US President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan late Tuesday on a surprise visit a year after American elite Navy SEALs killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a raid deep inside Pakistan.

After initially naming five foreign based players in Obiora Nwankwo, Gege Soriola, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Raheem Lawal and Ekigho Ehiosun, Super Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi moved swiftly to dispel rumours over the list of home-based players for the international friendly against Peru by announcing the names of 26 players for the match.

Super Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has made good his intention of using a sprinkle of foreign based players for the May 23 international friendly against the Peruvian national team, by naming five foreign based stars for the friendly.

THE national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, warned that Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and other opposition groups cannot distract President Goodluck Jonathan in his task of governing the country.

At the ongoing Impact 2012 conference holding in Las Vegas, United States of Aamerica, the International Business Machine, (IBM) has introduced a range of new business integration software capabilities called WebSphere Application Server.

The Plateau Government has expressed frustration that its efforts to curb corruption in its public service are being thwarted by workers in the state.

Super Eagles chief coach Stephen Keshi has named five foreign-based and 26 home-based players for the team’s May 23 international friendly, an official said on Tuesday in Abuja.

Former newspaper reporter and editor, lecturer, management and development expert, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, is now firmly settled as Governor of Ekiti State. Elected on the plank of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dr. Fayemi’s present position was won after a challenging battle in the judicial arena. Almost midway into his stewardship , Governor Fayemi, during a recent visit to Lagos spoke with newsmen on recent developments pertaining to his party’s plans and challenges arising from the face-off between two of his fellow South-West governors, Segun Mimiko and Rauf Aregbesola of Ondo and Osun states respectively. Excerpts:

A delegation of the Borno State House of Assembly has visited the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) to understudy the Lagos Assembly on how to enact a suitable law on pension scheme.

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom has approved N18, 900, 27 kobo as minimum monthly wage in the state’s Civil Service, starting from this month.

Staff of the Jos Call Centre of MTN, a telecommunications operator, on Tuesday took to the streets to protest the suspension of 10 of their members.

WHEN the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, argues that it is the biggest and most democratic party in Nigeria, that is not easily identifiable with any ethnic group in Nigeria, very few people can argue against that fact.

The Federal government has reiterated its commitment towards the eradication of lead poisoning brought about as a result of illegal and improper handling of mining operations in the country.

Members of the pro-labour civil society groups, have warned of a repeat of the January uprising in the country over the hike in the pump price of petrol, should the government go ahead to jerk up electricity tariff from June as being speculated.

UNITED Action for Democracy, UAD, one of the civil society allies of Labour, has said among the major shortcomings of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme, SURE, introduced by the Federal Government in the wake of January 1, 2012 hike in the pump price of petrol, is that SURE has no plan to reduce the level of imported fuel in the next four years.