LONELY

IGBO leaders, who were attacked by youths suspected to be members of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and other pro-Biafra agitation groups in a meeting in Enugu on Tuesday have reeled out gory tales of how they nearly lost their lives during the commotion. IPOB members on solidarity march Secretary of Igbo Leaders of Thought, ILT, and former director-general of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi, said he nearly lost his life during fracas. A group of youths suspected to be members of IPOB and other pro –Biafra groups disrupted the event which was meant to honour some notable Igbo, including the first republic president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi and late Chief Sam Mbakwe, among others. Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB however, issued a statement yesterday, denying involvement in the attack. Amucheazi told Vanguard on the telephone that, although his red cap, eye glasses and mobile telephone which we...

Arsenal have announced that they made a huge profit from their summer transfer dealings, as the club struggles to make the Premier League top four. The club sold Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs and Gabriel in the summer, leaving the club with a massive financial surplus. In their financial results for the six months until the end of November 2017, Arsenal revealed they have made ‘profits on sale of players, amounting to £58.4million’. This does not include their January business, when the £58million signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was largely offset by the sale of Theo Walcott to Everton for £20m, Olivier Giroud to Chelsea for £18m and Francis Coquelin to Valencia for £10m. In total, Arsenal Holdings plc, the company which owns the Gunners, announced a pre-tax profit of £25.1m for the six-month period. This is more than double their profit for 2016, of £12.6m. They say they have no short term debt, and cash reserves of £137.6million – which most Gunners fa...

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has revealed he would like Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne to rejoin him at Stamford Bridge. The pair played together following De Bruyne's move to the club in 2012, although he would depart west London on a permanent basis to Wolfsburg in January 2014. Since returning to the Premier League in 2015, the Belgian international has gone from strength to strength at Manchester City. Now seen as one of the best players in the league, De Bruyne, who penned a new six-year contract with City back in January, could well finish the season by claiming the PFA Player of the Year award. Asked which of his Belgian teammates he would like to join him in the capital, Hazard told Copa90: "Kevin De Bruyne." However, when he was reminded that De Bruyne had already played at Chelsea, Hazard revealed which other Belgian international he would like to play alongside for the Blues. "Go on, I’ll give another one - Radja Nainggolan," said Hazard. ...

A workshop on ‘DIGITAL SWITCH ON’ for information managers, marketers, engineers, technicians and broadcasters is currently ongoing, in Asaba, Delta State. The workshop is being organised by the Digiteam Nigeria in conjunction with the Delta State’s Ministry of Information. Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Patrick Ukah, who declareed the workshop open. Heads of parastatals of the Ministry of Information and representatives of Digiteam Nigeriawere present at the ongoing event holding at the Press Centre, Government House, Asaba. Details later…

University of Jos, UNIJOS admission list for the 2017/2018 academic session is out and now available on the university’s portal. The University of Jos (UNIJOS) has released the list of candidates offered provisional admission into the university degree programmes for the 2017/2018 academic session. UNIJOS prospective students that participated in the university screening test can now check their admission status online. HOW TO CHECK UNIJOS ADMISSION LIST. Go to UNIJOS admission list checking portal at https://mis.unijos.edu.ng/ug/portal/admissions. Supply you JAMB registration number in the required column. Click the search button to know your admission status.

No fewer than 11 persons suspected to be members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have been nabbed by the Police Command in Enugu State. The suspects were arrested on Tuesday around WAEC Bus-Stop in Independence Layout within Enugu metropolis. The Command’s spokesperson, SP Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the development in a statement signed by him. Amaraizu explained that the suspects were nabbed based on intelligence information gathered. “Those arrested are helping the operatives in their investigations in relation to their alleged nefarious activities and will be arraigned properly in a law court after investigations are concluded,” he said. The spokesperson urged members of the public to be law abiding and security conscious. He also called on the public to partner with the police to ensure that the state maintained its status as the safest and most secured state in the country.

Nacho Monreal will miss Arsenal's Premier League clash with Manchester City after sustaining an injury in Sunday's Carabao Cup final. The Spain international was forced off in the 3-0 loss to City with a back problem, which has also ruled him out of Sunday's trip to Brighton. Arsene Wenger has no other fresh injury concerns and can recall January signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was cup-tied at Wembley. Provisional squad: Cech, Ospina, Holding, Mustafi, Chambers, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Bellerin, Nelson, Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Elneny, Wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Welbeck, Aubameyang.

THE Village Head of Ikot Edet in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Mfon Udoessien, has been kidnapped by gunmen. Chief Udoessien was said to have been picked up from his palace, yesterday, by the gunmen after a fierce gun battle with the security agents drafted to provide security in the volatile area. It was learned that the monarch is a brother-in-law to a former Head of Civil Service in Akwa Ibom State. A resident of the area, who is simply identified as Eno, told newsmen that the monarch, a retired primary school headmaster and former Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, in the area, might have been abducted following his stance on cultism. According to him, Udoessien has relentlessly been waging war against the activities of gunmen, who have kidnapped no fewer than eight persons in the village. He said the whereabouts of the monarch is unknown, as the kidnappers are yet to contact the victim’s family. Eno said: “We think the kidnappers came after...

Starsport first revealed that Conte will be offered the chance to make a quick return to coaching with his country if he is sacked by the Blues. And former Italy great Alessandro Costacurta, who works for the Italian FA, confirmed that he will seek talks with the 48-year-old. Costacurta said: “I haven’t chosen yet but I think Conte is the one who could do the best. I’ll definitely talk with him in a couple of months.” Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and are also considering Carlo Ancelotti, Claudio Ranieri and Roberto Mancini for the post. Costacurta added: “Conte has already shown he knows how to be national team coach while the others haven’t yet. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy with Mancini or with Ancelotti - although he seems to have removed himself from consideration. “Or the same with Ranieri, who had a difficult experience with Greece but came out stronger and went to Leicester.” Conte remains under pressure at Stamford Bridge with the club lining...

With Egypt’s Mohamed Salah continuing his exploits in the English Premier League, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry says he is better than Philippe Coutinho. Henry claims Salah is better than the club’s former star Coutinho, saying he likes his movement and adding that the Pharaohs international is a direct attacker. Salah took the Premier League by storm as has been directly involved in 40 goals in all competitions for the Reds - more than any player in the top flight. Along with Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, the deadly trio hold the best scoring record in the UEFA Champions League this season. Although the Reds’ fans were concerned after Coutinho left the club to join Barcelona in January, Jurgen Klopp and his troops have given them every reason to suggest they have only gotten better. The Gunners' all time EPL top scorer and French legend shared his thoughts on why Salah is even better than the Brazilian. “I like his movement, he always wants to go in behind,” Henry...

Manchester United’s board members have regretted signing Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January, according to El Pais. The Red Devils swooped in to capture Sanchez ahead of rivals Manchester City in the winter window, in a move that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan joining the Gunners. Since moving to United, the 29-year-old has not yet made a huge impression on the team, having scored just once in seven appearances in all competitions. The club’s hierarchy feel that the player would have been much cheaper in the summe, when his contract at Arsenal expired. In addition, it is believed that sections of the club have questioned his high wages amid concerns of unrest within the squad, in particular Paul Pogba, who allegedly wants a pay rise. They are also not comfortable with Sanchez’s age, with the feeling that the Chilean only has a few years left at this level.

Jurgen Klopp looks set to resist the urge to rest his most important players for the second leg of Liverpool's Champions League last-16 tie against FC Porto next week, despite the club's enormous first-leg advantage and the fact that the fixture precedes the small matter of a north-west derby clash with Manchester United. Liverpool welcome the Primeira Liga leaders to Anfield next Tuesday [6 March] boasting a commanding 5-0 lead after a hat-trick from Sadio Mane and further goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah helped secure their joint-largest knockout victory in Europe's elite club competition at the Estadio do Dragao earlier this month to put one foot firmly in the quarter-finals. Emre Can asks Juventus to wait until end of season to finalise deal so he can focus on LiverpoolREAD MORE Why advertise with us Klopp has not previously been shy to rotate his squad at times this season in order to keep players fresh amid periods of heavy fixture congestion and preve...

A gathering of pro-democracy and civil rights groups in the five states of the South-East geopolitical zone under the auspices of Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights & Good Governance Organizations, SBCHROs, has published the result of its fieldwork which returned Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state as the Worst Serving Governor in the South-East. The exhaustive project also singled out the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as the most unpopular and unfriendly federal government among the people of the South-East, as it named the Nigerian army and its 82 Division in Enugu as the most atrocious security organization in the South-East. These results were recently released during a press briefing in Onitsha, Anambra state attended by: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Dr. MaryRose Umeh, and Barr Jacinta Ezinwanne for Intersociety; Aloysius Emeka Attah, Chairman, CLO, Southeast Zone; Peter Onyegiri of Centre for Human Rights & Peace Advocacy; Michael Ifeabunuke, representing...

UGHELLI – NIGER Delta activist and former Minister for environment, AnnKio Briggs has warned that any one joining former President Olusegun Obasanjo to “fight” President Muhammadu Buhari, does so at his or her own risk. Annkio-Briggs Briggs in a statement yesterday, also noted that contrary to claims in some quarters that former President Goodluck Jonathan did a lot for the Ijaw nation including ensuring the election of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Obasanjo only did so for his “selfish reasons.” Taking a swipe on Governor Seriake Dickson for inviting Obasanjo to Bayelsa in commemoration of the governor’s 6th anniversary, she said: “His (Obasanjo) visit confirms that Ijaw politicians are in politics for themselves and not Ijaw nation.” Briggs while mourning those who lost their lives during the 1999 Odi massacre, said: “Obasanjo should have been taken to Odi before he leaves Bayelsa to enable those who survived the Odi massacre confer on him a traditional title.” Describing the ...

LAGOS—AT a time some leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the South-East are mobilising support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election to pave the way for Igbo presidency in 2023, some Igbo leaders have said that the Igbo are not interested in the presidency without restructuring of the country. This was the view of some Igbo leaders, who met with the Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe-led Ohanaeze committee on collation of Igbo views on restructuring on Sunday night in Lagos. Vanguard gathered that Igbo leaders at the meeting held in Ikoyi included Deputy President General of Ohanaeze, Dr Sylvan Ebigwei; Dr Kalu Idika Kalu; Chief Guy Ikokwu; Agunze Chibeze Ikokwu; Professor Uzodinma Nwala; Chief Charles Odinukwe; representatives of South-East governors; and members of Igbo Think-Tank group, Aka-Ikenga among others. Raised with the intention of ensuring that the Igbo present a common view on restructuring, the Senator Abaribe committee had its first meeting in Abuja. The La...

Chelsea have initiated contract talks with Eden Hazard in a bid to convince him to shun interest from Real Madrid with a massive weekly wage offer of £300,000 per week. The champions are desperate to hold on to their prized asset, with the Belgian returning to his best form this season. But with only two years left on his deal, his market value will likely dip after this summer. The Mail claim that Chelsea value him at £200m and that bonuses will be added to a basic £300,000 per week to persuade him to sign on the dotted line.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Monday, said that the reason why politicians sponsored non-existent ‘new fake IPOB leader’ was because the pro-Biafra group is more popular than Nigeria while Nnamdi Kanu is more acceptable than any politician in Nigeria. The group said it is more potent now than before the advent of Operation PYTHON DANCE II given to its activities and that it has re-strategised and been re-engineered. A statement by the Head of Directorate of State (HDoS) of IPOB, Mazi Chika Edoziem, said that to stop alleged shameless corrupt politicians from further misinforming the public about the operations of IPOB, it had alerted all major governments of the world to be mindful of every information they receive from persons claiming to be part of IPOB. It read in part: “Not too long ago the masses were bombarded with the false narrative that IPOB had been defeated, weakened and crushed. Nnia Nwodo led Ohaneze Ndigbo, DSS and elements within the South East governors ...

Manchester — Former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku scored and then created the winning goal against his old team at Old Trafford on Sunday. The win put United back in second place in the Premier League, still 13 points behind neighbours Manchester City, while Chelsea drop below Tottenham into fifth place. The win was just about merited after a much improved second-half performance by Jose Mourinho’s side. Chelsea were the brighter team early on and Alvaro Morata, brought back into the side, volleyed against the bar after only four minutes. The Londoners deserved the lead that Willian gave them after 31 minutes, taking Eden Hazard’s pass and beating David de Gea at his near post. As United improved, Lukaku belied his reputation for not scoring against the big clubs by equalising before half-time, then crossed perfectly for substitute Jesse Lingard to head the winner in the 75th minute. Each manager had brought an expensive signing back into their starting XI with Morata replacing P...

Chelsea visit Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon hoping to do the double over Manchester United and former manager Jose Mourinho. Alvaro Morata’s superb header handed the Blues a 1-0 victory over United when the two sides met at Stamford Bridge in November, though the Red Devils remain ahead of Chelsea in the Premier League table. However, a victory for Chelsea this afternoon would move Antonio Conte’s side level on points with United, and would make the race for a top four finish even more intense. Both teams have been struck down by a number of injuries in the run up to the match, with David Luiz, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ross Barkley missing for the visitors, while United are without Marouane Fellaini, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Ander Herrera. So, who has been selected for the Old Trafford clash? The confirmed teams can be seen, in full, below… Confirmed line-ups: Manchester United XI: e Gea, Valencia, Lindelof, Smalling, Young, McTominay, Matic, Po...

Former Minister of Health, Prof A.B.C. Nwosu, has described Igbos as lazy thinkers, who are acting strangely ahead of the 2019 general elections. According to him, Igbo were thinking that by merely supporting President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, they will automatically become President in 2023. Speaking with Daily Sun, Nwosu maintained that it would be difficult for an Igboman to emerge as President in 2023, because, “The Igbo are acting very strangely on 2019. “They are some lazy thinkers, who think that if you let the present order continue, and after four years, you just go and pick it because it is your turn. “It won’t happen that way. If the Igbo are not aggressive about who becomes president in 2019, and aggressive that they are in the centre of power, and they are represented in the centre of power, how can power where they are not represented be handed over to them in 2023? “What if the power where they are not represented hands it over to another person? Then you see the p...

On an April afternoon at Old Trafford last year, Ander Herrera succeeded where so many others failed during Chelsea's 2016-17 Premier League winning-campaign. Eden Hazard was unable to escape the Manchester United midfielder's shadow that day, completely nullified by what was a complete man-marking job from the Spaniard who also went on to seal the 2-0 victory with a second-half goal – having also provided the assist for Marcus Rashford's opener. That won't be happening today – Herrera is ruled out this afternoon with an unspecified knock with Jose Mourinho unsure as to how long he will be without the midfielder for. While there is the small matter of the Carabao Cup final taking place this afternoon, we have a classic Premier League fixture to look forward to first. You can take your pick from the subplots running through Manchester United vs Chelsea. Romelu Lukaku playing against the club who tried to buy him back during the summer. Nemanja Matic lining up against...

They are the source of his increasingly-bitter feud with Jose Mourinho and in the build-up to their first encounter since their last war of words, Antonio Conte has revealed the real reason for his touchline antics: his father. Opening up like never before about his trademark wild celebrations and explosive tantrums, Conte divulged how it all stemmed from dad and former youth-team coach Cosimo - something that might explain why he took such offence at his predecessor at Chelsea insinuating such managers were “clowns”. In a clear indication he had no intention of toning things down for Sunday afternoon’s showdown with his nemesis at Manchester United, Conte said: “My first owner, when I started to play football, it was my father. He was the owner, the coach, the kitman, the groundsman. “I spent my life from the start on the pitch following the team of my father. For this reason, I have to thank him for this passion, for the passion I have for this sport.” His father’s influence rema...

Liverpool have stretched their unbeaten home run in the Premier League to 16 games and moved to second after yet another devastating performance at Anfield gave them a 4-1 win over West Ham. Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan's Brighton did their survival hopes a favour by beating Swansea by the same scoreline, while injured countryman Aaron Mooy's Huddersfield also had a win, 2-1 over last-placed West Brom. Ryan made a spectacular save to deny Ki Sung-yueng early in the second half with his side leading 1-0 thanks to Glenn Murray's 18th-minute penalty. On Merseyside the irrepressible Mohamed Salah scored his 31st goal in all competitions after setting up Emre Can's opener and Roberto Firmino made it 3-0 before substitute Michail Antonio pulled one back in an action-packed encounter. Can headed Liverpool into a 29th-minute lead after Salah swung in a corner and the Egyptian doubled the advantage in the 51st when he drilled an unstoppable shot into the far corner from 10 ...

Lagos State University, LASU postgraduate admission list (batch a, b & c) for the 2017/2018 academic session has been released. The management of the Lagos State university (LASU) has released the postgraduate admission list for the 2017/2018 academic session. All the candidates that applied for the Lagos State university (LASU) postgraduate admission and also took part in the selection exercise examination, can now check their admission status online.

The Management of the University wishes all the returning students of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU) that the official resumption date for the second semester, 2017/2018 session, was February 17 and 18, 2018. Students who returned to the campus after February 18, 2018 are, therefore, late-comers. The University Screening Committee will only sit to check and clear students for resumption at 1:00pm and 6:00pm on Wednesday 21st, Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th February, 2018. Returning students will not be allowed into the campus outside the above stated period. Any student who reports after Saturday 24th February, 2018 will NOT be allowed into the campus and such student will be deemed to have voluntarily forfeited the second semester. Students are reminded that the University is governed by a set of rules and regulations which must be complied with by all. Students cannot choose when to return to campus in a disciplined University society. Parents are strongly advised n...

Ahead of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) exercise, scores of candidates, who registered for the exam, staged a protest in Lagos over what they described as the inconsiderate stance of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) by fixing the examination for March. The protesting candidates were led by the National President of the Association of Tutorial School Operators, Mr. Dotun Sodunke. Many of them were seen carrying placards, which bore various inscriptions such as; “Admissions are yet to close, why conducting another UTME now?”; “JAMB isn’t for revenue generation, stop milking our parents,” “2017 UTME held in May, why March in 2018?”, “2018 admissions not transparent”. Addressing the press during the protest, Sodunke warned that Nigerians might witness mass failure; if JAMB went on to hold the examination as scheduled. Arguing that the board’s decision to fix the date of the examination for March was not in the best interest of the candi...

Chelsea Play Maker Willian say's he will put Jose Mourinho friendship on hold for Manchester United clash Mourinho brought Willian to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2013 and the pair won a domestic cup double together the following season, before Mourinho left Chelsea by mutual consent at the end of 2015. The Blues trail United by three points ahead of their Old Trafford showdown, live on Sky Sports Premier League. Willian will put his affection for Mourinho to one side as Chelsea aim to keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive. "I had great memories with him [Mourinho]," the Brazilian told Sky Sports. "He was a great, great manager for me, and I think not only for me - also for Chelsea for the fans. "But now I am still at Chelsea and he is in Manchester and I have to look to my side. Of course, we are friends but when you go onto the pitch you have to do your job. "It's a massive game on Sunday and we are looking forward to ...

Manchester United have reportedly told Real Madrid they would have to cough up £88million if they want David De Gea in the summer. According to Marca, United hope placing a huge price on the 27-year-old, would discourage Real from trying to sign him. De Gea reminded La Liga suitors just what he is capable of, with his wonder save against Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The Spanish goalkeeper was set to move to Real for £35m in the summer of 2015, only to see the move collapse in the final seconds of the window. But if the move is going to happen again, it would cost Real €100m (£88m). It is understood that De Gea’s value has come straight from the Glazer family, who will refuse to accept anything less.