The Nation Newspaper

Tag: arrive

  • Ambode’s 5,000 buses arrive in batches

    The new environmentally-friendly high capacity buses, which are now arriving the state in batches, were also equipped with modern facilities to bring about comfort and seamless travelling experience along the dedicated routes, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has said.

    Under the Bus Reform Initiative, 5,000 new buses are expected to be added to the public transport system, while other components of the scheme such as modern bus terminals, bus depots, bus stops and segregated laybys are already springing up in strategic locations across the State.

    This is aside the Intelligent Transport System mechanism of the initiative which will aid Lagosians to plan their journeys.

    Also, arrangement is also being firmed up as part of the short-term plan for the buses to be assembled in Lagos, which would in turn create jobs for the people, and as well serve to properly maintain the buses.

    Giving rationale behind the initiative, Ambode said the new buses and terminals were conceived to redefine public transportation in the state with the view to make the State globally competitive.

    He said: “Like we have said, we are doing bus terminals to actually improve on the management of transportation in the city. Some people would have noticed that we are beginning to receive some of our new buses. We have actually ordered 820 buses and we believe that by end of September, the 820 buses should be in Lagos.

    “The intention is not to drive away Danfo buses (Commercial Buses). Buses in Lagos right now are never enough. Government is intending to inject 5,000 but we do not intend to operate them and so whoever is going to operate the buses would recruit drivers and personnel to work on those buses.

    “So, if somebody upgrades from Danfo to bus, that is more job for our people. We, as government, are not the ones to drive the buses but what we are doing is to create avenue for people to get employed and to also create greater aesthetics for the city.”

  • Dedebit SC arrive for Warri Wolves’ clash

    Dedebit SC arrive for Warri Wolves’ clash

    Warri Wolves’ CAF Confederation Cup opponent, Dedebit SC of Ethiopia, arrived in Nigeria on Thursday afternoon.

    The CAF Confederation Cup second round, first leg match between Warri Wolves FC and Dedebit SC has been fixed for Saturday at the Warri City Stadium, and the Ethiopian Club, who arrived in Lagos, were air-lifted to Benin before making it to Warri by road.

    Also, the match Commissioner, Al-Hadj Jawulu from Ghana and Match Officials, Hassan Mohammed Hagi, Hamza Hagi Abdi, Bashir SH Abdi Suleiman and Bashir Olad Arab, all from Somalia, arrived in Warri on Thursday afternoon.

    Media Manager of the club, Etu Moses on Thursday evening informed SL10.ng about the arrival of the Ethiopian club and the match officials.

    The stage is now set for the match which promises to be explosive as both sides have what it takes to make it to the next round.

    “I can confirm to you that the visiting team finally landed in Lagos on Thursday afternoon. We could not get a direct flight to Warri so we took them to Benin which is less than 100 km away, and from there,they travelled to Warri by road,”Etu told SL10.ng

    “As for the Match Officials, they arrived on time so they flew straight to Warri and we thank God for their safe arrival. All  is now set for the match and we are praying for good weather on Saturday. We will continue to appeal to our fans to come out in their thousands to watch the all-important match. In Ethiopia, we have been told that we will meet not less than 35 thousand fans, so, if we can get about 20,000 fans here, it will go a long way in motivating the players for a good victory,” said Etu.

    The Seasiders will host Dedebit SC in Warri on Saturday, March 14, 2015.

  • El-Kanemi arrive in Kano for Wolves

    El-Kanemi arrive in Kano for Wolves

    Players and officials of El-kanemi Warriors FC of Maiduguri arrived in Kano yesterday ahead of their Week 21 Glo Premier League match against Warri Wolves at the Kano Pillars stadium on Wednesday.

    The club’s media officer, Anthony Obaseki told SportingLife that the team will resume training this morning.

    According to Obaseki, the team had been training in Maiduguri after their week 20 match away to Rangers International where they lost  2 -0.

    “The team is in high spirit.The technical crew has corrected the mistakes in our last match and we have put our away loss behind us. We are passing through a lot because we are playing our home matches as away matches so that is why we are begging the League Management Company (LMC) to return us back to our home ground in Maiduguri. We pay hotels bills for our home matches just as we pay for our away matches too,” Obaseki told SportingLife.

    “We have a target to end the league well. So, Warri Wolves cannot stop our plans. We are not underrating them but we have a team that can stand any team. We are ready for Warri Wolves,”he said.

  • Harambee Stars arrive, up against a mountain

    Harambee Stars arrive, up against a mountain

    Kenya’s ambitious Harambee Stars flew into Lagos on Wednesday afternoon hoping they would not be too much of a mincemeat for African champions Nigeria in Saturday’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Calabar.

    A delegation of 20 players and 11 officials slept over in Lagos before flying into Calabar today, to be accommodated at ChannelView Hotel.

    The supercharged Nigerians, with a full house training in Canaan City for the showdown, believe they have all going for them as they file out against a side that had never beaten them previously.

    Nigeria and Kenya have clashed at senior level 13 times previously, with Nigeria coming out tops in 11 of them, the remaining two drawn.

    Their first-ever meeting was on May 8, 1968 when the Nigerians, on the way from an Olympic Games qualifying match in Ethiopia, stopped by in Nairobi for a friendly and inflicted a 2-1 defeat on their hosts.

    Another friendly in Nairobi eight years later ended 1-1, but in August 1981, Nigeria won yet another friendly in Nairobi 3-1 with goals from Henry Nwosu, Ifeanyi Onyedika and Emmanuel Osigwe.

    Fatai Amoo and Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) scored in a 3-0 defeat of the Harambee Stars in a World Cup qualifier in Nairobi in April, 1985 with the Eagles completing the rout 3-1 in Lagos two weeks later.

    The last two meetings between the teams came in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying series in 2009, Nigeria winning 3-0 in Abuja (with goals by Ikechukwu Uche and Obinna Nsofor) and then nicking the return 3-2 in Nairobi on the last day of the series, to earn a ticket to South Africa.

    The African champions have a number of haymakers in their fold, with returnee Obafemi Martins in ferocious mood for Saturday’s tie. Left out of the squad to the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, and therefore with a point to prove, the much-traveled marksman never needs an excuse to go goals-wire.

    Harambee Stars will remember Martins with pain in their hearts as he pumped in two of those goals in Nairobi in November 2009. Given to brace accomplishments in World Cup qualifiers, Martins also hit double in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Algeria in Oran and Zimbabwe in Abuja, and even in his first competitive match for Nigeria – a 2-0 defeat of Rwanda in Abuja in June 2004.

    There are also Cup of Nations’ hero Sunday Mba, the pacy Ahmed Musa and Ukraine-based newcomer Michael Babatunde with so much to prove.

    The elegant Victor Moses, who shocked Africa with the way he easily adjusted to the African game in his very first tournament, in South Africa, will once more be cynosure of all eyes at the U.J.Esuene Stadium, where he scored a brace against Liberia’s Lone Star in a Cup of Nations qualifier in November last year.

    Hard-as-nails enforcer Fegor Ogude and the unflappable John Mikel Obi are set to compound the situation for the Harambee Stars on Saturday evening.

  • Eagles arrive Johannesburg, begin training

    Eagles arrive Johannesburg, begin training

    After a comprehensive 4-1 semi-final victory over Aiglons of Mali on Wednesday in Durban, the Super Eagles have quickly put the victory behind them as the team arrived Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday afternoon to begin preparations for the final on Sunday at the Soccer City in Soweto.

    The team arrived Johannesburg at about 1:45pm local time aboard a South Africa Airways plane. In the plane with the team was NFF Executive Committee member, Deji Tinubu, NFF Technical Director, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme and Special Adviser to Lagos state Governor, Prince Wale Oladunjoye among other dignitaries.

    The team was immediately ferried to its abode at Garden Court Milpark from the airport and after having lunch, got set for the day’s business of training.

    The team will have its first training session at 630pm local time, which is 530 Nigerian time, with Head Coach Stephen Keshi saying there is no time to waste ahead of Sunday’s all important final which is expected to be watched by several Nigerian and international dignitaries including Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and South African President Jacob Zuma.

    Keshi has meanwhile, said there should be no panic over the duo of Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike, who picked up knocks in the semi-final duel against Mali. “The medical team here is working round the clock to ensure that they will be ready for the final on Sunday and they will advise us on what to do at the appropriate time”, he said.

    NFF President Aminu Maigari, has meanwhile assured that the entire nation of Nigeria will be mobilized to back the team in Sunday’s final and urged the team not to rest on its oarse until the trophy is won. “The win over Ivory Coast is history, same for the one over Mali, now the trophy is within reach and I must urge you to go ahead and do the nation proud and like President Goodluck Jonathan said , leave the rest to the government and people of Nigeria.