I do what Mourinho wants –Mikel

 

 

Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi has explained his few numbers of goals for the club and style of play insisting he works strictly to the manager’s instructions.

The Nigerian, who has won the FA Cup four times with Chelsea, netted his fourth goal for the Blues in the 66th minute of the FA Cup match against Derby County on Sunday. The goal, coming in his 300th appearance for the club, sent the fans into wild jubilation, not only for the lead but for Mikel, who has been described as ‘goal shy’ in the team.

In his post-match reaction on Chelsea website, the midfielder insists he plays according to manager Jose Mourinho’s game plan hence the scarcity of his goals.

But Mikel obviously enjoyed the reaction of the Chelsea fans to his goal. As after his strike against Fulham earlier in the season, the song was ‘He scores when he wants,’ but the 26-year-old said, “You have to understand the manager wants me to do a job for the team and I have always done that, always tried to keep the shape and it is difficult for me to get in the box, but every time I can and I score I will be happy.

Jonathan’s presidency is incompetent, says APC

 

The All Progressives Congress on Monday, accused President Goodluck Jonathan of running an incompetent and fillipant presidency.

 It said the Presidency was chasing shadows instead of dealing with genuine issues of governance.

 The APC said this in response to earlier accusations that leading figures in the APC were inconsistent on national issues.

 In a paper titled, “Nigeria in 2014: Facts Versus Fiction,” written by the Special Assistant to the President, New Media, Mr. Reno Omokri, the Presidency had described the opposition and its leadership as a bunch of “hypocrites” who would stop at nothing to “secure political power by whatever means necessary.”

But in a statement issued in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC said the Jonathan-led Presidency lacked the moral authority to accuse its leaders.

 The party described the administration as “incompetent” and “flip plopping” because its leaders were not only respectable but also patriotic.

Gunmen kill 30, burn 40 houses in Plateau

No fewer than 30 people were reportedly killed and 25 others injured on Monday  when gunmen struck  at  Shonong    in Bachit District of the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The latest round of killings came barely  12 days after  the burial of the acting heads  of   Shonong  and Attarkar, who were murdered on December 23.

Our  correspondent gathered from eye-witnesses that apart from those killed, over 40 houses were torched by the gunmen believed to be Fulani cattle rearers . Also affected were domestic animals belonging to the villagers.

The attackers were said to have stormed the village around 7am on Monday  in a commando-like  manner, shooting sporadically. Those killed were caught in the pandemonium that followed staccato bursts of gunfire.

Shom Toma, one of the survivors, who is receiving treatment  at the Vom Christian Hospital, Jos, told journalists  that the attackers  numbering over 100  struck  at a time  most of the villagers had gone to their farms.

Toma said he was moulding some blocks near  his house when he heard  gunshots. He said most of the victims were children and elderly people.

$10.8bn spent on kerosene subsidy, others —NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has finally admitted that it spent the yet-to-be-reconciled $10.8bn on behalf of the Federal Government.

The sum was meant to be paid into the Federation Account.

The corporation, on Sunday, said the money was spent on kerosene subsidy and other expenses since 2007.

The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, had late last year alleged that the corporation failed to remit $49.8bn to the Federation Account between January 2012 and July 2013.

Of this sum, $30bn had been reconciled by the government agencies involved, while $10.8bn is still outstanding.

Explaining that the $10.8bn was not missing, the General Manager, Media Relations, Group Public Affairs Department, NNPC, Mr. Omar Farouk, said in a statement that the corporation was saddled with onerous responsibilities that other oil companies were freed from.

He said, “For instance, as the supplier of last resort, NNPC has the responsibility of ensuring that there is adequate supply of petroleum products, whether the market is favourable or not.

New broadband licensing conditions jolt bidders

 

The release of strict bidding conditions for the 2.3GHz spectrum licence being offered by the Nigerian Communications Commission for the delivery of broadband wireless services is causing concerns in the industry, STANLEY OPARA writes

The release of bidding conditions for would-be investors in the 2.3GHz spectrum bid round by the Nigerian Communications Commission is creating tension among the players that are nursing the ambition to acquire the licence.

This development, our correspondent learnt from industry sources, had resulted in the interested companies going back to the drawing board to re-strategise so that they would not get disqualified by the regulator midway into the bid round.

In fact, some bidders risk being slammed with financial penalties by the NCC given their current level of preparedness for the licensing round, our correspondent learnt.

The commission said it reserved the right to impose financial penalties on the applicants/bidders if they infringed on the laid down rules.

“Financial penalties will be deducted from the Intention-to-Bid deposits provided by applicants/bidders and the commission’s decision in these matters will be final,” a clause in the rules stated.

The regulator also said it was forbidden for a bidder to have a relationship with a rival during the licensing period.

It explained, “For the purposes of this licensing process, this period starts with the issue of the Information Memorandum and stops at the granting of the licences. A relationship is defined as where a bidder owns directly or indirectly an ownership stake of 10 per cent or more in another bidder.

We’ll consolidate on 2013 achievements – LAWMA

The Lagos State Waste Management Authority has said it will consolidate on the achievements it recorded in 2013 this year by ensuring that the state is rid of garbage and providing opportunities for the government and the citizens to earn money from wastes.

The agency stated this in a document made available to our correspondent on Sunday in which it also highlighted its achievements for the out gone year.

LAWMA said it seized 7,845 carts in the course of the past year so as to ensure that only registered private sector participants handled waste evacuation and to prevent household wastes from finding their way into drainage channels and other unauthorised dumpsites.

The agency also said it evacuated 64 abandoned vehicles and carried out 257 commercial and domestic enforcements, all aimed at ridding the state of dirt.

According to the statement, LAWMA also succeeded in capping the Olusosun landfill site to reduce the moisture content of the waste and the pungent smell from the site, adding that a bailing machine for packing materials was also installed at the site last year.

Record-breaking low temperatures hit the US

 

A winter storm has already blanketed areas of Canada and the north-eastern US with up to 2ft (60 cm) of snow.

It has been blamed for 16 deaths in recent days and the cancellation of more than 3,700 flights this weekend.

Schools in Chicago are among those closing as officials tell people to stay indoors on Monday.

Meanwhile, a plane from Toronto slid into snow as it turned onto a taxiway after landing at New York’s JFK airport on Sunday.

No-one was hurt in the incident but all flights at the airport were suspended for two hours because of icy runways.

The plunging temperatures result from the polar vortex, an anti-clockwise pool of cold, dense air.

Forecasters say temperatures in the north and central US could feel as low as -60F (-51C) with the effect of wind chill.

Authorities have warned residents to remain indoors, both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for snow removal.

In Canada, thousands of people on the island of Newfoundland remain without power due to a transformer fire linked to heavy snow.

“The coldest weather in years will be making its presence known from the Upper Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic region for the beginning of the work week,” the US National Weather Service said in a statement.

The states of Ohio, South Dakota and Illinois are among those set to be hit. Tennessee and Kentucky are forecast to see several inches of snow.

The weather service said “an incredibly strong surge of bitterly cold Arctic air” was sweeping across the country until Tuesday.

It is set to continue to the north-east, where residents are still digging out from the week’s deadly snowstorm.

It could bring some of the coldest temperatures in two decades.

“The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994,” Reuters news agency quoted Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, as saying.

“Outbreaks like this don’t occur every day.”

In Canada, the temperature dropped as low as -20F (-29C) in Toronto and -36F (-38C) in Quebec City with wind chill on Thursday – the lowest seen in at least two decades there.

Mikel scores as Chelsea captain

 

Mikel Obi again played into the hearts of Chelsea and African fans on Sunday when his goal spurred the Stamford Bridge team to victory in the English FA Cup against Derby County.

The Nigerian indeed made the Sunday game a very remarkable encounter as he scored wearing the Chelsea captain’s band while making his 300th appearance for the London club. It was Mikel’s fourth goal for Chelsea, with three of those coming in the FA Cup. Michael Essien had started the match as the captain but handed Mikel the band when he was substituted by Hazard in the 55th minute.

The goal started with Eden Hazard who won a free-kick on the left and it was left to Willian to fire a free-kick into the goalmouth. The delivery was good from the Brazilian and Mikel thumped a header past goalkeeper Lee Grant from five yards out at the 66th minute to send the Chelsea fans into a frenzy.

Another Brazilian, Oscar, wrapped things up for Jose Mourinho’s troop barely five minutes later when his strike was too powerful for Grant to handle. Chelsea will now face Stoke at Stamford Bridge, as the fourth round draw was concluded minutes before kick-off.

Emenike predicts tough competition in Eagles

 

Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike is not certain of having an automatic role in the national team after admitting there are more competitions for the striking positions than anywhere else.

The Fenerbahce forward was outstanding in South Africa last year, winning the Top Scorer award as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations after 19 years’ wait. He was also instrumental in Nigeria’s campaign for the 2014 World Cup scoring vital goals against Ethiopia during the qualifiers.

But with the African Nations Championship holding this month in South Africa, Emenike believes the tournament will churn up more strikers for Nigeria before their final preparation for the World Cup in Brazil.

“There are always fights for roles in the Super Eagles, especially the striking roles. In fact, there are more strikers in the team than midfielders and defenders; the only hope of keeping my role is to work harder and perform better,” the former Spartak Moscow player said.

Nigeria, Israel sign Bilateral Air Services Agreement

The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, representing President Goodluck Jonathan, signed the agreement on behalf of the country.

The agreement is expected to pave way for direct flights between both countries on the principle of reciprocity by the designated airlines of both countries.

Before now, Nigerians travelling to Israel, including Christian pilgrims, stopped over in neighbouring countries before being finally transported to their destination.

Onwuliri said after the signing of the agreement that the accord would deepen bilateral ties between both countries and boost their economies.

“The agreement will augur well for movement of persons, our pilgrims, businessmen, academics, the civil society and students.

“Many of our people also come here to benefit from the technology of Israel,” she said.

The minister also said that the agreement would make enormous impact on trade and investment, agriculture, construction, tourism, security and capacity building.