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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will finally meet in the ring on December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, in one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights in British boxing.

The bout, which will be broadcast on Netflix, was officially confirmed on Thursday after years of failed negotiations and verbal exchanges between the two former world champions.

Saudi Arabian boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh announced the fight on social media, ending months of speculation over whether the long-awaited clash would take place.

‘For 15 years no one has been able to make this fight,’ Alalshikh wrote. ‘Back in April, I said that any announcement would come from me. I can now confirm that Fury Vs Joshua will be coming to the UK, as I promised British boxing fans. The time for talking is over…’

Ring Magazine, owned by Alalshikh, will promote the fight in partnership with UFC president and Zuffa Boxing chairman Dana White.

White said the bout would bring together two of the biggest names in heavyweight boxing.

‘For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamouring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua,’ White said.

‘Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring. On Dec. 11, two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation finally collide – and the winner will take a significant place in heavyweight history.’

The announcement follows months of negotiations between the two camps, with both fighters signing separate agreements with Alalshikh earlier this year before completing their respective tune-up fights in July.

Joshua had specifically insisted that the fight be staged in the United Kingdom as part of his original agreement.

However, Saudi promotional company Sela and Netflix had favoured hosting the event in the United States to cater to a global audience.

A renewed push by Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, eventually helped secure the UK as the location, with Cardiff’s Principality Stadium selected as the venue.

The 80,000-capacity stadium, which has a fully retractable roof, will host the long-awaited heavyweight showdown.

Following the announcement, Joshua posted a photograph of himself standing in front of a Union Jack flag on Instagram.

‘The quietest ones often pull the strings. Those who appear least involved may hold the greatest control. Let them shout first, the wisest wait until the final move.

‘Yours truly, Anthony Joshua,’ he wrote.

Sola Ebiseni, a prominent ally of Peter Obi in the Southwest and Secretary-General of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has joined the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ebiseni, who served as the Southwest Coordinator of Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council during the 2023 election, also declared full support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.

He made his position known when he met with Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa at the Government House in Akure in the early hours of Thursday.

The APC State Chairman, Kolawole Babatunde, attended the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, Ebiseni said his decision to join the APC was partly based on the argument that the presidency should remain in the South in the interest of political stability.

The Afenifere scribe, while declaring his support for Tinubu’s second term, said the incumbent President has reformed the country’s economy and deserves re-election.

‘First and foremost and for the avoidance of any doubt, our declaration today for the President’s second term is in tandem with the views of most Nigerians and political gladiators that the office of the President should still be in southern Nigeria in the interest of the political stability of the federation,’ he said.

Ebiseni, a former Labour Party (LP) chieftain, further noted that Tinubu was not the only presidential aspirant from the South, but argued that the President’s existing policies and programmes provided continuity that could be built upon during a second term.

According to him, replacing the administration with a new government could introduce new policies whose benefits might not mature within four years.

Ebiseni, however, backed the removal of the fuel subsidy, disclosing that major presidential candidates in the 2023 election had promised to end the subsidy regime.

‘Whatever anyone may say about the removal of subsidy, which all frontline Presidential candidates promised in 2023, its retention would have spelt doom, particularly for the states which were already lying prostrate in the discharge of their responsibilities to the citizens,’ he said.

He further argued that Tinubu needed another term to consolidate some of the administration’s socio-economic and security initiatives, including the proposed State Police and the expansion of Nigerian Army divisions.

On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Ebiseni described the project as particularly important to the people of the Ilaje coastal communities in Ondo State.

‘Politics is local, and as a leader of my Ilaje coastal people of Ondo State, this road is the most significant life-changing project for us, and I am here to join President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its full implementation, particularly its proper coastal alignment in the state.’

Ebiseni added, ‘To us, therefore, who are given much by the President, much more is expected in terms of support for his re-election.’

Earlier, Governor Aiyedatiwa assured Ebiseni and his supporters that they would be integrated into the APC campaign structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The governor said Ebiseni’s political experience, grassroots presence and roles in socio-cultural organisations would add value to the campaign for Tinubu’s re-election.

Aiyedatiwa said, ‘We know you as one of our leaders in the state, and your political activities across the state, as well as your roles in Afenifere and other socio-cultural organisations in the country, will be an added advantage and value to the tasks ahead of us.’

He said the presence of the APC chairman at the meeting was to demonstrate the party’s readiness to integrate Ebiseni and his supporters into its campaign structure.

The Nation reports that the declaration marks a significant shift from his political role during the 2023 presidential election, when he served in Obi’s campaign structure in the Southwest.

Kwara APC candidate for Ifelodun/ Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency, Dr Rafiu Ajakaye, on Wednesday toured Offa and Oyun Local Governments on a ‘thank you’ visit, acknowledging the support and active roles of party faithful during the last primaries.

Accompanied by the Chairman of Ifelodun LGA, Hon Femi Yusuf, a member of the Local Government Service Commission, Mrs Olabimpe Elizabeth Abiola, party Chairman in Ifelodun, Babatunde Surajudeen Bola, and many other party chieftains, Ajakaye was warmly received in the two communities by members of the state House of Assembly, council chairmen, top party chieftains, religious leaders, and various support groups. Starting in Offa, the team rounded off the tour in Ilemona, Oyun LGA.

Addressing supporters in Offa and Oyun, Dr Ajakaye said he owes the people a depth of gratitude for supporting his pick and for their belief in his capacity to represent their interests at the Green Chamber.

He promised to serve their interests well, and make himself accessible at the time of need.

‘We are here today for three to four reasons. But the most important one is to thank again and again the people of Offa and Oyun Local Governments for the support they have given to me,’ he told reporters Wednesday evening on the sideline of the visit.

‘I am here to show my gratitude and reassure them that I will be their son both in words and actions. I will do everything possible to ensure that I do not disappoint them, and to justify the confidence they reposed in me as a candidate of the APC. Like I have told them, if I am elected I will be their Aoju réré, meaning a true representative. I will be there because of them. I will be there to deliver their messages on the national stage.

‘You can hear from them the assurances that it is the APC they are supporting from the President down to House of Assembly members. So, we are grateful to them.’

Hon Femi Yusuf, who recalled their pre-primaries engagements with the people of Offa, where they sought their support in respect of the Green Chamber ticket, appreciated them for acceding to their request.

He specifically commended them for being practical about their ancestral eulogy (Oríki) – ‘Laare, buure, ikan Ogbodo jukan nile Olofa Mojo’ that literally points to their firm belief in equity, fairness and justice.

‘Our visit today is to thank you, for we know the worth of your support and the confidence you repose in our party candidate, Dr Ajakaye, who is your son and brother from Ifelodun,’ the Chairman said.

‘I recalled our earlier visit to seek your support, two months ago. It is interesting to note that you have played your own role by abiding by the party’s decision on rotation of the House of Reps ticket to Ifelodun for their turn. We cherish this, and we have come to appreciate you.’

Calling Ajakaye a man of God who is versed in the doctrine of Islam that places a high premium on good governance, Yusuf assured that the candidate possesses a can-do spirit and will make a difference when elected.

‘This is a payback period. As you all know, Ifelodun has paid its due in favour of Offa and Oyun for the past years. It will not be unfair if both local governments pay back by electing a House of Reps’ candidate from the former,’ Hon Yusuf told supporters in Oyun.

Chairman Offa LGA, Hon Suleiman Olatunji Omituntun, said Offa people have made up their minds and are ready to give the APC their 100% vote come 2027.

‘Let’s have no fear about Dr Ajakaye. He is tested and trusted. None of you is oblivious of the wonderful roles he played for the government and our party. And I am sure, he will never drop the ball,’ he said ìn Offa.

‘Our vote is not going to be divided. We are determined to cast our vote massively for Dr Ajakaye and other APC candidates. Because we know this will benefit us greatly.’

For his part, Hon Hassan Oyeleke, a top APC chieftain ìn Offa, appealed to Governor AbdulRazaq and the leaders of the party to consider the people of the community for juicy posts or appointments in the coming dispensation, considering their known voting strength and patterns.

He called Ajakaye a founding member of APC that deserves every support to succeed, promising that the community has the capacity to deliver more than 150,000 votes for APC.

‘My people from Ifelodun, mark my words today, we will deliver for your son and other APC candidates in Offa,’ he declared.

‘Talking about our candidate, Dr Rafiu Ajakaye, I have known him as a well-bred pressman as far back as the early stage of our Oto’oge struggle. I even saved his phone number with a Lagos reporter. His service for the party at that time was more or less free, because we didn’t even have money to pay him. He devoted most of his write-ups to protect us from any persecution.’

Hon Seun Oguniyi, a member representing Ojomu/Balogun Constituency at the House of Assembly, said Ajakaye is renowned for good character, due diligence, and a service delivery in his previous office, requesting all constituents to entrust him with their mandate.

Hon Abdulwaheed Gbenga Yussuf (JK), from Essa/Shawo/Igboidun Constituency, said he has no doubt that Offa people will deliver for APC, and tasked Dr Ajakaye and other party candidates not to let the people down when elected.

APC Publicity Secretary in the State, Alhaji Olawale, said Offa community will not be disappointed in choosing Ajakaye, judging from his character and record of service, and pleaded with the party members to vote for him and other APC candidates.

He called for good representation and a fair share of dividends of democracy for the constituents in Offa.

Also speaking, Hon AGF Salaudeen, a House of Assembly member representing Omupo Constituency, said he was not surprised that Offa conceded the House of Reps’ ticket to Ifelodun LGA, saying the people of Offa have always believed in equity, fairness and justice.

He described Ajakaye as a highly cultured and generous public servant.

While in Oyun, Deputy Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly representing Odo-Ogun Constituency (Oyun), Hon Ojo Olayiwola Oyebode, said the emergence of Ajakaye as candidate is a reflection that good character cannot go unnoticed, alluding to how he stood for the party from inception.

‘In Oyun, PDP or other opposition parties are not existent. Our people are voting for APC,’ he said.

Chairman Oyun Local Government, Hon. Akanbi Kamar Olarewaju, said Oyun’s people are more organized, and usually speak in one voice, and will replicate that for the ruling APC come 2027.

He said they have long resolved to replace their son Hon Ismaila Tijani, the serving House of Reps’ member, who he noted has performed below their expectations.

The Council Chairman assured Dr Ajakaye and other APC candidates of the electoral support of the people of Oyun, while also charging party members to redouble their efforts on door-to-door campaigns.

Adewoye Mikael Kayode, APC Chairman in Oyun, said Dr Ajakaye is ‘a very straightforward person’, who always walks his talks.

He advised him not to abandon his constituents and indeed the party structure, right from the ward to local government level.

The Museum for West African Arts (MOWAA) is now a property of the Edo State Government, the state’s Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commissioner, Chris Okaeben, has revealed.

Okaeben also announced that MOWAA would be renamed Edo Museum for West African Arts (EMOWAA).

He added during a news conference in Benin yesterday that the state has started discussions with investors for the takeover of cultural sites in the state.

The investors, according to him, will beautify the sites in order to make them attractive to tourists.

Okaeben explained that reports of the committee on MOWAA, headed by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, recommended that MOWAA be handed over to the Oba of Benin.

The commissioner described the museum’s name as a strong policy decision by Governor Monday Okpebholo.

He said his interaction with the German Consulate in Nigeria showed that the German government gave a grant to support the project. He added that the state government provided the land and invested N3.8 billion without any equity.

Okaeben stated that the coming of Governor Okpebholo restored the state’s traditional and cultural values due to cultism and kidnapping.

‘We are partnering with investors on heritage sites. Benin Moat is one of the state’s most important heritage sites for tourists to visit’, Okaeben added.

The pre-opening exhibition of MOWAA last November was trailed by protests that led to its suspension.

Oba Ewuare II had, prior to the botched opening, said that he planned to showcase the returned bronzes, none of which are yet on public display, in a museum of his own.

Critics of MOWAA say the museum is a provocation to the Oba and a ploy to take the Benin bronzes away from him.

The museum, since its inception five years ago, has sparked intense political tension over its ownership.

According to reports, part of the original premise of MOWAA when it was launched in 2020 was to house the Benin bronzes, an ambition that was abandoned by the administration of Godwin Obaseki

The museum construction cost about $25 million, and it attracted significant support from international governments and private institutions.

Germany, France and Denmark, the British Museum, the Getty Foundation and the Ford Foundation were among those that supported the project.

Cross River State Government, Bassey Otu, ex-governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, and other stakeholders have called for stronger regulatory frameworks to allow healthy competition among economic players, ensuring efficiency and rapid development in the country.

They commended the ongoing reforms being introduced by the Federal Government and expressed optimism that the country will experience rapid development if the reforms are religiously implemented.

Otu, Suswam, ex-National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abdulkadir Mbamba and others spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at the unveiling of the Institute of Competition and Antitrust Practitioners (ICAP) and the Antitrust and Trade Laws Practitioners Association (ATLPA), and the induction of foundation fellows of the institute.

Suswam stressed the importance of stronger regulators in any nation’s efforts to develop its economy, adding that this realisation informed his decision, as the Chairman of the Power Committee in the Senate in 2023, to draft and sponsor the Electricity Act of 2023.

He said, ‘The essence of the Act was to unbundle the entire electricity sector so that we can create competition and, by extension, create efficiency. Today, there is growing competition in the sector, unlike during the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) era.’

Suswam noted that competition breeds efficiency in the economy, citing the Asian Tigers, which in the 80s undertook massive economic reforms.

He said reforms anywhere in the world take time to mature and come with certain consequences, noting that inflation, a high cost of living, and other discomforts in the country were part of those consequences.

Suswam, however, expressed hope that if the ongoing reforms are implemented seriously, the nation’s economy will witness rapid development.

Suswam said, ‘With these reforms come a lot of competition because they would open the economy. We are operating a market economy. So with these reforms, we will now see speeding competition, efficiency and development.

Otu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of Cross River State, Professor Anthony Owan-Enoh, stressed the importance of competition in driving efficiency and development in any nation’s economy.

He said the objectives and activities of ICAP and ATLPA are very significant for the country’s economy, noting that, having served as the Senate Committee Chairman on Finance, he understood the importance of such bodies’ activities.

ICAP President, Paul-Harris Ogbole (SAN), who highlighted the importance of the institute and its associates, noted that for 64 years since independence, Nigeria had no dedicated professional body for competition and antitrust.

Ogbole said, ‘We have regulators, we have laws, but we had no custodians. No institute to train, to set standards, to discipline, to advise. Today, that gap is closed.

‘One is the institute, to build capacity and set standards. The other is the association, to be the voice, the network, and the advocacy platform. Like the Bench and the Bar.

‘Section 1 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 has its primary objective as the promotion of fair, competitive markets and protection of the consumer.

‘But who will train the lawyers that will appear before the FCCPC and the Competition Tribunal? Who will advise the businesses on ethical market conduct? Who will advise on the appropriateness or otherwise of a merger or acquisition? The answers are ICAP and ATLPA.’

Emphasising the importance of stronger regulatory frameworks in any economy, Ogbole said: ‘I have seen big corporations win cases because of the enormous resources at their disposal. I have seen small businesses die not because they lacked ideas, but because a dominant player shut the market gate against them.’

Mbamba urged the government, at all levels, to work collaboratively with ICAP and ATLAPA as technical partners, noting that a strong Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), backed by a strong professional institute, means better policy and better enforcement.

He also urged business owners and other business leaders not to fear competition law and to embrace it. He noted that compliance is now a competitive advantage, adding that companies that will last centuries are those that win by innovation, not intimidation.

‘To Nigerians, this institute is for you. When prices are unfair, when choices are removed, when your rights as a consumer are trampled, there will now be professionals trained to fight for you,’ he said

Mbamba faulted the often-held notion that the market will correct itself, arguing that the market can only correct itself when there are rules and regulators to enforce the rules.

He warned that as the largest market in the continent, ‘If we do not seriously set the rules of fair play now, we will wake up to monopolies that kill enterprise and cartels that punish consumers.

He was optimistic that ICAP has come to provide the answer – to professionalise competition law, to train the lawyers, economists, and compliance officers who will advise government and businesses and to stress the message that: ‘In Nigeria, you can invest, because the rules are clear and the field is level.’