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Abiodun signs N1.054trn appropriation bill into law

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has signed the N1.054 trillion 2025 State Appropriation Bill into law. The signing, which took place at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, was witnessed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, principal officers of the House, the Deputy Governor, and members of the State Executive Council. Speaking after receiving the clean copies of the Bill, Governor Abiodun announced that his administration would, in the coming month, sign the partnership agreement with potential partners for the development of the Olokola Sea Port. He said the government would also focus on the provision of more basic infrastructure with the signing of more Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with private corporate bodies in renewable energy, agriculture, and other sectors that would boost the State’s economy. He said: “It is my pleasure to announce to you that in the coming month, we will be signing the partnership agreement with potential partners in our port development. The Olokola Port is back on track. “In the coming year, you will see us signing more Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with private players in the areas of renewable energy, energy transition, and agriculture, particularly animal husbandry. We intend to join the league of those producing beef and pork, not just for domestic consumption, but for export. “We will continue to provide more infrastructure, particularly roads, in every local government in the State. We will continue in our stride to provide the right infrastructure and the right situation to ensure that students in Ogun State learn in a conducive environment. We will continue to pursue our healthcare program in primary health care, secondary, and tertiary, and of course, our policy on ‘grow what you eat and eat what you grow.’ We are going to be more aggressive in the area of agriculture.” While noting that his administration would be relentless in the pursuit of infrastructure that would engender more socio-economic development, Governor Abiodun revealed that emphasis on arterial roads like the Ijebu-Ode-Epe, Sagamu-Abeokuta, Atan-Lusada-Agbara, Ota-Abeokuta, and Ilaro-Owode roads had played important roles as they had helped to improve the State’s Internally Generated Revenue through the influx of more people and industries. He acknowledged the difficulties people are going through due to the bold policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to pull the country out of the woods but maintained that his administration had risen to the occasion by providing needed palliatives to cushion the effects and help the people navigate the period. “I want to assure you that we can only hope for more wins in the future. It has been a very difficult year for us all, not just as a state but as a country. Our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, started his tenure with very bold reforms that have resulted in some unintended consequences that we must all endure so that we can have a country that is solvent,” he added He appreciated members of the Assembly for the speedy passage of the Bill after due diligence and commended their high level of commitment to their constituents and the state, noting that their collaboration with the executive arm had led to the state growing in leaps and bounds. Speaking earlier, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, noted that the speedy passage of the Bill was in keeping with the promise made to the governor when he presented the Bill to the assembly on the 4th of December this year, adding that no budget bill had been passed before Christmas in the past. While appreciating the governor for the facelift given to the Assembly Complex, Rt. Hon. Elemide said his colleagues worked tirelessly to ensure that the budget was passed on time so as to keep the wheels of the state’s progress moving.

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AC Milan hires Sergio Conceicao after firing Fonseca

AC Milan named Sergio Conceicao as their new coach within hours of sacking fellow Portuguese Paulo Fonseca on Monday after just six months in charge. Fonseca paid the price for the Italian giants’ inability to mount a Serie A title challenge. “Sergio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceicao has been appointed as the Head Coach of the men’s First Team until 30 June 2026,” Milan said in a statement. Conceicao, 50, was available after ending a seven-year stint with Porto in June this year having guided them to three league titles and four Portuguese Cup successes. His only head coaching experience outside of Portugal was a season with Ligue 1 side Nantes, although he knows Serie A having played for Lazio in two spells, Parma and Inter Milan from 1998-2004. Conceicao has shown extraordinary character to rise to the heights he has. The 56-times capped winger once contemplated quitting the sport after losing his father, mother and younger brother while still a teenager. Fonseca, 51, had pre-empted the announcement of his dismissal by saying he had been fired as he left the San Siro following his press conference after the draw with AS Roma on Sunday. The 1-1 draw was the sixth of the season and left Milan in seventh spot, eight points off Lazio in the fourth and final Champions League place, and also a massive 13 adrift of city rivals Inter, who are in third spot and challenging for the title. In a statement, Milan thanked Fonseca for his “great professionalism”. Milan, the seven-time European champions, have been battling inconsistent form and anger from their supporters.

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Ex-Super Eagles’ star, Ideye joins Enyimba

Nine-Time Nigerian champions, Enyimba, have announce the signing of 2013 AFCON winner, Brown Ideye, until the end of the current season. The Aba giants confirmed the new addition in a statement it posted on its X handle on Monday. “We are delighted to officially announce the addition of former Super Eagles Striker, Brown Ideye to our fold. “We are expectant of the experience & professionalism he will add to our game/quest in our remaining games, this season especially under the New Gaffer,” the statement read. Since leaving Kuwaiti side Al Yarmouk in 2022, the 36-year-old has been without a club since. He joins former international teammates Ahmed Musa and Abdullahi Shehu who are currently playing for Kano Pillars in the league. It marks the return of Ideye to the domestic league 17 years after leaving Ocean Boys to Europe where he spent years playing for Neuchâtel Xamax, Sochaux and Dynamo Kyiv. The Aba Elephants will be hoping that the addition of Ideye will help them end recent dip in form which has seen them dismiss coach Head Coach Yemi Olarenwaju and hired Stanley Eguma to take over. Enyimba wielded the big stick after going nine games without a win.

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National Teams will give Nigerians joy in Year 2025 – Gusau

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau MON, on Monday assured ball fans, administrators and Nigerians in general that the football-governing body will adequately prepare the various National Teams to bring joy and glory to the nation in the coming year. While reflecting on the outgoing year 2024 and projecting for the coming year 2025, Gusau, still delighted with the Super Eagles’ nonchalant dismantling of Ghana’s Black Galaxies to qualify for the 8th African Nations Championship, disclosed that the focus of the NFF is on ensuring the adequate preparation of all National Teams to credibly compete for honours at major tournaments, and not simply turn up to make up the number. “The era of Nigerian teams arriving at major championships just to participate is gone. Our objective now is to ensure that our teams can strongly contend for honours anywhere, and that can only be done by preparing the teams well ahead of qualifiers and competitions. I personally insisted that the Super Eagles B start their camping early enough and the result is what we can see in their display against Ghana. “The team has just one month to go before the CHAN tournament. That means they must go into camp immediately, and we will ensure that.” Gusau remarked that the outgoing year saw some impressive outings by the National Teams, though he is of the view that the Super Eagles’ under-par run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers has been a source of worry to administrators, enthusiasts and fans alike. “Our commitment is to see how we can cobble back that Super Eagles squad that did the nation proud at the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, coming within 23 minutes of lifting the trophy. If we can find a way to do that, we can be sure that the target of winning the six remaining matches in the qualifiers to gain automatic qualification to the World Cup is achievable. “Getting that FIFA World Cup ticket will set the momentum for a sterling outing at the AFCON in Morocco later in the year.” The NFF supremo also assured that the Super Falcons, who finished the year 2024 as Africa’s best-ranked team, will be afforded adequate preparation to reclaim the Women Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco next summer. “We are in the process of organizing more friendly games for the team, in order to properly blend the old and new players to a formidable squad that will conquer Africa in style.” While praising the junior women national teams (Falconets and Flamingos) for their qualifications and participations at their different FIFA World Cup competitions this year, Gusau charged the girls to see the coming year as a period of consolidation, with the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals becoming an annual event. “The Flamingos, no doubt, have the ability to conquer the world. I have watched their matches and seen some real great talents who can even hold their own in the Super Falcons. However, we want to see them conquer the world in Morocco and bring home the U17 Women’s World Cup for the first time. The Falconets also have qualification matches to the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup to deal with. “For sure, it is a very busy year for us and for world football. The NFF is committed to working closely with the National Sports Commission to realize our goals and objectives, and also seek greater corporate support for our activities, programs and events. Our attention will remain on developing the game from the grassroots while ensuring that the production channels for players coming through to the National Teams are not disrupted.”

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Tinubu commends NNPCL over re-opening of Warri Refinery

President Bola Tinubu has expressed his profound joy at the re-opening of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, describing it as another remarkable achievement in 2024 that has strengthened Nigerians’ hope in his administration. Today, the Warri Refinery returned to operation weeks after NNPC Limited restarted the 60,000 Barrels per day at the Port Harcourt Refinery in November. With Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) going into operation after several years of inactivity, President Tinubu has once again expressed his administration’s determination to ramp up local refining capacity and make Nigeria a hub for downstream industrial activities in Africa. The All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari awarded the contract for the complete rehabilitation and overhaul of the four state-owned refineries. President Tinubu noted with confidence that with the 125,000 (bpd) Warri Refinery now operating at 60% capacity, his administration’s comprehensive plan to ensure energy efficiency and security is entirely on course. He praised the Mele Kyari-led management of the NNPCL for working hard to restore Nigeria’s glory and pride as a major oil-producing country. “The restart of Warri Refinery today brings joy and gladness to me and Nigerians. This will further strengthen the hope and confidence of Nigerians for a greater and better future that we promised. This development is a remarkable way to end the year following the feat recorded earlier with the old Port Harcourt Refinery. I am equally happy that NNPC Limited is implementing my directive to restore all four refineries to good working condition. “I congratulate Mele Kyari and his team at NNPCL for working hard to restore our national pride and make Nigeria a hub for crude oil refining in Africa,” President Tinubu said. President Tinubu enjoined NNPCL to accelerate repair work on Kaduna Refinery and the 150,000 (bpd) second refinery in Port Harcourt to consolidate Nigeria’s position as a global energy provider. WRPC will focus on producing and storing critical products, including Straight Run Kerosene (SRK), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and heavy and light Naphtha.

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Lancashire Yoruba Community holds end of the year party in grand style

It was all pumps as Lancashire Yoruba Community holds their end of the year party at Village Hall, Preston on Saturday. The Principal founder of Community, Mr. Abiodun Sola Fakemi, said their aim to promote the Ọmọluabi philosophy among members, emphasising that being an Ọmọluabi means demonstrating the highest standards of behaviour in society, stressing that this trait encourages Yoruba individuals to avoid vices and always embrace peace. “In our new environment, fostering a sense of community among members is essential. We believe in supporting one another, a core aspect of our Yoruba identity. We celebrate with those who celebrate and mourn with those who mourn, helping each other grow in various areas. “As a community of Black individuals, LYC operates as a charity organisation and actively engages in government policies that affect our lives in the UK. We firmly believe that LYC can assist the government in numerous ways, and our collaborative efforts will help build stronger social cohesion in Lancashire. “As a social and ethnic group, we participate in various events, including the end-of-year party. “The new administrative body plans to host its first Cultural Festival during the summer of 2025. It aims to implement numerous empowerment programmes to support our members’ personal and professional growth,” he disclosed. Fakemi thanked previous executive committee members, including Mr. Pius Ibitoye, and recognised the party planning committee chair, Mr. Olakunle Ajayi, for the event’s successful organisation. He also thanked everyone involved in the planning and encouraged new committee members to work diligently for the group’s success. Two government officials attended the 2024 end-of-year party, are; Mrs. Nweeda Khan and Mrs. Irene Evelyn Amahwe. They highlighted the importance of collaborating with the government and the value of communities like LYC. The Lancashire Yoruba Community (LYC) was founded on September 2, 2023.

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Paris-bound businessman arrested for ingesting 74 wraps of heroin, cocaine

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Orizu Ifeanyi Arthur while attempting to board an Air France flight 844 from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA Abuja to Paris, France for ingesting 74 wraps of heroin and cocaine. Orizu was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Sunday 22nd December 2024 during the outward clearance of passengers on Air France. When he was pulled aside for body scan, he turned down the request claiming his medical condition won’t allow him. He was thereafter taken into custody for excretion observation during which he excreted a total of 74 wraps of the Class A drugs over a period of seven days. In his statement, Orizu claimed he owns a shop at Balogun market, Lagos Island where he sells school and travelling bags, adding that he was promised 3,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the consignment in Paris. He left his base in Lagos for the Abuja airport to connect his Air France flight to Paris, hoping to escape detection. In another interdiction effort, operatives of the Marine Command of NDLEA at 2:30am on Christmas eve, Tuesday 24th December intercepted two boats loaded with 1,960 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis at the Eleko beach in Lekki area of Lagos. Six foreign nationals who brought the consignments from Ghana were arrested during the operation. They include: two Ghanaians: Godsway John, 38; and Freedom Kelvin, 33; as well as four Beninese: Chegoun Hounsou, 23; Gadabor Nyameto, 47; Adantg Sasa, 34; and Ayao Kayivi, 21. In Katsina, a suspect Ibrahim Shaibu, 35, was arrested in possession of 40 album-size parcels of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 35kg on Christmas day 25th December at Central Motor Park, Katsina, while another suspect Umar Ahmed, 47, was nabbed along Zaria-Malumfashi road, Katsina with 27 parcels of same psychoactive substance weighing 13.5kg on Saturday 28th December. A 21-year-old suspect Kosisochukwu Ozigbo was arrested at new Lagos road Benin City, Edo state when the area was raided on Monday 23rd December by NDLEA operatives. Recovered from the suspect include: 32,490 pills of tramadol 225mg, 200mg and 100mg; 936 bottles of codeine-based syrup and various quantities of other opioids. The Commands across the country balanced their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered by Lagos State Strategic Command in collaboration with Menitos Foundation to residents of Akoka community at Ayetoro primary school, Akoka Bariga; while the Adamawa State command of NDLEA delivered same lecture to members of Jama’atul Nasril Islam during their annual first aid group and leadership camping in Adamawa among others. While commending the efforts of the officers and men of NAIA, Katsina, Edo and Marine Commands of the Agency for job well done in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) tasked them and their compatriots nationwide not to rest on the achievements of 2024 but continue to raise the bar in their offensive action against drug barons and cartels with an equal measure of WADA sensitisation campaigns in the new year.

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Nigeria sweep aside Ghana to qualify for CHAN finals

Nigeria, for the very first time, squashed Ghana in an African Nations Championship qualifying fixture, and with so much style, to earn the ticket to the eighth instalment of the competition scheduled for Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda in February 2025 after a 3-1 whiplash of the visitors at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday. Three well-taken goals in six minutes wrote a new chapter in the history of contests between both nations at this level, and it was seriously not at a turn that Ghana would have wanted it. Coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani expressed confidence ahead of the game, saying his boys would play an attacking game, but it was Nigeria that was on the front foot throughout the first period and could have finished the half with more than their three brilliant goals. First, telepathy was at play as Captain Junior Nduka flung the ball from the defence to Remo Stars’ team-mate Ismaila Sodiq, who sprang Ghana’s offside trap and buried the ball past goalkeeper Benjamin Asare in the 18th minute. Two minutes later, it would have been two for the Super Eagles B but Adamu Abubakar’s close-range shot found the back of defender Abban Ebenezer and went shy of the goal. From the resultant corner kick, Captain Nduka made hay, sweeping the ball past Asare as the visiting rearguard ball-watched against a Nigerian side playing with so much gusto. Three minutes later, from a defensive mix-up between goalkeeper Asare and defender Nurudeen Abdulai, Saviour Isaac snatched the ball at pace and slotted past Asare to make it 3-0. Dominated and flustered, the Black Galaxies were pleading for mercy, but it would still have been four if veteran forward Sikiru Alimi had not been tardy with a good chance as Isaac sent him through on the counter in the 44th minute. In the second half, with the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Chief Bukola Olopade and President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau among the watching dignitaries, the Super Eagles refused to take their feet off the pedal, as Isaac, and later Alimi with a brilliant header off Sodiq’s free-kick, could have added to the visitors’ misery. Ghana hit one back with 18 minutes left to play, when the precocious Stephen Amankona fired to the blind side of goalkeeper Henry Ozoemena after an exchange of passes with Albert Amoah. Still, it was too little too late. Ghana’s miserable year was complete, with the Black Stars’ horrendous group-stage exit at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, failure of the Black Stars to qualify for next year’s AFCON, and the failure of the Black Starlets to qualify for the Africa U17 Cup of Nations. Deservedly, Nigeria celebrated wildly at a return to the CHAN, at which they won the silver medals in Morocco six years ago, and at the expense of bogey team Ghana for that matter. President of NFF, Alhaji Gusau said: “We are very happy to end the year on a high. Returning to the African Nations Championship has been part of our agenda and we are happy to have achieved that. Now, the real work begins, which is to ensure that the team is adequately prepared to go for the trophy in East Africa early next year.” Galaxies’ Coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani attributed his team’s failure to the fact that Daniel Ogunmodede’s charges were hungrier for glory. “They were full of running and played their hearts out. Congratulations to Nigeria because they deserved their victory. They were the better team.” Ogunmodede said it was not yet time for celebrations. “We are happy to have given Nigerians a good gift for this yuletide period, but we will not over-celebrate this achievement and forget the crux of the matter. We will work hard so that we can contend very well for the trophy at the finals in February.”

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