Author: Alade Adisa

“To the youth of Africa I say: Never give up. Turn pain to power.” Ademola Lookman’s journey to being voted the men’s African footballer of the year has been full of ups and downs, yet the Nigeria international knows his recent success provides inspiration. After failing to impose himself following a big-money move to the Premier League as a teenager, the forward had several loan spells before his rebirth in Italy since joining Atalanta in August 2022. “Four years ago my career felt down but now I’m here as the best player in Africa,” Lookman, 27, said on stage when…

By Babafemi Ojudu If you have ever witnessed the Ede masquerade, the Aladoko, or the Alamudu perform, you will instantly appreciate the poetry of Niyi Osundare, the world-renowned poet. Osundare hails from Ekiti, as do these mesmerizing masquerades. Had education not found him, Osundare might well have been a bearer of one of these magnificent masks—adorned with multicolored feathers and mirrors cascading from the nape to the feet—chanting profound verses with the captivating grace of tradition. The Ede masquerades are revered for their boundless knowledge, weaving chants on any subject with a voice as sonorous as a nightingale’s. Their repertoire…

Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior won FIFA’s The Best men’s player of the year award on Tuesday, while Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí was named The Best women’s player of the year for the second time. Vinícius lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri for the Ballon d’Or award in October, but clinched The Best title in Qatar. The Madrid star won the award by five votes with 48 ahead of Rodri who collected 43. Jude Bellingham was third with 37 votes. Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho won the Puskas award for goal of the year for his sensational overhead kick against Everton last…

The chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Dr. Musa Aliyu said the Commission has recovered over N52 billion and 966,900.83 U.S. dollars since he assumed office a year ago. Aliyu (SAN), disclosed this, on Tuesday at an event to mark his one year anniversary as the Chairman of ICPC in Abuja. The ICPC boss added that the commission also intercepted and stopped the diversion of N5.882 billion in 323 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) within the same period. He attributed the significant milestone achievement to the steadfast commitment to the rule of law, adaptation to…

Pa Dennis Okugbaye, one of the detained Okuama leaders, has been released to Senator Ede Dafinone, contrary to earlier reports that he had died in Nigerian Army detention. Okugbaye was released on bail following Senator Dafinone’s intervention and is expected to be produced on demand. Currently, Pa Okugbaye is receiving medical attention at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, where he is being cared for by family members. His release comes after Senator Dafinone called for the unconditional release of Okugbaye and other detained Okuama leaders or for them to be charged to a civil court.

Former Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad has broken his silence since the fall of his regime, claiming he never intentionally fled to Russia — and blaming his troops for the stunning collapse. A post Monday on Assad’s former Telegram channel claims he merely left the capital on Dec. 8 to meet with Russian forces in the Latakia province “to oversee combat operations” as Syrian rebels stormed Damascus. Amid the assault, Assad said, he was forced to evacuate among the Russian troops, who took him to Moscow, from where he allegedly still planned to lead. Assad was allegedly forced to evacuate from…

English Premier League giants Manchester United have reportedly reignited their pursuit of Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen as they seek to address their attacking woes. News360 Nigeria reports that the Nigerian international has emerged as a top target for United’s new manager, Ruben Amorim, following the struggles of Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee. Osimhen, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, has been in exceptional form in Turkey, scoring 10 goals and providing five assists in just 13 appearances across all competitions. Amorim’s decision to exclude Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the squad for Sunday’s Manchester derby highlights his determination…

The Edo State House of Assembly, Tuesday, suspended all the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the 18 Local Government Councils over allegations of ‘misappropriation of funds.’ The decision to suspend the local council administrators was taken during the plenary, after a heated debate by the various lawmakers representing the local councils. Meanwhile, the heads of the various legislative arm have been directed to oversee the running of the councils for the next two months.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Aisha Garba, an international development specialist, as the Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education (UBEC). The President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement, “Aisha Garba, a Senior Education Specialist with the World Bank, brings more than 24 years of experience driving impactful programmes in education for human and economic development, working in Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Kenya, the USA, and the United Kingdom. “With over 15 years of hands-on experience at the World Bank, Garba has consistently led end-to-end design and management of education programmes and reforms, from conceptualisation to completion and impact assessment. “The…

Nigeria is set to benefit from three major loan projects totalling $1.65 billion in 2025, courtesy of the global financial institution, the World Bank. According to information obtained from the World Bank’s website, it (World Bank) is set to decide on three major loan projects for Nigeria in 2025, as part of efforts to address critical developmental challenges in the country. The loans, currently in the pipeline, will focus on internally displaced persons, education, and nutrition enhancement. According to reports, the loans are designed to support Nigeria’s social and economic recovery, particularly in vulnerable sectors requiring urgent intervention. The first…