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http://ift.tt/2q58pDn .H.H. the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani officially cuts the ribbon in front of more than 40,000 fans at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar .FIFA President Infantino attends Emir Cup 2017 final and says stadium launch gives FIFA confidence in Qatar’s tournament preparations .Stadium will host quarter finals in 2022, 2017 Gulf Cup and 2019 IAAF World Championships .Sustainable cooling technology installed to keep players and fans comfortable year-round More than 40,000 football fans attended the launch of the first proposed host venue of the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ in Doha this evening, with H.H. the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani officially cutting the ribbon at the new Khalifa International Stadium in front of the sell-out crowd. The official inauguration ceremony included a light show from the newly installed LED lights, a performance from the Emiri Guard and a stunning firework display that saw pyrotechnic experts display 202...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J True love, they say is ‘ hard to find’ , but for Mercy Johnson,it is not. Since she met her husband, Prince Odianosen Okojie, the gorgeous actress has every reason to be believe she has found ‘true love.’  This is true, following the way and manner she worships and adores the man in her life. Once again, to reaffirm her undying love for her ‘ Prince’,  the mother of three took to her Instagram page to gush over her husband, who was a year older. She wrote a heartfelt birthday message to her husband, which went viral on the Internet during the week. “Every woman’s fate changes once they get married because  two destinies mix but my destiny can’t cry on me because your love is with me,” she began. Continuing, she wrote, “ I have memorized you like a verse in the Holy Bible and I mention you like a prayer. True love means everything ,but for me, true love simply means you. You understand me even when I say nothing.We have used trust as brick and pati...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J …urges party to profer solutions to move state forward By Simon Ebegbulem B ENIN —Edo State Government, yesterday, lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, over incessant frivolous allegations against the state government, urging members of the party to put on their thinking caps and come up with solutions on how to move the state forward. The state government was reacting to an allegation by the PDP that it spent over N70 million to fund the Okpekpe International 10 kilometer Road Race, and that the governor allegedly wasted the state’s resources on foreign athletes, instead of developing sports at the grassroots level and also pay arrears of pensioners in the state. The government, in a statement by the Interim Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr John Mayaki, said: “We thought by now leaders of the PDP should know that they should think about the state first and not their personal interests. The PDP killed sports development in the st...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J M ORE than 120 golfers have been scheduled to tee-off at the SMT Global Golf Tournament scheduled for Saturday, May 27, 2017 at Sagamu Golf Club,  Ogun State. Co-ordinator of the event, Kome Brown, said the club would be besieged with golfers from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Edo states. According to her, the event would be preceded with a cocktail dinner, on the evening before the tournament’s tee-off. “The golf event is part of a Work and Play project that we are presently nursing to maturity and the concept is basically to create a platform for busy corporate individuals to connet in a social atmosphere. Golf is a key tool for achieving that for us” she said. She added that players are drawn from different walks of life and the goal of the event apart from helping to promote physical fitness would also be realized with the many layers of interactive opportunities both with individuals and brands at the event. The golf event would be competed for over 18 hol...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Jimitota Onoyume P ORT HAR-COURT — Managing Director, MD, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr Nsima Ekere, has pleaded with stakeholders in the Niger Delta region to partner relevant agencies to end oil theft and other challenges in the area. Speaking at a stakeholders consultative engagement forum in Port Harcourt, the MD, who was represented by the Rivers State representative on the board of the commission, Mr Iboroma Harry, said stakeholders included women, youths and all others in the region, stressing that all hands must be on deck to ensure enduring peace in the region. He said: “How can stakeholders help the region in achieving peace and sustainable development? By active participation and, where necessary, advocacy to get urgent messages across to the government. Who are the stakeholders of the region? They include the women, who are the backbone of the family structure, the youths who carry our vision of the future, our leaders whose experi...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Jimoh Babatunde T he management of Ogba Zoo and Nature Park, Benin City, Edo State, is pleading with the state government to check the activities of land grabbers and poachers in its efforts at resuscitating the tourism industry. Mr. Andy Ehanire, the Chief Executive of the Zoo, speaking with Vanguard yesterday, said the zoo, designed and developed in the early 70s by then military administrator of former Bendel State, the late Brigadier-General Samuel Ogbemudia, had suffered a long period of decline and eventual collapse. He said: “By the time of our private sector – led intervention in the year 2000, the zoo was already in the ‘mortuary’ and was almost ready to be written off the books. The extent of its abandonment and decay, notwithstanding, Ogba Zoo experienced a painful rebirth through our rescue mission, which was purely self-financing, with no support from government. “On the contrary, it is the nature of the lease agreement we hold that our privat...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Aare Afe Babalola “Those who posit that Local Governments play the most important role in the day to day administration of a country cannot be faulted. However, evidence abound across the country that most Local Governments have failed to perform the functions stated above. They have been mostly interested in other aspect of their functions listed in the Fourth Schedule of the constitution.” Most Nigerians are now familiar with the sight of road blocks set up by Local Governments to collect one form of tax, levy or rate as the case may be. These road blocks can be found within most cities and on inter-state highways. The Local Government officials assigned to these road blocks in most cases menacingly demand payment of all manner of fees from drivers of commercial and private vehicles. Some Nigerians who have been bold enough to challenge their authority have often come away with one sordid tale or the other. Most Local Governments justify these road blocks ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Rotimi Fasan IT was late this past Saturday that news filtered in that 82 more of the abducted Chibok school girls had been released by Boko Haram. This would be the second such release in just over six months, the last being the release of 21 of them. The latest release was facilitated by the Red Cross and the government of Switzerland. Even though the Buhari administration had promised last year, following the release of the 21 girls, to continue negotiations that would lead to the release of more of the Chibok girls Nigerians didn’t see the latest release coming. Perhaps because they never believed the government. What government said last year must have been taken for just mere talk or at best a statement of intention that shouldn’t be taken seriously. But then here we are with 82 more girls whose freedom was the outcome of a swap that saw government releasing an unspecified number of Boko Haram prisoners. Arrangements like this leave little or no room f...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Tabia Princewill The idea of a 39-year-old President would probably make a lot of Nigerian politicians laugh. Ironically, because Emmanuel Macron, the French President-elect is Western, one can already imagine any Nigerian leader or public office holder who might meet him, fawning over him, while any 39-year-old in their own home country would be ignored if not demeaned for daring to even attempt to get their attention (unless of course he or she was the son or daughter of a close associate in which case he or she would suddenly become “brilliant” or a symbol of “hope”). The same way Mark Zuckerberg and Malala Yousafzai were treated to a hero’s welcome when they visited Nigeria, Macron would probably come away from a meeting with Nigerian officials with a warm, positive feeling, encouraged by the smiles and outwardly friendly demeanour of our politicians, to believe that we are a country that cares about the aspirations and talents of young people. I wonder i...