The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Sportsville Awards: Pinnick to get Special Recognition

    Sportsville Awards: Pinnick to get Special Recognition

    Our Reporter

     

    Candidate for a seat on the venerable FIFA Council, the highest decision-making organ in football in the universe, Amaju Melvin Pinnick will on Saturday be honoured with a Special Recognition Award at the maiden edition of the Sportsville Awards in Lagos.

    Chairman of Sportsville Communications (organizers of the Awards), Hon. Frank Ilaboya, said the award is in recognition and appreciation of the tireless efforts of the President of Nigeria Football Federation towards putting Nigeria in a prominent place of pride in world football both on the field and in the boardroom.

    “Sportsville Communications is not unaware of the boundless energy and the unflagging enthusiasm with which Mr Pinnick has been pursuing the issue of uplifting Nigerian Football to a higher pedestal on the field and in the boardroom, since he was first elected as President of NFF in September 2014. He scores high in aggressive marketing and is matchless in seeking high visibility for Nigeria in football’s high table,” stated Ilaboya.

    A total of 10 prominent Nigerians will be honoured at the awards ceremony holding at the Ibis Royale Hotel on Saturday. Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu; NOC President and IOC Member, Engineer Habu Ahmed Gumel; NBBF President Musa Kida; Nigeria Women Football League boss, Aisha Falode; NFF Executive Member and Enyimba FC Chairman, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu; foremost media entrepreneur and owner of Radio Brila, Dr Larry Izamoje; Mr Ebi Egbe of Monimichelle Ltd and; foremost Supporters Club president, Dr Rafiu Olalere Oladipo are the others.

    “We have put in place measures to ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols and guidelines at the Awards. All the measures and protocols as outlined and instructed by the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports will be observed at the event,” Ilaboya added.

    Read Also: Pinnick donates sporting facilities to Hussey College

    Pinnick, who is both Member of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football and Member of the influential Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions, was on Tuesday issued a clearance letter by world governing body, FIFA, as being eligible to contest for a seat on the 37-member FIFA Council that is the supreme body for football administration in the universe.

    Clearance for committee appointments or candidacy for positions in FIFA usually come after rigorous eligibility checks and thorough scrutiny of the social, moral and political credentials, as well as public service records of the individuals concerned. Pinnick has now passed the tough tests on three occasions: for appointment into the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions, for election into the CAF Executive Committee and for the forthcoming FIFA Council election.

    The FIFA Council elections come up in Rabat, Morocco on Friday, 12th March 2021 during the 43rd Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football, and on the eve of the commencement of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in that country.

    Only two Nigerians have sat on the world’s supreme football –decision making organ previously: Sir Oyo Orok Oyo and Dr Amos Adamu.

     

     

  • Lobi Stars TM Imenger hospitalized

    Lobi Stars TM Imenger hospitalized

    By Taofeek Babalola

     

     

    Former Nigeria international and current Lobi Stars Team Manager Barnabas Imenger has been reportedly rushed to the Federal Medical Center Makurdi for an undisclosed ailment.

    NationSport learnt that Imenger has been in and out of hospitals since last year before he was finally moved to Federal Medical Center in Makurdi.

    All efforts to speak with him has been unsuccessful but his Junior brother George Imenger confirmed that a team of medical doctors have swung into action by carrying out an extensive test to diagnose the actual cause of the ailment.

    “Series of tests have been carried out on him to know what is really happening to him and apply proper medication,” George to NationSport.

    George, who acknowledged the support of Lobi Stars board, disclosed that the club’s Vice Chairman Mike Idoko has been supportive and promised to continue to assist.

    Read Also: Lobi Stars undergoing COVID-19 test

    “Any assistance coming for him this time will go a long way because my senior brother has been spending his entire monthly salary on his health since last year. He is a very reserve and humble personality and believes since he’s still earning a wage and allowances at Lobi Stars he can always take care of himself but the truth is that he is the breed winner in the family and a lot of responsibilities rest on his shoulder. The entire Imenger family in Makurdi is in prayer as Barnabas has been the head, father and breadwinner,” George said.

    However, his son, Nanen Imenger, who is also a Nigeria international expressed shock over this latest development as his father has never been so sick: “We’re praying for a divine intervention because since last year my father has been in and out of hospital and he has lost a lot of weight.”

  • MoC Grand Prix: Athletes battle Tokyo Olympics tickets

    MoC Grand Prix: Athletes battle Tokyo Olympics tickets

    By Olalekan Okusan

     

    Athletes  yet to meet the qualification standard for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will have a chance as the 3rd edition of the Making of Champions (MoC) Grand Prix  holds  April 2 & 3 at the Yabatech Sports Complex in Lagos.

    The 3rd  MoC Grand Prix is part of planned five Olympic qualifying competitions across Nigeria from March to June tagged the ‘MoC Athletics Challenge’, while the meet will be staging the first Mixed 4x400m Olympic Qualification attempt Mixed 4x400m (with 2 men and 2 women per team) which will debut at Tokyo Olympic Games.

    “The MoC Grand Prix holds an added importance this year because it will serve as an Olympic-qualifying event and we’re looking very much forward to helping as many Nigerian athletes as possible qualify for the Olympics,” MoC Founder & CEO Bambo Akani said at a virtual media parley yesterday.

    “We’re calling on corporate sponsors across Nigeria to join in this effort to support Nigeria’s Olympic hopes, especially in the midst of the coronavirus crisis,” Akani added.

    Over 30 Track & Field events will be featured at the two-day meet which also serves as a crucial Olympic Qualifier for Nigeria’s top athletes.

    Read Also: Dare draws fresh plans for Tokyo 2020

    According to Akani, the event would strictly observe the Sports Ministry’s COVID-19 Sports Code & Protocols while the final list of invited athletes will be released after an initial one-month registration period for interested athletes has closed.

    MoC Partnerships Manager Evans Emmanuel said: “Apart from few athletes globally who have already hit Olympic qualifying standards in their events, most Athletes worldwide will have to qualify through their World Rankings, which is an average of their five best performances in the last 12 months.”

    Since the inaugural edition in 2018, the MoC Grand Prix has become one of the most important fixtures in the annual calendar of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) with all results expected to be ratified and recognized globally by World Athletics.

     

     

     

  • Aruna’s rating drops in Tennis Bundesliga

    Aruna’s rating drops in Tennis Bundesliga

    By Olalekan Okusan

     

    The defeat suffered by TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell against TSV Bad Königshofen in the Week 15 of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) may have taken its toll on Quadri Aruna rating as the Nigerian dropped to 16 from top 10 in the players’ rating.

    Unbeaten since the start of 2021, Aruna suffered defeat in TTC Fulda’s 3-1 home loss to the visiting TSV Bad Königshofen and surprisingly lost 3-0 to German international Kilian Ort in his first individual game on Tuesday

    A disappointed Aruna told NationSport on Thursday that he was yet to get over the unexpected loss, which he described as unfortunate.

    He said:  “I think I played very well in the two matches and it was clear for everybody that I was in top form but I cannot just explain what happened to me to have lost the two matches.

    Read Also: Quadri begins CBN Tennis title defence

    “I knew it was not going to be an easy match but I was not expecting that I would lose the two matches because I trained well before the encounter.

    But I take solace in the fact that the team is not going to give up at this time as we are still hoping to move up the league table,” Aruna added.

    TTC Fulda is 10th  in the 12-team table with five wins and 10 losses while their next league match at home is against league leader Borussia Dusseldorf on Sunday.

     

     

     

     

  • Best Player Award for January: Umar celebrates a nomination with Copa del Rey win

    Best Player Award for January: Umar celebrates a nomination with Copa del Rey win

    By Tunde Liadi

     

    Almeria striker, Sadiq Umar celebrated his nomination for the SmartBank La Liga Player for January Award with his eye-catching performance for the Rojiblancos in their Copa del Rey Fourth Round victory over Osasuna on Wednesday night.

    The game ended goalless  after extra time and in the ensuing penalty shootout, Umar converted his spot-kick for Almeria as they sailed to the quarter-final  5-4 on penalties for the second time in their history -the first being 2010-11 season when they got to the semi-final but were eliminated by Barcelona.

    Umar who is up for the award for the Best Segunda player in January also inspired Almeria in their third round Copa del Rey success over La Liga side, Deportivo Alaves where he scored twice in a 5-0 demolition on January 16th .

    The loanne from AS Roma scored four league goals and two Copa del Rey goals in the month under review including a hat-trick against Ponderradina in Almeria’s first league game of the year on January 3rd. Almeria are third on the log with 42 points from 21 matches and will face Castellon on Saturday in another league tie.

    Umar has scored  10 goals for Almeria in the Segunda in 19 games with additional  two more goals in the Copa del Rey.

    The other two frontrunners for the Segunda Best Player in January 2021 are Sergio Ruiz of Las Palmas and Bernardo Espinosa of Girona. Ruiz played 17 games and scored three goals to help Las Palmas to ninth on the table with 32 points while Espinosa racked home 21 matches and a goal to aid Girona’s place in the eighth position with 33 points from 22 games.

     

     

     

  • Live football thrillers on GOtv Max!

    Live football thrillers on GOtv Max!

    Our Reporter

     

    GOtv customers can look forward to another football weekend with live action from the 2020/21 Premier League, La Liga and Serie A seasons on SuperSport for matches scheduled throughout this weekend.

    The top clash from the Premier League this weekend is the meeting of Manchester City and Sheffield United at 4pm tomorrow, showing live on SS Select 2 while Southampton vs. Aston Villa will also air live on SS Football (channel 31) at 9pm.

    SuperSport is the only place to get English commentary from the legendary La Liga, where the pick of matches for this round sees Barcelona host Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou on at 9pm live on SS La Liga (channel 32).

    Elsewhere in the Spanish top flight tomorrow, champions Real Madrid will back themselves in a home clash with Levante, airing live on SS La Liga (channel 32) at 4:15pm, while title favourites Atletico Madrid will feel similarly confident for their trip to Estadio Ramon de Carranza, to tackle Cadiz. This clash will air live at 4:15pm on SS La Liga (channel 32).

    The headline match from Italy for this round sees Atalanta host Lazio at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo at 3pm on Sunday.

    These are two of the most attack-minded teams in Serie A it is no surprise that their last three meetings have produced 16 goals! This air lives on SS Select 1 (channel 33).

    Read Also: COVID-19  stops  GOtv Boxing Night 22

    Earlier in the weekend, Torino will face Fiorentina at 8:45pm today; live on SS Select 1 (channel 33). Also at 8:45pm tomorrow, Internazionale will clash with Benevento also showing live on SS Select 1 (channel 33).

    The weekend also features an ‘old school’ classic with Sampdoria welcoming champions Juventus to Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris at 6pm live on SS Select 1 (channel 33).

    The clash sees a ‘master versus apprentice’ angle for the managers, with the wily old Claudio Ranieri looking to outsmart Andrea Pirlo.

     

     

  • Gov. Ortom appoints Uwua special assistant

    Gov. Ortom appoints Uwua special assistant

    Our Reporter

     

    Former Flying Eagles coach, Godwin Koko Uwua, has been appointed by the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom as his Principal Special Assistant on Urban Development.

    Coach Uwua,  who guided both Lobi Stars and Enyimba International of Aba to their first league titles received his letter of appointment at a brief ceremony at the Government House, Makurdi on Tuesday.

    While accepting the appointment, the former Super Eagles assistant coach expressed appreciation to the governor, especially his wife,  Mrs Eunice Ortom and pledged to discharge his responsibility with the fear of God.

    “I want to thank the governor, His Excellency, Samuel Ortom and his wife, Her Excellency, Mrs Eunice for the honour to serve Benue State. It’s a call to duty and I pledge my allegiance to the development of Benue State. I  promise to serve and discharge my responsibility with the fear of God,” Uwua said.

     

  • Nigeria spent 526.4b in treating tobacco ailments

    Nigeria spent 526.4b in treating tobacco ailments

    By Tajudeen Adebanjo

    The Center for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) yesterday said Nigeria spent N526.4 billion to treat tobacco-related ailments in 2019.

    This, according to the group, was parts of the outcome of its findings.

    CSEA Director of Education and Governance research/Senior Research Fellow Dr Adedeji Adeniran made this known at a workshop held in Alausa, Lagos.

    According to him, no fewer than 29,472 deaths were attributable to smoking.

    Adeniran said the figure represented around 4.9 per cent of all deaths recorded same year.

    He reiterated the call for a higher tax on cigarettes to mitigate the health burden.

    This would reduce the smoking prevalence and intensity of smoking in the country.

    He said: “This burden corresponds to 231,457 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per year. If the price of tobacco cigarettes were to be raised by 50 per cent, 23,838 deaths and 602,325 DALYs from smoking-attributable diseases would be averted in 10 years, with subsequent savings on health care costs, and increased tax revenue collection. In Nigeria, the tobacco tax collection does not currently fully cover the direct healthcare costs attributed to smoking.”

    Globally, he said, tobacco consumption continues to cause a huge burden of preventable diseases.

    He added that Nigeria is becoming a major tobacco market in Africa and the absolute number of active smokers remains among the highest on the continent.

    “Tobacco smoking resulted into: psychological effect and change in physical health; stigmatization; reduced productivity; and fall in standard of living. Overall, the result underscores the need for broader tobacco control policies in Nigeria through more tobacco taxes and other supplementary measures,” he said.

    Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) Director of Programmes Philip Jakpor, said the government needs to partner with research groups, civil societies and advocacy groups on tobacco control.

    “We anticipate that getting the data to the government will help their planning and review some specific policies especially in relation to tobacco control.

    One of the things we heard for instance here is that the current tax imposed on tobacco products is significantly lower compared to what we have in other African countries,” he said.

    Nigeria, he said, needs to look into the policies relating to tobacco control and come up with realistic policies and information that will be useful to the public and for global tobacco control.

    An Associate Professor of Medicine at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) Dr Olufunke Adeyeye, said smoking puts lives of those engaging in it on a dangerous pedestal.

    Dr Adeyeye, who is also a Consultant Pulmonologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), said those that do not die young, are having a lot of morbidity.

    “They are having huge expenditures on health care and they’re having poor quality of life. So, it’s important to know that when you smoke, you interfere with your quality of life. You have cough that doesn’t go; you’re breathless you can’t do exercise. You can have sudden death; you can develop stroke or wounds that refuse to heal. You can have babies that are too small, children that goes to hospital all the time from recurrent infections. So, there’s really no benefit in smoking,” she said.

  • Kola Karim becomes Agbaoye of Ibadan land

    Kola Karim becomes Agbaoye of Ibadan land

    Oladapo Sofowora

     

    AFTER the passing away of Harry Akande on December 5, 2020, at the age of 77, the race for who succeeds the billionaire as the Agbaoye of Ibadan land begun. The race for who fills the lacuna – highest honorary chieftaincy title in Ibadan land – left by the late business magnate saw several top individuals making moves to occupy the seat. For more than a month, the seemingly tortuous search for a fitting ‘son of the soil’ replacement, who must be very wealthy, powerful, influential, and well connected, had gone on.

    After wide consultations by Ibadan high chiefs and kingmakers, they finally settled for Kola Karim, who is widely and fondly referred to as KK. The former Oyo state guber aspirant, shipping magnate, and stupendously wealthy boss of Shoreline Natural Resources has been tipped as the next Ibadan son to be bestowed with the prestigious title. The billionaire Polo buff is an astute and visionary businessman who owns a vast business empire with substantial investments in many key sectors of the economy.

    KK’s emergence was approved by all sundry as it came with no opposition, given his stylish and affluence background. Many agree that despite stiff competition for the title, Kola who is the youngest of them all is a round peg in a round hole as the title would befit him with his status and charisma. The incoming Agbaoye of Ibadan Land is also the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of Costain (West Africa) plc, Nigerian Ropes plc, and serves as a Director in seven other companies, including Shoreline Power Company Ltd, Shoreline Energy International Ltd, Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Schlumberger Testing & Production Services Nigeria Ltd, Trans Amadi Facilities Ltd.

    The official date for the title coronation party and rites is yet to be announced but sources averred that it would be a ground-breaking ceremony as the whole Ibadan will standstill as Kola will attract those who matter most in the country’s political, business, and society to his chieftaincy ceremony.

  • Firm empowers youths with vocational skills

    Firm empowers youths with vocational skills

    Our Reporter

     

    THE National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO) has facilitated the training of 17 unemployed graduates from Iru community in Victoria Island Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State.

    The youth, who were trained in agribusiness (crop and livestock farming), Information Communication Technology as well as catering and craft, graduated on Wednesday after a three-month residential training programme at the Oluponna Fish Farming and Resource Foundation (OFFER) Centre, Iwo, in Osun State.

    Mr Usman Baba, managing director, NETCO, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said the company would continue to make positive contributions to its host community.

    He said the objective of the NETCOPRENEUR programme was to create youth empowerment for the benefit of the indigenes of Iruland.

    The managing director, represented by Mrs Iyabo Ayobami-Ojo, manager, Public Affairs, NETCO, advised the graduands to be honest and creative to stand out and be successful in their businesses.

    Princess Rasheedat Adu, chairperson, Iru-Victoria Island LCDA, represented by the Council’s Secretary, Taofeek Abiola, lauded the cordial relationship between NETCO and the host community.

    Speaking on behalf of the graduands, Mr Turner Ibrahim, thanked NETCO and OFFER Centre for the opportunity given to them, promising that they would use it for the betterment of the nation.