Now I probably need to start out by saying I'm not a fan of either club. In fact Everton significantly ostracised me in the nineties when they bought Daniel Amokachi only to let him rot on the substitute bench (though my friend Jide swears blind that as a Naija boy Amokachi would have been over the moon to collect his dough without having to exert himself).
But why I think the score from yesterday's Premiership match was particularly striking was because it had three different Nigerian Players on the Score sheet. Olofinjana for Stoke, Anichebe and Yakubu for Everton. Now if only Joseph Yobo had been able to get himself on the score sheet too...
Michelle Obama and children at the Democratic Convention. Like Chris Rock said, we looking forward to having a sister cook collard greens and chicken in the White House!
When is nonsense like this going to end? The New Yorker magazine has just released a cartoon cover depicting Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama in traditional Muslim garb and his wife Michelle as a terrorist. This is after Fox News refered to Michelle (Barack's wife of 15 years and mother of his 2 children) as his "Baby Mama").
Obama has had to finance a website out of his campaign funds to correct some of the more vicious rumours about him and his lifestyle. Heard the one about how he is really a moslem? One minute he is facing all the flack about his 'racist' pastor of 20 years and now all of a sudden he is Moslem?
When he first launched his campaign, CNN went to great lengths to show us how close his name was aligned to enemies of America in Saddam and Osama (Barack Hussein Obama). Then later we are told that he is only highly rated cause he is African American? Has everyone forgotten all the other African Americans that ran for the White House and didn't make a dent? (Carol Moseley-Braun, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson etc). When is this man going to get some respect?
A friend of mine recently when speaking of Obama said be careful what you wish for as you might get it. Should Obama win the election in November the bashing will probably get a whole lot worse.
I saw the below extract from the Nigerian Guardian on nairaland.com. Apparent the Lagos state government are imposing fines for drivers and passengers for in vehicles committing traffic offences. A whopping £1,000 fine for driving the wrong way down a one way road? Wow! (Click on the image for a larger view).
Jill Scott is one of five actresses (did I just call Jill Scott an actress?) who are posing nude for the May edition of Allure magazine. Now I don't even know if I had ever heard of Allure Magazine prior to 15 minutes ago but come tomorrow morning I'll be straight down to WHSmith to seek its april copy.
I must admit I'm no great fan of celebrity female nudity in film or print as I think it sets back the feminine movement about 20 years, but when it comes to my Jill all bets are out the window.
I watched the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency shown last month on the beeb and I was really impressed by her portrayal of the lead character Mma Ramostwe and I look forward to the sequels. I am still hoping to get tickets for her show in the Brixton Academy in July (hint, hint babe if you haven't got my birthday pressie yet). I'm her No1 fan (visions of Kathy Bates in Misery come to mind).
In the accompanying article Jill says "No, Naked? You mean 'naked' naked? No Way," she says. "It was a frightening concept, and I had to be convinced." At the shoot, the Grammy Award-winning singer and star of the upcoming movie and TV series, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" (she plays the full-figured Mma Ramostwe) was apprehensive. "I didn't sleep the night before. I love to be naked when it's just me at home, but I had no idea what it would be like to take my clothes off for the camera," she says. Turns out, "it took a lot of stand there naked in front of strangers and try to be comfortable and carefree. But I did it - and I'd do it again." As for the picture, "I'm blowing it up and putting it in my house," she says. "Just not where the cable guy can see it."
The City Circle invites you to "Can Muslims Trust Barack Obama?", a conversation with Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, Blackamerican Muslim Leader and Chair of Government Relations at the Muslim Alliance of North America.
The event is organised with the Radical Middle Way.
Venue: Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, off Edgware Rd, London W1H 4LP
Time/Date: 6.45-8.45pm, WEDNESDAY 16 April 2008.
"I have never been a Muslim... am not a Muslim." That's what Barack Obama had to say after the "Muslim Smear" campaign seemed to damage his campaign earlier this year. But what if he was a Muslim? Would that be so wrong? How have American Muslims, particularly Black American Muslims, responded to Obama? With his call for change, Obama has captured the imaginations of people the world over. Is he really the one who can set America on a progressive new path - at home and abroad? With the economy in decline, Iraq in flames and the "war on terror" becoming a "war without end", the eyes of Muslims the world over on the results of Election 2008. Imam JohariAbdul-Malik will discuss these issues and more.
Imam Johari Abdul-Malik is a scholar and Director of Outreach at the Dar AlHijrah Islamic Center near Washington, D.C and former Muslim Chaplain at Howard University. He is the Head of the National Association of Muslim Chaplains in Higher Education and chair of government relations for the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), an organisation committed to addressing the social, economic, political and spiritual needs that especially impact African American and indigenous Muslims. MANA has brought together for the first time the most influential Black American Muslim leaders, scholars and activists onto one platform.
I remember when Fela came out of Prison in the eighties. His first release after spending 20 months in prison was Teacher don't teach me nonsense proving he was still defiant, despite all the attempts of succesive Nigerian Governments to keep him quiet.
Where man and governments failed to keep him gagged, AIDS succeeded. In 1997 at the young age of 58, Fela passed away and his brother the former Nigerian Minister for health announced his death to the Nation and the World.
I wish Fela had lived another 20 years to excite us with his defiant songs and potent lyrics. I wonder what he would have made of Obasanjo & Yar Adua's regimes.
BFI Southbank are showing the movie "Music is the Weapon" tomorrow from 1:30pm. The film is a documentary featuring interviews with Fela and some of his performances at the "Shrine". For more information about the showing click here. I certainly recommend you make it down there if you can, in memory of the legend that was Fela Anikulapo Kuti - Baba 70.
A week has now passed since the Austalian apology by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the Aborigines and I am amazed at how little news coverage the event seems to have garnered in the UK.
Most of us will remember the Toyin Agbetu fuelled controversy in the UK at a service in Westminster Abbey last year to commemorate the bi-centenary of the abolition of the slave trade.
Kevin Rudd says the symbolism of an apology is important, but my guess is that the british government disagrees for as far as Britain's involvement in the transatlantic Slave trade is concerned all they are willing to give is an expression of deep sorrow. Its still so hard to apologise.
The Transfer window is closing in 3 days and so far no big buys or major panic moves but yet its been one of the biggest January transfer windows ever. Chelsea are by far the biggest spenders with their purchase of Anelka (15m), Ivanovic (£9m) and Franco di Santo (£3m) - probably more than some of the bottom clubs managed all summer.
Despite Kolo Toure being injured in Ghana and Senderos not stepping up to the plate (is it any coincidence that while Kolo is away the spurs beat us by 5 goals?) Professor Wenger is allowing his degree in Economics get the better of him and we haven't bought any one yet.
And in the fifth round of the FA Cup its Arsenal vs Man Utd and I'm wondering whether we will have the explosive encounter of 1999 (best remembered for Giggs goal where he picked up possession on the half-way line and dribbled past the whole Arsenal back line, including Tony Adams and Martin Keown before launching his left-footed strike just beyond David Seaman. United went on to beat Newcastle in the final and win the Treble) or the damp squib of 2005 (settled on Penalties), either way roll on Sat 16th Feb.
Nigeria play Benin tonight looking to Ivory Coast to do us a favour in order to qualify for the second round. I won't get my hopes up as we would need to score at least two goals (dependent on the result between Mali and Ivory Coast) and in two games to date we haven't even sniffed a goal yet despite having the mercurial talents of Yakubu, Utaka and Martins. Come on Drogba, Kalou et al have a heart!
"Oh Super Eagles Your wings have been so feeble I cannot bear your fumbling All week you have been stumbling
Martins' legs have been heavy Kanu is an old Betty Utaka is a slowie The Eagles need a goalie
Your midfield is in shambles The attack is a fumble Today your flight is scheduled In Ghana you were humbled
What can you do with Squirrels? They will all hide in barrels Where eagles are endangered And elephants get angered To stamp on all the Eagles Till all that's left are squiggles
Berti Vogts should be fired Another coach be hired In any case a local We're sick of foreign jackals The NFA should be sacked Since they have always slacked And looked after their egos At the expense of our eagles
South Africa is coming World football's biggest showing Two years and 5 months away To put our demons at bay And find a new number ten See you in twenty ten!
Supereaglesfan on 606
PS I disagree with Supereaglesfan, I think Ejide in Goal has been one of the best Naija Goalies I can remember.
P-Square are a Nigerian R&B duo composed of identical twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye. In my opinion they are one of the best 'new' Naija bands, who have created a unique style of Naija Hip-Hop by blending mainly pidgin english lyrics with infectious beats (and can they dance too!). But some of their lyrics don't even make any sense "my side your side the both sides, even though we both philosophy..." (how does that make them any different from Michael Jackson I hear you ask). And from what I've heard of the new album it sounds quite good. I'm looking for a way to buy the album from the UK so if anyone has any suggestions please help hook a brother up.
Chxta notes on his blog that everytime a Nigerian Coach has taken the National team to the Nations Cup they have won a Medal -
1984: Ade Onigbinde - Silver Medal 2002: Amodu Shuaibu - Bronze Medal 2004: Christian Chukwu - Bronze Medal 2006: Austin Eguavoen - Bronze Medal
The 2008 African Cup of Nations has revealed an over reliance by the African Countries on Foriegn Managers. Of the 16 countries that started the tournament, only Egypt, Zambia and Sudan have African Coaches (Egypt - Hassan Shehata, Zambia - Patrick Phiri and Sudan Mohammed Abdallah or 4 if you count Angola's Luis Oliveira Goncalves who played for Portugal during his playing days but thats stil just 25%!!!). It appears that once you are French or German and you are a football coach irrespective of how poor your motivational skills are, you are able to get an African Country to pay you millions to Coach their team. Berti Vogts sacked by Scotland manages Nigeria, and while I have no beef with experienced managers like Tunisia's Roger Lemerre, what has Benin's Reinhard Fabisch ever done? He has only ever managed African sides!
Surely it's time for the likes of George Weah, Abedi Pele and Jay-Jay Okocha to use the bundles of experience gained plying their trade in Europe at the highest level for the benefit of african teams.
Stoke 2-3 Everton
