Former Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi dies suddenly at 54

Nigerian football icon Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi died suddenly in the early hours of Wednesday in Benin City, Edo state. 

He was scheduled to return to the United States on Wednesday evening before he suffered cardiac arrest.

The former international football player and coach had lost his wife of 35 years, Kate, last year after a prolonged battle with cancer.

TheCable confirmed his death from a member of his family as well as one of his close associates.

“He was not ill at all, never showed any signs of  illness, but we suspect he never got over the death of his wife,” a friend said.

He is survived by four children and his mother.

Keshi, the only Nigerian coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations, achieved a rare feat in 2013 by becoming only the second person to win the trophy both as a player and a coach.

The only other person to have achieved the feat is Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary.

Keshi, a product of St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Lagos, started his playing career at a very young age at ACB Football Club, and later played for New Nigeria Bank, Stade d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren, Anderlecht, RC Strasbourg, and a host of other clubs.

He represented Nigeria from 1982, at age 20, till 1994, most of the time captaining the Super Eagles and scoring vital goals from his position as a central defender.

He also coached Togo and Nigeria at the World Cup, as well as Mali.

Keshi, nicknamed the “Big Boss” for his leadership skills, is the fifth member of the all-conquering 1994 team to die, following Uche Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare.

‘HE HAS FOUND REST’

Meanwhile, the family has released a statement announcing his death.

The statement signed by Emmanuel Ado was titled: “Stephen Keshi CON has gone to be with his wife”.

“With thanksgiving to God, the Ogbuenyi Fredrick Keshi family of Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, announces the death of Mr. Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi,” Ado wrote.

“Our son, brother, father, father-in-law,brother-in-law, has gone to be with his wife of 35 years (Nkem), Mrs. Kate Keshi, who passed on on the 9th December 2015.

“Since her death, Keshi has been in mourning. He came back to Nigeria to be with her. He had planned to fly back today Wednesday, before he suffered a cardiac arrest. He has found rest.

“We thank God for his life.

“We want to ask for understanding in this very difficult time for the family.”

FG threatens to revoke licences of banks violating its ‘no sack’ order

Following the news of the retrenchment of 200 staff of Skye bank today, the federal government has released a statement threatening to sanction banks and telecommunication companies, that fail to comply with its order to suspend retrenchment. FG on June 4th, prevailed on Banks and Insurance companies to halt retrenchment exercises for now due to the hard economic realities.

The Minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige gave the warning at the 105th session of the International Labour Congress (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland today June 7th.

“The federal government gave the licences to the banks to operate and if its directives are not adhered to the licences will be withdrawn if the need arises. We will go a step further if they continue. We know what to do. They need to comply. They need to come to the negotiation table. We halted the spate of sack in the oil industry and we succeeded. Even if you are going to lay off, there is a way to declare redundancy, there is a process. Section 20 of the labour act says it. You must call the unions and discuss with them. You don’t just treat them as slaves in their own country and you want us to keep quiet. We want them to maintain the status quo. As far as I am the minister of labour, I will protect the interest of workers; same to the telecommunication companies, they are also talking about compiling lists without discussing with anybody.”

Learn how to make Hausa Masa (Rice Cake) this Ramadan

Ramadan is here!!!, And you would want to break your fast with something light and sweet. You can try my recipe for Hausa Masa ( Rice Cake).

Masa is a northern staple similar to a pan fried rice cake, the recipes vary a little across households but the basic premise never changes. Traditionally Masa is made into an oval shape.  You can experiment with some onions and ginger in your masa

Ingredients1.5 cups raw rice 1.5 tablespoons cooked rice1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast4 tablespoons sugar2 cups water at room temperature1/4 teaspoon ground akaun (cooking potash) (Optional)½ teaspoon salt


Direction:

1. Soak the raw rice in 5 cups of water overnight

2.  Dissolve the sugar and akaun in the  2 cups of water and add the yeast. Set aside in a warm area* for 10-15 minutes, until very frothy.

3. Drain the rice and grind it in a blender with the yeast and akaun mixture to make a smooth batter. Add the cooked rice, and blend to combine well. The batter should be very thick

4.  Pour batter into a large bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 8-12 hours. You want the mixture to rise, collapse and ferment.

5. Add the salt and a little bit more sugar if needed. Add a bit of water if necessary so that you have a batter that is just as thick as pap

6. Heat your pan over medium heat. Wipe a few drops of oil over it , Stir the batter and pour in 3-4 tablespoons, depending on the size of the pan.

7. Flip after 2.5mins and cook the other side for another 2 mins. keep making until you use up all the batter

Serve Masa as a snack or as a breakfast cake

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Nigerian man and his Filipina wife arrested in Manila with drugs hidden in facial cream bottles

A Nigerian national and his Filipina wife were nabbed on Saturday night, June 4 in a drugs buy-bust operation in Tondo, Manila. Chief Supt. Roland Nana of the Manila District Anti-illegal Drugs Special Operations Group, identified the suspects as Onyinyechukwu John Aneke and Lorena Ang Anake, residents of Balut, Tondo.

The authorities said they have been looking for the source of illegal drugs when couple were arrested. The couple yielded P500,000 worth of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) which were hidden in sealed facial cream containers. The Filipina denied that they owned the drugs and claimed that the items seized from them were sent by a Nigerian courier. They are set to be charged for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

Kardashian's Beverly Hills Dash Boutique almost firebombed with a petrol bomb

One of the Kardashian's Dash boutique was almost firebombed by a 'Molotov cocktail' someone threw at it. A 
'Molotov cocktail' also known as a petrol/fire bomb, is a crude incendiary device typically consisting of a bottle filled with flammable liquid.

The attacker used a dumbbell to smash the window of their store in Los Angeles and then made an attempt to light the store on fire. Police were alerted and the person absconded quickly. However, a suspect believed to be responsible for the attack was later taken into custody.