Buhari the combatant and other stories

The Nigerian senate witnessed a chaotic session during the outgoing week. But it was not due to an invasion by the president who was likened to a combatant by a former combatant who himself became a head of state.

We have Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Special Status for Lagos Bill to thank for the rowdy session.

This and other stories are in the news recap for this week.

According to former head of state Yakubu Gowon, President Buhari is a ‘combat politician’ on a redemption mission

Picture a determined soldier on a redemption mission. The image of President Muhammadu Buhari may probably come into your mind. A former Heads of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, on Tuesday, described Buhari as a fighter and a man of destiny working to get things right with the economy despite the huge challenges being faced by the country. “As a combat politician, he fought to take over the Presidential Villa despite being told he would never see it.”

Members of the Nigerian senate at a plenary

Two days later, there were also combatants on the floor of the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly. The bone of contention? A remark made by  Olusola Adeyeye (APC, Osun Central) on a bill which sought a special status for Lagos State. Adeyeye had argued that Lagos State deserved a better deal from the FG  instead of “the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) [which] is a rotten and over-pampered child.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump / Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP

In Uncle Sam’s country – America -, Republican party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump was in a combat mood, pouncing on former  president Bill Clinton’s gaffe to ridicule his Democratic party opponent in the November 8 US election, Hillary Clinton, as well as sitting president Barack Obama. Bill Clinton had criticised the way US health care works under Barack Obama’s reforms as “crazy,” giving Trump the opportunity to reignite the debate on Obamacare.

But Trump’s combat mood was not enough to save him from tumbling down on Forbes rich list.The Republican nominee’s fortune fell $800 million last year sending him tumbling 35 spots on a list of richest Americans, Forbes said Tuesday.

A new study has provided an explanation on why many Nigerians are ageing prematurely, according to The Guardian report published on Monday. The study which also explains the poor intelligent quotient of the population found strong associations between sustained exposure to economic hardship and worse cognitive function in relatively young individuals. It is hoped President Buhari’s combat strategy against economic hardship would rein in this trend sooner than later.

Minister of State, National Planning and Budget, Hajia Zainab Ahmed, Minister, National Planning and Budget, Senator Udo Udoma and Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

But the Guardian Editorial Board was not optimistic the President’s economic team can do a fantastic job, at least, judging by its performance in the last one year. The newspaper verdict on the team’s performance was delivered in a scathing editorial on Tuesday.  “This economy is bad. Life is hard, and to most Nigerians, the administration is not delivering on its promise of change and the ruling officials are far below par,” the newspaper said.

However, Nigerians were comforted, albeit temporarily on Wednesday, with the news that the Naira appreciated against the dollar in all the segments of the foreign exchange market. The currency gained 9.97 points to exchange at N310.24 from N320.21 it recorded on Tuesday, representing an appreciation of 3.1 per cent.

Arsenal team (L-R back row), Arsenal’s Spanish defender Hector Bellerin, Arsenal’s German defender Shkodran Mustafi, Arsenal’s Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, Arsenal’s French defender Laurent Koscielny and Arsenal’s Nigerian striker Alex Iwobi, (L-R front row) Arsenal’s Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal’s Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, Arsenal’s English midfielder Theo Walcott, Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla, Arsenal’s Spanish defender Nacho Monreal and Arsenal’s German midfielder Mesut Ozil line up ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group A football match between Arsenal and FC Basel at The Emirates Stadium in London on September 28, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Adrian DENNIS

While Nigeria is battling with an economy urgently in need of a fillip, Arsenal Football Club is in a sound economic state.  Though the club has never won the European Champions League, it reigns over the continent when it comes to matchday revenue, with takings at its Emirates Stadium greater than anywhere else in Europe. Its 60,000-capacity ground in north London, opened in 2006, generated 132 million euros (£116 million, $148 million) in the 2014-15 season from ticket sales and fan spending, according to a study by Deloitte.

But if you want to give your health a fillip, there are certain drugs you should not consider. The Guardian reported on Monday that a new study published in The BMJ has uncovered a dose-response relationship between the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and increased risk of hospital admission for heart failure.

Tecno Phantom 6

In tech, following the recent unveiling of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, TECNO decided it was done being a local champion. The mobile phone launched its flagship devices, the Phantom 6 and Phantom 6 Plus, on Sunday in one of the most beautiful venues in the world, the prestigious Armani Hotel located in Burj Khalifa, Dubai. With Google also launching its own first official mobile phones, how much of a splash TECNO’s phantoms would make on the international scene is left to be seen.

And that’s all for this week. You can read past editions of news recap here.