Nigeria U20 2-1 Burundi U20: Osimhen & Nwakali hand Flying Eagles victory

Second half strikes from set-pieces ensured Emmanuel Amuneke's boys booked a ticket to the next round of qualifiers for the 2017 AYC billed for Zambia

Nigeria defeated Burundi 2-1 in Saturday’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers played at the UJ Esuene Stadium Calabar.Second half goals from Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Nwakali handed the defending African champions a hard earned win as Ndikumana Magloire’s strike counted as mere consolation                                                                                                  .Coach Emmanuel Amuneke  and his players celebrated with justifiable delight after overcoming the east Africans in Bujumbura and many had expected them to stroll past the Young Swallows.The Flying Eagles almost went ahead in the seventh minute, with Osimhen steering Michael Kingsley’s pass but the Burundians cleared their lines immediately.  Agbor Chukwudi, however put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute but his effort was ruled for an offside.

After a barren first half, Amuneke’s boys increased the pressure and deservedly got the lead in the 70th minute via Osimhen’s penalty kick.The Wolfsburg player coolly converted from the penalty mark after Samuel Chukwueze was fouled in the Young Swalow’s goal area.With seven minutes left to play, capatain Nwakali doubled his side’s lead with a well taken free kick , while the visitors got a consolation through Magloire.                                                                                                                Going by this, Nigeria U20 qualify 3-1 on aggregate and will face Sudan in the last round of qualifier. The first leg takes place in Sudan between July 8-10 2016, while the second leg holds in Calabar between 22-24 of the same month. 

50 killed 53 injured in Gay nightclub mass shooting in Florida

Update on the mass shooting at the Orlando Gay night club mass shooting in Florida. According to police, the gunman who has been identified as Omar Saddiqui Mateen, a U.S. citizen from Port St. Lucie, Florida, who was born to Afghan parents made a pledge to ISIS and had been under investigation by the FBI in regards to radical Islam in 2013 but the case was closed in 2014.

Mateen's father told NBC News, "This has nothing to do with religion." Adding that his son became angry after he saw 2 men kissing a few months ago in Miami, concluding that that could have triggered his decision to kill gay people at that club.

The NYPD denounced Mateen, stating that he has no association with the department, and that the shirts he was pictured in were unofficial outfits that could be bought at any store in the US

Lesbianism kills women's soccer teams in Nigeria - NFF former VP, Seyi Akinwumi

First vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barrister Seyi Akinwumi, disclosed that lesbianism is one of the problems affecting the growth of women’s soccer team in Nigeria.

He made the shocking revelation yesterday, June 11,  when he featured on a sport personality programme "Hot Seat" organised by the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Oyo State chapter, in Ibadan.

"Lesbianism kills women’s soccer teams. People are afraid to talk about it. The coaches take advantage of the girls, so there is much more to build in female football. I took a historical look at countries and teams which have had success in this category, they started the way we also started, and it was difficult for them in the beginning as well. No sponsor, lack of interest and others," Akinwumi said.

"But I discovered here that what will fund female football is male football, and male football itself is gasping for breath. That is really the major problem- funding. And at the same time, equal funding is not possible,"

Akinwunmi however, suggested a total overhaul of the league system for proper monitoring and development of the game.

"My passion for female football, honestly is as great as it is for grassroots football. But in reality, there are lots of problems affecting the growth of women’s football in this country. It costs more and returns less. There is fewer players, less interests, in female football than male football. But we have no excuse. Last year, I think the most problematic person to the chairman of female league was Seyi Akinwumi, myself, I launched several attacks just to ensure things work accordingly. So, I decided that look, if it’s so difficult for you, let us show you how it’s done.

"In Lagos now, we have cleared the second half of the year for female football, it’s not going to be a tournament but a mentorship programme and many things that goes on. I said we’re going to have a female team, but when I dabble into it, talk to them and see it’s problem. I discovered that there is a lot of things going on underground that people don’t talk about.

"At the clubs, It’s not about somebody owing a club, no, there are guidelines. We have companies who mainly operate in female and children stuff but are they showing interest in funding, not all. How many of them fund football?

"Our budget here is not near it because the gravitas are not yet there. So for now, it is the male football that has to fund female football, for it to grow to a level where there would be interest."

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Medical doctor turned armed robber arrested in Anambra state

 

45 year old Richard Macaulay Obafemi, a medical doctor who trained at the University College London, has been arrested for Armed robbery by the Anambra state police command.

According to The Sun, Richard had his primary and secondary school education at Ipaja, Lagos State before proceeding to the Univer­sity College London, UCL, where he obtained a degree in Microbiology in 1987 and later studied medicine at University Colege London UCL, from 1987-1992.

In 1993, he did the housemanship in Hatsfield, London. In 1996, Obafemi who is an indigene of Ogun state, came to Nigeria for the Nation­al Youth Service Corps Scheme and was posted to Kwara State. At the end of the service year, Obafemi took up appointment with the College of Medicine, University of Benin, where he worked for two years from 1998 to 2000, before travelling to Saudi Arabia. He thereafter got another job offer at the University of Ghana in 2006 and worked there till 2015 when he decided to visit Nigeria.

“In 2015, I came to Nige­ria and visited Kaduna State. During that trip, a car I was driving had an accident and the victim died. I was charged to court and remanded at Kaduna Central Prison. But I was later released from prison on April 8, 2016". While in prison, Obafemi developed a relationship WITH two other inmates, Stephen and Ifeanyi who were professional car snatchers and armed robbers. When he left prison, he met with these men who had also regained freedom and they convinced him to join their business. “After I left prison, I had followed Ifeanyi to Asaba and joined their gang, which specialized in snatching cars. We have stolen cars like Lexus, SUV in Lagos State, which I drove to Katsina State to sell to buyers from Niger Repub­lic. I sold one for N450,000. I didn’t go back to University of Ghana because when I was in prison in Kaduna, I didn’t communicate with them. When I came out from prison, I found out that there was no going back. I decided to join the armed robbery gang to earn a living. I am married and blessed with three children. I lost my wife, Mary in 2012 while my three children are in Canada.”

Luck however ran out on them when the Anambra state police arrested an alleged member of their gang, Vincent, in Onitsha who revealed information to the police. Investigations by the police led to the arrest of Obafemi on May 17th at a hotel in Anambra.

The police will charge him and his accomplices to court soon.

‘Benue will continue to owe salaries’ Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State

The Benue State government has said that it would continue to owe workers salary in the face of dwindling allocation, but will ensure infrastructural development for the benefit of the people.

The state Commissioner for Finance, David Olofu, said this in Makurdi while fielding questions from newsmen during his ministry’s briefing on the recently approved 2016 budget.

“There are no shortcuts to development, we must build infrastructure for development to thrive and to attract investors. Government will continue to categorise payment of workers salaries which commenced in March until we are able to clear it,” he said.

Olofu said the state executive council will consider the establishment of Benue Collective Vision Fund so as not to go looking for money each time the state allocation falls below expectation.

He also said that among measures already taken to finance the budget, the government would make sure that those who are to pay taxes do so in order to shore up its Internally Generated Revenue.

Our correspondent reports that the Ministry of Works would gulp the lion share of N20.8billion. The breakdown also showed that the sum of N66.5billion is set aside for recurrent expenditure while the Government House administration has an allocation of N1.7 billion and the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission gets N1.7 billion.

Others are the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources which gets N6.2billion, Ministry of Water Resources with N6billion, Ministry of Education has N5.6billion and the least allocation of N6.2 million goes to Bureau of Research and Policy Analysis.

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Photo: Ex Super Eagles coach, Shuaibu Amodu laid to rest

The technical director of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and Former Super Eagles Chief Coach, Shuaibu Amodu, who died last night after complaining of chest pain, has been laid to rest at his home in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. His family members, Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi, Chairman of the Edo Football Association, Frank Ilaboya and others attended his burial.

The late football coach is survived by his wife, 7 children, aged mother and other family members. May his soul rest in peace Amen. More photos after the cut...

‘ FUTA Three’ killed on the ‘eve of graduation’

To conclude that the  death of three final year and a 300- level students of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA,  Ondo State in an auto crash was sad and painful is an understatement. No word is too big  to describe the agony of the parents and family members of the students who had gone far in their education.

 The parents have however taken solace in the Christianity  admonition: “ In all things we should give thanks”. It was crying and wailing penultimate Saturday when  the news of the death of the   students filtered into  campus. The tension in the university  was so high that everyone wore a long face. The atmosphere was sombre and a visitor to the institution would easily decipher that something tragic had happened. Students gathered in groups to pray and cry in the open field  and lecture theatres while lecturers and other university workers discussed the ugly incident in hush voices. Traffic inside the university was thin. For  three days,the university community mourned the four students whose lives were cut short in the auto crash. Lectures were suspended. That Saturday was indeed a black day in FUTA as lecturers and students cried and wailed openly. The 500-level students who died in the crash include  Olaleye Israel Olumide -mathematics and statistics, Owadayo Funke-microbiology,  Abolarinwa Olaniyi-electrical and electronics engineering  while Oke Oluwatosin was a 300-level student of electrical and electronics engineering. A  source hinted Sunday  Vanguard that the students,  under the umbrella of the Campus Christian Outreach Programme, were returning from a mission conference tagged, “PAROUSIA” in Ibadan, Oyo State when the unfortunate incident happened.
 Fifteen   students went for the conference in the FUTA campus fellowship bus. Thirteen of them are students of   the university and   members of   different campus fellowships while the Coordinator of PAROUSIA for Akure Zone and   another student of the University of Benin, Edo State accompanied the bus on the religious journey which claimed the lives of four of them and left 11 others maimed with serious injuries. It was  gathered that  one of the students  was driving the bus when the accident  happened few kilometers back to FUTA.  The crash, according to eyewitness account, occurred along the Ilesha-Akure Expressway. Report had it that the bus conveying the students, on getting to  Ibulesoro town in Ifedore council area of the state,  skidded off the expressway after a motorcyclist recklessly crossed the road. 
The driver , who was trying to maneuver the bus  in order not to crush the motorcyclist, lost control and crashed. The bus reportedly  somersaulted several times before it finally stopped. The four deceased students, it was learnt, died on the spot while 11 survivors were rushed to  hospital for medical attention. They were admitted at Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Akure  where they were rushed to by sympathizers. The  FUTA Students Union President  Segun Oladele told Sunday Vanguard that the parents of the deceased students had been informed and already claimed the corpses. Oladele added that  some of those injured had been discharged from hospital. A three-day of mourning according to him had been declared in the university  which will be lecture free. He noted that a candle night processing was equally held in FUTA in honor of the departed souls . Ondo State Police Command spokesman,  Femi Joseph,  said officers from the command and those  of the Federal Road Safety Commission responded swiftly   to the accident and rushed those injured to hospital. Officials of the FRSC in the state attributed the accident to   over-speeding and loss  of concentration on the part of the students vehicle involved. The   Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo, said the students were on a private religious trip when the accident happened. Adegbenro noted that the management of FUTA  was doing all it could to give those in the  hospital the best treatment. He confirmed that the parents of those who died in the crash have since claimed their corpses He commiserated with the families of the deceased students and their colleagues