I feared Suarez exit –Gerrard

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he feared star striker Luis Suarez would leave Anfield over the summer.
The Uruguayan international returned from a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in the Capital One Cup
defeat to rivals Manchester United before scoring twice in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Sunderland in the Premier League.
But it looked as though the striker would be leaving the club during the transfer window, with Real Madrid linked with him before
Arsenal put in an offer of £40m and one pound in the hope of triggering a release clause. Suarez remained at Liverpool, though, and
Gerrard admits he is delighted by his team-mate’s decision to stay, as well as his positive attitude since committing to Brendan Rodgers’
side.
“When you have a player as good as Luis Suarez, you know that the big clubs are going to want him,” said Gerrard.
“He is a special type of footballer and he gives us something different. When the club got the
message to him that they were not going to sell him, he got his head down and has worked hard.”
“I was waking up every morning, hoping that nothing would happen and that he would still be here.
“Nobody tried harder than me to make him stay and he knows exactly what I think of him. I knew if we could keep him here, the better our chances would be.
“He is a special type of footballer and he gives us something different. When the club got the
message to him that they were not going to sell him, he got his head down and has worked hard.”

Torres escapes

Fernando Torres will not face retrospective disciplinary action for scratching the face of Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen.
The Chelsea striker was captured on television scratching the face of Spurs’ Belgian defender, leaving visible marks, leading the Football
Association to review the incident. But, as one of the match officials saw the incident, under FA rules no action can be taken and he escapes any extra ban.
The FA said in a statement, “The FA will take no action against Chelsea’s Fernando Torres in
relation to an incident involving Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen which occurred in
the 50th minute of their match on September 28, 2013.

“One of the match officials saw the coming together of the two players, albeit not in its entirety.”
Torres was later sent off for two yellow cards meaning he will serve just a one-match ban.

Ali hails Jonathan on national dialogue

A legal luminary, Yusuf Ola-Olu Ali, has hailed the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to
get started the process of holding a national dialogue with the setting up of a National Dialogue Committee.
Ali, who spoke with newsmen in Ilorin on Tuesday, said the dialogue is desirable to smoothen relationship of the diverse group of
people of the country.
He, however, advised that the conference should be held with sincerity and not end up being a one without purpose.
“Members of the same family at a point in their lives do critical review of their relationship, so there is nothing wrong in it as
long as its not turned to another jamboree,” he said.
Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) expressed a view that is contrary to the stand of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on the union’s demands.
He said it was wrong for the lecturers to be complaining about the jumbo pay of the politicians as a justification for their pay rise,
adding that all over the world, politicians get fat payment because of the peculiar nature of
their work.

ASUU won’t yield to threats – Fagge

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that the strike embarked upon by the union is still in force even as it
warned that it would not submit to threats.
The union handed down the warning on Tuesday shortly after it rose from a meeting at Benue State University (BSU) to assess contributions of its members in the ongoing strike across the country.
The union President, Nasir Fagge who spoke with newsmen shortly after the meeting was reacting to the threat by an arm of government that it would make laws that would end the incessant strikes in the nation’s universities.

He lamented that rather than implement an agreement it has signed, Nigeria as a signatory to the International Labour Organization (ILO) was threatening the union on making laws that
would keep them in check.
According to him, their grouse with the Needs Assessment Committee is that the committee is incapable of implementing the recommendations of the agreement. Fagge also noted with dismay that leaders of the country were blaming ASUU for politicizing
the issue, arguing that what was at stake was fundamental and should not be seen to do with politics.
He noted that the union would not be able to tell Nigerians it’s position until after it has collected and compiled the reports from the
various ASUU chapters across the country.

Ambrose: We ‘ll be Africa football powerhouse again

Nigeria international and Glasgow Celtic defender Efe Ambrose believes that the Super Eagles are on track to being the Africa football
powerhouse they were in the past despite the added pressure.
In a chat with Brila FM ahead of the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia on October 13, Ambrose says that being African
Champions, Nigeria were up for any challenge that Ethiopia may throw at them.
“The Super Eagles are gradually coming back to their old self being the Africa powerhouse of football, so it’s just left for us to keep the
focus, prepare hard and play like the African Champions that we are, even though the work load is very much on us the players.
“Being African Champions also gives us the extra edge to prepare well, because we know that other teams do the same just because they want to play us,” he adds.

The Wayla Antelopes are currently in a closed camp in Addis Ababa with 24 players ahead of the clash.

Keshi Escapes FIFA Ban over Saintfiet

Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, can now heave a sigh of relief after FIFA only slammed him with a warning for allegedly
making comments perceived to have a racist slant towards former Malawi coach, Tom Saintfiet.
A FIFA spokesman exclusively told THISDAY last night that FIFA Disciplinary Committee after
investigating Saintfiet’s complaint, decided to impose a warning on Keshi over the matter.
He said that a decision was reached on the subject after the Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Claudio Sulser, referred to Article 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
Sulser, who is from Switzerland, warned and requested that Keshi must guarantee that incidents of such high gravity do not occur
again in the future.
“If such incidents should happen again, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee will be left with no other option than to impose sanctions against the coach, Mr Stephen Keshi,” the FIFA spokesman told THISDAY last night.
By the tone of Article 57, it is assumed that Keshi only escaped with a warning as his conduct was deemed to fall under offensive
behaviour and fair play and not racism as Saintfiet claimed.
The article states that: “Anyone who insults someone in way by using offensive gestures or
language, or who violates the principle of fair play or whose behaviour is unsporting in any
other way may be subject to sanctions in accordance with Article 10 ff”. The pronouncement will be a welcome relief for Keshi and officials of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) ahead of the Super Eagles trip to Addis Ababa, where Nigeria is due to face Ethiopia on October 13 in the first-leg of the World Cup play-off.
FIFA had last month queried Keshi and given him a two-week ultimatum to respond to Saintfiet’s complaints against him.
In the build-up to the last group match between Nigeria and Malawi on September 7 the two gaffers engaged each other in mind
games with Saintfiet insisting that Calabar was not safe to play the game. In anger, Keshi had furiously lashed Saintfiet. The Belgian in turn reported the Eagles gaffer.to FIFA, asking that the match be moved to a neutral venue as Calabar was deemed unsafe.
It was not until Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, issued a security guarantee before FIFA was convinced that the match be allowed to be played at the designated venue.
In the comments that riled Saintfiet and informed a petition from his former employers, the Football Association of Malawi
(FAM), Keshi was quoted to have called the Belgian a white dude:“He is not an African person, he is a white dude. He should go back
to Belgium.”

‘Jonathan is the best president ever’ – Zeb Ejiro

Prolific Nollywood producer/director Zeb Ejiro says Goodluck Jonathan is the best president
Nigeria has ever had. This he told a NET correspondent in a telephone chat while speaking on the celebration of Nigeria’s 53rd independence today October 1, 2013.

‘I thank God for Nigeria as we celebrate our 53rd Independence and wish them the best. I don’t think there’s any problem in Nigeria. Jonathan is doing well. He is the best president ever’, Ejiro said.

Nigeria gained her independence from British rule in 1960 and has since being struggling with crippling economic problems.

Solidstar drops second album, listen to ‘Perfect girl’ feat Vector, Jesse Jagz

Solidstar has finally released his second album ‘Grace $ Glory‘. The long awaited follow up to his debut features the likes of Flavour, Timaya, Iyanya, Olamide, Eva and a few others.

Listen to the latest single off the album titled ‘Perfect girl ‘ featuring Vector and Jesse Jagz.

DONWNLOAD HERE

‘There’s nothing to celebrate in Nigeria’ – Ras Kimono

Veteran reggae musician, Ras Kimono has says there’s nothing to celebrate about Nigeria’s 53rd independence.
Speaking to NET correspondent, the ‘Rub-A-Dub Master’ complained about the poor state
of the economy while also wising the country well.
‘There is nothing to celebrate in Nigeria. What are we celebrating? Under-pressure, no food, no jobs for graduate, poverty. I don’t see
anything to celebrate but I wish Nigeria peace, love, unity and all the best’, Kimono said.

All through his career, Ras Kimono has used his music to preach against corruption and injustice in Nigeria and he’s understandably
upset that not much has changed.

Check out Annie Idibia’s short dress to Elite Model Look 2013

Annie Idibia was looking stunning in this pretty short dress which she wore to the 2013 Aquafina Elite Model Look competition held
at Eko Hotel and Suites , Victoria Island.
Annie did more than show off a pretty smile and her leg tattoo as her baby bump accentuated her figure as well. She was styled by wardrobe consultant Liz Amadin.

The model-actress is expecting her second child with hubby 2face Idibia.

Watch Kunle Afolayan’s ‘October 1′ movie trailer

Through his Golden Effects Pictures production house, Kunle Afolayan will be releasing his much talked about ‘ October 1 ‘ movie soon.
Read the the synopsis below:

It’s September 1960, and with Nigeria on the verge of independence from British colonial
rule, a northern Nigerian Police Detective, DAN WAZIRI, is urgently dispatched by the Colonial Government to the trading post town of Akote in the Western Region of Nigeria to solve a series of female murders that have struck
horror in the hearts and minds of the local community. On getting to Akote, more murders are committed, and with local tension
high and volatile, Waziri has a race on his hands to solve the case before even more local women are killed.
Set against the backdrop of the national celebratory mood of the impending independence, Waziri is pulled into a game of cat and mouse as he and the killer try to
outwit each other… leading to the climatic end in which the life of a popular local female teacher and village belle, Tawa, is held in the
balance. Waziri has to race against the clock to capture the killer, save Tawa and solve the crime before the British flag is lowered and the Nigerian flag raised on Independence Day… October 1.

The cast includes
Sadiq Daba, Demola Adedoyin, Kehinde Bankole, Kayode Aderupoko, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Bimbo Manuel, Ibrahim Chatta,
Femi Adebayo, Kunle Afolayan, David Bailie, Nick Rhys, Colin David Reese, Lawrence Stubbings and Ifayemi Elebuibon

Showing Those Curves! Kim Kardashian’s Most Revealing Outfit Since Birth Of Daughter

Kim Kardashian is slowly slipping back into her famous tight and curve-enhancing outfits as she continues to trim down her baby weight ever since the birth of her daughter North West.
She was spotted enjoying a romantic night out with boyfriend Kanye West on Monday night in Paris.
The 32-year-old reality star showed off her slimmed down waist in a pink PVC pencil skirt, which displayed her hourglass physique to perfection.
Kim teamed the racy attire with a simple yet daring sheer white T-shirt and her favourite pair of pastel pink Givenchy stilettos. It was the second outfit in one day during her romantic getaway in Paris with Kanye during Fashion Week.
The new mother is obviously bringing her sexy back!

Donjazzy Heads To Mauritius, Private Jet Style hmmm

Mavin boss Donjazzy has flown out of the country to Mauritius probably for a vacation of videoshoot. We can’t help but notice how he oozes money. Lol. Its allowed right?

Chris Brown Announces Release Date For “X” Album

Chris Brown fans can expect to see his latest LP hit stores right in time for the holiday season. The R&B star announced on Twitter that his 6th studio album X is scheduled for release on November 19th. Brown has already released the songs “Fine China” and “Love More” featuring Nicki Minaj that are expected to appear on the project. The set is reported to feature Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B, Kelly Rowland, and his former girlfriend Rihanna. The late singer Aaliyah’s voice was sampled for the track “Don’t Think
They Know” as well. Production credits include Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, and Drumma Boy. “I wanted to touch musically on Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Sam Cooke, and incorporate those influences with the new,”
Brown told Billboard

JONATHAN: ASUU STRIKE POLITICAL

President Goodluck Jonathan has described the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as political and very unfortunate.
The president said this Sunday night during the presidential media chat, asking the union to
suspend the over three-month-old strike.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to addressing the issue of decayed infrastructure in the universities, saying all the
problems in the universities could not be solved overnight.
The president said the nation’s universities ought to be truly autonomous, saying however
that “autonomy without responsibilities is a potential for crisis.” He also queried why state universities had to join the strike since they were not created by
the Federal Government which reached agreements with the ASUU in 2009. According to him, “We set a team and they visited all the universities and took assessments of the inventory, and we are starting with N100billion. We have seen the reality; we
cannot do that for fun. So, we expect the ASUU to work with us. It is quite unfortunate. Definitely, politics has come into some of these things. These allowances are supposed to be paid from internally generated revenue,” he
said

What do you think?

Barca Still Dangerous without Messi, Says Ambrose

Super Eagles defender, Efe Ambrose, has fired a serious warning to his Celtic team mates
that Barcelona will be tough opponents tomorrow in their Champions League clash even without super star Lionel Messi.
Messi will miss the visit to Celtic after he picked up a thigh muscle injury at the weekend against Almeria, which will sideline him for at least three weeks.
"I don't think Messi's absence will have effect on the game because with or without him, Barcelona remain a good team," Ambrose told
reporters after his team’s last training for the match.

He however insisted that he was looking forward to a positive result like they did last season at home.
"Our preparation ahead of the game against Barcelona has been good," Ambrose told MTNFootball.com
"We pray for good and favourable result." Last season, both teams clashed in the same competition with the Scottish champions recording a famous 2-1 home win over the Catalan giants. It was a result that would propel them to the knockout Round of 16. However, Celtic crashed 2-0 at AC Milan in their opening Group H clash last month and are rooted to the bottom of the section, which also has Dutch champions Ajax
Amsterdam.
Celtic gave Scottish football a rare moment of joy last season when they recorded that historic 2-1 win over Barcelona.
Unlike Ambrose however, Celtic manager Neil Lennon is not expecting a repeat of the miracle even Barcelona will be without Messi and his compatriot, Javier Mascherano.
Defeat for Celtic would be their 100th in all European club competitions

‘Moyes rejected Ferguson’s advice’ says Eric Steele

David Moyes rejected Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice to retain his Manchester United backroom team, according to Eric Steele.

Former United goalkeeping coach Steele was axed by Moyes in the close season, along with assistant manager Mike Phelan and first-team coach Rene Meulensteen.
Moyes chose to bring Chris Woods, Steve Round and Jimmy Lumsden with him from Everton, whilst also appointing former United and Toffees midfielder Phil Neville in his first full-time coaching role.
United’s 2-1 home defeat by West Brom on Saturday means the club has now made its worst start to a league season for 24 years.
With the pressure already on Moyes right from the start of his Old Trafford reign, SqSteele is quoted as telling fanzine United We Stand. “I told him I thought it was a brave decision.“He (Moyes) listened to the manager’s advice,
but he wanted to be his own man.”
Steele arrived at United in 2008, having previously worked at Manchester City, and is credited with turning David De Gea into one of the league’s best goalkeepers after a shaky start.
The 59-year-old says he respects Moyes’ decision but is not convinced it was right for the club.
“I didn’t want to leave. Why would I?” he added. “I knew that David was coming in and wondered who he’d bring.”

ARSENAL, SUNDERLAND EYE ENYEAMA

Nigeria international and Lille OSC goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is being linked with a possible English Premiership move in January.
Sky Sports says Sunderland have been linked with a move for the Nigeria international, who is rated as one of the best keepers in the
French Ligue 1 at the moment.
There are also rumours making the rounds that Arsenal are keeping an eye on the keeper.

Enyeama has played in eight games for Lille this season, since moving from Maccabi Tel Aviv, and has kept a clean sheet in six of those games.

Compel Okonjo-Iweala to pay allocations to states, Rep tells Jonathan

THE Minority Whip of the House of
Representatives, Mr. Samson Osagie, has urged the Presidency to direct the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, to urgently pay state governments their withheld three months statutory allocations or face the
wrath of the National Assembly.
Noting that the National Assembly will not fold its arms and allow the Federal Government destroy the economies of states perceived to
be anti- Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, policies, he admonished state governors to head to court and obtain an order of mandamus, to compel the Finance Minister to
release the withheld funds.
Osagie, who represents Uhumnwonde/ Orhionmwon federal constituency, expressed fears that the prevailing situation could destroy the economies of states, which according to him would pitch the people against their governors, and stressed the need for the Federal Government to be compelled to pay allocations due to state governments immediately.
He said: “The Presidency should urgently direct the Minister of Finance to stop playing politics
with the statutory allocations of state governments to avert a collapse of the economies of the states over non-remittance of
statutory allocations to them for almost three months. Members of the National Assembly are worried that the states have not received
statutory allocations from the Federation
Account even in the face of improved revenue from both oil and non-oil sources. “We don’t want to accept any argument of
paucity of funds as field reports from our oversight functions show that revenue targets have been met and surpassed. We will not fold
our hands and allow the Federal Government to deny states of their entitlements from the Federation Account in order to make state
governors pliable to the PDP government’s ambition to hold on to power beyond 2015.”
He called on the governors, to “seek an order of mandamus to compel the Finance Minister
to release the funds. We will defend our states and local governments because they are the
units of development and delivery of democratic dividends.”

FRSC SUED OVER NEW NUMBER PLATES

A Lagos lawyer Barrister Emmanuel Ofoegbu has sued the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) over the issuance of new plate numbers for motorists in the country.
In a suit FHC/L/CS/ 1332/13 filed before a Lagos Federal High Court yesterday the applicant is seeking a declaration that the threat by the respondents to arrest and impound the vehicles of motorists who failed to acquire the new numbers from Oct. 1, is unconstitutional.
He said the old plate numbers were issued under the provisions of the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) 2004.
According to him, the NRTR 2004, is a subsidiary legislation made under the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Act, Laws of
the Federation as revised in 2004.
He said the NRTR 2012, in Regulations 230 (2), provides that the revocation of the 2004
Regulations shall not affect anything done or purported to be done pursuant to that Regulation.
He averred that there is no law made in accordance with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),
which prohibits the use of the old plate numbers or declares its use as an offence.
He therefore prays the court to declare as unlawful, the threat by the respondent, to arrest motorists using the old plate numbers,
because there is no law validly made in accordance with the constitution, prohibiting its use.