EPL: Iwobi’s Strike Ends Fulham’s Winless Start

Alex Iwobi’s first-half goal secured Fulham’s first Premier League victory of the season, ending their six-match winless run under head coach Álvaro Arbeloa. The Nigerian midfielder’s 33rd-minute effort took a deflection off Lucas Herrington before slipping past Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, giving Fulham a 1-0 win and lifting them off the bottom of the table.

Fulham dominated much of the encounter, creating several chances while limiting Hull’s attacking threat. Arbeloa praised his players’ performance, saying they deserved the victory after working hard and controlling the game. However, the hosts finished with 10 men after substitute Ryan Sessegnon received a straight red card late in stoppage time for a dangerous challenge.

Ambassador Dele Cole Dies at 86

Ambassador Dele Cole, a prominent Nigerian journalist and diplomat, has died at the age of 86. Born on August 4, 1940, in Abonnema, Rivers State, Cole served as Managing Director of Daily Times before becoming Nigeria’s ambassador to Argentina and Brazil. He also served as Special Adviser on International Relations to former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.

Cole had an extensive academic background, studying at the University of Otago in New Zealand and the University of Cambridge, where he earned a doctorate in history. He was appointed a non-executive director of Daily Times in 1975 and was also involved in Nigerian politics, associating with the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s.

How my mother was kidnapped over $2.4bn subsidy fraud — Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, has recounted how her investigation into an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud in Nigeria led to the kidnapping of her mother, Kamene Okonjo, in December 2012. She said the probe began after her office noticed a sharp increase in subsidy claims, prompting an audit that uncovered the alleged fraud and led to the refusal to make the payments. The kidnappers demanded that she resign as Minister of Finance and leave Nigeria in exchange for her mother’s release.

Okonjo-Iweala described the five-day ordeal as one of the most painful experiences of her life, admitting that she initially felt paralysed by fear and considered resigning. Her mother eventually escaped from captivity in a forest and is now 96 years old. She said the incident left her with a lingering sense of guilt, while recalling that her father encouraged her not to yield to blackmail and to continue working.

Zulum calls for coordinated military offensive in the Lake Chad

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has urged the military to begin a coordinated offensive, Operation Lake Sanity, to dislodge insurgents from the shores and islands of Lake Chad. During a meeting with Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, in Maiduguri, Zulum called for increased troop deployments in strategic locations, including Kareto, Baga and the Sabon Gari–Wajiroko axis, to protect communities, secure waterways and facilitate the reopening of the Damboa–Biu road.

Zulum acknowledged improvements in security but stressed the need to intensify operations against insurgents threatening northern Borno. He also called for reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement in affected communities, while commending the Army for training and deploying about 1,000 forest guards. Shuaibu praised the governor’s support for military operations, describing it as instrumental to the Army’s successes against insurgency, and reaffirmed the military’s commitment to restoring peace and enabling economic activities in the North-East.