Lionel Messi: What His Injuries Mean for Real Madrid in La Liga

There was a time when Lionel Messi just wouldn't get injured. Transfermarkt suggests that during

Why Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup Hat Trick Will Secure Ballon D'Or

  

Christiano Ronaldo scored a thrilling hat trick in Solna on Tuesday to gift his nation passage to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, and in doing so, will finally claim the famous Ballon d'Or prize.

Portugal were subjected to a European playoff after finishing second to Russia in Qualifying Group F, and it was Ronaldo's goal in Lisbon that set Paulo Bento's side in motion.

He followed that up with a superlative triple four days later to ensure he'll be present in Brazil next summer, the same night FIFA extended the voting period for this year's Ballon d'Or.

Chaos on Ajah Road in Lagos as trailer kills five school children

           

There's serious pandemonium on Ajah Road in Lagos as you read this. Area boys and passers-by are clashing with policemen after a trailer crushed five students as they were crossing the road. The sad incident happened close to Ikota Primary School and the dead pupils are believed to be making their way to the school when they were killed. The tanker driver abandoned his truck and escaped.

The people protesting are insisting they won't leave the area until Governor Fashola shows up. They are blaming the gruesome accident on the lack of a pedestrian bridge in the area. The two express lanes have been blocked by the angry protesters which has caused heavy traffic in the area. There's heavy police presence in the are.

Jimoh Ibrahim Arrested Over N6.8 billion Tax Fraud

                             

The Special Enforcement  Unit of Federal Inland Revenue Service has arrested shady businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim, over a tax fraud that runs into N6.8 billion.
Sources within the unit told usthat Mr. Ibrahim was picked up today and is currently under detention at the offices of the agency.
According to one source, “We are investigating a case where Chief Ibrahim, defrauded the federal government to the tune of N6.8 billion.
He is in our custody, we take intend to take a statement from the suspect under caution”, he added.
One of our sources said Mr. Mr. Ibrahim have been evading agents of the unit for some time but disclosed that the eventually caught up with him in his hotel room in NICON Luxury Hotel where he was arrested this afternoon in Abuja.

Source: saharareporters

Anambra Election Declared Inconclusive

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has refused to declare All Progressives Grand Alliance’s Chief William Obiano winner of the Anambra gubernatorial election with majority votes of 174,710, stating the election was inconclusive. The PDP polled 94956 while the APC had 92300.

Making this known this morning at 6 am, the Returning Officer, Prof James Epoke, who is also Vice-Chancellor, University of Calabar (UNICAL), declared that a supplementary election would be conducted at a date to be fixed by the electoral umpire, where the election was cancelled.

He said that the total numbers of cancelled votes was more than the difference between the numbers of votes cast for the winner and the runner up of this election according to the state INEC official who read the results at about 6am Monday morning.

Obiano polled 174,710 votes to come first, the first runner-up, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Comrade Tony Nwoye polled 94,956 votes to place second, while the Dr. Chris Ngige of APC had 92300.

Because the difference in the figures between the first two candidates, which is 79,754 is less than the cancelled votes, which 113,113, the commission could not declare anybody the winner.

A total of 1,763,751 voters were registered for the election, while 451,826 were accredited. Total valid votes was 413,005, while total number of rejected votes was 16,544.

Total votes cast was 429,549. Out of the cancelled votes, 89,997 were from Idemili North Local Government Area alone, and additional 636 from two units in Idemili South.

APGA won in 16 of the 21 local government areas, APC won in two, PDP won in two, while LP won one.

The announcement began at about 12.40am. All the local government collation officers were professors or senior staff of Unversity of Calabar.
A date for the supplementary election will be fixed after the commission must have met, it was announced.

The commission will arrange a supplementary election in those areas where election was cancelled, Prof Epoke said.

He added that all the parties that participated in last Saturday’s election will participate in the supplementary election.

In Aguata, APC scored 5,275 votes, APGA polled 10,180, PDP got 4,275 votes, while LP polled 1,129. There were 24,883 accredited voters in Aguata, 23,452 votes were valid.

In Ayamelum, APC polled 1,827; APGA scored 9,121; PDP got 5,681 and LP (624). Total valid votes was 17,449.
In Anambra East, APC 1,418; APGA (15,300), PDP (5,579) and LP (511). Total valid votes cast was 23,315.

In Anambra West, APC scored 2,478; APGA (5,128), PDP (3966) and LP (321).
In Anaocha, APC polled 3,174, APGA (14,563), PDP (2,948) and LP (733). A ballot box was snatched at Unit 016, Obiamaka Primary School, it was reported.

In Awka North, APC scored 1,712 votes, APGA (5,385), PDP (3,943) and LP 474. In Awka South, APC polled 6,596, APGA (9,206), PDP (5,689) and LP (1,648).
PDP scored the highest number of votes in Dunukofia, followed by APGA (3,670), APC (3,522) and LP (1,236).

APGA polled the highest number of votes in Ekwusigo (6,815), followed by PDP (4,426), APC (2,958) and LP (1,692).

In Idemilli North, APC scored the highest number of votes (7,135), followed by APGA (2,795), PDP (1,462) and LP (643).

The APC also led in Idemili North, where is scored 9,539 votes. APGA polled 2,899; PDP scored 3,786 while LP got 1,021. In Ihiala, APC scored 4,069; APGA (10,067), PDP (5,517) and LP (1,854).

APGA scored 10,753 votes in Njikoka. APC polled 4,585, PDP got 5,630 and LP scored 754.
In Nnewi North, LP led with 18,014 votes, followed by APGA (4,846), APC (3,076) and PDP (1,942).

In Nnewi South, APGA led with 8,145, followed by PDP (3,031), APC (2,676) and LP (2,214).
In Ogbaru, APGA polled 11,716. Others are: APC (7,687), PDP (6,114) and LP (95).
APGA scored 10,842 votes in Onitsha North. Other results are: APC (7,616), PDP (4,947) and LP (776).

In Onitsha South, APGA led with 9,786 votes. Other results are: APC (7,094), PDP (3,520) and LP (716). ¨The APGA led in Orumba North, polling 9,161 votes, followed by PDP (4,567) and APC (3,343). In Orumba South, APC scored 3,147.

Other results are: APGA (6,338), PDP (4,003) and LP (1,265). In Oyi, PDP led with 9,123 votes, followed by APGA (6,994), APC (3,373) and LP (206).

Sources:Thisdaylive

Guillem Balague: Don't get excited, Andres Iniesta won't go to Manchester United

                           

Greetings from Morocco, where I'm just adding the finishing touches to the Spanish version of my Lionel Messi book.
The English version is coming out on December 5 and I'm looking forward to seeing what people think of it. I've seen that the rumour of Andres Iniesta moving to Manchester United has attracted a lot of interest.

Barcelona are saying everything with his contract will be sorted before Christmas, but I'm not sure how they can be sure of the timing. The club almost announced that Victor Valdes was going to renew his contract (in fact, they said they were very confident it was going to be in place) but he is leaving. But before you get all excited, I have to tell you that Iniesta is not listening to offers from anybody. His agents are aware of interest not only from Manchester United but from every other big club in Europe. It's logical that these kind of rumours come out when he is looking for a new contract but he has not asked for any information on anybody because his priority is to renew his contract with Barcelona. Iniesta is confident that is going to happen and Barcelona are very confident it is going to happen and they insist it will take place before Christmas. The fact is they are very close and the delay was down to a series of things, including the arrival of Neymar who is earning, despite what anyone is saying, 15million euros net. He is officially earning 7million euros, but his father also got 40million euros commission, which is going to be divided over five years and would be added to Neymar's contract. This has unbalanced Barcelona's wage structure. Messi will renew his contract soon and Iniesta will want to earn as much as him. But it is not solely a financial delay - Iniesta wants confirmation of his hierarchy at the club. Barcelona have said they want Iniesta to be the number two in terms of wages at the club so that was obviously one thing to consider. Wages is as much about money as it is about importance at the club. Then there were other minor situations at the club that Iniesta wanted to make sure coincided with his vision of the club. Even though he rejected the first offer from Barcelona both parties are saying they are very close. I just don't see Iniesta going to Manchester United or anywhere else. I see him renewing his contract, so does Barcelona and so do Iniesta's representatives. It's just going to be a matter of time until he signs.

Source: Skysources..

ETS bars Nigerian students from GRE, TOEFL exams

The insecurity challenges in some Northern parts of the country has affected the chances of Nigerian students planning to sit for examinations to secure admission into foreign colleges and universities.

This is as Education Testing Services, ETS, has indefinitely suspended both the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) in Nigeria.

A terse statement dated November 7 2013 and published on ETS website, said the decision was “due to security concerns.”

ETS is the world’s largest private non-profit educational testing and assessment organization. It conducts examinations in almost all the countries of the world.

“Due to security concerns in Nigeria, GRE® and TOEFL® testing in the country has been suspended for an indefinite period. Candidates who have appointments to take the TOEFL or GRE Tests will be contacted by ETS to process a refund.”

The development is believed to have been caused by the continued attacks on educational institutions by members of the violent Islamic group, Boko Haram.

While, GRE is a standardized test that is required for admission for post-graduate courses, TOEFL is a test meant to test the English Language proficiency of non-native English language speakers wishing to enroll in United States and English universities and colleges around the world.

Mavin Records Confirms Wande Coal’s Departure – Releases Press Statement

Now, Mavin has finally confirmed the rumour that has been going about for some months now, here is the press release.

“It is with deep regret that we officially announce the departure of recording artist Wande Ojosipe, popularly known as Wande Coal, from Mavin Records due to irreconcilable differences.

Over the past few months, Mavin Records has made a concerted move to
consolidate its position in the Nigerian music industry. Mavin has pursued a renewed ethos to raise its standards of quality and professionalism to a world-class level. Wande’s vision has not aligned with ours and a few months ago all parties mutually agreed that a separation would be the best course of action.

Legal parties on both sides have spent the past six months trying to reach an amicable solution in terms of musical property rights. However the decision by Wande Coal to release ‘Baby Face’ purportedly as his own material is a direct breach of intellectual property law and compelled an immediate clarification on our part.

Both Mavin Records and Wande Coal have enjoyed a remarkable run in the course of their working relationship. It is unfortunate that conflicting priorities contributed to the premature curtailment of a hitherto fruitful accord.

Mavin Records reaffirms its goal to constantly provide high quality music to our fans and introduce new and exciting talent into the industry.

We wish Wande Coal the best of luck in all his future endeavours.”

77-year-old man hangs himself in Osogbo

A man, Mr Jimoh Hassan, early on Wednesday hanged himself in a room in his house in Oke-Ayepe area of Osogbo, family members said.

Hassan, a transporter, allegedly committed the action about 5a.m. when he was believed to have gone to the mosque to pray.

Hassan’s wife, Rashidat, who told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she never suspected her husband could carry out such action.

She said everyone was surprised by her husband’s action, especially as he related well with people, including friends, on Tuesday.

Also, the daughter of the deceased, Mrs Adijat Abdulkareem, told NAN that the last time that she saw her father was on Thursday when he complained of a minor ailment for which she gave him money to get treatment.

She expressed shock over the incident and wondered what could have led him to take the action.

‘’Sincerely, I am short of words, I am devastated, I cannot pinpoint what could have led him to killing himself; he did not have any serious issue bothering him to the best of my knowledge.

‘’He has just been nominated as the head of this community for which we are preparing for the conferment of the chieftaincy title as the baale (leader) of this community, it is really pathetic,’’ she resorted. (NAN).

You are free to join APC – Presidency dares Amaechi

                              

The Presidency, Wednesday gave Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State a nod to defect from the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, if he so wish to.

Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, told newsmen that President Jonathan has given Amaechi the go ahead to join any party of his choice.

Gulak was reacting to a statement attributed to Amaechi that he would consult Jonathan before joining the APC.

The governor was quoted to have made the claim on Tuesday while receiving chieftains of the opposition APC who were in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, to woo him into their fold.

“Before I join the APC, I will consult the President. I will. He is from our zone. I will consult all the consultables,” he was quoted to have said.

However, in a quick reaction, Gulak said since Amaechi did not consult the President before inviting the APC leaders and giving them warm reception in his state, he should not bother to consult Jonathan before leaving the PDP.

The President’s aide said, “Governor Amaechi did not consult the President before inviting APC leaders to Rivers State and giving them tumultuous welcome, so he does not need to consult the President before joining APC because he knows that the President will not allow any PDP member to go to APC.

“Governor Amaechi is at liberty to join APC. This is belittling the issue. We are not small boys; we are in a serious business of politics.

“You cannot as a governor, on the platform of PDP invite APC leaders to your state and make a show of it and now say that you will consult the President who is the leader of the PDP before you join APC.” The statement concluded.

There is no governance in Nigeria – Ezekwesili

                               

Pioneer Director-General of Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (Due Process Unit), Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has called on Nigerian leaders to take seriously, the corruption charges levelled against Nigeria by economy monitoring organisations, both nationally and internationally.

She spoke at a forum on leadership organised by the Day Star Christian Centre in Lagos on Wednesday.

According to her, if the current administration claims to be fighting corruption and rating bodies still scores the country high in graft, it means no significant progress had been made in the fight against the menace.

Ezekwesili, a chartered accountant and a co-founder of Berlin-based Transparency International, said after 53 years of independence, Nigeria had no governance but merely “massive transaction of operations”.

She said: “There is no good governance in Nigeria. Good governance is about governance that gives the highest possible results and it is on the basis that most of the time, the best choices of policies are being made and that results are being clearly achieved.

“If you look at the misalignment of our resources and the results, it will tell you that we have less than the kind of effective governance that we should have.

According to her, “The government should review the rankings and tackle corruption as it should to ensure that obstacles hindering Nigeria from becoming great are removed.

Recall that the former Minister of Education, early in the year, alleged that the governments of presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, squandered $67 billion in foreign reserve.

“In 2007, the incoming Administration was handed $45Billion in Foreign Reserve plus $22Billion,” she stated.

But the allegation was described as “outlandish and clearly fictitious” by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku.

He also said the damning comment by the former Vice President (African Region) of the World Bank on education sector, was a self-indictment as she presided over the sector without making any positive impact on it.

The Minister added that her criticism only amounts to hypocrisy as she contributed to its sorry state because despite receiving N458.1billion between 2006 and 2007 for the sector, there is nothing to see in terms of achievements.

“If she says education has not worked, it means she is saying she did not work”, Maku.

In her response, Ezekwesili said: “I Challenge them to a public debate of facts regarding 2007 Excess Crude Account (ECA) and foreign reserve and last five and half years oil revenue.”

However, the Federal Government is yet to agree to the debate, despite boasting that it would publicly take on the former Minister, to present its case.

Source: Dailypost

REVEALED: How Messi almost joined Chelsea last summer after adidas offered to pay half of the staggering £210m deal to Barcelona .

Lionel Messi could have signed for Chelsea in the summer after adidas offered to pay half of his
£210million buy-out clause, according to Barcelona sports paper Mundo Deportivo.

Messi, who joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old after the club paid for expensive hormone therapy treatment without which he would never have made the grade as a professional, has always had a strong emotional bond with the club. 

But according to Mundo Deportivo, adidas saw the opportunity to prise him away from Barca – and effectively from Nike who sponsor the Catalan giants – and move him to one of their three main European clubs: Chelsea, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. The pro-Barcelona daily says that Messi’s representatives were made aware of adidas’ proposal and that they then informed the club, who were also told Messi had no intention of leaving the club.

Even if adidas had stumped up the £105m, Chelsea would still have had to find the other £105m and manager Jose Mourinho would have had to convince a player with whom he has never had a very good relationship that the two could work together. 

Mourinho famously accused Messi of ‘theatre’ after he was involved in Asier Del Horno’s sending off in a 2006 Chelsea v Barcelona clash, and was subsequently public enemy No.1 for Barca and Messi as Real Madrid coach. 

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez would have pulled off a coup to top even the swiping of Luis Figo in 2000 if he had signed Messi. 

It has long been his intention and he may have felt with the arrival of Neymar at the Camp Nou he could tempt the four-time Ballon d’Or winner to defect. 

Barcelona would have done everything possible to keep Messi but, as with Figo, if Real had paid the £210m (€250million) buy-out clause Barça would have been forced to sell putting Messi in the same team as Cristiano Ronaldo and bringing to an end any interest in Gareth Bale. 

Bayern Munich were the third team suggested by Mundo Deportivo as being capable of completing the sensation transfer. By moving Messi to Germany, adidas would have given a massive boost not just to Bayern but to the Bundesliga. 

But Messi did not finish on the best of terms with Pep Guardiola at the Nou Camp and Bayern, like Chelsea and Madrid, would have found it difficult to convince the player to make the move.  

Messi goes into Wednesday's game with Milan on a run of three games without a goal and another theory circulated in Barcelona on Tuesday – this is a good moment to remind Barca fans of Messi’s commitment to the cause as he passes through what, by his incredibly high standards, is a low point in his time at the club.

Source: Daily Mail

Ireland's Job , too good to turn down - O'Neill

Martin O'Neill could not turn down the opportunity to manage the Republic of Ireland. The 61-year-old Northern Irishman and No 2 Roy Keane each signed initial two-year deals on Tuesday evening as the Football Association of Ireland's search for a replacement for Giovanni Trapattoni finally drew to a close. O'Neill, the FAI's top target, took his time over the decision to accept its offer of employment, but ultimately could not pass it up. He told Sky Sports News: 'It's a privilege to do it. You know, a job like this may not come round again for quite some considerable time.

'The Republic of Ireland have had some success - Jack Charlton was great, Mick McCarthy excellent, and Trapattoni did very, very well indeed, and all stayed in the job for quite a number of years, so that opportunity might not be afforded to anyone in the foreseeable future.'

O'Neill and Keane will get straight down to work next week when the players meet up ahead of friendlies against Latvia and Poland. However, the longer-term aim is qualification for the Euro 2016 finals - a process which will begin in September next year.

Ireland, of course, went to Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine under Trapattoni, but they parted company with the 74-year-old Italian in September after successive defeats by Sweden and Austria left their hopes of securing their passage to next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil in tatters with two games still to play.

O'Neill is ware of what is expected of himself, Keane and their players, but is relishing the task ahead.

He said: 'I am sure that the players will be very positive. I think, generally speaking, they want to play for their country anyway, regardless of who is the manager.

'There will be some expectation too, but I think we can live with that.'

O'Neill's decision to recruit Keane as his number two raised eyebrows when it was first mooted, not least because of the former Republic skipper's frosty relationship with the FAI and its chief executive John Delaney in the wake of his unscheduled departure from the 2002 World Cup finals squad in Saipan.

However, the former Wycombe, Norwich, Leicester, Celtic, Aston Villa and Sunderland boss is convinced that is history.

He said: 'It's been a long, long time. I know that I have spoken to John Delaney - John Delaney is very, very pleased indeed that Roy is coming on board.

'Roy is naturally delighted himself and I think, going forward, everything should be fine.'

The pair will head for the dugout at the Aviva Stadium for the first time next Friday evening when the Latvians visit Dublin, and will then travel to Poznan and their clash with the Poles four days later.

Source : Daily Mail

Lamido Confronted DPO Who Disrupted Rebel Governors Meeting

A two-minute 22 seconds video detailing the encounter between five of the seven rebel governors in the breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Divisional Police Officer of Asokoro Division, Abuja surfaced on YouTube on Monday.

The DPO, Mr. Nnanna Ama, was said to have led a detachment of policemen in three trucks to the Kano State Governor’s Lodge where governors Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Babangida (Niger), and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) were having a meeting.

In the video, Lamido was seen shouting at the top of his voice when Ama, who was putting on an orange T-shirt, walked into the meeting venue in company with some plain clothes policemen.

Ama, who had asked to see the host, the Kano State governor, might have resorted to speak with Kwankwaso in private on noticing the way and manner still and video cameras were directed at him as he insisted that he wanted to see “his Excellency.”

But Lamido, who was sitting on a sofa, hit the table intermittently and yelled at Ama, saying, “The governor (Kwankwaso) is here. Talk to him. What do you want from him? We are meeting alright. So, talk to him.”

At a point Lamido, who was obviously infuriated, stood up and ordered some of their security aides, who were in suit, to push the DPO out of the meeting venue.

One of the people sitting next to Babangida held Lamido in the hands and led him back to sit down.

“Push them (DPO and his men) out,” Lamido yelled.

One of their (rebel governor’s) security aides, who wanted to take action after Lamido gave the order, looked at the DPO eye-ball to-eyeball and asked, “What do you want?”

But the DPO replied that he had informed him before being taken before the governors.

“I have told you,” Ama replied, nodding his head.

In the course of the said invasion, Ama, who was seen smiling at intervals, tried to move in the direction of Lamido. But two of the security aides present held him from the back and prevented him from going further.

However, a scuffle was prevented as Ama, who appeared to have been treading cautiously, simply moved back without challenging the duo. Lamido reiterated his order and shouted again, “Get out. Who the hell is he?”

While the video lasted, some of the aides who witnessed the scenario were heard from the background asking if the DPO’s mission was to arrest the governors and other members of the breakaway faction attending the meeting.

Amaechi, who was also present at the meeting, was sighted in the video discussing and gesticulating with other attendees. At another time, Amaechi was seen rubbing his palms.

Kwankwaso, who crossed his legs while the altercations lasted, hinted that he was available to be briefed on the DPO’s mission.

“You can talk to me,” Kwankwaso told the DPO, who soon moved towards the governor to have a discussion with him. The video later went dead.

Meanwhile, mixed reactions have greeted the alleged disruption of the rebel governor’s meeting, with some people arguing that police “invasion” of the venue was a breach of their constitutional right to freedom of association and peaceful gathering. But others argued that since a court of law had declared the New PDP illegal it ought to have put a stop to calling and holding meetings.

A YouTube user, Adeolu Moronkeji, after viewing the video, wrote that it was wrong for a police officer to harass democratically elected governors who enjoy constitutionally guaranteed immunity on the orders of the powers that be.

She added that the invasion bore the hallmarks of the Presidency.

“This is very embarrassing. Is Nigeria a God-forsaken country? It appears that the era of totalitarianism and fascism is looming in Nigeria. GEJ na wa o!” Morenikeji wrote.

Also, on punchng.com, a reader with the name Gidi stated, “ If the New PDP is illegal, does it mean old friends cannot meet anymore? Is it that the powers that be don’t understand the fundamental right called ‘freedom of association’?

“Do they need to take a refresher course on the provisions of Nigeria’s constitution? Are we still under military rule? Even during the Abacha regime people still had some rights of association and movement. When is it a crime for one to host colleagues?”

But also on punchng.com, a reader, Fidel, said it was high time the rebel governors started expending their time and energy on productive endeavours that will better the lot of Nigerians rather than their incessant meetings which, according to him, were heating up the polity.

Gidi wrote, “These rebel governors could have been better appreciated by Nigerians if they have been spending the quality time they expend to transverse the length and breadth of Nigeria on finding a lasting solution to the menace Boko Haram that has ravaged the north.

“Almost on a daily basis, innocent people are being killed but that seems to mean nothing to the eyes of these so-called rebel governors and yet they said that they are fighting for justice. So what justice can be better than saving people’s lives? Instead they are seeking political recognition which is nothing but their selfish desire.”

Source: The Punch

'I cannot survive in Nigerian politics' - Lamido Sanusi

Lamido Sanusi has told HARDtalk he will not be entering politics when he ends his term as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

"Being a good central banker does not make you a good politician," he said, adding he had seen enough successful people enter politics only to "destroy everything they have built."

Asked if he could persuaded to change his mind, Mr Sanusi said: "I have been in Abuja long enough to know that I cannot survive for one year in that space."

Source : BBC

Wande Coal and Don Jazzy Separates

See their Tweets below, these guys decided to wash their dirty linen outside...






See Don jazzy tweets that started the whole wahala




We shall see where this will end.

End Time Dressing !!

You are asking who this is ? I bet one of the weirdest outfit I've ever seen. This is Actress Jamie Alexander, She wore this risqué black mesh Azzaro dress to the Thor world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, on Monday night.  The paparazzi even got a close up pic of her privates part. All in the name of fashion...

Details of the Fight between Davido's bodyguard and DJ jaydee + Statements from Davido's Camp

                            
                           
                            

Davido's camp has released a statement detailing what actually happened between Davido's bodyguard and the the DJ at the grotto club on Monday morning. The news went viral on Monday with eye witnesses tweeting all sorts about the fight. See the statements below and pictures of the Davido's bodyguard above.

Falsified accounts of a recent incident at the Grotto club on Sunday have made the rounds. Davido’s Management hereby wishes to clear the air on them with the statement below.

After a successful outing at a recent concert on Sunday November 3 at Eko Hotels, popular musician Davido headed to the Grotto Nightclub on Victoria Island. After a brief stay at the club, Davido and his crew proceeded to his vehicle outside to head home. Upon entering the vehicle, he realized that his ATM card was missing. His body guard Tijani Olamilekan Ogbeidebetter known as Teejay got down from the vehicle to search for the ATM card in the club. 

Upon alighting, he was accosted by an already drunk ‘DJ Jide Jay Dee’who had in his hand a champagne flute. This DJ Jaydee informed Teejay that he had the ATM card in his hand and would like to personally deliver it to Davido. Teejay politely asked him to hand over the ATM card as it was clear that Davido was right in his view in his car. DJ Jaydee refused to hand over the card without payment and instead proceeded to shout that he knew who Davido was personally and that he [DJ Jaydee]was a known person in Lagos. Teejay refusd him access to Davido which led DJ Jaydee to throw the ATM card on the ground  in anger. As Teejay bent to retrieve the card, DJ Jaydee stabbed him in the neck with the champagne flute he was holding. An oblivious Teejay threw him off his back and proceeded to return the ATM card to Davido. As he was entering the car to leave, one of the occupants noticed the stab wounds and called his attention to the blood. Teejay promptly alighted from the car and went to confront DJ Jaydee who was still yelling outside.DjJaydee apparently not done with his violence stabbed the bodyguard a second time, this time on his hands and ran off into the club. Teejay searched for him to no avail and left the club soon after. Tijani Olamilekan Ogbeide has since reported the matter to the police and they have been to the club to invite DJ Jaydee for questioning. Grotto has been unable to deliver DJ Jaydee to the police, instead malicious and falsified accounts of the incident have found their way on social media portals being championed of course by sources intent on casting vile aspersions on Davido  and his bodyguard Teejay. DjJaydee is yet to surface.Tijani Olamilekan Ogbeide has pressed charges to this effect. Davido’s management categorically refutes all the allegations of violence as insinuated by some. Teejay was carrying out his job by restricting access to Davido from an unknown and obviously inebriated and violent individual. He performed his duties as bodyguard and instead of resorting to violence, followed the dictates of the law.Members of the public and fans should please note that Davido was not present at this unfortunate incident that occurred that night as erroneously reported in a few quarters. 

Thank you. 

Comedian AY donates Toyota car to charity

                       
                       

Ayodele Makun, popularly known as AY recently donated a Toyota Solara to Project27 Africa - a rural child NGO based in Lagos. Receiving the keys to the car, Uncle Speed - The President of Project27 Africa said:

“We can’t express our deepest appreciation enough to AY for his thoughtful generosity. With his donation, AY has demonstrated a deep commitment to the happiness of Kids in Rural Africa the category of children Project27 Africa caters for. And there’s just no way to fully express our gratitude. We only hope going all out to more rural areas and making much more rural kids very happy would help us communicate our very big thanks to him.”

Project27 Africa is an NGO whose vision is to help the children in the rural area in africa. The Project takes Children in the Rural Africa on free Education and fun tours to places they would not otherwise be able to attend due to financial constraints. 

But Bros AY could have bought a bus , this looks like a personal gift to the President. anyway it's good shaa well done bros !!!

SVEN GORAN ERIKSSON: The day I signed a contract at United to replace Fergie

                           

Sir Alex Ferguson is truly a champion and a manager that protects Man utd's interest at all levels and by all means. Read this, from former England Manager Sven Goran Eriksson..

Sir Alex Ferguson was a genuinely nice man. We met many times and even had dinner together on a few occasions. 

But woe to the person who threatened or bothered Manchester United in any way. 

Then Ferguson would not spare his venom. I know, because he often aimed that venom at me .

He caused a fuss before practically every friendly we played with England. Friendlies were completely useless, he thought. Players only got hurt. Sometimes Ferguson would call at seven o’clock in the morning, ordering me not to select one of his players for a friendly. The player was injured or else he needed to rest, Ferguson claimed. I was not going to let Ferguson bully me. If  I wanted a Manchester United player  in my squad, I was going to select him.

On September 23, 2003, the defender Rio Ferdinand was training with United when representatives from England’s anti-doping organisation came to the training ground to conduct tests on four randomly selected players, among them Ferdinand. For some reason, Ferdinand skipped the test, leaving the training ground and going home. It was viewed  as a very serious offence, on a par with testing positive.

The FA showed no mercy to Ferdinand. The new chief executive, Mark Palios, instructed me not to select Rio for the decisive Euro qualifier in Turkey on October 11. Ferguson, not surprisingly, did not appreciate the FA’s actions.  He called me at the crack of dawn.

He wanted me to select Ferdinand in the squad, directly disobeying the order  I had been given by my employer. ‘I can’t select Ferdinand,’ I said. ‘You have to call and yell at someone else.’

It is strange to think that by that point  I could already have replaced him as manager of Manchester United. That is what very nearly happened. Ferguson had announced that the 2001/02 season would be his last. He had managed the team for 16 years and won everything there was to win, including the Premier League seven times. He was getting on a bit and probably wanted to finish on top.

One day I got a phone call from Pini Zahavi, a leading football agent. He wanted to know if I could come for breakfast at a club in London the following morning. He did not want to say on the phone what it was about. It was very secretive. ‘Sure,’  I said, ‘no problem.’

When I arrived, Pini was there with Peter Kenyon, the chief executive of Manchester United. Straight off the bat, Kenyon asked me did I want the job as manager of Manchester United as of next season? I didn’t think about it.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I do.’

I knew it would be tricky. I had a contract with England until the 2006 World Cup and I would be severely criticised if I broke that contract. But this was an opportunity to manage Manchester United, probably the biggest club in the world. I would be able to stay with England through the World Cup. My appointment would not be made official until after the tournament.

A contract was signed – I was United’s new manager. A couple of weeks passed and Pini called again. He wanted another meeting. When I got there, I knew something was wrong. Kenyon explained that Ferguson had changed his mind. He did not want to leave the club after all, but had agreed to stay in the job for another three years.

I don’t know why Ferguson had changed his mind. In the papers they wrote that his family thought he would miss football too much. Maybe his U-turn had to do with United’s relatively poor season. Surely Ferguson did not want to leave his career on anything but a high.

I know that he was made aware that the club had picked me as his successor. Had he vetoed my appointment? It did not matter. He kept his job and I kept mine.

But to this day, Pini has the signed contract where it says I was Manchester United’s new manager.

I had a lot of respect for Ferguson. How could you not? He had built so many great teams throughout the years and I appreciated that his teams always tried to play attacking, positive football.

But during my time with England,  I had no problems with any of the club managers in the Premier League, except him. Ferguson defended Manchester United’s interests at any cost. It was a good trait to have, but it made my job more difficult.

I had already been involved in a few scraps with him, but a bigger confrontation occurred with just a month to go before the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This time it involved our biggest star, Wayne Rooney.

It all started with a game between Chelsea and Manchester United  on April 29, 2006. Chelsea were comfortably 3-0 up with ten minutes to go. The match was over when Rooney, for some reason, threw himself into an unwinnable tackle. Wayne immediately grabbed his foot and grimaced. He had to come off.

The England team doctor, Leif Swärd, was also at the game and  I asked him to go down to check on Rooney. When Ferguson saw Leif outside the Manchester United dressing room, he pointed at him  and said: ‘Don’t let him in.’

It turned out Rooney had broken a metatarsal bone, just as David Beckham had done before the 2002 World Cup. Later, Ferguson called me. ‘You can’t pick Rooney for the World Cup,’ he said.

‘Who says that?’ I asked.

‘My doctor,’ Ferguson replied. ‘Rooney is injured.’

‘OK,’ I said. ‘Then I will come with my doctor to talk to you.’

I think it was a Sunday morning when Leif and I met Ferguson and United’s doctor at the Manchester United training ground.

We drank some tea and chatted before talk turned to the subject we were there to discuss – Rooney’s injury. He cannot play in the World Cup, Ferguson said flatly.

The United doctor brought out some X-rays that he said showed that Rooney’s broken bone would  not heal in time.

When the doctor finished, there was a moment’s pause before  Leif looked him in the eye.

‘Why do you sit here and lie to me?’ Leif asked.

I thought Ferguson and his doctor would fall off their chairs. I almost fell off my own chair. I had never heard Leif even raise his voice.

‘What do you mean?’ the guy asked.

‘I operate on breaks like that all the time,’ Leif continued. He knew their story was not true.

Leif was one of Europe’s foremost specialists on this kind of foot injury. I just wish I could have filmed Ferguson’s face, and his doctor’s, when Leif explained that Wayne’s break would heal in time for the World Cup. Maybe he would have to miss the first game, but he would be ready for the second, no problem.

When Leif had finished, I turned to Ferguson. ‘Sorry, Alex,’ I said. ‘I will pick Rooney.’

Before I selected my final squad, he called me again. This time he  was screaming into the phone –  that was his way of communicating  – something about making my life very difficult if I went against him and picked Rooney. Now I’d had enough of his shouting.

‘Alex,’ I said, ‘I wish you a very nice holiday, but I am going to select Wayne Rooney for the World Cup. Goodbye.’ Then I hung up.

It was the last time I spoke with  Sir Alex Ferguson during my time  as England manager.

Source : Daily mail

Mysterious figures at Chelsea stadium, during their match against Man City

Is this one of the signs of the End-time or what?  

Goal.com reports that the hooded men (As shown above), who had mysterious circles on their chest, were seen making curious synchronised movements at irregular intervals during Chelsea's 2-1 win, while they also stood in unison at random moments.

Situated three rows back from the corner flag at the Shed End, the gang could be clearly seen on TV cameras beaming pictures of the crunch fixture all across the world. 

One Chelsea fan sat close to the mysterious guests was Robin Taylor, who said afterwards that he was slightly perturbed by their presence.
"We're used to a few different characters down at Chelsea, there was once even a guy brushing his teeth behind the bench at a game, but we've had nothing quite like this before," he said.  

Fear dey catch me oo

Kanye West planning extravangant wedding with fight jets next year

           

Kanye West , during his interview with Power106's morning radio show yesterday, gave a hint on what to expect during his wedding with Kim K next year, he said :

"Two words: 'fighter jets'" He went further to explain "Kim knew I was eventually going to ask her to marry me. I just had to get that ring right. I worked with four different jewelers. Three rings were made and only one hit the ringer and that was Lorraine Schwartz's. 'I actually changed the ring the night before. The ring was less than four hours old when I gave it to her.'

"I wanted to marry that girl from the first time I saw her,' he said. 'Kim and I are the perfect balance.''I had to wait through a bunch of other relationships to finally get the chance"

Source  : LindaIkeji

Nigerians top Forbes’ African Person of the Year shortlist

Nigerians have dominated Forbes Africa Person of the Year shortlist, the US base business website has announced.

In its Forbes Africa page, Forbes  announced it had narrowed down its shortlist, dominated by Nigerians, for the 2013 Person of the Year Awards. The awards will take place in Nairobi, Kenya at the beginning of December this year.

An official voting is also open to the public who can make their selection of the individual they deem most worthy of the Person of the Year title.

The Person of the Year Awards celebrate ‘the individual who, for better or worse, has had the most influence on events of the year gone by’ and Forbes Africa has welcomed the participation of the public in what is fast becoming one of the most momentous and anticipated annual events in Africa.

“Every year, we are excited to decide the Forbes Africa Person of the Year. We want to honour the big hitters of the continent who are making a difference in people’s lives and we hope that in doing so, it will inspire others,” commented Chris Bishop, the managing editor of Forbes Africa magazine.

The shortlist, comprising  three Nigerians, one South African and one Zimbabwean, is as follows:

*South African mining magnate, Patrice Motsepe, plans on giving away more than half his fortune over the next five years.

* Akinwunmi Adesina is Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and his vision is to make Nigeria a self-sustaining, food-producing nation and register 20 million farmers by 2015.

* Aliko Dangote is Africa’s richest man and his net worth has significantly increased on the back of his continued business success, allowing him to better the lives of millions.

* Strive Masiyiwa is the founder of global telecoms group, Econet Wireless, and through Capernaum Trust he educates tens of thousands of Zimbabwean orphans.

*Jim Ovia established Zenith Bank Group in 1990 – now West Africa’s second largest financial services provider. His focus has turned to helping grow Africa’s budding ‘techpreneurs’

Source: Vanguard

32-yr-old man butchers uncle over destiny manipulation

ABAKALIKI— A man identified as Chinweoru Ugbo, 32, was weekend arrested by the Onueke Divisional Police Command, Ebonyi State for allegedly butchering his uncle, Mr. Ogbuleji Nwite, 78, with an axe.

The crime was allegedly committed at Nsokkara Community in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state over claims that the deceased was diabolically manipulating Ugbo’s destiny.

The suspect allegedly lured his victim to a lonely farmland near a neighbouring community in Amagu, under the guise of showing him (the victim) a piece of land he wanted to purchase.

He reportedly inflicted 27 cuts on late Mr. Nwite in the early hours of Saturday, unaware that some people saw him.

The suspect was caught by the villagers at Igweledoha Nsokkara community, when he was packing his luggage to flee the community.

It was also learnt that the suspect, a trader resident at Owerri in Imo State, was said to have returned home on Friday night with the intention of killing his uncle.

An Eye witness said : An eyewitness, Nweke Nwankwo, alleged that the act took place in a vegetable farmland.

The witness said: “I was on top of a palm tree harvesting fruits and saw both of them conversing. I never suspected anything because they were relatives.

“But I felt cold to the spine when the boy started brutalising the old man, who recently returned from the hospital after an eye surgery.”

Another witness, a woman who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that she was weeding in her farm, some distance from the scene, when she heard a cry.

She said: “I did not know that an abomination was being committed because the loud shout was just once.

“I continued with my job until passers-by, who first sighted the dead body, raised alarm.”

It was learnt that a white T-shirt, which an eyewitness claimed the suspect wore that morning, was brought out from his room with blood stains.

Source : Vanguard

FG To Reintroduce Toll Gates Over Bad Roads

                         

Against the backdrop of deteriorating Federal roads nationwide, the Federal Government may have decided to reintroduce tolling on its highways, to raise money to fix the roads.

A policy document on the reintroduction of tolling may be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council by Works Minister, Mike Onolememen, for approval and implementation.

The policy document is known as Green Paper: Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy for Nigeria.’
The Director, Public, Private Partnership, Federal Ministry of Works, Babatunde Ekusinmi, who disclosed this to newsmen noted that “Nigeria had operated some toll roads for several years, but they were abandoned in 2004, due mainly to legal disputes, revenue leakages and unmet maintenance of the tolled roads. With tolling once again being considered as a policy option, Nigeria has the advantage that it can assess successfully and execute tolling to develop, build, manage and maintain roads”.

The Green Paper proposal claimed that tolling policy would foster the improvement of Nigerian roads and bridges. “Tolling would generate the revenue needed to recover cost to the private investor of the construction, rehabilitation, financing, maintenance and operation of the road and bridge, and to achieve reasonable returns for that investor; the Federal Government would enter into toll concessions only where such concessions are financially viable and forecast traffic volume is high (unless there are strong economic or social grounds).

The Paper also said the Federal Government would permit tolling only for specific roads and bridges where the related investment results in significant improvements for road users and toll payers; the Federal Government would ensure that tolls are ring-fenced and dedicated to defraying the costs of rehabilitation, upgrading, maintenance and operation of such roads; the Federal Government would introduce mandatory public consultations prior to tolling any road or bridge in Nigeria, to provide users with critical information in advance of the tolling being introduced. The Federal Government would give preference to tolling by established and reputable private firms; toll rates would distinguish between vehicle classes to reflect the cost of providing road space to a class of vehicles and their relative usage impact on road pavements; tolls should be fixed during the length of a concession, subject only to periodic increases which are agreed in the contract and are based on an adjustment formula which takes account of inflation and other variables.

Ekusinmi said it would be necessary to empower concessionaires to appoint officers with powers to stop vehicles and verify toll payment, and such powers would be clearly specified and circumscribed to avoid potential for abuse.

He said the Federal Government would speedily implement institutional reforms to clarify responsibilities for implementing and overseeing road and bridge tolling; the Federal Government would ensure it has sufficient capacity to oversee the implementation of toll concessions – initially through the Ministry of Works and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, and subsequently through the establishment of the proposed Federal Roads Authority, FRA.

He emphasised that the application of Public-Private Partnerships, PPPs, with the use of tolling, provides Nigeria with an excellent strategy to improve its roads and bridges for the benefit of Nigeria’s economy, businesses and communities.

Projects, he said were already progressing rapidly and that “it is essential that the policy framework is in place to support and facilitate such progress. A tolling policy will establish the enabling environment in which tolling is applied appropriately, and investors and the public can be confident in the future.

“The intent of the Tolling Policy Green Paper is clear. Tolling and private investment should be used to achieve substantial improvements to Nigerian roads and bridges. The Green Paper objective is to improve the proposed policy, and the Federal Ministry of Works looks forward to constructive engagement, feedback and comments from all stakeholders,” he said.

 Source: Vanguard

Canada Begins Compulsory Fingerprint For Nigerian Visa Applicants

The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria says Nigerians applying for visa to the North American country will henceforth be required to provide their fingerprints.It said the new requirement which took effect from October 23, was introduced to check fraud, facilitate legitimate travel by making entry into the country easier.
According to the High Commission, applicants will need to go in person to a visa application centre to submit their application and give their fingerprints as well as have their photograph taken.
This was contained in a statement by the high commission’s Public Affairs Officer, Ezinne Uluocha.
The new requirement, Uluocha said, would put Canada in line with other countries already collecting this information from visitors. These countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, countries in the European Union Schengen Zone, and Japan.
But, the High Commission noted that the new application process will exempt applicants under the age of 14 or over the age of 79 as well as diplomats and government officials travelling on official business.
Uluocha said, “Effective from October 23, visitors to Canada from several countries, including Nigeria, will be required to provide fingerprints and a digital photograph when they apply for a visitor visa, study or work permit.

“This new requirement will not only help protect the safety and security of Canadians while helping facilitate legitimate travel, it will also protect prospective visitors by making it more difficult for others to forge, steal or use an applicant’s identity to gain access to Canada.”

However, the High Commission added that applicants would have to part with a fee ranging from $85 to $170 before their fingerprints and photograph before their date will be captured at any of its visa application centre.

Source :