Mikel Obi has described his first-ever EPL goal as a bonus after Chelsea beat Fulham 2-0 to shoot to the top of the table.
Mikel hit target in the 84th minute to seal victory for “The Blues.”
It was the Nigeria midfielder’s first league goal in 185 appearances for Chelsea, who he joined in 2006.
His last goal for Chelsea was in a Carling Cup game against Macclesfield in January 2007.
“It was good. But I think today’s game was all about winning. You know we lost two games in a row and today I am glad we got the three points,” said Mikel.
“As for my goal, it was just a bonus. I am pretty happy, it’s been a long time and the guys in the locker room would say to me that I score in the national team and don’t score for Chelsea.
“So, I mean it’s good for me to get a goal here today, I mean my first Premier League goal, I have scored in the FA cup a couple of times, but I am very happy today.”
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said, “Good for him, good for us. It’s good for his confidence. He played well, giving balance to the team.”
Ex-Nigeria stars Jonathan Akpoborie and Nwankwo Kanu saluted the effort as “classical.”
Kanu said it was an important goal which confirmed Chelsea’s victory.
“Congrats Mikel, what a good goal and when they need it. Keep it up and keep going Onyegwu,” Kanu tweeted.
Former VfB Stuttgart striker Jonathan Akpoborie said Mikel was clinical in front of goal.
“It was a classical goal and clinical finish by Mikel,” Akpoborie told MTNFootball.com
Author: The Nation
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My first EPL goal a bonus – Mikel
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More than 60 killed at Iraqi funeral
At least 60 people have been killed at a funeral in the mainly Shia Muslim Sadr City district of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
A tent where mourners were gathered was hit by two explosions, one of them a suicide car bomb.
A third explosion followed as police, ambulances and firefighters gathered at the scene, according to one report.
Officials reported that women and children were among the dead and that more than 120 people had been injured.
BBC says no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, which happened early on Saturday evening.
The explosions reportedly set the tents and nearby cars on fire, with eyewitnesses describing the scene as an “inferno.”
“I saw several charred bodies on the ground and tents on fire and also burning cars. Wounded people were screaming in pain,” says one of the mourners, Sheikh Sattar al-Fartousi.
Medics in nearby hospitals confirmed the scale of the casualties.
Also on Saturday, eight people were killed in a separate bomb attack in a street in the nearby neighbourhood of Ur.
And at least five police officers were killed in an assault on a police station in Baiji, north of Baghdad.
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30 killed in Kenya mall terror attack
At least 30 persons were killed and more than 50 injured on Saturday morning at a mall in Nairobi, Kenya when gunmen shot shoppers.
The attackers dressed in black and wearing facemasks and vests loaded with grenades sprayed the unsuspecting crowds with bullets from AK-47s.
“They just came in and threw a grenade. We were running and they opened fire. They were shouting and firing,” said Jay Patel who was on an upper floor of the mall when the shooting began.
The attackers according to agency reports held several dozen people hostage.
Frightened shoppers fled the mall crying and clutching their small children. At one point mall guards used shopping carts to wheel out wounded children.
“The gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave. They were safe, and non-Muslims would be targeted,” said witness Elijah Kamau who was shopping in the mall.
The Westgate Mall is a destination for Kenya’s elite. It bills itself as the city’s premier mall, boasting that it offers customers a “first world interior” and a “safe and serene environment.” It was opened in 2007 and has more than 80 stores.
“We are treating this as a terrorist attack,” said police chief Benson Kibue, adding that there are likely no more than 10 attackers involved.
Off duty Sgt. Major Frank Mugungu said Saturday he saw four male attackers and one female, and that he could clearly identify one of the gunmen as a Somali, though he could not identify the rest.
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Atuche: EFCC, Utomi disagree over loan ratification
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday faulted Prof. Pat Utomi’s testimony that Bank PHB’s Board of Directors ratified some loan facilities granted by the bank’s former managing director, Francis Atuche.
Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Counsel to the EFCC, faulted the claim while cross-examining Utomi, a former Executive Director of Bank PHB, before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Utomi is the first defence witness in the trial of Atuche and his wife, Elizabeth.
The duo are being prosecuted alongside a former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu, before Justice Lateefat Okunnu.
They were arraigned by the EFCC for allegedly stealing N25.7 billion belonging to Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank).
Utomi had on Monday testified that the N100 billion loan facilities granted to some companies were ratified by the board members at a meeting held on July 9, 2008.
Cross-examining the witness, Pinheiro argued that another board of directors meeting held on August 25, 2010, indicated that the loans were never ratified.
“The same board questioned the facility and denied knowledge of the ratification,’’ he said.
Pinheiro said the purposes for which the loans were obtained were not contained in the minutes of meeting Utomi tendered before the court.
He said the purported ratification was approved by Utomi and other board members because they had obtained loans directly and indirectly from the bank.
Pinheiro said that Utomi obtained personal loans of N40 million and N10 million in three separate instances from Bank PHB during Atuche’s tenure.
Responding, Utomi insisted that the board ratified the loans following the presentation of the bank’s credit committee.
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Injured Ameobi may miss Ethiopia’s clash
Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi could well miss out on Nigeria’s World Cup playoff next month in Ethiopia because of injury, MTNFootball.com reports.
Ameobi returned to Newcastle United with a knock after playing for Nigeria against Burkina Faso in a friendly in which he scored his first International goal.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said in his press conference on Friday that the Nigeria striker may be out of action for three weeks.
“Shola’s not available again, and could be out for one to three weeks,” Pardew said.
He was said to be nursing a slight knock, but that slight knock has turned into something that will now keep Shola out for up to three weeks or so, and that seems to have happened a lot in Shola’s career.
Nigeria plays away to Ethiopia on October 12 in a first leg playoff for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
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Pakistan frees top Taliban leader
Pakistan has released its most senior Afghan Taliban detainee, the group’s co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, BBC reports.
The move comes after persistent requests by the Afghan government which hopes it will help the peace process in the country.
Mullah Baradar is one of the four men who founded the Taliban movement in Afghanistan in 1994.
He became a linchpin of the insurgency after the Taliban were toppled by the United States-led invasion in 2001.
He was captured in the Pakistani city of Karachi in 2010.
“Baradar has been released,” Omar Hamid of the Islamabad interior ministry told the news agency, AFP.
BBC says Afghanistan’s government has been asking for his release throughout his three and a half years in custody.
It is not clear where Mr. Baradar will travel to after his release. But he may go to a third country, possibly the United Arab Emirates.
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Jonathan sacks two Special Advisers
President Goodluck Jonathan has relieved two of his Special Advisers of their appointment.
The affected Special Advisers are Mrs. Joy Emordi, Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters and Dr. Tunji Olagunju, Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was also terminated.
The President had on Wednesday 11th September, 2013 sacked nine ministers from his cabinet after the former Youth Development Minister, Inuwa Abdukadir was sacked seventeen days earlier.
A three-paragraphed statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati on Friday did not give any reason for the termination of appointment.
“President Jonathan thanks Mrs. Emordi and Dr. Olagunju for their services and wishes them success in their future endeavours.” It stated
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nPDP: We are more than seven governors, says Gov Aliyu
Niger state governor and member of the G7 governors, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has said that Bamanga Tukur led Peoples Democratic Party would be shocked to know that the Kawu Baraje-led fraction has more than the identified seven governors.
He said other governors have deliberately chosen to silently support the nPDP.
Speaking in Minna while receiving the Executive Director of the Sir. Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Aliyu who refused to disclosed the identity of the ‘silent members’, said, “there are many members of the G7 who intends to remain silent. They are silent members.”
He explained that people only identify the G7 because they (the G7 governors) are the ones most visible explaining that there are some other governors who are in support of them.
The governor enjoined the Sarduana Foundation to ensure that they carry on the good work and promote unity in the north.
He urged the foundation to work in collaboration with other bodies to harness income and improve the lot of northern Nigeria.
He assured the foundation that he would plead with other state governors who have not redeemed their pledges to the foundation.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. Shettima Ajayi disclosed that the foundation has trained 350 women and youths in vocational and entrepreneurship programs adding that most of the trainees have started their own businesses.
He said the foundation has reached out to some northern states affected with insecurity and has been able to give some form of compensation to them.
Ajayi further expressed his appreciation to the Niger state governor for his support to the foundation as the foundation has been able to make impact to the people of the north in all its programmes.
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World Cup playoffs: Keshi wants longer training camp
Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has asked for a longer training camp ahead of next month’s 2014 World Cup decider in Ethiopia.
MTNFootball.com gathered that the coach wishes to set up a training camp for players from the local league at least two weeks to the Ethiopia match.
“He wants to use this training camp to start preparing for next year’s CHAN as well as keeping an eye on the Ethiopia match,” a source close to the coach informed MTNFootball.com
A broke Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had jettisoned this arrangement before the final group game against Malawi, citing cash constraints.
The Eagles only had one full training before the Malawi match.
In the meantime, Keshi has hailed the performance of his players, who were action in the UEFA Champions league and the Europa League.
Keshi told MTNFootball.com from his United States base:”I am very impressed at their showing. I watch John Obi Mikel in the Champions league, it was unfortunate they lost, but I am happy he was in action and gave a good account of himself.
“Ogenyi Onazi was in action for Lazio and Nosa (Igiebor) played 90 minutes for Betis. I am impressed because that is what I want, to see our players in action week in, week out.”
The Eagles coach said ahead of the first leg of the World Cup qualifier in Ethiopia, “We are ever ready. I already know my list and have my programme once I return it would be business as usual.”
Keshi is back in U.S to take care of his sick wife and said “she is a lot better now.”
He is expected to make public his list for the Ethiopia decider in the first week of next month.
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Agagu for burial October 4
The Ondo State Government has fixed October 4 for the internment of former governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, who died on September 13.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said in a statement in Akure that the burial ceremony would kick off with a tribute day at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, on October 2.
“On October 3, the remains of the late politician would leave Lagos for Akure, while the lying- in state would take place at the Democracy Park, Akure.
“Another lying-in-state cum wake keep would take place on the same day, beginning from 5pm at the Civic Centre, Iju-Odo, Okitipupa Local Government, the country home of Agagu,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Akinmade as saying in the statement.
According to the commissioner, burial service for the deceased would take place at Saint Paul’s Anglican Church, Ilu-Odo, at 11am on October 4.
Agagu’s remains would be interred at the same venue.