PL : Mahrez is focused - Shakespeare

Craig Shakespeare praised Riyad Mahrez's professionalism after the winger inspired Leicester to a 2-0 victory over Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

Mahrez continues to be linked with a summer move to Roma, but Leicester are refusing to budge after rejecting three bids from the Serie A outfit.
The Algerian proved why Leicester value the 26-year-old at more than £32m - the amount of Roma's third and potentially final bid - as he put in an outstanding performance against Brighton at the King Power Stadium.

Shinji Okazaki's opener was gifted to him as Matthew Ryan could only spill Mahrez's attempt, while his corner was then headed in by Harry Maguire in the second half.
"I've spoken about Riyad on many occasions in terms of his focus, his professionalism - and you saw today what he's capable of," Shakespeare told Sky Sports after the match.

"While he remains focused and professional, he will always be considered for selection."
Shakespeare was also delighted to see Maguire head in Leicester's second, in what was the defender's home debut for the Foxes.
Maguire joined Leicester from Hull back in June, and the 24-year-old put in a commanding performance alongside captain Wes Morgan against the Seagulls.

"We've got into Wes and Harry about contributing on that front, and it was important that he got us that second goal today."
"It's always pleasing when one of your centre halves pops up because we need to share the goals around," Shakespeare added. - Sky Sports

PL : Coutinho situation not easy - Klopp

Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp admitted the Philippe Coutinho situation "is not easy for anybody" at the moment as his Liverpool future remains uncertain.

Klopp had something to smile about at Anfield on Saturday as Liverpool earned their first Premier League win of the season, beating Crystal Palace 1-0 thank to Sadio Mane's second-half goal.
But with Liverpool having rejected a third bid from Barcelona for Coutinho on Friday, according to Sky sources, understood to be around £113m, and though Klopp was tight-lipped on details after the victory, he admitted the situation is difficult.

He told Sky Sports: "At the moment, as you can imagine, it's not too easy for anybody, but we have to be concentrated on the job on the pitch, and I really think the boys did brilliant."
Asked what Liverpool will do if they have to reintegrate Coutinho into the squad if he doesn't move to Barcelona, Klopp said: "I don't think that it makes sense to think too much ahead, what can happen and when.
"The situation is like it is, and it has not changed, that's all I know. When there is no other decision possible - on the 31st of August - then we have to think about everything new."
Klopp's side laboured at times at Anfield against Palace, but deserved their win having forced Wayne Hennessey into 12 saves.

The German admitted it was a tough job and his side had to be patient, but says they learned from their mistakes having conceded a late equaliser against Watford in the 3-3 draw last weekend.
"It was a hard job to do. I have no idea how much we had the ball but it was a lot. We need to be creative. We knew that we had to be a bit more patient. They were quite deep and defended with a lot of legs.

"Second-half we could adjust a bit. We have had games like this against Crystal Palace where one of their counter attacks can kill you.
"I would have liked to score more, but it wasn't a clear situation for us. We had other chances, but it was difficult, and I'm completely happy with how the boys did the job today.
"We did better late on. We are learning from our own mistakes. We were too deep last week, we did much better this week, we kept a high line so balls in behind us we were ready for." - SKY

Transfer updates : Luciano Spalletti determined to keep Candreva despite continued Chelsea speculation

Spalletti has reiterated his determination to keep Antonio Candreva at Inter after the Italy international was again linked with Chelsea.

The winger is reportedly a top target for the Premier League champions, with some outlets claiming a deal worth €27million has been agreed between the clubs.

But Spalletti, who has repeatedly asserted his desire to retain Candreva's services at San Siro, denied that was the case and insisted he is happy with the balance of his squad ahead of the new Serie A season.
"My position is to keep him and the club agrees with me, for now he has not given any other signs," a frustrated Spalletti told reporters on Saturday.

"We go forward calmly, but I don't know what could happen tomorrow. As far as I can tell, Chelsea could try to do something. You are the ones who always anticipate these situations, so I should ask you.
"You are very good at writing names in the papers and getting people swept up in it. I had fallen for it too this time, when you talked about [Arturo] Vidal and [Alexis] Sanchez, I was there staring at the gate to see if they would walk in. Then I pinched myself.
"The truth is, I am happy with what I've got, four or five players have left and as many came in. Naturally, if you can get world-class players, it provides an advantage because they are immediately ready to give results, but when you have great players who are just about to become world-class, it depends on communication and how ready they are."

Spalletti's men open their campaign with a home game against Fiorentina on Saturday and the Italian confirmed captain Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic are both ready to play, with the striker recovering from injury and interest in the Croatian midfielder from Manchester United having been successfully rebuffed.
"Mauro is fine, he perhaps hasn't had enough training and playing time but we're relaxed," Spalletti said. "If he can't maintain his condition for 95 minutes, we'll evaluate things. There are certainly other players who can do so and there’s no need to be worried at being without him.

"Perisic? We've spoken with Ivan. Both myself and the club.  There's no sense of regret after those meetings. He's someone who almost always stays behind after training for personal work. Ivan is one of the most professional payers and his behaviour on the pitch has only showed that he has feelings for the team.'' - Goal

Transfer news : No news on Coutinho despite reported new Barcelona bid, says Liverpool boss

 Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool manager says there is no further news on Philippe Coutinho's future in the wake of a £114 million offer from Barcelona.

The Catalans have seen their latest bid, which was claimed to have been structured using a number of clauses and bonus payments, immediately rejected by Liverpool this week.
The club's stance has always been that Coutinho is not for sale, despite the Brazil star having submitted a transfer request, with Klopp saying on Friday that he sees no reason for the player to want to leave.

Klopp is in contact with Liverpool's owners about the situation and insists there has been no development over the last few days.
"Nothing new from the injury side and if I speak to the owners, I don't think this is the situation where I should talk about it," he said when asked about Coutinho, who remains sidelined with a back problem.
"I'm informed about everything that happens in the club but nothing changed. I don't say there was another bid, only that nothing changed."
Klopp was speaking after his side battled to a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Anfield, with Sadio Mane scoring the only goal of the game to seal their first league win of the season.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss was dumbfounded by the suggestion that the Reds had already been facing scrutiny in the wake of last week's 3-3 draw with Watford, but he did praise his side for producing an improved defensive display.
He continued: "Obviously my decision not to read the English press was the best decision of my life. Were we already under pressure? 'All the criticism around'?

"The defending was outstanding. Crystal Palace started playing football last week and then Huddersfield Town were 2-0 up and they went a little more direct. I think we defended this outstanding, good. 
"That was one problem we had against Watford: we were too early, too deep.
"The first half could have been better, 100 per cent. Offensive football is about making the right decision at the right moment and we didn't see the spaces often enough. But we showed the players at half-time where the spaces were."

Andrew Robertson performed well on his competitive debut, while youngster Joe Gomez produced a strong showing at right-back, and Klopp was delighted to see his decision to rotate his full-backs pay off.

"For Joe, it was no surprise. Even when he was long injured, it was a difficult time for him, but no doubt about the quality."
"Everybody could see how good Robbo, especially with a few more sessions, can be, especially in offensive situations. You can put a lot of pressure on yourself and he did really well," he said. - Goal

Mane rescues Klopp from more Premier League frustration

Liverpool ground out their first Premier League win of the season as Sadio Mane's second-half strike secured a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

The home side conceded an injury-time equaliser in their 3-3 draw at Watford in their opening match and had looked likely to stumble again on Saturday until the Senegal star pounced with 17 minutes left to play.

Frank de Boer endured a 3-0 home loss to Huddersfield Town last weekend in his first match in charge at Palace and, although his side produced a far more organised display on Merseyside, they were undone by another defensive error, this time from Luka Milivojevic.
Jurgen Klopp chose to start without Mohamed Salah, Emre Can and Dejan Lovren, with Liverpool facing the second leg of their Champions League play-off against Hoffenheim on Wednesday, and his team looked well short of their electric best in attack.

Joel Matip missed the best chance of the first half from a cross from debutant Andrew Robertson and Liverpool could have found themselves behind had former Reds striker Christian Benteke done better with a clear opening after the break.
Frustration around the stands was beginning to build until Mane at last showed a clinical touch to secure an important home win ahead of a difficult run of matches, which includes back-to-back meetings with Arsenal and Manchester City.
James Milner, restored to the line-up on the left of midfield, tested Wayne Hennessey early on before Matip spurned a glorious chance to break the deadlock, somehow heading the ball wide of the right-hand post after the Palace goalkeeper had missed Robertson's cross.

Daniel Sturridge was tasked with leading the Liverpool attack but his only half-chance of a quiet first half hour was a shot from 20 yards out that he blazed over the crossbar.
The half at least ended in exciting fashion, with Hennessey making a tremendous save to deny Roberto Firmino from 20 yards and Simon Mignolet beating away Jason Puncheon's strike as Palace broke with speed.
Milner watched a free-kick fly narrowly over and Hennessey was at full stretch to keep Firmino's volley from creeping into the bottom corner, as Liverpool started the second half with some real attacking intent.

Benteke wasted a golden chance to score his sixth goal in four visits to Anfield as an opposition player, the Belgian skying his first-time shot from barely 10 yards out after some brilliant work from Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Klopp introduced Salah from the bench for his Anfield debut and the Egypt winger's first contribution was to wreak havoc with a driving run, but Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum failed to capitalise.

However, with 73 minutes gone, Mane was gifted a chance he could not pass up. Milivojevic's poor control on the edge of the box saw the ball run loose, and when Dominic Solanke blocked an attempted clearance, Mane had the simple task of prodding the ball low past Hennessey. - Goal

Transfer news : Lazio president confirms West Ham's €32m Keita bid

Lazio president Claudio Lotito has confirmed they’ve received a €32 million bid for West Ham from Keita Balde.

As per Gianluca Di Marzio, Lazio have had offers from Juventus, West Ham, Napoli and Milan as the player angles for a move away from the club this summer.
“We received three official offers, all documented. Milan would have given 35 million, West Ham 32, Napoli 30. Keita and his agent said none of the three interested them, that the destination they wanted was Juventus.”

Keita has been linked with a move to the London Stadium but reportedly has his heart set on a move to the Old Lady this summer.
The attacker has just one year remaining on his current deal at the Serie A club so Lazio risk losing him for nothing next summer if they’re unable to offload him during this transfer window.

Juventus have already failed with a €15 million bid with Lazio refusing to sell the player on the cheap
The player has been offered a new deal that would have seen him become the club’s highest earner, but a renewal now seems unlikely. Read Sport

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PL updates : 'Chelsea crisis exaggerated'

Paul Merson says the so-called relationship "crisis" between Antonio Conte and Chelsea is being blown out of proportion.

Chelsea's opening-day defeat by Burnley prompted odds on the Blues retaining their title to drift to 13/2, while Conte was instated as the favourite to be first Premier League manager to depart this season.
Last season's star striker Diego Costa continues to refuse to return to London to train with the Blues, but Merson says it is still very early in the season to write off Chelsea and Conte.

Merson said on Soccer Saturday: "They drifted like a barge, Premier League betting-wise. I think they went out to 13/2. Nobody is going to win every game in a season, it's one game!
"They got dismantled by Arsenal at the Emirates last season, and then all of a sudden they've won a dozen on the trot and win the league at a canter.
"I think there's a long way to go - the players they're missing; Eden Hazard, Pedro, Victor Moses, Bakayoko - who could miss them? Chelsea can't afford to miss a Hazard, as much as Tottenham can't afford to miss a Harry Kane.

"I think sometimes it gets blown out of proportion. You say he [Conte] has got a reputation for leaving clubs early, this is different, surely? I'd be shocked if he was the first to go."
Chelsea's critics have argued that the Premier League-winning side is no stronger than last season, having sold Nemanja Matic to Manchester United, while also losing John Terry and the impending departure of Costa.
Phil Thompson insists the current situation at Stamford Bridge is similar to Jose Mourinho's disastrous 2015/16 season at the club, and says he would not bet against Conte leaving.

Thompson said: "The big players he has brought in, like-for-like, have left the club too. So he's actually no better off than last season.
"This is quite reminiscent to Mourinho's last season, where it all went pear-shaped, it started happening quite early in pre-season. It's all going pear-shaped in front of him.

"Juventus was the love of his life, winning all those trophies, and then he walked away. If you can do that with the love of your life at Juventus, and then walk away, why couldn't he do it at Chelsea if things don't go his way?
"Maybe he's not favourite to be the first manager to go, but I can certainly see him being the second or third favourite to go." - SKY

 

 

PL news : Swansea City 0 Manchester United 4: Mourinho's men win big again

Manchester United claimed their second consecutive 4-0 victory as Swansea City collapsed to a thumping defeat at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

Eric Bailly put United in front with his first goal for the club late in the first half, during which the home side had defended resolutely.
It was not until the final 10 minutes that the visitors gave the scoreline its convincing gloss, with Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial all scoring in the space of four minutes.
The result follows a 4-0 victory over West Ham on the opening weekend, while for Swansea the creativity of Gylfi Sigurdsson was sorely missed.
Sigurdsson – provider of nine goals and 13 assists in the league last season – left for Everton on Wednesday in a deal worth a reported £45million following drawn-out negotiations between the two clubs.

The Iceland international had sat out Swansea's season-opening goalless draw with Southampton last weekend, in which the Welsh club attempted just four shots on goal, and their attacking threat was limited once more on Saturday.
Jordan Ayew clipped the crossbar early on but that was one of only six attempts by Swansea – one of those on target.
A new 3-5-2 formation suggested Swansea's priority was keeping their visitors at bay but it was the Welsh club who created the first opening of the match – Ayew's attempted chip kissed the crossbar as it floated across the face of goal.

Lukaku then poked wide after United embarked on a rapid counter-attack, before Phil Jones headed against the woodwork from a Juan Mata free-kick when he should have done better.
Kyle Bartley justified his inclusion as the extra man in Swansea's back line when he made a crucial tackle to halt Marcus Rashford, who would have been clean through on goal without the former Arsenal man's intervention.
An ambitious overhead kick from Martin Olsson – struck more in hope than expectation – was comfortably held by David De Gea midway through the half, but a misjudged Alfie Mawson header then created an opening for Rashford.
The young striker – heckled throughout for the dive that won United a penalty in the last meeting between these sides – lifted the ball harmlessly into Fabianski's arms, before Jose Mourinho's men broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.
Pogba's powerful header from a Daley Blind corner was touched onto the crossbar by Fabianski, but Bailly was on hand to finish the job after the ball bounced on the goal line.
The second half was played at a rather pedestrian pace for long spells, as Swansea struggled to find a way through.

When half-chances to level did arise, they were not taken – Tammy Abraham's wayward header on the hour was about as close as they came.
Lukaku then opened the floodgates when he found space in the box to direct a considered shot beyond Fabianski in the 80th minute, before Pogba - who survived calls for a second yellow card during the first half - lifted a delicate chip over the Poland international.
Substitute Anthony Martial then finished the job, cutting inside Mawson to slot home United's fourth.

Key Opta stats: 

- Manchester United have scored 4+ goals in their opening two league games of a season for the first time in 110 years (1907/08).
- This is just the second time a team has won their opening two top-flight games of a season by 4+ goals to nil (also Chelsea in 2010/11).
- The Swans have managed just one shot on target in 180 minutes of Premier League action this season.

- This is the third successive Premier League season that Man Utd have won their opening two matches of the campaign – however, they finished both 2016-17 and 2015-16 outside the top four.
- Eric Bailly is just the third African player to score for Manchester United in the Premier League (also Quinton Fortune and Mame Biram Diouf).

- Romelu Lukaku is the fifth player to net in his first two Premier League appearances for Manchester United (after Ibrahimovic, Martial, Macheda, Saha).
- Paul Pogba has scored in three consecutive league appearances for only the second time in his career (also in January 2015 for Juventus).
- There were just three minutes and 41 seconds between Manchester United's final three goals of the game.

- Anthony Martial has been directly involved in three goals in his last two Premier League appearances (two goals, one assist), as many as in his previous 11 in the competition – both of his appearances this season have been from the bench.
- Henrikh Mkhitaryan assisted just one Premier League goal in 24 appearances last season for Manchester United.  - Goal

Knife attack : Eight hurt in Russia

About eight people have been injured after a knifeman attacked pedestrians in the street in the Russian city of Surgut. 

The perpetrator was then shot dead by a police patrol, according to reports.
"A man was running along the main streets stabbing people", the TASS news agency reported.
Authorities are now trying to identify the attacker and find out the motive for his stabbing spree.

There are claims he had mental health issues. - SKY

OMG !!! Prostitute ‘sells’ 3-month-old baby for N50,000

Lagos - Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court on Friday sent a 22-year-old alleged prostitute, Blessing Udoh, to prison custody for “selling” her three-month old baby for N50,000.

Udoh is facing a two-count charge of engaging in commercial sex and unlawfully trading on a baby.

Police Prosecutor Kehinde Omisakin told the court that the accused committed the offences on June 30 at 6m. in Abattoir area of Oko-Oba in Abule Egba, Lagos.
Omisakin alleged that the accused sold her three-month-old baby, Destiny, to Mr and Mrs Philip James, who reside at Oron, Akwa Ibom.
“The accused has been caught several times engaging in commercial sex,” he said,

The offences contravened Sections 142 and 276 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

Blessing, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Magistrate, Tajudeen Elias, ordered her remand in police custody pending her bail application.
The case was adjourned till August 23. - Daily Post

Shocking !!! Man kidnaps teacher, ties her, rapes her severally

A 32-year-old man, Bonface Nyambiya, who allegedly kidnapped and tied a teacher to a tree while raping her at night has been arraigned before a Hwange Magistrates’ court in Zimbabwe.

Bonface is said to have raped her numerous times over a five-hour period near Truck Stop in Hwange area of Zimbabwe.


Earlier, the prosecution, Mr. Onias Nyathi informed the court that the accused met the teacher at a bus stop opposite the Truck Stop in June while she was waiting for transport to Victoria Falls.

According to the prosecution, Nyambiya pretended as if he was also going in the same direction.

Nyathi said, “The complainant was intending to travel to Victoria Falls and accused approached and greeted her. The two started chatting and the accused suddenly produced an iron bar before grabbing the complainant by the neck and dragging her to a nearby bush.

“He tied her legs to a tree and had sex with her several times from 10 PM to 3 AM. After each encounter, the accused would leave the complainant and take a rest while smoking a cigarette a few meters from her.”

Nyambiya appeared before Magistrate Mrs. Portia Mhlanga-Moyo after he was charged with rape on multiple occasions.
The 32-year-old’s plea was, however, not taken and he was remanded in prison custody to August 30. - Daily Post

Ilorin : Building Owned By Bukola Saraki's Aide Collapses Injuring Three Persons

A building under construction around Sulu Gambari way in Ilorin, Kwara state has collapsed injuring 3 persons. SaharaReporters learnt that the building was an extension of Crystal House International Hotel being hurriedly built by at least 100 temp workers hired by Moshood Mustapha who serves as Senate President Bukola Sarakias his  Senior Special Assitant on Legislative Matters.

Three of the workers were injured while debris fell upon a Christian fellowship taking place in two containers nearby.



CollapsedBuilding Ilorin owned by MOshood Mustapha an Sa to Senate President Bukola Saraki CollapsedBuilding Ilorin owned by MOshood Mustapha an Sa to Senate President Bukola Saraki CollapsedBuilding Ilorin owned by MOshood Mustapha an Sa to Senate President Bukola Saraki CollapsedBuilding Ilorin owned by MOshood Mustapha an Sa to Senate President Bukola Saraki Moshood Mustapha Mustapha is seen here distributing Rice at his GRA home in Ilorin. He is likely contenstant for Kwara state guber in 2019 

- Sahara Reporters

Still on the matter ! ''Alooter father Vs Alooter boys'' !! Unarmed robbers comment: Reps reply Obasanjo

The House of Representatives does not intend to issue a formal  response to the fresh label of ‘unarmed robbers’ pinned on federal legislators on Thursday by  former President Olusegun Obasanjo, it was learnt yesterday.

Obasanjo, speaking at a book  presentation in Ibadan on Thursday, had described the legislators as a bunch of  unarmed robbers because,as he said, “they are one of the highest  paid in the world where we have 70 per cent of our people living in abject poverty.”

The House said yesterday that its response to an earlier  accusation in the heat  of the budget padding controversy in 2016 is sufficient  for the latest accusation by the former President.  House spokesman Abdulrazaq Namdas, contacted by  The Nation said: “There is nothing to say because the House has responded to the former President previously.

“The accusation this time is the same as before, so there is nothing to add. Our position has not changed from what we said in 2016.”

Besides, Namdas said that on a personal basis ,he was not prepared  to cross fire with Obasanjo in view of his age and position as a former President.

 His words:”He is an elder and in my culture, you don’t respond to elders every time.

“You don’t banter words with your elders.Having responded once and he accuses you again and again, what you do is you keep quiet.

“Remember he is a former President and an elder statesman. I will not say more than that.”

Several  other  lawmakers contacted by The Nation also declined to respond, saying that the former President has not said anything.

One of them who chose not to be named said: “I will not like to respond to this allegation on the basis that he is an elder and a statesman, but that does  not validate his claim.

“I can only describe the accusation as coming from people seeking relevance. Not that Obasanjo is seeking relevance, but the fact remains that if anyone wants to be in the news, all you need do is to hit members of the National Assembly.

“For instance, someone like former President Ibrahim Babangida who has found a new love for restructuring. Why did he not make it happen when he had all the opportunities in the world as the head of the military government then?

“What did he do? Nothing! But it is now convenient to shift the blame. You know we like playing the blame game in this country.

“As such, I will rather not comment on it, I will give him that respect, but that does not mean what he said is true.”

Another lawmaker seen by The Nation as he  left a committee meeting said: “In my place, we don’t respond to elders like that . Moreover, Namdas has given the position of the House. Thank you.”

A lawmaker from the North Central said the former President should be allowed to express himself and enjoy it while it lasts.

“You know, he is an old man. Let him enjoy himself.

“Responding to him will  only spark an unnecessary debate, and  since he has a fixated mind about us, so be it’. 

Namdas, in responding on  November 24, 2016,   to Obasanjo’s description of  federal lawmakers as corrupt at the height of budget padding controversy, called him a blackmailer, acting as a lifetime opposition leader.

He said: “He ventured to accuse the National Assembly of budget padding, accused the House of criminal activities of threatening the life of a ‘whistleblower’, lampooned constituency projects which he approved as President, ventured to discuss the budget of National Assembly which is highly underfunded?

“The House of Representatives would ordinarily not join issues with the former President as he has held an office that deserves respect and reverence.

“However, because of the material misstatement of facts, outright lies and falsehoods, and mischievous innuendo introduced in his statement, we are left with no option but to correct him.” 

Mr Namdas went on to address all issues raised by the ex-President during the controversial lecture:

“We have repeatedly maintained that there was no ‘padding’ of the 2016 Appropriation Act, which is a legitimate document passed by the National Assembly, authenticated by the Clerk to the National Assembly as provided in the Acts Authentication Act and assented to by Mr. President…

“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no crime that was committed by the National Assembly by exercising its constitutional function of appropriation.

“If Chief Obasanjo has an issue with the execution of the 2016 Budget or indeed other Appropriation Acts, he should direct his anger elsewhere.

“He claimed that the National Assembly Budget is very high, when by all standards, the National Assembly is grossly underfunded and is hampered from effectively and legitimately carrying out its constitutionally assigned functions. The National Assembly Budget funds a bureaucracy of about 5,000 civil servants. 

“It has some other agencies under its preview such as the National Assembly Service Commission with its own staff of about 500, even the Public Complaints Commission is now a parastatal of the National Assembly.

“National Assembly Budget also funds the National Institute for Legislative Studies, which is a legislative think-tank and highly rated academic institution that serves both National and State Houses of Assembly and even international legislators. 

“All these agencies also have their capital budget including development of their headquarters, procurement of office equipment, procurement of regular items for running their offices; the National Assembly maintains legislative aides of about 3,000 in number, that aid the work of the Assembly; it also conducts regular public hearings involving the media and stakeholders and oversight activities, involving huge sums of money.

“The cost implications of running the National Assembly is high because of the nature of our Presidential democracy.

“Then, of course, there are 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives that require proper equipment to function effectively. They require adequate travel and transport support to carry out legislative functions.

“The National Assembly also has buildings and offices to build and maintain. National Assembly staff and members attend conferences, trainings, seminars to keep abreast of legislative developments worldwide. The activities are very encompassing and expensive.

“It is also unbecoming of a former President to quote figures of sums of money that are factually incorrect. No member of the House of Representatives receives N10m every month.

“The salaries and allowances of members of the House are as determined by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

“Of course, further sums of money are spent as running costs, that is, the cost of running the office of a member.

“If a Minister, Chief Executive or Director in a Ministry travels on official duties, for instance, do you include the cost of his ticket and accommodation as part of his salary or allowances?

“Does the cost of stationeries and maintenance of equipment like computers used in their offices form part of their salaries and allowances?

“These are some of the costs that must be taken care of by the National Assembly and the media calls these costs “jumbo pay”. For goodness sake, the National Assembly is an arm of government, not just an ordinary agency of government.

“The budget of many agencies in the Executive Branch are indeed higher than the current Budget of the National Assembly that is an arm of government.

“Examples abound, CBN, NNPC, NCC etc. Allowances paid to even junior staff of some of these government agencies cannot be compared to what members of National Assembly enjoy.

“Undoubtedly, the former President Obasanjo is understandably angry with the National Assembly as an institution having foiled his ambition for a third-term in office even after trying to corrupt the members with a bribe of at least N50m each.

“Lest we forget, the person who introduced corruption to the National Assembly is Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

“He birthed the 4th Republic National Assembly with corrupt practices from day one; indeed the first day of the Republic. He bribed PDP, ANPP and AD legislators on their inauguration in 1999 to vote against the majority candidate of PDP, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. That was how Senator Evan Enwerem became Senate President.

“Have we forgotten the sacks of money displayed on the floor of the House of Representatives being bribe money paid by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to some Honourable members to impeach Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ghali N’abba?

“Have we forgotten that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo used his position as President to extort money from businessmen and contractors with his government to build his presidential library?

“The list of his corrupt acts while in office is endless. Unquestionably, he is the greatest corrupt person ever to hold office in Nigeria.

“He remains the grandfather of corruption in Nigeria and lacks the moral authority to discuss corruption or indeed abuse of office in Nigeria as he remains the most corrupt Nigerian on record.

“It is unfortunate that he has started his very familiar method of bringing down governments. He did it to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, he did it to Gen. Buhari, he did same to Gen. Babangida, he attempted to bring down Gen. Abacha before he imprisoned him for treason; he made frantic efforts to derail the government of President Yar’Adua when he couldn’t use him.

“He supported President Goodluck Jonathan, but when he refused to take dictation, he turned against him. He supported President Buhari, but since he has sensed that Nigeria is having economic difficulties under him, he has pounced to derail his government.

“The way Chief Obasanjo talks gives the impression that he is a lifetime opposition leader who has never held any office. What did he do about the issues he raised in his 8 years as President?

“This is a man with unlimited access to President Buhari. Or is it because he has not appointed all his cronies as requested? We may never know. His stuck in trade is blackmail, subversion and treachery. - The Nation

Looting button activated !!! N30trn leakage: Senate ‘recovers N120bn’, summons 12 companies

The senate joint committee on customs, excise and tariff and marine transport says it has recovered N120 billion from companies in its ongoing investigation into revenue leakage.

Hope Uzodinma, chairman of the committee, who disclosed this, directed Dana Group and 11 other companies to appear before it on Monday to explain their involvement in N30 trillion revenue “scam”.

In a statement, Uzodinma said this would be the last opportunity for the companies to appear before the committee.
The companies are A-kehnal Integrated & Logistics Limited, Don Climax/Skyaim, Gagsel International, Africa Tiles & Ceramics and Network Oil & Gas.
Others are IBG Investment Limited, BUA International Limited, Huawei Technologies, Indorama Petrochemicals, StarComms Plc, African Industries and African Wire and Allied.

The chairman said the committee had resolved to direct the Nigeria customs service (NCS) to start issuing demand notice (DM) to companies found guilty in the ongoing investigation.
According to him, the demand notice is to ensure the companies return monies due to the federal government.
The committee had indicted several companies including Glo Mobile, Visafone, Crown Flour Mills, De United Foods,  ZTE Nigeria and British American Tobacco company which had denied the allegation.

He added that companies found to have been involved in round tripping and money laundering would be charged to court with immediate effect.
“The committee has only taken the first batch of the companies invited,” he said.
“Only 61 companies have been interrogated and over 2000 companies are still expected to appear before us.

“During the committee sitting on Friday, August 18, most of the companies’ representatives heaped praises on the committee for what they described as a thorough job.” - Cable Nigeria

Nigerian politicians, supporters and fraud !!! REVEALED: APC tweets 2014 video as that of Buhari’s return

The video which the APC United Kingdom tweeted when it wished President Muhammadu Buhari a safe trip to the country is from 2014 when former President Goodluck Jonathan was in power.

Shortly after Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, announced that his principal would return “later today”, @APCUKingdom tweeted a video of the Nigerian presidential jet leaving an airport.
The tweet had the words: ‘Safe journey Mr President’.

But checks by TheCable showed that the exact video was uploaded to YouTube on August 7, 2014. It currently has 2,062 views.
Adesina did not specify the time that his principal would return to the country.
Buhari has been receiving treatment in the UK since May 7.

See below the 2014 video and that which APC tweeted on Saturday.

PL news : Chelsea are still title favourites - Mourinho cranks up mind games with former club

Jose Mourinho insists former club Chelsea should still be considered favourites for the Premier League title, despite the champions losing their opening game to Burnley.

Antonio Conte's men had Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas sent off as they went down 3-2 at Stamford Bridge, while the Italian is reportedly unhappy with his club's business over the transfer window.
In contrast, Mourinho appears to have conceded defeat in United's attempts to land a fourth signing of the window to add to Romelu Lukaku, Victor Lindelof and Nemanja Matic, with Ivan Perisic and Gareth Bale among those to have been linked with a switch to Old Trafford.

The Portuguese piled the pressure on his former employers by reasserting their status as Premier League title favourites as Conte prepares for Sunday's trip to Tottenham.
"For me the favourite is the champion, always," Mourinho told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Swansea City.
"It doesn't mean you are going to win it, I think it is the stamp that you have when you are champions, it is that the next season you are the favourite."

United's purchase of Matic from Chelsea reportedly upset Conte, but Mourinho insisted his side's title rivals cannot complain about their transfer business before the window closes on August 31.
"If they have problems, the problems are going to finish in a couple of weeks because in a couple of weeks the market is closed and they don't have problems any more," Mourinho said.
"If they have, and I don't know if they have but if they have, in a couple of weeks the problems are over. They have very good teams, very good players and I don't see any reason for them not to be fighting for the title.

"When people say, for example, Chelsea lost an important midfield player [Matic], if you lose one but you buy [Tiemoue] Bakayoko and [Danny] Drinkwater for example, what's the problem? The problem is when you sell and you don't buy.

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"When you sell and you keep buying, what's the problem? You are probably even stronger, so I think every top team in the Premier League is strong enough, is potentially strong enough with the financial situation to be fighting for everything and, when everybody is also in Europe, five in the Champions League and two in the Europa League, you have the top seven teams playing for everything and all of them are strong." - Goal

Gerrout here !!! Police: NBS report is misleading… we have declared total war on corruption

The Nigerian police force says the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report ranking the police  and judicial officers as the most corrupt government officials in the country “is entirely misleading.”

The NBS carried out the survey in conjunction with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
In a statement on Friday, Jimoh Moshood, force public relations officer, said the police had keyed into the change mantra of the federal government and declared total war on corruption.
Moshood said Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), had also introduced and implemented reforms aimed at bringing corruption to zero level in the force.

“The Nigeria police force sees the report as a clear demonstration of mischief and calculated attempt to promote campaign of calumny against police officers,” the statement by Moshood read.
“The report is entirely misleading, a clear misrepresentation of facts, essentially based on hearsay which made it unempirical, and the survey instrument absolutely inadequate and therefore a plain distortion of the improved situation in the force as a result of the renewed commitment and determination to fight corruption, bribery and corrupt tendencies in the ranks of the personnel of the force.

“For the avoidance of doubt, since the inception of the present administration of the Nigeria Police Force in July 2016, after the reported survey has been conducted and concluded, the inspector-general of police has introduced and implemented diverse internal reforms aimed at bringing corruption to zero level in the force.”
He highlighted the revitalisation of the “X-Squad Unit” responsible for the arrest, detention, investigation and prosecution of corrupt officers and the launch of the public complaints rapid response unit (PCRRU) as ways the force is fighting against corruption within its ranks. - Cable Nigeria

Fraud : Nigerian hacker ‘behind million-dollar fraud scheme’ jailed in US

Obinna Obioha, a Nigerian hacker, has been jailed for 51 months by a New York federal judge for operating a fraud scheme that swindled $6.5 million from businesses in the US and elsewhere.

Obioha was arrested on October 6, 2016, after flying from Lagos, Nigeria, to JFK International Airport. He has been in custody since that time.
David N. Hurd, US district judge, sentenced the thirty-one year old for running a scheme in which he instructed hackers to hack into computers and email accounts of individuals around the world using malicious software.
During the sentencing, Hurd described Obioha as “right in the middle of the action” in “very sophisticated criminal activity” designed to achieve “millions of dollars in illegal funds”.
The announcement of Obioha’s sentence was made by Grant Jaquith, acting US attorney and Vadim Thomas, special agent in charge of the Albany field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Grant said Obioha was at the center of the fraudulent activities to obtain money from victims.
He said: “Obioha, working from Nigeria, was a central figure in a fraud scheme using digital disguises and deceit to bilk businesses out of millions of dollars. We will continue to track down and bring to justice cyber criminals like Obioha no matter where they operate. I thank the FBI for its terrific work in this case identifying and apprehending Obioha.”
Thomas said Obioha would be used as a scapegoat to many others like him.

He said: “These schemes can rob individuals and businesses of their livelihood. Cyber-crime is a serious threat and the FBI is prepared to go to any lengths to apprehend those like Obioha.”
As part of his guilty plea to wire fraud in April 2017, Obioha admitted that while in Nigeria, he worked with and instructed others to hack into computers and email accounts used by dozens of victims in the United States and around the world.
The organisation infiltrated victims’ computers and email accounts using malicious software (“malware”). After monitoring victims’ information to identify imminent commercial transactions, Obioha and his associates created knockoff email addresses that appeared similar to – but varied slightly from – victims’ legitimate email addresses.

Obioha and his associates used those bogus email accounts to send fraudulent invoices to victims, instructing them to wire funds to bank accounts controlled by Obioha and his associates, under the pretense that the wires were payments for actual deals that had been previously negotiated by the victims.
He admitted that between January and September 2016, he was involved in at least 50 wire transfers, and that about $6.5 million was sent by wire to bank accounts that he and his associates controlled. The accounts received money from fraud victims in New York, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas, among other places.

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by assistant US attorney Wayne Myers. - Cable Nigeria

Presidential Asshole !!! Aso Rock clinic DOES NOT have paracetamol or cotton wool

This might give you some headache: the clinic for Nigeria’s seat of power does not have the commonest of medications, paracetamol, TheCable has learnt.

And cotton wool? The patient has to buy from outside. Syringes? Not available. X-ray? Sorry, the machine is out of order. Ambulance? Well, if the patient can buy the fuel.

This is the sorry story of the State House Medical Centre, better known as “Aso Villa Clinic” — for which over N3 billion was budgeted in 2016 and N331 million in 2017.

The facility was established to cater to the medical needs of the president, the vice president, their families and presidential aides. It is supposed to be the first port of call in the case of a health emergency.

According to information on the state house website, the medical centre is also a training facility for house officers and other medical personnel.

The centre functions through specialised departments: peadiatrics, lab medicine, medicine, and obstetric and gyneacology.

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently in the UK where he is receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

The BBC listed him as one of the African presidents who have “apparent lack of faith in the health systems at home”.

Despite the inadequacies, TheCable understands that patients still get good consultations at Aso Villa Clinic.

RENOVATION WITHOUT MEDICATION

“Patients buy syringes and common drugs like paracetamol are lacking. They are also required to fuel an ambulance in the case of an emergency,” an outpatient said.

“Patients admitted in the clinic buy all prescribed drugs from outside the facility. And in all the wards whether dental or surgical they are required to get the material for their treatment, even cotton wool.‎”

The management is currently renovating some buildings and constructing a new block at the facility, but patients have to go to other hospitals if they want to have an X-ray done.

When called for comment, Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, referred TheCable to Laolu Akande, media aide to the acting president, but calls to his mobile line did not go through.

Calls and text messages to the mobile line of Jalal Arabi, the state house permanent secretary, were also not replied.

‘CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE’

Defending the N3.219 billion earmarked for the medical centre in the 2016 budget, Arabi had told a senate committee that the proposals included the completion of ongoing work as well as procurement of drugs and other medical equipment.

“The medical centre provides health care treatment for the president and vice-president, their families as well as numerous civil servants working in the state house and across the ministries, departments and agencies of government and of course, with due respect, including parliamentarians and members of the legislature in addition to other notable dignitaries,” he said.

“Interestingly, Mr. Chairman, on a lighter note, not only those that have been captured here attend (the medical centre) there are poor of the poorest that attend because we receive reference from Gwagwalada, Garki, Wuse hospitals.

“So, if they come, we attend to them and interestingly too at no fee at all, we don’t charge.

“The anticipated improvement of the medical centre will propel it to serve as a centre of excellence and also reduce medical tourism.”

Centre of excellence? To the patients, that may be a sickening description. - Cable Nigeria