Ibadan based lawyer, Tunde Olawuwo, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of unjustly persecuting Senate President Bukola Saraki. On July 6, 2018, Saraki was cleared of corruption charges by the Supreme Court. Saraki was immediately dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on charges bordering on false declaration of assets as Governor of Kwara, after he emerged senate president against the APC’s wish in 2015. Saraki and his horde of supporters often say his trial was a political witch-hunt on account of his emergence as senate president. In a piece titled Saraki’s Persecution, a waste of time and resources by the…
Author: David Folami
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Buhari of planning to disrupt the 2019 general elections. According to the PDP the President’s recent request to the National Assembly is an an attempt to cause disaffection in the polity. The PDP insists that the President would have come up with a fresh supplementary budget. “President is aware that his request is in no way in consonant with constitutional provisions and extant rules guiding legislative virement of funds already meant for constituency development projects, yet he sent same to the National Assembly. “If Mr. President meant well for the nation and…
Donald Duke has shared stories of power and trepidation during the dark days of the military era. Duke described how ministers quaked in their boots before Abacha inside the presidential villa. “It was during this time that we really let our refineries go under and we just went into unbridled importation of petroleum products”. “Of course there was a lot of backlash because the NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) boys wanted to manage the refineries themselves. I think Abacha just said, you know what, let’s just import this thing. “It was during Abacha’s time that the real subsidy started. Look,…
Jose Mourinho has admitted he is “worried” about Manchester United’s start of the season because so many of his players had long World Cups. “I’m worried because I’m not training and then I go to the Premier League without lots of players, but it is what it is and we have to try and make the best out of it with the players we have here,” he told a news conference at UCLA. “I’m not worried about playing Liverpool here or Real Madrid or Milan, I’m not worried if we lose badly. “The preseason is very bad, the positive thing…
Cristiano Ronaldo has said he is not obsessed with winning the Champions League but acknowledged he joined Juventus partly to help them claim the title for the first time in more than two decades. “I don’t see the Champions League as an obsession,” Ronaldo said at a news conference on Monday. “As the president has told me, it’s not an obsession but a dream. I’m here to help Juventus make it come true. It’s possible.” Madrid beat Juve in the final in 2017, and their rematch in a quarterfinal tie last season was punctuated by an acrobatic overhead kick that…
James Rodriguez will not leave Bayern Munich to return to Real Madrid a year before the end of his two-year loan, his agency, Gestifute, has said. He joined Bayern last summer after falling out of favour with previous Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, but the appointment of Julen Lopetegui after Zidane’s resignation in May has led to increased speculation that his loan would end prematurely. Madrid will receive a €5 million loan fee for each of James’ two seasons away, with Bayern then having an option in 2019 to pay €35.2 million to make the move permanent. After joining Madrid from…
Maurizio Sarri has insisted that he is not interested in directing Chelsea’s transfer policy but indicated that he would like to see both Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois remain at Stamford Bridge this summer. “I feel much more a pitch manager, a field manager than a general manager,” he said via a translator. “I think I’m one of the few managers who is bored by the transfer market. I don’t want to talk about it and I’m not that interested in it. Our task as managers is growing the players we have.” While Sarri is unlikely to make the kind…
Daniel Sturridge has said he sees himself staying at Liverpool for the upcoming campaign as he eyes regular game-time. The striker has featured in all three of Liverpool’s preseason friendlies so far this summer, with Jurgen Klopp recently admitting that the 28-year-old can still have a future at the club. “I see myself staying at Liverpool, hopefully being part of the team week in, week out,” Sturridge told the Daily Mirror. “Preseason is going well, so for me it’s keeping my head down and building on that. I’m excited about the season ahead and it feels great to be back.…
Liverpool have confirmed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is likely to the vast majority of the 2018-19 season as he continues his recovery from knee ligament damage, with manager Jurgen Klopp saying “it will be a bonus” if the 24-year-old plays at all. Oxlade-Chamberlain injured his knee during Liverpool’s Champions League semifinal with Roma in April and underwent successful surgery eight days later. “It feels like now is an appropriate time to tell people that for Ox this coming season will be about focusing on recovery and rehab,” Klopp told Liverpool’s website, “We have known this from pretty much the day after…
Gary Neville has called the proposed sale of Wembley Stadium to Fulham owner Shahid Khan “ridiculous.” Neville said of Khans £600 million offer: “The FA feels to fund the grassroots programme, they have to sell a national asset — it’s quite simply ridiculous. This is nonsense. “They are talking about an extra £70m a year for 20 years — that’s a pittance in football, it’s a pittance in government, it’s the price of a full-back.” However, the FA maintains that the sale of Wembley would help them provide money for improvements to pitches nationwide, of which the association says only…
Robert Pires has said Thierry Henry is ready for a successful coaching career and has urged Premier League clubs to take a chance on his former Arsenal teammate. “He loves the Premier League, for the spirit, the competition, the big big clubs,” Pires said at a launch event for Arsenal’s legends game against Real Madrid in September. “I don’t know if a chairman will give Thierry the opportunity but he will be a good manager. “During the World Cup he was assistant to Roberto Martinez and did very well. If you ask all the Belgian players all of them, especially…
Paul Pogba gave a passionate team talk before France’s World Cup round-of-16 win over Argentina, telling teammates “Messi or no Messi, we don’t give a s—.” Pogba was heavily criticised before the tournament after an underwhelming season with United, and a France Football poll showed fans felt the midfielder was not even worth a starting role in Russia. Coach Didier Deschamps ignored public and media opinion as Pogba started six of France’s seven matches — only missing the final group game against Denmark with France already through — and was widely regarded as one of the top performers as France…
Raphael Varane believes Kylian Mbappe is an “alien” who could win the Ballon d’Or. “If he does not win the next Ballon d’Or, we will tell him that it is not normal — we will yell at him! Yes, Kylian is a more precocious talent than I was. His intelligence and maturity really left an impression — his talent is monstrous. “I have known some extra-terrestrial talents in my time, but I think that this is the first time that I have met a young alien! Everything moves quickly. When I speak tactics with him prematch, I do not have…
Wow. After the final whistle, after the trophy presentation, after the slides on the glitter-strewn turf by the French players, after even the French fans have stopped singing, the mind is still buzzing, the heart still racing. There’s an unwritten law that World Cup finals aren’t meant to be like this; they are meant to be tight, controlled, cautious affairs punctuated by a goal when everyone has gone to sleep (or in 2010, frozen stiff). This match had everything – six goals (as many as the previous four finals together), an own goal, two goals that were controversial to say…
Wayne Rooney has said that England will find more international success if foreign Premier League coaches have “a little bit more faith in young English players.” England’s longtime captain and all-time top scorer never reached the semifinals of a major tournament with the Three Lions before his international retirement in 2016, and he was succinct when asked to name the biggest obstacle facing up-and-coming English players. “Playing. Just to continue playing in their clubs,” Rooney said on Thursday. “I think there’s more homegrown players, well not more, but homegrown players get a chance and they stay in the team, in…
Luka Modric accepted the Golden Ball award as the best player at the World Cup after his side lost to France 4-2 in Sunday’s final. Modric scored two goals in the group stage and converted both of his attempts in penalty shootouts to help Croatia reach the final. The Real Madrid star embraced Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic after being given the award by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Russia President Vladimir Putin in a rainy postgame ceremony. “I am proud of the award,” Modric said. “The incredible fan support makes me even happier. You know that despite the defeat you’ve…
Juan Mata is hoping a strong season at Manchester United will help him regain a place in the Spain team that is now led by Luis Enrique. A 2010 World Cup winner and 2012 European champion, Mata only featured once for Spain under Lopetegui, in a 2-2 friendly draw with England in November 2016. “I will do everything in my power to return to the national team,” the 30-year-old midfielder, who has scored 10 goals in 41 appearances for Spain, said to Marca. “I hope the new coach will count on me because I’m going to do everything possible to…
Thibaut Courtois has suggested that Chelsea will need to increase their contract offer to convince him to stay at Stamford Bridge after his impressive performances at the World Cup. Courtois has just one year left to run on his current contract, and Chelsea have reportedly offered him a long-term extension worth around £200,000-a-week — but the Belgian believes he has proven he is worth more with his form in Russia. “I will go back and I will see what they want and how they say it,” he said, according to the Telegraph. “Obviously, with this World Cup, I think what…
The decision was a turning point as Griezmann scored to put France into a lead they would never relinquish, as Les Bleus went on to win 4-2. Dalic said he thought such a decision had no place in a game of such magnitude. “We played well but the penalty knocked the wind out of us and after that it was very difficult,” Dalic said after congratulating France on their victory. “I just want to say one sentence about that penalty: You don’t give a penalty like that in a World Cup final.” Dalic also stood by his tactics and plans…
Robert Lewandowski has had a change of heart and now wants to stay at Bayern Munich next season, according to reports. In June, the Bayern striker’s agent Pini Zahavi said Lewandowski was seeking “a new challenge,” with the club’s top scorer from last season hoping to catch the eye of interested clubs with his performances for Poland at the World Cup. Now, according to the report, Lewandowski has decided to stay at Bayern this coming season under Niko Kovac. And incoming manager Kovac praised his star striker at his presentation as Bayern’s coach last Monday. “I think he’s a world…