Algeria & Leicester’s Mahrez Named African Footballer Of The Year

Algerian and Leicester forward Riyad Mahrez holds a trophy after being crowned African Footballer of the Year in Abuja, on January 5, 2017. Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP

Algeria forward Riyad Mahrez was Thursday voted African Footballer of the Year after he inspired Leicester City to the English Premier League title last season.

FOR THE RECORD: Chibok Schoolgirl Found With Six-Month-Old Baby

Rakiya and her baby

A Chibok girl was found yesterday near Sambisa Forest in Borno State.

At Ogoni Day, MOSOP Cautions Indigenes Against Bunkering

Illegal oil bunkering

• Peterside commends struggle for equity

The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has urged the indigenes to guard against illegal bunkering in the area.

Mood In Gabon Gloomy, Tense Ahead Of Cup Of Nations

Gabon's coach Jose Antonio Rocha (L) speaks with team forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after a match at the Mandela National stadium in Kampala, in November 2016 ©Haribou Kouyate (AFP)

With just days to go before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Gabon begin their quest to win the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, the mood in the host nation remains gloomy.

An entertainer dressed as Samba, the mascot of the 2017 African Cup of Nations, arrives to a ticket office as tickets for the tournament go on sale in Nzang-Ayong, Gabon, on December 15, 2016 ©Steve Jordan (AFP)

12 Nigerian Power Plants Could Not Produce Any Megawatt On Christmas Day

Geregu Gas IPP

- The black out in some areas of Nigeria on Christmas day has been explained - The Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry disclosed that the blackout was because 12 power stations produced zero megawatt on December 25, 2016

An official reason has been released for the electricity blackout that occurred in some part of Nigeria on Christmas day.

Vehicles Trapped At Nation’s Borders As Import Ban Begins

• Clearing agents seek review of auto policy • Customs redeploys top officers

Scores of vehicles were yesterday trapped at land borders as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) began the full restriction of vehicle importation through those areas.

Hair Salon? Library? Novel Time For Côte d'Ivoire Women

Women sitting under hair steamers read books from a mini-library at a hairdresser's in Abidjan ©Sia Kambou (AFP)

As many African women spend much of their spare time in hair salons, Côte d'Ivoire's chief librarian, also a woman, came up with a brainwave scheme to help them read and learn to read.

2-IN-1 STORY: Leicester Sign Nigeria Midfielder Ndidi As Cameroon's Choupo-Moting Snubs Cup Of Nations

Wilfred Ndidi moves from Belgian side Racing Genk to Leicester City

Leicester City have signed Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi from Belgian side Racing Genk on a five-and-a-half-year deal subject to a work permit being granted, the Premier League champions said on Tuesday.

Crisis-Ridden Labour Draws Up Battle Plan

NLC to Stop Outsourcing of Telecom Jobs 

Workers plan to: •fight outsourcing of jobs in the telecommunication sector; and •push for a ₦96,000 minimum wage.

Arrest Southern Kaduna Killers Now, Sultan Tells Buhari, El-Rufai

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III

IG, church disagree over casualty figures

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir El-Rufai to arrest and prosecute suspected killers in southern Kaduna.

Why Polio Is Proving So Hard To Beat

Pakistan, one of three countries with endemic polio, began an immunization campaign this week in the city of Quetta for children under five after the discovery of a rare strain of the virus in sewage samples, officials said.

Revenue Loss Looms Over Abuja Airport Closure

Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja

• Experts fault diversion of air traffic to Kaduna • Minister meets stakeholders on Thursday • Nigeria moves up in aviation safety rating

Ahead of the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport runway, Abuja for repairs in February and March, there is a looming loss of revenue by the aviation sector.

Scissors Pulled From Vietnam Man's Stomach 18 Years After Surgery

A pair of scissors which was removed from a patient's abdomen after being left behind during a surgery 18 years ago, at a clinic in the northern Vietnamese city of Thai Nguyen ©Vietnam News Agency (Vietnam News Agency/AFP)

A Vietnamese man has had scissors removed from his abdomen which were left behind during surgery 18 years ago, after reporting a stomachache that was nearly two decades in the making.

Gambia Authorities Shut Teranga FM Radio Station

In 2015 the manager of Gambian independent radio station Teranga FM was slapped with sedition and "publication of false news" charges for privately sharing a provocative photo of President Yahya Jammeh, seen in 2013 ©Alain Jocard (AFP)

Popular independent Gambian radio station Teranga FM was Sunday ordered to cease operations by national security agents for unspecified reasons, a security source and staff member said.

Olivier Giroud´s Outrageous Scorpion Kick Sets Up Arsenal Win Over Crystal Palace

A sumptuous strike from Olivier Giroud helped Arsenal start the New Year with victory over Crystal Palace and move up to third in the Premier League.

Zimbabwe Water Crisis Gives Rise To Backdoor Sellers

A woman and her children carry water buckets fetched from a tank installed at a church at Luveve on the outskirts of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on November 24, 2016 ©Zinyange Auntony (AFP)

From jobless youths hired to dig wells to illegal sellers supplying water in buckets and large tanks, some enterprising Zimbabweans are cashing in on the country's desperate water shortages.

Women pump water from a bush pump installed at a school at Luveve on the outskirts of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on November 24, 2016 ©Zinyange Auntony (AFP)

Army Raid 4 Cultists' Camps In Rivers State LG, Recover DSP Alkali, Orderly's Guns, Uniforms

Recovered: The weapons and uniforms recovered.

The Army has recovered one AK47 assault rifle and uniforms belonging to DSP Mohammed Alkali and his police orderly who were allegedly beheaded in Rivers State.

Gambia Leader Accuses West African Bloc Of Declaring War

Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh accused West African regional body ECOWAS of declaring war, after it said it was putting forces on alert in case he refused to step down at the end of his mandate this month.

Nigerian Ex-Militants Say Lost Confidence In Buhari Over Restive Delta

Oil minister said repairs to oil facilities lifted output to nearly 1.8 million bpd in December

A group of former Nigerian militants said on Sunday it had lost confidence in the president's efforts to end attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta, a major goal in efforts to reach a lasting peace settlement.

New UN Chief Urges New Year's Resolution: 'Put Peace First'

In this Dec. 12, 2016 photo, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left, clasps hands with U.N. Secretary-General designate Antonio Guterres after Guterres was sworn in at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Antonio Guterres took the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" but facing an antagonistic incoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.