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An ode to Obi: Mikel took the armband on Sunday and headed home on his 300th game... this is how Chelsea man has turned from red card villain into crucial component
By RIK SHARMA


Everybody was surprised when Michael Essien handed the captain's armband to John Obi Mikel on Sunday.

Even Jose Mourinho admitted after the game that by right Ashley Cole should have received it when the Ghanaian was substituted.

But Mikel and Cole were both signed by Mourinho in July 2006 and it's clear that the former, rather than the latter, will play the more crucial part in a Chelsea title bid.




During the past seven-and-a-half years, since signing as a 19-year-old, Mikel has matured immensely.

He's 26 at the moment - 27 in April - and approaching the peak of his career.

Everybody was even more surprised, on Sunday, when Mikel scored; his header was only his fourth Chelsea goal, arriving in his 300th game.

Mikel is the fourth non-British player to reach that total for Chelsea, behind undisputed club legends Petr Cech (459 appearances), Didier Drogba (341) and Gianfranco Zola (312).

He has been consistently selected since he joined, by no less than eight managers. Mourinho, Hiddink, Ancelotti and the rest can't all be wrong.

And yet Mikel still divides opinion among Chelsea supporters. Many chide him if he ever misplaces a pass and wonders what he adds to the team.

Perhaps this is a hangover from his early, ill-disciplined days, where he would lunge in rashly for tackles and pick up red cards.

The transfer itself was controversial; he had signed for Manchester United from Lyn Oslo, but Chelsea had agreed a deal with his agent.



A press conference where Mikel sported a Red Devils' shirt only clouded the matter and after lengthy legal wrangles, Chelsea eventually emerged with their prize - at a cost of £4million to Lyn and £12m to United.

Subsequently, Lyn director Morgan Andersen was convicted of fraud and Chelsea issued a High Court Claim against him and the club, to try and recoup the money.

The matter was settled out of court, confidentially, but it likely means that Chelsea paid less than £16m for the defensive midfielder - a pittance given his service over the years.

It did not appear that way at first though; despite Mourinho putting his faith in Mikel, playing him 42 times in his debut season in England, the player's attitude was not quite right.

He was late to training a handful of times and on the pitch some of his decision making left plenty to be desired.

Mikel was booked nine times and sent off twice in 2006-07, and had two reds the following season with eight bookings (39 games). He hasn't been red carded since, and now averages seven yellow cards a season.




As his discipline improves, his awareness of the game and his surroundings increases as well. Or perhaps it's the other way around.

Mikel is composed - he can receive the ball under pressure from several opposition players, drawing them in, before sliding it along to a team-mate in a better position.

This draws criticism that he can only pass sideways or backwards, but if Chelsea are trying to keep possession those balls are crucial.

He is a player that Chelsea's defence can trust to come deep and sit in amongst them if needed, someone who never hides and will always make himself available for a pass.

You notice when Mikel does make a mistake or misplace a pass, because it's so rare for him to do so.

Mikel is the best screen in front of the defence that Chelsea have - and is one of the best in the world at this role.

Ramires makes plenty of tackles but when he's left as the most defensive player in the Blues' midfield, they can look exposed.


Following in the master's - Makelele - footsteps was always going to be difficult but some Chelsea supporters may not appreciate what Mikel offers until it is gone.

As you will know, in his youth, Mikel used to be an attacking midfielder. Mourinho saw the potential for him to play as an anchorman and deployed him there from the start.

It does lead people to wonder why he hasn't contributed more goals and assists, but given his role in the side it's safety first for Mikel.

However, given his aerial prowess, he should have scored more goals from set piece situations, like the one against Derby County, rising to nod home Willian's free kick.


Andersen had stated, during the transfer debacle: 'Alex Ferguson said to me that Mikel would be the new Roy Keane and he was offered a contract that was even better than the one they gave Cristiano Ronaldo when he came to the club.'

Perhaps a weakness is his speed; Mikel is not the quickest, and, infrequently, still throws himself into tackles which he might not be able to win.

Mikel is also a big game player. His finest performance to date for the club came in the Champions League final, against Bayern Munich, the greatest night in Chelsea's history.

He was arguably man of the match on that day, although Didier Drogba's brilliant equaliser and cup-winning penalty kick overshadowed him on that day.

That's often the story for Mikel. A quiet, under-appreciated but crucial part of a trophy-winning side.



John Obi Mikel's Chelsea goal collection

1. Chelsea v Macclesfield (Jan 6 2007, FA Cup)

A quite superb volley from the edge of the box, rifled into the top corner.

2. Chelsea v Nottingham Forest (Jan 28 2007, FA Cup)

An ugly tap-in after a deflected Frank Lampard corner.

3. Chelsea v Fulham (Sep 21 2013, Premier League)

Hooked in strike from close range to break six year plus goal drought. Cue pandemonium

4. Derby v Chelsea

A flicked header from Willian's free kick




John Obi Mikel's trophy cabinet

Premier League (2009-10)

FA Cup x 4 (2007, 09, 10, 12)

League Cup (2007)

Champions League (2012)

Europa League (2013)




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2534573/John-Obi-Mikel-How-Chelsea-man-transformed-seven-years-crucial-component.html

The Liberty Report

Tinubu and Fashola
Tinubu and Fashola: accused by citizen of huge fraud
A list tagged The Tinubu List has been forwarded to the Liberty Report by a citizen who claimed that the contents of the list constitute ill-gotten assets traceable to the strongman of Lagos politics, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Liberty Report has no independent way of authenticating the alleged corruption list. An email enquiry sent to the office of the governor of Lagos State was not responded to as at press time. The List is being published as a matter of public interest. Those accused in the list are public figures.

The sender said he challenged Bola Tinubu or the EFCC to disprove the content. The list is reproduced below.

THE TINUBU LIST – UNEDITED
1. 4, Oyinkan Abayomi (formerly Queens) Drive, Ikoyi: A 5-bedroom detached house on one acre of land which was originally the Lagos State Governor’s guest house since 1979, but which now belongs to Tinubu. The certificate of occupancy of the property valued at N450 million was signed and released to him by Fashola in 2007 shortly after he assumed office.

2. Tinubu’s residence at 26 Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi was initially falsely presented as Oando Plc Guest House. Later, he purportedly bought it from Oando, and used public funds to rebuild and renovate it. The Lagos State Government bought the property and paid an undisclosed sum to him and thereafter gave the property back to him under the bogus Pension Bill he signed to law shortly before he left office in 2007. The property is worth over N600 million.

3. The annex of the Lagos State Guest House in Asokoro, Abuja was bought by the State Government in 2006 for N450 million, purportedly to protect the main house from security breach. Shortly after Tinubu left office, the property was transferred to him under the pension plan he signed into law before leaving office.

4. The 250-hectare land valued at about N35billion and strategically located at the Ajah junction on Lekki Road was initially meant for a General Hospital for the people of Eti-Osa Local Government but was stolen by Tinubu and handed over to Trojan Estate Ltd – a company owned by Deji and Wale Tinubu – to develop as Royal Garden Housing Estate at the expense of the taxpayers of Lagos.

5. The 1,000 hectares of land valued at about N75billion located at Lakowe near Abijo at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Lekki Concession Company (LCC) which is partly- owned by Tinubu and Fashola and being developed as golf course and housing estate by Assets and Resource Management Ltd (ARM) as ADIVA project.

6. The prime land of 157 hectares with 2.5km of Atlantic beachfront valued at about N10billion and stolen by Tinubu from the communities of Siriwon, Igbekodo, Apakin, etc in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Ibukun Fakeye – his crony to build a golf course and luxury villa with little or no compensation to the villagers. In addition, Tinubu paid $20million (N3billion) out of public treasury to Ibukun Fakeye to commence the project in late 2006. Fashola has since released additional funding for this project, which is not owned by the state government.

7. The 14-hectare Parkview Ikoyi Estate foreshore land reclaimed by Lagos State Government is now owned by Bola Tinubu.

8. While in office, he allocated to himself the former Strabag yard beside the Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja. The property is now being developed into a shopping mall as big as the Palms in Lekki. This is public property brazenly stolen and now owned by Tinubu, aided by Fashola.

9. The choice property at Lekki-Epe road on which he built and owns the multi-billion naira Oriental Hotel and the extension of multi-storey car park beside it. Also, the multi-level recreation centre by Mobil in Oniru Estate on Lekki-Epe road jointly owned with ARM and Tunji Olowolafe. All these assets valued at over N25billion were obtained without paying a kobo to the Lagos State Government.

10. Tinubu and Fashola sold the following prime Lagos properties to their personal friend and front – Prince Dipo Eludoyin at very ridiculous prices:

• The 3.8-hectare of land of Lagos State Fisheries office in VI (beside the Institute of Oceanography) valued at N3billion.

• The fishery landing jetty at Badore (where the Ilubirin fishermen were to be relocated) valued at N500million

• The entire Ogudu foreshore scheme initially earmarked for a low-cost housing scheme valued at N5billion

• The Ilubinrin housing estate (which used to house Lagos state civil servants and judges up till 2007) valued at N2.5billion.

• The former Julius Berger yard at Oko Orisan, Epe valued at N450million.

11. Tinubu raised a loan of N4.7billion on Eko Akete project for which nothing was achieved before he turned around to sell the property to his Chagouri friends of Chagouri & Chagouri and Hitech Construction Ltd at a ridiculously low price at the expense of the taxpayers of Lagos.

12. Tinubu applied to personally purchase the Federal Secretariat building while in office. When he couldn’t get to buy it, he directed Fashola to stop the eventual owner of the complex to develop it. The complex is presently wasting away courtesy of the Lagos State Government.

13. It took several months of horse trading and underhand payments before Fashola could allow the new owners of 1004 flats to redevelop the complex.

14. Several other buyers of Federal Government properties and developers of properties in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Government Reservation Area Ikeja were forced to succumb to the outrageous demands of Tinubu, Fashola, Commissioner Abosede and other officials of the Lagos State Physical Planning Ministry and were made to pay ridiculous amounts to private accounts before their redevelopments were approved. Those who refused or were unable to pay could not develop their properties. This is a major economic strangulation of property developers and has contributed largely to the skyrocketing rent in Ikoyi, VI and Lekki axis.

15. Tinubu converted all the plots of land where Lagos Polytechnic was located at Ikosi near the old toll gate. He chased away the Polytechnic in 2006 and went ahead to locate the choice plots to himself, his cronies and political associates. The headquarters of Television Continental (TVC), which is owned by him, is located there. He deprived the youths of Lagos of decent education because of his greed.

16. Tinubu singlehandedly sold the prime land on Aboyade Cole, Victoria Island which was recovered from some allotees, to UACN Properties Plc. The amount of proceeds was shrouded in secrecy.

17. Eludoyin, fronting for Tinubu, built the estate directly opposite Goshen Beach Estate in Lekki area.

18. Tinubu’s wife, Remi Tinubu, built the massive New Era Foundation youth camp at the junction of Eleko, off the Lekki-Epe express road, with Lagos State funds and has now converted it to personal use.

19. Tinubu owns the Fara Park Estate and the Beach Wood Estate both in Lekki.

20. The Critical Care unit at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, built and equipped with state funds, is now owned personally by Tinubu. He has put one Dr. Sikiru Tinubu, (a supposed cousin of his) to run the outfit. It is run as a private unit and the proceeds are pocketed by the duo. The unit charges its users exorbitantly and most Lagosians can hardly afford to pay its high charges. Much of the revenue is derived from fees paid by the State Government for patients referred there by its General Hospitals.

21. Several prominent Nigerians in the judiciary, police, INEC, and other sensitive agencies have obtained prime land from former Governor Tinubu and incumbent Governor Fashola over the years without paying a kobo. Many of them had turned around to sell the land to third parties at substantial profit. Many top officials in the police, INEC and the judiciary who participated in the 2003 and 2007 elections and tribunals in states where Tinubu has interest were compromised with parcels of free prime Lagos land and cash. If the Lagos State Land’s Bureau could publish the names and identities of beneficiaries of land allotees from 2000 to date, the scandal that will result is better imagined. Gbenga Ashafa, now a Senator, and Mrs. Awofisayo were the conduits through which these acts were being perpetrated. Both were also personally involved in various dubious land transactions on their own.

22. Prime land and properties have been used to pay off public officials who are personally close to Tinubu and Fashola for “jobs well done” or for being privy to sensitive information, notably:

(a) Dele Alake, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, was sold a whole house on Alexander Road, Ikoyi where he lived as official quarters at a give-away price.


http://myondostate.com/w3/shocking-curuption-list-citizen-reveals-tinubus-alleged-assets-challenges-efcc-to-disprove-list/

Imagine this..an Immigration escort vehicle with license no. IS060HQ leading a green Ford Excort Jeep probably to drop off or pick up one "Oga"..the driver of the Ford just rammed into my car and broke the side mirror, just cos I did not maneuver off his path on time...not cos I didn't want to move off..there was just no clear path immediately for me to drive off..

It's really annoying..your in a foreign land and treated like shit...even in your country you are harassed and oppressed by those in authority...really tough being a Nigerian these days..if the economic situation doesn't get you..the security situation corners you..if GOD protects you from arm robbers and the Boks..one uniformed man or government official tries to oppress or even murder you...really tough keeping things cool being a Nigerian....

House found..Many thanks