Former Turkish referee, Ahmet Çakar has rejected the choice of Victor Osimhen as the Man of the Match after Galatasaray’s win over Lille.

He said that there are three other players who deserve the award more than Osimhen, having made more contributions.

The Nigerian forward registered his first goal against the French club, netting Galatasaray’s fourth goal in their 4-2 victory at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Following his excellent performance against Lille, Osimhen received the Man of the Match award in acknowledgment of his exceptional contribution to the Yellow-Reds.

During an appearance on the BTV YouTube channel, Çakar said he had concerns regarding the selection, highlighting Barış Alper Yılmaz, Batrakov, and Yunus Akgün as players who deserved consideration for the award.

“It’s unfair that Osimhen was chosen as man of the match,” Çakar said, via habersarikirmizi.

“Osimhen didn’t play badly, but there are Barış Alper Yılmaz, Batrakov and Yunus Akgün.”

Osimhen has demonstrated considerable success throughout the season, accumulating seven goals and three assists across eight matches in all competitions.

Notwithstanding the controversy surrounding his Man of the Match accolade, the Nigerian forward remains committed to capitalizing on his present trajectory and sustaining his exceptional performance for Galatasaray.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has uncovered more than 100 sacks of empty alcoholic beverage bottles stored at a residential property in Lagos, raising suspicions that they are being collected for the production of counterfeit drinks.

The bottles were found at a building located at 322B Meiran Road, Agbado Oke-Odo during an enforcement operation conducted by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate.

NAFDAC said the recovered bottles were destroyed to prevent their possible reuse in the packaging of fake alcoholic beverages.

An Assistant Director in the directorate, Kunle Ojo, disclosed the development in a video released by the agency on Friday, explaining that the operation followed intelligence received about activities at the property.

According to Ojo, the building was situated in an isolated residential neighbourhood, where various materials, including empty alcoholic beverage bottles covered with tarpaulins, had been stored.

The bottles were of different sizes, with some bearing labels associated with alcoholic beverage brands such as Action Bitter and Royal Circle Premium Whiskey.

Ojo said investigators suspected that the bottles were being gathered for supply to individuals involved in the manufacture of counterfeit alcoholic drinks.

He explained that the suspected practice involved collecting and distributing empty branded containers to counterfeiters, who could refill them with other products and sell them as genuine alcoholic beverages.

The discovery has renewed concerns about the health dangers posed by counterfeit alcohol, particularly when fake products are packaged in containers carrying the labels of recognised brands. Such packaging can make it difficult for consumers to identify imitation products and distinguish them from genuine drinks.

NAFDAC condemned the alleged use of a residential building for the suspected operation, stating that the enforcement exercise formed part of its efforts to safeguard public health and combat the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit products.

The agency urged members of the public to report suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods to the nearest NAFDAC office, stressing that information provided by residents could assist enforcement officials in identifying and dismantling suspected counterfeiting operations.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kenneth Okonkwo, has said President Bola Tinubu is unfit to rule Nigeria.

Addressing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, Okonkwo said the President has plunged Nigerians into hardship since taking office on May 29, 2023.

“Tinubu is unfit to rule. He has brought us to the wilderness of hunger, disease, and death,” Okonkwo said.

The Nollywood actor-turned-politician added that the current administration had failed to address the basic needs of Nigerians, with rising cost of living, insecurity and economic hardship across the country.

According to him, President Tinubu lacked the physical and leadership capacity to lead the country and should step aside.

Okonkwo urged Nigerians to vote out the All Progressives Congress, APC, in next year’s general election.

He said Nigeria needed a fit and proper president who could rescue the country from its current challenges.

A spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, Alwan Hassan has alleged that many ministers in Nigeria pay billions of naira to secure appointments.

Hassan made the allegation on Thursday while responding to questions in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.

According to him, the practice is not new and is not limited to the APC administration.

“A lot of ministers pay billions to be appointed, and the first thing they think of is how to recoup that money after being appointed.

“It is the truth about our country and not just APC ministers; it started before the APC,” Hassan said.

Hassan said the culture of paying for appointments was one of the major reasons for corruption in public office, as appointees saw public service as an investment that must yield returns.

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye and Emmanuel Fayose, a House of Representatives aspirant in Ekiti State, have urged Nigerians to reject President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 general election.

They made the call during a meeting with ADC leaders and members in Abuja on Thursday, warning that the country’s economic challenges could worsen if Tinubu secured a second term.

Atiku, who was represented by his spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, accused the President of undermining democratic institutions by allegedly exercising excessive control over the legislature and the judiciary.

He said the National Assembly had failed to hold the executive accountable, arguing that lawmakers were prioritising the President’s interests over those of ordinary Nigerians.

“In Nigeria today, the parliament is for the president, not for the people,” Okonkwo said, adding that the legislature was supposed to check the executive in the interest of citizens.

He criticised what he described as excessive government spending amid widespread economic hardship, insisting that lawmakers should scrutinise public expenditure and demand accountability.

Okonkwo also called on opposition parties to unite and present credible candidates capable of providing effective representation and delivering democratic dividends.

He questioned the President’s frequent foreign trips, arguing that constitutional provisions on presidential succession must be respected.

The ADC spokesman further criticised the administration’s borrowing, arguing that rising debt obligations were placing additional pressure on public finances and worsening the country’s economic difficulties.

He likened the country’s economic situation to the biblical wilderness, arguing that the removal of fuel subsidy had increased the burden on Nigerians already struggling with hunger and poverty.

Okonkwo also raised concerns about Tinubu’s health and capacity to govern, saying Nigerians needed a leader capable of managing the country’s challenges. He, however, acknowledged that illness was a human condition and should not be used to stigmatise anyone.

Former Kogi West lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye, in his remarks, criticised Tinubu’s comparison of Nigeria’s situation with Egypt while defending the President’s position against calls for the restoration of fuel subsidy.

Melaye argued that Egypt had overtaken Nigeria in several economic indicators, including gross domestic product, per capita income, unemployment and poverty, insisting that the President’s comparison was misplaced.

He said Nigeria needed leadership capable of addressing its economic problems, warning that the hardship currently experienced by citizens could become more severe if Tinubu returned to office in 2027.

“This hunger you are seeing now is prelim. This hunger you are seeing now is introduction to hunger. You have not even gotten to hunger,” Melaye said, warning Nigerians about the possible consequences of another APC administration.

The former lawmaker also criticised the National Assembly, describing it as an extension of the executive rather than an independent institution capable of holding the government accountable.

Drawing on his experience in the House of Representatives and Senate, Melaye argued that the legislature must reclaim its constitutional responsibility of checking the executive and protecting the interests of Nigerians.

He called on opposition figures across political parties to work together, stressing that the country’s survival should take precedence over personal ambitions, ethnic considerations and political affiliations.

Melaye urged opposition leaders, including Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and other political figures, to recognise the need for cooperation in the 2027 election, arguing that Nigeria required a leader capable of uniting its diverse population.

Also speaking, Emmanuel Fayose, the younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, alleged that the Tinubu administration was concerned about Atiku’s popularity and political influence.

Fayose said the South-West would play a significant role in determining the outcome of the 2027 presidential election, urging Nigerians to assess political candidates based on their records and capacity to lead.

He also expressed confidence that Atiku could attract substantial support in the region, while emphasising the need for voter education and sensitisation, particularly among young people.

Former Chelsea star, Chris Sutton has predicted the Premier League matchday eight fixtures taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Nottingham Forest will face Ipswich Town in an away Premier League clash on Friday night.

Aston Villa will host Manchester City on Saturday afternoon at Villa Park, while Everton will clash with Arsenal on Saturday evening at Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea will tackle Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Brighton will face Liverpool, and Manchester United will clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

Stating his predictions, Sutton told BBC Sport that Nottingham Forest will play 1-1 with Ipswich Town.

Sutton’s other predictions are:

Aston Villa 1-2 Man City

Arsenal 2-0 Everton

Coventry City 1-2 Fulham

Chelsea 3-1 Tottenham

Crystal Palace 2-2 Newcastle United

Hull City 0-2 Brentford

Liverpool 1-3 Brighton

Manchester United 1-2 Bournemouth

Sunderland 1-1 Leeds United

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has urged residents of Taraba State to take ownership of and protect Critical National Information Infrastructure, CNII, to strengthen cybersecurity and support national development.

The commission made the call at a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitisation forum held in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital on Thursday, where government officials, telecommunications operators, security agencies, industry leaders and other stakeholders discussed measures to safeguard the country’s critical digital infrastructure.

The NCC described the federal government’s designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure under the Cybercrimes Act as a landmark decision that underscores the importance of protecting the nation’s digital assets.

It noted that telecommunications infrastructure faces threats, including vandalism, theft, sabotage, cyber attacks and deliberate destruction, stressing the need for collective action to address the challenges.

In a presentation at the forum, the commission said the sensitisation exercise was designed to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the CNII framework, identify emerging threats and vulnerabilities, clarify responsibilities and strengthen partnerships for the protection of critical digital assets.

The NCC also emphasised the importance of open dialogue and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders in developing effective strategies to secure telecommunications infrastructure and build a resilient cyberspace.

Participants, led by the Taraba State Directorate of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, described the engagement as essential to promoting public awareness and encouraging attitudinal change at the grassroots.

They stressed that protecting telecommunications infrastructure required the active participation of communities, noting that the destruction of telecommunications masts and fibre-optic cables could disrupt communication services, affect economic activities and undermine community development.

The participants further called for greater community ownership of telecommunications projects, urging residents to see the protection of such infrastructure as a shared responsibility.

‎A member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, National Executive Committee, Aliyu Gantsa, has rejected his 12-month suspension by the party’s leadership in Buji Local Government Area of Jigawa State, describing the decision as unconstitutional and invalid.

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‎Speaking in reaction to the development, Gantsa insisted that the ward executives lacked the constitutional authority to suspend him from the party.

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‎”I am a member of the National Executive Committee of the ADC. Ward executives have no constitutional grounds or authority to suspend me. Their decision violates the party’s constitution and is therefore invalid,” he said.

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‎He maintained that he remained a legitimate and active member of the ADC despite the suspension announced by the party’s executives at ward level.

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‎Gantsa also vowed to challenge the decision through the appropriate channels provided by the party’s constitution.

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‎DAILY POST reports that the ADC leadership in Buji Local Government Area had announced Gantsa’s suspension for 12 months over alleged anti-party activities.

‎According to the statement, the suspension took effect on October 19, 2026, and would last until October 19, 2027.

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‎The party accused Gantsa of violating its rules, creating divisions among members and openly supporting a candidate who lost the party’s primary election.