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Man U Win, But Man City Qualify for Carabao Cup Final
Remember Paris, Pep Guardiola had cautioned after his Manchester City team’s 3-1 first-leg victory at Old Trafford in this Carabao Cup semi-final. Remember Paris, Ole Gunnar Solskjær had trumpeted in the countdown to the second leg. It could be done. His Manchester United had done it before – in last season’s Champions League last 16 when they overturned a two-goal deficit from the home leg to upset Paris Saint-Germain in frankly ludicrous fashion.
This game should not have been close. City’s superiority was plain for so long but a combination of United’s doggedness and their own profligacy ensured that it went down to the wire. City had two goals ruled out for offside and some of their misses had Guardiola and the home support contorting in agony.
The most ridiculous one came in the 73rd minute when Sergio Agüero robbed Harry Maguire inside the United six-yard box and the substitute, David Silva, opted not to shoot but to pass to Ilkay Gündogan. He then tried to run through two United defenders rather than passing or shooting and the chance went begging. It was not the only example of City’s infuriating habit of wanting to walk the ball into the net and failing.
Nemanja Matic’s bolt from the blue on 35 minutes had advertised a United comeback to rival the one in Paris and when Fred and the substitute Andreas Pereira stood over an 87th-minute free-kick on the edge of the City area, following a reckless foul by Nicolás Otamendi on Maguire, Guardiola and everybody in sky blue felt theirhearts thump.
Matic had been sent off by then for checking Gündogan – a second bookable offence – but here was the chance to take the tie to penalties. Where was Juan Mata, another substitute? According to Solskjær, he had deferred to Fred, who had been on fire in free-kick practice on Tuesday. Up stepped Fred and into the wall the shot went. Really, it would have been too much.
Nobody could say that City did not deserve it, particularly after the way they had dominated the first half of the first leg when they streaked into a three-goal lead, but Solskjær was in a position to take the positives.
Even though the gulf in quality between the teams was pronounced on the night United defended well, they showed a steely attitude and they gave themselves a puncher’s chance of getting to penalties.
It was the second time in as many months that United had won here, following the 2-1 Premier League victory on 7 December and, although it did not feel like a victory, Solskjær was quick to point out that it showed what could be achieved when his players executed a gameplan. United’s record against Guardiola’s City at the Etihad now reads W3 D1 L1.
Guardiola wanted to guard against United’s pace up front and, moreover, he wanted to hog the ball, to control the occasion. His 3-2-4-1 formation was innovative, featuring two full-backs, Kyle Walker and João Cancelo, in the back three and, further forward, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva in the spaces behind Agüero.
City dominated the opening half-hour and, were it not for David de Gea, they would have been in front within 10 minutes. First the United goalkeeper sprang to his right to keep out an Agüero header following Bernardo Silva’s dinked ball over the top and then he blocked Riyad Mahrez’s deflected shot with his legs. There was more. De Gea turned away an Agüero shot that was bound for the top corner and Maguire had to stretch into a saving challenge on Raheem Sterling after De Bruyne’s beautifully curled through-ball.
TheGuardian.com
The General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has agreed by consensus to reappoint Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General for a second four-year term, set to begin on 1 September 2025. This decision reflects broad recognition of her exceptional leadership and strategic vision for the future of the WTO.
The reappointment process, initiated on 8 October 2024, was overseen by Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, Chair of the General Council. With no additional nominations submitted by the 8 November deadline, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala stood as the sole candidate. The process was conducted in a fully open and transparent manner, adhering to the WTO’s “Procedures for the Appointment of Directors-General” (WT/L/509).
During a special General Council meeting on 28-29 November 2024, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala outlined her forward-looking vision for the WTO. Following her presentation and a Q&A session with members, the Council formally endorsed her reappointment by consensus.
Ambassador Ølberg praised her achievements, stating:
“The General Council commends Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for her outstanding leadership during her first term. Amid significant global economic challenges, she strengthened the WTO’s ability to support its members and set a forward-looking agenda for the organization. Her leadership was instrumental in securing meaningful outcomes at pivotal moments, including the 12th and 13th Ministerial Conferences (MC12 and MC13), where major milestones were achieved.”
He continued:
“As we look ahead, the Council fully supports Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s commitment to ensuring that the WTO remains responsive, inclusive, and results-driven. Her leadership will be critical as the organization continues to advance a resilient, rules-based, and equitable global trading system.”
Background
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala first assumed office as Director-General on 1 March 2021, becoming the first woman and first African to lead the WTO. Her first term concludes on 31 August 2025. Her reappointment highlights the strong support for her efforts to enhance the WTO’s relevance and capacity in addressing the evolving challenges of global trade.
Source: wto.org
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Thursday, published a list of 9, 532 alleged land title debtors in Abuja, giving them a two-week ultimatum to settle their outstanding bills.
The list, which includes prominent individuals and government agencies, was published on November 26, with defaulters expected to pay for their certificate of occupancy (C-of- O) within the stipulated timeframe.
Among those listed as defaulters is former Head of State, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), who owes N152 million for a plot of land in Asokoro, a highbrow area in the nation’s capital. IBB, who ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993, is not the only high-profile individual on the list.
Other notable defaulters include Samuel Ortom, former governor of Benue, who owes N950,000 for a plot of land in Bazango, and Aminu Tambuwal, senator representing Sokoto south, who owes N18 million for a plot of land in Carraway Dallas.
The FCTA has threatened to revoke the land titles of defaulters who fail to settle their bills within the stipulated timeframe. The administration has urged defaulters to settle their bills by e-payment to the “FCT department of land administration” account.
In addition to individual defaulters, some federal agencies, including the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the navy, and police, were also named as defaulters.
The Lagos governor’s lodge in Asokoro, the Kaduna state government, and ‘State House Abuja’ were also listed as land title debtors.
This development is not the first time the FCTA has taken steps to recover outstanding debts from landowners. In June this year, the administration set up a committee to recover over N29 billion owed by property owners.
The committee has since identified 430 individuals and organisations as defaulters, with plans to prosecute them.
The FCTA has also partnered with anti-graft agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to check the activities of land grabbers in the territory.
The Senate has granted approval to the ₦1.77 trillion ($2.2b) loan request of President Bola Tinubu after a voice vote in favor of the request.
The Senate presided by Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, approved the loan after the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts chaired by Senator Wammako Magatarkada (APC, Sokoto North) presented the report of the committee.
The request which was submitted by the President on Tuesday is part of a fresh external borrowing plan to partially finance the N9.7 trillion budget deficit for the 2024 fiscal year.
Tinubu had on Tuesday written to the National Assembly, seeking approval of a fresh N1.767 trillion, the equivalent of $2.209 billion as a new external borrowing plan in the 2024 Appropriation Act.
The fresh loan is expected to stretch the amount spent on debt servicing by the Federal Government. The Central Bank of Nigeria recently said that it cost the Federal Government $3.58 billion to service foreign debt in the first nine months of 2024.
The CBN report on international payment statistics showed that the amount represents a 39.77 per cent increase from the $2.56bn spent during the same period in 2023.
According to the report, while the highest monthly debt servicing payment in 2024 occurred in May, amounting to $854.37m, the highest monthly expenditure in 2023 was $641.70m, recorded in July.
The trend in foreign debt servicing by the CBN highlights the rising cost of debt obligations by Nigeria.
Further breakdown of international debt figures showed that in January 2024, debt servicing costs surged by 398.89 per cent, rising to $560.52m from $112.35m in January 2023. February, however, saw a slight decline of 1.84 per cent, with payments reducing from $288.54m in 2023 to $283.22m in 2024.
March recorded a 31.04 per cent drop in payments, falling to $276.17m from $400.47m in the same period last year. April saw a significant rise of 131.77 per cent, with $215.20m paid in 2024 compared to $92.85m in 2023.
The highest debt servicing payment occurred in May 2024, when $854.37m was spent, reflecting a 286.52 per cent increase compared to $221.05m in May 2023. June, on the other hand, saw a 6.51 per cent decline, with $50.82m paid in 2024, down from $54.36m in 2023.
July 2024 recorded a 15.48 per cent reduction, with payments dropping to $542.50m from $641.70m in July 2023. In August, there was another decline of 9.69 per cent, as $279.95m was paid compared to $309.96m in 2023. However, September 2024 saw a 17.49 per cent increase, with payments rising to $515.81m from $439.06m in the same month last year.
Given rising exchange rates, the data raises concerns about the growing pressure of Nigeria’s foreign debt obligations.
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