Talk 9ja

Nigerian pop star, Ayodeji Balogun Wizkid has reacted to the rivalry between him and colleague Davido Wizkid told Punch that he does not have time for competition as music remains his focus He said, “I don’t dwell on things like that. Music is my focus, not rivalry. It’s all about making good music for me, and I believe that the sky is wide enough for all to fly. “This year has been very great for me and I am thankful to God and all my fans. I have been very busy and it has been a roller-coaster for me. I don’t take it for granted, and I will always put my best into all that I do. “It is about showcasing Nigeria to the world in the proper light, and I am glad that there is now more focus on African music. There are indeed a lot of talents out here.” On his recent visit to his old neighbourhood in Surulere, Lagos, he said, “I am a Surulere boy through and through. That is my identity and I’m proud of where I come from. “I...

Top a-list artistes, including multi award winning artistes, Davido, Olamide, King Sunny Ade and other music stars are set to grace the stage across five different locations to thrill fun seekers as the flagship yuletide revue of the Lagos State Government, also known as One Lagos Fiesta (OLF) takes off Sunday evening. L-R: Afro Musician, Muma Gee; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Mrs. Kofoworola Awobamise; Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde; Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mrs. Aramide Giwason; Fuji Musician, Adewale Ayuba; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mr. Folarin Adeyemi; Nollywood Actress, Toyin Abraham; Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Habib Aruna and Project Director, Video Documentary Lagos, PENRESA, Sarah Evans during a press conference on the 2017 One Lagos Fiesta at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, on Friday, December 15, 2017. Sp...

Blues duo Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger want the champions to respond swiftly to their setback at Everton Marcos Alonso has called for Chelsea to be more clinical as they look to bounce back from their goalless draw with Everton. The champions dominated Saturday's Premier League clash at Goodison Park but failed to make the most of their opportunities against Sam Allardyce's diligent side. The result, coupled with Manchester City's 4-0 win over Bournemouth, means Antonio Conte's side are 16 points adrift of top spot with half the season gone.  Alonso acknowledged it was a "very disappointing" result and has urged his team-mates to be more ruthless against Brighton and Hove Albion on Boxing Day. "We were very unlucky not to win after controlling the whole game and having a lot of chances," he said, as quoted by the club's official website. "But we take one point, it is what it is, very disappointing. "We knew it was going to b...

The Argentina superstar somehow lost his footwear, but still managed to set up the marauding full-back to score against Real Madrid Article continues below Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to a thumping 3-0 Clasico victory over Real Madrid, and even assisted his side's third goal without wearing his right boot! Messi outstripped Marcelo for pace, reached the by-line and cut the ball back for Aleix Vidal to score Barcelona's third in injury time, but it became clear during the celebrations that the Argentine maestro had done it all without the proper footwear. While it is unclear exactly when Messi lost his boot, he crossed with his left foot, as Vidal added some gloss to a convincing scoreline. Luis Suarez scored Barca's first, and Messi added a second from the penalty spot after Dani Carvajal was sent off for handling the ball on the line. Barca now sit 14 points clear of Real, who are fourth, and nine ahead of second-placed Atletico.

Nollywood actress, Iya Kike. Nollywood lost some of its brightest stars in 2017, with the Yoruba film industry losing three within 30 days. On a closer look, Nollywood lost some veterans because they were unable to raise funds to treat themselves. These stars may be no more but their legacies live on thanks to their numerous memorable movie roles and productions. Here, PREMIUM TIMES remembers 16 Nollywood acts lost to the cold arms of death in 2017. January 1 The Yoruba movie industry recorded its first death of 2017 on January 2 when Toyin Majekodunmi aka Iya Kike, died. She was the first Nigerian entertainer to pass on in 2017. Married to a fellow actor, Solomon Majekodunmi aka ‘Baba Kekere’ for 37 years, she was a delight on stage and in movies. She had three children – two daughters and a son. She also featured in numerous Yoruba movies and often starred alongside her husband. Prior to launching her movie career, she worked with the Lagos State Ministry o...

Chelsea wasted a chance to move level on points with second placed Manchester United as Everton maintained their improvement under Sam Allardyce in a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday. Chelsea’s coach from Italy Antonio Conte attends a press conference in Baku on November 21, 2017 on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group C football match between Qarabag FK and Chelsea FC. / AFP PHOTO It marked a sixth game unbeaten for Everton under former England boss Allardyce, but Chelsea’s failure to convert possession into goals will not have pleased Blues manager Antonio Conte. Conte has already conceded his inconsistent team won’t be able to defend the Premier League title and this was another frustrating afternoon for the Italian as the Blues squandered their territorial dominance. Chelsea remain third and are 13 points behind leaders Manchester City, who play Bournemouth later on Saturday. Initially, it looked like being an encouraging day for Conte as Chelsea qu...

Davido This year has been a bittersweet one for Davido. Apart from releasing monstrous hits and bagging international awards, he also lost three of his close friends. He was even accused, allegedly, of knowing about the death of one of them. In an exclusive chat with Saturday Beats, the singer acknowledged that it had been a very challenging year for him but described himself as a warrior. “Everybody knows what had happened to me this year, especially with the death of my friends. But I just had to overcome it and prevail. It is an amazing feeling when you are able to prevail. “I am happy and I thank God for the great things He has done for me this year. I thank everybody that has been supporting me. My tour was great, we went to 60 cities around the world and I am going to round it off in Lagos. It would be an amazing show and people should expect madness. It is God I guess,” the singer said. When asked about the purported battle of supremacy with his colleague, ...

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is an admirer of Everton striker Wayne Rooney Antonio Conte says Chelsea must be wary of Wayne Rooney, who could have a point to prove after retiring from international football. The Chelsea boss, whose team face Everton on Saturday, live on  Sky Sports Premier League , claims Rooney will be heartbroken by his decision to quit England duty, but says the 32-year-old's choice must be respected   Everton vs Chelsea December 23, 2017, 11:30am Live on  Get Sky Sports   Get a Sky Sports pass Rooney retired from England duty in August after 53 goals in 119 appearances, a month after returning to Everton following 13 years at Manchester United. England's record goalscorer has scored six goals in his last five games for the Toffees to prompt suggestions he should return for the World Cup. Rooney has scored six goals in his last five games for Everton Conte said: "We must pay great attention because I think Wayne Rooney is a player who,...

Liverpool's weaknesses were exposed in their 3-3 draw away to Arsenal Liverpool's  3-3 draw at Arsenal highlighted the fact that their tendency to self-destruct at the back continues to undermine their good work in attack. But what can they do to solve the problem? Liverpool have scored 54 goals away from home in 2017, their most in a calendar year since the glory days of the early 1980s. But it took just 388 seconds for their two-goal lead at Arsenal to evaporate amid a three-goal blitz that undermined all of their good work. The Reds ran more than 120 kilometres at the Emirates Stadium and recovered possession of the ball no fewer than 86 times - the most by a Premier League team in a single game since their own 6-1 win over Watford in November of last year. But this whirlwind-like approach to football comes at a cost. While Liverpool's games have featured more goals than any other club since Jurgen Klopp's arrival in October 2015, 105 of those have gone into th...

Adewola Peter Dada The traditional ruler of Igburowo community in the Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Pius Adewola, may spend the Yuletide in jail as he has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by an Ore Chief Magistrate Court on Friday. The monarch was convicted over allegations of fraud and obtaining by false pretence. The residents of the community had in 2012 staged a protest against the monarch over allegations of misrule and bringing the community into disrepute. Oba Adewola was also accused of short-changing traditional chiefs in the community by refusing to pay them their entitlement in full after he had allegedly collected money from the local government. He was also accused of engaging in a brawl with his chiefs, illegally converting the community’s resources to personal use and allegedly writing fictitious petitions and instituting several court cases against his subjects. In 2014, the monarch was arrested and detained by the police and subse...