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Folarin Kehinde

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Queen’s Death: Premier League Postpones Weekend Matches

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Premier League and English Football League have postponed this weekend’s round of fixtures following the Queen’s death on Thursday.

The start of the new WSL season has been postponed with non-league and grassroots fixtures also called off.

The news comes after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing on Thursday, with the country now in a state of national mourning.

In a statement, the Premier League said: “At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

“To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game.

Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: “We and our clubs would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country.

“As our longest-serving monarch, she has been an inspiration and leaves behind an incredible legacy following a life of dedication.

“This is a tremendously sad time for not just the nation but also for the millions of people around the world who admired her, and we join together with all those in mourning her passing.”

“Further updates regarding Premier League fixtures during the period of mourning will be provided in due course.”

In their statement, the EFL said: “Further to discussions on Friday morning it has been determined that all EFL fixtures from 9-10 September will be postponed as a mark of respect by the National Sport to the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

“This is aligned with the approach that the Premier League and the FA will take with their competitions this weekend. Further information, in respect of how football, clubs and their supporters will commemorate Her Majesty’s reign will be confirmed at an appropriate point.

“Details regarding rearranged games will be announced in due course.”

Fixtures postponed this weekend

Fulham vs Chelsea

Bournemouth vs Brighton

Leicester vs Aston Villa

Liverpool vs Wolves

Southampton vs Brentford

Man City vs Tottenham

Arsenal vs Everton

West Ham vs Newcastle

Crystal Palace vs Man Utd

Leeds vs Nottingham Forest

source: skysports

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Potter
EntertainmentHeadlinesSports

Chelsea Appoints Graham Potter As New Coach

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Following the sack of Thomas Tuchel as coach of Chelsea, the club has now appointed Graham Potter as new Chelsea manager to replace the sacked coach.

Potter who was formerly the coach of Brighton FC has agreed a five-year contract to take charge of the Premier League club, who praised his “progressive football and innovative coaching”.

A statement by Chairman of Chelsea FC, Todd Boehly on the appointment of Graham Potter read;

“We are thrilled to bring Graham to Chelsea”

“He is a proven coach and an innovator in the Premier League who fits our vision for the club.

“Not only is he extremely talented on the pitch, he has skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful club.

“He has had a major impact at his previous clubs and we look forward to his positive impact at Chelsea.

“We look forward to supporting him, his coaching team and the squad in realising their full potential in the coming months and years.”

Graham Potter has earned widespread admiration for his work at Brighton.

He led Brighton to a ninth-place finish last season and took them up to fourth in the table this term, while demanding entertaining and tactically astute performances from his players.

The 47-year-old said he was “incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea”.

His first game as Chelsea boss will be a derby at west London neighbours Fulham on Saturday

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Trump
Africa & WorldHeadlines

Donald Trump Hints 2024 Presidential Run

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Former United States President Donald Trump has hinted that he might run for President in the 2024 Elections.

He dropped this hint at a White House campaign, with the former US president telling Indian television that a run for office would “make a lot of people very happy”.

“Everyone wants me to run. I am leading in the polls,” Trump said in an excerpt of an interview with NDTV to be broadcast in full later on Thursday.

“In every poll, in Republican polls and in Democrat polls, and I will make a decision in the very near future, I suspect. And I think that a lot of people are going to be very happy,” he added.

Donald Trump also asserted his claims that the 2020 election in which he lost to current President Joe Biden was rigged.

According to him, they were tremendous proof and evidence to back his claim.

The Republican has faced intense legal scrutiny over his efforts to overturn the results of the poll and over an attack on the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6 last year.

He is currently under investigation for potential mishandling of classified documents, with the FBI raiding his Florida home last month.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the raid “one of the most egregious assaults on democracy in the history of our country”.

In a speech on Saturday in Pennsylvania he hit back at assertions by Biden that he and his supporters are undermining US democracy, calling Biden an “enemy of the state”.

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BusinessHeadlines

Google Launches $4 Million Dollars Fund For African Startups

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Google has announced the selection of 60 eligible startups across Africa with $4 million dollars funding to enable them scale up their ongoing work; Nigeria came tops with 23 slots.

The programme, which is called Google Black Founders Fund (BFF) for startups in Africa, is the second phase of the global tech giant’s funding for African startups.

Folarin Aiyegbusi, Google’s Head of Startup Ecosystem, Sub Sahara Africa, said in a statement on Tuesday that the startups joining the programme would receive a total of $4m in funding

Aiyegbusi said that the startups would also receive support to enable them to scale up their ongoing work.

He said that the programme reinforced Google’s commitment to empowering entrepreneurs and startups in the region as a vital prerequisite to driving employment and growth on the continent.

“Africa is a diverse continent with massive opportunities, but the continent is faced with the challenge of limited diversity in venture capital funding flow.

“We hope that the Black Founders Fund programme will be able to bridge the gap of disproportionate funding between expat startups over local and black-led companies

“Each of the selected startups would receive support in the form of a six-month training programme that includes access to a network of mentors to assist in tackling challenges,’’ Aiyegbusi said.

According to him, the startups will also be part of tailored workshops, support networks and community building sessions.

Aiyegbusi said that the 60 grantees would also get non-dilutive awards of between $50,000 and $100,000 and up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credit.

He said that grantees, made up of 50 per cent women-led businesses, hailed from Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.

According to Aiyegbusi, the startups specialised in sectors such as fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, logistics, agtech, education, hospitality and smart cities.

He listed the top five countries with the most startups selected for the programme as Nigeria with 23 grantees, Kenya with 12 grantees, and Rwanda with six grantees.

Aiyegbusi said that South Africa had five grantees and Uganda had four grantees.

According to him, Botswana and Senegal have one selected startup each, Cameroon and Ghana both have three grantees each while Ethiopia has two selected grantees.

Aiyegbusi said that the Google for Startups programme, which was launched in April 2012, had created over 4,600 jobs and raised more than $290 million dollars in funding.

He added that the programme would introduce the grantees in Africa to Google’s products, connections, and best practices.

Aiyegbusi said that it would help the founders to level the playing field as they built better products and services that added value to the African economy.

According to him, funding for the programme will be distributed through Google’s implementation partner, CcHUB.

Aiyegbusi said that the equity-free cash assistance to startups would enable the startups to take care of immediate needs such as paying staff, funding inventory, and maintaining software licences.

He explained that this was to help the grantees buffer the cost of taking on debt in the early stages of their businesses, as many of them had no steady revenue streams yet.

Aiyegbusi said that funding Black Founders in Africa fueled generational and systemic change.

Also speaking at the event was the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, who said that the recently passed Nigeria Startup Bill by the National Assembly will help to institutionalize legal frameworks that will enhance startup growth in Nigeria.

source: pointblanknews

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BusinessHeadlines

FG Approves Nigeria-Kuwait Air Deal

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government’s, Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the signing of a Bilateral Air Services Agreement between Nigeria and Kuwait.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House Correspondents after FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Sirika said that the agreement would open up airline services between the two countries in accordance with the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

“That memo has to do with the signing of Bilateral Air Service Agreement between the Federal republic of Nigeria and the State of Kuwait.

“ In that memorandum as approved, the text was earlier on initialled and was cleared by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

“It provided that the content of the agreement should have reciprocal rights and privileges for both Nigeria and Kuwait with the airlines involved.

“This will open up opportunities for air transportation between the two countries, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) convention of Dec. 7, 1944, to which both countries are signatories.’’

The minister debunked media reports alleging that N14 billion had been spent on the planned floating of a National carrier for the country.

He said that that Nigeria Air would be a reality as it would be introduced for the benefit of Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

Sirika said that FEC also approved a contract for the hiring of consultants for revalidation and collection of aviation height clearance for high rise buildings and masts that could obstruct flight operations in Nigeria.

He said that the contract would run at no cost to the budget because the revenues accrued there-in would be used to pay the consultants.

“We got approval for the award of contract for the engagement of consultants for revalidation and collection of aviation height clearance on behalf of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

“ The contract was approved with a scale and at no cost to the budget.

“For more clarity, the aviation height clearance is extremely important to the safety of air operations.

“What concerns us in civil aviation is how efficient you depart from point A to point B.’’

He said there had been air crashes in the past due to the location of communication masts citing the incident in Jos, Plateau.

Sirika said that having masts around the airport, or its vicinity or even a building, so long as it caused unsafe operations, needed to be regulated by the NCAA.

He said that the consultants would go after people with such masts or buildings, to ensure they abided by the regulations.

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INEC
Headlines

INEC Begins Recruitment For 2023 Elections

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has yesterday announced the recruitment of Staff for the 2023 general election.

To this effect, the electoral umpire said it had opened its portal for recruitment, adding that eligible applicants should begin applying for the role.

INEC, said via their official Facebook handle that the portal would remain open from Yesterday till November 30, 2022.

The statement read, “The Commission has approved the re-activation of INECPRES both the Mobile App for Android phones only and the web portal (laptops only).

“To this end the portal will be open to eligible applicants for registration of all categories of ad-hoc staff (SPO/PO/APO/RATECHS/RAC Managers) except the Collation officers.

“The portal opens on Wednesday the 14th of September and ends on the 30th November, 2022.”

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EntertainmentHeadlines

Pro Autism Music Foundation Receives Award For Sterling Performance At Music Festival

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation (FEMHF), through its voice piece “Ferdy’s Band” has received an award for sterling performance at the 2022 Abuja Nigeria Lugbe Stake Music Festival organized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Lugbe Stake.

The music festival held on 3rd of September and anchored by a music promoter and enthusiast, Monday Akpan featured other choral groups and artists like Abuja Coral Society, Angel Otok, Bryson Okafor of Lugbe Art Community, Kubwa Stake choir among other performers.

The foundation received its first award as advocates of autism and special needs community in Nigeria.  Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation has been at the fore pushing for inclusiveness for autistic and special needs people in Nigeria.

While thanking the church and the organizers of the event, the President and Trustee of FEMHF Mr. Stanley Effah expressed his joy for the honour and recognition done autistic people in Nigeria through the instrumentality of music spearheaded by the foundation.

“We are awed at this honor done us.  We are more especially grateful that this is coming from a religious organization that understands and supports self-reliance activities.  The resources of the Church as they relate to emotional and temporal self-reliance have benefited the foundation in no small measure”.

Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation is named after a young autistic child Ferdinand Effah who found the healing hand of time and a means of expressing himself through the power of rhythm.

by: Light Shadrack

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Headlines

Dino and FFK Fight Like Market Women On Social Media

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode and a former Senator, Dino Melaye have been exchanging tantrum and fighting dirty over Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.

While Fani-Kayode is supporting the presidential candidate of the APC, Tinubu, Melaye is the arrowhead of the Atiku campaign organisation.

The brawl started after the ex-minister had in a post on his social media handle asked the Federal Government and security agencies to take Melaye up on the statement credited to him on the emergence of Iyorchia Ayu as PDP national chairman.

Melaye had in a chat with journalists recently said all the PDP governors spent money at the party’s national convention held in December last year to ensure the emergence of the former Senate president as national chairman.

Fani-Kayode also demanded the disqualification of PDP presidential candidate from the 2023 race.

Reacting, Melaye in a tweet said Fani-Kayode’s comment lacked comprehension.

“My attention has just been called to a statement issued by Femi Fani-Kayode, which as usual, was an incoherent gibberish produced from his temporary relief from insanity.”

“How can one explain his momentary consciousness to react to an interview long granted, if not that his world of reality is not in sync with the world of sound minds.

“Truly, an idle hand and heart like that of FFK is the devil’s residence. Ordinarily, his rambling would have been ignored, but in this age of unrestricted access to the media even by unwholesome minds, care must be taken to put issues in the right context and perspective,” the post read in part.

Melaye had accused Fani-Kayode of collecting N2 billion from Rivers State and used it for drugs. He also released a video on his Twitter handle where three men came to him, begging him to invite FFK for a dinner. Melaye was heard in the video, saying “me invite FFK for a dinner? No, no, no, I am not going to bankroll anybody, I am not going to bankroll anybody.”

Fani-Kayode hits back. He posted a photo of a wrenched Melaye drinking ‘garri’ and wrote: “This is Dino Melaye drinking gari when he was still struggling! You can take a man out of the jungle but you can’t take the jungle out of a man! This clown is real jungle!

But Melaye reacted: “FFK l posted this picture myself in 2010 as a member of House of Reps showing how much l like garri Ijebu. I have never hidden the fact that am from a very poor background. I am proud of my past, my present and my future. Won 3 National elections and have a second address.”

In a tweet, Fani-Kayode posted a video when Melaye fainted after he was arrested by the police and wrote: “Dino after a long night of smoking gbana and weed, sucking rectum and being screwed! He was so terrified of the police and of being detained that he fainted and started bleating like a gutted pig.

“A grown man, weeping and crying and crawling all over the floor simply because he was arrested. I have never seen such weakness and cowardice. Is this the man that wants to lead the charge for a serious presidential contender?

“We will eat them for breakfast! No wonder he got upset when I called for his arrest and that of their party Chairman.

“The idea of the police bundling him again drove him insane and he started to insult his elders, betters and those of us that fed him in the past.

“Say NO to drugs, coprophilia, and sodomy! P.S. Remember what Dan Jay did to you years ago? Let us pray it does not happen to you again.”

The squabble still continues on social media till this very moment.

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Headlines

PDP Crisis: Governorship Candidates Meet Wike To Beg Him

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Prominent governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party have met with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to resolve the ongoing PDP crisis.

In the meeting, the governorship hopefuls appealed to Wike to forgive Atiku and reunite with him for the good of the party.

They asked him to support their Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, as well as the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

A source from Government House, said the meeting lasted for about 2 hours, where governorship hopefuls from Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, and 13 other states met with Wike at his private residence in Rumueprikon, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state and appealed to him to support the presidential candidate of the party, Ahaji Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, as well as the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Some of the candidates who were with the governorship candidates of Katsina, Sokoto, others include: the Lagos PDP governorship candidate, Dr Olajide Adediran, and his Ogun State counterpart, Mr Ladi Adebutu.

The source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Aside from the challenges being faced in the various state chapters, the aspirants expressed concerns over the lingering crisis within the party at the national level and offered to mediate as a group.

A series of meetings are also scheduled to hold beginning Wednesday with the ultimate aim of getting every party member on board.

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EntertainmentHeadlinesSports

Breaking: Chelsea Sacks Thomas Tuchel As Coach

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Chelsea has sacked manager Thomas Tuchel after their 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

The Blues have endured a slow start to the Premier League season and saw their Champions League campaign get off to a nightmare start in Croatia on Tuesday night. New owner Todd Boehly has now acted fast to remove Tuchel from his position after a hectic summer of spending at Stamford Bridge.

A club statement read: “Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Thomas Tuchel.

“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club.

Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.

“As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.

“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach. There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”

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