The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has threatened to cripple the activities of states that refuse to implement the N70,000 new national minimum wage.

President of the Association Shehu Muhammed, gave the threat yesterday during the association’s 5th Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Lagos, where he emerged as the new president.

According to him, “For states not ready to implement the new minimum wage, let me tell you categorically, it is impossible. We are coming for them.”

He urged state governments to implement the new wage to improve the standard of living of their citizens since the incomes of state governments have continued to rise following enhanced allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC.

Muhammed urged that states could achieve this by reducing wastages and blocking leakages of government funds, advising states to embrace the policy of indexing income to correspond with the rate of inflation.

ASCSN new President said “the most important priority now is to address the issue of the new minimum wage by constituting a committee to address the consequential adjustments towards implementation and the strategies to ensure workers have a living wage in Nigeria.

“The full implementation of the new national minimum wage and its consequential adjustments at both the federal and the 36 states of the federation will be the top priority of Organised Labour.”

Earlier, the Secretary General of the Association, Joshua Apebo argued that following the increase in allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, since the removal of fuel subsidy, the state governors should immediately implement the new minimum wage to improve the standard of living of their citizens.

He said “We request that state governments implement the new national minimum wage to enhance the standard of living for their citizens. This can be achieved by reducing wastages and blocking leakages of government funds. We also advise the government to adopt the policy of indexing income to match inflation rates, as recommended years ago by the Chief Ernest Shonekan committee.”

Delivering a solidarity message, the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Festus Osifo, promised to support the new executives to ensure the interests of workers were protected.

He urged the new leadership to put the interest of the union first and those who elected them into office.

The federal high court in Abuja has dismissed an application seeking an interim injunction to restrain protesters from continuing the #EndBadGovernance protest.

Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, on Monday, dismissed the ex parte motion filed by Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi, Adiza Abbo, and 13 other Nigerians.

In the application dated August 12, the applicants sought the enforcement of their fundamental rights against the organisations involved with the protests.

The organisations sued as 1st to 8th respondents are Take It Back Movement, Concerned Nigerians, Nigerians Against Hunger, Initiative For Change, Human Rights Co-advocacy Initiative, Nigerian Against Corruption Initiative, Citizens for Change Advocacy Initiative, and Timely Intervention.

The 9th to 19th respondents are Active Citizens Group, Students For Change, We Coalition, Total Intervention, Refurbished Nigeria, Tomorrow Today, Our Future In Our Hands Initiative, Youths Against Tyranny, Save Nigeria Movement, Omoyele Sowore, and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Other respondents in the matter are the attorney general of the federation and security agencies.

In the court documents, Tsembelee Sorkaa, the applicants’ lawyer, said his clients’ rights to life, personal liberty, private and family life, and economic activities would be further breached if the 1st to 19th respondents continued the protest.

Sorkaa urged the court to restrain the 1st to 19th respondents from continuing with the protest pending the determination of his motion on notice.

The lawyer also appealed to the court to enforce the restraining order if it is granted.

In his ruling, Lifu said the #EndBadGovernance protest ended last week, noting that there was no evidence presented before the court showing that the protesters would reconvene later.

The judge said the applicants’ lawyer cannot rush his notice ex parte without providing the required affidavit to support the requests for an interim injunction and substituted service.

He dismissed the application for lacking merit and adjourned the hearing on the motion on notice to August 29.

From August 1 to 10, Nigerians took to the streets in some parts of the country to protest what they described as bad governance and rising hunger in the country.

In some parts of the country, courts granted interim injunctions restraining the protesters to some designated locations.

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, yesterday, dismissed the applications by two Indian nationals, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg and a Briton, Marcus Wade, to quash a bench warrant issued for their arrest and extradition, issued against them on alleged of $42.485million fraud, for lacking in merit.

The two Indians, and the Briton who is the Chairman of Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai, and their companies, Agrico Agbe Limited, Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai, are being charged before the court by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, for allegedly defraud Ecobank Plc of the sum of $42,485,900, with the pretence of using the of money to purchase and import into India parboiled rice Nigeria.

Counts one and four against the defendants in the charge marked FHC/L/562C/2022, dated October 7, 2022, reads, “That you, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Limited (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September, 2015, at Ecobank Plc, Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 422 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

“That you, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Limited (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September, 2015 at Eco Bank Plc., Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence to wit: Cheating in that you caused Ecobank Plc to deliver monies to the tune of $42,485,900, which was intended by contract for the purchase and import into Nigeria India Parboiled rice but never utilized the sum of money for the contract and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 421 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap, C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

However, while the charge is pending, the defendants did not appear in court to take their pleas on the charges.

The development made the office AGF, through its lawyer, Dr. Pius Akutah, now Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Nigerian Shippers Council, to file applications before the court for issuance of bench warrant and possible extradition against them.

The application was granted by Justice Akintayo Aluko, sometimes in November 2023.

But the defendants, through their lawyers, Dele Belgore and Dr. Dada Awosika, SANs, filed applications to quash the orders for their arrest and extradition.

The application was countered by the AGF through its lawyer, Mrs. Kehinde Bode-Ayeni, who inherit the case file from Dr. Pius Akutah.

Justice Aluko in a delivering, said that the proceedings before Magistrate Court in Delhi, Indian can not operate as a stay in criminal proceedings in Nigeria because its not purely a criminal proceedings, moreso, it a proceedings in Nigerian court as constituted by the Nigerian constitution.

The second issue is that an order of status quo granted by another court can not viciate the criminal charge pending in this court.

The position of the administration of Criminal Justice Act which regulate criminal proceedings in Nigeria have stipulated that the criminal and civil proceedings can be going simultaneously.

On the final note, Justice Aluko held, “There is no merit in the applications filed by the defendants.” The judge held that the two applications lack merit and same are dismissed.
Consequently, Justice Aluko the case to October 24, for report on bench warrant and further proceedings.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said if by now, the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration hasn’t realised the enormity of the sufferings of Nigerians it means it wasn’t ready for governance from the start.

Atiku who spoke through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe , explained that it was disappointing that the administration had to wait for Nigerians to take to the streets to draw its attention to what has become the desperate times we’ve been forced to live in.

He said, “There were certainly challenges before now, that’s why you were given the mandate. We know so many things were done wrong under Buhari.

“The economy went into recession twice under the last APC administration because it knows nothing about economics, nopotism , corruption were at a high.

“Whatever Buhari did wrong we are seeing a higher dimension under Tinubu. What we are worness today is Buhari pro-max. Divisions under Buhari have become craters under this government.

“How can the cost of basic food items come down when farmers can still no go back to their farms due to insecurity?

“Look at all the drama over the Dangote Refinery, this is one refinery that the last administration inspite of its failings invested $20bn tax payers money in.

We had thought by now our domestic needs will be met and exports will generate the much needed foreign exchange for our development but here we are asking questions.

“What is going on? Did this administration enter into any partnership with foreign interests to ruin this investment?

“Sadly, there is nothing in the horizon to show that this government is ready to solve our nation’s problems. “ end

The Paris Olympics Games, July 26 – August 11 began on a tentative note, but it has turned out to be a memorable, successful, sensational event, which not only lived up to the billing, but was also a masterpiece showcase of French history, culture and hospitality. The French have every reason to congratulate themselves, history was made, there were emotional moments, records were broken, marriage proposals took place in the city of love and lights in what Thomas Bach, the retiring International Olympic Committee (IOC) Chairman calls “Seine-sational” - in obvious reference to the fact that the Paris Olympics, after 100 years since France last hosted it, began in the open, along the Seine River which courses through Paris. Athletes from 184 countries marched on the Seine in 90 boats, across 3.7 miles, surrounded by dancers and serenaded by singers (French Pop star Aya Nakamura and legendary Celine Dion). Ahead of the Olympics, France had just concluded its snap parliamentary elections with fears that the febrile politics of the elections could affect the Olympics but that didn’t happen as both the far-right and the far-left in French politics buried their ideologies to receive and host the world. There were also fears about security after the attack on targets across Europe and the rising threat of terrorism and extremism. France deployed 75, 000 police officers around Paris, and also got friendly countries to send troops in support. The United Kingdom contributed 50 special constables, Spain sent 142 civil guards, 171 police officers, 10 horses and dogs; the United States sent 94 police officers and the FBI; in total, 40 countries including Qatar, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Morocco and 31 European countries contributed a support force of about 2,000 police officers in what was a statement about the value of international security operation. In the end, security did not constitute a problem. It was bon. It was magnifique.

There were a few hitches though. During the opening ceremony, there was an embarrassing mix up with the national anthems of North Korea and South Korea, the drag queen sequence and the parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” which drew the ire of the Catholic Church, Christians and which in other quarters led to death threats. During the group stage men’s basketball game between South Sudan and Puerto Rico the wrong national anthem was played for South Sudan, a gaffe that the South Sudanese did not find funny at all. At the athletics Olympics village, there were complaints about substandard food, hot accommodation and cardboard beds. Team Great Britain ended up hiring a chef, many of the American superstars relocated to hotels. Transportation to the event venues was also inconvenient for the most part. River Seine gave the organizers grave concerns, as the heavy rain showers on opening day further polluted the water, raising the level of E-coli, making it difficult for the river to be used for the men’s and women’s triathlon. The planned games on River Seine were rescheduled, all the same, three German athletes reported that they had been infected, athletes from Belgium and Switzerland also fell ill.

But we witnessed, nonetheless, the triumph of the human spirit, the defining characteristic of the Olympics since its Athenian beginnings, and its re-invention in modern times in 1896 by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Memories of the Paris Olympics will linger and endure in terms of the drama, the colourful, history-laden displays and the use of the cityscape of France, with the Eiffel Tower looming large in the background.  Andy Murray, the British tennis star, announced his retirement during the Olympics. Novak Djokovic, won the men’s tennis singles final, a gold medal at last at the Olympics, practically fulfilling a dream. Simon Biles who had to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, due to a condition called “twisties” made a remarkable comeback, to win three gold medals and a silver in gymnastics and in the process, became the most decorated gymnast in American history. Suni Lee, a former Olympic all-round champion and US gymnast was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease in 2023. In Paris, she won gold at the all-round team finals, a bronze in uneven bars and yet another bronze at the all-round competition.  She did all that while battling two types of incurable kidney disease. Julien Alfred, 23, won the women’s 100 m race to claim St. Lucia’s first Olympics medal. She also won a silver medal in the women’s 200 metres. The tiny Caribbean-island of St. Lucia, and her home town of Ciceron broke out in joyous ecstasy. Juju as she is known is now a national hero in St. Lucia. Adriana Ruano, 29, won the first ever gold medal in the shooting women’s trap final for Guatemala. Kaylia Nemour, 17, made history for her country, Algeria and for Africa by being the first from the continent to win a medal in gymnastics. Carlos Yulo, 24, of the Philippines won two gold medals in men’s floor exercise and vault- the first also for his country. Sifan Hassan became the first athlete in 72 years to win medals in the women’s 5,000, 10, 000 and marathon races; a haul of gold and two bronze medals within the space of five days, with a total distance of 62,195 km covered. History was made in the women’s floor final with the first all-black gymnastics podium ever in the Olympics with Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (gold), Simon Biles (silver) and Jordan Chiles (bronze). Chiles has reportedly been stripped of the bronze medal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and replaced with Romania’s Anna Barbosa who was upgraded from 4^th to 3^rd but she remains a most worthy Olympian. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won Africa’s first ever 200m gold at the Olympics and was the anchor of Botswana’s 4 x 400 relay team which took silver. The Government of Botswana was so excited, the President declared a half-day public holiday in celebration On August 9. Similarly, Leon Marchand became an instant hero in France having won four individual gold medals in swimming. Emma Hayes, who spent 12 years managing the women Chelsea football team, winning seven WSL titles, five FA Cups, and the League Cup twice. She has just led the US Women’s football team to golden victory barely two months after she took over the US National team. The Olympics has always been about individual heroism. But it is also about national pride. 

There were many special moments as well: Simon Biles and Jordan Chiles paying homage to Rebeca Andrade in a gracious and humble manner; North Korea and South Korea athletes taking a selfie together in a gesture that showed sports transcend politics. Romance blossomed too: Brazilian triple jumper Almir Dos Santos proposed to his girlfriend Talita Ramos, Massimo Bertelloni proposed to Alessia Maurelli, Liu Yuchen to Huang Yaqiong, Paton Otterdahl to Maddy Nilles, Alice Finot to Bruno Martinez, Pablo Simonet to Maria Campoy, Jean-Emmanuel Mestre to Charline Picon, Kathryn Treder to Alev Kelter, Justin Best to Lainey Duncan and so on and so forth - a firm confirmation that love is indeed in Paris. Many others who may not have won a medal found love. There were pregnant athletes in attendance too: Alysia Montano, 38, American, in the 800m race, Amber Jo Rutter of Team GB, a mum that shoots and got a silver medal in women’s Skeet and Yaylagul Ramazanova of Azerbaijan who said she felt her baby kicking as she competed in the archery event. These women athletes pushed the boundaries of possibilities at the Paris Olympics. And there were delightful moments of laughter. French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati’s penis knocked off the crossbar during the semi-final heat in pole vault becoming a trending sensation as a result. He did not make it to any podium but he ended up getting a $250, 000 offer from an adult entertainment company which thought his bulge could be an asset beyond the Olympics.! Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, 25, caused quite a stir with her gender appearance, only to go on to win the gold medal in the women’s boxing welterweight category.  Yusuf Dikec, 51, won a silver in the mixed team 10 m air pistol event but he became a popular character in Paris, because of his steeze. While other shooters wore high tech gear, Dikec was non-challant, he wore regular eye glasses, kept his left hand in his pocket and yet got a silver medal. Other athletes thought this was some form of magic and they started putting their hands in their pockets too. Yet another star attraction in Paris was Snoop Dogg, 52, American rapper and actor, (real name Calvin Broadus Jnr.) who carried the Olympic torch and also worked as a broadcaster for US host, the NBC Channel. Snoop Dogg was all over the place, having fun and being himself. NBC paid him US$ 500, 000 per day. Some people are in this world just to catch cruise and enjoy. God, when? 

On Sunday, August 11, the Olympics ended on a note of great excitement, grace, pomp and satisfaction on the part of the organizers after 16 days, 329 events and 32 different sports. Tom Cruise, in a “Mission Impossible” kind of stunt abselled from the top of the Stade de France, for the closing ceremony, giving it a feel of the surreal. He took the flag from Simon Biles and the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, jumped onto a motorcycle and rode out of the arena. The next Olympics in 2028, will be hosted in Los Angeles, the home town of Snoop Dogg. In this Olympics, the United States led the medals table with a total of 126 medals, followed by China with 91, Australia, 53, France 64 and Great Britain, 65. How did Nigeria fare? We were present for the 16 days that the event lasted but we won nothing. We participated in 12 sports. We sent 88 athletes. Nigeria spent N9 billion. We came home empty-handed. We, however, made little history that may be useful for the future. Our female basketball team, D’Tigress managed by Rena Wakama, fought valiantly and got to the quarter-finals, the first time any African team would go to that far in Olympics basketball. Ms. Wakama, 32, has since been named the Best Female Basketball Coach at the 2024 Olympics by the International Basketball Federation. Samuel Ogazi made it to the 400 m Olympics final, the first athlete to do so since Innocent Egbunike did so 36 years ago.  And for the first time in a long while, something very unusual, the Minister of Sports, John Enoh could boast that all the athletes representing Nigeria got their training allowances and bonuses. This is something we are supposed to celebrate. But Nigeria’s participation was generally marred by the failure of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Olympics Committee to submit Favour Ofili’s name for the 100 m race. The sheer incompetence of both bodies is not new: they did the same thing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 denying 14 athletes the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. They have repeated the same offence this year in Paris, and the best they can do is to trade blames. Nigeria’s men’s 4 x 400 relay team was disqualified for a lane violation in the semi-final. While no Nigerian made it to the podium in Paris, it has been reported that our athletes despite not winning any medal, partied hard and ate to their heart’s content. 

But the big shame was seeing Nigerians carrying the flag of other countries. Yemisi Ogunleye who won gold for Germany in shot put is from Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Samu Omorodion was part of the Spanish football team that won gold in the men’s category. He is a Nigerian. Rasheedat Adeleke, the fastest female athlete in Ireland is a Nigerian too. She was part of Ireland’s 4x4 women’s relay that came fourth. She holds Ireland’s national record in 60m, 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m. Annette Nneka Echikunwoke who won silver in Hammer Throw for the United States represented Nigeria at the Tokyo Olympics but she switched to the United States because of the incompetence and corruption of Nigerian officials, and now she is described as the first American woman to win a medal in Hammer Throw. There is also Antoinette Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu (can any name be more Nigerian than that?) but she competed at the Olympics and got a silver medal not for Nigeria but Bahrain. In her case, she not only abandoned Nigeria, she even changed her name to Salwa Eid Naser to identify fully with her chosen country and new religion. There may well be other Africans who have switched loyalty to other countries. Winfred Yavi, who previously represented Kenya, but is also now a Bharain athlete in 3,000 m steeplechase won gold in Paris, setting the new Olympic record in that event. 

Most African countries are guilty of underinvestment in sports facilities. Nigeria is worse. Those who lead the various sports Federations are corrupt and incompetent. Many of the athletes on the continent prefer to switch to other countries because there are better training facilities abroad and better rewards for talent. At the Paris Olympics, Hong Kong promised its gold medalists - $768,000, Kazahkstan offered $250, 000 for gold, France - $87,00; Singapore - $745,000; Indonesia - $300,000. Sports has become big business. In a globalized world, athletes are entrepreneurs and they would, like everyone else, migrate to where they can gain the best comparative advantage for their talent. In Atlanta 1996, Nigeria won two gold medals, one silver and three bronze medals. But we have since lost the magic due to years of indolence, rascality, and the failure to treat sports as a strategic vehicle for diplomacy and national development.  Sports Minister, John Enoh says there would be consequences for the failure of the AFN and Nigeria’s IOC at the Paris Olympics. What consequences, if we may ask?  The least that we can ask for is that Nigeria should begin to prepare for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and not wait till the very last minute. We can also probably expect that the Nigerian athletes going for the Paralympics also in Paris, from August 28 – September 8, will do much better. Nigeria does not care enough for the physically challenged among its people, but ironically, this much neglected compatriots have historically done better at the Olympics: a pungent, bitter irony of a country where the blind see better than those with eyesight, and the lame are faster than those who can walk. While Nigeria deals with its multiple dilemmas, let us tell the people and government of France: merci!  

The management of AIPCC Energy Limited, operators of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited (ERPCL), says it lacks crude oil supply despite being a fully functional 1,000 barrels per day crude oil refinery.

The company said the Edo refinery is yet to get any supply from the relevant authorities — despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive on crude oil supply to local refineries.

Speaking to journalists in Benin City on Sunday, the management of the refinery said the firm is facing significant challenges due to the persistent lack of crude supply.

Segun Okeni, a representative of the company, said the refinery can barely function at full capacity.

Okeni said although the company has existing crude oil supply agreements with Seplat Energy and ND Western since 2022, bureaucratic bottlenecks have prevented the refinery from accessing the much-needed crude feedstock.

“On 18th August 2021, our team led by our chairman, met with the NNPCL CEO and its top management team to discuss our intention to buy crude oil from NNPCL and we immediately wrote seeking crude supply, the letter was dated 22 July 2022,” he said.

“In July 2022, the representatives of NNPC (from HQ Abuja and NPDC Benin) visited our facility for site inspection and to confirm the mechanical completion of the Edo refinery.

“In September 2022, we were invited for a commercial negotiation meeting with the NNPC Head of terms, after which we sent a follow-up letter identifying the oil fields from which we can offtake crude oil.

“In March 2022, we also wrote to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, informing it of our refinery status, future projects and our challenges of lack of crude oil supply to our refinery.

“We had also written and had a meeting with the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) between November 2022 and March 2023, indicating our severe need for crude oil supply from oil fields where NEPL has equity stakes.”

However, the Edo refinery official said despite these meetings, correspondences, and communications with the NNPC over the past three years on the issues of crude oil supply, nothing was done.

On the way forward, the ERPCL said the NNPC and other crude oil suppliers need to put loading infrastructure in place to allow for truck loading.

On August 9, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery said it had not received the 29 million barrels of crude allocated to it by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

A former National Vice Chairman North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, says the government of President Bola Tinubu is indifferent to the plight of Nigerians and the sorry state of the nation.

He lamented that despite the widespread hardship and hunger in the country, Tinubu’s government has embarked on frivolous and extravagant spending. 

He noted that the federal government insensitivity and lack of optics and tact in handling matters of national significance have made the country highly volatile.

He charged Nigerians to rise to the occasion and begin the process of reforming the Democratic structures of the country in the aftermath of the #EndBadGovernance with a view to ousting the APC from power.

Lukman in a statement issued Sunday titled, “#EndBadGovernance Campaign: What Next?”, every committed democrat in the country must wake up to this challenge and seek to mobilise Nigerians to direct their anger creatively and positively towards reformation of democratic structures in the country. 

He said: “As it is, the President Asiwaju Tinubu’s administration seems to be on a roller coaster of aggrandised spendings amid mass hunger and poverty in the country, which is partly responsible for the highly volatile situation in the country.

“Every committed democrat in the country must wake up to this challenge and seek to mobilise Nigerians to direct their anger creatively and positively towards reformation of democratic structures in the country.”

The former APC chieftain said that given that majority political leaders are already aggrieved and with the way the government has rendered virtually all registered political parties comatose, the process of uniting aggrieved political leaders across all parties must earnestly commence.

He added: “This is the point when ideally, opposition leaders such as Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso should step forward to provide the needed leadership to reform our democracy and ensure the emergence of a functional political party capable of rescuing Nigeria.

“In addition to opposition leaders, other political leaders in APC who have been edged out of the party should join forces with opposition leaders to rescue the country and put Nigeria back on the path of democratic development.

“These leaders include Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Sen. Ibukunle Amosun, Mal. Nasir El-Rufai, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and many others.

“While acknowledging that there are already unfolding initiatives in this direction, the rising anger in the country must be utilised and directed to strengthen the emergence of a veritable functional political party different from APC, PDP, LP and NNPP. As it is, it must be acknowledged that these parties cannot serve as the platforms to rescue Nigeria from its current unfortunate self-inflicted downward spiral producing mass poverty and starvation.”

Napoli’s director, Giovanni Manna, has confirmed that Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen has expressed his desire to leave the Italian club, which could be a major boost for Chelsea and his other suitors.

Despite already securing a deal to sign Atletico Madrid’s Samuel Omorodion, Chelsea are still in need of a prolific goal scorer and has maintained their interest in Osimhen. The 25-year-old Nigerian striker is reportedly a top priority for Chelsea as they look to strengthen their forward line for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.

Osimhen’s impressive performances have garnered attention from several top clubs in Europe, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Liverpool. However, his €130 million release clause has deterred many suitors, leaving Chelsea as the primary European club interested in signing him.

Note that Osimhen has been absent from Napoli’s pre-season fixtures and was also missing from their Coppa Italia first-round match against Modena.

Last weekend, Napoli’s director confirmed Osimhen’s desire to leave the club, stating that the striker wants to depart and that the club is prepared for his potential exit.

“Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club,” the club’s director told reporters in Italy.

“He wants to go. The situation is clear; there were already chances for his exit last summer. Victor wants to leave. We will see in the next 20 days.

“Victor is a player who wants to leave, and last year there was already a situation in place. We are calm because we have players in the squad ready to replace him.

“Osimhen is a strong player, but we want to protect the integrity of the group, and we prefer to protect the harmony of the group. But we will see what happens over the next 20 days.”

This development could lead to negotiations between Napoli and Chelsea, especially considering Napoli’s interest in signing Romelu Lukaku from Stamford Bridge.

Although Osimhen’s agent has initially rejected the idea of a swap or loan deal, the player’s eagerness to move away from Napoli may force a reconsideration.

Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has stressed that the ministry has started reviewing Nigeria’s poor performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Recall that Nigeria sent 88 athletes to compete in 12 sports at the 2024 Olympics, and all of them failed to win a medal for the country. This marks one of the country’s worst showings in Olympic history.

Enoh acknowledged the disappointment and emphasized the need for reflection as the country prepares for the upcoming Paralympics, scheduled to commence on August 28 in Paris.

The minister expressed regret over the subpar performance of Team Nigeria and extended his apologies to Nigerians.

He highlighted the provision of necessary funding, early payment of allowances, and timely disbursement of training grants, indicating that financial constraints were not a factor in Nigeria’s Olympic campaign.

However, he admitted that the outcomes did not meet the nation’s expectations and emphasized the need to provide a comprehensive explanation to the public.

The Sports Minister’s statement reads: “The Olympic Games, Paris 2024, has ended, and I accept that our performance should have been a lot better. It fell short of our objectives, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians. I must apologize to our compatriots and reflect on what went wrong while looking forward to the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 (August 28- September 8).

“In all these, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federation, HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ensured that funds were not a limiting factor. Athletes’ competition requirements were provided, allowances were paid early, and training grants were disbursed to all athletes. I made myself readily available to deal with any issue throughout the competition. Therefore, the underwhelming performance of our team is puzzling. We owe Nigerians an explanation.

“As a responsible organization, we have swung into a review process. We shall evaluate the competition readiness of every athlete comprehensively, including their injury and medical history within the limits of patient confidentiality. The role of coaches and administrative staff will also be examined.”

Enoh also discussed the challenges faced by the Ministry of Sports Development in preparing for the Olympics within a limited timeframe. He revealed that when he assumed office in August 2023, the ministry had to oversee four major international competitions, including the AFCON, the African Games, and the Olympics and Paralympic Games, all within a short period.

He explained: “When I assumed office as the Minister of Sports Development in August 2023, I was confronted with the task of executing four international competitions namely the AFCON, the African Games, and the Olympics and Paralympic Games in a matter of a few months. I was also reminded that the Olympic Games is the world’s supreme sports competition, and countries require at least four years to prepare for it. I held extensive discussions with the management staff of the ministry and got to know that preparations for the Olympics, which was less than a year away, had not started.

“After the African Games, subsequent meetings were limited to the federations that had bright chances of qualifying for the Olympics. Medal projections were made by all the federations, although their athletes were still trying to qualify; which lasted until about June 2024. The concerned federations prioritized qualification over preparations for the Games. This seems to have always been the case. This has to change.”