- Buhari condoles with Kenya over killings at Garissa Varsity
- I told Jonathan his regime had come to an end – TB Joshua
- I’m the luckiest Nigerian, says Jonathan
- Ignore PDP Lies – Ogun govt. tells residents
- Tennis: Team Nigeria Win ITF/CAT U-16 Tourney
- Obasanjo to Nigerians: Repeat March 28 on April 11
- In Easter message, Pope prays for Chibok Girls
- Airhiavbere, 3000 others dump PDP for APC in Edo
- Ronaldo scores for fun as Real demolish Granada
- Morocco can play 2017 Cup of Nations – CAF
- African leaders to hold Boko Haram summit April 8
- Taunts that didn’t hit
- Wenger plays down Arsenal’s title chances, focuses on FA Cup
- Pellegrini demands fading City finish on a high
- PDP responsible for killing of Rivers monarch, 9 others – APC
- Buhari to Nigerians: Vote APC at all levels
- Bombing on bridge in Egypt capital kills one
- Van Gaal backs Man Utd to win EPL
- What Should Buhari Tackle First? Poll
- Nigeria’s Malam Fatori: A liberated ghost town
General Muhammadu Buhari
Buhari who said this on Sunday in his message of condolences to President Uhuru Kenyatta and the families of those who lost loved ones in the attack on Garissa University added that this is because terrorists are not just scourge on Africa, but on the entire world. Buhari said: “I wish to extend my condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the attack on Garissa University, and to all the people of Kenya at this sorrowful time. “There are those among us who will always find an excuse – religion, tribe, and others – to take innocent lives. “These terrorists are a scourge all across Africa and the world, and we must confront them together, using all the tools at our disposal. “I want to assure the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, and all Kenyans of Nigeria’s support and prayers now and in the future”.  |
Prophet TB Joshua and President Goodluck Jonathan
“This message should be delivered to your president, that whatever the outcome of this election, his regime has come to an end. He should accept to save the lives of millions," Joshua said he told Jonathan through a presidential aide. Joshua claimed he called Jonathan by phone and the president promptly sent a close aide to meet with him. “It's not a message I could say in the church because it would affect your vote," Joshua claimed he told the president. After the presidential aide had worshipped at The SCOAN during a Sunday service, Joshua said he met him and relayed the revelation that Jonathan's regime had come to an end. “Soft landing – that is the language I sent to the president," Joshua said he told the aide to tell the president. Joshua praised Jonathan's tenure in office, saying that he had served his nation well despite the immense security challenges. “I really want to salute President Jonathan. The President has served; he has done his best. It was just the season of crisis – and unfortunately he found himself at the lead in the season of crisis.” Joshua described Jonathan as a man who 'has a heart for God', and revealed that he spoke with the Nigerian president shortly before his historic concession call to General Buhari. Joshua described Jonathan's exit as 'wonderful', adding that it has cemented his legacy as a democratic champion. “A man after God's heart is a man with a wonderful exit. The beginner is not the owner but the finisher," he told congregants. He prayed that people from the 'South-South' region in Nigeria where President Jonathan hails from would understand that 'their son has become a hero'.  |
President Goodluck Jonathan receiving an Easter card from Pius Anyim and JK Opara on behalf of FCT residents
Jonathan who was defeated by Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC at a presidential election held on 28 March said this is because he has been living in government house with the nation taking care of him for the past 16 years. The President began his political journey as the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State in 1999. He later became the Governor of the state following the impeachment of his then boss, Diepreye Alayemisiegha in 2006. He ran as Vice President with the late Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007. He became Nigeria’s President in 2010 following the death of Yar’Adua and was elected as President on May, 2011. His bid for a second tenure however failed last week. But President Jonathan told residents of Federal Capital Territory who paid him an Easter visit on Sunday that he has had enough of stay in government house. “For me as an individual, this Easter coincides with the time I am leaving, but I always say that I am one of the luckiest Nigerians. I am yet to see somebody luckier than me. “From 1999, I was in the hands of government for 16 years. Not just in government as a parliamentarian because if you are a Senator or House of Representatives member, you take care of yourself, you live in your own house,” the President told the delegation led by Vice President Namadi Sambo. “I was in a cage, being taken care of by the government. From May 29, 1999 to date; 16 good years. I think it is enough and I am happy, help me thank God for that. “I will continue to thank Nigerians for giving me that privilege. I became a deputy governor because Bayelsans voted for me and my governor then. I became a Vice President because Nigerians voted for Yar'Adua and myself. “I continued in 2011 because Nigerians voted for me and Architect Namadi Sambo. I have to thank all Nigerians. Wherever I will be, I will remain grateful to this great country. Today is a glorious day for me,” the President said. He however called on Nigerians to be ready to make sacrifice for the survival of the government, citing the examples of soldiers and policemen who he said were dying daily in their fight against Boko Haram in order for others to live.  |
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State
The state government disclosed that since the general downturn in the national economy last year October, the state and others across the country have been challenged by the effects of a reduction in FAAC, and Internally Generated Revenue, IGR. The government dismissed the allegation by the campaign organisation of the PDP governorship candidate, Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, who described the recent release of 1.5 billion for the payment of outstanding deduction of workers salary and cooperatives as a ‘Greek Gift’, warning the people to beware of the antics of the government. Addressing newsmen over the weekend, Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun revealed that the PDP candidate personal mis-management contributed to the financial challenges the state faced when the present administration came on board in 2011. Others at the MITROS Hall, venue of the press briefing includes the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Barr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji (Barr.) Yussuph Olaniyonu and the Senior Adviser on Communication to the Governor. “In light of the resumption of payment of salary deductions and co-operative dues with the release of N1.5 billion on Thursday, April 2, 2015, we believe it is necessary to clarify the issues that gave rise to the delay in payment and other matters relating to the state's finances,” the Finance Commissioner said. “Prior to October 2014 and the global fall in oil prices, Ogun State Government had a stellar record of meeting all its financial obligations including those inherited from the previous administration as at when due. Indeed, we paid salary deduction for 41 consecutive months including three months left unpaid by the previous administration. “With the implementation of minimum wage, the public sector wage bill rose from N4 billion to N6.2 billion monthly. The additional N2.2 billion monthly directly improved the income levels of all our public sector workers and had a multiplier effect across the state, increasing our GDP. We recognize the key role public wages play in the state economy and we have paid salaries up to March 2015. “The suddenness of the downturn was such that immediate adjustments could not be made, thus the delay in remittance of salary and co-operative dues”, she stated. Adeosun further revealed that the governor presided over an interim recovery plan which will ensure that no worker in the state would be disengaged. “A medium term financial strategy has been developed which will help us to overcome this short term fiscal imbalance. Not only will no worker be disengaged but rather the forthcoming recruitment of additional staff will be undertaken”, Adeosun affirmed. The state government accused the PDP candidate, Gboyega Isiaka of contributing to financial logjam in the state. “It must be pointed out that PDP candidate, Gboyega Isiaka personal financial mis-management has contributed to the financial challenges we have faced. “It will be recalled that under his leadership, Gateway Holdings took a loan, guaranteed by Ogun State Government, to the tune of N1.6 billion for the purported construction of a head office and a mega filling station. “It is a shame that there is nothing beyond a foundation to show for the loan taken and the proceeds cannot be accounted for. In addition, not one naira was repaid culminating in this administration inheriting a balance of N2.6 billion which we are now repaying at the rate of N100m monthly. “The financial performance of this administration has consistently perplexed our detractors. They have therefore resorted to wild allegation of secret foreign loans,” she disclosed. On the allegation of obtaining foreign loan, which according to GNI campaign organisation was signed by Ifekayode Akinbode, Director, Media and Publicity, copy obtained by our correspondent has put the state in heavy indebtedness. “As Amosun faces the polls in a week and sensing that the workers and indeed the masses have concluded that they will not vote for him, he and Kemi Adeosun (Commissioner for Finance) ran around to shop for a fresh N2.5billion foreign loan (as no local bank will give him further loans) and decided to dole N1.5billion to pacify the workers and then spend the rest to buy votes. “This has further put the state in heavy indebtedness; hence his desperation to return to office to cover and manage the mess. “The question that arises is that where are Ogun state Statutory monies such that he has been running government on revolving loans? Could the answer be that funds are being freighted through dubious road expansion projects and needless bridges usually awarded at mind – boggling cost”,PDP campaign group alleged. In reaction to the claim, the State Commissioner for Finance said, “we restate again, that we have not taken any foreign loans. Indeed if they were conversant with financial regulations, they would or should know that foreign loans can only be taken with the express approval of the Federal Ministry of Finance and is subject to legislative assent. “The DMO maintains and publishes periodic data on our loan portfolio and we invite the PDP to provide proof to substantiate their allegations or keep their peace,” she posited. On the claim by the opposition that the state government could not pay N3 billion debt it owed Ecobank, which the state government only managed to pay the interest for three months before stopping. Adeosun clarified the issue that the alleged debt was of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC money, which is a joint payment between the Federal and state government, revealing that since the FG has failed to pay their part, they had to suspend the payment. “I would want Isiaka to come to my office and get clarification on what he does not know, especially on governance and the financial status of the state. “For record purpose, we didn’t collect N3 billion from Ecobank. It is UBEC programme and it is being financed by both Federal government and State government. They pay N1.6 billion and we went to bank to collect N1.6 billion and we are servicing the debt only for the FG to stop and that forced us to stop as well,” she explained. She assured the good people of Ogun state that the present challenges will soon be overcome with the innovative strategy set to accomplish the Mission to rebuild programme of the administration. “This is evidenced by the achievements of our administration in restoring sanity to our clime by ensuring security of lives and property, rebuilding infrastructure, attracting industries, restoring investors' confidence, putting the education and health sectors right and generally raising the standard of living of our people. “We make bold to say that under our administration, things are really getting better”. Adeosun used the medium to thanked the good people of the State for the support for the Ibikunle Amosun led administration before, during and after the last Presidential Elections. She however pleaded with them to continue to separate the wheat from the chaff, urging them not to allow anybody to use them to spread malicious and false information  |
 Oyinlomo Quadri was the star player of the double-phased tournament as she upset three highly rated opponents en route her winning the U-14 girls' singles. She accounted for the exit of the number one seed, Kaita Aishata of Mali 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinal before capping a glorious outing with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Carmene Kpadonou of Benin in Saturday's final at the Stade Omnisports, Lome. Although Quardi could still play in the U-12, she was registered for the U-14 in order to garner more points which would aid her featuring in the African Junior Championship Masters billed for Morocco later in the year. Nigeria's great showing at the weeklong tournament which featured five countries was highlighted by the country's winning of the boys' and girls' U-12 where Mathew Abamu and Toyin Asogba respectively defeated Suleiman Quattara of Cote d'Ivoire and Patricia Wamba of Cameroon 6-2, 6-1 and 6-3,3-6, 6-4. Meanwhile, Nigeria will also be seeking glory as the ITF/CAT U18 Championship serves off in Cairo, Egypt on Monday with Russian-born Melissa Ifidzhen highlighting a strong Team Nigeria. The 16-year-old former Russian U-12 champion will be making her debut for Nigeria at the tournament which will have more than 20 countries in attendance. Other members of the team are Elizabeth Garos-Pam, who arrived Cairo alongside her dad from her London base on Friday. South African- based Adetayo Adetunji, Angel Macloed and Sunday Emmanuel complete the team to be led by coach Mohammed Ubale.  |
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo at Itoku market, Abeokuta
Photo: Abiodun Onafuye He charged them to repeat the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections, which produced the president-elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ebora Owu as Obasanjo is fondly called gave the charge in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital during his surprise visit to the popular Itoku market in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of the State on Saturday. The former Chairman of the Board of Trustee, (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who our correspondent gathered arrived the popular Adire market at 4:30pm attracted newsmen to the venue within minutes of his arrival. Obasanjo visited a few adire (local fabric) store and in no time, the entire market was agog. Obasanjo assured the traders that he will address them. Yet, the traders, who had left their stores followed him as he made a walk to the local herb section and had a brief chat with the attendant. While addressing the traders in one of the under construction market hall told them that he had not been opportune to visit the market since he returned from Abuja, saying that, “in the spirit of Easter, he felt it was appropriate to do it during the season”. The Balogun of Owu Kingdom, who spoke in his mother language (Yoruba) said, “since I came back from Abuja, I have not come here to say hello to you. But, it occured to me that I can do it during this Easter period and that is why I have come. How is business, I hope you are all faring well?”. The traders rented the air with wild jubilation and chant of, “Sai Baba Obasanjo,.. Sai Buhari,..Sai Amosun!!!. Fielding questions from newsmen on he visited the market which has over 20,000 traders, Obasanjo said, “since I came back, I have not really visited any market. I have come to do two things. I have come to give them Easter greetings and to find out how they are doing. “This is my community. As a member of the community, I want to know what is going on and what is happening in the community,” he said. On his advice to the traders ahead of the April 11 election, Obasanjo retorted, “They should do exactly what they did last Saturday,” he declared as he made into his waiting vehicle. It would be recalled that Obasanjo retired from partisan politics earlier this year when he openly supervised the shredding of his Peoples Democratic Party membership card. He said he had become a statesman.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 09:12 AM PDT
Pope Francis
In his traditional Easter message, the 78-year-old pontiff said he was praying for those killed in armed conflict, including the students massacred by Somali gunmen at a university in Kenya. He prayed for “all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones” in armed conflict and attacks by extremists in Nigeria and South Sudan as well as parts of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition, he urged “peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups (and) for the victims of drug dealers… And we ask peace for this world subjected to arms dealers.” Tens of thousands of pilgrims huddled under a sea of umbrellas in a rain-soaked St Peter’s Square to hear the pope deliver his “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and World) blessing, broadcast live to dozens of countries. In his third Easter message since his election as pope in 2013, the head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics prayed “for peace, above all, for Syria and Iraq, that the roar of arms may cease”. He called on the international community to “not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees” created by the two conflicts. He also prayed for the victims of Thursday’s attack in Kenya that left 148 people dead, with survivors sayng the militants spared Muslim students but taunted Christian and Jewish students before killing them. “I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya,” he said. Earlier Francis greeted pilgrims personally as he rode through the flower-bedecked square aboard his open Popemobile after presiding over Easter mass. The most important and joyous moment of the Catholic calendar, Easter celebrates the day when Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. Speaking from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, Francis also said the framework nuclear accord reached Thursday between Iran and six major world powers inspired hope for “a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world”. The Argentine pope pleaded for “absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence” in Libya to be halted, and voiced his “desire for peace, for the good of the entire people” in war-battered Yemen and Ukraine. Without referring to a particular hotspot, Francis said: “Those who bear within them God’s power, his love and his justice, do not need to employ violence.” – Be ‘respectful, ready to help’ – Francis also sounded his trademark appeal to the rich and powerful to care for the world’s poor and downtrodden, saying: “The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all costs, that we compete.” Instead, Christians should “seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help,” he said. Sunday’s Easter observances capped a long and demanding Holy Week that left Francis at times appearing tired. On Friday he presided over the traditional Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at Rome’s Colosseum evoking the last hours of Jesus’s life. The day before Francis celebrated two masses — one for priests, and the other at Rome’s Rebibbia prison, where he washed the feet of 10 inmates symbolically evoking Christ’s humility — a theme he took up again on Sunday. “To enter into the mystery, we need to ‘bend down’, to abase ourselves,” Francis said.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 08:53 AM PDT
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Maj. Gen Charles Airhiavbere
Airhiavbere who was the National Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan Support Group in the state, defected with over 3000 members of the PDP. The retired military General who announced his defection at a press briefing over the weekend in Benin, said he decided to join the team of change so that the state could enjoy benefits from the central government. He noted that any politician who meant well for the state would ground his axe of hatred and joined the change train of the APC government. He also denied collecting money from the PDP to finance his 2012 campaigns as well as getting any gratifications for his group’ support for President Jonathan. “I know for sure that with APC at the national and state level, there will be rapid development and all campaign promises will be delivered to our state. My drive and passion for Jonathan was my personal effort and group’s donation. I did not get any gratification but for the fact that Edo State should remain at the centre. “I will always be loyal to the centre. We delivered for PDP on March 28. We will deliver to APC on April 11. My desire is to have a peaceful Edo State. Oshiomhole should enjoy majority at the Edo State House of Assembly,” Airhiavbere said. The Coordinator of Grassroots Youths Initiative, Osarobo Idahosa and former Senatorial aspirant of PDP, Richard Lamai, led the over 3000 former PDP members to defect to the APC at a rally held in Benin City.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 06:04 AM PDT
 Cristiano Ronaldo’s first ever five goal haul in the one match saw Real Madrid move to within a point of Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a stunning 9-1 thrashing of Granada on Sunday. Gareth Bale continued his fine form after bagging a brace for Wales last weekend by opening the scoring after 25 minutes. Ronaldo then took over as he scored three times in eight minutes just after the half hour mark. Karim Benzema struck twice either side of Ronaldo’s fourth as Real added three more in a four-minute spell just after the break. Robert Ibanez grabbed a consolation for the visitors, but Diego Mainz’s own goal made it 8-1 before Ronaldo rounded off the scoring with a towering header. Barca can restore their four-point lead when they visit Celta Vigo later on Sunday. Ronaldo’s quintuple takes him four clear of Lionel Messi in the race to be La Liga’s top goalscorer. “Cristiano has improved as the team has,” said Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti. “What more can I say about him? It is the first time he has scored five goals with Real Madrid which is great for him and for us looking forward to the next game.” Madrid had only won one of their last four La Liga games before the international break, but Ancelotti was able to welcome back James Rodriguez for the first time in two months after recovering from a foot injury. Chances soon began to flow for Madrid and Bale was first to capitalise when he latched onto Toni Kroos’s through ball to round Oier Olazabal and slot home from a narrow angle. Rodriguez then sealed his comeback with a lovely assist with the outside of his left foot to allow Ronaldo to curl home his first of the afternoon. The Portuguese soon made it 3-0 by lashing home from close range after Olazabal had spilled a cross and he sealed an eight-minute hat-trick with some more help from the Granada ‘keeper as he couldn’t keep out the World Player of the Year’s drive from 20 yards. Granada offered embarrassingly little resistance after the break as Benzema was given plenty of time to control a corner from the left and fire home to make it 5-0. Bale then unselfishly teed up Ronaldo to nod home his 46th goal of the season, although there was a brief scare for the home fans as Ronaldo collided with the frame of the goal in doing so but was soon back on his feet. More shocking defending from Granada allowed Benzema to saunter through for a seventh barely 60 seconds later. Ancelotti then took the chance to remove Kroos, Rodriguez and Benzema ahead of a busy month that includes another six league games and a return to Champions League action for the European champions. Granada pulled a goal back when Ibanez burst clear of Raphael Varane to slot past Casillas, but their miserable day was rounded off when Mainz could only turn Javier Hernandez’s cross into his own net. And fittingly Ronaldo had the final word when he rose highest to power Luka Modric’s free-kick in at the far post.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 05:58 AM PDT
CAF President, Issa Hayatou
Morocco were barred from the 2017 and 2019 tournaments after refusing to host the 2015 finals last January and February because they feared visiting supporters could bring the deadly Ebola virus into the country. Football officials from the north African kingdom appealed the decision at the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and won the case last Thursday. CAS said the two-tournament ban should be lifted and a $1 million (920,000 euros) fine reduced to $50,000. However, one day later a CAF spokesman refused to confirm whether Morocco would be included in the April 8 qualifying draw. “There are many meetings to be held before the way forward is known,” he told the BBC. But a statement issued after CAF executives led by president Issa Hayatou met in Cairo cleared 1976 African champions Morocco to compete. “CAF has committed to implementing the decision and will comply with this ruling despite the contradictions observed in the CAS decision,” it read in part. Equatorial Guinea replaced Morocco as 2015 hosts and Ivory Coast defeated Ghana on penalties after the final finished 0-0 to lift the trophy. The 2017 qualifiers are likely to comprise 13 four-nation groups with the first matches scheduled for June. Algeria, Gabon and Ghana have bid to host the 2017 Cup of Nations and the successful candidate will be announced Wednesday before the draw.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 05:47 AM PDT
FILE PHOTO: Niger’s president Mahamadou Issoufou, Chad’s president Idriss Deby Itno, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, France’s president Francois Hollande, Cameroon’s president Paul Biya, and Benin’s president Thomas Boni Yayi during the Paris Summit on Boko Haram
The April 8 summit will be the first of its kind since Nigeria’s election a week ago which was won by Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader who has vowed to rid his country of the “terror” of Boko Haram. “In the face of the mounting and increasingly bloody attacks by the fundamentalists against Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad and the series consequences for these countries, and the real reask of destabilising western and central Africa, the two organisations have decided to take action,” a statement from regional bloc ECOWAS said. A coalition involving troops from the four countries has been waging offensives against the Islamists in a bid to crush the insurgency, which has now spread across borders from Boko Haram’s stronghold in Nigeria. The meeting in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, is being jointly organised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). It was not immediately clear if Buhari would be attending as he will not be sworn in as president to succeed incumbent Goodluck Jonathan until May 29. The Boko Haram insurgency has led to the deaths of more than 15,000 people dead since since 2009, UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said last week. “Countless more children, women and men have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited, and women and girls have been targeted for particularly horrific abuse, including sexual enslavement,” he told the “This despicable and wanton carnage, which constitutes a clear and urgent menace for development, peace and security, must be stopped,” Zeid said.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 03:41 AM PDT
He ranted. He puffed. He huffed. Against one man: General Muhammadu Buhari.
In the end, Femi Aribisala, a syndicated columnist, described as an “iconoclast pastor” turns out not to be God’s Oracle. Let’s just say that Aribisala taunted and God laughed. In this graphic by Taiwo Obe, respected journalist and journalism trainer, tells the story of what another writer has described as Aribisala’s campaign of calumny.   |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 03:38 AM PDT
Arsene Wenger (R) displays his Manager Of The Month Award for March; with him his striker Olivier Giroud
Saturday’s 4-1 demolition of Liverpool took Arsenal another step closer to securing the season’s minimum objective of qualification for the Champions League. Leaders Chelsea remain seven points above them with a game in hand, but Arsenal, who have won 10 of their last 11 matches, will have a chance to trim that gap when they host Jose Mourinho’s side later this month. But for all the optimism engendered by his side’s excellent form, Wenger believes they have too much work to do due to a sluggish start to the season. “Mathematically we can do it,” said the Frenchman. “But we need to be perfect and for Chelsea not to be perfect. Let’s focus on what we can master, which is our performance. “We missed important players at the start of the season and dropped points. We have quality to fight at the top. But when you have players coming back from the World Cup and players who are not available, it is not easy. “At one stage we played six games and earned one win, which leaves you with a mountain to climb.” Arsenal tightened their grip on the top four while all but extinguishing Liverpool’s hopes with a crushing win at the Emirates Stadium. Three goals in eight first-half minutes wrapped up the victory as Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez all struck. Liverpool responded via a Jordan Henderson penalty, but the damage was already done. A bad day for a depleted Liverpool got even worse when Emre Can received two yellow cards, before Oliver Giroud struck again for Arsenal in stoppage time. Giroud, who has scored seven times in his last six league games, was not quite as downbeat about his side’s title credentials. – ‘Focus on FA Cup’ – “We want to finish strongly, but we have to take it game by game and focus on ourselves before looking at Chelsea and Man City’s results,” he said. “We want to win every single game and then we’ll see what happens.” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said that there was “too much ground to make up” for his side to secure a Champions League place, after back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal. He also faces a fight to retain the services of England forward Raheem Sterling, who has turned down a new £100,000-a-week ($148,320, 137,710 euros) contract and been linked with rival clubs including Arsenal. But Rodgers played down concerns over Sterling’s future, saying: “Raheem is a kid focused on his football. He works hard every single day and he just wants to play his football. “The kid for me gives me everything every time he trains and plays. The only thing I will say is that for his football development and financially, Liverpool is the best place for him. “He has an opportunity to play, which is key for a young player. He won’t be going anywhere in the summer and we will sit down and try and find a solution. “I’ve had a good chat with him and given my opinion. He just wants to play his football. I think he enjoys being here and knows he is privileged to play in front of the Liverpool supporters. “As long as the player can see the ambition. The summer was very difficult in losing Luis Suarez, losing Daniel Sturridge to injury and with the integration of new players.” Liverpool’s last remaining hope of silverware this season lies in the FA Cup, ahead of Wednesday’s FA Cup quarter-final replay away to Championship side Blackburn Rovers. “We have been dealt two big blows in our last two games,” Rodgers added. “We very much won’t be in the top four as there’s too much ground to make up and we must focus on the FA Cup, which is important to us.”  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 03:32 AM PDT
Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager
City travel to Selhurst Park nine points behind leaders Chelsea after Pellegrini’s side drop to fourth place following resounding wins for Arsenal and Manchester United over the weekend. Fortunately for Pellegrini, who has come in for mounting criticism in recent weeks, fifth placed Liverpool were beaten at Arsenal to give City a seven-point cushion in the battle to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish. While Pellegrini is not looking over his shoulder at the chasing pack, the Chilean concedes City need a lengthy winning run, ideally to close the gap on Chelsea but also to seal a top four spot. “I think in this league you can never be sure you are going to have a Champions League place,” he said. “You have six or seven teams that from the beginning all of them play for that position. “At the moment, for the whole year, we are in the position of the Champions League. I hope that now we will continue. “I hope we can do it. We have to play eight finals from now until the end. I hope in these eight games we continue playing that way. “Of course I always expect to win all the games from the beginning of the season to the end. That is the mentality we must have as a big team. “So many times you ask me after a defeat if we are obligated to win. We are always obligated to win. This team demand you to win every game. “Now it is important to take it game by game and we must focus on our mind on Crystal Palace.” – Troubled season – After a run of just two victories in their last six games, a sequence that also included two defeats and European exit against Barcelona, Pellegrini acknowledges there is no further margin for error in a disappointing campaign. At least City have a completely clean bill of health following the international break, although the troubled season endured by club skipper Vincent Kompany continued in Israel where he was red carded during Belgium’s 1-0 victory. However, Pellegrini insisted that Kompany offers him little about which to be concerned ahead of the resumption of league action. “I don’t worry about Vincent because I know him,” said Pellegrini. “He knows perfectly in the way he must play. “I don’t know about the sending off because I didn’t see it but I think he improved a lot with our team in the last game so I don’t worry about him. There are not any problems.” Palace’s revival since Alan Pardew took charge in January means they are now targeting a top half finish rather than looking over their shoulders towards the relegation zone. The dynamic displays of wingers Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie have been instrumental in transforming the fortunes of Pardew’s side. Zaha is back at his former club after a brief, unsuccessful stay at Manchester United and the player admits he is relieved to have moved on from Old Trafford. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “When I was there United were going through a transition. Sir Alex Ferguson was leaving, which I didn’t know before I signed, so I didn’t really get the chance that I wanted there because obviously the new manager came in with a lot of pressure as well. “I have trust in Alan Pardew and he has trust in me. When he says he will do something he will do it. “This gaffer understands that I am not going to get everything right, that it’s my job to create and try and take on people.”  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 03:22 AM PDT
Nyesom Wike: PDP governorship candidate in Rivers
The party has blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the deaths. “We received with utmost shock the killing of a monarch and nine other members of APC by hoodlums hired by the PDP leadership in Rivers State on 3rd April,” the state APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement issued Sunday in Port Harcourt. “Reports reaching us have it that some blood-thirsty gunmen hired by PDP in Rivers State to go on rampage in Obrikom in Onelga Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area killed Chief Adube, a traditional ruler and APC chieftain in the area, along with his two sons and seven others. We learnt that these PDP miscreants have moved to Oboh, a neighboring community and destroyed the house of Vincent Ogbuagu, an APC House of Assembly aspirant and also to continue their killing spree before they will hit other areas of the State,” Ikanya added. He lamented that over 50 APC members have been killed in politically motivated violence in the State in the past three months. In addition, “Several of our members have been arrested and molested, property of our members are vandalised on daily basis. Our local government secretariats at Okrika and Andoni were bombed and our rally at Okrika was on two occasions disrupted by gunmen from PDP, while one of the aborted Okrika rallies saw the death of a police man. Besides, during the March 28th presidential and National Assembly polls, the entire world saw the rape of our democracy by PDP working in tandem with INEC, Army and Police, denying the people of Rivers State the opportunity to choose their leaders while allotting votes to other parties as they deem fit,” Ikanya said. Rivers APC condemned the trend as dangerous and unacceptable. “We therefore humbly request our amiable outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan, whose mantra is that his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian, to call Chief Nyesome Wike and other PDP leaders in Rivers State to order and stop the orgy of blood-letting in the State. It is very unfortunate that Chief Wike's gubernatorial ambition has brought so much misery to all the good people of Rivers State and brought shame and negativity to our state,” the party said. It emphasised that “the people of Rivers State have resolved to reject Wike's candidature as it portends evil and injustice since we cannot allow two sons of Ikwerre to govern Rivers State for 16 years to the detriment of other tribes of the State. This will amount to injustice against Rivers State and her people. We therefore call on President Jonathan to intervene as a matter of urgency before this man turns Rivers State into Yemen and other security challenged areas of the world. “In the same vein, we call on the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to call their men to order as we will not tolerate the unholy acts they exhibited during the March 28th polls during the April 11th governorship and State Assembly elections. Our people must be allowed to vote for the leader of their choice without any form of intimidation.” Rivers APC commended and congratulated INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for making himself the hero of the country's democracy by the transparent manner he conducted the presidential and National Assembly elections. “In contrast, the Rivers Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Gesila Khan, is a disgrace to the ideals of INEC. We demand for her immediate transfer because of the inglorious role she played on March 28th in trading off the INEC result sheets to Chief Wike and the fact that she has already declared the result of the April 11th polls, as Chief Wike recently boasted at an event in Port Harcourt that the result sheets for the polls are already with him,” the party said.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 03:17 AM PDT
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and General Muhammadu Buhari
This is contained in a statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu, Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Organisation. In the statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, Buhari thanked Nigerians for voting him into office. He however noted that greater challenges of consolidating the party's electoral victory in the March 28 polls lay ahead. Buhari pointed out that the election of APC Governorship and House of Assembly candidates was no less important than his own victory during the presidential poll. He said that his election should not be treated in isolation because the APC needs to win at other levels of democratic representation across the country. “For APC to govern effectively, its supporters should also elect the party’s candidates in the Governorship and House of Assembly elections come April 11,” he said. Buhari condoled with the families of his supporters who lost their lives celebrating the APC victory and wished those nursing injuries speedy recovery. He solicited moral support for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to enable the commission improve on its impressive performance, despite logistical challenges and other unforeseen hiccups.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 03:08 AM PDT
File Photo: Twin bomb blast near presidential palace, Cairo
The bomb had been placed next to the checkpoint on a side of the May 15 bridge located in the neighbourhood of Zamalek, the officials said. Two people were wounded in the blast, which tore the victim’s body to pieces, a health ministry official said. An AFP correspondent said there was a pool of blood next to the checkpoint. A police official said the bomb went off as the driver of a minivan pulled over to ask the police officer a question, likely for directions. Militants have repeatedly set off bombs in Cairo targeting police checkpoints and vehicles. The more sophisticated attacks have been claimed by jihadist group Ajnad Misr, which says they were carried out in retaliation for the deaths of hundreds of Islamist protesters in the past two years. The group has claimed responsibility for bombings outside the presidential palace and foreign ministry that killed four policemen last year, two of them explosives experts. After the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, authorities unleashed an extensive crackdown on his supporters that left hundreds dead and thousands in prison. Ajnad Misr has said it deliberately uses low yield bombs to avoid harming passersby, but there has also been an uptick in civilian casualties. A bomb outside Cairo University last month wounded four civilians and four policemen. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, the strongest political movement before his overthrow, has been designated a terrorist group although it denies it is violent. But some of its members are believed to have resorted to plotting attacks on policemen after the crackdown drove them underground. In the Sinai peninsula, jihadists affiliated to the Islamic State group have killed scores of security personnel, including at least 15 soldiers in coordinated attacks last week. The military says it has killed a number of the militants in Sinai in response, and on Sunday broadcast footage of bodies of dead suspected militants. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who toppled Morsi then won elections, has staked his leadership on eradicating the militant groups. Attacks have dwindled in the past year as the government tries to attract investment and tourism. But this month’s attacks have shown militants can still operate despite the massive crackdown and harsh court verdicts against those arrested. Civilian and military courts have sentenced dozens to death, although only one sentence has been carried out so far, by hanging. Morsi himself could face the gallows if convicted in one of his trials on charges of espionage with foreign powers and collusion to carry out attacks with militants before he became Egypt’s first democratically elected president in 2012.  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 02:18 AM PDT
Louis van Gaal
United’s fifth consecutive victory, courtesy of two goals from Ander Herrera and one from Wayne Rooney, took United above defending champions Manchester City, who they meet in next weekend’s derby, and kept them within eight points of leaders Chelsea. Van Gaal’s team also have an eight-point gap over fifth-placed Liverpool, making Champions League qualification all the more likely. But Dutchman has now his sights set on overhauling Chelsea, who host United in a crunch clash later this month, rather than worrying about the teams below. “The Champions League is not done yet but we made a big gap to Liverpool so we can suffer a defeat,” van Gaal said. “But of course I’m also looking higher up the table and then we have to win every week and then everything is possible. “Liverpool are now eight points behind us and we are more than eight points behind Chelsea so it’s not likely that we shall be the champions. But when you give pressure – and Arsenal are also giving pressure to Chelsea – then it is possible. “We have to play the top three in the league and normally, if you play against better teams they have achieved more points than you, so it’s not yet done.” However, key United players are hitting a rich vein of form currently, led by Herrera, who now has seven goals in his debut season in English football. “I knew already that Herrera had a very good technical shot,” said van Gaal. “But sometimes he is not composed at the right moment. “He has developed himself so he is more composed. When you score seven goals in a season where you don’t play all the matches, that is a fantastic season for him, in his first year.” – Derby showdown – There is now added importance to the Manchester derby for United, but van Gaal is aware City will provide far tougher opposition than Villa’s defensive-minded approach. “We knew the performance could have been better but we won and the most important thing is we have to play for higher place in the table next week,” van Gaal said. “I think against Manchester City it will be a different game. “I think Manchester City shall not come here in such a defensive organisation and that is what we have seen against Tottenham and Liverpool. “Those were the matches that you can say were fantastic matches although of course the result was always the most important thing. Maybe I hope we play ugly next week but we win. That’s the most important thing.” Christian Benteke brought the game back to 2-1 for the final 10 minutes, but Villa, three points above the relegation zone, never appeared likely to snatch a point. And for the visitors, the disappointment of the defeat was compounded by the loss to ankle injury of defender Alan Hutton who, along with Scott Sinclair and Ashley Westwood, will miss a crucial meeting with fellow strugglers QPR on Tuesday that could determine both clubs’ fate. “I’ve never known an injury list like it. It’s unbelievable,” said Villa manager Tim Sherwood. “But Tuesday was always going to be a massive game, irrespective of what QPR did today. “We’re looking to be six points clear of them by the end of Tuesday night. “I thought we stayed in the game. I wanted to come here and compete and we did that. “But they have good players who have been around the block before. They recognise when to speed a game up, when to slow it down, and they managed the game well. They’re a good side.”  |
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Posted: 05 Apr 2015 02:15 AM PDT
General Muhammadu Buhari
Some say he should tackle education, others say insecurity while some want he him to jail all corrupt persons. Let’s be a part of our future by voting here to help the incoming government know what’s paramount to Nigerians.
What Should Buhari Tackle First?
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Posted: 04 Apr 2015 11:54 PM PDT
Ghost Town: Bama has been left devastated by Boko Haram attacks
Photo: AFP
Photo: AFP
Niger and Chadian army troops, working together in support of Nigerian forces, recaptured the town on Tuesday to find grocery stores vandalised, smoke-blackened walls and motorbikes and wheelbarrows lying abandoned on the ground.
Silence reigns in the clay-built houses of the desert town which has become a virtual ghost town, with only a few stray cattle roaming the streets.
Suddenly a gaunt old man in a long ochre-coloured robe appears from behind a burnt-out house.
When the Islamist fighters saw the troops arrive “they drove us out of our homes and burnt everything down before fleeing,” he said, speaking in the regional Hausa language. “They didn’t want to leave anything behind.”
Stalls at the nearby market, once the nerve centre of this trading post less than four kilometres (three miles) from the Niger border, stand empty, their contents all looted.
– ‘Group of naked women’ –
Boko Haram attacks and suicide bombings in northeast Nigeria have claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2009.
The militant group has moved beyond Nigeria’s borders in recent months, staging increasingly brazen attacks in Chad, Cameroon and Niger that have prompted Nigeria’s neighbours to launch a joint military offensive in response.
The regional fightback, concentrated in Nigerian border areas south of Lake Chad with Nigerian troops operating further inside the northeast, seems to have stopped the militants’ advance for now.
Almost all of the 30,000 residents of Malam Fatori left the town when Boko Haram fighters seized it last November.
“Me, I couldn’t go, I’m too old and too sick,” the wheezing old man told AFP.
A few women and children were forced to live with the insurgents for almost five months.
“We had to ask their permission for everything. They watched all our comings and goings,” he said of the Boko Haram insurgents.
When troops of the Chad-Niger military alliance arrived in Malam Fatori on Tuesday the Islamists had already left and the town was retaken without a shot being fired.
Deserted: Residents that have survived Boko Haram onslaught have left their homes and occupation
“This is a common tactic to prevent women from escaping, they were totally undressed. We found a lot of women’s clothes,” he added.
The day after the troops moved in, an army patrol on “mopping up” operations some 10 kilometres from the town was ambushed by Boko Haram rebels, one young soldier explained.
The official death toll was one Niger and nine Chadian soldiers along with around 150 of the Islamist insurgents.
– ‘Mines everywhere’ –
The soldiers in the Chad-Niger alliance, fearing more insurgent attacks, have “planted mines everywhere” in Malam Fatori, and are camped a few hundred metres from the entrance to the town, their tanks, heavy artillery and gun-mounted jeeps creating an imposing deterrent.
“These people are concealing themselves for an attack, to carry out small ambushes… but our forces have been on high alert and we’ve neutralised them,” said Chadian army Chief of Staff Brahim Seid, on a visit to congratulate the soldiers on their battlefield achievements.
The soldiers also recovered dozens of Kalashnikov rifles — some carrying the “NA” Nigerian army logo — as well rocket launchers and 12.7 calibre machine guns.
Malam Fatori was “the biggest stronghold of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria and it was imperative to destroy that,” General Seid added.
Chadian and Niger troops made the town a primary target once they entered Nigeria on March 8, marking the start of foreign military operations on the home territory of the Islamist sect.
“It is now for our Nigerian partner… to take possession” of the towns recaptured from Boko Haram, said Niger army chief Seyni Garba.
With his Chadian counterpart, he called for greater “coordination” with Nigeria, stressing that the Chad-Niger joint force does “not intend to occupy” these areas.
Nigeria’s President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday vowed to rid Nigeria of the “terror” of Boko Haram after an historic election victory late last month which marked the first democratic transfer of power in Africa’s most populous nation.
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