By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Amad Diallo set his sights on making “history” with Manchester United after the Ivory Coast winger signed a new contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2030.

Diallo has been in impressive form since Ruben Amorim took over as United manager in November, scoring three times in his last six games.

The 22-year-old, whose previous deal had been due to expire at the end of this season, has made 50 appearances and netted nine times since arriving from Atalanta in 2021.

‘We aren’t just a band of blind musicians; we have journalists, teachers and computer…0:00 / 0:00

After loan spells at Rangers and Sunderland raised questions about his future with United, Diallo is finally emerging as one of the club’s brightest young stars.

“I’m really proud to have signed this new contract. I have had some incredible moments with this club already but there is so much more to come,” Amad Diallo said.

“I have huge ambitions in the game and I want to achieve history at Manchester United.

“I have learnt so much since arriving here four years ago. I am very grateful to the coaches and staff who have helped me to develop and to the fans for driving me forward every day.

“It has been a difficult season for everyone, but I fully believe that we are on the right path and the future is going to be really special.

“I am ready to give everything to help the team and make our supporters proud again.”

Diallo scored United’s stoppage-time winner at Manchester City in December and netted their equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Liverpool on Sunday.

Having made just nine appearances in his first three seasons with United, Diallo first earned cult hero status with a late winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup last year.

United’s technical director Jason Wilcox believes Diallo will be a great asset to the club’s long-term future.

“Everyone is delighted with Amad’s development – his quality on the ball, versatility and determination makes him a key part of the future of Manchester United,” Wilcox said.

“The best years of his career are ahead of him and we all look forward to helping Amad to reach his immense potential and achieve success at the club in the coming seasons.”

Despite Diallo’s fine performances, United are languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table with just six wins from 20 top-flight games.

Amorim’s side travel to Arsenal for their FA Cup third round tie on Sunday.

Vanguard News

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Let’s talk about Silas Adekunle, a brilliant Nigerian inventor and entrepreneur who made waves by creating the world’s first intelligent gaming robot.

Born in Nigeria, Silas moved to the UK at 12 and went on to earn a first-class robotics degree and an honorary Doctor of Technology degree from the University of the West of England, Bristol.

Silas co-founded and led Reach Robotics, a UK-based company that combined augmented reality gaming with STEM education. The star of the company’s creation was MekaMon—a four-legged robot with lifelike movements. It wasn’t just a toy; MekaMon brought video games to life with robotics and augmented reality. Alongside the robot, Reach Robotics developed an app that controlled MekaMon and served as a gateway to even more digital fun.

Silas raised $12 million in investments, growing the company to about 65 employees at its peak. In 2018, he landed a major deal with Apple to sell MekaMon in the U.S. and UK.

Adekunle is regarded as the highest paid in the field of robotic engineering, after being credited for building the world’s first gaming robot. Adekunle was able to achieve this feat after signing a mouth-watering deal with Apple Inc.

Despite these achievements, Reach Robotics faced challenges in the consumer robotics industry and closed its doors in September 2019. Later in 2022, the name “Reach Robotics” was revived by a company called Blueprint Lab.

But Silas Adekunle didn’t stop there. He turned his focus to robotics education across Africa, using MekaMon to inspire the next generation of tech innovators. He also started Awarri, a company promoting AI and robotics technology on the continent. By January 2020, he became the co-founder and CEO of R.I., a company helping developers create cloud solutions to remotely manage robots, industrial systems, and IoT devices.

Silas’s work has earned him well-deserved global recognition. In 2018, he was named one of the Financial Times’ “Top 100 Minority Ethnic Leaders in Technology” and featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe: Technology list.

Vanguard News

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The United States government on Friday returned $52.88 million linked to former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Madueke.

This amount was reportedly traced to assets forfeited by Galactica, connected to Madueke and her associates.

US Ambassador, Richard M. Mills Jr. and Nigerian officials, led by Attorney-General Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, formalized the agreement at the Ministry of Justice in Abuja.

The funds, as agreed, would be managed with transparency, under the supervision of the World Bank and IIJ, to ensure their proper use in projects benefiting Nigeria, and in adherence to international anti-corruption standards.

“Measures have also been put in place to ensure that the repatriated funds are not only disbursed but also utilized transparently and accountability by the World Bank and IIJ, with periodic reports to be forwarded to Nigeria and the US on the implementation of the projects.

“This robust framework will guarantee that the funds are effectively used for the full benefit of the Nigerian people in line with UNCAC and the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) principles,” the AGF declared at the meeting.