Headlines
There’s Nothing Friendly about Nigeria/Brazil Game, Says Kanu
Former Nigeria international Nwankwo Kanu has advised the Super Eagles to approach their October 13 friendly match against the Brazilian national team as a world cup game.
The ex-Eagles captain in an interview on the YouTube channel of the Nigeria Football Federation, said the players should know Nigerian fans do not see any game as a friendly, but always expect them to give their best.
He said, “I see every game as a World Cup match, as a competition, friendly or no friendly, and if the boys can take that on board, knowing that every game they play, Nigerians will not want to know if it is friendly or not.
“There is a lot of pressure because everybody loves football, they don’t want to hear that Nigeria went to a game and lost.
“I don’t think people will really appreciate the boys if they lost in a friendly game, that’s how it is here. The boys have to take it on board and ensure that every game they play, they have to do well.
“Against Brazil, they are one of the best, and those are the kind of friendlies we should be playing. I say thanks to whoever has made this possible.
“Playing against Brazil will show the level of football they are playing and where they are, and if they can beat Brazil, the full confidence and belief of the boys will grow.
“And for me, it’s always tough when Nigeria and Brazil play each other, whoever will represent us should know it’s not a friendly game,” Kanu added.
The Punch
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
