Messi notches 300th Barcelona goal before adding superb free-kick winner La Liga, Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes – Granada 1 (Ighalo 26) Barcelona 2 (Messi 50, 73) Lionel Messi scored his 300th and 301st goals for Barcelona as the Blaugrana came from behind to beat Granada 2-1 in La Liga at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes. Odion Ighalo gave the hosts the lead against the run of play but Barca stayed patient and had their reward in the second half. In the 50th minute Toño was unable to hold a fizzing Cesc Fabregas shot and Messi pounced for his landmark goal before the mini maestro grabbed his first on the road to 400 – and the winning goal – with a superb bending free-kick on 73 minutes. The win puts Barca 15 points clear of Atletico and 19 ahead of Real – both of whom play tomorrow. Messi orchestrated a passing masterclass which produced no result in the opening 45 minutes for Barca. The first of many balls slipped through to Alexis Sanchez, Adriano, Dani Alves and Thiago found Alexis on four minutes, but the out-of-form Chilean’s heavy first touch saw the ball run through to Toño. Granada had the first shot on target three minutes later when Nolito, on loan from Benfica – and who made two appearances for Barca after featuring for the B team – pulled away to volley for goal from 12 yards, forcing a save out of Victor Valdes.

La Liga, Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes – Granada 1 (Ighalo 26) Barcelona 2 (Messi 50, 73)
Lionel Messi scored his 300th and 301st goals for Barcelona as the Blaugrana came from behind to beat Granada 2-1 in La Liga at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes.
Odion Ighalo gave the hosts the lead against the run of play but Barca stayed patient and had their reward in the second half.
In the 50th minute Toño was unable to hold a fizzing Cesc Fabregas shot and Messi pounced for his landmark goal before the mini maestro grabbed his first on the road to 400 – and the winning goal – with a superb bending free-kick on 73 minutes.
The win puts Barca 15 points clear of Atletico and 19 ahead of Real – both of whom play tomorrow.
Messi orchestrated a passing masterclass which produced no result in the opening 45 minutes for Barca. The first of many balls slipped through to Alexis Sanchez, Adriano, Dani Alves and Thiago found Alexis on four minutes, but the out-of-form Chilean’s heavy first touch saw the ball run through to Toño.
Granada had the first shot on target three minutes later when Nolito, on loan from Benfica – and who made two appearances for Barca after featuring for the B team – pulled away to volley for goal from 12 yards, forcing a save out of Victor Valdes.

Truck crushes two undergraduates to death

There was confusion in Ado Ekiti on Thursday evening as two undergraduates riding a motorcycle were crushed to death by a truck in front of Okesa Police Station.
The victims were identified as Ebenezer Ayoade, a final year student in the Marketing Department of The Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti and   Kayode Ajayi, a 200 level Psychology student at the Ekiti State University.
Both were said to be indigenes of Emure Ekiti in Emure Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the motorcycle was bought two days before the accident.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Wale, told our correspondent at the scene of the accident that the students’ motorcycle collided with another motorcycle and both fell on the road.
He explained that while the other motorcyclist immediately rose and sped away, Ayoade and Ajayi were unlucky as they fell onto the path of a truck loaded with sand and it crushed them to death.
One of the two students was said to have been rushed to a hospital but he died before getting there.
Efforts by sympathisers to save the life of the other student, who was still on the ground, proved abortive.
A medical doctor, who got stuck in traffic following the accident, was reported to have rushed to the scene, tested and confirmed that the student was dead.
The driver, who claimed not to have seen the victims, was said to have been arrested and locked up at the Okesa Police Station.
But efforts by our correspondent to confirm this from the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi, proved futile as calls put across to his phone were not answered.

Soyinka relives Dele Giwa’s assassination… as Madam Giwa is buried

MADAM Elekhia Giwa, mother of the late Founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch, Mr. Dele Giwa, was, Saturday, buried beside her son at Ugbekpe, Ekperi, in Etsako Central local government area of Edo State.
The burial was attended by Dele Giwa’s associates among whom were Mr. Ray Ekpu, Mr, Yakubu Muhammed, Mr. Dan Agbese, Mr. Nosa Igiebor, Mr. Soji Akinrinade, Mr. Kayode Soyinka and Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi.  Funmi, Dele-Giwa’s widow, was also there.
Speaking at a funeral service at the Church of God Mission, Ugbekpe, Ekperi,  which preceded the burial, the officiating Priest, Rev. Abraham Ikpotokin, extolled the virtues of Madam Giwa who  passed away at the age of 87.

Ikpotokin said: “Whatever you sow, you will reap; our mother  lived a good life”.

Truck crushes 15-year-old pupil while on teacher’s errand

Tragedy struck in front of Lafenwa Comprehensive High School, Ota, Ogun State, last Thursday, when a 15-year-old pupil, Miss Kemi Obanla, was crushed to death by a truck driver.

It was learnt that Kemi was killed while running errands for her class teacher.

It was alleged that the teacher had asked Kemi to go and buy cooked ‘ofada’ rice for her around 10am on the day.

An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, said the SS1 pupil was knocked down by a truck while crossing the road.

He said Kemi died while she was being rushed to the hospital.

 “The girl was knocked down when she was crossing the road. After hitting her, the driver of the vehicle attempted to escape but the youths around apprehended him.

“It was when the girl was being taken to the hospital that she died. When we inquired where she was going at that time, we were told her teacher, whose name was not given, sent her to buy ofada rice for her.”

The father of the deceased, Mr. Peter Obanla, said the death of his daughter, dealt a devastating blow to the family.

He said when the girl left their Ajegunle Close, off Mefun Road, Ota, home, she was full of life.

Obanla said about two hours after his daughter left for school, someone informed him that she was involved in a fatal accident.

He said, “The accident happened on Ahmaddiya Road, Ota. By the time I got there, I learnt that they had taken her to an hospital. She died on the way to the hospital.

“Since then, we are yet to come to terms with the fact that that she is dead. I still cannot believe it. Kemi was very industrious, respectful and brilliant. Her death has dealt a blow to us.”

Obanla, who works with Dangote Group of Companies as a driver in Ibeshe Plant, said the school was shielding the teacher.

“It is only the Principal of the school that has been showing up. We do not know the teacher that sent my daughter on an errand. Though many teachers from the school have been coming to our house, we do not know who among them sent her on errand on that fateful day.

“The driver that killed her and the school authorities have been begging me to drop the case. They said what happened was the will of God.”

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, Ogun Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, promised to get the details of the incident.

However, as of the time of going to the press, he did not get back to our correspondent.

Subsequent efforts to speak with him were not successful as his phone rang out many times without him

I’ll Speak No Further On Insecurity In Nigeria- Obasanjo

Mr. Obasanjo stated this in Benin, the Edo State capital, where he delivered the first memorial lecture of a former National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Abel Guobadia.
During the lecture, he focused on his reason for launching the Obasanjo Foundation in London.
While addressing journalists after the programme, Mr. Obasanjo said he was able to tackle corruption, during his tenure, to the satisfaction of some people and disenchantment of others.
He said he disagreed with the notion of keeping mum while things go wrong in Nigeria as it would not help the situation.
“Some people do all sorts of things but the point is that when you have a problem and you attempt to cover it, you are not solving the problem. If anything, you are complicating the problem,’’ he said.
While speaking on the worsening security situation in Nigeria particularly in the northern part of the country due to the activities of the Boko Haram insurgent group, Mr. Obasanjo said he had chosen to keep mum after being attacked for earlier suggestions he made.
“Even security, I have talked about it, (but) I have been called names.
“I have gone out on facts finding. I have found out what is there and what is not there. I have talked and reported. I have nothing more to add,” he said.
Mr. Obasanjo had called for a strong military action on the armed Boko Haram who have claimed responsibility for killing of hundreds of people in Northern Nigeria. His suggestion was rebuffed and ridiculed by President Jonathan and his aides.

Budget 2013: Nigerians are running out of time – Saraki

ABUJA— CHAIRMAN, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator Bukola Saraki, PDP, Kwara, yesterday, said that if President Goodluck Jonathan cannot sign the 2013 budget as passed by the National Assembly into law, he should return it to the lawmakers.
The former governor of Kwara State said Nigerians who were eager to have the budget signed and implemented were running out of time.
Saraki’s call is coming on the heels of the end of  the mandatory thirty days for the National Assembly to veto presidency over a Bill that has been passed for presidential assent.
Answering questions from jounalists in Abuja, Senator Saraki said: “Time is running out for the budget to be signed into law; otherwise, the gains for passing the Budget would be lost. I don’t want to speculate on issues with the budget. There is now urgency for the presidency to sign the budget into law or return it to the National Assembly for further necessary legislative action.”
On the formation of the All Progressives Congress, APC, following the marriage of four opposition political parties, Senator Saraki who described the merger as good for democracy and a wake up call for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said it will keep the ruling party on its toes.
He noted: “PDP should not be complacent. We need to sit up; APC is good for our democracy; it will keep us on our toes; we must watch the unfolding scenario.”
On possible threat of the proposed mega opposition party to PDP, he said, “it is too early though to think so”, adding “I doubt if the APC will not scatter and be uncoordinative”.
The former chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, however, rejected calls for local government autonomy, stressing  that 70 per cent of the LGs cannot survive on their own and that if they don’t have the states to work with they will not survive.
On the Petroleum Industry Bill that was currently at the National Assembly, Saraki said, “the problem with the PIB is that there are so many things that are taken at the same time”. He regretted that although “some of them are controversial” the kind of criticisms trailing is misplaced.
He said: “The key issues which are fiscal are not being addressed. Rather than condemn the Bill in its entirety, we should have taken administrative and institutional framework instead of dumping it for political reason. We want to right the wrongs that were committed in so many decades; the damage is too much”.
The senator, however, urged that the Senate “should not keep it in abeyance”, stressing, “we should either pass it or reject it; we will try and pass it after wide consultations.
He said the committee on environment was doing its best and that his committee was the first to visit pollution sites, just as he  observed that the oil companies were in the habit of pollution because, adding, “there is no law in the land that panalises oil spills, noting that the amendment Bill on NOSDRA currently at the Natioinal Assembly, is aimed at redressing the situation.

“If we can pass these amendments there will be no need for anybody to travel to the Hagues to sue an oil firm; right now the oil majors are feeling the heat. We need political will to combat gas flaring.  A bill is currently in the Senate, it is yet to pass Second Reading.

Sultan warns monarchs against partisan politics

IBADAN—THE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday, in Ibadan, Oyo State, advised traditional rulers not to be involved in partisan politics, saying that  keeping politics at arm’s length,  would help  sustain the dignity and respect of traditional institutions.
The Sultan spoke during a sympathy visit to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, over the fire that gutted his palace last month.
He said: “Once we put our eyes and minds in partisan politics, we lose respect. Government believes in us and in the traditional institution and that is the reason we have to be apolitical.”
The monarch also asked other rulers across the country to bridge the gaps among them, saying, “It is left for us to strengthen the ties existing between us by being good leaders.”
Alhaji Abubakar, who frowned at the way the subject of History was gradually becoming irrelevant to educationists who expunged it from the school curriculum, said it was not the best as coming generations would lose touch with their cultural heritage.

He tasked political leaders to be just and fair in the distribution of the dividends of democracy.