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Lagos governor recovers from coronavirus, urges precautions
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday announced his recovery from COVID-19 infection, having tested negative, following 14 days of treatment. Addressing State House correspondents at ‘Lagos House’, Marina, Sanwo-Olu said that he experienced moderate symptoms like headache, cough, among other COVID-19 symptoms. He thanked the people of Lagos and the medical team for their care, prayers, and concern throughout his isolation. “I was fortunate to have had a relatively moderate COVID-19 experience. About one in every 10 persons who contracted the disease in Lagos State were not so lucky; they have to go into intensive care, and some of them did not make it out alive. “For this reason, my gratitude is deep and profuse. And it is also for this reason, that I am here to app...
Mutiu Adepoju: It is wrong to call young players next Lionel Messi or Austin Okocha
AOIFOOTBALL.COM Former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, says it is wrong to call young players the next Lionel Messi or Austine Jay Jay Okocha since it puts them under lots of pressure. Adepoju, who is also nicknamed the “headmaster” in his playing days disclosed this when he spoke with BBC Sport. According to him, local media and fans must stop as it is not good for the growth of the players. He said: “I believe calling young players in the youth teams as the next Messi or Jay-Jay Okocha is unfair and unnecessary. “Indulging in this comparison is setting them up for failure because the weight of expectations will definitely affect these players mentally. “It’s the main reason some players refused to work hard and be themselves because they easily get carried away by what the press ...
Tottenham boss ‘angry’ with Dele Alli for creating ‘problems for his own team’
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has hit out at Dele Alli, accusing the midfielder of creating “problems for his own team” in his side’s 3-1 win over Stoke in the Carabao Cup. Alli was handed a rare start at Stoke on Wednesday and looked dangerous on occasions in attack, seeing a goal-bound strike saved by Andy Lonergan in the first half. However, he was at fault for Stoke’s goal when a flick gifted possession to the home side – and it was an action that angered his coach. “For me a player who plays in that position is a player that has to link and create and not create problems for his own team,” Mourinho said in his post-match press conference. “They got us on the counterattack, so yes I was angry. “First half we were solid. They didn’t touch the ball, have a shot, have a corner. Instead of ...
Tijani Babangida denies questioning Super Eagles defenders’ role
Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida has denied quotes attributed to him questioning the invitations of William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo to the team. Babangida insists the duo are quality players, who deserve to be part of the team. “Well, it’s very unfortunate with what I saw this morning that a journalist wrote that I said Ekong, Omeruo and even Jamilu Collins should not be in the National team. I do not think we can boast of better players than these,” Babangida said. “So if a journalist wants to have a catchy headline to sell his papers, then he writes what I did not say because that isn’t what I said so he obviously wrote against what I said. I am very disappointed and that’s not my meaning to this. “The said journalist has however to come out to apologize for what he wr...
Delta community protest exclusion from creation of electoral wards
The people of Ogbe-Ijoh Community, an Ijaw ethnic group in the Warri South Local government area of Delta State, on Tuesday, protested the new electoral Wards creation by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC). The Protesters, who alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission failed to incorporate their ethnic group into the new wards in the local council; said that their proposed ward has met all DSIEC’s requirement for ward creation in the state. They accused DSIEC and Delta state government of sidelining them in favour of the Urhobos and Itsekiris of Warri South Local government area. Earlier, the Ogbe-Ijaw Youths had in a position paper signed by Comrade Nathaniel Oronomoni, chairman Ogbe-Ijoh Concern Youths Warri Kingdom; Comrade Lot Loyibo, Coordinator ...
Bandits kidnap village head, wives, others in Katsina
Bandits on Monday night kidnapped the village head of Kaigar Malamai, Kabir Muhammed Ajiya, his two wives and 14 other peasant farmers in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina state. The bandits were said to have also ransacked the entire village, injuring six other persons and rustled unspecified cows in the village. A survivor of the attack, Umar Abdulsalam, who spoke to newsmen in a telephone interview on Tuesday, said the villagers had relocated to Dan-Musa town and other nearby villages in the local government. Newsmen report that bandits had earlier kidnapped 80 pupils of Hizburrahim Islamiyya School in Mahuta village of Dandume Local Government Area of the state but were rescued by a team of security operatives. He said, “yesterday (Monday) at about 9pm some armed Fulani people r...
Big Sam develops goose pimples over West Brom poor show
West Bromwich Albion manager, Sam Allardyce, believes the team cannot concede easy goals if they want to stay up. The Baggies endured a poor 3-0 home defeat to rivals Aston Villa during the first match of Allardyce’s time at the club. Matters were not helped by Jake Livermore getting a red card early in the game. “Yes I am upset – I couldn’t be anything else other than upset,” Allardcye told reporters when asked about Livermore’s red. “When I arrived one of the first things I said to the players was ‘lads one thing we can’t have is any more sendings off.’ “So it really is very disappointing. “They had a couple before I arrived. I’ve done my homework. That can’t happen again if we want to get out of trouble. “And we have got to stop letting in easy goals – which Villa’s first one was. It wa...
Nigerian students threaten government over lecturers strike
File Photo The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has given the Federal Government till January 5, 2021, to resolve its impasse with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Describing the ongoing strike action by ASUU as the longest so far, NANS said in Katsina at the weekend that it would mobilise its members to block all Federal highways indefinitely at the end of the ultimatum until the issue is resolved. The President of NANS Comrade Sunday Asefon, who addressed a press conference after a visit to the rescued Kankara school boys said that, “it is ridiculous that government and ASUU have not found a common ground yet and this is leaving us with no other alternative than to do everything within our power to bring an end to this strike. “If by January 5, 2022, there...
Former Kogi council chairman kidnapped
Gunmen have kidnapped a former Chairman of Olamaboro Local Government Area in Kogi, Mr Emmanuel Ekpa. The state police command spokesman, DSP William Aya, who confirmed this on Sunday in Lokoja said that Akpa was kidnapped along Ochadamu Road in Ofu Local Government Area. He said a police patrol team attached to Ofu discovered the abandoned car of the victim at Ochadamu area in the late hours of Friday, December 18. “On close scrutiny, they found an abandoned ID card in the vehicle bearing the name Emmanuel Isaac Ekpa, apparently indicating that he was kidnapped by gunmen,” Aya said. He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Edeh Ayuba, had raised a team to track the kidnappers and ensure the safe rescue of Ekpa. Meanwhile, the abductors had made contact with the family of the vict...
Bernd Leno: Arsenal ‘don’t have time’ to feel sorry for themselves
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno says there is no time for the players to feel sorry for themselves after an eighth Premier League defeat of the season ramped up the pressure on manager Mikel Arteta. Sunday is an unhappy first anniversary for the Gunners boss as he reflects on a 2-1 reverse at Everton that extended their winless run to seven league matches and left them just four points above the Premier League’s bottom three. “A lot of things are going wrong for us but we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves, we have to fight for every ball, for our team-mates,” said Leno. “Now the confidence is not at the top level but the only thing that can be said is we should stick together and come out of this situation.” The 28-year-old German said Arsenal showed a good attitude in the second h...
Wafu B Cup: Ghana edge Burkina Faso to win tournament
Ghana have been crowned winners of the 2020 Wafu B Cup of Nations following a 2-1 triumph over Burkina Faso in Saturday’s final in Benin. Kouame Jean Fiacre Botue scored first for the Young Stallions but captain Daniel Afriyie and Precious Boah hit back for the Black Satellites at Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto-Novo. Abdul Karim Zito’s outfit not only leave Benin with the trophy but also have a qualification ticket for the 2021 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Mauritania. Afriyie was among the returnees to the coach’s line-up for the final, taking back his place – at the expense of Issah Huda – after dropping to the bench for the semi-final 5-3 penalty shoot-out win over Niger. Ofori McCarthy was also a new face in the starting set-up, replacing Abdul Mugees Zakaria. Burkina Faso opened the ...
Tijani Babangida: Gernot Rohr to blame for Eagles poor form
Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida has blamed Gernot Rohr for the national team’s poor form after ending the 2020 calendar year without a win. Babangida made this known during an interview on Friday. The Eagles drew 4-4 against Sierra Leone in Benin City and 0-0 in Freetown in their final games of 2020, and thus failed to clinch an early ticket for the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Cameroon in 2021. Former Ajax winger Babangida blamed Rohr for the national team’s woes. “The coach of the Eagles is the one to be blamed for the poor form of the team. He is the one in charge of the team and one thing I know he has deviated from is that he has not followed the football culture of Nigeria’s national team,” Babangida said. “We used wingers during our time with the team, but looking...
