Connect with us


BIG STORY

Don’t Compare Me With Wilfred Ndidi – Mikel To Oliseh

Published

on

John Obi Mikel, former Chelsea midfielder has responded to some of the harsh criticisms sent his direction by former Super Eagles manager Sunday Oliseh a fortnight ago.
Oliseh had in an interview, shaded Mikel as nothing more than a useful player who possessed no offensive qualities and was only half as good as Wilfred Ndidi as a defensive midfielder.
Augustine Eguavoen handed Mikel his Super Eagles debut in 2005, while Oliseh gave Ndidi his international bow ten years later.
Oliseh said: “He’s (Mikel’s) a player who’s done some good with Chelsea. But when you talk about playing as an offensive midfielder, he’s not an offensive midfielder.
“My man here knows I’m blunt to say certain things. Offensive midfielders have certain qualities and he doesn’t have any of them. As regards a defensive midfielder, I think he’s useful but I won’t play him. I’ll play Ndidi because a defensive midfielder’s work is you have to win balls without making fouls; you have to be very good in aerial balls. You have to have some control by helping others.”
Taking a higher moral ground, however, Mikel has refused to join issues with the former Ajax midfielder and current head coach of German fourth-tier side SV Straelen.
Mikel insists he enjoyed a solid relationship with everyone he worked with on the national team, including Sunday Oliseh.
And the 35-year-old has called on his compatriot to show others respect and not seek unnecessary attention.
“Unfortunately, it was the opposite because I have a solid relationship with the player just like others in the national team,” Mikel said.
“I read it just the same way I learnt a few days ago about my disagreement with Sunday Oliseh when he was the coach.
“All these are mere distractions and I will not want to join issues with anyone. Respect is the key rather than unnecessary attention.”
In his way of getting back at Oliseh, Mikel snubbed him when naming the managers he enjoyed playing under when with the Super Eagles.
During a decade-and-a-half-year spell wearing the colours of the three-time African champions, Mikel saw several gaffers – indigenous and foreign – take charge of the national team.
The 2012 Champions League-winning star retains fond memories of working with Samson Siasia, Gernot Rohr, and Eguavoen.
But Mikel holds in higher esteem the late Stephen Keshi, who guided the Super Eagles to their most recent triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“In the national team, it’s a straightforward answer, late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi (Big Boss),” the former Trabzonspor ace replied to a question regarding the best coach in his career.
“I have not seen a man like him; he was a special person; I recalled the way he resolves problems and he was such a calm fellow with the way he dishes out instructions.
“Everything was just perfect and during the games, he knows what he was doing and we all respect him for that as a former player, captain, and manager.”
At the club level, Mikel reveals that Italian tactician Roberto Di Matteo had a more significant impact on his Chelsea career than Jose Mourinho.

BIG STORY

BREAKING: Court Finds Natasha Guilty Of Contempt, Fines Her N5 million

Published

on

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday convicted the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for contempt over a satirical apology she posted on her Facebook page on April 27.

Justice Binta Nyako, delivering judgment in the suit filed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan challenging her suspension, began with the contempt application submitted by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

Akpabio, in his application, argued that the senator’s social media post breached an earlier court order that restrained all parties from speaking to the press or posting on social media about the matter.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel contended that the post was unrelated to the court’s order on her suspension but was about a separate matter involving sexual harassment claims against the third respondent (Akpabio).

However, Justice Nyako ruled that after reviewing the post and the application before her filed by the third respondent, she was convinced it was connected to the suspension case before the court and therefore declared the plaintiff guilty of contempt.

The judge directed Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish an apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days. She also imposed a fine of N5 million.

 

More to come…

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

BREAKING: Court Orders Senate To Recall Suspended Natasha Akpoti

Published

on

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday ruled that the Nigerian Senate exceeded its powers by suspending Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, ordering her to be immediately recalled to the Red Chamber.

Justice Binta Nyako, delivering the judgment, described the suspension period as “excessive” and lacking a solid legal basis.

The court stated that both Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Orders and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, which the Senate relied on, do not specify a maximum suspension length. Therefore, their application in this situation was considered overreaching.

The judge noted that since the National Assembly is only mandated to sit for 181 days in a legislative year, suspending a lawmaker for about the same length of time effectively silences an entire constituency, calling it unconstitutional.

“While the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such sanctions must not go so far as to deny constituents their right to representation,” Nyako ruled.

However, the court agreed with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on a different issue, ruling that his decision to prevent Akpoti-Uduaghan from speaking during a plenary—because she was not in her designated seat—did not violate her rights.

Nyako also dismissed Akpabio’s argument that the judiciary should not interfere in what he described as an “internal affair” of the legislature, saying fundamental rights and representation fall squarely within the court’s jurisdiction.

In a separate twist, the court imposed a monetary penalty on Akpoti-Uduaghan for violating an earlier court directive that barred both parties from making public comments about the ongoing legal proceedings.

The fine amounts to millions of naira.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

COALITION: We’ll Register New Party As Backup To ADC — El-Rufai

Published

on

A leader of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and an important figure in the opposition coalition, Nasir El-Rufai, stated that a new political party would be registered as a backup for the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

El-Rufai explained that the new party would serve as an alternative option to guard against potential infiltration by the All Progressives Congress, APC, into the ADC.

The opposition coalition had chosen the ADC as its platform on Wednesday.

However, El-Rufai noted that there is a possibility the APC could spark a crisis within the ADC by turning old members against the new leadership.

He revealed this during an interview with Radio France International (RFI) Hausa Service on Wednesday night.

“Those who refuse to join the APC face threats of investigations by agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), or Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

“The opposition parties’ alliance in the ADC is temporary, and we may register a new party as a second option, which we will move to should the ADC be instigated into crisis by the government,” the former Kaduna governor stated.

Continue Reading



 

Join Us On Facebook

Most Popular