Henrikh Mkhitaryan has admitted that he could have been lining up for Liverpool in Sunday’s Premier League grudge match against Manchester United had it not been for Jurgen Klopp. The Armenia international held several transfer talks with former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers back in 2013, but Klopp persuaded the midfielder to leave Shakhtar Donetsk and join him at Borussia Dortmund instead. Both have since moved on from BVB, but Mkhitaryan told the Daily Mail that things could have been a lot different had it not been for the German tactician. “I spoke two or three times on the phone to…
Author: David Folami
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he was surprised to learn Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney voted for him in the FIFA Coach of the Year awards. The England captain, a boyhood Everton fan, was impressed by Klopp’s work at Liverpool in 2016, and also voted for Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri and Wales manager Chris Coleman. Ranieri ultimately won the honour for guiding the Foxes to their Premier League triumph in the 2015-16 campaign, beating Portugal’s Fernando Santos and Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane. Klopp publicly defended Rooney after he was photographed allegedly drinking late into the night while on…
Jurgen Klopp insists English football’s obsession with the need for transfers will not force Liverpool’s hand in the January window. The Reds are yet to recruit anybody this month, despite Klopp admitting in November the squad is thin on the ground for wide players due to injuries and Sadio Mane’s participation at the African Nations Cup. However, Klopp says he will not buy in January for the sake of it and aims to give further opportunities to younger players at the club. “You need to get better and better as a group, I think we have improved a lot,” Klopp…
Falz drops official music video for his latest comic challenge ‘Wehdone sir’. Armed with stellar production from Sess the problem kid anda creative visual from Clarence Peters, Falz presents to you his first official potential hit song for 2017.
The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) no longer exists in the state. Igbokwe also told the Lagos PDP to stop making noise about local government elections in the state. The Lagos APC spokesman made the comments during an interview with Vanguard. Excerpts below: Why has council elections not been conducted in Lagos State? For PDP, they don’t conduct local government elections. I know a PDP State that has not conducted local government elections in the last 16 years. Lagos State has been conducting elections…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has called on their fans to give his in-form team something extra when bitter rivals Liverpool visit Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday. Mourinho ticked off United’s supporters for being too quiet during their League Cup semifinal first leg win over Hull City in midweek, but was quick to deny any lingering discord between himself and the supporters. He did, however, cite the passion of the Liverpool fans in the reverse fixture at Anfield in October as providing a benchmark that the Old Trafford supporters must match. “It’s for them that the match…
Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, on Friday in Igarra, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area inaugurated six projects executed by the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR). The governor, represented by the Chief of Staff, Mr Taiwo Akerele, solicited more commitment from communities to ensure sustainable development. The governor said that the projects were executed via counterpart funding from the state government, international partners and the community. According to him, the government is partnering with the UN, World Bank and other development partners to assist with resources through counterpart funding. “What we have witnessed today is a replication of what is…
Ex-Governor of Akwa Ibom, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has said the new Senate leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, was elected to lead only APC Senators. Senator Akpabio challenged Lawan while the new majority leader was addressing his colleagues after his emergence as the new Senate Leader saying he will run a fair Senate. Akpabio said: “I want to say that Senator Lawan is the Majority Leader and he cannot run the Senate. The Senate president is in charge and he will run the affairs of this house.” Senator Akpabio, who is the Senate minority leader and a PDP Senator from Akwa Ibom…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it had reconstituted its Standing Committees and defined States of supervision for National Commissioners of the commission. The commission announced this in its daily bulletin issued on Friday in Abuja. According to it, the committees are Appointments, Promotions and Disciplinary Committee (APDC) to be headed by Alhaji Baba Arfo (North-East), Survey and Technical Equipment Acquisition Committee, chaired by Mohammed Haruna (North-Central). Electoral Operations and Logistics Committee (EOLC) has Mrs Amina Zakari (North-West) as Chairman, Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), with Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu (South-East) as Chairman. Prof. Anthonia Okoosi-Simbine (North Central) will head…
Following the successful box office debut of “Hidden Figures,” Taraji P Henson is set for her next big project. The 45-year-old will play the role of a hit woman in an upcoming drama “Proud Mary. ” According to Deadline, the movie will star the Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner as the titular character whose life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy who awakens her maternal instinct in her that she never knew she had. No director has been attached to the project, which is scheduled to begin production in Boston this April.’ Henson’s other movies…
Nollywood actor Gideon Okeke, who has been in the news for his comments on Chiwetalu Agu’s ‘vulgar slangs,’ isn’t done sharing his thoughts. On Friday, January 13, 2017, the actor took to Instagram and Twitter to defend his opinion. In a post-and-delete video, the actor likened audience to people who remain in abusive relationships because they have no other option. According to the “93 Days” actor, the use of vulgar language on TV has been made so normal that most viewers don’t realize that they are being insulted and disregarded by an actor. In another video, the actor stated that…
In a series of tweets, Chioma Chukwuka has reacted to Gideon Okeke’s opinion on Chiwetalu Agu’s ‘vulgar’ language in movies. According to the “Wives on Strike” actress, the new generation of actors have no morals. She further stated that if Gideon Okeke has a problem with how Agu interprets his role, he should take it up with the regulatory board. In a post and delete Instagram update, Gideon Okeke had challenged the National Film Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to censor Chiwetalu Agu’s vulgar language in films. Popular for his ‘wicked uncle’ roles in movies, Chiwetalu Agu is also popular for…
Gabriel Jesus’s registration will not be completed in time for Manchester City’s game with Everton on Sunday. City signed the 19-year-old in a reported £27 million deal from Palmeiras in the summer but he remained on loan with the Sao Paulo club — helping them to the Brazilian title in November. Asked about Jesus ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Everton, Pep Guardiola told a news conference: “He cannot play [because of] papers. When Palmeiras and the FA solve the problems he will be able to play.” Sources have said that the club remain relaxed about the situation and…
Chelsea striker Diego Costa would jump at the chance to earn spectacular money in China, according to fellow Premier League star Yannick Bolasie. Everton winger Bolasie believes Brazilian-born Spanish international Costa will not feel any emotional ties to English football, so would want to move to the Chinese Super League if a club comes in for him. Reports that Costa has been offered terms of around £600,000 a week in China have followed the news that he has been left out of Chelsea’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League game at Leicester. Sources tell Press Association Sport Costa has not travelled…
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic says that Dimitri Payet not wanting to play for the club has left him feeling “sad” and “angry.” Bilic revealed on Thursday that Payet is refusing to pull on a West Ham shirt again and wants to leave the club, though they are unwilling to sell the France international. Writing in his column for the Evening Standard on Friday, Bilic said the situation was hard to take but that it had been “developing for a little while.” “To be completely honest, the last thing I want to talk about in this column is the…
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has praised Senate President, Bukola Saraki for the speedy intervention of the National Assembly in the Federal Government’s plan to close the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. The government has said that it will shut down the airport for six weeks, starting from March 8, to enable it repair the runway. The NSE also spoke against the proposed closure saying that there are other acceptable ways of carrying out such maintenance while operations continue. “NSE recognizes and praises the effort of the leadership of NASS in driving the transport sector reforms and would like to…
Oyo State governor, Abiola Aimobi has dared students in the state to do their worst after the students booed him recently. The Governor was addressing the students at the Oyo State secretariat when he dared them to do their worst after they had booed him. The Gov Ajimobi led administration has been notable for owing teachers and civil servants’ salaries.
The Cross River House of Assembly has passed the 2017 budget of N301 billion, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. NAN reports that on Oct. 31, 2016, Gov. Ben Ayade presented a N301billion budget proposal to the assembly for scrutiny and passage. Mr Jonas Eteng-Williams, Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, presented the report of the budget to the House on Friday in Calabar. Eteng-Williams said that after the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), defended their budget proposals, the committee carefully studied the budget and gave approval for the passage of the budget. “From the budget, a total…
Gov Nyesom Wike of Rivers has signed the 2017 Appropriation Bill of N470 billion into law, pledging to accelerate the development of the state. A statement issued by Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, the Special Assistant to Wike on Electronic Media, said on Friday that the fiscal policy was christened “Golden Jubilee Budget’’ for accelerated development. Giving his assent to the budget, Wike commended the State House of Assembly for always placing the interest of the people above other considerations. He said: “You passed the budget on time so that the State Government will continue to deliver dividends of democracy to the…
Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, on Friday commended officers and men of the Nigeria Armed Forces for their tremendous contributions to the survival and development of the country. A statement issued by Saraki’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu said that Saraki gave the commendation at the National Mosque, Abuja during Jumma’at prayer held to commemorate the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance Day. Saraki, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the service, said the nation and its leaders would continue to appreciate the military and provide for the welfare of its members. “Apart from the fact that the military…