Entertainments
now browsing by category
U20 WC: Scorpions run out of venom to sting, what next for its stars now?
The Young Scorpions, among the underdogs coming into the competition, cruised through the group stage following victories over Honduras and bookies’ favourite France, before capping off the group with a 0-0 draw against South Korea, but came up short against a well-organised Uruguay who secured a quarter-final place through a left-footed outside-of-the-box stunner from Anderson Duarte.
Despite the loss, and the disappointment that comes with it, coach Abdoulie Bojang and his charges must not sulk too much. By the yardstick with which Gambian football is measured, it has been a generally successful year for the U20s, with a runners-up medal in the U20 African Cup of Nations where they played one of the most thrilling attacking football in the entire tournament — to qualifying for the World Cup and topping a group including France and breaking and setting some national records on the way — these young set of players deserves praise and support.
Backed up by the recent performances of both the senior and U20 sides in the AFCON competition, Gambian football — with evidently talent galore — has been on the right track for at least two years now. In the 2021 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which was actually held in 2022 and hosted by Cameroon, Gambia debuted as the lowest-ranked team of the tournament as well as the lowest-ranked team to participate in the tournament, but the team defied the odds and reach the quarterfinals where they were knocked out by host Cameroon.
However, despite the huge strides the country has made in football over the past two years, there are still glaring issues holding back Gambian football, with top football talents sinking into the quicksand of this mess without even ever realising their dreams. Gambian football’s weak and inept leadership, coupled with the lack of serious investment into grassroots football to senior-level football, has been at the forefront of the country’s shortcomings and lack of success in professional football. Can this change? Yes. Will it change? Hopefully.
Back to the U20s, who have been making sports news headlines since their impressive run in the U20 AFCON earlier this year with a couple of talents garnering attention from top European clubs, what next? This squad is littered with talent, and with European scouts hovering, what does the future hold for this crop of talented players? How many of them will make the leap from the U20 to the senior side? How many of them will turn out to be a success story 5 years from now? A handful? More, or even less? TIME WILL TELL.
Credited to: FatouNetwork
President Bio Showcases SLPP strength in Eastern of Freetown.
U-20 W’Cup: Nigeria beat Argentina 2-0, reach quarter- finals
he Flying Eagles advance to the quarter-final of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time in 12 years after defeating host Argentina 2-0 at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario in the early hours of Thursday, The PUNCH reports.
Second-half goals from Ibrahim Muhammad and Rilwanu Sarki secured a shock win for Ladan Bosso’s team.
They will face either Ecuador or South Korea in the quarter-final of the competition in Santiago del Estero on Sunday.
The Flying Eagles started brightly but as the first half wore on, La Albiceleste dominated play.
Striker Alejo Veliz had two scoring chances to break the deadlock as the break approached but missed those sitters.
First, his glancing header went narrowly wide in the 14th minute while his second attempt before the break was saved by Kingsley Aniagboso who was in goal for Nigeria.
In the 61st minute, The Flying Eagles broke the deadlock through Emmanuel Umeh when he flicked the ball over the top for Muhammad, who slotted home a low shot past goalkeeper Federico Gerth.
The goal saw Argentina pile the pressure in search of an equaliser and in the process they had 20 shots at goal as against Nigeria’s nine.
Javier Mascherano’s boys came agonisingly close when Luka Romero’s low drive from a distance hit the upright of the post for Daniel Bameyi to put the ball to safety.
In additional time, substitute Victor Eletu came off the bench for Ibrahim Muhammad to make an assist for Haliru Sarki to score Nigeria’s second on the night and secure a famous triumph for Nigeria for the first time in the competition since 2005.
Nigeria’s win on Thursday ended a run of 10 straight U-20 World Cup victories for Argentina. The young La Abliceleste had won all seven games when they hosted the tournament in 2001, and their first three at this edition.
Credited to: Punch News Paper
2ND ANNUAL NIGERIAN FESTIVAL UK
Please save the date! 14 Days to go!!! 
2ND ANNUAL
VP Launches WACA Project ll worth $45M
The ceremony was speaheaded by the ministry of Environment Climate and Natural Resources.
The project is funded by World Bank.
The project is said to provide financial and technical assistance to countries and regional institutions to address coastal resilience using coastal erosion, flooding and pollution at entry points.
In his launching statement VP Jallow described The Gambia as increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and prone to coastal erosion, coastal flooding and pluvial flooding.
“In 2022 alone, over 30,378 people were directly affected by the heavy downpours across the country. Children under 5 affected accounts for 21% and are particularly at risk to water-borne diseases caused by water contamination; while females accounted for 51% of the total affected population, including 3,761 pregnant and breastfeeding women.”
He disclosed that during this period, a total of approximately 9,500 houses were damaged, 13 deaths, and 7,404 persons were internally displaced.
He also harped on the financial and economic instability, threats to human security, and growing environmental degradation.
“This project will support the government to improve the institutional and policy frameworks around disaster risk management, integrated coastal development, natural resources management and urban resilience.“
The project, he stated will provide pollution management that will be covered by pollution control infrastructure reducing land-based waste inputs in the ocean, through small works to improve sanitation, solid waste management NGO/community programme as well as oil spill incident preparedness and management.
“Management of coastal ecosystems will be supported through restoration of degraded ecosystems as well as investments to reduce pressure on the most fragile, through strengthening protected areas as well as
providing alternatives to livelihoods depending on fragile ecosystems,” he said.
He further noted that the project would also pilot a sustainable jobs approach designed to create income sources and livelihoods for people, targeting jobs stemming.
He assured that the government will continue to empower all stakeholder institutions towards the sustainable management of the environment and its natural resources.
He further assured the World Bank Group and other development partners of their continued willingness for partnership in initiating projects, to improve the living standards of the Gambian people in all spheres of work.
Credited to: thepoint.gm
Naira devaluation fake news – CBN
The Central Bank of Nigeria has debunked the claim that the it has devalued the naira.
A statement signed by Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isah AbdulMumin, said the dollar traded at N465/$1 contrary to reports.
The statement partly reads, “We wish to state categorically that thus news report, which in the imagination of the newspaper is exclusive, is replete with outright FALSEHOOD and destabilizing innuendos, reflecting potentially wilful ignorance of the said medium as to the working of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the exchange rate at the Investors’& Exporters’(I&E) window which traded this morning (June 1, 2023) at N465/US$1 and has been stable around this rate for a while.”
Also a single tweet by the official Twitter handle of the CBN on Thursday morning wrote, ” CBN did not devalue the Naira.”
Daily Trust had reported that the CBN on Wednesday devalued the naira to N630 to $1 from N461.6.
According to the source who spoke to the media house, the dollar was sold at the new rate on the Importers and Exporters Window on Wednesday.
Credited to: punchng.com/
Seun Kuti addresses assault claim, denies beating wife
The singer has denied involvement in domestic violence.
In a recent Instagram live session, the Afrobeat star dismissed rumours that he engages in violence, emphasising the respect and mutual understanding within his marriage.
Responding to the speculations that emerged after a video showed him instructing his wife to return to their vehicle, Kuti clarified his stance on the matter.
He dismissed the notion that his wife complies out of fear, stating, “My wife is not scared of me. Trust me, if you know anybody that knows us, I’m the one that’s scared of my wife. But my wife respects me.”
The singer addressed those spreading the rumours, attributing their actions to jealousy and the inability to comprehend a healthy and communicative relationship between a husband and wife.
He defended himself, saying, “The most important rumour I must dispel is the one they said that I’m beating my wife.” He continued, “That Seun can talk to his wife and she would listen to him. That is what you all celebrities do.”
To further prove his point, Kuti provided an example of his relationship with his daughter.
He proudly stated, “Even my daughter, Adara, I have never spanked her before. She will be ten in December. In her nine and half years she has been alive, she can never say Seun, her father has beaten her before.”
Seun Kuti, born Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer, and the youngest son of the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.
Seun Kuti recently made headlines when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer, according to authorities. However, he has since been released from police custody and has embarked on a European tour.
Credited to: Pulse.ng
AFRINITY PRODUCTION WISHES YOU HAPPY NEW MONTH
May this fresh chapter of the year bring you joy, success, and new opportunities. May your days be filled with laughter, love, and beautiful moments. Embrace the possibilities ahead and make this month extraordinary. Wishing you a month filled with happiness and blessings. Happy New Month!
Fuel Scarcity: Osun Govt Threatens To Seal Stations Hoarding Petrol
The state government said the deliberate hoarding of petrol by the fuel dealers has caused untold hardship on the people of the state.
“Any fuel station found guilty of hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity shall be sealed off and operators prosecuted for crime of economic sabotage,” the governor said in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed.
The fresh fuel scarcity in the country followed the inaugural pronouncement by Nigeria’s new President, Bola Tinubu who said on Monday that the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended.
“Fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu declared in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square on May 29 after he was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President.
The former Lagos State governor said the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has since backed Tinubu on the removal of fuel subsidy.
Fuel queues have since resurfaced across the country since the presidential pronouncement as Nigerians forage for the premium product.
In its warning to marketers, the Osun State Government said the deliberate hoarding of PMS by the fuel dealers within the state as a result of Tinubu’s statement has caused unnecessary hardship on the people of the state.
“This deliberate action is not only inhumane but unpatriotic and will not be allowed by the government. To this end, the Special Monitoring Team on fuel scarcity set up by His Excellency, Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke headed by the Chief of Staff, Hon Kazeem Akinleye is still effective and shall not condone any form of economic sabotage.
“As from today, 30th May 2023, the Committee shall begin special monitoring of all the filling stations across the state in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders,” the statement partly read.
By Kayode Oyero (Channels Tv)
PHOTO NEWS: Amaechi, Abure, Datti, Others Spotted As Otti Is Sworn-In As Abia Governor
inaugural ceremony was graced by distinguished guests, creating an atmosphere of importance and significance.
Among the notable attendees were the highest echelons of the Labour Party, led by the esteemed Julius Abure.
The presence of key figures such as the National Women Leader, Dudu Manuga, National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, and National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, added prestige to the event.
The LP Vice Presidential Candidate, Datti Ahmed, also joined the gathering.
Notably, the ceremony attracted prominent personalities from various spheres. The renowned Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State and former Federal Minister of Transportation, accompanied by his wife, Judith, added to the distinguished crowd.
The esteemed former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, graced the occasion with his presence.
Senators Chris Adighije, Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe, and Sam Ohuabunwa, demonstrated their support and involvement.
Furthermore, the presence of esteemed individuals such as Former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Former Governor of old Imo State, Gen Ike Nwachukwu, and Former Governor Theodore Orji, along with his wife, added an air of wisdom and experience to the event. Notably, Theodore Orji’s son, Chinedum Orji, who also serves as the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, was in attendance.
Credited to : Igbo TV facebook
D5 Creation