EPL: Destiny Finally In Manchester City’s Hands – Guardiola

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April 27, 2023

Manchester City v Arsenal – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – April 26, 2023 Manchester City’s Rodri, Erling Braut Haaland, manager Pep Guardiola, John Stones and Manuel Akanji during a break in play

Manchester City wrestled control of the Premier League title race from Arsenal with a 4-1 thumping in their top-of-table clash on Wednesday, to the thrill of manager Pep Guardiola, who said destiny was finally in his team’s hands.

“Absolutely my position now (is what I prefer over Arsenal’s),” he said. “It’s in our hands. I’d love to have six points from these two games (in hand), but we have to win them.”

Guardiola’s side are just two points off the top with two games in hand, and can take the lead with a victory on Sunday at Fulham.

And their recent form suggests they will — they are unbeaten in 17 matches in all competitions after 14 wins and three draws.

Guardiola said their next three games will “dictate a lot”.

“We have two games at home (following Sunday, versus West Ham and Leeds United), and I don’t want to anticipate because it’s not healthy, but this season at home, we feel comfortable with the people, the crowd,” Guardiola said of the Etihad Stadium, which was a rocking sea of sky blue on Wednesday.

“I think the next three games will be really, really important. But the most important thing is our destiny is in our hands. And when you arrive at the end of the season, whatever happened, it doesn’t matter. It’s our performance, to win the (remaining) games, it depends on us. This is the best way to approach the last seven games we still have.”

Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and Erling Haaland also found the net to claim the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League season, with his 33rd strike of the campaign.

“The threat, Kevin-Erling, Erling-Kevin is so, so important,” Guardiola said. “Being together, when teams press so high and we regain balls with the space behind, they’re so dangerous, and we use it.”

Manchester City are also chasing the treble having booked their berths in both the FA Cup final and Champions League semi-finals.

Asked whether he considers City one of the best teams in any league, Guardiola said: “If we play like today we are an incredible, competitive team. Absolutely.

“But there are many, many good teams all around the world.”

The biggest compliment, Guardiola added, is that Manchester City, who are chasing their third consecutive Premier League title, are always in the thick of it at the end of the season.

“Many, many years we are there in all competitions, this is the best compliment we can get”

Lions Club International To Train 1,500 Oyo Teachers

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 27, 2023

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Lions Club International Foundation has announced a teachers training program for 1,500 teachers in Oyo tagged Lion Quest, on how to tackle bullying, truancy, drug abuse and other social vices among secondary schools’ students in the state.

Making the announcement at a three-day workshop in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, the Nigeria coordinator of Lions Quest, Kola Oyekanmi said that the scheme is a curriculum and evidence based program, with emphasis on training the youth on social emotional learning, strategies and techniques for young adults.

He said Nigeria is implementing the Lions Quest skills for the adolescent, targeting secondary schools.

He said a breakthrough has been made with the approval of the Oyo State Ministry of Education to implement the program in all the secondary schools in the state.

He said the program focus is to get the adolescent educated in a conducive environment and consciously create and give them the opportunity to become responsible individuals of strong character.

He further said the first step of the implementation of the program is the training of teachers on the curriculum of Lions Quest.

He added that after the training, they will be certified and their certificates will be internationally recognized.

Oyekanmi said that the three basic learning skills that will be taught in the training include: skills for growing up, which is suitable for primary school pupils, skills for adolescent, which is meant for Junior Secondary School (JSS) ages and skills for adults, which suitable for Senior Secondary School (SSS) and undergraduates of higher institutions.

We Suffered! Arsenal’s Arteta Laments After Man City Mauling

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Emenike Agu

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April 27, 2023

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Arsenal remain top of the Premier League but manager Mikel Arteta’s body language after a 4-1 drubbing at Manchester City on Wednesday suggests he knows their title chance has gone.

His side wilted under City’s sustained onslaught and perhaps got off lightly as Kevin De Bruyne scored twice with John Stones and Erling Haaland also on target.

Reigning champions City will go top with a game in hand if they beat Fulham at the weekend having trailed Arsenal for more or less the whole season.

“I don’t know what is going to be required,” Arteta told reporters when asked if Arsenal must now win their remaining five games to have any chance of claiming the club’s first title since 2004. “For sure we have to lift the players up first because they suffered tonight.

“We need to do everything that we’ve done so far so well and start winning.”

While the loss to City will be seen as the pivotal moment in the title race, the truth is Arsenal had already lost the momentum they had built up in an awful April.

Successive 2-2 draws with Liverpool and West Ham United, having led by two goals, were followed by Friday’s chaotic 3-3 draw at home to bottom club Southampton.

It was a run that hardly fuelled Arsenal’s belief and with the Londoners badly missing the agility of injured defender William Saliba they were taken to the cleaners by City.

“The first 30 minutes all the basic things you have to do against a top team we didn’t do it and we got punished,” Arteta told reporters. “We played against an exceptional team.

“We’re an exceptional team as well — but today we weren’t at the races.”

City’s De Bruyne was quick to point out that they still have seven league games to negotiate and that they still trail Arsenal in the race, but even the most optimistic Arsenal supporters will now be settling for runners-up spot.

Not a bad achievement for a club that has not finished in the top four since 2016 and were not even considered to be title contenders at the start of the campaign.

“The stats at the start of the season said we’d finish sixth or seventh and we are where we are,” Arteta said.

“The players deserve a lot of credit to be where we are after nine months against this team. There’s still five games to go. I’ve been in this country 22 years and things change a lot.

“Today is a very difficult night but we have to stand up and look at the bigger picture. The fact we are competing toe to toe with this City team is incredible.”

Just In: FG Suspends Planned Fuel Subsidy Removal

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 27, 2023

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The National Economic Council, on Thursday in Abuja, said it has agreed that petrol subsidy should “not be removed” as earlier planned for June 2023.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after the valedictory Council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Ahmed said the Council agreed on the need for continued discussions on the issue adding that the FG, together with states and representatives of the incoming administration, require more preparatory work.

She said, “Council agreed that the timing of the removal of fuel subsidy should not be now. But that we should continue with all of the preparatory works that need to be done and that this preparatory has to be done in consultation with the states and other key stakeholders including representatives of the incoming administration.

“Council agreed that the fuel subsidy must be removed earlier rather than later because it is not sustainable. We cannot afford it anymore. But we have to do it in such a way that the impact of the subsidy is as much as possible, mitigated on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

“So, this will require looking at alternatives to the fuel subsidy that needs to be planned for and subsequently put in place. But also what needs to be done to support the people that will be most affected as a result of the removal.”

Ahmed added that the FG will be working together with representatives of the states between now and June 2023.

NNPC To Deduct N672bn As Subsidy Hits N1.35tn In Four Months

“We have a plan that we will start working on, putting the building blocks towards the eventual removal of the first subsidy.

“And if I may remind this forum that the budget for 2023 has a provision for fuel subsidy only up to June 2023 and also the Petroleum Industry Act has a provision that requires that all petroleum products must be deregulated 18 months after the effective date of the PMS removal and that that period is also up to June 2020,” the minister explained.

Abolish Colonial Legacy of HND/BSc Dichotomy – NAPS

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 27, 2023

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The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the bill seeking the removal of the dichotomy between HNHNDD and BSc holders in the country before leaving office on May 29th.

The students threatened to shut down all polytechnics, colleges of technology, and allied institutions that award HNDs across Nigeria if Buhari doesn’t assent to the bill in the next 14 days.

The NAPS Deputy Senate President, Adeniji Temitope, in a statement, said Nigerian polytechnic students and alumni have been suffering challenges as a result of the dichotomy.

The student body alleged that although Buhari had been signing numerous measures, the HND/BSc dichotomy bill had not been included.

Temitope said that Polytechnic students and graduates are one of the major groups that supported and sustained the regime of the president,

She urged THE President to pass the bill to stop the HND/BSc dichotomy and make it one of his major achievements.

This is coming two weeks after the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) also urged President to assent to the bill.

The National President of NATE, Dominic Udoatan, during a briefing in Abuja, said passing the bill into law will not cause any damage.

He said efforts to abolish the HND and BSc dichotomy in Nigeria have always been thwarted by enemies of technological advancement in Nigeria, who want the country to go down at all costs.

He added that these self-centered persons with ill motives stay at a corner and constantly devise means of frustrating polytechnic education, technological breakthrough/development, and the technologists in our dear country.

While expressing the frustration felt by HND holders, the president said they see no need for the dichotomy, so it should be removed because there is no work progression.

According to NATE, the present situation has made many parents unwilling to allow their children to seek admission into polytechnics because of the stigma of inferiority that polytechnic graduates are second-class citizens.

Sandwich Program: LASU Partners Two Private CoEs

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 27, 2023

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Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo has signed a technical affiliation agreement with two private colleges of education, Topmost College of Education, Lagos and Royal College of Education, Ifo, Ogun State, to run certain sandwich degree programs in their respective colleges.

The vice chancellor of LASU, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, who signed the MoU on behalf of LASU said the university is committed to providing quality education to students and also engaging in society-driven research and community services.

She said the collaboration would increase access for more Nigerians who are qualified and desirous of university education in the country.

She said the arrangement is in line with Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that focuses on inclusive, equitable education and lifelong learning for all.

Explaining the terms of the agreement in a statement by the university’s spokesman, Jeariogbe Olaniyi, the deputy registrar of the Legal Unit of LASU, Olajumoke Boyejo, said the two partnering colleges could run sandwich degree programs on agreed education courses in their schools and also make use of the university expertise.

She emphasized that those courses must be only the ones jointly agreed on and accredited by the university senate in conjunction with its faculty of education.

She noted that the MoU would last only five years and be renewable based on performance.

DELSU Gets NUC’s Approval For New Programs

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 27, 2023

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The National Union Commission (NUC) has approved new courses for Delta University (DELSU), Abraka.

The Vice Chancellor of DELSU, Prof. Andy Egwunyenga disclosed this at a press briefing in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state.

The press conference was part of the programs lined up for the 15th Convocation ceremony of the University slated for Saturday, April 29.

Addressing newsmen, Egwunyenga said that the new Degree awarding programs were: Entrepreneurship Studies, Office and Information Management, Biotechnology, Public Administration and Medical Laboratory Science.

He said that over the years, DELSU had recorded a remarkable feat in the areas of infrastructure, teaching, and research among others.

He said his goal as Vice Chancellor was to ensure that DELSU was ranked among the 10 top Universities in the country adding that he was working toward realizing the target.

He added that in line with the drive to reposition the University to be among the best in the World, the graduating students would have the electronic version of their Transcript on Saturday.

The vice chancellor said that the University was currently awaiting the report of NUC’s Resource Verification Exercise for the commencement of the Agriculture Business Management Program and the Doctor of Pharmacy Program.

Group Unveils $10,000 Grant For Teachers

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 27, 2023

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The Muhammad Sanusi II Sustainable Development Goals Initiative has announced a $10,000 grant for teachers across sub-Saharan Africa.

This was as it called on teachers across sub-Saharan Africa with innovative educational projects to apply for the 2023 MSII SDG Challenge.

The challenge is open to practicing teachers based anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa for exclusive access to mentoring, training and relevant networking opportunities.

A statement by the organization on Thursday stated that the programme is aimed at enabling teachers to develop scalable education projects and assist in developing innovative community projects focusing on quality education and gender equality.

Nigerian Teachers Calls For Trainings To Improve Sector

The statement read, “Application for Cohort 3 of the MSII SDG Challenge is now open to teachers who believe that education is the key to innovation and are passionate enough to develop solutions that improve the African education system for the better.”

The statement noted that teachers selected to participate in the MSII SDG Challenge will receive an initial grant of $2,000 for their projects, go through a comprehensive incubation programme and will be further considered for a follow-up grant of up to $10,000 and an accelerator opportunity.

In addition, all accepted teachers will acquire access to the 1 million teachers’ platform, a unique platform with access to high-quality teaching resources to boost their project and teaching outcomes.

It added, “Interested participants can apply for Cohort 3 of the MSII SDG Challenge by visiting www.msiisdg.org. The deadline for submission of applications is May 20, 2023.”

Raheem Launches University Scholarship Fund

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Nzubechukwu Anodo

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April 27, 2023

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England and Chelsea star, Raheem Sterling has launched a scholarship fund aimed at closing the gap in the number of black British students who go to university.

The footballer’s foundation will financially support 14 students to attend either Manchester or King’s College London universities hoping it would improve social mobility.

The first four scholarships will be available for students commencing degree programs in 2023/24.

It comes as King’s College London research showed in 2021/22, less than 5% of all UK students starting undergraduate degrees at Russell Group universities were black.

Sterling said he hopes this initiative will be a real game changer over the next few years and his delighted to be working with two of the finest universities in the world.

He wished the recipients of the funding all the very best and looks forward to meeting them on campus in Manchester and London later this year.

Sudan: More Nigerians To Be Evacuated Today – NIDCOM

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 27, 2023

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The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, says more Nigerian students are to be evacuated from Sudan, thursday.

She said this during a television interview on Thursday. According to her, the students will arrive in Cairo, Egypt later in the evening.

“13 buses of about 60 people have already left. We are hoping that they would get into as one later this evening, but we are monitoring them. It is not a very pleasant situation, mission officials are waiting to receive them,” the NIDCOM boss said.

According to her, the government is vigilant to monitor the safe arrival of the students down to the country.

However, she lamented that there are many undocumented Nigerians seeking evacuation from the North African country.

“There is a little challenge. Three thousand five hundred students, yes. Nigerians there are now coming without any documentation,” Dabiri-Erewa added. “They now say they want to come back.”

But she admitted that there were little challenges with the logistics and the rising number of persons who have applied to be ferried to safety.

Sudan Crisis: Nigeria Begins First Evacuation of Nationals

Some of the transporters insist that they want to collect their cash before they even load the next set of buses.

“The mission is now being bombarded with people that never registered, that never showed presence, saying that they want to come.

“Everything is being done by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to ensure that is done. Perhaps, when we get all our data right, Sudan Republic is one of the areas where we have our largest diaspora population.”

She also noted that the continuation of the students’ education would not be a problem, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved funds for the purpose and the welfare of those affected.

Dabiri-Erewa equally rued the situation in Sudan, calling for peace among the warring factions.

“The 72 hour is lapsing, there is a lot of tension, a lot of desperation. There is been a lot of talks with the AU and two warring factions and there is nothing better than peace in all these situations,” she said.

“What the mission had to do was to ensure that only students come first because that was what we agreed.”

Her comments come hours after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, gave an update about the evacuation, noting that no Nigerian life has been lost.