Alex Iwobi has disclosed that the desire to make a name for himself and to shake off the ‘youngster’ tag at Arsenal propelled him to join Everton.

The 23-year-old teamed up with the Toffees on transfer deadline day, becoming the seventh summer signing by Marco Silva.

Iwobi, a nephew to legendary Austin Jay Jay Okocha, started in the Gunners academy before breaking into the first team, where he went on to make 149 senior appearances for the side, scoring 15 goals.

“I spoke to the manager and Marcel Brands and they almost lured me in,” Iwobi told Everton TV.

“The offer was too attractive for me to turn down. The manager was telling me, ‘There is a spot for you, we will take care of you’. Basically, all the things you want to hear as a player.

A bus conductor, Qudri Mustapha, who allegedly punched a policeman in the mouth, on Wednesday, appeared in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.

Mustapha, 25, who resides in Jakande area of Lagos, is charged with breach of peace and assault, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecution Counsel, Sgt. Ishola Samuel, told the court that Mustapha committed the offence on July 17, at 4 p.m. at Oshodi Bus-stop, Inward Anthony Expressway, Lagos.

Samuel alleged that the defendant assaulted PCe Olumide Sonoiki, while performing his lawful duty He alleged that Mustapha, who was causing obstruction by dropping-off passengers on the highway, punched Sonoiki when he confronted him and asked him to move his vehicle. Samuel alleged that Sonoiki, sustained injury.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 168 and 174 of Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 174 provides a three-year jail term for assault and Section 168 provides a two-year jail term for convicts.

Magistrate F.O. Hughes admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N10,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case until Sept. 9.

Abakaliki-The Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel chukwuemeka Kanu Uche, Tuesday, stressed that what Nigeria needs to solve her numerous socio-political and economic challenges was an Igbo President come 2023.

At a press conference in Abakaliki as part of activities lined to mark his two-day working visit to the Church in the state, the Prelate who is the first Igbo Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria since 1842 added that the Igbo man being a team player and an investor by nature would be able to lead the nation to greater heights against all odds.

According to him, power shift to the South East was most appropriate to create a balance in the political arena and good governance of the nation.

“No country develops above her level of education. We want to impact lives and empowerment of members of the Church to enable them to start businesses.

“The igbo man is a team player. I believe in one Nigeria where there is justice, fairness and equity. In 2013 an Igbo should be considered. Let them try an Igbo man in Nigeria in 2013 and see the difference. Igbo invest everywhere. Igbo man is like a clean water. They have cerebral intellect. Am for all the parties. Igbos should be of good behaviour and support themselves.

“Some security officers have failed us. Defend yourselves. Don’t be offensive but defensive. The constitution was by a military Junta and not designed to marginalised Ndigbo.. NASS should produce the people’s constitution. We want peace and freedom.

Nobody should see Nigeria as his father’s property. Nobody should be marginalized because of tribe, ethnicity and religion. There is an element of marginalization against Igbos. If we want to enthrone justice and fairness, power should shift to the south east.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s son-in-law, Abdullahi Babalele.

He was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly laundering $140,000 during the general elections.

A soldier, Sunday Awolola, who allegedly raped a 300-level student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State, was on Wednesday arraigned at the Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

33-year-old Awolola is charged for committing rape which is contrary to section 357 and punishable under section 358 of the criminal code cap 37 vol. Laws of Ondo state.

Three persons were killed and five others injured on Monday night after some drunk soldiers went berserk at a Lagos-Ogun border community.

This is coming barely a week after soldiers opened fire on policemen on covert operation to Ibi in Taraba State killing six persons including three civilians.

The soldiers, suspected to be on illegal duty, were said to have opened fire on celebrators of the Isheri Day festival in Kara Community after they were told to stop harassing innocent people.

It was gathered that the soldiers had escorted one Tiri, said to be a son of Kara Market owner to the event’s venue and were violently pushing other guests to create access for their principal before they were confronted by one of the community leaders.

“I told them that what they were doing was not proper. I told them to stop harassing other participants in the festival. The soldiers were two and they work as bodyguards to Tiri.

“The next thing, one of them pointed his gun at me and people gathered there.

“Tiri was also drunk because the three of them came in drunk. After the disagreement, they left and about 300 metres away, we heard gunshots. They just opened fire on people.

“Adelani Dare, who was urinating, was killed on the spot. Tayese sustained gunshot wounds and was rushed to the hospital.

“The shooting angered the people and the soldier was attacked and wounded. He was also taken to the same hospital as Tayese.

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted another pastor, Reverend Elisha Noma of Nagarta Baptist Church , Angwan Makiri, near Udawa, Chikun local government area of Kaduna State.

The abduction is coming barely two weeks after a Pastor in charge of Living Faith Church, Angwan Romi, Kaduna, Jeremiah Omolewa, was killed and ransom was paid to free his abducted wife.

The armed kidnappers, numbering about 20, reportedly stormed the village around 1:30 am Wednesday and forced their way into the Pastor’s house and went away with him and his son.

But, they later released the son, Emmanuel Elisha, who was threatened to go and raise unspecified amount of money as ransom to secure the release of his father within five days or risk being killed.

According to the pastor’s son, “They came around 1 am. They were about 20 armed men came to the village and started hitting at doors but nobody opened. They then forced their way into houses and vandalised properties. They carted away some valuables including mobile phones and clothing in my mother’s box.

“They picked me together with my father. But after a while into the bush, I was released and they went away with my father. One of them was dressed in military camouflage.

To assume that President Muhammadu Buhari has exhausted all he has in stock in building the Nigeria of his dream after his catastrophic first term and the beginning of second term that radiates nothing but despondency and gloomy days is a recipe for inducement of goose pimples on lifeless bodies. Barefacedly, too early into his second shot, the president now talks about who will succeed him and the mountainous job that awaits him/her as if he was elected to wake up every day, genuflect on the feet of these challenges with all sense of submission and servitude, retire to his bed palatial bed of roses and snore to high heaven. Apparently, the president is telling the world that they should not expect anything new from him.

From elementary history and what this writer has experienced as a young Nigerian, never in the annals of this country have we descended into such a despotic, divisive, contemptuous, drought, economic depravity and Machiavellian abyss of retrogression.

The signs are everywhere that our dear country has lost stability in a way never witnessed before. From the invasion of our territory by merchants of death who go on a killing spree of our citizens with brazen impunity, to the daily commando-style abduction of innocent citizens which the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo has consistently downplayed on the altar of political correctness, to the dwindling standard of living among Nigerians, to the vicious attack on the judiciary that has birthed the Shi’ite protest which has claimed the lives of dozens of citizens including a young colleague of this reporter, an NYSC member with Channels television, 21-year-old Precious Owolabi and a Deputy Commissioner of Police from FCT Command, Usman Umar.

The river of blood of our compatriots and security agents that flow uncontrollably in Borno, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina the home state of the president and other parts of the country precipitated by the reign of terrorists and bandits is an open advert to how much the president like the Biblical sons of Sceva has been subsumed and overwhelmed by the demon he came to cast, having pontificated of having a one-click solution to Nigeria’s security challenges during his campaign in 2015. This again has given the Nigeria’s version of the word “defeat” a new meaning, with this new level of carnage coming from a President Muhammadu Buhari-defeated boko haram.

The worrisome deficiency of stomach infrastructure rattling many Nigerian families, threatening marriages and relationships cannot be extricated from the army of jobless people the president has created since he came to power in 2015. According to the 2018 Labour Force report of Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 3.3 million Nigerians lost their jobs between December 2017 and September 2018, deteriorating to 20.9 million from 17.6 million in Q3 of 2017. According to the report, unemployment rate increased from 18.8 percent in Q3 2017 to 23.1 percent in Q3, 2018.

A reputable economist and former deputy governor of CBN, Dr. Kingsley Moghalu during the inauguration of his campaign support organization prior to the fraud-ridden 2019 presidential election said, “Nine million people have lost their jobs since Buhari came to power in 2015. Under Buhari, Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world. Nigeria with less than 200 million people has overtaken India, with 1.2 billion people. We have more people that are poor”. What could be more startling and revealing than this?

Paradoxically, this is a government that promised to create three million jobs in three years. This same government rode to power on the crest of “change”, which they have now abandoned because of the negative connotation they have adorned on the word and have now adopted “next level”. Next level of what actually? Is it the next level of industries that have closed down under this government? Is it the next level of unfulfilled promises of job creation? Is it the next level of mass graves and recently secret graves that have dotted our lands? Is it the next level of refineries that gulp millions of Naira in turnaround maintenance but have not refines a liter of crude oil? Is it the next level of suicide that has assumed a dangerous dimension in our land?

It is on record that the fragility of our ethnic and regional hegemony has been graciously enabled under Buhari-led federal government. The line of divisiveness among the various ethnic groups has been widened with the primitive and archaic lopsidedness president Buhari has carried on like a sectional leader. This is manifestly seen in the regionally slanted appointments he has consistently made since his emergence as the number one man in our country. His choice of people to run strategic sectors, including security and economy where the Igbo were totally excluded is a perfect example of how not to be a pan-Nigerian leader.

Only the clannishly naïve blames Obasanjo for raising the alarm on a grand plan to Funanise Nigeria. Who didn’t see the hijack and the manipulation that characterized the emergence of leadership of the 9th National Assembly? For the first time in Nigeria, the South East, one among the tripod that made up the entity called Nigeria was excluded from the power sharing table in the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary arms of government.

Instructively, the government views any dissenting voice and criticism in utmost disgust and as an attempt to topple it. The number of journalists in detention under this government, including Jones Abiri, Bayelsa based journalist is a clear pointer to how much executive high handedness and intolerance reigns supreme in our land. A media entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Omoleye Sowore was arrested just few days ago over planned protest tagged #RevolutionNow in apparent effort to draw the attention of authorities to the depleting fortunes of Nigeria in virtually all sectors. This is a president who was brought to power by a mass street and online protest garnished with propaganda and outright lies against his predecessor. Interestingly, Sowore and his media platform Sahara Reporters play active role in bringing on board a Buhari presidency.

The penchant for clampdown on anyone opposed to Buhari’s cruel form of governance has been his stock-in-trade even during his days as military head of state. Using the crude Decree 4, social crusaders and media workers including Tunde Thompson, Nduka Irabor and many others were thrown behind bars.

To buttress the fact that the legacy of former President Goodluck Jonathan in our electoral contest has come under a heavy gang raped by those with untamable hunger to hold on to power, the recent visa ban on unnamed politically exposed individuals by US government speaks volume on how much the 2019 election was rigged in favour of Buhari.

No nation moves forward in an atmosphere where it is whimsical and caprical on one man to decide what constitutes a threat to national security. That is why those who designed democratic system of government set up three arms to foster checks and balances and checkmate power abuse. The continuous detention of El-Zakzakky, the leader of Islamic Movement of Nigeria since 2015 in deliberate disobedience of legion of bails he has secured from courts of competent jurisdiction is a recipe for breakdown of law and order which has already started manifesting.

There is hardly anyone who is not gripped in multidimensional disappointment with the performance of a man who has sought to become the president in futile three successive times before his tragic victory in 2015.

Those who are close to the president should tell him that his style of leadership falls short of expectation of many. No one stays in power for ever. Leaders are only remembered by the legacy they left. What legacy is president Buhari leaving today?

President Buhari, though better late than never should put the corporate unity of this country at the forefront on all he does. He must put into consideration our ethnic and religious multiplicity to give life to our fractured unity and peaceful co-existence.

He must go back to those promises he made prior to his election and have a critical look at them if they fall in line with what he is doing today.

Lastly, the number of deaths his presidency has recorded across the country is way too high. You cannot visit a people with hardship and death at the same time. He must deploy his military acumen to bring a stop to the mind-boggling insecurity holding us by the jugular.

Enemanna is an Abuja based journalist

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) in Bayelsa, has urged the federal and state governments to pay more attention to workers’ well-being and security in the efforts to build a stronger nation.

The state chairman of the congress, Mr Tari Dounana, made this disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Yenagoa.

He said that members were worried about the delay in the implementation of the new minimum wage already signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Yes, for the implementation, we believe that it started from April but we are yet to see it. We want the federal and state governments to pay serious attention to workers welfare.

“The government also needs to give more attention to the issue of insecurity that is currently ravaging the country.

“We, as citizens, must work together to overcome the security challenges because, in togetherness, we can achieve a progressive Nigeria.

“The unity of the country can never be negotiated; we must hold the bond together to overcome every form of challenges that we are facing.

“Development cannot occur in an atmosphere of insecurity,” the chairman stated, even as he described workers as the ‘engine of the economy’ of any nation.

Dounana urged the federal government to fast-track efforts to implement the N30, 000 new minimum wage and stop gambling on the workers’ emotions.

“The average workers have patiently waited for too long, and some have even died in the process; though, the government says it is working to put the structures for the implementation in place.

“I am still urging the workers to be a bit more patient, let us still give government some time, so that it can come out with a structure that will be acceptable to all,” Dounana said.

The U.S. government has introduced a new regulation on restricting legal immigration to raise the threshold for immigrants to stay in the U.S. for a long time.

This regulation will take effect in a few weeks’ time, precisely on Oct. 15.

According to the regulations, foreign citizens who apply to immigrate to the U.S. will be considered “public burden” if they failed to meet the prescribed income standards or receive public benefits for more than one year in any three years in the country.

Also, foreign citizens who are found to be “public burdens” may be prohibited from entering the country or adjusting their immigration status.

According to the regulations, when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service decides whether to issue a permanent residence permit (green card), it will consider whether the applicant has received public welfare as a factor in consideration of his or her education, income, and health status.

The White House said in a statement on the same day that this provision would help ensure that immigrants were financially self-sufficient rather than relying on U.S. public welfare to safeguard the interests of U.S. citizens.