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Veteran gospel musician and respected minister, Pastor Joseph Adekunle, popularly known as Baba Ayewa, has revealed that the evergreen gospel song “Amona Tete Má Bọ̀” will officially mark 42 years in November 2026. Baba Ayewa made this known while reflecting on the lasting spiritual and cultural impact of the song, which has remained one of […]

The prize money Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid will receive following the Copa del Rey final has been revealed.

Recall that Real Sociedad defeated Atletico Madrid 4-3 on penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville, Spain, on Saturday night.

Ander Barrenetxea put Real Sociedad in front in the first minute, but Ademola Lookman equalized for Diego Simeone’s side.

Mikel Oyarzabal then gave Sociedad the lead a few minutes later before Julian Alvarez restored parity in the second half.

However, according to the Diaro AS, the Royal Spanish Football Federation will pay the winners, Real Sociedad, around €1,200,000 for winning the trophy.

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, will receive €1 million for finishing as runner‑up.

Copa del Rey final: Prize money for Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid revealed

Chelsea manager, Liam Rosenior has clarified the choice not to appoint Enzo Fernandez as captain during Reece James’ absence.

Chelsea experienced a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, with the Argentine donning the captain’s armband.

James is presently sidelined due to a hamstring injury he incurred in March 2026. The England international has been largely unavailable this season due to injuries.

In his absence, Fernandez, who was just returning from a two-match suspension following a controversial interview, temporarily wore the captain’s armband.

However, Rosenior stated that the team already has a designated group of players for leadership roles.

“The decision is that we have a leadership group. I believe that wearing the armband is a privilege for this club,” Rosenior remarked.

“Enzo performed like a captain today. I thought he was outstanding; he exerted himself fully, gave his all, played offensively, and was unfortunate not to score on a few occasions.

“I think that reflects his commitment to the team throughout this period. I am extremely pleased with his performance and with him, even though we did not achieve the result we felt we deserved or needed tonight.”

Rosenior also disclosed that Willian Estevao was in tears at halftime after sustaining a hamstring injury during Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

Estevao experienced discomfort in the first half of the match and required immediate assistance from Chelsea’s medical staff before being substituted by Alejandro Garnacho.

The Brazilian international has already missed six matches this season due to a hamstring problem, and the 18-year-old may now face another extended period on the sidelines.

“He was heartbroken; he was crying at halftime,” Rosenior commented following Chelsea’s defeat.

“I feel really sorry for him; it appears to be a hamstring issue. It happened at a moment when he was breaking through on goal and pulled his hamstring then.”

EPL: ‘Why I can’t name Fernandez Chelsea captain’ – Rosenior

Winner of Big Brother Naija Season 7, Phyna Otabor, has proudly flaunted her banging new body after undergoing a successful Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), making it clear that she owes no one any explanation for her decision. The reality star confidently addressed critics while showing off her slimmer waistline and flat tummy, stressing that she […]

Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes, on Saturday, made history after providing an assist in his side’s Premier League 1-0 win against Chelsea.

Manchester United defeated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge thanks to Matheus Cunha’s only goal of the encounter.

Fernandes provided the assist for Cunha’s first half goal goal against the Blues as the Red Devils claimed all three points.

According to OptaJoe, Fernandes’ assist means the Portuguese is just the fourth player to reach 10 assists in Premier League away games in a season after Muzzy Izzet in 2003-04 (10), Cesc Fabregas in 2014-15 (11) and Mohamed Salah in 2024-25 (11).

Fernandes has been impressive for Man United since moving to Old Trafford from Sporting CP in 2020.

The 31-year-old attacking midfielder will now hope to lead Michael Carrick’s side to victory when they face Brentford on Monday.

EPL: Bruno Fernandes enters history book after Man Utd’s 1-0 win against Chelsea

Iran says it is far off from peace deal with the United States as the two-week ceasefire set to end on Wednesday.

Speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, made this statement in a televised address on Saturday, stating that there are many gaps and some fundamental points remaining.

“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation during the first round of talks in Pakistan last Saturday.

According to him, Iran had been victorious in the field during weeks of war and had only agreed to a temporary truce with the United States because its demands had been met.

“If we accepted the ceasefire, it was because they accepted our demands,” he said.

The parliament speaker added that the US had not achieved its goals and Iran controlled the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime transit route.

Strait of Hormuz: We’re far from peace deal with US – Iran

Senator Ayodele Arise, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State and an aspirant for the Ekiti North senatorial ticket, has raised concerns over the overbearing posture of governors ahead of the party’s primaries to pick its candidates. Taiwo Amodu brings excerpts from an interactive session with him. IN recent times, you […]

The Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, has said that Nigeria and Türkiye have reached an agreement for the immediate deployment of 200 Nigerian Special Forces for training in Türkiye.

Musa disclosed this in an interview on the sidelines of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026) in Antalya, Türkiye, on Saturday, following discussions with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler.

The three-day forum, themed: “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties,” which started on Friday, is attended by world leaders, ministers, and diplomats, among others.

The minister explained that following the agreement, Türkiye had allocated a training quota of 200 personnel from Nigeria’s Special Forces, who will be immediately deployed on his return to Nigeria.

“We have a Special Forces training agreement. Türkiye has agreed to give us 200 Special Forces training, so as soon as I return, we are sending them here for training.

“We will continue to do a lot. There will be exercises. The first exercise is coming up later in the year. So, in so many areas of defence we are going to work together,” he said.

The minister also disclosed that Nigeria and Türkiye had both agreed on joint defence equipment production and the transfer of military technology.

Musa said that Nigeria and Türkiye had come a long way, working together over the years, adding that, “since 1960 Türkiye has been like family to Nigeria.”

According to him, Türkiye has a lot of defence experience from which Nigeria could learn through shared experiences.

“I’ve had a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Defence, where we shared a lot of ideas on how to improve on our relationship, defence-wise.

“Türkiye has improved dramatically with regard to the production of military hardware.

“Nigeria is still developing, and we have agreed that we are going to partner together so that we have a co-production of some of these items,” he said.

The minister noted that while Nigeria had been fighting asymmetric warfare against insurgency for about 17 years, Türkiye has had a similar experience of fighting against terrorism for 40 years.

He added: “Because of that, we will move into training, production and improving on our defence, industrial production, and exchange of officers and soldiers.”

The annual event also featured panel discussions and sessions covering a wide range of topics shaped by contemporary global defence and security, political, economic, environmental, and technological dynamics.

Participants from about 150 countries, including 5,000 decision-makers, 20 heads of state and government, 40 foreign ministers, 60 invited foreign media, and diplomats, among others, attended the forum.

Nigeria Seals Deal With Türkiye To Train 200 Elite Troops is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has directed primary and secondary school teachers to begin an indefinite strike on Monday.

The union gave the directive in a communique issued at the end of an emergency SWEC meeting in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Friday.

The communique was jointly signed by the State Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa; the State Secretary, Margaret Jethro; and the State Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye.

In the communique, made available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, the union directed the teachers to comply with the directive and await further instructions.

It further advised parents to keep their children and wards in primary and secondary schools safe at home until further notice.

It said that the teachers would remain at home until all their demands are met.

The union explained that the decision was the outcome of the SWEC meeting, convened to review the seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on March 11, which expired on March 29.

It said that the SWEC appreciated Wike for the implementation of the N70,000 Minimum Wage and payment of the nine months arrears to the primary school teachers in the FCT.

It, however, said that the Council noted with concern that the Minister’s intervention, which facilitated the suspension of the 14-week strike on July 9, 2025, was yet to be addressed.

“The Minister constituted a committee on July 7, 2025 with a mandate to, within two weeks, harmonise all outstanding entitlements of primary school teachers.

“The committee was also directed to make appropriate recommendations that would lead to a permanent solution to the frequent industrial disputes involving FCT Primary School Teachers.

“The committee concluded its assignment and submitted its report in August 2025, however, the report is yet to be made public,” it said.

The union explained that the seven-day ultimatum followed the unexplained delay in the implementation of the committee’s report.

It added that the move also became necessary following the continued silence on the legitimate demands of teachers amid the prevailing harsh economic realities in the country, particularly in the FCT.

It explained that the Wike-led FCT Administration was asked to, within the seven-day ultimatum, release and implement the report of primary school teachers’ outstanding entitlements.

The union further called for the removal of the “vacancies” precondition for the promotion of classroom teachers and totally reviewed the 2024 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission to allow for the unhindered promotion of eligible teachers.

It said that the SWEC was disturbed that following the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum on March 19, including the additional 28-day grace period granted to the authorities, there has been no tangible response to all the issues raised in the ultimatum.

“After exhaustive deliberations on the industrial issues and the silence on the legitimate demands of teachers’ welfare, the Council resolved that all public primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT shall, with effect from Monday, proceed on an indefinite strike until our demands are met,” the union said.

FCT Teachers Begin Indefinite Strike Monday is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Three persons have been confirmed dead, while seven others sustained injuries in a fatal road crash at the Onipepeye axis of the Abeokuta-Sagamu road in Ogun State.

The accident, which occurred at about 5:40 p.m. on Saturday, involved a Sino truck and an Opel passenger car, according to the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps.

The Sector Commander, Corps Commander Oludare Ogunjobi, said FRSC rescue teams arrived at the scene within seven minutes of receiving the report.

A total of 10 persons were involved in the crash, comprising four adult males, three adult females, two female children, and one male child. Of this number, seven victims — including three adult females, one female child, and three adult males — sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Ogunjobi confirmed that three persons — two adult males and one female child — died in the accident.

He attributed the crash to speed violation and loss of control, based on preliminary findings.

The injured victims were evacuated to the State Hospital, Ijaye, for medical treatment, while the remains of the deceased were deposited at the hospital’s mortuary.

“Preliminary investigations indicates the probable causes of the crash were Speed Violations (SPV) and Loss of Control (LOC),” the statement read.

“The injured victims were immediately evacuated to State Hospital Ijaye for urgent medical treatment. The deceased have been deposited at the same hospital’s mortuary. No items were recovered from the scene at the time of the report.”

The FRSC boss urged motorists to obey traffic rules, particularly speed limits, and ensure proper vehicle maintenance to reduce the risk of crashes on the nation’s highways.

Three Dead, Seven Injured In Ogun Road Crash is first published on The Whistler Newspaper