Former Super Eagle Sunday Oliseh in talks to become new Nigeria football coach

 The 40-year-old former midfielder, who captained Nigeria and won 63 caps, is set to be appointed in the coming days.

The NFF have acted quickly to fill the vacancy following the sacking of Stephen Keshi on Saturday.

Oliseh was part of the Nigeria squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994 and Olympic gold two years later.

He also played at the World Cup in 1994 and 1998, helping the Super Eagles to the last-16 at both tournaments and in the latter he scored a memorable winner as Nigeria shocked Spain 3-2 in a group match.

A member of the "golden generation" of Nigerian football stars, alongside Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George, Oliseh has been working as a pundit, sport consultant and Fifa Technical committee member.

Oliseh has little management experience, having coached only Belgian lower league side Vervietois between 2008 and 2009, but he does hold the Uefa Pro Licence.

He would take over from NFF technical director Shaibu Amodu and assistant coach Salisu Yusuf, who are are currently in charge on an interim basis.

BBC

President Muhammadu Buhari approves $2.1bn bailout for bankrupt Nigerian states

At least 12 of Nigeria's 36 states are said to owe their workers more than $550m in salaries and allowances.

Some workers have not been paid for seven months.

The government revenue, which depends largely on crude oil exports, has fallen sharply in recent months because of a fall in global oil prices.

Last month, Mr Buhari said the treasury was "virtually empty".

He has vowed to recover billions of dollars "stolen" under previous administrations.

The president won elections in March on a promise to tackle corruption, seen as one of the country's biggest problems.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but much of the revenue is said to be stolen.

A government statement said the money would come through soft loans from the central bank, and dividends paid by the state-owned natural gas agency.

BBC

25 confirmed dead in bomb blast in Zaria, Nigeria

A suspected suicide bomber targeted civil servants at a government building in the city, witnesses said.

Emergency workers have rushed to the scene to help evacuate the wounded.

Militant Islamist group Boko Haram, which often targets northern Nigeria, has stepped up attacks since President Muhammudu Buhari took office in May.

The group has not yet commented on the latest attack.

It came a day after police chief Solomon Arase announced new measures to curb the rise in bombings. They include:

. banning street trading and hawking in the capital, Abuja

. strengthening security at all mosques and churches countrywide.

Latest African news updates

Witnesses in Zaria said people including primary school teachers had been queuing up seeking employment under Mr Buhari's administration when the bomb detonated in Zaria's Sabon Gari district.

"We call on our citizens to be vigilant and avoid crowded places like markets, mosques, churches and motor parks in the next few weeks," Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufa'i said on his Twitter account.

Mr El-Rufa'i said the government was working with the security agencies to end the wave of militant attacks in the country.

Buhari blamed

More than 200 people were killed in attacks blamed on Boko Haram last week.

On Sunday two bombings in Jos, Plateau state, left at least 44 people dead.

On Monday, a young girl believed to be just 13 was killed when explosives strapped to her body detonated near a mosque in Kano city, the biggest in northern Nigeria.

Some analysts link the upsurge in bombings to Mr Buhari's decision to remove military checkpoints countrywide on the grounds that internal security was the responsibility of police, reports the BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi from Abuja.

Plateau state governor Simon Lalong has called on Mr Buhari to reverse his decision, saying checkpoints made it more difficult for militants to move around.

Meanwhile, military spokesman Colonel Sani Usman told the BBC that 100 men, 24 women and dozens of children accused of links to Boko Haram had been freed.

Some has spent months in custody but investigations revealed that they were innocent, Col Usman added.

Regional forces have been battling Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria, and have recaptured all major cities and towns from the group.


BBC

Video - Nigeria to receive $75m to reduce child birth mortality

The United Nation's population agency is giving $75m to boost reproductive health services in Nigeria. Some of the funds will be used to improve access to family planning to help reduce the high number of deaths during pregnancy and childbirth.

Teenage girl attempts suicide bomb attack in Kano, Nigeria

A teenager blew herself up near a mosque on Monday night in an apparent suicide attack attempt in Kano, Nigeria's second-largest city, police said.

Police spokesman Magaji Majiya said the girl's target was likely the Umar Ibn Al-Khattab mosque and that she was the only casualty.

The attempted attack bore the hallmarks of the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, that was behind a wave of violence last week that killed 200 people. On Sunday, at least 44 people died in two attacks in the central city of Jos.

Kano has not been attacked since February this year when two suicide bombers struck a bus station killing at least 10 people.

On Monday in Kano, two witnesses said they saw the girl crossing a road before they heard a loud bang.

Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency since 2009 to establish a state in Nigeria's northeast adhering to strict sharia law. Boko Haram took over large swathes of territory last year but have since been repelled from most parts by Nigerian forces with the help of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.


Reuters