Abraham Kipton, a Kenyan athlete has emerged winner of the Lagos City Marathon, hosted by the state government. He crossed the finish line at 2hours 16mins & 21 seconds. Halima Huseen Kayo of Ethiopia emerged winner in the female category of the competition, while Emmanuel Gyan was the first Nigerian to cross the finish line, but came in 7th place. Kenya’s Hossei and Ethiopia’s Debebe Ethosa came in second and third respectively.
About 20,000 participants started the race from the National Stadium, Surulere but only a few of them made it to the finish line – Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island. The winner will walk home with $50,000 while the Nigerian will receive N1 million .
Ini Edo gets political appointment.
Nollywood actress Ini edo has been appointed the Special Assistant on Tourism and Development to Akwa Ibom state Governor, Emmanuel Udom. She shared the good news on her Instagram page
“To be called to serve is an honour. I give God all the glory. Am grateful to my state, my Governor, everyone of you with your constant prayers and support… God bless u” She wrote.
Ex President Olusegun Obasanjo pictured prostrating for the Ooni of Ife (Photos)
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Ex President Olusegun Obasanjo pictured prostrating for the Ooni of Ife during a recent visit. Well not like it’s a big deal though.
Three key games to look forward to this weekend
Another weekend of football is here and with the excitement comes the dilemma of which game(s) to settle for amid the flurry of crunchy ties up for grabs.
There are key games to watch everywhere you look – even China, these days – but here are five you can’t afford to miss.
Manchester City Vs Leicester City
Leicester City, even if told by the most powerful seer, would never have believed that they would be sitting pretty on top of the Premier League in February after 24 games but hey, that’s exactly where they are. The likes of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Nkolo Kante have been outstanding and they have another chance to showcase their impressive form with a visit to the Eithad where they would be facing Manchester City.
By sheer quality, Manchester City have the best squad in the League but they have not been able to find consistency especially at the back where their defenders have become Sambo Dasuki to strikers. Their resolve would be tested hugely and how they come out of this one will portray their intentions to win the League.
Chelsea Vs Manchester United
Life is transient. And it is a pot of beans. Who would have thought that a League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United would have no bearing on the title race?? It is rather a continued survival fight for Chelsea who seem to have found form under interim boss, Guus Hiddink and for Manchester United, it is a chance to further strengthen their likelihood of making it to Europe.
The fans of both clubs have endured so much this season. At the Old Trafford, it’s a slippery season with their consistent dropping of points and a rather sleepy affair, thanks to Van Gaal’s remarkable philosophy. For Chelsea, the bridge cracked, fell and Jose Mourinho was carried away by the cold strong flow of water.
Both clubs, though, are re-surging. And that’s what makes this tie a must-watch.
Bayer Leverkusen Vs Bayern Munich
Before you scream at me, relax and let me talk. It is the ‘Bayern always win League’, I know but this particular tie have a lot written into it. First off, it is a ground where Bayern don’t exactly like playing. They’ve only managed one victory at Leverkusen in their last six visits. And also, they (Bayern) may have settled the little matter of who wins the League but the likes of Leverkusen are in another battle entirely and it is for a Champions League place.
Leverkusen will be looking to halt the impressive run of Bayern and their new striker, Javier Hernandez will also like to show more reasons why Van Gaal was wrong to let him go. How will Bayern respond? Especially with all the negative stories hovering around their camp following the announcement of Pep.
You really have to watch this.
Special mention to the Le Classique in France between Marseille and PSG. Would have made it to the list but we all know that the only contest we would see in that game is – “How many goals will PSG put past them?”
By: Adeshina Peter – @Shina_Pitta
Short Story: Pristine | By: Morountodun (Vol 10)
Read Parts 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Pristine series here, here Here Here here here, here, here
and Here
There wasn’t only a wall separating their rooms, Uju was unlike anyone Dara had ever known. Nothing really seemed to interest her. Her quietness bordered on coldness, and after several attempts to find common ground, Dara realized she had been forcing it. Maybe civil neighbours and colleagues were all they were meant to be, not necessarily friends.
Uju seemed to lighten up wherever Chika was, though. Not that it surprised Dara, he was a known charmer. It was probably the reason why Dara thought nothing of their fast closeness, at least not till she began to notice the private jokes and the stolen glances. Sometimes she even saw him leave Uju’s room without stopping over at hers.
Three weeks passed, and on a sunny afternoon while walking home from the school, Dara summoned enough courage to ask Uju in as unconfrontational a tone as she could muster, “So what’s up with you and Chika?”
Uju shrugged. “I don’t know.” She continued after a few seconds, “He’s just someone I relate with quite easily. He understands my kind of person. Let’s just say he’s perfect company for me.”
“So I noticed. You guys have been spending a lot of time together,” Dara remarked dryly.
“He told me what happened with you.”
Dara quickly glanced at her. They were home now, each unlocking her door. “What did he say?”
Uju shrugged again. “Everything. He’ll never understand why you rejected him, why you didn’t want him, but I get it. You’re a serious-minded person and he just wants to have fun. Some of us don’t mind that, in fact it’s what we want.”
Dara continued staring at her door even after she had gone inside her room. Why on earth would Chika think she didn’t want him? He was the closest person to her in Gombe, she obviously liked him, why would he even think that? All she had done was stop him from kissing her in his kitchen, and she had been so close to melting that afternoon. Why then was he talking to Uju about it and not her?!
She got a chance to talk to him alone the following day. The state environmental protection agency declared an emergency meeting with the CDS execs to discuss a proposed week-long rally. The corpers were to stage a playlet on one of the days.
“I think we should throw it to everyone on Thursday, we’ll get more ideas,” she told him as they walked out of the office together after the meeting.
“Alright. If you say so. Although I know you can single-handedly come up with the best idea.”
She looked up at him, smiling. “You realize we hardly talk these days except it’s about CDS?”
He looked surprised. “You wanted it this way, right?”
“That just wasn’t how I pictured my first kiss. I didn’t mean we couldn’t remain friends,” she explained.
“Well, you didn’t exactly say what was on your mind, all you did was turn me down.”
“Neither did you. All you did was try to kiss me. Imagine how shocked I was to find out how you felt about my ‘rejection’.”
Chika smiled. “It’s okay, Dara, seriously.”
“So we’re cool now?” she asked quietly.
“We’ve always been,” he replied, squeezing her shoulders in a chummy way that irritated her. “I see you and Uju have been talking. Isn’t she like the coolest ever?”
Dara’s insides were raging with resentment, jealousy and anger, all in a mix. Were they both acting all loved up solely to hurt her for any reason or were they for real? Couldn’t Chika tell how bad it made her feel that he’d ditched her for Uju?
When he stopped a bike to take her home and waved her goodbye, she smiled in return. She had a new plan. Two of her students’ parents had spoken to her before about private tutoring for their kids. Maybe it was time to take that up. With no free time on her hands, Uju and Chika would be the last thing on her mind.
To be continued….
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Morountodun is a writer and a microbiology graduate of University of Ilorin.
Twitter: @Morountosweet
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Are you a writer? Interested in sharing your short stories on this
platform? Be our guest on our Short Story Fridays segment. Email: [email protected] or ololade.olatunji@yahoo/ gmail.com
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You left your apology a bit too late – Ruggedman tells 9ice.
Nigerian rapper, Michael Stephens popularly called Ruggedman has reacted to a statement of apology written by his estranged friend, Abolore Adegbola Adigun, also known as 9ice saying Ruggedman never cheated on his ex wife Toni Payne as widely believed. The entrepreneur accepted his apology and added that it was quite belated.
He wrote:
“In 2010 9ice released a song that made a lot of people wrongfully drag me into a terrible situation. People misconstrued the song and it created a rumor. A terrible false rumor that was fueled by journalists and bloggers who were only after hits on their sites and did not care to investigate and confirm the rumor but chose to print and post it anyways not caring who got hurt in the process. I remember pleading my innocence and that of Toni Payne but social media people being who and how they are chose not to listen.
I remember calling 9ice on the phone CIA style to talk to him about it and he was clearly heard admitting the song was not about myself or Toni Payne, but social media people being who and how they are, chose not to listen. I remember asking 9ice to publicly clear the air on the terrible rumor but was shocked when my friend said he would not because he was busy and didn’t have time for such. Again nobody wondered why.
Fast forward 2016, six years later and I was surprised when I heard that 9ice has finally come out to say I never slept with his wife and the song was not about me and even apologized. You left it a bit too late, you had your chance to clear this matter 6 years ago when it really mattered but you didn’t, I do not know why or what made you keep quite all that while. Any way I accept your apology and thank God we are all alive.’’
Gbolahan Salami joins Finnish club, Kuopio Palloseura (KuPS).
Nigerian forward, Gbolahan Salami has sealed a move to Finnish club Kuopio Palloseura (KuPS). The club announced on its website. The 24 year-old Warri Wolves player who emerged the best scorer in the 2014-15 season signed a year’s deal with an option of another year.
Your dreams are valid….Read and be inspired!
On January 12, 2007, a man sat on the side of a train station in Washington d.c USA, while playing on a violin that cold morning.
He played for about 45 minutes as over 1000 people passed by him. A minute later, the man received his first dollar tip from a woman who without stopping threw the money into the basket beside him. A few minutes later, someone stopped to listen to the music,but looked at his watch and walked away.
The only one who paid the most attention to the violinist was a 3 year old boy who kept turning his head to look as his mother hurriedly tagged him along. Several other children did the same but all the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. Out of the 1,100 people who passed by, only 6 people stopped and 20 gave him money. He collected a total of only $32 that day. Suddenly, silence filled the train station as he finished playing. No one noticed it, no one applauded, no one recognize that the man putting on an old face cap, who played the violin was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
This act proves that just because most people don’t care to listen to your dreams and aspiration doesn’t mean they aren’t relevant or achievable. If people couldn’t take a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing one of the best music ever written on a $3.5m violin, how would they care to buy into your dreams?
Don’t look down on yourself, you are endowed beyond what you think. You have more than what it takes to realize all your dreams. There is something inside of you that most people may not appreciate. Just because people can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. No one saw the dream of Joseph in the Bible,they only heard it. Nobody can see your dreams,they can only hear it. So stay focused while believing in God and yourself . You’ll make it!
By: Ayeni Ekundayo
I'm enduring the worst time in football.- Gary Neville
Valencia’s intense struggle for a win under manager Gary Neville may be far from over following their latest 7-0 mauling by Barcelona last night in a La Liga match at the Nou Camp. The ex Sky TV pundit who has been struggling to find explanation for his side’s dismal form admitted after the match that he is enduring his worst time in football. The former Manchester United player who was appointed last December has not recorded a win in Valencia’s 8 spanish league games and this has been giving him all shades of discomfort. Fans are loosing their cool and demanding apologies, the club is dangling around relegation zone, yet the former England fullback has vowed not to walk away from the dugout.
He told reporters, “I am not going to sleep well tonight. This is one of the worst experiences I’ve ever gone through in football. This was one of my most painful nights in football,”
“The scoreline is unacceptable. I have not enjoyed tonight. I won’t sleep well tonight. I didn’t like what I saw. The fans didn’t deserve that tonight. The people I feel most sorry for are the Valencia supporters. We have to recover incredibly quickly.”
“We were playing against three of the best players in the world and we gave them three-on-twos I don’t know how many times. It was unacceptable and we have to recover very quickly. We need to win a league game. I wish the match against Betis could start in 10 minutes.
“Positivity has been immovable in my life. I last had doubts as a player 18 years ago and from that moment on I developed coping mechanisms to deal with situations like this. I’m fine. Be clear, we have to deliver on Sunday.”
Well in football, anything can happen. The tables might turn in the next game. keep holding on Gary.
Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
He is arguably the most controversial person in the world at the moment but the Controversial Republican Presidential nominee has been unbelievably nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. The opposite of what he stands for (i.e Peace) .
Donald Trump’s name appeared in the list which also includes Pope Francis and NSA’s Edward Snowden. According to The Independent, head of the Peace Institute in Oslo claimed to have seen a letter from an anonymous US nominator who said Mr Trump should be considered for “His vigorous peace through strength ideology, used as a threat weapon of deterrence against radical Islam, Isis, nuclear Iran and Communist China”.
Someone should school me please. Vigorous peace? Someone who made blatant racial and inflammatory statements during his recent campaign for the Republican Presidential candidacy? Maybe i don’t know much about the prize.