Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reckons his defenders will need to “keep Odion Ighalo quiet” in Saturday’s English Premier League game against Watford. Arsenal will be gunning for their first win of the season when they face the Hornets at Vicarage road on Saturday afternoon. Wenger reckons that Ighalo and his strike partner, Troy Deeney, could wreak havoc if allowed to go unchecked in front of their supporters. “They (Deeney and Ighalo) were very efficient last year upfront as twin strikers. “One of the keys for us is to keep them quiet of course,” Wenger said in his pre-match press conference…
Author: David Folami
Kelechi Iheanacho has been given the all clear to play for Manchester City in Sunday’s English Premier League game against West Ham United. The striker pulled up as he chased down a loose ball on Wednesday in Manchester City’s Uefa Champions League game against Romanian club, Steaua Bucharest. He was promptly replaced by Brazilian midfielder, Fernandinho but the City manager, Pep Guardiola has revealed that the injury suffered by the Nigerian is not as bad as first feared. “We have no injury concerns. In the end, (Kelechi’s) reaction (on Wednesday night after he pulled up) was almost nothing. “I was…
Striker Marcus Rashford is better off in the England Under 21 side than playing second or third fiddle to Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy for the England senior team, says his club manager Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho. The 18-year-old – one of the rare successes under Mourinho’s predecessor Louis van Gaal, scoring eight times last term – played only a peripheral role in England’s disastrous Euro 2016 campaign making two tardy substitute appearances. Mourinho, who has often been criticised for neglecting young talent and playing older players, said Rashford would develop better both at club and international level if he…
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney believes new manager Jose Mourinho’s methods are already bearing fruit ahead of his side’s Premier League trip to Hull City on Saturday. United have won their two opening games, against Bournemouth and Southampton, and go into the weekend level on points with Manchester City, Chelsea and, unexpectedly, Hull at the head of the table. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored four goals in three games and with world-record returnee Paul Pogba impressing in the 2-0 win over Southampton, Rooney feels United have hit the ground running. “We, as players, have to adapt to what the manager wants…
Antonio Conte will head to the beach next week as the frazzled Chelsea manager gets some well deserved rest after battling in vain to land his top transfer targets. Although Conte has hit the ground running with three successive wins to start his Chelsea reign, the Italian has endured a frustrating time in the transfer market since taking charge at Stamford Bridge in July. Chelsea have made only three signings and Conte has been unable to land the centre-back and striker he regards as essential to add quality and depth to a squad that went stale last season. With the…
Claudio Bravo must wait to make his Manchester City debut as he prepares to watch his new club’s home Premier League game with West Ham United on Sunday from the stands at the Etihad Stadium. The Chilean goalkeeper has completed the formalities over his reported £17 million move to the Premier League, but his lack of training with his new team means manager Pep Guardiola has not considered him for a starting place. That will almost certainly mean more frustration for unwanted England keeper Joe Hart, who has been told he can leave the club, with Willy Caballero poised to…
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, on Thursday in Abuja said that N443.6 billion was shared among the federal, states and local governments as revenue realised in July and tha Lagos state has not started receiving the 13 per cent derivation. Adeosun, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, announced this while addressing newsmen on the outcome of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting. The amount is 11 per cent less than the N559 billion that was distributed in July. “The distributable statutory revenue for the month is N268.7 billion. “The sum of N6.3 billion…
The Akwa Ibom chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the federal government to prosecute all perpetrators of ghost workers syndrome in the nation’s public service. Chairman of the council in the state, Mr Etim Ukpong, made the call in Uyo on Friday in an interview with newsmen.Ukpong decried that over the years, different tiers of government had complained of ghost workers but that no perpetrator of the act had been identified or punished. He said that he would like to see the payroll officers and their supervisors prosecuted in the court and jailed if found culpable, to serve…
The Acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, disclosed yesterday that a total of 23,000 policemen would be deployed to provide security for the September 10 governorship election in Edo state. Idris said 54 Coaster buses would be made available to take the policemen to their various beats during the exercise. According to him, the Edo election would be a test case for the ability of security agencies to provide adequate security. The Acting IGP who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, Joshak Habila, disclosed this while addressing officers and men of the…
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will deploy a total of 18,511 officials to conduct the Edo governorship election; the election management body announced yesterday. The commission also yesterday announced that a total of 1,925,105 voters had been registered for the election in the 18 local government areas of the state. The details of the personnel being deployed for the election showed the division of the state into 192 Registration Areas (RAs); 2,627 Polling Units (Pus); and 4,011 Voting Points (VPs). The statement further revealed that “The Commission will deploy 1 Returning Officer; 18 Local Government Area Collation Officers; 192…
Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has said that some Niger Delta militant groups had reached out to him in their efforts at interfacing with the Federal Government on the current militancy in the region, pleading with the government to genuinely listen to the agitators. This came as traditional rulers from the region listed the cessation of hostilities by the military, reopening of Maritime University and release of individuals detained, among others, as conditions for enduring peace. Soyinka also said he had passed on the message of what was happening in the region to some international figures in London, but emphasised…
The Bring Back Our Girls BBOG movement, yesterday, took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari for lacking the political will to rescue 218 Chibok girls. BBOG said as opposed to the President’s excuse that he lacked “credible intelligence” to rescue the girls, what he actually required was the political will to take decisive action in the present circumstance. The group stated this in an address jointly signed by its leaders, Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu, which was read during its protest march on the Presidential Villa. “Mr. President must now exercise firm and dedicated leadership on rescuing our #ChibokGirls just…
Joachin Iroko, the man who named his dog Buhari and was arraigned for conduct likely to cause breach of peace has finally regained freedom, four days after he was remanded in Ibara Prisons in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Iroko, 40, a father of two and a native of Delta State was arraigned on Monday before an Ota Magistrate’s Court, Ogun State, on a two-count charge and was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties, who must be regular tax payers in the state, in like sum. However, the accused could not perfect the bail conditions until yesterday.…
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has restated that the process of switching over from analogue to digital broadcasting “is very much on course’’. The minister stated this at a dinner organised by Radio, Television and Theatre Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) in honour of the newly appointed Chief Executive Officers of Federal Government-owned media houses. The Federal Government owned media houses are News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). The minister, who was represented by a director in the…
Appalled by criticism that a detainee, Desmond Nunugwo, died in its detention, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, yesterday, threw open its holding facilities to journalists for assessment and that the commission fear nobody expect God. Apparently to prove its innocence in the death of Nunugwu, the Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Magu, flanked by some of his media managers, conducted journalist round the facilities located in its ‘Idiagbon House’ by is headquarters in Wuse 2, Abuja. Facilities shown to journalists were the interrogation room, medical and toilet facilities as well as the cells where detainees are kept pending investigations…
The Secretary to the Abia Government (SSG), Dr. Eme Okoro, has said that the state lacked the financial capacity to handle emergencies that may arise from possibe flood disaster in the area. Okoro made this known in an interview with newsmenin Umuahia on Friday. He spoke against the backdrop of the recent forecast of possible flood disaster in many states of the federation in 2016. He said that the intervention from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) would not be able to tackle flood disaster in any part of the state He said, “the funds for the immediate intervention in…
The Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, today, accepted that former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, should head the pan Niger Delta group that will dialogue with the Federal Government. The group conveyed its readiness to disband its Aaron Team 2, headed by Odein Ajumogobia and work with Chief Clark. Secretary of Aaron Team 2, Timipa Okponipere, who conveyed MEND’s position to the elder statesman in Warri, however, gave some conditions. Chief Clark, who commended MEND for accepting the outcome of the meeting of Niger Delta monarchs, leaders and stakeholders , last Friday, in Warri, said…
Nollywood actress, Anita Joseph has proven celebrities can sometimes, also get caught up in tight situations, as she revealed her most embarrassing moment yet. Anita, in a recent chat, recounted a day she was left stranded at an airport. ‘I never believed I would have to ever beg for money in my entire life but it happened to me this unforgettable and embarrassing day at the airport. Jesus, I was so embarrassed. I was at the airport and needed to use the ATM because I didn’t have a dime on me,’ she recalled. ‘But for some reason, the ATM didn’t…
Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe’s school of drama has graduated its first set of students, weeks after the first round of training. Mercy launched the school to help aspiring actors achieve their dreams in acting, scriptwriting, movie making and stage management in July and according to her, the first set of students is now ready to take Nollywood by storm.
A few hours ago, photos of Nigerian pop icon 2face Idibia in Italy went viral online. In the photos taken barely 48 hours after 2face wrapped up on the set of The Voice Nigeria that was shot in South Africa, 2face was seen taking a stroll in Milan, Italy. We zoomed into one of the photos and saw 2face Idibia standing right infront of the famous Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano).