Monday, December 31, 2012

from marvellous Messi to the Muamba miracle - 2012 in numbers

Goal.com takes a look at the last 12 months in numbers, including the best stats from Manchester City's title win, the heftiest Twitter fines and the genius of Barcelona's No.10

Lionel Messi - FC Barcelona v Atletico Madrid

Getty Images

ANALYSIS
By Danny Hart

What a year of football we have had. Chelsea and Manchester City lifted silverware in the most remarkable of circumstances, Lionel Messi broke record after record, and Spain continued to dazzle on the international stage.

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Along the way, certain facts and figures have stood out above the rest - from QPR's awful away days to the ruthless world of football management.

So, from the sublime to the downright ridiculous, Goal.com takes a look at 2012 in numbers.

1 - Swindon Town beat more Premier League clubs away from home in 2012 than QPR. The Rs failed to win in 19 attempts against top-flight sides on the road, while Paolo Di Canio's side shocked Stoke at the Britannia Stadium in the Capital One Cup.

	TWITTER TROUBLE The biggest fines of 2012
6,000	Number of pounds Emmanuel Frimpong was fined for an "anti-Jewish" tweet.
7,000	Number of pounds Ravel Morrison was fined for making a homophobic slur.
10,000	Number of pounds Suso was fined for joking that team-mate Jose Enrique looked "gay" in a picture.
15,000	Number of pounds Federico Macheda was fined for making a homophobic slur.
45,000	Number of pounds Rio Ferdinand was fined for his Ashley Cole "choc ice" tweet.
90,000	Number of pounds Ashley Cole was fined for labelling the FA a "#BUNCHOFT****".

7 - Luka Modric failed to win a trophy in four years at Tottenham, but it took the Croatian midfielder just seven minutes to win silverware at Real Madrid, coming on as a late substitute in the Supercopa victory over Barcelona.

11 - For the first time in the club's history, Everton fielded a starting XI without a single Englishman against Leeds United in the Capital One Cup. Former international Phil Neville made an appearance from the bench, though.

46 - Liverpool picked up just 46 points during 2012. That tally would have seen them finish 13th in the Premier League last season - below West Brom, Swansea and Norwich.

57 - Henning Berg took charge of only 10 matches during his 57-day reign at Blackburn Rovers. He won one game in his return to Ewood Park, losing six times and drawing the other three.

76 - Roberto Di Matteo needed just 76 days to win the FA Cup and Champions League after being appointed Chelsea's caretaker manager on March 4.

94 - However, after being given the job on a permanent basis in the summer, 94 days into the new season Roman Abramovich sacked the Italian.

310 - Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel started 310 Premier League matches in a row before he was replaced by summer signing Hugo Lloris for a match against Aston Villa on October 7.

10,000 - Celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan lost £10,000 in a bet with Samir Nasri when the former Gunners midfielder won the Premier League with Manchester City.

80,000 - Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner was fined £80,000 for revealing the name and logo of a bookmaker on his underwear while celebrating a goal during Euro 2012.

AGUEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Thrilling Premier League finale in numbers

13 - Just 13 seconds after Manchester United's 2-0 victory over Sunderland seemingly wrapped up the title, Sergio Aguero scored Manchester City's winner against QPR.

44 - City's triumph was their first top-flight title success since they, ironically, pipped United to top spot on the final day of the season 44 years previously.

94 - Aguero's title-winning goal came in the 94th minute of City's dramatic 3-2 win over QPR on the last day of the campaign.

8 - United were on course for the title with six matches remaining. They had a commanding lead over City but let it slip by dropping eight points in the run-in.

56 - For the first time in Sir Alex Ferguson's 26 years at Old Trafford, his side lost the title on goal difference, with United's +56 only bettered by City's record of +64.

89 - United's 89 points is the most a team has gained in the Premier League era without winning the title.

2 - Bradford City have beaten more Premier League teams than QPR in the 2012-13 season. The League Two club knocked out Wigan and Arsenal on penalties in the Capital One Cup, while QPR's victory over Fulham on December 15 is their only in the top flight this campaign.

3 - He may have had another inconsistent year in front of goal, but Fernando Torres was one of English football's most decorated players in 2012, winning three major trophies. Along with team-mate Juan Mata, he added to May's FA Cup and Champions League triumphs by helping Spain win Euro 2012.

7 - It took Emile Heskey just three months to score seven goals for Newcastle Jets after joining the club in October - the same number of goals he scored in his last three seasons at Aston Villa.

DEMBA DILEMMA

DEMBA BA
GAMES PLAYED (Jan-May) GOALS SCORED GAMES PLAYED (Aug-Dec) GOALS SCORED	16 2 20 13
PAPISS CISSE
GAMES PLAYED (Jan-May) GOALS SCORED GAMES PLAYED (Aug-Dec) GOALS SCORED	14 13 18 3

26 - Of the 26 matches Darron Gibson featured in for Everton and Republic of Ireland in 2012, he lost just one - a 2-0 defeat to West Brom in September. Even then he was substituted after 20 minutes due to injury when the game was still goalless.

31 - Senegalese strikers Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse scored 31 Premier League goals between them in 2012. Ba has been Newcastle's star for much of this season but Cisse stole the limelight following his move from Freiburg last January (see right).

51 - Jermain Defoe has been a regular in England squads since 2004 but it was not until his 51st cap - a 1-1 draw with Ukraine in September - that he played a full match for his country.

66 - Chelsea have a 66.6 per cent win record in Premier League matches that Frank Lampard has featured in over the last 12 months, compared to a 21.4% win record when the veteran midfielder has not played (see below).

78 - Fabrice Muamba's heart stopped for 78 minutes after he suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup tie between Tottenham and Bolton in March. Thankfully he made a full recovery.

90 - Lukas Podolski has featured in 24 matches for Arsenal, including 23 starts, since his summer move from Koln but has completed 90 minutes in just two games.

1100 - The 1100 goals scored in the Premier League during 2012 is the highest in a calendar year since the league's inception in 1992.

1130 - Former England striker James Beattie ended a goal drought lasting 1130 days by scoring in Accrington Stanley's 3-1 win over Fleetwood Town in November. He had featured for Stoke, Blackpool, Rangers, Sheffield United and current club Accrington during a run of 54 games without finding the net.

FRANK LAMPARDPREMIER LEAGUE RECORD IN 2012

CHELSEA WITH LAMPARD \| 24 GAMES
Won	16
Drawn	4
Lost	4
Win %	66.6
CHELSEA WITHOUT LAMPARD \| 14 GAMES
Won	3
Drawn	7
Lost	4
Win %	21.4

3 - Messi started the year by winning his third consecutive Ballon d'Or award, beating Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona team-mate Xavi to the prize.

5 - In a 7-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in March, he became the first person to score five goals in a single Champions League game. Ten players had done so in Europe's elite club competition in the past but nobody had achieved the feat in the Champions League era.

ALL HAIL KING LIONEL!

BARCELONA RECORD IN 2012
GAMES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS TO GAME RATIO	60 79 1.31
ARGENTINA RECORD IN 2012
GAMES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS TO GAME RATIO	9 12 1.33

12 - He often receives critics for not turning up on the international stage, but Messi's 12 goals for Argentina in 2012, which included a hat-trick against Brazil, equalled Gabriel Batistuta's record for goals in a calendar year for his country.

14 - Although he ended the 2011-12 Champions League campaign on a sour note with a missed penalty in the semi-final to Chelsea, Messi's 14 goals that season saw him crowned the competition's top scorer for the fourth year in a row.

50 - The Barcelona star scored 50 goals in the 2011-12 La Liga season, beating Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 40 set in the previous campaign. He already has 26 after 17 league games in 2012-13.

63 - The 25-year-old averaged a goal every 63 minutes for club and country in 2012.

91 - Messi beat Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year by scoring in a 2-1 win over Real Betis, and went on to net a further five to end 2012 on 91.

107 - It emerged after Messi's record-breaking feat that former Kabwe Warriors striker Godfrey Chitalu scored 107 goals in 1972. The Zambian FA attempted to ratify the tally but Fifa does not keep official records and refused to get involved.

2018 - Messi celebrated an outstanding personal year by extending his contract at Camp Nou to the summer of 2018.

460,000 - He was said to have turned down a weekly wage of €560,000 after a Russian club reportedly met his €250 million Barcelona release clause.

Now you have seen a selection of the best facts and figures from the last 12 months, have you got a better one to share? Leave your suggestions in the comment box below!
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Messi or Ronaldo leading the line, Xavi or Pirlo pulling the strings - what is the best XI of 2012?

We asked Goal.com's readers which players they would pick in their team of the year on Twitter, and some of their selections are below. Share your choices in the comment section

GettyImages

This year has seen plenty of individuals shine in the footballing sphere and, at the very end of 2012, now is the time to sing their praises by looking at who would make it into your best combined XI.
In Spain, Lionel Messi has broken record after record; Cristiano Ronaldo propelled Real Madrid to a Liga title once more; and Radamel Falcao's value has soared as he continues to deliver goals at Atletico Madrid.

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In England, Robin van Persie has been imperious in front of goal all year; Juan Mata and Ramires were crucial to Chelsea winning the Champions League; while Vincent Kompany skippered Manchester City to their debut Premier League title.
In Italy, it will be Juventus' squad - Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, etc - that will feature most heavily in XIs, but the sudden rise of Stephan El Shaarawy has been impressive, while Edinson Cavani keeps on looking world class for Napoli in Serie A.
In Germany, Mario Gotze and Mats Hummels were axels in Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga-winning team, while Marco Reus has been excellent since signing in the summer; on the other hand, numerous players in Bayern Munich's team - especially the in-form Franck Ribery - could make it into best-of-2012 XIs.
Elsewhere in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain's all-star squad includes the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has been fantastic since his transfer from AC Milan; Shakhtar Donetsk's attackers might not be obvious choices but they have excelled repeatedly; and Russian sides such as Anzhi Makhachkala and Zenit St Petersburg continue to build expensively-assembled but star-studded sides.
And across the rest of the globe, Neymar continues to set the Brazilian league alight, while Didier Drogba won the Champions League for Chelsea before trotting over to China in the summer.
Goal.com asked readers what should the best XI of the year is on Twitter, and we had well over a thousand responses!

Shaufy Sufyan: Casillas; Zabaleta, Chiellini, Pique, A Cole; Xavi, Ozil, Pirlo; Ronaldo, Messi, Ibrahimovic.

Carlo Garganese: Buffon; Piszczek, Thiago Silva, De Rossi, Ashley Cole; Vidal, Pirlo, Iniesta; Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Messi.

DarkDyson: Casillas; Piszczek, Ramos, Kompany (not including this season), A Cole, Yaya Toure, Xavi, Iniesta; Ronaldo, Michu, Messi.

Puneet Lalwani: Cech; Lahm, Ramos, Kompany, A Cole; Iniesta, Yaya Toure, Ozil; Messi, Falcao, Ronaldo.

Enis Koylu: Buffon; Piszczek, Dante, Hummels, Lahm; Khedira, Pirlo; Reus, Messi, Ronaldo, Lewandowski.

Shamoxen: De Gea; Acerbi, Vidic, Chiellini, Kolarov; Sergio, Rosicky, Vidal; El Shaarawy, Rooney, Giroud.

Robin Falken: Hart; Ivanovic, Ramos, Kompany, Alba; Xavi, Alonso,, Iniesta, Ronaldo, Messi, Falcao.

Miles Chambers: Buffon; Lahm, Chiellini, Kompany, A Cole; Xavi, Pirlo; Ben Arfa, Messi, Ribery; Van Persie.

You can still get involved by leaving your best XI of 2012 in the comment section below, or you can share your ideal starting 11 by tweeting to @goal_intl with the hashtag #TeamoftheYear.

Chelsea talks with Demba Ba stall

Chelsea have suffered an early blow in their hopes of signing Newcastle United striker Demba Ba in January after unproductive discussions over his future.

PA PhotosDemba Ba scored twice for Newcastle in their defeat at Arsenal on Saturday

Ba, 27, has a £7.5 million clause in the deal he signed when he moved to the north east from West Ham in 2011 which means he could be sold in January if a club meets the fee. And, according to the Daily Mail, the Blues were ready to offer a £2 million loyalty payment in order to seal his move to Stamford Bridge.
However, it is now understood that club officials met Ba’s representatives on Sunday night but that the personal terms on the table did not come close to what he expects to earn for leaving St James’s Park.
The Senegal international’s brace in the 7-3 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday took his goal total for the season up to 13, more than the rest of the Newcastle squad put together and one behind the Premier League's leading marksman Robin van Persie, and a host of clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG have been linked with moves for him.
Roman Abramovich is thought to have made Atletico Madrid forward Radamel Falcao his number one target but, with the Colombia international insisting he will see out the season at the Vicente Calderon, the Chelsea owner has been forced to look elsewhere.
Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez, however, refused to be drawn on questions over reports he was set to sign Ba this weekend.
"We don’t talk about our business in public," he said after his side beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park. "My job is to prepare the games. This is a player that is playing for another team so I don’t want to talk about him."
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew admitted that he was growing increasingly weary of the situation and hit out at Ba's advisors.
He said: "In some respects, I feel a little bit sorry for Demba as well because I think people who are representing him are not actually representing him. There are people out there who are saying this who are not actually involved or want to be involved, and that's the sort of world we are in.
"The contract is what it is, we are all aware of that, and for me as the manager I need it resolved as quickly as possible. That's the best situation for our fans and for the club.''
Newcastle have spent recent months attempting to negotiate a new contract with Ba which would remove the clause and that remains on the table. But Pardew insisted they would not wait forever.
He added: "The situation with that is that it's getting close to the point where we say 'no more', but the offer is still there.''

Rihana donates $1.75m to Barbados cancer hospital

She’s one of the world’s biggest pop stars. But Rihanna is still a small town girl. And as she heads home to Barbados for Christmas it has been revealed that she has donated $1.75million to a local hospital.

Rihanna poses with her mother Monica Fenty and grandfather Lionel Braithwaite on a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados, to which she has donated $1.75m

The donation was made in memory of her late grandmother, who died of cancer in June.
The 24-year-old pop star’s generous donation led to the radiotherapy department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown, being renamed the Clara Braithwaite Centre for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, in memory of her ‘Gran Gran Dolly.’
The money paid for three vital pieces of equipment worth more than $3.5 million Barbados dollars.
Rihanna said: ‘This was my way of giving back to Barbados, in a form of philanthropy, by assisting the QEH in its continued modernization programme.
‘I believe that this will have a huge impact on the people of Barbados. This was all done to save lives or at least extend them.’
Rihanna was accompanied by Dolly’s husband, Lionel, and her mother, Monica Fenty as she visited the department this weekend.
The singer’s love of her grandmother was well known to fans, with the star often speaking of her on Twitter.
When she took a turn for the worse earlier this year Rihanna jetted to New York to be at her bedside.
And following her death Rihanna posted a series of family photos in a tribute to Mrs Braithwaite.
Culled from Dailymail.co.uk

France Returns Funds Collected Illegally From Jehovah’s Witnesses

DECEMBER 12, 2012 | FRANCE

France Returns Funds Collected Illegally From Jehovah’s Witnesses

After a 15-year legal battle, on December 11, 2012, the government of France repaid to Jehovah’s Witnesses funds totaling 6,373,987.31 euros ($8,294,320).

In 1998, the government asserted that religious donations made by Jehovah’s Witnesses were subject to a crushing retroactive 60 percent tax and, in 2003, demanded partial payment. The European Court of Human Rights found that France was guilty of violating the religious freedom of Jehovah’s Witnesses through the illegal tax, which, if enforced, could have resulted in the liquidation of the Witnesses’ national offices and obstructed their Bible education work. Since the Court ruled that the tax was illegal, the French government is now starting to implement the Court’s decision by returning the funds collected, with interest, and paying the Witnesses’ legal expenses.

Media Contacts:

J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

France: Guy Canonici, tel. +33 2 32 25 55 55

Apple rumoured to be developing iWatch: a smart wrist watch with a touchscreen

Apple is believed to be secretly developing a ‘smart watch’ with a touchscreen.

Chinese online sites have reported the computer giant is working with chipmaker Intel on a wrist-worn gadget that has a 1.5inch screen and uses Bluetooth to communicate with other gadgets, which could include an iPhone.
The ‘iWatch’ will go on sale next year, the report claims.
Chinese site Tech.163 claims Intel has developed a Smart Watch that Apple is interested in.
The in question has a 1.5 OLED display with indium tin oxide, or ITO coated glass, and uses Bluetooth to communicate with a user’s iPhone.
It is believed the iWatch will run a version of iOS, the same software as the iPhone and iPad, allowing apps to be easily downloaded.
Releasing a watch could also help it compete with Google, who claim they will release ‘Google Glass’, a headset with a screen, next year.
The rumours come after an independent attempt to create a smart watch, called Pebble, became a huge success online.
Its inventors used Kickstarter to try and raise $10,000 so they could develop it – but instead raised $10 million, and hope to begin production next year.
‘Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century,’ say its creators.
‘It’s infinitely customizable, with beautiful downloadable watchfaces and useful internet-connected apps.
‘The watch will connect via Bluetooth, and alert users to incoming messages via vibrations – and apps bring Pebble to life.
‘Cyclists can use Pebble as a bike computer, accessing the GPS on your smartphone to display speed, distance and pace data.
‘Runners get a similar set of data displayed on their wrist. Use the music control app to play, pause or skip tracks on your phone with the touch of a button.’

CAC Members Fight Over Church Leadership

As Christians the world over celebrate Christmas and thank God for bringing them to the end of the 2012, worshippers at the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) busied themselves fighting over supremacy and allegiance.
The crisis in the church, which has lasted for more than 20 years, deepened when the two factions of the church clashed during a Sunday morning service.
During the service, the Lagos-based faction was engaged with the church activities when the Ibadan-based faction arrived and chased them away.
According to Channels Television’s reporter present during the clashed, the aggrieved faction disconnected the electricity supply to the church after they were chased out leaving the Ibadan faction to conduct their service in the dark.

Obasanjo, Amosun Reconcile Traditional Rulers In Egbaland

Africa Africa News Agura of Gbagura Alake of Egbaland Breaking news Channels channels television Ibikunle Amosun Nigeria Nigeria news Obasanjo Ogun State Olowu of Owu Olusegun Obasanjo Osinle of Oke Ona

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun on Saturday called for an enduring, purposeful peaceful co-existence and harmony among the four sectional traditional rulers of Egba extraction to fast track socio economic and political development in the state.

The two leaders made the call in Abeokuta, the state capital, at the peace parley among the four sectional traditional rulers held at the Ogun state Government House facilitated by the state governor.
The peace parley initiated by Mr Amosun was attended by the Alake of Egbaland; the Osinle of Oke Ona; the Olowu of Owu kingdom; and the Agura of Gbagura; Mr Obasanjo, former head of interim government, Earnest Sonekan; and the Deputy Governor (Operation) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Tunde Lemo.
The goal of the meeting was to end the mistrust, and leadership tussle among the Egba traditional rulers.
While recommending dialogue and communication as panacea to world peace and harmony, Mr Obasanjo decried the slow pace of development in the country despite abundance of natural and human resources. However, he was quick to say that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Reading the communique after the closed-door meeting which lasted for several hours, the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo said the traditional rulers have agreed to leave the past behind them all for the progress and development of Egbaland and Ogun state in general.
Mr Obasanjo admonished the traditional rulers to do the needful to sustain the new found peace.
The highpoint of the occasion was the toast to the unity and continuous progress of Egbaland; Ogun State; and Nigeria in general.

Jonathan’s Government Is A “Government Of Tokenism”

Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Nation Newspapers, Mr Sam Omatseye, on Thursday described the government of President Goodluck Jonathan as a “government of tokenism”.
Omatseye made this claim on Channels Television’s morning flagship programme, Sunrise Daily, while x-raying the performance of the president in the year 2012.
He also said the year, so far, has been one of suffering for Nigerians and no positive result has been achieved by the present administration.
“This is Nigeria; the country has been suffering tremendously from day one. We hope it doesn’t happen in 2013, we were given January 1 surprise”.
Omatseye questioned the move by the government to remove subsidy on fuel without putting the monies to proper use “You (Government) said you are going to do this, you are going to do that, you are going to get transport, you are going to get us refineries, you are going to set at least refineries in progress. You are going to do infrastructure, you are going to ease transportation across the country, this is the end of December 2012”.
“What have we seen, travel between and Ibadan, travel between Ibadan and Benin, travel between Benin and Onitsha and we still have the same perennial problems. What happened to half of that money?” He quipped.
He went further to ask Nigerians to make a mathematical calculation of the money the government saved from the removal of subsidy on fuel and make a comparison with the effect of deliverables to find out how commensurate it is.

WIZKID EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s been blessings for me’

By Osagie Alonge

Wizkid in Dubia for a show…

After releasing his debut album ‘Superstar’ Ayodeji ‘Wizkid’ Balogun hasn’t looked back. Scoring number one hits, collaborating with international acts, winning world recognized awards and working up his way to A-list status, his nickname ‘Starboy’ might now be looking like an understatement.

In this exclusive interview with NET, the 22-year-old tells us about his experiences performing overseas, working with Akon, Wale, Young Jeezy, and why he feels he’s with the best team.

In one word, describe what the past year has been for you?

Blessing, it has been a blessing.

After the release of your debut album ‘Superstar’, who made decisions to go on tour or travel out of Nigeria?

I feel like everything just happened. It was funny because everything kept on happening, there was nothing we planned for, it was just God. Big shout out to my fans as well because after I released the album, I was getting calls from all over the world for bookings. I could say it’s by my hard work, though. Of course everyone else is working hard, but you just have to have that x-factor, and that’s what has been pushing me on.

Where did you enjoy performing the most, the UK or US?

It was a totally different experience because in the UK, we have a lot of Nigerians living in one community, but in the US people are scattered all over, you have some people staying in New York, Minnesota, New Jersey. That’s the difference. Everywhere I went to, it was a different kind of love, because some people didn’t even think that I would come for the concert, because they felt like ‘why would Wizkid come to Minnesota or some funny place in the United States?’ It was a just a different experience for me.

How was it, working with the likes of Akon, Wale, Kardinal Offishall, The Game and Young Jeezy?

It was crazy, because I was at BET, then I was invited for a dinner. Wale has always been my friend, and [I'm also friends with] Bu, who’s Akon‘s younger brother. He came there with Young Jeezy and introduced me, and that was how I started work with him. When we recorded the first song, everybody loved it, [and] before I knew it The Game came in and heard the song and said he had to jump on it. We booked another session for the next day, then came back and recorded. Chris Brown and every other person came through, and it was a great feeling. I felt blessed.

Do you think not having a specific genre as an artiste has helped you have an edge over Nigerian artistes?

I wouldn’t say I have an edge over all other artistes because everybody has their own talent, but I’ll just say it’s my thing. It’s something God has blessed me with and I have worked very hard with it. It’s not just that I sit down and it comes to me, I try to surf for inspiration, and I think it has really helped me to be the ‘Wizkid’ that I am. People don’t get surprised by what I do, they feel like I can come up with any style, so it has helped me.

So which other international artistes have you worked with that we don’t know of?

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag because people know almost all the ones I’ve worked with, so I will keep the others a secret till the time comes.

How did you find time to record your forth-coming album while you were busy on tour?

I am a workaholic, I’m a studio rat. In London, after the concerts I went back to the studio to do my thing,. It’s the love for music that keeps me going.

What is the energy behind you recording and performing?

It’s just because I love it. If you love your job then it’s no longer a job. It becomes a part of you. I don’t complain about doing my job, and my fans show me a lot of love.

What do you think is behind all this growth after your first single ‘Holla at your boy‘?

Firstly, it’s God, because everybody works hard, but it’s whom God has blessed that excels. So I just feel he is the one behind all these things happening, and also the fact that I have a solid team behind me handling my business.

What is the difference between when it was just you, Banky W, and Skales in the EME crew, to the new family now?

It was Banky and I even before Skales (Laughs). The dream at that time was to build an empire, bring some artistes, and build them on the same platform. It’s just a dream coming true, and it’s something we have always wished to do. We just made sure we built the empire, [and] I just thank God that everything is working out well. EME has always been about how good you are, not how well dressed you are.

Banky W postponed his album for the team to release the compilation; would you ever take that bullet for the team?

I [also] didn’t release an album this year just because of the EME album. I was supposed to release an album on June 12 this year, [but] I put that aside, which is a big sacrifice for me. For someone that works hard like I do and [has] a lot of materials, yeah, I’ve taken a bullet already (Laughs).

How was the experience recording the EME album?

It was easy. From day one it has always been about ‘what do you have now, let’s put it together and make something crazy.’ So when we were recording the album it was exciting. I’m glad we made it happen.

What does the wizkid brand stand for?

It stands for an ambitious young man who is trying fulfill his dreams. A lot of people come to me and say they want to be like me, I just feel overwhelmed by it and I’m happy and thank God.

Do you feel at the top of your career?

I am not anywhere close right now, I’m just starting. Every day when I wake up in the morning I feel like ‘what am I going to do today?’

You were nominated at the Channel O Awards but didn’t win. How did you feel?

I didn’t feel anyhow, I have gone through a lot of awards that I didn’t win at all, which is no stress for me. My fans still show me love and I have a couple of other awards, so I’m good with it.

Have you turned down any sort of endorsements?

I have turned down a couple of endorsement because the business is not want I want to associate myself with; I’ve got Pepsi right now.

Where did the rumour of you leaving EME come from?

We have heard that news; I guess some people thought of saying something funny.

Why did you part ways with your manager Osagie Osarenkhoe?

It was a business decision, because the brand is growing. She’s still working with a couple of other EME artistes to push their brands. She is still part of the team, we just needed more hands.

How has working with your new manager Godwin Tom been?

It’s been great.

Big Sean brings his mother to Koko Concert

US rapper and G.O.O.D Music signee Michael ‘Big Sean’ Anderson was in Lagos Nigeria for the first time where he performed at the Koko Concert on December 27, 2012. The 24-year-old rapper brought a member of his family with him to share in the festivities.

Big Sean’s mum Myra Anderson stood at the edge of the stage watching her son thrill his Nigerian fans as he performed his hit songs ‘My Last’ and more.

‘I’m in Nigeria for the first time and I brought my mum with me’, the Detriot native told the crowd.

In past interviews, Sean has often told the story of how his mother quit her Hollywood acting career to become an English Language teacher so as to support he and his brother.

Auditions for Big Brother season 8 begin January 2013

Winner of the 2010 Big Brother Africa, Uti Nwachukwu and Nigeria’s rep at the 2012 edition, Goldie

Organisers of the annual Big Brother Africa reality TV show have announced that auditions for the 2013 edition of the show will begin in January 2013.

Managing Director of M-Africa, Biola Alabi, says the next edition will feature housemates whose activities will provide the audience with happiness, hope, anxiety, friendship, love, arguments and fights. She also added that the next edition will have a new twist to it which will will be revealed when the show begins airing.

The last edition had the trio of Ola, Chris and singer, Goldie as Nigeria’s representatives but was won by South Africa’s Keagan Peterson.

Ini Edo speaks on divorce, N600m largesse

Top Nollywood actress, Ini Edo-Ehiagwina, is currently enmeshed in controversies about her marriage and an alleged largesse from the Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio.

Not mincing words and obviously angry, the actress spat fire at those paddling untrue stories about her.

She said, “As a rule, I don’t reply every talk or report about me, but these recent ones are crazy and baseless. I don’t know where they got their information that my state governor offered me N600m to build an art or film academy in Uyo.

“This is just another work of mischief makers, who keep troubling celebrities. To put the records straight, my state governor has not offered me such money to build a film academy in Uyo (the Akwa Ibom State capital), as was falsely reported.

“As for the other wicked rumours that I’ve been divorced by my United States–based husband, Phillip Ehiagwina, that is just another lie that can only come from professional happy home breakers. No fight or separation ever happened. We are still together, doing great things as husband and wife.”

I’m In Good Terms With Genevieve—Omotola

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has again reinstated that she has no personal beef against her ‘perceived’ arch rival in the film industry. Omo T, as her fans call her, declared this while answering questions from her fans on twitter yesterday.

Even though Omotola and Genevieve have not openly been in some kind of public fight with each other, many assume that the two ‘elephants’ in Nollywood are rivals to each other. But interestingly, they are the only two ‘rivals’ that have acted together with each other in movies as sisters compared with other rivals in Nollywood especially since such rivalry is made known to the public.

”To be honest, do you have any personal beef with Genny? If no, what’s your relationship like?” a fan asked Omotola. In a rather simple response, Omotola replied, ”lol, cool.”

It is believed that the rivalry between the two is based on achievement, fan base and others made by them.

Obama signs bill to grant Nigerian student U.S. permanent residency

Victor second from left, his doctor to his right, doctor's wife and the nun that's been taking care of him

President Barack Obama just awarded a young Nigerian man with a very terrible genetic disease - Neurofibromatosis, permanent residence in the US and as such access to a US medical school. This hardly ever passes congress but because of his peculiar situation, it worked.

26th year old Victor Chukwueke came to the US eleven years ago to undergo treatment for massive face tumors and lived in Michigan on an expired visa. He graduated from a state university and wanted to attend a medical school but needed to have permanent residency for that to happen.

Private bills, which only applies to one person and mostly focus on immigration, are rarely approved. Victors is the only one to pass in US Congress in two years.

Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that causes massive life-threatening tumors to the face.

Mercy Johnson gives birth to baby girl

Mercy Johnson Okojie gave birth to a baby girl a few hours ago in a hospital in the US. Got the news just now from the people in the hospital with her. Mother and daughter are said to be doing great. Big congrats to Mercy and her husband.

Omotola answers questions from fans on Twitter

The actress answered some very personal questions from her fans on her Twitter page. Questions like what happened to her husband's job, her supposed rivalry with Genny, how much she charges for movies, her real age, music career, her kids, sex advances from movie producers, etc. See more after the cut...

You can go on her Twitter page to see more Q and A. This is just some of it...