Malians’ physique doesn’t scare us -Obuh

Flying Eagles’ Coach, John Obuh, has dismissed fears that the Malian Under-20 team has a physical edge over his squad ahead of today’s Orange African Youth Championship (AYC) semifinal.

Obuh acknowledged that though his team’s opponents at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto are taller, he is confident his players will reach the final. “Football is not about size. The most important thing is your brain. After all, the best player in the world (Lionel Messi) is not the tallest player around.
“By the time we clash with them, we will know who will come out tops – the size or the brain,” said Obuh.

It was learnt that Obuh’s training sessions with the Nigerian Under-20s ahead of today’s semi-final have been focused on short-squared passing and shooting from long range.
On the non-availability of VVV-Venlo’s Ahmed Musa, the Nigerian coach explained that he had been in touch with the youngster.

Obuh is, however, hoping that the Dutch Eredivisie side would have a change of heart about stopping Musa from flying to Johannesburg from the Netherlands.

Oshiomhole dumps Olympic team ...NFF defends choice of Benin

Following what they termed political commitments, Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has pulled out of the U-23 Olympic team camping sponsorship arrangement with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), for the return leg of the All Africa Games qualifier encounter against Liberia.

The head of technical of the federation, Emmanuel Ikpeme, disclosing this to Daily Sunsports in his office at the Glass House in Abuja, noted that the Edo State Government and its Lagos counterpart had cited political commitment as the reason for turning down the request of the federation.

The technical boss of the Nigerian football governing body said the federation was left with no other option than to bankroll the camping with staggering amount despite the federation’s teething financial difficulties, after all efforts to persuade the governors for the renewal of the arrangement were rebuffed by their contacts close to them.

He, however, argued that the federation’s decision to approve the team’s continued camping in the Edo State capital was that the team had fully acclimatised, stressing that it would be counter-productive to take the team back to Abuja.“The arrangement on ground now is that we are taking charge of the camping of the team.
We tried to renew the sponsorship through our contacts close to the governor, but we were told point-blank that the governor was so preoccupied with the electioneering matters.

INEC drafts students to conduct polls in Bauchi, Kaduna today

Following the decision by corps members to back out of the conduct of gubernatorial and state Assembly elections in the troubled Bauchi and Kaduna states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has settled for students of tertiary institutions in both states to serve as ad-hoc personnel for the election billed for today.

The bulk of the students would be drawn from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where Prof. Jega was the immediate past Vice Chancellor and Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna.
This is even as the commission disowned an announcement of the results of the gubernatorial election in Zamfara State made by a local radio station.

The plan by the INEC to draft students of those institutions followed the relocation of most of the serving corps members in the two affected states back to their states of origin in the wake of the post-presidential election carnage in some states.
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was said to have also backed out of the existing partnership with INEC on the use of corps members for elections in the two states and therefore, did not issue formal directive to its directorates in the two states to that effect.

Ajimobi floors Akala

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate in Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi has wrested power from incumbent Governor Christopher Alao Akala of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The electorate expressed their preference for Ajimobi through the ballot box in the governorship election conducted on Tuesday.

According to the result declared by the State Returning Officer, Professor Femi Bamiro, Ajimobi polled 420,852 and scored 25 per cent vote cast in 25 Local Governments to defeat Akala and the former governor of the state, Rasheed Ladoja to second and third respectively in the keenly contested election. Akala polled 385,132 with 25 per cent in 22 local governments, while Ladoja polled 275,773 with 25 per cent in 10 local government.

With the result, Akala failed to make history in his bid to become the first governor to rule the state twice since its creation. The breakdown of the results shows that ACN won in Atiba, Afijio, Oyo West, Oyo East, Saki East, Ibarapa East, Ibarapa North, Atiba, Oluyole, Orelope, Saki West, Ibadan North, Ido, Ibarapa Central, Olorunsogo, Ibadan N’Eeast, Itesiwaju, Iseyin, Akinyele, Ibadan N’West and Ibadan S’East local governments.

PDP on the other hand, won Saki East, Ogo–Oluwa ,Ibarapa North, Orire, Itesiwaju, Ogbomosho, Irepo, Ibarapa East, Iwajowa. AP won in Ibadan North East, Ona Ara, Egbeda and Lagelu local governments.
Before the final result was announced, there was a long wait after the result of 32 local governments had been declared. The five-hour waiting between 2.30 pm to 7.00 pm generated tension in Ibadan and its environs as both Ajimobi and Akala supporters engaged in victory dance around the city, claiming victory in the yet to be declared Ibadan South West result.

However. the tight security mounted by both the army and the police effectively secured the office of INEC and dispersed the riotous party supporters from the vicinity.

Political Violence: There'll be no Sacred Cows, says Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has warned prominent citizens sponsoring political violence across the country to desist from doing so or face the full wrath of the law.

Speaking at a presidential debate organised by Nigerian Electoral Debate Group (NEDG) where he was the only participant, President Jonathan said those funding political violence no matter how highly placed would be prosecuted.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Nuhu Ribadu, and Shekarau boycotted the debate in retaliation, because President Jonathan did not attend the NN24 debate.

Also, contrary to a blog report that the organizers leaked some questions to the Jonathan’s camp, none of the questions cited in that report came up at the event.

Some of the questions allegedly leaked to the President are 1. Your emergence as PDP presidential candidate was mired in controversy as a result of the conflicting interpretations of your party’s zoning and rotation principles: do you not carry a moral burden?

2. When you talk of “transformation” what are you really saying to Nigerians?

3. The Nigerian economy seems to be in the grip of an unending crisis, characterized by a poor growth rate, low capacity utilization, unimpressive direct foreign investments, bank failures and now a rapidly weakening naira. Is the situation redeemable?

4. The complex of infrastructure in Nigeria is allegedly notoriously inefficient, inadequate, underdeveloped, derelict and neglected. Its all the noise about power not just hype?

5. What is your programme for taking the Nigerian Railways, roads, marine and air transportation into the 21st century?

Assessment of top members of the House of Reps gunning for return I’ll make Eagles Africa’s pride, Siasia vows

Coach Samson Siasia has promised to make the Super Eagles a highly competitive brand that will be the pride of every African in the next few years.

DIRECTION.. Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia pointing the way forward to some of his players during a match. He has promised to make the team a super brand in Africa.

Siasia, who led the Eagles to two successive wins over Ethiopia and Kenya on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively, said during an interview at the Abuja National Stadium, that all that he needed was time for him to get the right mix of players capable of taking the world by storm.
“Our national team can become the pride of Africa in the nest few years if the process that I have started is allowed to continue. We have the players but what we need is time to find the perfect blend that would make us the best team on the continent”, said the former Eagles striker.
The Bayelsa-born gaffer said that he was still experimenting with different tactical formations in his quest to get the best bet for the success of the team. He showed his hand when he played what appeared an odd 4-2-4 formation against Ethiopia, during a 2012 Nations Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Four players comprising Chibuzor Okonkwo, Taye Taiwo, Joseph Yobo and Efe Ambrose in defence, another four, including Obinna Nsofor, Ahmed Musa, Victor Anichebe and Peter Utaka as strikers, with Nsofor and Musa operating from the wings while the duo of Mikel Obi and Joel Obi, were the  two midfielders on the night.

Jonathan meets Atiku, IBB, Gusau over April polls

In his bid to seal a deal with the Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Leaders Political Forum (NLPF) towards the April 9 presidential election, President Goodluck Jonathan last night met with the trio of former president, Ibrahim Babangida, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and former National Security Adviser Gen. Aliyu Gusau. The meeting which started some minutes after 8pm at Defence House in Abuja was the second in the last one month and was said to have been at the instance of the President. A few top political associates of President Jonathan as well as some allies of IBB, Atiku and Gusau, were also at the meeting.

The meeting was ongoing at press time yesterday, but a source told Weekly Trust that the politicians met to discuss the outcome of the report of the seven-man committee that was set during the previous meeting between President Jonathan and the group, which took place at Ciroma’s residence February.

Prominent among issues to be looked at by the seven-man committee included the matter of the presidency in 2015. President Jonathan was said to have made a commitment during the February 18 meeting to the effect that he would serve only one term, but the NLPF reportedly asked for a strict commitment to zone the presidency to the north in 2015. They were also said to have insisted that the commitment be made public, a suggestion which the presidency rejected, saying it was likely to anger the South-East and make the president lose Igbo votes in the April polls.