month coronavirus hiatus on what the media dubbed as either “Super Saturday” or “Independence Day”. Pubs and restaurants were allowed to start seating clients and barbers could get their clippers out for the first time since March. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced queries about why he decided to schedule the grand reopening for a Saturday instead of a potentially less chaotic Monday. Johnson said Friday that it would not have made much of a difference either way. But the head of Britain’s police federation said he ended up dealing with “naked men, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights and more angry drunks” while on shift. “What was crystal clear is that drunk people can’t/won’t socially distance,” John Apter told London radio. He said his own po...

By Festus Ahon ASABA -TENSION heightened, Saturday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, following the kidnap of the Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC in the State, Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku by gunmen at about 8pm. Vanguard gathered that the Labour leader was driving out, behind Immigration office along Ibusa on the Ughelli/Asaba Road when he was abducted by the gunmen who were robbing a drinking joint in the area. READ ALSO:   Insecurity will Keep rising in Nigeria except FG overhaul security architecture – Ali  Secretary of the NLC in the State, Comrade Innocent Ofoyade told our Correspondent, that Ofobruku was driving in NLC Sienna bus, adding that Ofobruku was on his way out that night to get drugs. Ofoyade said he was intercepted by the hoodlums along his street, adding that the abductors were yet to establish contact with the family of the victim. Vanguard Nigeria News

•It doesn’t make sense to say Obaseki bribed PDP for ticket Chief Dan Orbih By Emmanuel Aziken Chief Dan Orbih, was recently appointed the national vice-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP after an eventful two-term tour of duty as chairman of the party in Edo State. Orbih in that time led the party against one of the most animated governors of the Fourth Republic, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. The fights between the two former friends were about the most dynamic engagements that enlivened the Edo political landscape in the last decade. Oshiomhole won some, Orbih won some. Though in opposition, Orbih articulated policies and points that inevitably put the Oshiomhole and subsequently the Obaseki administrations on edge at all times. Significant in the victories of Orbih were the two consecutive National Assembly and presidential election victories while he held sway. Following his tour of duty, an appreciative PDP appointed him the National Vice-Chairman, South-South of the party....

322 Nigerian returnees arrived from the US and 109 evacuees from India arrived Nigeria on Saturday, July 4, following their evacuation by FG amid coronavirus. Legit.ng

American rapper Kanye West, a vocal supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, announced on Saturday that he would run for president in 2020 in an apparent challenge to Trump and his presumptive Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. “We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. “I am running for president of the United States,” West wrote in a Twitter post, adding an American flag emoji and the hashtag “#2020VISION”. It was not immediately clear if West was serious about vying for the presidency four months before the Nov. 3 election or if he had filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots. READ ALSO:  Donald Trump Jr’s girlfriend tests positive for COVID-19 The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot has not yet passed in many states. West and his equally famous wife Kim Kardashian West have visited Trump in the White House. At one meeting in October 2018, West delivered a ram...