The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okechukwu

  • Ex-U23 star Okechukwu secures Erzurumspor move

    Ex-U23 star Okechukwu secures Erzurumspor move

    Former Under 23 star, Azubuike Okechukwu has agreed a moved to the second-tier side Erzurumspor barely a few hours after mutually terminating his contract with Turkish Super Lig Caykur Rizespor.

    Okechukwu joined Turkish Super Lig club Caykur Rizespor last summer but injuries ruined his progress with the team.

    The skilful midfielder has fully recovered but he has decided to joined the second division side.

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    Rizespor and Erzurumspor have agreed to the move and Azubuike is presently training with the team pending his official unveiling.

    NationSport recalled that Caykur Rizespor announced the contract termination of Okechukwu in the early hours of yesterday.

    “We have parted ways with our professional football player, Azubuike Okechukwu, by mutual consent. We would like to thank Azubuike Godson Okechukwu for his contribution to our team and we wish him success in his future career”, the club said on his official website.

  • Okechukwu to Tinubu: Don’t allow special interests kill your achievements

    Okechukwu to Tinubu: Don’t allow special interests kill your achievements

    A founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be wary of pressure from governors and special interest groups, warning that they could undermine two key progressive achievements.

    Okechukwu highlighted the financial autonomy granted to local government councils through a landmark Supreme Court ruling and the allocation of 450,000 barrels per day of crude oil to local refineries as significant milestones that should be preserved. 

    The former Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) made this statement on Sunday in Abuja during a discussion with journalists about the state of the nation.

    The APC Chieftain objected to a purported three months extension of the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment, saying the apex court did not grant such a bazaar to the governors. 

    Moreover, he argued that the President could risk contempt of court, if he allows the governors to goad him into putting the judgment on hold, even for a day.

    Okechukwu said, “To me the two most outstanding progressives records of President Tinubu are the Supreme Court landmark judgment which conferred financial autonomy to local government councils and his allocation of 450,000 barrels per day of crude oil to local refineries. They should not be scuttled.”

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    He lamented that from the look of things the governors had goaded Mr President to not only dampen the power of the citizenry over local government council administration, but also to risk contempt of the Supreme Court landmark judgment.

    He also admonished the group he euphemistically dubbed Special Interest for denying the citizenry the opportunity of availability and reduction of fuel pump price, debt burden and envisaged employment and stabilisation of the Naira, among other anticipated progressive gains from crude oil allocation to local refineries.

    Reminded that the local government councils financial autonomy is on hold for three months, Okechukwu disagreed vehemently, pointing out that the Supreme Court judgment did not award such bazaar to governors, just as he expressed fears about the extension of this illegality.

    Prodded further Okechukwu said: “One just have to appeal to Mr President to beware of governors and special interest. My brethren you may not gauge how low APC’s approval rating is, which made us members to jubilate that our approval rating will rise again with the financial autonomy to local government councils and allocation of crude oil to local refineries, only for the celebration to be cut short.”

  • Ojudu, Okechukwu, Fasua knock ex-president

    FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo was under fire yesterday for the content of his latest letter in which he alleged plots by President Muhammadu Buhari to manipulate the forthcoming elections.

    The former leader was accused of trying to plunge the country into avoidable crises with his unsubstantiated allegations and claims.

    Those who hit the former president are: Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Voice of Nigeria (VON) Director-General Osita Okechukwu and Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) presidential candidate,  Tope Fasua.

    Ojudu said: “It is a rash of lies from a man who is frustrated. He and his candidate know defeat is coming and they are trying to prepare the mind of Nigerians for their destabilising plot.

    “Please inform them this will not work. He should just reconcile his mind to the fact that he cannot win always. He has lost this particular battle.”

    Okechukwu, who expressed disappointment over Obasanjo’s attack on the President, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot rig election as insinuated by Obasanjo for Buhari because of the card reader.

    The VON boss told this newspaper last night through a telephone chat that Obasanjo “is furious over his failed third-term bid and his plan to organise a movement against Buhari’s re-election bid.”

    He said: “Obasanjo supervised over Prof Maurice Iwu’s election that has remained the worst in the history of the country. Even the beneficiaries of that electoral process late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had to say that the election that brought him to office was a fraud.

    “So, when such statement goes out to the public we take it as one of the greatest errors of Obasanjo. He also told us that he was going to organise a movement and apparently what he is telling us is that he has failed in advancing that movement. He also told us that if he supports Atiku, God will punish him.

    “He also failed on that. And this is a man that fought for third-term. I am happy today that President Muhammadu Buhari is not talking of third-term but a continual second term.

    “I do not see where INEC comes in and to be honest with you, the card reader with this biometric component has closed the old methods of rigging; that is why people are now talking of vote-buying.

    “It happens in Anambra, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states. In all of those states, did we hear of ballot snatching or writing of results? So, which means that the card reader technology has closed those loopholes of the old that Obasanjo is referring to.

    “I do not see how INEC can rig elections for anybody in today’s Nigeria. So, we can understand where he is coming from. We can say that his plots have failed.

    “When he said he will raise a movement, he has forgotten that it cannot be raised without logistics. So, he should blame himself and not INEC. Obasanjo should blame himself for poor planning.”

    Fasua said the former leader has a record of writing “such scary missives against his big enemies.”

    The ANRP presidential candidate said: “The same Obasanjo wrote to Jonathan and alleged that the latter was training killer squads. He also wrote to Yar’Adua towards the tail end of the past leader’s life at a point when he should have been praying for that leader.

    “He has been instrumental to the emergence of three leaders after his departure and all three have been terrible according to his own statements. Now he wants to patch in a fourth one and so the letters have again appeared towards the beginning of elections.”

  • How Igbo can produce president, by Okechukwu

    How Igbo can produce president, by Okechukwu

    •‘Ohanaeze should be strategic’

    Following the release of 2019 election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Osita Okechukwu, the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) has called on the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, to be pragmatic, strategic and introspective in advancing the interest of Ndigbo.

    Okechukwu agreed that there are  fault lines, but it should not warrant abuses when President Muhammadu Buhari had congratulated Nwodo and offered an olive branch.

    Fielding questions from reporters in Enugu at the weekend, Okechukwu explained that Nwodo should have compiled all Ndigbo’s grievances and meet with President Buhari for discussion.

    He said: “Is this how to regain lost grounds? Chief Nwodo wants to repeat the costly mistake of Dr Joe Nworgu.”

    The VON DG re-affirmed Buhari’s commitment towards fulfillment of his promise to revamp Enugu coal.

    He dismissed as ‘baseless and unfounded’ claims by former Central Bank Governor, Prof Chukwuma  Soludo that  the President made the country’s bad economy worse.

    Reiterating his position on the debate over whether Ndigbo should contest for presidency in 2019 or 2023, Okechukwu said the best thing for Ndigbo is to vote for Buhari in 2019 and then rely on the zoning convention to harvest the benefits in 2023.

    He recalled that Ndigbo did not vote for Buhari in 2015 and time has come again for them to vote  in 2019 and then reap the benefits in 2023.

    “There are two contending issues in the political domain. One is the law with its legal teeth. It is written. It can pull down any mountain.

    “The other one is the convention. It is not written but with its moral weight, it can also pull down mountains.

    “For Igbo presidency to be germane, we must key into the convention. So that we could harvest the goodwill on our side because we have done a small analysis; when you come to Lagos and ask any indigene of Lagos to stay on one side and the next ethnic group, it is the Igbos

    . When you come to Kano, you tell the truly Kano indigenes to stay one side, the next group is ? Ndigbo.

    “We are only third in four states-Edo,Kwara, Niger and Kaduna. We are one of the most acceptable groups in the country. So, the country is waiting for us.

    “The convention has weight and mark you, like I told some Northern friends, the Igbo president will be a win-win situation because the Igboman will accommodate all sections.

    “And he will bring the entrepreneurship to bear on the economy and the growth of the country. I told them that it is going to be useful to the whole country if a proper Igboman becomes President, not a lackey. We should look for the best within our crowd.

    “So, my position is that my people might be in a hurry, yes. But at my age, 62, one will not jump in on sentiments.”

  • Skipper Okechukwu, Awoniyi promise Olympics ticket

    Skipper Okechukwu, Awoniyi promise Olympics ticket

    Skipper Azubuike Okechukwu and Taiwo Awoniyi have expressed confidence that Nigeria will fly high at the U-23 AFCON in Senegal.

    The tournament, which starts on Saturday, will also serve as qualifying tournament for next year’s Rio Olympics.

    Azubuike said the national team gave him the platform to move to Turkey and so he is always thrilled to return to play for Nigeria.

    “Even though I am a little bit tired after playing for my club over the weekend, I still see this national team all up as my little way to say a big thank you to my country for the opportunity given to me in the past has made me become what I am today,” said the former Bayelsa United star.

    On his part,   Awoniyi who was looking very refreshed and youthful, said: “This is work time, qualifying for the Rio Olympics is non-negotiable as we have no excuse to give Nigerians, that’s why we have to put in our best to get something out of Senegal.”

    In March, Liverpool loanee Awoniyi helped Nigeria win the 2015 AYC in Senegal.

    Nigeria will depart their training base in The Gambia for Senegal on Thursday and play their opening game on Sunday against Mali in Mbour.

    Algeria and Egypt are the other teams in their first round group.

  • Okechukwu, Abdullahi, Aminu to join Dream Team in Congo

    Okechukwu, Abdullahi, Aminu to join Dream Team in Congo

    The three foreign professionals led by skipper Azubuike Okechukwu who have confirmed their participation at next month’s All Africa Games will join the rest of the Nigeria Olympic team in Congo Brazzaville, officials have told AfricanFootball.com.

    The other pros for the AAG, which starts on September 3, are Portugal-based midfielder Shehu Abdullahi and Turkey-based Umar Aminu.

    “We expect the foreign-based pros to join the rest of the squad in Brazzaville,” disclosed Dream Team spokesman Timi Ebikagboro.

    The country vs club row involving Godwin Saviour has yet to be resolved with Belgian club KV Oostende yet to respond to a request from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to release the exciting forward. The team  is scheduled to fly out this weekend.

    They are drawn in Group B along with defending champions Ghana, Egypt and Senegal in what should be a good dress rehearsal for the Africa U-23 Nations Cup in Senegal in November, which will serve as a qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

  • Okechukwu: Expect more goals

    Okechukwu: Expect more goals

    Bayelsa United midfielder, Azubuike Okechukwu is looking to be on target today when his side confront Akwa United in a week 25 Globacom Premier League game at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa.

    Okechukwu scored his first goal of the season on Sunday in Bayelsa United’s 3-0 defeat over Gombe United. He scored the first goal in the game.

    The former Niger Tornadoes ace told SportingLife that he is happy to have registered his name on the league’s goal chart this season.

    “I am very excited about my first goal. I hope to score more before the season runs out, especially against Akwa United today because I have revenge on my mind.”