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  • Sujimoto wrapped up 2020 with yet another award

    Sujimoto wrapped up 2020 with yet another award

    Our Reporter

    Real Estate company, Sujimoto led by Sijibomi Ogundele has received the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Growth and Development of the Real Estate Sector in Lagos State by Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria, REDAN, to end the 2020 business year on a high.

    The award is one of the many awards Sujimoto bagged in 2020-a year that turned out to be very tough for most businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Known for its bespoke luxury apartments, Sujimoto found its way into the Nigerian real estate market and has carved an enviable niche for itself.

    Ogundele, CEO of Sujimoto speaking on the award said, “Numbers don’t lie, facts speak for themselves! Our continuous dedication and commitment to delivering exceptional luxury real estate projects has been noticed as we have been awarded by (REDAN) for an Outstanding Contribution to the Growth and Development of the Real Estate Sector in Lagos State.

    “Our results speak for us. Report cards don´t deceive, rather, they are key indicators of performance; reminding us of what we have done right, where we are now, and what we can do better.

    “Growing up, my biggest nightmares were the 3 times in a year that I had to go over to my Dad´s place, because he was a disciplinarian and hell-bent on performance, for him, being the best wasn’t negotiable and as a kid, I just couldn’t understand, I can remember cursing under my breath and crying hard after I get strokes of the cane for not doing well in class. He talked so much about life being a competition and how I need to learn to be more competitive or suffer the consequences later in life.

    READ ALSO: Sujimoto: starting 2021 with an attitude of gratitude

    “Today, I appreciate those lessons, as they have given me an edge in the world of business, amongst local and international competitors, reminding me that right from the stages of planning and architectural design, mediocrity isn´t an option; and if we want to be top 3 in Africa and top 10 in the world, we need to think customers first.

    Innovation must be the foundation of our projects, and diligence should be embedded in our DNA. This explains why we stand shoulder to shoulder with renowned companies from Asia to Africa and Europe.

    “ The diligent shall eat amongst Kings and not mere men,” is a biblical law we at Sujimoto attach ourselves to and that’s why from inception Integrity, Quality and Innovation have been the foundation of who we are and what we are as a company.

    “It’s in the same quest for unparalleled excellence we have designed architectural masterpieces that are fiercely been competing with luxurious historical landmarks around the world.”

    Thanking the Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria for drawing a highly competitive measuring yard, Ogundele said that for his company, the starting point for customer satisfaction is value creation and promised to never stop.

     

  • Ighalo pens two-and-a-half-year Al-Shabab deal

    Ighalo pens two-and-a-half-year Al-Shabab deal

     

    Odion Ighalo, who was on loan at Manchester United for a year, has undergone the mandatory medicals ahead of a permanent deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab.

    The 31-year-old thereafter reportedly agreed personal terms on a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al-Shabab. The Saudi transfer window does not close until February 7.

    Ighalo’s loan spell at United from Shanghai Shenhua came to an end last week.

    He was due to return to his parent club but they have given him permission to speak to the Saudi Arabian side.

    He scored five goals in 23 appearances across all competitions for United after arriving on Deadline Day last January, but has made only two starts this season since Edinson Cavani joined in October.

    Ighalo confirmed his departure from Old Trafford in an emotional farewell message last Tuesday.

    “It’s so hard to see this dream come to an end,” he wrote on social media.

    “But I give God the glory for helping me fulfil this lifelong dream of putting on a Manchester United shirt as a player and represent this great club.

    “To the manager, I say thank you for trusting and believing in me when many did not.”

  • Ooni throws weight behind National Principals Cup

    Ooni throws weight behind National Principals Cup

     

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has thrown his weight behind the revival of the National Principals Cup competition, saying it is a national asset for building the character of future leaders and uniting the nation.

    He said that he played in both the Headmasters and Principals Cups in his primary and secondary school days, adding the experiences contributed to what he is today.

    The Ooni further gave his commitment to the success of the on-going revival of the event in Ile Ife on Monday when a delegation of the Organising Committee led by Dr. Ademola Are, Director of Grassroots Sports at the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development paid him a courtesy call to seek his royal blessings.

    “The reason why I am excited today is that I played in the Headmasters Cup and I played in the Principals Cup,” the Arole Oodua said.

    “They are the greatest assets to cultivate the subconscious nature or mind of the average Nigerian youth. It is very important that you are bringing the Principals Cup back. It will solve idleness, it will solve youth employment. It will provide an opportunity for a lot of people to display their talent as I am a living testimony,”

    Ooni continued : “The Principals Cup was one of the greatest programmes organised by the Federal Government. It goes round every corner. The dedication and commitment from all corners was a lot. That time, there was very little crime because you are preparing the mind of the youths to be responsible.

    “Football is all about responsibility. You must be responsible with the ball you are holding and careful not to lose it to the opponent. So, psychologically, you are preparing future generations that must be responsible.”

    Earlier, Dr. Are informed the Ooni that though the Principals Cup is traditionally a football event, the Minister of Sports has considered it necessary to include other sports including boxing, badminton, athletics, swimming and table tennis so as to provide opportunity for youths who are talented in other sports.

  • D’Tigress get tough Tokyo Olympics group

    D’Tigress get tough Tokyo Olympics group

    By Olalekan Okusan

     

    Nigeria’s women national basketball team, D’Tigress has been pitched against world and Olympic Champion, United States of America (USA), hosts Japan and European powerhouse France in Group B of the basketball event of the Tokyo Olympics.

    D’Tigress who will be making their second appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, are now under experienced coach Otis Hughley.

    At the closed-door draw held at FIBA headquarters in Switzerland yesterday, the 12 women teams were drawn into three groups of four teams in each group.

    D’Tigress will open their campaign in Tokyo against USA on July 27 while slug it out against France on July 30 and their last group match against Japan will hold on August 2.

    In the men’s draw, D’Tigers are in Group B alongside Oceania champion Australia while the remaining two teams in the group will emerge from the final qualifiers taking place in Serbia and Croatia between June 29 and July 4.

    Even amid COVID-19 pandemic, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis is upbeat about a good tournament in Tokyo: “We are looking forward to enjoying the world’s best basketball players performing this coming July in the capital of Japan. FIBA is confident for the smooth delivery of the Olympic Basketball Tournaments based on the close partnership with the IOC and the TOCOG as well as on its own, proven operational capacity during the last seven months.

    “Last October and November FIBA and its Regional Offices managed to have no less than 114 men’s and women’s national teams travel internationally and play safely in bio-secure hubs, performing approximately 12,000 PCR tests.”

  • Osimhen’s Gattuso to be axed in June

    Osimhen’s Gattuso to be axed in June

     

    The father-son relationship between Victor Osimhen and coach Gennaro Gattuso at Napoli may be coming to an end with confirmation that the former Milan coach would leave his post in June.

    Napoli and Gattuso are reportedly destined to part ways this summer.

    Sky Sport Italia reports that the recent rumours regarding the former Milan coach’s position at the Partenopei and the very openly manifested ‘disappointment’ will lead to a split in June.

    Gattuso picked up the Coppa Italia last season but has struggled to keep up with League leaders Milan in Serie A. With Napoli currently fifth in the League and with a nine-point gap up to the top, pressure increased for Gattuso.

    Reports of contact between President Aurelio De Laurentiis and former coach Rafael Benitez, recently freed from his contractual ties with Dalian, sparked rumours of an early departure for Gattuso this winter.

    After the 2-0 win against Parma last night, Gattuso manifested his disappointment with De Laurentiis and highlighted that he has ‘correctly’ rejected any proposals coming his way.

    Sky Sport Italia claims the current icy front between the two will not thaw anytime soon and reports that Gattuso will leave Napoli after the current campaign.

  • Troost-Ekong admits error for loss t against QPR

    Troost-Ekong admits error for loss t against QPR

     

    Watford’s defender William Troost-Ekong has reportedly admitted culpability in his side’s 2-1 loss to OQP on Monday night, even as he rallied his teammates to be more proactive and attacking minded in future games.

    He, however, accepted blame for getting the wrong side of Charlie Austin for the equalising goal.

    “We never really got going, especially in the first half,” he told Hive Live Extra. “After the goal we got a bit of a lift, but we have to be honest. I have to be honest with myself as well, I should’ve done better with the first goal.

    “It’s been difficult because we were defending a lot and you’re going to make mistakes, and today QPR capitalised on those. We need to get more on the front foot.

    “When we got possession of the ball we were in our half. QPR pinned us back for moments of the game, it was a long way to the other goal and we didn’t capitalise enough on the space in behind.

    “We have to create more because when you’re playing at home you try to take the game to them, otherwise it’s difficult to hang on for so long and not concede. We need to attack better as a team to try and create more opportunities.”

    Conceding a last-minute winner always hurts, and Troost-Ekong said those in the dressing room share the disappointment of those who were following the game from afar.

    “It’s just as frustrating for us. The difficulty is that we can’t show that emotion too much, you don’t want to get distracted because you’re focused on your job,” he said.

    “Everyone knows today wasn’t good enough. We all have to look in the mirror and look at what we’ve done, starting with me.

    “It’s going to happen during the season and we have to learn from it today and pick ourselves up, because this weekend is going to be a massive game again.”

  • ‘Tokyo Olympics ‘ll hold regardless of COVID-19’

    ‘Tokyo Olympics ‘ll hold regardless of COVID-19’

     

    Olympics-Games will go ahead regardless of pandemic situation: Tokyo 2020 president

    Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said Japan would hold the Summer Olympics regardless of the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and was working closely with the International Olympic Committee to make them happen.

    “We will hold the Olympics, regardless of how the coronavirus (situation) looks,” Mori said, adding that the discussion should focus on how, not whether, the Olympics will happen.

    “We must consider new ways of hosting the Olympics” as a part of that, he said.

    Mori added that while working together had its difficulties, Tokyo 2020 organisers and the IOC had a strong relationship.

    Mori was speaking at the start of a meeting with Japan’s Sports Research Commission.

    The 2020 Games were postponed last year due to the global spread of the novel coronavirus.

    A recent spike in infections in Japan that triggered a state of emergency in some areas has fuelled speculation about whether the rescheduled Games can be held this summer.

  • Maja excited over Fulham’s loan deal

    Maja excited over Fulham’s loan deal

     

    By Tunde Liadi

     

    Nigeria international Josh Maja said he can’t contain his excitement as a loanne from Bordeaux to Fulham for the remainder of the season.

    The loan move to the Cottagers will expectedly afford him the chance to stage a return to the English league where he had starred for Sunderland and Manchester City.

    The 22-year-old striker will remain with Fulham for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign, with an option for the deal to be made permanent and he told the club’s official website that he sees his move to the Craven Cottage as a big platform for him.

    Speaking to club’s official website after signing, Maja said: “I’m really excited and proud to sign for Fulham on loan for the remainder of the season.

    “This is a big opportunity and I look forward to meeting up with the team and working hard to achieve positive results.”

    It must definitely be the 2018/19 campaign that Maja would look back on as the year he well and truly announced himself, when he scored 16 goals by mid-January and boasted the best goals (0.63) per game ratio in League One.

    It was the form that persuaded Bordeaux to take him to France, where last season he scored seven goals, including a hat-trick against Nimes.

    Maja’s performances in Ligue 1 earned him a first call-up to the Nigeria international squad in September 2019, and he made his debut that same month in a team that also featured Ola Aina.

  • Top pros to grace Bayelsa golf tourney

    Top pros to grace Bayelsa golf tourney

     

    From Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

     

    Professional golfers from four African countries will next month converge on Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, for the first Bayelsa State Governor’s Cup International Golf Tournament.

    The much-anticipated event which will be organized by the Henry Seriake Dickson (HSD) Golf and Country Club will hold between March 4 and 7.

    According to the Captain of the HSD Golf and Country Club, Oyintonefie Richie Etonye, the tournament is specially organized to mark the one year anniversary of Governor Douye Diri.

    Etonye, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Government House, Yenagoa, said a mini golf lounge and an open air relaxation sports bar built in honour of the Governor would also be officially inaugurated.

    He said the HSD Golf and Country Club is proud of the modest but significant achievements of Governor Diri in the last one year which has made the state to experience peace and stability.

    He said that the golf tournament would be played in compliance with COVID-19 protocols and the participating professional golfers from the four African countries of Zimbabwe, Ghana, Gabon, and Cameroon had all been fully informed and were equally ready to adhere strictly to it.

    The captain said: “There will be various mouth-watering prizes to be won ranging from giant trophies, millions of cash prizes for the overall winners, a Toyota saloon car and more. The tournament is also open to golfers from across the country, not just the four African countries.

    “It is going to be a massive event. Our club’s aim is to also use the golf tournament to drive tourism development in the state by bringing in multinationals to experience the best of Bayelsa hospitality as well as to explore vast business and tourism potential of the state.

    “If you’re a golfer or lover of the sport you can’t afford to miss it. We are glad that even with the current circumstances globally, we are putting this together to showcase the fact that in Bayelsa only the best happens,” Etonye added.

  • Joeboy releases first full length album

    Joeboy releases first full length album

    Our Reporter

    Nigerian Afropop star Joseph Akinfewa popularly known as ‘JOEBOY’ today released this first full-length debut, Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic via Banku Music/emPawa Africa.

    The Lagos-born singer continues his ascent with Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic, a celebration of love in its myriad forms. JOEBOY is the sole vocalist across the project’s 14 tracks, which were produced by a committee of top Afrobeats producers led by E Kelly, Killertunes, Dëra, and BeatsbyKO.

    “Working on this project was life-changing — I met a version of myself I never knew before,” JOEBOY says. “The plan was to come up with a title that best describes love, without actually using the word love. Hence Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic. Because love is a perfect blend of beauty and magic.”

    Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic follows JOEBOY’s 2019 EP, Love and Light, and a series of notable 2020 collaborations including ‘Sun Comes Up” with Major Lazer and “Nobody” with Mr Eazi and DJ Neptune. “Nobody” was the #1 song of 2020 in Nigeria, topping Apple Music’s singles chart in eight countries on its way to over 100 million streams worldwide Globally, “Nobody” was the third most popular song of the year on Triller, where users uploaded more than 10 million videos soundtracked by the song.

    READ ALSO: How I met Mr Eazi on Instagram – Joeboy

    Joeboy was the first artiste to participate in emPawa Africa, the talent incubator and mentorship program founded by Mr Eazi. He has become a symbol of the initiative’s success and potential, reaching number one on Apple Music in Nigeria and Uganda with ‘Baby’ and ‘Beginning’ – his first two solo singles as well as top ten spots in Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe.

    Two singles – Lonely and Celebration were premiered earlier prior to the release of the album today and are topping charts across the continent already. Joeboy will commence national media rounds this weekend and is putting finishing touches to plans for an African Media tour.