Defender Gerard Pique praised Barcelona’s resilience after they ended an emotion-filled season by clinching top spot in La Liga with a 3-0 victory at Granada on Saturday. Barca were nine points clear at the start of April before three successive defeats set up a thrilling three-way race with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid who eventually had to settle for second and third respectively. “We’ve had to win the league twice, we were so far ahead and we thought we had it wrapped up,” Pique said after a hat-trick from Luis Suarez secured their 24th La Liga crown. “Then it looked…
Author: David Folami
An invigorating season ended with a whimper for Tottenham Hotspur as a 5-1 thrashing at relegated Newcastle United cost them second place in the Premier League and forced manager Mauricio Pochettino to apologise to fans. Tottenham, for so long champions Leicester’s closest pursuers, only needed a point from their last game to seal runners-up spot, but collapsed to their worst defeat of the season against a side reduced to 10 men after the break. While finishing third and sealing a place in the Champions League group stage next season would have been beyond the club’s expectations at the start of…
Manuel Pellegrini aimed what felt like a surprise parting shot at Manchester City on Sunday by saying his life had been made difficult by the club’s decision to announce in February that Pep Guardiola would take over as manager next season. Pellegrini chose the moment City sealed fourth place in the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Swansea City in his final game in charge to outline his belief that their form dropped amid a changed atmosphere at the club. It is a theory that had been widely suggested but during the campaign the dignified Chilean had been keen…
Arsene Wenger’s side finished in the top two for the first time since 2005 after a difficult campaign in which the French manager has been heavily criticised. “We kept our togetherness and that is part of the DNA of this club,” said Wenger, who led his team into the Champions League for the 19th consecutive season. “We kept fighting until the end. Many big teams finished outside the top four this year.” Cesc Fabregas’s second-half penalty for Chelsea looked set to condemn Leicester to only their fourth defeat of the season but Danny Drinkwater rescued a point for the champions…
Manchester City secured fourth place and Arsenal overhauled their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur to come second on a dramatic final day of the Premier League season when a bomb scare rocked Old Trafford on Sunday. After Manchester United’s game against Bournemouth was abandoned due to a security alert, Manchester City drew 1-1 at Swansea City, Arsenal crushed Aston Villa 4-0 and Spurs capitulated 5-1 at 10-man Newcastle United to blow their chance of finishing above their neighbours for the first time since 1995. “First of all I would like to apologise to our fans,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “I think…
Following the abandonment of Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth on Sunday due to a security alert, the Premier League has issued the following statement: We can confirm that today’s abandoned fixture between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth will be played on Tuesday 17 May at 8pm. We would like to thank Manchester United’s staff, the police and other emergency services for all their efforts today as well as rearranging the match for this coming Tuesday. Both Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth’s management has been extremely helpful in reaching a swift resolution, which is the best possible given today’s events. The…
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has denied claims that he recently applied for a loan for N13.1m for personal expenses for a conference in China. Reacting to the tale, Mr Dama, the Director of Public Relations of Protocol to the Ministry described the allegations as been misleading saying the amount requested for was meant for the minister and a five member delegate to a Conference on Tourism for Development in China. In a statement released by the Minister’s spokesman, a loan of N13,120,470.00 to cover tickets and travel expenses of a five-member delegation being led by the…
The Borno Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Saturday said it arrested three members of a vigilance group in possession of large quantities of dried weeds suspected to be Indian Hemp. Mr Ona Ogilegwu, Borno NDLEA Commander, disclosed this to newsmen on the side line of a sensitization workshop for members of the National Association of Patent Medicine Dealers (NAPMED) on Saturday in Maiduguri. Ogilegwu said that the suspects were apprehended during on a routine check in Maiduguri by operatives of the command. “We arrested three members of Civilian JTF with large volume of weeds suspected…
Mr Yinka Ogundimu, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, LAHA, on Saturday expressed optimism that President Muhammadu Buhari would achieve 75 per cent success in the 2016 budget performance, with his ongoing war against corruption. Ogundimu, the Chairman, LAHA’s Committee on Finance told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the success that would be recorded by President Buhari’s war against corruption would aid budget performance significantly. “The president’s fight against corruption without whose ox is gored will help the success of the budget. “If he succeeds in fighting corruption, every other thing will fall…
Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, has reportedly banned movement of herdsmen and cattle in the state. According to a report by Daily Independent Newspaper, Gov. Umahi made the announcement on Saturday, May 14,2016 saying the decision is as a result of the tension in the state over activities of the herdsmen in the country. It was further reported that the ban was made known to top state executives during a meeting with security chiefs in the state at the state Police Command. In the words of the Governor, “Every state must put in place what will guarantee peace for both…
Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, representing Ukwa Federal Constituency of Abia state under PDP in the House of Reps, has said President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party, APC owes ex-President Goodluck Jonathan an apology over fuel subsidy. In a report by ThisDay Newspaper, Nkem-Abonta said the ruling party and the incumbent President owe the ex-President an apology for inciting protests against the removal of fuel subsidy in 2012 on the grounds that it was an anti-people policy, and now turning around to remove the same subsidy. Nkem-Abonta, it was also reported accused Buhari of having taken a destructive position in 2012…
The United States government has promised to return a sum of $350m from stolen funds kept in the country to the Nigerian government. In a report by Punch Newspaper, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, made this known to the public during the Anti-corruption Summit Plenary at Lancaster House London, United Kingdom. In his words, “This money goes somewhere, folks. When I read that tens of billions of dollars were stolen from President (Muhammadu) Buhari’s country by generals and put into other nations, some of it in our country – and we are now working to restore $350 million…
The Nigeria Labour Congress has reportedly concluded plans to embark on a nationwide strike on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 to protest the increase in the fuel pump price from N86 and N86.50k to N145 per litre by the Federal Government. In a report by Punch Newspaper, the union made the decision known after an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee on Friday, May 13, 2016. It was also reported that the strike is expected to commence on Wednesday in other to give the Federal Government a two day period to reverse the price increase. The meeting, which was chaired…
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday that there was no credible intelligence linking Boko Haram’s source of weaponry to the Islamic State (IS) even as the former had pledged allegiance to the latter. Buhari said this while fielding questions from newsmen at the closing of the second Regional Security Summit in Abuja. The president said the claim that the Boko Haram group was getting its arms and ammunition from IS remained unsubstantiated. He said a major source of the group’s sophisticated weaponry was from the various military and police bases attacked at the peak of the insurgency in the affected…
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday that 916 million Euros was required for the effective implementation of the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan (LCDCRAP). President Buhari, who stated this in Abuja at the opening of the 2nd Regional Security Summit, noted that the implementation of the action plan remained a vital challenge. According to him, the long term development of the Lake Chad region is crucial to reducing the high poverty rate in the basin. He said poverty was a major factor in the recruitment of terrorists. “The long-term development of the Lake Chad Region is crucial…
Mr Akin Akinsehinwa, the Chairman, Ondo State Board of Internal Revenue, said on Sunday that the state generated N2.3 billion as Internally Generated Revenue between January and March. Akinsehinwa disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure. He said the agency realised the amount within three months because it shifted focus from individual tax payers to corporate organisations. The chairman said the shift in focus was a result of the harsh economic realities in the state which had been worsened by the dwindling resources from the Federation Account. “Things are tough nowadays and we…
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, has warned people spreading rumour of impending attack of some communities in the state to desist from it, saying there is no substance in the story. In a statement signed by the Police Spokesman in the command, Ebere Amaraizu, on Sunday, Ojukwu said that anybody found to be spreading the rumour would be prosecuted. The statement was sequel to media report that some communities in the state would be attacked by suspected herdsmen. Describing the reports as rumour, Ojukwu said that they were capable of causing panic and fear in…
Minister of state for petroleum resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, on Tuesday revealed how he received threats from a militant. Dr. Kachikwu, was speaking at the federal government’s town hall meeting which held in Kaduna state, where he lamented the effect of attacks on oil installations. He said described the attacks as a drain on the country’s resources, but said the government was on top of the situation. “Last week, my phone number was published in Sahara Reporters and then I began to get millions of phone calls,” he said. “One of the first phone calls I took not knowing who…
The removal of the oil subsidy and the increase of fuel price to one hundred and forty five naira may lead to organised labour and federal government face off in the next few days In a swift reaction on Wednesday, the Nigeria Labour Congress vowed to resist what it called unilateral increase in prices of petroleum products from eighty seven to forty five naira per litre In a statement signed by it General Secretary Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, the NLC said the increase represents the height of insensitivity and impunity The Labour Union said with the imposition on the citizenry the…
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has blamed the differences in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state on some fifth columnists who left the opposition PDP but do not wish the APC well. Speaking while playing host to members of the fact-finding and reconciliation committee of the All Progressives Congress for Edo State, led by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, at the Government House, Benin City, Governor Oshiomhole said; “these are the people that I, along with other leaders of the party, rehabilitated. Having neutralized their own machine, they jumped out of the boat so that they don’t sink with…