Liverpool Seals Historic 10th Carabao Cup Victory with Late Van Dijk Goal Against Chelsea.

Liverpool Seals Historic 10th Carabao Cup Victory with Late Van Dijk Goal Against Chelsea.

By Olamide Akinwumi. 

Liverpool secured a dramatic victory in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, defeating Chelsea 1-0 with a late goal from Virgil van Dijk in extra time.

The match was tightly contested, with both teams battling fiercely for the trophy. However, it was Liverpool who emerged victorious, becoming the first club to clinch the Carabao Cup title for the 10th time.

Jurgen Klopp's side, plagued by injuries, showcased resilience and determination throughout the grueling encounter. Despite fielding a team featuring several young players due to injuries to key stars like Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool remained composed under pressure.

Van Dijk, Liverpool's experienced captain, played a pivotal role in securing the victory, heading home the decisive goal just two minutes before the end of extra time. His goal came after an earlier effort was controversially disallowed by VAR, highlighting the drama of the final moments.

The triumph marks Liverpool's first trophy since the 2022 FA Cup and provides a fitting farewell for Klopp, who announced his impending departure at the end of the season. The German manager will hope that this victory serves as a springboard for further success in the remaining competitions this season.

For Chelsea, it was another bitter defeat at Wembley, adding to their disappointment in previous finals against Liverpool. Despite a valiant effort, Mauricio Pochettino's side was unable to secure the elusive silverware, leaving them without domestic trophies since the 2018 FA Cup.

The match was a testament to Liverpool's resilience and determination, overcoming significant challenges to emerge victorious on the grand stage. As they celebrate their historic win, Liverpool will now turn their focus to maintaining their lead in the Premier League and continuing their pursuit of further honors in the FA Cup and Europa League.

With Klopp's tenure drawing to a close, Liverpool's triumph in the Carabao Cup final serves as a fitting tribute to his legacy at the club and sets the stage for an exciting conclusion to the season.

FG to partner private initiatives in provisions of clean energy.

FG to partner private initiatives in provisions of clean energy.

THE Minister of Niger Delta Development, Abubakar Momoh said that the Federal Government will continued to partner private Initiatives in the provisions of clean energy across the Niger Delta region and the country as a whole.

The Minister gave the assurance over the weekend at the inauguration of 91kWp Solar Powered Mini-Grid executed by SAF-AGA Renewable Energy Limited in Okpokunou community in Burutu Local Government area of Delta State.

Okpokunou Mini Grid project is a private Initiative of SAF-AGA Renewable Energy Limited to address the pressing challenges of electricity access in the community which had been deprived of electricity in the past 12 years.

Momoh said the federal government, aside it’s foreign partners in the provisions of clean and renewable energy, will collaborate with private Initiatives, like what SAF-AGA has done in bringing development to the rural communities in the region.

“Let me say in clear terms that these are the kind of projects that are expected in our various communities, not only in the Niger Delta region but across the country because we are going towards renewable green and clean energy in the world over”, he said.

The Minister expressed regret that, though Okpokunou community was connected to national grid, it was not energized for the past 12 years but was happy that with the renewable energy by SAF-AGA Limited, it has now been connected.

“It is heartening to witness initiatives like Okpokunou Mini-Grid that address this critical needs bringing clean energy and opportunities to communities that had hitherto without electricity supply for so many years.

“I have been told that for the past 12 years, inspite of the fact that this community was connected to the national grid before, for the past 12 years, this community hadn’t electricity supply. I think it’s a very good development that the SAF-AGA Renewable Energy Limited is able to do this for the community”, he said.

Chief Executive Officer of SAF-AGA Renewable Energy Limited, Dr. Godbless Safugha said the Okpokunou Mini-Grid has a capacity of 91 kWp and a storage system of 170 kWh, powering 330 households initially which can scale and grow with the community connecting up to 596 households and a capacity of 230 kWp addressing the community’s energy needs.

He disclosed that the Mini-Grid was part of a larger initiative with three other neighboring communities sharing in the benefits of the company’s vision are “Ogriagbene, Enekoragha and Esama in Bomadi and Burutu Local Government areas respectively.

Safugha noted that with the successful inauguration of the Okpokunou Mini-Grid the company expects collaboration with other government agencies to extend the reach of Mini-Grids to more communities in the region.

“We wish to use this opportunity to call on other government agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Delta State rural electricity board, Bayelsa State Electricity Holding Company limited, other international organisations and NGOs to join hands with SAF-AGA in our dream to light up the Niger Delta region and beyond.

“Together, let’s extend the reach of Mini-Grids to more communities, breaking the chains of energy poverty and unlocking the potential within these regions”, he added.

Chairman of Burutu Local Government, Hon Combolous Ikisa expressed appreciation to the firm for lighting up some communities in his council area.

He said though the project was private driven, the community should protect the facility and establish a good relationship with the firm by ensuring there was no interruption in it’s operations.

Fuel subsidy: Tinubu acted in Nigeria’s best interest —Onanuga.

Fuel subsidy: Tinubu acted in Nigeria’s best interest —Onanuga.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, yesterday, explained that President Bola Tinubu acted in the best interest of Nigerians by announcing the removal of the petrol subsidy on the day of his inauguration on May 29, 2023.

Onanuga, in a chat with TheCable, said Nigeria was in serious financial trouble, which prompted the president to act quickly before things got worse.

The presidential aide was reacting to an interview granted by a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr Babachir Lawal, who said the announcement of subsidy removal by Tinubu a few minutes after his inauguration was hasty and driven by arrogance without due consultations with relevant stakeholders.

While justifying Tinubu’s action, Onanuga said there was no provision for subsidy in the budget left behind by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He added that the country was in dire financial straits as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, could no longer import petrol due to N4 trillion debt owed by the federal government.

Onanuga said: “Is Babachir still talking? Well, that is his opinion that the subsidy was hastily removed. The truth is, the subsidy was meant to be removed by the end of June 2023 according to what former president Muhammadu Buhari left behind.

“President Tinubu only announced it on May 29 on the day he was sworn in. That is to show you that something is wrong somewhere and that the nation had a problem at that time.

“What I find out is that Nigerians easily forget things, we have a short memory about things. They should cast their minds back to what happened at that period. The NNPCL was saying the government owed them N4tr of subsidy money. NNPCL was the only importer of fuel and towards the general elections; fuel scarcity was all over the country.

“Due to the scarcity, in some places, fuel was selling for about N700 – N800 before President Tinubu was sworn in. NNPCL didn’t have money to import fuel because they were being owed over N4tr by the federal government. People have easily forgotten about that.”

Onanuga said the country would have been in deeper problems if Tinubu did not act swiftly to address the situation.

“Tinubu knew the problem and that was why he made the announcement on the day of his inauguration. The language he used was ‘Subsidy is gone’ because even in the budget, there was no provision for it.

“I will challenge journalists to go and check that budget, when you look at that budget made by Buhari before leaving office, you will find out that aside no provision for subsidy, 97 percent of our income will be spent on servicing debts. If 97 percent of budget is used to service debts, what is left for Nigerians to spend?

“That 97 percent budgeted for debt servicing does not include the money the Federal Government owes the NNPCL. There were serious problems then and Tinubu just needed to do something quickly to arrest the deterioration.

“You can see what has happened in the last nine months with those measures he took. Yes, those measures are painful but they are needed to reset the economy and financials of this country. Otherwise, we would have ended into a much more disastrous situation.”

Tinubu extols late Namibian President Geingob.

Tinubu extols late Namibian President Geingob.

President Bola Tinubu has eulogised the late President of Namibia, Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob, for his contributions to the development of the Southern African country.

Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), stated this on Saturday at the memorial service in honour of the late Dr. Geingob in Windhoek, the nation’s capital, according to a statement by the media office of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. 

The Nigerian leader, who was represented by Akpabio as Head of the delegation, reflected on the long-standing bilateral ties between Nigeria and Namibia dating to the 1970s.

He reiterated the commitment of the present administration in Nigeria to strengthen the country’s relationship with Namibia, even as he promised to work hand-in-hand with incumbent President Nangolo Mbumba.

“On behalf of myself and the good people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I extend my condolences to the government and the good people of Namibia on the passing of our dear brother, President (Dr.) Hage Gottfried Geingob.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with you, the government, and the good people of Namibia in these very difficult times. May the strength of your nation be amplified in your National Anthem, “The Land of the Braves,” and the grace of God Almighty to provide comfort and solace in the face of this tragic loss. The people of Nigeria in their numbers stand in solidarity with you Namibians, in this moment and beyond this moment.

“As I commiserate with you once more with you and the people of your great nation, the people of Namibia, please accept the assurances Your Excellency of my sincere and esteemed regards in this loss,” he said. 

Tinubu to Nigerians: I pledge to faithfully commit to economic prosperity

Akpabio also noted the solid partnership between the two nations, as well as Nigeria’s influence in trade, economy, and the political growth of the black nation.

The Senate President said: “As I arrived Namibia, I was surprised to meet some of my classmates whom we were together at the Federal Government College, Port-Harcourt, who are also here to commiserate with the country.

“Nigeria happens to be one of the frontline states that assisted greatly in the struggle for the independence of Namibia and assisted strongly in the liberation of South Africa and the liberation of Angola from very far away in West Africa.

“So, we are sharing together in the demise of this great icon and hero. Of course, Nigeria had in the past supported SWAPO, your ruling political party with materials and human development to achieve its objective of ensuring the freedom of the good people of Namibia. We granted scholarships to train a lot of Namibians in the 1970s and the 1980s, some of whom I met on arrival here in Windhoek.

“We supported Namibia to develop its manpower immediately after independence. We have developed a lot of technical manpower for this country through technical aid in the area of education among others.”

Qatar backtracks, welcomes investment forum with Tinubu.

Qatar backtracks, welcomes investment forum with Tinubu.

The State of Qatar has finally accepted to host the business and investment forum proposed by President Bola Tinubu during his visit slated for March 2, 2024, to the Arab country.

Qatar took this decision following a leaked memo on Saturday which showed that Qatar declined the proposed investment forum.

Giving reasons for the decline, the country cited the unavailability of the country’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Also, the Embassy of Qatar in Abuja had said there was no agreement between the Arabian country and Nigeria regarding the investment forum.

It was earlier reported that the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Abuja stated this in a note verbale dated February 22 2024 addressed to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria.

But in the note verbale, which was received by the ministry on February 23 2024 and sighted by our correspondent on Saturday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar apologised for the rejection of the proposed business visit.

Reacting to the alleged rejection, the Presidency said the Qatari government did not snub Tinubu.

It explained that the botched investment forum between the Nigerian and Qatari business communities was only one of several events lined up ahead of the President’s state visit to the Gulf country.

“It is not correct for anyone to insinuate that the Qatari authorities have snubbed the Nigerian leader over a business and investment forum which is tangential to the all-important state visit and which President Tinubu is slated to attend as a guest,” a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, read.

However, in a twist of event, the Qatar government, in a note verbale which was sighted by our correspondent on Sunday, confirmed that the business parley would be held during Tinubu’s visit to the country.

The note verbale, dated Sunday, February 25, 2024, was addressed to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Qatar embassy said, “Regarding the upcoming state visit of H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Qatar from 2nd-3rd March 2024 and with reference to our note: Ref: QEA/FA/057/24 dated 22/02/2024, regarding holding of a Business and Investment Forum on the margins of Mr. President’s visit to Qatar on 2nd March 2024.

“The Embassy has the honour to convey that the Qatar Chamber of Commerce will host the above-mentioned event on March 3, 2024, as proposed by the Nigerian side.” backtracks, welcomes investment forum with Tinubu.

Economic hardship: No going back on planned protests – NLC

Economic hardship: No going back on planned protests – NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress said it remained firm on its decision to proceed with scheduled protests for Tuesday and Wednesday, citing “mounting hunger and insecurity” in Nigeria.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Ajaero alleged that the Federal Government is attempting to use a group, the Nigeria Civil Society Forum, to target its members during the rallies.

He vowed to ensure a total shutdown of Nigeria through the withdrawal of services by workers if any of its members were attacked during the protest.

The Department of State Services has warned that the planned protest may be hijacked by “some elements.”

This was as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, warned that embarking on the rallies would be contempt of court.

However, the NLC statement read, “We would want to inform Nigerians that the state has perfected plans to attack our peaceful rallies across the country.

“One of the groups being primed to attack our peaceful rallies goes by a nebulous name, Nigeria Civil Society Forum (NCSF).

“NCSF is one of the emergency groups put together, funded, promoted and remote-controlled by the government to cause violence against our members for electing to peacefully protest against hunger in the land.

“We, however, remain resolute, determined and prepared to express our pain and grief in a peaceful manner as Nigerians come 27th and 28th of February 2024.”

Speaking on the planned protests, the DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, had in a statement called on the NLC to shelve the plan.

He urged the NLC not to embark on the protests in the interest of peace and public order, stating that going ahead with the protests could increase tension across the country.

The statement read, “The attention of the DSS has been drawn to plans by sections of the organised labour to stage protests between 27th and 28th February 2024 in parts of the country over sundry economic issues.

“While the service recognises such an action as the legitimate right of the labour movement, it, however, urges the body to shelve the plan in the interest of peace and public order.

“The DSS further calls on parties to pursue dialogue and negotiation rather than engaging in conducts that could heighten tensions.

“This is more so that the service is aware that some elements are planning to use the opportunity of the protest to foment crisis and by extension, widespread violence. The development, without doubt, will worsen the socio-economic situation across the country.”

Minister decries under-utilisation of FG’s investments in power sector.

Minister decries under-utilisation of FG’s investments in power sector.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has lamented that despite the huge investment of the Federal Government in the power sector, the sector has remained underutilised.

Adelabu, who spoke after inspecting the Benin Electricity Generation Company power plant in Ihovbo under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company on Saturday assured that his ministry would push for the removal of all hindrances that had prevented the power plant from operating maximally, and put it at disadvantage against plants owned by the private sector.

The minister said that the government had invested so much money in the energy sector, adding that it was lamentable that Nigerians were still battling with issues of light.

“I have gone around this installation, and I am quite impressed with what we have here. Contrary to general belief, Nigeria has invested so much in power-generating plants and these plants are state-of-the-art plants; they are well maintained; they are in very good condition and they are in a condition that can give us the kind of power generation that we need in this country, except that there are a lot of capacity distortions.

“I will take them one after the other. I got to the Ihovbo plants, which belong to the federal government under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company. It is a plant with four gas plants, in very good condition, with a capacity of about 125 megawatts each, which is a total of 500 megawatts.

“They are well-maintained plants and the running hours of each of these, are all below 30,000, which means that, effectively, they have not been run more than three years even though they have been installed almost eight or 10 years ago. They are still like new turbines but surprisingly, there is only one turbine that is operational today, generating about 100 megawatts of power as against the installed capacity of 500.

“That is just 20 per cent capacity utilisation which is a gross lack of optimisation of our investment as a country. If we have put in so much into establishing these power plants, it should be able to give us the kind of power that we require”, Adelabu said.