Seyi Shay is not playing. The singer is changing the nature of her art to lean heavily on Cuban Salsa. Her latest record ‘Bia’ takes from the hallowed genre of Salsa, mixing it with the Igbo word for ‘come’ to create a hybrid. The general message of the single is an invite from a lover “to come and have fun.” She sees this as the latest iteration of her art, exploring the connection between Nigeria and Cuba. “When I made Yolo Yolo, what was on my mind was the Fela Kuti sound,” She says. “I read somewhere that it was…
Author: David Folami
Manchester United would be making an “unbelievable” signing comparable to their swoop for Eric Cantona if they landed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, according to Phil Neville. He said “I think it would be an absolutely unbelievable signing. “If you look back at Man Utd’s big signings over the decades, Cantona came out of the hat, [Robin] Van Persie was a surprise, and they both helped United win titles. I think this could have a similar impact. He’s got the character to play at Old Trafford. “It would be a coup, particularly for United fans, to have a player like Sanchez…
Claude Puel has insisted £25 million striker Kelechi Iheanacho will stay with the Foxes this month. The Frenchman is not prepared to write off the former Manchester City forward, who has scored just once for the club this term. Puel said: “We don’t know about what the national trainer said. We will see. We have discussions with different players. For example Iheanacho is a young player, arrived this season, and he will stay with us. “I cannot talk about details about players. It is important to have a good balance in the team and have a good game time for…
Zinedine Zidane has said ahead of Saturday’s La Liga game at home to Villarreal that media criticism of his team’s recent performances was unfair and damaging. Zidane told the pre-match news conference that he and his players must ignore pundits and reporters saying negative things about the team which were just not true. “What we must do ourselves is not look and listen to what is being said,” Zidane said. “That is difficult these days but we must try and avoid it. Everything being said about Real Madrid these days is negative, and I do not see things like that,…
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is confident Liverpool are well-equipped for life without Philippe Coutinho, insisting it is “business as usual” at Anfield. “I haven’t really even thought about Phil leaving,” he said. “You realise it happens but you can’t start thinking ‘What are we going to do now that Phil is not here?’ “It can’t be that at all. It’s business as usual. “When Phil wasn’t in the team we still played great football and we have still amazing players who can score goals — the likes of Mo [Salah], Sadio, Roberto. “The fact is he has gone now and we have…
Virgil van Dijk has said that his world-record price tag does not make him “nervous” and he considers Liverpool’s £75 million spend on him to be a “compliment.” Van Dijk said: “It doesn’t make me nervous, it’s a big compliment to myself for the hard work I’ve put in so far, that Liverpool are willing to pay that much money. I can’t change anything about that.” When asked why he chose Liverpool, the Netherlands international said: “I think the size of the club, the fans, the players, the manager, the whole package here is amazing. “You can see yourself that…
Antonio Conte has admitted that “everything is possible” when asked about reports that Chelsea are lining up Luis Enrique or Massimiliano Allegri to succeed him at Stamford Bridge this summer. He said: “Everything is possible. I have another year of contract at this club, but in football everything in possible. Football is this. “For the manager of this club it is normal to have this type of situation. [Even] if you won the league last season and reach the final of the FA Cup, this is the history. I have a lot of experience to deal with this situation. “There…
Harry Kane has been named the Premier League’s Player of the Month for a sixth time, equalling the record set by Steven Gerrard. Kane scored eight league goals in December, including a brace against Stoke and hat tricks in wins against Burnley and Southampton, to break Alan Shearer’s Premier League record for goals in a calendar year (39) and overtake Barcelona’s Lionel Messi for the most goals for club and country by any player in Europe’s major leagues in 2017 (56). He said “It’s amazing, very proud of that. “I’d probably say my favourite goal was the one that broke…
Manchester City are prepared to forget their pursuit of Alexis Sanchez and allow the Arsenal forward to move to Manchester United this month due to the escalating costs of completing a deal, sources have said. United’s late interest in Sanchez, with Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan potentially being used as part of any deal, is being taken seriously by the City hierarchy. They value Sanchez at £20 million due to the 29-year-old having just six months remaining on his Arsenal contract, and sources have said that City will not meet Arsenal’s £35m asking price or agent fees which amount to £5m.…
Ryan Giggs has been interviewed for the vacant Wales job, sources have confirmed. Giggs, who made 64 appearances for Wales during his playing career, has been linked with succeeding Chris Coleman, who left to manage Championship side Sunderland after Wales’ failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The former Wales captain is still after his first position in management after leaving Manchester United when the club appointed Jose Mourinho as their new boss. Giggs had been working as Louis van Gaal’s assistant and had taken charge of four games after David Moyes was sacked by the club. He has…
Former Brazil centre-forward Ronaldo has said that Neymar took a step down “on a sporting level” when leaving Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain last summer, while Spanish reports continue to claim that Real Madrid are interested in bringing the current Selecao star back to La Liga as soon as possible. Ronaldo made it clear that Barca were a bigger club than PSG, but then said each individual makes their own career choices. “On a sporting level, Neymar’s decision is a step back but these are challenges that each person takes,” Ronaldo said. “In my time I also played at Barcelona, and…
Dr Kayode Fayemi has challenged the 10-year ban slammed on him from holding political office by an Ekiti State Government White Paper. Fayemi, in a statement issued on his behalf by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Yinka Oyebode shed more light on the matter. He described the action as “a big joke’’. “While we believe it is part of the responsibilities of the state administration to look into the finances of the state at any point in time, we are also of the belief that such must be done in a very responsible manner devoid of prejudice, witch…
Babatunde Fashola has said the Federal Government had concluded plans to involve more Nigerians in meter manufacturing. “The core business of DISCOs is to transport energy; their business is not to supply meters. “The government will address metering more vigorously this year with regulations which will open up business in metering to more investors. “This will reduce the pressure on DISCOs so that they can concentrate more on their core business. “So, we will open up the business to other people who want to play in the sector once the meter regulations are completed this year,” he said. “We have…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered the Modern Democratic Party alongside new political parties. The Modern Democratic Party, which isled by Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi, a young Nigerian entrepreneur, joins the existing political parties ahead of the 2019 General Elections. In a report by SIGNAL, Olateru-Olagbegi said he was very delighted that the party has been registered after a long and rigorous process of registration. “Today, as we received our Certificate of Registration, we are convinced more than ever before that the new Nigeria of our dreams is indeed possible. MDP stands today as a political party founded on the…
Governor Nyesom Wike has said that the state’s 2017 Budget recorded 74 per cent performance, representing significant improvement on that of 2016. Wike said that aggregate revenue receipts as at December 31, 2017 stood at N278.2 billion, representing only 69 per cent of total projected revenue. “This left us with a shortfall of over N192 billion in spite of the sharp shortfalls in revenue receipts. “We resisted the temptations of funding the budget through borrowing. “This is because it will make no economic sense to spend more than what we earned and plunge the state into unnecessary debts,’’ he said.…
Goodluck Jonathan has blasted President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for dragging his name into the ongoing Fulani herdsmen crisis, saying his administration treated them as terrorists. The statement read, “Former President Jonathan wishes to express his condolences to the government and people of Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa and Nasarawa states, over the recent spate of killings occasioned by herdsmen/farmers clashes. “His heart bleeds for the sufferings of Nigerians and he calls on the authorities to do everything in their power to put an end to these needless killings. “Having said that, let it be known that we find the statement by…
Ayodele Fayose has called President Muhammadu Buhari an ethnic champion and a religious bigot following the appointment of Ahmed Abubakar as NIA’s DG. He said “Seeing what President Buhari has turned the country to, the forefathers of Nigeria, who laid the foundation of the country on equity, justice and fairness will be lamenting wherever they are now,” Fayose said. “President Buhari has consistently demonstrated that he is an ethnic champion, a religious bigot and the number one promoter of disunity in Nigeria. This he has done again with the appointment of yet another northerner as the NIA director-general. “Ambassador Ayo…
Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf, has been discharged from Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja where he has been receiving treatment for injuries sustained in a motorbike accident on December 26, 2017. Yusuf broke a limb and sustained an injury to the head on Boxing Day and has been hospitalised at Cedarcrest in the Federal Capital Territory since the accident. The statement read, “Mr. Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari, son of His Excellency President Buhari, was admitted into Cedarcrest Hospitals Abuja in the late hours of the 26th of December 2017, following injuries sustained as a rider of a motorcycle. Following initial stabilisation, he was taken…
Simon Lalong of Plateau has said his administration will not enact the controversial anti-grazing law in the state, as grazing areas for cattle ranching have yet to be developed. “When the governor of Benue was doing the law, I told him: `Just be careful, take other steps before you start implementation’. “But he said that states are different, that his own concept is different and for us in Plateau, it is different. I said I will not do the law before the implementation of certain things. “I have not seen rangers; I have not yet developed the ranching areas. So,…
Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Otunba Gani Adams, Leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), on his investiture as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land. He charged Adams to use his new position to pursue worthy goals of security, peace and national unity. The President also commended the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111, on the appointment of a new Aare Ona Kakanfo, “who will assist him in the arduous task of leading the illustrious Yoruba people.’’ Buhari urged the new Kakanfo to bring quintessential courage, wisdom and astuteness to bear on his new office for a more…