Super Eagles set for last Nations Cup hurdle against Bafana Bafana

Super Eagles hope of qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea is dependent on the outcome of its last group A qualifier against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo today

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Nigeria, second in the group with seven points, needs an outright victory for it to win the group’s second automatic qualification ticket. South Africa qualified last Saturday with 11 points after its 2-1 defeat of Sudan in Durban thereby opening a four-point lead over second and third placed Nigeria and Congo respectively.

Nigeria got its tottering campaign back on track last Saturday in Pointe Noire, beating Congo 2-0. The victory cancelled the head-to-head advantage that Congo had over Nigeria as a result of its first leg 3-2 defeat of Nigeria in Calabar.

Super Eagles’ Interim Coach, Stephen Keshi, described Eagles 2-0 win in Pointe Noire as a hard one saying, “It was not an easy game against a very determined Congo side, but luck was on our side. We took a big step forward.

“Now we must do everything to get the three points in our last match and qualify for the Nations Cup.”

The most important thing today is not playing well, but getting the job done as the team did against Congo in Pointe Noire. The good thing is that, South Africa has nothing to play for, safe pride and its desire to end its bad run against the Eagles. Out of 10 meetings, Eagles has won seven, drew two and lost one.

To get itself prepared adequately for today’s encounter, Eagles returned to the country immediately after the victory in Congo and moved straight to Uyo venue of the match.

But the team will not have the services of two players, midfielder Hope Akpan (shoulder injury) and defender Godfrey Oboabona, who is ruled out due to card problem.

There is injury fear to defensive midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, as he missed the team’s training session on Tuesday morning, but could pass a late fitness test for the match.

The good news is that Kenneth Omeruoh is back and ready to play. He will certainly replace Oboabona at the heart of the Eagles defence with Soni Aluko likely to start today.

Ike Uche, who scored Eagles first goal in Pointe Noire, said the mood in the camp is that today’s match is like cup final, which really it is.

“The mood is great, we know the expectations of our fans and we must give everything on the pitch to get the win,” said Uche, adding, “We’ve been saying Wednesday is like a Cup final against South Africa and all the players know what is at stake.

“After that important win against Congo we now have our fate in our own hands.”

Keshi agreed that it will be a difficult task to do without two regulars in his team but he also hope the remaining players would hold their own against any squad in the world. “It would have been better to play all my regulars in this match but since it has turned out like this I expect the others to show what they can do in the face of challenges facing the team and I trust they will do very well against Bafana Bafana.”

Azubuike Egweikwe did well last Saturday pairing Oboabona, so barring any unforeseen circumstances he should start with Efe Ambrose and Juwon Oshaniwa starting also.

Mikel Obi, Ogenyi Onazi and Soni Aluko are expected to star in the midfield. Expectedly, Ike Uche will lead the attack with Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa assisting.

Third-placed Congo is hoping South Africa will do it a big favour by not losing in Nigeria and they win in Sudan.

Congo, which last featured at the Nations Cup 14 years ago, could also qualify as third-best losers if it beats Sudan away and Guinea fails to beat Uganda at home.

CAF Name Equatorial Guinea To Host AFCON 2015

The Confederation of African Football says Equatorial Guinea has been chosen to host the 2015 African Cup of Nations in place of Morocco. CAF says the dates for the tournament will remain January 17 to February 8 after Morocco was dumped as host for demanding a postponement over Ebola fears. Equatorial Guinea co-hosted the African Cup in 2012 with Gabon.

CAF says four cities will be used for the tournament: Malabo, Bata, Mongomo and Ebebiyin. CAF also says Equatorial Guinea’s team would be allowed to take part as the host nation despite being disqualified from African Cup qualifying this year for fielding an ineligible player. The draw for the group phase will take place on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Facebook Founder Zuckerberg To Donate $25Million To Combat Ebola

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive, Mark Zuckerberg, announced on Tuesday that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, would donate $25 million to the Centres for Disease Control Foundation to fight Ebola.

The money will go to the CDC Foundation, the charitable organization that raises and distributes funds on behalf the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to public health organizations.

“We need to get Ebola under control in the near term so that it doesn’t spread further and become a long term global health crisis that we end up fighting for decades at large scale, like HIV or polio,” he said in a post on Facebook.

“We believe our grant is the quickest way to empower the CDC and the experts in this field to prevent this outcome.”

The death toll in the outbreak, first reported in Guinea in March, has reached 4,447 from a total of 8,914 cases, World Health Organization Assistant Director-General, Bruce Aylward said on Tuesday.

The United States had its first fatality from the current Ebola outbreak when Thomas Eric Duncan died in a Dallas hospital last week.

One of the nurses who treated him has also been diagnosed with the disease.

Nigeria is the only country to have successfully contained the outbreak of the Ebola virus.

According to the CDC, Nigeria reported their first case on July 20 when Patrick Sawyer travelled from Liberia to Lagos, Nigeria.

He exposed 72 other passengers with the virus. Nigerian health officials found everyone who had been in contact with Sawyer and developed a mobilization plan.

They reached more than 26,000 households in this process. Nigeria also established the Ebola Management Centre in the process.

Nigeria has not reported new cases since August 31.

Boko Haram’s “Representative” In Ceasefire Talks Bogus, Says Salkida

Ahmad Salkida, a journalist with access to some top leaders of Boko Haram, has alleged that a man named Danladi Ahmadu, who reportedly represented the Islamist group in ceasefire negotiations with the Nigerian government, is bogus and an impostor.

Mr. Salkida, who is currently in self-exile, asserted that Mr. Ahmadu was not authorized to speak on behalf of Boko Haram or the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau. He added that the Nigerian government was caught in the hoax of negotiating with an impostor.

According to him, it is the Islamist sect that ought to announce a ceasefire and not the Nigerian government since it was Boko Haram that declared war on the Nigerian state.

Mr. Salkida made these assertions in a series of tweets in his twitter handle monitored by our correspondent in Abuja. “Where in the world will a government say they killed Shekau, two weeks later, met a delegation sent by the same Shekau to discuss a ceasefire? If we are Chinese, some people claim Shekau is a title and ‘Boko Haram’ always finds his look-alike to assume Shekau each time they kill him? Haba! When we said Shekau was alive two weeks ago, we were nearly crucified here. Now the Federal Government agrees Danladi Ahmadu speaks for Shekau? Is Shekau mutating?” he wrote on twitter.

Buhari, Atiku Vows To Sack ‘Corrupt, Disastrous’ PDP Government In 2015

Critical stakeholders of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Northern Nigeria that includes General Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, governors of Kano, Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, senators, members of House of Representatives and state assemblies today unanimously agreed to team up with the rest of the country to vote out Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

 In a communiqué issued in Kaduna after their meeting, the top brass of the APC vowed to vote out PDP led government they described as corrupt, disastrous and clueless government.

The resolution sent to SaharaReporters by one of its national official from the region read in part:

 “The meeting after extensive and lively deliberations on the state of the nation, the party and the upcoming 2015 elections affirmed as follows:

“Its commitment to the unity and continuous existence of Nigeria as a democratic, progressive nation committed to the wellbeing of all Nigerians. The commitment of all stakeholders on sustaining and strengthening the unity of the APC as the political force in the country and resolved as follows:

“Work closely and diligently with all members of the party across the country to ensure the ousting of the corrupt, disastrous and clueless PDP government in the 2015 elections. To provide a level playing field to all those who aspire to contest for public office on the platform of the party through its internal democratic processes.”

It also reiterates what APC government will do for the country, “That the incoming APC government in 2015 will make security of life and property of all citizens, respect for the rule of law and good governance its top most priority.”

10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader

Having a great idea, and assembling a team to bring that concept to life is the first step in creating a successful business venture. While finding a new and unique idea is rare enough; the ability to successfully execute this idea is what separates the dreamers from the entrepreneurs. 

However you see yourself, whatever your age may be, as soon as you make that exciting first hire, you have taken the first steps in becoming a powerful leader. When money is tight, stress levels are high, and the visions of instant success don’t happen like you thought, it’s easy to let those emotions get to you, and thereby your team. Take a breath, calm yourself down, and remind yourself of the leader you are and would like to become. Here are some key qualities that every good leader should possess, and learn to emphasize.

Honesty

Whatever ethical plane you hold yourself to, when you are responsible for a team of people, its important to raise the bar even higher. Your business and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you make honest and ethical behavior a key value, your team will follow suit.

the crowdfunding platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses I co-founded, try to make a list of values and core beliefs that both you and your brand represent, and post this in your office. Promote a healthy interoffice lifestyle, and encourage your team to live up to these standards. By emphasizing these standards, and displaying them yourself, you will hopefully influence the office environment into a friendly and helpful workspace.

Ability to Delegate

Finessing your brand vision is essential to creating an organized and efficient business, but if you don’t learn to trust your team with that vision, you might never progress to the next stage. Its important to remember that trusting your team with your idea is a sign of strength, not weakness. Delegating tasks to the appropriate departments is one of the most important skills you can develop as your business grows. The emails and tasks will begin to pile up, and the more you stretch yourself thin, the lower the quality of your work will become, and the less you will produce.

The key to delegation is identifying the strengths of your team, and capitalizing on them. Find out what each team member enjoys doing most. Chances are if they find that task more enjoyable, they will likely put more thought and effort behind it. This will not only prove to your team that you trust and believe in them, but will also free up your time to focus on the higher level tasks, that should not be delegated. It’s a fine balance, but one that will have a huge impact on the productivity of your business.

Communication

Knowing what you want accomplished may seem clear in your head, but if you try to explain it to someone else and are met with a blank expression, you know there is a problem. If this has been your experience, then you may want to focus on honing your communication skills. Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want done is extremely important. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t all be working towards the same goal.

Training new members and creating a productive work environment all depend on healthy lines of communication. Whether that stems from an open door policy to your office, or making it a point to talk to your staff on a daily basis, making yourself available to discuss interoffice issues is vital. Your team will learn to trust and depend on you, and will be less hesitant to work harder.

Sense of Humor

If your website crashes, you lose that major client, or your funding dries up, guiding your team through the process without panicking is as challenging as it is important. Morale is linked to productivity, and it’s your job as the team leader to instill a positive energy. That’s where your sense of humor will finally pay off. Encourage your team to laugh at the mistakes instead of crying. If you are constantly learning to find the humor in the struggles, your work environment will become a happy and healthy space, where your employees look forward to working in, rather than dreading it. Make it a point to crack jokes with your team and encourage personal discussions of weekend plans and trips. It’s these short breaks from the task at hand that help keep productivity levels high and morale even higher.we place a huge emphasis on humor and a light atmosphere. Our office is dog friendly, and we really believe it is the small, light hearted moments in the day that help keep our work creative and fresh. One tradition that we like to do and brings the team closer is we plan a fun prank on all new employees, on their first day. It breaks the ice and immediately creates that sense of familiarity.

Confidence

There may be days where the future of your brand is worrisome and things aren’t going according to plan. This is true with any business, large or small, and the most important thing is not to panic. Part of your job as a leader is to put out fires and maintain the team morale. Keep up your confidence level, and assure everyone that setbacks are natural and the important thing is to focus on the larger goal. As the leader, by staying calm and confident, you will help keep the team feeling the same. Remember, your team will take cues from you, so if you exude a level of calm damage control, your team will pick up on that feeling. The key objective is to keep everyone working and moving ahead.

Commitment

If you expect your team to work hard and produce quality content, you’re going to need to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches working alongside everyone else, showing that hard work is being done on every level. By proving your commitment to the brand and your role, you will not only earn the respect of your team, but will also instill that same hardworking energy among your staff. It’s important to show your commitment not only to the work at hand, but also to your promises. If you pledged to host a holiday party, or uphold summer Fridays, keep your word. You want to create a reputation for not just working hard, but also be known as a fair leader. Once you have gained the respect of your team, they are more likely to deliver the peak amount of quality work possible.

Positive Attitude

You want to keep your team motivated towards the continued success of the company, and keep the energy levels up. Whether that means providing snacks, coffee, relationship advice, or even just an occasional beer in the office, remember that everyone on your team is a person. Keep the office mood a fine balance between productivity and playfulness.

If your team is feeling happy and upbeat, chances are they won’t mind staying that extra hour to finish a report, or devoting their best work to the brand.

Creativity

Some decisions will not always be so clear-cut. You may be forced at times to deviate from your set course and make an on the fly decision. This is where your creativity will prove to be vital. It is during these critical situations that your team will look to you for guidance and you may be forced to make a quick decision. As a leader, its important to learn to think outside the box and to choose which of two bad choices is the best option. Don’t immediately choose the first or easiest possibility; sometimes its best to give these issues some thought, and even turn to your team for guidance. By utilizing all possible options before making a rash decision, you can typically reach the end conclusion you were aiming for.

Intuition

When leading a team through uncharted waters, there is no roadmap on what to do. Everything is uncertain, and the higher the risk, the higher the pressure. That is where your natural intuition has to kick in. Guiding your team through the process of your day-to-day tasks can be honed down to a science. But when something unexpected occurs, or you are thrown into a new scenario, your team will look to you for guidance. Drawing on past experience is a good reflex, as is reaching out to your mentors for support. Eventually though, the tough decisions will be up to you to decide and you will need to depend on your gut instinct for answers. Learning to trust yourself is as important as your team learning to trust you.

Ability to Inspire

Creating a business often involves a bit of forecasting. Especially in the beginning stages of a startup, inspiring your team to see the vision of the successes to come is vital. Make your team feel invested in the accomplishments of the company. Whether everyone owns a piece of equity, or you operate on a bonus system, generating enthusiasm for the hard work you are all putting in is so important. Being able to inspire your team is great for focusing on the future goals, but it is also important for the current issues. When you are all mired deep in work, morale is low, and energy levels are fading, recognize that everyone needs a break now and then. Acknowledge the work that everyone has dedicated and commend the team on each of their efforts. It is your job to keep spirits up, and that begins with an appreciation for the hard work.

Air Force Captain's Proposal To NFL Cheerleader Is The Definition Of All-American Sweetness.

The big winner at Sunday night's Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Redskins game wasn't one of the teams or even one of the football players. It was one lucky NFL cheerleader and her romantic Air Force Captain boyfriend.

During the game, Cardinals cheerleader Claire Thornton was surprised beyond belief when her boyfriend Eric Straub -- who had just returned home from his Middle East deployment the night before -- appeared on 

the field in his flight suit.

Luckily for Straub, the public proposal paid off. Thornton said "Yes!" and the crowd, which had been watching on a jumbo screen the entire time, went wild.

"It was pretty amazing,I was shaking really bad. He's like 'Put the ring on!' And I'm like, you put it on me!' The best part about everything is that my whole family was there and his whole family was there, and I was doing what I love with the people that I love. It was the epitome of the best day ever.''

Here's the happy couple after the fact:

ConocoPhillips’ Deepwater Exploration Uncovers Oil

The North American shale production is driving most of ConocoPhillips' growth these days, the company isn't just relying on shale to fuel its future. Instead, the company is exploring for oil around the world so that it can fuel its growth once shale production slows down. One of the places it's looking for oil is Senegal, which isn't yet known as an oil hub. That could change as the company and its partners have announced a deepwater discovery 60 miles offshore.

Drilling down into the recent discoveryConocoPhillips recently announced that it discovered oil at its FAN-1 well. While it isn't yet sure if the well will prove to be commercially viable, the company said that preliminary results were encouraging. The exploration well was drilled to a total depth of 16,164 feet and in 4,700 feet of water.

Source: ConocoPhillips Investor Presentation 

While the company needs to continue to evaluate the results of this well, that's not stopping it from working on a second well as it plans to now focus on drilling the SNE-1 well also located offshore Senegal. If both wells prove to hold economically viable oil then this could open up an exciting new energy producing region for the company and the industry.

Spreading its betsWhile Senegal could eventually become ConocoPhillips' next big growth area, the company isn't putting all of its efforts into that one area. It's also not putting all of its efforts into deepwater exploration for that matter. As the following slide shows, ConocoPhillips is spreading its exploration dollars around the world and across many different types of potential energy sources.

Source: ConocoPhillips Investor Presentation

As the above slide notes, ConocoPhillips is investing in deepwater exploration projects in the Gulf of Mexico, Angola, and Norway this year. On top of that it's also looking for oil and gas through conventional means in Alaska, the North Sea, and in Asia. Finally, it's exploring for unconventional resources in North America, Poland, Australia, and Colombia. By diversifying its exploration efforts ConocoPhillips not only is reducing its risk, but should be able to discover a balanced mix of opportunities that will fuel its growth over the next decade.

That being said, some areas are starting to emerge and could deliver growth before the end of this decade. Topping that list is the Gulf of Mexico where ConocoPhillips and its partners have made four recent discoveries. Another area investors should keep an eye on is the company's unconventional exploration and appraisal efforts in North America, especially in Canada and the Permian Basin, as these shale plays have the potential to add near-term development opportunities that could provide a production boost over the next few years. Finally, ConocoPhillips recently doubled its investments in Alaska as it focuses on growing its conventional production in that state as its taking advantage of some unique new opportunities in the state. Combined these opportunities should allow the company to continue growing its production at or above its current growth rate of 3%-5% each year.

Investor takeawayConocoPhillips really has a balanced approach when it comes to growth. Not only does this spread the company's risk so that any one failure won't be a big blow, but it allows the company to make early discoveries so that it can establish a dominant position in a new play before many of its peers. It's a strategy that should continue to deliver strong returns for investors as it will keep the company's already generous dividend growing for years to come. 

October 1 Movie by Kunle Afolayan

Watch the exciting new trailer of Kunle Afolayan's psychological thriller, OCTOBER 1. It stars Sadiq Daba, Kehinde Bankole, David Bailie, Kayode Olaiya, Nick Rhys, Fabian Lojede, and Demola Adedoyin, etc.

Lagos State May Prosecute T.B Joshua for Collapse Building.

According to reports, Synagogue leader T.B Joshua may be prosecuted by the Lagos State Government over the collapse of his building on September 12th that left more than 115 people dead.

 Opinionvoices reports that the state government has set up a coroner of inquest for the purpose of investigating the cause of the building collapse. This was made known in a statement credited to the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, on Sunday.

 According to the statement, Ipaye had instigated the coroner’s inquest pursuant to Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s System Law No. 7 of 2007.

The coroner of inquest, headed by Magistrate O. A. Komolafe, has been charged with the duty of establishing the cause of the collapse of Synagogue’s six-storey building that killed no fewer than 115 persons.

Ipaye, who spelt out the responsibility of the coroner, said its final submission might necessitate the institution of a criminal charge against the church.

The commissioner was quoted to have said, “The law requires the verdict of a coroner, as certified in writing, to be forwarded to the State Attorney General and such verdict may form the basis of criminal prosecution depending on the evidence collected.

“The coroner in this case is Magistrate O. A. Komolafe, who also sat as coroner in the Dana Air Crash case. He is expected to announce his sitting or visitation schedules and other details and to hold the inquest at the premises of the High Court of Lagos State, Oba Akinjobi Way, Ikeja.

“In doing this, he (Komolafe) has all the powers of a magistrate to summon and compel the attendance of witnesses, including medical examiners, and require them to give evidence, produce documents or present other relevant materials.”

Uzo Aduba wins Creative Arts Emmy

Uzo Aduba, 33, who plays “Crazy Eyes” on the highly admired Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black (2013)” made history after taking home the Show's first award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy on Saturday, August 16 at the 2014 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Uzo Aduba

"I'm stuffed really,” Aduba said. “I'm beyond full. My cup runneth over right now.”

The Massachusetts-raised actress beat out five other women for the award, including co-stars Laverne Cox and Natasha Lyonne.

"I'm speechless," Aduba added, as she accepts the golden trophy. "I don't know how to say how incredibly impressed I am to be a part of this show."

Uzo Aduba wins Creative Arts Emmy

Aduba’s depiction of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren has been one of the most applauded on the show, attesting that the role is more fitting for her, though not the one she originally auditioned for.

Aduba’s recognition as an actress started in 2003 for Translations of Xhosa at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, winning her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play. She made a Broadway debut in 2007 as Toby inCorum Boy. She was also a member of the original revival cast of Godspell at the Circle in the Square Theatre from 2011 through 2012, among other acting roles. Prior to her part as “Crazy Eyes” Aduba appeared on the TV Series "Blue Bloods" in 2012.

Aduba’s admission on being captivated by actor Morgan Freeman, who also presented the award to her, shows just how much of a humble person she’s remained after being in the business for over a decade.

She recanted her feelings leading to her accepting the award.

Uzo Aduba wins Creative Arts Emmy

"It's like you're walking and you're aware that you're walking toward Morgan Freeman, but you're fairly certain you should still be sitting on your seat," she said in the press room. "You're like, 'Maybe I'm embarrassing myself, maybe they didn't call my name, maybe somebody else's name. I don't know what's happening.' "

Aduba recently told NPR’s Michel Martin that her full first name, Uzoamaka, means, "the road is good" in her mother tongue, Igbo.

Her mother, of Nigerian descent is said to have fled from then war-torn Nigeria, in hopes of giving her children a better life.

So it was only fitting for her to celebrate her victory with her family.

"We all kind of had a dance party, my mom was dancing across the hotel room, just getting excited," she told reporters. "It didn't really hit me until we were getting ready to come here ... I just started to take it in."

“Orange Is the New Black (2013)” has earned nominations in nine award categories of the prestigious Emmy Awards scheduled to take place on August 25, 2014.

I feel absolutely all of those things: I feel full of joy, like a fountain,” Aduba said. “Mission accomplished."

Obafemi Martins’ new $3.2 million Deal Makes Him 8th Highest Paid Player In US Major League Soccer

Nigeria international Obafemi Martins has signed a new two-year deal with his Major League Soccer club, Seattle Sounders,  which has seen the striker move up to 8th on the payment ladder which makes him one of the most paid in the whole league.

The former Inter Milan player who before the new deal was on $1.7million a year has seen his earnings doubled to $3.4 million per annum just slightly below New York Red Bull’s Tim Cahill who gets paid $3.6million.
 
Martins is having the best scoring season of his career and is on his way to double-digit assists in a team that boasts of other star-studded players like American Clint Dempsey
 
After stints in some of the major clubs across Europe which includes Inter Milan and Newcastle FC, Martins moved to the US last year and had declared his desire to stay in Seattle despite claims they other teams were want his services. TOP TEN HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS IN MLS (Washington Post)
 
1. Michael Bradley, Toronto FC: $6 million

2. Jermain Defoe, Toronto FC: $6 million

3. Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders: $4.91 million

4. Robbie Keane, Los Angeles Galaxy: $4.5 million

5. Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy: $4.25 million

6. Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls: $3.75 million

7. Tim Cahill, New York Red Bulls: $3.5 million

8. Obafemi Martins, Seattle Sounders: $3.4 million

9. Marco Di Vaio, Montreal Impact: $2.5 million,

10. Pedro Morales, Vancouver Whitecaps: $2.19 million

Tinubu Back In Nigeria, Denies Rumors Of Sickness

Former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State, who is also one of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), returned to Lagos today after a prolonged trip abroad and denied rumors that he was seriously ill. 

Former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State, who is also one of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), returned to Lagos today after a prolonged trip abroad and denied rumors that he was seriously ill. 

Bola Tinubu departing from a private jet on ThursdaySpeaking to reporters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Mr. Tinubu said he was never indisposed during his trip abroad. He added that he was asking God to forgive those who spread rumors about his ill health.

“I’m as fit as a fiddle,” said the former governor. He added: “There was nothing wrong before I left the country. We had the Osun gubernatorial election and I’d planned a long vacation and some other research assignments in the political arena. It was to learn from people who had experienced the development of opposition parties in the past.”

Defending the apparent secrecy about his location abroad, Mr. Tinubu said, “I don’t have to disclose to people my vacation location. But it was very shocking and sad that there were speculations about my health. This is a sign of the lack of trust people have for leadership in the country. When I had the knee problem, I disclosed to Nigerians that I was going for a knee surgery and I came back. Even then, they started peddling rumors. I don’t know whether some people deliberately insinuate that I have a medical problem. It seems like a deliberate falsehood to me. It is all lies. There was no day that I had the need for even Panadol since I left this country for this trip. I was very busy, reading and talking to people of great intelligence that I believe I could gain from politically.”

After stating that he wanted divine forgiveness for those spreading rumors of his illness, Mr. Tinubu added, “I wish them all they wish for me.”

Speaking on Nigerian politics, the APC leader said that Nigerians had become tired of the kind of leadership provided by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “The entire nation has lost its trust in the ruling party. It is a challenging time and we have to be very careful. The APC has all the ingredients to save Nigeria and we shall save our dear country,” he said.