PHOTOS: The Beautiful Game Will Never Be The Same Without Alex - Arsene Wenger

rsene Wenger reckons the English football will not be the same without “immaculate” Alex Ferguson.

Fergie is calling it quits after nearly 27 years in charge at Manchester United, with Everton boss David Moyes replacing him in the summer.
A host of Premier League managers have rushed to pay tribute to the 71-year-old, with Arsenal boss Wenger keen to praise his old rival.
The Frenchman said: “I would just like to pay tribute to an unbelievable achievement and a fantastic career.
“Basically the achievement is immaculate, when you look at the whole structure and consistency of the achievement. It is, of course, something exceptional.
“It is difficult to imagine English football without him, but it’s now a reality and a fact.
“Of course the next manager has to fill in and show he has the dimension to do that. It is a big task for the guy who comes in.”
ALL SMILES … Fergie and Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini feels honoured to have competed against Ferguson, who the Italian believes to be the greatest of his generation.
Mancini said: “For me, it has been a great honour and pleasure to compete against Sir Alex for three years.
“It was a great honour to beat him in Old Trafford and I wish him good luck for his future. I don’t know for which reasons (he has retired).
ITALIAN manager enjoyed his derby showdowns with the retiring Manchester United boss
“Everyone can have his opinion but one manager who stays for 27 years in the same club and won every trophy for 27 years — it is an incredible situation.
“I don’t think there will be another manager like him.
“It is difficult to say Sir Alex is the best (ever) but he is the best in the last 27 years.”
OLD PALS … QPR boss Harry Redknapp and Fergie have been competing for 20 years
SunSport columnist and QPR boss Harry Redknapp has been doing battle with Ferguson for the best part of 20 years.
And he feels Fergie’s retirement will leave a big hole in the game.
Redknapp said: “He will be a great loss to the league and football.
“He is a fantastic manager, but a top bloke as well who always had time for young managers if they phoned up — no matter what level they were at.”
Redknapp is delighted for Moyes, believing the Scot to be ideal for the job.
He added: “He’s the perfect choice and I think it is good that they have taken a British coach and have given him a chance. They have not just gone abroad but taken someone who has done his apprenticeship.
“It gives great hopes for everyone out there in all divisions.”
YOU GOT A FRIEND IN NEED … Big Sam could always rely on advice from Fergie
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce revealed how he has turned to Ferguson for help on many occasions over the years.
He said: “I have been managing for 20 years now and a lot of that has been phone calls when you are in a pretty dark place in this game as a manager.
“You need some advice and you need to know who to turn to, and that solid advice would always come from Sir Alex if you rang him.”



GENERATION GAME … wily old Fergie takes on young buck AVB Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas feels next year could be a crucial one for Manchester United as they adapt to life under a new manager.
The Portuguese said: “It’s a big time for Manchester United, a completely different situation.
“They’ve appointed a great manager, a person full of charisma and passion for the game like David Moyes.
“I think the appointment is excellent but the transition from a manager who represented so much for that club is going to be very sensible. I believe that it will be a different story.”

 

 

Source: 247NigeriaNews

Is Adokiye Planning Collaboration With Rihanna?

The Afro-pop princess, Adokiye is certainly planning to hit the  global stage. Recently, the Diva tweeted “Adokiye ft Rihanna"  and the tweet seemed to have caused some thrills everywhere.

Locally, she has been on track with Olamide, Addiction and a few other good acts but could this mean she is planning to hit international stage?

 

The Afro-pop princess is just few months old in the music business, yet she has become a force to reckon with, in the industry.

 

The buzz is that the controversial singer is planning an international collaboration with an American pop star,Rihanna. With her hit singles, uptight videos and many more, her fans can’t but expect the best from her.

Source: Vanguard

Family Of Four Killed In Auto Crash

 

AT least four members of the same family reportedly lost their lives in an auto crash in Akure, the Ondo State capital Friday when officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission FRSC allegedly stopped a vehicle in the middle of the road abruptly.

The action of the FRSC officials according to eyewitness account resulted in three vehicles ramming into one another along the ever busy Ilesa-Owo expressway in Akure metropolis.
Some irate youths mobilized to the FRSC office along the road and vandalized it.
 Timely intervention of policemen from Ijapo Police Station prevented the youths from razing down the office.
Other officials of the Commission who were on patrol reportedly took to their heels when they saw the mob approaching them.
The officials of the commission were said to be on patrol along the express road when the incident occurred.
The eye witness Taiwo who is a motor dealer at the Akure Auto mart which is adjacent to the scene of the crash said that the FRSC officials stopped the driver of vehicle in the midst of the road and were checking its particulars.
An oncoming trailer reportedly lost control and rammed into the vehicle and compressed it.
A visit to the scene showed that a red Toyota Corolla car marked Lagos BBG 247 AU was being moved away from the major road.
In an interview the Head of Operations of the Commission in the state Mr. Sunday Ajayi, said none of the occupants of the affected vehicle died.
Ajayi denied that men of the Commission were responsible for the crash adding that they were on normal mobile court exercise when the incident happened.
According to him ” two of the injured persons were recuperating at the Jojein Hospital in the Oke Ijebu area of Akure while the two others were receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Akure.
 ”The attention of our officers who were on mobile court exercise was called to the accident and they immediately rushed to the scene.
“However just as they were trying to rescue the victims, some people mobilised to the scene and started vandalising our vehicles.
“The mob stormed the scene thinking that we caused the accident but the situation is calm now because security men were invited to maintain peace.”

Source: Vanguard

Nasarawa Killing: 28 Policemen Found Alive, Death Toll Rises To 43

The police said 93 officers went for the operation.

 

The Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Akeremale, has confirmed that 28 policemen have been found alive, following the attack by a militia group on May 7.

 

Mr. Akeremale told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lafia, on Friday that some of the policemen held hostage by the group during the attack were released on Friday morning.

 

He said that 17 corpses of the slain officers were yet to be recovered, explaining that a total of 93 police men were deployed for the operation out of which 43 were suspected to have been killed.

 

The police and the state government have blamed a group, Ombatse, in Nasarawa for the killings. The sect members ambushed the security operatives.

 

Reliable security sources said that 65 security officials- largely police officers – were killed in the ambush; a figure which if added to the survivors gives the 93 Mr. Akeremale said went for the operation. Many of the victims were later burnt beyond recognition by the attackers.

 

The police commissioner said that a suspected member of the militia had been arrested and was in police custody, adding that investigations on the incident were going on.

 

As at time of filing this report, Mr. Akeremale was making arrangements to visit the Squadron 38 Mopol Base in Akwanga.

 

The commissioner said the visit was to appeal to spouses and children of the slain policemen who had blocked the Akwanga-Lafia highway in protest over the killing.

Source: Premium Times

Niger-Delta Youths To Tambuwal: Leave Dokubo, Kuku Alone Or Else…

Niger Delta youths, Thursday, stormed Abuja in a large number to warn the Speaker of the House of Representatives to forget the thought of investigating the duo of Asari Dokubo and Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, over their claims that there would be no peace in Nigeria if President Jonathan is voted out in 2015.

And, to ensure that Tambuwal does not take further steps toward punishing the two vociferous Niger Delta activists, the youths under the aegis of South-South Restoration Forum, asked President Jonathan and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party to call the Speaker to order so as not to provoke their anger.
The leader of the SSRF, Mr. Selekaye Ben, told newsmen that Tambuwal was bias against the people of the South-South judging by his disposition to issues involving the region.
Ben, who was accompanied by the national secretary of SSRF, Mr. Ofana Paul Santon and others, queried the speaker for daring to invite and investigate Dokubo and Kuku over their inflammatory statements without seeing anything wrong with similar provocative statements by leading northern political actors and commentators.
Recalling several newspaper reports by prominent northerners, such as Gen Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, Lawal Kaita, Bello Kirfi and Abu Shalluwa, all threatening to cause trouble if Jonathan attempted to seek re-election in 2015, the SSRF wondered why Tambuwal had not deemed it necessary to question them or raise a motion to invite them for sanctions.
Ben warned that if the House of Representatives moves against the two Ijaw men, youths in the region would march into the premises with them so as to make it impossible for them to operate.
Ben pointed out that they would no longer take it kindly with any individual or groups of persons who continue to suppress or intimidate the people of the South-South, who he said, have been paying the supreme price of keeping the nation running with their oil resources over the years.
Ben said, “We call on the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the national leadership of the PDP and the President of the Senate to call the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and his team to put an end to any form of intimidation of the people of the South-South zone of Nigeria on National issues.

Source: Vanguard

How David Mark Will Take Over From Jonathan

The social contract between the governors and the governed is on tenterhooks. Is it not scandalous that barely over two years into the administration of President Goodluck Ebelewane Jonathan that the nation has come to a near grinding halt!

Workers have been threatening (and are still threatening) to go on strike; mainly as a result of the governors reneging on their agreement of the N18,000 minimum wage.
The workers threat was a wake-up call and out of the blues the governors decided to swim to the safety of “strike avoidance” by agreeing to pay the minimum wage.
Translation - the minimum wage for a Nigerian worker equates to just over a $100 a month and shamelessly this was a topic for discussion and disagreement by state governors who receive billions of naira per month in security votes alone.
To add insult upon injury most of them brazenly proceed to loot the treasury. The emphasis is on “most”, because we must exonerate the few good ones that have the fear of God as their mantra.
Having made that point, you are obviously still assiduously wondering how on Earth Senator David Mark will unseat President Jonathan: Easy!
Firstly, the Legislature is in the firm grip of the Senate President, David Mark. Due to his inability to test the political temperature, it is on record that not one of President Jonathan’s candidates for any legislative position scaled through. A school of thought posits that this is a political embarrassment for the executive arm of government.
For instance, the day the Speaker of the House of Representatives was being elected, President Jonathan was away in America! (Whatever the official assignment, couldn’t the choice have been between a rock and a hard place? Perhaps a slight delay of the Presidential jet for a few more hours would have changed the course of Nigeria’s political history.
After all, it is not as if His Excellency had to take the route of lesser mortals; buy his tickets, queue up, take off his shoes, get thoroughly searched, suffer flight delays and then miss his flight! ) No.President Jonathan has his own fleet of presidential jets. It would, therefore, not have amounted to rocket science for the advisers to have garnered the wisdom in his waiting a few more hours to have an inkling as to the sort of legislature that would emerge.
That, however, was not the case. Unfortunately, his candidates were left directionless like foot soldiers without a General. Or more aptly, like soldiers without shoes.
As it turned out, President Jonathan lost grip of the House of Representatives. Was this a conspiracy? The senatorial scenario had earlier played out in such a manner that the self-made candidates were elected “unopposed”.  The question is, Who’s in control?
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As a political scientist, I know about the doctrine of separation of powers and all its appurtances; however, it resonates as a political fiction. Ask Harold Laswell. Indeed, it is a Freudian fragmentation.
As democratic as America seemingly is, President Barack Obama still has his preferred candidates and deploys all available democratic ploys, including moral persuasion, to ensure that his candidates scale through. This inspires confidence and loyalty in those who are for you and inspires fear in those who are against you.
Did not Niccolo Machiavelli state that for every great leader, “it is better to be feared than to be loved…?”
Secondly, the selection of Ministers and Special Advisers was influenced and determined mainly by one man- Senate President David Mark. Even his campaign Director-General was asked to “take a bow and go immediately” to become a Minister (of Interior). Nigerians were thereby denied the opportunity of listening to the eloquence and incredible political sagacity of the man who led the Senate President to victory.
Before our very eyes, he, like so many others, was asked to  “take a bow and go” because come to think of it Nigerians are wallowing in an unfathomable mesmerisation by senatorial pronouncements and senatorial debacles, but that is one of the concentric circles surrounding the subject matter of this topic.
The only ministerial nominee that President Jonathan stood by was stood down by the Senate. Nigerians will not be in a hurry to forget “those in favour say aye…against say nay”.
In the case of President Jonathan’s Nominee, the “nays” were so resounding that it was crystal clear who was in control. Gentleman Jonathan, he knew when to put the sword back in the scabbard and scamper. To put it mildly, it was a slap on the face of the executive by the legislature.
The Senate in Rome does not err and when it errs does not want to be seen as having erred. After all vox populi Supreme lei and vox populi vox Dei.
Lets leave the Judiciary out, for the simple reason that we have to believe in the independence of the Judiciary even if jurisprudence must be as long as the “Chancellor’s foot”!  The Judiciary itself may become overwhelmed by the manifest belief of the entire National Assembly in the leadership of one man – their beloved Senate President David Mark.
Prof. I.DUKE , an expert in international conflict resolution,  wrote from The Vatican.

Source: Vanguard