Home Blog Page 2280

FG to Cancel Remodelling Contract of Port Harcourt Domestic Airport.

By
Editor
-

Apparently miffed by what it described as antics of the contractor, the Federal Government has hinted on the plan to terminate the contract for the remodelling of the domestic wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State.

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, during an inspection of the airport, said government has had enough of the incomplete project, and will take a legal means to fix the problem.

Meanwhile, Sirika said the new terminal of the airport’s international wing is set to be completed by July this year.

Recall that The Guide to Sleeping in Airports 2017, survey rated the Port Harcourt airport as one of the worst aerodromes in the world, citing its rather unwelcoming ambience and officials’ extortion with impunity.

Speaking at the old terminal, which had been under remodelling since 2011, Sirika expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the contractor, Inter-Bua Construction Limited, in handling the project.

He said: “Unfortunately, this particular procurement started in 2011, and the contractor moved to site in 2012. Since then, he has taken his own speed the way he deems fit, and he has been indulged.

“He even changed the scope of work without approval, and subsequently went to the previous government and got approval to that effect. When we came in, we had no option than to continue since he had a legitimate extension and expansion approval from the then government.

“Since government is a continuum, we decided as a government to finish it in line with the thinking of President Muhammadu Buhari to complete all ongoing projects rather than create new ones.”

The minister noted that Port Harcourt is very important to the Nigerian economy; hence government is very keen on completing the project due to the current hardship being faced by travellers.

“I am disappointed with his slow pace of work and services. As the Minister of State for Aviation, I have invited him (the contractor) severally to my office to read him all the riot acts that I know how to.

Origin article from the Guardian.

Nigeria beat South Africa 6-0 to qualify for women’s world Cup.

By
Editor
-



The female U-20 national team of Nigeria, the Falconets have qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after thrashing their South African counterparts, Basetsana 6-0.

The match was played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, the Edo State capital on Saturday, January 27.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg match in Polokwane, the falconets pressed home their advantage early in the match by scoring five times in the first half to complete an aggregate score of 8-0.

Speaking in an interview after the game, Falconets Coach, Chris Danjuma praised the efforts of his side adding that the team will be reinforced with more players ahead of the biennial showpiece.

On her part, the South African coach, Maud Khumalo expressed satisfaction with the performance of her players despite the loss.

The 9th edition of the FIFA u-20 women’s world cup will be hosted by France between August 5 and 24, 2018.

Sunday night’s Royal Rumble.

By
Editor
-

Alongside the traditional 30-man elimination match, there will also be a women’s Royal Rumble for the first time in company history.

As it stands, many of the spaces open in the women’s match remain open and so there are likely to be plenty of surprise entrants whose names have not yet been revealed.

The winner of each will be guaranteed a WrestleMania match, so there is a huge amount at stake at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Sunday night.

The singles and tag team titles from both Raw and SmackDown will also be defended at the Sky Sports Box Office live event.

Universal champion Brock Lesnar defends his belt in a triple threat match against Braun Strowman and Kane, while Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan put the red brand’s tag straps on the line against Sheamus and Cesaro.

Randy Orton issued his intentions for the Royal Rumble this Sunday in devastating style on this week’s SmackDown

WWE Champion AJ Styles finds himself in deep water, facing the combined force of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and The Usos defend against Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin.

Federer chases 20th Grand Slam title.

By
Editor
-

Roger Federer will bid to claim his 20th Grand Slam title and successfully defend his Melbourne crown when he meets Marin Cilic in the Australian Open men’s final on Sunday (8.30am GMT).

The 36-year-old, through to his 30th major final, is yet to drop a set from his six matches over the fortnight while Grand Slam champion Cilic has impressed once again.

Despite the emergence of Britain’s Kyle Edmund and South Korea’s Hyeon Chung, the tournament’s denouement will be played out by two of the sport’s most experienced players.

Federer, bidding for a sixth Melbourne title, is into his seventh Australian Open final while US Open winner Cilic is the first Croatian male or female player to reach the showpiece encounter.

“We saw it against Rafa, we saw it again against Edmund. He [Cilic] brings power, he brings everything,” said Federer, who defeated Cilic in the Wimbledon final – a match that left the Croatian reduced to tears with a blister problem.

“Not having a brutal semi-final, he’ll have rest and we’ll see a different Marin Cilic this time. I’m excited to play him.”

The pair’s last meeting was in the group stage of the ATP Finals in London last season – a match Federer won in three competitive sets – but on the Grand Slam stage it is a repeat of the Wimbledon final which the world No 2 won in straight sets.

“I am not looking at it as revenge,” said Cilic, whose only victory over Federer came in the US Open semi-finals at Flushing Meadows where the 29-year-old Croatian won his only Grand Slam to date.

“It was on me that I couldn’t give my best in Wimbledon and that happens even with Rafa towards the end of the match and with Kyle – he had a small injury or fatigue towards the end of the match – those things happen.

“For me, it’s great to again be in the final, I give myself another opportunity to win a Grand Slam, I am playing really good tennis.

“I think overall consistently, I am playing better, I am performing better when you look at match after match. At the US Open, it was amazing tennis that I played but it was more difficult for me to keep it [up] for [a] long period of time. Now I feel this level of tennis I can sustain it.”

Roger Federer is the oldest man to reach an Australian Open final in the Open Era since Ken Rosewall in 1972.

Federer, who failed to win a major between Wimbledon 2012 and the start of 2017, revealed in his on-court interview after his semi-final victory over Chung that he had almost given up hope of reaching the 20 Grand Slam titles milestone.

“Seriously, no. I wouldn’t be thinking this way,” Federer said. “I know how hard it is to win on the clay, I know how hard it is to win any major for that matter. It just doesn’t come around very easily.

“Plus I was fighting for so many years with Novak and Rafa and other great players – that blocked it for me for a while.

“I don’t want to say I gave up hope – I was going to be happy if I won one more major before I retired, but here we are. Two more, maybe a third. One match away, let’s see what happens.”

Liverpool out of FA cup following loss to West Brom.

By
Editor
-

West Brom dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup after their chaotic 3-2 win at Anfield in the fourth round was dominated by VAR calls.

Liverpool took the lead through Roberto Firmino’s deft lob from a rebound (6), but West Brom were level just a minute later as Jay Rodriguez slammed home from 18 yards (7).

Rodriguez made it three goals in six minutes, finishing off from close range from Kieran Gibbs’ cross (11), before VAR intervened twice in quick succession.

Craig Dawson’s header was correctly ruled out for a Gareth Barry offside at one end, before Liverpool were awarded a penalty for Grzegorz Krychowiak’s tug on Mo Salah, with Craig Pawson going to the pitch-side VAR screen for the first time in English football. Firmino stepped up, but hit the bar with his penalty.

It was 3-1 to West Brom in first-half stoppage time as Joel Matip inadvertently turned home Dawson’s angled effort (45+2), and though Salah halved the deficit with a low finish with 12 minutes remaining, Liverpool could not force a replay.

Liverpool opened the scoring after just six minutes through Firmino, who produced a delightful chip over Ben Foster from 20 yards after the West Brom goalkeeper had kept out Salah’s low effort.

But West Brom were instantly level as Rodriguez found a yard just inside the box from Chris Brunt’s square pass and produced a fierce effort into the top right corner.

Rodriguez’s second added to a frenzied opening at Anfield, tapping home from eight yards from Gibbs’ centre as West Brom easily split open the Liverpool defence twice again.

Liverpool’s defensive frailties were highlighted once more just minutes later as Dawson beat Firmino to the ball and headed home from a corner, but referee Pawson went to VAR and correctly found that Barry was in an offside position and interfering with Simon Mignolet.

There was further VAR controversy in the other box as Krychowiak tugged Salah’s shirt in the penalty area, with Pawson going to the VAR pitch-side screen to give a penalty. Three minutes after the original call, Firmino hit the bar from the spot.

Liverpool’s defence then allowed Dawson to turn an effort goalwards before the break, with Matip making a hash of his clearance as the ball fell into the far corner. Pawson went to VAR again after an offside hint, but correctly allowed the goal to stand.

Jurgen Klopp made a triple change on 65 minutes in an attempt to save the game, bringing on Danny Ings, Jordan Henderson and James Milner, and it was Ings who was soon forcing Foster into a good save with an effort from 15 yards.

Salah made it 3-2 with a fine low finish after Firmino had laid the ball off from 15 yards to the right of the penalty area, but Liverpool could not make their pressure tell in the closing stages.

Just over a minute after going behind to Firmino’s wonderfully executed chip, West Brom drew level thanks to an equally stunning strike from Rodriguez.

He followed up that piledriver with a tap-in a few minutes later and ultimately proved to be the match-winner as Liverpool were unable to find an elusive third goal.

That double means that Rodriguez has scored three goals in his last two appearances – incidentally all on Merseyside – and his tireless work-rate and finishing ability was pivotal to West Brom’s progression into the fifth round.

Liverpool’s 19-game unbeaten home run came to an end, with this their first defeat at Anfield since a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in April 2017.
Jay Rodriguez has scored seven goals in his last 10 FA Cup appearances.
Liverpool have failed to score with six of their last 10 penalties in all competitions, with four different players failing with those spot kicks (Origi, Firmino, Salah and Milner).
There were just 71 seconds between Liverpool’s first goal and West Brom’s equaliser.

What’s next?

Liverpool now go to Huddersfield on Tuesday night in the Premier League, while West Brom are at leaders Man City the following evening.

Sky Sports.

Madrid beat Valencia 4:1.

By
Editor
-

Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards, on 16 and 38 minutes, after Martin Montoya had been penalised for fouling the Portuguese forward and then Karim Benzema.

Santi Mina brought Valencia back into it after the break before late strikes from Marcelo and Toni Kroos put a gloss on the scoreline to hand Real a morale-boosting victory.

Valencia are third in La Liga, just two points ahead of Real, while Zidane’s men have a game in hand.

Gareth Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo have not played much together this season but all three were involved in the opening goal.

Ronaldo embarked on a lightning-quick counter-attack after Bale had cleared a Valencia corner with his head and linked up with Benzema before being upended rashly by Montoya’s sliding lunge. Ronaldo dusted himself down and took the penalty himself, sending Neto the wrong way.

Valencia responded well to going behind and should have equalised just after the half-hour mark when Ezequiel Garay teed up Geoffrey Kondogbia inside the six-yard box. However, the Frenchman, who impressed in the first half, could not sort his feet out and bobbled a shot hopelessly into the arms of Keylor Navas.

Moments later, it was 2-0 and again Ronaldo was on the scoresheet from the penalty spot after Montoya had clumsily bundled Benzema to the floor. Ronaldo stepped up to the spot again and this time buried a decisive shot into the opposite corner to double his and Real’s tally.

The scoreline flattered the visitors somewhat and Valencia eventually made their breakthrough as Santi Mina ghosted beyond Nacho to head the ball beyond Keylor Navas from close-range following Dani Parejo’s pinpoint out-swinging corner. Navas was then forced into a wonderful stop to deny Parejo, flinging out a trailing leg to deny a goalbound effort from the Valencia captain.

Team news
Due to a defensive injury crisis, Francis Coquelin started in central defence for Valencia while top-scorer Simone Zaza was named on the bench.Zinedine Zidane was without the services of Sergio Ramos but was able to call upon Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in attack.
Having withstood a flurry of Valencia chances, Real effectively sealed the win with six minutes of normal time remaining as Marcelo and substitute Marco Asensio combined on the left wing before the Brazilian jinked his way into the area and fired a low strike beyond his compatriot Neto at his near post.

Zinedine Zidane has vowed to turn things around at Real Madrid
With Valencia’s players looking exhausted and out of ideas, Real picked them off for their fourth goal in the 89th minute with Kroos scoring trademark goal from the edge of the box after being set-up by a delightful flick from Mateo Kovacic. In a week where Zidane’s position has been called into question, his players delivered the perfect response.

What’s next?

Real Madrid are in action against Levante next Saturday live on Sky Sports Football from 7.40pm while Valencia face a tough trip to the Wanda Metropolitano against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Sky Sports.

El-Rufai’s committee report, a threshold to a new Nigeria – Professor Efemini.

By
Editor
-

Professor Andrew Efemini has praised the Nasir El-Rufai-led committee report, saying that it is the greatest gift to Nigeria as it offers a rational, regional, and pragmatic state structure that will bring real control to Nigeria’s many bureaucracies.

The professor who made the comments while anchoring a phone-in radio program on 95.1 Today FM in Portharcourt on Saturday added that it is now the duty of every well meaning Nigerian to hold the Buhari-led federal government to ransom with the report.

Breaking down the contents of the report, Efemini who is a Professor of Philosophy of Development said that the report, when passed, will alter the national revenue sharing formula and change the way we have lived since 1914.

Efemini who maintained that no nation can progress if it is run on the Nigeria’s type of political structure said that it is a shame that our entire national budget for 2018 is equivalent to that of one University in the United States.

In his own words “ This is something that we have been fighting for since the 70s and it has now been handed to us on a platter of gold. I am so excited about the report because it offers a rational regional pragmatic state structure that will be most beneficial to the Niger Delta people and the rest of the country”

“The day that President Mohammedu Buhari said no to restructuring, I wrote that APC as a party should overrule the president because it is in the party’s manifesto. I said that if Nigeria does not restructure, APC will not win election. This is a clear evidence of consensus building.

“That report is a threshold for a new country. This is a sensitive year and we need to focus critically on what the politicians have for us. APC knows that the key to winning next year’s election is in implementing that report”

“It is not a party thing because the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, who is a member of the the PDP has also supported the committee’s report”

The Professor maintained that Nigeria’s main problem is that of a faulty structure which has rendered every attempt at national development redundant.

He said that there can never be real national progress as regards economic growth and human development unless the structure is rearranged with adequate policies put in place that will give rise to real national development.

He added that restructuring will take care of the insecurity issues bedeviling the country, saying that Nigerians need to mount pressure on government to make sure that the report is passed before the end of the year as the country needs peculiar reforms especially in the judiciary.

In his response to a caller who said that the APC hastily submitted the report in order to douse tension generated by the Olusegun Obasanjo’s 13-paged letter with which he had criticized President Buhari’s lackluster leadership style, the professor countered that Obasanjo inflicted several ills on the country especially the enactment of the land use act which stripped the locals exclusive rights to their land and the resources under it.

He added that the El-Rufai’s report is something special and the opportunity should be grabbed with both hands because it offers a new beginning.

Police to confiscate expensive clothes from teens.

By
Editor
-

Police in the Dutch city of Rotterdam have launched a new pilot programme which will see them confiscating expensive clothing and jewellery from young people if they look too poor to own them, according to Independent news.

Officers say the scheme will see them target younger men in designer clothes they seem unlikely to be able to afford legally – if it is not clear how the person paid for it, it will be confiscated.

The idea is to deter criminality by sending a signal that the men will not be able to hang onto their ill-gotten gains.

Rotterdam police chief Frank Paauw told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “They are often young men who consider themselves untouchable. We’re going to undress them on the street.

“We regularly take a Rolex from a suspect. Clothes rarely. And that is especially a status symbol for young people. Some young people now walk with jackets of €1800. They do not have any income, so the question is how they get there.”

He said the young men targeted often have no income and are already in debt from fines for previous convictions but wearing expensive clothing.

This “undermines the rule of law” which sends “a completely false signal to local residents”, he explained.

The trial is due to start in the Rotterdam West section of the city and police say they will target one gang in particular.

The scheme comes after a previous pilot which looked at the expensive cars suspected criminals drove despite not having an income.

The team is also looking at shell companies, drug crime and illegal gambling. In 2016, Rotterdam was able to confiscate €11.5m.

But critics have attacked the idea saying it is a “slippery slope” towards racial profiling.

City ombudsman Anne Mieke Zwaneveld told AD: “We realised that [they] do not want to create the appearance that there is ethnic profiling but the chances of this happening are very large.”

She said it would be very legally difficult to prove officers were justified in taking people’s coats in the middle of the street: “It is not forbidden to walk around in the street. In addition, it is often unclear how such a piece of clothing is paid and how old it is. “

Jair Schalkwijk,a spokesman for a national anti-profiling organisation Control Alt Delete, believes the policy is against a previous promise by police not to target people who look like “typical criminals”.

Aymeric might move to City.

By
Editor
-

English club, Manchester City are close to signing Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte.

City are thought to be happy to match the defender’s £57m release clause, which would break the club’s transfer record of £55m that they paid for Kevin De Bruyne in 2015.

Sky Sports News reported earlier this week discussions had begun between the clubs over a deal for the 23 year-old.

The club expects Aymeric Laporte to develop into one of the Premier League’s best defenders if his move to Manchester City goes through

Laporte, who has made 19 appearances for Athletic this season, was left out of their squad to face Eibar on Friday.

Pep Guardiola refused to give anything away when asked about their pursuit of Laporte, but it appears they have now persuaded the Spanish club to part company with the highly-rated Frenchman.

Asked whether Laporte was a player of interest, Guardiola said: “There were players in the past who we were interested in and we will be in the present and the future.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola remains coy over moves for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred

“I always try to do the best for the club; knowing the players that we have and knowing the players that can improve our squad.”

Laporte previously turned down a move to the Etihad in October 2016 but the Premier League leaders have always remained interested.

Ronaldo to stay back at Madrid.

By
Editor
-

Cristiano Ronaldo says he wants to stay at Real Madrid because he “loves” the club and the city.

Ronaldo’s future has been the source of widespread speculation with reports suggesting he wants to leave the Santiago Bernabeu over a contract dispute.

Analysts have said Real Madrid have no intention of paying Ronaldo the 50m euros-per-year salary he is demanding.

The 32-year-old has been routinely linked with a move away from Spain with former club Manchester United regularly touted as the most likely destination.

Jose Mourinho admits Cristiano Ronaldo is a player every manager wants, but expects the player to stay in the ‘fire’ of Madrid

However, Ronaldo insists he is happy in Madrid, declaring his “love” for the club and outlining his intention to stay.

“Of course I want to stay here, I love this club,” he told Chinese football app Dongqiudi.

“I like living here. I’ve lived in this city since 2009 and I love the weather and the people. It’s close to Portugal and you can get there by car. Spain is a great country, I love it.”

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Real Madrid training sporting a nasty bruise after suffering a head injury against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday

Ronaldo – who is contracted to Real Madrid until 2021 – admits he may need to rethink his plan to keep playing until he is 41.

He said: “This feeling is incredible. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of.

“Now, my plan to retire at 41 will probably be a bit more difficult to achieve, and now we live in the moment.”

“Being a coach is not part of my plan, but you also know that people change their minds. For the moment I don’t want to be a coach.”

1...2,2792,2802,281...2,295Page 2,280 of 2,295

LATEST NEWS

Facebook
©