Blog - Page 17 - People&Politics

Feb

09

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

13 EPL Games Left: From Looming 9- To 6-Point Gap, Guardiola Optimistic As Man City Beat Liverpool With Guehi Resilience (SEE RESULTS OF OTHER MATCHES IN DOMESTIC LEAGUES ACROSS EUROPE, SUNDAY, 8 FEBRUARY)

Sports

*Dembele, PSG In Five-Star Stroll Over Marseille *Madrid Down Toothless Valencia Before joining his triumphant players to celebrate in front of Manchester City’s delirious away support, Pep Guardiola looked to the heavens above Anfield and blew a kiss. This stadium has tormented the City manager more often than most over the past decade but, should the title race twist as dramatically as this victory, his 11th and possibly final visit to Liverpool will be cherished as the turning point. Was Guardiola’s kiss one of thanks for Gianluigi Donnarumma, the goalkeeper who deflated Liverpool in the Champions League last season with…

Feb

08

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

JUST IN! Ghana President Removes High Commissioner To Nigeria Over Alleged Vote Buying In Party Primary

News

Ghana President John Dramani Mahama has directed the immediate recall of Mohammed Baba Jamal from his post as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria following allegations of voter inducement during the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)'s Ayawaso East parliamentary primary yesterday. The decision has been hailed as exemplary of a leader intent on sanitizing his country's electoral process to weed out political corruption and clear the path for free and fair polls. The controversy arose after footage circulated on social media showing delegates allegedly receiving 32-inch television sets said to have been distributed by Mr Jamal’s campaign team. The decision to…

Feb

08

2026

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By People&Politics

YIAGA AFRICA, Nigeria’s Elections and the Challenge of Accountability

Column, Opinion

(As published in Sunday New Telegraph on 8th February, 2026) By SHEDDY OZOENE The next time Nigerians reflect on the country’s deeply flawed elections and the persistent ineptitude of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it may be worth pausing to interrogate not only the electoral umpire, but also the role played by civil society and democracy advocates. Today, more than at any other time in our history, their influence on the electoral system, and their own accountability, has come into question. On this issue, I use YIAGA AFRICA as a sampler, chiefly because it has played perhaps the most…

Feb

08

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

Chelsea’s Palmer Hits First-Half Hattrick At Woeful Wolves, As Gyökeres Double Keeps Arsenal On Title Track (SEE RESULTS FROM MAJOR DOMESTIC LEAGUES ACROSS EUROPE SATURDAY, 7 FEBRUARY)

Sports

By Ben Fisher, at Molineux & Jonathan Wilson, at the Emirates Stadium A few minutes after the final whistle, victory boxed off, most of Chelsea’s players had headed for the tunnel but Cole Palmer was wandering around the halfway line in search of lost property. Enveloped by his space-grey puffer coat, making a circle with his hands, bemused staff and teammates soon caught his drift: Palmer wanted evidence of his handiwork, a 25-minute first-half hat-trick that put this game beyond Wolves, even if Liam Rosenior’s side eased off in the second. After retrieving the match ball from a pitchside attendant,…

Feb

07

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

How Woman Who Rejected Dozens Of Calls Nearly Missed N72m Lottery Winnings

Foreign

*'I Thought They Were Scam Calls' *'I'll Use Part Of Money To Spoil My Husband' A woman from South Africa's Western Cape narrowly avoided losing more than R834,000 (over N72m) in Lotto winnings after ignoring dozens of phone calls, arriving at lottery operator Ithuba office on the last day her ticket could legally be claimed. “I couldn’t believe it. I had gone from attending a funeral to claiming over R800,000 on the very same day. It was emotional, overwhelming and completely unexpected,” she said. According to Sowetan newspaper, the ticket was bought on 5 February, 2025 through the Absa banking…

Feb

07

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

Kaduna Crime Upsurge: Kaso Community Residents Recount Stories Of Woe At Hands Of Terrorists

News

*'We're In Dire Straits, Help Us' By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna With sorrowful demeanor, leaders and residents of Kaso, a predominantly Gbagyi sub-urban community located in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, today reeled off heart-rending tales of woe of their travails at the hands of terrorists. At a protest media briefing, they revealed how attacks by the terrorists led, since 2016, to loss of lives of many of their relatives, the shutting down of the only primary healthcare centre in the area, closure of 13 primary schools and displacement of original occupants of 18 villages there. The mainly…

Feb

07

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

A Snakebite Death, Nigeria’s Latest High-profile Tragedy: All Connect To Map A System In Collapse

Feature

By Cheta Nwanze The death from a snakebite of singer Ifunanya Nwangene in an Abuja hospital last Saturday, allegedly after a frantic and failed search for antivenom, sent a familiar shudder through Nigeria. It was a profoundly personal tragedy, yet it felt grimly systemic. Within days, it became part of a devastating triad of events framing a national crisis. A few weeks before, the country had grappled with the death of novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s young son in a premium private hospital in Lagos, amid allegations of negligence. Just before that, there were the images of boxer Anthony Joshua, after…

Feb

07

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

For Community Development Enthusiasm, FCT Chiefs Council Confers Top Title On DOAS Deputy Director

News

By Felix Durumbah, Abuja Further testament to the credibility and community spirit of newly-promoted Deputy Director, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)'s Department of Outdoor Advertising and Signage (DOAS), Mr Sunday Azaki, came as the FCT Council of Chiefs has conferred a chieftaincy title on him. In a letter by the council, dated 27 January, 2026, addressed to Mr. Azaki, with reference FCT/-TC/KWAC/Title.01/07, and signed by the Etsu Kwali, HRH Luka Nizassan 111, who is also the Chairman, Council of Chiefs, Kwali Area Council of FCT, the body spoke in glowing language of Mr Azaki's sterling qualities and unrivalled qualifications for…

Feb

07

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

Native Iranian BBC Journalists Say Authorities Targeting Their Families, Recount Horror Tales

Foreign

Exiled Iranian journalists working for the BBC have been warned their movements are being closely monitored by the state, as they said their families in Iran were being interrogated and persecuted for their reporting. Journalists said family members had been threatened with arrest and the seizure of their assets unless their loved ones stopped reporting on Iranian unrest. The Guardian UK was told of instances in which the parents of journalists had been warned that Iran’s security forces knew where and when they worked, as well as the position of their desk in the newsroom. Staff working for BBC Persian,…

Feb

07

2026

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By Felix Duru Mbah

Without Kicking A Ball, Mbappé’s Mother Earns More Than Seven Real Madrid Stars

Sports

Kylian Mbappé is the highest-paid player at Real Madrid. In terms of impact, that status is hardly surprising, even if Vinícius Jr. disagrees and has reportedly put his contract renewal on hold because he wants to be paid on the same level as the French star. The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward earns a staggering €31 million gross per year. He arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu on a free transfer, a factor that allowed him to negotiate a far more lucrative deal. His mother, Fayza Lamari, also benefits significantly from the arrangement: acting as his agent, she reportedly earns €4.5…