IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

UEFA is considering eliminating extra time in Champions League knockout rounds to ease player workload, with discussions gaining traction.

According to The Guardian UK, the proposal would see matches go straight to penalties after regulation time, though any changes are unlikely before the current TV rights cycle ends in 2027.

Concerns over congested schedules, particularly with the expanded Champions League format and the FIFA Club World Cup, have fueled the debate.

Supporters of the idea argue that scrapping extra time would:

Reduce strain on players, especially those in summer qualifying rounds.

Help clubs with smaller squads compete more fairly.

Provide broadcasters with more predictable match durations.

UEFA acknowledged that the issue has been informally discussed but has not yet been formally proposed for approval by its executive committee. 

The House of Representatives Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution has proposed the creation of 31 additional states in the country.  

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu who presided over plenary on Thursday read a letter from the committee containing the proposed states. If approved, this will increase the number of states in Nigeria to 67.

The letter read: “This is to inform members that the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered), has received legislative proposals for the creation of states and local governments in the following order:

NORTH-CENTRAL

1. BENUE ALA STATE from the present Benue State.

2. OKUN STATE from the present Kogi State

3. OKURA STATE from the present Kogi State

4. CONFLUENCE STATE from the present Kogi State

5. APA-AGBA STATE from Benue South Senatorial District

6. APA STATE from the present Benue State.

7. A 37th state, namely FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

NORTH-EAST

8. AMANA STATE from the present Adamawa State.

9. KATAGUM STATE from the present Bauchi State.

10. SAVANNAH STATE from the present Borno State.

11.MURI STATE from the present Taraba State.

NORTH-WEST

12.NEW KADUNA STATE and GURARA STATE from the present Kaduna State.

13. TIGA STATE from the present Kano State.

14. KAINJI STATE from the present Kebbi State.

15. GHARI STATE from the present Kano State

SOUTH-EAST

16. ETITI STATE as the sixth (6th) state in the South East geopolitical zone.

17. ADADA STATE from the present Enugu State of Nigeria.

18. URASHI STATE as the sixth (6th) state in the South East geopolitical zone.

19. ORLU STATE from the South Eastern Region of Nigeria.

20. ABA STATE from the South Eastern Region of Nigeria.

SOUTH-SOUTH

21. OGOJA STATE from the present Cross River State.

22. WARRI STATE from the present Delta State.

23. BORI STATE from the present Rivers State

24. OBOLO STATE from the present Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.

SOUTH-WEST

25. TORU-EBE STATE from the present Delta, Edo, and Ondo States.

26. IBADAN STATE from the present Oyo State.

27. LAGOON STATE from the present Lagos State.

28. IJEBU STATE from the present Ogun State.

29. LAGOON STATE from the present Lagos State and Ogun State

30. IBADAN STATE from the present Oyo State.

31. OKE-OGUN and IFE-IJESHA STATES from the Present-day Ogun, Oyo, and Osun states.

The request for states’ creation can only materialise if at least “the third majority of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives (National Assembly) and the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the Local Government Council in respect of the area is received by the National Assembly”. 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced significant leadership changes at several federal universities, including the University of Abuja, now known as Yakubu Gowon University. According to a statement by the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, these changes are effective immediately.

At Yakubu Gowon University, Onanuga noted that President Tinubu dissolved the entire governing council and relieved Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi of her duties as Vice-Chancellor. Senator Lanre Tejuoso, currently Pro-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, has been appointed Pro-Chancellor of the Yakubu Gowon University. He will be succeeded in Makurdi by Senator Joy Emordi, now pro-chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education.

To succeed Maikudi, President Tinubu appointed Professor Lar Patricia Manko as Acting Vice Chancellor at the Yakubu Gowon University for a six-month term. She will not be eligible to apply for the substantive Vice Chancellor position when it becomes available. In addition, President Tinubu has removed Professor Polycarp Emeka Chigbu from his position as Acting Vice-Chancellor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), before his tenure ends on February 14.

Professor Oguejiofu T. Ujam has been appointed as his successor for six months and will not be eligible to apply for the permanent position. The leadership changes at UNN extend to the role of Pro-Chancellor, with Gen. Ike Nwachukwu reassigned to Pro-Chancellor at the University of Uyo. President Tinubu appointed Engineer Olubunmi Kayode Ojo as the new Pro-Chancellor of UNN. Previously, Ojo held the same position at the Federal University of Lokoja and the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti.

Professor Zubairu Tajo Abdullahi, currently the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, has been appointed to succeed Ojo at the Federal University of Lokoja. Senator Sani Stores is the new Pro-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, succeeding Senator Joy Emordi. Senator Stores is a Council Member at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Additionally, Barrister Olugbenga Kukoyi, a current Council Member at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has been appointed the new Pro-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State. Onanuga reiterated that all appointments and reassignment decisions are effective immediately.

He added that Tinubu emphasised that these changes reflect his administration’s commitment to revitalising Nigeria’s higher education system through dynamic leadership and accountability. 

Village heads from the proposed Abia Airport host communities in Isiala Ngwa North have decided to boycott a meeting with the Abia State Government due to unresolved concerns about the airport project. 

They urge the government to engage with their technical committee to address issues regarding land size and socio-economic impact. The village heads also criticized the lack of clarity surrounding additional projects and emphasized their commitment to dialogue once all concerns are addressed. 

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it will roll out the contactless passport application system in Europe, the United Kingdom, and Ireland on Friday. This is according to a statement from the NIS issued on Wednesday by its spokesman AS Akinlabi.

“This initiative set for launch on 7th of February 2025 will enable Nigerians in the Diaspora to apply for and renew their passports online from the comfort of their homes,” the NIS Comptroller General Kemi Nanna Nandap said when she paid a courtesy call on the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa in Abuja.

Akinlabi said the move followed “the roll-out of the contactless passport application system in Canada on 5th November 2024”. “For emphasis, the Contactless Passport Application which is currently available on Google Play Store (NIS mobile), is designed to allow Nigerians to renew their passports without visiting any Passport Centre for biometric enrollment,” the NIS said.

“The Service reiterates its commitment to innovative and efficient service delivery to Nigerians anywhere in the world.” “The launch of the contactless passport application solution in Europe is a significant step towards efficient, secure, and convenient travel document management for Nigerians in the diaspora,” Dabiri-Erewa said.

“NiDCOM will continue to support, monitor, and collaborate with the NIS to ensure the success of this initiative” 

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports, in his latest move targeting transgender people since returning to office. “From now on women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump said before he signed the order at the White House, surrounded by dozens of children and female athletes. 

“With this executive order the war on women’s sports is over.” Top Republicans including US House Speaker Mike Johnson and firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Green were among those in the audience to watch the signing ceremony. “We will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls,” Trump added to applause and cheers.

Trump’s order allows US government agencies to deny funds to schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams. “If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated… and risk your federal funding,” Trump said. Trump said he would now push the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its rules on transgender athletes before the 2028 Los Angeles games.

He said he had ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “make it clear” to the IOC that “we want them to change everything having to do with the Olympics and having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject.” Trump added that he had directed Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem to deny visa applications to “made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes to try and get into the Games.”

Republican Trump has repeatedly targeted gender non-conforming people in a blitz of orders pushing his radical right-wing agenda at the start of his second term.