Louis van Gaal shocked as Manchester United beaten by inspired Arsenal

Louis van Gaal questioned the will to win of his Manchester United players after he watched in shock as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal. United conceded all of the goals in the first 19 minutes and Van Gaal complained about their failure to execute his gameplan, together with their lack of aggression. He said that he had made his feelings known to them at half-time and full-time.
“
I didn’t expect that,” Van Gaal said. “I was surprised – not performing to our gameplan, not the will to win. I have not seen that, when you are top of the league [as United were at the beginning of the weekend]. So I was surprised, amazed – maybe that is a better word.

Alexis Sánchez’s explosive start fires Arsenal above Manchester United “When you give a team like Arsenal so much space to play football, then you know you will lose. We prepared ourselves to play more compact and not losing our aggression, so it was amazing for me. I am very disappointed.”

Van Gaal said that he had no explanation for what had happened at the outset, when Arsenal tore through his team, with Alexis Sánchez scoring either side of Mesut Özil’s goal. “I don’t know why it happened,” Van Gaal said. “I put the
question at half-time and after the match. It is difficult for the players to answer at the moment, because they are all in an emotional moment. We have lost, and lost in a way that you cannot lose when you are top of the league.

“The problems did not start at the back, they started in midfield. Their midfield players, especially Cazorla and Özil, had too much time and space. We also had space behind our defence. When you always put the pressure on, they cannot make their passes so easily. That was our problem in the first half.

“They were not aggressive. And you have to do it not only with the two in midfield but as a team. You have to be more compact. You need aggression at the moment you have a duel and Arsenal were much more aggressive.” Van Gaal said that his frustration was compounded by the
fact that most of his players would now depart for international duty, with some of them flying straight out of London, and there would be no time for him to work on restoring the collective confidence before the trip to Everton on Saturday week. Arsène Wenger, too, had reason to bemoan the international fixtures. Sánchez limped off towards the end with a groin problem but he will join up with Chile before their World Cup qualifiers at home to Brazil on Thursday night and away to Peru the following
Tuesday night. “He has a little groin problem and, unfortunately, he goes to Chile,” the Arsenal manager said. “You cannot stop him from
going to Chile. He loves so much to play for his country and they play against Brazil and in Peru. He will not want to miss the Brazil game. I hope he will come back in good shape.”

Wenger was delighted with Arsenal’s performance, which represented a ”strong and united” response to Tuesday’s 3-2 home loss to Olympiakos in the Champions League. He felt that all of his players had played well, particularly Theo Walcott, who set up the second and third goals. Wenger described it as ”certainly one of Walcott’s best games as a No9.”

Wenger said: “We were convincing and it gives a strong answer to all the questions that were raised during the week.  What you want is a strong response when you have a big
disappointment. We have to put it all in perspective and focus on what is important – it’s us and not too much on what was said.
”The pressure on any disappointment is massive today, it makes it a bit more difficult to deal with and we did it well. To win in a big game is always a statement and we are in it [the title race]. I hope that the result will give us belief and ambition for fight for it.”

Ahmed Musa on fire in Russia

Super Eagles forward Ahmed Musa has expressed his delight at scoring a goal in CSKA Moscow’s 2-0 win at Dinamo Moscow on Sunday to become the Russian Premier League top scorer alongside Zenit St.Petersburg’s Brazil international Hulk. Both players have scored six goals each in the season. It was Musa’s ninth goal in all competitions. South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner Musa, who scored the second goal in the 77th minute for CSKA Moscow against Dinamo, said the victory would boost the team’s confidence as they aim to reclaim the Premier League title.

“I am happy with the victory at Dinamo and getting a goal in the game is good for me as well,” AfricanFootball.com quoted the former Kano Pillars star as saying after the encounter. “It was not an easy game being a derby, but we worked hard to get the victory we wanted.

“We have now won two derbies away this season (the first was at Spartak Moscow) and that’s good for our confidence as we target
to win the league.

“I am not getting carried away with my goals, I will keep working hard to score more.” CSKA remain top of the Premier League standings with 29 points from 11 games, eight points clear of nearest challengers Zenit St
Petersburg. Meanwhile, out-of-favour Nigeria striker Bartholomew Ogbeche scored his fifth goal in three matches for Cambuur as the
Leeuwarden side drew 1-1 with Roda JC in the Dutch on Saturday.

According to supersport.com , Marvin Peerman headed a corner into the path of Ogbeche, who fired home from close range to give the visitors a deserved lead.

“I am disappointed, because I expected to win. But what a great goal for Roda. A beauty. You have to respect that,” he was quoted as saying on the club’s official website, www.cambuur.nl.
Ogbeche has scored six goals in all competitions for Cambuur this
season.

Wike Makes First Public Appearance After Initial Blackout

After his initial disappearance during Nigeria’s
Independence day celebration on Thursday , October 1, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has made a dramatic appearance in public.
The governor was reportedly sighted in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Saturday, where he was inspecting ongoing road projects in the state. Governor Nyesom Wike of RIvers state was sighted carrying out some inspections in Port Harcourt, the state capital

Wike, whose administration has been drawing criticisms from the opposition for not celebrating the 55th national Independence anniversary in the state, but made elaborate celebration of his 100 days in office, voiced his pleasure during an unscheduled visit to the Rumuomoi/ Orosi/ Psychiatric road in Obio- Akpor Local Government Area of the State.

The governor who addressed newsmen at the site, said:

“The happiness on the faces of the people shows that they appreciate what the State Government Is doing for them. But the quality of the job is what is important to my administration.” The governor said the road is important and strategic as it will decongest traffic on Ikwerre road.

“For some time now, this road was impassable; but today you can see that businesses are thriving and the value of properties will improve,” he noted.

Wike’s dramatic arrival at the site with hooting of siren attracted a remarkable crowd at the venue despite his Impromptu visit to the site, he also stated that huge amount spent on the project, is commensurate with the quality of the road. Governor Wike promised to tackle head on the myriad of problems confronting the state which are inevitable because governance is about solving problems.

'We only spent N332m for independence in 5-yrs' Ex- President says;

The statement, however, claimed that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration spent a total of N70 million on the 55th independence anniversary.

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has denied claims that his administration of five years spent a total of N64billion on October 1 celebrations.

In a statement issued by the immediate ex-minister/ deputy chairman, National Planning Commission, Abubakar Sulaiman , the ex-president only spent a a total of N332.6m in five years with an average of N66m.

The statement, however, claimed that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration spent a total of N70 million on the 55th independence anniversary.

In the words of Sulaiman, " We were taken aback by the recent comment reportedly credited to His Excellency, Governor Nasir El-rufai where he claimed that the immediate past President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration spent N64billion to cover the country independence anniversary spending in five years."

'The break down, according to the governor showed that N13billion was spent in 2011, N15billion in 2012 and N14billion in 2013 and N22billion allegedly spent in 2014. This tissue of lies was contained on his facebook comment on Thursday. 'Ordinarily, we would have allowed this to go as just ranting of a favour seeker , but for the sake of ordinary Nigerians who were abreast of happenings under the administration and also those who never did, we will like to set the record straight.

'It is important to correct the misinformation so that the unsuspecting public would not be misled. For the record, a breakdown of our anniversary spending between 2012 to 2014 amounted to N332.6million. We challenge the Office of the Government of the Federation (OSGF) to publish these details for the consumption of the public.

'For the record, a breakdown of our spending for this event between 2012 and 2104 goes thus;
2012-107.6million; 2013-45million and 2014 had 180million. So, the question here is where did the billions as claimed by el-rufai emanate from? Even though that of 2010 and 2011 are not handy now, but it should be known that they all fall within the same bracket as the one stated, except that the 2010 anniversary was a golden one when the country marked her 50 year of independence.

'But even then , not such outrageous sum was either budgeted or expended . Again, it is germane to explain the increase in the 2013 anniversary spending for the purpose of accountability. The National Honours Award Investiture was incorporated into the celebration, thus making it two events in one, hence the N174,800,000.00 budget. We also want to add that the said award investiture could not hold in 2013 and the approved budget rolled over and was utilized to organise the investiture in 2014.

'It is high time government functionaries desisted from abusing their immunity by destroying history and trading on lies just to gain cheap popularity or curry one favour or the other from certain quarters. Perhaps President Olusegun Obasanjo was right in his assessment of el-rufai when he said in his latest memoir, My Watch that his vivid recollection of him (el rufai) is his penchant for lying, for unfair embellishment of stories and his inability to sustain loyalty for long.

'That exactly is what el-rufai has done with his ungodly fabrication of lies against Jonathan government. One hopes that President Buhari would be on guard against being misled by the likes of el-rufai who are hell bent on misinforming the Nigerian publics,' the statement read in full.

How Kuje Bomb Blast Happened - Eyewitnesses

More details have been revealed by eyewitnesses on what really happened late last night, October 2, in Kuje at the site of the bomb blast.
Our correspondents who were at the scene of the blast in Kuje spoke with some residents of the area who gave different narratives of how the blast happened.

“ The blast happened as if there was an earthquake ,” Mr. Samuel Adewole said.

An eye witness who asked to be anonymous said that

the bomb blast happened twice with one suicide
explosion at the police station and another explosion at the popular Kuje market which is a stone throw from the police station.

“ The blast occurred twice. The was one at the gate of the police station with only suicide bomber the casualty recorded. The suicide bomber couldn’t make it into the police station before the bomb exploded ,” the anonymous eyewitness said.

   However, there are speculations as to the identity of the suicide bomber who according to residents of the area was a woman who wore a hijab.

A source who is also a police officer however, denied that the explosion happened twice. He also declined to give the numbers of people who died or got injured.

Mr Andrew, a resident of Kuje disclosed that close to (40) persons were injured and more than 18 died from the blast. Andrew blamed the blast on the porous security in the area.

“ The security is poor here and the army barracks that could have helped in providing security has been moved to Gwagwalada, leaving us with just a naval base in Pegi,” Andrew said.

Check out images below...

Timi Dakolo Sends Loving Birthday Message To His "Iyawo Mi"

Yesterday , Saturday October 3, was the birthday of Busola Dakolo, the beautiful wife of Nigerian singer Timi Dakolo.

The excited father of three wrote down a touching message to the women of his life through his Instagram page.

“Happy birthday to my lover..prayer warrior. ….bringer of favour…manipulator extraordinary.
Wife forever..Aproko colleague. ..Mama alexander,hallel and zoe..Joy giver..my personal drama queen …financial manager and money spender. Hormones relaxer…god bless you..god keep you. let’s do forever ..i heart you,’

he captioned a lovely photo of his ‘Iyawo’.

Recently, Timi Dakolo revealed how he makes his money in the Nigerian music industry as well as his love for cars.

Nigerian Army bans ex-boys of Military schools from use of uniforms (KAAKI)

Ex-Students of Nigerian Military School, Zaria have been banned from the use of the Nigerian Army Army uniforms, accoutrement and kits without authorisation.

According to a report by Leadership Newspaper, the ex- students have been banned from unauthorised use of the uniforms in civil institutions.
   In a statement signed by the Director of Nigerian Army Public Relations, Col Sani Kukasheka Usman the use of the military uniform by ex-students of the military institution is not only unlawful but worrisome.

“ It is pertinent to reiterate that wearing of military uniforms or kits on campus by anyone is absolutely unlawful.” 'More worrisome, is the fact that most of the offenders are Ex-students who have deserted the Army, and are not legally entitled to have military uniforms or items within their possessions.

'The Ex-Boys who left Nigerian Military School from 2012 when the school ceased to be a military institution, are expected to surrender their military uniforms and kits after graduation.

'The illegal possession of military accoutrement is punishable under sections 109,110 and 251 of Nigerian Criminal Code

'The security departments of civil institutions and the general public are also requested to report suspected impostors to nearest Nigerian Army formations or Security Agencies ,'

the statement read.

U.S. counter-terrorism squad train 200 Nigerian Police, others

The U.S. Government’s Anti-terrorism Assistance
Programme (ATA) has conducted a mass casualty exercise to culminate a yearlong training programme with 200 Nigerian Police and other emergency management professionals.

This is contained in a statement by the Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy on Saturday in Abuja. It said that the exercise, conducted in Abuja on Saturday, was ATA’s largest in Nigeria, included participants from Nigerian Red Cross, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and medical personnel.

The statement said that the exercise enhanced everyone’s ability to plan effectively for and manage a mass casualty critical incident. It explained that the U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Mrs Maria Brewer, at the event said that the exercise was to achieve new innovation among the participants.

“ By bringing together all of your various agencies, with outside experts in the field, we can achieve new innovations, greater cooperation, and build upon many of the skills you already possess, ” she said. Brewer, in the statement, expressed the U.S. Government’s condolences for Oct. 2 twin bomb blasts in Abuja which further emphasised the significance of the training and emergency preparedness.

The statement also quoted the NEMA Director General, Alhaji Sani Sidi , as commending the U.S. for organising the programme for the emergency professionals and security agents.

“ The capacity building programme provided by the Anti- terrorism Assistance Programme of the United States is coming at a very good time when all hands must be on deck to defeat terrorism.

“There is a need for the security agencies and the Nigerian actors to step up their game in order to counter these threats, ” he said.
According to the statement, in its 1.5 million dollars programme worldwide, ATA has trained NEMA in critical incident management courses and enhanced Nigeria’s explosive ordnance disposal capabilities through courses, seminars, and equipment grants. It said ATA had trained senior hospital personnel and emergency response personnel including police, fire fighters, emergency management technicians, and specialised law enforcement units on management of mass casualty incidents.

Nigerians Won't Participate In Devil Stoning - Sanusi

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, said Nigerians would not participate in the devil stoning ritual, unless provided accommodation
close to Jamrat.

According to Vanguard, this followed the recent deadly Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia that claimed scores ofblives of Nigerians.

Sanusi was quoted as saying:
“During the era of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he
permitted pilgrims who came on camels to stay in Makkah after Arafat, instead of staying in Mina and sleeping at Muzdalifa.
“So, if the Prophet can give such grace to some people, just to protect their animals, why didn’t our scholars educate our people properly to avoid this untoward hardship and death?
“Therefore, it will be part of my recommendation to the federal government that, if we cannot get
accommodation close to Jamrat where the Arabs reside in Mina, then this year may be the last time we will sleep in Mina and Muzdalifa because we want to stone the devil.
“If one deliberately refuses to perform the stoning of the devil ritual, all he needs to do is just to slaughter a ram.
So, if this is the situation, why do we go and suffer and die instead of sacrificing a ram.”

The Emir yesterday also met with the authorities of Saudi Arabia urging them to thoroughly investigate the Hajj tragedy that resulted in so many deaths of Muslim faithfuls.

Listen to your guardian angel's advice - he is God’s messenger, Pope Francis says

Each of us has a Guardian Angel who, acting on behalf of God, advises us and protects us from evil, if we only listen to him, Pope Francis said during his homily at Mass on Friday.

“May we ask the Lord for the grace of this meekness, to listen to the voice of this companion, to this ambassador from God who accompanies us in His name and may we be supported by his help,”

the Pope said Oct. 2 during his celebration of Mass for the feast of the Guardian Angels, Vatican Radio reported.

He explained that when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God could have left them to fend for themselves. But instead, as an act of love and mercy, the Lord sent with them an angel to guide and protect them.

The same is true for us today, Pope Francis said. Even when we feel alone or think that we can “hide so many things from God,” our Guardian Angels are by our sides, guiding us and trying to
show us the right path. “It’s like having God’s ambassador with us. And the Lord advises us: ‘Respect his presence!’ And when we, for example, commit a sin and believe that we’re on our own: No, (the Guardian Angel) is there,” he said.

   Although we cannot see our angels, we can listen to them and heed their advice, the Pope continued. “Show respect for (the angel’s) presence. Listen to his voice because he gives us advice. When we hear that inspiration: ‘But do
this … this is better … we should not do that.’
Listen! Do not go against him.”

In Mt. 18:1-5, 10, Jesus tells his disciples they must become like little children in order to enter heaven. In the same way, we must be childlike in our humility and meekness before our Guardian Angels, Pope Francis said.

“The Christian must be meek when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Meekness towards the Holy Spirit begins with this yielding to the advice given by this companion on our journey.”

He closed by saying that we must “ask the Lord for the grace of this meekness, to listen to the voice of this companion” who is a sign of God’s love for us.

“(I)n this Mass where we praise the Lord, let us remember how good our Lord is, who straight after we lost His friendship, did not leave us alone, did not abandon us.”

19 killed after airstrike hits hospital in battle against terrorists

   An airstrike hit a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Afghan city of Kunduz on Saturday, killing several people in what the U.S. military called possible "collateral damage" in the battle to oust Taliban insurgents.

  At least 19 people died in the strike, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres, including 12 staff, four adult patients, and three children.

Frantic MSF staff phoned military officials at NATO in Kabul and Washington after the attack, and bombs continued to rain down near the medical facility for nearly an hour, one official from the aid group said.

At least 37 people were wounded and many patients and staff still missing, it added.
The U.S. military promised to investigate the incident, which could renew concerns over the use of its air power in the conflict.

Afghan government forces backed by U.S. air power have fought to drive the Taliban out of the northern provincial capital since the militants seized it six days ago, in the biggest victory of their near 14-year insurgency.

One resident, Khodaidad, told Reuters the Taliban had been using the hospital buildings for cover during the fighting on Friday.
"I could hear sounds of heavy gunfire, explosions and airplanes throughout the night," he added. "There were several huge explosions and it sounded like the roof was falling on me," he added.

U.S. forces launched an air strike at 2.15 a.m. (2145 GMT), spokesman, Col. Brian Tribus , said in a statement.
"The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility ... This incident is under investigation," he added.

At the aid group's bombed-out hospital, one wall of a building had collapsed, scattering fragments of glass and wooden door frames, and three rooms were ablaze, said Saad Mukhtar, director of public health in Kunduz. "Thick black smoke could be seen rising from some of the rooms ... The fighting is still going on, so we had to
leave."

"DEEPLY SHOCKED"
Almost 200 patients and employees were in the hospital, the only one in the region that can deal with major injuries, said Medecins Sans Frontieres, which raised the death toll to at least 16 by late on Saturday.

"We are deeply shocked by the attack, the killing of our staff and patients and the heavy toll it has inflicted on healthcare in Kunduz," operations director Bart Janssens said in a statement.
MSF said it gave the location of the hospital to both Afghan and U.S. forces several times in the past few months, most recently this week, to avoid being caught in crossfire.

MSF said it had treated almost 400 patients in the 150- bed hospital since fighting broke out, most for gunshot wounds. So many patients have flooded in that the hospital had to put them in offices and on mattresses on the floor.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani 's spokesman said last week there would be no airstrikes inside the city because of the risk of mass civilian casualties. Ghani's predecessor, former President Hamid Karzai, fell out with his backers in Washington in part over the number of civilians killed by bombs earlier in the nearly 14-year-old war, America's longest military conflict. The U.S. embassy in Kabul said in a statement it "mourns
for the individuals and families affected by the tragic incident."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "deeply shocked" by the incident.
"This is an appalling tragedy," said Jean-Nicolas Marti , head of the ICRC in Afghanistan. "Such attacks undermine the capacity of humanitarian organizations to assist the Afghan people at a time when they most urgently need it."

Pope Francis visits with gay friend and partner at the Vatican

Yayo Grassi, an openly gay man, brought his partner, Iwan Bagus, as well several other friends to the Vatican Embassy on September 23 for a brief visit with the Pope.

The day before Pope Francis met anti-gay county clerk, Kim Davis in Washington last week, he held a private meeting with a longtime friend from Argentina who has been in a same-sex relationship for 19 years.

Yayo Grassi , an openly gay man, brought his partner, Iwan Bagus , as well several other friends to the Vatican Embassy on September 23 for a brief visit with the Pope. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Grassi declined to disclose details about the short visit, but said it was arranged personally with the Pope via email in the weeks ahead of Francis' highly anticipated visit to the United States.

"Three weeks before the trip, he called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug," Grassi said. The meeting between the Pope and gay couple adds another intriguing twist to the strange aftermath of Francis' first-ever trip to the United States.

Since news broke on Tuesday of Francis' meeting with Davis, conservatives have cheered the seemingly implicit endorsement, while liberals have questioned how much the Pope knew about her case. The two encounters, one with a gay couple and one with a government official who ardently opposes homosexuality, have left the Vatican scrambling to issue short explanatory statements that seek to de-politicize the Pope's meetings and agenda. On Friday afternoon, Vatican spokesman the Reverend Federico Lombardi said that Grassi had asked to present his mother and several friends to Francis in Washington.

"As noted in the past, the Pope, as pastor, has maintained many personal relationships with people in a spirit of kindness, welcome and dialogue," Lombardi said. Earlier on Friday, the Vatican said that the meeting with Davis was not intended as a show of support for her cause and "the only real audience granted by the Pope at the nunciature (embassy) was with one of his former students and his family."

"That was me," Grassi said. Grassi, who is 67, added that he is willing to talk about his private moment with the pontiff because he was upset about media coverage of the Pope's meeting with Davis.

"I want to show the truth of who Pope Francis is," he said.

Pope Francis taught Grassi in literature and psychology classes at Inmaculada Concepcion, a Catholic high school in Sante Fe, Argentina, from 1964-1965. Grassi said that he is now an atheist but the Pope has long known that he is gay, but has never condemned his sexuality or his same-sex relationship. "He has never been judgmental," Grassi said. "He has never said anything negative."

Greeting Bagus with a handshake last Wednesday, Francis says that he recalls meeting him in Rome, where they met in 2014, according to Grassi. Grassi said that he asked for the meeting in Washington because the friends he brought along have been through difficult times and wanted to receive of a blessing from the pontiff.

At the end the meeting, the Pope hugs both Grassi and Bagus and kisses them on the cheek. "Obviously he is the pastor of the church and he has to follow the church's teachings," Grassi added. "But as a human being he understands all kinds of situations, and he is open to all kinds of people, including those with different sexual characteristics."

While not changing church teaching, which considers same-sex relationships sinful, Pope Francis has often emphasized mercy over judgment. In 2013, for example, he famously said, "Who am I to judge" gay priests who seek to do God's will. He also reportedly met with a transgender man from Spain in January of this year.