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Match-Fixing: Siasia Gets FIFA Life Ban Reduced To Five Years By CAS

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A former Super Eagles player and coach, Samson Siasia, who was handed a life ban by the world football governing body FIFA over match-fixing allegations has had his punishment reduced to a five-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

The reduction of Siasia’s punishment was communicated via an official statement by CAS on Monday.

According to CAS, a life ban for a first time offender who was also passive in the said offence was inappropriate though such acts need to be punished all the same to serve as a deterrent to others.

As revealed by CAS, in 2010, a match-fixer tried to involve Siasia as a coach of a club under his strict instructions. With the promise of employment benefits, Siasia would have had to always field several players under the control of the match-fixer. The negotiations between the match-fixer and Siasia in relation to the conditions of employment were conducted by email over a period of two months.

Eventually, the club did not accept or could not afford Mr Siasia’s requests and the negotiations ended.

New Punishment

On this premise, the CAS Panel confirmed the Challenged Decision and reduced the punishment for the ex-Super Eagles star. “Mr Siasia is banned for 5 (five) years from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level (administrative, sports or any other) as of 16 August 2019,” CAS said in its Monday statement.

It added: “The imposed fine of CHF 50,000 (fifty thousand Swiss Francs) on Mr Siasia is set aside.

“The Panel determined the imposition of a life ban to be disproportionate for a first offence which was committed passively and which had not had an adverse or immediate effect on football stakeholders, and that a five-year ban would still achieve the envisaged aim of punishing the infringement committed by Mr Siasia.”

The panel acknowledged the need for sanctions to be sufficiently high enough to eradicate bribery and especially match-fixing in football.

However, the panel considered in the particular circumstances of this matter that it would be inappropriate and excessive to impose a financial sanction in addition to the five-year ban, since the ban sanction already incorporated a financial punishment in eliminating football as a source of revenue for Siasia, and considering that Siasia had not obtained any gain or pecuniary benefit from his unethical behaviour.

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Transcorp Power Plc Records 775% PBT Jump In Q1 2024 With Impressive Revenue Growth

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Transcorp Power Plc (Transcorp Power), one of the electricity generating subsidiaries of Nigeria’s leading, listed conglomerate, Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Group), has demonstrated impressive financial performance in its released Q1 2024 unaudited financial statements, for the period ended March 31, 2024.

The Company recorded N67.86 billion in gross earnings, compared to N21.04 billion reported in Q1 2023, reflecting a significant increase of 223%.

The strong performance is further demonstration of the Company’s strategic focus and effective execution, as part of Transcorp Group’s implementation of its integrated power strategy.

Highlights of Transcorp Group Results

Q1 2024 Revenue N67.86 billion, up 223%, compared to N21.04 billion in Q1 2023.

Profit before Tax rose by 775%, amounting to N28.77 billion in Q1 2024, compared to N3.29 billion in the same period last year.

Profit after Tax grew by 665% year-on-year to N20.1 billion in Q1 2024, compared to N2.6 billion in the same period last year.

Total assets grew to N276.2 billion in Q1 2024, up from N223.3 billion in Q4 2023.

Commenting on the financial highlights, Evans Okpogoro, the Chief Financial Officer said, “The Q1 2024 results saw a gross margin of 51%, a cost to income ratio of 70% and net profit margin of 30% compared to Q1 2023 gross margin of 37%, cost to income ratio of 87% and net profit margin of 13%. This highlights the remarkable operational efficiency gains of the Company. Transcorp Power has continued to grow its revenue aggressively and consistently over the last five years. We expect that by year end 2024, we will see a similar growth trajectory recorded between FY 2022 and FY 2023.”

Transcorp Power MD/CEO, Peter Ikenga, commented on the results, “We are pleased to report further robust financial performance, despite sectoral challenges such as gas supply issues and macroeconomic challenges. Our ability to sustain growth amidst this environment shows the resilience of our business model and the efficient execution of our strategic initiatives.”

“We remain committed to leveraging our strengths to capitalise on emerging opportunities, drive sustainable growth and provide superior value to all our stakeholders. We will continue to prioritise ingenuity, operational excellence, corporate governance, and stakeholder engagement, to deliver superior value for our long-term growth”. He added.

About Transcorp Power Plc

Transcorp Power Plc is an electricity generating subsidiary of Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Group), one of Africa’s leading, listed companies, with strategic investments in the power, hospitality, and energy sectors.

Transcorp Power is committed to creating value and driving economic growth, by improving lives through access to electricity and transforming Africa.

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Oil Price Surge By 4 Percent As Israel Launches Counterattack On Iran

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Oil prices have increased by nearly 4 percent as Israel launched a missile attack on a target in Iran, according to international media reports.

The country’s nuclear plant is located in the central Iranian province of Isfahan, where explosions have been reported.

Later, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declared that the plant was unharmed.

In reaction to Iran’s last-week missile and drone attacks, Israel had pledged retaliation.

Iran had launched the attacks in response to the April 1 strike that killed its senior security officials at its embassy in Syria apparently carried out by Israel.

A US official told ABC News that Israel carried out a strike inside Iran, confirming reports of the explosion by the Asian country’s media.

There were also reports of blasts in Iraq and southern Syria.

Commercial flights we re-routed as parts of the Iranian airspace were closed.

Iran says it activated its air defence systems.

Israel is not planning further attacks and Iran is not going to retaliate either, according various officials quoted by the media.

Brent crude price is now over $90 per barrel, up from $87 before the strike.

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Boosting Health Access: Lasaco Assurance Supports NYSC Corps Members’ Health Mission [PHOTOS]

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Insurance underwriter, Lasaco Assurance Plc, has donated health recovery items to support the Health Initiative Programme of the National Youth Service Corps members serving in the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government area of Lagos State.

A statement from the firm said that the donation was to boost health development in the country.

Some Corps members, under the aegis of Local Government Initiative, for their first quarter Health Initiative, embarked on a project to provide health services to rural dwellers, whose access to quality health services was limited due to poverty, ignorance and superstition.

Lasaco Assurance supported the corps members to reach the target audience and help them overcome their difficulties in accessing quality health.

10 corps members head to India for youth exchange programme

Group trains youths to solve environmental challenges

NYSC confirms release of abducted corpers

The company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Seye Smart, who represented the Head of Strategy, Research and Communications, Dayo Adetokun, at the presentation of the gift items to the corps members, emphasised the importance of exposing the citizens to quality health and safety as that would improve their capacity, make them function well and prolong their life expectancy.

A healthy citizen, she explained, would contribute meaningfully to the growth of society and be useful for the development of humanity.

Leader of the LGI team, Bose Ojimi, said the programme was the group’s modest contribution to the country’s quest for improved health and safety for Nigerians and hoped that other corporate organisations would follow in the footsteps of Lasaco Assurance to offer necessary assistance to the people.

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