Cristiano Ronaldo might be the Great Of All Times (GOAT) to many fans across the football world, but not everyone in his household agrees, with the Portugal star admitting that his own son prefers Real Madrid star’s Kylian Mbappé.

Ronaldo has scored a club-record 450 goals for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.

Mbappé has the chance to continue his hot streak later on Wednesday against Brest, while Ronaldo is next in action against Al Raed on Thursday.

Ronaldo who scored twice in Al Nassr’s comfortable Saudi Pro League win at the weekend to move to the top of the division’s goal-scoring charts, but that was not enough to impress his 5-year-old, Mateo.

In an excerpt from an upcoming interview with Spanish outlet La Sexta, Ronaldo admitted the France captain has surpassed him in his son’s eyes.

“Mateo, he really likes Mbappé,” Ronaldo said. “He sometimes tells me: ‘Hey dad, Mbappé is better than you,’ and I reply by saying: ‘No, I am better than him, I have scored more goals.”

Mbappé, who is known to have idolised Ronaldo in his youth, has started to emulate some of his feats at the Bernabéu in recent weeks after his high-profile move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

It was reported that after his hat-trick against Real Valladolid on Saturday, Mbappé now has 15 goals in LaLiga, second in the Pichichi race behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Etudo told the court presided over by Justice Adenike Coker, that despite the amended charge and the plea of his client, he (Evans) has applied to the Lagos State Government through the Attorney-General’s office for a plea bargain.

The defence counsel stated this after Evans pleaded not guilty to an amended five-count charge bordering on murder, attempt to murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Billionaire Kidnapper ‘Evans’ Seeks Plea Bargain

“Our focus in this matter is the plea bargain which we have submitted to the state government. My client is now a repentant person. He was a young man consumed by crime, but he is now remorseful. Presently, he is a 200-level student of the National Open University. In fact, he made A1 in all his papers in NECO while in prison. All these were made possible through a scholarship given to him by the Federal Government.

“My Lord, we have asked the Lagos State government to give him the opportunity to go round schools in the state to talk to youths about the dangers of crime,” Etudo said.

State Prosecutor, Y.A. Sule, confirmed Evans’ application for plea bargain, saying that the appropriate authorities would consider it, adding that the business of the day was for the re-arraignment of the defendant to enable the matter to start de novo

Former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has cautioned the government against plans to scrap the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

He warned that such a move would have devastating consequences for universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Wabba’s warning comes amid deliberations on tax reform bills at the National Assembly, which propose a reduction in TETFund allocations. The bill suggests that starting in 2025, only 50% of the Education Tax will go to TETFund, with the remainder allocated to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). It also outlines plans to phase out TETFund entirely by 2030, redirecting all education tax proceeds to NELFUND.

Speaking at the National Leadership Retreat organized by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in Abuja, Wabba emphasized TETFund’s vital role in sustaining universities, particularly in infrastructure development and staff training.

“For some time now, the major funding for our universities and other tertiary institutions has come from TETFund, especially for critical infrastructure, which has become dilapidated. Even in training and retraining university staff, TETFund had to intervene,” Wabba explained.

He added that scrapping TETFund would return Nigerian universities to “zero level,” as the national budget is already inadequate to meet their needs.

Wabba noted that state governors and trade unions have also opposed the proposed scrapping of TETFund, recognizing its importance in sustaining higher education.

“The budget system is already limited, with many competing demands. Education is critical, and it used to be one of the government’s top priorities. We need to return to the basics and strengthen TETFund because they are doing a good job,” he said.

On the issue of labour disputes, Wabba highlighted the need for strong collective bargaining as a solution.

“In the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) decent work agenda, prioritizing collective bargaining is essential. Once unions have grievances, whether at the branch or national level, the government should engage them in good faith and implement agreements. Workers do not want to strike; it is a last resort,” he explained.

Wabba acknowledged that while strikes cannot be completely eliminated, they remain a necessary tool in some cases due to the attitudes of certain employers.

On concerns about internal sabotage within unions, Wabba assured that unions have mechanisms to address such challenges. Maintaining unity within unions is essential to protect workers’ interests, he stressed.

Wabba addressed reports of reduced salaries for some workers, advising them to report such cases to their unions.

“If any worker’s salary has been reduced, they should first report to their union. Salary is a legal agreement between an employer and a worker. An employer cannot unilaterally reduce a worker’s salary — that is illegal and unacceptable,” he said.

Wabba assured workers that unions would escalate such issues to labour centers for appropriate action.

Immediate-past Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has reaffirmed that his stance on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration would not have changed even if he were still part of the government. 

El-Rufai’s response came after the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, questioned whether the former governor would have been critical of the administration if he held a cabinet position.

LEADERSHIP reports that el-Rufai had described governance and opposition in Nigeria as a “national emergency” at a conference in Abuja on Monday.

He also criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for its lack of internal democracy, stating, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”

His remarks drew sharp criticism from the APC, which accused him of treachery and claimed that el-Rufai was undermining the government and the party he helped build.

Reacting to El-Rufai’s comments, Bwala took to his X handle, querying if the former governor would have expressed the same views if he were part of the government:

“My senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam, a Ji soron Allah mana.”

El-Rufai on Thursday responded to Bwala via his X handle, dismissing suggestions that he ever sought a ministerial role in the Tinubu administration and criticising what he described as “latter-day converts” to the government.

“Good morning, #BwalaDaniel, I was cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.”

He further stated that had he remained in the Tinubu government, his criticisms would have remained unchanged.

“If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it—first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.”

El-Rufai also took a swipe at some pro-government voices, alleging that certain individuals were being paid from security votes to defend the administration’s actions online.

“I am only responding to you because I still think you are a decent person who may need a job, and not in the class of Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender that our voters retired in 2019—these clowns are political mercenaries that receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do, no matter how indefensible it may be.”

Ending his statement, he advised the presidential aide to put his loyalty to ‘God and country’ above political allegiance.

“Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in the human scale of accountability, before any person or authority,” el-Rufai said.

The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested a man and his girlfriend for solemnising their marriage at Banana Restaurant on Zoo Road, Kano.

The board’s Deputy Commander General of Operations, Dr Mujahideen Abubakar, confirmed the arrest to PUNCH Online on Thursday, stating that Hisbah personnel raided the restaurant on Wednesday night following a tip-off.

“It’s very unfortunate to tell you that the solemnisation of the purported marriage was conducted in the restaurant by friends of the man without the consent of the parents of the couple,” he said.

He warned that the board would not fold its arms and allow some undesirable elements to continue to violate the shari’a in the state.

According to him, the board had since launched a manhunt for all the guests who participated in the illegal solemnisation of the marriage.

“We arrested the couple. We are trailing friends of the groom who fled the restaurant after our personnel stormed the place,” he added.

The deputy commander said the couple violated all the marriage conditions, which is a flagrant violation of the Shari’a.

Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser on Policy Communications to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday cautioned a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai after labelling him a “latter-day convert.”

The former governor, who is a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has been in the news recently for calling out the party over its lack of internal democracy and active party structures.

“I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” El-Rufai said at a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria on Monday.

Before now, Bwala had challenged El-Rufai if he’d keep to his remarks if he were serving in the Tinubu government, which the former governor affirmed.

In a series of tweets via his X handle Thursday, while responding to Bwala’s tweet, El-Rufai noted his non-interest in serving in the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

“I was cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility,” he tweeted, among others.

However, responding to the tweets, Bwala cautioned that he and the ex-Kaduna governor were instrumental in Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

“With respect, I am not a latter-day Asiwaju supporter. We both played our roles in his emergence as the candidate of the party ahead of the 2023 elections. And before then, whilst you were from the CPC extraction of APC, I was from the ACN, which explains why I worked with Comrade Oshiomhole when he chaired the party amongst other things to protect the interest of Asiwaju whom at the time you people vowed to retire from politics,” Bwala stated.

The president’s spokesperson, who stated his respect for the APC chieftain, spoke of his worry behind El-Rufai’s “statements and actions,” saying, “They are not borne out of patriotism, but need for vengeance. The opposition sees that singular element of vengeance as a veritable tool for your recruitment.

“I still think you don’t need all these melodramatic activities or a vengeance mission. Come back and resolve whatever you think are your grievances like the dignified man that you are.

“Our party APC as of today remains the only organized party with identifiable structures across the country. So, if you are looking for any symbol of democracy, it is still in your party. Please senior, come home; you have toiled all night.”

During an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today programme in November 2024, Bwala, who served as a spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council, denied lobbying to serve in the ruling APC government.

“No, I didn’t lobby. The last time I was here, I told you when I met him (President) that I had made up my mind to support his cause.

“Since that January after I appeared on your programme, I have been doggedly pursuing that cause. Maybe he saw that and also saw the commitment in it. But it is something that the President knows I have loved, and still love when I supported him in the primaries.

“Whatever was his consideration is what I don’t know. But I know that the honour that the President bestowed on me is what I am very grateful for. I am also very committed to ensuring I don’t disappoint Mr President and the Nigerian people.”

Nigerian singer, Seun Kuti, has stirred up a wave of controversy after revealing that his sister allegedly lost over N50 million in a cryptocurrency investment scheme.

The shocking revelation was made in a viral video posted on X (formerly Twitter), where Kuti passionately condemned the crypto market, accusing it of being a scam.

In the video, Seun Kuti expressed his frustration and disbelief at the impact of cryptocurrency on ordinary Nigerians.

He strongly criticized cryptocurrency promoters, calling them “criminals” who exploit vulnerable individuals, especially the poor.

“Crypto is a lie. You people are criminals trying to steal from poor people. It’s nothing but a wealth transfer from the poorest to the richest, just like gambling.”

“You all promote it, you push it, but it’s all about wealth transfer. You’re all part of this plan to shift wealth from the poor to the pockets of the rich.”

“There’s no freedom in crypto. More Africans have lost money to this than those who have made a profit from it,” he said.

He went on to describe the cryptocurrency system as a “scheme” designed to funnel wealth into the pockets of the wealthy, leaving the less fortunate at a loss.

Seun Kuti also shared a deeply personal account of the toll cryptocurrency has taken on his own family.

“You know how much my sister has lost to crypto. I’ve been warning her, but she didn’t listen. I can’t even tell you how much I’ve lost—over ₦50 million. My sister, my own blood sister—this is how many Nigerians have lost millions.” he added.

The video quickly gained traction online, with many social media users voicing their concerns about cryptocurrency and its risks.

The number of cows slaughtered daily in Lagos State has dropped from 5,000 to 3,000, according to the Lagos State Butchers Association.

The association’s patron, Alhaji Bamidele Kazeem, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos.

Kazeem said the decline was due to the country’s ongoing socio-economic challenges.

He noted that the drop in cattle slaughter began in 2015 due to the Boko Haram insurgency and worsened with the current exchange rate crisis and inflation.

“This reduction is due to numerous factors, including economic challenges, terror-related activities, and environmental concerns,” he said.

Kazeem expressed concern that the number of slaughtered cows could decline even further due to rising prices in the market.

“Previously, we could purchase a cow for between ₦400,000 and ₦500,000, depending on the breed, size, and location, but we now pay between ₦1.6 million and ₦1.7 million for a cow,” he said.

He attributed the drop in beef demand to the economic downturn, inflation, and rising cost of living.

“Banditry and farmer-herder conflicts have also contributed to reduced cattle production, affecting supply and the number of cows slaughtered in Lagos,” he added.

He warned that the decline could negatively impact meat supply in the state.

Kazeem, therefore, urged the state government, butchers, and farmers to work together to address the issue.

“All hands must be on deck to tackle these challenges and create a more sustainable industry,” he said.

The patron also highlighted the impact of climate and environmental factors on cattle rearing.

“When temperatures rise, it can cause heat stress, reducing cattle growth rates, milk production, and fertility.

“Veterinary doctors from the Lagos State Health Ministry conduct checks to ensure the cows’ health and prevent infections,” Kazeem added.

NAN

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old man, Azeez Oladimeji, for allegedly impregnating a 17-year-old girl, Bisola Ganiyu, who later died shortly after childbirth in the Ajuwon community of the Ifo Local Government Area.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Omolola Odutola, who disclosed the arrest of the suspect in an exclusive statement to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday revealed that the pregnant teenager tragically died shortly after giving birth to the baby through a Cesarean Section on Tuesday.

The command stated that the young girl, who was a resident of Yeti Sofolabo Street, Baale Akinosi, was allegedly impregnated by the suspect, who reportedly abandoned her and refused to take responsibility for the pregnancy.

In a distressing report to the police on Tuesday evening, the command stated that the deceased’s father, identified as Egbekunle, disclosed that his teenage daughter was in pain and was promptly taken to a nearby maternity clinic. 

While the newborn miraculously survived the arduous procedure, the police reported that the teenager succumbed to complications during treatment, despite the medical team’s efforts to save her through surgery.

Odutola stated, “The suspect impregnated a 17-year-old girl. The father accused the suspect of abandoning the girl and pregnancy.

“Following the heartbreaking incident, detectives from Ajuwon Division promptly visited the hospital. Bisola’s body was retrieved and deposited at the Life Channel Mortuary, Olambe, while the suspect, Azeez Oladimeji, has been arrested as investigations into the case continue.”

PUNCH Metro recalls a similar arrest of a 20-year-old man, Akeem Sumonu, who allegedly impregnated a 16-year-old girl in the Olodo Community of Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State.

The survivor’s mother, identified only as Christiana, had accused the suspect of violently attacking her daughter, raped her in October 2024, and later threatened her to keep it a secret.

The recent 50 per cent tariff increase approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission is expected to generate an additional N1.6tn in tax revenue while driving investment in telecommunications infrastructure.

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association in a statement on Wednesday, described the tariff adjustment—the first in 12 years—as a significant step toward bridging Nigeria’s digital divide.

The policy is projected to expand 4G coverage to 94 per cent of the population and provide mobile internet access to an additional nine million people, including two million in underserved areas.

The global advocate for sustainable policy reforms in the telecommunications sector said it welcomed this decision as a major step forward for consumers and the economy.

By enabling mobile operators to invest in expanding and upgrading their networks, the tariff increase will bridge the digital divide and drive innovation across key sectors, including healthcare, education, and agriculture.

Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at GSMA, Angela Wamola, commented on the development: “This decision by the NCC is an important milestone for Nigeria’s digital future. By enabling sustainable investment, we are improving the quality of service for consumers and fostering opportunities for innovation and economic growth.

“However, to fully unlock the potential of this reform, it is critical to implement additional measures such as simplifying Right of Way permits, implementing a critical national Infrastructure plan, and reducing the mobile sector’s tax burden.

These steps will be essential to accelerate digital adoption across sectors.

“It is estimated that increased digitalisation in agriculture, manufacturing, transport, trade, and the government will increase GDP by around two percentage points by 2028. This would also create nearly two million jobs and raise an additional N1.6tn in tax revenue.”

The body said the tariff increase is projected to unlock over $150m in additional investment, expanding 4G network coverage from the baseline 90 per cent  to 94 per cent l of the population.

This improvement, according to GSMA, will benefit around 9 million people, with nearly 2 million expected to gain access to mobile internet services based on current adoption levels in rural areas, according to GSMA Intelligence.

“This milestone reflects the successful partnership between the Nigerian government, industry stakeholders, and the GSMA, demonstrating how collaborative policy reforms can drive economic development and digital inclusion.

“By advocating for policies that balance affordability with the need for sustained investment in infrastructure, the GSMA has played a critical role in ensuring the benefits of mobile connectivity are accessible to all Nigerians.”

On January 20, the NCC announced its approval of a 50 per cent tariff increase for telecom operators, citing rising operational costs and the necessity to maintain industry sustainability.

In a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, the Commission emphasised that the decision aligns with its regulatory responsibilities under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

However, the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers has expressed its intention to challenge the approved tariff hike in court.

In a similar development, a document from MTN Nigeria obtained by The PUNCH has revealed that Nigeria’s telecom industry may experience a significant $870m drop in capital expenditures by 2026 as a result of 11 years of delays in tariff increases.

 This decline in investments, which would have been used to expand and upgrade telecom infrastructure such as network coverage, technology upgrades, and the deployment of new services, is largely attributed to tariff hike delays.

The document revealed that in 2022, Nigerian telcos invested $1.41bn in capital expenditure, but this figure dropped to $1.16bn in 2023.

This is expected to fall even further to $0.47bn in 2024. By 2026, the investment is forecasted to remain low at $0.50bn, marking a $0.87bn shortfall compared to the baseline figures from 2022, the document showed.

This 18 per cent decline in planned capital expenditures is primarily driven by the inability of telecom companies to raise tariffs, which are crucial for offsetting operational costs and financing network expansion.