music is life
Eric Beats! Artistes, this is for you to jump on, its #FreeBeatMonday
from FUTÄ's baddest producer, Eric Beats. Well mixed & mastered, just
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Y'all go jam All I Think About, fresh outta the studio by Johnson Lawal, dope RnB
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Its ur boi! Blakk Soulja has dropped Becos U Fine. Ask Future & Major, its dope.
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Hbn rappers H Blaze & Alvin drop Truffle Butter freestyle in collaboration with Rome.
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Another song from Pee, he drops punchlines like Germany dropping bombs on Russia, he comes up with Juru meaning shake your tail, go download this and Juru
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Strongman drops new tunes titled
Tonight featuring Sarkodie.
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The long wait is over for Chile. Ever since the first Copa America in 1916,
La Roja have been trying to win South America's prestigious continental
competition. Now they have and the celebrations have kicked off in earnest in
Santiago. For Argentina's golden generation, though, this was another chance
missed.
Chile took the game to Argentina in this one and even though they played very
much on the edge with some cynical fouls in the first half that left their three
centre-backs booked before the interval, few could argue that the locals did not
deserve this triumph - both for their performance on the night and also
throughout this tournament.
A sterile second half concluded as substitute Gonzalo Higuain hit wide at the
far post, failing to find the net from an acute angle. The miss evoked
memories of how he squandered a glorious chance in last year's World Cup
final and to make matters worse, the Napoli forward blasted his penalty over
the crossbar in the subsequent shootout.
The man he replaced on the pitch, Sergio Aguero, said before the Copa that
if this golden generation of Argentine players fails to win a trophy, they will
regret it for the rest of their lives. Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and others
all echoed those words later on - but it was beyond them again on Saturday.
The Under-20 World Cup claimed by the Albiceleste in 2005 and the Olympic
gold medal in 2008 were special for these players at the time, but they have
been unable to replicate those successes with the full national side - even
though their generation of players has been described by many as their greatest
ever.
Last year's World Cup in Brazil was a wonderful opportunity. With Messi at
a peak age (27) and the stadiums filled with Argentine fans, it looked like it
may be their moment. Ultimately, however, they missed out and the current
Copa was supposed to bring some sort of redemption.
It hasn't happened. Messi impressed, but was squeezed into spaces where he
has less influence and he lacked support from his team-mates on Saturday.
Javier Pastore, superb in the 6-1 thrashing of Paraguay in the semi-finals on
Tuesday, was a shadow of that player in this game. And Angel Di Maria,
who missed last year's World Cup final through injury, limped off with little
more than half an hour gone.
By the end of the night, Javier Mascherano was playing on one leg and
Ezequiel Lavezzi limping around as well. Once again, Argentina resembled a
walking wounded when it mattered most - their players perhaps paying the
price for the sheer amount of games they played in a long European season.
But the same could be said for Chile and Alexis Sanchez, in particular, has
struggled for fitness in this competition. The Arsenal forward struck the
winning penalty in this with an outrageous penalty and the noise erupted in the
Estadio Nacional.
Having never previously one anything on a football field at this level, Chile
changed their history with a wonderful win on Saturday for what will now be
considered their best team ever.
For Argentina, though, it is another chance wasted for this seemingly doomed
generation of players. And with many of the players pushing 30 or already
older than that, the opportunities are running out for this talented team.
Lecturers of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, under the
Academic Staff Union of Universities, on Friday protested over the
disappearance of one of their colleagues, Dr. Paul Erie.
Erie, who is an Associate Professor of the Department of Agricultural
Economics and Extension, was reportedly kidnapped at his residence in
Igbanke, Orhiowmon Local Government Area of the state, on June 16, 2015.
It was gathered that the family of the university don was contacted two days
later by the kidnappers.
The aggrieved lecturers took their protest to the Ekpoma Police Division, the
palace of monarch in the area and a popular market square in the town to
register their grievances, decrying the spate of kidnapping of its members or
their relatives.
The chapter Chairman of the union, Professor Fred Esumeh, explained that the
suspected kidnappers had slashed the N30 million ransom demanded from the
family of the lecturer to N7 million.
“They (kidnappers) started with N30 million to N12 million and down to N7
million and suddenly stopped contact. The family was last contacted on June
19,” Esumeh said.
He added that the family was yet to get an update on rescue efforts by the
police.
But efforts by our correspondent to reach the Police Public Relations Officer,
DSP Stephen Onwochei, to either confirm or refute the claim were unsuccessful
at the time of filing the report.
However, the chapter chairman of ASUU, who also recalled that more than
eight lecturers of the institution had been kidnapped in the past, listed some of
them as Professor O. P. Nmorsi (Department of Religious and Cultural
Management), Professor E. E. Okoeguele (Botany Department), Dr. Justina
Ehikhiamen (Department of Philosophy) and Mrs. L. A. Osho (Vocation and
Technical Education).
Others are the wives of Prof. J. E. Osemekhian, Professor Raymond Aluede,
Professor I. A. Onimhawo and Dr. Ken Imarenezer of the Departments of
Physics, Educational Foundations, Biochemistry and Microbiology respectively.
He, therefore, appealed to security agencies and the Edo State Government, to
beef up security around the university in order the check the menace, which
according to him, could affect academic activities.
Esumeh said, “Teaching and learning cannot take place in an environment
where fear reigns supreme and insecurity is the order of the day.
“We believe that this ugly trend has become pervasive and almost a normal
thing because little or nothing has been done to apprehend the hoodlums as
they seem to be having a free day in their nefarious business.”
Albert Podell, 78, and a former Playboy editor, has travelled the world over
a 50-year period. Podell was bitten by the travel bug at a very young age.
“Aged six, I started to collect postage stamps, and where the other kids
specialised in certain countries, I wanted a stamp from every country in the
world,” he told Daily Mail. “Getting a passport stamp from every one
may have been inspired by that.”
“Those little coloured bits of perforated paper also instilled in me a
fascination with travel because I wanted to see the lands where all the
objects, people, and places depicted on those stamps came from,” he said.
At 28, Podell led an expedition around the world, setting the record for the
longest automobile journey ever made around the earth. But as he grew older,
he realised that he wasn’t satisfied with traveling in bits and pieces.
“As I moved past middle age, I still wanted to do one grand and glorious
travel venture, to go out with a bang rather than a whimper, and, after I
realized that I had been to 90 nations, I decided that I just might be able to
visit every one of the 196 countries during my allotted years,” he said.
Traveling has not exactly been smooth-sailing all the time, but Podell has
enjoyed every second of it. With an accommodation budget of about $10 per
night, he has spent several nights in his sleeping bag, “at border posts,
roadsides, jungles, glaciers, airport floors, and in hostels, tents, trailers,
trees, teepees, campers, cars, caravansaries, desert dugouts, and flea-bag
motels alternately sweating and freezing; dodging dengue- fever mosquitoes by
day and malarial ones by night.”
He’s also been through some truly terrifying moments, like the time when he
was unable to provide proof of not being Jewish to the Egyptian government,
or the time he was unable to prove that he was not CIA to the Cuban
secret police. He was also thrown in jail in Baghdad, when a conman
pretended that Podell had hit him with a car. Some of his hair-raising
moments include being stranded on Kiribati, robbed in Algiers and the Khyber
Pass, nearly lynched in East Pakistan where he was mistaken for an Indian
spy, and almost drowned in Costa Rica.
Nigerians especially those from the Southern part of the country on Friday,
expressed concern over the appointments made so far by President Muhammadu
Buhari.
They said the appointments were lopsided and not in the best interest of the
country.
President Buhari is from Katsina State, Senate President Bukola Saraki and
House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, are from Kwara and
Bauchi states respectively. The judiciary is led by Justice Mahmud Mohammed
from Taraba State.
Of the nine appointments made by Buhari so far, eight are from the North,
while one is from the South. The appointments are: Director-General of the
State Services, Lawal Daura, Katsina State; Acting Chairman, the Independent
National Electoral Commission, Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari, Jigawa State;
Director, the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba
Ladan; and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, Kano
State.
Others are the State Chief of Protocol, Mallam Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure; Aide
De Camp, Lt.-Col. Muhammed Lawal Abubakar, Kano State; Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu; and Special Adviser
on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, South-West.
The appointments, however, drew the ire of Nigerians who asked Buhari to
respect the country’s principle of federal character.
Already, the Internet, particularly the social media and blogs, are agog with
reactions and counter-reactions on the matter.
A commentator named Daamazing, on Nairaland , Nigeria’s largest
discussion forum, accused Buhari of appointing only Northerners into key
positions announced so far.
The enraged citizen said in pidgin, “After all your mumu promises, one
thing you’ve not achieved, na to dey appoint all the people for your family
tree, dey do tourism up and down. (After all your promises, you’ve not
achieved anything. All you have done is to appoint your kinsmen and travel all
around the world).”
Another commentator identified simply as Augster, said, “Buhari, don’t let
those who voted for you down because your appointment of only Northerners
into top positions is baffling us.”
SenseiX, another Nairaland commentator, said it was wrong for Buhari
to have brought Daura, the acting DSS DG, from retirement to head the
agency when there were qualified persons from other regions of the country
still in service.
He said, “He ignored the entire senior cadre of the agency- from Bassey
Eteng to the least- simply because they are Southerners. Even if he wanted to
pick a a Northerner, he should have picked from the service rather than a
62-year-old retiree, whose only qualification is being Buhari’s kinsman, who
was in the DSS. When former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed
Ekpenyong, he was already a Director of Operations, same for Gadzama,
who was appointed by Umaru Yar’Adua.”
As of the time of filing this report, the story- Buhari sacks DG DSS,
service chiefs may go- had been read by 30,722 Nigerians on the PUNCH
website, some of who expressed anger over the development.
A reader named as Ify, said, “In as much as I do not subscribe to ethnic
sentiments, I am sensitive to the malaise of ethnic distrust in the country. A
wise leader would therefore, thread cautiously around this landmine. We must
patiently navigate our way out of ethnic bias.
“Let me also point out that Nigeria’s strength is derived from her diversity,
therefore, any government that wishes to succeed must draw from our
diversity, and not limit itself to the talents from one region alone.”
Another reader, Omoyooba, said, “In a multi-ethnic and multi-religious Nigeria,
it is insensitive of him to be making appointments made up of Northern
Muslims. What of the Christians and the Southerners? President Muhammadu
Buhari should know that former President Goodluck Jonathan started with
greater goodwill than this in 2011 and he ran it aground in four years. Buhari
should not make the same mistake. Nigeria belongs to everybody.”
On Facebook, Fidelis Anumole-Oparaku, who was apparently disappointed with
the situation, said the President’s ministerial appointments would not be much
better.
He said, “Because he lacks the power to do so with ministerial appointments,
he will likely give key positions to Northern Muslims, then the soft ones will
be given to Northern Christians and the South.”
Like the online community, prominent groups in the South-West – Afenifere,
Yoruba Unity Forum and the Movement for Oodua Republic – said this kind
of lopsided appointments had never happened in the political history of the
country.
While describing the President’s actions as worrisome, the YUF Secretary-
General, Senator Anthony Adefuye, warned that the earlier the situation was
reversed, the better, adding that the YUF would not expect the North to
marginalise the South.
He said, “The fact that the President, Senate President and the Speaker of
the House of Representatives are from the North is worrisome. There is no
way the North can take all the principal offices and leave the deputy to us.
It has never happened before and the earlier it is reverted, the better.
“There is no way that can continue because the South is not subordinate to
the North. The think tank committee of the YUF will meet soon to look at the
issue and see how it affects the Yoruba people. However, the development is a
wrong signal that must be corrected.”
While calling on Southerners to be patient and watch events unfold, Adefuye
said no region could be a subordinate of the other.
“What is more worrisome is that the immediate past INEC Chairman, Prof.
Attahiru Jega, handed over to a Southerner but the Presidency changed it to a
Northerner. We are watching and waiting to see what comes out of this new
government.”
Adefuye added, “Southerners are always careful and concerned not to
marginalise the North. Therefore, I will not expect the North to marginalise the
South now that the Presidency is shifted to the region.”
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the
group was watching the President’s actions and taking note of them.
Odumakin, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Friday, said, “We
have taken a position in Afenifere to watch the President’s actions before we
begin to make comments. By the time we have a clearer picture of what is
happening in the first 100 days of the President in office, we are certainly
going to make a comprehensive statement.”
Also, the leader of MOR, Mr. George Akinola, said the country was heading
towards total conflict should the situation continue.
He said, “The country has already been divided along religious lines. The fault
lines are there and will always be there. This will continue until a time when
one way or the other a conference or a referendum happens. There is no
option that is not on the table but at least we will prefer the path of peace.”
Representing the interest of the South-Eastern people, the President-General of
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey, asked the President to respect
the principle of federal character in his appointments.
Enwo-Igariwey said, “We expect the President to recognise other nationalities
that make up Nigeria. Elections are over, it is time for governance. We
expect that the principle of federal character, which is constitutional, should be
respected.
“It is important that in making his appointments, the President should
recognise that there are six geo-political zones in the country and it is
imperative that he carries all of them along in the spirit of nation building and
as a statesman.”
The Igbo World Union and the Ohanaeze Youth Council described the
President’s actions as a threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria.
The OYC National President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said, “Buhari should
not abuse his privileged position as the President of Nigeria for the moment.
He should not forget our federal system but reflect the federal character in his
appointments.
“We are warning him to drop the Northern agenda and govern Nigeria in line
with the constitution which he sworn to protect. We will hold him by his
statement that ‘he is for nobody and for everybody ‘ except he now wants to
tell us that he is the President of the North alone.”
According to Isiguzoro, Buhari’s actions demonstrate that he came to power to
reverse the positive steps made by Jonathan, who gave consideration to
Nigeria’s ethnic plurality in his appointments.
“Jonathan appointed Northerners as his National Security Adviser, Defence
Minister, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff etc. But so
far, Buhari has shown us that he has no regard for other parts of the
country.”
In his reaction, the President-General of Igbo World Union, Dr. Mishak
Nnanta, asked the President not to succumb to any ill- advice from individuals
with parochial interest.
The National President of Njiko Igbo Forum, Reverend Okechukwu Obioha,
warned Buhari against running what he described as a “Northern government.”
Obioha expressed the fear that the trend, if left unchecked, could destroy the
country.
He said, “Buhari is simply running a Northern government. He is making his
appointments as if he is angry with other sections of the country. The
appointments are lopsided in favour of the North and that is not acceptable.”
Australia’s controversial Nick Kyrgios and Frenchman Richard Gasquet set-up a
Wimbledon last-16 clash after knocking out last year’s semi-finalists Milos
Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov on Friday, AFP reports.
Kyrgios, who famously defeated Rafael Nadal in 2014 when he was ranked
144 in the world, avenged his quarter-final loss of 12 months ago to Raonic
with a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 third round victory over the seventh
seed.
The 20-year-old Kyrgios hit 34 aces and blasted 61 winners.
“I lost my focus a bit towards the end of the first set, but I knew what
my game plan was and I stuck to it. I toughed it out,” Kyrgios said.
“Last year I tried to hit too many winners off his serve. This time I went
to the chipped approach and it worked.”
Kyrgios faces another rematch in the fourth round against Gasquet after
beating the Frenchman in a dramatic five-setter in the second round last year.
“Last year I came from two sets down against him, but he is a savvy
veteran and beat Dimitrov in straight sets today so he must be playing well,”
said the 26th seeded Australian.
Gasquet, a semi-finalist in 2007 and seeded 21 this year, beat 11th seeded
Dimitrov 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Dimitrov had defeated 2013 champion Andy Murray on his way to the semi-
finals last year, but Friday’s defeat extended a disappointing Grand Slam
season for the 24-year-old Bulgarian who was beaten in the fourth round at
the Australian Open before a first round exit at Roland Garros.
Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka reached the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
win over Fernando Verdasco for his first win over the Spaniard in 10 years.
French Open champion Wawrinka will take on Belgium’s David Goffin for a
place in the quarter-finals.
Goffin, the 16th seed, became only the fourth Belgian man to make the fourth
round in the Open Era by defeating 2006 semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis
6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
It was 24-year-old Goffin’s first win over the Cypriot in four meetings and
he has now equalled his best performance at the majors after also making the
last 16 at the 2012 French Open as a lucky loser.
“I knew I had the game to make some results on grass that I didn’t in the
past. This year I came from the clay, I came with a lot of confidence on
grass,” said Goffin who made the final on grass at ‘s-Hertogenbosch last
month.
United Kingdom-based comedian, Wale Gates, may have stepped on the wrong
toes when he tried to diss dancehall queen, Cynthia Morgan, for saying she
wouldn’t date any Nigerian entertainer.
Cynthia, in the interview, had said she wouldn’t date any of her colleagues
because they are broke and of course, Wale didn’t waste time to ‘yab’ her
on twitter.
His response did not go down well with the reggae singer as she lashed back
at him. In an exclusive chat with Saturday Beats, the fair-skinned singer said
she does not know the comedian.
She added that her comment wasn’t any of his business and wondered why he
would butt into her affairs.
“Wale Gates is not even my colleague. I don’t know him. The only thing I
know about him is that he talks a lot on twitter. I don’t have any issues
with him. I cannot have a problem with somebody that I don’t know. He is
known for trash-talking a lot on twitter. There was a time he actually said
some insulting things about my governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
“I stand by my words; I cannot date an entertainer not to talk of getting
married to one. I would prefer to have a relationship outside the industry.
Inasmuch as I think that if you date someone in the industry, they would
understand you better, I cannot date my colleague. When I said that my
colleagues were broke, I was not generalising because I exempted some people.
The fact that Wale had insulted my governor and also snooped into my
business got on my nerves because he is not my colleague and what I said
has nothing to do with him. If I don’t know you and we do not relate, I
don’t expect you to comment on anything that regards me,” she said.
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Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba has regretted his team did not run up the
scores despite thrashing North Korea 4-0 on Thursday to get their U-20
World Cup campaign back on track, africanfootball.com reports.
The winners and runners-up in Group E could well be decided on goals
difference after Hungary trounced the North Koreans 5-1 on the opening day
and Brazil are expected to massacre the Asians on Sunday in Christ Church.
“I would have loved that we won this game (against Korea) by six or seven
goals,” lamented Manu after his team had to rely on a second-half rally to
win at the Stadium Taranaki.
“All the same, the victory was most important for us.
“And on Sunday our final group game against Hungary will be a must-win.”
The coach said a pep talk at half time got his team firing away at North
Korea after they failed to hit target in the first 45 minutes despite creating
numerous chances.
“We played with one striker in today’s match so that it would allow the
other players to move into the channels. They did not do that in the first
half. But after we spoke to them during the interval, they did the job in the
second half,” explained the coach.
“All we needed was the first goal and then the other goals followed.”
He praised the Koreans for stepping up their game after they fell 5-1 to
Hungary on Monday.
“They gave a good account of themselves, they played better than they did
against Hungary as they possessed the ball very well, but they have to
improve in their finishing,” he remarked.
“It’s not all about winning, but it’s about entertaining the crowd, and that’s
something that our side did.”
Korea DPR coach, An Ye Gun, said after the game that the first two goals
demoralised his team in the second half.
He said, “In the second half we conceded the goal too quickly and too easily,
so our players’ spirits dropped. The experiences we are going to gain in this
tournament is a good opportunity for our development in my country, so we
are preparing to do our best in the match.
“I would give more opportunities for the players so that they can gain more
experience.”
Barring last minute changes, officials of the Federal Government will today
(Friday) meet with marketers of petroleum products in Abuja.
It was gathered that the participants at the meeting, which is scheduled to hold
at the conference room of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, would discuss
issues surrounding the scarcity of petroleum products across the country that
had dragged on for months.
Sources at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources told our correspondent
on Thursday that the petrol scarcity was becoming worrisome to the new
government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
An official at the ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “It
is true that the scarcity started before this administration came on board, but
it has come to realise that Nigerians are becoming fed up with the situation
and very soon will start pointing accusing fingers at the Buhari government.
“The meeting with the oil marketers is to discuss issues pertaining to the
scarcity and why it has dragged on for this long. The government is not
happy about it and we hope the issue will be adequately addressed during the
meeting.”
A letter signed by the Director of Information in the ministry, Mr. Kingsley
Agha, stated that the meeting was between the “Ministry of Petroleum
Resources and oil marketers to address the current fuel scarcity.”
Meanwhile, the scarcity of fuel in Abuja continued on Thursday as hundreds
of motorists were seen in long queues in front of the few filling stations that
dispensed the product.
Our correspondent observed that the product was sold at rates far higher than
the regulated price of N87 per litre.
Petrol was being sold for between N120 and N140 per litre at the stations
belonging to independent marketers in the Federal Capital Territory.
It seems ideas are truly in short supply in Hollywood.
Disney is reportedly working out a reboot for popular 90s
franchise, Sister Act.
The original Sister Act told the story of a singer hiding out in
a convent, played by Whoopi Goldberg , and was released in 1992.
Details of the reboot are still sketchy, as it is unconfirmed if the
new movie will be a sequel to the previous movies, or a whole new
remake.
Cinderella producer Allison Shearmur and Legally Blonde
and She’s the Man writers Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah
have reportedly been hired to work on the project.
It is also unclear if Goldberg will be returning. Disney is yet to
release an official statement.
Real Madrid this morning confirmed Rafael Benitez as the
club's new manager.
The Spanish giants made the announcement through their website, with a
simple statement: "Real Madrid C. F. will present Rafa Benítez as the
new first team coach for the next three seasons today, Wednesday 3, June.
"The ceremony will take place at 1pm CEST in the presidential box of
the Santiago Bernabéu. Following his unveiling, Rafa Benítez will hold a
press conference in the press room."
The ex-Liverpool boss replaces Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu after the
Italian's departure last week.
Benitez announced his Napoli exit on Thursday and took charge of his
final game against Lazio on Sunday.
The Spaniard could not lead Napoli to the Champiobs League as they
finished fourth in Serie A, while Ancelotti led Real to second place in La
Liga and the Champions League semi-finals, a year after winning the
coveted European trophy.
Media personality Toolz is still glowing in the euphoria of her engagement (click
here if you missed it) and she has landed her first magazine cover since
becoming the ‘future Mrs. Oniru-Demuren’ as she covers the latest issue of
Diaspora Quarterly.
In the magazine’s issue Toolz talks about her journey from the UK to fame
and success in Nigeria.
The magazine also takes a look at some of the best arts and culture scenes
in Nigeria while also checking out some tourism spots.
The May edition of the magazine, which aims to celebrate Nigerians at home
and abroad, also highlights efforts by Nigerians in the Diaspora to contribute
to the “Bring Back Our Girls” movement, and lauds some young Nigerians
such as Samila Ibrahim and Donald Ekeh , whose educational achievements have
put them in the spotlight in the US.
The Editor in Chief of DQ, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa also wishes Nigerians
well as we move into a new era of leadership, with President Muhammadu
Buhari at the helm of affairs.
Reuters is reporting that Nigeria’s New President Muhammadu Buhari is
expected to double as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
According to the international news service,
(Buhari) is likely to keep the oil portfolio for himself in the
new Nigerian cabinet, rather than trust anyone else with the
source of most of Nigeria’s revenue and traditional fount of
corruption, associates say.
Nigeria’s oil sector is so dirty that nobody’s hands are clean
enough to do the “surgical changes” needed, one long-standing
associate told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the
cabinet decision is still under wraps.
Another political associate said: “He will do it. It would be
stupid to give that position to anyone else.”
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Difference Entertainment fronline act “ Sean Tizzle ” finally puts out
his much anticipated Blaq JerZee produced joint entitled “ Abeg“. The
Sheyman mixed joint is one of those tunes we’ll be remembering for
a long time (I guess).
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has named Mikel Obi as one of the
outstanding players in the Blues 1-0 victory over hosts Sydney FC in their
post-season friendly in Australia on Tuesday.
Mikel, who did not enjoy enough first-team appearance with the London club in
their last season’s campaign, played in the entire duration of the game, but
teenage defender Temitayo Aina was on the bench throughout.
Loic Remy gave the visitors the only goal of the game via a left-footed strike
at the ANZ Stadium, but Mourinho never underplayed the role of Mikel in the
encounter.
“I’m happy with the performance of my senior players because it’s been a
long season, in fact very long,” Mourinho said on Chelsea’s website.
“There were some performances from people like Ivanovic, Terry and Mikel
where they tried to play football and the result could have been completely
different.
“In the last part of the game the younger boys couldn’t cope with the
competitiveness of the Sydney players, they felt they had a chance and they
pushed a little bit in the last period.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the teenage midfielder who recently joined the senior team,
was tongue-lashed by the Portuguese.
“Ruben said he had a pain in his back, but I think he was more impressed
by watching Matic and Mikel work, instead of him working,” Mourinho said.
“He has to learn that at 19 you have to run three times more than the
others, you have to play to your limits and not play like a superstar with
the ball at your feet because this is not Under-18s.”
Mikel had earlier expressed his pleasure at seeing some 10,000 supporters
turn out to watch their training in Sydney.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has announced he will be resigning
from office as President of the World football body soon. Making
the announcement today, Mr Blatter, 79, who was re-elected for a
fifth term only four days ago, said the world football governing
body will hold an extraordinary congress to elect his successor as
soon as possible.
“I decided to stand again for election because I thought it
was the best option. The election is closed but the
challenges have not come to an end. FIFA needs a
profound restructuring. Although the members of Fifa have
re-elected me president, this mandate does not seem to be
supported by everybody in the world of football. This is
why I will call an extraordinary congress and step down.”
he said
This is coming after many called for his resignation following the
bribery scandal that engulfed the football governing body and arrest
of several top officials.
Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, the 4G LTE broadband provider of
Internet services, has identified professionalism, passion and content creation as
critical to enhancing the capacity of bloggers in the West African region.
The company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mrs. Alero Ladipo, made the remark
during a presentation entitled, ‘How to promote your blog’, during the West
Africa Blogger Conference 2015, held in Lagos recently.
Ladipo said that in as much as bloggers must ensure explicit, informative and
clearly defined content delivered with passion and fun, they should not relent in
applying professionalism in order to attract right business to monetise the
enterprise.
She listed qualities that distinguished bloggers from others to include sticking to
their already created niches built on professionalism, uniqueness, responding
quickly to trends, investing in content design, while building on loyal audience,
relationships and reaching out to experts.
She said that Smile Communications was already preparing grounds to
collaborate with 10 bloggers to support them in lifting the platforms to greater
heights.
“People think that blogging is a habit that anybody can just pick up and
start practising. However, as we get more people entrenched in consistent
growth, it becomes important we make it professional. Essentially, readers
visit bloggers for a particular reason. By implication, a blog is not a
dumping ground. Stick to the core reason you started the blog and adhere to
your principles,” she said.
“There is a philosophy that you stick to certain principles even when many
people are deviating; it is the same thing with blogs. When you maintain the
professional competencies, people will collaborate with you.
“For instance, in the course of my presentation, I randomly asked
participants to ‘sell me your blog’, which is simply to market the platform,
but people fell flat on their faces. It is important you know what your blog
is all about and you can sell it, and also present it appropriately.”
Ladipo added that for bloggers to attain their expected heights, they should
improve on marketing and learn how to communicate.
“A lot of people do not know how to use the available tools. For instance,
everybody talks about social media, but nobody talks about how they can
grasp onto the social media. People need to know about target audience,
segmentations, and how to retain the interest of people who continue to visit
your blog; keeping people interested and understand that you are one amongst
many.
“That is the strength you need to have, the tools of marketing and
communication and it does not require long sessions of learning. It can be an
hour session of going through the principles of marketing and communication at
an introductory level, because you are not trying to go deeper on the subject,
but how to use the tools. Truly, content is king, but you need to be smart
about it. That is where marketing and communication aspects come in,” she
said.
Explaining why Smile Communications chose to support the conference, Ladipo
said, “We chose to support the conference due to the link between our service
offering and what the bloggers do.
“During my presentation, I asked how many people had Internet connection in
order to monitor what is happening now or what has happened in the last
hour that could inspire your writing. For bloggers to keep tabs on trends,
they must have internet connectivity.”
According to her, Internet connectivity is an utility that will soon be in the
range of demands like water supply, electricity, among others.
She said, “I will take it further to say blogging, Internet provision and
lifestyle are all connected. So, we partnered the organisers as a way of
bridging the gap between life style and communication.”
On the drive to collaborate with some bloggers, Ladipo said, “The organisers
will help in screening 10 bloggers that Smile Communications will partner.”
The Managing Director, Advert Strikers Limited, and convener of the
conference, Mr. Ayodele Oyebade, thanked Smile Communications for supporting
the conference where a new chain of professional bloggers will emerge.
Dear readers, don't just come and go, tell your friends about this blog too, thanks.
Wema Bank Plc says it has unveiled a new brand identity as part of the
efforts to reposition itself as a modern and customer-focused bank.
In a statement on Monday, the lender said the development was in continuation
of the strides it had made in the past three years to revamp the brand.
The new brand identity was unveiled in Lagos at an event marking the 70th
anniversary of the indigenous bank, it added.
“This rebranding has been a thorough business evolution and will be launched
across all customer touchpoints and communications channels,” the Managing
Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Wema Bank, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi, said in
the statement.
According to him, the bank’s new logo speaks about the evolution of the
relationships built with all its stakeholders over the years.
This, he said, was signified in the new brand by interconnecting lines which
form a ‘W’.
He added, “As part of the rebrand, the bank’s traditional purple colour has
been revised to project a more vibrant, welcoming and modern outlook.”
Oloketuyi said, “The customer is at the centre of everything we do and
nurturing great relationships has been a hallmark of Wema Bank since its
inception. We have also made significant investments in people, technology and
process improvements in the last few years to lay a solid foundation for this
rebranding to come to life”.
“I’m very proud to see the great changes that have taken place internally and
externally at Wema Bank and we are committed to offering even better
services into the future.”
Established on May 2, 1945, as Agbonmagbe Bank, Wema Bank is the
longest surviving indigenous bank in Nigeria.
The bank has been striving in the last five years to gain a prominent position
in the Nigerian banking industry.
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has denied reports that he could join Paris Saint-
Germain on loan.
The 35-year-old will end his 24-year stay at Barcelona in Saturday’s
Champions League final against Juventus, having agreed a two-year deal with
Qatari side Al-Sadd, according to Goal.
And reports in the French media last week suggested the veteran could make
a temporary move to the French capital, with Al-Sadd owned by the brother
of PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
“I will not play for PSG,” Xavi told Qatari newspaper Al-Watan.
Xavi helped Barca to a 3-1 Copa del Rey final victory over Athletic Bilbao
on Saturday in what was his final appearance at Camp Nou.
His last match as a Barcelona player will be on Saturday in Berlin as the
Spanish outfit face Juventus in the Champions League final and victory would
see him lift the trophy for the fourth time in his career.
Xavi claimed eight La Liga titles and three Copa del Rey crowns during his
time with Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Xavi has described Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi as an
“amazing luxury” following his contribution against Athletic Bilbao on
Saturday, Football Espana reports.
The Argentine scored an acclaimed solo goal to break the deadlock in the
Copa del Rey final, before wrapping up a 3-1 triumph for La Blaugrana with
a second late on, and the midfielder struggled to find the superlatives worthy
of his colleague’s performance after the final whistle at Camp Nou.
Chris Brown‘s Ex-Girlfriend Karrueche is letting it be known to the
world that she is free to take pics with any guy that she would
like to.
In a matter of fact, she is letting it be known that she can do
whatever she would like to do; and thats period! regardless of how
her ex Chris Brown chooses to act.
Karrueche was asked to why Breezy got so mad over her recent
picture with Tyson Beckford.
She pours out,
“You are asking the wrong one.”
Are you ready for some Kylie Jenner Music?
Apparently, rumor has it that Kanye West is helping Kylie Jenner
get on in the music industry. Kylie is ready to put out some music
too. Allegedly, Kanye has been working with Kylie one-on-one to
make sure she’s successful. Kylie’s mother, Kris Jenner , confirmed
that Kylie has in fact been taking singing lessons.
Badoo is back!
Just few weeks after releasing the banger “Bobo“, Olamide surprises with the
premiere of visuals for brand new track “ Melo Melo “, produced by Pheelz.
The YBNL boss pours out his heart on this Yoruba/afro ballad.
Shot in London, the video is directed by Moe Musa .
Watch!
DOWNLOAD
New single from the Afro House artiste!
Following the successful releases of “ Ibadi “, “ Gbowode” and “ Akara Oyibo “,
Niniola drops another single and this is titled “Soke “.
As she jumps on yet another Sarz produced beat, the MTN Project Fame
(Season 6) 3rd runner up continues to prove that she’s here to stay!
DOWNLOAD
Kim Kardashian has made no attempts to hide the fact that she and husband
Kanye West have been trying really hard to have a second child and now their
efforts have paid off as the reality TV star revealed on the mid-season finale
of Keeping up with the Kardashians that she is pregnant.
In the teaser of the show Kim Kardashian can be seen telling her sister Khloe
Kardashian that she got her blood work back from the doctor and she’s
pregnant.
The Flying Eagles have lost their opening match in the FIFA U-20
World Cup holding in New Zealand.
The Flying Eagles lost 2-4 in a thriller to 5-time champions, Brazil
at the Taranaki stadium.
The game was fiery from the onset, and in 4 minutes Brazil
already had the lead.
Judivan, who would go on to play a huge role, slipped in Joao
Pedro and the overlapping right-back’s low cross set up Gabriel
Jesus for a crisp close-range finish.
The Eagles had leveled matters just 7 minutes later, with Musa
Yahaya sending an outrageous ‘rabona’ through ball for Success
Isaac to race through, round the keeper and slot coolly into the
unguarded net.
It was a terrible game for Nigerian goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo , who
gifted away 2 goals and threw away the hardwork of the team.
The Flying Eagles are now bottom of Group E, and will play Korea
DPR at 5am on the 4th of June in their next match.
Chelsea has three players who will feature in the Copa America
slated to start June 11, Willian, Filipe Luis and Cuadrado.
Mourinho has now confirmed that these three South Americans will
miss the start of the season so they can get the required rest.
Willian and Luis will feature for Barcelona while Cuadrado will do
same for Colombia.
“They need holidays. It’s very important for them they have their
proper rest,” Mourinho told reporters.
“The squad are at the limits of their physical and mental energy. In
a couple of weeks they will have their month’s holiday to prepare for
pre-season.
“The players in the Copa America will need a rest after that.
Willian, Cuadrado and Filipe will not start the season with us, for
sure.”
Amir Khan wants to make sure Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s last boxing
match is one to remember.
Mayeather, who beat Manny Pacquiao in last month’s mega fight,
has just one match left till he retires, and Khan is looking to be the
one he takes on.
Khan beat American boxer Chris Algieri in his most recent match,
pushing his career record to 31-3, and after the match, called out
Mayweather.
“Amir Khan wants to fight Floyd Mayweather,” Khan screamed in
the ring. “I want that next. I’m number one World Boxing Council
(challenger). He’s the champion. So let’s make it happen.”
The fuel scarcity continues to hit hard at the economy, with media
houses and telecoms providers all feeling the brunt of the scarcity.
It has now claimed its first scalp of the banking sector, with
Guaranty Trust Bank informing customers that the lack of fuel has
begun to take its toll.
In a notice sent to customers, the bank announced that in order to
extend the length of their reserves, all their branches would close
from 1pm as of Monday, 25th of August, 2015.
The bank however stated that e-branches, ATMs, and internet banking
services would remain fully functional.
The bite of the fuel scarcity has taken another scalp in the
telecommunications sector.
Etisalat today released a statement warning of possible disruptions in
service due to the fuel scarcity.
The company stated that it was doing all it could to minimize the
impact on customers, and pleaded for understanding.
The current nationwide scarcity of refined petroleum products has reached a
crisis point with a litre of petrol selling for between N200 and N600 in
many parts of the country, while diesel, household kerosene and liquefied
natural gas have also become elusive.
Also, with power generation dropping to an all-time low of 1,327 megawatts,
most Nigerian households are now living without electricity as they have also
run out of fuel to power their generators.
Even before the dip in power generation, most Nigerian households have been
relying on generators as the main source of their power supply while using
the public power supply as a backup. However, the fuel shortages which
started over a week ago, have made it impossible for households to even get
fuel to power their generators.
Although, daily fuel consumption nationwide is about 40 million litres per day,
it is estimated that a sizeable proportion of the demand goes into fuelling of
generators.
“It is now impossible for me to get a four-litre fuel to run my small
generator,” a man who was in the queue in one of the filling stations, told
one of our correspondents on Sunday.
Also, a resident of one of the upscale estates in Magodo, who identified
himself as John Adebayo, told one of our correspondents that he had been
unable to run his generator for three days because he could not get diesel to
buy.
“I have money to buy diesel but it is just not available anywhere. I can’t
even pump water, it is really pathetic,”he lamented.
Already, the situation has started affecting companies with some firms like
MTN and Airtel saying that they could not get diesel to run generators at
base stations.
Unless urgent steps are taken by the Federal Government and all concerned
stakeholders, many citizens will find it difficult to get to their various places
of work and business as from today (Monday) due to the crippling scarcity
of refined petroleum products occasioned by the refusal of marketers to import
them and a strike by tanker drivers.
Our correspondents reported on Sunday that petrol had dried up in almost all
the filling stations nationwide, while black marketers capitalised on the
prevailing scarcity by selling the product in jerry cans for between N200 and
N600 per litre in places like Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Kaduna and Oyo states, as
well as the Federal Capital Territory.
The situation affected vehicular movements in many parts of Lagos and Ogun
states on Sunday, with attendance at religious centres unusually low, while
commercial transport operators raised their fares by over 300 per cent.
All the filling stations owned by major oil marketers visited by our
correspondents were under lock and key. Majority of the independent petroleum
products marketers were also not selling petrol on Sunday.
The very few independent marketers with petrol were selling the product for
between N150 and N400 per litre, while black market dealers were selling for
between N500 and N600 per litre in some of the stations visited.
A motorist plying the Berger-Mowe route traversing Lagos and Ogun states,
who simply identified himself as Ola, expressed disappointment with the slow
response of the government to the problem, adding that with the situation on
the ground, workers would have to part with a lot of money to get to their
offices on Monday (today).
A commercial transport operator in Ikorodu, Lagos, told one of our
correspondents that he bought 30 litres of petrol for N12,000 instead of
N2,610 at the regulated price of N87 per litre.
It was gathered that virtually all the filling stations in Osun State had run
out of petrol as of Sunday, thereby forcing the residents to stay indoors.
A major petroleum products’ marketer told one of our correspondents that the
Federal Government had refused to meet them to resolve the lingering issues
surrounding the payment of the subsidy arrears owed the marketers.
The marketer, who pleaded anonymity, said since the last meeting they had
with the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on May 4, nothing
had changed.
The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr.
Thomas Olawore, said though the marketers had reached out to the President-
elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on the lingering fuel supply problems, they had yet
to get a positive response.
He confirmed that the marketers were not importing petrol at the moment,
because they did not have the wherewithal to do so.
The spokesperson for the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Saidu
Muhammed, said the product scarcity was primarily due to the ongoing
workers’ strike in the NNPC.
He said, “Products are not coming out from the depots and there’s virtually
nothing anybody can do for now. But hopefully, when they resolve the strike,
things may become normal.
“The strike by the NNPC workers is affecting all the depots. And until the
strike is called off, there will be no loading. There is no loading in almost
all the depots across the country and so products are not coming out.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has noted with
concern the current energy crisis facing the country, which it describes as
unprecedented.
In a statement signed by its President, Alhaji Remi Bello, the LCCI called on
President Goodluck Johnathan to bring a halt to the imminent collapse of
economic and social life in the country.
Bello said, “There should be an immediate engagement of stakeholders in the
petroleum industry to discuss the outstanding issues of indebtedness and
related labour matters in the interest of the economy and the citizens. The
situation should not be allowed to degenerate any further.
“The Lagos Chamber urges the incoming administration to immediately deregulate
the oil and gas downstream sector on assumption of office in order to
provide an enduring solution to the recurring problem of petroleum products’
scarcity, corruption inherent in the subsidy regime, the collapse of refineries,
lack of investment in the downstream sector, loss of jobs and so on.
“Options available to the incoming administration in this matter are very
limited. The current regime of subsidy and government’s direct involvement in
the operations of oil and gas sector should be discontinued. Government needs
to get out of the way, so that the sector and the economy as a whole can
make progress. This will pave the way for the restoration of normalcy in the
sector and attract private capital, boost investments and create jobs.”
Similarly, a Global System of Mobile communications provider, Airtel Networks
Limited, said in a statement that its commitments to delivering best-in-class
quality of service and seamless telephony experience to all Nigerians was being
affected by its inability to procure diesel for its base stations.
The company stated, “While we are currently doing everything within our
means as well as going the extra mile to ensure that all our base stations
and switches are up and running, it is sad to note that it is becoming
increasingly difficult to replenish current stock of diesel due to the lingering
scarcity of the product.
“We are also concerned that, if the situation persists, it may have adverse
effects on our network, impacting both voice and data services.”
MTN Nigeria had issued a similar statement on Saturday.
A faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress led by Mr. Joe Ajaero said on
Sunday in Kaduna that the current fuel scarcity across the country was a
war against Nigerians.
It, therefore, warned that should the scarcity persist, organised labour would
have no choice than to embark on an indefinite strike.
This was contained in a statement by the factional Deputy President of the
NLC, Alhaji Issa Aremu, which was made available to newsmen in Kaduna on
Sunday.
Music star Seyi Shay stepped out for an event in Warri this weekend and she
looked quite fab in a beaded orange, blue, black and silver dress by Nigerian
brand Iconic Invanity.
President elect Buhari who left Nigeria for the UK on Friday May
22nd reportedly rejected the Rolls Royce car the Nigerian Embassy in
the UK made available for him as he arrived London.
A member of his entourage who spoke with The Nation said after
exchanging pleasantries with the Nigerian High Commissioner to the
UK, Dr Dalhatu Tafida, the president-elect politely told them that his
visit was strictly private and he had made arrangement for all his
needs while in the UK.
He thanked them for the warm reception and quickly hopped into a
less flamboyant car he had arranged for and drove out of the
airport.
“It appeared he was uncomfortable with the number of
exotic cars in the convoy. Hard as the stunned diplomats
present tried to convince him, he refused to bulge, insisting
that since he did not inform the Commission of his visit
because it was not an official trip, hence he was not
entitled to such grandeur.” the source said
Pep Guardiola says his Bayern Munich side will be stronger next
season.
The Bavarian outfit lifted the Bundesliga trophy after a 2-0 win
over Mainz. A trophy they already sealed late April. After sealing
their Bundesliga title though, they went on to lose five out of six
games, crash out of the DFB Pokal and kicked out of the UCL.
Guardiola though remains happy as he picked up his second title in a
row and promises a stronger team next season.
“I must congratulate the team, my staff and our fans,” he said
after the game. “They gave us great support, especially against
Barcelona.
“Next season we will come back stronger. I’m hoping to build the
best possible squad.”
“We had a very good season. We have won the title for the third
year in a row, which is not easy,” he said.
“In the Champions League semi-final, we lost it in the first leg in
Barcelona in the last 10 minutes, otherwise we might have reached the
final.
“We were getting close to two finals with that and the DFB-Pokal.
If you look at the whole season, we have done very well.”
While going all ratchet on an Instagram follower who accused her of
using her and Chris Brown’s child for money and fame, Nia
Guzman revealed that Chris Brown does not pay anything to her and
the baby in child support.
Ace Hood has called out Sarkodie over claims that he was the one
that began proceedings for their collaboration, New Guy.
The duo had shot the video for the song in Miami last week, and
Sarkodie had claimed after he returned that it was Ace Hood’s reps
who had contacted him first.
“I didn’t make any announcement because basically I kind of doubted
it which is bad but then such a call always makes you feel like ‘is
it like a prank or something’ so I got my agents in the States who
actually contacted me that Ace Hood contacted,” he said.
“When he [Ace Hood] kind of checked out what was happening in
Africa, [he] look[ed] at the bunch of people he can connect with, the
type of sound that he was looking for and then lucky for Sark it
was me.”
A fan on Twitter, who didn’t seem to believe Sark’s story, told
Ace Hood about the story, who denied it.
According to Ace Hood, Sarkodie paid him $25,000 for the
feature.
“@cazalbek @kafuitrevor let me find out niggas spreading false
rumors! When dat 25k hit my acc the feature got done! I don’t
play dem games,” he tweeted.
As they say “when two elephants are fighting, the grass suffers”.
The standoff between the Federal Government and the Oil Marketers
Association has begun to affect not only the citizens but also
companies.
Radio stations like Beat 99.9 FM and Classic 97.3 FM announced
that they’d be shutting services down early because of diesel
shortage.
Telecoms giant MTN also announced a warning that services would
be impaired due to the scarcity.
Beat 99.9fm tweeted "We will be shutting down at 8.30pm today due to diesel
shortage. We have to ration. We will be back on tomorrow.
We will keep you updated"
