Salah vies with Ronaldo for the throne

Taking into account each player's form over the past month of action, theScore has ranked the 20 best footballers who ply their trade in Europe's top five leagues.

20. Giovanni Simeone (Fiorentina)

Thanks in part to Giovanni Simeone's pivotal goals, Fiorentina has enjoyed a renaissance in the second half of the campaign. He's also led a relentless press, winning possession in crucial areas of the pitch to keep Fiorentina's attack revving. However, his hat-trick performance Sunday was the most important of his burgeoning career. His goals in the 3-0 victory left Napoli's title bid in tough shape; more importantly, his efforts have kept La Viola challenging for an unlikely European spot. - Anthony Lopopolo

19. Alassane Plea (Nice)

Alassane Plea's endeavours haven't gone unnoticed. Various Premier League and La Liga outfits have been linked with the 25-year-old, who's established a formidable one-two punch at OGC Nice with Mario Balotelli. In fact, Plea has scored more goals from open play (14) than his Italian peer. He's not just a penalty-box poacher, either. Plea has often found space outside the area and let rip from distance. - AL

18. Douglas Costa (Juventus)

Whenever Juventus has wobbled, Douglas Costa has been there to keep the Serie A giant on track. After an indifferent start to the season, Costa is now very much a fixture in manager Massimiliano Allegri's starting lineup. And for good reason: His playmaking ability, willingness to track back, and overall hustle have helped the Bianconeri win crucial points during the title run-in. Costa enjoyed a three-assist performance against Sampdoriaand opened the scoring in Juventus' unlikely 3-2 win over Inter. - AL

17. Edin Dzeko (Roma)

Roma's unexpected Champions League run wouldn't be possible without Edin Dzeko's heroics. His late away goal at the Camp Nou gave his teammates the ammunition to take down Barcelona, and similarly, his strike at Anfield has left them with hope of a comeback versus Liverpool. He's always keeping opposing goalkeepers occupied - his 143 shots rank fifth among players in the top five European leagues - and he's a threat from both long and close range. - AL

16. Florian Thauvin (Marseille)

Florian Thauvin first caught fire this season with Marseille in early February when he scored six goals over a four-match stretch, and the crafty French winger is heating up again. His goal against RB Leipzig in the Europa League quarter-final second leg helped his team erase a 1-0 first-leg loss, and he further bolstered Marseille's European dreams by scoring its second goal of the semi-final first leg against Red Bull Salzburg. - Jonathan Soveta

15. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)

Named to the Professional Footballer Association's Team of the Year, Christian Eriksen has proven himself as one of football's finest game-breakers. He's just as astute at pulling the strings as he is scoring the goals, and now he's finally receiving the proper recognition. "For me, you can compare Christian with special players like (Kevin) De Bruyne or David Silva. The type of player who is capable to play football, and also run and fight," Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said earlier this month.

Eriksen has also been tipped to replace Andres Iniesta at Barcelona - a rumour that his employer won't be happy to entertain. - AL

14. Luis Alberto (Lazio)

Liverpool's loss is Lazio's gain.

Luis Alberto arrived in the Italian capital as a enigmatic player, a talented attacker who hadn't lived up to expectations. However, he's become a fixture in Lazio's starting lineup, racking up 11 goals and 12 assists in his maiden Serie A campaign. Most of his production has come in the past two months, with the 25-year-old scoring twice on April 18 to swing a 4-3 comeback win over Fiorentina. - AL

13. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

Aaron Ramsey has offered Arsenal some much-needed consistency in one of Arsene Wenger's most turbulent seasons at the Emirates. The Welsh international has contributed to more goals (19) than any other player on his team, splitting his time as both a scorer and provider. He has a good understanding of space, knowing when to time a run into the box and when to play the killer pass. Ramsey has now been a Gunner for a decade, and it seems he's finally found a suitable role as a an attack-minded central midfielder. - AL

12. Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain)

Angel Di Maria has acquitted himself well in the absence of the injured Neymar, popping up with crucial goals as Paris Saint-Germainparaded to a fifth Ligue 1 title in six years. The Argentine's future at the club was shrouded in doubt as Neymar and Kylian Mbappeswooped in, but Di Maria has taken advantage of the additional playing time. - AL

11. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

One of the most improved players under Pep Guardiola this season, Raheem Sterling has become a better finisher inside the area and a more selfless servant on the wings. He was a main figure as Manchester City romped to the Premier League title, becoming one of just two players in the English top flight to record double digits in goals and assists. (The other is teammate Leroy Sane.) Though it may seem like it, Sterling isn't nearly as wasteful as his Premier League peers, posting a higher conversion rate than Harry Kane. - AL

10. Paul Pogba (Manchester United)

Paul Pogba has reclaimed his status as Manchester United's midfield talisman. He's had a hand in five of United's nine goals this month, supplementing an attack that's waned under Jose Mourinho. He's picking the right moments to dash down the middle of the pitch and facilitating the counter-attack. His performance against Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final was a particularly timely reminder of how forceful and creative he can be. When he's not on form, neither is United. - AL

9. Dimitri Payet (Marseille)

Marseille's captain has been in terrifying form, punctuated by his incredible left-footed strike against Leipzig in the second leg of its Europa League quarter-final. (He would have had two, were it not for an inane off-the-ball foul by Konstantinos Mitroglou.) But where Les Olympiens' No. 10 has truly shined has been in his role as a creator; in a four-game stretch between the win against Leipzig and the 2-0 first-leg victory over Salzburg, Payet racked up an impressive six assists. - JS

8. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Despite an impressive season spearheading Manchester City's midfield, De Bruyne ultimately fell short in PFA Player of the Year voting, finishing runner-up to Mohamed Salah. He may find consolation, however, in a new piece of silverware this season; a new "Playmaker" award that will go to the player with the most assists, and with a league-leading 15, De Bruyne will likely make do with that trophy instead. Having locked up the league title already will certainly help, too. - JS

7. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Thanks to Bayern Munich's dominance over the rest of the Bundesliga, the Bavarians clinched the league with over a month to play, but that won't stop Lewandowski from scoring. The Polish forward, who didn't feature in Bayern's title-clinching win over Augsburgon April 7, scored four in his next three matches, including a brace in a 6-2 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen to reach the DFB Pokal final. With eyes on the treble, Bayern, who fell 2-1 at home to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, will need Lewandowski to transfer his domestic prowess back over to Europe. - JS

6. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

If this is Griezmann's last season with Atletico Madrid - and there's been plenty of speculation that it will be - the Fortnite-loving forward is going out in style. Los Colchoneros have managed to leapfrog city rival Real Madrid in the La Liga table, thanks in part to Griezmann's efforts - including his equaliser in the Madrid derby on April 8. He's also to thank for Atletico's favourable position in its Europa League semi-final against Arsenal, stealing a 1-1 draw in England with a late away goal despite his side playing nearly the entire match a man down. - JS

5. Luis Suarez (Barcelona)

It's not been the most prolific season of Luis Suarez's career, but he's still managed to play a big role in Barcelona's success. He recorded a treble of assists against Deportivo as the Blaugrana clinched a third La Liga title in four years, one of several selfless displays this season. Suarez's understanding with Lionel Messi has been absolutely fundamental to the attack, with the pair collaborating for 11 goals in the La Liga season. No other partnership has scored more. - AL

4. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)

Another month dominated by his meteoric Egyptian teammate shouldn't diminish what Roberto Firmino has contributed to Liverpool in Mohamed Salah's immense shadow. His measured aggressiveness earned him a timely assist in Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final first leg against City, and he emphatically shut down the Citizens' European comeback hopes with his goal in the second leg. And while he's only scored once in the EPL this month, his two-goal, two-assist performance against Roma on Tuesday - in which Salah still managed to eclipse him - will help fans accept his minor domestic drought. - JS

3. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Barcelona has strolled to a La Liga title, but Messi has not taken his foot off the gas. Though he was disappointingly quiet in Barcelona's monumental Champions League collapse against Roma, Messi helped repay arrears in the 5-0 thrashing of Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final, scoring once and assisting twice, including a touching moment between him and departing longtime teammate Andres Iniesta. - JS

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid's 2-1 away win over Bayern Munich was the only game this month in which the Portuguese virtuoso failed to score. It now feels like an eternity ago, but that run also includes Ronaldo's otherworldly Champions League first-leg showing at Juventus, where even fans of the Old Lady couldn't help but applaud his insane bicycle-kick goal. - JS

1. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

If anyone (somehow) still had any doubts about Salah this season, they should have been thoroughly extinguished when his Premier League peers voted him the PFA Player of the Year. But, to really silence any remaining naysayers, Salah put in another world-class showing in Liverpool's Champions League semi-final against his former side, Roma. He played a part in four of his team's five goals, as the Reds now have one foot in the final. - JS

Sir Alex Ferguson presented gift to Arsenal Manager , Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger

Outgoing Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was warmly greeted by the Manchester United fans and presented with a gift by former United boss Alex Ferguson on his final visit to Old Trafford as Gunners’ boss on Sunday.

Wenger and Ferguson were fierce rivals for many years as Arsenal and United battled for Premier League supremacy in Wenger’s first decade of a 22-year reign in charge.

However, the tension between the two has since eased, and Ferguson greeted Wenger on the touchline before kick-off before presenting him with a glass momento alongside current United manager Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho has also had his spats with Wenger, most famously decribing the Frenchman as a “specialist in failure” for his inability to win the Premier League since 2003/04.

It was all smiles as the Portuguese and Wenger enjoyed a warm embrace before kick-off while Wenger was applauded by the United support.

“There are some great clubs and some fantastic competition in the Premier League now, but United against Arsenal was great for the game. It made the Premier League,” Ferguson told the United website.

“Virtually every game we played against Arsenal, there was a real edge to the match. There were confrontations, because there were two teams and two managers battling for one award: the Premier League.

“In my time, we had a few arguments but I always did really respect the man because he did a fantastic job at his club.”

Photos: Buhari arrives Washington D.C.

Buhari arrives from the motorcade at Blair House in Washington D.C. Photo: Sunday Aghaeze

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Washington D.C. in readiness for a meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday.

As a guest of the US Government, President Buhari is staying at Blair House, the US President’s guest house.

Buhari withBuhari in a handshake with Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Musurat Sunmonu, Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon Nnenna Ukeje

President Muhammadu Buhari on arrival at the Blair House in a handshake with the Nigerian Ambassador :Deputy Chief of Mission, Hassan Mohammed Hassan

President Buhari with foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama

Buhari and Aliko Dangote

Nigerians rally for US-Nigerian relations

The Blair House used to be a complex of four formerly separate buildings—but a major renovation between 1950s and 1980s strung them together  as a single facility.

The President’s Guest House has been called “the world’s most exclusive hotel” because it is primarily used to host visiting dignitaries and other guests of the president.  It is larger than the White House and closed to the public.

Police confirm explosion at residence of Ohaneze President-General

A statement issued in Enugu on Sunday by the police spokesperson, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, said the Commissioner of Police in the state had already visited Ukehe in Igboetiti Local Government area of Enugu State.

Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo President, John Nwodo  (ThisDay)

The Police Command in Enugu State has confirmed minor explosion at the Ukehe country home of Chief Nnia Nwodo, the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo at early hours of Sunday.

A statement issued in Enugu on Sunday by the police spokesperson, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, said the Commissioner of Police in the state had already visited Ukehe in Igboetiti Local Government area of Enugu State.

Amaraizu said that the command had vowed to unmask those behind the dastardly act.

“Commissioner of Police, Mr Danmallam Mohammed has vowed to unmask those behind the minor explosion at the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo residence.

“The Commissioner led some of his key officers to the scene of the minor explosion that happened early hours of Sunday,’’ he said.

The spokesperson said that no life was lost and there was no major destruction.

“We thank God that there is no loss of life or major destruction, The explosion caused damage on two windows of one of the buildings, ceiling and air conditioner in the house.

“The operatives of the Explosive Ordinance Department (E.OD) of the state command has already moved into the scene and collected some of the samples from the debris of the explosion for proper analysis,’’ he said.

The PPRO said the police commissioner during the visit urged residents of the area to go about their normal business as the police had put adequate measures to protect lives and property.

He said that security had been beefed up in the town to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

The commissioner also directed the Area Commander of Udenu to beef up security and surveillance within the axis.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu has condemned the bombing of Nwodo’s country home in Ukehe describing it as a `dastardly act’.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Mr Uche Anichukwu in Enugu, Ekweremadu said it was `certainly ugly, evil and outrageous’.

“This is quite an unusual development in the South East and we will not accept it.

“I call on the security agencies to get to the root of this devilish act and ensure that the culprits are brought to book immediately,’’ he said.

Valverde makes shocking comment about replacing Iniesta

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has made a shocking comment about the replacement of outing midfielder Andreas Iniesta, according to report in Marca.

Valverde admits he won't be able to find a like-for-like stand-in for the veteran playmaker.

Valverde made it known during his press conference ahead of Deportivo La Coruna game on Sunday.

"I have spoken with Andres," confirmed Valverde in his pre-match press conference. "But I won't say what about.

"But we're not going to cheat, Iniesta is an irreplaceable player.

"It is difficult to think that we are going to find a similar one. When a player of this level leaves, you have to look for a new balance."

Barcelona can finish the race for the league title at Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday evening but talk is already turning to the subsequent weekend's El Clasico, where focus

is on a potential guard of honour for the Catalans.

"There is a lot of talk about the guard of honour, of guards of honour in general," he continued.

"It was talked about when we were going to play at the Bernabeu. The whole theme of the guard of honour has been distorted, especially by Barcelona and Madrid.

"They have a strange feeling. It seems that you are looking more for the opponent to be humiliated than for them to applaud you.

"Andres would deserve for the whole stadium to make him a guard of honour."

A win for Barcelona against Deportivo will confirm the Blaugrana the La Liga Champions.

Christians heed CAN’s directive, protest Benue killings

•Lagos churches shun CAN protest

•Northern CAN threatens to call out members
•Sack Service Chiefs, Makinde tells Buhari

LAGOS—Christians all over the country, yesterday, embarked on a peaceful protest to register their displeasure over the spate of killings by herdsmen across Nigeria.

The umbrella body of Christians in the country, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, had last week urged its members all over the country to protest the killings, especially as the federal government has failed to put a stop to it.

In response to the call, Christians in virtually all the states in the country embarked on the peaceful protest.

The protest, however, failed to hold in Lagos, as churches in the state ignored the call by the Christian body.

Ondo

In Ondo State, the protest  almost turned violent as angry Christians chased away the deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, who tried to address them, insisting the governor must be the one to address them.

They expressed concern that the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, despite prior notice of their coming, shunned the Christian leaders across the state.

As the deputy governor was trying to explain why the governor was absent, the angry Christians chased him away from addressing them in front of Government House which they blocked and held a rally for hours.

They insisted that they wanted the governor to come out of Government House to address them.

They chorused: “It is the governor or nobody; we voted for him and we expect him to take our issues seriously.  The deputy governor should go back, we don’t want him to address us.”

Yesterday’s  protest which was organized by CAN, saw vehicular movements in the state capital grounded for several hours as Christians in their thousands marched to the Government House.

Movement and outside the Government House was halted for hours as the Christian leaders occupied the entrance for their rally.

They displayed different placards with different inscriptions and chanted anti-government songs.

Speaking during the protest, the CAN chairman in Ondo State, Revd John Ayo Oladapo, said the protest across the country became necessary, following the incessant killing of innocent Christians.

“We are here today to register our displeasure to the on going killings across the country. We want to say Christians in the country are not second class citizens. We will not allow these killings.”

Oyo

In Oyo State, churches across Ibadan joined their counterparts across the country to peacefully ventilate their anger over continued killings of Christians in the country.

Though they did not march through the streets, they stayed around church premises where they called on the federal government to stop the killings of innocent Christians across the country.

Led by the President of CAN, Dr. Supo Ayokunle, who staged his protest at Oritamefa Baptist Church, Ibadan, the clergymen, armed with placards with various inscriptions such as “FG, stop these wicked acts”, “CAN says no to religious killings”, “Enough of Bloodshed in Nigeria”,  “Release Leah Sharibu from captivity”, among others, said:  “Since 2009, bloodshed has continued, governments after governments, administrations after administrations have been promising us not to fear and go about our businesses, that they are on top of the situation but we have seen that they are never on top of it.

“Bloodshed has continued. It used to be Boko Haram alone, now herdsmen have joined them and they have been killing people and decimating communities.

“Now they have concentrated on Christian communities, the Middle Belt, which is majorly Christians; they have been killing and maiming and to cap it all, they have now started going into churches.”

Government isn’t in charge, says Northern CAN

Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria in 19 Northern States and Abuja, Rev. Yakubu Pam, said the killings in Nigeria had gone on as though there was no government in Nigeria.

Noting that the events were, indeed, very unpalatable, Pam said: “I told somebody a short while ago that if things continue like this, Northern Christians will definitely come out on the streets and begin to shout till everybody, including the international community, will hear and intervene in the affairs of this country.

“Now that they are beginning to kill pastors and reverend fathers inside churches, we are no longer safe. It’s only God that will deliver us now.”

Sack your security chiefs now, Makinde tells Buhari

As part of the protest, immediate past Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, Most Rev. Sunday Ola Makinde, called for the sack of service chiefs.

He said:  “The situation in Benue State is lamentable but for once, I think Mr. President has got it right this time, at least, for coming out and expressing his regret at the right time and warning us that it should not degenerate into a religious crisis.

“So, we should at least, commend him and not just be lambasting him as an uncaring leader. And what he has said, I hope, will douse tension because I think it is more than just herdsmen.

“The President should now hearken to the voice of reason which has been agitating for a change in the military apparatus of the nation. That is my candid opinion now.”

Ekiti

In Ekiti State, Christians of various denominations took to the streets of Ado Ekiti and other major towns in the state protesting the unabated killings of fellow Christians by unknown gunmen in Benue, Taraba and parts of North East.

Wielding placards of various inscriptions, the protesters, who trooped out in their numbers around 11 am, under the auspices of Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), lampooned the Federal Government for not being able to put an end to the  bloodshed in the Middle Belt area of the country.

They said the current trend might lead to another civil war if not curtailed in record time.

The mass protest was led by the state Chairman of CAN, Rev. Joshua Orikogbe and other top church leaders.

The protesting Christians marched from CAN State headquarters along Adebayo/ Opopogbooro area of the state capital to the popular Adekunle Fajuyi Memorial Park, before ending it at the Government House where they sent a letter to the President through Governor Ayo Fayose.

Osun

In Osun State, members of Baptist Church joined their counterparts across the country to stage a peaceful protest against the killings and insurgency in some part of the country, calling on President Mohammed Buhari to urgently find lasting solution to the heinous acts.

Speaking during the protest, Pastor Femi Abiola of the Calvary Baptist Church, Osogbo, who led other church members to stage the protest, said the protest would enable the world know the challenges Nigerians Christians were currently facing in the hands of insurgents/herdsmen.

Anambra

In Anambra State, the President, Catholic Priests of West Africa, Rev Fr Martin Onukwuba, surrounded by some of his members, said at a briefing yesteday: “The citizens of Nigeria were known to love each other and had coexisted side by side all along, until recently.  What happened? What went wrong? When will this barbarism end?

“The increasing attacks by the now notorious herdsmen, had evidently not received commensurate reprimand or official condemnation or expected strong push from President Buhari, hence they now turned the country into a massive graveyard.

“We are sad. We are angry. We feel totally exposed and most vulnerable and faced with these dark clouds of fear and anxiety, our people are daily being told by some to defend themselves.”

Abuja

In Abuja, Bishop of The African Church, Diocese of the North and Abuja, Peter Ogunmuyiwa, alleged that the ceaseless killings of Christians in Nigeria was aimed at the extinction of Christians, thereby making the country a Muslim nation.

He spoke just as some Christian faithful staged a peaceful protest in Abuja against the actions of the marauding herdsmen..

Delivering a sermon at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, during an interdenominational  service organised by  CAN, Bishop Ogunmuyiwa, who earlier led the protest, said the action was informed by the unabated killings of Christians in the country.

Benue

In Benue State, Christian Association of Nigerian, CAN, called for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over his inability to tackle the ceaseless killings and security challenges confronting the country.

The association also appealed to the international community to intervene in the crisis to save the country from relapsing into a religious crisis, stressing that the attack on the churches in Benue was a jihad that should be stopped.

Speaking at a peaceful procession organised by the Benue state chapter of CAN, chairman of the state chapter, Rev. Akpen Leva, who led the procession said: “The barbaric, mindless and well planned massacre of Benue people has no doubt brought tears running down the cheeks of everybody in Benue State.

‘’It is a fact that the silence and the indecision of the federal government is rather an encouragement to the militant herdsmen to perpetrate all these evil upon the people of Benue State.’’

Taraba

In Taraba State, Christians, yesterday, converged on the CAN Secretariat in Jalingo in protest, calling on the federal government to end the killings across the country allegedly being perpetrated by herdsmen.

The Christians who complied with the directive of the state chapter of the association to dress in black as a sign of mourning for those killed in various attacks, called on the federal government to end the killings to avert  another civil war.

Muslim clerics react

Reacting to the nationwide protest by Christians in the country, the Chief Missioner of Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheik Abdulrahman Ahmad, said: “Let me state that the loss of human lives is condemnable, no matter what the reason is.

‘’We condole with those who lost dear ones in the unnecessary and satanic mayhem that is now becoming a pattern. All Nigerians of goodwill and conscience must condemn it and this is a call on the govenment to rise to the occasion and be more proactive and forestall further loss of lives and properties.”

Also reacting, Professor Ishaq Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, called on the leadership of CAN to be more patient and responsible as they embarked on the nationwide protest.

He said the killings in the country have been there even under Chritistian leaders in  the past, but that their calling for the resignation of President Muhammed Buhari calls for suspicion.

“Is it because he is a Muslim?. Even under  President Goodluck Jonathan, there were killings.”

Kwara

In Kwara State, Christians under the aegis of CAN, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately stop the shedding of innocent blood in Nigeria. The chairman, Professor Timothy Popoola, made the call in Ilorin yesterday evening shortly after the mass rally organised by the members of the CAN in the state.

Kogi

In Kogi State, Christians joined other states to observe the day of prayer and protest declared by CAN.

State chairman of CAN, Bishop John Ibenu, while speaking with newsmen after the protest in his church Chapel of Freedom in Lokoja, said the protests were peaceful in the state.

Stop the ethnic cleansing now, Soyinka urges Buhari

AS Nigeria joins the world to celebrate Workers’ Day tomorrow, NOBEL Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has urged President Muhammadu to stop Nigeria from sinking by putting a stop the recurring killings in many parts of the country, which he described as ethnic cleansing.

Buhari and Soyinka

Likening Nigeria to the Aeroflot Flight 593 September 28, 1994 disaster where the pilot did not have the chance to control the plane or call for help (May Day) because he left his children in the cockpit and went to the aisle to greet passengers after putting the plane on auto-pilot, Soyinka in a statement Sunday said the President must act urgently to stem the descent into the abyss.

Disturbed by the unceasing killings perpetrated by herdsmen in many parts of the country, he said: ”The rockface is in right in our faces. Let us now take leave of parables and parallels. I propose one simple test, couched in a handful of minimalist demands, for President Buhari, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Nigeria:

”Give a nation-wide order to all land-usurpers in the affected towns and villages across the nation to quit those forcefully occupied lands within a 48 hours deadline. Issue orders to the military and police that, wherever illegal occupiers are found, they should be meted the same treatment as are accorded terrorists. Instruct all agencies that, once cleared of usurpers, the rightful occupants should be escorted back to their farmsteads and villages and provided maximum protection.

We must go beyond arresting a token handful of herders caught with arms – there are still hundreds of them in the forests. It is not enough to back the anti- open grazing laws, so late in the day, but we shall leave that for later.

Right now, the violated and dispossessed demand restitution, and with no further delay or subterfuge. All available forces should be deployed to right a hideous, unprecedented wrong that has left the nation drowning in blood – we simply cannot continue one day longer to endure this forceful feeding of human blood. The plain expression is “ethnic cleansing” and we must not beat around the bush. The shade of Rwanda hangs over the nation.

”Afterwards, we can move into reckoning. This spells meticulous investigation, identifying the high-placed sponsors within this nation, some of whom have launched mercenary units to intensifycarnage and chaos in order to stem the stride of Nemesis closing in on them for past criminalities, and the cascade of corruptrevelations.

We shall move into questions, such as: what is a Minister of Defence, who openly justified the homicidal rampage of nomadic herdsmen, still doing in government? And there are other pressing and disturbing questions, some of which are held back for now, simply in order not to impede the pressing imperatives and humane priorities of the current crisis.

Right now however, the agenda has to be Restitution. Restitution to the displaced, the maimed, the traumatized survivors and the nation’s suppurating psyche. The torrent of Internally Displaced Persons is a national shame, and the growing number of the kidnapped an embarrassment. The plane cannot remain on auto-pilot as hitherto, while the pilot strolls up and down the aisle, assuring passengers that all is well.”

Full statement

”Mayday, uttered three times,is the distress call “used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners.” Long before its adoption for that function however, and more traditionally, there did exist Labour (or Workers’) Day, dedicated to the entitlement of workers to the value and dignity of their labour.

The Nigerian constituency is left to determine which attribution – or both, or none – is deafeningly clamorous this May 1 of this year, 2018. No matter, one feels it a duty to call the attention to the painful convergence of both appropriations. Could such a co-option serve equally as summons for a last-chance, eleventh hour reprieve?

”There are certain eerie parallels in the Nigerian present to a certain MayDay disorder, one in which that distress call was never heard. Aeroflot Flight 593 of September 28, 1994 was such an event, a flight in which all occupants of that plane perished.

After preliminary official denials, the undeniable – and tragically inappropriate factor of the crash was formally acknowledged – a laissez-faire, unprofessional conduct with human lapses, among which nepotism – by that, or any other name – loomed large.

The captain was not even in the pilot’s seat – others were! They were the pilot’s family – mostly his children. The family member who actually begun the spiral of disaster by pulling the wrong control leaver was – the Captain’s son, to whom his even younger daughter, some moments earlier, had yielded the controls. The pilot’s seat had been turned into a family game of musical chairs.

”Where was the Captain? Somewhere along the aisle, saluting the passengers – all quite proper, and indeed encouraged by regulations. He had placed the plane on auto-pilot – just as this nation has been for some time – so he walked between the seats, dispensing and acknowledging greetings – it was a long flight to Hong Kong, after all.

The plane went into a sharp turn after the wrong lever was pulled, and the auto-pilot disengaged. The original flight pattern was annulled – does that echo a campaign manifesto? – and the plane was now in unqualified hands. It took ages for the pilot to regain his control seat as some passengers were already tumbling from their seats into the aisle and he had to fight his way through bodily obstacles. All that, from reconstruction of events.

”The ‘black box’ – or flight recorder – indicates that the pilot never even got round to shouting ‘May Day’ over the radio – he was too busy struggling to restore the plane’s technical functions, shout instructions, pull the plane out of a nose-dive, and attempt to right the craft – too late! Now flash forwards one decade to our present, and recall the number of desperate organizations calling on the Nigerian captain to bury his pride and cry ‘MayDay” across all airwaves.

Call out for international help to rescue a nation on its terminal nose-dive! There has been no sign of willing, while the screwed-up plane is now in its corkscrewdive. Even if this captain regains his seat before the crash, it is open season whether or not, like SUV Flight 593, it will not stall, and head straight for Zuma rockface. Strangers are in control in the cockpit. Put simply, the captain is missing.
”The rockface is in right in our faces.

Let us now take leave of parables and parallels. I propose one simple test, couched in a handful of minimalist demands, for President Buhari, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Nigeria:
”Give a nation-wide order to all land-usurpers in the affected towns and villages across the nation to quit those forcefully occupied lands within a 48 hours deadline. Issue orders to the military and police that, wherever illegal occupiers are found, they should be meted the same treatment as are accorded terrorists.

Instruct all agencies that, once cleared of usurpers, the rightful occupants should be escorted back to their farmsteads and villages and provided maximum protection. We must go beyond arresting a token handful of herders caught with arms – there are still hundreds of them in the forests. It is not enough to back the anti- open grazing laws, so late in the day, but we shall leave that for later. Right now, the violated and dispossessed demand restitution, and with no further delay or subterfuge. All available forces should be deployed to right a hideous, unprecedented wrong that has left the nation drowning in blood – we simply cannot continue one day longer to endure this forceful feeding of human blood.

The plain expression is “ethnic cleansing” and we must not beat around the bush. The shade of Rwanda hangs over the nation.

”Afterwards, we can move into reckoning. This spells meticulous investigation, identifying the high-placed sponsors within this nation, some of whom have launched mercenary units to intensifycarnage and chaos in order to stem the stride of Nemesis closing in on them for past criminalities, and the cascade of corruptrevelations.We shall move into questions, such as: what is a Minister of Defence, who openly justified the homicidal rampage of nomadic herdsmen, still doing in government? And there are other pressing and disturbing questions, some of which are held back for now, simply in order not to impede the pressing imperatives and humane priorities of the current crisis.

Right now however, the agenda has to be Restitution. Restitution to the displaced, the maimed, the traumatized survivors and the nation’s suppurating psyche. The torrent of Internally Displaced Persons is a national shame, and the growing number of the kidnapped an embarrassment. The plane cannot remain on auto-pilot as hitherto, while the pilot strolls up and down the aisle, assuring passengers that all is well.

A Happy May Day – hopefully in the not too distant future – to all who labour for humanity.”

Five journalists, 13 others killed in Kabu suicide explosion

Twin suicide bombings in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter left at least 18 people, including at least five journalists, dead on Monday, according to officials and media reports.

At least 41 others with injuries have been transferred to hospitals in Kabul, Wahidullah Majroh, a spokesman for the Afghan Public Health Ministry, said.

Earlier, Mr Majroh said that 21 people were killed in the attack.

The first bomber detonated his explosive-laden motorcycle at a checkpoint near an Afghan spy agency facility, Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanakzay told dpa.

Mr Stanakzay said the second suicide bomber allegedly posed as a reporter and blew himself up among journalists covering the first blast.

AFP confirmed the death of its photographer, Shah Marai, in the bombing, while Farzad Salehi, an editor at 1TV, a local news agency, said the station had lost two of its reporters.

Mr Majoh also confirmed the death of Ebadullah Hananzai, a reporter for Radio Free Europe (RFE) and Khair Tokhi, from ToloNews, a local news network.

Lotfullah Najafizada, the head of the prominent Afghan news network ToloNews, said he had counted 20 dead bodies at two hospitals.

At least five journalists were said to be among the dead.

“What a tragic day!” he added on his Twitter account.

However, information about the number of journalists killed in the incident is contradictory.

Najib Sharifi, the head of AJSC, told dpa that seven journalists, including one from AFP, one from RFE, two from 1TV, one from local news agency ToloNews, and two others from local radio Mashal, were killed in the attack.

“This incident makes it clear that Afghanistan, where violence and killing of reporters is frequent, is the most dangerous country for journalists,” Mr Sharifi said.

Mr Sharifi added that incidents like these are a big threat to the survival of freedom of speech.

Back-to-back bombings with second ones targeting rescue workers is a regular occurrence in Afghanistan.

At least 41 people were killed and 80 others were wounded in an Islamic State suicide bombing in December 2017 in three back-to-back bombings at a Shiite cultural organisation in western neighborhood of Kabul.

According to Nai, a non-governmental organization advocating for open media in Afghanistan, 21 journalists were killed in 2017.

No group has taken responsibility for Monday’s attacks.

The blasts mark the eighth large-scale attack in Kabul since January, with at least 254 killed and 368 injured.

An Islamic State suicide bombing at a national ID distribution centre in the western Kabul neighbourhood on April 22 killed 60 people and wounded 129 others.

Attacks in Afghanistan, especially in the capital, Kabul, have increased since the beginning of 2016.

More than 20 large-scale attacks took place in Kabul in 2017, leaving at least 500 dead. (dpa/NAN)

Missile strikes kills 26, mostly Iranian, forces

Missile strikes on central Syria killed 26 pro-regime fighters, most of them Iranians, a monitor said Monday, in a raid that bore the hallmarks of Tehran's archfoe Israel.

Pro-Syrian regime forces advance towards the town of Douma, the last opposition holdout in Eastern Ghouta, on April 7, 2018  (AFP)

Missile strikes on central Syria killed 26 pro-regime fighters, most of them Iranians, a monitor said Monday, in a raid that bore the hallmarks of Tehran's archfoe Israel.

The Syrian regime, which denounced a "fresh aggression" after the strikes, meanwhile continued to flush out armed groups from the capital with more deals to transfer fighters to the country's north.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, missile strikes hit two military targets in Aleppo and Hama provinces late Sunday.

The strike on Hama province hit a base known as the 47th Brigade where pro-regime fighters are stationed. Both hits destroyed surface-to-surface missiles, the monitor said.

"At least 26 fighters were killed, including four Syrians," in the Hama strike, said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Britain-based monitoring organisation.

"The others are foreign fighters, a vast majority of them Iranians," he told AFP. "Given the nature of the target, it is likely to have been an Israeli strike."

Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz told army radio on Monday morning that he was "not aware" of the latest strikes.

But, he said, "all the violence and instability in Syria is the result of Iran's attempts to establish a military presence there. Israel will not allow the opening of a northern front in Syria."

Israeli media reported that the security cabinet was due to hold an emergency session later Monday.

The latest strikes came amid heightened tensions in Syria after Damascus and its ally Iran accused Israel on April 9 of conducting deadly strikes against a military base in the centre of the country.

Israel-Iran tension

At least 14 soldiers, including seven Iranians, were killed in the strike on a military base in Homs province.

Days later, on April 14, the United States, France and Britain bombarded several Syrian regime military positions in response to a suspected chemical attack on the rebel stronghold of Douma which killed dozens, according to rescue services.

Syria remains technically at war with neighbouring Israel, which is concerned at the growing presence of Iranian forces and those of Tehran's Lebanese ally Hezbollah on Syrian territory.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed in an interview Thursday to strike at any attempt by Iran to establish a "military foothold" in Syria.

Iran has forces deployed in Syria to support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, as well as supervising the involvement of several Shiite militia groups it sponsors, some of them from other countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan.

There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the Sunday strikes, but the reformist-linked ILNA news agency quoted a security official who did not deny the strike and said any reports on the military situation in Syria should come from Damascus.

"The Syrians must announce the statistics as they are responsible. We are present in this country at the request of the government of Syria," said Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, spokesman for parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission.

Damascus transfers

The Syrian government has focused its efforts in 2018 on securing the capital Damascus, the heart of which was spared the worst of the seven-year-old conflict but was long surrounded by rebel-held pockets.

Backed by massive Russian military support, the regime took full control of the Eastern Ghouta enclave earlier this month.

The sprawling semi-rural area east of Damascus had been home to thousands of armed Islamist and jihadist fighters, who were besieged for years but sporadically fired rockets and mortar rounds on the capital.

Pro-regime forces are now battling jihadists from the Islamic State group and other armed groups in southern neighbourhoods of Damascus.

After days of air strikes and heavy fighting, state media reported late Sunday that those areas would be evacuated under deals similar to those that emptied other enclaves around Damascus in recent weeks.

Buses started arriving Monday near Yarmuk, a neighbourhood once home to a Palestinian refugee camp and the main hub of IS forces in southern Damascus, state media reported.

The transfer deal does not include IS fighters, but other jihadists from a former Al-Qaeda affiliate who control pockets inside Yarmuk, Abdel Rahman said.

Obasanjo’s movement criticises Buhari for ‘campaigning’ despite killings

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo [Photo credit: Ventures Africa]

The Coalition for Nigeria Movement, led by a former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for ‘campaigning’ in different parts of the country despite the ongoing killings ravaging some states, particularly Benue.

Mr Buhari has indicated his intention to seek reelection in 2019 after months of suspense. Many have accused him of putting the cart before the horse by not tackling bloodletting in some states like Benue, Zamfara, Plateau, Kogi, Borno and others first before throwing his hat into the ring for 2019.

The movement, in a statement by its spokesman, Akin Osuntokun, said Mr Buhari’s visit to Bauchi State to campaign less than 24 hours after several persons were slaughtered in Benue State was the height of insensitivity.

The statement titled, “Fiddling while Nigeria is burning”, admonished Mr Buhari to put the security of Nigerians ahead of his political ambition.

The statement explained how the regime of massacres in Benue State attained another height with the invasion of a church in Benue where two Catholic priests and ” indeterminate number of the congregation were butchered”.

“This tragedy was casually reinforced by the decision of President Buhari to proceed on a campaign tour to Bauchi in careless and insensitive disregard of the intensifying Benue calamity. This peculiar attitude has become all too familiar and characteristic of President Buhari.

“Something of the unfolding national calamity can still be salvaged in the unlikely event that the President sees fit to mend his ways going forward. Were the President to continue to prioritise his re-election bid over the security and well-being of Nigerians, he would be putting the corporate existence of the country at risk,” part of the statement read.

The coalition aligned with the report of the United States’ Department of State last week, which accused the Buhari administration of failing to effectively tackle corruption and human rights abuses.

It also said the failed attempt to recall a Kogi senator, Dino Melaye, despite his ‘unjust arrest’ was evidence that Mr Buhari was running a government similar to “totalitarian former President François Duvalier of Haiti.”

2019 election: Shekarau to seek PDP’s presidential ticket

- The race for the presidential election in 2019 is gathering momentum by the day

- Heavy weight politicians continue to throw their hat into the ring in what is expected to be a tough electoral contest

- A former governor of Kano state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has joined the race

A former governor of Kano state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has declared his interest in contesting for the presidency in the 2019 general elections under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Shekarau, 62, who is also the immediate past minister of education, said in an open letter, that his decision to seek for PDP’s presidential ticket was informed by clarion calls from Nigerians and after wide consultations.

Shekarau seeks to get the PDP ticket to challenge President Buhari in the 2019 presidential contest.

Part of the letter stated: “As you may be aware, for quite some time now, since after the 2015 general elections, there have been various calls made by individuals and groups from many quarters, nationwide, urging my humble candidature for the contest of the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the next general elections, due in 2019.

“I strongly believe that the people are doing so out of their conviction of contentment and satisfaction based upon the modest successes recorded while I served as the governor of Kano state (2003 to 2011), and also as a minister of education (July 2014 - May 2015).

“In response to these calls, and in view of the seeming intricacies and the boundless complexities involved in such a national assignment, I have consulted across the geopolitical zones and different interest groups, who examined and appraised the issue and advised me accordingly.

“I am pleased to say, based on these wide consultations, that I am better informed and convinced that participating in the democratic process of serving humanity goes beyond party affiliations/boundaries, and also beyond just winning an election.

“I have therefore decided to accept the clarion calls, and will in due course and in accordance with the guidelines of my party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), offer my humble self for the contest of the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the forthcoming 2019 general elections.”

With the declaration, Shekarau has joined the likes of former minister of special duties; Kabiru Turaki, former Vice President; Atiku Abubakar, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe state, former Kaduna State governor; Ahmed Makarfi and former Senate President, David Mark, among others who are reportedly seeking PDP’s presidential ticket.

Meanwhile, the national financial secretary of the PDP, Abdullahi MaiBasira has expressed optimism that his party will have a successful outing in the 2019 general elections. He stated this during an interactive session with select journalists in his office in Abuja.

The immediate past national youth leader of the party, used the opportunity to advise whoever emerges the PDP's presidential candidate in 2019 to hit the ground running immediately.

PDP's Magnificent 7 for 2019 on NAIJ.com TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnEmWRFIO6U

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah risks being banned for the rest of the season

- English FA are currently investigating Liverpool star Mohamed Salah after deliberately aiming a fist at Stoke City's Bruno Martins Indi in their Premier League clash on Saturday, April 28

- The 25-year-old's case will be referred to a three-man panel of ex-referees who will decide whether Salah deserves to be banned or not

- Meanwhile, the Egypt international is the current leading goalscorer in the league with 31 goals followed by Harry Kane

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah might be banned for the rest of the season if found guilty of the disciplinary case levied against him.

The 25-year-old is currently being investigated by the English FA after his row with Stoke City defender Bruno Martins Indi in last Saturday’s Premier League fixture at Anfield which ended in a barren draw.

Salah was sighted aiming a fist at the Dutch defender in the game but got away with it moments before the referee sounded the half time whistle.

The case is expected to be treated by a three-man panel of former referees to decide whether his offence deserved a red card or not.

Salah and Indi during their row in Saturday's Premier League clash

English FA were alerted on social media by the clips of the incident where the Egyptian superstar appears to flail a balled hand at Stoke's defender near the half-way line.

Under FA rules, potential violent conduct incidents missed by the officials are referred to the panel of former whistlers, who must unanimously agree it was a sending off.

In a different story, West Bromwich Albion's Ahmed Hegazi got lucky by avoiding disciplinary action after the three former refs - who view all referred incident separately - failed to agree he should have received a red card for an alleged punch on Liverpool's Danny Ings.

Salah and Inds in Saturday's Premier League encounter at Anfield - The Sun

However, Salah will learn about the outcome of his violent conduct in the next 24 hours, and should he be found guilty, he will attract a three-game ban ruling him out of the rest of the domestic campaign and the first game of next term.

Meanwhile, if he gets suspended, his chances of scoring the goal he needed to become the first player to score 32 goals in 38 games in a single Premier League season.

Salah has scored 31 goals already in 34 EPL matches, while his goal tally for the season stands at 43 in all competitions.

He joined Liverpool last summer in the summer of 2017 from AS Roma €42 million and has helped the Reds to the semi final of this year’s Champions League tourney.

Who has the better team; Chelsea or Arsenal? - on NAIJ.com TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhePhReZ5K4

How move to recall Dino Melaye failed

Senator Dino Melaye (APC – Kogi West) PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/DINO MELAYE

• PDP accuses Bello of wasting N5 billion on exercise
• Senator lauds constituents for rescuing him

The move to recall Senator Dino Melaye by his supposed constituents in Kogi West senatorial district has failed.

The results of the signature verification conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the weekend as part of the recall process show that the petitions were not from the constituents.

In the results announced after the exercise on Saturday, INEC stated that out of a total of 351, 140 registered voters in the senatorial district, only 18, 743 signatories representing 5. 34 per cent, showed up. Curiously, the commission observed that 189, 870 petitions were received by it but 20, 868 petitions were presented for accreditation, suggesting fictitious claims.

For a recall process to proceed to the level of referendum, the number of signatories must reach 51 percent of the total number of registered voters in the district, but the exercise in Kogi West fell short by 45.66 percent, which means that the constitutional requirement was not met.

The failed recall has implications for the national polity, particularly politics in Kogi State. Apart from the fact that the majority of the petitions were spurious, the outcome of the verification indicates that the voters have power to resist the impunity of political actors.

By refraining to rubber-stamp the orchestrated recall petitions, the people of Kogi West seem to have stood by their choice of Melaye, resisting the exercise as a political witch-hunt within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The senator has been having a running a battle with Governor Yahaya Bello and the presidency.

Some observers are of the view that the refusal by the national leadership of the party to intervene exposed the conspiracy in the move to recall the senator. Also, the zeal with which INEC pursued the recall effort, in spite of the well-known voters apathy that attends even major elections, calls to question its impartiality.

But INEC, through its national commissioner in charge of Kogi, Kwara and Nassarawa states, Alhaji Mohammed Haruna, explained that the commission was not concerned by the turnout of voters, but the transparency of the verification.

The INEC presiding officer for the verification, Prof. Okente Morthy, said the exercise was conducted in 552 polling units in seven local government areas in Kogi West senatorial district.

In Kogi Local Government with 46,727 registered voters, INEC was told that a total number of 24,459 voters signed the petition, but during the exercise, the commission discovered that only 2,566 actually signed, out of which 2,335 were verified.

He said that at Kabba/Bunu Local Government with 59,319 registered voters and 27,910 petitioners, only 2,085 signatures were verified to be genuine out of 2,151 that came out for the exercise.

At Ijumu Local Government with 46, 810 registered voters and 24, 389 petitioners, 2,664 were confirmed out of 2, 811.

Morthy said in Yagba East with 35, 329 registered voters and 18, 229 petitioners, 3,506 were verified out of 3, 580 recorded.

In Mopa-Amuro Local Government with 18, 350 and 9, 173, signatures, 710 were verified out of the 729 recorded.

The returning officer said that there was violence in six polling units at Mopa town towards the end of the exercise, forcing INEC to nullify the exercise in the affected wards.

In Yagba West, which has 35, 506 registered voters and 19, 444 signatories, only 3,729 petitioners were verified out of the 4, 221 that turned up while in Lokoja Local Government with 109,105 registered voters and 66,266 petitioners, 3,763 were verified out of the 4, 810 recorded.

Supporters of Melaye had accused Governor Bello of masterminding the recall attempt, alleging that agents of the governor assembled the signatures against the senator.

In a statement by his Media Assistant, Mr. Gideon Ayodele, Melaye expressed gratitude to his constituents for honouring him and “rescuing him from his political enemies.”

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State has accused Governor Bello of wasting over N5 billion public fund on his failed plot to recall Melaye.

The party described Bello as “heartless”, adding that the money would have paid the salaries of workers in the state for two months.

The PDP made the allegation in a statement by its Director, Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson.

On the boycott of the INEC verification, PDP called for a thorough investigation of the claim by some of the voters who turned out for the exercise that their signatures were forged.

“Those who were involved in the petition submitted to INEC for the recall of Melaye must be arrested and tried for forgery,” the PDP said.

According to the party, the huge human and financial resources deployed to the “Dino Melaye must go” agenda would have made meaningful impact on the lives of the downtrodden people of Kogi State, especially the workers that are being owed several months salary.

PDP declared that the open rejection of the recall agenda by the people was a clear signal that APC and Bello had been rejected in the state.

The immediate past Governor of the State Captain Idris Wada said: “If you tell lies for so long, one day the truth will overturn everything.”

He said it showed that in 2019, the people’s PVC would speak for them no matter the influence of those who want to manipulate the electoral process.

“There is a lesson in this for all of us in the political arena to respect the will of the people,” he said.

Former deputy to Wada, Yomi Awoniyi, said: “The good people of Kogi West have spoken. Ordinarily, a recall shouldn’t be an issue unless it is initiated by the people.”

This fact of the process has shown that the will of the people will always prevail. I just hope that leaders will learn from this so that peace would return to our great state.”

[Song] Lyta – “Ire” (Cover)

YBNL’s Dream, Lyta covers Adekunle Gold’s “Ire”

Shortly after signing on to Olamide’s YBNL records, budding act, Lyta keeps quite an impressive form as he releases a cover to Adekunle Gold’s buzzing single “Ire”

This cover comes shortly after Lyta debuted with “Time” featuring Olamide.

Enjoy the captivating record below and share your thoughts.

DOWNLOAD MP3

Quotable Lyrics

I remember when I dey go show wey them no call me

Na when people go finish them go still call me

Make i perform

So many things wey my eye done see

wey i no fit talk o

Soyinka to Nigerian Youths: Don’t follow those who failed you

Scores of people including academics, religious leaders and traditional rulers and others on Thursday converged at Ilara-Mokin, Ondo state where Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka delivered the 2nd Convocation lecture of Elizade University, Ilara-mokin entitled “Tending the tree of commencement”.

At the crowded make-shift fully decorated hall, the literary icon urged the youths  to be more dedicated and remain active in politics.

Soyinka charged the youth to have representatives in power during the next political dispensation.

This according to him was by participating actively election process and to represent themselves in governance.

The eminent Scholar lamented that old politicians ruling the country presently have failed the country in all ramifications.

He hailed Leah Shuiab, one of the female secondary school students kidnapped in Dapchi, Yobe State for her firmness like Nelson and Winnie Mandela who chose to remain in prison despite the offer by the government of South Africa.

Soyinka said “All I can just tell you is this; don’t make the mistake of following those who failed you before; those who are pretending that they have nothing to do with the disaster that has overtaken Nigeria.

“They are very quick to smell failure, they are very quick to shout it; but then, they exculpate themselves, whereas they are the founding malfeasance of the Nigerian condition: that is what I am warning youths against. Mobilize, get your representatives and stop bothering geriatrics like myself. ”

He expressed displeasure on the scrapping of history in  secondary schools in the country, stressing that the development aided many people  to forget their historical backgrounds.

Chairman of the occasion who is the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Ayo Banjo, said there was a need for the country to pay attention to the training of teachers.

According to him, teachers should be well paid to encourage them for better service delivery.

He said” If you want education to be improved in Nigeria, there should be more funding, more money to provide conducive environment. More money for training of teachers.

For instance, you cannot be in the army without having frequent training. Army do not joke with training. Every three or four years, they go for update of their training.

Prof Banjo urged Elizade University students to use Soyinka’s lecture for intellectual development.

APC senator on Melaye: You fight for change and this is the kind of treatment you get

Muhammed Shittu, an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator from Jigawa state, says Nigerians did not vote in this government to be mistreated.

He said this while reacting to the alleged maltreatment of Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, by the police.

Melaye sustained injuries after jumping out of a moving police vehicle on Monday. He has since been admitted at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Speaking on the floor of the upper legislative chamber after Sam Anyanwu, senator representing Imo east, moved a motion on Melaye’s issue, Shittu said everybody should be treated according to the law.

“The law now works against people who are perceived to be enemies. You fight for change and this is the kind of change we are experiencing today. There are proofs and I know because of what I’ve said, I can be killed. I don’t mind being killed,” he said.

“It is good for one to speak the truth and be killed. What is happening to us today is not fair and we have the rights to our opinions. Everybody is against the national assembly as if we are the enemies of this nation. We are not enemies. We are representatives of the people and as such, we must speak the truth. We should condemn, in totality, what is happening. What is happening is not the change.

“If this is change, I doubt if I can continue under this kind of environment. And I know a lot of people share a similar opinion with me.

“This is no change. We didn’t vote this government to be mistreated. We didn’t vote this government to abuse court processes and procedures. It’s not fair, we advise the government to change before it is late.”

On his part, Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna central, said the country is gradually getting close to a totalitarian state.

He said what is happening to Melaye is an onslaught on democracy.

“My main concern is this, whatever we do today because we are in power, we may be at the receiving end tomorrow. We should understand that power is temporary. It is an opportunity for you to serve,” Sani said.

“This is not the best of time for some people to speak up for the fear of being targeted. And election season is at hand and people want their ticket back.

“People need to understand that life itself is temporary, who gave you the assurance that you’ll be up to 2019. What happened to Dino is an onslaught on democracy.

“For people like us, I know very well I’m also a target and I will fall into the situation of Dino but I’m not bothered. What bothers me is to say the truth as it is. People who have worked erroneously and sacrificed their lives and resources to see the change we need today have consistently been tagged or targeted as enemies of the president.”

What Igbo people told me after Biafra war – Gowon

Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has revealed how he visited the South East region after the Civil War and what the people told him concerning another war.

The former Head of State made the recall while expressing dismay over the incessant insecurity challenges in Nigeria.

Gowon said his heart bleeds over the activities of Boko Haram, herdsmen, and other armed militants, whose actions he described as man’s inhumanity to man.

General Gowon this when he paid a courtesy call to the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha at the Government House Owerri over the weekend.

He said, “After the Civil War, from this town Owerri, I visited Nsukka, Enugu, Abakeliki, Umuahia, and Onitsha. We were impressed with the way the children turned out to welcome us.

“They were saying, you are our parents, our leaders, please do not allow any Nigerian child to suffer what we suffered,” Gowon said, recalling the experience of the Nigerian Civil War.

“God can touch one’s heart and change the person into becoming a vessel of peace. My prayer for every Nigerian man is to live in harmony.

“We would wish every man and woman and religious leaders to rally round and assist in any way possible.

“Every one of us has a role to play, not only the leaders. That is why we seek for God’s intervention.

“Without peace, we cannot go further. Let us continue to pray and do whatever we can to achieve the peace we all desire. Your role and our collective role is important.”

Explaining his reason for the visit, Gowon said: “We are in Imo for the Nigeria Prayer Rally. A prayer rally we have been doing throughout the geopolitical zones or States.

“This time around, it is for the South-East Zone to host the prayer rally, and Imo is hosting us. Your Excellency, we are grateful for the arrangements and support.

“We are impressed with your zeal and passion for Christ, suing for peace, which is what the country needs now.”

Now that Okorocha has confirmed that Ikedi Ohakim is not corrupt . .

•Former Imo Governor, Dr Ikedi Ohakim

Those who have followed Governor Okorocha’s recent media outing would know that His Excellency Dr Ikedi Ohakim deserves praises both from Governor Okorocha and the people of Imo State for rendering selfless service to the people for the four years he was Governor, 2007-2011.

Governor Okorocha had in a media briefing with journalists at the Government House on Thursday, April 19, 2018, confessed that Dr Ikedi Ohakim and other former governors were not corrupt, did not acquire wealth and left office as governors poor, to the extent that he is now building houses for them and to celebrate them.

Since Governor Okorocha said Ohakim does not have a house, is not corrupt and did not acquire wealth, contrary to false accusations he had leveled against him for seven years now, it means Ohakim deserves praises.

A governor should not be talking any how. This is why we had advised that a governor should behave with decorum, and that governance is not the same thing as wearing pampas. In 2012 and 2013 Okorocha said he had built houses for Ohakim and Udenwa, and in 2018 he is still building the houses. This is why no one takes him serious anymore.

Okorocha had also on live television accused Ohakim of embezzling N100bn and owning 50 houses in the whole of Owerri, with 10 houses at Wetheral Road alone, a hotel in South Africa and other foreign investments. Today Okorocha has confessed that those allegations are false and that Ohakim is not corrupt, does not own a house and did not acquire wealth. This is why we had said that Okorocha has run amok and that he needs a team of psychiatrists to attend to him before he runs off naked to the market.

Dr Ikedi Ohakim ran one of the best administrations in Nigeria and was preoccupied with governance and rendering selfless service to the people that wealth acquisition never crossed his mind. All the lands Okorocha has acquired for himself, such as the IBC quarters Orji which he turned to Rochas Foundation College, the Orlu Road Secretariat which he has turned to WODDI Center, Ekeukwu Owerri which he has turned to his shopping mall, Nkwo Orji where lockup and open shops are being sold for him by proxy developers, Old Stadium at Tetlow Road which he has turned to Rochas Foundation Sports Academy, etc, were there but Ohakim did not acquire them. Sam Mbakwe, Evan Enwerem, Achike Udenwa and Ikedi Ohakim were not fools but they never eyed any public assets. If they had acquired public assets Okorocha would have met nothing on ground to acquire.

Not only has Okorocha indulged in inordinate acquisition of public properties, within his first year in office he built a mansion in Owerri worth over N40bn, another one in his village worth over N30b, another one in Abuja worth over 25bn, excluding the university he has built in his village.

This inordinate acquisition of wealth by Okorocha and other anti-people actions have since alienated him from Imo people who are embarrassed at the indecorous conducts of their Governor to the extent that they no longer take him serious.

To show that Okorocha is not a leader that Imo people should take serious and obey, the whole world is watching to see how many communities will comply and pay the illegal N6M monthly levy without government’s use of coercion.

Henceforth His Excellency, Dr Ikedi Ohakim, will not be joining issues with Okorocha who has from all indications run amok and not regarded by the people, who has consistently shown his belief in the mundane.

Dr Ikedi Ohakim does not believe that happiness derives from the number of wealth one acquires. Therefore he does not need any house from Okorocha. He urges Okorocha to save himself the pain of building any house for him and rather use the money to pay pensions and gratuities of retired civil servants, including retired Judges who have not been paid their pension and gratuity for four years now.

The level of excruciating pain, hunger and poverty in Imo State today is as a result of Okorocha’s wanton acquisition of public assets, including the collapse of the health system and the economy since he assumed office. But Imo people should rest assured that Ohakim will return in 2019 to correct these anomalies and move Imo State forward.

Ohakim will come back to run a government where no one will acquire public assets, where inordinate acquisition of wealth and public assets will be anathema; where selfless service will be the overall guiding principle and governor behaves with decorum: a government where inferior projects will be banished, traders and artisans allowed to do their businesses and live meaningful lives.

Ohakim handed over power to Okorocha and he knows what he handed over. When he comes back he will ensure that the civil service and the local government system regain their lost glory with vibrant and satisfied civil servants, a government that places premium on the payment of salaries, pension and gratuities and honours its contractual obligations, not a government that is always in court with the people, that is always fighting the people it is supposed to serve and protect. Ohakim will run a government where no one will grab people's lands nor destroy their sources of income, a government run with transparency and fear of God; a government where development partners will find the confidence to invest and create jobs for the over One Million unemployed Imo youths.

Ohakim will run a government where resentment will not show up nor be encouraged by the government against the people, the elite or any other segment of the society. Imo people are proud people who love each other and the government should not be spreading or encouraging resentment amongst them. He will run a government everyone will be proud to call “Our Government”. He will not loot because he did not loot before. He will not acquire wealth or public assets because he did not do that before. He has been living happily with his family in his three-bedroom bungalow at Prefab, the only house he has in the whole of Owerri which was built in 1992. He will not be greedy because he was not greedy. He can be trusted. He will deliver.

•Collins Ughalaa, Chief Press Secretary to His Excellency, Dr Ikedi Ohakim.

I Apologize For Calling GEJ A Weak President! Comparing GEJ And PMB’s Administration Is Like Comparing Between Light And Darkness,A True Democrat And A Dictator-Dino.

Senator Dino Malaye writes from his hospital bed saying that there is no reason anyone could compare a true Democratic  leader and dictator with a civilian look.

“Comparing Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is like comparing between light and darkness, a true Democrat and a dictator, education and illiteracy, freedom and oppression, and good and evil.

I apologize for calling GEJ a weak president!

GEJ is indeed the Greatest Democrat in Nigeria’s democratic journey!”

Senator survives recall as INEC releases results of signatures verification

The result of the verification released early Sunday in Lokoja by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that 39,285 of the signatories were verified, out of which only 18,762 signatures were genuine.

The bid to recall Sen. Dino Melaye from the Senate has finally crashed as only 5.34 per cent of the total 188,500 signatories to his recall petition were verified in an exercise held on Saturday.

The result of the verification released early Sunday in Lokoja by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that 39,285 of the signatories were verified, out of which only 18,762 signatures were genuine.

The genuine signatories represent a dismal 5.34 per cent of the total signatories to the petition, which fell short of 51 per cent or 98, 364 signatures required for the petition to sail through.

It was observed that the verification failed largely due to fictitious and forged signatures and names of dead persons affixed to the recall petition by its promoters.

The News Agency Of Nigeria ( NAN) recalls that some electorate in the Kogi West senatorial district had on June 24, 2017 submitted a petition to recall Melaye to the headquarters of the INEC in Abuja.

One Mr Cornelius Olowo led the petitioners to submit the recall petition which alleged poor representation as one of the reasons for the move to recall Melaye.

However, the INEC’s presiding officer for the verification exercise , Prof. Okente Morthy of the university of Abuja said that the number of signatures verified fell short of the number required.

He consequently gave the breakdown of the results of the verification exercise which took place in 552 polling units in seven local government areas in Kogi West senatorial district .

According to him, in Kogi Local Government with 46,727 registered voters and a total number of 24,459 signatures to the petition , only 2,335 were verified out of 2,566 signatures recorded during verification.

He said that at Kabba/Bunu Local Government with 59,319 registered voters and 27,910 petitioners , only 2,085 signatures were verified to be genuine out of 2,151 that came out for the exercise.

Also at Ijumu Local Government, with 46, 810 registered voters and 24, 389 petitioners , 2,664 were verified out of 2, 811, the returning officer announced.

According to Morthy, others are Yagba East, 35, 329 registered voters, 18, 229 petitioners while 3,506 were verified out of 3, 580 recorded at verification.

At Mopa-Amuro Local Government with 18, 350 and 9, 173, signatures, 710 were verified out of the 729 recorded

However, the Returning Officer, said that there was violence in six polling units at the Mopa town towards the end of the exercise, forcing the INEC to nullify the exercise in the affected wards.

At Yagba West which has 35, 506 registered voters and 19, 444 signatories, only 3,729 petitioners were verified out of the 4, 221 that turned up, the returning officer stated.

In Lokoja Local Government with 109,105 registered voters and 66,266 petitioners, INEC said that 3,763 were verified out of the 4, 810 recorded during the botched verification exercise.

Messi's emotional farewell to Iniesta

Lionel Messi has paid an emotional tribute to his departing teammate Andres Iniestaon social media after the Spaniard confirmed his Barcelona exit during a press conference on Friday.

The 33-year old who has made 669 appearances in 16 seasons, winning 31 trophies with Barca and three major tournaments for Spain confirmed he will leave the Spanish club at the end of the season.

The Argentina skipper used his Instagram account to dedicate a warm message towards the Blaugrana captain, who has been his teammate for almost two decades.

"Andres, thank you for all these years of football. It was a privilege to enjoy this sport by your side and spend so many unforgettable moments together.

"I wish you all of the best in this new sporting adventure for you and in your life."You are a phenomenon, both on and off the field." Messi wrote

Iniesta is not the first member of the golden age to have moved on but the class of 2008/09, who found so much glory in Pep Guardiola's first season as coach, is now almost completely gone.

Only Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets, the anchorman beginning that season in the reserves, remain from the year in which Barcelona's footballing domination, one defined by flair and attractive football, began.

Departing Wenger wants peaceful end to Mourinho rivalry

Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLIS /

Arsene Wenger says he hopes his farewell match at Old Trafford on Sunday passes off “peacefully” but has admitted he is unsure he will ever be friends with Jose Mourinho.

Wenger, 68, made the surprise announcement last week that he will end his 21-year reign at Arsenal when the season is completed.

His rivalry with Mourinho often spilled over into physical altercations dating as far back as when the Portuguese took over at Chelsea in 2004 and promptly grabbed Premier League supremacy from Wenger’s Arsenal team.

Wenger had not got the better of Mourinho in a competitive fixture until Arsenal beat United 2-0 at the end of last season.

Mourinho has greeted Wenger’s announcement warmly and even suggested they could “even be friends in the future”.

“It depends,” said Wenger. “I respect him of course… you should give me a little bit of peace for my final weeks and not try to push me into another confrontation.

“I want to go peacefully, and with Mourinho now because he is a great manager. I say goodbye to everyone. In France we say ‘au revoir’ which means you might see me again.”

Before Mourinho, Wenger frequently clashed with Alex Ferguson in Arsenal-United matches, but former United chairman Martin Edwards revealed in 2017 that he held talks with Wenger about replacing Ferguson when the Scot originally announced he would retire in 2002.

Ferguson changed his mind and would stay for another 11 years while Wenger said at the time Arsenal’s “values” meant he would never have accepted the job anyway.

“I turned many clubs down to stay here and face the challenge when we built the stadium. I don’t regret that because I see my life and what is important to me,” he said on Friday.

The Gunners go to Old Trafford ahead of the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, with the tie delicately balanced after a 1-1 draw at the Emirates on Thursday.