IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has become the first player to be voted the Premier League young player of the year in successive seasons after winning the 2021-22 award. The 21-year-old has scored nine goals and provided five assists this season, with City top of the league before the final day of the season on Sunday.

He secured the most combined votes from the public and a Premier League panel. "I'm very proud to have won for a second season in a row," said Foden. "I have been really happy with my performances this season and it has been great to contribute to this team in what will hopefully be another successful year for us all. "To be nominated alongside so many great players is an honour as they have all had great seasons for their clubs."

Foden beat Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, Crystal Palace's on-loan Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, Palace's Tyrick Mitchell, Chelsea's Mason Mount, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka, and West Ham's Declan Rice to the award for players aged 23 or under.

The England international can help City claim the Premier League title on Sunday - when they host Aston Villa - as his side go into the final round of fixtures one point ahead of rivals Liverpool, who are at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said he has acquired the experience, understanding, and knowledge to hit the ground running from day one if he becomes the country’s President.

Osinbajo stated this on Friday in Osogbo, Osun State, while addressing party delegates as part of his national consultation visit ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential primary election. He said although it takes one and a half to two years for a new person in government to understand the system and start to perform, in his own case, the almost eight years spent as vice president has positioned him to start working from day one.

“You all know why I’m here. The reason for my being here is because I have put myself forward as a presidential aspirant. I have served for eight years in government and I understand what it takes to govern this country,” he said.

“I have the knowledge, understanding, and experience to govern this country. I can hit the ground running from day one if I become the President of Nigeria. Everybody in government knows that it takes even a governor up to one year to understand the nitty-gritty of government.”

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Friday suspended the resumption of train services on the Abuja-Kaduna route amid pressure from families of victims abducted by terrorists. 

Gunmen had on March 28 used explosives to kill nine passengers and injured others while kidnapping about 50 victims, the NRC suspended operations on the route indefinitely.

However, the corporation announced earlier in the week that it will resume services on May 23, a situation that did not augur well with the victims’ families who threatened to disrupt operations. But in a statement issued by NRC’s spokesman, Yakub Mahmood, the agency said a new date would be announced soonest.

“Sequel to our earlier Press Release No. 10 dated 16th May 2022 on the above caption, the General Public is kindly invited to note the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is announcing a shift in the resumption date for Abuja Kaduna,” he said in the statement.

While apologising for the delay in the resumption of train services, Mahmood assured the distraught families that it was working hard to secure the victims’ release.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria on Friday said a yet unidentified body has been discovered on runway 18R/36L of the Murtala Muhammed Airport.

The discovery occurred on Thursday, a statement signed by FAAN’s General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, said.

“A motorized cleaner, that was cleared to carry out a derruberization and sweeping of the runway discovered the remains at about 0106hours, and escalated the situation to relevant departments,” the statement said.

“As a result, between 0110 and 0343 hours, the runway was temporarily closed to allow for immediate evacuation of the remains. Flight operations resumed at 0343 hours.

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, on Friday lifted a curfew imposed on Sokoto metropolis over the unrest that followed the killing of Deborah Samuel. The Governor also banned all forms of procession in the state indefinitely.

Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, was lynched by a mob over alleged blasphemy. The police arrested two suspects in connection with the killing but a protest demanding their release soon followed.

“Acting on enabling powers under section 176 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, section 1, 2 and 4 of the Public Order Act and section 15 of Sokoto State Peace Preservation Law, the Governor of Sokoto State, Rt Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, CFR, Mutawallen Sokoto has after due consultations, lifted the curfew imposed on Sokoto metropolis with immediate effect,” a statement signed by Commissioner of Information, Isah Bajini Galadanci, said days after the curfew was imposed.

“The Governor has urged the general public to be law abiding and remain peaceful at all times stressing the need for peaceful co-existence amongst the people in the State. “He reiterated the need for peace as the necessary foundation for any meaningful development.

Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger says "difficult" contract negotiations and a lack of communication are the reasons behind his departure from the club. The defender, whose deal with the Blues expires this summer, was offered a contract worth more than £200,000 to stay at Chelsea.

However, Real Madrid have agreed a deal to sign the Germany international. "I leave this club with a heavy heart. It has meant everything to me," Rudiger told The Players' Tribune. "Unfortunately, my contract negotiations had already started to get difficult last fall. "Business is business, but when you don't hear any news from the club from August to January, the situation becomes complicated."

Rudiger, who joined Chelsea for an initial £29m from Roma in 2017, is expected to sign a four-year deal at the Bernabeu. He has made over 200 appearances for Chelsea, winning the Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup and the FA Cup. "We're not robots, you know? You cannot wait for months with so much uncertainty about your future," he said.

"Obviously, no one saw the sanctions coming, but in the end, other big clubs were showing interest, and I had to make a decision."