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Rio Ferdinand is yet to grieve properly for late wife

2 years after losing his wife, Rebecca to breast cancer, ex England captain, Rio Ferdinand has said he is yet to grieve properly for his late wife. He made the disclosure on a new 60-minute BBC documentary on parents who lose partners.
“I don’t think I’ve grieved properly. I’ve not given myself that time to sit down and really flush everything out and go through it.” The father of 3 said.
The ex-Manchester United defender has been praised by Alison Kirkham, the BBC’s controller of factual commissioning and events,  for participating in a “revealing and immensely personal documentary exploring the complexities of grief”. According to her, the “candid” hour-long film – called Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad – would offer audiences “an intimate exploration of the ways in which men similarly bereaved cope with their loss.”
“Rio Ferdinand has courageously allowed the cameras to follow him in this revealing and immensely personal documentary exploring the complexities of grief. This candid film will offer BBC One audiences an intimate exploration of the ways in which men similarly bereaved cope with their loss.” She added.
Source: BBC

Avram Grant resigns as Ghana coach

Days after guiding Ghana to the semi-final of the 2017 African Cup Of Nations, former Chelsea manager, Avram Grant has stepped down as Ghana coach. The Isreali was appointed manager one month before the last Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea, he confirmed weeks ago that he will leave his post as the Black Stars head coach.
‘After an extremely amicable meeting with the president of Ghana FA, and following more than two successful years in charge of the national team, I’ve informed Mr Nyantakyi that time is right for me to move on to a new challenge and I thank him for the opportunity. ‘I’ve hugely enjoyed my time in Ghana taking over after the disastrous 2014 World Cup campaign and rebuilding the squad to reach the final in the African Cup of Nations for only the second time in 23 years, and also the semi final of this year’s competition. I’m proud of the fact that I’m leaving an extremely professional, strong squad of players of a good age, who I’m sure will go on to achieve great success in the future. The passion and loyalty of the supporters is something I’ll always remember.’ He said

Sallah, Traore, Atsu, named in AFCON team of the tournament

The team of the tournament for the just concluded 2017 Africa Cup of Nations have been unveiled. Featuring former Chelsea players, Mohamed Salah, Bertrand Traore and Newcastle’s Christian Atsu.  Others are in the list below
 
CAF Team of the tournament
Goalkeeper: Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon)
Defenders: Modou Kara Mbodji (Senegal), Ahmed Hegazy (Egypt), Michael Ngadeu (Cameroon)
Midfielders: Charles Kabore (Burkina Faso), Daniel Amartey (Ghana), Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Christian Atsu (Ghana), Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Forwards: Christian Bassogog (Cameroon), Junior Kabananga (DR Congo)

The 7 records Zlatan Ibrahimovic has set at Manchester United

Zatan Ibrahimovic  is proving himself better than a number of new signings since his move to Old Trafford in the summer. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has . His recent feat was scoring 20+ goals in a season since Robin Van Persie bagged 30 in the 2012/2013 campaign, he has set 6 other great stats since playing for the Red Devils. Check them out:
1 – At 35 years and 125 days old, Zlatan is the oldest player to reach 15 Premier League goals in a single season
2 – Zlatan has now reached double figures for league goals (in Europe’s top five leagues) in each of his last 11 seasons. The only other players who can match that feat are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
3 – Zlatan has reached 15 Premier League goals for Man Utd in the fourth fastest number of games (23), behind only Ruud Van Nistelrooy (19), Dwight Yorke (20) and Robin van Persie (21).
4 – Zlatan has now scored 20+ goals at club level in 10 consecutive seasons. The last time he didn’t reach 20 goals was in 2006-07 at Inter (15).
5 – Zlatan was the first Man United player to score in his first three Premier League appearances for the club. The last United player to score in their first three league appearances for the club was Ian Storey-Moore, back in 1971-72.
6 – Of players in the big five European Leagues, only Lionel Messi (51) scored more goals than Zlatan (50) in all club comps in 2016.
7 – After he scored against Bournemouth on his Premier League debut, Zlatan has now scored on his Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Champions League debut.
 
Source
 

#istandwithnigeria: Nigerians troop out to protest against the government (Photos)
















Image may contain: 7 people
 


As widely expected, thousands of people converged to protest against the Nigerian government today, February 6, 2017. Despite a heavy police presence, the peaceful match, which was themed, “#IStandWithNigeria was held in several venues in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun etc states. Protesters who braved security concerns held nothing back in expressing their grave displeasure. Social media posts culminate into a trending topic, they chanted into megaphones, wielded placards, decrying economic downturn in the country.
 
 




 




 

Opinion: Of Trump, Hitler and World History|By:Ogbonna Nwuke

 
It wasn’t really supposed to be easy either for America or for a world order that has evolved over time.
The signs had been there right from the time the new sheriff in town bared his fangs on the campaign trail.Now America and a bewildered world are stuck with a situation that is unclear, an international system likely to be under siege soon, and a future that appears uncertain. Isolationism and protectionism had long taken a strong bashing as the world, secure in its dream for the emergence of a global village, marched in the direction of globalization.
Of course, there has always been the threat posed to world peace by the cold war between the east and west, between the United States and Russia if you like. But skillful diplomacy as well as the cautious optimism of world leaders have helped to reduce the risk of a global war. Side by side, the world has witnessed the spirited expansion of frontiers of trade through carefully documented treaties and agreements. On the home front, America has been a country of immigrants built on a liberal philosophy which allows anyone who meets the rigorous requirements for citizenship to pursue what has come to be seen as the American dream.
The flexibility of such a system anchored on basic freedoms which say all men are born equal basically created the opportunity for the forebears of Donald Trump whose home country, Germany, went to war with the rest of the world, including the United States, to migrate into America. America in turn has benefited from immigration, transforming into one of the greatest countries in the world, and holding such a promise for all who seek to escape persecution; who wishes to make a new home from home; and who desire to exploit the bountiful and latent energy life offers without any limitations.
In so many ways, the tale of America and a changing world have become intertwined, with America providing the moral fibre and leadership for most of the change that has characterized the notion of a free world. So the promise of a United States has impacted positively on the concept of an European Union which now enjoys a common currency and engages in joint collaborative action in most areas, including free movement and immigration.The birth of the African Union was ideally tailored along these lines as well. The fact that in order to bond closely, create huge markets, develop science, technology and infrastructure. And enhance cooperation essentially among African countries; Africa had to take advantage of some of the finest principles that are driving human progress.
Somehow, under the Trump administration, the world stares in unbelief as what some people are beginning to tag a new world order makes its forced entry. The fight to evolve a new psyche,  a new world view, a new pecking order and new national perspectives for the world or for the people of the United States by the Trump government isn’t coming without a strong challenge.Outside of America world leaders are raising indignant voices as they try to make sense of the orders that are rolling out of Washington like German panzers.
It is as if nazism which strives on a culture of superiority, race, hate and extreme rightist ideals has been reborn. It is rather strange that it has chosen America described as the land of freedom to reincarnate under the watch of a German American. When Hitler realized his aspiration to be German Chancellor, he unleashed a wave of German nationalism just as Trump seeks to do now by pretending to reawaken American consciousness.
Hitler, the records show, followed up the demonstration of a nationalistic leadership with the repudiation of international agreements, including that which had committed Germany to paying reparations for its role in World War I.
In no time Germany was overrun by the nazi culture. Not even the German army known for its prowess and discipline was spared the control of the nazi movement. The rest is history and not many nations, especially Israel and the Jews can forget what happened during World War II. Although it is early in the life of the Trump administration, I can see some parallels between Trump and Hitler whose coming Nastrodamus foretold.
Nastrodamus had predicted a third global war. Is it possible that the actions and reactions of President Trump have the capacity to create room for the advent of the Prince of the house of Mohammed?
In his predictions that have never failed to come true, America’s defence systems which Nastrodamus saw, failed to intercept what may be today’s nuclear warheads fired by the Arabian Prince described as the third anti-Christ.
Trump denies targeting Islam, but the arguments flowing back and forth doesn’t suggest that the world is struck by the truth of what he says.
Trump has spoken favourably about torture, a veritable tool that Hitler and his henchmen promoted to an art. He has spoken in derogatory terms with leaders of countries with which America has friendly ties like Mexico and Australia. He has ordered soldiers into action and began to cultivate the worst kind of propaganda that the American people have never seen like the Germans did under Goebels and Hitler.
I wish my heart could trust Trump, wish that Trump would have the wish to make the world a more peaceful and habitable place. But the signs aren’t in any way near here.Dreams of an indomitable Germany under Hitler spiralled out of control and led to the death of millions of men, women and children. Will the dream to make America great again turn out to be another smokescreen for dealing a deadly blow on humanity?
Trump didn’t catch my fancy from the outset. Even now, his remarks as the strongest president on earth make me ill at ease. I followed his campaign speeches, his remarks about President Barack Obama the first black to occupy the White House, his proven track record for discriminating against blacks, and the snobbishness conveyed by the way he spoke while soliciting for votes. And I came off with a great feeling of trepidation that unrest in America and war abroad might be the ultimate outcome of a Trump presidency.
How I wish I would be wrong. How I wish that this President would help lay the foundation for a thousand years of peace as predicted by Nastrodamus. How I really wish.
There is no doubt that America has what it needs, going by Trump’s victory via the Electoral College. But the vast majority who cast more popular votes for the protection of rights that are coming under threat early in the Trump era cannot stand it.
Right from inauguration day, they have been on the streets protesting the new face of America and the entry of a rawhide cowboy with a smoking gun who appears determined to reinvent Red Indian territory that ought to be conquered.
More Americans, worried by the turn of events,are joining the ongoing debate. Not many agree that in targeting Muslims, Trump would succeed in keeping America safe.The American court system hasn’t demonstrated any understanding for the presidential order which securely shut the door in the face of citizens of some  Muslim nations or those from such countries who are already carrying valid US visas.
It is doubtful US courts ever will, given the uproar in America and the fear that the presidential orders may indeed be at variance with the tenets of their Constitution.
In the court of public opinion, among experienced diplomats and world leaders, Trump doesn’t seem to have secured mainstream support for cancelling trade agreements entered into by the United States and other countries.
Many Americans are beginning to think about the consequential effects of the decisions of a president who appears to be unduly ego driven. I am not a psychologist but I have a strong feeling that this president might be held hostage by a kind of dogma inherited from the formative stages of his life. Office, the decorum and protocols that go with it are supposed to shape the attitude of leaders or the position of leadership on a wide range of issues and interests. Somehow, these do not appear to have any moderating influence on a President who continues to taunt perceived enemies and opponents even in a manner that no president before him has done.
The trouble is, Trump carries a huge responsibility. He needs to find a way out of the deepening cleavage that threatens America and the established world order in which Washington is a prominent player.
He needs to wake up to the reality that America cannot afford to act irresponsibly in a changing world that is faced with so many challenges.Above all, he needs to come to terms with the fact that running a country cannot be the same as operating a business where one can easily say to an employee, “you are fired!”
Can Trump settle down to the reality of these facts in time to lead the free world?
Only time will tell.


Ogbonna Nwuke sent in this piece from Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Protest: 2face's foundation releases official statement

The 2face Foundation, has released a statement of apology over the shelved nationwide protest, scheduled for today, February 6, 2017. Read the note below:

On behalf of Innocent “2Baba” Idibia, we would like to apologize to the fans, colleagues and everyday Nigerians who feel let down by the cancellation of this protest. 2Baba’s aim was to lend his voice to make the government aware of the growing discontent due to the wildly escalating  cost of living for Nigerians in Nigeria among other issues.

 Arguably one of the country’s most influential musicians, he saw it fit to use his considerable platform; at the core of which are Nigerians, to  amplify their voice. This is why he chose to march for the cause,  and why he was so honoured when his industry colleagues pledged their support.

 In line with the commitment of One Voice Nigeria to ensure a peaceful and impactful protest, The 2face Foundation and partners engaged with the security agencies to resolve all major security concerns but treacherous gaps remain that we are unwilling to ignore. 

 The risk of hijack by various political and sundry interests intent on using the platform to drive agendas that we as The 2face Foundation are not aligned with and therefore exposing protesters to high levels of danger is the main reason why 2baba regretfully had to withdraw himself from the march. He has refused to inadvertently present a platform for mischief makers to exploit. 

 2baba would like to express his great regret over these circumstances to everyone who feels disappointed. However, he hopes they will agree that as he said in the video announcing the development; ‘no protest is worthy he blood of any Nigerian’. He would also like to thank everyone; both individuals, and bodies like EiE which offered their support to him, and applaud their devotion to the nation.
 The primary objective of the planned protest as stated from the very beginning was to aggregate the voices of the people and present to leadership at all levels who may be unclear about the reality of the hardship faced by Nigerians. 
 We have no doubt that we have articulated our demands and have been heard LOUD and CLEAR. We urge a quick and positive response from government and encourage Nigerians to take a cue from this experience and never hesitate to stand up to the leadership on any and every situation that requires action.
 2baba will continue channel his passion for these issues using a range of effective channels in the future. He promises to continue working on avenues to help the Nigerian people be heard, he feels that is the least they deserve. 

 This statement from The 2face Foundation is endorsed by  Innocent “2Baba” Idibia.

Cameroon win AFCON 2017

 
Cameroon won their FIFTH African Cup of Nations title today in a thrilling 2-1 encounter with Egypt.


Vincent Aboubakar came from the bench to score a dramatic late winner which handed the indomitable lions the keenly contested prize.
“I have been a coach for 29 years, and I’ve never had a team like this. This is a team of 23 friends.” Cameroon coach, Hugo Broos who became the first Belgian to lift the African Cup Of Nations trophy said.
Cameroon is the second team to win the title 5 times; having scooped the prize in 1984, 1988, 2000 , 2002 , 2017 

The Two Faces of Tuface | By: Reuben Abati

Tuface’s decision to lead a protest to register the dissatisfaction of Nigerians with the performance of the incumbent administration and to reiterate the value of government’s responsibility to the people was his finest moment as a citizen and artiste. But it is also now, with his Jammeh-like volte-face, his worst moment. His transformation into a champion of democratic values and voice of the masses brought him added stardom and value. His retreat has turned him into a revolutionary manqué. He deserves our understanding and sympathy.
When on 24th January Tuface (Innocent Dibia) announced that he was going to lead, under the umbrella of the Tuface Foundation, a mass protest against the economic policies of the Buhari government, he immediately attracted public interest. A multiple award-winning musician, a naturally talented stage performer and author of at least two evergreen songs: “My African Queen” and “If Love is a Crime”, TuBaba, as he is also known, sounded like he was moving from art to politics, and seemed ready to answer to the true calling of the artist as the conscience of the people.
Artists and creative persons have always led protests and lent their voices to progressive causes. That much is the case in the United States at the moment, where artistes have raised their voices and joined protests to remind the “insurgent in the White House” that America is a land of freedom, democracy and justice and not bigotry and tyranny. Here at home, Fela, and his cousin, the Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and others as well, have shown the power of creativity and stardom as a veritable vehicle for social change and justice. Artists and their art, and their movement from stage, or the printed page, to the public arena of action have always saved humanity, by humanizing man. This has been the case from Sophocles, all through time and history to Olanrewaju Adepoju, Beyonce and Kanye West.
But activism comes with a price. Tuface obviously didn’t bargain for that. He received enormous support. His announcement of the February 5, later February 6 protest energized the angry, frustrated Nigerian base, and drew our unrelenting “children of anger” back into an overdrive on social media. The international community also became interested, waiting to see the effect of a protest driven by star-power in Nigeria. It was coincidentally a season of protests across the world: in the Gambia, there had been protests against Yahyah Jammeh with a positive outcome, in the US, the UK and elsewhere, Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and his misogyny led to protests on both counts, and in the case of the former, a Federal judge has given a ruling that has resulted in the suspension of the ban. In Cameroon, concerned citizens are protesting over discrimination against English-speaking Cameroonians. In Romania, a sea of protesting citizens has just had its way. There is all around the world, right now, a resurgence and affirmation of people power, be it Brexit or left-wing activism in Europe. Individuals and groups lead such moments in history- what makes them different is the fire in their bellies and their readiness to command the revolution, at great personal risk.
It looked initially as if Tuface had that burning fire in his belly, but he couldn’t make that leap between self-preservation and the risks of rebellion. He had appeared on television. He spoke confidently about the need for real change in Nigeria. He encouraged Nigerians to come out en masse to support the movement. He even announced the colour and dress code of the protest. His wife stood by him and she, too, talked about her husband’s convictions about national progress and good governance. Each time Tuface appeared in the media, during those five minutes in the sun, he looked bright and determined. But everything changed late Saturday evening. The recorded video of Tuface’s volte-face, announcing the cancellation of the Feb. 6 protest showed him looking dispirited, broken, ashen, as if he had been shaken up and chastised. He looked unsettled with his scraggy, uncombed beard. It is not difficult to know when a man’s balls have been squeezed.
Tuface actually deserves our sympathy. He must have gone through a lot of pressures that broke his spirit. His capitulation makes us appreciate even better the heroism of those who always stood up to dictatorships. His example is indeed a great lesson…And I mean that positively for the fact that…Despite the massive support that he received, he also received a lot of discouragement. An old ally of his, some guy appropriately called Blackface was one of the first persons to blacken the idea of the protest. Some Nollywood, belle-forever-face-front-chop-money-money-finish-carry-go characters also opposed Tuface. Some musicians too, although in the long run, Tuface was able to mobilise the support of every section of the Nigerian community at home and in diaspora. By Saturday when he poured cold ice on the whole thing, the protest had even grown beyond him, much larger, with others seizing the initiative and turning what he had thought would be a small show into a nationwide and diaspora event. At that point, Tuface was no longer the singer of sultry songs, but the symbol of a rebellion. The enormity of that potential must have frightened him. He didn’t have the courage to see it through. Leadership is about courage. A coward can never lead a rebellion.
But we should struggle to understand his situation. He was accused of having seven children from three women, which is an absolutely stupid point. An artist does not have to be a saint. We relate to their art and their engagements with society on the basis of the positive value that they bring forth. It is also possible that Tuface received pressures from his multiple in-laws, and even the Baby Mamas defending their stakes in his life. The official wife must have been accused of trying to encourage him to get into trouble so he could get killed and she alone can sit on his estate. The Baby Mamas and all the in-laws must have called to remind him that his children are still very young and he needs to be alive to be their father and so he should think twice before going to use his chest to stop Nigeria Police bullets. Family members, to whom he is obviously a breadwinner, must have advised him to stay with his singing and dancing and not get involved in politics. They would remind him how Fela’s mum got killed and how Fela’s house was razed down, and how every artist who dared the Nigerian government ended up in exile or in prison or with a strange motor accident.
The Nigerian government was of course unhappy with the planned protest, and the idea of it created enormous confusion in Abuja and Aso Rock. While the office of the Acting President spoke about the right to protest and the government not having anything against the expression of fundamental human rights, the Office of the President on vacation made it very clear that the would-be protesters are enemies of the government of the day and sore losers. Those two seemingly contradictory impressions from Aso Rock can only point to one thing: high-level intrigue within. That is probably why the Nigeria Police kept shuffling: we don’t approve of the protest, we do, we don’t, we beg. The timing says it all also. With the President out of the country, and the plan of the protesters to welcome him with a Trump-like protest from Abuja, to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Akure, and in parts of the Western world, the damage would have been incalculable. And Tuface would have been held responsible for leading the sabotage. No Nigerian government since 1999 has benefitted from any mass protest. The anti-third term protest hobbled the Obasanjo government. The Jonathan government never recovered from the pro-fuel subsidy protests of January 2012. Tuface and his planned protest had set the stage for a similar prospect for the Buhari government.
What Tuface imagined was a clean-hearted civil action would have resulted in absolute panic, with some informal voices in and around government doing dangerous analysis on ethnic and religious grounds. Reckless hypotheses such as the following: (a) “so, as Baba hand over this thing to Osinbajo so, the only thing his Christian brothers think they should do is to organize a protest in Baba’s absence?” (b) “You don hear say Osinbajo’s office say people have right to protest? So, Baba cannot even travel on vacation again. Walahi, these Yoruba people cannot be trusted.” (c) What are these security people doing? If they are loyal to Baba, by now they should have invited that Tuface, and ask him about the two SUVs that Akpabio gave him and his wife when they got married. They should show him strong evidence that the SUVs were bought with Akwa Ibom state government money and he should pay back the money or get ready to be sued for being an accomplice in a case of diversion of public funds. (d) Or you could have some people affirming the narrative that was put out by the APC and friends of the government of the day viz: “this is the PDP at work. Tuface must be an agent of PDP. Why are our own APC people sleeping? Baba no dey around, they want to pull down the country. So, Tuface is now working with Ayo Fayose of Ekiti, to embarrass Baba? This Osinbajo, can we trust him?”
By pulling the trigger at this time, Tuface simply put a lot of people under pressure and placed their jobs and loyalty at risk -no doubt about it, they must have come after him with a sledgehammer to stop and discourage him. Clear evidence: a counter-revolutionary #IstandwithBuhari protest has already been announced to last for two days. The Tuface revolution that has been abandoned by its main motivator teaches us more lessons about the dynamics of power in Nigeria and the temperament of the resident power elite. Will the protest now take place on February 6, without Tuface? Or will everyone hold fire and down their tools of anger? What is certain, however, is that Tuface is likely to sit at home tomorrow with Anne, his temptingly pretty wife by his side, watching the latest episode of Big Brother Naija on TV, with chicken and salad before him, and a bottle of wine, and one of his hands, innocently setting the stage for the amorous prelude for child number eight. With his wife telling him: “don’t worry yourself dear, Nigeria is not worth dying for. Who wan die make e go die. You have tried your best, my darling husband!”.
That is how many would-be heroes become anti-heroes, and their dreams die a-borning. If the protests go ahead on February 6 as many are threatening, nonetheless, Tuface would lose a lot. If it doesn’t go ahead, he would still lose.
The torch of protest that he has lit may not burn on the streets of Nigeria; it is burning already in the minds of the people. He may have chickened out, but he has already achieved the goal of his initial plan. He has by lending his star power to an anti-Buhari protest, expanded the population of angry Nigerians. He has given voice to their anger and fears. His withdrawal from action will not excuse him. Whatever anyone tells him, in the long run, he would still be punished for his bravery and cowardice on both counts. He should not be surprised if for the next few months, he doesn’t get invited to any concert, or performance contract, or if he gets to perform anywhere, he could be booed off the stage. He should not be surprised if his phones stop ringing, or if it rings at all, he could be told: “call me on what’s app I beg, I don’t know if they are monitoring your calls.”
Let no one blame Tuface. His stage name Tuface is the name of Janus: the two-face Greek god, who looks in two directions. When it mattered most in his career, Tuface Idibia answered the call of his name!
 
https://twitter.com/Marapolsa/status/828003736979111936

Ibrahimovic sets new Premier League record

Zlatan Ibrahimovic becomes the first Manchester United player to score 20 goals in a season since Robin Van Persie in 2012/2013 /Sir Alex Ferguson retired. At 35years old, the ex Sweden international is the oldest player to reach 15 Premier League goals in a single season and has now scored or assisted 18 goals in his last 17 appearances for Manchester United (14 goals, 4 assists).

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