Toure wants no regrets

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Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure on Thursday urged his national teammates to work hard and make sure the Elephants do not return from the World Cup with regrets.

The 33-year-old Liverpool centre back and the rest of the 28-member squad are fine tuning in Dallas, Texas, after which two friendly matches will be played against Bosnia on May 30 and Salvador on June 4.

Pitted against Colombia, Japan and Greece in Group C, the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender said the Ivorian team fell in a balanced group this time.

“Our Group C is balanced unlike in previous editions when we had difficult situations,” Kolo said.

“We played against Brazil, Portugal and Argentina and those times were our first and second appearances in the World Cup finals. This time, we feel the group is quite balanced and we’ll be able to have our say.”

“But beside our initial objective of progressing from the group stage, we don’t want to return home with regrets, that is being unable to do the things we were capable of doing. That’s what I have been telling my mates,” he said.

Football | Africa

Yaya Toure © Action Images

Kanu lauds Yaya Toure

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Nigerian football legend, Nwankwo Kanu has nothing but praise for Ivorian midfielder, Yaya Toure whom he rates as the best in his position in the world.

Kanu feels there is no other midfielder in world football who can currently match the Manchester City star.

The former Inter Milan forward believes Toure, who pipped his compatriot, John Obi Mikel, to the post in the latest African footballer of the year poll, is world class.

"If you say who is the best midfielder in the world now, for me I would say Yaya Toure. Not only in Africa, but the world," Kanu told africansoccer.weebly.com.

Kanu also took the time to salute the goalscoring exploits of the 31-year-old insisting that the Ivorian “scores goals like a striker.”

Football | Super Eagles

Emmanuel Adebayor © Backpagepics

Adebayor backs Eagles at World Cup

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Togo striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, has tipped Nigeria as the African country that will produce the best finish at the Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

Apart from Nigeria, there are four other African countries that will take part at the World Cup from next month. Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast are the four other nations.

But the Tottenham Hotspur forward has picked the African champions to shine at the World Cup ahead of the other African representatives saying they "have all the ingredients to be good in the World Cup."

He explained that Nigeria's Super Eagles because of their coach, Stephen Keshi, who managed Togo between 2004 and 2006 and qualified them for the 2006 World Cup.

The former Arsenal and Manchester City man also talked on the influence the trio of John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses and Vincent Enyeama will have in the Nigerian team during the World Cup.

"Out of these teams, it [my choice for which of the African teams will go the furthest] would be Nigeria because of their concentration. Because of Stephen Keshi [the coach] - he knows a lot about football and everything. He has been there as well as a player for Nigeria.

Aye was inspired by God, not a girl – Davido

Music Star, Davido has revealed that his latest hit track, Aye was inspired by God and not by one Adeola Bamisile, daughter of ex-Ekiti State Chief Judge, as initially reported.Chatting with R! the “Aye” crooner said “A lot of things have been going on the social media, especially my relationship with one girl or the other, which I don’t believe isthe best thing to be discussing right now. But for the case of this session, I want to categorically state that I am not in any relationship with any girl that you might have read about. In fact, this is coming as news to me because I don’t even know something like that has been said about me”.

Speaking on the girl she featured in Aye, Davido said “the truth is that I wanted to feature the winner of the most beautiful girl in Nigeria beauty pageant in the video, but her manager said she would not be available for the shoot. So, I decided to use my make-up artist, who eventually did well in the video. I am neither dating her nor other girls as I speak with you. Disregard any rumour linking me with any girl”, he said.

BEYONCE BEATS MICHAEL JACKSON TO BECOME HIGHEST-PAID BLACK ARTIST IN HISTORY

Beyoncé has been named the highest-paid black artist of all time, it follows the overwhelming success of her Mrs Carter Show world tour. Queen bey, has managed to beat on previous earning records held by Michael Jackson, Prince and Janet Jackson.

According to Billboard magazine, Beyoncé grossed $212 million (€153m) for the year-long tour, which sold over 1.8 million tickets during its 126 dates. her recent tour in Europe during the month of February and March earned her $41.1 million (€30m). And the tours are yet to end because she recently announced plans for a new co-headline tour with her husband, rapper Jay Z, which heads across the USA this summer.

Boko Haram members burn their university certificates – Shehu Sani

Shehu Sani is a Nigerian civil rights activist, playwright and author. He is president of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria and has negotiated with Boko Haram in the past.Shehu Sani in this write up  speaks on the abducted girls and the insurgents.

Until the abduction of more than 200 girls at the Government Girls Secondary School in rural Chibok, Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency received scant attention in the global media, which gave it brief airtime when the insurgents exploded their bombs or torched a school.

However, the mass abduction has brought the world’s attention to the callous and unceasing violence that has become routine in northern Nigeria over the last three years.

The area has suffered more than three decades of religious violence between Muslims and Christians.

But since Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf was killed in a 2009 security crackdown — along with hundreds of his followers — the militant Islamist group has stepped up its attacks.

Boko Haram militants have killed clerics, bombed churches and mosques and assassinated politicians and government officials.

When the militants attack churches, their aim is to start a sectarian war that will engulf the country; when they attack mosques, their aim is to exterminate Muslims they consider collaborators.

In the last three years, the Nigerian Government has opted for the use of force to exterminate the insurgents, rather than diminish the activities of the group — and it has become more daring and audacious in its attacks.

Despite the allocation of 25% of the annual budget to defense and security, the government has been unable to crush and contain the insurgency. The group has taken on and demoralized the rank and file of the Nigerian army and police.

Run away Nyanya Bomb Blasts Suspect Arrested by Interpol

The international red alert for the search and arrest of Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche concerning the April 14 and May Day Nyanya bomb blasts by the Nigerian Police has yielded positive result with the capture of Ogwuche in Sudan.Ogwuche, one of the runaway suspects that allegedly masterminded the two bomb explosions, was mentioned in the confessions of the five arrested suspects that were paraded before the public by the Nigerian Police.

“Following the commendable efforts of our security personnel, especially the operatives of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), some suspects in the Nyanya bombing incidents have been arrested and paraded before the media. These suspects have made useful confession, which will help law enforcement agencies in their operations.

“Let me make it clear that at the appropriate time, the full confessions will be made public. Following this development, the National Bureau of the Interpol based at the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters has issued an international red alert for the search and arrest of terror fugitive, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, who is still at large,” director general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mike Omeri, said in an earlier briefing on Tuesday.