Lack of trophies hurt Pep - Toure

The 34-year-old midfielder signed a new one-year deal that keeps him at City for an eighth season.

And he knows Guardiola will demand more of his players next season after City finished 15 points behind Premier League champions Chelsea.
"You can see it in his [Guardiola's] eyes - he is not happy at all in himself," Toure told Sky Sports News HQ. "Next year, for sure, he is going to try to challenge for everything as much as possible.

"We know it is going to be difficult but we are going to put in all the effort because next year, if you are not fit enough and you come with a different mentality, he can smell that and you are going to be in big trouble.
"That's for sure. With him, there is no room for excuses."

Four-time African Footballer of the Year, Toure, was frozen out of the first-team squad early last season after a row between his agent and Guardiola, but he returned to the side in November and finished with seven goals from 31 appearances.

Toure says the episode did not cause him to have any hesitation in signing his new deal and insists his relationship with Guardiola is as strong as ever.
"What happened last year happened last year," Toure said. "I don't take it seriously because for me it is now in the past.

"It was difficult situation but I love to work and sometimes you can prove to people they should give you another chance.

"To be honest, the manager was very delighted with that. What happened is in the past. Now we just have to look forward and try to achieve important things for this football club.
"I know him for a long time. We know each other from Barcelona. He has always been honest with me and he tells you what he wants from you."

"I think next year is going to be exciting. I hope we are going to win a couple of trophies and it is going to be fantastic."

Two Chibok girls graduate from US high school

Two of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls who escaped from Boko Haram captivity in 2014 have graduated from a high school in Washington DC, US.

This was disclosed in a press release on Friday by Emmanuel Ogebe, the international director of education must continue (EMC) initiative, a Nigerian non-governmental organisation involved in the education of many other Nigerian girls abroad.

The two girls, identified simply as Debbie and Grace, graduated on Thursday after completing junior year (11th grade) and senior year (12th grade) at a private school in the area.
They were part of the 57 girls who escaped from the sect’s captivity after 276 of them were kidnapped from their school in Borno back in April 2014.

Ogebe noted that the girls have become “the first escaped Chibok girls to graduate from an American high school with diplomas after completing and meeting academic standards.”
“Several other girls had dropped out of EMC’s school abroad project after managing to graduate from middle school (8th grade) last year and are now attempting to take the GED exam (external GCE equivalent),” he said.

“On hand to witness the historic graduation of the two Chibok girls in the class of 2017 were a delegation from Nigeria which included the founders and directors of education must continue initiative, Mr and Mrs Paul Gadzama, and the parent of one of the girls who travelled all the way from Chibok in North-east Nigeria.

“The only Chibok girl currently pursuing a degree programme in an American university, cut short her summer vacation in Nigeria to return for the graduation of her colleagues. The girls’ American host families and Mr. Ogebe and his family were among the audience who witnessed the historic graduation.

“The class of 2017 was the 50th graduation of the school which was the first high school in America to win a prestigious president’s award last year. The Chibok girls were among only 21 students who graduated as a few international students were unable to graduate.” - TheCableNG

Biafra: FG may ask court to revoke Nnamdi Kanu’s bail

The Federal Government may ask the Federal High Court in Abuja to revoke the bail granted to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, on grounds of alleged breach of the conditions of the bail granted him in April,Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

Top sources in the Federal Ministry of Justice, the body prosecuting the IPOB leader, told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity because they had no authority to speak to journalists on the matter, that alleged breaches of the bail conditions by Kanu were being noted.

They said the prosecuting authorities were taking records of the alleged breaches, reviewing them and would take “the necessary step at the appropriate time.”

Part of the major conditions of the bail which Justice Binta Nyako had granted Kanu on April 25, 2017, included prohibition from granting press interview.
The judge also barred Kanu from participating in any rally and warned that he should never be found in any crowd of more than 10 persons.
One of the sources in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, said although without going into details, “Kanu had been found to have flouted some of the conditions (he was given).”

The source added, “We are taking note of his conducts which were in breach of the conditions of the bail granted him.
“We are reviewing them and we will take the necessary action at the appropriate time.”

When asked if part of “the necessary steps” would be to ask for the revocation of the bail, the source said “of course, the consequence of any breach of bail conditions is the revocation of the bail.”
When pressed to give details of the noticed breaches, one of the sources said, “It will not be appropriate to reveal the details now.

“But anybody who has been following the events would clearly see the breaches.”
The trial resumes on July 11.
Although, his co-accused had also filed separate bail applications, Kanu was the only one granted bail, among the four defendants standing trial on charges bordering on Biafra agitation.

The other accused persons charged along with Kanu were the National Coordinator of IPOB, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe; an IPOB member, Benjamin Madubugwu, and a former Field Maintenance Engineer seconded to the MTN, David Nwawuisi.

After the judge struck out six out of the 11 counts preferred against the defendants on March 1, 2017, the defendants were left with five charges.
The charges included conspiracy and treasonable felony by allegedly conspiring among themselves to broadcast on Radio Biafra agitation for the secession of Republic of Biafra from Nigeria.

They were also accused of improper importation of goods and illegal possession of firearms.
Among the charges was also publication of defamatory matter by allegedly referring to the then President-elect, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and now President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as “a paedophile, a terrorist,  an idiot, and an embodiment of evil” in a broadcast on Radio Biafra on April 28, 2015.

Justice Nyako had after the case was transferred to her denied bail to all the four defendants.
But they filed their bail applications again after part of the charges preferred against them were struck out by the court.

In her ruling on April 25, 2017, Justice Nyako only granted bail on health grounds to Kanu, who had been in detention since 2015.
The judge, however, barred the IPOB leader from granting press interview while on bail.

The judge also gave a stern warning to the defendant not to participate in any rally or be found in a crowd of more than 10 persons in the course of the bail.
She ordered Kanu to submit to the court monthly reports on his health status while on bail.

Justice Nyako noted that she had observed that Kanu always had to sit down in the dock whenever he appeared in court, a development which she said could be an indication that he was suffering from an ailment that could not be treated in prison.
She therefore granted bail in the sum of N100m with three sureties in like sum.

Kanu has been receiving visitors since his release from Kuje Prison, where he had spent 18 months in detention.
Last weekend, Kanu had addressed a crowd of supporters, who were more than 10, at his father’s palace in Abia State as his father is the traditional ruler of Isiama Afara community in the state.

Three days later, Al Jazeera published an interview where Kanu was quoted as describing his bail conditions as too stringent and saying, “I don’t care”, when asked if the interview could put him in trouble.

“It’s like asking me not to breathe. I can’t go outside to call for a press conference. I can’t go on Biafra Radio to broadcast. I can’t allow large groups of people to basically congregate outside to see me,” he had reportedly added.

The IPOB leader had also declared a sit-at-home campaign in the South-East on Tuesday to protest against alleged marginalisation of the region by the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, a group, South-East Peoples Assembly, in a letter signed by its President, Prince Chukwuemeka Okorie, had on Wednesday, asked the court to revoke Kanu’s bail for violating its conditions.
Some bail conditions unconstitutional, says Kanu’s lawyer

When contacted on Friday, Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said it was not for the prosecution to determine whether or not his client had violated the bail conditions.
Ejiofor said it was the exclusive responsibility of the court to decide whether or not the bail conditions had been violated. He, however, added that some of the conditions the defendant was being touted to have violated were unconstitutional.

He promised to file an application to set aside the “unconstitutional” bail conditions.
Ejiofor said, “It doesn’t lie in their power to determine whether he has breached the bail conditions or not.
“The court gave the bail on supplementary and other main terms. The court knows the terms on which it granted the bail.

“I have been able to clarify this issue – the fact that the court said he cannot be found in the crowd of more than 10 persons does not mean he cannot go to church; it does not mean he cannot entertain visitors in his house.

“It is on that note that we are going to file an application to vacate those terms.
“I can tell you that the court is fully aware that he would attend church and he would receive family members.

“These are his rights under the fundamental human rights in Chapter 4 of the Constitution.”
Reacting to allegations of his client granting press interviews in breach of his bail conditions, Ejiofor said, “Freedom of expression is part of the rights he (Kanu) is entitled to under the Constitution.
“We are filing an application before the court to set aside the terms that are clearly in violation of the Constitution.” - Punch

Messi-themed amusement park to be opened in China to rival Disneyland

As one of the most famous faces in world sport, Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi is now getting his own theme park in China.

The Argentine forward will be the subject of a themed development in Nanjing which is due to throw open its doors to the public in 2019.

There will be 20 attractions on offer, spread out over 500,000 square feet of indoor space and 130,000 square feet of outdoor play.
Messi’s park will use virtual and augmented reality technology to offer football training clinics, entertainment activities and displays featuring some of Messi’s career highlights.

The Chinese firms backing the plans, who intend to rival Disneyland, claim The Messi Park Experience will offer: “The most cutting-edge technology, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in all things Messi by combining the latest-generation attractions with the very best advances in content and multimedia attractions.”
Messi has been in China to launch the park during a four-day visit to the Asian nation.

He said: "I hope to provide them the experience they never had before and to inspire them to pick up the sport early on.
"Hopefully, they will feel that I am around when visiting the park."

Spanish firm Mediapro, who will run the attraction alongside Chinese broadcaster Phoenix Group, says the Messi Experience Park will offer “a unique global experience”.
While Messi is currently promoting his interests away from the field, he has also been quizzed on football matters.

The 29-year-old will be working under a new manager at Barcelona next season, with Ernesto Valverde confirmed as the successor to Luis Enrique.

Messi said of the coaching change at Camp Nou: "Of course we know his past experiences, but we have never had direct exchanges and talks.
"When I get to know the coach better and his working style, our goal is always the same which is to have more achievements and to win more titles."

Messi netted 54 times across all competitions in 2016-17, with his 37-goal haul in La Liga earning him a fourth Golden Shoe award of his remarkable career. - Goal.com

UK visa: Nigerians, others to pay for email enquiries from June 1

British High Commission has announced that email enquiries by visa customers applying from outside the UK would attract a fee as from June 1.

The high commission made this known in a brief report on changes to UK Visas & Immigration customer care operations made available by the Media Officer, Mr Joseph Abuku, in Abuja on Monday.

According to the report, the changes would help the government reduce costs and ensure those who benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution.

“Effective today (June 1), email enquiries by visa customers from overseas will attract a fee.

“How you contact UK Visas and Immigration is changing.

“From 1 June, all customer enquiries will be handled by a new commercial partner Sitel UK. The new contract will see a number of changes for customers.”

The high commission stated that changes were made in all phone numbers and opening hours.

Other changes made were a reduction in the number of languages offered to 8 including English and a fee of £5.48 for customers who contacted the UK Visas and Immigration by email.

“You will need to pay using a credit or debit card for contacting us by email.

“The charge includes the first email enquiry you send and any follow-up emails to and from the contact centre relating to the same enquiry.

“The way you pay to use the telephone service will remain the same using a credit or debit card.

“If you do not have access to a credit or debit card, you may choose to use a trusted 3rd party such as an agent or sponsor.”

The UK mission, however, stated that there were no changes to services for customers contacting from inside the UK.

‘My ex-husband tied me up like a thief just to beat me’ – Nollywood actress, Etinosa

Following the high rate of domestic violence entangled in the lives of our favourite Nigerian celebrities which has led to breakage of different homes, Nollywood actress and Instagram comedienne, Etinosa Idemudia sat with BroadwayTV revealing that she was also a victim of domestic violence from her former husband.

Shocking isn’t it? To think that she was already married let alone separated.

However, the actress who was close to tearsspoke about the pains and abuses she witnessed in the hands of her former husband when asked ‘what was her biggest love mistake’?

In her words:

“Right now, I hate love, I hate romance. I was with this guy who never really believed I loved him. I don’t even understand how that works, how can you put everything on hold for someone and give your all to someone and all they think of is you are too good for me. I mean at the beginning it is really cute when he tells you I don’t deserve you and you are like ‘Oh My God’ but along the line everything you do is like a competition.
The worst mistake I made was been with someone I was better than; mentally, financially, intellectually and status. I don’t know whether to call it inferiority complex He just felt threatened all the time there was this hunger for control always and I am like ‘Nigga chill! I belong to you or I supposedly belong to you, everything I have is yours, I am not trying to outshine you in life. You don’t have to punch my face to make sure I don’t talk back at you or to make sure your word is lord. So the biggest mistake I made was being with a man I was better than”.
When asked what was the worst thing her husband has ever done to her she replied;

“I was in a super abusive relationship, everything you can think of happened. I have been tied up life a thief i have seen alot in my life, and I thank God for comedy I am still alive and not mad on the streets at this point in my life when i see things happen in people’s marriages I am like Ok, nothing can shake me anymore because I have seen the worst of life but thank God we don’t look like what we’ve been through by the way congratulations to me my legal divorce papers came recently so I am free and if i don’t tell you you won’t know it wasn’t just a relationship it was a marriage which is kind of worse”.
She concluded by saying that if she finds a man who meets her criteria she will give love a second chance

Adams fears sad end for Wenger

Tony Adams fears Arsene Wenger's record-breaking reign as Arsenal boss could "end in tears" now he has signed a new deal. 
The season-long saga over Wenger's future was resolved this week as he signed a two-year extension in the wake of Saturday's FA Cup final win over Chelsea.

Victory at Wembley gave the Gunners' longest-serving boss a record seventh win in the competition, but a fifth-placed Premier League finish was the worst result of Wenger's 21-year reign and reaction to his new deal among supporters has been mixed.

The Frenchman has made it clear the priority now is a first league title since 2004, but his two-time double-winning captain told Sky Sports News HQ he doubts whether that is achievable in the short-term.
"I believe this squad is not going to win the league in the next two years," said Adams, who skippered Arsenal to four league titles. "It could possibly all crumble around him, and I think that would be very sad.

"From one human being to another human being, I hope it doesn't. I really prayed that he'd get out after the FA Cup, say 'enough is enough' and find someone else to replace him.
"I don't know who that is. I don't know the legacy of Arsene. Maybe in the next two years he will have a legacy and he will get a transition of new coaches coming through. If he's doing that I say 'fantastic Arsene, wonderful'.




"I just think he's been the most successful Arsenal manager of all time. I don't want that spoiled and I see signs that he's incredibly addicted to football. I don't see that he's got a life outside of it.

"I just don't want him to go on too long and for it to crumble and end in tears, and all of us don't like Arsene. It would be so sad."
Adams' recent book included criticism of Wenger's coaching ability which the former England captain, who had a recent short spell in caretaker charge of Granada, says was misrepresented.

He said: "I tried to be constructive with my book and in the serialisation it was taken out of context. I criticised his coaching ability. I stand by that. My point was he's not the best coach I've ever had.
"He's a good coach, don't get me wrong. 

Compared to most he's right at the top, but he didn't teach me. Don Howe, Terry Venables, Terry Burton, George Graham - these are the guys that taught me how to defend. Arsene taught me about life, philosophy and being a wonderful human being."

Adams also suggested Wenger should have "swallowed his pride" and added him to the Arsenal coaching staff, saying: "I think six or seven years ago I could have been an asset to the club, but he definitely kept me out.

"There's no reason for him to take me back just because I played there for 22 years - it's not about that - I just believe I could have maybe helped him. We could have been a good team, we could have worked well together."