newsman

The fastest woman in Africa is now the fastest woman in the Commonwealth. Blessing Okagbare backed up a series of scintillating runs at Hampden Park to claim a stunning Commonwealth Games 100 metres title ahead of Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kerron Stewart on Monday night. The Nigerian, who had gone in as the pre-race favourite, stormed away from the field at the gun and beat off a dogged effort from Campbell-Brown to prevail in a Commonwealth Games record of time of 10.85 sec, almost two-tenths of a second ahead of the Jamaicans. The final had long been earmarked as a battle between Okagbare and the Jamaican trio of Campbell-Brown, Stewart and Schillonie Calvert. Sandwiched between the three of them in lane five, Okagbare’s bright dyed blonde hair seemed to be boldly taunting her rivals on the startline, acting as a beacon for them to chase. Catch me if you can. The Nigerian had already marked herself out as an inconspicuous target earlier in the evening ...

Nigerian football youngster, Kelechi Iheanacho, scored in his second successive Manchester City game, as the Premier League side crushed AC Milan 5-1 in their International Champions Cup opener. The 17-year-old toe-poked the ball from outside the area, to give City a 4-0 lead shortly before the break. Stefan Jovetic and Scott Sinclair had opened scoring for the English champions with two early strikes, before Jesus Navas saw his acrobatic effort deflected past Michael Agazzi in the Milan goal. Sulley Muntari pulled one back for Fillipo Inzaghi’s men, but Jovetic scored again 12 minutes after the break after Navas sent him free. The loss is Milan’s second in the International Champions Cup, while Italian clubs have only won one game.

Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has observed with disgust the political tension building up in the state, following Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s ongoing campaign tour under the pretext of touring local government areas across the state. PDP said act is a clear disregard of the rule of law and violation of the Electoral Act as Governor Amaechi and his political office seekers are using the tour to the communities, wards and villages to campaign and solicit for votes from unsuspecting members of the areas. The open campaign and appeal by the governor and one of his senator-allies in some villages in Ikwerre, Oyigbo and Opobo Nkoro local government areas are a proof of kick-starting political campaigns against the rule. In those areas visited, PDP alleged, they have openly called on the people to vote for the APC, cast aspersions on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the PDP. “We view all these as undemocratic, deviant and tramplin...

Two female suicide bombers struck in different parts of Kano on Monday, killing   and injuring many on a day Muslim faithful thronged the prayer grounds in the city to observe the Eid-el-Fitri. The first attack took place at about 10am on a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Mega station   at Hotoro Quarters along Maiduguri Road. The second was at about 1.40pm at the Trade Fair Complex entrance on Zoo Road. But there were conflicting figures on the numbers of the killed and injured. Only on Sunday, a bomber hurled explosives at worshippers in a Catholic church in the city, killing five and wounding eight. The same day,   a 15-year-old female suicide bomber killed herself while trying to target some police officers. There have been no claims of responsibility for any of the blasts, but fingers point at the militant   Islamist group, Boko Haram. A resident, Tijjani Isa, told the Associated Press that the first bomber was sta...

The Lagos State Government on Monday said 59 people in the state came in contact with the 40-year-old Liberian who died of Ebola virus in Lagos. The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who made this known in   Ikeja, explained that the number consisted of 44 health care workers   and 15 others at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The commissioner said the government had not been able to establish the number of contacts the Liberian had on the plane that flew him into Nigeria because the management of Asky Airline   had not provided it with the manifest. He however said that out of the 55 known contacts, 20 had been screened and released. Idris said, “So far,   59 contacts have been registered, consisting 44 hospital contacts (38 health care workers and six laboratory staff) and 15 airport contacts. The 15 airport contacts comprise three ECOWAS staff-driver, Liaison, and Protocol Officer, Nigerian Ambassador to Monrovia, tw...

Prominent Itsekiri leaders have advised Deltans at home and abroad not to focus on gender but to look at the individual’s personality, the person’s qualities and what he or she has to offer. They also described the Chairman, Board of Directors of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ngozi Olejeme, as a honest, simple and accomplished administrator. “Dr. Ngozi Olejeme has the knowledge and the skills to succeed in the state. So we are mobilising our people, friends and in-laws across the state. “We are quite confident that she would become governor in 2015,” the leaders said in a statement in Warri. The statement by Chairman of Itsekiri Movement for Good Governance (IMFGG), Francis Diden, also commended Olejeme for her contribution to the development of human resources in the state. “Olejeme deserves the biggest thanks for developing the people,” the statement said. Praising Olejeme for her altruistic and philanthropic disposition, the leaders said: ...