Nigeria’s Rivers United are off to a good start in the CAF Confederation Cup as they have forced Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso to a goalless draw at Yamoussoukro in Cote d’Ivoire.
They need just a minimum win in the return leg to advance.
Stanley Eguma’s side put up solid display in the keenly contested encounter.
Rivers United will need a win in the second led to progress to the group stage of the competition.
The former Nigeria Professional Football League champions made it to the quarter-final stage at the last edition of the competition.
The Pride of Benue were drawn bye in the first round.
The Port Harcourt club will host Etoile Filante in the second leg at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt on Sunday, October 1st.
A peculiar pattern has persisted in official UK Government data for some time. Approximately five months after each dose of the Covid-19 vaccine is administered to each age group, the mortality rates per 100,000 rise significantly among the vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated in each age group.
So much so that by the end of May 2022, mortality rates were lowest among the unvaccinated in every single age group in England, and highest among the one-dose vaccinated, the two-dose vaccinated and the three-dose vaccinated.
Now, an analysis of Covid-19 data published by the UK Government has found that not only does the same pattern persist in Covid-19 deaths, but each dose of Covid-19 injection given causes a significant rise in Covid-19 deaths.
Between the 1st March and 31st July 2021, a period of 5 months, the vaccinated accounted for the majority of Covid-19 deaths in England, and it was the one-dose vaccinated who accounted for the majority (66%) of those deaths.
Between the 1st August and 31st December 2021, a period of 5 months, the vaccinated again accounted for the majority of Covid-19 deaths, with deaths nearly tripling compared to the previous 5 months, and it was the two-dose vaccinated who accounted for the majority (83%) of those deaths.
Finally, between the 1st January and 31st May 2022, a period of 5 months, the vaccinated once again accounted for the majority of Covid-19 deaths, with deaths again increasing compared to the previous five months, and it was the triple vaccinated who accounted for the majority (82%) of those deaths.
The following charts were created using data extracted from table 1 of the Office for National Statistics dataset on ‘Deaths by vaccination status (Jan 21 to March 22)’ which can be accessed on the ONS website here, and downloaded here.
The first chart shows the age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 person-years by vaccination status between the 1st January 2021 and the 30th April 2021 –
As you can see, mortality rates are highest among the unvaccinated each month. However, by the end of April 2021, five months after the first Covid-19 injection was administered in the UK, things started to even out among each vaccination group and the unvaccinated.
But look what happened in the following four months.
The first chart shows the age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 person-years by vaccination status between the 1st May 2021 and the 30th August 2021 –
The mortality rate among the vaccinated began to surpass the mortality rate among the unvaccinated significantly. By the end of August 2022, the mortality rate per 100,000 among the unvaccinated was the second lowest among each vaccination group.
Unfortunately, a follow-up report published by the ONS on 6th July 2022, proves that things did not improve for the vaccinated population.
The following two charts were created using data extracted from table 2 of the latest ONS dataset on ‘Deaths by vaccination status (Jan 21 to May 22)’, which can be accessed on the ONS website here, and downloaded here.
The charts show the monthly age-standardised mortality rates by vaccination status and age group between January 2022 and May 2022 –
A more detailed analysis of the data contained in the above charts can be read here, but what these two charts show is that by May 2022 at the latest, mortality rates per 100,000 were the lowest among the unvaccinated in every single age group in England.
Mortality rates were already generally higher among the one-dose vaccinated and two-dose vaccinated in each group, but with a mass booster (third dose) campaign not beginning until December 2021, we did not begin to see mortality rates among the three-dose vaccinated surpass mortality rates among the unvaccinated until… you guessed it… approximately five months later.
These are age-standardised figures. There is no other conclusion that can be found for the fact mortality rates per 100,000 are the lowest among the unvaccinated other than that the Covid-19 injections are killing people.
This pattern may explain why official data on Covid-19 deaths suggests that each dose of Covid-19 vaccine administered increases the number of alleged Covid-19 deaths, with those who have had the most doses accounting for the majority of those deaths.
According to the UK Governments’ COVID-19 Dashboard’, by the 1st March 2021, 35.9% of people in England aged 12 and over had received a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and just 1.3% of people in England aged 12 and over had received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
But here’s what happened in terms of Covid-19 deaths in the following five months from that point onwards according to data extracted from table 1 of the latest ONS ‘Deaths by vaccination status‘ dataset –
The public was told that they needed two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for it to be fully effective. But despite only a tiny percentage of people being two-dose vaccinated by the 1st of March, Covid-19 deaths began to fall significantly by the month.
However, as you can see from the above chart, it was the vaccinated who accounted for the majority of Covid-19 deaths each month, and it was the one-dose vaccinated who accounted for the majority of those deaths over a period of five months.
In all, there were 5,629 Covid-19 deaths. The vaccinated accounted for 63% of those deaths, 66% of which were among the one-dose vaccinated.
But things actually began to get worse for the double vaccinated in June, and unfortunately, by July 2021, Covid-19 deaths were on the rise again.
By the 1st of August 2021, 81.3% of people in England aged 12 and over had received a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 66.4% of people in England aged 12 and over had received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
But here’s what happened in terms of Covid-19 deaths in the following five months from that point onwards according to data extracted from table 1 of the latest ONS ‘Deaths by vaccination status‘ dataset –
third dose needed to be offered to the elderly and vulnerable from the beginning of October. But the claim that vaccine effectiveness wanes is a myth.
All the vaccine allegedly does is instruct our cells to produce part of the Covid-19 virus. It’s our immune system that does the rest. Therefore, it’s the performance of the immune system that wanes.
Nevertheless, as you can see from the above, people given a third dose began to account for a large chunk of the people dying of Covid-19 from the very first moment it was administered.
It was however, the double vaccinated who accounted for the vast majority of Covid-19 deaths among the vaccinated during this period. 83% to be exact. And the vaccinated population as a whole accounted for 79% of the 13,309 alleged Covid-19 deaths between the 1st of August and the 31st of December 2021.
This means the overall number of Covid-19 deaths increased by 136% over this period compared to the previous five months.
By the 1st of January 2022, 90% of people in England aged 12 and over had received a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, 82.3% of people in England aged 12 and over had received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 59.1% of people in England had received three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
But here’s what happened in terms of Covid-19 deaths in the following five months from that point onwards according to data extracted from table 1 of the latest ONS ‘Deaths by vaccination status‘ dataset –
By the end of May 2022, England had suffered 15,113 Covid-19 deaths, and the vaccinated accounted for a shocking 13,666 of them. The majority of them among the triple vaccinated every single month.
This means that overall the vaccinated population accounted for 90% of Covid-19 deaths during this period. 82% of which were among the triple vaccinated.
But what’s perhaps most concerning in this period is the massive decline in deaths among the unvaccinated but the increase in deaths each month among the vaccinated.
In January the vaccinated accounted for 85% of Covid-19 deaths, 67% of which were among the triple jabbed.
In February the vaccinated accounted for 90% of Covid-19 deaths, 74% of which were among the triple jabbed.
In March the vaccinated accounted for 93% of Covid-19 deaths, 82%% of which were among the triple jabbed.
In April the vaccinated accounted for 94%% of Covid-19 deaths, 91% of which were among the triple jabbed.
Finally, in May, a month where we would expect seasonal illness to decline, as proven by the figures, the vaccinated still accounted for 94% of Covid-19 deaths, 85% of which were among the triple jabbed.
We are still waiting for the official figures on deaths by vaccination status to be published for the months following, but unfortunately, we know from the UK Governments’ Covid-19 dashboard that the drop in Covid-19 deaths in May was short-lived, with deaths beginning to rise again from July onwards.
Something that doesn’t make sense when it comes to the fact these deaths are supposed to be caused by a virus that thrives in winter and declines in summer.
But when we see that the elderly and vulnerable were being offered a fourth dose from April onwards, we perhaps shouldn’t be so surprised that Covid-19 deaths began to rise in the middle of a red hot summer.
The problem now is that they are offering a fifth dose to the over 75’s and “most vulnerable” and a fourth dose to the over 50’s –
This means an already struggling National Vaccination Service, sorry, National Health Service (NHS), could be in for one hell of a winter and about to rename itself the National Treat Covid Only Service once again.
Aruna, who is the tournament’s number-one seed, overwhelmed Saleh in the final clash with a convincing 4-0 win.
Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has successfully retained his title in the men’s singles of the 2023 ITTF African Championships after beating Ahmed Saleh of Egypt in the final match played on Sunday.
Aruna, who is the tournament’s number one seed, overwhelmed Saleh in the final clash with a convincing 4-0 win to hold on to the title he won last year in Algeria.
There were mixed feelings for Aruna in Tunis, having missed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ticket through injury at the same venue.
“I am happy with the title because I have a good and bad memory of Tunis, having got injured here during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification. Winning another title here is good to erase the bad memory. This win will remain with me for a long time. I am happy and I look forward to the next challenge,” the Nigerian said.
Meanwhile, Egyptian teenage sensation, Hana Goda, dethroned her compatriot Dina Meshref to claim the women’s singles title on the final day of action in Tunis, the Tunisian capital.
Two-time Africa Cup champion Goda was at her best against defending champion Meshref with another inspiring 4-1 win in the final encounter of the women’s singles.
An excited 15-year-old Goda described the victory as “special”.
“This is special, especially with the support from the Tunisian fans. I will cherish this for a long time to come,” she said.
Oshonaike and Fatima Bello
Before the triumph recorded by Aruna, seven-time Olympian, Funke Oshonaike, partnered with rising star Fatimo Bello to claim the gold medal for Nigeria in the women’s doubles event on Saturday.
The feat made them the first Nigerians to win a gold medal in the fiercely contested tournament in Tunis, Tunisia.
Oshonaike came out of retirement to participate in the women’s doubles alongside Bello.
The pair were up against Cameroonian player Sarah Hanffou and her teammate, Egypt’s Marwa Alhodaby, in the final.
The event was not one with open qualification for the Olympics, and both teams only had the gold medal to play for.
A Nigerian teacher, John Obot, who is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon reading aloud, successfully hit 100 hours, 5 p.m. on Saturday.
As of now, Obot, has broken the current 124-hour world record for the longest marathon reading aloud by an individual.
The Akwa Ibom state-born teacher broke the Guinness world record set by Rysbai Isakov of Turkey and is now setting a new record of 145 hours of non-stop reading aloud.
The exercise is ongoing in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital and is expected to end at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday when Obot will have completed his 145-hour reading attempt.
Before Isakov was Nigerian Olawunmi Bayode, a father of three kids, who set the record at 120 hours at 15.30 in March 2018.
Lalong said that he had directed the Department of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations to convene the meeting with the leadership of the NLC on Monday.
He said it was important for the unions to sit down with the government to resolve all pending matters to avert further disruption to the economy.
“The administration of President Bola Tinubu will always engage organised labour and respond to its concerns after due consultation and negotiations.
“This is in order to guarantee industrial harmony, which is critical to the attainment of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Lalong said.
Also, the NLC National Executive Council threatened, on Sept. 1, in a communiqué, to embark on an indefinite strike within 21 days of the issue of the communiqué.
NLC demanded, among other things, that the minimum wage for workers be increased to N200,000.
South Sudan who recently qualified for the Olympic Games were ranked number one in Africa and 31st in the world ahead of D’Tigers who are now fifth in Africa and 37th in the world
The Nigeria men’s basketball team, D’Tigers have dropped drastically in the latest FIBA Rankings following a string of poor performances in their failed quests for tickets to the World Cup and Olympic Games.
Despite playing on home soil in Lagos, the Nigerian side a few weeks ago failed woefully in Paris 2024 Olympic Games pre-qualifiers.
In the latest rankings released by FIBA, Nigeria’s D’Tigers dropped 18 spots to be placed 37th in the World.
According to FIBA, the D’Tigers racked up 334.9 points to stay 37th in the world and 5th in Africa.
South Sudan who recently qualified for the Olympic Games were ranked number one in Africa and 31st in the world.
European power house Spain dropped to second in the world with the USA taking top spot back with 786.6 points.
Germany, Australia and Serbia in that order completes the roster of the world top five teams.
It was United’s first time losing three games in their opening five matches of the season.
Manchester United endured a humiliating 3-1 defeat at their Old Trafford home ground on Saturday, as Brighton and Hove Albion handed them their third loss in five matches of the season.
This marks the first time in their history that Manchester Utd has experienced such a shaky start to a Premier League campaign.
Erik Ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, made three changes from their previous squad that fell to Arsenal before the international break.
One notable alteration was the inclusion of new signing Rasmus Hojlund in the starting lineup.
However, the tactical shift failed to yield positive results as the Robert De Zebri-led Brighton side, with six new faces compared to their last matchday win against Newcastle, outplayed and outclassed the Red Devils.
The Game
The match kicked off with Manchester United dominating Brighton, applying relentless pressure on their visitors.
In the third minute, they earned their first corner following a clearance by Sergio Reguilon.
Marcus Rashford forced Brighton’s goalkeeper, Jason Steele, into his first save three minutes later, showing early signs of United’s attacking intent.
Despite United’s early dominance, it was their former player, Danny Welbeck, who broke the deadlock in the 20th minute.
Welbeck latched on to a low cross from Simon Adingra and slotted the ball home from 10 yards, beating United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana.
This goal marked Welbeck’s fourth against Manchester United in 12 appearances, showcasing his knack for tormenting his former club.
Welbeck came close to doubling the lead 12 minutes later, but his effort from an Adam Lallana pass sailed just above the crossbar.
In the 33rd minute, Rashford’s goal-bound shot was cleared off the line by Brighton’s Dan Van Hecke.
United appeared to have pulled one back in the 40th minute when Rasmus Hojlund tapped in Rashford’s cross, but VAR ruled it out for Rashford’s offside position.
Brighton extended their lead early in the second half, with Pascal Gross converting a penalty in the 53rd minute after a swift interchange between Karou Mitoma and Tariq Lamptey.
Substitute Joao Pedro put the game beyond reach with a sublime finish to Lamptey’s pass in the 71st minute.
Hannibal Mejbri did manage to pull one back for United in the 73rd minute, but it proved too little, too late.
Despite late efforts from both teams, including Andre Onana’s crucial saves and Mejbri’s impact, the match concluded with a 3-1 victory for Brighton and Hove Albion, leaving Manchester United and their manager, Erik Ten Hag, with much to ponder as they strive to bounce back from this disappointing start to their season.
Comeback wins for Liverpool, Man City and Liverpool
In a remarkable show of tenacity and grit, Liverpool,Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur all secured thrilling comebacks wins in their respective Premier League games on Sunday.
At the Molineux Stadium, Liverpool’s Egyptian magician, Mohamed Salah, took centre stage as the Reds clawed back from a goal down to triumph 3-1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Salah was nothing short of sensational, notching his 200th goal contribution for Liverpool in style.
Hee-Chang Hwang’s early strike gave Wolves the lead in the seventh minute, igniting hopes of an upset.
However, Salah had other plans. The Egyptian maestro orchestrated Liverpool’s resurgence with two assists, demonstrating his exceptional playmaking abilities.
His performance also saw him join an exclusive club, becoming only the fourth player to assist a goal in five consecutive Premier League away games, a feat previously achieved by Cesc Fabregas, Muzzy Izzet, and Gerard Deulofeu.
Cody Gakpo’s strike in the 55th minute kickstarted Liverpool’s comeback, leveling the score.
The Reds then surged ahead in the 85th minute when Andrew Robertson found the net.
To seal the victory in emphatic fashion, a Hugo Bueno own goal in the 91st minute added the final gloss to a remarkable turnaround.
Elsewhere, Manchester City continued their pursuit of the Premier League title with a dominant 3-1 victory over West Ham United, handing the Hammers their first defeat of the season.
In North London, Tottenham Hotspur also came from behind to beat Sheffield United 2-1.
Gustavo Hamer’s opener in the 73rd minute appeared to have sealed Spurs’ fate, however, super-sub Richarlison turned the table for the hosts.
The Brazilian forward’s towering header from Ivan Perisic’s corner kick in the 98th minute equalised the score, sending the home crowd into delirium.
But he wasn’t done yet. Just two minutes later, Richarlison turned provider, setting up Dejan Kulusevski to rifle home a screamer and complete the remarkable turnaround for Tottenham.
The three tickets up for grabs in Tunisia were all won by the Egyptian players at the expense of their Nigerian rivals
Nigeria has been beaten to all the available tickets to the Olympic Games Table Tennis team events at the African Championship taking place in Tunisia
In the battle for the Mixed Doubles Olympics ticket to Paris 2024, Egypt’s duo of Omar Assar and Dina Meshref defeated Olajide Omotayo and Funke Oshonaike 3-1 (11-8, 6-11, 11-1, 12-10) in the final in Tunisia.
In what is not just a final, but a qualification ticket for a mixed doubles Olympics qualification to Paris 2024, Team Egypt took the first set in a mouth-watering close-opening tie 11-8.
Olajide Omotayo and Funke Oshonaike representing team Nigeria recovered from dropping the first set to claim the second 11-6, stunningly.
The 3rd set went by like a rocket as Team Nigeria was out of rhythm for most of the set, a couple of errors and immobility were their major undoing in an 11-1 annihilation, as Team Egypt led 2-1 after three sets.
Despite the best efforts of the duo representing team Nigeria in the final set, there was no coming back in the 4th set.
The firepower of the Egyptians was just too much as the Nigerians succumbed to a 12-10 loss in the final set.
The 3-1 loss meant Team Nigeria would not be participating in the Table Tennis Mixed Doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics next year.
Egypt also swept up the other tickets at stake for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after beating Nigeria in the final of the men and women’s team events at the 2023 ITTF African Championships taking place in Tunis, Tunisia.
The Egyptian ladies were the first to pick their ticket as they handed out a 3-0 mauling defeat to Nigeria in the final.
he tournament saw Nigeria and Egypt on an unbeaten run as they maintained a 100 per cent record without dropping any set till the finals.
But it was the Egyptians who dominated in the finals with Dina Meshref, Hana Goda, and Marwa Alhodaby beating the trio of Fatimo Bello, Offiong Edem, and veteran Olufunke Oshonaike.
The heavily one-sided encounter once again witnessed the dominance of Egypt in the continent as it saw the North Africans qualify for their third consecutive Olympic Games at the expense of Nigeria.
An elated Goda said she was happy that they claimed the sole ticket while hoping that the Egyptian team would claim more medals at the continental showpiece.
The men’s final was well contested by Egypt and Nigeria but the Egyptians came out victorious with a 3-1 win.
Assar Omar was in fine form for the North Africans, alongside his compatriots El-Beiali Mohamed, and Abdel-Aziz Youssef triumphing against the West African trio led by Aruna Quadri, who wasn’t at his usual best, alongside Omotayo Olajide, and Mati Taiwo.
A heavy downpour that lasted for most of the second half of the game affected the movement of the two teams as the field was waterlogged
Bendel Insurance FC of Benin on Saturday drew 2-2 with visiting RS Berkane of Morocco in the second preliminary stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.
Insurance hosted the Moroccan side for the first leg of the preliminary encounter ahead of the return leg in Berkane, later in the month.
The continental match kicked off at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, with a minute silence observed in honour of the victims of the recent earthquakes in Morocco.
Imade Osarenkhoe’s effort to open the scoreline for Insurance in the first minute was obstructed, while his call for a penalty was ignored by the centre referee.
Adhil Tahif came close to a goal for the visitors after five minutes, but the hosts were quick to clear the ball
RS Berkane went on to dominate the larger part of the first half before Osarenkhoe scored in the 27th minute to give the hosts a lead.
RS Berkane’s goalkeeper, Amine El Quaad, had parried Tamianu Benjamin’s shot from outside the 18-yard box, but the rebound by Osarenkhoe earned the Benin side 1-0.
The joy did not, however, last long as Youssef Zghoudi equalised for the visitors ten minutes later to go into the halftime tied.
Second half
The Nigerian side came into the second stanza more impressive and their efforts paid off in the 61st minute through Vincent Augustus, who extended the tally to 2-1 in favour of the home side.
Bendel Insurance were, however, punished for coming all out to pursue more goals with a counter-attack that earned RS Berkane another equaliser in the 78th minute through Mohammed El Morabit to end the match in a stalemate.
Heavy downpour that lasted for most of the second half of the game obviously affected the movement of the two teams as the field was waterlogged.
To qualify for the group stage, Insurance need a win in Morocco or a better result if they are to settle for another draw.
The contingent of six wrestlers, two coaches, one medical personnel, and two officials arrived Sunday morning in Serbia.
The president of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) on Sunday said the country’s team would target multiple podium finishes at the World Wrestling Championship in Serbia.
Igali said this while welcoming the 11-man contingent in Serbia, according to a statement by the Media Assistant to NWF, Promise Okotoko, in Lagos.
The 11-man contingent departed Abuja on Saturday and landed in Serbia on Sunday morning.
According to Okotoko: “An 11-man Nigerian contingent to the World Wrestling Championships has landed in Belgrade, Serbia, to participate in the first Olympic qualifier.
“The contingent of six wrestlers, two coaches, one medical personnel, and two officials departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Saturday night aboard a Turkish Airline flight and arrived in Serbia on Sunday morning.
“The tournament will run from Sept. 16 to 22.
“President of NWF, Igali, who had left the country a day earlier noted that the Nigerian contingent was expected to quickly find their rhythm and settle in, ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead.
“Igali says that with the exceptional talent and unwavering determination of the wrestlers, he hopes they would be able to secure multiple podium finishes.”
Okotoko added: “The NWF president believes the team would overcome the physical challenges and jet lag to prove their determination.
“The world champion expressed his appreciation to the Nigeria Olympic Committee, the Federal Ministry of Sports, and the Bayelsa State government for playing various roles to ensure the participation of Team Nigeria in the first Olympic qualifier.
“Igali also appreciated Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller General, Adewale Adeniyi, a board member of the Federation for his generous send-forth of the contingent, which added as extra motivation for the athletes to excel in Belgrade.”
Expressing confidence ahead of their matches, the captain of Team Nigeria, Blessing Oborududu, outlined the team’s ambition to excel in multiple categories, including reaching finals and vying for medals.
The Olympic silver medallist expressed optimism about the team’s performance, noting that their focus extended beyond wrestling as it encompassed a broad range of disciplines.
A first-time participant, Hannah Reuben, expressed her excitement to make her debut in the prestigious global competition, adding that she was in Belgrade to make Nigerians proud.
Meanwhile, Mercy Genesis will compete in 50kg; Odunayo Adekuoroye, 57kg, and Hannah Reuben, 76kg categories on the 19th and 20th.
Blessing Oborududu will compete in 68kg; Esther Kolawale, 62kg, and Ogunsanya Christiana Tolulope, 53kg categories on the 20th and 21st.
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