Evritinnaija

Argentina’s best player and arguably world best, Lionel Messi yesterday clocked 31 but the Barcelona hero chose to train with his national team squad on his birthday as they prepare for the June 26 showdown against Super Eagles of Nigeria. The two countries will slug it out in the final group match that will make or mar their fate of progressing to the second round of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Messi was full of live at the Argentina training on his birthday morning as he jettison going for party with probably knowing how crucial their encounter with Nigerian side is in the light of the country’s position in Group D. However, the intensive training which lasted for hours did not end without special congratulatory messages from Argentina manager, Jorge Sampaoli, Sergio Aguero and teammates. Though Messi has not scored a goal in this tournament, but there are high hopes that he will spring surprise with his magical moves to lead the wounded Argentine team to victory against Niger

Plateau State was on Sunday thrown into mourning with the killing of 86 persons in the attacks on about 11 communities in the Gashish District by suspected Fulani herdsmen . The Police Command in Plateau State had earlier on Sunday confirmed the attacks, saying it had only recovered 11 corpses from some of the villages. But residents had insisted that about 200 people were killed by the marauding herdsmen . However, the police later issued a statement that indicated that the death toll in the attack on the communities in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area on Saturday night had risen to 86 . It added that six people were injured , 50 houses burnt , 15 motorcycles razed while two motor vehicles were torched . The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command , Matthias Tyopev, an Assistant Superintendent of Police , in an updated statement issued on Sunday night , said the earlier 11 death toll in the attacks was due to the information at its disposal as of then before the a

A national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, on Sunday asked former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop interfering in the affairs of the ruling party. He spoke in Abuja at the venue of the national convention of the party. Mr Tinubu, who described Mr Obasanjo’s interference as “busy body”, argued that the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari in three years could not be compared to those of the administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which ruled the country for unbroken 16 years. Mr Obasanjo was president between 1999 and 2007 on the platform of the PDP. The former president had earlier in the year written an open letter to Mr Buhari asking him not to run for a second term because he had performed poorly. However, the president ignored the advice as he announced at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja that he would seek reelection next year. Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, said Mr Obasanjo did no

A former National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has revealed what he will do if he fails to get the presidential ticket of the party in 2019 election. Asked in an interview with reporters in Abuja if he will seek to realize his ambition on another platform if he did not succeed in getting the PDP nomination, Makarfi said his politics is politics of decency, not just within the party. The former Kaduna State governor also hailed the President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress government for successes recorded in the fight against insurgency. He said, “Because I want to be the candidate of my party, it will not be an excuse to insult or do negative campaign against other candidates. “It is a question of what do I have to offer that is better than what the other person has to offer. It should not affect personal relationship. At the end of the day, whoever gets it will have to work with others to succeed. “If