NATIONAL VIBES

Posted BY Tony Okechukwu With his hat trick against Panama, Harry Kane has leapfrog RomeluLukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo to the top of the highest goal scorer’s chart in Russia. Kane score twice against Tunisia in England’s first match at the World Cup before hitting three past Panama with two coming from the penalty spot. Lukaku’s second brace for Belgium had seen him drew level with Ronaldo as the joint-leading scorer at the World Cup on four goals yesterday. Ronaldo had moved to the top spot after scoring his 4th goal of the tournament against Morocco in Portugal’s second game. He had scored the tournament’s first hat trick against Spain in their first match at the mundial.

Posted By Pat PA Okon A Saudi woman drives June 24, 2018, the first day women were allowed to drive in the kingdom (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Today, June 24, 2018, marks the first day that women are allowed to legally drive in Saudi Arabia . The change was announced last September in a surprise move by King Salman. The new “right” is viewed as step toward women gaining independence in a nation rated 138 out of 144 for countries with the worst gender gaps (144 being the worst). Allowing women to drive is part of Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s plan to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism in the next 22 years. A key part of the plan is to integrate women into the workplace. Giving women the ability to drive is viewed by the government as the first step. Watch the daughter of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, ...

Three APC members including a ward councillor from Kano State died in an auto crash in Zaria on their way to Abuja on Saturday morning. The deceased include a Councillor representing Diso ward in Gwale Local Government Area of the State, Abdulwahab Inuwa, and two of his friends, Abdullahi Idris and Abubakar Diso. They reportedly set out early on Saturday to join other APC members at the convention in Abuja. An eyewitness, MurtalaLawan said the Honda CRV conveying the deceased somersaulted at Amaryawa village, few kilometres from Zaria. He said they were trying to rescue the deceased when the car burst into flames. Mr. Lawan said they watched the three deceased burn as they could not put out the fire. A younger brother of the deceased councilor, Bello Inuwa, told journalists in Kano that the family received the sad news from a good Samaritan who phoned the family. He explained that his brother just came back from Islamic Umrah in Saudi Arabia six days ago. The funeral prayer...

- Say Otobo's show of greed and ingratitude should not be a distraction By Pat PA Okon The Bayelsa Youths Movement has urged the Governor of the state, the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, not to give attention to the recent defection of the Commissioner for Youths, Mr. Ibarakumo Otobo, to the opposition All Progressives Congress. The Secretary-General of the group, Comrade Elisha Inodu, called on Governor Dickson to be resolute in his decision to raise a new generation of leaders to pilot the affairs of Bayelsa State in a statement on Saturday. He called on the Governor to ensure that he was not distracted by the betrayal and disloyalty displayed by the former commissioner who was a beneficiary of the visionary leadership provided by the governor. According to him, Otobo was picked by the governor out of thousands of youths who embraced the values of the Restoration Government and given the opportunity to serve Bayelsa in sensitive positions before his decision to turn...

- As former president meets S’west leaders again, reconciles with George - Bakare: meeting would put Nigeria on right path Posted by Tony Okechukwu                                                       Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is under pressure from close friends and political allies to support his erstwhile deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in his presidential bid, THISDAY has learnt.                                                          Those urging Obasanjo to back Atiku believe the former president has genuine intentions for Nigeria. But they are desirous of seeing the end of what they consider President Muhammadu Buhari’s inane government in 2019.          ...

By Pat PA Okon The Katsina State Government has demarcated a total of 950km of land to what would serve as cattle routes in the state. The Secretary to the Katsina State Government and Chairman of the State Security Committee, Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, who announced this in Katsina on Tuesday said 7,240 Demarcation Beacons would be erected in the routes for easy identification of the stock routes. He said the demarcation exercise would cover the local and international routes which connects other neighbouring states and Niger Republic. He said the government exercise was aimed at promoting  peace and stability between farmers and herdsmen, stressing this would ameliorate the frosty relationship between the cattle breeders and farmers. The SSG lamented the instances of deliberate tresspass and encroachment on the reserved grazing land specifically earmarked for animal grazing. He said the phenomenon was pavassive as it has become a common trend nationwide, stressing we woul...

By Pat PA Okon                                                                     It is no longer news that the Super Eagles of Nigeria showed class at the on-going World Cup Football Tournament in Russia.                            The other news behind the victory is that unknown to the football community the NFF President,  Amaju Melvin Pinnick was a special guest of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.                                               The duo not only sat together to savour Nigeria's brilliant performance against Iceland on Friday in Volgodrad, and the cameras twice caught both men exchanging pleasantries o...