ONE WORD

President Muhammadu Buhari gave a wrong date on when he was reelected into office while speaking to millions of Nigerians in Abuja on Wednesday. In his Democracy Day speech, Buhari also gave wrong figures on Nigeria’s GDP growth projection for 2019. In the speech, a copy of which was obtained from Femi Adesina, his spokesman, the president said he was reelected in March, and that the country’s GDP is projected to grow at 2.7 percent in 2019. The speech read:”In the face of these (Nigeria’s) challenges, our government elected by the people in 2015 and re-elected in March has been mapping out policies, measures and laws to maintain our unity and at the same time lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and onto the road to prosperity.” “Following the 60 percent drop in oil prices between 2015 and 2016, through monetary and fiscal measures, we stimulated economic growth, curbed inflation and shored up our external reserves. We now have witnessed 8 quarters of positive gr...

Owelle Rochas Okorocha, former Imo state governor has been sworn in as the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District. He was sworn in on Thursday by the Clerk to the Senate, Nelson Ayewoh. After withholding the certificate of return for more than two months, the Independent National Electoral Commission grudgingly gave Okorocha the certificate hours after his colleagues were sworn in and took part in the election of the Senate President and his deputy. Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court ruled on 7 June that it was illegal for INEC . to withhold the certificate. INEC complied but served notice it would appeal the judgment. There are two orders by two courts in Okorocha’s Imo state, asking INEC not to release the same certificate. INEC said it would appeal Abang’s judgment.

Professor Humphrey Nwosu, a former chairman, National Electoral Commission, NEC, rarely granted media interviews since the 12 June 13 presidential election, won by the late Chief MKO Abiola, was annulled by former military president, Ibrahim Babangida. However, last Wednesday, he fielded questions from KUNLE AJIBADE, Executive Editor; ADEMOLA ADEGBAMIGBE, General Editor and IDOWU OGUNLEYE who took pictures. You’ve been keeping ponderously silent since the annulment of the 1993 election. Why are you breaking the silence now? Thank you. I think by June 12 this year, it will be exactly 15 years since the June 12 1993 presidential election took place. You know its annulment and the dissolution of the National Electoral Commission, NEC, generated a lot of controversy. There were sentiments, prejudices, people protested. There was even loss of lives in some cities in the country. We all are Nigerians and we want this country to be great. I just felt it was so necessary to keep off a...

​Manchester United have rejected the opportunity to enter talks with Gareth Bale after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer informed Real Madrid that the Welshman is not on his summer wishlist. It has been made no secret by returning Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane that Bale is not in his plans for the coming season, after freezing the player out from the starting XI and publicly stating that he doesn't fit into his side. However, ​Bale himself is in no rush to leave the Spanish capital, currently earning £350k-per-week in wages and tied down to ​Madrid until 2022. Despite netting 102 goals in 231 outings for the club, the 29-year-old has repeatedly come under scrutiny from Madrid supporters and in the Spanish press during his six seasons with the club. ​United are one of the sides that have attempted to sign the forward for a number of years, but it appears now such interest has finally waned, claim ​ESPN. In a cruel twist, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had made it clear to the Madrid hierarchy...

The League Management Company (LMC)) has announced a number of sanctions against Kano Pillars Football Club, over Monday’s incident involving their supporters and players. Salihu Abubakar, LMC’s Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement that the sanctions were as a result of crowd disturbances and harassment of match officials. The incident happened during and after one of Match Day 4 fixtures at the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Championship Playoffs in Lagos. “Kano Pillars have been fined the sum of N8 million, while their captain, Rabiu Ali, has been banned from all NPFL activities and matches for a period of 12 matches,” Abubakar said. Supporters believed to belong to the Kano side had invaded the pitch, damaged perimeter fences and advertising panels. They had also hauled objects at the VIP stands, at the end of the fixture between Kano Pillars and Rangers International, which ended 1-1. LMC, in a summary jurisdiction notice, charged Kano Pillars with fo...

The Antoine Griezmann transfer saga appears to be nearing its conclusion after Atletico Madrid CEO Gil Martin confirmed that a transfer agreement has been reached with Barcelona. "We have known since March that (Antoine) Griezmann is going to Barcelona," Martin said in an interview with Sport, as translated by Get French Football News. In May, the French superstar informed Atletico of his desire to leave after five seasons. Although neither club has confirmed the transfer, Griezmann, who is on international duty with France, recently revealed his eagerness to find a resolution. "I want my future to be decided more than anyone, but there's a need to wait," he said, as translated by Mark Jones of Mirror. Barcelona will apparently pay the €125-million release clause in the contract extension that Griezmann signed last summer, and the 28-year-old will sign a five-year contract with the Catalan club, according to an earlier report from Sky Sports' Fab...

Adewuyi Adegoke, a pastor at Methodist Church, Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti state, has been arrested by the police for allegedly organising his own kidnap. TheCable gathered that Adegoke had arranged with one Oluwadare Sunday to demand N3 million ransom from his congregation. He reportedly went into hiding on Sunday evening while there were reports that he was abducted between Esa-Oke in Osun state and Aramoko-Ekiti in Ekiti. His purported abductors later contacted the church members to demand the ransom, which they insisted must be paid latest by Thursday to prevent the reverend from being killed. Detectives, however, intercepted the pastor’s accomplice, Sunday, who came to pick up the ransom at Okeyinmi area of Ado-Ekiti, after which he led them to the hotel where the pastor had been hiding Detectives reportedly tracked the suspects through the mobile phone that he was using to make contact with the church members. Amba Asuquo, commissioner of police in Ekiti, confirme...