The Nation Newspaper

Tag: invite

  • Obuh set to invite NPFL stars to camp

    Obuh set to invite NPFL stars to camp

    The Flying Eagles preparing for the World Cup in Turkey in June will invite new players to camp from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs, an official said on Tuesday.

    The team’s Coordinator, Chika Nwankwo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the technical crew would use good players from the clubs to beef up the team.

    Nwankwo said the coaches and other officials had been going round to watch some of the league matches, to discover good players that could be invited to camp.

    “From what I know from the coach and the technical crew, they want to invite some players, that is why we have been going round the country to watch some teams.

    “Last week, the coach was in Enugu to watch Rangers and one of the officials was in Kano to watch Kano Pillars and Sunshine Stars. They are to look at one or two players that can be used to beef up the team, once we start camping,” he said.

    Nwankwo said that in every football tournament, the technical crew would always look out for new and better players, noting that it must not be the same set of players all the time.

    He said that with the league going on, the team had a better chance to watch some of the matches and make some selections.

    “Definitely, in every tournament, you will look out for people that will do better than what you have.

    “Thank God, the Nigerian league is in progress now, so we can see new players. `Football is a game you look inward all the time, to see if you can have an option better than what you have,”Nwankwo said.

    The coordinator said the team’s target for the World Cup was to ensure that they performed better than they did in 2011 in Colombia.

    He added that the invitational tournament in France would also help the team’s preparation. “We are setting our target at the last World Cup, we got to the quarter-finals in Colombia so, we intend to go past what we did then, to make Nigerians happy.’’

    NAN reports that the Flying Eagles camp which was earlier slated for April 15 has been shifted to April 21.

  • Police invite Leadership editor, reporters

    The police have invited an editor and two correspondents with a national newspaper, Leadership, following the publication of a story entitled: Outrage trails presidential directive on Tinubu, APC.”

    Those invited include the paper’s Group News Editor, Tony Amokeodo; Chibuzor Ukaibe (Correspondent, Abuja) and Taiwo Ogunmola Omilani (Correspondent, Lagos).

    They were invited through a letter, dated April 7, signed by Danmallam Mohammed, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Admin) for the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIGP), ‘D’ Department, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja.

    The invitation states that the trio are to report by 10 am today .

    The letter reads: “This office is investigating the circumstances leading to your front page publication entitled: ‘Outrage trails presidential directive on Tinubu, APC’ and a sub-title captioned ‘Bromide of the presidential directive.’

    “The publication, which featured in your April 3 edition, was reported by the trio of Tony Amokeodo, Chibuzor Ukaibe and Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani.

    “Based on our fact-finding efforts, you are hereby requested to release the reporters for an interview with the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, D’ Department, FCID on April 8 at 1000hrs.

    “Note that it is your civic and corporate responsibility to assist the police investigation by honouring its invitation in the interest of justice and due process.”

  • Osun Assembly to invite CAN leaders

    The Osun State House of Assembly will soon invite the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state following its allegation that the governor was planning to Islamise the state.

    Mr. Ajibola Akinloye (Ola-Oluwa Constituency) raised the matter under Matter of Urgency at plenary yesterday.

    He said issues, such as education reform, wearing of hijab by pupils in schools and the inauguration of projects on Sundays, were aimed at destroying the peaceful co-existence of Muslims and Christians.

    Akinloye, a Christian, said the CAN leadership should be invited for an interactive session and he was supported by all members.

    The Speaker, Najeem Salaam, said the Assembly would invite CAN’s leadership for talks soon.

    Reacting to the allegation, the Speaker said: “I have my reservations on the statement credited to CAN. If a governor with a Christian deputy, 10 Christians of 14 commissioners, nine Christians of 10 Special Advisers and 16 Christians of 26 lawmakers is accused of having an ‘Islamisation agenda’, then the argument is illogical. It is obvious that the issues raised were politically, manufactured, ill-conceived and quite unfortunate.”

    Osun Local Government Secretaries, under the aegis of Mandate 31, urged religious leaders to be wary of “unscrupulous politicians”, who want to use them to destabilise the state.

    Rising from an emergency meeting, they said CAN’s allegation was not true.

    The Chairman of the forum, Omooba Kunle Ayantoye, said: “Those of us who are Christians in this administration feel highly embarrassed that this is coming from CAN, which has been known over the years for truth and sincerity.

    “Today, the number of Christians managing local government councils in Osun is more than Muslims and this has never been an issue since we assumed office. Whose interest is CAN serving? We have a governor who never gave religion or ethnicity any consideration in his decisions.

    “Since Governor Rauf Aregbesola assumed office, prayers at public functions are always led by a Christian, a Muslim and a traditionalist.

    “Over three leading Christian leaders have visited the governor and none of them, either subtly or frontally, accused him of being a bigot. The governor personally attended the foundation stone-laying of the Redeemer University at Ede last year.

    “We must be cautious of what we use religion to achieve. The monster shaking the country now to its foundation began this way. Who is benefiting from the violence in the North? Are Muslims spared from the violence that is bedevilling the northern region? The seed for the violent attacks was sown this way.”

  • Baseball federation invite 40 players to camp

    Baseball federation invite 40 players to camp

    No fewer than 40 players have been invited by the Nigeria Baseball and Softball Association (NBSA) to camp, for the 2nd International Baseball Federation (IBAF) U-12 championship billed for Taipei, in July.

    Olajide Abidoye, the team Manager of NBSA, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday on telephone, that the camp will hold from Feb. 18 to Feb. 26 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

    “The players are being invited to the first phase of the camp, ahead of our preparations for the IBAF U-12 competition scheduled for July in Taipei, Taiwan. The 40 players we have invited are expected to resume camp in Ibadan on Feb. 18, for the technical crew to work with,’’the NBSA team manager said.

    Abidoye told NAN that 20 players would be selected out of the 40 players at the end of the second phase of the programme in March.

    “At the end of the second camp phase in March, 20 of the best players will be eventually selected to represent the country at the competition,’’ he added.

    The IBAF U-12 championship is the 2nd edition of the prime category (budding talents) to develop and foster the growth of the sport around the world.