#Mark Essien

[afrobeatsindacity]

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: THE WOMEN IN NIGERIAN MUSIC

Nigerian music’s history is beautifully storied, and like every great story has had heroes pop up at different times, each handing the baton of Nigerian culture from one generation to the next and laying a small piece of the success it enjoys today. When magnifying glasses are placed on Nigeria's music with the intention of highlighting its most significant contributors, it is very common for our women to get left out. The reasons for this oversight—the relative scarcity of female acts in comparison to male counterparts—is no excuse. If anything, the women who have made their fair share of efforts to shape our music deserve a bigger spotlight, for they had to overcome the more prominent barriers to get there, barriers placed by a patriarchal society and increase the further back you go in our history. Barriers that have not been completely cleared even today.

With today's women breaking and setting records across gender lines, the International Women's Day of 2023 presents a poignant opportunity to document the strides our women make in modern music, while highlighting in retrospect the talented, underreported women who came before.

While Fuji music and its lesser-known affiliate, Apala, were dominating the local scene in the '70s and bringing to their creators like Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, Ayinde Barrister and Ayinde Kollington national fame, another Yoruba-Islamic genre, Waka, was traditionally performed by female artists. It was drawn from Alasatu, a Yoruba genre with strong Islamic and Arabic influences, and Alhaja Batile Alake fashioned Waka out of it, allowing the genre to escape the confines of religion and tribe. Another prominent female singer, Alhaja Salawa Abeni, built on this, bringing Waka to national platforms and beyond.

The Ladiju sisters (or twins) are a pair of female artists whose contributions to Nigerian music remain timeless. Their debut album, Iya Mi Jowo, was released in 1969, and they went on to release 5 more albums that were ahead of their time in content and sound, as they drew from a wide pool of influences that included foreign sounds like Jazz and Rock as well as the indigenous like Waka and Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat.

Across the Niger, the women of South Eastern Nigeria were making similarly impressive strides of their own. Nelly Uchendu is most famous for her Love Nwantiti album of 1976, especially the eponymous lead single. She was not the only Igbo songstress to be renowned for her singing prowess. The “Elegant Stallion”, Onyeka Onwenu excelled even beyond writing and performing music, as she took up roles as an actress, worked as a broadcaster and even delved into politics as part of a storied career, putting to bed question marks placed over a woman’s capability. Christy Essien-Igbokwe chose to put her inspiring messages of woman empowerment and Nigerian advocacy into song, and these female artists performing at the top level helped imprint in the next generation that chauvinistic gender roles were a thing of the past.

Modern Nigerian (Pop) music, or Afrobeats, has featured a larger share of women at the highest echelons at every stage, and it must be acknowledged that they have all but caught up in terms of individual star power.

Weird MC was one of a few artists to first nationalise American hip-hop spirit. Her 1996 album, Simply Weird, and its standout track, "Allen Avenue", helped dress up rap music in the Nigerian clothing it decks today. 2006's "Ijoya" took her popularity a lot further, and it remains a timeless classic to this day. Asa's musical inclination was similarly unconventional, but it lay at the other end of the spectrum, as her R&B/Soul-powered eponymous debut album announced the entry of a new star. With it she strengthened her image abroad, ensuring that she enjoys today an audience beyond the shores of Nigeria. Thankfully her talent came with longevity, and her most recent album, released in 2022, still serenades Nigerians like her first effort did 15 years before.

Subsequent acts would hone in on conventional Nigerian pop, which they coloured with their honeyed vocals. Omawunmi made her debut with 2009's Wonder Woman, fresh off becoming a runner-up on Nigerian Idol where she had launched a prototype of her career. With singles like "In The Music", "Bottom Belle" and "If You Ask Me", her star appeal was never in doubt, and with her most recent album Love Deep High Life only two years old, her diminished popularity should not be taken for hibernation. Waje, another singer blessed with incredible vocals, emerged around the same time, first making a guest appearance on Psquare's "Do Me" in 2008 before songs like "So Inspired" and "For A Minute" served as a proper entry into the scene. Just like Omawunmi, she remains an active member of Nigerian music's ranks, as her latest album, "The Misfit", debuted last year.

At the turn of the decade, Tiwa Savage moved in from the UK, pitching her tent with Don Jazzy's Mavins Music after she had spent the last few years providing back up vocals to icons like George Michael and Mary J. Blige. Her adaptation did not take long, as her superb debut album, Once Upon A Time,—with songs like "Kele Kele Love", "Eminado" and "Without My Heart"—showcased equally her supple songwriting and her silky, yet powerful delivery. She is one of a few acts in Nigerian music, across gender lines, who have ruled the last decade in near-constant influence, and with her ability to tie effortlessly into new and trendy music (see: "Loaded" with Asake and " Who's your guy" remix with Spyro), there is still a lot more to come from the songstress.

Seyi Shay is another act that shares a common history of finding her feet in music in the United Kingdom. She moved to Nigeria at about the same time, and her first steps here—"Irawo" and its Vector-assisted remix; the Loving Your Way EP; and her debut album, Seyi Or Shay—were very well received by the Nigerian audience. Her most recent release, 2021's Big Girl, came with positive acclaim, especially its titular lead single. Yemi Alade's "Johnny" brought with it an impact that every artist desires for their breakout single, and to this day its video continues to accumulate astronomical numbers as more and more people from around the world discover the self-styled Mama Africa. To strengthen her claim to this title, she has released music in a variety of African languages, allowing her to tap into diverse cultures and strengthen her continental profile.

Simi, the woman with the voice that soothes sometimes and strikes other times, also made her debut in the half decade between 2010 and 2014, a time period that supplied female acts in buckets, some of whom still enjoy a continued presence at Nigeria's top flight. She debuted in 2014 with "Tiff", doubling down on this entrance with "Jamb Question" in 2015 as she checked 'playful storytelling' as part of her skillset. With each album since then she has gone on to provide an inspiration to any female acts entering the industry. Sisters Niniola and Teni share little more than a surname, but their varied musical paths have individually brought them to the top flight of Nigerian music's roster. Niniola was one of Nigeria's first adopters of House music, though some articles on the subject will disrespectfully leave her out altogether. Her accolades speak for her though, and she earned a Grammy songwriting certificate via 2017's Maradona, which Beyoncé sampled for her Lion King: The Gift album. Her most recent EP, Lagos to Jozi, builds on her vibrancy and innovation, weaving Nigerian slang into South African beats for a dance-ready project.

Her sister, Teni, is the more exuberant artist off-stage, and her music is a more straightforward affair involving Nigerian Pop rhythms and love-strung writing. Clearly a vigorous romantic, 2018's "Case" outlined the lengths she was willing to go to for love, while 2019's "Power Rangers" imagined herself as a superhero coming to her lover's rescue. She also has an inspiring side, as revealed by "Uyo Meyo", and a balance of these two has driven her to recognition in Nigerian music.

The biggest strides taken for Nigerian women in music, especially on the international stage, would come on the wings of one of its newest entrants. 27 year old Tems has achieved in four short years what would be an impressive resumé for an artist's entire career—a Grammy win, an Oscar nomination and collaborations with some of the biggest artists in the world. All this is made that much more impressive by the fact that she is still yet to release a debut album, and when it arrives later this year it is expected to push her career to unprecedented heights.

Behind Tems are a band of other female acts. Young, talented and eager to break down what is left of Nigerian music's gender tilt and level rhe playing field. Ayra Starr's exploits in Mavin records have produced an EP and an album, and with them she's made a name for females and teenagers in Nigerian music. While this is only a summary of the very many women that have graced Nigerian music for years, it is hoped that with other young acts like Fave, Liya, Guchi and Bloody Civilian making their way up the ladder, next years International Women's Day will feature an even lengthier list than this.

This article was written by Afrobeats City Contributor Ezema Patrick - @ezemapatrick (Twitter)

Afrobeats City doesn’t own the right to the images - image source: Instagram

[angelloverde]

"Mo Soul" Player Playlist 17 December

Shawn Lee - Jigsaw

Roseaux Feat. Aloe Blacc - Walking On The Moon

Alexia Coley - Without You

Doris - Don't

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Bim Bom

Billy Paul - False Faces

Sade - Nothing Can Come Between Us

Slave - Watching You (The Schwinn Edit)

Dee Edwards - Why Can't There Be Love

Tontelas Feat. Ski - Lost It All

Steely Dan - Deacon Blues

Christy Essien - Take Life Easy

Afternoons in Stereo - Saarinen in Dub

Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack

Nutropic - Pascalitos Theme

If you really want to enjoy music and help musicians and bands, buy their lp’s or cd’s and don’t download mp3 formats. There is nothing like good quality sound!!!

(Angel Lo Verde / Mo Soul)

[morenewsng]

Economic Hardship: NGO Floats Free Medical Care For 500 Indigent Citizens

Economic Hardship: NGO Floats Free Medical Care For 500 Indigent Citizens   In what appears like a rescue mission, not less than 500 indigent members of Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State are beneficiaries of VIFADAD Free Medical Outreach. VIFADAD Medical Mission is Non-Governmental Organization founded by an Akwa Ibom Son, Sir Mark Efffiong, with a commitment to provide…

[gistnaija-ng]

Tech founder, Mark Essien accuses Binance of printing Naira

Tech founder, Mark Essien accuse Binance of printing Naira.

Nigerian tech founder, Mark Essien who raised over 1.2 million dollars in startup funding has accused crypto trading giants, Binance of printing the Naira. In a recent tweet by Mark Essien, founder of Hotels NG, he stated that Binance could be printing the country’s currency which could be the reason why the Naira is losing it’s value in the forex market. As of today the Naira traded at 1$ to…

[balasing803]

Top 10 Soccer Players in 2010 FIFA World Cup

This years FIFA World Cup starts off on June 11. To have inside the soccer soul, we're checking down the absolute best 10 Players to take a gander at. From Lionel Messi to Wayne Rooney to Cristiano Ronaldo, advise us in the event that we've missed anybody you envision probably got it done!

No. 10:Essien (Ghana)

This Chelsea midfielder doesn't avoid assaulting. Among Africa's best soccer players, Michael Eissen drove Ghana's group to approach wonder in Germany in 2006. Being a double cross African Player of the period, Michael is viewed as the world's most significant cautious midfielder. He can cover a great deal of an area, has a ton of energy and has a solid long-range shot. His nation of origin is Ghana.

No. 9: Steven Gerrard (The unified realm)

However many individuals said he was too little at any point be portrayed as a genius soccer player, Steven Gerrard of Great Britain was raised being the second-best Liverpool player ever. He's an awesome assaulting midfielder who likewise works being a subsequent striker or even a winger. He can play for all intents and purposes anyplace on the space, and that is one thing which make him truly significant.

No. 8: Fernando Torres (Spain)

Fernando Torres came to be to score objectives. He began in objective yet was changed into a striker when he was 7 yrs. old. At the point when he was 10 he scored 55 objectives, grabbing the attention of Atletico Madrid - his favored Spanish group - which marked him at 17. Subsequent to having an exchange to Liverpool, this player from Spain has 132 serious group objectives added to his repertoire cristiano ronaldo net worth.

No. 7: Andres Iniesta (Spain)

There is an explanation Andre Iniesta's play name is "The Illusionist." As guaranteed, this Barcelona player can create a consistent progression of probabilities for whoever is lucky enough being playing confronting him. Additionally as guaranteed, he is by all accounts ready to play through essentially every injury. A little and complex playmaker utilizing a low focus of gravity and a lot of ball control, it's entirely sensible high of Spain makes reference to Andre in light of the fact that the best player on earth.

No. 6: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)

This Chelsea forward was paid an announced $37 mil to migrate from Africa to encounter for that British group in 2004. after 6 years, Didier Drogba's substantiated himself among the world's optimal strikers, and quite possibly the most athletic one. His super-human real force makes him for all intents and purposes hard to beat when he places his insight into it.

No. 5: Xavi (Spain)

Each group requires a Xavi! He's just about the magic that binds Barcelona's group nowadays. He's savvy and fast, and makes exact passes, by having a wonderful capacity to keep up with the ball.

No. 4: Kaka (Brazilian)

Kaka is an extraordinary Brazilian star soccer player who begins from an upper-working class foundation. Subsequent to winning practically any prize there's to win for Milan, they bought him to genuine Madrid for around $95 million. Anyway for the whole world Cup, Kaka's viewed as Brazil's ideal player.

[thefinishedarticle]

The Ultimate José

This is one hypothetical question which I keep seeing asked: if you had to assemble a starting XI out of all of the players José Mourinho has managed, who would you choose?

I have copied the discussion-prompting efforts of betting companies William Hill and 888 below, which agree on every member of the team apart from the holding midfielder: William Hill chose Michael Essien, whilst 888 opt for Claude Makélélé. But all of the papers have had their attempts as well, with a fair amount of variation in their results, so I thought I’d have a more thorough look to see just how reasonable their choices are.

Interestingly, it’s a question which has already been answered by Mourinho himself. He refused to do so in 2017, stating that to do so would be a disservice to the players who weren’t included. "It’s an answer that I’ve always refused to give and will continue to," he said then. "So many players gave their blood and soul when they played for me, how can I name some and forget others?”

However, this year he bit the bullet and listed a team as follows: Cech, Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Zanetti, Makélélé, Lampard, Ozil, Ronaldo, Hazard, Drogba. There are a few differences to the teams suggested above, but then Mourinho is not necessary the objective expert here, especially as he had high-profile fallings-out with many of the talents under his management.

So which is correct?

Defence and Goalkeeper

Firstly, we should clarify whether we're choosing ‘the best players to have played under Mourinho’ over their career, or best players whilst playing for Mourinho. I assume the latter, In that case, Ricardo Carvalho is the first name on the team sheet. The pair won five league titles in seven seasons together, across three different clubs in three different leagues, and picked up five domestic cups and two European titles in the same period. 

Carvalho was a major part of Mourinho’s early success with Porto, winning two Portuguese league titles, a domestic cup, the UEFA Cup and the Champions League in 2003 and 2004, with enough of a starring role to be named in the Portuguese team of the season and the UEFA team of the season in respective years. He is the only member of that successful Porto squad with that level of recognition (Paulo Ferreira made the UEFA team in 2003, Maniche made it in 2004, and Deco made the Portuguese team in 2004).

Both Carvalho and Ferreira followed Mourinho to Chelsea, where they continued with their third and fourth successive league titles and three domestic cups in three years from 2004 to 2007. Maniche arrived in the 2004/05 season to share in that title, but he was only a squad player whereas the two defenders slotted straight into the first team. Mourinho then left for Inter Milan, but when he was signed by Real Madrid he brought Carvalho back from Chelsea: his compatriot was again a starring defender as they won the domestic cup in the first season, and remained a starter in their following league winning campaign before injury forced his demotion to the bench, and became a squad player for Mourinho’s acrimonious final year at the club.

Sergio Ramos was there for the full three years, sharing in those cup and league victories as well as twice appearing in the UEFA team of the year, but surely he can’t compete with Carvalho’s level of consistent loyalty and success. I think that John Terry also beats him to the other centre-back spot, because he was a fixture in both that original period of Chelsea success and Mourinho’s victorious return in 2013. The pair won three Premier Leagues titles and four domestic cups in five full seasons together, and Terry appeared in the Premier League team of the year for all three league wins (as well as in the UEFA team twice) to demonstrate his starring role in their success. He and Carvalho can renew their successful partnership. Pepe, Ivanoic, Cahill, Samuel, and others did well, but don’t quite clear this extremely high bar.

I am going to disagree with the examples above again when it comes to the left-back pick. Ashley Cole only really played one full season under Mourinho, having been signed post-title success, and was never part of one of his league-winning sides. William Gallas was his predecessor who starred in that dominant Chelsea team and won back-to-back titles, appearing in the Premier League Team of the Year for the latter. Most would say that Cole was the better player for Chelsea, or across his career, but that’s not what we’re looking for here - a point which will also apply to many Chelsea legends which began under Mourinho but only grew once he’d moved on.

The right flank is probably even more contentious. As noted above, Ferreira was an ever-present for five consecutive seasons and four consecutive league titles. Or you could play Maicon, Mourinho’s main man in Milan and a legend of the position. Both won titles and appeared in the UEFA team once under him. The choice of Zanetti is actually a really strange one: he made the most appearances of any player in those two years at Inter, but he starred on the right side of a three-man midfield rather than in his other role at right-back. 

If we’re just shunting players into that position, Sergio Ramos played at right-back under Mourinho's first season in Madrid, only shifting to the middle once Carvalho had left a centre-back berth empty (and appeared in the UEFA team for both). I’m minded to give him that role, allowing him to play alongside Carvalho and Terry, with Carvalho providing the bridge between the two partnerships, but it’s a tough position to decide and I think it would be fairer to go for an out-and-out right back in Ferreira, given he spent five years doing great work in that actual position. The left has fewer claimants, but Marcelo was a real star at Real (with his own UEFA team appearance) and probably edges Gallas when comparing their short time of two seasons each.

Circling back to goal, Cech’s position is also under pressure. Iker Casillas was more often in the UEFA team (twice to once), and De Gea was more often in the Premier League’s (twice to once, as well as one UEFA appearance). Cech was also relegated to the bench for Chelsea’s third title in 2014/15. He probably just edges it thanks to his longevity (four seasons of excellent goalkeeping compared to three and two), but again you could make an argument either way.

Midfield

Midfield is also interesting. Wesley Sneijder only had one, albeit brilliant, season under Mourinho. He was excellent in Inter’s treble success, but then we don’t credit Maniche and Deco when they led Porto to the Champions League, two titles and a cup. In comparison, Mesut Ozil was one of Real's stars for all three of Mourinho’s seasons in Spain, twice featuring in the UEFA team of the year. 

Essien is an interesting choice, a useful latecomer to both Chelsea and Real, but Mourinho won as much or more with Cambiasso, Xabi Alonso, Di Maria, Khedira, Kaka, Matic, Fabregas, Oscar and others, so there is plenty of room for argument. That’s ignoring the likes of Vieira, Modric, and Carrick who weren't really part of a Mourinho success story but have glittering CVs of their own. 

The one certainty is that Frank Lampard makes it. He was consistently great under Mourinho, and Chelsea’s top goalscorer in both of their title-winning seasons. I will include him alongside Makélélé, who did the defensive equivalent. Ozil could round out the trio and provide creativity for the front three, or it would be good to start Zanetti on the right side as another defensive-minded player, allowing the forwards to run riot.

Forward

Their selection may prove to be the most divisive. Cristiano Ronaldo obviously makes the team, as he would probably make an XI of all teams, but there are question marks over the other two. Mourinho managed forwards including Benzema, Higuain, Ibrahimovic, Eto'o, Milito, Costa, Crespo, Adriano, Torres, Lukaku, and Kane, together with others. People seem to think that Didier Drogba walks into this team, but they are probably thinking along the same lines as with Ashley Cole. He was a Chelsea legend more than he was a Mourinho one. His peak came under Ancelotti, when Mourinho was long gone.

Drogba may have gone on to define Chelsea, but people easily forget that he wasn't the star in their two title-winning seasons. He started fewer than half of their league games in 2004/05, and only scored 10 goals as Eidur Gudjohnsen took the lead role. He played the same number of games as fellow forward Mateja Kezman, who we don’t remember in the same light. In the next year’s league campaign he still only started 20 times, with the line led by new signing Hernan Crespo, and scored 12 goals. He doesn’t make the XI with the most starts for either year:

Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas, Ferreira, Makélélé, Lampard, Mendes, J Cole, Duff, Gudjohnsen

Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas, del Horno, Makélélé, Lampard, Essien, J Cole, Robben, Crespo

He certainly wasn’t the club’s top scorer in either year, let alone anywhere near dominating the league. He only really established himself in 2006/07, when Shevchenko was brought in for Mourinho’s third season, and his famous flop left the space for Drogba to rise. Chelsea didn’t win the title that year, but Drogba’s 33 goals in 60 games across all competions helped them win both of the domestic cups, and he secured glory with winning goals in both finals. 

Unfortunately, his form then dipped again alarmingly over the next two seasons. Chelsea’s rocky start to 2007/08 which saw Mourinho leave Chelsea was reflected by his record of one goal in their opening eight games (he would only score his second goal in their twelfth game of the season, but not before getting sent off in the eleventh). Overall, he had one excellent season under Mourinho, two useful ones, and one truly dire start, which was no blip but the beginning of a two year slump of disappointment, featuring repeated disciplinary issues (including the red card for slapping which lost them the Champions League), goal droughts and agitating to transfer. It’s a mixed memory at best, and tinted rose by his subsequent achievements under other managers.

The question is how that compares to the strikers Mourinho managed at closer to their prime. Diego Milito, for example: he led Inter to the treble with 30 goals in 52 games (he didn’t have a league cup to stat-pad in), including two goals and a Man of the Match performance in the Champions League final, a winner in the semis, and the only goal in the Coppa Italia final. That seems to be at least the equal to Drogba’s one top season, so the question is whether the additional time as a rotation option counts in his favour, or whether it dilutes his overall rating in terms of his performances under Mourinho.

Both Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín helped to fire Real to a record-breaking league title, and they were consistently top-class over Mourinho’s spell there. Benzema scored 32, 20, and 21 goals in 52, 50, and 52 games respectively, whilst Higuaín managed the slightly more modest hauls of 26 and 18 goals in 54 and 44 games before leaving for Naples. Their numbers are made more impressive when considering that Ronaldo was the team’s main goalscorer.

Then there is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who served Mourinho briefly but brilliantly at two clubs. He preceded Milito’s sublime Inter season with an excellent one of his own, 29 goals (and 9 assists) in 47 games, including the Golden Boot to fire them to the league title and the final goal in each round of the Coppa Italia. That earnt him a move to Barcelona, but Mourinho offered him a reunion at United eight years later, and he picked up where they’d left off: scoring 28 goals in 45 games, before injury forced an end to his momentum. 

He had a massive impact on the United side as a talisman and leader, dragging them back up to 2nd in the league after their post-Fergie slump and leading them to victory in the EFL Cup and Europa League. He scored twice in the EFL Cup final, including a late winning goal, having kicked off their season by scoring the late winner that won United the Community Shield. Despite being injured in the Europa quarter finals, he recorded the second most goals and assists and duly made the team of the tournament (he was voted third overall). 

It is worth noting that this wasn’t like Drogba hitting his prime in a team of double-champions (United’s previous three top scorers had managed just 17, 14, 19 goals in full, injury-free seasons), but Ibrahimovic hit similar numbers anyway. He beat all of Drogba’s seasons under Mourinho apart from one, and we have to assume he could have beaten those stats if he had been allowed to continue (overall he scored 5 fewer goals in 15 fewer games, and in the league he played 8 fewer games but 3 fewer goals, whilst still beating Drogba for assists). 

His one Inter season was 25 goals and 7 assists in the league, five more goals and three more assists than Drogba’s best season at Chelsea whilst playing one fewer game. That’s two top seasons against one, and at two different clubs where Mourinho was new and needed a win. I know that there was more to Drogba beyond his goals, but the same is true of Ibrahimovic given his physical presence, impact on the team and higher assist tally. If we are looking at how the players performed under Mourinho overall, I thnk he has to edge it. 

People will do doubt mention that Mourinho once said Drogba was the best player to have played under him. This was said whilst Mourinho was manager of Real, with Ronaldo scoring 50-60 goals a season and winning the Ballon d’Or, so unless we accept that Drogba is better than Ronaldo we can’t hold those words up as gospel seven years later. It also seems that Mourinho has fallen for the Drogba nostalgia I alluded to, because in a recent interview he listed him as his highest-scoring striker, with 186 goals in total and 46 per season. Drogba’s actual tally was 78, which would be 19 per season and compares much less favourably to the other figures in Mourinho’s speech (an average of 30, 29 and 26 goals for Milito, Ibrahimovic and Benzema respectively).

Hazard is another player who had one excellent season (Premier League player of the year) under Mourinho, but then went on a drought and saw him fired. Is that better than the forwards listed above, many of whom, like treble-winning Samuel Eto'o, could play wide? Or Arjen Robben and Joe Cole, who won Chelsea's first two Premier Leagues?  Robben was consistently excellent across Mourinho's first three seasons at Chelsea and all the success they brought, but left just before the slump - that makes him a strong candidate, even without his later success. 

This is without even mentioning players like Shevchenko, Pizarro, Luis Figo, Salah, De Bruyne, Mata, Pedro, Sanchez, Willian and Balotelli, or Duff and Wright-Phillips who featured with Cole and Robben in those original Chelsea teams, or even peak Angel Di Maria, who played opposite Ronaldo for Real. Depending on how you play it, there are so many options here. But we should look to get Ronaldo on his preferred right wing, and that means we need a left-sided player, which rules out Robben’s famous trick of cutting in from the right and shooting with his left foot. I have also avoided the temptation to just shoehorn in another striker, as some have done. In that case, I’m happy to concede to the popular demand for Hazard, and hope that this appeases those who will no doubt clamour for Drogba’s inclusion.

The final team is therefore as follows: Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Ferreira, Marcelo, Lampard, Makélélé, Ozil, Hazard, Ibra, Ronaldo. This seems to be the best selection of the basis of the reasoning above, although there were difficult decisions in many areas and I would happily change a number of elements, especially when it comes to midfield: this is set up as a free-flowing offensive team to make the most of the riches of attacking talent on offer, but Zanetti and others could easily come in to make it more secure as and when required. I’m conscious that Inter feel under-represented, but then Mourinho was only there for a short time and many of the stars only joined him for a single year, so a lack of longevity has seen them miss out to players from his longer stints at Chelsea and Madrid.

[ariwokakaki]

How A Former Nigeria Programmer Turned His Online Hotel Booking Idea Into A $10+ Million Dollar Venture

How A Former Nigeria Programmer Turned His Online Hotel Booking Idea Into A $10+ Million Dollar Venture

Opportunities are everywhere, but their benefits are rarely ever just handed to you.

It takes time, hard work and effort to get your idea to the point where everyone takes you seriously, and this is something every entrepreneur knows.

The road to discovery is a tough one, but the persistent emerge successfully.

This is the story of an ambitious programmer who successfully built Nigeria’s largest…

[procurement-logistics-magaz-blog]

Nigeria’s hotel booking company launches online platform

Nigeria’s hotel booking company launches online platform

Nigeria’s hotel booking company Hotels.ng has rolled out a new service, online flight bookings – on its website. This new service has been designed to provide users from all over the world with an affordable and an all-inclusive travel platform from where all travel arrangements can be made. According to Mark Essien, the company’s CEO, the inclusion of affordable flight solutions is a move that…

[ninnomed-blog]

Olatorera Oniru Founder, Dress Me Outlet

Olatorera Oniru

Olatorera Oniru is a 30-year-old highly-rated Nigerian entrepreneur. As CEO of Dressmeoutlet.com, she is passionately driven and Afro-centric. She constantly pushes for the appreciation of Africa ideas and innovation. A member of The National Scholars Honor Society USA, Olatorera flourished her career working for two Fortune Top 5 companies…

[niyiokeowo]

Mark Essien for Guardian Life

Styled by Henry Uduku

[angelloverde]

"Mo Soul" Player Playlist 21 June

1. Shawn Lee - Jigsaw 2. Roseaux Feat. Aloe Blacc - Walking On The Moon 3. Alexia Coley - Without You 4. Doris - Don't 5. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Bim Bom 6. Billy Paul - False Faces 7. Sade - Nothing Can Come Between Us 8. Slave - Watching You (The Schwinn Edit) 9. Dee Edwards - Why Can't There Be Love 10. Tontelas Feat. Ski - Lost It All 11. Steely Dan - Deacon Blues 12. Christy Essien - Take Life Easy 13. Afternoons in Stereo - Saarinen in Dub 14. Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack 15. Nutropic - Pascalitos Theme

If you really want to enjoy music and help musicians and bands, buy their lp’s or cd’s and don’t download mp3 formats. There is nothing like good quality sound!!!

(Angel Lo Verde / Mo Soul)

[joroanblog]

Football Wagering Techniques: The Significance of Structure

Chelsea are playing Wolves. Who do you back?

Chelsea. Last season's twofold champs. Recipients of Roman Abromovic's billions. Drgoba. Malouda. Essien. Anelka. Cole. Terry. Cech. A group of hotshots whose family names are known the world over.

Wolverhampton Vagabonds. Enduring transfer scrappers. Just not lower part of the association because of West Ham Joined being much more dreadful than them this season. Zero chance.

Also, what occurs? Wolves beat Chelsea 1-0.

Obviously, assuming you've been following the English Head Association this season, you will have seen that since a 3-0 home loss to Sunderland, Chelsea's structure has been totally surprising. They'd slipped from out of control top choices to hold the title to fifth in the table. They required the success against Wolves to jump Tottenham Hotspur back into the Hero's Association places. They didn't get it.

This is a totally great representation of how significant is to take a gander at a group's structure prior to putting down a bet. It turns out to be much more vital to take a gander at a group's new structure on the off chance that you're wagering on an association that you don't follow.

The easiest method for checking a group's structure is just to check their latest outcomes out. Take a gander at what the two groups have done in their last five games and you ought to find out about how the type of the two groups looks at.

You could likewise need to see what happened the last couple of groups the two groups met one another, whether it was prior in the season, or in past seasons. Many groups have a 'boogie group' that, for reasons unknown, they find it hard to beat. For instance, Barcelona are hot top picks whoever they face in the Hero's Association, and when they slammed into Rubin Kazan in the 2010 gathering stages, they would've appeared to be a conspicuous decision to back. You might well then, at that point, have missed out as Barcelona could deal with a 1-1 draw away.

On the off chance that you'd saw what occurred in the gathering stages the year prior to, Barcelona's draw with Rubin Kazan could not have possibly been such a shock. They were drawn together in the 2009 Top dog's Association bunch stages and Barcelona again just dealt with a draw away, with the game that time completing 0-0. Rubin Kazan pulled off a significantly seriously stunning outcome when they headed out to Camp Nou, beating Barcelona 2-1.

These two models both show that groups which at first seem like enormous top choices probably won't seem to be a particularly hot pick when you look at their structure. In the event that you're significant about attempting to win when of course, you can't go in visually impaired and pick a group to win in view of name worth or past wonders. You really want to take a gander at what the group's done recently, what happened when they last confronted their rivals, and at whatever else that could unfavorably influence them. Do they have a headliner suspended or harmed? Have they recently terminated their supervisor? Have they recently acquired a costly new marking? Check here แทงบอล

[newsieevents]

Supremacy Gospel Mission Founder, Fetes Widows To End Revival [Video] Respite came the way of about hundreds of widows in NDON EBOM community in Uruan LGA of Akwa Ibom State as renowned clergyman, Prophet Isaac Essien and wife, treated them to a colourful end of Rivival celebration. The yearly event saw the widows each returned home with six yards of beautiful African prints (ankara), monetary gifts and food items. This year’s ceremony, according to Prophet Essien who is the Senior Pastor Supremacy Gospel Mission SGM, and who was particularly excited throughout the day, to mark the annual Revival, also used the spiritual occasion to put smiles on the faces of the Widows. Speaking during the 4 days spiritual exercise, the general overseer, Awesome God's City Evangelical, Apostle Raph John Divine, admonished the congregation to refrain from the habit of seeking God with negative tendencies. Taking his message from Genesis 22:28, explained that Christians should seek the....... Read More On www.newsieevents.com https://www.instagram.com/p/CdERPDkBiWM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[nowupdate]

Udom's Support For Umo Eno, Not A Mark Of Dictatorship - Ex Minister

Udom’s Support For Umo Eno, Not A Mark Of Dictatorship – Ex Minister

– ADVISES AGAINST MEDIA ATTACKS, INSULTS ON THE GOVERNORA former Minister of Lands and Housing, Chief Nduese Essien, says ‘the ongoing vilification” of Governor Udom Emmanuel by aggrieved aspirants was unwarranted, despite the Governor’s open support to his Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, Pastor Umo Eno for the 2023 Governorship position in the State.He says Governor Emmanuel has the…

[morenewsng]

Annang Kingdom gets new King "Akwa Akuku Annang 1" as 98 Nigerians receive traditional titles

Annang Kingdom gets new King “Akwa Akuku Annang 1” as 98 Nigerians receive traditional titles

Annang Kingdom gets new King “Akwa Akuku Annang 1” as 98 Nigerians receive traditional titles The Paramount Ruler of Essien Udim, His Royal Majesty Obong Cosmas Okon Akpan has emerged the pioneer King of Annangland “Akwa Akuku Annang 1” by Afe Nkuku Annang, supreme council of Annang traditional stool. The installation of the new king which was done in a colourful ceremony also marked the…