Ghana - Nigeria “Chicken” Eagles preliminary round conquerer, Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, tasted defeat in a terrible way, as they were totally punished by the Pharaohs of Egypt in the first Semi-Final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament, holding in Ghana.

The Elephants were handed a 1 - 4 defeat by the Pharaoh before the referee blew the final whistle to end what will have been a disastrous outing for the Elephants. Although the Ivorians dominated possession and had numerous chances, the Egyptians’ quick counter-attack enabled them to score four goals from Ahmed Fathi, Amr Zaki (2) and Mohamed Aboutraika. Kader Keita scored The only goal for the Elephants.

Abeokuta - The Nigeria Immigration Service on Wednesday in Abeokuta commenced the issuance of e-passport and assured that it would checkmate racketeering.

The Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Zone ‘A’, Mr. Egelemba Nnamdi, said at the ceremony that the new travel document was in conformity with international standards.

He said, “The e-passport issuance is a major technological shift with the introduction of computer chips and biometric features which are security details to help fight fraud and forgery.

“This is in conformity with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The features now make theft and forgery impossible.”

Ghana - The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) on Tuesday has purportedly faxed a notice of dismissal on coach Berti Vogts after being forced to backpedal on announcing his immediate dismissal, according to news sources from KickOffNigeria.com.

NFA officials kept journalists waiting for over four hours for a press conference at the Alisa Hotel where Berti’s dismissal was expected to be announced, only for a board member, Mohammed Ladan to read out a brief statement dissociating the FA from reports that Vogts had been sacked.

Abuja - Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Chukwuma Soludo, confirmed that he lost a lot of money in three failed banks in 2005.

Soludo, appearing before the Senator Nkechi Nwaogu-led Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, said he had made up his mind that he would not preside over institutions where Nigerians would lose their money again, adding that with the reforms in the banking sector, investors should be rest assured of the safety of their investments and savings in the sector. He urged Nigerians to  invest in the banking sector through the public offers by buying shares.

Sango Ota - Faith Tabernacle makes Guinness Book of Records.

It was celebration time yesterday at Faith Tabernacle, the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners’ Chapel) in Ota, Ogun State, as its listing in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest church building was disclosed to the congregation.

The list, which was done in January 24, 2008, was announced by Bishop David Oyedepo, the presiding bishop of the church.

Oyedepo, who announced this yesterday, said it was gratifying that the church had attracted positive image to Nigeria through its inclusion in the famous book.