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  • APC Ondo primary: Odimayo withdraws, drums support for Akeredolu

    APC Ondo primary: Odimayo withdraws, drums support for Akeredolu

    Mr Okunjimi Odimayo, a governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ondo Governorship primary election, has withdrawn his candidacy from the primary.

    Odimayo also threw his weight behind the candidature of the incumbent Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu.

    Odimayo announced his withdrawal from the election in a personally signed statement to newsmen in Abuja.

    “As an aspirant and stakeholder in our great party, I have come out with a bold and courageous decision.

    “I have risen the hope of the common people that the future is here, I have shown a new and brighter direction of politicking.

    “I have changed the old narrative for a new and proper way to good and all-embracing governance.

    “With these strong beliefs and in the spirit of sportsmanship and party supremacy, I have resolved as follows:

    “After series of meetings and consultations with the top hierarchy of our party both the national and state levels, fellow contestants, leaders, elders and other stakeholders, I will not be participating in the primary.

    “I thereby pledge my full support and that of my team and political family members to our governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to emerge as the candidate of our party.

    “I remain a committed and loyal member of APC with members of my campaign council and my supporters across the 18 local government areas in the state.

    “As a stakeholder and loyal party man, I have since, directed my delegates in the primary election to cast their votes for Gov. Akeredolu to help him to win the election and emerge as APC candidate for the governorship election.

    The primary is scheduled for July 20 while the governorship election will come up on Oct. 10.

  • Leeds United back in EPL after 16-year absence

    Leeds United back in EPL after 16-year absence

    Leeds United returned to the Premier League after a 16-year absence on Friday as West Bromwich Albion’s loss at Huddersfield Town guaranteed them a top-two finish in the Championship.

    A huge favour from Leeds’ Yorkshire neighbours, who won 2-1, meant the celebrations could start in earnest at Elland Road.

    The club’s Italian owner Andrea Radrizzani will also be toasting promotion which is worth an estimated 170 million pounds.

    Leeds have 87 points with two games remaining, five more than second-placed West Brom who slumped to defeat at the John Smith’s Stadium on Friday with one game left.

    Leeds are six points ahead of third-placed Brentford, who have also played 44, and a point from their last two matches will ensure Marcelo Bielsa’s team rejoin the elite as champions.

    They could even claim the second-tier title on Saturday if Brentford fail to win at Stoke City.

    The success will be doubly sweet for Leeds who missed out on promotion last season in the playoffs despite looking favourites for automatic promotion for much of the campaign.

    It also comes less than a week after the death of one of the club’s greatest players — England World Cup-winning centre-half Jack Charlton.

    Three times English champions, Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 after hitting financial trouble and being forced to sell a host of big-name players such as Robbie Keane, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer.

    The problems were only just starting though and after three years in the Championship they slipped to the third tier and into administration with the future of the club in doubt.

    While they eventually regained their place in the Championship in 2010 they never really challenged for promotion until the enigmatic Bielsa took charge in 2018.

    They have been transformed under the former Argentina coach and can now look forward to renewing old rivalries with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.

  • UNICEF, Patoranking re-release Bob Marley’s “One Love”

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Patoranking, a popular Nigerian musician and some other artistes, on Friday re-released the late Bob Marley’s iconic song, “One Love”.

    This is contained in a statement signed by UNICEF Abuja, Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships officer, Mr Oluwatosin Akingbulu.

    Akingbulu said that proceeds from the song and related activities would be used to support “Reimagine”, UNICEF’s new global campaign.

    He said that the campaign was organised to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a lasting crisis for children and to ensure the post-pandemic world was fairer and more equal for every child.

    “The release is to support UNICEF’s work to reimagine a fairer, more just world for children whose lives had been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The money raised from ”One Love” for UNICEF’s Reimagine campaign will help UNICEF respond to the immediate needs of children worldwide by providing soap, masks, gloves, hygiene kits, protective equipment and life-saving information for children and families.

    “Also, to support near term recovery efforts, including education, protection and healthcare systems; and further UNICEF’s work to reimagine a fairer, more just world for children,” he said.

    The officer said that Tuff Gong International and Amplified Music released the new version of the seminal song, with the help of several international artistes who appeared in the new version, including Nigerian artiste, Patoranking.

    He said that the song featured artistes and musicians from Nigeria, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Jamaica, Mali, New Zealand, Sudan, Syria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    The statement quoted Patoranking as saying that he was thrilled to be a part of the project, with UNICEF and the Marley family, who were lending their generous support, creativity and love to help the most vulnerable children around the world.

    “Together, we can defeat the virus and also build our countries to be stronger and better.”

    In her remarks, the daughter of late Marley, Ms Cedella Marley, said her late father’s message through the song, “One Love”, remained true in present days.

    “More than 40 years ago, my father wrote ‘One Love’ about unity, peace and universal love during a time when there was much trouble in the world.

    “Even in a time when we aren’t able to get together, his message remains true today.

    “We can get through this global crisis if we come together through one love and one heart, ” she said.

  • Fortune was with Real Madrid – Barca boss Setien

    Fortune was with Real Madrid – Barca boss Setien

    Barcelona coach Quique Setien says Real Madrid deserve to be champions.

    However, he insists Barca deserved more from the LaLiga campaign.

    After defeat to Osasuna, Setien stated: “Madrid has a lot of merit.

    “We deserved many more points. We did not have the fortune of when you win something which is what our rival had. There is no need to apologise.

    “I do not enter evaluations. I am happy in many things, but it has not given us to win some games or the title. It could not be. This is sport.”

  • PSG prepared to do Neymar deal with Barca

    PSG prepared to do Neymar deal with Barca

    PSG are prepared to do business with Barcelona over the sale of Neymar.

    The Brazil captain has refused to consider new contract talks with PSG as he pushes to return to the Nou Camp.

    And Okdiario’s chief of football Eduardo Inda, speaking on El Chiringuito, has revealed PSG are willing to discuss terms.

    “Barcelona continues to insist on Neymar and PSG is letting this develop,” said Inda. “They would be willing to negotiate if Barca included (Ousmane) Dembélé.

    “The operation would be a player plus €80m.”

    Neymar has a deal with PSG to 2022, having left Barca three years ago for a world record €222m.

  • Pogba close to signing five-year Man Utd contract

    Pogba close to signing five-year Man Utd contract

    Paul Pogba is close to signing a new five-year contract at Manchester United.

    The Sun says United are confident of announcing the news at the end of the season.

    The Frenchman, 27, has had a change of heart since expressing his desire to leave the club this time last season.

    Boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reinstated him into his post-lockdown team after he recovered from an ankle injury.

    While Pogba looked tired and made a couple of errors against Southampton — one of which led to their first goal in Monday’s 2-2 draw — he has generally been playing well.

    Solskjaer had started to plan for the future without him but has noticed a real change in attitude and form.

  • EPL announce dates for summer transfer window

    EPL announce dates for summer transfer window

    The Premier League have announced the dates for this summer’s transfer window.

    The Premier League summer transfer window will run for 10 weeks from July 27 to October 5, it has been confirmed.

    A domestic-only transfer window will be added from October 5-16 to enable Premier League clubs to sign players from the English Football League.

    No transfers can take place between Premier League clubs in this particular window, which will close at 5pm on October 16.

    The transfer window is subject to the approval of FIFA.

    The window will open just one day after it was originally intended to, immediately following the final day of the Premier League season.

  • At Least 140 medical workers die of COVID-19 – Ministry

    At Least 140 medical workers die of COVID-19 – Ministry

    At least 140 doctors and other health workers have died of COVID-19 in Iran since the start of the pandemic, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Lari said on Wednesday.

    “Our country has been fighting against the coronavirus pandemic for about five months. The medical staff made continuous efforts to take control of this disease, continuing to treat patients.

    “About 5,000 our doctors and medical personnel contracted COVID-19. Unfortunately, 140 of them died,” Lari said, as broadcast by the IRINN channel.

    According to her, Iran has registered 199 COVID-19 fatalities over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths to 13,410.

    More than 264,500 cases of COVID-19 have been registered in Iran since the start of the pandemic.

    Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani admitted that the country was currently facing a second wave of the outbreak, adding that Iran will overcome this crisis thanks to a collective effort.

    Over the past month, the epidemiological situation in the country has worsened, both in terms of the average daily infection rate and the number of coronavirus-related deaths.

  • Ex-minister Labaran Maku’s brother, wife kidnapped, sister killed

    Ex-minister Labaran Maku’s brother, wife kidnapped, sister killed

    Unidentified gunmen have killed the sister of former minister of information, Labaran Maku and also kidnapped his elder brother and wife.

    Maku’s brother was identified as Salisu Usman-Maku, an officer with the Nigeria Immigration Service.

    According to a family member, gunmen stormed the family house in Gudi village of Akwanga Local Government Area in the early hours of Tuesday.

    The source said the gunmen killed Labaran Maku’s sister and kidnapped his brother and his wife.

    According to the source, the gunmen shot sporadically, killing the woman.

    When contacted, Comptroller of Immigration in the state, Zainab Lawal, confirmed the kidnapping of the Maku couple.

    “Nigeria Immigration Officer (NIS) Supt. Salisu Usman and his wife have been abducted at gun point.”

  • ‘I didn’t want to coach De Gea any more’

    ‘I didn’t want to coach De Gea any more’

    Former Manchester United goalkeeping coach Emilio Alvarez has revealed that he left the club following a fallout with David De Gea over the player’s future, after the shotstopper put pen to paper on a new deal at Old Trafford.

    The 48-year-old has played down suggestions that he was released from his role at Carrington, instead revealing that his exit came down to personal and professional differences with the Spaniard between the sticks.

    De Gea extended his stay with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side last September, signing a new four-year contract that will keep him in Manchester until 2023, potentially taking him up to a dozen years with the Red Devils.

    “It’s not true that Manchester United relieved me of my duties,” he told AS . “In fact, once De Gea renewed, United put an offer on the table for me. It was me who asked to meet with the club so I could tell them I wanted to leave the club.

    “It was at this meeting they asked me to renew. I told them I was going but not because I wanted to leave United. I wanted to stop coaching De Gea.

    “Aside from being his mentor at Atletico Madrid, where I backed him strongly, I was the person who convinced him to sign for United. I was his right-hand man in Manchester.

    “I came to United thanks to the great work of Jorge Mendes and because Mourinho wanted to sign me to help David develop and to keep him at the club. At that moment, he wanted to leave United.

    “It’s not true that Manchester United relieved me of my duties,” he told AS . “In fact, once De Gea renewed, United put an offer on the table for me. It was me who asked to meet with the club so I could tell them I wanted to leave the club.

    “It was at this meeting they asked me to renew. I told them I was going but not because I wanted to leave United. I wanted to stop coaching De Gea.

    “Aside from being his mentor at Atletico Madrid, where I backed him strongly, I was the person who convinced him to sign for United. I was his right-hand man in Manchester.

    “I came to United thanks to the great work of Jorge Mendes and because Mourinho wanted to sign me to help David develop and to keep him at the club. At that moment, he wanted to leave United.

    Goal