Liverpool will win the League Cup title regardless of who they meet in the final, manager Jurgen Klopp has predicted after his side’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over Stoke City on Tuesday. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved two penalties in the semifinal as Liverpool won the penalty shootout 6-5 to reach Wembley after the tie finished 1-1 at Anfield. They have to wait until Wednesday to find out whether Manchester City or Everton will join them in the Feb. 28 final. “Manchester City or Everton, I don’t care, we will win the cup,” Klopp, who returns to Wembley for the first…
Author: David Folami
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois backed teammate Diego Costa to continue his goalscoring spree after the striker scored the winner in Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League victory over bitter rivals Arsenal. Costa has struggled to recapture the form he displayed on his debut season, when he netted 20 goals in 26 league appearances to lead Chelsea to the league title. The 27-year-old appears to have found his scoring touch since Guus Hiddink replaced Jose Mourinho at the helm at Stamford Bridge, scoring six goals in as many appearances in all competitions. “We knew that when he scored a few goals again he…
Olivier Giroud’s high work rate and an ability to “smell” situations have been key to the striker’s impressive form this season, according to his Arsenal team mate and compatriot Laurent Koscielny. The France international has scored nine times in his last 11 club appearances, including a vital Champions League hat-trick at Olympiakos Piraeus and a brace against Liverpool in the Premier League. Giroud, 29, has netted an impressive 18 goals in 32 games in all competition for the Gunners this season and Koscielny stressed the forward gives much more to the team than just those goals. “He’s so massive and…
Manchester City playmaker David Silva is not fully fit but the 30-year-old is improving fast and should be at his best by the end of the season, manager Manuel Pellegrini has said. Silva had a six-week lay-off with an ankle problem prior to the minor knock he picked up in the League Cup semifinal first leg 2-1 loss to Everton on January 6. Limited to just 13 Premier League starts this campaign, Silva has scored two goals and registered eight assists and his manager expects him to get better. “David has had different injuries during the season… But now he…
Anthony Martial has all the attributes to become a great striker, his Manchester United teammate Daley Blind has said. Following his big-money move from French side Monaco in the close season, Martial has scored eight goals in 27 appearances for United. Blid is impressed by the talent of the France international as well as how the 20-year-old has adapted to English football. “He is a big talent, he is still young and we cannot forget that. But you can see on the training pitch and even in the matches already how much quality he has,” Blind told the club’s website…
National chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae, has said his party would not return the N100 million he collected from a Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Anenih. The money is said to be from the $2.1million meant for the procurement of arms and received by the Office office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki in the last administration. Falae had insisted that he had no idea the money he took from Anenih was from the arms fund. He said his party collected the money from the PDP, represented by Anenih and…
The Osun Government, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), will flag-off the ‘Integrated Campaign Against Measles’ in the state on Thursday. The State Health Promotion Officer, Mr Adewole Adewoye, said on Monday in Osogbo at a stakeholders meeting that the campaign would hold between Jan. 28 and Feb.1. He said children between nine months and five years would be immunized against the disease in all the designated health centres across the 30 Local Government Areas in the state. He said the measles campaign was part of government efforts in preventing the damages caused by measles such as brain…
The Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN), Lagos State Chapter, on Monday said that it had destroyed no fewer than 4,400 rats at six major markets in the state under its de-rat market programme. Its president, Mr Samuel Akingbehin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that his association carried out the exercise at Onigongbo, Oshodi , Oke-Odo, Ikotun Idanwo, Ojuwoye and Mile 12 Markets. He said that de-rating the markets was part of the association’s efforts to curb the spread of Lassa fever in the state. “The exercise is strategic in our effort toward the prevention of communicable…
Former minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has responded to the statement of Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, which linked her with the $2.1bn arms scandal. The immediate past minister alleged that Falana made the statement because she “hurt the interests of his corrupt sponsors” while she was in office. The human rights lawyer had on Sunday, January 24, urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute and arrest Okonjo-Iweala for failing to “prevent systematic and widespread corruption” in the previous administration. According to a petition sent to the ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, Falana…
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun, has said that the party is broke and does not plan to involve President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it is not part of his national assignment. He stated this during an interactive session with journalists at the APC headquarters in Abuja. “We are working to raise resources within the membership. We have not asked for rescue from the president because it is not part of his national assignment”, he said. READ: John Oyegun says PDP is paying for their sins He also lamented the current state of the nation,, saying…
Former president, Goodluck Jonathan is set to hold a world press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, January 27, 2016. The event is part of activities organized by the Circle of Diplomats (Circle Diplomatique), Geneva to honour Jonathan. This was disclosed via a statement released by the Executive Director of the Geneva Press Club, Guy Mettan. Mettan also said that Jonathan will expectedly speak on the issues of security and civil peace in Nigeria and West Africa and the improvement of health and education of children. The former Nigerian president will most likely also speak on Boko Haram and Nigeria’s…
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the people who looted Nigeria’s public funds are very powerful. Mohammed also said that the people in question have been using their influence to frustrate the government’s war against corruption. The minister made the comments on Sunday, January 24, 2016, while speaking in Lagos, Punch reports. “…We know that those who stole us dry are powerful. They have newspapers, radio and television stations and an army of supporters to continuously deride the government’s war against corruption. But we are undaunted and will not relent until corruption is also…
500 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), reports say. The defectors were led by PDP chieftain, Brigadier General Enang Ukagu (rtd), Daily Trust reports. The mass defection reportedly occurred over the weekend at the Nko Ward in Yakurr Local Government Area of the state. Ukagu is said to have revealed that he made the decision to defect because he saw the importance of keying into the APC’s ‘change mantra.’ He also said that the APC had proven to Nigerians that the era of good governance and…
The acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has reportedly said that some members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government are guilty of stealing public funds. Secondus said further that some of the 55 Nigerians who, according to the government, stole N1.34 trillion are part of Buhari’s cabinet, Vanguard reports. “This involves both APC and PDP. Those involved are still in the government of Muhammadu Buhari, serving as ministers, some holding ranking positions even in security agencies,” he said according to Vanguard. “He should bring them to book; we are not against his fight against corruption,…
A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, has described the recent sacking of 3,000 workers by Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, as “most reckless, insensitive and completely lacking in economic sense”. Ihedioha made the comment through his media aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu and also condemned the scrapping of 19 government agencies in the state., Vanguard reports. “There is no doubt that the Nigerian economy is facing a downturn as a result of dwindling oil revenue but the solution is not arbitrary disengagement of workers and scrapping of key parastatals, such as the Hospital Management Board, Imo…
Chris Brown will not be heading to court as many suspected and this is because the battery charges for having allegedly punched a woman at a New Year’s Day party he threw at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas has been dropped! The police investigated the accusations made by Liziane Gutierrez and have dropped all charges against the singer, due to a lack of evidence, reports Gossip Cop. Gutierrez filed a police report claiming Brown yelled at her and punched her in the right eye after she took a photo of him at his private bash. Shockingly, she never went…
Are Kim Kardashian and Kanye West planning to renew their vows in order to save their marriage? A source tells In Touch magazine that Kim and Kanye have been arguing nonstop for months and things got so bad, Kanye even threated to divorce the reality star just days after their son was born. The insider adds that the couple has decided they need to work out their alleged issues for the sake of their children, and believe a vow renewal ceremony will help bring them closer. “He’s arranging the entire affair and already laying down strict rules, which include no…
Today (January 25) reports emerged that Mercy Johnson’s husband Prince Odi Okojie is vying for the position of Deputy Governor of Edo state under the platform of the People Democratic Party. Prince Odi Okojie has now released a statement concerning his political ambition, and the slot of Deputy Governor of Edo state. “My attention has been drawn to various campaigns on-going online about the upcoming election in Edo State later this year” said Prince Odi Okojie in his statement. “The campaign mainly by young people (youths) and students from Edo State and my local government, is that I should vie…
Nick Cannon may not be white but looks like he isn’t taking offense to the Oscars’ snub of people of color. The 35-year-old ‘America’s Got Talent’ host has also voiced his opinion on the debate that has angered everyone from Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to Lupita Nyong’O with a poem that not only presents a new outlook on the issue, but also disses the rest of the Oscars boycotters! In the poem, Nick says complaining about the discrimination for a simple award is silly when there are so many other issues that could be addressed in the black community.…
After apologizing to his former wife Toni Payne on January 22, 2015 and stating that she never cheated on him when they were married, 9ice has also apologized to rapper Ruggedman. In an interview with Sunday Sun, 9ice said “I’m talking in terms of peace and in terms of settling grudges. I’m talking about Ruggedman, I’m talking about Toni Payne and I’m talking about my saga with the press. Whatever has happened as from today I’m putting behind me and setting new standards; I’m living a new life.” 9ice went on to speak on what caused the six-year-old rift with…