Jorge Jesus: "Cristiano Has A Bit Of Maradona's Passion, But Messi Has None"

PASSION KILLER Cristiano Ronaldo has a bit of Maradona’s passion but Messi has NONE, claims Benfica boss as he wades into GOAT debate

BENFICA manager Jorge Jesus reckons Cristiano Ronaldo is more like Diego Maradona because Lionel Messi has no passion.

The Portuguese manager waded into the modern-day GOAT debate by saying Ronaldo played more like the late great Maradona.

Argentine icon Maradona passed away aged 60 last week and tributes poured in from around the world.

Jesus said: "Maradona was the best player ever, along with Pele.

"Pele's still here, he's alive. Maradona was greater, not just because he was a genius, but because of how he showed it. That makes the difference for me.

"He was absolutely world-class, but he had a passion for the game, he was born to be a footballer, he was born with everything.

"It was not a product of work, he was born like that. But he still loved having the ball."

Jesus added: "Today, among the best two in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo has a little of that. Messi has nothing. He doesn't have any passion.

"Messi is a great player. But we're talking about life and feelings, having passion for the game and for football.

Olusegun Adeniyi To Wear Major General Rank Pending Conviction Confirmation

Despite his conviction and subsequent demotion by a court-martial in Abuja, the former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, would continue wearing his current rank until the judgment was confirmed by the military authorities.

The tribunal had, while handing down its judgment on Monday, said the order was subject to confirmation by the authorities.

However, it was learnt that the decision of the military high command on the judgment may take some time.

Our correspondent could not ascertain on Tuesday if Adeniyi was given a command or office since he was removed from leading the counter-insurgency operations against the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State in March.

The tribunal had found Adeniyi guilty of violating military social media guidelines and ordered his demotion by at least three years.

Adeniyi’s aide, Private Tokunbo Obanla, who was prosecuted alongside the general, was also found guilty and sentenced to 28 days in jail with hard labour.

The verdict came eight months after a video of Adeniyi complaining about a lack of military equipment to combat Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East went viral.

The Major General was subsequently removed from the front and also suspended by the military authorities.

Ironically, Adeniyi was convicted on the day the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed re-echoed his claims that the army lacked the weapons to engage the insurgents.


#punchng

Ibrahim Wakkala Dumps APC For PDP

A former deputy governor in Zamfara state, Alhaji Ibrahim Wakkala Muhammad on Wednesday announced his formal defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wakkala who deputized former Governor Abdulaziz Yari from 2011 to 2019 made his decision known shortly after he held meeting with his key supporters in Gusau, the state capital.

“There were several speculations making the rounds for about two years now over where I politically belong; hence I feel this is the right time to put the records straight”

“I want to inform you that all this while, whether as a member of G8 group or not, I have remained a full card-carrying member of the All Progressives Party, APC, even though since the time of our crisis in 2019, the party did not consider us relevant, as demonstrated by its not inviting or informing us of any of its activities.

“I want to formally inform the general public that I have finally defected from the APC and have officially joined the PDP right from my Madawaki Ward under Gusau Local Government Area,” he said.

Alhaji Wakkala said he started making moves to deregister himself from the APC “when the party was hijacked by some self-centred individuals and that the party refused to accord relevance to those who toiled hard to nurture it.

“The mission of those individuals was to alienate and disenfranchise the majority members of the party and produce primaries in which only their handpicked surrogates are declared the winners. This move eventually destabilized the party and we formed the G8 group under it.”

He further pointed out that “since the inception of the present administration under governor Bello Matawalle, I have been playing an advisory role especially in addressing the security issues of the state which by Allah’s grace is gradually reducing”

“For these reasons and my genuine concerns to the growth and development of Zamfara and the improved welfare of its citizens, the Governor has appealed to me to join him into the PDP so that together, we can work for the progress of the state,” he added.

Governor Umahi Sacks Appointees From Ayim's LGA

By Wisdom Nwedene, Abakaliki

Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State, on Wednesday, sacked appointees from Ivo Local Government Area.

IGBERE TV reports that former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim hails from Ivo local government area but currently not in good terms with Governor Umahi since he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a statement made available to IGBERE TV by Ugbala Kenneth Igwe, Ph.D., Secretary to the State Government/ Coordinating Commissioner said those relieved of their duties are:

1) All STAs and TAs from Ivo Local Government Area

2) All Liaison Officers from Ivo Local Government Area

3) All Management Committee members from Ivo Local Government Area.

The affected office holders are to handover all Government Property in their possession to the Secretary to the State Government and Coordinating Commissioner by the close of work today, 2nd December 2020.

#igberetv

Naira Bounces Back, Appreciates To N470/$ In Parallel Market

The naira this morning reversed its two weeks loss to the dollar in the parallel market, appreciating by N20 to N470 per dollar.

The naira had earlier depreciated by N30 against the dollar, as the parallel market exchange rate rose sharply to N500 per dollar on Monday November 30th from N470 per dollar on Friday November 20th 2020.

But the new rules introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria on Monday November 30th, which allowed beneficiaries of diaspora remittances and foreign exchange transfers into domiciliary account, to collect the proceed in foreign currency cash, halted the dwindling fortunes of the naira.

As result the naira gained N10 against the dollar yesterday (Tuesday December 1st) as the parallel market exchange rate dropped to N490 per dollar from N500 per dollar on Monday.

This trend continued this morning, howbeit on a larger scale, as the parallel market exchange rate further dropped to N470 per dollar from N490 per dollar yesterday, translating to N20 appreciation for the dollar.

Thus, the naira had reversed the N30 loss against the dollar since November 20th, 2020.

The sharp appreciation of the naira according to Aminu Gwadabe, President Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) shows the effectiveness of the new CBN rule receipt of diaspora remittances.

He said: “Certainly, those hoarding foreign exchange better sell now otherwise they will lick their wounds.”

Commeting further on how the new rule will impact dollar supply and the activities in the BDC subsector, Gwadabe said: “The monopoly of (banks) is broken and the policy will induce liquidity in the BDC subsector.

“It is true that the volume of diaspora remittances amidst COVID-19 19 is still huge. In fact, other countries like Kenya and Zimbabwe are recording higher diaspora remittances inflow as a result of skillful medical doctors abroad.

“Nigeria is expected to close the year with over $20 billion diaspora remittances despite the pandemic in 2020.

“The beneficiary is free to collect his proceeds in foreign cash currency and trade it in the BDC subsector which will lead to true price equilibrium in the market.”

#vanguard

Judiciary Tops ICPC Corruption Index With N9.4bn Bribes In Two Years

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says N9,457,650,000 was corruptly demanded, offered and paid as bribe in Nigeria’s justice sector between 2018 and 2020.

This was contained in a report entitled, ‘Nigeria Corruption Index: Report of a pilot survey’, carried out by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria, the research and training arm of the ICPC.

According to the report, “bribe for judgment is one of the most egregious forms of grand corruption as it operates to undermine the very essence of judicial dispute resolution”.

In the report, lawyers were said to be most responsible for offering bribes for favourable judgment — with 27.17 percent. Litigants followed closely with 21.96 percent, court staff (clerks, registrars etc) 21.54 percent; judges 16.88 percent, and government MDAs 7.37 percent.

“A large percentage, 73% of justice sector respondents did not experience a situation of outright demand or offer of bribe. Nevertheless, it remains alarming that 16 per cent of respondents had experienced such blatant demands or offers of bribes,” the report said.

“Follow up discussions indicated that the cases of outright demand and offer of bribes are mostly linked to election matters.

“Money involved in the high-level corruption in this sector was categorized into money demanded, offered or paid. Demands are made by court officials including judges, while bribery offers and payments are made by lawyers or litigants.

“The total amount of money reported by the Justice sector respondents as corruptly demanded, offered and paid between 2018 and 2020 was N9,457, 650,000.00 (N9.457 billion).

“78 respondents constituting 8.7% of all justice sector respondents reported offers or payments of bribes to influence the judicial process.

“Out of the 78 justice sector respondents that reported amounts of money offered or paid, 63 were lawyers. This number makes up 9.9% of all lawyers surveyed in the justice sector. The 63 lawyers that reported payments were mostly male being 69.8%, while their female colleagues constituted 30.2% of that population.

“In all, the total amount of money reported by lawyers was N5,733,986,000.00. The amount reported by female lawyers was N918,045,000 while male lawyers reported N4,815,941,000(N4.8billion).

“These amounts made up 9.71% and 50.92% respectively of the total amount reported by justice sector respondents. Lawyers reported 60.63% of the bribes offered and paid by justice sector respondents.

“The amount of money offered to judges was next in volume to payments made by lawyers. In all, N3,699,664,000 (N3.699billion) was reported by 11, that is 8.9 per cent of the 123 judges surveyed. 6(54.5 per cent) out of the judges that reported the offers were female, while 5(45.5 per cent) were male.

“Although the females were just slightly more in number than the males, the females reported a substantially higher amount of money.

“The total reported by the six (6) female judges was N3,307,444,000 while the five (5) male judges reported N392,220,000.00. These amounts made up 34.97% and 4.15% respectively of the total amount reported by justice sector respondents. Judges reported 39.12% of the bribes offered and paid by justice sector respondents.

“The court staff reported the lowest amount of money offered as bribe to influence the outcome of a judicial process. The total amount of money reported by court staff was N24,000,000…”

Apart from “bribe for judgment”, another type of corruption identified in the judiciary by the ICPC is “fraudulent alterations of court documents”.

“In the experience of justice sector respondents, court staff are most responsible for this corrupt practice,” the report said.

“The combined forces of court staff and lawyers account for 70.2% of cases of fraudulent alteration of court documents.

”This is another situation where those who have a duty to implement a system are also the most responsible for disregarding it.”

#nairaland

ACP Egbe Eko Edum Killed In Calabar

An Assistant Commissioner of Police serving in No. 73 PMF Squadron, Magumeri, Borno state, ACP Egbe Eko Edum has been reportedly axed to death in Calabar, Cross River State Capital by unknown men.

The attack took place in the early hours of Wednesday, December 2, at about 10 am along Murtala Mohammed Highway in Calabar by Pepsi depot, sources said.

Police Public Relations Officer of Cross River State Command DSP Irene Ugbo confirmed the incident saying that the late officer came into Calabar to see his family but arrived late at night hours.

“He dropped off from a public transport and had called his wife to pick him up before he was attacked by the unknown men. We are investigating the incident and the family has recovered the body from the seen,” the PPRO explained.

She reiterated that the deceased “is an Assistant Commissioner of Police who serves in Borno State; he is not serving here. I think he was coming to see his family here in Cross River, he arrived in Calabar at about 10am when the incident happened.”

New NAPTIP DG Imaan Suleiman Receives National Accolades On Appointment Amidst Reactions


The recent appointment of Mrs. Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim hours ago, as the new Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has continue to attract several reactions with emphasis on her capacity, portfolio and eligibility. However, several organizations, individuals and groups have continue to applaud President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing another vibrant youth in the person Mrs. Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim as the new DG of the national agency.

According to reports garnered by Abuja Press, the 40years old Mrs. Suleiman Ibrahim is one whose track records has remained unequivocally outstanding and reputable. Before her appointment as DG of NAPTIP, Mrs. Suleiman Ibrahim has held several notable national appointments in Nigeria.

She held the Special Adviser on Strategic Communication to the Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and until yesterday Tuesday 2nd December 2020, she was a member of Nasarawa State Economic Advisory Council. With her attractive portfolio and the previously held public offices, one could explicitly state that her administration and leadership of NAPTIP will ensure indelible efforts at improving the Agency's activities, thereby engaging continuity of the projects initiated by former NAPTIP DG, Mrs Julie Okah-Donli.

Speaking with analysts, Abuja Press gathered that Mrs. Suleiman Ibrahim's appointment by the President was in line with Section 8 (1) of the NAPTIP Act 2015, stressing that any form of propaganda stipulation against her appointment was unnecessary and baseless. The analysis further stated that Mrs. Suleiman Ibrahim met all the requirements and credentials required to head the Agency.

Nigerian Man Convicted Of Murder After Stabbing Hotel Worker Six Times In UK Over Second-hand Gucci Bag


Odupitan, 24, knifed Tyler Roye six times as he was making his way home after work in south London in February.

A Nigerian man, Samuel Odupitan, who stabbed a hotel concierge worker to death so he could steal his Gucci bag, has been convicted of murder.

Odupitan, 24, knifed Tyler Roye six times as he was making his way home after work in south London in February.


Prosecutors said Odupitan had come across his 24-year-old victim on the tram and then "murdered him in cold blood for the sake of a designer bag".

The defendant, from Croydon, was found guilty of murder following a trial at Croydon Crown Court, BBC reports.

He had also previously pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery over the attack which took place shortly after midnight on February 26.

Roye, who worked at Holiday Inn in Stratford, left the tram in Woodside and had just picked up a call from his girlfriend when he was confronted by Odupitan who demanded his possessions, the court heard.

After a struggle, the 24-year-old defendant fled with the second-hand Bengal tiger print bag while Roye managed to make it to a friend's house before collapsing inside.

He was taken to hospital but died just before 030 GMT.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Odupitan had first been spotted on CCTV, while analysis of his phone found numerous images of knives as well as a video of him driving around in a car armed with a blade.

Senior crown prosecutor Devi Kharran said it had been an "opportunistic and unprovoked attack on a hardworking young man who was on his way home from work".

He said Odupitan had "pursued" his victim from the moment he spotted him on the tram and Roye "had lost his life simply because he had the fatal misfortune of encountering a violent robber on his way home".

Odupitan will be sentenced on 7 December.

#saharareporters

Judicial Panel Orders Arrest Of Ex-DPO Carol Afegbai Over Killing Of UNIBEN Student

Momodu was killed in 2015, when retired Chief Superintendent of Police, Afegbai, was the DPO in charge of Ogida Police Division.

The Judicial Panel of Enquiry on police brutality in Edo State has authorised the arrest of a former Divisional Police Officer, CSP Carol Afegbai, for her alleged involvement in the murder of Ibrahim Momodu, a 500-level student of the University of Benin.

Momodu was killed in 2015, when retired Chief Superintendent of Police, Afegbai, was the DPO in charge of Ogida Police Division.

A member of the Panel, A.B. Thomas, said Afegbai should be arrested in connection with the killing of the slain undergraduate.

"If she was not summoned by the High Court or the Court of Appeal, it is because she was not a party; it was the state versus the man who pulled the trigger," said Thomas.

"But, before us here, she has been mentioned, and if we end the case without summoning her, it will seem she is above the law."

The chairman of the panel, Justice Ada Ehigiamusoe (retd), in her judgment, commanded the arrest of Afegbai.

Ehigiamusoe said, "The panel summoned the respondent to appear before this panel at today's (Tuesday) proceedings, and it is on record that she has failed to do so.

"It is of the view of this panel that the respondent, having failed to appear before the panel, a warrant of arrest should be issued for her to appear before the panel.

"It is hereby ordered that a warrant of arrest be issued forthwith on the said respondent who is named Carol Afegbai, who shall appear before this panel following the order of this panel on December 9, 2020," she said.

##saharareporters