Nigerian pop singer, Wizkid, has denied intentionally snubbing Eva Alordiah’s fiancé, Caesar, when they met yesterday at the 2016 Headies. The artiste was reported to have greeted the female rapper but paid no attention to her boo who was sitting next to her. This incident was considered by many to be the biggest snub of the year. Wizkid however claimed through a Twitter post on Friday, December 23, 2016, that he did not see the TV presenter who made the first move to greet him as he was walking by the couple. The singer wrote, “Honestly didn’t see my man!…
Author: David Folami
Arsene Wenger has backed Mesut Ozil to respond to the criticism he faced after Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City and defended the playmaker’s work rate off the ball. Ozil, 28, was targeted by pundits and fans after what many saw as a lack of effort when pressing City’s players in last week’s defeat at the Etihad Stadium, with the Germany international also failing to impose himself on the game offensively. “To be absolutely fair I did not hear or listen to all the criticism we got after the game,” Wenger said at his news conference ahead of Monday’s game…
Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Morgan Schneiderlin has asked to leave Manchester United, with West Bromwich Albion leading the race to sign the midfielder after lodging a £13 million bid. Schneiderlin, a £24m signing from Southampton in July 2015, has failed to start a Premier League game for United this season and has not appeared at all since making a substitute appearance against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Nov. 19. Everton manager Ronald Koeman is also keen to sign Schneiderlin, having worked with the Frenchman at Southampton. But with the transfer window due to open on Jan. 1, United manager…
Sam Allardyce is the new manager at Crystal Palace, the club announced on Friday. Allardyce, who was sacked as England boss after just 67 days on the job this summer, will replace Alan Pardew at the post. He has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the London side. Pardew was sacked by the club on Thursday after managing just one win over the past 11 Premier League games. Palace are currently 17th in the league table. Allardyce will take charge of the club with immediate effect, and will be on the sidelines for the club’s Boxing Day clash with Watford.…
David Moyes has said Manchester United have moved away from their traditions of appointing British managers and spending money “the right way.” Moyes, whose Sunderland side travel to Old Trafford on Boxing Day, was sacked by United in 2014 after less than a full season in charge. He was succeeded by Louis van Gaal, who in turn was replaced by Jose Mourinho as United went on a summer spending spree that included breaking the world transfer record to sign Paul Pogba. Moyes said: “Manchester United was a club with a tradition where they tended to pick British managers. That tradition…
Raheem Sterling will improve as a goal-scorer, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said. Sterling, 22, has been criticised by some pundits for not scoring enough goals, despite finishing with 11 in each of his last two seasons. The England international has six so far this season and scored the winner against Arsenal last weekend when he cut inside to fire home a low strike. Guardiola praised his performance and said scoring should give him additional confidence. “In the last game, he came back to the level he started the season,” the City boss told a news conference ahead of…
David Moyes has said that Manchester United never needed to show they had the “biggest balls” in the transfer market in the past, but admitted that he was targeting Gareth Bale, Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Toni Kroos. Moyes took charge of United in summer 2013 and his only major signing during that transfer window was Marouane Fellaini on deadline day, from his former club Everton for £27.5 million. At the time, Bale was at Tottenham Hotspur, Fabregas at Barcelona, Ronaldo at Real Madrid and Kroos at Bayern Munich. Under new manager Jose Mourinho, United spent heavily during this summer’s…
President Muhammadu Buhari has requested state governors to settle outstanding salaries and entitlements of their workers with at least 25 per cent of refunds to them from excess deductions for external debt service. Malam Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, stated this in a statement he issued in Abuja on Thursday. President Buhari recently approved N552.74 billion to be paid in batches to all the states that were owed. Thirty three of the affected states are, however, expected to receive 25 per cent of their approved sums in the first instance before this week runs…
Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez has added more spark to the transfer speculation surrounding him by admitting that like in London is stressful. Sanchez has just 18 months remaining on his Arsenal contract and is currently negotiating with the club for a new one. The negotiation has reportedly stalled over disagreements on his weekly wage because of Arsenal’s strict wage structure. Amidst the reports, Sanchez has admitted that living in London is stressful for him. “I like to go to London to eat something or have a drink with my friends,” the striker said in an interview with Arsenal magazine. “However,…
Nollywood actress Funke Akindele has moved into a plush new home in Lagos. Funke Akindele shared photos on Snapchat yesterday, December 21, 2016, saying she is moving into her new home at Amen Estate, Eleko, Lagos. We guess she’s moving in with husband JJC Skillz. Congrats to her and JJC Skillz! Meanwhile, Funke Akindele has decked her halls already and is ready for Christmas! The “Jenifa” star was spotted in her Santa outfit at a school in Lagos. “#jenifathesantamama stopped by to see the children,” she captioned the photo shared to her 2.5million followers. Meanwhile, A new sitcom from Akindele…
Gov. Aknwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Thursday said that the sum of N2.698 billion had been earmarked in the 2017 budget for the construction of five Elderly Care Centres across the state. Ambode, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, made the disclosure at the 2016 Pensioners Day Celebration in Lagos with the theme ‘Take a Stand Against Ageism’. He said the move was to ensure that pensioners from the state recreate from time to time. According to him, it is a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to the welfare of the retirees from the Lagos State…
The Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike inaugurated the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Killings/Violence that attended the Rerun/supplementary elections on Dec. 10 in the state. Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Governor on Electronic Media said Wike charged the panel to find out the number of those killed and who was responsible for their deaths. Wike also charged the Commission to ascertain the names of those who were killed. The governor stated that it was not within the purview of the Commission to investigate how the elections were conducted. “This Judicial Commission of Inquiry is not to investigate…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged people of the South East zone to shy away from the spirit of individualism and unite to achieve the political aspirations that had eluded them for the development of the region. Speaking on Thursday at the South East Security and Economic Summit in Enugu, Obasanjo, said that the zone would not achieve much with continued individualism and lack of cohesion amongst them. He said the people of the area seemed to have forgotten their spirit of enterprise and communal efforts, which stood them apart from other ethnic groups in the country. He said the…
He might get a bad rap for not being sure what his real age was or be accused of being a little cocky, but there’s no denying that Kiss Daniel does know how to make good music. And he was the biggest winner of the night at the 2016 Headies, carting away three plaques in the Best R&B/Pop album, Hip Hop World Revelation and Album of the Year categories. The G-Worldwide signee was initially absent when the first category was announced and his label mate Sugarboy had to pick it up on his behalf. It seemed as though it would…
As the 2016 Headies went down at the Eko Convention Centre yesterday night, several stars were conspicuously missing. Among the most notable were YBNL boss Olamide and his whole crew; Don Jazzy and his entire Mavins team; Chocolate City and its roster of stars; Davido, who had a show only the previous day at Oriental Hotel; Tekno, P-Square, Yemi Alade, Ill Bliss, Waje, Omawumi, Cynthia Morgan, Reminisce and several others. It came as a shock to many fans who were eager to catch a glimpse of their favourite artistes, but to their dismay they didn’t bother to show up. Olamide,…
For the first time since he announced the cancellation of his December and January concerts, Wizkid yesterday made a triumphant return to the Lagos circuit as he picked up the Artiste of the Year award at the 2016 Headies. His attendance at the annual awards ceremony was unexpected as he was said to be observing a bed rest on doctor’s orders. Causally strolling in with his manager Sunday Are towards the end of the show, the Eko Convention Centre which was filled to capacity went up in cheers. Soon after he made his entrance, he was announced as the Artiste…
The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) have released their final three-man shortlist for the 2016 African Player of the Year award. CAF cut a long list of nominees to just three ahead of the Glo-CAF Awards night in Abuja where the winner will be announced in January 2017. Holder Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang makes the list; he won the award in 2015 for his impressive form for Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund. Algeria international Riyad Mahrez also makes the list and is favourite to win the award after leading Leicester City to a shocking Premier League win in the year under review. He…
Former captain of the Super Eagles, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has revealed that lack of playing time prompted him to retire early from football. Okocha surprised many by announcing his retirement in 2008 when he was playing at Hull City at the age of 34. “I must confess that [not getting a lot of playing time] was one of the main reasons why I retired from playing at a very young age,” Okocha told newsmen at a press conference. “I believe that it is not worth it to train from Monday to Friday just to have 20 minutes on the…
Tottenham Hotspur and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has extended his contract until 2022, the Premier League club announced on Thursday. “We are delighted to announce that Hugo Lloris has signed a new contract with the club, which will run until 2022,” Spurs announced on their official Twitter account. Lloris, 29, moved to White Hart Lane from Lyon in 2012 and has been a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s side while also winning 85 caps for France. “I’m very pleased with this new contract. It shows how much I believe in this project. and hopefully the best year is ahead,” Lloris…
The Immediate past governor of Ekiti State and current Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday distributed several gift items to Ekiti residents ahead of Christmas and New year celebrations. The News Agency of Nigeria,(NAN), reports that beneficiaries, estimated at 6,000, got gift which included rice and cash, at a ceremony in Ado Ekiti, the state capital. The exercise was carried out under the auspices of a body known as “John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) Centre”, an advocacy conglomerate instituted some years ago by the former governor, to support the needy in the society. NAN reports that…