Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will fight on the same night in Saudi Arabia on December 23, but against different opponents in Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker, accordingly. If Joshua and Wilder both win, they could fight each other in 2024. “I can’t predict the future but I know where I want to go, I know what I want to do,” Joshua told a press conference. “I set out a plan at the start of this year and I’m sticking to that. I’m a man of my word and I stand firm on what I believe, and I believe I want to be three-time heavyweight champion of the world. “And my first stop to that… Is putting on a demolishing job against Otto Wallin.” Joshua lost his heavyweight belts to Oleksandr Usyk, while Wilder was defeated twice by Tyson Fury. Wilder has not fought since a first-round knockout victory over Finland’s Robert Helenius in October 2022. Joshua also knocked out Helenius in the seventh round in his last bout in August. Usyk and Fury were expected to headline the December 23 card i...

  The projected trial of the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has been postponed at the Federal Capital Territory High court, following the industrial strike embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) at the Federal Capital Territory High Court branch. JUSUN had directed its members to join the industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over an assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero in Imo State on November 1, 2023. A visit to the court on Wednesday showed a locked gate and no sign of lawyers trooping in and out of the court premises. Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, had last week granted Emefiele bail. He ordered that he should be released immediately to his lawyers, who are charged with the responsibility of producing him in court for his arraignment today (Wednesday), or at any other day. Emefiele’s travails started when President Bola Tinubu suspended him as the apex bank chief on June 9, 20...

  Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold is set to leave the club. The 52-year-old took over from Ed Woodward as United's most senior executive in February 2022. His separation from the club is yet to be officially confirmed, comes as Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group prepares to finalize its purchase of a 25% stake in the Premier League giants. The deal is expected to be ratified during November's international break. Ratcliffe's Ineos Group are set to pay around £1.25bn for their minority purchase, which could be completed as early as this week. Arnold first joined United in August 2007 and acted as the club's managing director from 2013 until he replaced Woodward. He oversaw the appointment of current manager Erik ten Hag in 2022, who delivered the club's first trophy in six years by winning the Carabao Cup in his debut season in March. However, United have endured a disappointing start to the 2023-24 campaign, losing nine of their first 18 games in a...

  The Federal Government says it is investigating reports of nearly 264 Nigerian passengers’ visas being cancelled upon their arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from Nigeria. The Air Peace flight reportedly took off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos via the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Sunday night and landed at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement made available on Tuesday, said it was “investigating the matter to see if any consular or aviation rules have been flouted.” According to the minister’s SA Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Ministry will ensure such actions that impact the welfare of Nigerian citizens are mitigated in the future in line with what was described as the Four Ds strategy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “Nigeria has just participated in the Saudi-Africa Summit where bilateral discussions covering several sectors of the econom...

  T here was a lot of noise and confusion,  on Monday afternoon at the Bayelsa State collation centre for the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Yenagoa, the state capital, when two party agents engaged in a scuffle over results collated from the Brass Local Government Area (LGA). The party agents identified as members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord started the free-for-all before the state Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta, electoral officials, security agents and observers. Security agents had a tough time dousing the brawl as the two aggrieved men rushed out of the collation building to continue their fight outside. Kuta subsequently adjourned collation. So far, results from seven of the eight LGAs have been announced with the incumbent, Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the lead having won five local governments while APC’s Timipre Sylva got two. The PDP candidate is leading his APC counterpart with over 55,000 votes but resul...

  The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), on Sunday, brought forth a peace treaty between the Management of TotalEnergies, operator of the NNPC / TotalEnergies JV, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association, (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). At the meeting, according to a statement by NNPCL spokesman, Olufemi Soneye, the unions agreed to suspend ongoing industrial action leading to immediate restoration of 275, 000 barrels of oil per day production. In a communiqué issued at the end of a marathon negotiation session chaired by Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Executive Vice President, Upstream, NNPC Ltd., all parties committed to resolving all the issues within an agreed framework. The communiqué was signed by TotalEnergies MD/CEO Matthieu Bouyer, PENGASSAN President, Comrade Festus Osifo, and NUPENG President, Comrade Williams Akporegha. It was witnessed by NNPC Ltd.’s, EVP Upstream Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan and Chief Upst...

  Governor Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has won all the 27 local government results announced in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in Imo State. Collation of results at the State Collation Centre started around 02:30am on Sunday in Owerri, the state capital, with the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Prof Abayomi Fashina, as the state Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election. Though 18 parties fielded candidates in the poll, this year’s governorship election in Imo State has been described by analysts as a four-horse race between APC’s Uzodimma who is seeking re-election, Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party’s Achonu Nneji and Jack Ogunewe of the Action Alliance. None of the other candidates won any local government. According to INEC, the number of registered voters in the state for the poll was 2, 419,922 with 2,318,919 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) col...