Video - High unemployment level in Nigeria attributed to last year's recession

Nigeria's unemployment rate has hit its highest levels in five years. Analysts attribute the latest statistics to a struggling economy after a recession last year. It has forced many Nigerians to look at alternative ways to make a living.

Nigerian prophet arrested for drug trafficking

Zambian authorities have arrested a Nigerian pastor for allegedly trafficking 26.29 kilogram of ephedrine, a medication and stimulant drug, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

Prophet Isaac Julius Amata, 42, is known for having predicted that President Edgar Lungu will win Zambia's 2016 general elections.

He was arrested by anti-drug officers on Wednesday upon arrival at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, the country's capital, according to Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) spokesperson Theresa Katongo.

She said the Nigerian pastor was arrested upon arrival at the airport from Nigeria aboard a South African Airways plane.

The suspect is currently in police custody and will appear in court soon, she added.

Xinhua

Di Maria blames missing Messi for loss to Nigeria

Paris Saint-Germain Argentina international Angel Di Maria has explained that the South Americans were humiliated by Nigeria in an international friendly last November because of the absence of Lionel Messi.

The former Manchester United winger revealed that the Argentina team is filled with stars and the presence of Messi makes the team tick. Without the Barcelona number ten in the squad, Nigeria recovered from a two-goal deficit to thrash Argentina 4-2, with Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Brian Idowu finding the net for the three-time African champions in Krasnodar.

“I love playing with him (Messi), the best thing that can happen to a player is to play with the best and with the aliens, you value playing with him...,” said Angel Di Maria to Fox Sports Radio.

“Everybody has a good time in the clubs and in the national team when Leo is not there all of us want to assume that role, but being so used to playing with him it is difficult when he is not in.

“We all try to do our best, good first half against Nigeria and then the game got away, it got out of hand but at times we do things right.”

Angel Di Maria has faced the Super Eagles four times in his career, including the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

Daily Trust

Video - Nigeria senate rejects new subsidies, fuel shortage report

Nigeria's Senate has rejected a freshly imposed fuel subsidy by the state owned NNPC to ease the crisis across the West African country. The Senate has also rejected a report by a committee it appointed to investigate the current fuel shortage.

Google honours Nigerian soccer legend Stephen Keshi with doodle

Google is celebrating Stephen Keshi, former captain and coach of the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s soccer national team, with a doodle on Google Nigeria on what would have been his 56th birthday.

Keshi is famous for being the one of the two people, alongside Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), Africa’s biggest soccer tournament, as a player and manager. Keshi first won the title in 1994 as captain of the Super Eagles and, 19 years later, won it again as manager leading a less-than-fancied Super Eagles side. He died in June 2016.

In a soccer-mad nation where the sport is a national pastime and often a unifying event, Keshi was well-loved and is fondly remembered for his decades of service to the national team. His career as a player with the Super Eagles spanned 14 years during which he made 60 appearances—the second highest ever by any player at the time of Keshi’s retirement in 1995.

In 2011, Keshi took over as a manager of the Super Eagles at a time when the national team was at a low ebb and barely living up to its reputation as one of the continent’s best teams. Indeed, the Super Eagles had not won an international title since Keshi last lifted the AFCON trophy in 1994. In 2014, Keshi further sealed his legacy with the Super Eagles at the World Cup in Brazil, matching the team’s best ever performance at the event with a round of 16 finish.

Notably, Keshi remains popular among players in Nigeria’s local soccer league. During his time with the Super Eagles, Keshi broke a ceiling of sorts by insisting on inviting promising players from the local league to the senior national team—a gutsy move given that Nigeria had several big name players at popular European soccer clubs at the time. Keshi’s team at the 2013 AFCON comprised of six home-based players. His decision eventually paid off when, in the final against Burkina Faso, Nigeria’s lone goal was scored by a home-based star.

His 19-year club career spanned five countries and four continents, including a four-year stint at Anderlecht, Belgium’s most successful club, where he won the league title in 1991. Keshi’s managerial career also saw him make history outside Nigeria as he qualified Togo for the World Cup in 2006—the country’s first ever appearance at the global event.

Quartz