Tag: arrives

  • JUST IN: Tinubu arrives Lagos from London ahead of Sallah

    JUST IN: Tinubu arrives Lagos from London ahead of Sallah

    *As Shettima jets to Maiduguri for Sallah

    President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday evening, arrived in Lagos from London ahead of Wednesday’s Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

    Tinubu’s Gulfstream jet arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at 05:05 pm local time where he was welcomed by a waiting crowd of supporters.

    This concludes his one-week trip to Paris—where he attended a summit for A New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron—and London, for a private visit.

    The Presidency had on Saturday revealed that Tinubu canceled his planned return to Abuja that day.

    “Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit,” a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, read.

    Although the statement was silent on the particular day of Tinubu’s return, Presidency sources confirmed to The PUNCH that the Nigerian leader would return to his private Ikoyi home in Lagos later on Tuesday to observe his first Sallah celebration as President.

    “I am certain that he will return to Lagos tomorrow (Tuesday), not Abuja. That’s where he will observe Sallah.

    “The holiday lasts until Thursday, he may extend his stay till Sunday or Monday next week before he returns to Abuja,” the source said.

    He returns amidst uncertainty about his list of prospective ministers, which, according to another source, is almost ready to be sent to the National Assembly.

    “I learned that Tinubu’s Ministerial list is almost done. He kept a core of Ministers to himself, heavily influenced by the kitchen cabinet of SAs. The politicians are in Bolekaja over the rest. It’s a slugfest now,” said the source.

    In March, the then Special Adviser to the president-elect, Alake, said Tinubu would convene his cabinet within one month of assuming office.

    Alake said this is in line with the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution mandating presidents-elect and governors-elect to submit the names of their ministerial and commissioner nominees within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.

    He said, “I told you in an earlier interview that it didn’t take Asiwaju more than three weeks to form his cabinet as governor.

    “That was as at that time. I think 60 days is even too much.

    “A month, maximum, is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing-in.”

    In 2015, Nigerians lamented the delay by the Buhari administration in appointing ministers, which took about six months to form its cabinet.

    Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday, departed Abuja for Maiduguri, Borno State, where he will be observing this year’s Eid-el-Kabir.

    Our correspondent learned that he is due to return within the weekend.

  • AFCON: Osimhen arrives Super Eagles camp ahead of Guinea Bissau qualifier

    AFCON: Osimhen arrives Super Eagles camp ahead of Guinea Bissau qualifier

    Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen has arrived the team’s camp in Abuja ahead of Friday’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against the Djurtus (Wild Dogs) of Guinea Bissau.

    The match is scheduled to take place at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, in Abuja.

    Eagles Media Officer, Babafemi Raji said in a chat that Osimhen, who had a flight delay in Lagos, joined the team in Abuja after Tuesday’s evening training.

    Raji said that the arrival of Osimhen brought the number of players in camp to 22, while Portugal-based defender Zaidu Sanusi was the only player still being expected and should be joining the team on Wednesday.

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    The Eagles have six points from their previous two matches, as they confront Guinea Bissau in a top-of-the-table fixture that will largely determine the swing of the pool.

    They are favoured to qualify for the competition scheduled to hold in Cote d’Ivoire early next year.

    Meanwhile, tickets for the encounter have been calibrated in price ranges of N2,000 and N10,000 for ordinary and VIP seats respectively.

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    Ademola Olajire, Communication Director, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said the tickets are available at the football secretariat at the Package B of Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

    Olajire said tickets are also available at the Old Parade Ground, NFF’s former office at Wuse Zone 7 and other designated places which details will be announced on broadcast stations nationwide.

    Egyptian referee Mahmoud Elbana will be in the centre, with his compatriots Youssef Elbosaty, Sami Halhal and Ahmed El-Ghandour to function as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2, and fourth official respectively.

    Prosper Harrison Addo from Ghana will be the match commissioner and his compatriot Kotey Alexander will be the referee assessor.

  • Christian Atsu’s body arrives Ghana for funeral

    Christian Atsu’s body arrives Ghana for funeral

    The body of Ghana soccer player Christian Atsu, who was found dead in his collapsed apartment building in the Turkey earthquake, has been repatriated.

    Atsu’s remains arrived in the Ghanaian capital of Accra late Sunday, said Ghana Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who led a government delegation to receive the body. Atsu’s body was carried home in a casket on a Turkish Airlines plane and was accompanied by members of his family and the Ghana ambassador to Turkey, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

    “This loss is a very painful one and this is a sad day for Ghana,” Bawumia said. “We all prayed and prayed, we hoped against hope for every day that passed, but God knows best.”

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    Atsu’s body was found in the rubble of a luxury 12-story building in the southern Turkish city of Antakya on Saturday, nearly two weeks after the devastating earthquake that has left more than 44,000 people dead in Turkey and neighboring Syria.

    Reports emerged a day after the earthquake that Atsu had been rescued from the rubble, was alive and had been sent to the hospital, but they were mistaken.

    The 31-year-old Atsu, who played for Premier League teams Chelsea and Newcastle, had joined Turkish club Hatayspor last year and scored the winning goal in a league game on Feb. 5, hours before the devastating earthquake struck in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 6.

    Hatayspor sporting director Taner Savut also lived in the same apartment building and was reported missing at the same time as Atsu. Savut has still not been found.

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    Bawumia promised that Atsu would be given a fitting funeral and said his death was a blow for the people of Ghana. Atsu played more than 60 times for his country after making his debut at the age of 20 in 2012.

    Atsu was also remembered with moments of silence and other tributes at soccer games in England and elsewhere this weekend. At his former club Newcastle, fans held up placards with his photo. An image of him was put up on a big screen at Chelsea’s game against Southampton before kickoff.

    Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus had “R.I.P Atsu” written on a white T-shirt under his team shirt and revealed the message after scoring a goal for Dutch club Ajax in a game on Sunday.

    The Ghanaian soccer association ordered moments of silence to be observed at every professional game in the West African country on Saturday in honor of Atsu.

  • ‘Zazu’ crooner Portable arrives on stage in white coffin

    Self-styled ‘wahala’ singer, Omololami Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has pulled an unforgettable stunt with his most dramatic entrance at his first headlined concert in Lagos. The controversial street-hop was…

  • Groom arrives wedding in coffin

    Groom arrives wedding in coffin

    IMG 20221115 WA0019

    A groom has been slammed for his ‘abnormal’ decision to be carried down the aisle in a coffin.

    The unnamed groom, who is presumed to be from the US, was carried up the aisle at his outdoor ceremony in a black casket.

    The bizarre entry, which was caught on camera by a guest, showed two bridesmaids leading the scary procession and many groomsmen assisting them.

    IMG 20221115 WA0018

    The video was uploaded to TikTok and had 8.2 million views as of the time of this report.

    Although the footage did not show the bride’s reactions or the groom’s face, it certainly touched a nerve with online viewers, who criticised the man’s conduct.

    Read Also: Groom, five others die in Enugu community

    The unnamed TikTok user @tobz88, shared the video with the song ‘Rest In Peace’ by Dorothy, while adding the caption: ‘Tell me you’re dramatic without telling me you’re dramatic.’

    ‘Is this a funeral? No this is how my friend decided to walk down the aisle.’

    The footage did not show the bride or if the wedding ceremony actually took place after the groom’s odd entrance.