The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Crises can stop Eagles  from 2026 World Cup, says Ladipo

    Crises can stop Eagles  from 2026 World Cup, says Ladipo

    The pioneer President General of  Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Rafiu Ladipo, has warned that the country cannot afford to miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup and as such the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should put  its house in order and end the ongoing feud in the Super Eagles.

    Reacting to the recent outburst by Napoli  striker Victor Osimhen as well as the purported resignation of coach Finidi George, Ladipo said the NFF cannot allow the war of words between the player and coach to rage on for the interest of Nigerian football.

    “There was a disagreement between him and his players and NFF,” Ladipo said on SOUQ Sports Special. “As a coach, you are the father of the players and whatever that is happening should be seen as a crisis between a father and his child. However, I was told there was a meeting with the NFF and it was there the NFF tried to put things in the right perspective.

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    “I am yet to get the outcome of that meeting but we shouldn’t deceive ourselves. Nigerian football is in crisis. I have given my own advise by way of relating with the past and stating what should be done.

    “We need to put our acts in order. Call the players and the coach and then let’s work for the progress of Nigerian football. Nigerians will not like to see our failure not to be part of the World Cup in two years’ time. We should not allow the same scenario that deprived us a place at the last World Cup to repeat itself.”

    The Super Eagles are fifth out of six teams with just three points from four games in Group C. They are four points behind group leaders, Rwanda who have seven points. The same team they will face in March next year when the World Cup Qualifiers resume.

  • President Federation Cup: Kano Pillars face tough test against Abia Warriors

    President Federation Cup: Kano Pillars face tough test against Abia Warriors

    Inspired Abia Warriors will go all out for glory when they take on traditional powerhouse team and former winners Kano Pillars in one of the semifinal matches of this year’s President Federation Cup, at the Lafia City Stadium tomorrow.

    The Aba giants struggled for several weeks in the relegation waters, but finally secured their Premiership status when they defeated Akwa United 2-0 in a Matchday 37 game on Sunday. They will approach the match in Lafia with very high impetus.

    In the other semifinal, El-Kanemi Warriors are also highly inspired after securing promotion to the NPFL following the conclusion of the NNL Super 8 Tournament. The team has been promoted alongside Nasarawa United, Beyond Limits and Ikorodu City.

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    Their opponents are Kebbi United, who fear no foe, and have reached this stage by defeating higher-rated ABS FC of Ilorin, NPFL side Akwa United and EFCC FC of Abuja. It promises an interesting evening at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project on Thursday.  

    MEN’S SEMI-FINAL FIXTURES

    Kebbi United  vs. El-Kanemi Warriors –Abuja

    Abia Warriors Vs Kano Pillars  – Lafia

  • President Federation Cup grand finale hold June 29 in Abuja

    President Federation Cup grand finale hold June 29 in Abuja

    The grand finale of this year’s President Federation Cup men and women competitions will take place at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Saturday, 29th June.

    NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said that the date has been agreed by both the NFF and GTI in view of the fact that Nigeria have until midnight of Sunday, 30 June to submit to the Confederation of African Football, the names of her representative clubs in next season’s continental club competitions.

     “Having looked closely at our programmes, the stage the men and women competitions are at the moment and the need to submit the names of all our representative clubs to CAF for African Club Competitions next season, ourselves and GTI have reached a consensus for the grand finale of the men and women finals of the President Federation Cup to take place on Saturday, 29th  June.

     “The venue is the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. The women’s final will begin at 1pm while the men’s final will commence at 4pm, as has been the tradition for so many years now. NFF and GTI are committed to putting up a great show of this year’s grand finale.”

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    Meanwhile, the quarter-finals of the women’s competition will take place today (19th  June) with Benin City, Asaba and Enugu as host centres.

    Nasarawa Amazons go up against Remo Stars Ladies at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, in what is undoubtedly one of the potentially-explosive encounters of the quarter-finals of the women’s competition.

    The girls from Ikenne have been following in the footsteps of their men’s team (Remo Stars FC) in chasing for honours this season, with the men’s team also firmly in the hunt for a CAF Champions League spot as the NPFL season rounds off next Sunday.

    The Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium is also the venue for the clash between Delta Queens and Sunshine Queens, while FC Robo Queens of Lagos and Naija Ratels of Abuja clash in another tantalizing match-up in Asaba.

    The Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu – where Enugu Rangers emerged champions of this year’s NPFL season on Sunday – is venue for the clash between Osun Babes and Rivers Angels.

    WOMEN’S QUARTER-FINAL FIXTURES

    Nasarawa Amazons vs. Remo Stars Ladies – Benin City

    Naija Ratels vs. FC Robo Queens – Asaba

    Delta Queens vs. Sunshine Queens – Benin City            

    Osun Babes  vs. Rivers Angels – Enugu

  • Man City to launch EPL  defence at Chelsea

    Man City to launch EPL  defence at Chelsea

    Manchester City will begin their Premier League title defence away to Chelsea on the opening weekend of the new season after the fixture list was published on Tuesday.

    The match on August 18 will pit Pep Guardiola against his former assistant Enzo Maresca, who was appointed Chelsea boss earlier this month after guiding Leicester to promotion last term.

    FA Cup winners Manchester United will host the opening game of the campaign when Fulham visit Old Trafford on August 16.

    The following day, newly promoted Ipswich, back in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, welcome Liverpool’s new manager Arne Slot, who has replaced the long-serving Jurgen Klopp.

    Leicester, back in the top flight after one season in the Championship and yet to name Maresca’s successor, will host Tottenham on August 19.

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    Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton reign will begin away to Everton while new West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui will welcome Aston Villa.

    Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who finished as runners-up behind City for a second straight season, host Wolves.

    EPL  opening-weekend fixtures

    Friday, 16 August

    Man. United v Fulham

    Saturday, 17 August

    Ipswich Town v Liverpool

    Arsenal v Wolverhampton

    Everton v Brighton

    Newcastle  v Southampton

    Nottingham v Bournemouth

    West Ham  v Aston Villa

    Sunday, 18 August

    Brentford v Crystal Palace

    Chelsea v Man. City

    Monday, 19 August

    Leicester v Tottenham

  • Madrid may unleash Mbappe against Mallorca

    Madrid may unleash Mbappe against Mallorca

    Kylian Mbappe could make his Real Madrid debut against Real Mallorca on the weekend of August 17-18 after La Liga announced the Spanish top-flight schedule for next season.

    France captain Mbappe could then play his first home game for the holders against Real Valladolid a week later.

    Madrid’s bitter rivals Barcelona begin their campaign at Valencia in new coach Hansi Flick’s first league game in charge.

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    The highly-anticipated Clasicos between Madrid and Barcelona will take place at the end of October and mid-May.

    Madrid finish the season at home against Real Sociedad with Barca making the trip to Athletic Bilbao on the weekend of May 24-25.

  • Ejuke fancies Super Eagles return after Sevilla switch  

    Ejuke fancies Super Eagles return after Sevilla switch  

    Dribbling wizard  Chidera Ejuke said his priority  now  is to  make a return to the Super Eagles  after  making a dream move to the La Liga side, Sevilla FC.

    The 26-year-old made history on Monday as the first Nigerian player to sign  for  Sevilla FC as well as  is the first  player to be signed  by the Spanish  outfit  for  the 2024/25 season , arriving on a free transfer from CSKA Moscow.

     He  spent last season on loan at Royal Antwerp where  he was credited  with five goals and six assists in the 2023/24 season.

    Ejuke who began his adventure in Europe in 2027 with Valerenga in Norway, said  the move to Sevilla is an opportunity to make a return to the Super Eagles.

     “It is special to be the first Nigerian here. I think I feel good being part of this team and I am looking forward to seeing what I can contribute to the team.” he  told the club’s official website in his maiden official interview . “I also hope to be able to back with Nigeria, because obviously it’s always nice to represent your country, so I hope it’s time to do it again and I’m also very excited.”

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    Ejuke made his debut for the Nigerian national team in 2020 after representing the Super Eagles at various youth levels, and has since earned eight caps during qualifying campaigns for the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

    Speaking on the switch to Sevilla, Ejuke said he was happy with the move, adding he can’t wait to contribute his quota to the success of the team.

     He said: “I’m really happy to be a part of this family and I’m looking forward to achieving many great things here. I’m really happy and I’m excited to be here.

    “To have an interest from a club like this, it’s massive. When my agent told me that the club was interested I was very excited about what was to come and in terms of the communication it has been easy. I’m happy with how everything went and now I’m just looking forward to it.”

  • Lagos agog as WTT Contender Serves off

    Lagos agog as WTT Contender Serves off

    Lagos will expectedly grab global attention  for the next five days as the WTT Contender serves off  today at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

    The tournament which is attracting quality players across the globe is the first WTT Series in sub-Saharan Africa will witness the convergent of players from India, South Korea, Germany, China, Cameroon, Egypt, Benin Republic, Ghana, Algeria, Denmark, and a host of others.

     “This is the second WTT Contender Lagos Series but to get here, we started in 2013 as the Lagos International Table Tennis Classics that ran for about two years, and after the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) recognized and approved the event, it became ITTF Nigeria Open which ran for another 5 or 6 years,” the Event Director, Dr. Kweku Tandoh, said. “The only year we didn’t hold the event was during the Covid-19 era and by the grace of God, we get to the level of WTT Contender which is the series of events organized by the ITTF.

    “One other thing we need to realize is that this tournament is coming weeks before the Olympics. So, it serves as a good preparation for many of the players that are coming. A lot of international players have included the tournament as part of their training program. We look forward to an exciting tournament Table Tennis and we want to invite everyone to be part of it.”

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    The LOC Chairman and ITTF Vice President, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, said the uniqueness of the tournament distinguished it from others across the globe.

     “This is Lagos and like I always tell you, it’s different not because we have the greatest hall in the world but what we have is the greatest fans in the world,” Oshodi said.

    “ I would like to say thank you to the fans and a big thank you to the media because they tell the world what we are doing.”

    He added: “ They’ve been supportive over the year, especially in the last 12 to 13 years that we’ve been doing this.”

     “As the Vice President of ITTF, l climbed on their back over the years and I must say a very big thank you to them.

    For Bryce Goh, the WTT Event and Experience Manager, the tournament would afford young players to rub shoulders with the world’s best.

    “I’m looking forward to a great tournament and I say a big thank you, not just to the organizing committee but to everyone who contributed to this great tournament because the event would not be a success without everyone. This tournament also serves as an opportunity for young players in Nigeria to present themselves to the World stage for them to take a step up to the next level. I’m happy to see a lot of Nigerian players who are taking part in the competition.”

  • Heavy rain to pound Osun, Ekiti, Rivers, Niger

    Heavy rain to pound Osun, Ekiti, Rivers, Niger

    Delta, Imo, A/Ibom, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba also

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted heavy rainfall in 14 states this week.

    They are Niger, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Delta, Imo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Ekiti and Osun states.

    The agency said the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is expected to be strong over the West African region.

    MJO is the major fluctuation in tropical weather on weekly to monthly timescales.

    The agency explained that the strong MJO would lead to heavy rainfall.

    This is contained in the weekly weather forecast bulletin issued by NiMet yesterday.

    The forecast is valid for seven days.

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    The bulletin reads: “During the week, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is expected to be strong within the week over the West African region.

    “Good moisture influx and velocity divergence are expected to enhance the prospects of heavy rainfall over parts of Niger, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Delta, Imo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Ekiti and Osun states.”

    The agency also highlighted some states that would experience moderate to heavy rainfall.

    “Moderate to heavy rainfall is anticipated over parts of Zamfara, Kano, Borno, Gombe, Adamawa, the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Ondo, Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi and Anambra states,” it said.

    NiMet predicted low rainfall over parts of Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa and Yobe states.

    It added that the rest of the country should experience low to moderate rainfall.

    The agency warned that the heavy rainfall in some parts of the country could lead to flash floods.

    “There are prospects of flash floods on roads, bridges and low-lying areas which can disrupt vehicular traffic.

    “The public is advised to take necessary safety precautions; do not walk through fast-flowing runoff waters,” it warned.

    The agency also predicted the maximum and minimum temperature that would be witnessed by various states this week.

    It stated that the maximum temperature range of 35 – 40oC is anticipated over parts of Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe and Borno states.

    “Temperature range of 30 – 35oC is expected over parts of Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Lagos, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.

    “The rest of the country is expected to experience a temperature range of 25 – 30oC.”

    According to NiMet, the minimum temperature range of 15 – 20oC is expected over parts of Plateau states.

    It stated that a temperature range of 25 – 30oC is anticipated over parts of Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe and Borno states.

    Temperatures 20 – 25oC and above are expected over the remaining parts of the country, NiMet added.

  • Group urges lawmaker to mentor future leaders

    Group urges lawmaker to mentor future leaders

    Ukanafun Community in Lagos has urged the House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement chairman, Mr Unyime Idem, to set up a platform for training upcoming political leaders.

    The group’s position was contained in a statement by its president, Mr Mfon Emeh.

    Idem, who has been representing the Ukanafun/Oruk Anam constituency at the House of Representatives since June 2019, was in 2021 awarded Legislator of the Year by Independent Newspapers.

    The statement reads: “In joining other Nigerians in celebrating the 2024 edition of Democracy Day, we have taken a keen look at accolades poured on Representative Unyime Idem by numerous individuals and groups from Akwa Ibom extraction and we have come to the conclusion that he is quite deserving of the torrents of praises.“We have evaluated his strong voices in the National Assembly to improve the lot of not just the people of his constituency but Nigerians as a whole.

    “His position against exploitative dealing of DSTV and many other issues of national importance are still fresh in our memory.

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    “His yearly life-touching empowerment programmes for diverse segments of people in his constituency have now been emulated by many legislators and other political office holders across the country.

    “Tracing from the past obscured representation we have had, the performance of Unyime Idem in the past five years is a perfect reminder that our previous political leaders at the National Assembly, especially from Ukanafun/Oruk Anam, were not chosen from our first, and even second eleven.

    “To move forward, we believe that Unyime Idem is at liberty to utilise the unlimited tenure enjoyed by legislators to keep the flag of good performance flying in the National Assembly.

    “Ukanafun Community in Lagos is hastening here to implore him to initiate measures of mentoring upcoming political leaders on how to effect good leadership and cause people to reap democracy dividends.

    “We believe that no one is too young or old to learn. That is why all those who want to go for leadership positions for impact should subject themselves to learning from the feet of Unyime Idem.”

  • Enemies working to topple Kano, says Kwankwaso

    Enemies working to topple Kano, says Kwankwaso

    New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) national leader Rabiu Kwankwaso yesterday alleged that enemies of Kano were plotting to topple the state.

    Kwankwaso, a one-time Kano governor, called on the people of the state to join forces for the peace and development of the commercial city.

    Kwankwaso made the call at a special Sallah celebration gala organised by the Kwankwasiya Development Foundation in Kano, held in his residence yesterday.

    He said the time for all Kano indigenes and NNPP members to come together has come based on the issues being faced by state from highly-placed politicians from different fronts.

    The Presidency had denied Kwankwaso’s allegation that the Federal Government was planning to slam a state of emergency on Kano over the lingering emirate tussle.

    Still on emirates crisis, Kwankwaso said the enemies have now turned the issue to a political show of force against restoring the institution of its historic tradition.

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    He said: “We won elections overwhelmingly but the enemies of the state are working hard to topple it, but Allah in his infinite wisdom intervened.

    “It seems the enemies are at it again. You know what is happening on the Emirate Council and we thank all those who are supporting the position of Government. In this regard we are one and will continue to be one.”