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Ayodele Adu, a senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on economic matters has died on Friday, August 12, 2016. Adu’s death was confirmed by Nigeria’s minister of solid minerals, Kayode Fayemi. Fayemi, in a condolence message signed by Olayinka Oyebode, a spokesperson to the minister, described Ayodele Adu’s death as a personal loss to him and the All Progressive Congress, APC. “Ayodele Adu was a distinguished Nigerian, an honourable Ekiti man who through dint of hard work and determination worked his way to the top of his professional calling and left marks of excellence on every assignment he undertook,” Fayemi said. “He was a man of courage, character and conviction, who had a great passion for the Ekiti Project. It is indeed a painful loss. We shall surely miss him. “May God grant him eternal rest and give his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” Fayemi said

A Turkish court has ruled for the seizure of property and possessions owned by a famous ex-footballer and his father worth 200 million Turkish Liras after identifying the two as providing financial support to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), as part of a probe on Aug. 12. The decision by a court in the western province of Sakarya came a day after prosecutors’ issued warrants for footballer-turned-politician Hakan Şükür and his father Selmet Şükür over alleged links to FETÖ. While Hakan Şükür was reported to have fled to the United States, Selmet Şükür was detained on Aug. 12 after being caught in a mosque in the province’s Adapazarı distrcit. Finding that the father and son had been providing financial support to the organization, which was blamed for orchestrating the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey after years of infiltration into the military, the court ruled for the seizure of their real estate properties. According to the inspection, the Şükürs had a number o

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Friday in Abuja urged the Federal Government to fulfil its promise on job creation and youth employment in the country. The NLC General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, made the call in a statement he issued in commemoration of the 2016 International Youth Day. Mr. Ozo-Eson said as the NLC felicitates with Nigeria youth and the world on the commemoration of the 2016 International Youth Day, it was imperative for the Federal Government to fulfil its promise to them. He said it had become particularly significant because the 2016 celebration was focused on the leading role of young people and ensuring poverty eradication and achieving sustainable development. The NLC scribe said the celebration would also promote ways to engage youth in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions to their communities. “The congress is committed to the issues of youth empowerment because only then can we

 In this Sunday, April 13, 2014 file photo, a health official administers a polio vaccine to a child in Kawo Kano, Nigeria. Nigeria has reported the first two cases of polio after more than two years, in an area newly liberated from Islamic extremists who attacked polio vaccinators in the past, the government and the World Health Organization said Thursday. Aug. 11, 2016 (AP Photo/ Sunday Alamba, File) They were on the verge of eradicating it completely The diagnosis of a young boy and girl paralysed with polio has sparked an emergency mass vaccination campaign in Nigeria. Having celebrated its first full year free of the disease in 2015, the country looked set to be polio free by 2017, along with the rest of Africa. Health officials are now busy planning their next steps to alleviate the effects of what Michel Zaffran, director of polio eradication for the World Health Organization (WHO), said in a conference call was a “reminder to all of us to reinforce the fact that we cannot be

Hillary Clinton has released her tax returns, adding to the pressure on her Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump, to do the same. The Democratic presidential candidate paid an effective federal tax rate of 34.2% last year. Her running mate Tim Kaine, along with his wife Anne Holton, paid a rate of 20.3%, his returns show. Mr Trump, a hotel developer with a fortune estimated to be in the billions, has refused to release his. Presidential candidates typically release their tax returns to the media to show their effective tax rate, charitable donations and other financial details. Mr Trump, who has released a self-reported financial disclosure form, said he will not make his tax returns public until the Internal Revenue Service completes audits of them. What might be in Trump's tax return? Image copyrightISTOCK his tax rate net worth business sense possible scandals The IRS has said Mr Trump is free to release his returns. Mr Trump would be the first presidential candi

An American man who claimed he had connections to Leonardo DiCaprio and Natalie Imbruglia was jailed for 24 years today for raping a mother-of-two in London twenty years ago. Pierre Bate, 42, broke into his victim’s home in Thornton Heath in the south of the capital in 1996 while her two children were sleeping. He threatened to kill the woman and harm her children before repeatedly assaulting her over several hours. Bate told her an armed accomplice was waiting in the room where the children were sleeping to terrify her into submission. He tied his victim to the bed, forced the duvet over her head and poured cold water over her during the horrific ordeal. Bate was linked to the attack in 2011 after improvements in DNA technology found a match to his profile. The Californian was extradited from the US earlier this year to stand trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. Bate bragged of supposed links to Hollywood stars and even brought former Jamiroquai drummer Nick Van Gelder to giv

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, has said that his group, IPOB, is willing to negotiate with the Buhari’s Federal Government to end the agitation for self-governance. Nnamdi kanu Kanu made this known through his lawyers,  led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Amoebi Nzelu, while reacting to the government’s decision on Thursday to release some members of the group who were arrested in February, saying they were not opposed to talks with the government. “Nnamdi Kanu is not averse to political solution in resolving his present politically orchestrated ordeal,” Mr. Ejiofor said. “He welcomes genuine political solution to this case. Nnamdi Kanu has people of proven integrity and impeccable character that will negotiate on his behalf, based on his demands when communication on this effect is established.” Recall that Mr. Kanu and two others, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, who have been in detention since October, 2015, are facing trial for alleged treason.

Rihanna will receive MTV's lifetime achievement award at the Aug. 28 Video Music Awards (VMA) show, MTV said on Thursday, joining the likes of Kanye West, Madonna and Beyonce. The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award is the highest honor in the video music industry, and reflects an artist's impact not just on music but on pop culture, fashion, film and philanthropy. Rihanna, 28, has twice won the coveted video of the year at the MTV ceremony and is an eight-time Grammy winner with more than 61 million albums sold. The "Umbrella" singer also set up the Clara Lionel Foundation, which works to improve health and cultural services in her home of Barbados and beyond. Rihanna will perform at the ceremony in New York, where she is nominated for four VMA's for her song "Work" with Canadian rapper Drake, and her collaboration with Calvin Harris on "This is What You Came For." Rapper West won the Vanguard award in 2015 and other previous winners include

THE glorious past of the Federal University, Lokoja is gradually fading. Gone are the days when the university glittered in newness and beauty, with lawns well-manicured, bathrooms and toilets properly cleaned and running with water. During these glorious years, the lecture rooms were well-swept and mopped; the seats well-arranged and the screws were intact. The windows and doors to all offices and classes were well fitted and strong. The electrical sockets were all working, but that was in the past. Today, the Federal University, Lokoja lecture rooms have become a ghost of themselves. The electrical fittings are breaking off, the windows are falling apart, the seats are all broken and ceilings are falling off. Cobwebs now reign supreme in the lecture halls. While no one can be blamed when infrastructures dilapidate, the lack of maintenance is the reason properties at the Federal University, Lokoja are in the state they are at the moment. If we are to start laying the blame, the stude

Mavin Records artiste, Reekado Banks, is set to drop his debut album soon and it is sure that his fans can’t wait. In a recent chat with HipTV, he revealed that his debut album”is going to be the best album so far this year or even in the last ten years”. He added that it will probably also be the best album we’ll hear in the next ten years. The singer’s yet-to-be-titled album has been scheduled for an August release. Artiste Profile Full name: Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon Date of birth: 6 December 1993 Reekado Banks, is a Nigerian singer, rapper and songwriter who came into limelight in 2014 after being signed to Mavin Records . He went by the stage name ‘Spicy’ prior to his record deal with the aforementioned label. He was declared the winner of Next Rated award at The Headies 2015. He has many hit songs to his name and has been featured in several collaborations. Reekado Banks is the last child from a musical family. His father was a singer while his mother, a dancer. Moreover, his

IT is no surprise the battle for the soul of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) keeps taking different shapes and forms by the day. What is astounding to many is the role of some major gladiators, who have held on tightly to each others’ throat despite interventions from leading stakeholders in the ‘largest party in Africa.’ At a stage, the two factions of the party had declared that only an intervention of members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) could guarantee a seize fire. But the warring factions have stuck to their gun after the body waded into the acrimony. Neither have the factions sheathed their swords after former President Goodluck Jonathan, presumed to be the leader of the party, received BoT members at his Abuja residence and sued for peace and reconciliation. Even the reconciliatory move made by the Professor Jerry Gana appears to have had little or no effect with the faction under the chairmanship of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff giving stringent conditions for

Nigerian reggae music icon Majek Fashek has insisted that singer Timi Dakolo committed copyright infringement for remaking his classic track ‘Send Down The Rain’. In a video sent to Entertainment News on Channels Television, Majek who is currently in London to complete works on his comeback album accused Dakolo of not getting proper permission from him or his management before embarking on the remake. Meanwhile, earlier in the year at an award ceremony, Majek Fashek happily performed the song alongside Timi Dakolo and guitarist Kunle Ayo. In a statement, Dakolo maintained that he would not want to join issues with the music legend publicly but maintained that he had secured permission and actually paid a fee to Majek through his then management company, November Records. In a separate statement, November Records confirmed Dakolo’s position saying they held the power of negotiation for Majek at the period and that Timi Dakolo completed all agreed terms before sampling the said track.

In the United States, over 70 Republicans have written a letter to the party’s National Committee Head, urging him to stop helping Donald Trump’s campaign. They said Mr Trump’s “divisiveness” and “incompetence” risk drowning the party in November’s election. “We believe that Donald Trump’s divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide,” said a draft of the letter obtained by the BBC. “Only the immediate shift of all available RNC (Republican National Convention) resources to vulnerable Senate and House races will prevent the GOP (Republican Party) from drowning with a Trump-emblazoned anchor around its neck.” The letter adds that the party should instead, focus on protecting vulnerable candidates in elections to the Senate and the House of Representatives. Former members of the congress are among the signatories of the letter. Reacting to the move, Mr Trump said he was not concerned that

Manchester United's teenage defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah has agreed in principle a new long-term deal at Old Trafford. United manager Jose Mourinho was keen to seal the 18-year-old Dutchman's future at Old Trafford to underline his commitment to the club's tradition of developing young players. An official announcement should take place in the coming days. Fosu-Mensah impressed in his 10 first-team appearances for United last season under Louis van Gaal, making his debut as a substitute for Marcos Rojo in a 3-2 victory against Arsenal in February. Timothy Fosu-Mensah (left) has agreed a new long-term deal with Manchester United Fosu-Mensa (right) committed his future to Old Trafford with an announcement due soon He also played in United's FA Cup semi-final victory against Everton at Wembley. Though eight young players including Paddy McNair and Ashley Fletcher have left United since Mourinho's arrival and others are available for loans or permanent transfers, the m

Lamine Kone has asked to leave Sunderland just days before the start of the new Premier League season as Everton lead the chase for his signature. The Ivory Coast defender has revealed he has requested a move away from the Stadium of Light following talks with manager David Moyes and chief executive Martin Bain on Thursday, saying that an expected improved contract offer had failed to materialise. In a statement, the 27-year-old said: 'After a week in which there has been a vast amount of speculation with regard to my future at Sunderland Football Club, I think that it is only fair to the fans of the club to clarify the situation. Lamine Kone has asked to leave Sunderland after failing to receive a new contract offer Kone only joined Sunderland from Lorient in January but looks set to leave the North East 'At the end of last season, I was told by the club that I would be offered a new contract. Following numerous phone conversations and face-to-face meetings, the latest of whi

The Premier League's most expensive defender at £47.5million, John Stones is only the 15th Englishman signed by Manchester City since the club's new owners took over in 2008. And it's fair to say it hasn't been a great experience for the majority, from Scott Sinclair to Jack Rodwell. Sportsmail looks at the previous English players signed by City in the Sheikh Mansour era and whether they've been Hits or Misses. John Stones will be hope to break the trend of unsuccessful English players at Man City WAYNE BRIDGE Signed £12m from Chelsea, 2009. Left on a free transfer to Reading, 2013 The left-back spent a lot of his four years as a City player on loan to other clubs; West Ham, Sunderland and Brighton. Despite being on reported £90,000-a-week wages, Bridge didn't play for City after 2011 as Roberto Mancini built a Premier League title-winning team. Verdict: MISS Wayne Bridge was on a reported £90,000-a-week at City but struggled as they progressed GARETH BARRY Si

Jose Mourinho has never been afraid to splash out in the transfer market – and his £100million move for Paul Pogba takes his career spending over the £850m mark. The Manchester United manager has spent an incredible £883.8m on players since arriving at cash-rich Chelsea 11 years ago. Pogba is, of course, Mourinho's most-expensive buy yet and this summer's transfer window represents his biggest-ever period of spending. Manchester United's signing of Paul Pogba is Jose Mourinho's latest big purchase Mourinho's first big summer of spending was at Chelsea in 2004, splashing out £81.2m The Blues bought Andriy Shevchenko for £30m from AC Milan in Mourinho's first spell +11 Mourinho poses with Florent Malouda shortly before leaving the club in 2007 MOURINHO'S BIGGEST BUYS  Paul Pogba  - £100m Diego Costa  - £35m Luka Modric  - £33m Willian  - £30m Cesc Fabregas  - £30m  Eric Bailly  - £30m Andriy Shevchenko  - £30m  Juan Cuadrado  - £27m