Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said the future of Nigeria’s economy is nothing but the small and medium scale enterprises. Speaking at the launch of the MSMEs clinics which held at the Eagle Square, Abuja on Thursday, July 20, 2017, Osinbajo said he has seen the future of the the Nigerian economy. “I have seen the future of the economy of our country and that future lies in the small and medium scale enterprises, many of who are here today advertising their products,” he said. Continuing, the acting president said: “Just today I have come across BIMKAF Palace who produces…
Author: David Folami
The technical director of Inter Milan’s owners Suning Sports, Walter Sabatini, says that no suitable offer has yet been received for Ivan Perisic. The Croatian winger continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United, but the Nerazzurri are insisting on a reported €55 million and Sabatini says that kind of an offer has not yet arrived. “What is this, a conspiracy?” Sabatini told Sky Sport ahead of his departure for China, where Inter arrived for a preseason tour on Wednesday. “You all know what we want, but the offer has not yet arrived.” Sabatini also dismissed reports Inter…
N’Golo Kante says Chelsea are out to “win everything” this season following last term’s Premier League title triumph. Kante, 26, was signed by Antonio Conte last summer from Leicester, with the midfielder going on to be voted PFA and FWA Player of the Year as Chelsea won the title. Successfully defending the title has proved difficult in recent seasons, with Manchester United the last team to do so in 2008-09, but the France international is hopeful of repeating the feat while being triumphant in the Champions League and domestic cup competitions too. “Football is like this: after every game you…
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not forget the first time he faced Manchester City as a Manchester United player, but it is a painful memory, rather than a pleasant one. The Armenian midfielder endured a 45-minute ordeal against Pep Guardiola’s team at Old Trafford last September before being substituted at half-time by Jose Mourinho. However, not only did Mkhitaryan not appear for the second half, he disappeared from the scene completely for almost two months. That derby defeat came on Sept. 10, 2016 and the 28-year-old did not play again until he made a substitute appearance in a 2-1 Europa League defeat…
There are just 23 days left until the start of the new Premier League season, but Chelsea’s new team is finally taking shape. Having nailed down the most important component this week by convincing manager Antonio Conte to sign a new two-year deal, they have now found a striker to lead the line. With three big departures from the champions either completed or planned this summer, Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata will be the third big signing to arrive to fill a gap once he completes a reported £58m move. Chelsea bade farewell to club legend John Terry, who joined Aston…
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez will continue his European journey as the standard-bearer of Mexican football at West Ham United next season. Mexico fans will remember that El Tri internationals Pablo Barrera and Guillermo Franco failed to light up the London club, but Hernandez is coming in with the necessary tools to succeed. West Ham get a striker in the prime of his career at 29 years old, and with ample experience behind him. Whereas Barrera and Franco came into the Premier League having never played in England, the bilingual Hernandez previously established himself at Manchester United and is fully aware of…
Marcus Rashford says it is up to him to fill the void left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney at Manchester United. Rashford and new £75 million signing Romelu Lukaku will be charged with scoring the goals to fire a Premier League title challenge next season after Ibrahimovic and Rooney left the club this summer. The England international insists he learned a lot from both Rooney and Ibrahimovic but accepts the responsibility in front of goal will now fall on him. He told a news conference on Wednesday: “It is obviously going to be different but there was a time…
Monaco have rejected a bid of £44.5 million from Manchester City for full-back Benjamin Mendy, according to multiple reports. The left-back has been identified as a top target for manager Pep Guardiola, who wants to bring three full-backs to the club. City have already signed England international Kyle Walker from Tottenham Hotspur this summer in a deal, which could potentially reach up to £50m depending on his success at the club. According to the Daily Telegraph, Ligue 1 champions Monaco want a similar fee for Mendy, who is four years younger than Walker. Sources have said that City had hoped…
When news broke on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached with Real Madrid for the transfer of Alvaro Morata, the overwhelming sensation among those associated with Chelsea was one of relief. With a Diego Costa-size hole in the squad and the transfer window drifting along without much progress in filling it, it was looking increasingly likely that Chelsea would be starting the new campaign with just one senior striker in their squad. Michy Batshuayi might have scored the title-clinching goal last season but with just a solitary Premier League start under his belt such a scenario looked bleak. The…
Neymar is not for sale, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu said on Thursday amid reports of interest from Paris Saint-Germain. “He is not on the market,” Bartomeu told the Associated Press. Bartomeu’s comments echo those of club vice-president Jordi Mestre and spokesperson Josep Vives, who both said earlier this week they were confident Neymar would not leave the club. But reports persist, with Barcelona radio station RAC1 on Thursday joining other outlets in Spain in claiming a deal is close, after Brazil’s Esporte Interativo said on Tuesday a transfer had been agreed. After the 25-year-old Brazilian striker joined Barcelona in 2013,…
While on tour with Manchester United in the USA, Jose Mourinho told a news conference: “Our squad is not so big. Everybody knows, because I told the objective, I would like four players and I have asked for four players, and I am ready to go from four to three because the market is difficult.” Mourinho already has two of those signings — Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku — and many assume he is still looking for additions in defensive midfield as well as on the wing. It is always tempting to dissect his words and extract more meaning from…
The Nigerian Army, says its troops in Borno have intercepted and neutralised no fewer than four suspected suicide bombers between Sunday and Tuesday. Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the Director Army Public Relations, said in a statement on Wednesday that one of the bombers was intercepted at Dala as he attempted to cross through troops’ “forward defences.’’ “Upon several challenges and warning shots the suspect refused to halt.” “The suspect who still continued to approach towards the troops’ location was immediately neutralized,’’ Usman said. He added that two female suicide bombers were also intercepted and neutralized at Mammanti as they tried to…
Germany goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer will replace Philipp Lahm as Bayern Munich’s skipper for next season, the Bundesliga champions’ chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed. “Our number one is the number one (choice) — Manuel Neuer,” Rummenigge told Munich daily newspaper TZ. “He is an established professional, who will take the armband from Philipp Lahm.” “He has developed really well with the national team — not only on, but also off the pitch.” World Cup-winner Neuer has been Germany’s goalkeeper since Bastian Schweinsteiger made his final international appearance last August. The 31-year-old Neuer steps in to skipper Bayern after Lahm…
Ice Prince has come through with a fine collaboration featuring Poe of Mavins. On the track titled ‘Mr Poe – Mr Ice, both rappers come correct, sounding sharp with their verses.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said Wednesday he had no plans to sell Sergio Aguero but confirmed the club was in talks with “three or four” potential new signings. Speaking to reporters ahead of Manchester City’s Houston derby with Manchester United on Thursday, Guardiola attempted to draw a line under speculation about Argentina striker Aguero’s future. “He’s our player. He will remain here,” Guardiola said of Aguero. The City boss, meanwhile, was coy about a possible move for Arsenal’s Chilean international Alexis Sanchez. Sanchez is reportedly keen to leave the Emirates although manager Arsene Wenger has indicated the player is…
Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz has confirmed RB Leipzig have rejected an offer of 75 million euros (£66m, $86.4m) for Liverpool-target Naby Keita and insists the Guinea midfielder is not for sale. On their first season in Germany’s top flight, RB Leipzig finished second to Bayern Munich in 2016/17 and have qualified directly for the Champions League, but are eager to keep their playmaker Keita. The 22-year-old has three years left on his Leipzig contract, but Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp is eager to lure him to Merseyside. However Mateschitz, 73, the co-founder of energy drinks firm Red Bull, which backs…
That’s the question on everyone’s mind following reports that Neymar has accepted Paris Saint-Germain’s offer which triggered his £195million release clause with Barcelona. Barcelona are still insisting that Neymar is not for sale with vice-president Jordi Mestre saying on Tuesday, July 18 that he’s ‘200 percent’ the Brazil international is staying at the club. Another report from Barcelona paper Sport, revealed that Neymar is unhappy at the club because he remains in the shadow of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. It’s a largely unbelievable story as Neymar is known to be good friends off the pitch with Messi and Suarez.…
The House of Representatives has expressed worry over the recent statistics that Nigerians spend an estimated $5 billion yearly on fuel generators. The Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara , said the figure indicates the extent of collapse in the country’s power sector, which he said must be fixed urgently. Dogara stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, July 19, at the opening of a public hearing on three power sector-related bills by the House Committee on Power. He said the House will work closely with the executive to find solutions to the problems of the sector, with a focus on renewable energy.…
The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the release of N1b to local government councils in the state to offset part of their salary arrears. The State Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu, who made the announcement in a statement released in Ilorin, said the N1 billion is part of the N5.1 billion received by the state government as its share of the Paris Club refunds from the Federal Government this week. Banu said the N5.1b received by the state government is 12.5 per cent lower than the amount it was expecting from the federal government. The Commissioner…
The Lagos State Government has reportedly placed a ban on vacation classes in the state in light of recent kidnapping incidents. According to a report by Vanguard, the measure is attempt to arrest the “present security situation and threats by kidnappers” in the state. This was confirmed by Vanguard’s anonymous source at the state’s Ministry of Education who said, “The state government took the measure in order to find holistic solution to the recent cases of kidnapping and rape in public schools. “To this end, government representatives will be meeting with stakeholders during the vacation period to deliberate and find…