Scot Nnaji, a former coach of the female national basketball team, the D’Tigress, on Monday called for more basketball competitions in order to further develop the game. Nnaji told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin that more corporate organisations and individuals should emulate Dstv in sponsoring the game. He said the youths need to play regularly to prepare them ahead of the exit of ageing players in the national team. “We need more games like the Dstv Premier League. We need more people to sponsor competitions. “Young people need to play often; after this, we might wait another one year to play another championship. “It is not good for the game, we have to play series of competitions, Dstv League is a short one. “We are to play only 14 matches, after that everyone goes to sleep as there is no other championship. We need to have a game before the year runs out,” he said. Nnaji,who is the head coach of the Nigeria Customs Basketball Club of Lagos, added that players need to play constantly to stay on top of their game.
Tag: NAN
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Nigeria wins bronze
The national junior tennis team which represented Nigeria at the just-concluded Africa Junior Tennis Championship in Kenya, returned on Monday, with a bronze medal.
Coach of the team, Ubale Mohammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the medal was won in the male U-16 doubles competition.
He said Sylvester Emmanuel and Michael Michael placed third after losing to Egypt in the semi-final, adding that the competition was the first for the two players.
Mohammed disclosed that he and the team had put the Kenyan tournament behind and was focusing on the All Africa Youth Games scheduled to begin in Botswana in May.
He said that the players would continue training until camping would begin.
Mohammed expressed optimism that with the experience garnered at the Kenyan championship, the players would put up fantastic performance at the Botswana games.
“I am so delighted and happy that the team had a bronze in the championship; this is the first time ever we are getting to this stage and I appreciate the efforts of the players because they put in their best.
“We have just arrived in the country and we are looking forward to the Africa Youth Games coming up in May and I know that with this experience, the team will do better there”, he said.
“We hope to intensify training and start camping early enough but before then, I have told the players to keep training in their respective stations’’, he added.
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ERINFOLAMI CALLS FOR CAUTION, DISCIPLINE FROM ISLANDERS TO WIN GAMES
LATEEF ERINFOLAMI, the Head Coach, Lagos Islanders basketball team, on Saturday said his team needed to approach every match with caution and discipline to achieve its goals.
Islanders had recorded their second straight victory in the DStv/Basketball League as they defeated Police Baton of Lagos 49-38 in their Atlantic Conference regular season match in Lagos.
Erinfolami however told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that such an approach was needed to guard against anxiety in subsequent encounters.
“We have to take one game at a time. That is how we can achieve our goal. It is important we keep our focus until the end. The low scoreline we recorded showed how determined the Police Baton was, having lost their first match and were obviously not ready to lose again. We just have to sit tight as there is no room for laziness,’’ Erinfolami said.
Coach Dike Dominic of Police Baton said his team played below average, because they kept their cool only in the first quarter when they recorded a 17-6 points lead.
“They simply could not continue with that tempo which could have made them seize the game and win at the end. We will go back to our drawing board and see how we can redeem our image in our next match,’’ Dominic said.
NAN reports that Islanders’ captain, Seun Akinwale, broke his left arm while attempting to win the ball from an opponent. He was rushed to the Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital to receive medical attention.
NAN also reports that in the other matches played at the Atlantic Conference match centres, Customs of Lagos shocked one of last season’s national four finalists, the Union Bank of Lagos 61-53.
Royal Hoopers of Port Harcourt defeated visiting Oluyole Warriors 54-53 in a tough encounter.
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Immigration’s border patrol planes grounded
The two planes used by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) for border patrol are no longer in operation due to long time abandonment, Minister of Interior Abba Moro was told yesterday.
Managing Director of Dornier Aviation Nigeria (DANA) Ltd Mark Snoxell said yesterday that the planes could still fly for the next 10 years if they were rescuscitated.
He spoke when he visited the minister in Abuja yesterday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Moro directed the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr David Parradang, to work out modalities for resuscitating the air border patrol unit of the service.
.He said the resuscitation of the unit was necessary to patrol the country’s borders to address security challenges.
The Minister said illegal immigrants in the country ‘have been identified as perpetrators of various acts of terrorism”.
He said that there was a need also to resume air border patrol as vehicular patrol and deployment of high-tech surveillance equipment was not enough to address the present security challenges.
“We have taken steps to resuscitate our border patrol by setting up a committee to examine our preparations for air border patrol against the existence and operations of our aircraft patrol units.
“The abandonment of these aircraft for some time now has made them unworthy to fly and with the visit of Dornier Aviation, we can start doing something immediately to revive our aircraft operations,” he said
Moro said due to paucity of funds, the Federal Government had adopted Public Private Partnership to protect and maintain its assets all over the country.
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Koroma cautions west, World Bank over anti-gay law
Sierra Leonean President, Ernest Koroma, yesterday cautioned western countries and the World Bank against withholding aid to African countries over new laws banning homosexuality in some countries.
Koroma spoke to newsmen in Abuja after commissioning a building project at the Sierra Leonean High Commission.
His remarks followed the World Bank’s suspension of 90 million dollars loan to Uganda over its tough anti-gay law.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that countries like Denmark and Norway had criticised the law, saying that they would redirect aid from the government to assist agencies.
Koroma, who was in Abuja to attend Nigeria’s centenary said: “We have to ensure that the communities are sensitised well enough. It is not right for issues to be imposed lock, stalk and barrel from the international world’’.
He added that laws on issues such as homosexuality should be left to the prevailing circumstances in individual countries.
“We have to take into consideration our culture, tradition, religious beliefs and all that.
“I believe that on issues like this, like it is happening in other sensitive areas, time should be given to countries to engage,’’ Koroma.
The Sierra Leonean president called for “further engagements’’ among African governments, western countries and donor agencies to resolve the differences on the issue of homosexuality.
He warned that such engagements must respect the “consensus’’ of the African people.
“I believe with engagement with our communities, sensitisation and other public awareness programmes, we will get at a consensus.
“When a country arrives at a consensus, I think the country should be led by what it believes is right for the country and not what is necessarily right for the international community because of the variations in our traditions.’’
Koroma inspected and commissioned ongoing building projects and the renovated Sierra Leone High Commission in Abuja.
He also announced that Sierra Leone Export Promotion Agency would lead a trade and investment team to Lagos next week to showcase investments opportunities in the West African country.
He encouraged Nigeria’s private sector to take advantage of the visit and explore opportunities in the areas of mining, agriculture and tourism.
“Sierra Leone is one of the fastest growing economies and the opportunities are growing by the day, we have transformed ourselves into one of the leading places of doing business in the sub-region.’’
The president also said the country had made tremendous progress in the fight against corruption and attributed the success to the independence of country’s anti-corruption commission.
“When we took over governance, our first step was to strengthen the anti-corruption commission.
“We reviewed the Act and in the new Act, we have not only increased the number of charges from nine to 27, we have also given the anti-corruption commission the authority to investigate and prosecute cases, independent of government.
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Aduwa emerges Lagos State District I high jump champion
Gift Aduwa, a 16-year-old student of Dee Jewels International College, Egbeda, Lagos, on Monday emerged District I High Jump winner for the 2nd Lagos Premier Lotto School Athletics Championships. The championships started on Monday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual competition, which began with eight events, will feature 10 events during the two-week championships which ends on March 8. The events include 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 100/110 hurdles; High Jump, Triple Jump and Short Put with Triple Jump and Hurdles being the new additions.
Commenting on his win, Aduwa said he is yet to jump his highest.“I look forward to winning the overall event at the final where other district finalists will compete,’’ he said.
Other winners from the district ,which comprises schools in Alimsho, Ifako-Ijaye and Agege areas, are Salako Abiola of Vetland Secondary School, Ifako, who came first in the 1,500m first heat.
The next is Idowu Peter, a 16-year-old from Command Secondary School, Ipaja, who also came first in the second heat of the event. NAN reports that the state was divided into six districts for the event.
Schools in District II comprising Shomolu, Ikorodu and Kosofe, will compete on February 26 to pick their representatives at the finals.
Winners of the events would be given Puma vouchers to purchase various Puma training kits and a training tour within the country.
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NRSCF charges coaches to develop sport
The Nigeria Rowing, Sailing and Canoe Federation (NRSCF) on Tuesday urged coaches participating in the coaching clinic to help develop the sport in Nigeria.
The NRSCF President, retired Rear Adm. Festus Porbeni, at a news conference, told the coaches that they were the ambassadors of the sport. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 29 coaches from across the country are participating in the clinic.
“I want to urge the coaches participating in the clinic to know that they are meant to use what they learnt to help develop the sport in their states. And they should know that the sport can only grow from the grassroots and only through them it will be achieved,” he said.
Porbeni said that every state had no excuse not to develop the sport because water was available in every state in the federation. The president said that the sport needed to be given attention because it was a sport with many medal prospects.
NAN reports that the instructor of the clinic, Craig Mustard from South Africa, was certified with the International Canoe Federation.
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‘Moral support vital for athletes success’
A sports psychologist, Jimmy Adeniyi, on Tuesday called for general support for athletes preparing for major competitions to encourage them to succeed.
Adeniyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the greatest support should be that from parents and guardians because they were closer to athletes.
“Such support will go a long way to prepare them psychologically ahead of national and international tournaments. When athletes are preparing for competitions, the government, media and parents all have a role to play. They need all the encouragement that can influence their performance positively,’’ he told NAN noting that financial motivation alone was not enough for athletes’ success
“We all know that parents have a major role to play in the career of their children. So, mere words of encouragement from them will impact positively on their preparation. Giving them moral support will not only encourage them when going for competitions, it will also help to prepare their mind psychologically,’’ he said.
Adeniyi, also the Head, Coaching and Training Department of the National Institute for Sports (NISports), Lagos also urged athletes to avoid any form of distraction while preparing for competitions.
“Athletes should remain focused while preparing for a competition, such athletes should not allow distraction,’’ he added.
According to him, support and self discipline will influence athletes to achieve their desired goals and bring glory to their families and the nation at large.
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NBSA sets up c’ttee for African Clubs C’ship
The Nigeria Baseball and Softball Association (NBSA) on Tuesday set up a committee to ensure Nigeria’s successful outing at the African Clubs Championship, scheduled for Zimbabwe in April.
NBSA Secretary Kehinde Laniyan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the committee had fixed March for a trial to select players for the championship.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that we excel at the championship in April. The committee set up by the association has fixed next month for a trial. The trial would assist the technical crew to select qualified players for the African championship. This is the only way we can identify the best players that will do the country proud,’’ he said.
Laniyan reiterated the association’s determination to reposition the sport in the country.
The secretary added that the association had on Jan. 8 at the University of Lagos, held a summit to restructure the sport.
He said that the association had started implementing the resolutions arrived at during the summit.
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‘Nigeria will win medals’
A national Super Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Sgt. Obinna Onwumelu, said on Tuesday in Lagos that he was confident boxing would produce medals for the country at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Onwumelu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the exposure gained at the ongoing national open camp has injected in the boxers the impetus to perform exceptionally at the highest levels.
NAN reports that the Commonwealth Games is scheduled to hold from July 23 to Aug. 3 in Glasgow, Scotland.
“The Games will bring out the best in us and from the training we’ve had, one would conceive that boxing has huge medal prospects for Nigeria this time around. We have the tools to be champions and Nigeria will have gold medals in boxing at the Commonwealth Games. I am certain about that. The competition for a place at the Games has been stiff and it tells you how willing we are to represent our country and produce positive result,” he said.
Onwumelu said the boxers were gradually getting accustomed to the tactical shrewdness of Coaches Jerry Okorodudu and Adura Olalehin who was brought from the U.S. to help sharpen their skills.
According to Onwumelu, Olalehin is giving us the best training in camp and I believe he will take us to the next level in boxing.
“We are having the best training in the hands of the best trainers I believe this country has; Okorodudu and Olalehin have some wealth of experience.’’
NAN reports that Nigeria ranked 9th on the medals table at the last Commonwealth Games held in 2010 in Delhi, India.
The country won a total of 33 medals, winning 11 gold, eight silver and 14 bronze medals.