Appreciating road and transport revolution in Abia

WHAT is truly lacking in many parts of the country today and has continued to inhibit development is lack of access roads and adequate transportation system.
Successive governments at all levels, especially during the long years of military regime, did not help matters at all.  Several efforts and inputs by private individuals and organisations in the transportation sector has not been enough because majority of Nigerians rely on land transportation to move around. Besides, the cost of such transport scheme is always unaffordable by some Nigerians, especially in the rural areas.
But in Abia State today, unlike in the past, the situation has changed and is still changing for good with the present administration’s policy on massive road construction and rehabilitation across the senatorial zones in the state.
The policy has brought about the opening up of access roads in several parts of the state, especially in the agrarian communities in the hinterlands where farmers reside. Before now, some of the people in the rural communities in the state have not seen caterpillars not to talk of using tarred roads. The state government under the leadership of Governor Theodore Orji has remained consistent in pursuing the policy which is one of the cardinal programmes of his government from inception.
Apart from the ongoing construction and rehabilitation of roads across the state, the government has completed the following roads since the assumption of office. They include Abia Tower (Ossah) dualised road, Okpara Square dualized road; the Uwalaka Ahia-Orie Ugba road; Ibeku Road extension, Ozuitem Street, Abam-Orie Ugba Street, Umuovom Nkatta Road (Ochendo Bye-Pass), Ahieke-Okwuta-Isieke Road with spur to the Cenotaph, Uyo Street, Okwulaga-Afaraukwu Road, Umuafai-Lodu-Ahieke Road, Link Road between Aba Road and Timber Market, Nkata Ameke Road, Nkata-Alike Ring Road, New Secretariat By-pass, Ubakala-Old Umuahia dualised Highway, internal Roads in Abia State House of Assembly, Abia Transport Road, Enyiukwu Road, Okigwe Park Bye-pass and the asphalt overlay of over 25 streets within Umuahia the state capital and these roads were also beautified with streetlights and pedestrian walkways on  both sides.  The development has restored nightlife in the state capital amidst secured atmosphere devoid of crime of any sort.
In the commercial city of Aba alone, the state government has completed the Okwu Street, Ezeogo Road (Opposite Ngwa High School), Nwala Street, Mount Zion Street, Ikonne Street, A-line and F-line, Ariaria Market. Other roads include Umule Road, Umuocham Azikiwe, Okigwe, Faulks Road, Orieohazu Street, Unity Garden/Osisioma Ring Road, Timber and Allied Products Market internal roads, Uratta Road, dualization of Aba-Owerri Road with the spur at the Osisioma Ngwa end of the Enugu-Port-Harcourt expressway, dualization of Aba-Port Harcourt Road, Udu Street, Umugo-Ugwunagbo Road, Uratta, Ngozi Avenue, Omenazu, Okigwe Road, East Street and the recently commissioned Brass street, Milverton Avenue, Azikiwe Road, George Street and Constitution Crescent.
Knowing that lack of adequate drainage channels has always been the bane of road durability in Aba, the present government had demolished all illegal structures in the city which made it possible for the construction of giant drainage channels at Ama-Ogbonna and Ngwa Road by East to control flooding in the city. Apart from the completed roads in the city, the perennial flooding at Binez junction of Aba-Owerri Road where motorists spent hours before crossing over has been tackled.  Beside, work is ongoing in other roads in the city and will soon be completed before the rainy season gathers  momentum.
Also not left out in the roads revolution by the state government is the rural communities where majority of the people of the state are residing. Some of the rural roads that have been constructed include Ozu-Abam Ndi-Okereke Road, Amaekpu-Okagwe-Ohafia Road, Amankalu-Alayi-Akoli-Imenyi Road, Ariam- Usaka-Ikwuano Road, Nunya-Eluama-isuikwuato Road, Ovim-Isuikwuato Road, Aba-Obikabia Road, Umugo-Alaoji-Umunka-Umuodo-Ugwunagbo Road, the Ntigha-Mbawsi Road, Iyienyi-Okwoi-Ozuitem Road, Umueze-Agbo-Ubani Ibeku Road, Nkata Mbom Road, some internal roads in Ossah and the Achara-Ihechiowa Road.
Being mindful of the popular saying that vehicles have become… an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete, Governor Orji had in 2009 rolled out the Abia City Transport Scheme which, aside creating employment for the people, had equally resolved the perennial problem of lack of adequate and befitting intra-city transportation in the state.
Since then, more than 1000  vehicles have been given out by the state government under the Transport Loan Scheme and the beneficiaries are always ready to testify to this. That is why it has always been possible for the state government to able to provide free transportation for indigenes of the state living in different parts of the country during yuletide celebration.
With the ongoing revolution in the roads construction and transportation by the present administration, which are two key factors in industrial growth, the state is now on the verge of reclaiming its past glory as the industrial giant of the country.  This is more so that the commercial city of Aba is getting adequate attention from the state government in the area of massive infrastructure development.

I’ve no plan to contest Bayelsa guber race in 2016 – PDP chair

Yenagoa—Bayelsa State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Col. Sam Inokoba (rtd), has denied claims that he had concluded plans to contest the state governorship election, come 2016.
Inokoba, at the monthly interactive session between Governor Seriake Dickson and members of PDP,  dismissed  rumours of his alleged plan to run against the incumbent governor, saying it was the handiwork of his detractors.
He described the claim as wicked and dangerous aimed at creating cleavages and eroding the party’s cohesion.
The state party chairman argued that his antecedent has never shown him as a disloyal individual or disloyal party member.
He said: “I have never had any ambition and the ambition I have is to deliver the President in 2015 and deliver the governor in 2016. I don’t rock the boat. If I stay with you, I remain with you. The rumour started during my trip abroad for medical check-up. I came back and was told some persons claim I have ambition to contest against the governor in 2016.
“I don’t think I have the strength for such ambition, neither do I have the energy to do what the governor is doing for Bayelsa State. I am too old for such venture.”

My husband lured me into stealing, selling of babies – Wife

The suspects

LAGOS — Policemen attached to Ilemba Hausa division in Lagos State have arrested a couple and two others  who allegedly specialized in abducting children between ages one and four years and selling them to barren women and motherless homes in the eastern part of the country.
So far, about seven children reportedly stolen from their parents’ homes in Lagos and other parts of the country have been recovered from their new homes in Imo, Anambra and Delta states.

One of the stolen children,  Ezeaka Uchenna  (4) was picked from his parents’ home, Madu Street, Jakande Ojo, Ajagbadi area of Lagos by one of the suspects, Adaeze Mba, on March 18, 2013 .

Adaeze   who  packed into same compound with the Ezeakas in January 2013, was said to have  gone to purchase tapioca from Uchenna’s mother that fateful day, only to abscond with the child. The couple immediately moved out of the area and allegedly sold the child to a couple in Obosi, Anambra State for N600,000.
However, during investigation, spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, while parading the suspects, yesterday, at the Command’s headquarters, Ikeja, said the policemen acting on a tip-off stormed Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State where the couple were arrested.
“They confessed to have sold the child to one Mrs Benedict at Asaba, Delta State. We proceeded to Asaba where Mrs Benedict was arrested. She made a confessional statement that she buys and sells children to barren women and that she had sold Uchenna to one Mrs Patricia at Obosi in Anambra State.
“Investigation revealed that the couple had earlier stolen Goodluck Amaechi (3) and  Promise Amaechi of same parents in Imo State and sold to Mrs Benedict. Mrs Bendict confirmed their statements and we proceeded to Obosi where the children were recovered from one Church of Goodness Motherless Babies Home.”

Adaeze blames devil

Pregnant Adaeze who hails from Mbatolu Local Government Area of Imo State blamed her indulgence on the devil and her husband, disclosing that they have been in the illicit act for five years.
“Please forgive me. I was talked into it by my husband. He asked me to get a child for him that he would pay me N400,000. When I asked what he wanted to do with the children, he assured me it was not for ritual purpose that his boss, Mrs Benedict takes them to motherless babies home.
Our Modus operandi
“Our targets are usually couples with more than three children. What we do is to move into an area, stay for about two to three months to get quainted with the people and immediately we got any child, we would leave the vicinity for another area where we are not known. We usually rent  single room apartments without furnishing them.”
Corroborating her claim, her husband, Mba, said he ventured into the act when his sand dredging business was no longer lucrative.
He said: “When I complained to a friend, he introduced me to Mrs Benedict and since I met her, my life never remained the same.”
He said a male child was more expensive than female, disclosing that Madam Benedict paid him her as much as N600,000 for a male child and four N400,000 for female. But for each child brought by his wife, he said he used to make N200,000 gain.
“What we do is immediately we succeed in stealing a child, we send him/her to my boss who in turn sell to motherless babies home and to barren women. I was responsible for my landlord’s missing children. I sold them for N400,000 each in Mbatolu, Imo State.”

How we arrested Benedict —Police

Vanguard gathered that Mrs Benedict was arrested after the policemen who posed as pregnant women called her on phone to inform her that they had a baby boy for sale. But on arriving the designated point in Asaba, Delta State, the suspect who sensed trouble was said to have zoomed off with one of the police women in her car, in a bid to escape but was overpowered.
The suspects, according to Braide, would be charged to court soon.
On her part, the woman whom the couple sold 4-year-old Uchenna to begged the world to forgive her that she opted to buy the child following her inability to give birth to a child of her own.
“ I was married for 21 years without a child to call mine. Someone introduced me to Benedicta and when I told her I needed a child, she requested for N600,000 but I told her I could not afford that amount. She later called me to meet her at the River Niger bridge at Onitcha. On getting there he handed over the child to me. I told her he was too big but she said that was the only one she had.
I changed Uchenna’s name to Amarachi and enrolled him in a school where I pay N50,000 per term”, said the widow who simply gave her name as Patricia.
On her part, 35 year-old Benedicta Ogbonna, who is a mother of four said she was only involved in the act to help barren women. Asked why she did not offer her own children for sale, she kept mute.

FG launches website to tackle informal exports

Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has launched e-registration website and e-registration booklet to reduce the volume of consignment leaving the country through informal exports.
The Executive Director, NEPC, David Adulugba, who said this at the launch in Abuja expressed regret that the quantum of goods leaving the country annually without documentation was worrisome.
Adulugba said the launch of the site – www.nepc.gov.ng – and the booklet was vital to the growth of the non-oil export sector. He said the initiatives would enhance the process of registering products meant for export as well as assist in capturing data of the informal trade between Nigeria and other countries.
Adulugba said findings by the agency revealed that there were 48 loading points where goods were exported to other countries informally.
He expressed concern that more than three quarters of the goods leaving the country were informal, adding the agency was ready to tackle the problem promptly.
The NEPC boss said the initiatives would promote the council’s activities in all the available social network sites on the Internet. He said the features of the e-registration include development of a database system for potential exporters to upload all the necessary and required documents on registration for the purpose of verification.

Arsenal star targets Champions League success

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has revealed he wants to bring European success to the Emirates and looks forward to being in the Champions League once again next season.

Giroud

The Frenchman has had an impressive debut season in England after his move from French side Montpellier. The striker has scored 17 goals in all competitions for Arsenal and 11 of those have come in the Premier League.
Giroud missed three out of the last four games in the Premier League due to suspension, but he came on in the second-half against Newcastle United which was the game the team sealed their Champions League fate for next season.
This year's Champions League was the first time Giroud competed in the top club competition and he has revealed that he thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to compete in it again next season.
Arsenal's Champions League run last season ended in the last-16 round after they lost to German side Bayern Munich on away goals after the tie ended 3-3 over both legs, but Giroud is confident he can bring European success to north London next season.
The Frenchman told Arsenal Player: “On the bench it was really nervous.
“It's always worse when you don't play. It was really difficult but in the second half Laurent, my French friend [scored]. I'm so happy that he scored.
“The goal relieved us and we could dominate the game after. We became more confident. We had our destiny in our hands. It was very difficult but the finish was amazing.
“It's 16 years in a row we've succeeded to qualify for the Champions League. We knew it was really important. For me it will be the second season in the Champions League.
“When you play in the Champions League, you always improve yourself and it's better for competition. We are competitors and want to play in the top games. I really enjoy playing against big clubs like Bayern Munich. I would like to go further next year."

400 Nigerian prisoners transferred from Thailand

Abuja- The Controller-General of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Mr Zakari Ibrahim, on Thursday said the Service had transferred 400 Nigerians serving prison terms in Thailand, for various offences to the country.
Ibrahim who made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja said the prisoners were transferred through a working treaty between Nigeria and Thailand.
He said that the prisoners were transferred between 2004 and 2013, adding that 20 Nigerian prisoners were moved from prisons in Thailand to Kirikiri Maximum prison in 2013.
The controller-general said that the service also lost 45 prison guards to insurgency in the country.
He decried the inadequate security gadgets required for operations by prison officials in view of the prevailing security challenges in the country.
“There are inadequate security weapons and gadgets required for operational use in view of the prevailing security situation across the country.
“Our facilities have been attacked and burnt down, while some of our officers have been killed by terrorist groups,’’ he said.
He, however, said that security of the prison formations had been improved through collaboration with other security agencies.
Ibrahim said the service had also fortified its perimeter wall in some of its formations including Otukpo and Okene prisons and reactivated solar systems and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in some of its formations.
He said it purchased additional “mechanical restraints, arms and ammunition, bullet-proof jackets and other gadgets for use in the prisons”.
Ibrahim said that the service had installed solar power to complement the national grid in powering some of its equipment in Ekiti, Anambra, Ebonyi and Edo to light up the prisons.
He also identified inadequate budgetary allocations for the reconstruction of dilapidated prisons structures, adding that the prisons were congested by large numbers of Awaiting Trial Persons.
According to the controller-general, Awaiting Trial Persons accounts for 70 per cent of prison inmates.
Ibrahim urged a speedy passage of the bill, before the National Assembly, to de-congest prisons and improve other operations of the prisons service.
He, however, said that efforts to de-congest the prisons were yielding positive results with the payment of inmates’ fines by some non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Ibrahim urged faith-based organisations and individuals to emulate NGOs by paying the fines of such inmates. (NAN)

does it means that Mourinho’s star is fading?

Mourinho

“Football needs him. His contribution to football has been huge, not only for the titles, but also for the way of playing and his quality as a person. The manner in which he celebrated those titles is also important.” – Manuel Pellegrini
“What I like the most about him is his way of conducting himself off the pitch, he’s a person whose behaviour can teach you some very valuable things for your own personal life.” – Pepe Mel
“I admire what he has done. He’s a young coach with an important impact on the present, and we have to thank him for all that we saw from his team, because I’m convinced it’s the best team we’ve ever seen.”
( Diego Simeone)
“His departure is a huge loss because his presence has made this sport shine. What he has done is unforgettable.” – Marcelo Bielsa
These four tributes came from some of the most respected managers currently plying their trade in Spain. The subject? Not Jose Mourinho, who Real Madrid President Florentino Perez has confirmed will leave the Spanish giants at the end of the season, but Pep Guardiola, following his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the 2011/12 season.
Such eulogies for Mourinho could yet emerge from the Spanish football fraternity, but don’t bet on it. Since arriving in Spain, Mourinho has scratched, bit and insulted his way to the top – and back down – in an effort to conquer all in his path, but in the end, has he really been successful?
On the face of it, a La Liga title with an historic points total, a Copa del Rey win and, on a lesser note, a Spanish Supercup suggests yes, but Mourinho must be judged by his own standards, and those are exceptionally high.
After all, this is a man who was made the highest paid manager in football when he joined Real Madrid in 2010, the first ‘Galactico manager’, if you will. At the time, it seemed like a logical decision. Key to Mourinho’s brand was his transposability; put him in any league, with any team (that can afford him) and he guarantees success.
Mou arrived at Madrid having just won the Champions League, his second with two different teams in two different countries. Clearly, this was the man to bring Madrid their long coveted decima – 10th European Cup – to end the ‘hegemony’ of Barcelona, and it was only a matter of Florentino Perez paying up. Why wouldn’t he? It couldn’t possibly go wrong.
It has. Despite the Madrid President’s attempts to suggest otherwise at his press conference yesterday, this isn’t a happy, mutual separation, but a messy divorce with plenty of collateral damage, the culmination of months of deterioration in their relationship. Most notably, Mourinho has failed in his primary objective, to win the Champions League, falling at the same hurdle on three occasions.
The most recent came after a 4-1 drubbing against Dortmund, a side who barely scraped past Malaga in the previous round. The Andalucians are a team Mourinho had once claimed was beneath him.
Mourinho’s supporters claim that getting Madrid the semi-final stage on three occasions is a dramatic improvement on the effort Manuel Pellegrini made before him, a last 16 knockout against Lyon. Yet it’s worth remembering that not only did Mourinho inherent the core of a team that racked up an astonishing 96 points in La Liga under Pellegrini, a then record for Real Madrid, but he was also given a degree of control that the Chilean could only dream of during his time at the Bernabeu, and a huge initial backing from the Madrid media to boot. Despite this, the Portuguese coach failed to achieve a key goal not only for the club, but for himself.
The target wasn’t only Madrid’s , but a personal one for Mourinho, to become the first manager to win three European Cups in three separate nations. Yet in three years his knockout round scalps included Lyon, Tottenham, CSKA Moscow, APOEL and Galatasaray, with Manchester United being the only former winners he managed to eliminate. By his ‘special’ standards, it simply wasn’t special enough. Not by the standards of the most successful team in European Cup history, either.
Then there’s the notion that Mourinho broke Barcelona’s hegemony. Cast your eye over Barcelona’s trophy haul during Mourinho’s time at Madrid and it suggests otherwise: two Spanish Supercups, two La Liga titles, one Champions League and one Copa del Rey. Mourinho’s on the other hand reads as one Copa del Rey, one La Liga title and one Spanish Supercup. This year there has been no trophy.
He may have disrupted the hegemony momentarily, but it certainly hasn’t been broken.
There is also the sense that Mourinho has stopped being fun. While he was once viewed as mischievous, in Madrid he has largely come across as spiteful, a stark contrast to the man that has come to be his foil in recent years.
If Guardiola’s Barcelona will be remembered not only for the beautiful football he masterminded, but for the way he conducted himself, as evidenced by the quotes from Pepe Mel and Manuel Pellegrini above, then Mourinho’s Madrid will perhaps be most remembered for his list of discrepancies.
To name but a few, his reading from a piece of paper containing a list of 13 ‘errors’ committed by referee Clos Gomez after his side lost to Sevilla, wild accusations that Barcelona’s success was a consequence of their relationship with UNICEF, claims that he would never coach a team like Malaga as Manuel Pellegrini did, his refusal to turn up at the UEFA Ballon d’Or Gala in 2012 and, above all, his thumb in the eye of Tito Vilanova, followed by claims that he didn’t know who the Barcelona coach was in the first place.
As erratic as Mourinho’s behaviour can seem at times, in the past it ultimately meant little when it was backed up by unmatched success. The logic was clear: buy into my methods, warts and all, and I’ll bring you the honours you’ve been dreaming of.
At Porto, he overachieved by winning two continental competitions, at Chelsea he delivered the league titles necessary to put them on the map as a genuine force in English football, while at Inter he brought home the European Cup that the club and Moratti family have coveted since 1965.
The objectives changed, the teams too, but the success was remarkable. So what if he ruffled a few feathers along the way? ‘It’s all part of the plan’, as the Joker said.
This time it’s different, however. This time, Mourinho leaves a beaten man, not a victor, a fundamental shift from his previous departures. His move to Chelsea is the most vital of his recent career, arriving at a pivotal stage for the Mourinho brand.
The emergence of young coaches that marry success and beautiful football, with impeccable off-field conduct like Pep Guardiola and, more recently, Jurgen Klopp, has some observers wondering if football is beginning to move on from Jose Mourinho.
At the turn of the year, Jorge Mendes put out ‘feelers’ to clubs like Manchester United and City, anticipating Mourinho’s departure this summer, and the response wasn’t to his liking. People at the very top are beginning to look at the Madrid coach, weigh up the pros and the cons, and decide ‘no thanks’, the potential rewards are not worth the long-term damage.
And so it seems that the manager who has run out of options must return to the club that has run out of managers to hire.
Failure at Chelsea would be disastrous for his image at this pivotal stage. Given the resources at his disposal and the upheaval at Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium, that doesn’t look likely. Then again, it didn’t look likely at Madrid either; his arrival in the Spanish capital was met with widespread assumption that the  was on the plane with him. The standards at Chelsea have changed in his absence, too.
Roman Abramovich has now tasted Champions League success, and will want more. Should Mourinho reach a third European Cup semi-final with the Blues (following defeats to Liverpool in 2005 and 2007), but ultimately fail to progress to the final, do we expect Abramovich to reach for the axe like Perez, or preach contentedness with what is an admirable feat for most managers?
History suggests the former rather than the latter. The ball is now in Mourinho’s court to prove them wrong, but doubts now justifiably exist over just how special he really is these days. Your move, Mou.

Chinualumogu Achebe: A tribute to Ugonabo

Paying tribute to a great man like Professor Chinualumogu Achebe is certainly not the kind of race a man runs carrying snuff in his palm. It is a serious task, not for want of great deeds worth mentioning and reflecting on, but for too many exploits begging for mention.
How do you describe a man so honoured, even among his kinsmen, that he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Ugonabo (double eagle) of Ogidi? Renown for its strength and glory, Ugo (the eagle) is such a very rare and highly esteemed bird among Ndigbo. As a title, Ugo is reserved only for their extremely distinguished sons. To be honoured as a “double eagle” goes to show the extraordinariness of the man, Achebe.
How else do you describe a colossus other than also as an Iroko? About this special tree, Achebe writes: “You cannot plant greatness as you plant yams or maize. Whoever planted an iroko tree – the greatest in the forest? You may collect all the iroko seeds in the world, open the soil and put them there. It will be in vain. The great tree chooses where to grow and we find it there…so it is with greatness in men.”
A writer and teacher of uncommon character and pedigree, he was not only A Man of the People, he was also the mouth piece of the weak and oppressed, and invested his entire life seeking solutions for The Trouble with Nigeria. When the centre cannot hold as Things Fall Apart and the falcon can no longer hears the falconer, Achebe stood out as a live force to rally his country men and women back to their roots and indeed back to those socio-cultural values by which our fathers lived.
As one of a quartet that includes Christopher Okigbo and Professor Wole Soyinka, which started and gave the Nigerian literature character, he equally gave a resonant voice, first to Nigerians, and to the entire black race. Like most great men, Achebe was a half-human and haIf-spirit (okara mmadu na okara mmuo), a philosopher, and a prophet. Though through his contributions, especially the imports of Things Fall Apart, blacks could understand what colonialism was all about, he saw far beyond the challenges of colonialism.
Through A Man of the People, for instance, he warns of the dangers of reducing independence to merely replacing White imperialists with a new set of indigenous colonialists who lord it over the masses and live in vexatious luxury and opulence at the expense of the people. Through No Longer at Ease, we could also see the damning aftermaths of colonialism. When it became obvious that things were No Longer at Ease, Achebe opened our eyes through to see The Trouble with Nigeria and the Anthills of the Savanna.
Achebe saw The Trouble with Nigeria as clearly that of a failed political class. More importantly, he proffered the way forward, not just by written works, but also by an exemplary life that serves as An Arrow of God that will forever pierce the consciences of the leaders.  Importantly, on the need for peaceful co-existence and tolerance, Professor Achebe says: “Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too- if one says no to the other, let his wing break”.
For fomenters of trouble, he warns that, “A man that makes trouble for others also makes trouble for himself”. But even more philosophical are the words that “He who will hold another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down”.
Achebe’s parting shot, There was a Country, is to me more than just a book or a personal account of his pain and those of his Eastern Nigerian kinsmen over the unfortunate Nigeria-Biafra Civil war. Traditionally, when a father is about to join his ancestors, he assembles his children for the final blessings and parting words. To Achebe, it is only a stupid man that has his toenail pulled out by the same tree stump twice.
Achebe is obviously pained that those things that led to the unfortunate war among brothers are growing wings and muscles amongst us. From nepotism to political arrogance and intolerance, corruption, religious fanaticism, and now an unprecedented wave of senseless killing across the land, Achebe is simply telling his countrymen to stand together and say “Never again”. Yes, never again so that whatever consumed the mound of fufu would not be allowed to empty the soup pot.
I therefore believe that the best way we can all mourn and immortalise Achebe is to live his ideals and build such Nigeria he dreamed of- a Nigeria where peace and justice reigns.
Goodbye the Iroko and may the Almighty God give us all, especially your immediate family, Ogidi people and indeed the entire Igboland and Nigerians the fortitude to bear your passage. Goodnight, Ugonabo Ogidi, the immortal name.

President Jonathan condemns terror attack in Britain

President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed shock at the terrorist attack and killing of a British soldier, Drummer Lee Rigby of the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in the Woolwich area of London, United Kingdom.
In a statement by Dr. Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President(Media and Publicity) Jonathan conveyed  his condolence to British Prime Minister David Cameron and the British people over, what he described as “senseless and barbaric act.”
The President noted that a terrorist attack anywhere is an attack on the way of life of all free nations and must be collectively condemned by all persons irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion.
“It is in this spirit that the Nigerian government is partnering with the British Government, as well as all other stakeholder sovereigns to stand up to and fight terrorism and extremism in whatever guise or pretense it chooses to present itself.”
The statement added that, “President Jonathan recognizes that each environment presents its own unique challenges and peculiarities and actions taken by affected nations may differ, yet the resolve to confront and defeat this threat should never be in doubt.”
“Nigerians are collectively resolute about the need to protect the freedoms that define our existence and inter-relationships at home and overseas. Our recent past tells us that when we pull together, this common enemy and threat will eventually be defeated.”

Laloko discovered me – Emeka James

Emeka James

Former Flying Eagles and Greater Tomorrow star,, Emeka James tells JOHN EGBOKHAN that he owes his brief soccer exploits to Coach Kashimawo Laloko.
What have you been doing since your exit from international football. Any regret or joy quitting the game.
Since I stopped playing active football in 1986, I have been a practicing Civil/Structural Engineer in Nigeria before I relocated to United States of America. Presently I am a practicing Professional Licensed Structural Engineer in the states of New York and Massachusetts.
What was the experience like playing for Nigeria?

Emeka James

When FIFA came up with the idea of the U-20 tournament in 1977, hosted by Tunisia, USSR defeated Mexico in the finals on a penalty shootout.  Two years later, in 1979, most of us in the Greater Tomorrow, assembled by NFA (now NFF); with the likes of Henry Nwosu, Franklin Howard, Sunday Benson etc., were drafted into the Junior Eagles (now Flying Eagles) with players from other State to make up the team with players like Humphrey Edobor, and Bright Omokaro from Edo State, Silvanus Okpala from Anambra State etc. The bulk of the team came from Greater Tomorrow.
Mind you, Lagos state paraded so many players that Greater Tomorrow had to be divided in to two teams.  The other team comprised of Stephen Keshi (current Super Eagles coach), Dennis Echefu, Paul Okoku, Sunday Joseph, Semeon “Bremner” Alada, etc. We lost to Cameroon in the qualifying stage, though Algeria and Guinea represented Africa, in the 1979 u20 edition, held in Japan.  Of course, Argentina defeated USSR 3 – 1, in the finals.
My stay in the Junior National team was very short lived, because when then I realized that I will have to devote a lot of time for this game which means I have to travel with the team all over the country in preparation for the game. Then I realized that the whole set up was going to compromise some of my principles (play soccer in Lagos only) then I was in my final year in secondary school which means I will miss classes for months. That was how I excused myself from the Junior National team.
What was the biggest challenge that sportsmen faced during your time and how did you people overcome  it
In Nigeria then, sportsmen generally, didn’t have the opportunity of going to School and playing football at the same time, you only have one choice, you either play soccer full time or quit and face your studies. Then there was no much money to be made playing football full time. Most of the players then in top clubs like Rangers and IICC  were paid graduate entry level salaries, GL8. I played for Julius Berger from 1979 to 1982 under a German Coach Gothlieb Gola who saw great potentials in me and he gave me that opportunity of going to school and playing for the club. Julius Berger was then the club which paid the most to players in the league
What was the secret for you and how did you ensure that it marked a turning point in your life?
The only way I was able to overcome it was to just play football in Lagos  because I lived in Lagos with my parents and I went to school in Lagos because there was no way I was going to explain to them that I was going to leave School to play soccer in another state. In 1979 before I left ST. Finbarr’s College I was playing for National Bank FC with Nathaniel Ogedegbe. That same year I was recruited into Julius Berger  by coach Gola and I told him that one of the conditions that would make me play for Berger was if my education was not compromised and the coach was very pleased with that and he made me train three times a week. At times, he will organize special training for me one on one just to be in shape with the rest of the team.
Of all the coaches that you played under while in Nigeria,, who was the best and what stood the coach out?
Like I said earlier, I was in the Flying Eagles team very briefly, but I played under some top coaches in Nigerian clubs. Coach Kashimawo Laluko was one of the first coaches who discovered my great potentials and he took me to the next level. He also discovered  Henry Nwosu, Nathaniel Ogedegbe, Wakilu Oyenuga. Coach Gothlieb Gola gave me the opportunity to play soccer at a high level and time to pursue a career in Civil Engineering.

Crystal Palace captain expects tough play-off final

Mile Jedinak is determined to become a Premier League player.

Crystal Palace captain Mile Jedinak admits he is close to making his Premier League dream a reality but knows the Championship final against Watford on Bank Holiday Monday is going to be a huge test for his team.
“We have some great characters in our dressing room and it's been a real joy to work with them. But by no means is it over yet,” he told the club's official website. “Obviously it's not that far away but there is a big wall called Watford ahead of us. We are expecting a tough game and we will have to earn it on the day.”
The Australian, who joined Palace in 2009 and has 38 caps for Australia, will need to be wary that he isn't overawed by the occasion when he leads his team out beneath the Wembley arch.
“I'm going to be very proud. I have a lot of family that will be watching at home and for it to be such a big occasion will make it even more special,” declared Jedinak.
The 28-year-old was handed the armband by boss Ian Holloway due to a long-term groin injury for Paddy McCarthy at the start of the season and has quickly become a fans' favourite during this campaign.
The south Londoners had a near catastrophic run-in and only secured their play-off place with a final day victory over Peterborough, courtesy of Jedinak's injury-time winner.
But as they swept their bitter rivals Brighton aside in the semi-final stage Palace will go into Monday's final full of confidence.
The stakes could not be higher, with the winner claiming a slice of the Premier League's freshly negotiated television deal, if there was ever a season to get in amongst the big boys, this is it.
Watford arguably have the better side on paper but with the reliable Julian Speroni between the sticks, Jedinak marshalling the midfield and Wilfried Zaha firing on all cylinders, the Eagles are well placed to claim the jackpot and leave victorious.

UEFA take action against racism, match-fixing & doping

The UEFA Committee met in London recently and have taken new measures to combat the less desirable aspects of the game throughout world football. 
The meeting was focused around match fixing, doping, and racism, while other more administrative points were decided such as where to hold the 2015 Champions League final will be held (Berlin), as well as where to hold the Europa League final (Warsaw).
In regards to racism, the committee took a new and even stronger stance in their zero tolerance policy, and approved new amendments to be sent to the UEFA congress on May 24.
Should any racist abuses be observed in regards to the spectators of a match, the new regulations would ensure that the first offence result in a partial closing of the stadium and a second offence would result in a €50,000 fine. Should the abuse come from a player or official it would result in a minimum 10-match ban.
Additionally, insulting match officials now carries an added weight of a three-match ban, and assaulting an official would result in a 15-match ban.
The committee also decided that should UEFA not deem a club’s punishment of an offence such as doping or match-tampering suitable for the injustice, UEFA would be entitled to hand out an additional punishment as the organization would see fit.
On top of that the limitation for which to retrospectively punish an offence has been lifted, allowing UEFA to take action against the offending party regardless of the duration of time lapsed between the offence and the investigation.
Doping will also find itself under the magnifying glass as UEFA has implemented standard urine tests during the 2013/2014 competition in contrast to the previous blood test that was only given before the final tournament of the competition.

2012/13 Premier League: Flop XI

Joe Hart

The end of the Premier League season usually sparks a wave of backslapping and congratulation with Best This of the Year and Best That – it’s all far too cheerful for GMF.
Our next fix of genuine glistening Premier League goodness doesn’t come until August and GMF is completely miserable, Internet surfers.
In light of this misery, GMF have decided to stink the place out and go against the congratulatory grain with a selection of players from the 2012-13 Premier League season that have been as thoroughly disappointing as GMF feels at the present time.
This is not any old list of crap players, oh no, GMF would just name a load of players from the relegated teams if that were the case.
These are the men that are considered at the top of their respective games, players that were expected to maintain towering standards set previously and let us down, for whatever reason.
So, here we have GMF’s Premier League 2012-13 Flops XI…
GK – Joe Hart, Manchester City
England number one and one of the stand out performers from Manchester City’s title-winning team last season, Hart has just not been at the races this year. High profile blunders have been aligned with a more general uncertainty that was not evident previously.
LB – Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Tottenham Hotspur
GMF thought the past two seasons had seen the end of the complacency that so undermined the Cameroon international. Poor decision-making has joined the concentration issues and it has culminated in talk of him being shipped out, which is a shame because he seems a very likeable individual.
RB – Bacary Sagna, Arsenal
Two broken legs might have something to do with it, but there is no denying that one of the most reliable players in the Premier League just hasn’t been it this season. Talk of a transfer could see the end of a very good career at Emirates Stadium.
CB – Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal
Another Gunner in the firing line; things got so bad for the Belgium international that Arsene Wenger took the drastic step of dropping him after the defeat at White Hart Lane. We haven’t seen much of Vermaelen since and he is another being tipped for a summer departure.
CB – Vincent Kompany, Manchester City
Skipper of the Etihad Stadium outfit, Kompany was as important as any other player to their title glory last season. A likeable, articulate and intelligent man – an atypical footballer in many ways – the Belgian international looked short of confidence all season. Usually so assured, it was sometimes difficult to see his game threaded with uncertainty, though his injuries probably didn’t help.
LM – Adam Johnson, Sunderland
It never really worked out for him at Manchester City but it was hoped he might rediscover some of the form that made him an England international after a few months with the Black Cats. It didn’t happen and Sunderland were eventually dicing with relegation until the last couple of games of the season.
RM – Antonio Valencia, Manchester United
The Ecuadorian was one of the players of the year last season and his attacking drive was a sight to behold. Disappointingly, there has been no repeat this time around and Valencia has looked a man lost, unable to find his best form.
CM – Yaya Toure, Manchester City
Usually remembered as a colossus in the Citizens midfield, Toure has failed to impose himself consistently this season, which is a crying shame. The Ivorian in full flow is a sight to behold – it’s disappointing we haven’t beheld it much this season.
CM – Anderson, Manchester United
It has never really got going for the Brazilian at Old Trafford, but last season there were more than a few occasions where he showed a level of performance that surpassed anything he had shown in the past. There were hopes he may have made a breakthrough and would turn some of his vast promise into product. It didn’t happen.
CF – Emmanuel Adebayor, Tottenham Hotspur
Perhaps GMF is naïve for thinking the Togolese was ready to show some consistency after securing a permanent deal, but he was so good last season in helping take Spurs to fourth there was genuine belief he was ready to step up. Sadly, the old criticisms came back to haunt him and a return of five Premier League goals all season is a bona fide flop.
CF – Nikica Jelavic, Everton
David Moyes late last season admitted on the BBC’s Football Focus show to having misgivings about signing the Croatia international from Rangers, until he was convinced by one of his coaches David Weir. Moyes probably should have trusted to his instinct because Jelavic has even looked as much a shadow of the player that took the Premier League by storm after joining in January.

State of Emergency: ACN accuses Jonathan of deceit

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of engaging in total deceit by saying the democratic structure in the states where he has declared a state of emergency will be kept intact, when in fact he has grabbed power in the states and castrated democracy there. deceit
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party quoted from the President’s speech to the nation on May 14th, thus: ”The details of this Proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. But in the meantime, let me make it clear that within the purview of this Proclamation, the Governors and other political office holders in the affected states will continue to discharge their constitutional responsibilities.”
It however said the gazette published by the Federal Government on the declaration showed that the President has virtually eviscerated the democratic structure and stripped the political office holders of their constitutional responsibilities, thereby reversing the assurance he gave in his speech on the declaration.
ACN also warned that unless this despotic tendency is checked, nothing prevents the President, in the name of the ongoing fight against Boko Haram, from extending this power grab to other states that catch his fancy.

Nigeria’s troubles beyond emergency rule – Muslims

A network of Islamic organizations led by Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has urged the Federal Government to look beyond declaration of state of emergency in tackling the security challenges facing the country.  It said holistic measure at resolving some other grey areas regarding the socio-economic segments of Nigerian public life was more imperative.
The network, whose text read by Director of MURIC and university don, Prof. Is-haq Lakin Akintola in Lagos Thursday, also questioned the rationale behind the Lagos State government banning the use of hijab in public schools in the centre of excellence.
It chided the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, over a comment credited to her speech communicating the government’s decision where she remarked that Muslim parents desiring the use of hijab in schools should take their daughters to Muslim private schools, adding that by so doing, the commissioner had declared war on Muslims in Lagos State.
On the state of the nation, Akintola, condemning the spate of terrorism and violence in parts of the country, insisted that military force alone could not solve the Nigerian security problem.
His words: “While the Network of Islamic organizations condemn terrorism and violence, we insist that military force alone cannot solve Nigeria’s security problem. What Nigeria needs for enduring peace is good governance and transparency.  We are of the opinion that the remaining 33 states of the federation have been under emergency for long.
“With hunger and starvation, with homelessness and joblessness among our army of graduates, what further declaration of a state of emergency do we need? Where is electricity? Where is water? Where are the roads? Corruption remains Nigeria’s middle name and it has worsened under the present administration,” he said.
On the ban of hijab, Akintola lashed at the government of Lagos State querying why the Nigerian Constitution would guarantee people freedom of religious practice but, under a SAN-led administration, such constitutional and natural rights were being denied the people.
He said, “Instead of allowing free dialogue, the Lagos State Government is pushing Muslims in the state to the wall. We reject the claim made by the Commissioner for Education that the issue was discussed at length and that “We reached certain agreements”. Concerned and well-informed Muslims and Islamic organizations were either deliberately ignored or edged out of purported discussions while handpicked surrogates of the commissioner/the state government and uninformed few were picked.”
Vanguard’s investigation revealed that Governor Babatunde Fashola had taken what many Muslims considered anti-Islamic decisions in the last few months.  He was said to have destroyed places of worship within the Lagos Secretariat, destroyed mosques in Lekki and recently that he activated a plan to cause division within the state Muslim community by giving the Muslim Council in Lagos State an assignment to open centres across the state as the Fashola administration had chosen the “less Islamically informed” council to be related with in matter affecting Muslims.
This action of the governor was viewed by the network of Islamic organizations as “evil a Muslim can do to Islam” as they said it was wrong for the government to choose a people who were not well-informed about Islam to represent the entire Muslims in Lagos State.  This was said because, the group was sure that there was no Muslim anywhere in the world that would compromise the fundamental basis of Islam like the government had programmed the Muslim Council to do.

Super Eagles handler Stephen Keshi has assured Nigerians not to panic despite injuries to four of the key players

Stephen Keshi

Super Eagles handler Stephen Keshi has assured Nigerians to do away with their fears despite injuries to four of the key players that should have been part of the team.
While the Super Eagles prepares for crucial 2014 World Cup qualifying games and the FIFA Confederations Cup, Coach Stephen Keshi has encouraged Nigerians not to panic.
Scotland- based midfielder Reuben Gabriel, ace forward Emmanuel Emenike, attacking midfielders Kalu Uche and Victor Moses have all been ruled out of the friendly match against Mexico, Nigeria’s two World Cup qualifiers and the Confederations Cup- a spate of injuries that had caused anxiety in some quarters, while a section of the media has seized the opportunity to downplay Nigeria’s readiness.
But Keshi, who took charge of underdogs Togo on their way to a first ever World Cup eight years ago, said he was more than committed to leading his own country to next year’s finals in Brazil, no matter the challenges.
“I am never one to run away from challenges; I have confronted them head- on all my life. I have very good relationship with each and every of my players, with mutual respect and regard being the bedrock.
“The players that we have are always ready to defend the green- white- green. We have 16 players here now and team spirit is high. Everyone wants to play. What we will certainly not do is to beg anyone to play for Nigeria.”
The man, who Nigerians refers to as ‘big boss,’ does not see any course for alarm over the late arrival of some players considering the period of the European season.
“Most of the players have just concluded very grueling seasons and have need to sort out personal issues, and of course there are talks to hold ahead of next season. These talks have to be done now considering that the players would be away for about seven week, on duty for Nigeria.”
There were new inclusions to the team at their Novina Hotel camp in Nuremberg on Wednesday morning. The arrival of Germany- based striker Joseph Akpala and Ukraine- based forward Babatunde Michael.
Portugal- based John Ogu was being expected on Wednesday night, while defenders Kenneth Omeruo and Elderson Echiejile as well as midfielder Nnamdi Oduamadi are expected in camp on Thursday.
First choice goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is expected from his Israeli club on Friday, Scotland- based stopper Efe Ambrose and Napoli of Italy midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has been granted permission to arrive on Saturday due to club’s commitment.
Brown Ideye will join the team in Texas, USA, while Ahmed Musa and Fegor Ogude will join the squad in Frankfurt after the friendly with Mexico in America, also due to club commitments.
The team will fly out of Frankfurt on Tuesday morning aboard a Lufthansa Airline aircraft, and will arrive in Houston, Texas in the evening.

Cristiano Ronaldo meets One Direction at Real Madrid training

Cristiano Ronaldo met three members of world famous pop band One Direction when the trio made a surprise guest appearance at Real Madrid training on Thursday.
Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan turned up at the Primera Division giants' Ciudad training base outside Madrid in Valdebebas this morning, where they were greeted by the majority of the club's first-team squad as well as outgoing manager Jose Mourinho.
After posing for photographs with senior players, the 1D boys were put through their paces in a light-hearted training session in sweltering conditions in the Spanish sun.
The opportunity to meet Ronaldo will have been a particularly special experience for Louis - a self-confessed Manchester United fan, who has made no secret of his admiration for the Portuguese forward.
"I have to confess I'm just in awe of @Cristiano's footballing ability! Wow," he told his followers on Twitter last month.
The 21-year-old One Direction star also shared his support for the social media campaign to get Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, after he left the recently crowned Premier League champions to move to Real Madrid in a £70million deal in 2009.
"It would be amazing if Manchester United signed Ronaldo!" he tweeted.
"Just seen the amazing idea by @RonaldoHomeOrg to use the fans to help sign Ronaldo! The power of football fans!!"
After being introduced to the One Direction boys, Ronaldo reciprocated the kind gesture, tweeting a picture with the boys and saying: "Nice to meet @onedirection today."
The world-renowned boy band also appear to have a secret fan in the form of Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, who might have been a little disappointed not to have met missing members Zayn Malik and Harry Styles.
"Today I met @OneDirection guys. A great picture with them. Greetings!!" said the Spain international.

£12m Arsenal & Chelsea playmaker target available

Josip Ilicic

Ilicic linked with Premier League move

Arsenal and Chelsea have been given transfer hope in their pursuit of Palermo midfielder Josip Ilicic, according to reports.
TalkSPORT claims Napoli have pulled out of the race to sign the 25-year-old midfielder, who couldn’t prevent his side from getting relegated to Serie ‘B’ this season.
The Azzurri have been put off by a £12million price tag, according to the report, and will not be pursuing the player further.
However, Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini is looking to ‘trim the wage bill’, and sees Ilicic as one of the club’s most valuable assets.
That means the transfer door is open to both Chelsea and Arsenal, according to the radio station, with both clubs showing an interest in the 22-cap international in the past.
Chelsea’s transfer plans are sure to be anything but concrete at this stage though, with a new manager yet to be appointed at Stamford Bridge.
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, has vowed to spend big in the transfer window, and Ilicic joins a long list of potential additions for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium this summer.

Sir Alex Ferguson's biggest regrets

Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson will forever remain an icon at Manchester United. Furthermore, he certainly deserves to be seen as the best coach Britain has ever had and may ever produce.
However, if he is exemplary in terms of his management skills, the same cannot be said about his behaviour toward match officials or Europe’s second biggest club competition – the UEFA Europa League.
The glory of this tournament is in no way comparable to that of the UEFA Champions League. Still, every club that participates in the Europa League ought to respect it. After all, every club football trophy is made of the same thing: silver.
Chelsea did what Fergie should have done
When Chelsea became the first ever Champions League titleholders to finish third in the group stages of the competition, utter disappointment and panic struck Stamford Bridge. No Blues' supporter were expecting to play on Thursdays and see rival teams such as Arsenal and Manchester United enjoy Tuesday and Wednesday night football in Europe.
Di Matteo suffered the sack, Rafael Benitez got appointed as interim manager, and soon, the humiliation of going out of the UEFA Champions League in the first round quickly evaporated under the desire of transforming negativity into positivity.
The Blues had only one new target on the continental stage: to chase the big UEFA Europa League trophy and finish their European adventure on a much better note than any other club that would fail in the 2012/13 Champions League.
Like a boss, Rafael Benitez ignored his critics and managed his assets wisely. Meanwhile, he was under pressure to secure a third-place finish in the English Premier League and defend Chelsea’s FA Cup crown. Benitez narrowly missed out on the latter task but successfully offered his team automatic Champions League tickets for the 2013/14 season. In between time, the ex-Liverpool boss lifted the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League title, and he did it in style.
Rafa made good use of midfielders Frank Lampard and Oscar as well as secret strikers David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic. The Spanish coach also benefited from the remarkable influence of Fernando Torres in the tournament. In unity, Chelsea reverenced the UEFA Europa League trophy and Lady Luck smiled back at them on May 19 at the expense of Portugal’s cursed European adventurers, Benfica.
Ungrateful Ferguson missed out on Europa League glory
Roll back the months, roll back the years and observe what happened in 2011. Manchester United dramatically flopped in the Champions League, allowing this season’s Europa League semi-finalists FC Basel to condemn them to a third-place finish in their table.
“Now we are in a competition I have never been in with Manchester United. It does mean Sundays, right through, and Thursday-Sunday matches. That has to be dealt with. That is our penalty for not qualifying,” Ferguson moaned as the Daily Mail reported in December 2011.
But how is Europa League football a ‘penalty’ for clubs that finish third in the group stages of the Champions League? If you see it that way, you are probably an ungrateful person. First round demotion from the Champions League to the Europa League should actually be seen as getting a second life after death. It is a priceless opportunity to reach the throne of winners at the end of a European season.
Inevitably, Alex Ferguson’s comments drew the attention of UEFA boss Michel Platini. The Frenchman was direct in his criticism of the Manchester United manager:
“The world does not revolve around England. […] You shouldn't criticise the Europa League just because you've played in three Champions League finals [in four seasons].”
Platini added: “The Europa League is a brilliant competition, it's amazing. I know Mr Ferguson would have preferred to be in the Champions League but so would many clubs who don't have that possibility.”
Fergie attempted to cool the fire he started against UEFA by replying:
“The point I made about it being a punishment was only in the sense of for 20 years, this club has only thought about the Champions League. We have just thought about winning that European Cup.
“The punishment is the big disappointment of not challenging for it this year, having been in three finals in the last four years. It was not a slight against the Europa League. It is a competition we want to win.”
In truth, Manchester United did not want to sacrifice efforts in the Europa League. Key player Patrice Evra, in all his disillusionment, confessed the actual fact in the aftermath of the Red Devils’ 2011/12 UEFA Champions League group stage exit. He told reporters:
“It's embarrassing to be in the Europa League. I’m not ready for it and the way I feel now, it's Champions League or nothing. It feels like a dream.”
Indeed, Manchester United crashed out in the Europa League round-of-16 to eventual runners-up Athletic Bilbao.
Rafael Benitez has a tip for Alex Ferguson
On Sir Alex Ferguson’s list of rival managers, Rafael Benitez was perhaps the one Fergie rivalled most. And it is that particular man, Rafa, who taught the Old Scot and his Manchester United a great lesson entitled: ‘how to bounce back from a Champions League fiasco to claim silverware in the UEFA Europa League’. Only a humble attitude can acquire you that.
Ferguson's regrets - the end
One this note, I draw a conclusion to my ‘Three big mistakes Ferguson did in his last three seasons’ series. His failure to bounce back against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the 2011 UEFA Champions League, his inability to retort to Manchester City’s 2011 FA Cup success in his last two seasons, and his wrong approach in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League sum up my take. These were key elements a figure as big as Sir Alex Ferguson should not have missed in his three final seasons at Manchester United.

Manchester United & Arsenal target facing uncertain future

Begovic enjoyed another strong season with Stoke.

Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal target Asmir Begovic admits he is unsure what the future holds, but says he has not received any offers to leave Stoke City this summer, reports Sky Sports.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper has been heavily linked with a move away from the Britannia Stadium after another standout season for the Potters in 2012/13.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been credited with an interest in bringing Begovic to the Emirates Stadium as he looks to increase competition for a first-team place for the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski in north London.
However, Arsenal will face serious competition for the player's signature, with Liverpool ready to lodge a rival bid to lure Begovic to Anfield, as Pepe Reina's Merseyside future continues to be shrouded in doubt.
Manchester United complete the trio of Premier League parties believed to be monitoring the Stoke stopper's situation, though it was Sir Alex Ferguson - and not David Moyes - who was rumoured to be considering an offer to tempt Begovic to Old Trafford.
"Now, I'm on my way for a holiday, but I don't know yet what will happen," reflected the in-demand goalkeeper in an interview with SportSport.
"Will I leave Stoke City? There are many rumours, but so far I didn't get any concrete offers. But that doesn't mean that I will not get one."
The recent departure of Tony Pulis has also fuelled speculation that a number of first-team stars could leave Stoke this summer. But, Begovic insists he is paying little attention to transfer tittle-tattle and is instead focusing on preparing for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Bosnia-Herzegovina next month.
"Right now, I don't want to think about all that," he added. "First, I need some days off, then I have an important match with my national team."

Gareth Bale is 'Real Madrid' quality(Ramos)

Ramos would welcome Bale at the Bernabeu.

Sergio Ramos believes Gareth Bale would be a superb signing for Real Madrid this summer.
The Tottenham star has been in sensational form this season and scored 31 goals for club and country.
His efforts, which weren't quite enough to help Spurs claim a Champions League spot, have reportedly attracted the interest of Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants look unlikely to get their man this summer, with reports suggesting the Welshman is ready to pen a new contract that would keep him at White Hart Lane for at least another season.
Real Madrid may still attempt to lure Bale to the Bernabeu this summer, and Ramos says the 23-year-old is good enough to shine for Los Blancos.
The defender told the Sun: "Gareth Bale is a Real Madrid-quality signing. He has had an exceptional season. He can punish any team in the world and has the footballing qualities we look for in Madrid.
'I am sure Madrid will not be the only team that want to sign him - but he is the right mould for us.'
Bale hinted yesterday that he was happy to stay put this summer, saying he was looking forward to launching an assault on the top four next term.
"We fought hard this season, the team and the manager have been great,' he said.
'We have got the record points for the club in the Premier League.
'That would normally be enough to qualify for the Champions League, but it's not meant to be again.
'It's disappointing, but we will pick ourselves up again.
'We will just have to regroup this season and give it another go.

Tottenham plan £36m double striker swoop

Soldado is a Spain international.

Tottenham plan to mount a renewed top four challenge next season by attempting to sign two top class strikers this summer, according to the Guardian.
The report claims Internacional forward Leandro Damiao and Valencia's Roberto Soldado are the two key targets for the north London club as they look to secure Champions League qualification next season after their near miss this term.
Despite missing out on a top four spot this season, Andre Villas-Boas hopes to demonstrate the club's ambition by signing Soldado and Damiao, and persuading Gareth Bale to sign a new contract.
Damiao has been a long-standing target for Spurs, and efforts were made to bring him to White Hart Lane in the January transfer window.
A fee in the region of £16m could be enough to bring Internacional president Giovanni Luigi - with whom Tottenham enjoy a good working relationship - to the negotiating table.
Soldado would be more expensive - probably around the £20m mark. But that would represent something of a steal for a player who reportedly was valued at £30m just a year ago.
Tottenham scouts have been fixtures at the Mestalla this season, and have been impressed by the Spain international's performances.
The 27-year-old former-Real Madrid academy player was recruited to Valencia as a replacement for Barcelona-bound David Villa, and he's scored 27 goals in all competitions this term.
To pay for such extravagant outlay, the report claims Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will sanction the sale of several squad players.
Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone will be made available, while Emmanuel Adebayor could be sold after a below-par season. William Gallas is out of contract.

Tottenham plan £36m double striker swoop

Soldado is a Spain international.

Tottenham plan to mount a renewed top four challenge next season by attempting to sign two top class strikers this summer, according to the Guardian.
The report claims Internacional forward Leandro Damiao and Valencia's Roberto Soldado are the two key targets for the north London club as they look to secure Champions League qualification next season after their near miss this term.
Despite missing out on a top four spot this season, Andre Villas-Boas hopes to demonstrate the club's ambition by signing Soldado and Damiao, and persuading Gareth Bale to sign a new contract.
Damiao has been a long-standing target for Spurs, and efforts were made to bring him to White Hart Lane in the January transfer window.
A fee in the region of £16m could be enough to bring Internacional president Giovanni Luigi - with whom Tottenham enjoy a good working relationship - to the negotiating table.
Soldado would be more expensive - probably around the £20m mark. But that would represent something of a steal for a player who reportedly was valued at £30m just a year ago.
Tottenham scouts have been fixtures at the Mestalla this season, and have been impressed by the Spain international's performances.
The 27-year-old former-Real Madrid academy player was recruited to Valencia as a replacement for Barcelona-bound David Villa, and he's scored 27 goals in all competitions this term.
To pay for such extravagant outlay, the report claims Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will sanction the sale of several squad players.
Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone will be made available, while Emmanuel Adebayor could be sold after a below-par season. William Gallas is out of contract.

Tottenham plan £36m double striker swoop

Soldado is a Spain international.

Tottenham plan to mount a renewed top four challenge next season by attempting to sign two top class strikers this summer, according to the Guardian.
The report claims Internacional forward Leandro Damiao and Valencia's Roberto Soldado are the two key targets for the north London club as they look to secure Champions League qualification next season after their near miss this term.
Despite missing out on a top four spot this season, Andre Villas-Boas hopes to demonstrate the club's ambition by signing Soldado and Damiao, and persuading Gareth Bale to sign a new contract.
Damiao has been a long-standing target for Spurs, and efforts were made to bring him to White Hart Lane in the January transfer window.
A fee in the region of £16m could be enough to bring Internacional president Giovanni Luigi - with whom Tottenham enjoy a good working relationship - to the negotiating table.
Soldado would be more expensive - probably around the £20m mark. But that would represent something of a steal for a player who reportedly was valued at £30m just a year ago.
Tottenham scouts have been fixtures at the Mestalla this season, and have been impressed by the Spain international's performances.
The 27-year-old former-Real Madrid academy player was recruited to Valencia as a replacement for Barcelona-bound David Villa, and he's scored 27 goals in all competitions this term.
To pay for such extravagant outlay, the report claims Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will sanction the sale of several squad players.
Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone will be made available, while Emmanuel Adebayor could be sold after a below-par season. William Gallas is out of contract.

Tottenham plan £36m double striker swoop

Soldado is a Spain international.

Tottenham plan to mount a renewed top four challenge next season by attempting to sign two top class strikers this summer, according to the Guardian.
The report claims Internacional forward Leandro Damiao and Valencia's Roberto Soldado are the two key targets for the north London club as they look to secure Champions League qualification next season after their near miss this term.
Despite missing out on a top four spot this season, Andre Villas-Boas hopes to demonstrate the club's ambition by signing Soldado and Damiao, and persuading Gareth Bale to sign a new contract.
Damiao has been a long-standing target for Spurs, and efforts were made to bring him to White Hart Lane in the January transfer window.
A fee in the region of £16m could be enough to bring Internacional president Giovanni Luigi - with whom Tottenham enjoy a good working relationship - to the negotiating table.
Soldado would be more expensive - probably around the £20m mark. But that would represent something of a steal for a player who reportedly was valued at £30m just a year ago.
Tottenham scouts have been fixtures at the Mestalla this season, and have been impressed by the Spain international's performances.
The 27-year-old former-Real Madrid academy player was recruited to Valencia as a replacement for Barcelona-bound David Villa, and he's scored 27 goals in all competitions this term.
To pay for such extravagant outlay, the report claims Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will sanction the sale of several squad players.
Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone will be made available, while Emmanuel Adebayor could be sold after a below-par season. William Gallas is out of contract.

Tony Pulis was let down by Stoke players & fans

Tony Pulis

Pulis left the Britannia stadium by mutual consent. 

So we have seen the departure of Tony Pulis from Stoke after seven years at the helm.
Reports suggest that Pulis left by mutual consent but others are saying that the board may have forced him out after succumbing to pressure from the fans. If true, the fans have shown no respect or gratitude to the man who took them to the Premier League.
Tony Pulis has established Stoke as a Premier League football club, making their home turf a fortress and attracted some top names in football. Admittedly they have had a below par season but that’s only comparable to their unexpected high expectations.
The Stoke supporters seem to forget what got them to the stage that they are at now: The physical long ball game.  After a run of bad results and no goals scored all of a sudden the methodology is being dismissed by the Stoke faithful claiming it was a waste of time. Complete and utter poppycock.
Players were brought in the summer of 2012 to get Stoke to play football. Steven Nzonzi & Charlie Adam have yet to play anywhere near their potential whilst Peter Crouch doesn’t seem like a threat anymore and John Walters season will be remembered for only his Chelsea antics of scoring two own goals and missing a penalty all in 90 minutes.
The solid defensive partnership of Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth is no longer a daunting thought but more of an opportunity knocks moment for the lesser or out of form striker.
If there is anything more frustrating than player’s salary’s it is their ability to shirt responsibility and leaving the manager to deal with the consequences.
Stoke’s players have let Tony Pulis down without a doubt, and by doing so will jeopardise their Premier League status next season as they no longer have the foundations they have relied on for the past seven years. 

Tony Pulis was let down by Stoke players & fans

Tony Pulis

Pulis left the Britannia stadium by mutual consent. 

So we have seen the departure of Tony Pulis from Stoke after seven years at the helm.
Reports suggest that Pulis left by mutual consent but others are saying that the board may have forced him out after succumbing to pressure from the fans. If true, the fans have shown no respect or gratitude to the man who took them to the Premier League.
Tony Pulis has established Stoke as a Premier League football club, making their home turf a fortress and attracted some top names in football. Admittedly they have had a below par season but that’s only comparable to their unexpected high expectations.
The Stoke supporters seem to forget what got them to the stage that they are at now: The physical long ball game.  After a run of bad results and no goals scored all of a sudden the methodology is being dismissed by the Stoke faithful claiming it was a waste of time. Complete and utter poppycock.
Players were brought in the summer of 2012 to get Stoke to play football. Steven Nzonzi & Charlie Adam have yet to play anywhere near their potential whilst Peter Crouch doesn’t seem like a threat anymore and John Walters season will be remembered for only his Chelsea antics of scoring two own goals and missing a penalty all in 90 minutes.
The solid defensive partnership of Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth is no longer a daunting thought but more of an opportunity knocks moment for the lesser or out of form striker.
If there is anything more frustrating than player’s salary’s it is their ability to shirt responsibility and leaving the manager to deal with the consequences.
Stoke’s players have let Tony Pulis down without a doubt, and by doing so will jeopardise their Premier League status next season as they no longer have the foundations they have relied on for the past seven years.