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  • ‘School sports is bedrock of sports growth’

    Stephen Adigwu

     

    PRINCIPAL of Bishop Howells Memorial Grammar School (BHMGS) Tunde Oduwole has stated that the only way out of the problems bedeviling the sports sector is through the development of school sports.

    Speaking at the annual inter-house sports competition of BHMGS held at CMS Grammar School in Lagos, the principal emphasised the importance of school sports to the development of sports in the country, stating that school sports remains the bedrock.

    “Sports has witnessed a tremendous transformation globally and especially in the educational sector.

    Sports has moved away from being an extra curricula activity to becoming a co-curricula activity and that is very key because it lays great emphasis on the simultaneous development of the body and the mind,” Oduwole added. The athletics meet ended with St James House (blue) winning 17 gold, 19 silver and 15 bronze medals to emerge champion of the 2019 edition, while St Stephens House (yellow) garnered 13 gold, nine silver and 19 bronze medals to settle for second place.

    St Peters House (Green) finished third 12 gold, 18 silver, 11 bronze medals, while St Bartholomew’s

    House (Red) finished fourth with 11 gold, 17 silver and 15 bronze medals.

  • Twinkling Quadre set for stiff opposition at 2019 Lagos Open

    AHEAD of the 2019 Lagos Open International Tennis Championship, Nigeria youngster Oyinlomo Quadre is confident of ending on a high and posited her compatriots would be ready to challenge their foreign counterparts.

    The tournament will serves off on October 7 at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club in Lagos Island.

    In the meantime, the 16-year-old Quadre who is the highest ranked Nigeria female player in the world said at the tournament’s presser that she was poised to best her second round finish of 2018.

    “I think the amount of work I had put in this year coupled with my performance, I believe I can go beyond the second round to play in the quarterfinal this year,” the teenager explained. “There is no doubt that it is a tall order but I am ready to put my words to action when the tournament starts on Monday.”

    Quadre will also partner Adesuwa Osabuohien in the women’s doubles.

    Meanwhile, organisers informed this year’s tournament would kick off with the junior clinic which is one of the legacies of the competition; amidst plans by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to upgrade the status of the tournament following the recommendation by the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF).

    “I told you last year of our resolve to move up the ladder to the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenge Circuit (ATPCC),” stated the Tournament Director Wale Oladunjoye.

    Also, the application has been made through NTF, the owners of this championships and it is receiving favourable consideration. For now, the tournament is now known as F25 tournament for both men and women events.”

    The total prize money of $100, 000 for the two-week tournament with players sharing $50, 000 each week, while every player that features in the main draw is entitle to share from the purse.

     

  • Boxers avoid me, says Efe Apochi

    Oluwamayokun Orekoya

     

    EFE Apochi wants to fight the top boxers in the cruiserweight division but he says they avoid him because he is dangerous.

    The ‘Nigerian Pitbull’ will fight journeyman Larry Pryor in an eight-round cruiser-weight contest at the Arena Theatre, Houston, Texas, USA tonight.

    The 31-year-old former Nigeria Amateur Boxing Team captain is targeting at least 15 fights so he can call out the big fighters in the division.

    “They don’t want to fight me right now they know the ‘Nigerian Pitbull’ is dangerous. I took this fight because I have to stay busy. I only have eight fights under my belt,” Apochi told NationSport in a Facebook chat.

    “I am targeting at least 15 fights so I can call the big fighters out,” he added.

    An accomplished amateur boxer in Nigeria where he captained the boxing team to a bronze-winning performance at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Apochi has knocked-out all his opponents in his eight fights since turning professional in 2017.

    Apochi knocked out Earl Newman in the 7th round in his last fight in Biloxi, Mississippi in May. He is trained by the legendary Ronnie Shields who also trains heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba.

    Thirty seven year-old Pryor, a Frederick, Maryland native, is looking to rebound from a decision loss to Raphael Murphy in August.

     

     

     

  • Amao, Akanni speak: ‘Don’t cry over Abraham, Tomori’

    FOLLOWING the invitation of Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori by the Three Lions, Super Eagles former assistant coach, Fatai Amao believes Nigeria should not lose sleep over their invitation as the likes of Victor Osimhen and Dennis Bonaventure can do the job for the national team.

    Amao blamed the reliance on Nigerians born abroad on the lack of organisation of the league, while urging those in charge of football to look inward rather than looking outside.

    “I think we have turned normal situation to emergency. We are now putting the horse before the cart and that is why we are always looking for players born abroad with Nigeria root. We put ourselves into this situation because I believe we have qualities that are better than Abraham and Fikayo in the country,” he said.

    The former 3SC handler added: “Seeing how Osimhen and Dennis are playing in the UEFA Champions League has shown that Nigeria is blessed with talents and they have not seen anything yet from Osimhen and Dennis.

    “So we should not lose sleep over the decision of Abraham and Fikayo to play for England. We all know those that made this kind of decisions in the past and they were latter dump by England. So, Nigeria should forget about them and focus on the players we have. No need forcing anyone to play for Nigeria,” Amao stated.

    Former Eagles midfielder, Waidi Akanni, who spoke in the same vein, said there was no need losing sleep over the decision of Abraham and Tomori to play for England.

    Read Also: Abraham may finally dump Nigeria for England

    Akanni stated that the local league should be developed to a level that it can produce stars for the national team instead of chasing foreign-born players.

    “Nigeria should not lay too much emphasis on Abraham and Tomori’s decision to play for England,” Akanni told NationSport.

    “Instead we should focus on our local players and developing our football. We should not be inviting players just because they play for the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. These players should want to play for Nigeria and their call up should be voluntary,” Akanni added.

  • ISAAC PROMISE: Tributes for fallen ex-Flying Eagles captain

    Morakinyo Abodunrin

     

    AMERICAN United Soccer League (USL) side Austin Bold yesterday lead  the way with tributes following   after the sudden death of former Nigeria youth international Isaac Promise late Wednesday night.

    The 31-year-old who captained the national U-17 (golden Eaglets), U-20 (Flying Eagles) and U-23 (Olympic Eagles), reportedly collapsed at his apartment gym in Austin-Texas in the USA.

    He Arabia before signing with Austin Bold, where he had three goals in 20 matches this season.

    Austin Bold’s Chairman Bobby Epstein led tribute to the late footballer, posting on Twitter: “The greatest loss a team can suffer is not on the scoreboard, it’s the death of a fellow teammate.

    “It’s with shock and grief that we acknowledge the sudden death of Promise Isaac.

    “On behalf of the BOLD organisation; we wish his wife, children and family strength and peace as they struggle to cope with his death.”

    Similarly, 3SC goalkeepers’ trainer, Kola Ige who was in the Promise-captained Flying Eagles squad that won silver at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Holland in 2005 also paid a glowing tribute: “I’m still in shock because a radio station here in Ibadan just called me over the death of Isaac Promise.

    “It’s so unfortunate because he was such a loving and nice person. I remember our days in the Flying Eagles; he always had something to give everyone and he would personally knock on my door to deliver his gifts. He was such a nice person. He was a leader and role model.”

    Several former national teammates of Promise hoisted the fallen hero on their social media status with Shanghai Shenhua striker Odion Ighalo saying: ‘Painful exit; RIP, Isaac Promise.’

    Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation has described as ‘shocking’, reports on demise of Promise.

    NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said the Federation and entire Nigerian Football was greatly saddened by the report, coming less than 48 hours after two women footballers of Nigeria Women Professional League side, Police Female Machine FC of Uyo were crushed to death by a hit-and-run driver after a training session in the Akwa Ibom State capital.

    Read Also: Promise, Eneramo score in Turkey

    Sanusi Said:  “This has been a tragic week for Nigerian Football. Isaac Promise was a very disciplined, energetic, committed and patriotic player who gave his all every time he put on the green-and-white shirt.

    “We do not know yet the cause of death, but we mourn his untimely passing at such a young age. Our prayer is that God will grant his soul eternal rest and also grant those he has left behind the fortitude to bear the big loss.”

    Promise was captain of the Nigeria U20 squad that won the 2005 African Youth Championship (later renamed U20 Cup of Nations) in Benin Republic with a flourish and finished as runner-up at the FIFA U20 World Cup in The Netherlands the same year, losing narrowly to Argentina (complete with Lionel Messi) in the final.

    He also captained the Nigeria U23 team that won silver medals at the men’s football tournament of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, again finishing second behind Lionel Messi-led Argentina.

    He also captained the U17 team in 2003 in Finland.

  • Ecobank deepens CSR

    ALL is set for staff of Ecobank Nigeria to “Walk Against Cancer” this Saturday October 5th, being part of activities to mark the Ecobank Day 2019. Ecobank Day is a special day set aside every year by Ecobank Group, for management and staff of the bank to embark on  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities that impacts its immediate environment and people.

    The initiative encapsulates Ecobank desire to give back to the local communities where it does business through volunteering, donating or fundraising. The theme for this year’s edition is “Preventing Non Communicable Diseases” with special focus on “Cancer Awareness”. Ecobank day holds simultaneously in 36 countries in Africa where the bank operates.

    In his message, the Chief Risk Officer, Ecobank Nigeria, Biyi Olagbami, who is also the CSR lead, said the choice of this year’s theme is to further raise awareness on non-communicable diseases, particularly the dreaded cancer which is currently ravaging millions of people globally as early detection would help save many lives. He noted that staff of the bank and other interested members of the public will this Saturday embark on five kilometers cancer awareness walk in three key cities – Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

     

     

     

     

  • Fidelity Bank to give out N120m in GAIM promo

    FIDELITY Bank Plc has announced the takeoff of its “Get Alert In Millions (GAIM) Season 4” promo during which N120 million will be won.

    The GAIM promo is expected to run till April 2020, a duration of six months. Speaking at a press conference heralding the commencement of the promo in Lagos, the bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo said the campaign is the ninth in the series of savings promos organised by the bank in last 12 years to reward its customers.

    Okonkwo who was represented by the Executive Director, Shared Services & Products (EDSS&P), Chijioke Ugochukwu pointed out that the campaign seeks to reward customers for their loyalty and patronage. Whilst the savings promo is targeted at a cross section of customers, Chijioke noted that the Bank apart from using traditional channels will utilise digital platforms such as its Quick Response (QR) code and Virtual Assistant to reach unserved areas.

    Giving insight into the rationale behind organising this initiative, Okonkwo noted that savings promo remained an integral part of the bank. He asserted that the promo was focused on reaching out to the unbanked population across the nation. “We embark on campaigns like this to drive financial inclusion in line with the financial inclusion strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN. This savings promo allows us to take banking services to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

    “It also gives us an opportunity to promote a savings culture which is critical to building up investible funds for individuals and companies and a key component of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth”, she added. Stating that the lender remained on course to achieve its strategic objective of becoming a tier one Bank by 2022, the MD explained that building a robust and solid saving volumes for the institution was a critical pillar to attaining the aforementioned target.

     

  • CBN: Deposit, withdrawal charges on transactions above limit

    THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has explained that  charges on cash deposit and withdrawals apply only to transactions above stipulated limits.

    CBN Director, Payments Systems Management Department, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) Sam Okojere disclosed this at NeFF meeting in Lagos.

    He said:  “An example would be if an individual withdraws or deposits a cumulative sum of N600,000 into his/her account or all accounts in a bank in one day, the processing fee to be charge would be three per cent of the N100,000 that was in excess of the prescribed threshold of N500,000, that is N3,000 (for withdrawals) and two per cent of the N100,000, that is N2,000 (for deposits).

    “Likewise, if a corporate should make a withdrawal or deposit a cumulative sum of N4,000,000 into its accounts in a bank in one day, the processing fee to be charge would be five per cent of the N1,000,000, that is in excess of the prescribed threshold of N3,000,000, which is N50,000 (for withdrawals) and three per cent of the  N1,000,000, that is N30,000 (for deposits).”

    Read Also: Ripples over CBN’s cashless policy

    He added: “In addition, there will be no processing fee either under the cashless policy or tax on cash-out done at agent locations in order to encourage financial inclusion in the country.”

    Speaking on efforts to secure the payment system in Nigeria, he said: “NeFF is the culmination of an enormous collective effort over the years, with many institutions and individuals contributing towards its development and progress to ensure a safe and more secure payment system in Nigeria.

    “As we build on the impressive successes recorded over the years, it is our aspiration to sustain the momentum and set new targets that will further secure the payments system.”

    Commenting further on the recent fraud report, he said: “As evidenced by the NIBSS second quarter fraud report of 2019, attempted fraud volume decreased by 47.28 per cent from the first quarter figures, while web, ATM and mobile remain the usual suspects to be used by fraudsters.”

     

  • Equities continue decline with N112b loss

    NIGERIAN equities continued on the downward trend yesterday as increased selloffs across the sectors pushed the overall market to a net loss of N112 billion. With the decline yesterday, quoted equities have lost N265 billion in the past two trading sessions.

    Key indices at the Nigerian stock Exchange (NSE) showed a considerable slowdown with declines in most share prices and the momentum of activities. Average decline stood at 0.84 per cent yesterday, pushing the average decline so far this month to -1.97 per cent. With this, average –year-to-date return worsened to -13.82 per cent.

    The All Share Index (ASI)- the common value-based index that tracks share prices at the NSE, declined from its opening index of 27,314.87 points to close at 27,085.69 points. Aggregate market value of all quoted equities also dropped from its opening value of N13.297 trillion to close at N13.185 trillion.

    Total turnover dropped by 13.98 per cent to 151.20 million shares valued at N2.52 billion in 2,895 deals.  Banking stocks dominated activities chart with Nigeria’s largest financial institution, Guaranty Trust Bank, leading with a turnover of 44.62 million shares valued at N1.24 billion. FBN Holdings followed with a turnover of 17.38 million shares worth N93.68 million while Fidelity Bank placed third with a turnover of 11.22 million shares worth N19.06 million.

    With 18 decliners to 12 advancers, most sectoral indices also closed in the negative. The NSE Consumer Goods Index led with average decline of 5.42 per cent. The N SE Insurance Index dropped by 0.35 per cent while the NSE Oil & Gas Index slipped by 0.09 per cent. However, the NSE Banking Index appreciated by 0.16 per cent while the NSE Industrial Goods Index rose by 0.79 per cent.

    “We believe the bearish momentum would be sustained in subsequent sessions as investors maintain a risk-off approach towards equities,” Afrinvest Securities stated.

    NSE’s highest-priced stock, Nestle Nigeria, led the decliners with a drop of N139.40 to close at N1,255.50. Beta Glass followed with a loss of N5.95 to close at N53.80. Unilever Nigeria dropped by N2.05 to close at N24.65. Guinness Nigeria lost N1.10 to close at N32.90. UAC of Nigeria and Dangote Sugar Refinery dropped by 25 kobo each to close at N6,75 and N10.55 respectively. Dangote Cement dropped by 20 kobo to close at N151. Zenith Bank lost 15 kobo to close at N18.25 while Access Bank and FBN Holdings slipped by 10 kobo each to close at N7.30 and N5.40 respectively.

    On the positive side, Nigerian Breweries led the advancers with a gain of N1.35 to close at N50.35. 11 followed with a gain of N1 to close at N140.

    Cement Company of Northern Nigeria rallied by 90 kobo to close at N16.40. Ecobank Transnational Incorporated added 60 kobo to close at N7.85. Flour Mills of Nigeria rose by 40 kobo to close at N15 while Caverton Offshore Support Group rose by 20 kobo to close at N2.60 per share.

     

  • Chevron sets new greenhouse gas reduction goals

    Emeka Ugwuanyi

     

    CHEVRON Corporation has set new goals to reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity from upstream oil and natural gas.

    Chevron in a statement explained that emission intensity is the emission rate of greenhouse gas per unit of energy produced. The company intends to lower upstream oil net GHG emission intensity by 5-10 per cent and upstream natural gas net GHG emission intensity by 2-5 per cent from 2016 to 2023. The timing is aligned with stocktake milestones set in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

    The GHG emission intensity reduction metrics apply to all upstream Chevron oil and natural gas, whether Chevron has operational control or not.

    “Global demand for energy continues to grow, and we are committed to delivering more energy with less environmental impact,” said Michael Wirth, Chevron’s chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

    The new reduction goals build on other actions Chevron is taking to address climate change by lowering the company’s carbon intensity, increasing its use of renewable energy and investing in breakthrough technologies. Earlier this year, the company established reduction goals for methane emission intensity and flaring intensity.