THE Delta State High Court in Warri has issued an order restraining the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board from implementing its recent policy requiring a minimum admissible age of 16 years for university admissions in the country pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed against the board. JAMB, in a statement on October 16, stated that only candidates who will be 16 years old by August 2025 would be admitted to tertiary institutions. This directive was a follow up to the new policy that the ministry of education introduced which states the adoption of 18 years…
Author: Peter Noah KC
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SUPER Eagles stand-in captain William Troost-Ekong has hailed the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) for its verdict over the botched Libya vs Nigeria game. CAF awarded three points and goals to Nigeria and fined the Libya Football Federation (LFF) $50,000 over the abandoned 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier. Following the verdict, Troost-Ekong described the move as justice served. “JUSTICE: CAF awards three points and three goals to Nigeria. Libya fined $50,000,” Troost-Ekong said. “Plane was diverted 300km from scheduled airport even when the pilot told them he was low on fuel. One step closer to our target AFCON…
SUPER Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has emerged as the overwhelming favourite for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award following his historic and remarkable Europa League exploits with Atalanta and a Ballon d’Or nomination. The Atalanta star, who made history as the first player to score a hat-trick in a European club competition final during his club’s triumph over Bayer Leverkusen last season, has been getting massive backing from fans on social media since CAF announced the names of the ten nominees on Thursday night. “Being the first player in history to score three goals in a European final…
SUPER Eagles captain William Troost Ekong and forward Ademola Lookman have been nominated for the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men’s player of the year award. They will slug it out with Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Simon Adingra of Cote d’Ivoire, and Serhou Guirassy of Guinea for the most coveted individual prize for male footballers on the continent. Lookman’s nomination followed his performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored three goals as Nigeria reached the final of the tournament and his record-breaking display in the final of the 2024 UEFA Europa League. The 27-year-old struck…
HOODLUMS, suspected to be cultists have invaded Ifite-Awka, near the school gate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, killing no fewer than six persons. According to eyewitnesses who spoke to our correspondent on Thursday, the gun-wielding hoodlums invaded the vicinity in the early hours of Thursday and opened fire on some persons, suspected to be members of another rival cult group, thereby causing chaos and panic in the area. It was gathered that the suspected cultists were looking for members of the rival cult group who were said to be hanging around the vicinity of UNIZIK school gate. One…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Wednesday appointed Shehu Dikko as the Chairman of the National Sports Commission. This appointment comes after the president scraped the Ministry of Sports Development and had its functions transferred to the National Sports Commission in order to develop a vibrant sports economy. The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, was redeployed as the Minister of State for Trade and Investment. Dikko, the Kaduna State-born football administrator, was the Chairman of the League Management Company responsible for the management of the Nigerian Professional Football League. He previously served as a consultant for the Nigerian House of…
THE Confederation of African Football will on Wednesday announce its decision on the botched AFCON qualifying Group D between Libya and Nigeria, which was scheduled for Benina Martyrs Stadium on October 15, PUNCH Sports reports. According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, the apex continental football body will announce the final decision regarding the players’ ordeal during the first leg in Nigeria in October, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles and the reverse fixture that would have held at the 10,550-capacity, Libya’s first all-seater stadium. The outlet also revealed that the Libyan Football Federation submitted all the documents it…
BAYER Leverkusen and Nigeria striker Victor Boniface on Sunday shared video footage and photos of his smashed car after an accident. The forward can be seen looking into the camera and then showing what appears to be his arm dripping with blood. Other images show a black sports car which appears to have been destroyed in an accident. The post has since been deleted. German tabloid Bild reported Sunday Boniface is “doing well considering the circumstances and is only slightly injured”, citing a source close to the striker. Boniface wrote on social media on Sunday “god is the greatest” and…
NIGERIA have dispatched Ecuador in a Group A match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup to book their spot in the quarterfinals of the competition. The Flamingos won the game 4-0. That victory sealed their spot in the next round of the competition having defeated New Zealand 1-4 in their first match of the tournament. Nigeria scored once in the first half and had a hat-trick of goals upon resumption to win the game. A brace from Shakirat Moshood – one in the 28th minute and the second in the 96th minute- saw Nigeria claim all three points in the…
THE Libyan Football Federation is panicking after being asked by CAF to submit documents relating to the cancellation of the AFCON qualifying Group D match against Nigeria after the latter refused to play the match after their plane was diverted to Labraq Airport and held hostage for 18 hours without food and water. According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, the Secretary-General and person in charge of running the body, Nasser Al-Suwaie, confirmed in a special statement to Libya Al-Ahrar that CAF has given the Libyan and Nigerian associations until the 20th of this month to submit the documents related to this…
SUPER Eagles skipper, Ahmed Musa was among the goals as Kano Pillars crushed champions Enugu Rangers 4-3 in a Nigeria Premier Football League matchday 7 encounter at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium on Wednesday. The 32-year-old rounded off the scoring for the visitor on the stroke of halftime, taking his tally to three in two matches for his boyhood club since joining them in September for the remainder of the season, having marked his debut with a brace in their 2-0 home win over Sunshine Stars on October 6. The Kano-based club started the match like a house on fire, racing into…
THE Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, has condemned the inhuman treatment of Nigerian players in Libya. Enoh, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the Federal Government would get to the root of the matter. The minister explained that the Nigerian government would not take the matter lightly, arguing that his counterpart in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has summoned the Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria. “I am aware that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had summoned the Libyan Ambassador. The Nigerian government so far has not treated this lightly and is not going…
THE Confederation of African Football has delisted the Group D second-leg fixture of the ongoing 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Mediterranean Knights of Libya. CAF published an updated game fixture on its X handle on Tuesday, however, it does not include the Libya versus Nigeria game. The game was earlier scheduled to take place in Libya by 8 pm on Tuesday after the first leg took place in Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Friday. The Super Eagles beat the Mediterranean Knights by a lone goal in the dying minute of the…
THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has recounted how the Super Eagles’ 20-hour ordeal in Libya. Players and officials were stranded for hours at a Libyan airport and denied access to food and the internet as they prepared to honour their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier with the Mediterranean Knights. It took diplomatic efforts and social media callouts for the team to be cleared to finally leave Libya. After they landed in Nigeria, the NFF’s Director of Communications Ademola Olajire narrated how the team and officials were held in Libya. In a 20-point statement, he wrote: 1) The chartered…
THE Super Eagles have arrived in Nigeria after their ordeal in Libyan for a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier. Players and officials were stranded for about 13 hours at a Libyan airport ahead of the game which was supposed to take place on Tuesday. Photos of the team sleeping on benches went viral early Monday, prompting condemnation. But hours later, the team has now landed in Nigeria after Libyan authorities cleared their flight to take off. “BACK HOME SAFE & SOUND. Proud of this team, NAIJA SPIRIT can’t be broken. Throw at us what you want, it’s in…
THE Confederation of African Football has expressed deep concern over the troubling ordeal faced by Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, at a Libyan airport. The federation highlighted immediate steps to engage both Libyan and Nigerian authorities, following reports that the team and their staff were left stranded under distressing conditions for several hours. The incident is now under investigation by CAF’s Disciplinary Board. This was contained in a statement obtained from the CAF website on Monday afternoon. It was titled, “CAF Views the Disturbing and Unacceptable Experiences of the Nigerian National Football Team (‘Super Eagles’) at an Airport…
THE Sports Minister, John Enoh said he has escalated the ill-treatment meted out to the Super Eagles by the Libyan authorities since they landed at the Al Abaq Airport on Sunday, to all concerned authorities. A statement by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Communications Department on Monday said the team were left unattended to at the Al Abraq Airport. A video posted by the Eagles media team also confirmed the development, as the players and officials, along with their luggage, were left stranded at the airport, with the Libyan airport officials indifferent to their plight. The Eagles departed for Libya…
THE Nigeria Football Federation has said the Super Eagles will no longer take part in the 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya after the Libyan authorities delayed the Super Eagles at the Al Abraq Airport for more than 12 hours after landing. A statement by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Communications Department on Monday, said the team were left unattended to at the Al Abraq Airport. A video posted by the Eagles media team also confirmed the development, as the players and officials, along with their luggage, were left stranded at the airport, with the Libyan airport officials indifferent to their…
THE Super Eagles of Nigeria have left for Libya for the return leg of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification against the Mediterranean Knights on Tuesday. A video posted on the team’s social media handles on Sunday showed when the players boarded bus from their hotel to the airport and their arrival at the airport to board a plain to the North African country. The Eagles battled hard the break the defence of the Libyans and won the first encounter played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Friday. It was Lazio of…
FORMER Green Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, is dead. His death was announced by Segun Odegbami on Sunday. Odegbami, Peter Fregene’s friend and ex-international, said the legend died after a protected illness in the presence of his wife, Tina, and two of his children. Recall that this newspaper reported that Segun Odegbami solicited financial assistance for the ailing Fregene. In a statement on Tuesday, Odegbami disclosed that Fregene was hospitalised in Sapele, Delta state, and urgently needed medical attention and financial assistance. He said although “Tony Ojesina covered the ambulance costs, more funds need to be paid before he can be…