JustNewsLine

  The Federal Government, on Wednesday, revealed that it has reached out to the British Government over the threat by the UK Parliament, to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials over their roles in the End SARS protests. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, stated this while fielding questions from State House reporters at the end of the weekly virtual Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to him, the Nigerian government has reached out to present its own side of the story. Onyeama also argued that lawmakers are not responsible for imposing sanctions. “Yes, we have reached out to the UK government. The meeting that took place were Parliamentarians and they do not speak for the UK government which acts for the United Kingdom and they have also heard the side of the (Nigerian) government regarding everything that has happened. “So, we have been in touch with them and engaging with them. Of course, as in any democracy

  Brazilian soccer legend, Pelé, has expressed sadness over the death of Argentine superstar, Diego Maradona. Maradona, 60, died of heart attack on Wednesday at his Buenos Aires home. “Certainly, one day we’ll kick a ball together in the sky above,” he said in a terse statement to Reuters. The midfield maestro had a surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November. The Argentine Football Association expressed its deepest sorrow for the death of the legend. “You will always be in our hearts”, the FA added. Alberto Fernandez, the President of Argentina has declared a three-day mourning period. “You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all. Thank you for having existed, Diego. We’re going to miss you all our lives”, he said. Maradona played for Barcelona and Napoli. He scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, and featured in four World Cups. Maradona was captain when his country won the 1986 World Cup.

  Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to reports in his native Argentina. The football legend had a heart attack at his home just two weeks after leaving hospital where he underwent surgery on a blot clot in his brain.  Maradona, regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, helped Argentina win the World Cup in 1986, the pinnacle of an illustrious career.  He played club football for Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona among others and was adored by millions for his brilliant skills.  Maradona was responsible for the infamous 'Hand of God' that eliminated England from the 1986 tournament.   

   The Senate on Wednesday asked its committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission to screen Professor Mahmood Yakubu as INEC Chairman for another five-year tenure. President Muhammadu Buhari’ had requested the red chamber to screen and confirm Yakubu for the fresh appointment. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, at plenary on Wednesday, gave the Senator Kabiru Gaya-led INEC panel to screen Yakubu and submit its report within one week. Yakubu would be screened along with another nominee, Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru who has been appointment as National Commissioner in the agency. Lawan specifically asked the committee to submit its report next Tuesday. The Senate would consider the INEC panel report at plenary next Tuesday for confirmation. The red chamber had on Tuesday received a request from Buhari to confirm Yakubu, for a second and final term in office. The request was contained in a letter dated 21st October, 2020, and read on the floor by the President of the Senate

  The nation’s land borders that have been closed since August 2019 may be reopened soon. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, gave this indication during an interview with State House correspondents on Wednesday. Ahmed said the presidential committee set up on the matter has completed its job and has recommended the reopening of the borders. She said the committee would soon submit its report to the President Muhammadu Buhari following which a formal pronouncement would be made on the matter. The minister did not, however, disclose when the report will be submitted and how soon the land borders will be reopened. Nigeria had in August 2019 closed its land borders to curtail illegal importation of drugs, small arms and agricultural products into country from neighbouring West African nations.

  European player of the year Robert Lewandowski is one of 10 players on the shortlist for the Best FIFA Men’s Player award unveiled Wednesday, alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Besides Polish striker Lewandowski, one other winner of the Champions League with Bayern Munich made the list, Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who joined Liverpool in September. The English champions also count Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Dutchman Virgil van Dijk on the shortlist. Paris Saint-Germain, beaten Champions League finalists, are represented by Mbappe and Neymar. Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos complete the list. Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa, who led Leeds into the English Premier League, headlines a list for the men’s coach award, which also features Bayern’s Hans-Dieter Flick, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui and Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane. Three finalists from categor

  Justice Muhammad Tukur of State High Court, Kaduna, on Tuesday convicted two sisters, Maryam Muhammad Jallo and Rukaiya Muhammad Jallo. They were sentenced to ten years imprisonment for offences that border on criminal breach of trust. The duo were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended one-count charge. According to the EFCC, Maryam and Rukaiya Jallo on March 30, 2019, in Kaduna, while being entrusted with N1,700,000 by Badamasi Shanono and Adio Bukar Hashia for medical treatment of Usman Umar, misappropriated the money. Shanono, in a petition, said Jamal Health Foundation owned by the convicts used social media to solicit for donations for Umar’s medical expenses. The patient had been bedridden for over two years due to partial paralyses. Shanon recalled that he donated N1,000,000, while another woman contributed N700,000. However, the sisters refused to hand over the funds to the patient but converted them to personal use. Their act was con

   The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says the Federal Government is not panicking over demand for sanction by the United Kingdom lawmakers. The UK lawmakers had on Monday debated over alleged human rights abuses during the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria and demanded sanctions on government officials and security agents such as visa ban, freezing of assets, and stopping the funding and training for the Nigeria Police Force. The debate was sequel to a petition started by Silas Ojo which had garnered over 200,000 signatures. Responding on behalf of the UK government, the MP for Aldridge-Brownhills, Wendy Morton, who is also the Minister at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said the UK government was communicating with the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. “It is a long-standing practice not to speculate on future sanctions as it could reduce the impact of the designations,” Morton said. Reacti

  Mrs Christisna Nnatuanya, widow of Linus Nnatuanya who allegedly died in the custody of disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), in Awkuzu,  Anambra, says she is ashamed that she can’t show her seven children the grave of their father. Nnatuanya who testified at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JPI) on SARS activities in Awka on Tuesday said her husband was arrested at Ogbaru area of Anambra in January 2007 without warrant. She said she could not see her husband until about six days when somebody told her that police personnel arrested some people in the area. Christian said she later found her husband in SARS cell at Awkuzu. She said her deceased husband told her he was arrested on the allegation that he was a member of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). “The heat and stench was much and my husband was allergic to heat. So they said I should go and bring N400,000, but I did not have it. I later raised N40,000 and on getting there, they sa

  The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has accused CNN of desperation over its second report on the Lekki toll plaza shootings that happened on October 20. The Minister said this on NTA on Wednesday. It was gathered that CNN had on Tuesday released a second ‘investigative report’ on the shootings at Lekki toll plaza during the #EndSARS protests amid threats of sanction from the Federal Government. But the minister faulted CNN’s reports, saying it lacked credible sources. When asked about the second CNN’s report, Mohammed said, “It shows that they (CNN) are desperate. The so-called recent development has been seen before. There is nothing new. If there is anything new, it is a contradiction of CNN’s position. “What we are asking CNN is that where is your evidence? The military has been consistent. CNN contravenes the basic principles of journalism – fairness, and balance. ‘They did the story without contacting the Federal Government for its own side. They relied on sec

  Joe Biden has broken a major record with the United States election results. The Democrat is now the first presidential challenger to win more than 80 million popular votes, CNN reports. He is also the first presidential candidate to capture more than 50% of the popular vote against an incumbent since Franklin Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover in 1932. Biden’s tally are expected to go up as ballots are still being counted nationwide. The former Vice President hit 80,011,000 votes on Tuesday; President Donald Trump had more than 73,800,000. Biden has won 306 electoral votes – 36 more than the required 270; Trump has 232. The former Senator’s triumph is the seventh time in the last eight presidential elections a Democrat won the popular vote – 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020. On Monday, the General Services Administration (GSA) finally recognized his victory. But President Trump is yet to concede three weeks after the election. The Republican becomes the first president since

  Nigerian Dj, Obianuju Catherine Udeh, popularly known as DJ Switch has described the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed as a ‘misinformed minister of information.’ It was reported that the Federal Government threatened to sanction a foreign media outlet, CNN, over its report on the alleged shooting of End SARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki toll plaza on October 20, 2020. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who made this known at a press conference in Abuja, described the report by the foreign news medium as “irresponsible journalism”. The minister also threatened to reveal the real intention of Obianuju Catherine Udeh, popularly known as DJ Switch over her footage of Lekki toll gate shooting. According to him, “DJ Switch is a fraudster whose intention is to tarnish the image of Nigeria with false news.” Following the development, Mohhamed petitioned CNN demanding “immediate and exhaustive investigation into its report on the Lekki Toll Gate incident to det

  Self-acclaimed African giant, Burna Boy, has been nominated for the 2021 Grammy awards scheduled to hold on January 31, 2021. His recent album, Twice As Tall, has been nominated in the Best Global Music Album category at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards. His previous album, African Giant, was also nominated at the 62nd Grammy Awards ceremony but Angélique Kidjo went home with the award. Also, South-African comedian, Trevor Noah, has been penned down as the host for the award ceremony.

Reactions have continued to trail claims by a member of the British parliament, Tom Tungendhat that former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon allegedly looted half of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to the UK. It was reported that the British lawmaker said this during the debate on a petition on End SARS while advocating for sanctions on Nigerian leaders who loot the country’s funds. But Aisha Yesufu, a popular activist, on Tuesday said Gowon is the worst of all Nigerian leaders who ate the food meant for the next generation. According to her, Gowon has always taken sides with the government in power and not the people.

A member of the United Kingdom Parliament, Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge and Malling) took a swipe at retired General Yakubu Gowon on Monday. Gowon was Nigeria’s Head of State from 1966 to 1975. During the debate on a petition on End SARS, Tugendhat accused him and the country’s leaders of corruption. Decrying the situation in Nigeria, the lawmaker said: “One of the great countries is, sadly, being racked by violence, and violence against young people. “The greatest book in the English Language is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the great Nigerian writer. The beauty of that book is the way it explains the challenge of changing generations to live together. “The way it speaks about values falling away and community being eroded by outside pressure. What we’re seeing in Nigeria today is part of that story. “It’s a tragedy that we are watching, it’s a tragedy that we are all witnessing. The pressure this time is not foreign colonialism, the pressure instead is corruption and violence. “We