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  • Fleet-footed Dennis’ brace nearly ruined Real Madrid

    Super Eagles forward, Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis was the cynosure of all eyes at the Bernabeu on Tuesday as he scored a first half brace against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League but the Belgian side couldn’t hold to their lead.

    Real Madrid were battered by Paris Saint-Germain in the opening match of their Champions’ League group and their game at home against Club Brugge was expected to set them back on course in the competition, but Zinedine Zidane’s side suffered a nightmare start.

    Dennis put his side ahead after just nine minutes with a goal that was initially ruled out for offside, before VAR came to their rescue, and doubled the lead with a deft chip over Thibaut Courtois on 40 minutes.

    Ramos headed the Spanish side back into the game after 55 minutes despite the fact he’d initially looked offside from the cross, but VAR confirmed it was indeed a goal.

    Read Also: Olayinka leads Slavia Prague against Dortmund

    Ruud Vormer was sent off after 84 minutes for a second bookable offence and Casemiro made it 2-2 from the resulting free kick.

    Dennis’ first goal for Club Brugge is the fastest they have ever scored in a Champions League game (8 minutes, 9 seconds) and the 23-year-old became the third Nigerian to score against Real Madrid in the competition, after James Obiorah and Ayila Yussuf.

    Compatriot David Okereke was not listed for the Belgian side despite scoring a brace last weekend and was replaced in the team by South African international, Percy Tau.

  • IAAF 2019 World Championships: Oduduru: I’m frustrated with AFN

    Following the criticisms that trailed his absence in the men’s 100m at the IAAF 2019 World Championships, Divine Oduduru has opened up on his frustration with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

    In an interview posted on YouTube yesterday, the America-based sprinter said: “I was frustrated with my federation as IAAF has nothing to do with what happened to me because, if my country does what they are supposed to do, IAAF won’t have issues with us. I am not going to say I lose faith in IAAF because it’s a system that we need to go through.

    “There are rules that guide everyone, so if we don’t want to follow the rules, things are not going to go right. We don’t expect to think we can change the rules, rules are made for everyone to follow, so that my country does not do what they are supposed to do does not mean that I would have to lose faith in the people that are following the rules and regulations.”

    Read Also: Fleet-footed Dennis’ brace nearly ruined Real Madrid

    Revealing his frustration, he added: “It was in the afternoon of the day we were to run the 200m that I found out I was going to run and I think they have been working towards ensuring that I was listed for the event, so when they said I can run finally I just have to get my body ready.”

    The athlete that failed to make the 200m finals, further lamented the neglect of athletes by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), saying: “Now nobody wants to know what happened, nobody wants to understand what happened, people just going around, saying all sort of things. Sometimes they should listen to we athlete because we are the ones that are doing these events.

    “The way I was proud to put on my school clothes to run is the same way I’m proud to put on my country clothes to run. I don’t want to pay my flight ticket to meet and sit down and watch. This is the biggest meet in my career, so you’re not going to call it a joke.”

    Meanwhile, Oduduru said he was looking forward to new season in readiness for Tokyo 2020.

    “I’m not going to lie; I came here to get a medal because I was ranked number two in the world this year,” he said. “The next thing for me is to go back, sit down, meditate, get good rest and get ready for next season.”

  • International future: Thursday is D-Day for Tammy Abraham

     

    Which way for Nigeria-born England junior international Tammy Abraham?  Will the 21 year old play for the Three Lions under Coach Gareth Southgate or settle for Super Eagles under Coach Gernot Rohr?

    Thursday will be decision day for the Chelsea forward who has since netted seven goals for the Stamford Bridge landlords. Both countries have shown interest in having him commit to international future and several stakeholders have offered him useful advice on the pros and cons of choosing one of the countries.

    Decision time for Chelsea forward Tammy

    Gareth Southgate is set to play a double header in the Euro qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria respectively and there are indications that his final 23-man team will be announced on Thursday. There are equally insinuations in some quarters that Tammy might get a last minute call up.

    Should Tammy who is sure to feature in Chelsea’s Champions league against Lille today  feature in any of the qualifiers lined up for the Three Lions  next weekend, he would put paid to the unending debate over which country he will settle for. Only recently former Millwall and Wimbledon striker John Fashanu advised Tammy to learn from his mistake and join the Super Eagles where he stands a chance of playing many national matches that will help his international career.

  • German institute to train 50 in risk prevention

    THE Director-General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola has hailed the partnership of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in Germany with the Lagos State Safety Commission to train 50 people in occupational health and safety.

    He said the people would  domesticate the training, adding that without doubt, the training would increase awareness, knowledge and advocacy, “which will reduce risks and accidents in our workplace all over the country.”

    Mojola made this known in his welcome address at the opening ceremony of the train the trainer programme facilitated by the commission in conjunction with Safety Advocates and Empowerment Foundation, (SAEF) and sponsored by European Commission.

    It was held at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), Alausa, Ikeja.

    Mojola said the training would strengthen the trainee and build the capacity of practitioners, managers and graduates, adding that it would make Lagos State and the country   safe.

    He praised SAEF for facilitating the training that could attract foreign involvement for the well-being and safety of Nigerians.

    The Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr. Wale Ahmed, said safety is paramount.

    “We should emphasise on basic safety rules at all times, irrespective of where we find ourselves, be it at home, workplace or social gatherings,” he added.

    Ahmed thanked the foreign partners, especially the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, UK and Germany for their collaboration with the state government on transfer of knowledge.

    The National Coordinator of SAEF,  Mr. Dapo Omolade, said the programme was designed to develop Occupational Safety and Health profession in the country, adding that the more Nigerians are trained, the more the risks of accidents are reduced, “and it makes the nation safe and secure.”

  • Olayinka leads Slavia Prague against Dortmund

    Super Eagles new boy, Peter Olayinka, will be looking  forward  to  a good outing yet again as  Slavia Prague continue their good start in the UEFA  Champions League tonight as they welcome German giants, Borussia Dortmund, at the Sinobo Stadium.

    The Czech side came within a whisker of earning three points at Inter Milan, taking the lead through Peter Olayinka before Nicolo Barella rescued a point for Inter in stoppage time.

    Slavia are unbeaten in the league after 11 games, winning 9 of them with Olayinka scoring the only goal in their last match against Mlada Boleslav.

    Read Also: Meet Olayinka, Eagles’ new invitee

    Olayinka, 23, has scored four goals in 10 games for the Czech champions this season.

    The Champions league this evening will also see as Lille’s red-hot Victor Osimhen battle English giants Chelsea at home at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.

    Lille would hope Victor  Osimhen is in fine form to help them get over the 3-0 away loss to Ajax on Matchday 1.

    In Belgium, Paul Onuachu and Stephen Odey would hope to get some playing time against Italian side Napoli.

    Onuachu was on for just five minutes in Genk’s 2-6 humiliating defeat to Salzburg in Austria two weeks ago while Stephen Odey was not dressed for the game.

  • Rohr fecilitates with Nigeria at 59

    Super Eagles German coach, Gernot Rohr has offered felicitation and salutation to Nigeria and indeed fans of the national team on the occasion of the country’s 59th Independence Day Anniversary which was celebrated on Tuesday.

    Rohr definitely shares so many things in common with Nigeria’s anniversary month.

    Apart from resigning his coaching appointment as manager of Niger’s national football team in October 2014, the former Bayern Munich defender actually made history on 7th October 2017 when his Nigeria-led team became the first African side to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a 1–0 win against Zambia in Uyo.

    “Nigeria at 59? That’s a great anniversary,” the 66-year-old Rohr who has supervised the country’s 45 international matches told NationSport exclusively. “Today, Nigeria can be proud of freedom and democracy.”

    Read Also: Letter to Gernot Rohr

    Under Rohr, the Super Eagles have won an impressive 26 matches; drew 10 and lost 9.

    Apart from qualification for Russia 2018 World Cup, the Super Eagles also made it to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) where his young side won the bronze medal.

    “The youthfulness of the Super Eagles is the mirroring of the nation,” Rohr noted in his goodwill message.

    Meanwhile, Rohr has disclosed that he might be forced to name a replacement for injured Super Eagles’ newly capped Joe Aribo ahead of the eagerly awaited international friendly against Brazil in Singapore on 13th October.

  • Lagos roads to be fixed after rains

    LAGOS State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appealed to Lagosians for patience over the bad state of roads in the state, saying the continuous rainfall since he was sworn in about four months ago is slowing down rehabilitation on the roads.

    As soon as the rains stop, work on the bad roads will kick off in earnest, he said.

    Sanwo-Olu made the appeal while answering questions on the traffic situation and bad roads in the state at ‘The Platform’ put together by The Covenant Place, which took place at Iganmu on the Lagos mainland, on Tuesday.

    The event which was a question and answer programme coordinated by Pastor Poju Oyemade has as its theme: ‘Redesigning the Nigerian Economy with new ideas’.

    Sanwo-Olu promised there would be extensive and massive rehabilitation of roads after the rainy  season, but that all the roads cannot be tackled at once.

    The governor said it has been raining since he was sworn in, a situation which hampers work with bitumen.

    He assured that the government was still working day and night to remedy the state of the bad roads in the state.

    Apart from bad roads, the governor said water, small land mass and population explosion were responsible for traffic congestion but that his government’s remedy for the traffic problem being experienced on a daily basis was a multi-modal transportation system.

    This, he said, involves developing the rail, water transportation and  bus transit system which the government is already working on.

    Read Also: Lagos retirees get N1.5b pension

    He said, “On water transportation, we are encouraging the building of a lot of jetties and we have just acquired 6-7 new passenger boats that can take 60-70 passengers at a time”.

    These, Sanwo-Olu said, will be the long-term solution to the transportation problem, adding that the government was working on a short-, medium- and long-term solution to issues surrounding transportation.

    On commercial motorcycle operators, the governor said because he wants to give everybody a chance to be part of the state development plan, the government is trying to harmonize and come up with a regulation system for them.

    “This is designed to know who they are, their activities and how to manage them to ensure that they don’t add to the problem of traffic flow in the state, we don’t want to disenfranchise anybody,” Sanwo-Olu said.

    The governor also disclosed that since his assumption of office it is only in the education sector that he has given a major approval for the recruitment of about 10,000 teachers into the state public schools, a process that is already ongoing.

    He said he would also ensure proper and adequate regular training for teachers to enhance their efficiency and capacity.

    “We are constricted in terms of finances, but it is a marathon, we need to continue to run to ensure we meet up and I can assure you that we will meet up and Lagos will continue to be greater,” Sanwo-Olu assured.

  • Court remands cyclists ‘killer’ in Niger

    A 30-year-old man Tunde Tayo, who was alleged to have killed a commercial motorcycle operator in Maitumbi area of Minna has been remanded by the Chief Magistrate Court 1 in Minna, Niger State.

    He was arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide which contravenes sections 97, 298 and 221 of penal code.

    It would be recalled that the police arrested Tayo for ‘killing’ 25-year-old Abdullahi Sale of Ungwan  Rama.

    The suspect was said to have killed Sale in his uncompleted building along Maitumbi-Shiroro Road and buried his body in a shallow grave near his house. Upon exhumation of the victim’s body, it was discovered that the head had been removed.

    Read Also: Robbers kill two in Niger

    According to the police “First Information Report” read at the court by the head of the Legal Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCIID), Mr. Jude Thaddeus Akaeze, the suspect conspired with others, who are currently at large, to lure and rob the deceased of his  Bajaj motorcycle valued N215,000.

    The deceased was later killed and buried after he was robbed.

    The pleas of the accused were not taken on the ground that the court is only hearing pre-trial into the matter and ordered for the remand of the suspect in Minna Correctional Centre pending when the police will forward the case file to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice.

    The case was adjourned October, 30 for further mention.

  • Makinde: I won’t interfere in Ibadan chieftaincy system

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has promised not to interfere in the Ibadan traditional chieftaincy system.

    The governor spoke during the 86th birthday anniversary and chieftaincy celebration of Mrs. Theresa Oyekanmi, at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

    Oyekanmi was recently installed as the 14th Iyalode of Ibadan land after the death of Alhaja Aminat Abiodun.

    Makinde, who was represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mrs. Funmi Orisadeyi, said: “As your son, I am reassuring you of my support for the progress of Ibadan. Let me re-state that I will not interfere in the Ibadan traditional chieftaincy system.”

    Read Also: Independence Day: Makinde calls for orientation change

    The governor solicited the support of traditional institutions for his administration in transforming the state, and congratulated Chief Oyekanmi.

    The Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, prayed that his reign and that of the Iyalode would last and bring growth to Ibadan land.

    The event was attended by prominent sons and daughters of Ibadan.

    Among those present were Oba Lekan Balogun, Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land; Chief Lekan Alabi, Agbaakin of Ibadan land; and Chief Sarafadeen Alli, a former secretary to  the state government.

  • Police disperse protesters in Makurdi

    IN Makurdi, the Benue State capital, police shot teargas to disperse protesting Okada riders, arrested many of them and took their motorcycles to police station.

    The commercial motorcyclists  took to major streets of the capital city to protest against what they called the high cost of registration and licensing of motorcycles in the  state.

    In an attempt to stop the cyclists from protesting, police fired teargas at them.

    Chairman of Benue Motorcyclists  Association (BEMOA) Comrade Matthew Nyiutsa told The Nation that efforts were being made to resolve the crisis, saying they were given a grace period to pay by instalments to reduce the burden on members.

    Comrade Nyiutsa described the registration and licensing of motorcycles as a national policy which his members must comply with but pleaded for more time.

    Read Also: Eleven suspected cultists in Police net

    Police Spokesperson Kate Anene told The Nation that every vehicle on the road must obtained a licence and registration including motor cycles.

    She said the grace period is over and the commercial motorcycle riders must comply.

    Some okada riders who spoke to The Nation said the registration fee is top high .