Florian Wirtz scored after 84 seconds as Bayer Leverkusen made it 38 games unbeaten in all competitions with a 3-2 victory in Freiburg on Sunday. Leverkusen’s seventh league win on the bounce kept them 10 points clear of serial champions Bayern Munich with eight games to play in their quest for the club’s first ever Bundesliga crown. “It was a good performance, a deserved victory. It’s not easy to win in Freiburg but we keep going,” Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso told DAZN before praising the performance of his playmaker Wirtz. “It’s not just the goal he scored, he has a super game. He has real quality and I am very happy for his development.” Wirtz, one of Leverkusen’s key performers this season, got things moving in style. The Germany forward cut in from the left and unleashed a perfect shot with his right foot, chalking up his seventh league goal of the campaign. The early goal stunned Freiburg, who came into the game fresh from a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of West Ham in the Europa

  The remains of the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, have been laid to rest at his ancestral home in the Alarere compound area of Ibadan the Oyo state capital. Oba Balogun, who ruled for two years, died at the age of 81 on Thursday at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, after a brief illness. Present to witness the late monarch’s burial is the Oyo state Deputy Governor, Mr Bayo Lawal, who led a delegation of the State Executive Council to the burial. The Olubadan in council was led by the Otun Olubadan, Sen. Rashidi Ladoja whom other dignitaries joined to pay their last respects to the departed monarch. The late Olubadan was the first most educated to have emerged as Ibadan monarch, a British trained PhD holder, a former university lecturer, former member of the management staff of Shell British Petroleum, former governorship candidate of the defunct Nigeria People’s Party (NPP), former Senator and a successful businessman. His last off

  Access Holdings has reappointed Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede as its non-executive chairman after 10 years of serving as the bank’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). “Access Holdings Pic (the Holdco’), is pleased to announce the return of Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CFR as its Non-Executive Chairman. Mr. Aig-Imoukhuede, CFR replaces Mr. Abubakar Jimoh, the erstwhile Chairman of the HoldCo who remains on the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director,” the company secretary Sunday Ekwochi said in a late Wednesday statement. His appointment comes in the wake of the death of the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Herbert Wigwe and following what the company described as “extensive consultations with key stakeholders”. “This visionary and accomplished leader is bringing an outstanding record of accomplishments, a wealth of expertise, and leadership to guide the Group into a new era of success,” Access Holdings said.

    Akintunde Sawyer   The Federal Government has postponed the launch of the Nigerian Students Loan Scheme indefinitely. The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyer, made disclosed this during an interview with the Arise News monitored by our Correspondent on Tuesday. As is widely known in June 2023, President Bola Tinubu signed a Bill to start a Students Loan Fund that would give interest-free loans to Nigerians for higher education and those engaged in vocational skills development. The immediate-past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, sponsored the Bill and it was supposed to start between September and October 2023. However, Tinubu said the programme would begin in January 2024, after missing the October deadline. In January, Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, said at a meeting that preparations for the programme had been concluded. This included making the Student Loan Scheme website and planning on how to sta

  Donald Trump on Monday vowed to free people jailed for taking part in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol as one of his first actions if reelected, calling them “hostages.” The rioters — egged on by the then-president and fueled by his false claims of voter fraud — stormed the seat of US democracy on January 6, 2021, in a bid to halt the transfer of power to Joe Biden. Around 1,358 defendants have been charged in the 38 months since then, according to the latest figures from the Justice Department released last week. About 500 have been sentenced to prison terms. Trump posted the comments on his Truth Social website, additionally promising to shut down the border with Mexico as part of his first acts if reelected, without providing details. “My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” he wrote late Monday. Trump has made previous comments about his hypothetical first day in office, v

  The Nigerian team contesting in the 13th edition of the All African Games in Ghana have won in the Freestyle Women’s Wrestling category, bringing home six gold medals. The winners and their respective categories are: Blessing Genesis (50kg) defeating Emma Nekassa of Kenya, Ogunsanya Christiana (53kg) defeating Mohammad S. Of Egypt, Adekuroye Odunayo (57kg) defeating TBD, Kolowole Esther (62kg) defeating Kruger M of the Republic of South Africa, Oborodudu Blessing (68kg) defeating Abdullateef S of Egypt, and Hannah Rubin (76kg) defeating Hamza S. Of Egypt. Nigeria’s Anioluwapo Opeyori, the African Badminton champion, also brought home one gold medal and one silver medal from his Nigerian opponent as well. This was contained in a statement signed by SA Media to the Honourable Minister of Sports Development Diana Mary Nsan. The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, congratulated the athletes and coaches for their impressive performance, stating that it was a

  The Department of State Services (DSS) has warned Nigerians against crowded gatherings to avoid potential threats. In an advisory issued on Friday, DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, urged Nigerians to be vigilant against public dangers, especially Improvised Explosive Devices. Felicitating the Muslim faithful on the commencement of Ramadan and the Christians for the Lent period, Afunanya called on the citizens to report any strange activities or movements to the security agencies. He also cautioned clerics from both religions, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders to refrain from economic exploitation, sabotage, or profiteering during these important obligations, stressing that the service calls for tolerance, bonds of brotherhood, dialogue and peaceful coexistence among the populace. “Residents are advised to remain vigilant against public dangers especially Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs),” the statement read. “Also, the general public is urged to stay informed about potentia