Mesut Ozil says Jose Mourinho once accused him of being a “coward” and “too nice to tackle” in a dressing room argument during their time at Real Madrid. The Arsenal midfielder describes the incident in his upcoming autobiography, saying Mourinho called him out in front of the entire team during the half-time break of one game after he had failed to exert enough influence. In an excerpt published in German magazine Bild, Ozil writes that Mourinho told him: “You think two beautiful passes are enough … You think you’re so good that fifty percent is enough. You think you are…
Author: David Folami
Reviews of Vector’s “Lafaiaji” 2016 album have been cominng thick and fast. On the album flaws, people hammered on Vector concentrating too much on punchlines, which sometimes stray to the corny side, He also talks about the lengthy stretch of the album tracklist as bordering on cumbersome, among other issues. On the positives, he shares his top five fave tracks, and ultimately the verdict comes through.
All hail Manchester United’s player of the season so far, who played such a decisive role in their EFL Cup triumph against Southampton. He was everywhere, adding an extra body in defence and endlessly creative in attack, finding his greatest precision when the game was at its most crucial point. The previous paragraph probably applies to Zlatan Ibrahimovic more than anyone else, but there is an arguable case that it also applies to Ander Herrera. The Spain international has been routinely magnificent, and has been the constant and understated presence in United’s superb run of form over the last two…
The Federal Government on Wednesday approved the appointment of two new directors for the Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). The bureau`s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Tunji Oketunbi, who said this in a statement in Lagos, said the appointees are: Mr Hashimu Wall, Director of Engineering and Capt. Dayyabu Dankara, Director of Operations. Oketunbi stated that the appointments were with immediate effect. “Before their appointments, Danraka was the Bureau’s General Manager (Operations), while Wali was an Aviation Safety Inspector with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). “The appointments followed the expiration of the tenures of the former Director of Engineering,…
A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed March 2 for ruling on admissibility of a document tendered before it in the trial of former Governor Rasheed Ladoja of Oyo State. Ladoja is facing trial alongside one of his aides, Waheed Akanbi, on eight counts charge bordering on N4.7 billion fraud filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Justice Mohammed Idris fixed March 2 to decide on the admissibility of the petition by the prosecution witness. When the trial resumed on Wednesday, the prosecutor, Mr Festus Keyamo, called on his first prosecution witness (PW1), Mr Abdullahi…
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday lauded the performances of the armed forces in routing Boko Haram in the North-East and stemming violent crimes in Kaduna state and other parts of the country. He gave the commendation while addressing the monthly Security Council meeting at the Presidential Villa. The event was used to review the performance of the troops as well as the police in tackling terrorism, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other violent crimes. He said “The extra ordinary thing is that, our men are doing extremely well in the North-East, that of Southern Kaduna has also been contained and…
Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Wednesday signed into law a bill providing for the management, protection and development of the environment in the state. Ambode, who signed the bill into law in Alausa, said that it would also serve as an investment vehicle to create jobs, while making the environment cleaner and healthier. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new law, known as “Environmental Management and Protection Law,’’ harmonises all the laws and regulations pertaining to the environment in the state. The new law makes provisions for water, sanitation and general hygiene. Ambode said an…
Banky W and Kate Henshaw have many reasons to be grateful because only a few people have managed to survive fire incidents. Sometimes there are no escape routes and there might be no one to save the victims. On June 25, 2015, Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw’s Lekki residence was hit by a fire – which sparked off from one of the air conditioners in her living room when electricity was restored. Read: ‘I was totally devastated but God kept me’ – Kate Henshaw writes one year after house fire At that time, the house located in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos…
Members of the BeyHives were rushing to sell their Coachella tickets earlier this week after it was announced that Beyoncé would no longer be headlining — but lucky another epic artiste is now slated to take Bey’s place. READ: Do you know Beyoncé could earn over $1m and still not perform at Coachella? According to Billboard, Lady Gaga will officially replace Beyoncé as the Saturday headliner for both weekends of Coachella in April 2017. As the source reports, the festival’s organisers were determined to find another female performer to take Beyoncé’s place after her doctor advised her to sit the…
With the recent addition of three new acts to its already full house, Mavin Records is obviously attempting to create a lasting legacy that would be remembered long after its owners take a backseat and allow fresh talent run its affairs. Rapper Poe, singer Johnny Drille and pop duo DNA Twins were announced to have signed up with the Don Jazzy-led Mavins. They join Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid, D’Prince; the younger stars Korede Bello, Reekado Banks, Di’Ja along with the recently signed Iyanya. Over the years, Don Jazzy has proved his ability to create stars out of both talented acts…
Monaco took their season tally to an astonishing 117 goals, beating Marseille 4-3 away on Wednesday in a pulsating match to reach the Coupe de France quarterfinals and remain on course for a domestic treble. Monaco top the French league ahead of PSG and they meet in the League Cup final next month. Both are still involved in the Champions League in one of the most exciting seasons in French football for many years. That the match in Marseille went to extra time was a credit to the home side’s tenacity, especially after the 5-1 drubbing by PSG on Sunday…
Southampton manager Claude Puel has urged his players to put the disappointment of their EFL Cup final defeat by Manchester United behind them and produce a positive end to the Premier League campaign. Puel’s side were beaten 3-2 at Wembley, having fought back from 2-0 down. They travel to Watford on Saturday looking to move up from 13th place and Puel told the club’s official website: “The journey in this competition was amazing, with young players at the beginning of the competition and after that experienced players. “We produced a great final. It was a good competition, but of course…
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as Barcelona took Sporting Gijon apart at Camp Nou on Wednesday. Paco Alcacer, Ivan Rakitic and a Juan Rodriguez own goal completed a 6-1 rout, with Sporting’s lone goal coming from Carlos Castro. Upon the conclusion of the match, Barca manager Luis Enrique confirmed that he will leave the club when his contract expires in the summer. The fight for the title goes on. Despite all the noise that has surrounded the club following their 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Barcelona are now on an 18-game…
The Rivers Government on Wednesday said it had began the process of recovering government properties sold by some corrupt officials. Mr Anthony Nwey-Ilobu, the Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry made this known to newsmen in Port Harcourt. Nwey-Ilobu alleged that a property belonging to the state government was sold by former board members of the Rivers State Cooperative Federation. According to him, the corrupt officials had since been sacked by the state government. “The ministry is currently working with the new board of the Federation to recover the property sold. “The new board must be…
Former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, on Wednesday, asked Federal High Court Lagos, for an order to separate her charges from that of former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the two on a 17-count charge of laundering about N4.6 billion. However, they pleaded not guilty. They were charge along with former National Chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Yusuf Danjuma and a company, Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Ltd. Usman is urging the court to allow her to be tried separately from Fani-Kayode, and for her trial to…
Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Charles Udoh, says plans have been concluded for the state visit of the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday. Udoh said in a statement on Wednesday that acting President Osinbajo would inspect the ongoing construction of the second runway at the Akwa Ibom International Airport shortly on his arrival by 1.00 p.m. According to him, the Acting President is billed to pay a courtesy visit to the royal fathers in the state. “Osinbajo is expected to also address a Town Hall meeting with stakeholders at the state Banquet Hall in Government…
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to revisit the report of the 2014 National Conference as part of efforts to address some election challenges in Nigeria. The governor said this during the South South Public hearing on Constitutional and Electoral Reform organised by the Electoral Reform Committee in Calabar. Ayade, who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu, noted that the 2014 conference was made up of Nigerians with proven integrity from all professional backgrounds. “The conference had people of proven integrity and they came out with a very good document, please ensure…
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved a payment guarantee assurance by the CBN for power generating companies (GENCOS) to solve liquidity problems in the energy sector. The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, who announced this to State House Correspondents, said the CBN would hold N701 billion for regular payment for power generated onto the national grid. He said that the government’s bulk energy buyer, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) had series of liquidity problems which made it difficult to fulfil its delivery obligations. “The liquidity problems that have characterised the market have affected the…
The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has pledged that the Senate would partner with critical institutions in the country like the media, to ensure sustenance of its democracy. Saraki, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Print Media, Mr Chuks Okocha, made this known when the Board of Directors of Daily Times Nigeria, visited him in Abuja. According to the statement, the visit was to convey the decision of the Board to name him“ the Politician of the Year, 2016.” Saraki, who accepted the award said that it was the responsibility of every Nigerian to ensure that…
Nigerian actor, Gabriel Afolayan once again proves his versatility in his latest jam, ‘Gamululu’. The track is a cover of an original song released by Uganda’s Apass. Expressing his admiration for the song and why he is so smitten about it, Afolayan said, “From the first time I heard the song I knew I had to do a cover for it.” There is no stopping this singer who made his breakthrough in the Nigerian music scene with his song, ‘Kokoro ife’.