Blog by XANTAPLUS

Thursday, 10 April 2014

ATLETICO MADRID 1 BARCELONA 0 (2-1 ON AGGREGATE)

ATL 1 BAR 0

Diego Simeone has proven himself already as a world class coach. Simple as ABC..

WATCH HOW BARCELONA WAS DUMPED OUT OF THE UCL.

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

(VIDEO) CHELSEA QUALIFIES FOR LAST 4 OF 2014 UCL. CHE 2 PSG 0.

CHE 2 PSG 0

The away goal scored in France and Ibrahimovic's injury was going to be a factor and yet it was.

Chelsea thoroughly deserved the 2- 0 victory and it could have been much more had 2 efforts not kissed the bar. Though the aggregate score was 3-3, Chelsea progressed to the last 4.

The most unlikely hero, "Demba Ba" came off the bench to score in the 84th minute after the German machine "Schurrle" had put them ahead in the 32nd minute.

Congrats to Mourinho's Army........... At this point, anything is possible. Chelsea might just win the UCL. They have the ability.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.

BANK CONTRACT WORKERS AND THE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE CAREER GROWTH - IFE ADEDAPO

The career aspirations of contract workers in financial institutions appeared dashed as they have little or no opportunity to progress, IFE ADEDAPO writes

The feeling of unfair treatment and lack of career fulfilment by contract employees in the banking sector is of major concern to stakeholders, investigations have revealed.

Contract or casual labour came about as a result of reforms in the banking sector and it serves as a measure for the institutions to remain competitive by adopting cost-cutting measures to reduce expenditure.

How does an economy that does not have regular electricity, where infrastructure is in deficit and most of the people are so poor that the Gross Domestic Product per capita does not get into their pockets, become the largest in Africa?

It seems a miracle that any calculations can place Nigeria’s economy above South Africa’s with our well-recounted challenges, including queues for petrol. They have been on for almost a month in the 2014 season of a national series of embarrassments. Nigeria, its economy and policies that propel them are mainly embarrassments.

The rebasing that pushed Nigeria’s GDP to $509 billion, ahead of South Africa’s $350 billion, is 24 years late. Nigeria had been working with a 1990 base. While the exercise saw GDP jump 89 per cent from N42.3 trillion (2013) to N80.3 trillion, the economy’s acknowledgement of sectors like telecommunications, music and Nollywood should mark more efforts at harnessing the potentials the sectors hold.

Nigeria produces, on daily basis, the sharpest minds in the world. Yet, the same country produces the dullest brains whose parade of ignorance continues to shame us. The deadly Ebola virus has killed more than 90 people in Guinea and Liberia with another suspected case reported in Mali. The resulting panic has set the world as well as smaller and less endowed West African countries on the edge but in Nigeria it is déjà vu all over again. No Shaking!

If God doesn’t deliver us, wishful thinking will. Those countries battling with Ebola really needs to improve on their religious beliefs because God is a Nigerian. Since Nigerians pray to Him most, He definitely loves Nigerians best to the exclusion of other countries. Our West African neighbours are better off tapping into our ANOINTING or ask our Minister of (Dis)Information, Labaran Maku, to “bless” them with some vials of the Ebola vaccine we have stockpiled. Since Miracles happen in Nigeria everyday, it is not unlikely that the World Health Organization (WHO), America’s Centers For Disease Control (CDC), National Institute Of Health (NIH), France’s Institut Pasteur and other world research bodies are unaware that we have scientists that have produced vaccines for this deadly viral fever that kills nine out of every ten victims. That is the power of anointing a la Nigeria! The rest of the world knows there is no vaccine for this virus, it exists only in the twisted logic of Mr. Maku.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state and his Ogun state counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday, faulted the statistics released by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, NBS, which rated the country’s economy as the 26th largest in the world, saying; “The new statistics does not truly reflect the real worth of the country’s economy.”

This came as Lagos government said residents of state spent at least N4 billion daily to purchase food items.

They duo spoke at the opening ceremony of the 7th Lagos Economic Summit, Ehingbeti 2014, with the theme “Powering the Lagos economy: Real opportunities, endless possibilities”, held in Lagos, with former Minister of Power, Professor Barth Nnaji and others in attendance.

The Lamido of Adamawa, Dr. Muhammadu Barkindo Mustapha, again on Tuesday stoked a fresh controversy at the ongoing National Conference when he gave a stringent condition for a 100 per cent resource control.

He also kicked against autonomy for ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, saying it would give room for many demands.

In a tacit reference to the people of the Niger-Delta who have been clamouring for resource control, Mustapha said they should be ready to lose their lands in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The latest controversy is coming barely two weeks after the monarch had told the conference that his kingdom extended to Cameroon and he still had his kith and kins there who would receive him and his people if the North seceded from Nigeria.

Nigerian politicians and their cohorts are just weird set of humans.

First, it was the most outspoken critic of government who was the Chairman of the Editorial board of Guardian Newspaper, Mr. Reuben Abati who jumped ship and became the spokesman of the same government he criticized vehemently.

Now, the two-faced FFK, who has written many articles lambasting the government has changed the tune of his song.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday met behind closed doors with a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Fani-Kayode, who is one of the major critics of the Jonathan administration, attended the meeting which was held inside the President’s office with an unidentified man.

He, however, told state house correspondents at the end of the meeting that lasted about an hour, that there was nothing unusual in his visit to the President, saying he was delighted he did so.

HOW UNDERTAKER LOST WRESTLEMANIA 30 TO BROCK LESNAR

UNDERTAKER VS BROCK LESNAR

Some still believe wrestling is fake but gosh!!! it was pretty exciting to watch back then...

Anyways, Undertaker finally lost to Brock after defeating 21 opponents consecutively in the annual match.

Shikenah.

ULTIMATE WARRIOR (JAMES HELLWIG) DIES AT 54.

The WWE released a statement confirming the death of The Ultimate Warrior only days after he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and had made appearances at Wrestlemania 30 and on Monday Night Raw, which marked his first appearance on the show in 18 years.

Warrior – Hellwig legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993 – is easily one of the most famous and one of the most popular wrestlers to have participated in the WWE and will be remembered for an epic victory over Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania XI, as well as his signature clothesline, running splash and gorilla press drop moves.

HE BEAT HULK HOGEAN IN ONE OF THE GREATEST MATCHES EVER

He fought in the WWE (then the WWF) from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1992 to 1996 and briefly fought in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1998 before retiring from professional wrestling in 1999 and beginning a public speaking career.

Warrior is survived by his wife Dana and his two daughters and our thoughts are with them and his extended family at this difficult time.

May he rest in peace.

UNLUCKY BORUSSIA DORTMUND BOWS OUT AFTER DEFEATING REAL MADRID 2 - 0 IN GERMANY.

B. DORTMUND 2 R.MADRID 0

Borrusia Dortmund could not overturn the 3- 0 loss in the first leh to R.Madrid despite winiing courtesy 2 goals by REUS in the first half.

Real Madrid who were without CR7 advanced to the last four on "3 - 2" aggregate scoreline.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

TUFACE THE WISE INVESTOR.

Like P-Square voiced in their latest TESTIMONY track, "Using my sense to gather the property because no one knows tomorrow", Naija's legendary hiphop artistes Tuface Idibia is doing just that.

Read more from Encomium below.......

Music star, 2Face Idibia now has two more property in Lekki, Lagos, ENCOMIUM Weekly can authoritatively reveal. With a five-bedroom duplex at Richmond Gate Estate, 2Face is one of the many prominent Nigerians who bought into the home plan of Haven Homes, a Lagos based real estate company.

Haven Homes (1)Confirming this in a phone chat with us on Saturday, March 29, 2014, an official of Haven Homes who pleaded anonymity said the multi-millionaire singer is now the owner of two of the massive Lekki, Lagos duplexes worth over N400 million.

Auwal Haruna, a student of the Nigerian Law School, in Abuja has committed suicide. Motives for the death at press time are unclear.

The 30-year-old student was found in his room at the Mairiga Guest Inn in Takum, Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Until he took his own life, SaharaReporters learned, he was alleged to have been part of a bizarre plot, with his younger brother, Ahmed, as well as his mother, Aisha, to murder their father, Haruna Mohammed, for marrying a second wife against their wishes.

Scarcities create desperation. The authorities are ignoring this fact as they mangle the future of Nigeria with policies that do not serve even the present. Millions of our people cannot access the basics for living.

They strive, they toil, yet at the vital moments, governments and their organisations are to play a role, efforts dissolve into nothingness and in most circumstances, deaths follow. The most current mode of death is stampedes.

After the Nigeria immigration Service, NIS, recruitment exercise that claimed 19 lives, we are still paying minimal attention to crowd management. Worse still, we are not thinking of ways of handing such exercises without thousands of people being assembled and subjected to dehumanising conditions.

After two passenger boats sank within three weeks, we are likely heading to the wrong reaction if we may just ban water transportation! The stand of most commentators on the matter points to this direction. It is like recommending decapitation as cure for headaches.

Cities like Lagos can benefit a lot from the waters around them. What would Venice or Amsterdam be without their waters? They have put them to good uses, creating efficiencies in transportation and living with their waters.

Boat tragedies are no excuses for banning water transportation. They are rather challenges to regulatory standards that guide the uses of our waters. We have to use our waters more; we have to work on regulations and implementation standards that would ensure safety.

Three weeks after the discovery of scores of decomposing human bodies and kidnapped people at a forest in Soka area of Ibadan, a five-man forensic team, from the Force Criminal Investigation Department Abuja, visited the site on Monday.

The team which included a pathologist, came to gather evidence and exhume human parts that were buried on the site. The Oyo State Police Command also said that at least 60 suspects had been arrested in connection with the discovery.

The teams arrived the site around 10.30am with 20 policemen which included Mr. Babale Aminu,who led the FCID team, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadachi who led some policemen from the Oyo State Police Command and Dr. Eze Nwom who led the team of forensic experts.Experts from the University College Hospital Ibadan, were also on the ground to help during the forensic evaluation.

DELTA State Commissioner of Police Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, yesterday, paraded the suspected kidnappers of Chief E. K. Clark’s son, Mr. Ebikeme Clark at the state police headquarters, Asaba.

He said the command was seriously worried over the whereabouts of some members of the kidnap gang that carried out the operation, which he described as “extremely dangerous.”

According to him, “other gang members still at large include Timi, Abel, Ndamaw, and Jacob.

It sounds so bizarre that allocations to some Federal Government agencies in excess of N114 billion have been lost in transit. But for a parliamentary inquest, the public would not even have known this. For President Goodluck Jonathan, always dismissive of the abysmal level of corruption in the country, this matter presents further evidence. Since March 14, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has been quizzing officials of the Budget Office, Central Bank of Nigeria, Police Force, Ministry of Police Affairs and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation on this tangled skein.

At the behest of the President, Lamido Sanusi, the suspended Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, had remitted N19.7 billion to the Ministry of Police Affairs, for the police to buy “armoured helicopters and security equipment.” Sanusi stated this in his reply to the government’s allegation of financial recklessness against him. Curiously, both the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and the ministry, told the House committee that they did not see the cash.