Author: user user

Team Nigeria head coach Benson Ishicheli has expressed confidence in his players ahead of their Davis Cup World Group II first-round tie against Morocco in Rabat.

Nigeria will face the North Africans this weekend, September 19 and 20, with the tie representing another important test for the country as it seeks to make further progress on the international tennis stage. The official Davis Cup records confirm the World Group II encounter.

Ishicheli believes Nigeria’s decision to arrive early in Morocco could prove important, giving the players enough time to adjust to the conditions and work on their tactical approach before the opening matches.

The coach said the players are in good spirits and determined to give a strong account of themselves against a Moroccan side that has historically proved difficult for Nigeria.

Nigeria and Morocco have met four times previously in the Davis Cup, making the latest encounter another opportunity for the Nigerians to change the narrative against their North African opponents.

Ishicheli stressed that Nigeria will respect Morocco but will not approach the contest with fear, insisting his players are capable of competing strongly over the two days.

The tie comes at a time when Nigerian tennis is seeking to build on its recent progress and give its leading players more opportunities to compete at a higher international level.

Acress and filmmaker Toyin Abraham has insisted that her rejection of the Lagos APC Campaign Council was not due to bullying.

The actress said on X on Friday that she woke up to see her name on a list she knew nothing about.

‘I didn’t do it because of any bully. I did it because it was the right thing to do. I woke up and saw my name on a list I knew absolutely nothing about. Moreover, I’ve already said it-I’m not interested in politics,’ she wrote.

This followed her earlier denial on Thursday after her name appeared in the All Progressives Congress Lagos State Campaign Council list released by the Kadri Obafemi Hamzat Media Centre.

Abraham was listed under the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate alongside Eniola Badmus, Bimbo Akintola, Jide Kosoko, Pasuma, Obesere and Adewale Ayuba, ahead of the council’s inauguration scheduled for Friday, September 18 at the APC Secretariat on ACME Road, Ikeja.

Reacting in an Instagram Story on Thursday, she had said:

‘I’m not a member of any campaign council. I have said it recently. I am staying out of politics. Please disregard the supposed inclusion of my name in any campaign committee’.

The directorate is headed by Lagos Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, as Director, with Jide Kosoko as Co-Director and Eniola Badmus as Deputy Director.

Traditional rulers have called on fathers across Nigeria to champion equal treatment for boys and girls and to help dismantle cultural practices that marginalise women.

The call was made at thus year’s Fathers4Equality Recognition Awards and Traditional Leaders Conference, organised by the Male Feminist Network, an initiative of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, under the theme ‘Redefining Fatherhood for Equality and Justice.’

The Mai of Machina and 77th Emir of Machina, Dr Bashir Albishir Bukar, described the theme as apt, expressing concern over the discrimination women face in various societies. He said human dignity and rights were universal and urged participants to translate the conference’s lessons into concrete action.

‘All human beings were created equal and should enjoy equal rights irrespective of religious or other differences,’ Bukar said, adding that fathers should play an active role in promoting equality between sexes.

The monarch called for equal access to education for daughters and sons, noting that his emirate supports qualified young men and women to pursue university degrees without gender bias.

He urged traditional rulers to lead by example in shifting community attitudes toward gender justice.

The Paramount Ruler, Rumuevuorlu Community in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Prof. Chris Akani, commended the centre for honouring traditional rulers who advance gender equity. He said his late mother’s forced withdrawal from school inspired his commitment to female education, adding that his two daughters were completing doctoral studies in statistics, French and African literature.

Akani urged parents and traditional leaders to promote positive family values, protect girls from early marriage and prioritise education as an equaliser.

The centre’s Executive Director, Monday Osasah, said fatherhood should be rooted in partnership and shared responsibility not domination, describing the initiative, supported by the Ford Foundation, as an effort to build a national movement of accountable male allies alongside women-led gender advocacy.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Friday won a major legal reprieve after the Court of Appeal in Abuja set aside a Federal High Court, Lokoja, judgment that had ordered the party’s deregistration.

The development has cleared the way for the NDC and its candidates to contest the 2027 general elections.

In a statement issued on Friday, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, said a three-man appellate panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, with the judgment read by Justice Hassan, allowed the NDC’s appeal and nullified the earlier ruling by Justice Isah Dashen of the Lokoja Federal High Court.

Dickson described the appellate decision as a victory not only for the NDC but for Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, arguing that the Lokoja judgment had been an ‘unexpected assault’ on the party’s constitutional right to participate in politics.

‘We want to use this opportunity once again to commend the Nigerian judiciary for upholding the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary and, by their decisions, expanding the sphere of multiparty democratic participation in Nigeria,’ he said in an X post.

The former Bayelsa governor stressed that the NDC’s registration ‘remains valid and subsisting’ and that all party candidates would take part in ‘all elections in 2027 and beyond.’

Dickson recalled how the party was ‘bombarded with several calls for sympathy, support and prayers’ after the Lokoja ruling, adding: ‘Today, our collective prayers have been answered.’

With the legal cloud lifted, he urged members and supporters to shift focus immediately to electioneering: ‘Everyone should now focus on the campaigns, prepare for the elections, and focus on the task ahead to face the APC and defeat them at the polls.’

He also issued a veiled warning against attempts to influence the courts, insisting that ‘a resort to arm-twisting, inducing or intimidating the judiciary will not work,’ and expressing confidence in the NDC’s message, candidates and grassroots support.

The judgment comes at a delicate time for the NDC, which has been involved in multiple court cases over internal primaries, candidate nominations and its party logo as it positions itself for 2027.

Recent reports show Federal High Courts in Lagos and Abuja adjourning suits challenging the NDC’s governorship primaries in various states, even as the party’s leadership pushes to consolidate its structures ahead of the general elections.

Separately, Dickson has been urging a de-escalation of political tensions nationwide, calling on President Bola Tinubu to help create a secure, violence-free environment for all parties to campaign freely.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent a high-powered Federal Government delegation to Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, to commiserate with the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, over the death of his maternal aunt, Hajiya Rukiya Jibril.

The delegation, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, conveyed the President’s condolences and solidarity to Yari and the bereaved family.

Hajiya Rukiya, the immediate younger sister of Yari’s mother, was said to have played a significant role in the former Zamfara State governor’s upbringing during his formative years.

Special Adviser to the SGF on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, Akume told the family that the delegation was in Talata Mafara to identify with them at a moment of grief and pray for the peaceful repose of the deceased.

Reflecting on the inevitability of death, the SGF described it as a transition and return to Allah in accordance with divine will and wisdom.

He urged Yari and members of his family to draw strength from their faith and take consolation in the life lived by the deceased.

Akume prayed Allah to forgive Hajiya Rukiya’s shortcomings, accept her good deeds, grant her infinite mercy and admit her into Jannatul Firdaus.

He also assured Yari that the family was not alone in its grief, saying its loss was shared by the Federal Government, members of the Presidential Campaign Council, friends, associates and political stakeholders.

The SGF described the Presidential Campaign Council as a large political and social family whose members remained united in moments of joy and grief.

He likened the Yari family to a remarkable tree planted by their late mother, whose fruits, according to him, continued to demonstrate confidence, brotherhood, unity and togetherness.

The Federal Government delegation included Niger State Governor, Umar Bago; National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Bashiru; Senator Rochas Okorocha; Senator Adamu Aleiru; Hon. James Abiodun Faleke; former APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; and former Taraba State Governor, Rev. Jolly Nyame.

Others were the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Doris Anite; Senator Kawu Sumaila; and Senator Nasiru Sani Zango Daura, among other dignitaries.

The condolence gathering also drew politicians from outside the ruling party, including a delegation led by Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alongside Senator Abdul Ningi.

Senator Tony Nwoye of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in Bauchi State also attended the gathering.

Akume said the presence of political leaders from different parties demonstrated the values of compassion, empathy and communal solidarity, stressing that bereavement transcended political affiliations and official responsibilities.

Responding, Yari expressed gratitude to Tinubu for the gesture of compassion and solidarity extended to him and his family.

He described the visit by the Federal Government delegation as a source of comfort, encouragement and strength to the family during its period of mourning.

Yari also thanked Akume and other members of the delegation for travelling to Talata Mafara to honour his late aunt and identify with the family.

He prayed for Allah’s continued guidance and protection for the President, the SGF, members of the delegation and the Federal Government.

The former governor appealed to Nigerians to remember Hajiya Rukiya in their prayers and seek Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and peaceful repose for her soul.

Actress Rita Dominic has paid tribute to veteran actor Olu Jacobs following his death.

In a heartfelt post on social media, Dominic described the late thespian as an icon and a legend whose contributions shaped Nollywood.

‘My dear iconic and legendary Uncle Olu. You were truly a great gift to our film industry. An exceptional talent who inspired generations and played a remarkable role in building and shaping the industry we know today,’ she wrote.

The award-winning actress said she was privileged to have worked with Jacobs and to learn from him.

‘I feel deeply grateful and privileged to have had the opportunity to work alongside you, learn from you, and experience your greatness firsthand. Your kindness, wisdom, and remarkable legacy will forever remain with me and with everyone whose life you touched,’ she added.

Dominic noted that Jacobs’ passing has left a huge void, while bidding him farewell.

‘You have left a huge void in our hearts, but we trust that God knows best. Rest peacefully, Uncle, until we meet again, never to part. Adieu, Uncle Olu,’ she concluded.

Olu Jacobs, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest actors, died on Wednesday, at the age of 84 after a long battle with dementia.

Nigerian-American Afrobeats star Davido is set to headline a three-night residency at the newly remodelled National Theatre in Lagos this December.

The shows, scheduled for December 17 to 19, will mark the first live performance of his latest album, ‘Oriadé,’ in Nigeria.

‘LAGOS!!! We bringing it HOME! 15 years of madness and there’s nowhere I’d rather be,’ the singer wrote on X.

‘ORIADÉ: The Residency comes to the National Theatre for 3 nights this December’, he added.

The 13-track project, released in July, features collaborations with Black Sherif, Mayorkun, FOLA, Leon Thomas, Aya Nakamura, Llona, NO11, JAZZWRLD and GL_Ceejay.

Davido is expected to perform songs from ‘Oriadé’ alongside selections from his previous albums.

The release coincides with the 15th anniversary of his music career.

The residency will feature new material alongside career-spanning hits, with special guests billed to appear each night.

The concerts are among the first major entertainment announcements for the ‘Detty December’ festive season, a period known for high economic activity and cultural events in the country.

The announcement was accompanied by a trailer and the release of the music video for his single, ‘On the Road’, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at Davido’s life, including his Coachella debut earlier this year.

For the five-time Grammy nominee, the homecoming holds special significance as a chance to reconnect with family, celebrate his roots, and perform for longtime fans.