Taylor Swift opens up about infamous feud with Kanye West

• Swift opened up about the bitter relationship with Kanye West. In an interview, she for the first time, told her side of the story. She called the rapper a "double-faced" person.
• Taylor Swift has seen huge ups and downs. Her relationship with Kanye West began souring in 2009. The rapper took away her microphone while she was giving her speech, after receiving the award for Best Female Music Video for her hit "You Belong With Me".
• The 42-year-old then took the mic and said, "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!"
• In a recent interview to Rolling Stones, Swift admitted that she had the innate desire of getting his approval of her being a good singer and a songwriter. This is where it all started.
• She was upset with the bitter relationship between the two. After this incident, the two met for dinners and as Swift says, "I was so happy, because he would say really nice things about my music," she further said that she was being healed from the childhood rejection at that time.
• Then the 2015 MTV VMA came around. West called up Swift and said that he would really love her to present him the Vanguard Award. She agreed to the request. They had an hour-long conversation after that. When the time of presenting the award came up, West said to the audience, "You know how many times they announced Taylor was going to give me the award "cause it got them more ratings?"
• Swift was standing in the audience with her arms around his wife Kim Kardashian. She couldn't believe her ears. She said, "I realized he is so two-faced. That he wants to be nice to me behind the scenes, but then he wants to look cool, get up in front of everyone." She added she was very upset after the incident.
• The 29-year-old singer said West wanted to talk to her in her dressing room after the incident, but she refused. The very next day he had sent big flower bouquets to apologise to her., but she didn't respond to any of those.
• In 2016, Kanye West released his song "Famous" which had the lyrics, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous." Her publicist refused that she had any idea regarding that.
• This was followed by the infamous video of the phone call between the "Lover" singer and West which the latter's wife had recorded and uploaded on Snapchat. The infamous hashtag began trending #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty. She took a year off after this incident.
• Swift moved on since then, and she has begun keeping her private life fiercely guarded.

Blind and autistic singer Kodi Lee wins America’s Got Talent

Fan favourite Kodi Lee has been crowned the winner of America’s Got Talent.

Lee, who is blind and has autism, had been a front-runner on the show since wowing judges with his first audition.

The 22-year-old triumphed during Wednesday’s final, with America’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowellsaying it was the “best final I have ever Kodi Lee America’s Got Talentsat in on in my life”.

He won after performing a duet of Calum Scott’s You Are The Reason with British X Factor winner Leona Lewis.

When his name was read out as the winner, Lee jumped for joy while holding his mother Tina’s hand as confetti rained down.

Lee won ahead of opera singer Emanne Beasha, violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa, singer Benicio Bryant, dance troupe Light Balance Kids and the Ndlovu Youth Choir.

As well as taking home the one million US dollar prize pot (about £802,000), Lee will headline a string of Las Vegas shows in November.

Lee’s story had captivated viewers in the US, who were told he was born with an eye condition called optic nerve hypoplasia and was diagnosed with autism at the age of four.

His mother accompanied him on stage throughout the competition. His rendition of Leon Russell & Friends’ A Song For You in the first round went viral, after he stunned judges Cowell, Gabrielle Union, Julianne Hough and Howie Mandel with his performance.

Tina explained how singing had “saved his life”. She said: “We found out that he loved music really early on. He listened and his eyes just went huge, and he started singing, that’s when I was in tears.

“I realised he’s an entertainer. Through music and performing, he was able to withstand living in this world because when you’re autistic, it’s really hard to do what everybody else does. It actually has saved his life playing music.”

In the semi-final Lee performed a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water after Paul Simon approved his use of the song after seeing his first audition.

Katy Perry discusses ending her feud with Taylor Swift

The two pop superstars were involved in a row over backing dancers,which Perry has now said was “just a misunderstanding”.

Swift wrote the 2014 hit Bad Blood about the disagreement while Perry’s 2017 collaboration with Nicki Minaj, Swish Swish, is said to have been her response.

However, the two have now made up and Perry said they wanted to set an example to their global fanbases.

During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she said: “I’m all about redemption and forgiveness and for setting an example for those younger people, that it can be cool to ask for forgiveness and confront someone that you may have an issue with or a problem with and talk it out.”

Relations between the pair began to thaw when Swift was on her Reputation Tour and Perry sent her an olive branch.

They later shared cookies they baked together on Instagram and Perry said since “10 people in the world have as much in common as we do” they should be friends.

Champions League full-time scores

Chelsea 0-1 Valencia

Salzburg 6-2 Genk

Napoli 2-0 Liverpool

Dortmund 0-0 Barcelona

Ajax 3-0 Lille

Benfica 1-2 Leipzig

Westlife announce stadium tour date at Pairc Uí Chaoimh

Chart-toppers Westlife will bring their record-breaking reunion tour back to Ireland with a gig in Cork on August 28.

Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Kian Egan admitted that being privileged to play sell-out concerts for their Irish fans is like "being able to relive your youth."

Shane insisted the concert at Pairc Ui Chaoimh next year will be Ireland's only "bespoke concert" in 2020 - though the band held out the prospect of playing further gigs in Cork if the Friday August 28 gig sells out.

They have ruled out further Irish gigs in 2020.

"It is absolutely fantastic to be playing for our Irish fans. It really is like getting to relive our youth," Shane said.

However, the band said the issue of any further concerts has not been decided.

"That is a matter for Dermot Desmond (MCD) - but we would absolutely love to play more concerts for our Irish fans," Nicky Byrne said.

But the band said any further concerts will definitely be at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Mark Feehily, who is due his first child in just three weeks, said they loved their concerts at Croke Park this year but wanted to be able to bring their new bespoke show outside Dublin to other parts of Ireland.

Kian Egan said they were expecting one of the best concerts they have ever played.

"It is going to be a great night and we are really excited about it," he said.

However, the support line up remains a closely guarded secret.

"We will have a special guest for the concert next year - but that won't be announced until Wednesday," Mr Desmond said.

The band said they are delighted to return to Cork having previously played the Live At The Marquee series.

Promoters MCD and Cork GAA hosted a press conference at 8am today (Monday) to unveil details of the major Pairc Uí Chaoimh concert.

The Cork concert will form part of a world tour aimed at supporting the band's eleventh studio album 'Spectrum' which is being released on November 8.

Westlife admitted they were "absolutely blown away" by the astonishing reaction to their comeback concerts in Croke Park last July.

The two gigs proved a sell-out success at the Dublin GAA headquarters - and Westlife said they were now eager for more Irish concerts.

Westlife said the reaction to their Croke Park shows was "absolutely overwhelming" and "very emotional."

They will now be the third major act to play the €70m revamped Pairc Uí Chaoimh after Ed Sheeran played three sell-out concerts in 2018 and Rod Stewart played a single gig there last May.

The four Irish stars recently completed their comeback 'Twenty' tour which opened in Belfast on May 22.

Across a total of 51 concerts in Europe and Asia, they sold an estimated 700,000 tickets.

It included concerts in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.

The tour concluded with a high-profile concert in Hyde Park in London on Sunday night.

It saw them celebrating 20 years of hits including a remarkable total of 14 chart-toppers in the UK.

Last June, Mark Feehily and his fiancé Cailean O'Neill revealed that they were set to welcome their first child.

The singer announced at the band's second Croke Park concert that he and his partner were set to become fathers to a baby girl.

All four singers reformed Westlife last October after deciding to take a break from recording and touring in 2012.

Shane said the break turned out to be "the best thing possible" for the band.

Westlife originally formed in 1998 and were managed by Louis Walsh.

They were initially signed by Simon Cowell in the UK and Clive Davis in the US.

On their comeback tour, the band took the UK by storm before going on to perform across South East Asia with a final concert in Indonesia on September 1.

Westlife have already confirmed a gig for Wembley Stadium on August 20 next which is expected to prove an 90,000 ticket sell-out.

Box Office: 'Hustlers' racks up solid $33 million debut, 'Goldfinch' bombs

Boosted by rave reviews and stellar word of mouth, “Hustlers” beat expectations and now ranks as the best start for an STX film, along with the biggest live-action opening weekend for stars Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu. Directed by Lorene Scafaria, “Hustlers” is based on Jessica Pressler’s 2015 New York magazine article about a group of strippers who turn the tables on their wealthy Wall Street clientele after the 2008 recession hits.

Not all newcomers were as fortunate. Warner Bros.’ “The Goldfinch,” adapted from Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, misfired with a disastrous $2.6 million from 2,542 locations. Those ticket sales are well behind projections that estimated an opening weekend near $12 million. The mystery drama, which cost $40 million to produce, stars Ansel Elgort stars as Theo, a young man who turns to art forgery after losing his mother in a freak tragedy. “The Goldfinch” was skewered by critics after it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

Despite a sour start for “The Goldfinch,” Warner Bros. still dominated box office charts. For the second weekend in a row, “It: Chapter Two” was the No. 1 movie in North America. The scary sequel pocketed another $40 million this weekend, boosting its domestic tally to $153 million. Between “It: Chapter Two” and its predecessor, the franchised based on Stephen King’s horror novel has generated over $1 billion worldwide.

Lionsgate’s “Angel Has Fallen” slid to third place, adding $4.4 million in its fourth weekend of release. At No. 4, Universal’s comedy “Good Boys” picked up $4.2 million, taking its bounty to a solid $73 million in North America. Rounding out the top five is Disney’s “The Lion King” with $3.5 million. After nine weeks in theaters, the remake has amassed a mighty $534 million at the domestic box office.

Reuters

Tyson Fury in hospital for stitches to eye after gruelling Wallin win

The Gypsy King, 31, battled valiantly to beat the Swede southpaw in a unanimous points victory, taking it 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110.

But Fury's win was in doubt from the third round after his vision was hampered following a hefty blow to his right eye.

He was later hospitalised to get stitches on the cut of which he shared the before and after pictures.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic to announce Manchester United deal this week: "It will be this summer's big bomb"

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to announce where he will play his football next season on Tuesday.

The much sought after Swede is understood to be joining Manchester United on a bumper one-year deal as Jose Mourinho's first signing as boss.
With speculation ramping up as to where his next destination will be Ibrahimovic was quizzed following the 3-0 win over Wales on Sunday.
It has already been confirmed that Ibrahimovic will be allowed to leave Sweden training when the time is right.
Boss Erik Hamren said: "We have days off. We plan our activities and the players can act based on that. I'm not going to speculate about such things." Ibrahimovic is a free agent this summer after his PSG contract expired. He has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for some time and new United boss Jose Mourinho, who coached Ibrahimovic at Inter Milan, is keen to get a deal over the line before a ball is kicked in France. United will have to pay Ibrahimovic £300,000-a-week but will offset that against no transfer fee as he is a free agent. The deal may include a one year option to extend but it is a huge coup for United. Ibrahimovic may not be getting any younger but he has just enjoyed the most prolific goalscoring season of his career, netting 50 times in all competitions for PSG as they completed a domestic treble.

Jamie Vardy urged to wait 24 hours for Leicester's last-ditch offer before deciding on £20m Arsenal switch

Jamie Vardy has been asked to wait 24 hours until Leicester make a counter offer in a desperate attempt to stop him going to Arsenal.

That is the delay in the £20m move even though Arsenal remain hopeful and very confident that they will get the deal done.
Gunners striker Olivier Giroud has even claimed he has been told Vardy wants to join Arsenal and the switch is “good news” despite the threat to his own position. Leicester will move for Watford striker Troy Deeney if they lose Vardy but they still have not given up hope on persuading the England striker to stay.
Leicester will move for Deeney if Vardy departs. Arsenal have held negotiations, made it clear they will meet the £20m release clause and offered Vardy a contract believed to be worth £120,000-a-week over three years with the option of a fourth. That is double what 29-year-old Vardy is on at Leicester and the Premier League champions are fighting to keep him and have asked him to delay a decision until they try and match it. Those close to Vardy believe he is leaning towards moving to the Emirates but has yet to make a final decision. Arsenal are now waiting on Vardy with the ball firmly in his court. Vardy is due to fly out with England to the Euros on Monday.
Arsenal were hoping to do a medical and complete negotiations before he went to France as Roy Hodgson does not want transfer talk disrupting his plans but the England boss may allow him to do it before the tournament actually starts.

Markets react to petrol market liberalization

… Naira depreciates further by 7.7% … Petroleum stocks bounce back … Money market yields in mixed reaction
By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

Financial markets across segments have reacted to the quantum increase in the price of petrol with foreign exchange rate and petroleum stocks in the upbeat while money market rates moved in mixed direction.   In the foreign exchange market the Naira extended its losses against the US Dollar on Friday following continued demand pressure which had started a day earlier on the heels of the pump price adjustment closing at N350/ USD1, bringing its total depreciation to 7.7 per cent in the first two trading days after the pump price adjustment. Though analysts had also fingered the speculative spur arising from federal government’s hint that the official foreign exchange market would be overhauled for flexibility, currency traders said there has been sudden scarcity of the US Dollar, apparently due to sudden surge in demand coming from oil marketers setting out to import the products. Government had announced a liberalization of petroleum imports on Wednesday, directing fuel marketers to import products sourcing the foreign currency payments from sources other than the official foreign exchange market controlled by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. On the official market, the exchange rate is quoted at N197.50/ USD1, and with last Friday’s rate in the unofficial market segment the parallel market premium has now widened to over 72 per cent, about one of the highest in the world. Reacting to the development analysts at United Capital Plc, a Lagos based investment house, said “the autonomous dollar supply has always been available but the major bottle neck prior to now appears to be more around pricing with most holders preferring to sell at the parallel market rate, while buyers understandably favor the official window. With oil marketers now forced to look at the parallel market, we believe potential supply at that market is robust enough to take-in increased demand at current price”. Consequently, the present sharp depreciation and the wide premium on parallel market, according to them, will be short-lived. Also reacting to the forex market developments on the heels of petroleum marketing liberalisation analysts at Vetiva Capital Limited, another Lagos based investment house, said “we are aware of the arrangement between oil marketing majors and related upstream companies but anticipate that as other independents enter the market, the currency could come under pressure outside of the official window and expect the premium between both markets to further widen. “We liken this to a pseudo-devaluation or possibly, the takeoff of a formal two-tier foreign exchange market”.    In the stock market, investors swopped on the stocks of oil marketing companies leading to their domination of the top gainers chart. Aside Nestle Nigeria Plc the top five gainers in the Nigerian Stock Exchange as at last weekend were all   major petroleum product marketers, with Mobil Oil Nigeria, Total Oil Nigeria, and Forte Oil, appreciating by N14.34, N10.40 and N4.50 to close at N175.00, N170.00 and N225.00 per share respectively. The other top five gainer was Seplat Petroleum which is not into fuel marketing. Reviewing the impact of last week’s liberalization on the stocks of petroleum marketing sub-sector, analysts at Vetiva Capital said “for years, Downstream Majors had lobbied for the deregulation of the sector in a bid to rid themselves of huge subsidy receivables that had stifled profitability. We think the liberalisation of the sector will allow Majors leverage economies of scale to dominate the fuel import market. “We note that in the revised pricing template of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, retailer, transporter and dealer margins were increased from N5.00, N3.05 and N1.95 to N6.00, N3.36 and N2.36 respectively.    “Following from this, we expect to make upward revisions to our coverage”. Consequently Vetiva analysts recommended the following target stock prices: Total Oil (TP: N208.77 BUY), Mobile Oil (TP: N150.46 SELL) and OANDO (Under Review). Vetiva said it expects consensus ratings on stocks not covered by its ratings which include Forte Oil, Conoil and MRS, to be revised upward as well. In the money market attention was on fixed income segment where, in the Nigerian interbank treasury bills, true yields (NITTY) moved in mixed directions. Yields on 1 month and 3 months maturities increased to 4.63% and 8.16% respectively, while 6 months and 12 months yields fell to 10.04% and 12.97% respectively. Meanwhile, Nigerian interbank rates increased across all tenor buckets on sustained financial system liquidity strain. Nigerian Interbank Offer Rate, NIBOR, for overnight funds, 3 months and 6 months increased to 0.96%, 0.27% and 0.15% respectively. Analysts see yields likely to continue upwards in the near term.

Fuel crisis is hurting Nigeria’s economy, NIM laments

The Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM, yesterday, lamented that the unending fuel crisis witnessed across the country is having a negative impact on the economy, while he disclosed that the crisis is mainly a management issue. Speaking during the NIM/ National Defence College Executive Member Conversion Programme Induction Ceremony in Abuja, Mr. Munzali Jibril, President and Chairman of Council of the NIM, called on the Federal Government to urgently address the crisis before it escalates. According to him, the crisis has had a tremendous negative impact on the economy; the man hours lost on the queues, the things that ought to have been done could not be done, because of lack of fuel. He, however, expressed confidence on the ability of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, adding that the crisis was temporary and would soon be addressed. He said, “Hopefully, this is a temporary thing; it is not a problem that is beyond solution. All you need is good planning, discipline and so on. I believe the Minister has very good intentions and he is a competent professional, but he is facing challenges that he has never faced before. Working as General Counsel in Mobil, he never faced these challenges. But I am sure that after this baptism of fire he would improve.” He explained that the crisis is mainly a management issue, especially as the country does not have an accurate figure of its fuel consumption. He further advised the Federal Government and the Nigerian national Petroleum Corporation NNPC, to draw up an importation plan that would guard against disruptions in the fuel supply chain, while ensuring that at all times, the country has 10-day supply of the product in its depots. He also called on the Federal Government to fix all the country’s refineries so as to stop the importation of fuel. He said, “Ultimately, the long term solution is what the government is trying to do; to domesticate the refining of petroleum within the country, because it is very stupid of us to be a leading oil producer and yet have so little refining capacity to the extent that we rely on supplies from abroad for our own domestic consumption. It is very stupid indeed. “I think ultimately, we should make all the refineries work at maximum capacity and ultimately stop importing from abroad. People argue that for that to happen, you have to deregulate the downstream market so that people that would come and establish the refineries would do so at a profit. “The government can do it even if it is subsidizing. But if private investors are coming, they have to be assured that they would be a market and they would not be forced to subsidise.”

EFCC may probe Nigerians named in Panama Papers

There were strong indications yesterday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may probe Nigerians associated with secret offshore companies.

Apart from Senate President Bukola Saraki, others mentioned in the secret leak that has been generating worldwide ripples are: Former Senate President David Mark, Saraki’s wife, Toyin, former Delta State Governor James Ibori, Mr. Laolu Saraki, Mr. Obi Asika and Mr. Olufela Ibidapo.

Yesterday, former Defence Minister Gen. Yakubu Danjuma’s name was linked with some firms.

According to a top EFCC source, the EFCC has already obtained a copy of the Panama Papers, which its operatives are studying.

The source said: “We are studying all the documents and definitely we will investigate the allegations against all the Nigerians implicated in the Panama Papers.

“These allegations may lead to further clues on whether or not public funds were used in acquiring some of these secret assets.

The Panamanian law firm, reputed as one of the most secretive companies in the world, had helped clients to register offshore entities, some of which are then used to launder money, evade tax and dodge sanctions.

Gen. Danjuma, the wealthy philanthropist and one-time Defence minister, according to the Mossac Fonseca files, floated Eastcoast Investments, which he incorporated in Nassau, Bahamas, on March 25, 1997.

At inception, Gen.  Danjuma and a certain Colin Marcel Dixon were directors of the company.

According to Premium Times, Gen. Danjuma formed the company to enable him do business with Scancem International of Norway when the latter decided to expand its business frontiers to Nigeria.

But the company became embroiled in a bribery scandal, with Scancem, according to court papers, later buying out Eastcoast Investment from the project on December 1, 2003.

Gen. Danjuma reportedly resigned as director of the company.

He is also reported to have used other offshore entities.

The database, Opencorporates, indicate that the ex-minister. served as director and vice-president of Cross Group Holdings International, which was registered in Panama on October 15, 1976.

Gen. Danjuma was also director of Zara Logistics, a company registered in Cyprus on September 2, 1993.

He could not be reached for comment yesterday. Sources close to him said he is out of the country.

Also, Enrico Monfrini, a Swiss attorney hired by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to track missing Abacha loot in Swiss banks is himself operating over 178 companies in offshore tax havens.

Mr. Monfrini was hired in 2000 by the government to help establish the existence of and repatriate over $4 billion allegedly looted by the former military dictator.

The documents showed that Mr. Monfrini, an influential legal practitioner in Switzerland, is director of 178 companies scattered around Panama and the British Virgin Islands.

Although the documents did not directly implicate Mr. Monfrini as having committed any crime, still, the revelation points to the hypocrisy of a man widely revered for his remarkable ability to dismantle tax evaders and looters across jurisdictions.

Justin Bieber pictured smoking

Justin posted a picture of him holding a cigarette on his IG page. What advise do you have for him?

The weekend just got a new cut of the rock

The rock posted a picture on his IG page showing a The weekend look alike who just got a fresh cut of him.The post was captioned: I was like "damn that's cool The Weekend got a fresh cut of me". My question is can this really happen.

Pinnick travels to London to meet Akpom, Iwobi’s parents

Amaju Pinnick has paid a visit to parents of Arsenal youngsters Chuba
Akpom and Alex Iwobi, to discuss with them the possibility of both players
featuring for Nigeria.
The two Gunners have represented England at all youth levels, but are still
eligible to feature for their country of origin.
Iwobi is currently in Nigeria’s Olympic team, but Akpom has not been clear
on if he will switch allegiance.
Pinnick stopped over to watch Arsenal’s FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough
on Sunday and took the opportunity to meet the parents.
“I was able to see Kenneth Omeruo and Chuba Akpom at the match. I am
meeting the parents of a number of these youngsters this time and have
plans to meet all of them and also their parents in due course,” he said
through his media aide Ademola Olajire.
“You see, some of them might have represented England at junior level, but
they are willing to represent Nigeria at senior level, and that is what we are
looking at.
“We are looking at strengthening our teams at all levels and these players
are willing, once we can convince them that there is a new set-up in Nigeria
football.”
The NFF president is also planning to visit Southampton’s centre back
Joshua Debayo, Stevenage’s Fejiri Okenabirhie, Chike Kandi of Brighton, Ola
Daniel, Mayowa Balogun and Semi Ajayi.

Thierry Henry begins coaching at Arsenal

Thierry Henry is taking steps to becoming a coach in the forseeable future.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona striker, started his coaching badges with
the FA in Wales and has been granted permission by the Gunners, to work at
Hale End with the youth academy.
According to reports in the UK, Henry has already handled some sessions
with the various youth groups. The Frenchman is picking up invaluable
experience as Hale End and will earn his A and B UEFA licences.
Henry has been tipped to become an Arsenal coach soon, but although this
may look like a move in that direction, it must be noted that Arsene Wenger
always allows former players to coach at the club, while undertaking their
badges.
Henry announced his retirement from football last year and is currently a TV
pundit with Sky.

UEFA Champions League Review: Chelsea hold PSG, Bayern fail to score against Shakhtar

Edinson Cavani headed in the equalizer, as Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1
against Chelsea at Parc des Prince.
Jose Mourinho’s men had taken a first-half lead through Branislav Ivanovic.
John Terry’s recycled cross was flicked on by defence partner Gary Cahill
and Ivanovic was on hand to nod past Sirigu.
In the other match of Tuesday night, former holders Bayern Munich was held
to a goalless draw away to Shakhtar Donestk.
The Bundesliga champions failed to make their passing and possession count
in the first half and almost paid the price, after Xabi Alonso was sent off in
the second half for a second bookable offence.

Siasia announces 21-man squad for Gabon

Samson Siasia has unveiled a list of 21 players, that will travel to Gabon
ahead of the All African Games qualifying first leg tie on Saturday.
Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi, Enyimba’s Kingsley Sokari and 19 others make
the cut. Gero Abdullahi and Aminu Umar are two surprise exclusions from the
squad.
The team’s Media Officer Timi Ebikagboro, explained that Umar and Warri
Wolves’ striker Freedom Omofonma were excluded because they arrived the
camp late from their respective bases.
The Dream Team VI will leave Nigeria for Gabon on Wednesday evening via
Ethopia Airlines.
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers:Daniel Emmanuel, Akande Abiodun
Defenders: Obanor Erhun, Okorom Stanley, Oduduwa Segun, Sani Faisal,
Sincere Seth, Atanda Sodiq
Midfielders : Azubuike Okechukwu, Godwin Savior, Tiongoli Tonbara, Saliu
Popoola, Oshobe Oladele, Mohammed Usman, Kingsley Sokari
Forwards : Etebo Oghenekaro, Olufemi Ajayi Junior, Peter Onyekachi, Iwobi
Alex, Paul Onuachu, Stanley Amuzie

Mark dismisses alleged interim government plot, says May 29 sacrosanct

President of the Nigerian Senate, David Mark, has described the call for
Interim National Government by some Nigerians as ‘’imprecise, sordid and
strange’’ to the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Mr. Mark stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the resumed sitting of the
Senate after its one-month recess.
Mark said that the issue of polls rescheduling and the call for interim
government had been given undeserved prominence across the country.
According to him, the Senate will not be part of any move to violate the
provisions of the 1999 Constitution, which the lawmakers have sworn to
uphold.
“I am alarmed that the issue of Interim National Government has been given
underserved prominence in our national discourse. Interim National
Government is alien to the 1999 Constitution as amended. Therefore, those
calling for it are calling for an exercise in futility,” Mr. Mark stated
“This Senate is committed to the provisions of our constitution which we
swore to protect and we will not do anything to sabotage the democratic
process. It is important to note that on the 29th of May, 2015, a
democratically elected government, through a free, fair, transparent and
credible election will be sworn in.”
Mr. Mark called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to use
the six weeks extension to continue to put measures in place to ensure a
free, fair and credible election.
He also urged Nigerians to support INEC in its effort to conduct a
transparent election, adding that all Nigerians, including lawmakers, should
desist from making comments that would instigate violence.
“These are not ordinary times in our nation; there is palpable tension in the
land. Comments and even the body language of the political class further
exacerbate the tension. As statesmen and women, we must rise to the
occasion and help reduce this tension.
“We must refrain from acts that will aggravate this already charged
atmosphere across the country. I urge you, my distinguished bosses, to be
dedicated to our constitutional duties as you have always done,” he said.
Mr. Mark further urged Nigerians to be true statesmen and women both in
words and deeds to douse the tension in the nation.

Obasanjo created Jonathan, other Governors; we will beg him to forgive us – Lamido

Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State on Tuesday disclosed that Peoples
Democratic Party stakeholders would beg former President Olusegun
Obasanjo, who dumped the party on Monday to have a rethink.
Lamido made this disclosure after a meeting with President Goodluck
Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.
The governor, who heads the North-West Council of Goodluck/Sambo
Presidential Campaign, told State House correspondents that Obasanjo
remained the father of all.
He said Jonathan and all the state governors were creations of the former
President.
He explained that it was only appropriate that “when a father is angry with
his children, the children should beg him.”
Lamido said, “Baba (Obasanjo) is more than a party man. He is an icon, a
national symbol and a leader and an inventor, a creator of all the institutions
today in Nigeria from the President to the governors who are his own sons,
are all his creations.
“And so, when a father is angry with his own children, we will only say we
are sorry to him. But then, we cannot be renounced for whatever it is.
“If you do any political DNA of our blood, you will find his (Obasanjo’s) blood
in us. No matter what we are, we may not be able to live up to his
expectations.
“We might have made some mistakes, but abandoning us is not the solution
because the country is first before anything else. So, he is our Baba even up
to the President.
“Baba is our baba no matter what. He is angry with us, but then, what do
we do? He gave us the life at a time when Nigerians were fighting us, he
stood for us. Since 2011, in 2007, he stood firm for us.
“He is our father. And so, if we made some mistakes, we are only human
because we are heading human institutions. And I think by the time he
reflects, how could he abandon his own children like that. Wherever we are,
we are right in his heart. He feels for us, he cares for us.”
When asked to be specific on whether they would go and beg Obasanjo to
return to the party, Lamido said such issue was not the kind he would
announce publicly.
“When there is some kind of misunderstanding between a father and a child,
you don’t go to NTA or any other media to say you are going to do this.
“I mean the bond between us is so strong. I know he is equally pained. I
know what he is going through because he is our father, but I will not tell
you the strategy because when he was producing us, you were not there,
when he was making us, were you there,” the governor said.
When told that some party chiefs had already said they would not miss the
former President, the governor said Jonathan, who he described as
Obasanjo’s first child, had not said so.
“But then, the first child is the President, did he say so?,” he asked.
When asked again if Obasanjo’s constant criticisms of the President did not
worry him, Lamido said “when parents get old, they tend to manifest signs of
old age.”
He added, “What I am saying is that all of us have parents. When we were
born, they pepped us, gave us their love, gave us everything. By the time
they get old, naturally, there is what they call role reversal. We became the
parents and they became the children. So, what is wrong if our parents begin
to manifest those signs of old age?”
He said, “What is this opposition in Nigeria? You must know Nigerian
history. Nigeria cannot be governed by an aggregate of pain, anger and
frustration”.