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Tag: Adeyinka Akintunde

  • We must get politics, security right – Obasanjo

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo believes that politics must be gotten right in Africa in order for the continent to progress at a rapid speed and meet up with countries in the western world.

    He also advocated for security of not just lives, but also jobs and their wellbeing.

    He spoke at the Believers’ Loveworld Convocation Arena in Lagos, during the 2018 Watch night service with Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.

    Obasanjo, in his address, gave five P’s which he termed as pillars of development, progress and growth for Africa.  They are politics, population, protection, prosperity and partnership.

    In his words: “We must get politics right. Democracy is not only in election, it is popular participation, and satisfying the needs of the people.

    Read Also: 2019 poll: Knocks, kudos for Obasanjo

    “Our protection/security should be in all ramifications. There is nowhere in Africa that security is the way it should be, and this is not good for us.  We must ensure security of not only lives, but even the jobs people do.”

    Speaking on population management, Obasanjo noted that “Our population is growing fast. At Independence, Nigeria had 45 million people, today the nation has about 200 million people. We must manage our population, and this can be done by education. The empowerment of people is very important.”

    The former president further advised Africans, and especially Nigerians to stop talking about poverty.  “When you tell people that Africa is poor, they tell you that they have heard enough of that.  But Africa is not poor, we made ourselves poor. We must stop talking about poverty.”

    The President of the Believers Loveworld (popularly called Christ Embassy), Pastor Chris Oyakhilome declared the year 2019 as the year of light, as he further admonished his congregation to overcome evil with good in the course of the year.

     

     

  • We are accountable to people — NFF

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has reiterated its commitment to building a transparent federation which is interactive with people and open to constructive criticisms.

    Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, the President of the body, Amaju Pinnick stated that the transparency of the Glasshouse is what is attracting sponsors to them continually, as they aim to take football sponsorship from the government, but there is need to consolidate the relationship between the NFF and sponsors the more.

    According to Pinnick, “We are accountable to the people. We want to build a very robust football federation that is quite interactive, where people can even criticize us constructively and advise us on steps to take, to be much more successful.

    Explaining the transparency of the football house, Pinnick, who doubles as the first Vice-President of CAF said “Sponsors do not have anything to lose if they leave us alone. So we need to convince them and tell them why they should put money into football.

    “They were very happy seeing our financial details of the year published in various newspapers. What more proof do you need to show that you are working with people with credibility?”

    Pinnick further refuted claims that the Super Falcons were being neglected, while more attention is given to the Super Eagles.  He accepted that the body truly did not start well with the female team, but believes that everyone is now happy.

    “I only make people understand that there are some points (like the 208 World Cup) where we need to focus on our main brand, the Super Eagles. The Super Falcons are the most successful female football team in World Football, not just in Africa. They have nine African titles, Germany has eight in Europe and the United States has eight in CONCACAF.

    “I take responsibility that we did not star well with the Super Falcons, but so far, we have made them happy and every promise we have made to them has been fulfilled,” he said.

  • Pinnick calls for private ownership of Nigerian football clubs

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    Private ownership of football clubs has been suggested to be one of the ways to promote the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), and make it as lucrative as it used to be in the past.

    This was the submission of the President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick in Lagos.

    Speaking in Lagos, Pinnick noted that Nigeria needs football clubs that will have history, as this is when they would feature in big matches like the CAF Champions League final.

    In his words “We don’t just want to play football for the social reason of uniting Nigeria, but we are coming out with a policy very soon, which I will submit to the reforms committee, where all clubs must have a certain percentage of private ownership. Twenty percent can go to the government because of the stadia that they own, which can be converted as equity. We need clubs that will have history. That is the only time that you will see Nigerian clubs playing in the final of the CAF Champions League.

    Read Also: Doctrine of necessity for Nigerian Football

    “We want the football clubs to be owned privately Let them bring their friends and companies to manage and run this club as a proper business. How much does it cost to run a club in Nigeria? It is about developing strategies of how to raise funds to themselves.”

    Pinnick further revealed that one of the major projects of the NFF is to make football play a big part in the Nigerian economy.

    “Part of what we are coming to do in our second tenure is to build a football economy. Look at the sports eco-system of Nigeria; it’s quite ambitious, making football an integral part of the Nigerian economy. We need to do that, because football is not just about the social factor, it is a massive business. It gives the UK government 3.3 billion pounds, every year.”

  • No cabal in NFF, Pinnick declares

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick has debunked claims that the football glasshouse was being run by a ‘cabal’. According to him, no such thing exists.

    He said this in a monitored interview on television in Lagos last weekend. Pinnick noted that he always put Nigeria first in all he and everyone under his leadership does before any personal interest.

    In his words “I laugh a lot because Nigerians believe that everything is controlled by a cabal. If you look at my language, I use, “we”, not I and that we includes myself, Seyi Akinwumi, Shehu Dikko, Dr. Sanusi Mohammed, the General Secretary, members of the executive committee.

    If you want to carry people along, they say it is a cabal. If you want to do it alone, they say you don’t carry people along, but the word “cabal” does not exist in Nigerian football under my leadership. I always tell, not just the players, but the administrators, that we must always think of Nigeria first in anything we are doing. It is very key to whatever we want to achieve. You must have that in-built in you. That is what I say to all of them.”

    Read Also: Rewards coming, Pinnick hints Falcons

    Pinnick, who also doubles as the first Vice President of the Confederations of African Football (CAF), also said that it is important for football leaders to have a cordial relationship with his players, to get the best of them.

    It is important to have a build a very strong relationship with not just the players, but their family. I can tell you clearly that I have been touched with Victor Moses, because I have a very smooth relationship with him. We talk regularly.

    “When I travel to London, I can call Alex Iwobi and we hang out. It is a psychological thing. Don’t let them have the feeling of seeing you as a high and old President; make them feel you and you will get their best” he said.

     

     

  • Buhari to Oyetola: Rule with the fear of God

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has advised the new governor of Osun State, Gboyega Isiaka to show concern to the women, children and youths in his administration

    He spoke at the inauguration ceremony in Osogbo, Osun State on Tuesday.

    Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Buhari said that the Federal Government is solidly behind the development of the state.

    “Let me congratulate the new governor for his victory. This inauguration marks a peaceful transition from one government to another and demonstrates that our democracy is maturing. I thank the people of Osun State

    “I must however remind you to lead by example, rule with the fear of God and you should be a governor of all, paying attention to women, children and youths.

    “Good governance is a compelling requirement for the progress of our nation. In the past eight years, the APC has brought development to the state. The FG has continued to support developmental project in the state, and we will continue to do so.”

  • Updated: Nigeria qualify for AFCON 2019

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria will participate in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

    They booked their place in the continent’s biggest football competition after securing a 1-1 draw against South Africa at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg.

    Nigeria had missed out of the last two editions, after winning the title in 2013, in the FNB Stadium.

    The Nigerians had highest goal scorer, Odion Ighalo and first choice goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho  missing on the trip to the Soccer City due to injury.

    The Sper Eagles started the stronger side with a nice combination on the dge of the South Africa box and Ahmed Musa forced goalkeeper Itumeleng  Khune into a good save with a low shot.

    Two minutes later, Buhle Mkhwanazi scored an own goal for the Super Eagles, converting a cross from Samuel Kalu into his own net

    Lebo Mothiba responded with a goal for the Bafana Bafana in the 26th minute,  scored for the Bafana Bafana after a good pass for Percy Tau that beat two Nigerian defenders

    In the 71st minute  Percy Tau, who won the man of the match afterwards, troubled the Nigerian defence, dribbling past two defenders, but Jamilu Collins intercepted his attempt to score a second for South Africa.

    Read Also: AFCON 2019: Eagles must hit South Africa hard

    Isaac Success later on scored a goal for Nigeria, but the bulky forward was ruled offside after the hosts’ defence was exposed.

    With Nigeria through to the continental showpiece next year, the winner between South Africa and Libya will join the Super Eagles for the June/July 24-Nations competition in Cameroon. A draw however will be good enough for South Africa, who were last in the Nations Cup in 2015.

     

  • AFCON 2019: The stage is getting set

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

     

    Five out of twenty four nations have qualified for the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations billed to hold in Cameroon in June 2019, after match day four of the qualifying series.

    The competition, which used to have sixteen teams battle for the big prize was expanded to accommodate twenty-four nations, after an Executive Committee meeting  of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on 20th July, 2017

    The teams already qualified as it stands now are Cameroon (the hosts), Senegal, Madagascar, Tunisia and Egypt.

    The Teranga Lions of Senegal and Madagascar both have ten points from four matches each, after winning three and drawing one game. The drawn game happened on 9th September 2018, at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, in Antananarivo, when both teams played out a 2-2 draw with Paulin Voavy and Koulibaly getting on the score sheet for the Barea, and Pape Moussa Konaté and Keita Diao scored one goal each for the Teranga Lions.

    Both teams had in the process conquered Equatorial Guinea and Sudan to seal their place in Cameroon, Madagascar earning their place in the biggest football showpiece in Africa for the first time ever.

    Senegal and Madagascar meet on the last match day, but that will only be a formality.

    Tunisia and Egypt also had an easy ride in Group J, Egypt whitewashing Niger Republic 6-0 in Alexandria, Swaziland 4-1 in Cairo, and 2-0 in Manzini. Tunisia on their part beat Swaziland 2-0 in Manzini, Niger Republic 1-0 In Rades, and visited Niamey to conquer them 2-1.

    The Egyptian Pharaohs only tasted defeat when they travelled to Rades to face Tunisia, and the Carthage Eagles piped them 1-0, Taha Yassine Khenissi finding the net, two minutes into the second half.

    Both sides meet again in Egypt next month, and it will be a battle of who finishes top of the group.

    Read Also: 2019 AFCON Qualifiers: Eagles in first training session

    In Cameroon’s group, things are slightly different, being the host of the coming Africa Cup of Nations . It turns out that three teams from that group will be at the AFCON, with only one losing out. If the Indomitable Lions finish first, then the second and third advance, and if second, the first and third will make it.

    As things stands, after match day four, Morocco and Malawi are at advantage, with Cameroon, leading with eight points, Morocco with seven, and Malawi with four points. Comoros only has two points so far.

    The road is still rough in other places, though some teams are very close to qualification. Countries like Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Guinea are one win away from qualification for AFCON 2019. A point can do the magic for Guinea, provided Ivory Coast fails to win their remaining matches. It is safe to conclude that a great cracker awaits on 16th November, when Guinea hosts Cote d’Ivoire. It should be recalled that the Syli Nationale won the first leg in Bouake in June, 2017

    In Group E Seychelles is out of the race, as there is still a slim chance for Libya to make it through. Mathematically, a win against Seychelles in November, and and at least a draw against South Africa at home will guarantee a place for the Mediterranean Knights, provided South Africa fails to win any of their remaining fixtures. Nigeria on their part need a  point from the available six to seal their place in Cameroon.

    There is still all to play for in Group C, where Mali, Gabon and Burundi have eight, seven and six points respectively. Group D sees Algeria, Benin Republic struggle with seven points each, and Togo has five, Group G, seeing Zimbabwe in eight points, DR Congo with five, Congo and Liberia with four points each. Zimbabwe visits Liberia on match day five, before hosting Congo on the last match day.

    Group I is dicey. Mauritania, also seeking its first appearance at the finals currently has nine points, its only loss against Angola, in Luanda, Burkina Faso has seven points, Angola has six points, and already eliminated Botswana has one point.  And Group K has former African Champions, Zambia, sitting at the bottom of the group with four points, but still having a chance, as Guinea Bissau and Namibia have seven points respectively, and Mozambique has four.  The Chipolopolo, who had a 2-1 victory and defeat to Guinea Bissau within four days, will visit Mozambique, before they host Namibia, knowing what destiny holds for them.

  • Ighalo on fire, as Nigeria beat Libya 4-0

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria has set their race to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on a steady movement after defeating the Medettarian Knights of Libya 4-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Sadium, Uyo.

    Odion Ighalo wrote his name in gold after scoring three goals , his first hat-trick in the Nigerian colours, before Samuel Kalu scored a beautiful goal to wrap up the game.

    The match began straightaway in favour of the Super Eagle as Libyan goalkeeper Mohamed Abdaula fouled Ighalo, who was making his way to scoring, two minutes into the match. The FC Changchun Yatai striker stepped up to convert the awarded penalty, giving Nigeria a very early lead.

    Ighalo sought for another penalty in the ninth minute when he fell inside the penalty area of the Libyans after a slight contact with the goalkeeper, but referee Jean-Jacques Ndala waves aside all appeals.

    Read Also: Nigeria vs. Seychelles: Why I invited Ighalo – Rohr

    The Nigerians missed many goal scoring chances, leading to the end of the first, and waited for thirteen minutes in the second, before getting their second goal. Alex Iwobi delivered a pass to Ighalo who maintained his composure to dibble the goalkeeper and score his second goal for Nigeria.

    Ighalo completed his hat trick ten minutes later after connecting to a cross from Ahmed Musa, found scrabbled the ball past the Libyan defenders and the goalkeeper.

    With two minutes to the end of the match, Samuel Kalu got a pass from Henry Onyekuru who had just missed an opportunity to score, and he curled a shot outside the 18-yard box past Mohamed Abdaula.

    Libya, whose coach, Adel Amrouche suddenly resigned leading to the battle against Nigeria, leaving Omar Al-Marime to take over, will host Nigeria on Tuesday in Sfax, Tunisia. They now sit third in the group with four points, as against Nigeria in second place with six points after three matches.

     

     

  • Germany hosts Euro 2024

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    Germany will host the 2024 European championship, otherwise known as Euro 2024, after beating Turkey to the right, in Nyon on Thursday.

    The Berlin Olympic Stadium will host the final of the 24-team tournament, with 51 games scheduled for up to 32 days in June and July 2024. Other cities that will be used for the competition are Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart.

    This means that the 2006 FIFA World Cup hosts will stage the European Championship for the first time as a unified country, with West Germany having hosted the 1988 tournament.

    Read Also: World Cup: Germany apologise to fans after ouster

    This is Turkey’s fourth defeat in the past five Euro bidding races. The country had hoped to mark the republic’s 100th anniversary in 2024 by staging its first major international football tournament, haven lost the opportunity to host the Euros in 2008, 2012 and 2016, as well as the the 2020 Summer Olympics

    Euro 2024 will return to a single-host format after Euro 2020 is held across Europe, including Germany.

    In another development, UEFA announced it would begin using video assistant referees(VAR) in the 2019/2020 Champions League, after a debut in the Super Cup. It also approved the use of VAR for the 2020 European Championship and the 2020/21 Europa League.

  • Choose leaders that will give you the Nigeria you want – NIM

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

     

    Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Nigerians have been urged to choose the leaders that will give them the nation of their dream, and not vote based on tribe, sentiment or favouritism.

    The advice was offered  at the press briefing for the 2018 Annual National Management Conference (ANMC) on Thursday at the NIM premises in Victoria Island, Lagos.

    President of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Professor Olukunle Iyanda (FNIM) said that Nigerians should not vote for strangers who will not feel what the common man is going through.

    He said Nigerians should vote for people with love and sympathy for the common man.

    “Every Nigerian should vote his or her conscience. Nigerians should vote for the candidate that will give them the country that they want.  In choosing leaders, it is important to check their integrity, and how successful they have been in handling their individual institutions.”

    Iyanda explained that the choice of the theme for the 2018 ANMC as “Re-Engineering Leadership for National Transformation” is influenced “by the current loud and persistent national discourse which has focused on the need change in the way Nigeria is currently organised and managed.

    Our concern, he said derives from our awareness of the relationship between organizational performance and effectiveness and its structure.

    Read Also: NIM urges leaders to evolve with change

    The President hoped “that the Conference would proffer suggestions as to the re-engineering that needs to be carried out in order to address the challenges of structure and management that affect the growth and development of the country and the well-being of its citizens in accordance with the natural endowment of the country.”

    Suggesting a way out of poverty, Iyanda said that shifting focus to strong institutions was one re-engineering element Nigeria needed to emerge from poverty and backwardness to affluence and development within a short period.

    “Strong men are human, and therefore mortal. Strong institutions are immortal and more enduring. They are less susceptible to manipulation and corruption.

    The Conference which will be declared open by the Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Gandudje, will hold from 16 th to 18th September, 2018 at Afficent Event Centre, Kano.

    The conference will be attended by over 2000 participants consisting of professional managers, government functionaries, decision-makers, opinion leaders, policy formulators and top management executives in both the private and public sector.