Basket Ball / Sports

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George rise to occasion, and L.A. has found its blueprint

The Los Angeles Clippers are living dangerously in these playoffs, falling behind 2-0 in each of their first two series. Yet, here they are wrestling back control in the nick of time again, defeating the Jazz 118-104 on Monday night to even their second-round series 2-2, just as they did against the Mavericks in the first round.

Game 5 is Wednesday night in Utah.

It feels like all the momentum has swung the Clippers’ way. Kawhi Leonard, who has arguably been the best player in this postseason, was fantastic on both ends, finishing with 31 points. And what can you say about Paul George?

We’re going to need to bring this P.G. roast to an end. The man is playing terrific, and quietly has been through most of this postseason, and he has for most of his career. He brought on much of the mocking with the self-proclaimed nickname and the whole “that’s a bad shot” routine, but a few high-profile stinkers aside, there is no way you don’t want this on your team.

George finished with 31 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He was 4 for 10 from beyond the arc. He’s attacking with force and shooting with confidence, and the impressiveness of that cannot be understated given the spotlight that is on him. It feels like all of social media is just waiting for him to fail, and he’s aware of it. He has to be. It would be so easy for him to get hesitant. And yet he’s playing as though he is oblivious to it all. When he was subbed out for the last time in the fourth quarter, he left to a standing ovation. He deserved it. Good for him.

And good for the Clippers, who have seemingly dialed in their championship formula. That doesn’t mean they’re going to win it, but this is what gives them their best chance: Leonard and George play like stars and the defense suffocates with switches, aggressive rotations and ball pressure.

On Monday, the first half decided the …

Basket Ball / Sports

Trae Young, Atlanta even series with Philly after comeback win in Game 4

The Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers provided fans with an exciting playoff game on Monday night as the lower-seeded team picked up the 103-100 win they needed to even the series at 2-2.

After getting off to a slow start, Hawks All-Star Trae Young finished the win with a game-high 25 points to go along with 18 assists and four rebounds. Atlanta needed their star player to be dominant and he was just that in a game that the Hawks had to have.

On the other side, the 76ers saw all five of their starters score in double figures but, in the end, it was not enough to get the job done. As a result, the setting will shift back to Philadelphia on Wednesday night for what is now, essentially, a best-of-three series.

Here are three key takeaways from the game:

1. Hawks use 18-point comeback to tie the series

After stealing Game 1 on the road, the Hawks lost the next two games by double digits, and it seemed like the Sixers had figured things out. That was reinforced when the Sixers quickly took control in Game 4 and built an 18-point lead in the second quarter, before going into the halftime break up by 13.

The Hawks were in serious trouble at that point, and it honestly wouldn’t have been surprising if the Sixers had cruised to victory. But the Hawks weren’t ready to go home, and slowly but surely worked their way back into the game. It wasn’t always pretty, but they showed the kind of effort and fight that would make any team proud.

However, with just a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, they still trailed by four and needed a response. That’s when Trae Young stepped up and used his playmaking and scoring to key a 7-0 run that put the Hawks in front for good. Now, the series is all tied up at 2-2, and the Hawks still have a chance to advance to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2015.…

News

Bandits kill 93 in Zamfara, gov calls for self-defence

Bandits have again killed 93 people in Kadawa village of Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, while many others were severely wounded.

A local, Mallam Muhammadu Dansani, who narrowly escaped being killed, told Saturday PUNCH on the phone that the incident happened between Thursday night and Friday morning.

“The bandits are non-Nigerians. They spoke French and wore long-plaited hair. Most of them were dark and short,” he said.

Dansani lamented that security personnel were nowhere to be found during the hours of the attack.

When contacted,  the state Commissioner of Police, Husaini Rabiu, said he had visited the scene of the crime in company with the Speaker of the House of Assembly. Rabiu also said those that were killed had been buried according to Islamic rites.

He said, “I visited the scene and mobilised our men to secure the area. Those killed had been buried according to Islamic rites.

“I cannot say the exact number of those that were killed, but the Divisional Police Officer counted over 40 corpses.  I visited the area in company with the speaker of the state house of assembly.”

Rabiu described the incident as worrisome, adding that the attackers did not want the farmers to cultivate “anything without paying them money.” Earlier, the spokesman for the state police command, Mohammed Shehu, had told our correspondent that some corpses were brought to Gusau for burial.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Chris Paul, Phoenix take down Denver in Game 3 of series

The Phoenix Suns are one win away from a spot in the Western Conference finals. Following their 116-102 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, Chris Paul and company are now on the verge of being one of the four teams left with a shot at the NBA title.

With the win, the Suns now move to a 3-0 lead in their series against the Nuggets and will have the chance to close things out on Sunday night when these two teams meet again in Game 4.

 …

Basket Ball / Sports

Joel Embiid, Philly steal home-court back with Game 3 win over Atlanta

The Philadelphia 76ers have reclaimed home-court advantage in their best-of-seven series with the Atlanta Hawks following their 127-111 win in Game 3 on Friday night.

As he has been throughout the series, Joel Embiid was masterful for the Sixers as he finished the win with a team-high 27 points. He had plenty of help though as Philadelphia had five other players also score in double figures with Tobias Harris leading the way with 22 points to help Embiid’s cause. On the other side, Trae Young led the Hawks with 28 points but, in the end, his contributions combined with the 59 points that John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari totaled weren’t enough to come away with the win at State Farm Arena.

Philadelphia now has an opportunity to push Atlanta’s backs against the wall if they’re able to pick up another win in Game 4 on Monday night.

Here are three key takeaways from the game:

1. Embiid dominates again

If you didn’t know that Joel Embiid had suffered a small meniscus tear in the first round, you would never be able to tell by the way he’s played against the Hawks. He put up 39 points and nine rebounds in Game 1.He followed that up with 40 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2, and then recorded 27 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three blocks on Friday night in Game 3.

The Hawks have no answer for him, and he’s showing exactly why he finished second in MVP voting this season. He’s become such a gifted offensive player that opponents often have no choice but to foul him. He got to the line a whopping 16 times in Game 3 and has now earned free throws on 24.5 percent of his offensive possessions in the playoffs, per Synergy Sports.

Of course, he’s no slouch on the defensive end either, and was especially strong in Game 3. Just take this possession for example. He sprints across the lane to show help on Danilo Gallinari, recovers to his man, …

Basket Ball / Sports

Bucks Take Game 3 to keep the fight going

Mike Budenholzer could probably feel his job security hanging in the air for three scoreless minutes.

Kevin Durant could taste the thievery of a third game when a 30-footer left his hand, looking on line.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton could remember the frustration of humble beginnings, both arriving in Milwaukee eight years ago and combining to do just enough to stave off extinction.

The Fiserv Forum crowd went from the obscene to a wild scene, fearful Thursday night would be a cruel conclusion: Grand opening, grand closing.

The tension was palpable as the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t just dealing with a “win or go home” situation, but “win or start over,” avoiding disaster and a 3-0 deficit to the Brooklyn Nets with an ugly 86-83 win.

It seemed the Bucks were begging to be put out of their own misery, unable to put the Nets away after a start that gave the impression they would return the favor from absorbing a Game 2 thrashing.

But the despair was in the air whenever Antetokounmpo launched one of his eight stress-inducing 3-pointers, continuing his woeful trend. It’s somewhat of a mind game with him, wanting to make Blake Griffin and the Nets pay for giving him that much space — all the while ignoring the interior hell he unleashed early before Middleton and Jrue Holiday saved them late.

This infatuation with the perimeter seems to parallel his hesitance at the foul line, where he missed five of his nine attempts and was called for a 10-second (actually 13-second) violation. It’s the worst time to fall in love with a shot you can’t make because of shots you don’t want to take, two patterns that are unlikely to change in this series.

Budenholzer said it would be a test of Milwaukee’s character, considering they were smarting after two losses in Brooklyn. Nobody questioned their competitiveness, but nobody expected a throwback game to the ugliest part of the ’90s either.

Brook Lopez blocked six shots and P.J. Tucker riled things up by getting …

Importation / News

Importers, agents groan as Customs adopt N404.97/$1 as new import duty rate

Importers in the country are to pay more, as the Federal Government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) adopts a higher exchange rate band from N381 to N404.97 for calculation and payment of import duty.

The situation, according to stakeholders, would trigger higher cost of goods in the market and trigger further the country’s already high inflation.

The Guardian gathered that the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) has immediately implemented the rate on duty payable on consignments imported into the country. Therefore, all transactions and cargoes cleared from the port from Tuesday, had their duty computed based on the new rate of N404.97 to a dollar.

President, Shippers Association of Lagos, Reverend Jonathan Nicole told The Guardian that the increment is not palatable with importers, because the move will increase the cost of cargo clearance.

He noted that such developments would also cause hike in prices and goods in the market and lead to inflation.

“It will raise the cost of clearing astronomically. Shippers will have to source for more funds to clear their goods. The ripple effect is that goods will become more expensive in the market and this will lead to inflation,” he stated.

Nicole said shippers were not happy with the increment but have begun to pay, since the Customs have adjusted the duty payable on goods. National President, National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, said the increase would create more hardship for the citizenry, considering the fact that Nigeria runs an import dependent economy.

He said: “The latest increase will also affect purchasing power of Nigerians. The continuous increase will cause a problem because it will get to a level where inflation rate will be terribly high. The economy is not growing and the people’s purchasing power is gradually going down, which an indication that government should do something to avoid more economic woes.”

Vice President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Kayode Farinto, said the increase took effect on Tuesday, adding that it was unfortunate that the cost …

News / politics

Twitter, Facebook, others must register in Nigeria, says FG

As part of its new move to regulate social media, the Federal Government has said Twitter, Facebook and other social media giants doing business in Nigeria must register in the country before being allowed to operate unhindered.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday also disclosed that Twitter, which was last week suspended, has called for a ‘high-level’ discussion.

Mohammed made this known in Abuja while briefing journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

Mohammed said he got the message yesterday morning and repeated government’s stance that Twitter was suspended because it provided an avenue for people threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria. He claimed that the owner of Twitter helped to fund the recent #EndSARS protest and is also allowing the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to use the platform to call for the killing of security operatives. He added that Twitter failed to take down Kanu’s tweets despite repeated requests to do so.

The minister said he has already directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in the country. The NBC as part of implementing the directive has also asked all broadcast stations to suspend usage of their Twitter accounts with immediate effect.

Mohammed listed conditions that must be met even if there is a discussion with Twitter, including that it must now be registered in Nigeria as a business concern. According to the government spokesman, freedom of speech has not been stifled by the suspension of Twitter as he maintained that Nigerians can still use other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

“We found out that Twitter is actually the platform of choice for a particular separatist leader who resides outside the country and issues directives to its members to attack symbols of government authority, such as the police, military, electoral commission offices, correctional centers, etc. And this is being done willfully and consistently without any consequences from Twitter.

“No country worth its name will tolerate that. …

News / politics

Nigeria better united than separated, says Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said Nigerians would fair better staying together than break up.

Obasanjo stated this in Abeokuta at his investiture as a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyor by the Ogun State chapter of the Body of Fellows of the NIS.

The elder statesman called on agitators for the disintegration of the country to shelve the idea and work for the oneness of the country.

According to him, it is better for Nigeria to remain as one indivisible nation than for each tribe to go its separate way.

The former president, who acknowledged that Nigeria is passing through challenges, insisted that “disintegration is not the solution”.

According to him, any Nigerian who does not feel concerned about the challenges of the country is a human being without being human.

Obasanjo said: “It is better that Nigeria stays together and find solutions to its challenges than for each tribe to go its separate way.

“I am a strong believer of one Nigeria, but not one Nigeria at any cost, but one Nigeria where every Nigerian can feel proud that he or she has a stake in this country.

“Those of us who have shed part of our blood and sweat for this country, we did so because we wanted a country where every Nigerian can claim as his or her own.

“I believe that if we talk among ourselves the way we should and if we change the narrative, I believe this is a great country.

“The fact that we are not making Nigeria what God wants it to be is not the fault of God, but our fault, particularly the leaders.”

Obasanjo, who noted that Nigeria’s diversity remained a major source of its strength, explained that disintegration would result in “weak republics”.

He added: “One thing that gives us strength is our diversity.

“If all that we have is Republic of Oduduwa for those who say so, members of that country will be diminished compared to being a citizen of Nigeria.

“Citizens of Oduduwa Republic …

News / Security

Police speak on reported killing of 15 Soldiers, attack on Imo Government House

The Imo State Police Command has rebutted the report on some social media platforms that gunmen attacked the Imo State Government House and Obinze Army Barracks.

Reacting to the report in a statement on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bala Elkana, urged the public to disregard the report.

He described it as “a false alarm, which only existed in the imagination of the writer”.

The social media report also stated that 15 soldiers were killed in the attack.

The PPRO described the report as “the handiwork of mischief makers and conflict entrepreneurs.

“The command, therefore, warns the public to be wary of such posts,” Elkana stated, adding that it was aimed at causing tension and instilling fear in Imo people.

He further warned mischief makers to desist from such fake alarms else they would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Elkana, who said that peace had returned to Imo State, advised “night crawlers and hospitality patrons to feel free, come out in in pursuit of their regular pleasure”.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Chris Paul helps Phoenix dominate Denver in Game 2, take 2-0 series lead

The Phoenix Suns pulled out a dominant 123-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the second-round series. The victory was the fifth straight for Phoenix this postseason. Chris Paul led the way for the Suns with 17 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers. Paul’s assist-to-turnover ratio in the series is now a staggering 26-1. Devin Booker also added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the surging Suns.

Phoenix appeared to be a step faster than Denver on both ends of the floor in the second game, as it got virtually whatever it wanted on the offensive end while simultaneously making things difficult defensively for Denver. All five Suns starters scored in double figures,  compared to only two for the Nuggets’ first five. Freshly minted MVP Nikola Jokic paced the Nuggets with 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, but his production wasn’t nearly enough, especially with minimal help from the guys around him. Moving forward, Nuggets coach Mike Malone is going to have to figure out a way to get his team going, particularly Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., who combined for just 17 points on 6-of-20 shooting in Game 2.

The only good news for the Nuggets right now is that the series if about to shift to Denver for Games 3 and 4. There, the Nuggets will obviously look to play better than they were able to do in Phoenix. Unfortunately for Denver, the math isn’t on its side. A total of 430 playoff series have started 2-0, and only 28 times has the team that gained the early advantage failed to win the series, per Land of Basketball. That’s less than seven percent of the time. The most recent example of this occurred in the first round this year, as the Los Angeles Clippers bested the Dallas Mavericks in seven games after dropping the first two games of the series. So, it’s not an impossible feat, but it is an unlikely one. The Nuggets …

News / politics

Nigerians launch legal action against government’s Twitter ban

Dozens of Nigerians and a local rights group have filed a lawsuit at a regional court seeking to lift the government’s ban on Twitter, describing the decision to suspend the hugely popular social media platform’s operations as an attempt to silence criticism of the government.

Authorities announced the ban on Friday, two days after Twitter removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.…

Boxing / Sports

‘Shut the f*** up’: Paul breaks silence over $100m Mayweather conspiracy theory

Logan Paul has one message for internet critics claiming Floyd Mayweather covered up a knockout in Sunday night’s fight.

“Yo, I’m seeing this narrative going around that there’s one part of the fight where Floyd punched me and I kind of leaned on him a little bit and it looks like I kinda went limp,” Paul said in a series of Instagram Stories on Monday. “And people are trying to spin it and say he knocked me out and caught me and kept me up to keep the fight going till the eighth round.

…

Sports / Tennis

French Open: Rafael Nadal dismisses Jannik Sinner to reach quarter-finals

The 13-time French Open champion will meet Diego Schwartzman in the last eight; he goes into the contest having won his last 35 sets in succession at Roland Garros

Against Sinner, Nadal weathered a spot of early pressure. He found himself 5-3 down in the opening set, before easing into a higher gear and never looking back.

Once Nadal had fully settled, he overpowered his teenage opponent and had the right answer to every question that Sinner posed.

The 35-year-old finished the contest having won 81 per cent of points on his first serve and forced Sinner into making 40 unforced errors.

The world No 10 Schwartzman awaits Nadal next, before a potential semi-final contest with Novak Djokovic, if he overcomes Matteo Berrettini.

Nadal and Schwartzman have met 11 times previously, including in the semi-finals last year, and despite the Spaniard holding a 10-1 record, he’s not underestimating the 28-year-old.

“Against him I need to play well,” Nadal said. “I think I am [playing well] but of course he’s coming to it with confidence after playing some great matches here.…

Foreign / News

Twitter ban is Indefinite says FG

Despite widespread anger over the ban on Twitter use in the country, indications emerged, yesterday, that the Federal Government is not ready to shift grounds.

Coming a day after the government met with some envoys, which ended in both parties sticking to their guns and some very influential clerics continuing the use of the popular micro-blogging platform, a top government functionary, last night, told The Guardian that the ban remains indefinite for now as the administration insists ongoing tough on social media regulation.

“In fact, there will be a public communication today or tomorrow asking all foreign social media companies to register before they can be allowed to operate in the country.”

The source further confided that the outcome of Monday’s meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs with envoys of the United State, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada and Ireland may not have the blessing of the presidency.

“The government may have regretted the meeting with envoys, giving the impression the Minister may have acted without the full backing of the full house, that is the Presidency. This is because it is believed Twitter has two standards; one for Nigeria and one for other countries. So, for now, the government is not backing down.”

The inkling of the government’s hard stance on maintaining its position despite public criticism emerged when the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), restated his stand on the ban of Twitter by deactivating his account yesterday.

Only the President’s wife, Aisha Buhari, had similarly deactivated her Twitter account as soon as the ban was announced on Friday. Many top government functionaries and institutions are still maintaining their Twitter accounts. Many have described the ban as an attempt to gag the media, an attack on press freedom, freedom of expression and an attempt to pass the controversial Social Media Bill.

Malami had on Saturday ordered the prosecution of Nigerians defying the Federal Government’s last Friday’s ban on Twitter as a result of the platform’s deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet even …

Football / Sports

Super Eagles’ Austria winless jinx continues, hold Indomitable Lions to goalless draw

Super Eagles’ search for their first victory in Vienna, Austria, continued yesterday, as they could only manage a goalless draw with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in a friendly match. It was the fifth time the Nigerian senior national team would fail to secure a win in that country.

 

The coach Gernot Rohr-led team lost 0-1 to Cameroon on Friday at the same venue, and Nigerians were looking forward to something different in their second friendly match yesterday.

The Super Eagles search for victory in Austria dated back to May 2008, when they were forced to a 1-1 draw by the host country, Austria, at the UPC Arena in Graz.

In October 2020, Nigeria played two matches against Algeria and Tunisia, losing 1-0 to the Desert Foxes and drawing 1-1 with the Carthage Eagles.

In their last 13 friendly matches dating back to November 2017, the Super Eagles have won only three times: Against Argentina (4-2 in Krasnodar, Russia), Egypt (1-0 in Asaba) and Poland (1-0 in Stadion Miejski, Wrocław). They lost four of the friendly matches and drew the remaining six.

While Friday’s encounter was action-packed with the Eagles having more scoring chances than the Lions, who, however, won 1-0, yesterday’s game was a dour affair.

Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, tweaked his side with Terem Moffi, Abraham Marcus and Valentine Ozornwafor getting opportunities to show the gaffer what they can do.

While Nigeria lacked the urgency required of a team seeking revenge in the first half, they had a few scoring chances in the second half, but Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi could not make hay.

Speaking after the game, Rohr said his boys played under difficult conditions, adding, however, that the team is gradually taking a shape.

Nigeria’s next match will happen in the United States on July 4 when they face Mexico, perhaps, with the full complement of first-team stars available.

The team played without Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Joe Aribo, Victor Osimhen, Simi Nwankwo and Sodiq Umar, who missed the matches because of club …

News

Tiwa Savage and Seyi Shay go for each other at a salon + Video

Popular singers, Tiwa Savage and Seyi Shay, have been involved in a fight in a salon in Lagos.

In a video, which surfaced online, the duo was seen being pulled apart from getting physical at the salon as they threw altercations at each other.

Seyi Shay had walked up to Tiwa Savage at the salon to say hi, but Tiwa was not having it.

According to Tiwa Savage, Seyi Shay had no right to walk up to her to say hi, considering what she and Victoria Kimani had done to her in the past. Seyi Shay and Victoria Kimani had in 2019 released their covers of Kizz Daniel’s hit song: “Fvck You,” where they had both dissed Tiwa Savage.

n her lyrics, Seyi Shay said: “You know I’m not Savage, I pay my bills.”

Victoria Kimani, in her part, accused Tiwa Savage of prostitution and blocking her from a show.

Teasing Tiwa Savage, who is also known as “African Bad Gyal”, Kimani said: “Grandma African bad gyal, turning 45 and still claiming bad girl. You can block me from a show but you can’t block my blessings. We all know you selling pu*ssy and it’s so depressing.”

In the video, Tiwa Savage said she was not going to publicly respond to Seyi Shay or Victoria Kimani because she did not want to disgrace or embarrass them.

She said: “Don’t come to me and think you can say hi with the dirty and disgusting spirit that you have. You think I have forgotten what you guys did? How many years ago? You and Victoria Kimani. You think I can forget?

“You did a whole song; you and that btch did a whole song. You went on interviews and said sht about me and I didn’t say nothing.

“I have never slept with your man. I have never taken a job from you. I have never gone on radio to say sht. You don’t try and squash sht by saying hi. You try and squash sh*t by calling …

Agriculture / News

Food, cattle dealers threaten nationwide strike

The Amalgamated Union of Food Stuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria says it will embark on a nationwide strike over alleged illegal roadblocks and multiple taxations on its members.

The National President of the union, Muhammed Tahir, stated this while addressing newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the union on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalled that the union had in March went on strike following similar allegations, including extortion of her members and attacks of its members in some parts of the country.

The union had earlier embarked on a six-day industrial action which was suspended after the intervention of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

Tahir said after reviewing the issues, the union resolved to throw her weights behind the Onion Union, who had commenced cutting off supply to the southern part of the country due to the same issues.

He, therefore, said the union would cut the supply of food nationwide if government failed to meet its demands within three weeks.

According to him, AFUCDN is not on strike at the moment, but may not guarantee industrial harmony after three weeks if the government fails to meet the union’s demands.

Also, Magama Saleh, Legal Adviser to the union, said the government must do the needful to avert cutting down of food supply across the country.

Saleh said: “This is an emergency meeting in regards to what is happening to our members in South East and South South Nigeria, this is also to brief our members nationwide on the aftermath of the three-month strike.

“Today’s resolution is that we are declaring support to the various unions under the umbrella of the amalgamated union.

“The onion association has embarked on strike last night and only to the south, and as a national union, we have discussed extensively and have resolved to support them on their industrial action.

“We have written a reminder letter to the Federal Government, through the ministry concerned and security agencies reminding them of their previous promises to the union.…

News / politics

Trump hails Nigeria for banning Twitter

Former US President Donald Trump has congratulated Nigeria for suspending the operations of Twitter in the country.

Trump, in a statement on Tuesday night, commended Nigeria for the action, calling on more countries to “ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech.”

He said: “Congratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their President.

“More COUNTRIES should ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech – all voices should be heard.”

The Federal Government had on Friday suspended the operations of Twitter indefinitely due to its use for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The Federal Government had on Friday suspended the operations of Twitter indefinitely due to its use for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The former US leader also expressed regrets for not taking action against them while he was president.

He said: “In the meantime, competitors will emerge and take hold. Who are they to dictate good and evil if they themselves are evil?

“Perhaps, I should have done it while I was President. But Zuckerberg kept calling me and coming to the White House for dinner telling me how great I was.”

Trump also made a veiled reference to his speculated 2024 presidential ambition by simply saying: “2024?”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Twitter and Facebook had in January suspended Trump’s accounts indefinitely.

The two social networking sites claimed that he used the platforms to mobilise his followers to invade Capitol Hill over the outcome of the November 2020 presidential election after he lost.

Facebook had also on Friday announced that it had banned Trump from its two platforms – Facebook and Instagram – for two years, effective January 7, 2021.

Facebook, in a statement by Nick Clegg, Vice-President of Global Affairs, cited “severe violation” after Capitol Hill riots of January 6 and that Trump’s accounts would only be reinstated if conditions permitted.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Mitchell Drops 45 points to over-come the Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers earned the right to take on the top-seeded Utah Jazz by beating the Dallas Mavericks in a Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. While Kawhi Leonard and company are certainly riding the momentum from that win into this series, nothing will come easy against Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz as Utah was the Western Conference’s top seed for a reason. As we enter the fourth quarter, we have a game on our hands as the Clippers and Jazz are all tied up.

Both of these teams have something to prove. The Clippers were bounced in the second round a year ago after they fell well short of their championship expectations. The Jazz made an even earlier exit in the postseason, losing in the first round to the Denver Nuggets, who went on to beat the Clippers in the next round after coming back from a 3-1 hole. Both of these teams will be hungry to prove that last season’s early playoff exits were just a blip in the grand scheme of things, but at the end of the day only one team can advance.

Rudy

For more on the NBA playoffs, we’ve got you covered with an in-depth look at the Clippers-Jazz series, the round-by-round playoff schedule, a breakdown of our expert predictions for both the second round and the entire postseason. Follow below for all the real-time updates throughout Game 1 between Los Angeles and Utah.…