State governors are angry with Buhari

A handful of governors are furious with President Muhammadu Buhari for granting financial autonomy to the legislative and judicial arms of government in the 36 states of the federation, and are spoiling for showdown discussions.

On Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at exactly 2pm, the governors will meet via teleconference to take a common position and weigh their options.

On Friday, May 22, 2020, President Buhari signed Executive Order No. 10 of 2020 into law.

“Based on the power vested in me under Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I, today, signed into law Executive Order No. 10 of 2020 for the implementation of Financial Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary," the president said.

The executive order means that the legislative and judicial arms of government across the 36 states will no longer be tied to the apron strings of powerful governors; and will receive their financial allocations straight from the center.

Obaseki confident about second term if September elections is not rigged

Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, says winning a second term at the polls is not a challenge for him if the process is not manipulated.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced last week that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will not affect the election already scheduled for September 19, 2020.

While speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, May 27, Obaseki said his first term performance will easily earn him another four years in the Edo Government House.

"I'm not bothered. The evidence is out there. As the governor of Edo State in the last three years, we know we've done well. People say we've done well. Therefore, any contest will be no contest, if it's not manipulated. My party is a lawful party, I hope and pray that things are done properly and in line with the party constitution," he said.

Breaking: 77 years old man who is the strongest in Awka ibom in Nigeria.See photos of his new prowesses

Meet The “Strongest Man” In Akwa Ibom Who Is 77 Years Old. See What He Did (Photos)

According to multiple reports making the rounds online, a 77-year-old man from Akwa Ibom state -showed how super strong he is at an event organized in the state.

According to reports, the man is so strong that 10 men can’t bring down his hands. The man also pulled a car with his teeth among other shocking display of strength.

'Guendouzi needs to grow up' - Arsenal star warned over future behaviour

Former Gunners striker Jeremie Aliadiere says his French compatriot must mature off the pitch if he wants to have long-term success under Mikel Arteta

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Jeremie Aliadiere has warned Matteo Guendouzi that he must "grow up" as a human being or risk throwing away his Arsenal career.

Aliadiere was playing for Lorient when Guendouzi was coming through the French club’s academy and grew close to the midfielder, even advising him to make his move to Arsenal in 2018.

So he has watched the 21-year-old’s development with interest during the past two seasons, and despite being impressed by what his friend has done on the pitch, he admits he still has some real concerns over how he is conducting himself off it.

“Listen, I’m a big fan of the guy,” Aliadiere told Goal. “He’s like my little brother and I always told him that Arsenal would be a very good team for his development as a player and as a human being.

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“He took my advice and came to the club, but I just feel Matteo hasn’t grown up as a human being yet. He’s grown up as a player, he’s matured massively as a player and every year he gets better.

"But unfortunately as a man, he hasn’t grown and matured as much as I thought he would by joining Arsenal.

“I think that’s what he’s missing and that’s why he’s not playing as much under Mikel [Arteta] because Mikel is not really up for that.

“He wants players who are going to do a job for the team and do what they ask him to do. If they are not happy to do that, then he will have someone else do it for him.”

Guendouzi has started just two Premier League games under Arteta and fell out with the Spaniard during Arsenal’s winter training camp in Dubai.

The pair clashed during training, with Arteta unhappy at the Frenchman’s attitude towards a session, and Guendouzi was subsequently left out of the matchday squad for Arsenal’s Premier League game against Newcastle as punishment.

Guendouzi has only made one eight-minute substitute appearance in the Premier League since, with his only two starts coming in the FA Cup and Europa League, and Aliadiere believes his countryman will struggle to force his way back into Arteta’s plans if he does not change how he handles himself off the pitch.

“Matteo’s a top player and he’s shown that since he’s been here,” said Aliadiere. “And that’s what I’m saying about him maturing as a human being and needing to grow up.

“I saw him coming through the academy when I was at Lorient and having confidence and believing in yourself is amazing and I think at that age it’s a massive quality.

“But I think at some point you have just got to respect and deal with the players and you’ve got to respect your coach.

“There are arguments that just don’t need to be done. I don’t know exactly what happened in Dubai when he fell out with Mikel, but that is not going to help him if he’s going to keep falling out with his coach or team-mates.”

Aliadiere added: “It says a lot when you hear Pep Guardiola and he says things like ‘great player, but more than that a great human being’.

“You can be the best player, but if you don’t have the right attitude and right mentality, that will cost you your career. I don’t care how good you are.

Training with Guardiola is like going to university, says former Man City goalkeeper Caballero

The Chelsea stopper says he felt like a teenager again when the Spaniard arrived at the Etihad Stadium as he was learning so much.

Training under Pep Guardiola is like going to university, according to veteran goalkeeper Willy Caballero.

The Argentine worked under Guardiola at Manchester City before moving on to Chelsea, where he has recently received a contract extension.

And according to Caballero, at the Etihad, every day is a school day.

“I spent a year with him at City, learning something new every day.

“On the playing field, watching videos or at any time, when he approaches you and explains things to you.

“He has no problem teaching someone at 34 years old, as I was, like someone who is 18. He is a great teacher.”

Caballero’s year under Guardiola was the last of his three seasons at Manchester City, having moved from Malaga in 2014.

He followed manager Manuel Pellegrini, who had made the same switch a year earlier.

Caballero only made 23 Premier League appearances for City but was a regular in the cups, memorably saving three penalties in the shoot-out win over Liverpool in the 2016 League Cup final.

“Manuel Pellegrini had convinced me to go with him to Manchester City,” he explained.

“I was doing very well at Malaga, but I accepted. He had promised to keep me as a starter in the cup, although in the league, the starter was Joe Hart, the England national team’s goalkeeper.

“We reached the final and we had to play it against Liverpool. There was a lot of pressure for Hart to start the game.

“But Pellegrini said, ‘I’d rather lose a title than lose my word.’ It kept me going and we won the cup.”

Caballero also spoke about his new contract at Chelsea, which will see him stay at Stamford Bridge until 2021.

Man Utd to focus on targets like Dembele and Werner as Ighalo loan spell ends

The former Nigeria international performed better than expected at Old Trafford, but he was never the long-term answer regardless of the coronavirus.

As Harry Maguire headed in Manchester United’s second goal against Chelsea in their 2-0 Premier League away win in February, Odion Ighalo could be seen on the touchline celebrating like a fan.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had sent his deadline-day signing from the January window out to warm up ahead of his debut at Stamford Bridge, and the lifelong United supporter was - as he has since said in his own words - "living the dream".

Questions were asked when a deal was struck for the former Watford man with just hours left of the January window. Despite the criticism, club sources believed it was a savvy move to help fill a void left by the injury to Marcus Rashford, United’s leading goalscorer this season.

January is a notoriously difficult time to do business and Solskjaer needed back-up for his strike force with Rashford facing months on the sidelines with a back fracture. The Nigerian was seen as a short-term solution to aid United’s injury problems.

The 30-year-old impressed in his eight appearances before Covid-19 forced the postponement of all football, scoring four goals in his three starts. One of those was a world-class finish against LASK in United’s final game before lockdown, He has also shown his ability as a team player, with his strong hold-up play and tireless work rate.

But that Europa League fixture against LASK looks likely to be the final time Ighalo competitively pulls on a United shirt, with his loan deal expiring at the end of May .

The postponement of the Premier League season has seen an agreement reached that enables clubs to temporarily extend the contracts of players whose deals are ending this summer to allow them to play until the season comes to an end, and United were open to keeping Ighalo past the end of his contract.

His parent club Shanghai Shenhua, however, feel that Ighalo is key for them, and due to their lack of squad depth they are keen to have him back for the resumption of the Chinese Super League season. Goal has learned that the Chinese side have offered the forward a new three-and-a-half year deal worth £400,000 a week in a bid to retain his services for the long term.

A six-month loan deal was thought to be good value for money by United chiefs back in January, but with the ex-Nigeria international looking likely to depart after just eight appearances it will be an unfortunate end to a deal that was starting to look like a decent piece of transfer business.

Shenhua, it is understood, are not against selling Ighalo to United on a permanent basis, but the English club are pursuing other options ahead of the transfer window reopening as they consider the added complications of what a post-Covid-19 window is going to look like.

Solskjaer has a recruitment plan as he sets about rebuilding his squad at Old Trafford, and while Ighalo was the right fit as a stop-gap to aid an injury problem, he does not fit with the criteria for the long-term process. The Norwegian wants players with the ‘X-factor’, with the perceived ideal age for a signing believed to be 23. Ighalo ticks neither box.

Lyon striker Moussa Dembele, 23, is on United’s radar, as is 24-year-old RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, though a move for Tottenham striker Harry Kane has already been put on the back burner due to the huge transfer fee Spurs would demand. Any transfer of a player for hundreds of millions of pounds has been ruled out due to the economic climate brought on by the pandemic.

Werner has a buyout clause in his contract set at €60 million (£53m/$65m) which is due to expire on June 15, according to Sky Germany. He is thought to be keen on a move to Liverpool while Chelsea and Bayern Munich have also been credited with interest.

Dembele, meanwhile, has also attracted the interest of Chelsea and could be on the move when the window re-opens. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas admitted earlier this month that some members of his squad want to play European football next season. Lyon finished seventh in Ligue 1 when the season was cut short due to the coronavirus shutdown.

NAUTH Nnewi records first COVID-19 case

Authorities of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, have confirmed one case of the coronavirus at the hospital.

Prof. Anthony Igwegbe, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, disclosed this on Monday.

Igwegbe said the patient was diagnosed with the virus following a test upon getting to the hospital.

According to him, the test result was released on May 23.

He said the patient was immediately moved to one of the isolation centres in Anambra for treatment.

“The patient was quickly moved from our isolation ward to the Anambra State Treatment Centre last night for care and treatment. Specimen for test was taken the following day and sent to Irrua,” he said.

Igwegbe told reporters that a suspect was earlier taken in, but test sample was not taken before the patient died.

“That was a probable case, the patient showed some symptoms but the sample was not taken before the patient died. So we have only one confirmed case of COVID-19 in NAUTH so far,” he said.

The CMD added that all the necessary precautions were taken and all those that attended to the confirmed patient used Personal Protection Equipment. He gave an assurance that the hospital would remain vigilant.

Makinde, others call for investment in facility management

The Governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, says that there should be more investment in facility management to create a sustainable environment in the country. Makinde and other facility management experts made the call at the 2020 Facilities Management Round-table conference.

The governor stated that the roles of facilities management in creating and maintaining a sustainable environment should be likened to governance.

Using the coronavirus pandemic as an example, he said technology had played a critical role in helping to manage people and restructure the environment globally, but facility management had played a critical role behind the scene.

Makinde said facility managers should be commended for their contributions to the health, safety and productivity of people during the pandemic, adding that there should be more focus on the profession.

He said the state government had been having a running battle with space and that rather than take up the various offers for existing spaces to be adopted as isolation centres, his government had taken a different approach with considerations for the longer term. He said,

“I have repeatedly stated that in Oyo State, we will be following the dictates of science, data and logic in our fight against COVID-19. Science requires that we isolate infected people; logic dictates that we must consider our socio-economic factors before deciding on our control and containment measures, and data will continue to help us improve on our environmental strategies for a prosperous state.

If we do not take these things into consideration, our strategies will fail. One of the things people have complained about in our management of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the enforcement of directives. But we know that social distancing is not innate to people. So rather than a hard stance, logic is guiding us to invest in sensitization and ensuring that people get the right incentives that will make them adhere to the guidelines.”

Makinde said the state was taking the difficult route of redesigning places to be able to handle both management and control of the COVID-19 cases.

The Chairman of Alpha Mead Group, organisers of the FM round-table conference, Mutiu Sunmonu, noted that although the global theme for the World FM Day was ‘Celebrating the environment’, current realities had necessitated the contextualisation of the theme.

“I believe the theme we have chosen is very topical to help all stakeholders appreciate the fuller ramification of facility management as not just a profession that manages buildings, but a business function that manages the environment for business sustainability and people productivity,” he said.

Lagos State government plans to improve reading culture

The Lagos State Government has introduced an initiative to stimulate the interest of schoolchildren in reading books.

The Director-General of the Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, in a statement on Sunday, said the initiative, tagged, ‘Read Aloud, Lagos,’ would encourage all children within the primary school age bracket to imbibe the culture of reading.

She noted that this would increase their knowledge and improve comprehension. Seriki-Ayeni said,

“As an education quality assurance person, I was moved by the conviction that children perform better when they are led in the act of reading by someone else. Therefore, reading aloud is expected to be the most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success.”

She explained that the programme was initiated to bridge the reading gap among pupils, adding that information available to the government showed that the time currently allocated to reading during and after school hours, was inadequate.

The director general, however, maintained that the reading ability of children would greatly improve if they had role models to look up to.

She said such models would guide the children on how to pronounce words, read books and think critically.

The education quality assurance boss explained that the project would be inaugurated during the celebration of the Children’s Day on May 27, 2020.

She noted that dignitaries, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, would read to children through online platforms and electronic media.

“It is necessary to adopt new strategies of preparing for the new world of learning, since the COVID-19 pandemic has presently put a stop to classroom teaching. The implication of this development is that learning in schools will never be the same again”, Seriki-Ayeni said.

Landlords worry about impact of COVID-19 on commercial properties

A report has said that commercial landlords are increasingly concerned about the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their tenants and property portfolio.

The report quoted a commercial property solicitor, Paul Hinchliffe, to have said he had been approached by landlords asking for advice on how they could balance their own books while their tenants were struggling due to enforced closures. He said,

“A lot of landlords are finding they have to accept the current situation and hope it doesn’t take too long to clear.

However, commercial landlords need rent money to keep their own businesses afloat. So, we’ve recommended that, while landlords should accommodate rent reductions, they should continue to demand rent in the usual way, while refraining from waiving their right to collect unpaid rent at a future date.”

Propertywirecom reports that where a company cannot pay its bills due to the coronavirus, the UK government has temporarily banned the use of statutory demands (made between March 1 and June 30, 2020) and winding up petitions (presented from Monday April 27 to the end of June).

It added that the government had introduced secondary legislation to provide tenants with more breathing space to pay rent by preventing landlords from using Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery – unless they were owed 90 days or more of unpaid rent.

Hinchliffe said he had laid out some steps landlords could take in order to manage cash flow during the coronavirus pandemic. He said,

“They should check their rent roll – it’s likely that retail and leisure tenants are going to be hardest hit, so they should prioritise monitoring those tenants. Landlords should analyse whether they have let things slip and need to make a choice about whether they call debts in more formally, or consider speaking to a solicitor about what action they can take.

Lease arrangements should be reviewed, looking at whether tenants are companies or individuals. Companies may be more immediately at risk of insolvency events, so landlords may want to prioritise debt collection from those tenants.

They should talk to tenants, to see they could make changes like moving payments from the usual quarter days to monthly arrangements, or agree a short-term rent referral. Banks should be consulted, to assess options like payment holidays.”

He said landlords could also get in touch with a solicitor, who might be able to help in reviewing leases and contractual arrangements.

He explained that it might be worth it for landlords to pause before making a choice, as the situation was unprecedented and it could be too soon to make a decision about a property portfolio and tenants.