Former Super Eagles goalkeeper and now television pundit Idah Peterside has urged his compatriot, Ademola Lookman, to leave the Italian club Atalanta immediately or as soon as possible before they force him out.

Peterside made this suggestion after Lookman delivered a stellar performance, winning the ‘Man of the Match’ award with two goals and an assist in Atalanta’s 5-0 victory over Empoli on Sunday, amidst ongoing conflict with his manager.

Last week, the Nigerian international was publicly criticised by his coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, after he took and missed a penalty kick in their Champions League elimination against Club Brugge.

However, Lookman responded in the best possible way to being labelled ‘the worst’ penalty taker by scoring twice in Atalanta’s Serie A win over Empoli.

Peterside advised Lookman to continue giving his best on the pitch but insisted he should leave Atalanta as soon as possible.

“He represents Africa,” Peterside told ESPN. “He should not let this weigh him down or affect his performance, regardless of what the coach says. But this is what I will tell him: ‘Leave now, or as soon as possible. We have seen this before, and it does not end well. Look at what happened to Victor Osimhen. Run before they push you out.”

There were expectations that the coach might take the opportunity during the pre-match press conference to apologise to Lookman; however, he did not.

Instead, the Italian reiterated his earlier comments, “Lookman felt offended, but I didn’t offend anyone. He came on with a fantastic approach against Club Brugge. If he starts training to improve his penalty taking, with his exceptional skills, Ademola can become our first penalty taker.”

After the match, Lookman posted a simple yet powerful message on social media: “Pain into Power.”

Lookman still has a year left on his contract with the club but was, and still is, expected to leave during the off-season, even prior to the altercation with Gasperini.

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bode George, has vowed that he will never leave the party.

Bode George spoke in an interview with NAN on Sunday on Lagos.

He was reacting to the leadership crisis in the party and how some old members are leaving the party, citing internal wranglings.

George said the present problems in the PDP would be resolved and that the party would get stronger .

He said he strongly believed in the ideology of the party, adding that no other political party had strong principles as PDP or practised strong internal democracy like the party.

“I can’t leave PDP, I can’t. Look, every other party is like a miniatured congregation of strange bed fellows.

“They do not have the principles that we have in the our party. So why would I leave reality for others? I would rather go home because I believe so much in the principles of the party

“A rolling stone gathers no moss.If we have crisis in the party,we will stay there and resolve it,we are going nowhere,” he said.

He said those leaving PDP over challenges in the party were not committed to the party in the first place.

George said some of the heavyweights who left the party had since realised that the PDP was the only party practising true internal democracy.

He said the failure of late Chief Alex Ekwueme, a foundation member, to get the party’s presidential ticket on two attempts meant PDP was not built around individuals.

Speaking on whether PDP missed defected chieftains like Mr Peter Obi and Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, George said the party did not miss anyone.

He said what had been missing were the selflessness, dedication and progressive politics of the founding fathers .

The PDP chieftain said that individual interests should be subsumed under the interest of the party for the PDP to rise above its challenges.

George stressed the importance of unity, and legacy-building in political leadership, citing the “exemplary conduct” of former vice president, late Chief Alex Ekwueme.

According to him, Ekwueme contested with President Obasanjo and he declared he lost.

Lauding Ekwueme’s steadfast commitment to democratic principles and party unity, George said, “He never, at any time, raised his hands to demonise or destroy the party.”

Fish barbecue businesses in Lokoja, Kogi State, are facing tough times due to escalating transportation costs and ongoing economic challenges. These factors have significantly reduced consumer spending, leading to low patronage and a sharp decline in sales for many vendors.IBRAHIM OBANSA writes.

Fish barbecue vendors, popularly known as “Point and Kill,” in Lokoja, Kogi State, are grappling with a sharp decline in their businesses. They attribute the downturn to a combination of soaring transportation costs, economic hardship, and cash flow difficulties.

LEADERSHIP  Weekend checks in the city revealed that the once-thriving trade is now facing its toughest times, as the purchasing power of residents continues to shrink, resulting in low patronage and dwindling sales.

A middle-aged woman, Laruba Esla,  who runs the Esla Point and Kill business at the premisesof the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Lokoja, shared with our correspondent that her once-thriving business has faced setbacks since the increase in fuel pump prices.

She explained that the hike has significantly impacted her customers’ purchasing power. Additionally, with her supplies coming from outside the state, the rising transportation costs have driven up the price of fish, limiting the number of baskets she can purchase.

“The hike in price of fuel has affected our business. Our fish comes from places like Ibadan, Ekiti and Abuja. Cost of the fish has also increased because of the high transport cost. We can no longer buy the number of baskets we use to buy.

Speaking further, she said, “I used to buy between 6 to 8 baskets of fish daily, and would sell them all in one day. But now, I can’t buy more than two baskets, and sometimes, I can’t even sell them all because people just don’t have the money to buy.”

She also highlighted the steep rise in fish prices, saying, “Fish that we used to sell for between N2,000 and N3,000 is now priced between N6,000 and N8,000. How can people afford that? This is seriously affecting our business, and I’m calling on the government to assist us.”

Another vendor, Emma Fish Point, also shared his experience, stating, “I’m no longer selling like I used to. In the past, people would queue up for my fish, but now, my sales have drastically declined.”

In his case, he gets his supply from the river bank, but however said the people have also increased their prices due to the cost of other itens in the market, adding that the cheapest fish on his stand is now between N6,000 to N8,000 thousand Naira as against the N2,500 to N3,00O previously.

Another well-known fish barbecue seller on Lugard Road in Lokoja, Ajomo Blessings Oshiname (also known as Blessing White), also expressed concerns over declining sales, attributing the issue to the high cost of fish.

“I can barely sell one basket these days. The cost of fish has risen sharply due to high transportation expenses. If the government can reduce fuel prices, the cost of fish will drop, and we’ll be able to make it more affordable for the people,” she said.

When asked about her previous sales, she shared, “I used to sell between three to four baskets a day. But now, as you can see, there are no customers. I’m operating at a loss. Sometimes, the fish remains unsold, and due to poor storage facilities and erratic power supply, the fish spoils. I’m calling on the government to help us.”

The situation is similar at other fish points visited across Lokoja metropolis, with all vendors urging both the state and federal governments to come to their aid. They fear that without support, they may be forced out of the market, which would have a devastating impact on their families and livelihoods. The ongoing challenges they face threaten not only their businesses but also their ability to provide for their loved ones, making urgent government intervention crucial to prevent further hardship.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has again clarified that the 1,000 staff members who were disengaged in December 2024 were not forced to quit the apex bank.

The CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso stated this on Friday in Abuja at an investigative hearing of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing the circumstances leading to the exit of the staff members and how the sum of N50bn severance package for the affected persons arrived at.

This is as the CBN boss added that the affected persons opted to disengage through the voluntary Early Exit Programme with payment of full benefits.

Represented by Deputy Director, Corporate Services, Bala Bello, Cardoso explained that the Early Exit Programme, Restructuring and Re-organisation “Are basically ways and means through which the performance of an organisation is optimised by ensuring that round pegs are put in right holes. The manpower requirement of the bank is actually met.

“The man loading, which is the key responsibilities, key performance indicators of the bank, vis-a-vis the number of people driving the performance of that bank, is at a level where it’s optimum, balancing the human resource requirement, the capital requirement, the skill requirement, as well as the IT requirement of the bank.

“You are very much aware that the entire world is going through a process of digitising its operations. And then once that is done, a lot of opportunities are created, just like a lot of redundancies are also equally created.

“And you have had instances in which, in the past, the request for staff to actually exit the bank voluntarily actually emanated on the part of the staff. And I believe the Central Bank is not necessarily the first organisation to have done that.

“I’m very happy to mention that the early exit program of the CBN is 100 per cent voluntary. It’s not mandatory. Nobody has been asked to leave, and nobody has been forced to leave. It’s a completely voluntary programme that has been put in place.”

He also noted that the exercise is not restricted to government agencies alone, saying, “I believe several organisations across the world, and even within this country, both in terms of the private sector and the public sector, are undertaking similar exercises.”

Continuing, Bello added, “In the past, we had instances in which cases of stagnation and lack of career progression appear. I mean, in an organisation, you’ve got a pyramid where from each level to the next level, the gap keeps narrowing. If not, you are going to have a quasi-organisation, an inverted pyramid.

“It doesn’t work. It gets to the level where you have, for example, 30 departments in the Central Bank. You cannot have 60 directors, manning 30 departments. It’s not going to work.

“Once those vacancies are filled, it gets to a level where some people, even though they are very qualified, able and willing, but the vacancies are not there. And then they got to a level where they are stagnated for a period of time.”

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Bello Kumo noted that the Committee’s responsibility is to submit the report to the House.

He said, “Let me start by saying that the House of Representatives, the 10th National Assembly, understand that CBN is implementing the Restructuring, Reorganising and the Early Exit Program. I don’t know whether the CBN Governor can explain or brief this committee on the objectives of the Restructuring, Reorganising and Early Exit Programme to this committee.

“Can you explain the Early Exit Program and what you intend to achieve with it? When it starts, when it will end, and what is the connection?” he asked.