Former FIFA president Joseph Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini were on Friday acquitted by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in a FIFA fraud trial. The two ex-football officials had been charged by federal prosecutors in Switzerland with defrauding FIFA in connection with a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.07 million) Platini received. The Frenchman had received the money from FIFA in 2011 for work done as a consultant between 1998 and 2002. Switzerland’s Blatter, 86, presided over the world governing football body from 1998 to 2015. The Swiss probe started in 2015 after a search at the FIFA headquarters…
Author: Newsdesk
The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board says 600 intending pilgrims who paid for the 2022 Hajj fares through the board will not perform the pilgrimage. The board’s Executive Secretary, Muhammad Abba-Dambatta disclosed this to newsmen in Kano on Thursday. He said that was due to the inability of the Hajj carrier to complete transportation of the pilgrims before the expiration of the deadline on closure of Saudi-Arabian airports. Abba-Dambatta revealed that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) allocated 2,229 hajj seats to the state for the 2022 pilgrimage. According to him, the state proposed Max Air as carrier for…
President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned emergency National Security Council meeting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, some cabinet Ministers and all security and service chiefs in attendance. Others attending the security meeting include Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, was represented at the meeting. The meeting would deliberate on nation’s security challenges occasioned by the recent attacks on Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, by suspected terrorists where high profile Boko Haram inmates escaped. The Buhari had on Wednesday visited the Custodial…
Investors gained N11.98 billion after a three-day consecutive negative trading at the nation’s equities market. The market capitalisation stood at N27.807 trillion, representing a 0.04 per cent, an increase from the N27.795 trillion recorded at close of trade on Tuesday. The gains were recorded majorly on trading of banks’ stocks such as Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), United Bank for Africa (UBA), Sterling Bank, among others. Also, the All Share Index (ASI) marginally gained one basis point to close at 51,7563.73 points from 51,556.54 points on Wednesday. This made the month-to-date and year-to-date performance to stand at 0.49per cent and20.71…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says it will continue to partner with UNWomen to promote gender responsiveness in the COVID-19 recovery. Haoliang Xu, Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support of UNDP, said this during a webinar organised by UNDP, UNWomen and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Thursday. The webinar was organised as a side event at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. The webinar was themed, “Getting Back on Track: Lessons from COVID-19 for a World in Turmoil.” According to Xu, the world is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5,…
Retired Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (Action Alliance) Retired Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha was born on July 27, 1960 and was educated in Nguru, Yobe. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1983. Al-Mustapha was trained as a military intelligence operative. He held various command posts in the Security Group of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (SG-DMI), 82 Division and Army Headquarters and Ministry of Defence among others. From August 1985 to August 1990, Al-Mustapha was Aide-de-camp (ADC) to Chief of Army Staff, late Gen. Sani Abacha, who eventually became the military head…
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off the over five months strike to allow students go back to continue their studies. NUJ also called on the federal government to address issues of security, healthcare, food security, inflation, rule of law and intimidation of journalists in the country. NUJ National President, Chris Isiguzo made the call in his state of the nation press conference on Thursday in Abuja. “We have looked at the abysmal situation in the education sector with particular reference to tertiary education in the country vis-à-vis…
The publisher of Desert Herald and media consultant to Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, Tukur Mamu has said that the Nigerian authorities ignored the intelligence he shared with them on the planned attacks by terrorist groups for government failure to release its members held by it. In a statement he signed and made available to newsmen on Wednesday, Mamu said government should have acted fast in view of “Their renewed threat was as a result of our (FG’s) failure to convey to them a definite response regarding their two demands I consider worth giving speedy approval, especially if one will take…
Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello has commended Niger state intending pilgrims for withstanding the vigorous preparation for this year’s Hajj exercise. The governor disclosed this when he visited the last badge of the intending pilgrims at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja Hajj camp to bid them farewell. He explained that this year’s Hajj preparations had some global challenges due to some reforms, adding that the difficulties made Saudi Authority to extend the date. Sani Bello however admonished them to consider their experiences as part of the blessings of performing Hajj. The Governor also explained that the state government…
The federal government has declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration. This is contained in a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore, on Thursday in Abuja. Belgore said the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated all Muslims and Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora on the occasion. “I call on Muslims to continue to imbibe the spirit of love, peace, kindness and sacrifice, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him). “We should…