Both teams qualified for the final after dramatic semi-finals.

Nigeria sailed through to the final after beating Gabon  4–1 in  extra-time on Thursday at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.

The DR Congo also defeated Cameroun 1-0  at the Al Barid Stadium to set up a final clash with Nigeria.

Frank Onyeka opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 3rd minute  before Mechak Elia equalised in the 32nd minute  for the Leopards.

Nigeria and the DRC created scoring  chances, with Tolu Arokodare’s header for Nigeria and Nwabali making a crucial save from the Leopards  free kick.

Calvin Bassey and  Moses Simon had missed their  chances early in the match and Nwabali was at his best when he denied the Leoprads their two penalty kicks.

Nwabali’s two saves in the shootout was not enough to cancel out misses from Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon and Semi Ajayi.

Chancel Mbemba scored the winning penalty kick to send the Leopards into the intercontinental playoffs for the World Cup.

Both Nigeria and the DRC advanced to the play-offs after finishing second in their respective qualifying groups, with the semi-finals and final staged in Morocco.

The victory sees the Central Africans progress to the final intercontinental qualifier which will be held next March.

The defeat marks Nigeria’s second consecutive failure at the play-off stage, following their loss to Ghana on away goals in the final qualifying round for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

It makes it the first time Nigeria have failed to qualify for two consecutive World Cups since the country’s debut in 1994.

Source: NAN

READ ALSO: 

Why NELFUND can’t pay fees of freshers before registration –Sawyerr

Wanted drug baron arrested, large drug shipment, forex recovered

NELFUND to extend loan to vocational trainings

Wike, Yerima: Building something on nothing…

No more impunity, suppression of Nigerians’ will –Turaki, new PDP national chairman

Mafoluku Grammar School: ’85 set celebrates 40th reunion, donates to alma mater (+Photos)

The post Nigeria crash out of 2026 World Cup play-off 3-4 on penalties appeared first on Frontpageng.

He, however, assured that the Eagles had the ammunition to prevail at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay El Hassan.

Both countries, who share five African titles between them, clash in a high-stakes game that will produce Africa’s representative at the Intercontinental Playoffs for two more slots at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

That tournament will take place in Mexico in four months.

“There is no doubt that the Congolese will be a big challenge. They got here because they are tough and ambitious, and also want to go to the World Cup.

“However, we have a large group of players here, 24 of them, out of which only about four of us have been to the World Cup (in 2018). There is that adrenalin flowing in their system to go to the World Cup and I see it as a big motivation for us to conquer on Sunday.”

Ekong, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi and Chidozie Awaziem are the only members of the present squad who were part of the squad to Russia 2018.

Coach Éric Chelle’s ensemble must beware of a number of predators in the Congo squad, including Spain-based Cédric Bakambu, France-based Nathaniel Mbuku, former Russia U21 star Theo Bongonda and Pyramid of Egypt’s Fiston Mayele.

English Premiership’s Noah Sadiki and Spain-based Charles Pickel are to hold in midfield, while the attack-minded Aaron Wan-Bissaka leads a compact defence that also includes captain Chancel Mbemba, who is looking forward to his 101st cap.

Chelle has all his 24 players available for selection, including Iwobi who will be winning his 91st cap and Simon Moses who will collect his 87th, and Ekong said on Saturday afternoon that the entire group is focused on emerging victorious on Sunday evening.

“We would have preferred to have taken the automatic ticket but it didn’t work out. Now, we are here and we have a second chance and we do not intend to bungle it.”

Sunday’s match will kick off at 8 p.m.

READ ALSO: 

PDP expels Wike, Fayose, others, gives reason

Ambush: Alleged abduction of commander is fake news -Army

BREAKING: Oyebamiji resigns, to pursue Osun guber ambition

12-year salary delay: JOHESU declares indefinite nationwide strike

NSCDC honours volunteer who returned over N20m forgotten in tricycle

INTIMATE AFFAIRS: Are you his lover or his property?

Vybing, connected and happy customers — Echoes of FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe

Online news publishing and national development

Laurels for Shell at 43rd NAPE conference in Lagos

The post W’Cup play-off final: Eagles will be up to Leopards’ challenge -Ekong appeared first on Frontpageng.

The African contingent, comprising Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritius, Libya, and Congo, will join representatives from 143 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America for the Gastech Exhibition and Conference.

The event will bring together industry-leading CEOs, government ministers, policymakers, and innovators to drive immediate action on pressing energy challenges and foster partnerships that support long-term ambitions.

Nigeria’s delegation will speak on the nation’s strategic gas agenda across four critical areas: natural gas and LNG, artificial intelligence-powered energy solutions, climate technology, and hydrogen.

According to Mrs Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, Manager, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, the company will feature prominently at the summit.

She explained that several senior executives of the company would join panel sessions on strategic issues shaping the global energy industry.

‘’NLNG Managing Director, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, will speak on Sept. 11 at a panel discussion on the theme, Advancing Progress on Methane Abatement through Strategic Cooperation and the Mobilisation of Finance and Technologies.

“The managing director will highlight the company’s leadership in sustainability, climate action, and collaboration with partners to reduce methane emissions in line with global decarbonation goals,” she stated.

Palmer-Ikuku added that the company’s Deputy Managing Director, Olakunle Osobu, would also feature in a panel, speaking on “Operational Excellence through the Application of Artificial Intelligence Technologies.”

READ ALSO: The bond between President Tinubu and VP Shettima

She further noted that NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mrs Sophia Horsfall, would speak in a session on “Nurturing the Workforce of Tomorrow through Upskilling and Retention Strategies.”

“She will provide insights into NLNG’s people-centred initiatives and the company’s long-term investment in human capital development as a driver of Nigeria’s sustainable energy future,” she said.

Other notable speakers from the company include Mr Nnamdi Anowi, General Manager, Production, who will participate in the Gastech Future Leaders session for young professionals aspiring careers at NLNG, among others.

The conference will provide Nigeria with an opportunity to build strategic alliances, foster actionable dialogue, and accelerate the transition towards a resilient, low-carbon energy future.

The Nigerian contingent includes Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas); Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power; and Sen. John Enoh, Minister of State for Industry.

The team also includes Mr Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, among others.

Source: NAN

The post Nigeria leads six African countries to global gas summit in Italy appeared first on Frontpageng.

This statement came amid reports of a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, said in a public health advisory issued on Saturday in Abuja that Nigeria was on high alert, enhancing surveillance at entry points, healthcare facilities, and communities.

Nigeria’s only Ebola outbreak occurred in 2014, when the virus was imported from Liberia by a traveller, resulting in 20 cases and eight deaths before successful containment.

The DRC Ministry of Health confirmed 28 suspected Ebola cases and 15 deaths on September 4 in Kasai Province, including four health workers, identifying the Ebola Zaire strain as the outbreak’s cause.

The outbreak has spread across Bulape and Mweka health zones and recorded a mortality rate of 57 per cent, raising concerns over the disease’s high fatality and potential for further spread.

According to Idris, there are currently no cases of Ebola in Nigeria, but preparedness has been intensified with infection control, border checks, and community risk communication to prevent importation and transmission.

He noted the DRC activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and deployed a rapid response team, receiving support from the World Health Organisation, WHO, to contain the outbreak effectively.

READ ALSO: Lagos raises alarm over looming environmental collapse of lagoon

Idris said the Ebola Zaire strain identified had an approved vaccine, Ervebo, which had been proven effective in controlling outbreaks and protecting vulnerable populations in affected regions.

To protect Nigerians, he urged frequent handwashing with soap and water as regular hygiene, a key preventive measure to reduce transmission risk from contact with infected surfaces or individuals.

He advised avoiding physical contact with anyone showing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or unexplained bleeding, which were common signs of Ebola infection and warranted immediate medical attention.

Idris warned against consuming raw or undercooked bushmeat and cautioned against contact with fruit bats, monkeys, and apes, which were known reservoirs for the Ebola virus in wildlife.

He encouraged Nigerians to report suspected Ebola cases or unusual illnesses, especially among those with recent travel to affected areas, by calling the NCDC toll-free line 6232 for prompt response.

Healthcare workers were advised to maintain a high index of suspicion, strictly follow infection prevention protocols, and report any suspected cases immediately to aid rapid containment and treatment efforts.

Idris further issued travel advice, urging Nigerians to avoid all but essential trips to countries currently experiencing Ebola outbreaks to minimise the risk of exposure and disease importation.

He assured the public that NCDC would provide timely updates while collaborating with international partners to monitor the evolving situation in the DRC and other affected African regions.

Source: NAN

The post Ebola: FG speaks on measures put in place to prevent importation appeared first on Frontpageng.

UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Gilles Fagninou, said on Wednesday that cholera outbreak in Nigeria had become endemic.

“Cholera remains endemic in Nigeria, with the country experiencing recurrent major outbreaks in recent years.

“As of end of June, Nigeria recorded 3,109 suspected cholera cases and 86 deaths across 34 states,” Fagninou said.

The UN official added that the figure made Nigeria the second most affected country in the West and Central Africa region.

He noted that cholera outbreak in the West and Central African region posed crisis for children.

He said some 80,000 children were estimated to be at high risk of cholera in West and Central Africa as the rainy season began across the region.

According to him, the heavy rains, widespread flooding and the high level of displacement are all fuelling the risk of cholera transmission and putting the lives of children at risk.

He explained that cholera was an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with bacteria.

READ ALSO: Son remembers Onyeka Onwenu one year after demise

The disease can be treated with oral rehydration solution and antibiotics but can be fatal within hours if untreated.

“Young children are particularly vulnerable to cholera due to factors such as poor hygiene, inadequate sanitation and access to safe water and a greater risk of severe dehydration.

“The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the hardest hit country in the region, reporting more than 38,000 cases and 951 deaths in July.

“Children under five years now account for nearly 26 per cent of cases in the DRC, and without stronger containment measures, they may face the worst cholera crisis since 2017,” the UNICEF official said.

He added that Chad, Republic of Congo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo were also facing ongoing epidemics.

Fagninou also said that Niger, Liberia, Benin, the Central African Republic and Cameroon were also under close surveillance due to their vulnerability.

He said that urgent and scaled-up efforts were needed to prevent further spread and contain the disease across the region.

He revealed that UNICEF had delivered life-saving health, water, hygiene and sanitation supplies as well as treatment facilities to communities since the outbreak.

“The agency has also supported cholera vaccinations, scaled up preparedness and response efforts and encouraged families to seek timely treatment and improve their hygiene practices.

“We are in a race against time, working hand in hand with the authorities to deliver essential healthcare, safe water and proper nutrition to children already at risk of deadly diseases and severe acute malnutrition,” Fagninou stressed.

“Together with an array of partners, we are strengthening community engagement and extending our reach to remote and underserved areas, making every effort to ensure that no child is left behind,” Fagninou said.

He added that UNICEF West and Central Africa urgently required $20 million over the next three months to scale up critical support in health, WASH, risk communication and community engagement.

Source: NAN

The post Cholera still endemic in Nigeria -UNICEF appeared first on Frontpageng.

The countries affected are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Nationals from the countries will be “fully” restricted from entering the U.S., according to the proclamation.

Similarly, the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted.

The proclamation is effective on June 9, 2025 at 12:01 am EDT (5:01am Nigerian time).

Trump said the move was needed to protect the U.S. against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.

READ ALSO: Minister of Information to chair GOCOP book launch in Abuja

“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” Trump said in a video posted on X.

The U.S. president said the list could be revised and new countries could be added.

He said the countries subject to the most severe restrictions were determined to harbour a “large-scale presence of terrorists.”

He alleged others failed to cooperate on visa security and had an inability to verify travellers’ identities, inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the U.S..

“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” Trump said.

Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security”.

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”

During his first term in office, Trump had announced a ban on travellers from seven countries, a policy that generated so much controversies before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

However, former President Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.”

Source: NAN

The post Trump bans citizens of 12 countries from entering US (+List) appeared first on Frontpageng.

He commended the government and the people of DR Congo for ensuring a successful conduct of the last elections.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, made these known in a press statement.

He also said the president congratulated the people of DR Congo for deepening democratic norms by exercising their rights without resorting to acts inimical to the sustenance of democracy.

READ ALSO: NDLEA arrests 252 illicit drug suspects in Osun

“It is welcoming that the last elections in DR Congo were well-concluded. Democracy is sustainable on the continent. I congratulate President Tshisekedi on his victory. The President has demonstrated statesmanship in his handling of regional and continental matters. Africa will overcome any challenge with governance by popular consent, and democracy will thrive,” President Tinubu states.

The president wishes President Tshisekedi a successful term in office.

The post DR Congo: Tinubu congratulates Tshisekedi, speaks on democracy appeared first on Frontpageng.

Lt.-Col. Muhindo Luanzo, the assistant to the administrator of Rutshuru territory, blamed fighters from the M23, a rebel group that seized large swathes of territory in 2012 and 2013.

The two villages, Tshanzu and Runyoni, were the last redoubts of the M23 before they were chased by Congolese and United Nations forces into Uganda and Rwanda in 2013.

Since then, there have been regional efforts to demobilise the fighters, but the group has complained about the slow pace at which a peace accord had been implemented, and some had returned to Congo.

It was not immediately possible to confirm the identity of the armed men who took over the two villages.

M23 officials and spokespeople for Congo’s army and the government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Luanzo said the gunmen stormed Tshanzu and Runyoni simultaneously at around 11.00 p.m. on Sunday night.

“Now, our troops are conducting counter-attack operations because during the night they identified the enemy coming from Rwanda,’’ Luanzo told Reuters by telephone.

U.N. investigators have accused Rwanda and Uganda, which intervened militarily in Congo during two regional wars two decades ago, of supporting the M23.

The two countries deny this.

A local activist group reported clashes with light and heavy weapons on Sunday night that forced people out of their homes and across the border at Bunagana into Uganda.

“Uganda is experiencing an influx of refugees from DR-Congo,’’ said Irene Nakasiita from Uganda’s Red Cross society.

On Sunday evening the U.S. issued a security alert, warning of a potential attack on the provincial capital of Goma, which is around 50 kilometres (31 miles) to the southwest of the two villages.

The U.S. then advised its personnel to shelter in place.

All major streets in Goma were later filled with soldiers, a Reuters journalist said.

Source: Reuters/NAN

The post Armed men seize Congo villages near Uganda, Rwanda border appeared first on Frontpageng.

The accident occurred on Friday in the town of Kamituga in South Kivu Province, following days of heavy rain.

The cause of the landslide is currently under investigation.

Provincial Governor Theo Ngwabidje Kasi confirmed in a statement on Saturday that majority of the victims were young people, including children.

Rescuers are continuing to identify the dead and provide assistance.

Local media quoted a survivor as saying that more than 50 people had been in the three shafts, which water had poured into.

Kamituga Mayor, Alexandre Bundya, decreed a two-day mourning period and called on local residents to help rescuers extract bodies from the ground.

The South Kivu province records landslides every year due to artisanal mining activities in several communities.

Source: Xinhua/NAN

The post 50 killed in DR Congo mine collapse appeared first on Frontpageng.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said in a statement that the DRC authorities had once again shown leadership and determination to end the outbreak as soon as possible.

The haemorrhagic fever has infected more than 3,000 people and killed at least 2,000 since an outbreak was declared 13 months ago in Congo’s volatile eastern region.

WHO declared it an international health emergency in July, after the disease spread to Goma, a major urban centre near the border with Rwanda.

WHO said second vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, will be given to at-risk populations in areas that do not have active Ebola transmission as an additional tool to extend protection against the virus.

Congolese authorities said they wanted to target small-scale Congolese traders who crossed into Rwanda.

The current vaccine, produced by Merck, has been given to more than 223,000 people at high risk of Ebola, including those who had contact with an infected person.

Congo’s former health minister, Oly Ilunga, had in July criticised what he said was pressure to use a new Ebola vaccine to try to stem the spread of the virus.

He is now under investigation for allegedly embezzling Ebola funds.

Curbing the spread of the virus in eastern Congo has proved difficult because of the numerous rebel groups operating in the area and a local population are suspicious of health workers.

Source:  dpa/NAN

The post Ebola: Congo to introduce second vaccine mid-October appeared first on Frontpageng.