The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • 2023 ITTF Africa Cup: Aruna begins battle to reclaim title in Nairobi

    2023 ITTF Africa Cup: Aruna begins battle to reclaim title in Nairobi

    Nigeria’s rave-of-the-moment in the Belgian  Jupiler league, Victor Boniface has  given a tear-jerking story  of how he nearly  quit the beautiful game of football  after the death of his mother, adding  he   seemingly  fell into depression and drinking to  suppress  his agony at that point.

    The Akure-born striker  has been in excellent scoring  form in the or Belgian Pro League  for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Union SG ) this season  with 15 goals across all competitions  including  an impressive six goals  in nine  matches in the UEFA Europa League.

    Quoted in an interview  with interview with Het Nieuwsblad, a Flemish  tabloid, the 22-year-old striker gave a rare insight about his personae, adding  his muscular  look has nothing  to do with  burning the calories in the gymnasium.

    On the death of his mother, Boniface said: “I lost my passion for football for a while. I was very bad. I even drank alcohol – something I never do now. At most I’ll hack into a Red Bull.”

    The all-action striker  who first made headlines in the Norwegian league with Bodø/Glimt would further revealed that  he was not a fan of going to the gym.

    “That (the gym)  is not for me,” he said.“ I do not like that.

    “All my muscles are a gift from Mother Nature. If I did too much strength training, I would become lethargic.

    “I lived with my grandparents. Grandpa was in the army, I grew up in the military domain. I often played football there with my uncles.”

    Now being courted by sides in other European leagues following his superb performance this season, Boniface  reportedly  said he was not distracted with any transfer talk but there are speculations  that Union SG  would  only let go  ‘if they receive a club record fee for the young striker’.

  • Bayern  Munich out of the race for  Osimhen

    Bayern  Munich out of the race for  Osimhen

    *Man United potential owner  wants Nigerian ace

    The wheeling and dealing to acquire the signature of  Victor Osimhen  continues unabated  but   Bundesliga giants  Bayern Munich   are  reportedly cooling off their  interest  for the Nigerian ace  due to the  astronomical transfer being demanded by his Italian Serie A side.

    Napoli have slapped a £132 million a price tag on the Nigerian ahead of the summer transfer window, with Gli Azzurri doing their utmost best to keep hold of their talisman for another season, at least. Osimhen is  currently one of the most-in-demand talents in European football right now after his astonishing record in Serie A.

    The 24-year-old has bagged 26 goals in 33 games this season and has played a starring role in their journey to the Scudetto to attract an array of interest from around Europe’s top leagues including Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

    According to Sky Sports, Bayern may cool down on their interest in Osimhen due to Napoli’s request.

    Bayern have no intention of exceeding the limit of 100m euros for a single player and with De Laurentiis’ club which instead aims to collect no less than 150m euros.

    The transfer, it was claimed,  is not affordable for Bayern as the club is not ready to pay more than €100m for a new striker while Napoli is still demanding up to €150m

    Incidentally, German leading  tabloid , Bild, claimed yesterday that  Sadio Mane  is ‘becoming increasingly isolated at Bayern Munich’ after the bust-up  and were ready to swap  the African Footballer of the Year for the Nigerian.

    According to Bild, Bayern would allow  the 31-year-old Mané to leave in the  summer with  the hope   of  swapping  him  for  the 24-year-old  Nigerian.

    Yet  it’s also being speculated  that  Manchester United  possible new  owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe ,   is reportedly ready to break the bank to drag  Osimhen to Old Trafford.  

    Manchester United, according to La Repubblica, consider  Osimhen as the main target for the striker role but they have also made contact with the entourage of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo-Muani, who is also being courted  by Bayern Munich who are also interested in Osimhen but for the huge asking price by Napoli.

    Though words are rife that  current  top hierarchy  of  Manchester United  are not willing to go beyond €110 million for the former Lille striker, it came to  light yesterday   the alleged preferred  bidder for Manchester United, Sir  Ratcliffe  has listed  Osimhen as one of first four signings for the  EPL side  should  his bid  sees the light of the day.

    According to Sports Bible, the Ineos owner is ready to splash the cash and  would  be ready to fork out the cash for the  £120million-rated Napoli striker. Incidentally, Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy   was quoted as  saying that Osimhen remains  on Manchester United’s  shortlist of five that also has  the quartet of Goncalo Ramos [Benfica], Lautaro Martinez [Inter Milan], Dusan Vlhaovic [Juventus] and Mohammed Kudus [Ajax]   in case they are unable to convince England  and  Tottenham Hotspurs captain Harry Kane to  switch from  White Hart Lane to Old Trafford.

  • Mum’s death nearly made me quit football, says Boniface

    Mum’s death nearly made me quit football, says Boniface

    Nigeria’s rave-of-the-moment in the Belgian  Jupiler league, Victor Boniface has  given a tear-jerking story  of how he nearly  quit the beautiful game of football  after the death of his mother, adding  he   seemingly  fell into depression and drinking to  suppress  his agony at that point.

    The Akure-born striker  has been in excellent scoring  form in the or Belgian Pro League  for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Union SG ) this season  with 15 goals across all competitions  including  an impressive six goals  in nine  matches in the UEFA Europa League.

    Quoted in an interview  with interview with Het Nieuwsblad, a Flemish  tabloid, the 22-year-old striker gave a rare insight about his personae, adding  his muscular  look has nothing  to do with  burning the calories in the gymnasium.

    On the death of his mother, Boniface said: “I lost my passion for football for a while. I was very bad. I even drank alcohol – something I never do now. At most I’ll hack into a Red Bull.”

    The all-action striker  who first made headlines in the Norwegian league with Bodø/Glimt would further revealed that  he was not a fan of going to the gym.

    “That (the gym)  is not for me,” he said.“ I do not like that.

    “All my muscles are a gift from Mother Nature. If I did too much strength training, I would become lethargic.

    “I lived with my grandparents. Grandpa was in the army, I grew up in the military domain. I often played football there with my uncles.”

    Now being courted by sides in other European leagues following his superb performance this season, Boniface  reportedly  said he was not distracted with any transfer talk but there are speculations  that Union SG  would  only let go  ‘if they receive a club record fee for the young striker’.

  • Algeria 2023: Morocco pip wasteful Eaglets to reach quarter finals

    Algeria 2023: Morocco pip wasteful Eaglets to reach quarter finals

    Morocco earned all three points to sail into the quarter-finals of the Africa U17 Cup of Nations as the Golden Eaglets wasted a basketful of opportunities in a match they dominated for large periods in Constantine on Wednesday.

    An own goal by Tochukwu Ogboji as early as the 2nd  minute was all the Moroccans, who downed South Africa’s Amajimbo 2-0 on the opening day, needed to make it within a step of booking a spot at this year’s FIFA U17 World Cup.

    As happened in their opening match against Zambia, the Eaglets created chance after chance but pathetically lacked precision in front of goal.

    Abubakar Abdullahi should have done better than balloon the ball skywards after Emmanuel Michael put him through in the 21st minute, and captain Precious Williams also failed to make hay as the North Africans mounted an impregnable rearguard.

    Defender Yahaya Lawali, who was again picked as Man-of-the-Match despite Nigeria’s loss, shot towards the sky with a through ball in the 69th minute. Substitutes Light Eke and Adewale Quadri provided the only real tests for the Moroccan goalkeeper in a frantic second period.

    The Eaglets will now play South Africa on Saturday, and victory is imperative in order to be assured of qualification to the last eight.

  • Old Students Association holds AGM Saturday

    Old Students Association holds AGM Saturday

    The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Baptist High School (BHS), Iwo Old Students Association will hold on Saturday at 11am on the school premises at Adeke, Iwo, Osun State. 

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, said the association craved the indulgence of members across the country and in the diaspora to endevour to attend, as crucial matters affecting the development of the school would be discussed.

    “The meeting is also expected to coincide with the foundation laying ceremony of the gate and fence. While we look forward to seeing you on Saturday, we thank you all for your contributions in making the project a reality,” the statement said. 

  • ‘Civil society groups should not threaten judiciary’

    ‘Civil society groups should not threaten judiciary’

    The senator representing Osun Central, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, yesterday cautioned against undermining the judiciary by some civil society groups.

    He alleged that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which parades professionals across the strata of the working population, was being used to denigrate, discredit, undermine and threaten the temple of justice.

    Ajibola, a lawyer, said the coercive statement credited to a coalition of the NLC and Citizens’ Democratic Movement pleading with the judiciary to do justice to election petitions brought before it is condemnable, tendentious and ill-motivated.

    He described the judiciary as the most finest and robust institution that had developed over time since independence without interruption by the military, saying the third arm of government found its feet, even during the draconian days of military decrees.

  • DG laments state of science education

    DG laments state of science education

    The Director General, Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Yemi Gbadegesin, said yesterday that the state of science education at all levels had become worrisome to stakeholders.

    He said declining trend in students’ performance in science subjects at the learning and examination was alarming.

    Gbadegesin noted that practical aspect of science was at zero level, which, according to a survey carried out by the institute, was caused by inadequate provision of science equipment and materials, deplorable state of science laboratory and absence of significant learning of science at the foundation level of educational system, among others.

    Speaking at a seminar for workers of the Federal Science Equipment Centre, Ijanikin, Lagos (Federal Ministry of Education), held at the Nigeria Institute of Science Laboratory, Samonda, Ibadan,  Gbadegesin said although the institute was being faced by human resources challenges, it’s vision to contribute towards rapid technological development of the nation through practice of science laboratory technology remained sacrosanct.

    The Director, Federal Science Equipment Centre, Ijanikin, Lagos, Ismail Yekini, an engineer, said the purpose of the ‘Training on Repair and Maintenance of Glass Workshops Equipment’ was to bring knowledge of participants to repair and maintenance, hazard and safety of glass wares, which, according to him, was a crucial issue that must be tackled to enhance quality of science and technology education.

  • Adeleke’s campaign DG emerges as Osun PDP chair

    Adeleke’s campaign DG emerges as Osun PDP chair

    The Governorship Campaign Director General to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Sunday Bisi, yesterday emerged as the Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State through affirmation.

    Bisi emerged alongside other 38 aspirants as the state executives of the party unopposed.

    The congress, which was chaired by Dr. Samuel Omotosho, produced the following officers: Yakubu Idowu got elected as the Deputy Chairman, Bola Ajao (Secretary), Taye Ambali (Treasurer), Toba Alalade (Auditor), Alice Otunola (Women leader), Ayodeji Areola (Publicity Secretary), Gbenga Idowu (Youth leader), among others.

    Governor Adeleke said the elected leaders would work with his government, urging members to back the new executives.

    He said: “Unity is very key; we need all of us to join hands together and move PDP from strength to strength. Be assured that your government is working, dividend of democracy is here and is here to stay.”

    Bisi said he would deliver a united party that would enable the governor to concentrate on governance.

    He said: “I know what it takes to lead a party into government. I have done it before and I will do it again by the grace of God. I am going to unite the party more. Everybody will be on the same page under my leadership.

    “When you have a united party, then the governor will be able to concentrate, and there won’t be any distraction. I will ensure this and bring everybody into the party so that we will be able to move the state forward.”

    The chairman appealed to aggrieved members to support the new executives, to move the party forward.

    Reacting to the congress held at Osogbo Township Stadium, a leading chairmanship aspirant, Funmiso Babarinde, alleged that many party members were alienated from the exercise.

    He said PDP had not learnt from the past mistakes.

  • Mega pumping station ready July, says Lagos govt

    Mega pumping station ready July, says Lagos govt

    The mega pumping station being built at Ilubirin, Lagos Island, to address perennial flooding in the area, will be ready July ending, Lagos State government has said.

    Permanent Secretary (Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources), Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Nurudeen Shodeinde, an engineer, made this known yesterday after an assessment tour of the project.

    The station, when completed, will address flooding at Adeniji, Oroyinyin, Idumagbo, Ojo Giwa, Jankara and environs, he said.

    Shodeinde, who said work on the mega pumping station is expected to end by July, added that it will solve the problem of back flowing of water from the lagoon to the listed areas, thereby causing water to remain stagnant.

    Three mega turbine pumps with the capacity to pump three million litres of storm water per hour will be installed at the station to continuously pump water into the lagoon.

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    The permanent secretary said the big turbine pumps were designed to function automatically and also self-operate, while being powered majorly by public power electricity, which would be backed up by a 350KVA generator with capacity to pump any accumulated water.

    He added: “The major challenge is the depressed nature of the affected areas, which makes it difficult for water to naturally drain into the lagoon. This prompted the government to also construct a rectangular drainage outlet at the Ilubirin end, which is higher than the sea level. Water is moved either by gravity or by pumping, bearing in mind that Lagos Island is the lowest-lying part of the state, and this has made it difficult for water to flow into the lagoon, hence a sump which is 20 by 20 metres in length and breadth, and 6-7metres deep into the ground, will be created where the three turbine pumping machines will be installed, thereby creating artificial energy to pump the storm water out into the lagoon.

    “The turbine pumps, which are individually four metres high, will be installed deep into the water to maintain the temperature of the coils of the pump with a discharge point created higher than the level of the lagoon. When the project is completed, there will be no record of water flowing back from the lagoon into the communities.

    “The mega pumping station will replace the temporary wall embankment constructed at Ilubirin to prevent the back flow of the lagoon.”

  • Brand promotes hard work in new TV commercial

    Brand promotes hard work in new TV commercial

    Goldberg Premium Lager Beer, from the stables of Nigerian Breweries PLC, has unveiled its new TV commercial dubbed: ‘E Ku Ise 2.0.’

    The TV commercial, which features Goldberg’s ambassadors, reiterates the brand’s effort at promoting the ‘Omoluabi’ values of hard work and enjoyment, but takes it a notch higher by calling on consumers to take pride in their professions and layer the same with excellence.

    The commercial features a compelling story, stunning visuals and a catchy soundtrack that captures the attention of viewers.

    It also brings to the fore, the values of excellence, teamwork and reward for hard work, among others.