The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • Buhari salutes former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida at 78

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday congratulated former military President, retired Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida on his 78th birthday.

    President Buhari’s congratulatory message was conveyed in a statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Saturday.

    President Buhari said: “On behalf of the Federal Executive Council, my family and all Nigerians, please accept my warm felicitations on your 78th birthday.

    Read Also: Jonathan salutes Babangida at 78

    “On this special day of your life, the reminiscences of your courage and invaluable service to the army in protecting the sovereignty of the country come to the fore. Thank you for the role of statesman you are playing in the affairs the nation.

    “As you age gracefully, the country will continue to look up to you for guidance and wisdom.

    ”May Allah continue to increase your health and grant you the strength to give your best to your family and the nation.”

    NAN

  • How to totally get rid of rats anywhere

    RATS!!! How I hate them. I don’t know about you, but I detest every bit of those pesky little chucks of frustration and annoyance.

    I have once seen a rat bite through a bottle of oil. What manner of sorcery is that? Laugh all you want but I am going on a rat extermination mission. I join the Spanish to say No mas meaning no more. And this is how I am doing it:

    *Onions: Apparently, those irksome rodents do not like the pungent smell of onions. That is because its smell is odious to them. All that is needed is a slice of onion placed inside their hole or where they usually pass. From now on, I will add onions to my weapons of mass destruction, they come in handy.

    * Ammonia: Ammonia smells like the urine of a possible predator and so is very irritating to the rats. I will need two spoons of detergent, a quarter glass of water and two cups of ammonia.

    Then, I’ll mix all ingredients together and pour it in a spray bottle and spray it where rats frequently appear. Rats cannot stand the smell of ammonia and so it so chases them away.

    *Bay leaves: If you are joining me on the rat extermination mission, we can set a trap with leaves for them. They think bay leaf is food and so eat it with all joy.

    However, it kills them eventually as they are highly poisonous for them. For the ambush, all we need are some dried bay leaves. We’ll grind them and sprinkle them on the suspected area they come in through and get satisfactory results. This can be done every 5-7 days for best results.

    *Baking soda solution: Baking soda is known to keep rats away from the area they like to frequent. Mix 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar or powdered chocolate and 1 cup of baking soda together.

    Read Also: ‘Deal with rats in your environment’

    The sugar or chocolate will attract the rats and the baking soda will soon kill them after they have been consumed. Fill some jars with it to bait them and place them in suspected areas.

    *Peppermint essential oil: The beauty about this is that it has a beautiful smell. All we need to do is put some drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls and place them in the suspected rat-prone areas.

    We will need to replace the cotton balls after 5-7 days depending on the quantity of oil we put on it. Alternatively, we can make use of citronella and castor oil or grow mint plants around the boundaries of our home.

    If you are still thinking twice about joining the rat extermination movement, I’ll leave you with this, Lassa fever is real.

  • Ohanaeze kicks over IPOB’s attack on Ekweremadu in Germany

    Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has kicked over the attack on the former Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu by members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) in Germany.

    It described the attack as shameful and disgraceful, calling on the German law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice.

    A statement by Chief Nnia Nwodo, President General of Ohanaeze said: “The assault on Ekweremadu by Igbos in Germany, described as IPOB, is disappointing, grotesque and dangerous for Igbo solidarity.

    “This violent, rude, impertinent, divisive and discourteous style of IPOB or IPOB-instigated miscreants is damaging to our cause.

    “It strengthens the case of those who describe them as terrorists and weaken our case against the infringement of our fundamental human rights.

    “Ekweremadu negotiated the sureties and securities for Nnamdi Kanu’s release on bail.

    “He does not deserve this picketing and disgrace. A disgrace to him is a disgrace to Igbo race.

    “Whilst I condemn the attack on our revered son and leader, I call on the law enforcement agencies in Germany to bring to book the perpetrators of this despicable act. It is un-Igbo. It is disgraceful.”

  • 19-year-old Nigerian artist unveils Fela-inspired painting

    19 year-old Nigerian artist, Emediong Uduak Ikoko has unveiled a Fela-inspired painting to celebrate the strength of Nigerians.

    In May, her painting of music legend, ‘Lagbaja’ has become the first African work to be displayed at the Cyprus Modern Art Museum.

    Emediong is also the youngest artist and only African to have her work exhibited at the museum, which is the largest in the Mediterranean region.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Emediong unveiled the painting at an auction of 17 of her artworks held in Abuja on Saturday.

    The painting titled ‘Bush Babies/Shuffering and Smiling’ is aptly named after a Fela Anikulapo-Kuti album with the same title.

    In 1980, musical activist and the father of Afrobeat, Fela chronicled the state of Nigeria and the resilience of the people in the award-winning album.

    Sharing the same sentiments as Fela, Emediong said she was inspired to paint the work because the phrase was still relevant in present day Nigeria.

    She said, “It represents the resilience of Nigerians. Despite the suffering, Nigerians find joy in music and arts. This painting to Nigerians and our strength as a people.”

    NAN reports that Emediong also unveiled a painting titled ‘Ekpe’ that featured a masquerade relative to Akwa Ibom, her home state which drew applause from the crowd.

    Also in the masquerade series was the painting of the ‘Ijele’ masquerade, generally regarded as the father of masquerades among the Igbo ethnic group.

    She also unveiled ‘Fourth Man in the Fire’ based on the biblical Nebuchadnezzar story, ‘Whistling Boy’ enacting the Nigerian folktale and ‘When the Gods Roam’ based on the ‘Eyo’ masquerade.

    Speaking earlier with NAN, Emediong said she draws her inspiration from music, experiences, stories and other creative people.

    She also urged the Nigerian government to pay attention to the creative industry as it is a platform to help the nation’s image.

    She advised creatives to continually search for opportunities that can push their works.

    Emediong said, “I feel that the government should pay more attention to the Nigerian creative space because there is so much talent that is hidden in this country.

    “The government and other stakeholders should actually pay more attention to the Nigerian creative scene. That push is all the scene needs.

    “Creatives should connect. You don’t know who you meet. You don’t know what you create with the people you meet. Everyone has where they are going to and coming from.

    “I feel that most creatives should learn how to create networks. They should reach out for opportunities as opportunities won’t come to meet you. You have to reach out to them,” she said.

    Also speaking, the chairman of the auction, Dr Solomon Arase, Former Inspector General of Police said that parents should encourage their children to pursue arts and skills.

    According to him, artistry and other careers in the creative industry can help curb insecurity as young people will be engaged and find lesser time to commit crime.

    He also called on the government to extend its focus to the creative industry by improving the opportunities available to young people in the industry. (NAN)

  • EPL: VAR strikes again, as Tottenham draw Man. City

    Substitute Gabriel Jesus had an injury-time goal ruled out by VAR as Tottenham left Manchester City with a 2-2 draw, scoring with their only two shots on target.

    Jesus looked to have extended Man. City’s winning Premier League run to 16 games with an effort on the stretch, but a handball in the lead up by Aymeric Laporte meant Spurs benefited from VAR again, just four months after their historic Champions League quarter-final at the Etihad.

    Read Also: Kompany leaves Man. City after eleven years

    Manchester City went ahead on Saturday evening through Raheem Sterling’s deft far-post header from a superb Kevin De Bruyne cross (20), but Spurs were soon level as Erik Lamela’s low, curling effort from 20 yards found the bottom corner (23).

    The champions went into the half ahead through Sergio Aguero’s sweeping close-range finish, again from De Bruyne’s wondrous right-wing delivery (35), but Spurs levelled again through Lucas Moura’s header, his first touch after being subbed on (56).

    SkySports

  • Nigerian star battles Chinese sensation

    Aruna Quadri stunned one of the most decorated Japanese stars in table tennis to reach the semfinal round of the ITTF World Tour tagged Bulgaria Open.

    Being the last quarterfinal match in the men’s singles, the Bulgaria fans were treated to an exciting moment as there was an unbelievable scenes in Panagyurishte after the Nigerian hero knocks Japanese no.4 seed Jun Mizutani in a seven-game thriller.

    The 2019 Nigeria Open champion expressed appreciation to the Bulgarian fans for their unrelenting support during the encounter.

    Trailing 1-2 on games but Aruna Quadri is well known for his comebacks and his fighting spirit shone through on this occasion, saving two game points in game four before going on to recover from 4-9 down to win game five 11-9.

    Mizutani responded well to claim game six, forcing a decider: 9-6 down Mizutani refused to give up the fight, going on to hold two match point opportunities.

    However, Aruna Quadri showed nerves of steel, saving both points before going on to steal the win (8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11).

    In earlier quarterfinal tie, Portuguese qualifier Marcos Freitas is through to the last four in Panagyurishte thanks to a fantastic victory over no.15 seed Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan.

    At the start of play it was the Chinese Taipei player who looked good for the win, claiming the opening game by an eight point margin but Freitas also enjoyed his spells of dominance over the course of the match.

    Ultimately it was game seven that produced the main story: 6-7 down Freitas opted to call a timeout, a decision that proved useful as the Portuguese star fought back to win the decider 11-9 and earn his spot in the penultimate round (3-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-13, 4-11, 11-5, 11-9).

    Japanese teenage sensation Tomokazu Harimoto takes his place in the semi-finals of the men’s singles draw following a tight affair with fellow Japanese compatriot Takuya Jin.

    Down 3-0 on the scoreboard Jin needed to form a response and one did arrive with the qualifier pulling a game back. Then in game five Jin held game point advantage on two occasions but failed to convert as top seed

    Harimoto held his nerve, sealing the win by a 4-1 margin (11-7, 11-6, 14-12, 7-11, 13-11).

    German Dimitrij Ovtcharov’s men’s singles run has concluded in the quarter-finals stage in Panagyurishte after the second seed lost out to world no.110 China’s Zhao Zihao in an exciting battle.

    The 22-year-old pen-hold grip player from China started strongly and deservedly gained a healthy 2-0 lead.

    Up against the ropes Ovtcharov raised his performance, winning two of the next three games to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

    In game six the two players gave it their all but there could only be one winner and that proved to be Zhao Zihao (11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9).

    In the semifinal tie scheduled for Sunday August 18, Aruna Quadri will face China’s Zhao Zihao, while Portugal’s Marcos Freitas will take on Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.

     

     

  • Funds threaten D’Tigers World Cup campaign

    The senior National Basketball men’s team, D’Tigers’ earlier scheduled trip to China in continuation of their preparation for the FIBA World Cup may have suffered a setback over paucity of funds.

    The Nigeria Basketball Federation is said to be struggling to raise funds for the tour.

    This was made known to journalists on Saturday by the General Manager of the team, Musa Adamu when asked about the team’s planned trip for the FIBA 2019 World Cup in China.

    The competition dunks off on Aug. 31 and has Nigeria in Group B with Russia, Argentina and South Korea

    Nigeria had lined up series of warm up matches in Shanghai, China to further fine tune the team’s preparations.

    However, Adamu said paucity of funds may cause serious blow to the team’s preparations.

    According to him, efforts to secure funds from the Federal Ministry of Sports for the trip have not yielded result.

    “I cannot tell you exactly when the team is leaving for China, the basketball federation has been doing a lot for this team.

    “We started this elimination over a year ago and now going to two years and the federation has been funding the trips for each window.

    Read Also: FIBA Africa Basketball League: We will be ready for Rades, others – Olowosulu

    “Each window, we had to bring players, fly them down, accommodate them and also pay insurance, and all these things have been done single handedly by the federation.

    “What we’ve heard are just promises from the ministry to support us, but we are still expecting and hoping that they will do so before we leave for China,” Adamu said.

    Adamu, an ex- international, said that despite plans to adequately prepare the team for the apex global sports fiesta, the unavailability of funds might just be the clog in the wheel of the team’s preparation.

    “The team is here in Nigeria, so we hope that they will act because we don’t know when we will leave. There are no funds available for now.

    “The federation is looking up to the Ministry with the hope that the funds will be released for us to leave on time.”

    Adamu applauded the Engr. Musa Kida led NBBF board for their selfless sacrifice throughout the qualifiers.

    The D’Tigers general manager appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to interven, so as to save the country from global embarrassment.

    “I wish to appreciate the federation, the President, Engr Musa Kida and the board, they  have been doing so much for this team and basketball and I think it’s time for government to step in and assist us.”

    Adamu revealed that the current players in camp are talented, motivated and ready to represent Nigeria well.

    “I will like to use the forum to call on the President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari to turn his eyes a little bit to the D’Tigers because they are also a national team.

    “We are expecting support from him to release funds for our team to be able to participate in this World Cup.”

    Adamu noted that Nigeria was the first country in the world to qualify for the World cup, but may end up not participating in the competition.

    “We have come a long way. We have a very good, ambitious and motivated team. We really hope that the President will try to help his children, his people, to be able to participate in this World  Cup, ” Adamu said.(NAN)

  • Aubameyang help Arsenal sink stubborn Burnley

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed the winner as Arsenal overcame a stubborn Burnley to maintain their winning start in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

    Alexandre Lacazette put the Gunners ahead in the 13th minute.

    The French player collected a low corner from Dani Ceballos and showed great strength to turn marker Erik Pieters before driving through the legs of Burnley keeper Nick Pope.

    Burnley responded well, however, and drew level two minutes before the break.

    Read Also: EVERTON VS WATFORD: Silva undecided over Iwobi

    A low effort from Dwight McNeil fell to Ashley Barnes in the box and the Clarets striker kept his composure to claim his third goal of the season.

    Unai Emery brought on club record signing, 72 million pound winger Nicolas Pepe at the break and the home side put Burnley under real pressure.

    Pope did well to keep out efforts from Aubameyang and the hugely impressive Ceballos and it was that pair who combined for the winner.

    Ceballos won the ball in the Burnley half and fed the Gabonese forward who burst goalwards before cutting inside and beating Pope with a fine drive.

  • IBB sues for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians

    Former military leader, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), has sued for peaceful co-existance among Nigerians irrespective of their age and ethno-religious inclination.

    Babangida, popularly called IBB, made the remark on Saturday at his Hilltop residence in Minna, while entertaining guests during his 78 birthday anniversary.

    “My prayer is that Nigeria should remain as one indivisible nation.

    “Therefore, I call on all Nigerians to work for the unity and development of the country as there is no other home like Nigeria,” he said.

    Read Also: IBB, OBJ, PMB and June 12

    Similarly, in a press statement on Saturday signed by Niger governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, described IBB as a unifying factor in the country.

    IBB, born Aug. 17, 1941 was the military President of Nigeria between Aug. 27, 1985 and Aug. 26, 1993.

    He previously served as Chief of Army Staff from January 1984 to August 1985.

    NAN

     

  • Don’t spare bandits in your mission to restore peace, Buhari orders military

    President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the military to be more spontaneous in restoring peace to the country, particularly states troubled by bandits.

    He gave the order in Katsina on Saturday while ordering them “not to spare bandits’’.

    A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu released in Abuja on Saturday, said the order had become necessary in view of the fact that the bandits had been killing, maiming and extorting innocent citizens.

    Shehu said the president was addressing 15 officers and 160 soldiers of the 17th Army Brigade and Nigerian Air Force 213 Operational Base in Katsina, under the “Operation Hadarin Daji’’, at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport, Katsina.

    The statement quoted President Buhari as saying: “This group was formed by the military to secure the geo-political zone from the activities of bandits. Fundamentally, it is your responsibility to secure the country.

    Read Also: Retired military, police officers carpet Buhari over killings

    “As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I believe you are capable of doing it.

    “I don’t think you should spare any bandit. Identify and eliminate them. Pursue them anywhere you can find them and eliminate them.

    “Nigeria deserves peace. The rainy season is good and we are already achieving food security, but we need peace.

    “The money saved from food importation will be used to purchase arms for operations.”

    President, accompanied by Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina, assured the troops that the Federal Government would provide all the necessary support for restoration of peace in the country.

    “We will give you all the right equipment so that you can deal with them with despatch.

    ”I appreciate all your efforts but you can do more. I don’t want any bandit spared,’’ he added.

    Buhari had also said that the government and all officials were being sustained in office by the ordinary people, and they owed the people a duty to protect their lives and property.

    “Please give my regards to your families. The earlier you finish with the bandits, the earlier you will return and stay with your families,’’ he said.