The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Glo

  • Odunlade Adekola completes N40m hotel

    Odunlade Adekola completes N40m hotel

    Until recently, no one could ascertain the wealth of top Yoruba actor, Odulade Adekola.

    But that may no longer be a matter of conjecture, as the former Glo ambassador and Ogun State ambassador for goodwill has just completed a N40 million hotel in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    The Nation gathered that he started the project about a year ago.

    Against the insinuation that Yoruba actors don’t earn much, the frequently-asked question by many is: What is Adekola worth?

    For reasons that may not be easily established, the tall and handsome actor, according to reports, has been telling whoever cares to listen that the project belongs to his father and not him.

    However, rumours say he may have funded the project from his contract as a former Glo ambassador and his present Ogun State assignment.

    The Ogun State-based actor is a part-time student of Business Administration at the University of Lagos, Akoka.

  • Bayelsa Utd players refuse to sign registration form

    Bayelsa Utd players refuse to sign registration form

    By Taofeek Babalola

    Players of Bayelsa United have demanded to talk with the club management before puting pen to paper for the 2014 Glo league registration form.

    SportingLife investigation at the team’s camp in Ijebu-Ode over the weekend, reveals that the players have declined to sign the club form given to them by the club’s management.

    It was gathered that the club’s secretary, Miss Thelma Agara stormed the team’s camp in Ijebu-Ode on Saturday and handed over the forms to the captain, Salomon Junior to be distributed to his teammates without any words.

    As soon as the other players collected the forms from the captain, it was learnt, that they refused to sign it and demanded to have a face to face talk with the management before they put pen to paper.

    Some of the players who spoke with SportingLife on condition of anonymity claimed that the club still owed them 85 per cent of last season signing-on fees and they had not negotiated details of this season contract.

    The League Management Company (LMC) early this year announced the cancellation of players’ signing-on fees and the players thought it will be wise for the management to have discussion with them before giving them forms to fill.

    “We are not ready to sign any form because we have something in our mind to discuss with the management. We have received the forms but we won’t sign it. Our 85 percent signing-on fee of last season is still there and we have not heard words from the management about this season contract yet. We want to sit down with management and know what we are signing,” a player told SportingLife.

    When contacted, the team’s Technical Adviser, Ladan Bosso said: “In any rumour there must be an iota of truth. Even I myself didn’t know that the secretary came into the camp. I just heard about it.”

    Bayelsa United will represent the country in this year CAF Federations Cup.

  • Yola reassure on Pillars progress

    Yola reassure on Pillars progress

    Chairman of Kano Pillars Football Club, Aba Yola has assured fans of the club and Nigerians that the 2012/2013 Glo Premier League champion will overturn the 3-1 deficit suffered away at AS vita club of DR.Congo.

    Yola posited that he is looking forward to the return leg, which will be played next weekend with Pillars needing to score at least two unreplied goals to qualify for the first round of the competition. Yola described the game as a good match for his team but rues the first leg defeat on profligacy on the part of his players even as he gave assurances that they will sail through.

    “It was quite a very good match, we lost some scoring chances yes in the first half, eventually they were able to lead us 3-1 which was quite a good result going by what we have seen there and the way the players played. I’m sure we can overcome the two goal deficit when they come to Kano insha Allah.”

    Yola also described the team’s treatment in Kinshasha as a good one as he hailed the locals in Congo DR.

    “They were really very friendly, honestly they’re quite good, they were even cheering and waving at us even after the match, there was no hostility at all.” Yola concluded.

    Meanwhile, Assistant technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation, James Peters has predicted a tough and dicey contest after the contrasting fortunes recorded by Nigerian clubs in the Preliminary stage of the CAF champions league.

    Peters reckon that the away goal recorded by Kano Pillars makes winning two goals to zero an obtainable results for champions league easier while stating that the Aba warlords have a tight fixture to negotiate away from home.

    “The hope for kano PIllars is there, but at home we must be very careful to make sure that we can win by 2-0 which is obtainable but for Enyimba playing 3-1 at home, it is very tight for the team,” Peters told Brila FM.

  • Ogbonaya predicts Chan impact on league

    Ogbonaya predicts Chan impact on league

    El-Kanemi Warriors central defender Reuben Ogbonaya believes there will be an improvement in the standard of the Glo Premier League considering the performance of the league stars at the just concluded Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa.

    Ogbonnaya was part of the build-up, but was unable to make the grade for the competition.

    “The desire of every player in the league will be to improve their performance because there’s something to achieve in the national team.

    “I’m confident the league will be more interesting than it used to be. All aspects of the game will experience changes,” Ogbonaya said to supersport.com.

    The defender applauded the players who appeared at the competition for their heroic feat.

    “It was an interesting competition and I was always in contact with the players. We shared jokes together and I’m proud they represented us well,” he told supersport.com.

    Ogbonaya expressed gratitude to the gaffer, Stephen Keshi, for giving him a chance to be in the team before their departure for the CHAN.

  • Emordi excited at landing Pillars job

    Emordi excited at landing Pillars job

    Okey Emordi has expressed great delight at landing the coaching job with Kano Pillars, saying he is looking forward to achieving greater success at the club.

    Emordi, who spoke to Goal, said he is aware of the great expectation from fans and the government of Kano and stated his preparedness for whatever challenges lie ahead.

    The man who led Enyimba to win the 2004 CAF Champions League assured that with the cooperation of his technical crew, players, supporters, management and the Kano state government the club will surpass its previous glories by winning the 2013/14 CAF Champions League.

    While admitting it is a huge honour to be assigned the responsibility to handle the side that won the Glo Nigeria Premier League title twice in a row, Emordi said that taking the job at Pillars will attract a lot of pressure but set his sight at helping the Pyramid Boys attain their first continental title.

    “Every assignment or task comes with its challenges this one is not an exception but I’m a bit lucky to be given the opportunity to handle the side,” Emordi told Goal.

    “I’m more or less in a familiar terrain at Kano. I have friends in Kano, even when I was the pioneer coach at El Kanemi (Warriors) in ’86 and spent three seasons, so going to Kano is a homecoming for me and I take the challenge with both hands.

    “I’m equal to the task and have what it takes to deliver the goods. The task is daunting, there is no doubt about it I pray everybody will put hands together to ensure we realise the dream of the side in the coming season,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, Emordi has explained his reasons for resigning his duties as coach at Enugu Rangers as due to lack of ambition to challenge for titles and personal resolution to seek rest from the game for an evaluation.

    “I left Rangers because they showed no intention to finish the league last season to contend for title and also decided to go on a recess to appraise myself before the Pillars job came by,” Emordi said.

    Pillars will open their CAF Champions League campaign against AS Vita of DR Congo.

     

  • Inyang targets top scorer’s award

    Inyang targets top scorer’s award

    By Uchenna Ajah

     

    Gombe United forward, Inyang Bassey Eskor says winning the Glo Premier League top scorers award remains his ambition for the 2013/14 campaign.

    The former Nembe City forward, who joined the Savannah Scorpions last term, is happy with happening at the Gombe outfit and is eager for hostilities to resume in the Nigerian topflight.

    “We are currently preparing for the new season with a pre-season tournament here in Gombe tagged Unity Cup. However, my target is to end the campaign with the league’s top scorer award when actions finally resume.

    “With the new players joining our team like Hasan from Dolphin and Papa Idris from Kano Pillars I have no doubt that Gombe United will be gunning for the top when the season commences,” he said.

    Reacting on the performance of the Nigeria at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa, Bassey hailed the expoilts of the Stephen Keshi tutored-side insisting that the team are good for the trophy. “With the way the team played against Morocco, I’m confident the home-based Eagles will bring back the trophy because our boys are improving with every match. I rate them 80 percent to get the trophy,” Inyang submitted.

  • Glo celebrates Eagles’ victory

    Glo celebrates Eagles’ victory

    • Describes match as ‘Miracle of Cape Town’

    Leading telecommunications operator, Globacom, has commended the amazing performance of the home-based Super Eagles who came from three goals down to defeat the Atlas Lions of Morocco in the quarter finals of the on-going African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday.

    Globacom in a press statement released in Lagos immediately after the match gave kudos to the Super Eagles for not only restoring the national pride but also qualifying for the semi finals of the competition.

    The hard-fighting Moroccans had dominated the first half of the match, scoring three goals in the process.

    The Eagles, with pep talk from the Stephen Keshi-led coaching crew at half time, resumed the second half with strong determination which resulted in goals from Ugonna Uzochukwu, Rabiu Ali and the equaliser from Man-of-the-Match, Ejike Uzoenyi in the 90th minute.

    Aliyu Ibrahim topped the great comeback with his goal at 115th minute, thus sending the Super Eagles to the semi finals of the competition for the first time.

    “The Super Eagles were unlimited in their performance against Atlas Lions, we urge them to sustain the momentum when they face the next opponent at the semi finals,” Glo said.

    “The match was tough. The Moroccans were a hard nut to crack, having been described as the best technical side in the tournament. We commend the Super Eagles for their hardwork, concentration and never-say-die spirit which earned them the victory. We once had the Miracle of Daman. This victory can be described as the Miracle of Cape Town. It is rare for a team to come back from three goals down and still go ahead to win the match”, the statement added.

    Globacom observed that the victory has re-affirmed Nigeria’s rating as African Champions. The company also enjoined Nigerians not to relent in giving the much needed support to the Super Eagles as they prepare for the next 90 minutes in the semi final.

    Globacom is the major partner of the Nigeria Football Federation and official sponsor of the Nigeria national teams.

  • Gombe’s away form worries Cooreman

    Gombe’s away form worries Cooreman

    Maurice Cooreman has admitted Gombe United’s poor away form last season is giving him cause for concern as he prepares for the 2013/14 season.

    Despite boasting a near perfect home record in the Glo Premier League, the Savannah Scorpions did not win a single point on the road.

    Cooreman said he had fortified his team and is looking forward to better form on the road next season. However, he insisted the referees still have a role to play in deciding the faith of away teams.

    “Though we are entering a new season, we are looking at improving on our form in away matches because we aim to do better than we did last season,” Cooreman told supersport.com.

    “We have fortified the squad with eight new players and I’m confident we can go a step further to clinch a continental ticket. It is important to have the materials to match your ambitions, but we also know it takes more than a team’s ability to do well in away games in Nigeria.

    “It is very difficult because most of the time you are also playing against the referee. A book can be written about how referees favour the home teams in Nigeria.

    “There were a couple of matches we deserved to take points from that we lost.

    “I asked a friend in FIFA if there was a solution to it, but he said it was CAF that could take steps to check the menace.

    “I have put heads together with the other coaches at the club to ensure there is an improvement from last season.

    “The best we can do as coaches is to prepare the team well, and take it from there when the season starts.

    “We hope for better officiating and more favourable results on the road this time.”

    Gombe United finished in seventh position in the 20-team Glo League last season with 55 points.

  • COD Utd brace up for NNL challenge

    City Of David (COD) United head coach, Solomon Manasseh, believes his men are ready for the 2013/14 Nigeria National League (NNL) season.

    Manasseh will take charge of the first-team of the White Lions as head coach having previously worked as an assistant to other coaches including ex-Nigeria defender, Augustine Eguavoen.

    “We have 19 new players that are showing the right attitude needed to become winners. We’ve played in the league for two years and this will be our third and I tell you, so many things have been learnt. There is a new lease of life and I am confident.

    “I have worked under top managers before and applied some of what I have learnt into my previous jobs with the under-16s and under-18s. Also, Mick Wild has assisted me greatly and continues to do so and I also believe and trust in my abilities as a coach. I know there will be ups and downs but I have the right mindset, the right team and the right management to always come out good,” he concluded.

    COD United Director of Football, Mick Wild explained the decision to appoint Manasseh as head coach, who he described as “an intelligent manager.”

     

     

    He added that the Lagos State FA Cup champions had to look inwards after the departure of Eguavoen.

    “Appointing him wasn’t too difficult given the kind of character Solomon is. After the exit of Austin Eguavoen, we decided to look inwards and get someone who has the right profile. Solomon is an intelligent manager with a bright future and we believe would not only deliver this season but beyond it,” said Wild.

    Chief executive of the club, Shola Opaleye said the White Lions are focused on winning promotion to the Glo Premier League this season.

    He also talked about the club’s recruitment policy for the playing personnel for the season.

    “Our expectation is to definitely gain promotion this season, which is our third time of asking. We will also look to retain the (Lagos) State FA Cup and all of our youth teams should at least win a trophy in one of the many invitationals they will be taking part in this year.

    “It’s a win-win situation for the club and them. Most of them had been here for two years and tried but at the end they feel they can’t compete any longer. It’s good for us because we don’t want people who want to just try, we want players who believe we can get there and would do what it requires to get there. So, keeping them would have meant we are keeping numbers and we don’t want that. They have new challenges and we have people who can now get us there,” Opaleye explained.

    COD United will start off their campaign in the NNL at home to Gateway United this Saturday.

     

     

  • Basketmouth still in the eye of storm over rape joke

    Basketmouth still in the eye of storm over rape joke

    RECENTLY, comedian and Glo ambassador, Bright Okpocha, alias Basketmouth, shared a joke on his Facebook page, which a lot of his fans frowned on.

    Though he has apologised to his fans, some women activists are insisting that he join in the ongoing campaign against rape in the country.

    According to them, it is necessary for Basketmouth to correct the wrong impression that his joke has made on Nigerian youths by leading a campaign against rape.

    The coordinator of the Walk Against Rape and Project Capable, Esther Ijiwere, says that despite Basketmouth’s apology, his post on the Facebook might has gone a long way in promoting the vice, especially date rape.

    Ijiwere tweeted: “It’s totally wrong for you (Basketmouth) to post a comment on your Facebook wall and make rape the highpoint of it! I am highly disappointed in you for sharing this kind of joke. How would you feel if your mother, sister, aunt or daughter had been raped? Would it be funny?

    “You are meant to be an advocate of good behavior and not the other way round! Women are your biggest fans; yet, you bring us down. You should use your platform to advocate women causes and join us in fighting rape rather than promoting it, please.”

    A sexuality education strategist, Praise Fowowe, also lent his voice to the call for Basketmouth to be involved in the campaign.

    Reacting to the development in a tweet to Basketmouth, Fowowe said, “Popularity and the ability to make jokes isn’t the same thing as role- modelling. I am glad you (Basketmouth) retracted the joke and apologised. However, you need to join the fight against the crime. Remember, many young people look up to you; hence, the need to be mindful of what comes out of your mouth.

    “No more jokes about cripple, imbeciles and albinos. We must stop this madness and force comedians to think up and make wholesome jokes. Well, since he has apologized, we will forgive him. But he needs to be more careful.”

    Also, a former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has joined other Nigerians in demanding that Basketmouth become an anti-rape campaigner.

    The former minister said she was shocked by the rape joke from the comedian. She, therefore, asked Basketmouth to make use of the sad episode as an occasion for good by becoming a visible anti-rape activist in the country.

    “That joke was grossly inappropriate and nothing justifies rape. I urge you to work with some groups to become a great anti-rape advocate. I do not know Basketmouth’s history on such jokes, but if this is a one-off for which he has apologised and will offer to advocate, we should heed.

    “We all make mistakes at one time or another and when it happens, the measures we take to minimise the damage it causes our community matters! Advocacy against the rising scourge of rape in Nigeria would definitely benefit from the voice of a very talented gentleman like Basketmouth.

    “Our entire entertainment industry, Nollywood, and music should decisively take a stand against rape and violence against women, every one of them.”