News
Arsenal to Face Atletico Madrid in EUROPA Semi-Final Tie
Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Europa League in a mouth-watering clash of two big clubs that have taken a backseat in their domestic leagues in recent years.
French club Marseille will play FC Salzburg, a club backed by soft drinks giant Red Bull, in the other semi-final.
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal will play the first leg at the Emirates Stadium against Atletico, led by French striker Antoine Griezmann, who are favourites to win the competition for the third time.
Wenger, whose side play Man United away in the Premier League between the two semi-final legs, had identified Atletico, Champions League finalists in 2014 and 2016, as the most dangerous side in the draw.
“Everybody speaks about Atletico Madrid that they look the strongest team on paper,” he said, but he also described Marseille as a difficult place to go.
The first legs will take place on April 26 with the second on May 3.
“They are a similar kind of club to us,” Atletico Madrid director Clemente Villaverde said at the draw in Nyon.
“Arsenal are a great team, they’re up there every year fighting for trophies and getting deep into their European competitions,” he said.
Arsenal reached the last four of the Europa League after surviving a scare against CSKA Moscow in Thursday’s quarter-final second leg in the Russian capital.
Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey both scored late in the game for Arsenal to calm nerves after CSKA had raced into a 2-0 lead on the night. The London side won 6-3 on aggregate.
Atletico lost 1-0 to Sporting in Lisbon on Thursday but advanced 2-1 on aggregate.
British bookmakers William Hills make Madrid hot favourites to win the competition, but explained why Arsenal fans still have reason for optimism.
“It could be argued that Arsenal need this more than Atletico as a route into the Champions League next season,” said William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly.
“Their Europa League form has been in stark contrast to their Premier League form during the second half of this season and they have every chance of progressing,” Crilly said.
Marseille overcame a first-leg deficit to beat German side Leipzig 5-3 over two legs in their quarter-final, while 1994 finalists Salzburg produced the shock result of the night by defeating Italian side Lazio 4-1 at home to win 6-5 on aggregate.
Salzburg have already beaten Marseille once in the competition this season, a 1-0 victory in Austria. The teams also drew 0-0 at the Velodrome.
“But this time it’s the semi-final so it’ll be different,” Marseille director Andoni Zubizarreta told beIN Sports.
The former Spain goalkeeper refused to accept it was an easy draw however.
“The four clubs have worked a lot to reach the semi-finals and yesterday Salzburg was very strong against Lazio,” Zubizarreta insisted in reference to the four goals Salzburg hit past the Romans on Thursday.
The games will be played on April 26 and May 3.
AFP
News
Senate Summons Keyamo, NCCA Boss, Others over Flight Delays, Cancellations
The Senate, on Wednesday, mandated its Committee on Aviation to summon the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
The upper chamber also resolved to summon the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); Captain Chris Najomo, airline operators as well as other relevant stakeholders over incessant flight delays and cancellations.
The Committee on Aviation is mandated to investigate the increasing frequency of flight delays and cancellations by airline operators in the country.
The resolution followed a motion presented by Senator Buhari Abdulfatai (Oyo, APC) during plenary, highlighting the negative impact of these disruptions on Nigeria’s socio-economic growth and public confidence in the aviation sector.
The investigation will aim to uncover the root causes of the persistent disruptions and propose lasting solutions to improve the reliability and efficiency of air travel in Nigeria.
News
Makinde Commissions Osun Road Projects, Endorses Gov Adeleke for Second Term
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has endorsed Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke for second term in office, stating that he as delivered dividends of democracy to the people of Osun State through the landmark achievements recorded within two years in office.
The governor made the announcement while commissioning Stadium – Testing ground – Okebaale – Ilesa garage road projects which was completed by Gov Adeleke’s administration, in Osogbo.
According to him, “I congratulate Governor Adeleke for delivering dividends of democracy to the people of Osun State. The reward for hard work is more work, so give him more work to do for another four years.”
While rejoicing with Governor Adeleke for the landmark achievements recorded within two years in office, Gov Makinde promised full support for the battle ahead to secure victory.
Gov Makinde urged the people of Osun not to allow darkness to return to the state, adding that the road projects would boost the economy of Osun.
He described himself and Gov Adeleke as true progressives in the southwest who will continue to lead the path and provide good leadership for the people.
Speaking earlier, the Governor of the state, Ademola Adeleke, paid tribute to the former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who started the road projects, noting that Aregbesola will be happy about the final completion of the projects.
The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment towards completing all abandoned projects by previous administrations since inception, stating that they are public assets that must be managed for the benefit of the people.
He added that the completion of the dualization within record time will expand the economic growth of the city, state and save people from untimely death and injuries.
“I must also pay tribute to my brother, former Governor Rauf Aregbesola. His administration started the Osogbo Ring Road project before it was abandoned by the previous government. Today, Ogbeni Aregbesola must be happy at the final completion of the project.
“At the inception of our administration, I had promised my God and the people of Osun state that I would not abandon projects inherited from my predecessors. It is my considered view that public projects are public assets which must not be wasted on the altar of political vendetta. I followed my conviction by directing my team to compile a list of all abandoned projects and submit a plan of completion.
“Based on the plan of action, our administration has completed several projects across the sectors. In under 100 days, we completed the Osogbo – Ikirun road dualisation with full solar street lights. It has been open to use since then. We expanded the inherited reconstruction of Iwo – Osogbo road to include dualisation of a major internal road inside Iwo. We completed several abandoned projects inside Osun State University including the one at Isale Osun which was neglected for almost eleven years.
“As I earlier promised our people, the commissioning of several completed projects continues to mark our two years in office. From over 150 kilometers of completed roads, the commissioning crew moves to Iresi town next week to be followed by other towns,” he concluded.
The Governor advised against reckless driving and breaching of driving safety protocols, affirming that most road accidents recorded were caused by over-speeding and one-way driving, while appealing to road users to be safety conscious.
He directed security agencies and road safety authorities to enforce safety codes on the roads, calling on the Ministry of Works to construct speed breakers where necessary.
Source: sahelstandard.com
News
No Deportation Order on Pastor Tobi, Lawyer Dismisses Reports As False
Dele Olawanle, Solicitor to SPAC Nation founder Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, has declared that contrary to reports, the flamboyant pastor is not facing deportation from the United Kingdom.
It will be recalled that the UK Telegraph had earlier reported that a UK immigration tribunal ruled that the 44-year-old should be sent back to his native Nigeria.
Adegboyega has lived in the UK unlawfully since overstaying on a visitor’s visa that allowed him to enter Britain in 2005.
He claimed deportation would breach his right to a family life – having married a British woman.
He also said the attempt to remove him by the Home Office failed to take account of his community work with SPAC.
The tribunal, however, found Adegboyega’s evidence to be “hyperbolic in many instances” and had “sought to grossly inflate his influence.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Olawanle said deportation applies only to criminals, adding that Adegboyega has neither a criminal record nor conviction.
He said, “The newspaper that carried the news was ignorant. I have acted for him as a lawyer on a personal basis and for the ministry. He is not facing deportation from the UK. That is elementary immigration laws for journalists.
“Deportation is for criminals. He is not. Even though the courts and the charity commission had issues with SPAC NATIONS, he was not personally found guilty of any wrongdoings.
“Tobi has lived in the UK for at least 20 years without a criminal conviction. He has contributed significantly to the British community. He has faced many challenges, but he is a winner.
“Many of his adversaries are from the African community. Sensationalism is an act of idiocy. It is not worth the paper it was written on. I read some comments this morning and wondered why people are so quick to make ignorant comments without facts.
“I wondered why there is joy in seeing people go down, including so-called pastors. Society has a big problem, as we cannot handle people who are different and want them to go down.”
Source: theliberationnews
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