Buhari to appoint Ministers at fullness of time – Presidency

President Mohammadu Buhari will appointment Ministers only when it is feasible, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said Tuesday.

Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in reaction to massive public concern on why the president has not formed his cabinet, Adesina said that the president is preparing the grounds for the Ministers, saying that they would be appointed at the fullness of time.

He said: “The appointment of Ministers is constitutional because the constitution prescribes that there must be a Minister from at least one state of the federation and President Mohammdu Buhari will do what is constitutional. So, he will constitute a cabinet.

“But then when he does it is his prerogative. He is the one who will determine when he needs that cabinet. But for now, he has said that he wants to lay a proper foundation for the administration and that’s why he has been working with bureaucrats; the various Permanent Secretaries.

“For the past two week and still going forward, the Permanent Secretaries have been briefing him on the state of their ministries and then, I am sure at the fullness of time, the Ministers will be appointed.”

Liverpool to challenge Arsenal for Newcastle star Sissoko

The French midfielder is a target for Premier League trio Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool according to French publication L'Equipe.

However, the Chronicle reports that the Magpies are yet to receive a solid offer for the French midfielder who also features highly on the summer transfer agenda of the Reds.

Sissoko is keen to remain in England but has indicated that he has the urge to compete in the Champions League with one of the Premier League's top clubs.


"At the same time though, I want to play for one of the biggest clubs and I would especially like to play in the Champions League, something I can't do at Newcastle," he said.

"One day or another my time will come, I do though see myself staying in England."

Liverpool have joined the race for Newcastle United star Moussa Sissoko.


The French midfielder is a target for Premier League trio Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool according to French publication L'Equipe.
However, the Chronicle reports that the Magpies are yet to receive a solid offer for the French midfielder who also features highly on the summer transfer agenda of the Reds.

Sissoko is keen to remain in England but has indicated that he has the urge to compete in the Champions League with one of the Premier League's top clubs.
"At the same time though, I want to play for one of the biggest clubs and I would especially like to play in the Champions League, something I can't do at Newcastle," he said.
"One day or another my time will come, I do though see myself staying in England." - See more at: http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/liverpool-to-challenge-arsenal-for-newcastle-star-sissoko-4085022#sthash.W5vCWv6Y.dpuf

Real Madrid ready to sell Arsenal target Benzema

Arsenal are believed to be preparing a £17.8million bid to lure Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema to the Emirates Stadium.

It is understood that Madrid would be willing to sell the French international for such a price.

The Daily Star is reporting that Manchester United and Liverpool are also interested in Benzema, but Arsenal are believed the be the frontrunners for the 27-year-old who scored 27 La Liga goals last season.

However, Benzema's agent Karim Djaziri recently hosed down speculation linking his client with a move to the Premier League.

He told Spanish publication Marca: "I haven't met with any club in London. Not with United and not with anyone else. We haven't held talks with anyone other than Real Madrid.

"What is Karim going to do in Manchester? He's happy in Madrid. He doesn't want to leave.

"Benzema would only leave if Real Madrid told him he was surplus to requirements, because he isn't going to leave of his own accord.

"Karim wants to see out his contract. He wants to retire at Real Madrid."

No plan to arrest Ekweremadu – Police

The police high command last night denied alleged plans to arrest Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.

Force Assistant Spokesman CSP Abayomi Shogunle yesterday said that the issue of arrest of a Senator does not arise as the Police observes the norms of democratic principles.

According to Shogunle, a Senator wrote a petition to the IGP that the rules of the house was changed so as to pave the way for the election of Ekweremdu.

Based on the petition, he said, the IGP directed the DIG Force CID to investigate the matter.

Consequently Shogunle disclosed that after the preliminary investigations the Force CID wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly to arrange the time and place for police investigators to meet with some Senators for interrogations and up till thw rime of diling this repoet 9.50 pm, the Clerk has not eesponded to demand od the police.

Also the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it has nothing to do with the reported police’s invitation of Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, over which the PDP has released an outlandish statement containing all sorts of imaginary claims.

In its own statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the party neither wrote a petition to the police nor is it aware that any petition was written against the Deputy Senate President.

And that “if, as the PDP claims, the petition concerns alleged altering of the Senate’s Standing Rules on the process of electing Presiding Officers, that is a clear case of forgery which the police have a duty to investigate. Questioning the right of the police to carry out their duties in this regard amounts to intimidating the security agency.

”Forgery is a crime that is being regularly investigated by the police, and it beggars belief that such investigation will now be interpreted to mean that Nigeria is descending into dictatorship or that democracy and the enjoyment of personal freedoms are now endangered. These claims by the scaremongering PDP are far fetched and preposterous,” it said.

APC said if indeed there is a petition against Senator Ekweremadu, he should gladly heed the invitation by the police so he can clear his name, adding that no one is above the law.

”President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly said that at every point, the law must be supreme and everyone must respect the law, if the nation’s democratic system is to survive.

Extrapolating a police invitation of anyone, no matter his status, to mean the onset of dictatorship is itself an invitation to lawlessness and anarchy, which permeated the long but ineffective rule of the PDP,” the party said.

Keshi is the architect of his misfortune- Toro

Former Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Alhaji Sani Ahmed Toro has slammed sacked coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi describing him as the architect of his own misfortune

While reacting yesterday to the termination of the appointment of the former Super Eagles Coach, the former Bauchi State Commissioner of Sports blamed Keshi for not heeding to his (Toro) advice to resign during the heat of his failure to qualify Nigeria for the last Afcon 2015.

“I knew he was going to be messed up. He had the opportunity to resign, but failed to do so. He sought my advise when he couldn’t qualify for the Afcon 2015 and I advised him as somebody that worked under me ‘that if I were him, I will address the press and write to my employers thanking them for the opportunity they gave me to serve the nation and copy to the Presidency that I am done with the job and leave”.

“I knew Keshi when he was a player that he was very erratic and would cause his own problem. I didn’t expect him to do well when he was first given the Eagles’ job, but somehow, he was able to win the Nations Cup for us which is a credit to him. But when he could not qualify us, the honourable thing was for him to have resigned. That’s the price you pay when you are given a target and you don’t get it, you leave”, he said.

Alhaji Toro however advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to get a substantive coach immediately to take charge of the Eagles remaining next Afcon qualification, saying that it would be disastrous for Nigeria not to qualify the second time for the African Cup of Nations.

Siasia to contest Bayelsa gov

The younger brother of Coach Samson Siasia has expressed his desire to contest the Bayelsa State governorship election next year.

Moses, who spoke at a news conference in Yenagoa, on Saturday, lamented that Bayelsa had witnessed several broken promises since its creation in 1996.

The 35-year-old described the unemployment rate in the state as alarming, saying that 85 per cent of Bayelsa populace was unemployed.

He said he would contest the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party later in the year.

He also said the state’s huge monthly revenues from the Federal Government had not translated into an improved standard of living among the people of the state.

Siasia, who is a kinsman of the incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson, said the state needed a productive machinery to reverse the socio-economic problems allegedly dogging Bayelsa State.

He said, “Unemployment is taking its toll on our youths. We have over 85 per cent of Bayelsa youths unemployed. How do we create employment for our teeming youths that have been impoverished by successive governments and that have become disillusioned?”

“Now, we need to create a great industrial and education revolution in Bayelsa. Today, I have spoken with some of my partners that would be encouraged to create jobs in the state – as soon as I get the mandate.

“In one year, we can create 20,000 jobs. You don’t give what you don’t have. I have created jobs before. I am doing it now in my business. So, if I am saddled with public office, I can do more for our people. What we have are people who have not created jobs anywhere. They don’t even understand the dynamics of creating jobs for the people.

“We need a leadership mindset that can transform the state and make it an economic hub, a marine hub. Today, the world is talking about blue sea economy, where people can use marine. Government can use the marine sector and create massive jobs and industrialisation for their people and that is what we going to do.”