The Nation Newspaper

Tag: sign

  • TOM TOM MVP AWARD Sign of good things to come- Oduamadi

    TOM TOM MVP AWARD Sign of good things to come- Oduamadi

    AS Varese winger,Nnamdi Oduamadi has described his $5000 Tom Tom Most Valuable Player award in Saturday’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Harambee Stars of Kenya as a sign of good things to come.

    A stoppage-time equaliser from Oduamadi spared Nigeria’s blushes as the Africa Cup of Nations winner struggled to a 1-1 draw with Kenya in Group F tie at the U.J. Esuene stadium Calabar, the feat which earned him $5000 Tom Tom Most Valuable Player award.

    The former Under-23 international, who came in as a substitute for Sunday Mba in the 75th minute, said the award will spur him on to do more for the national team.

    “I am happy to have scored the goal. I am the happiest person because we needed the goal. I am happy that my contribution was recognised with the award. Nigeria should expect more from me and I will always give my best for the national team anytime I am called upon,” Oduamadi said.

    Francis Kahata gave the Harambee Stars a shock lead in the 36th minute and, after nearly an hour of fruitless toiling, Nigeria forced a point through Oduamadi three minutes into time added on.

    “The goal was vital to the team. I know Kenya will want to play like that in their home. Nigerians should continue praying for the team and we will not let them down.”

  • Esperance sign Azuka

    Sunshine Stars striker, Izu Azuka, has finally been snapped up by Tunisian giants, Esperance for a fee of $200,000 (around N31.4 million).

    Azuka signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the Blood and Gold this week but the financial details remain undisclosed.

    Esperance and Nigerian club, Sunshine Stars had reached an agreement on Azuka, 23, in September last year with a sell-on clause of 10 percent due to the Akure Gunners in the deal should the player be sold by the Tunisian outfit in future.

    However, Azuka has been shipped out on a six-month loan to Club Sportif Hammam-Lif by the former African champions owing to their quota for foreigners being filled up. The loan deal will run out on June 30, supersport.com has been informed.

    Esperance last year sold off their Cameroonian forward, Yannick N’Djeng to FC Sion and now view Azuka as his replacement though their foreign quota has forced out the Nigerian on loan.

    “I can confirm that Izu Azuka has signed for Esperance. And contrary to reports that he’s a free agent, he was still contracted to us till 2014 and that’s the reason a fee of $200,000 was agreed upon for his transfer.

    “Also, the international transfer certificate was held up as it didn’t meet the January 15 deadline for the Tunisian league. But the club has written to FIFA to clear the air, which was due to the systems being down at that time.

    “But Azuka will play on loan at another Tunisian club, Club Sportif Hammam-Lif for six months which will expire on June 30 this year. We’ve kept our part of the agreement with Azuka and Esperance, who have requested for an invoice over the transfer fee,” Executive Director of the Ondo State Football Agency, Mike Idoko, who also runs Sunshine Stars’ administratively, disclosed to supersport.com from Tunisia on Saturday.

    Azuka was thankful to Sunshine Stars and Idoko in their roles in ensuring that his transfer to the Blood and Gold did not suffer any hitch.

    “I can’t thank Sunshine Stars and especially Mr. Mike Idoko enough. They’ve kept to an agreement we had that I can leave whenever I get a lucrative deal abroad and they also supported me during the period of negotiation with Esperance.”

  • Heartland sign 9 players

    Heartland sign 9 players

    After securing the services of all the 21 players retained from last season campaign, Heartland of Owerri have signed nine new ones to beef up the squad ahead of the CAF Confederations Cup and the domestic competitions next season.

    Top of the list of players signed include Flying Eagles’ winger, Bright Maduabuchi Ejike; 2012 Federation Cup revelation,Isah Akor; Ex-ABS’ Yau Hasan; John Mikel Obi’s elder brother, Ebele Obi; former Lobi Stars’ captain, David Tyvkase, and one-time Enyimba dangerman, Atanda Sakibu.

    Making this known to SportingLife the General Manager of the Naze Millionaires, Fan Ndubuoke, said he was thrilled to get the fulcrum of the team that the club paraded last season after the duo of Beach Eagles player, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu and defence trojan, Emmanuel Olowo renewed their contract with the Owerri based club on Wednesday.

    He expressed that Heartland management is doing all within reach to ensure that the club comes out stronger next season and that all well meaning Imo people should join hands together to ensure that the Imo outfit succeed on the domestic front and in Africa where the club is making a back to back campaign in the CAF Confederations Cup.

    “We are happy with the progress we have made in the transfer market thus far. I must say that I am extremely delighted to reveal that Heartland did not lose any of its 21 players retained from last season.

    “The last two of them signed on Wednesday and we also made some shrewd fresh acquisition ahead of next season.

    “We should have 30 players registered by the team for next season owing to our involvement in the league, Federation Cup and CAF Confederations Cup.

    “Tyvkase, Sakibu, Ejike, Akor, Obi and others have penned a deal with us and we hope to better our performance of the previous season this term. We can do it with money made available,” Ndubuoke said.

  • Oyo, UK firm sign MoU on N4b Soya milk firm

    The Oyo State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a United Kingdom (UK) milk producing company, Kama Milk Industry, for the production of Soya milk.

    The establishment of the company will cost N4 billion.

    The company is expected to produce about 750,000 metric tons of soya milk annually and provide 100,000 jobs when it becomes operational.

    At the signing of the MoU in his office in Ibadan, the state capital, Governor Abiola Ajimobi said the company’s decision to invest in Oyo was the product of his many foreign trips.

    He said: “The MoU is one of the products of our promotion. We are now having a company involved in the large manufacturing of Soya milk, which will be the second largest in Africa.”

    Assuring the firm’s management of an enabling environment, Ajimobi said: “We are ready to partner you and provide an enabling environment for you to succeed.”

    He said the company would be provided with 25 hectares of land for the production of soya beans for animal feeds.

    The governor said apart from the land being provided at the Industrial Park on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the company would also be given a large farmland in Oke-Ogun, which would serve as a feeder.

    He urged the management to ensure that the company begins operation within three months.

    Ajimobi said: “I expect that in the next three months, we will be able to turn the sod in Oyo State and have that factory. I will like to open the factory by September next year.”

    The Managing Director of Kama Milk Industry, Mr. Dipak Mirchandani, assured the governor that the company would boost the state’s economy.