The Ballon d’Or will not be awarded this year due to the extraordinary conditions created by the coronavirus pandemic, organisers France Football announced on Monday.

It will be the first time the trophy given for the world’s best men’s footballer has not been awarded since Englishman Stanley Matthews won the inaugural edition in 1956.

“There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met,” said Pascal Ferre, the editor of the magazine.

The COVID-19 outbreak saw all major football leagues shut down in March, with the German Bundesliga the first to resume behind closed doors in May.

France Football said it would be unfair to vote on the world’s best player when some leagues, including the French Ligue 1, cancelled their seasons early.

Ferre also suggested that it would not be right to judge players based on games played without spectators present.

“We believe that such a singular year cannot… be treated as an ordinary year,” he added.

“Two months (January and February), out of the eleven generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge, without forgetting that the other games were played –- or will be played –- in unusual conditions (behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League’s Final 8 played in a single game).”

Lionel Messi won a record-breaking sixth Ballon d’Or last year.

The women’s Ballon d’Or, which was first awarded in 2018, has also been cancelled.

France Football added that it was looking forward to holding a ceremony in 2021, but that this year it would instead organise a vote for the all-time greatest men’s XI.

AFP

The All Progressives Congress candidate for the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State will emerge today (Monday) at a primary election.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and 10 other aspirants will be vying for the coveted ticket.

Besides Akeredolu,  other aspirants  are Olusola Oke, Segun Abraham, Olaide Adelami, Bukola Adetula, Jumoke Anifowose, Sola Iji, Isaac Kekemeke, Jimi Odimayo, Nathaniel Adojutelegan and Awodeyi Akinsehinwa.

On Sunday, however, some aspirants engaged in last-minute talks aimed at forming an alliance against Akeredolu.

The party had last month disclosed that it would adopt indirect primary to pick its governorship candidate, but  11 aspirants in a memo they jointly signed  kicked  against it.

The Chairman of the Primary Committee and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Friday turned down the request of the aspirants, saying they could not dictate to the party.

It was gathered that there might be last-minute alliance among the aspirants as several meetings were going on among the party leaders and the aspirants to reduce the number of aspirants so that most popular aspirant would get the ticket of the party.

Rahman Yusuf, spokesperson for Adelami, one of the aspirants, confirmed that his boss had met with many party leaders.

On Sunday, it was learnt that many of the aspirants, who were active at the initial stage of the preparation for the primary, were said to have lost confidence in getting the desired victory at the primary following the alleged imposition of the indirect primary.

An aide to one of the aspirants, on condition of anonymity,  informed one of our correspondents that his boss knew he had lost the primary already, alleging that the national secretariat of the party had concluded plans to give Akeredolu the ticket of the party.

The Federal Government has extended the tenure of the Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Abdullahi Gana, by six months.

NSCDC Spokesman, Emmanuel Okeh, disclosed this in a statement made available to Newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

Okeh said that the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbeshola, approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC boss for a six-month period and not five years as it had been speculated in some quarters.

He noted that the tenure extension would be effective from July 17, 2020 to January 2021 and not for another five years as speculated in the media.

“It is therefore instructive to point out that the information, as being circulated in some sections of the media is untrue, incorrect and seriously misleading.

“And a figment of the imagination of the writers in an attempt to cause confusion and disaffection in the system while at the same time projecting the leadership of the Corps in bad light, ” he said.

Okeh said that the Corps therefore wished to place on record that the Minister of interior had graciously approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC Commandant General for a six-month period.

This, he said, having been found worthy of the office, in the face of numerous successes the Corps had recorded in its assigned mandate under his leadership.

He also urged the general public, as well as all officers and men of the Corps to disregard the earlier publications in the media, describing it as “biased, unfair and capable of rubbishing the integrity of the Corps.

Okeh also assured the government and all Nigerians that the added time for the NSCDC boss would be utilized very to further develop and grow the organization to the standard expected of an International organization like Civil Defence.

Less than 10 hours to All Progressives Congress Governorship primary election in Ondo State, one of the leading aspirants, Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele has stepped down from the race.

Oyedele has also declared his support for the incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

The indirect primary is slated for tomorrow, July 20th, at International Event Centre, Dome Akure.

Details later….

French striker, Olivier Giroud was on song as Chelsea bashed Manchester United 1-3 on Sunday to book a date with rivals Arsenal in the final of the FA Cup.

Details later…

We're into our 14th FA Cup final! 🙌#MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/dixd09f5GJ

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 19, 2020

The minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has tested positive for coronavirus.

He explained that his test retuned positive after his fourth attempt to ascertain his status for the deadly respiratory disease.

The Minister, who announced his positive result through a post on his social media page on Sunday, revealed that he had gone into isolation to commence his treatment protocol.

“Did my fourth Covid-19 test yesterday at the first sign of throat irritation and unfortunately this time it came back positive.

“That is life! win some lose some. Heading for isolation in a health facility and praying for the best. #StayHomeSaveLives #COVID19 #PTFCOVID19,” he wrote.

Did my fourth Covid-19 test yesterday at the first sign of a throat irritation and unfortunately this time it came back positive. That is life! Win some lose some. Heading for isolation in a health facility and praying for the best. #StayHomeSaveLives #COVID19 #PTFCOVID19

— Geoffrey Onyeama (@GeoffreyOnyeama) July 19, 2020

The scenario playing out between the erstwhile acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu and the presidential investigative panel headed by one of Nigeria’s finest members of the bench and former President of the Appeal Court, Justice Ayo Salami (rtd) probing the former corruption fighter is one many Nigerians is waiting with a bated breath to see to its end. Expectedly, the unfolding drama has created three major groups with variegated opinions on. The first cycle is peopled by those who believe that travails of brother Magu is akin to the persecution Christ Jesus faced during his earthly mission when he came to pave the way of salvation for mankind. To them, Magu is above reproach and scarlet clean, therefore may not have like the proverbial dog, helped himself with the bone hung around his neck.

Another set of people the Magu hullabaloo has created is those who are already calling for head while the investigation is still ongoing. To them, citizen Magu ought not to be heard out for using public office to advance personal gains even when that has not been fully established and proven. They are not interested in what the outcome and eventual prosecution would likely be. They only want to see Magu punished. This group is largely influenced by emotion and interest. The last sect is the one that is totally less concerned. Whether the grave allegations being churned out daily against the Borno born police officer is true or not, they do not see it directly impactful with their livelihood. One can safely call them the ‘I don’t care clique’. They have an eroded confidence in the system. Even if Magu is guilty, so? Would the ‘yam’ be deployed to enhancing our living? These are the kind of questions that sarcastically rattle their minds. Sadly, they are the majority.

Irrespective of where you belong, one thing we have all admitted however is that corruption is a hydra headed albatross that has for decades held us by the jugular and stunted our growth to nationhood. It has dealt us a bloody nose and exposed us to global ridicule. Even among the seemingly younger sister countries, Nigeria does not command the respect it ought to, largely because of how much its integrity has been battered in the altar of corruption. Some schools of thought have gone as far as alluding that corruption is the country’s 37th state. Concerned by this man-made disaster, former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the early days of his administration created the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve as machinery to checkmate the scourge. While the virility or otherwise of the anti-corruption body under Obasanjo will be a topic for discussion next day, suffice to say that EFCC under its pioneer chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu sooner became a tool for political witch-hunt. Like other institutions of government, the EFCC blossomed into an attack dog permanently on the run after those who have a dissenting political view from the owner. It metamorphosed into a political estate of those in authority with the sole objective of vilifying and criminalising any ‘rebellion’ against Emperor Obasanjo whose democratic record is stained with military jackboot.

Other helmsmen have done their feat and left. Irrespective of the prism from which you see Magu, one thing you cannot however take away from him is the fact that he has made remarkable progress in the country’s quest to reduce to the barest minimum the festival of corruption that has hit the rooftop in virtually all areas of our national life. The 5 years headship of Magu at the EFCC witnessed a harvest of convictions running into thousands. Between 2015 and 2020, the Commission secured about 2,240 convictions, says the former acting chairman in a media briefing June this year. This figure does not only represent people you may call plebians but politically exposed individuals including two former state governors, Jolly Nyame of Taraba and Joshua Dariye of Plateau state as well as a Joseph Nwobike, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

“We have recovered assets in excess of N980 billion and quite a large array of non-monetary assets like properties, estates, private jets, oil vessels, filling stations, schools, hotels, trucks and other automobiles, pieces of jewellery, plazas, shopping malls, electronics among others” the former acting EFCC chairman further said.

Under Magu, we have seen a highly reinvigorated EFCC that launched an aggressive onslaught against cybercrime and internet fraud that has further fractured our image in the comity of nations. The arrest and prosecution of a social media celebrity and internet fraud kingpin, Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha and his Lebanese accomplice, Hamza Koudeih is one of the biggest breakthroughs this onslaught has yielded. Also, Mr. Ramoni Abbas, better known as Hushpuppi who is popular for flaunting questionable affluence on social media is today standing trial in the US on the account of strong, co-ordinated network between the EFCC and INTERPOL. Assets worth billions of Naira, including cash in various currencies have been recovered under Magu.

Instructively, behind the Magu whose laudable achievements in EFCC favourably stand tall among that of his predecessors, is a man whose integrity in relations to properly accounting for assets the Commission under him recovered has heavily come under questioning. This is coming from no lesser a person than the respected office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, a fellow appointee of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Among other accusations levelled against the (former) anti-corruption czar by Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami is the alleged relooting of recovered loots and sale of seized assets to cronies, associates and friends, alleged favouritism towards selected EFCC investigators called ‘Magu Boys’ for certain category of assignments, insubordination to the office of the AGF in whose purview it is to oversee the activities of EFCC including prosecution of corruption cases, alleged discrepancies in the reconciliation records of the EFCC and Federal Ministry of Finance on recovered funds, alleged declaration of N539bn as recovered funds instead of N504bn earlier claimed and litany of others.

The likes of Sen. Dr. Bukola Saraki, under whose watch the National Assembly in 2016 twice rejected the confirmation of Magu as the substantive EFCC chairman must be having a good laughter at a time like this. They cited Magu’s failure of integrity test at that period on the account of weighty allegations brought before the hallowed chamber by another agency of the government, the Department of State Service (DSS) alleging Magu’s unholy romance with individuals having questions of corruption dangling around their neck. Apparently playing the now obsolete gimmick of ‘corruption is fighting back’ the Buhari administration decided to adamantly ignore the DSS report and retained Magu in acting capacity since his appointment in 2015 till the chicken finally came home to roost.

Under Magu, we also saw an EFCC that regaled in impunity and lawlessness, acting as if it was not a creation of the law. Nigerians saw an EFCC that was mischievously selective in the prosecution of the anti-graft war. It went about arbitrarily freezing accounts of governors it deemed to have opposing political views with the federal government. Former governor Ayodele Fayose under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution had immunity, same way the president and other governors had when in 2016 his personal account domiciled at Zenith Bank was illegally frozen.

While this writer does not wish to hold brief for anyone alleged to have feasted on our common patrimony illegally, the anti-graft campaign has targeted largely those in the opposition parties as well as individuals whose relationship with powers that be in the APC has gone frosty. Former governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos may not have been under probe today if his relationship with his political godfather, Bola Tinubu did not suffer a fatal injury that later denied him second term in office. How the Lagos strongman allegedly used the EFCC under Magu to clampdown on those that may pose threat to his 2023 ambition will soon become a public knowledge. The two former governors convicted in the Northern region for which the APC thumbs its chest around as fighting a holistic corruption war belong to a particular faith, a development that further cast aspersions on Magu’s EFCC.

As I bring this piece to a conclusion, it hasty to take a position on the matter at hand till the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential committee completes its assignment which will pave way for Magu’s possible prosecution in the court of law. One thing however is sure; the integrity of the crime fighter may not be as iron cast as it was when he first took up the headship of the Commission.

Enemanna is an Abuja-based journalist.

Joy Nunieh, former acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has said the people of the region share part of the blame for the rot in the commission.

She said this while testifying before the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta via a Zoom meeting.

Nunieh said the people get excited when a new NDDC leader is appointed because they think it is their turn to taste the national cake rather than the development coming to the region.

She also blamed the commission’s Interim Management Committee (IMC) and the staff for the rot.

“One group is the management, which is the IMC, and everybody is against the IMC. The second group is the staff of NDDC. And the third group, which I will start with, is the people of Niger Delta.

“This story that we are all calling embarrassing stories cannot be complete without saying that the people of the Niger Delta region are responsible for what has happened – the frauds and corruption that have taken place in the NDDC. I’m speaking from personal experience,” she said.

“As soon as an MD is appointed, people begin to rejoice and celebrate, not because they want you to do the right thing; not because they are interested in the development of the Niger Delta; but because they believe that it is now their turn to eat of the national cake.

“They are not interested in anything. All they want is like palliatives. That is why for those who did not harden their heart like me, they fell for this palliative matter and they started giving out.

“But because I was strong; because I always remembered the case of Gani Fawehinmi. Fawehinmi fought for the masses of this country. When he said he wanted to contest an election, they were not there. I remember that I needed to stand properly.”

Nunieh also said she had been pressured to spend N10 billion on Christmas bonus last year, claiming her refusal is one of the undoings that cost her a permanent appointment at the commission.

She said that Godswill Akpabio, the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, misled Nigerians when he said that the National Assembly prompted her to move the forensic audit.

She denied reports that N642 million was paid by the IMC for media support for the forensic audit, saying while there as the MD, the only payment she made was directly to the media houses.

She claimed that she never paid any money for forensic audit since there was none going on and since the auditors had not been appointed because the appropriation for the audit had not been passed.

She also alleged that Senator Akpabio wanted her to award contracts for the supply of medical equipment which the commission already had in its store but she refused to oblige him, rather requesting him to pass on the instruction in writing.

On the way forward, she asked that the NDDC be taken away from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and put under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Muhammad Sanusi, the immediate past emir of Kano, has said incompetent leadership and nepotism are the major factors intensifying corruption in Nigeria.

Sanusi stated this at a webinar with the theme: ‘The sustainability of society”, which was organised by the Emmanuel Chapel on Friday.

According to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, corruption will continue to be an endemic trait in Nigeria if merit and competence are not duly considered in choosing leaders in the country at all levels.

He stated that while the Federal Character principle stipulated in the 1999 constitution (as amended) must be respected, only capable individuals must be elected or appointed into public office.

The former emir warned that the country will not witness vast development if meritocracy is sacrificed for personal loyalty and friendship.

He said: “Morally and religiously speaking, corruption is a problem. But let us look at it from the angle of economics and we (would) begin to understand that it is not just the corruption itself but the type of corruption.

“Part of the problem we have is incompetence and that is why I keep saying we must pay attention to merit. We have a system called Federal Character and I believe we should have Nigerians from all over the country in public office, but all those Nigerians must be people that are competent. There must be a merit test; a competence test.

“For me, I think the root of corruption is when we begin to de-emphasise merit, competence and performance and so long as we don’t bring the best in this country to do the job and hold them to account, we won’t go anywhere.

“The worst form of corruption we have in this country is nepotism; when people get into positions by virtue of personal loyalty, friendship and who they know, rather than what they can actually deliver by virtue of their competence for that office. We need people who can deliver for this country, I mean the majority.”

Asked by one of the moderators on the three fundamental catalytic reforms needed to put the country in better stead within the next seven to ten years, Sanusi identified political reforms, especially the amendment of the Constitution to reduce the cost of governance, meritocracy and patience.

“The second thing, which is extremely important, is that we must respect merit and the third thing is we need patience and we, especially those of us not in government, should put in our contributions that would help the leaders manage those challenges,” he added.