Polish star striker Robert Lewandowski has explained why he is eager to leave Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich this summer.
Lewandowski has been heavily linked with a move away from Bayern this year with Barcelona his preferred destination.
There has also been interest from Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester United for Lewandowski, who are both keen on signing a striker in the transfer window.
The reigning FIFA Best Player of the Year has hardly made his feelings unheard and has almost spoken non-stop since the season that he would like to leave Bayern.
However, Bayern are unwilling so far to cancel his contract with one year left.
That has not stopped Lewandowski from speaking out again, though, in his clearest message yet.
Talking to Polish outlet Onet Sport, he said: “I just want to leave Bayern. Loyalty and respect are more important than the work. The best thing to do is find a solution together. Something has died in me, I need new emotions.
“During so many years at the club I was always ready, available, despite injuries and the pain, I gave my best. I think the best thing to do is to find a good solution for both sides.
“I’m not looking for a unilateral solution, that makes no sense, not after so much time, after such a successful era and with my will and support.”
Lewandowski has helped Bayern to numerous titles which include the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, German Super Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World.
Cyriel Dessers has defended his decision to represent Nigeria instead of the Belgium national team, reports Completesports.com.
Dessers, 27, was born to a Belgian father and Nigerian mother.
The forward however chose to play for the Super Eagles despite reported interest from Belgium.
Dessers was however overlooked by former Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr after a cameo debut against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia two years ago.
The former Utrecht striker earned his recall to the team after a superlative campaign for Eredivisie side, Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Dessers insisted he took the right decision and is delighted to be back in the team.
“I got goose bumps after I scored that goal,” Dessers, who was top scorer in the UEFA Europa Conference League told reporters in Abuja.
“I hope to score more goals and do everything for the team.
“I have no regrets I chose to play for Nigeria even though I was overlooked after my debut two years ago.
“I will keep fighting and continue to score goals to be called up.”
Tinubu Campaign Organisation has warned against the imposition of a consensus candidate by the All Progressives Congress.
The organisation was reacting to the announcement of Senate President Ahmed Lawan as consensus candidate of the party on Monday.
In a statement signed by its Legal Director, Babatunde Ogala, SAN, the support group listed three conditions for picking a consensus candidate as stipulated in the Electoral Act.
The statement read, “The media is inundated with reports that the Chairman of the All progressives Congress (APC) has unilaterally announced the purported adoption of a certain aspirant the consensus presidential candidate of the APC for the forth coming presidential election in 2023.
“While the National Chairman is yet to deny or offer any clarification on the alleged declaration, it is necessary to state that such a declaration is a legal impossibility.
“This is because under the regime of the Electoral Act 2022, consensus, though provided for as one of the means by which a political party may produce its candidate, must specifically occur in a precise form.
“Section 84(9) (10) and (11) of the Electoral Act 2022 are the relevant provisions and they state as follows: “(9) A political party that adopts a consensus candidate shall secure the written consent of all cleared aspirant for the position, indicating their voluntary withdrawal from the race and their endorsement of the consensus candidate”.
“(10) Where a political party is unable to secure a written consent of all cleared aspirants for the purpose of a consensus candidate, it shall revert to the choice of direct or indirect primaries for the nomination of candidates for the aforesaid elective position.
“(11) A special convention or nomination congress shall be held to ratify the choice of consensus candidates at designated centers at the National, State, Senatorial, Federal and State Constituencies, as the case may be”.
“Instructively, none of the above conditions have occurred in respect of producing the presidential candidate of the APC. Therefore, any declaration of a consensus candidate would be premature and a violation of extant provisions of the law.
“We are confident that as a law-abiding entity, the APC will not be part of such. We are further persuaded to urge our supporters to disregard this report considering that the overwhelming majority of the APC Northern Governors who, after meeting with the President, re-affirmed their preference for a president from the Southern part of Nigeria.
“This patriotic decision is widely accepted by all Nigerians as a demonstration of deep understanding of the nuanced fault lines of our nation.
“In the circumstance, a unilateral declaration by the National Chairman of a consensus presidential candidate for the party will not only violate the law, but set the party on collision course with its Governors who are critical stakeholders in the party.”
In the wake of the controversy that greeted the announcement of Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC by the Chairman of the Party, Adamu Abdullahi, former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu has said the Chairman could not have acted on his own.
When asked if the decision was from the President, Kalu said, “The Chairman of the Party can not be acting on his own, alone. That, you should know. He can never act on his own. The President (Buhari) is the leader of the party. What is wrong with that? Ahmed Lawan is a member of the party and he has served the party very well,” he said.
He added, “If the Chairman of the party had said that, it is the choice of the party and the choice of the party is the choice of the President. He (Adamu) would come up with an official statement.”
Asked if it is in the place of the National Chairman to announce a consensus candidate for the primaries, Kalu simply said the Chairman of the party is the head of the party.
“All we are trying to say is that the party is supreme. Supremacy of the party lies in the hands of the National Chairman. It doesn’t lie outside the party. It’s inside the party,” he said.
Kalu, who made the assertion, while speaking on Politics Today on Channels TV on Monday, acknowledged that Abdullai Adamu is an experienced and credible man.
While trying to shed light on the meeting that preceded the controversial announcement, he said, “They had NWC meeting and the NWC on their wisdom from the consultation that had been made selected Ahmed Lawan as a consensus candidate.”
He stated that people in the NWC (National Working Committee) of the APC confirmed the development to him.
Kalu did not agree that there was a disagreement in the meeting on the choice of Lawan, rather he said, “No No, one or two people out of 23 just said no, but the majority had their way.”
According to reports, there were attempts by the press to speak to Adamu at the APC secretariat in Abuja, but the Chairman would not speak as he angrily walked away and drove out of the secretariat.
Meanwhile, there has been no response yet from the APC to confirm whether what Adamu had said was official or it was just a rumour.
Since he withdrew from the presidential race, Kalu has been rooting and rallying support for Lawan, whom he vouched, has all the capacity to be the next president of the nation.
One of the top presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is projected to be the party’s presidential flag bearer in the primaries slated for today and tomorrow in Abuja.
A number of factors make Tinubu the candidate to beat. The factors are: nationwide recognition, reach, structure, support, endorsements, mass appeal, track records as governor of Lagos State, rich experience in both the private and public sectors.
Tinubu, along with President Buhari, is a co-founder of the APC.
He has mentored politicians across the country, many of who became governors, senators, House of Representatives members, or were elected or appointed through his support.
Tinubu, as APC National Leader, has profound influence on the key structures of the party in many states.
He also has the backing of more governors than his rivals.
With governors having tremendous influence on the delegates – three per local government – Tinubu can feel confident about emerging his party’s torch-bearer and a potential face-off with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President candidate Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.
The APC northern governors, in a communiqué at the end of their Abuja meeting on Saturday, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to restrict his search within the party for a successor to the southern states.
They said power shift to the South would be in the interest of building a stronger, more united and more progressive country.
Based on the decision, Jigawa State Governor Mohammed Badaru withdrew from the race.
In the South, the Southwest is the bastion of the APC.
Tinubu is the clear favourite in the geo-political zone. He is also being backed strongly by most of the states in the North.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo may get his votes from Ogun which is his home state and Nasarawa where he is believed to be backed by the state governor.
Former Minister of Transportation Mr. Chibuike Rotmi Amaechi may get his votes from his home state, Rivers, and Plateau where he is being backed by the state governor.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi may get his votes from Ekiti, Jigawa where the governor is his friend. He may also get some votes from Kebbi because of his closeness to the state governor.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan is being backed by his state, Yobe and states in the Southeast.
Of all the contenders, Tinubu best fits President Muhammadu Buhari’s description of the candidate of his choice.
The President recommended a party man who must be formidable, who appeals to the electorate across the board.
Projection as at today:
Tinubu is projected to win Kano, Lagos, Oyo, Borno, Sokoto, Bauchi, Osun, Benue, Ondo, Edo, Katsina, Gombe, Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara and Adamawa states.
Osinbajo: Ogun and Nasarawa.
Yahaya Bello: Kogi
Amaechi: Rivers and Plateau
Lawan: Yobe, Kebbi (strong), Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra and Enugu.
Fayemi: Ekiti, Jigawa and Kebbi (partially)
Akpabio: Akwa Ibom
Ayade: Cross River
Undecided states: Delta and Bayelsa.
Last-minute’s horse trading intensified last night in Abuja. Chances are that some of the aspirants may step down after a realistic assessment of their chances.
If Yahaha Bello, who has disagreed with fellow APC governor’s from the North, withdraws from the race, he may ask his supporters to vote for the Senate President.
It is also likely that Akpabio and Ayade may withdraw from the race. It was, however not clear who they will endorse and then ask their supporters to vote for.
For Osinbajo and Fayemi, some of their delegates may abandon them at the venue of the primary if they are now fully convinced that they both stand no chance of winning and then vote for Tinubu with the brightest prospect of clinching the ticket. Supporters of other aspirants may be similarly inclined.
A lot will depend on what happened between press time and the time for voting.
The ruble weakened against the dollar and strengthened against the euro compared with previous closing as foreign currency trading started on Moscow Exchange on Tuesday.
As of 10:15 am Moscow time, the dollar exchange rate was up by 0.19% at 61.13 rubles, while the euro exchange rate was down by 0.51% at 64.76 rubles.
As trading opened on Moscow Exchange the dollar exchange rate added 0.45% compared with the previous closing to 61.29 rubles, while the euro exchange rate lost 0.92% to 64.5 rubles.
As of 10:15 am Moscow time the MOEX Index was down by 0.59% at 2,268.66 points, while the dollar-denominated RTS Index was down by 0.77% at 1,169.4 points. As trading opened the MOEX edged down by 0.04% to 2,281.3 points, while the RTS lost 0.06% to 1,177.79 points.
Japan will introduce sanctions against two Russian and one Belarusian bank and will expand the ban on goods export to Russia due to the situation around Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry of Japan said on Tuesday.
Assets of the Russian Agricultural Bank, the Credit Bank of Moscow and the Belarusian Bank for Development and Reconstruction will be frozen as part of the new package of sanctions. It will be possible to make payments and transactions with these banks only with the relevant authorization of Japanese authorities. Measures will come into force from July 7.
Goods “contributing to the buildup of industrial infrastructure” will be subject to the export ban. Specific products have not been detailed yet.
Japan have earlier adopted several packages of restrictions and included more than 200 Russian companies and organizations into sanction lists.
Traders in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State, have endorsed the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, as their sole candidate for the Abia South Senatorial District in 2023 general elections.
The traders in Aba North and South, Obingwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East and West, represented by their various executives, made this known when they paid a solidarity visit to Ikpeazu at Aba Governor’s Lodge, yesterday.
The traders, who spoke through their representatives, Obioma Daniel, the Chairman, Aba North Shoe Industrial Market and Chairman, Abia State Market Chairmen, Chief Lucky Akubueze, Abia State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) President, Ihechi Anugom and Akudo Aaron, the Woman President of ASMATA, commended Ikpeazu’s giant strides in office, which they said has promoted the ease of doing business.
According to Daniel, the governor’s campaign on made in Aba shoes has rubbed off on them and their businesses positively.
“Ikpeazu came to power and made the promotion of local content, especially made in Aba wears, shoes and clothes, a priority.
“He told the world that what he would be wearing throughout his stay in office will be made in Aba and I can tell you that he has not reneged on that. We have attended so many exhibitions within and outside Nigeria, courtesy of the effort of Ikpeazu.”
Speaking further on some of the reasons the traders endorsed the governor, Akubueze noted that the people of Abia South could not have asked for a better candidate than Ikpeazu.
Responding, Ikpeazu, who described their visit as unique and special, recalled his relationship with the traders, even while he was the Director General of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA).
According to Ikpeazu, his decision to live in the Aba Governor’s Lodge, instead of the Government House in Umuahia, since 2015, was to enable him oversea the progress of work in Aba.
Ikpeazu, who used the opportunity of the visit to assure his supporters of his resolve not to leave the PDP, promised to deliver as a senator, having delivered as a governor.
The Coalition of Northern Groups has warned against the ongoing seizure and destruction of Okada motorcycles directed by the Lagos State Government, saying the action targets northern operators and therefore was “completely unacceptable”.
The CNG in a statement by its Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, noted that it was “rash, irrational, insensitive and wicked” that the Lagos State Government would in just 72 hours of announcing the ban, seize and subject 7,548 bikes, mostly owned and operated by northerners to the crusher.
Suleiman said, “We note that of recent, State governments in the South have resorted to imposing and enforcing controversial, unfriendly and damaging legislation that effectively curtail the right to freedom of movement of the northern people living in their midst.
“More disturbing is that like in the current case of Lagos, the enforcers of these discriminatory laws almost all the time fail to draw the decent distinction between the northerner as citizen, or commercial motorcycling as an occupation, from criminality.
“To the makers of these laws and their formal and informal enforcers, it matters little that just because some Okada riders commit certain breaches does not make all motorcyclists criminals.
“In fact, they are enforcing the laws without taking into consideration that the vast majority of northerners in Lagos – including those who are Okada operators – are peaceful everyday people with the same needs, anxieties and hopes as the rest of Nigerians.”
This, he said, was not only a catalyst for further conflict but also a clear contradiction of sections of the Nigerian Constitution that declare null and void any law in any part of the country that conflicts with any of its provisions, especially on the right of every citizen to live and flourish in any part of the country, without discrimination or harassment.
“This brutal encroachment by the Lagos State government on the right of northerners to freedom of movement, freedom of association and other fundamental human right safeguards, is eroding the consciousness that for decades, different tribes in Nigeria have been accommodated and tolerated in the North, without their hosts enacting discriminatory laws specifically to intimidate, harass and endanger them, their families, their properties or their trades.
“Notwithstanding the hard evidences of the notoriety of these settlers in the perpetration, commission, spread and promotion of various crimes and antisocial behaviours within their host communities, the North has never attempted to discriminate or label them beyond seeking solutions through legitimate and civil interventions.
“No matter through which lenses we look, therefore, we only see in this fast-phased agenda a manifestation of an ignoble system that tends to deploy a warped application of the law solely to endanger northerners living and doing legitimate businesses in Lagos which is unacceptable, ” Suleiman added.
The CNG, he said, was also worried and extremely agitated by reports of organized and coordinated attacks in Ogwatoghose and Ikare areas of Ondo State, especially targeting northerners and destroying their aluminum and iron material market and the wanton looting of their assets.
The Group resolved to call on the Lagos and other state governments with similar discriminatory legislation to review and redress the apparent bias so that they too can claim the right to protection of their people living in various parts of the North.
“Rather than callously destroying the motorbikes which are valuable assets to the northern operators, it would have been more decent and more closely acceptable if the Lagos government had just ordered a regulated evacuation of the unwanted northerners and their assets back home,” he said.
The CNG also called for the urgent intervention of the Federal Government to ensure the protection of the rights of the northerner wherever he chooses to live in the country.
“We also demand immediate action from the federal authorities in thoroughly investigating the ugly attacks on northerners in Ondo and the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators and their supporters.
“We demand from the Ondo State government, an immediate review of the situation and payment of compensation for damages and losses that resulted from the attack on innocent northern traders, ” Suleiman said.
They blamed the situation on the levity and cowardice of the northern governors and elite in speaking out for the right of the northerner to be protected when he lives as minority elsewhere.
The 8 Division of the Nigeria Army, Sokoto, on Monday, handed over 706 assorted riffles recovered from bandits to the National Centre for The Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
At a brief ceremony at the Giginya Barrack, Sokoto, its General Commanding Officer, Major General Uwem Bassey, said the recoveries were part of the ongoing clearance operation code named “Operation Hadarin Daji”.
According to him, the operation which covered Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kebbi states, was meant to get rid of bandits and other criminal elements from these states and recover their weapons.
“And we are making headways because we had cleared Bakura Hill, Gundumi forest and other bandits hideouts in Jibia among others. And today we are handing over the weapons we recovered from those operations,” he said
He stated that the operation involved all armed Forces, Police and DSS and it was a continuous one because the enemies were mobiles.
“We will not get tired of pursuing them. We will continue to block their crossing points and ambush them,” he added.
He solicited for credible information to enable troops bring the menace to a stop.
Bassey further urged media practitioners to always have national security at the back of their minds while reporting events.
“Because without the well-being of Nigeria, you cannot practice your profession,” he said.
Receiving the items, the zonal Coordinator of the center in charge of the North-west zone, Air Vice Marshall Mohammed Haruna commended the operation for achieving this fist.
“This shows that the operation is making a tremendous success so we urge you to maintain the tempo,’ he said
He hoped to see arm-free general elections in 2023.
Abia State governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu, has expressed concern over what he described...
