The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said that the Buhari administration has justified all its debts by constructing various infrastructures across the nation. Fashola stated this at the closing ceremony of the 28th National Council of Works meeting held in Kano on Thursday.

[i]He said the ongoing projects across the country had justified the debts, especially when compared with what the previous administrations had done.

“Our first budget in 2016 was over N250bn, up from the N18 billion we met in 2015. That was an increase of over a thousand percent, even though the price of crude oil was dropping, we did not raise taxes.”

The Minister explained that the Federal Government had been able to deliver more than 1,800 kilometers of roads across the six geo-political zones so far, stressing that the Buhari-led Administration was determined to complete all the ongoing projects before the expiration of its tenure in May next year.

In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State said there was a need for synergy between the federal highways and states to achieve the set objectives. He commended the Buhari administration for initiating various projects in his state.

The five-day council meeting which started on Monday with the theme: “Infrastructure, the season of completion”, brought together various stakeholders from all states of the federation.

BUA Foods Plc, Nigeria’s largest indigenous Foods company, has announced the resignation of Isyaku Naziru Rabiu, as an Executive Director of the company effective August 17, 2022.

Isyaku Naziru Rabiu, resigns from board of BUA Foods PLC This announcement was contained in a recent regulatory disclosure by BUA Foods Plc to the Nigerian Exchange in order for the company to meet the regulatory requirements of the Securities & Exchange Commission Corporate Governance Guidelines (2020) and the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance, on family and interlocking directorship which stipulates that not more than two members of the same family shall sit on the Board of a public company at the same time.

Prior to his appointment as a member of the Board of BUA Foods in November 2021 (which later became publicly listed BUA Foods Plc in January 2022), Isyaku Naziru was a Director of IRS Pasta & Flour Limited which later merged with other companies to form BUA Foods. Isyaku Naziru Rabiu, however remains an Executive of BUA Foods Plc with his portfolio remaining unchanged.

Isyaku Naziru Rabiu holds a degree in Business Economics from the University of Hertfordshire and held other previous roles within the organization including as Commercial Director of IRS Pasta Flour Limited.

I am back, stronger and more determined to confront the forces of oppression and to continue to speak nothing but the hard truth to the faces of the oppressors of our people. I feel sorry for those who thought they can break my spirit by incarcerating me.

SEGUN ODEGBAMI @ 70: Creative and Mathematical.

A TRIBUTE By OKEGBENRO

On this day, August 27, exactly 70 years ago in 1952, a star was born into the family of late Pa Jacob Adebola and Madam Bintu Odegbami; the former, a retired Nigerian Railway worker, and the latter, a successful and very popular trader. They both hailed from Wasinmi Community in Ogun State and long settled in Jos, Plateau State where they lived into their advanced years.

That little star is Nigeria’s sports icon, serial entrepreneur, master storyteller, great writer, broadcaster, educationist, author, actor, publisher and sports administrator per excellence, Chief Patrick Olusegun Odegbami.

One of the most popular Nigerians of his generation, Big Seg came into everything desirable quite early in life…fame, money, travels, cars, houses and the good life. By a stroke of divine luck, he had successfully managed the highs and lows and is in good health (in the company of his loving wife and children) and can happily look back and thank God.

Nigeria owes this man a deserved acknowledgement and celebration on a day like this given his contributions to national development via his three areas of passion—sports, education and youth development/entrepreneurship. Though he came into prominence in the late 60s through football, starring as a member of the all-conquering Western State Academicals, then onto NTC FC, WNTV/WNBS FC, Housing of Ibadan FC; it was when he joined the popular Shooting Stars of Ibadan from 1970 to 1984 that he shot into true stardom and attracted national attention; earning an instant call up to the senior national team as a 22-year-old in 1974. He however did not play for the national team until 1976, making his debut against Sierra Leone and going on to establish himself as the poster boy of the team until October 30, 1981, when he made his last appearance in a 2-1 home loss to Algeria. To be sure, he was still at his football best but had to consider early retirement owing to a recurring knee injury that defied huge investments in treatment at home and abroad; halting his glittering career and leaving him to pursue even more expository, technical and creative endeavours within and outside sports, which had kept his name and image not only relevant but soaring till date.

Big Seg’s ability to switch, interplay and multi-task in different extreme roles, requiring completely unrelated skillsets, to my mind, has been his defining strength over the years. At different times since leaving active football, he has been a newspaper columnist, writer, publisher, television producer, sports school proprietor, actor, track and field athlete manager, football administrator, national team manager and much more… making a success of all. It is on record that this great man conceptualised and created Nigeria’s first wholly private sports show on television, Saturday Sports Special, in the early 90s. A man of many novelties, Big Seg did not only give Nigerian sports fans quality entertainment on this show but also delivered an unforgettable legacy by his ingenuity in featuring two little but very sharp boys, Wole Opatola and Shina Okeleji, then in their early teens, as co-presenters. To his eternal credit, the two youngsters are now very accomplished sports journalists holding their own in the industry. Wole runs a successful sports publishing and radio/TV production business in Benin while Shina is a leading producer at BBC World Service.

Premium smartphone and AIoT devices brand, TECNO, has continued to excite consumers and stakeholders in the communication ecosystem as its TECNO CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian Edition smartphone bagged two notable awards.

Designed for those who are young at heart and never stop pursuing excellence in both technology innovation and aesthetic design, TECNO’s CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian Edition Smartphone Integrates a Color-Changing Design with a Sleek Bezel and Advanced Camera, Inspired by Abstract Art Icon Piet Mondrian

Technology can now also be art. TECNO, a global premium smartphone brand, recently advanced their commitment to delivering consumers the most intuitive, stylish and well-designed smart devices by announcing the CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian Edition Gift Set with a TECNO CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian Edition smartphone, a pair of TECNO TWS SONIC 1 earbuds, and other 2 Mondrian style accessories.

Among which, the smartphone perfectly combines the industry’s first ‘Sunlight Drawing’ technology with the stylistic art form, allowing the phone shell color to change with the light, paying tribute to the Stylistic master Mondrian achieved through technology innovation.

With the exceptional craftsmanship and its innovative visual appearance, TECNO CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian Edition recently collected two international design awards, 2022 MUSE Design Award from US and the A’ Design Award from Italy.

The MUSE Design Awards is a leading international award competition that aims to promote excellence in various design industries by providing professionals and brands with a platform to compete on the world stage.

The MUSE Design Awards is created by the International Awards Associate (IAA) in New York and is known for its rigorous judging system and high-quality criteria.

While A’ Design Award is a world’s leading annual international design competition recognized by ICOGRADA (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and European Design Association.

A’ Design Competition is the largest design competition in the world and the awards are given to the best designs, design concepts, products, and services.

TECNO’s ‘Sunlight Drawing’ technology, which uses ultraviolet light to create a multi-color phone shell, is unlike anything you have even seen on the market before.

“Aesthetics in technology is becoming increasingly important for today’s consumer, as they look for a more personal mobile experience.

“We’ve long maintained a ‘stop-at-nothing’ mentality to bring our consumers the most innovative and intuitive devices. The introduction of the CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian Edition makes it possible to achieve the beauty of art through technological innovation as well as to bring art and style to more consumers.”

TECNO CAMON19 Pro 19 Mondrian Edition follow the other features of the CAMON 19 series, with the first-in-industry 64MP main camera and an RGBW sensor, co-developed with Samsung, overcoming the traditional challenges associated with photography in nighttime and low-light conditions. Coupled with TECNO’s complementary Glass + Plastic (G+P) technology, light intake can be further enhanced by another 30%, effectively doubling the overall picture quality for users.

In addition, the smartphone’s camera system also utilizes AI Face Beauty technology, which intelligently identifies different facial structures and skin tones, and delivers smoothing complexions and accurate skin tones along with other improvements.

The latest battery technology has been applied to support 50 hrs Ultra-long lasting battery life, enabling the users to listen to 800 songs while other competitive products can only listen to 300 songs.

The crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might soon dissipate, following what some stakeholders termed the encouraging fallouts from Thursday’s meeting between the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar and governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.

The duo, alongside some governors, had been at loggerheads since May, 2022, when Atiku emerged as the presidential candidate of the PDP. The crisis escalated after Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was unveiled as Atiku’s running mate on June 16. Meetings between loyalists of Atiku and Wike had failed to resolve the imbroglio, with Wike throwing brickbats at the former Vice President and his camp.

At Thursday’s meeting in London, United Kingdom, governors of Abia, Benue and Oyo States accompanied Wike to the meeting, while Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, accompanied Atiku.

There were other PDP stakeholders like Donald Duke who were in attendance. Twenty hours after the meeting, scanty details have emerged on what transpired. An ally of Atiku who’s familiar with the available outcome of the meeting, said both sides conceded grounds, particularly Atiku.

He said Atiku was able to prevail on Wike and other aggrieved governors to suspend their push for the removal of the national chairman of the PDP Iyorchia Ayu, until elections are conducted next year. He said Atiku hinged his argument on the dangers it will pose to the success of the PDP during next year’s elections.

The source said though Wike and his allies didn’t fully commit to the request, they might soft-pedal on their agitation for now. He revealed that Wike demanded some key positions for his camp when Atiku forms his cabinet if he emerges winner in next year’s presidential election.

The top PDP member, who also declined to reveal details of the deal, said Atiku agreed to the terms, but also demanded that Wike and PDP governors must play their part in ensuring that the party wins next year’s presidential elections. It was further gathered that Wike expressed misgivings about the attitude of Atiku’s supporters, who have been accused of fuelling the crisis.

“Wike mentioned their names and asked Atiku the roles the people have played since they left office in supporting the PDP,” the source said.

On the formation of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, the source said one of the governors from the South would be appointed as Director-General soon. He said it wasn’t clear if Wike has accepted the position to lead the campaign.

Giving more details, he said Wike and other governors secured a commitment from Atiku not to repeat the mistakes of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has no regard for Federal Character.

His words: “Wike and other governors were clear on that. They told Atiku that the South was supposed to get the ticket. They told him that now that he has got the ticket, the South must get key positions in the National Assembly. “The North can’t have the position of the President, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Secretary to the Government of the Federation. APC did that in 2015. PDP must not repeat that mistake. That was part of what Wike told Atiku,” the source added. The PDP member said: “APC has been fuelling this crisis. They were happy when the crisis was festering. They didn’t want it to end. They must be licking their wounds now.

“Many thought Atiku wasn’t ready to make peace with Wike. That has been settled now. The crisis is not over yet, but the PDP has made serious progress.

“Unknown to many people, both Atiku and Wike’s camps settled for a neutral ground to hold this meeting. It was brokered by Adamawa State Governor, Fintiri, who is a close friend to both Wike and Atiku.

“That was how they arrived at London being the best venue. There were too many talks in Nigeria already and they didn’t want that. When they return, more meetings will be held. One thing is now sure and that’s the fact that no PDP governor or members will defect. PDP will go into this election as a united family.

“The next phase of the reconciliation will shock many Nigerians. Peter Obi is still a close ally of Atiku. There will be surprises in the coming weeks if on-going talks pan out well.

“I also suspect that the party may hold its National Executive Committee meeting before the campaigns will start in September. For now, we just have to wait and see.”

In a chat with our correspondent, spokesman for Atiku Campaign Organisation, Senator Dino Melaye, told Saturday Sun that all issues would be resolved. He also boasted that no governor elected on the PDP platform would ditch the party. Melaye said: “I can authoritatively tell you that no PDP governor will leave the party. It is one thing to woo people; it is another thing to get them. “They’re wasting their time. Nobody will leave the party.”

Meanwhile Saturday Sun gathered that the Atiku/ Wike London parley has created panic among supporters of the PDP national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu. The national chairman’s men, who are also Atiku’s supporters, it was learnt, were shocked that Atiku could travel all the way to London to meet with Wike and his men.

Also, a statement by Atiku through his media aide, Paul Ibe, on Thursday, cautioning his supporters against making inflammatory comments that will jeopardise the unity of the party, it was gathered has heightened tension in the camp of the PDP chairman.

A highly placed party source told Saturday Sun that Ayu’s supporters, including a former North West governor, interpreted Atiku’s ‘London meeting with Wike and the statement cautioning his supporters against inflammatory statements, as a sign that Atiku wants to ditch the camp.

In the aftermath of the London meeting, Ayu, it was gathered has started making frantic efforts to mobilize some stakeholders to support him. The source said, barring any last minute change of plan, Ayu and some members of the NWC will be in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, today, to felicitate the wife of the governor on her birthday. The planned Benue trip, according to the source, is intended to serve as an avenue for a rapprochement between the Wike camp and the national chairman.

He said: “They are planning to visit Benue under the guise of felicitating the wife of the governor on the occasion of her birthday. But the Benue visit is just an opportunity for them to reach out to the pro-Wike governors, especially Ortom, as part of peace building efforts.”

"Podium Reporters" is a fake news content mill run by Seyi Falufosi, owner of @theonekshop and a web developer BMC operative too dumb to conceal her own internet footprint, to the extent of inadvertently revealing that the APC is directly behind this operation.

This dumbass didn't just build a fake news site dedicated to attacking Peter Obi, myself, Rinu and anyone else considered to be anti-regime, but she also put her company's name stamp at the end.

So of course I went digging to see who is behind it.

Turns out that this lady regularly interacts with DOlusegun and 4EyedMonkey on Facebook, with so little attention to basic Op-Sec that within 2 clicks on her page, you can access a phone number that links directly to her.

But that's just the start of how dumb this lady is.

A refined string search of the name "Seyi Falufosi" brings up a reference to a Seyi Falufosi on siteindices.com, a website that keeps records of website traffic, domain owners, who registered websites etc.

Her full name appears on the page, alongside a contact telephone number and an email address, seyifalufosi@gmail.com.

So naturally, I carried out exact string searches for both pieces of information, and what came next illustrates APC's tremendous lack of basic intellect.

Another siteindices.com reference showed up, this time for a website called officialapc.ng.

You didn't misread that - an official APC website that is regularly referenced here by APC operatives. And what is more...
twitter.com/search?q=offic…

What is more, this dumbass went and put her actual government name, telephone numbers and physical address on public record to register this website for the APC.

This is all publicly available information. I'm not doxxing her.
officialapc.ng.siteindices.com

I even used WhatsApp to check the phone number she provided when registering officialapc.ng, and sure enough, it checked out.

All. Publicly. Available. Information.

A whole entire dunce.

"Rinu And DJ Switch Denied Asylum"

"David Hundeyin Hiding In Benin Republic"

That's the building where the fake news factory producing these stories is coming from.

Number 3, Olaiya Street, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

Have fun dears.

Hi all This is @Im_a_MARVEL tweeting and I want to address the thread below.
I, Seyi Falufosi, indeed developed and designed the news website @PodiumReporters as I havemany other websites and that is not going to change. I build websites, that's what I do well. Because I run legitimate businesses, my contacts are online for such.

I am a serial entrepreneur with businesses duly registered with @cacnigeria1 and a taxpayer for all my biz concerns Over the course of the week, my office phone and emails have been called, offered money and even threatened to bring down the website podiumreporters.com, a news blog I was contracted to design.

We at Marvelworx Limited have since handed over the website to the rightful owners as we have finished work. While we design websites, we do not take responsibility for content posted there as they are property of the website owners.

Not only has David Hundeyin set his target at me, he has also targeted my other businesses who have no biz with @PodiumReporters

My friends and family members are currently being called and harassed.
And this is an issue I do not take lightly.

Please keep the calls coming as they're being forwarded to the appropriate authorities. The WhatsApp messages too. What is an harassment case without a face?

I also registered @OfficialAPCNg domain address and host their website because @niraworks doesn't offer piracy for .ng websites, David is able to find my address and phones. Again, I do not control the content of the websites I build. Clients own their content.

These threats to life and property are taken seriously.

Please note @followlasg @BenHundeyin

Fascinating conversation with an NGO person I know. I won't mention the name or the area of concern but here's what I found out:

Let's assume there's an NGO working to eradicate HIV in Nigeria. I use "HIV" because it's one disease that needs blood sampling. Funding from the U.S.

The NGO sends people out there, to communities, to find cases. "Boots on the streets" go 'round communities, collecting blood samples. For every blood sample collected, you get paid a small amount. For every positive case gotten; bigger money. Treatment? Even more money.

I'm sure you can already guess where this is going.

So.

The "smart" chaps go out, test 10 people. One of those sampled comes back positive. What do they do? They spread that ONE positive into three other places. They now have "four" positive cases. More money. Everybody chops.

Corruption isn't even my fascination here. My interest?

Data.

What then happens is; the official tally of HIV cases is off by three. If you do the math, it means for every 1000 cases of HIV reported in that area, the REAL number is 250.

Faulty data on a massive scale.

Makes me wonder:

Just how much faulty data do we have in Nigeria? On a massive scale too?

One major reason why these numbers people throw around "offends" me.

"Malaria kills 55 Nigerians in a minute!"

It could be correct but forgive me if I don't believe you.

Cheers.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, has rejected an order given by the management of the institution for the resumption of academic activities.

The Chairperson of the union, Dr Kayode Arogundade, who made this known on Friday, however, said the university’s Registrar, Ife Oluwole, was free to reopen the university which he closed following the industrial action.

Arogundade, who spoke in reaction to a statement on Wednesday by the registrar directing fresh students for the 2021/2022 session to resume on Monday for screening, registration and orientation programmes and as well as directing the striking workers to resume, said EKSU-ASUU was not part of the school’s resumption order.

He said, “As far as we are concerned, we are still on strike. We have just finished our congress. We are not comfortable with the position of the Federal Government. We have communicated our resolutions at the congress to our national body.

“We did not send students home. It was the registrar that sent the students home. The person who sent the students home can ask them to come back. So he has asked the students he sent home to resume, I do not think anybody overheard me saying my members should resume”.

Meanwhile, the university’s management had in a statement by the Head, Directorate of Information, Bode Olofinmuagun, on Friday titled, “EKSU not a quack university: ASUU president’s statement, reckless,” lambasted the ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, for referring to some state universities as quacks, saying the denigrating remark was “unfortunate, reckless and unwarranted”.

Osodeke had in an interview on Arise TV on Thursday described some public universities that were not part of the strike as quacks.

Olofinmuagun, who said nearly all EKSU academic programmes were accredited by the National Universities Commission and relevant professional regulatory bodies, said the university “is currently the 14th best university in Nigeria out of about 200 universities and the second best state university according to the recent Webometric ranking of universities”.

“Therefore, categorising EKSU as among the quack and irrelevant universities is a testimony to the fact that the ASUU president is probably uninformed and/or bereft of ideas. This arrant nonsense coming from Osodeke is totally unacceptable and condemnable.

“The management calls on Professor Osodeke to toe the path of honour by retracting the provocative remark and tender an unreserved apology without further delay,” the university added.

Similarly, while condemning ASUU’s remark, the Vice Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof Clement Adebooye, called on the president of the union to guard his utterances.

Adeboye said, “We take exception to the statement made by Osodeke referring to UNIOSUN as a quack school. This university has a profile of having done what other universities have not done in 14 years of its existence. This university has 481 full-time academic staff, out of them, 387 are PhD holders. Osodeke should not be careless with comments; he is just a Nigerian. He should not talk about what he doesn’t know. A true professor speaks with facts, which he has not done. He should get educated.

"PRESS RELEASE

IMPERSONATION: IGP ISSUES STRICT WARNING ON MISUSE OF POLICE RESTRICTED UNIFORMS

- As Police Suspends Two Supernumerary Officers for Discreditable Conduct, Violation of Social Media Policy

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc(+), NPM, fdc, has issued strict warning on the incessant, illegal and unwarranted use of Police Uniforms restricted to bonafide serving officers of the Nigeria Police Force. This is coming on the heels of the suspension of two Supernumerary Police Officers, with immediate effect, for breach of the provisions of the Police Act, 2020, and The Nigeria Police Guidelines for Recruitment/Promotion/Discipline of Supernumerary Police (SPY) 2013 by the Inspector-General of Police, as captured in a video posted by one of the officers in a viral video on August 3, 2022.

The Supernumerary Police, by the combined effects of the Police Act, 2020 and the Nigeria Police Guidelines for Recruitment/Promotion/Discipline of Supernumerary Police (SPY),2013 was established solely to complement the services of regular Police Officers when needed by Ministries, Departments and Agencies/Multi-National Companies, and Banks who make requests and upon approval pay for their training and cover their emoluments for the period of their engagement. (Sections 21-24 of the Police Act, 2020).

It is equally important to mention that in line with Section 25 (2) (3) of the Police Act, 2020 and the Nigeria Police Guidelines for Recruitment/Promotion/Discipline of Supernumerary Police (SPY), 2013issued by the Inspector-General of Police (Guidelines for SPYs), the mode of dressing of SPY police mandates its SPY officers above the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police not to wear uniforms. Similarly, extant laws delineate the Supernumerary uniform. It states that they must be on their approved uniform, ash coloured shirt with “SPY” inscriptions all over, over black with shoulder badge carrying the word “SUPERNUMERARY”. Supernumerary Officers adorning police black, neon blue or camouflage uniforms run afoul of the law and would be adequately sanctioned.

The suspended supernumerary officers – Obaze Blessing with SPY number 5709, and Obaze Emmanuella Uju with SPY number 5708, adorned themselves in conventional police officers’ uniforms contrary to the code regulating the SPY service. One of them similarly adorned the rank of Superintendent of Police which is contrary to extant laws. Above all, they portrayed themselves in the viral video and other videos as undisciplined and unprofessional, in contravention of the Police Social Media Policy, with acts glorifying ill-gotten wealth and ill-morals, which has received wide condemnation from members of the public.

The Police hereby calls on all supernumerary officers to adhere strictly with extant laws as strict sanctions would apply to erring officers. The Force is similarly revisiting other matters of infractions against members of the Supernumerary Police with a view to handing out necessary sanctions to other defaulters.

CSP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA

August 26, 2022."

Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation Magazine, says he loves Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he will not support him in the 2023 election.

Momodu said he is determined to ensure the election of Atiku Abubakar, standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

In an Instagram post on Friday, Momodu said he recently had a conversation with Remi, wife of the APC presidential candidate, who asked him if he is going to campaign for the former Lagos governor. The publisher said he reminded her that he is in the PDP a response the senator representing Lagos central did not like.

In the post, Momodu said he joined the opposition party to sack APC because it is leading the country to “Golgotha”.

He wrote: “Immediately she saw me, we exchanged our usual pleasantries and then she asked me ‘So Bob Dee, you’re not going to campaign for my husband…’ I smiled and remained very calm before replying: ‘Your Excellency, I’m in PDP’.

“She apparently didn’t find it funny and regaled us with the past I shared with her husband and I tried to calm her down.

APC candidates are promising to continue Buhari’s “good works!” I joined PDP in order to sack APC from power and to do this I needed a strong opposition party.I love Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We’ve truly come way back. APC has done too much damage to Nigeria.

“I choose to place Nigeria above friendship… I will try my best to support and encourage our PDP candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to do the right things in our party and to rescue our dear beloved country from the vestiges of oppression, religious intolerance, poverty, terrorism, infrastructure decay, economic wows, unemployment.”

When Momodu joined PDP in October 2021, the seasoned journalist said he made the decision out of a desire to “join hands with other patriotic Nigerians to rescue our nation from the brink of a calamitous collapse”.

An Italian footballer allegedly clubbed his ex-girlfriend to death with a hammer and a baseball bat weeks after she reported him for stalking.

Giovanni Padovani - a model and former youth payer at Napoli - has played as a centre back for ten clubs in Italy's Serie C and Serie D leagues.

Earlier in August he signed for fourth tier Sancataldese, based in Sicily.

But last weekend he was absent from the opening clash of the Italian Cup, against local rivals Catania.

Giovanni Padovani, 27, allegedly left his team on the eve of a cup tie and flew to Bologna to lie in wait for his older lover Alessandra Matteuzzi, 56.

As she arrived home he then ambushed her in the lobby of her apartment building, police said.

She was on the phone with her sister Stefania who heard her agonizing screams as she was being attacked.

The sister told a local TV station: "She got out of her car and started screaming, 'No Giovanni, no, I beg you, help.'

"I was on the phone. I immediately called the Carabinieri who arrived straight away.

"I live 30km away. In the end he beat her to death."

Alessandra and her younger lover had been a couple for around a year, according to reports in Italy.

However they spent most of their time apart as she lived in Bologna and he played his football in Sicily.

In January there was a bust-up at her home when he smashed dishes and a light bulb, her sister claimed.

After they split he allegedly bombarded her with messages and calls at all hours.

On previous occasions he had sabotaged her car, disconnected her meter from the outside, and tried to climb up to her balcony, residents said before she reported him to police for stalking, according to police allegations.

One neighbour told local Sicily media: "She was very afraid of him because he had become persistent and she didn't want to let him in the house".

Another neighbour said Sandra had asked her not to open the door if Padovani rang the buzzer to get into the building.

On Friday, August 26, Italian Justice minister Marta Cartabia sent inspectors to review the actions of Bologna cops following Alessandra's complaint.

Bologna Chief Prosecutor Giuseppe Amato denied accusations of judicial negligence in the case, reports news agency Ansa.

He said a probe was immediately launched after the complaint was registered on August 1, but the investigation could not conclude until next week because witnesses were on holiday.

"We did what we could," he said, adding the stalking report did not highlight "situations of a concrete risk of violence, it was just the typical conduct of bothersome stalking".

Sancataldese club lawyer Salvatore Pirrello said Padovani had left the team's training retreat last Saturday saying he had personal problems.

He phoned the club asking to rejoin the team on Monday but was told to stay away, reports Corriere della Sera.

He then flew to Bologna in northern Italy, where he allegedly ambushed his ex on Tuesday this week.

After Alessandra died in hospital of massive head injuries, Padovani was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder and is being held in custody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31BupBV0ALw

IGBERETV report

Peter Obi's Two-Million-Man March holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers State today.