The United States has withdrawn from the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar over security concerns arising from ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, just eight days before the tournament is scheduled to begin on November 19.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

News reports that, according to The Athletic, the players were informed of the decision on Wednesday, November 11, after completing preparations for a training camp in Atlanta.

The team, coached by Alex Aldaz, was expected to feature several promising young players, including Malik Jakupovic of Philadelphia Union, Robert Turdean of Chicago Fire and Vinny Garcia of LA Galaxy.

The United States had been drawn in Group B alongside Montenegro, Chile and Algeria. The team’s opening fixture against Montenegro was scheduled for November 21.

However, the withdrawal means the Americans will miss the competition despite announcing their squad just last week.

The United States have never won the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with their best performance coming in 1999 when they finished fourth. At last year’s edition, they were eliminated in the round of 32 after losing to Morocco.

The development comes as FIFA prepares for the second edition of the expanded U-17 World Cup format, which increased the number of participating teams from 24 to 48 and changed the competition from a biennial tournament to an annual event.

Qatar is scheduled to host the competition every year from 2025 to 2029.

Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, has dismissed allegations that he directed Senator Ede Dafinone to vote against Senator Godswill Akpabio during the 2023 election for the President of the 10th Senate.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Omo-Agege described the allegation as a “cheap and mischievous fabrication”, insisting that there was no truth to the claim.

He also disclosed that he had kept Dafinone at a distance for nearly three years because of what he described as a “lazy, desperate lie”.

Naija News reports that the former deputy Senate president made the clarification in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Godwin Anaughe.

The statement read, “Enough is enough. For a long time, supporters of Senator Ede Dafinone have been going about with a cheap and mischievous fabrication: that the Deputy President of the 9th Senate, His Excellency, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, instructed or commanded Dafinone to vote against His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio in the 2023 election of Principal Officers of the 10th Senate, and that this is why the Senate President kept him at a distance for almost three years. It is a lazy, desperate lie.”

According to the statement, Omo-Agege initially ignored the allegation because he considered it “utterly unwise and misguided”.

It added, “We let it slide at first because it sounded utterly unwise and misguided and came like the grumbling of a pitiably servile man who knew not his right from his left upon arrival in Abuja and facing a litmus test of the power dynamics of the 3-Arm Zone for the very first time.”

However, Anaughe said the situation changed after an individual identified as Ejiro Etaghene took the allegation to Crown FM and Kpoko FM radio stations, where he allegedly used it to attack Omo-Agege.

The statement further maintained that the former deputy Senate president never instructed Dafinone or anyone else to vote against Akpabio.

“For the record, the Distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-Agege never ever commanded Dafinone, or anyone else, to vote against Akpabio. On the contrary, he unequivocally and openly backed Akpabio in line with the leadership of his party then, and he has nothing to apologise for. This is who Omo-Agege is: an absolute respecter of collective leadership decisions and choices of any system he belongs to,” Anaughe said.

The author of the authorised biography of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Udu Yakubu, has revealed that the late Nigerian leader initially rejected several proposals to document his life story.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

However, Yakubu said Buhari eventually agreed to the project after meeting with him in January 2024.

News reports that the author made this disclosure on Wednesday while addressing journalists ahead of the public presentation of Muhammadu Buhari: The Authorised Biography.

Yakubu explained that the three-volume publication offers an independent account of Buhari’s leadership, examining his accomplishments, shortcomings and controversies throughout his military and democratic careers.

He said the project was the result of more than two years of extensive research, interviews, writing and documentary reviews.

According to him, Buhari personally approved the biography in 2024 after their meeting in Daura, Katsina State, where he sought the former president’s permission to document his life and political journey.

Yakubu disclosed that work on the publication began in April 2024 with Buhari’s full participation, adding that the authorisation granted him access to individuals, personal accounts and documentary records that would otherwise have been difficult to obtain.

However, he emphasised that Buhari’s involvement in the project did not compromise the independence of the author.

“Buhari had his voice in the biography, but the biographer had retained his independence,” he said.

The author explained that the decision to publish the biography in three volumes was aimed at adequately documenting the different phases of Buhari’s life, from his early years and military career to his emergence as a democratic leader and his eight-year presidency between 2015 and 2023.

He said the first volume, Buhari: The Phenomenon, explores the former president’s background, military career, rise to national prominence and eventual transition from opposition politics to the presidency.

The second volume, Buhari: The Presidency, focuses on his administration between 2015 and 2023, examining its policies, achievements, challenges, controversies, as well as the individuals and institutions that shaped his government.

Meanwhile, the third volume, Buhari: The Reckoning, assesses his legacy, particularly in the areas of the economy, security, infrastructure, foreign affairs, anti-corruption efforts and institutional reforms.

Yakubu noted that Buhari remained a divisive figure in Nigeria’s political history, attracting both admiration and criticism from different regions and generations.