Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says last season’s painful Champions League semi-final defeat has made his side stronger as they prepare to launch another push for the trophy. Mikel Arteta and his boys were beaten by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the last four, ending their hopes of a first European crown. Ahead of Tuesday’s opening group game against Athletic Bilbao, Arteta insisted the experience will serve as motivation. “You take a lot of learnings from it, it’s painful because it’s about the expectation we created and the conviction that we could go all the way,” Arteta told a press…
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The Federal Government has ordered the suspension of the four percent free on board (FOB) levy earlier introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service on imported goods. Naija News reports that the directive, which takes effect immediately, was communicated through a memo from the office of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. The decision followed consultations with industry players, trade experts, and government officials. Authorities explained that the levy was creating difficulties for importers and businesses, adding more financial pressure that could affect inflation, competitiveness, and the business climate in the country. The ministry said the suspension…
The 2025 edition of the Ballon d’Or has been officially scheduled for September 22, with excitement already building across the football world. Naija News reports that the Ballon d’Or, widely regarded as the most prestigious individual award in football, recognises the best players over a full season. This year’s award will cover performances from August 2024 to mid-2025. Among the frontrunners is Kylian Mbappé, who made headlines with his blockbuster move to Real Madrid. Erling Haaland also remains a top candidate after yet another record-breaking goal-scoring campaign, while Jude Bellingham’s meteoric rise as a midfield general is expected to weigh…
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will intensify their preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup with two high-profile friendlies against Chile and Australia. Naija News reports that the Flying Eagles departed Abuja on Sunday night for Chile, where they will round off their final training camp. Aliyu Zubairu’s boys are billed to take on Chile in their first warm-up game on Saturday at a venue yet to be confirmed, before squaring up against Australia next Tuesday. Zubairu, who officially named his final 21-man squad for the tournament, expressed confidence in the team’s readiness. “We have had a solid preparation in Abuja…
World Cup-winning defender Samuel Umtiti has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 31. Samuel Umtiti, a French centre-back, who famously helped France lift the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, confirmed his decision in an emotional message to fans on Instagram earlier today, September 15. “After an intense career with ups and downs, the time has come to say goodbye,” Umtiti wrote. “I gave my ALL with passion and regret NOTHING. I want to thank all the clubs, presidents, coaches and players I was able to stand with … and thank you to all the supporters…
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, has lamented that President Bola Tinubu seems unable to resolve the hunger situation in the country. Speaking via a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku decried the high level of hunger among poor Nigerians. He recalled how poverty and hunger caused revolutions in the Arab world, as well as in France and Russia. Atiku argued that there are “no manifest signs that this government is capable of addressing the grim issue of severe hunger staring the poor in the face” after two years in power. Counselling that the current unacceptable situation…
The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has fired former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over recent comments about the present administration. In a statement on Monday, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that Atiku and his handlers are clearly out of touch with the positive developments currently unfolding in Nigeria, adding that ‘talk is cheap.’ He described Atiku’s claim that hunger is ravaging Nigeria, and their comparison of the country’s situation to the unrest in France before the 1789 Revolution or the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, as grossly misleading. Onanuga said: “Their latest statement demonstrates a disconnect…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has concluded his work vacation ahead of schedule. Naija News reports that the President will return to Abuja on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, to resume official duties. This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The President departed for France on September 4, 2025, to spend part of his annual holiday and was initially scheduled to divide the period between France and the United Kingdom. Last week in Paris, President Tinubu held a private luncheon with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, at the Élysée Palace.…
A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jeremiah Useni, has been exposed for allegedly purchasing a property in the United Kingdom in 1993 using a false identity. A London property tribunal disclosed how the late Useni created a fictitious identity decades ago to conceal his purchase of a house at 79 Randall Avenue, Neasden, North London. The ruling of the court, shared on 𝕏 by Adam Wren, director of Open Justice UK, also thwarted the move to transfer ownership of the property to Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) last week…
Athletic Bilbao captain Inaki Williams has said his team will approach their UEFA Champions League opener against Arsenal without fear as the Spanish side makes a long-awaited return to Europe’s top competition. Athletic, who maintain a unique policy of selecting only players from the Basque region, are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2014, qualifying for only the third time in their history. Williams, a Ghana international, told reporters that the squad is relishing the opportunity to compete at the highest level. “So many of us are looking forward to debuting in the Champions League. For…
