Despite Barcelona’s exit from the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage, coach Luis Enrique said their victory over Sevilla in the King’s Cup on Sunday had capped a “fantastic” season. Spanish top flight champions Barcelona beat Sevilla 2-0 after extra-time, thanks to goals from Jordi Alba and Neymar, playing nearly 90 minutes with 10 men after Javier Mascherano’s red card. “It was a spectacular end to the season,” he told a news conference. Asked to sum up the season in one word, he replied. “Fantastic.” “This team is made of champions. We must be proud of these players,” he added.…
Author: David Folami
Departing striker Romelu Lukaku says there was a breakdown in the relationship between the Everton players and Roberto Martinez before the manager was sacked towards the end of the Premier League season. Despite the Merseyside club reaching the semi-finals of both domestic cups last season, Martinez was sacked on May 12 after a slump in their league form. “The team did not perform at all. We won two of our last 11 games. When things are broken between the manager and the players it become difficult,” Lukaku said in Knokke at the weekend as he began preparations with Belgium for…
Liverpool legend Ian Rush has praised the ‘fantastic’ work of Jurgen Klopp following his first season at Anfield and still hopes the German coach can lure Mario Goetze to Merseyside. “I think he’s been fantastic, he’s been like a breath of fresh air,” Rush told AFP when asked about Klopp. “I love his attitude, he’s always smiling, but he’s also serious. “He’s been getting energy out of players, because he’s got it himself. “The best quote I have enjoyed from him is to ‘go out there and enjoy yourselves’, because if you’re playing well you enjoy yourself. “He’s getting that…
Striker Romelu Lukaku has fuelled speculation about his future at Everton, saying he has decided where he will be playing next season and insisting he would prefer to ply his trade in England. The Belgium international, who netted 25 goals in 46 appearances this campaign, has been the Merseyside club’s top scorer for the past two seasons following his a record 28 million-pound ($40.5 million) move from Chelsea. “In my head I know where I want to go but I’m keeping that to myself. You will know when it is concluded. I have to make a good choice but in…
Shares in English soccer giant Manchester United rose in New York on Monday after media reports the club was set to replace its manager with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. Manchester United’s main stock market listing is in New York , although it has a secondary, and less widely traded, share listing in Frankfurt. Its New York-listed shares were up 2.4 percent in early session trading on Monday. British media reported that Mourinho, 53, would take over at Manchester United even though Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who steered United to an extra-time FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace on…
Manchester United sacked manager Louis van Gaal on Monday after an FA Cup triumph failed to make up for the club’s inability to qualify for the Champions League amid widespread discontent with a season of insipid performances. The Dutchman was dismissed two days after United’s win over Crystal Palace in the Wembley Cup final, their first trophy in three years, paving the way for the widely-expected appointment of former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho as his successor. News of Van Gaal’s impending departure from the club leaked out minutes after Saturday’s 2-1 extra-time victory over Palace and, following relentless media speculation…
The Lagos State Government on Saturday said it would formally welcome President Muhammadu Buhari on a two-day working visit to the state on Monday. This is contained in a statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde, which was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. In the statement, Ayorinde said that this would be Buhari’s first official visit to the state since he assumed office about a year ago. Ayorinde said that the President, during the visit, would formally commission the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Rescue Unit, at Cappa,…
Four students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, died in a road accident on the Akure-Ilesha expressway in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday. The spokesman of the Police Command in Ondo State, Mr Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident and said that 11 others sustained various degrees of injuries. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students were returning from Ibadan after attending a religious programme. Joseph further confirmed that the remains of the students were deposited at the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Akure, where those injured were hospitalised. No fewer than 15 students…
Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has said that the current hard economic situation in Nigeria will soon be over for the best. Speaking at an occasion in Edo, Oshiomhole said that though the harsh situations in country is affecting everyone, he gave the assurance his government will consistently meet its obligation in the payment of workers’ salaries. In his words, “At the National Economic Council, we were put on notice by the Minister of Finance that although last month was the worst for allocation in the past ten years, this month will even be worse than last month. So, it’s…
Following a Freedom of Information suit number FHC/L/CS/196/2015 brought by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) a Federal High Court has ordered Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to provide information on the spending of the alleged missing N30 trillion. According to a report by Vanguard Newspaper, the High Court sitting in Lagos ordered Okonjo-Iweala and the Federal Government under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to provide the information as requested by SERAP. The judgment, delivered by Hon Justice Ibrahim Buba, was instituted in 2015 after revelations by the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo, alleged that at least N30 trillion…
One of the members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Advisory Committee against Corruption was reportedly caught cheating at the University of Jos on May 4, 2016. According to a report by Premium Times, the President’s adviser, whose name was given as Benedicta Daudu was allegedly caught cheating while writing an examination for a Master’s degree in Research and Public Policy in the Faculty of Social Sciences of anti-corruption adviser steps down after report reveals that she cheated on the campus of the University of Jos. Following the allegation, Daudu, who is also an associate professor of law and head of the…
The Oyo State Government has urged its workers to back out of the strike called by the Ayuba Wabba-led NLC while expressing support for the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry. The plea was contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Ibadan by Alhaji Ishmail Alli, the Secretary to the State Government. The statement said that deregulation of the downstream sector was the best option open to the Federal Government in the prevailing circumstance. It urged workers in the state not to participate in the industrial action, saying it would invoke the ‘no work, no pay’…
To boost security in Enugu State, the police on Sunday began aerial surveillance of the entire state. The spokesman of the police in the state, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu that the helicopters were on an aerial monitoring exercise of the three senatorial zones. “As part of measures to ensure that the entire state is safe and secure, the state command, through the Air-Wing of the Nigeria Police Force, has begun an aerial surveillance of the three senatorial zones. “This exercise will offer the platform to fish out would-be mischief makers and for…
The Lagos State Government on Sunday expressed its readiness to build a DNA Forensic Laboratory within 15 months. The state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Olufemi Odubiyi, made the disclosure at the ministerial briefing marking the one year anniversary of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode. Odubiyi said the government was working with the State Ministry of Justice to commence the laboratory to ensure that the criminal justice system caught all criminals. The laboratory, he said, would be located at CMS area within the city of Lagos. He said that his ministry was also partnering with law enforcement personnel to ensure security…
Gov. Ayo Fayose of Ekiti on Sunday urged the people of Oke-Ako to remain calm as security agents try to fish out those who killed two persons in the community on Friday. This is contained in a statement by the governor’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Lere Olayinka. The statement condemned the attack by suspected herdsmen on residents of Oke Ako town in Ikole Local Government Area of the State. “Fayose described the attack which claimed two lives as the height of callousness on the part of the cattle rearers. “He warned the perpetrators to desist from such heinous…
A septuagenarian, Elder Taiwo Shoyode has advised the Federal Government to adopt the socio-economic policies that boosted the economy of the defunct Western Region in resolving the country’s economic quagmire. Shoyode, father in-law to Vice-President Yemi Oshinbajo, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at a free health progarmme, sponsored by a philanthropist, Dawodu Olatunji. The programme, “Health is Wealth’’, is a free malaria test and drugs outreach, held on Saturday at Solomon Hall, Mushin, Lagos. Shoyode urged the new generation politicians to go back and study the socio-economic agenda of the then Western…
Enugu State Government says that it has saved N1 billion in a year due to the deployment of Treasury Single Account (TSA) in its financial management. The Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mrs Eucharia Uche-Offor, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Enugu. She that the TSA had tremendously helped the government in blocking financial leakages. “In an effort to block the leakages, Enugu State started the use of Treasury Single Account model in the collection of its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). This was aimed to strengthen the pay-direct system that was in use…
There seems to be no love lost between singers YQ and Tunde Ednut, as the former has called out the latter over an alleged show of disrespect. YQ was in no mood for pleasantries when Ednut apparently reached out to him for his personal number. The ‘E Fimile’ hit-maker cited disrespect and a cunning attitude on the part of Ednut as reasons for his outburst. ‘Most people know I like to respect myself and stay on my lane . I respect people , i hardly put my mouth in any industry controversy n all,’ YQ wrote in the caption of…
The 2016 Billboard Awards is happening in Las Vegas tonight and we will be presenting the real-time announcement of winners. Being hosted by Ciara and Ludacris, the award show is set to be full of excitement. Leading the pack for the evening’s awards show is The Weeknd with a whopping 19 nominations in 16 categories while Justin Bieber and Drake follow closely by appearing in 10 categories each. Britney Spears and Canadian songstress Celine Dion have already been announced as early winners for two separate awards. Be sure to get real-time updates of winners from the show by sticking with…
When Nollywood stars showed off their dancing skills at the 2016 AMVCA we thought maybe they had had too much to drink. So fans were especially surprised to see them {especially that Adesua girl!} ‘perform’ in Mai Atafo’s new flick ‘Stay with me’. Well, Tayo Faniran is no stranger to dancing; we saw him perform during BBA ‘Hotshots’ where he ended up as the first runner up. Former Mr. Nigeria – Emmanuel Ikubese and 2015 Lagos Fashion and Design Week Model of the Year Kelvin Godson gave it a try too. Waje and Praiz also did it so well in…