Injured Messi 'irreplaceable' - Barca boss

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique admitted it is impossible to replace Lionel Messi as the European champions face up to living without the four-time World Player of the Year for up to eight weeks.

Messi suffered a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his left knee during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Las Palmas and looks set to miss Barca’s next eight games.

“Thank you all for your supportive messages. For anyone who loves football, the hardest thing is not to be on the pitch. Now it’s time to recover properly to come back,” Messi posted on his official Facebook page on Monday.

“A player like Leo is irreplaceable,” Luis Enrique said on Monday ahead of his side’s return to Champions League action at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

“In pre-season none of Leo, Neymar or (Luis) Suarez played, but our idea of how to play didn’t change. It is a challenge for us to be without the best player in the world, but it also provides an incentive for us.”

Messi is expected to miss La Liga games against Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, Eibar, Getafe and Villarreal, as well as Leverkusen’s visit and two clashes with BATE Borisov in the Champions League.

However, Luis Enrique is confident the 28-year-old will be fit for Barca’s first meeting with Real Madrid this season on November 21 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Leo came in yesterday for the medical check-up and he looked good, he was in high spirits,” added the coach.

“Time is in his favour.”

Midfielder Ivan Rakitic is also hopeful that Messi’s absence will act as a spur for his teammates to take more responsiblity in the coming weeks.

“Messi’s injury affects us a lot. It hurts not to have the best player in the world, but it also serves as motivation to win the games for him,” said the Croatian international.

“We hope he returns as soon as possible.”

Barca were held to a 1-1 draw in their first Champions League game of the campaign away at Roma a fortnight ago and Luis Enrique insisted it is imperative they get all three points against group leaders Leverkusen at the Camp Nou.

“I don’t know if Leo’s absence will be a boost for Leverkusen, but for us it is a key game against one of the strongest opponents in the group.

“They are a very intense team, they defend and press well and physically they are very strong. I am sure they will cause us a lot of problems.”

Despite the body-blow of Messi’s absence, there is some good news on the injury front for Barca as both goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and left-back Jordi Alba trained on Monday and are expected to be available for selection.

HOW JEFF WON 2015 MTN PROJECT FAME WEST AFRICA SEASON 8

Budding singer, Jeffrey Ufedo Akor  weekend emerged winner of the MTN Project Fame West Africa Season 8, smiling home with star prize of N5million, a brand new, fully loaded SUV and a recording contract worth millions of Naira. It has been a completely exciting season with weeks of hard-work and dedication.

It started with auditions in several cities in West Africa, and translated into eight weeks of fun, tension and scintillating performances for the 16 contestants that made it into the Academy.

For the six finalists that made it to the finals (Ada, Arewa, Anderson, Deinde, Jeff, and Pearl), things will never be the same again as they have indeed gone through a beneficial and life-altering eight weeks in the Academy.

Grand Finale nights like this have birthed the likes of Iyanya, Mike, Chidinma, Monica, Ayoola, Olawale and Geoffrey. And with only one of these six to join the league of extraordinary superstars, the question on everyone’s mind was, who will it be?

But before it got to that, the show kicked off on a  promising note as the six finalists stepped onto the stage in their monochrome outfits and delivered a melodious, yet emotional group song titled ‘Pray For Me’ by Dare Art Alade.

The rest of the night turned out to be an exciting journey with great entertainment lined up in form of collabos. Yes, the six finalists had been paired up with some A-list artistes to produce amazing remixed versions of their songs, and so each team stepped on stage and brought nothing but pure joy as they sang, danced and glowed.

First to perform were Jeff and energetic Yemi Alade doing ‘K.I.S.S.I.N.G’ remix. Followed by Pearl and Chidinma who gracefully performed ‘Kedike’ remix.  Anderson and Praiz with their vocal dexterities delivered ‘Rich and Famous’ remix. While Arewa and 9ice paired up for the remix of the evergreen ‘Gongo Aso’.

Ada and Sound Sultan closed this round of entertainment with their creative rendition of ‘MotherLand’ remix. Amazingly, these collaborations are now available as caller ring back tunes. It was then time to get down to the business of the day. The moment of truth as many calls it, often characterized by a pin-drop silence.

With the audience eyes wide open, gasping heartbeats and trembling feet, the hosts of the show –Joseph Benjamin and Bolanle Olukanni took turns to announce the winner and runners-up of season eight.  Ada Tosanwumi, third runner-up. She went home with a cash prize of two million naira while   Anderson Amos emerged second runner-up.

He walked away with two million naira and a brand new saloon car. Pearl Awa-Agwu, first runner-up. She earned three million naira and a brand new saloon car.

With scores of spectacular performances and several millions of votes; the winner of MTN Project Fame Season eight is Jeffrey Ufedo Akor. He carted away five million naira, a brand new, fully loaded SUV and a recording contract worth millions of Naira. The sixth and fifth positions will also be rewarded with five hundred thousand naira and one million naira respectively.

Presidency lied, UN meeting on insurgency shunned by Buhari yielded $ 6.8m - PDP

National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Monday, lampooned President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that Nigeria’s snubbing of the meeting of countries affected by insurgency at the 70th United Nation’s General Assembly meeting was an insult to the country.

PDP accused the presidency of being economical with the truth on why President Buhari was absent at the UN General Assembly in New York meeting where the very sensitive issue of humanitarian crisis arising from the insurgency in Lake Chad countries was discussed.

According to the party, Nigeria’s absence at such a meeting where countries affected by Boko Haram insurgency sought international assistance for millions displaced by the scourge, revealed the All Progressives Congress, APC led government insincerity and ineptitude.

Addressing Journalists, in Abuja, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh stressed that the presidency lied because the said meeting on humanitarian crisis was contained on the official brochure tagged, “High Level Event on the Lake Chad Basin,” and that “high level representation from the government of Nigeria” was scheduled to make contributions at the meeting.

Metuh said: “Further reports indicate that due to the importance of that meeting, it was broadcast on United Nations’ official online television and radio channels, while officials of world bodies have continued to register their disappointment in our country due to the incompetence of the APC-led government. Instead of admitting failure and apologizing to Nigerians, the Presidency sought to hoodwink the public by claiming that the meeting was not one of the official events for which the President and his delegation are in New York, only for the official brochure of the meeting tagged, “High Level Event on the Lake Chad Basin,” to show that “high level representation from the government of Nigeria” was scheduled to make contributions at the meeting.

“It is disheartening to note that the same meeting the President Buhari-led delegation shunned actually yielded a fall out of $6.8 million announced by the United States as funding for regional aid efforts.”

‎The PDP regretted that whereas, other affected Chad basin countries were fully represented and had fruitful discussions with officials of the world body, the government of Nigeria, which has the biggest challenge of displaced persons, refused to attend such a meeting.

Metuh who titled his speech, “The Decline Of Democratic Ideals” also said that for calling Ministers noise makers, President Buhari will not attach any value or importance to them if he eventually appoints them, adding that the non appointment of Ministers about four months in office is a pointer that the president wants
to run an authoritarian government.

He said, “From his hesitancy and comments, it is deducible that President Buhari never intended to appoint ministers but rather prefers to run a monocracy and evidently does not value or respect those he would nominate as ministers.

“Otherwise, how can anyone repackage the mindset of the President when he, in an interview with France 24 Television in France, stated categorically that his preference is to rule without a cabinet and denigrated ministers as ‘noise makers,’ and of no importance or value in the running of an administration?‎”

Metuh also noted the diplomatic mix-up experienced during the UN visit, “which resulted in the breach of protocol, crass ineptitude and monumental embarrassment in the late appearance of President Buhari during Pope Francis’ meeting with other world leaders.

“This is most damaging to the image of the country, especially as we note that the damage did not arise out of disrespect for the head of Vatican, the Pope but due to the incompetence of those around our beloved President,” the party added.

Vanguard

Police inspector to die by hanging for murder in Port Harcourt

Justice Adolphus Enebeli of Rivers State High Court yesterday sentenced a Police Inspector, Mr. Samuel Timothy to death by hanging.

The Inspector shot dead one Onyekachi Nwasouba, a graduate of Industrial chemistry on November 10 , 2010 at No 34 Old Aba road, Port Harcourt at about 5am.

The deceased reportedly pleaded that he was not an armed robber before he was shot dead by the trigger happy Inspector Timothy.

The deceased according to information available before the court was a producer and distributor of his brand of sachet water. He was out to distribute the sachet water to his clients when the sad incident occurred.

Justice Enebeli in his ruling said the matter had been in his court since 2010, describing the convict as inhuman and not fit to live among descent humans.

“inhuman trigger-happy policeman, who engages in murder; a hater of humankind and merciless killer, after hearing that the victim was an ordinary pure water seller”.

“According to Section 319 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I do not have the power to reduce your sentence. That, you, Inspector Timothy Sampson be hanged on your neck until you are dead”, he ruled.

Justice Enebeli further discharged and acquitted Corporal Moses Obediah, saying that the testimonies of witnesses and others before the court showed that he did not conspire with Inspector Timothy to brutally murder Nwasouba

Vanguard

Okada rider electrocuted in Benue State. See photos.

According to Idoma Voice, the incident happened on Thursday morning, September 24. He fell into a puddle of water on the road, close to a poorly insulated electric pole & was immediately electrocuted. The two passengers he was carrying were however unharmed.

FG declares Thursday Oct. 1st public holiday

The Federal Government has declared Thursday October 1st as a public holiday to commemorate Nigeria's 55th Independence anniversary. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, made the declaration on behalf of the FG in a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press, Yusuf Isiaka.

Gov. Ambode attends church service to commemorate the beginning of Lagos Legal Year

Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode attended a church service to commemorate the beginning of 2015/2016 Legal Year held at the Cathedral Church of Christ Marina, Lagos today Sept. 28th.