Author: Peter Noah KC

Orders Amaewhule To Resume Sitting With All Elected Assembly Members THE Supreme Court has barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation and other agencies from releasing funds to the government of Rivers State until it purges itself of what the court describes as flagrant disobedience to court orders. In a one hour, thirty-six-minute judgement delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, the five-man panel of the court unanimously dismissed the cross-appeal filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara challenging the validity of the House of Assembly presided over by Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker. In dismissing Governor Fubara’s…

FORMER Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has blasted ex-English star Jamie Carragher for dismissing the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as a major tournament. Carragher while discussing Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or said the Egyptian is at a disadvantage because of his inability to win a major tournament. The former defender dismissed AFCON as a major competition. But that comment has ignited a barrage of criticisms, especially from Africa including Mikel who labelled Carragher’s comment as disrespectful. “It’s so disrespectful what he said, and this is coming from someone who never won any major international competition…

THE Nigerian football community is in mourning following the tragic death of former Wikki Tourists forward Abubakar Lawal who died in Uganda. The 29-year-old, who played for Uganda’s Vipers SC since his move from AS Kigali, reportedly fell from the third floor of Voicemall Shopping Arcade in Kampala under unclear circumstances. Lawal had visited a Tanzanian friend, Omary Naima, before the incident. He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Lawal played as a centre forward and joined Vipers SC in July 2022. During his time at the club, he helped them win the Uganda Premier…

THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and Super Eagles star Ahmed Musa have called for an investigation into the death of footballer Abubakar Lawal who allegedly fell to death in Uganda. Lawal was reported dead on Monday with the Ugandan police saying the Sokoto-born player died after falling from a shopping mall. Hours after the sad incident, the Chairman of NiDCOM Abike Dabiri-Erewa described Lawal’s death as “suspicious”. “This is pathetic and appears suspicious. We demand a thorough investigation. No cover-up at all. This is so sad!” she wrote in a post on her X handle on Tuesday afternoon. “@nidcom_gov…

UGANDAN police said Monday they were investigating the mysterious death of Nigerian footballer Abubakar Lawal who fell from a shopping mall balcony in Kampala. The 29-year-old striker played for local premiership club Vipers. He fell from the third floor of Voicemall Shopping Arcade early on Monday, police said in a statement. He had been visiting a Tanzanian friend staying in one of the residential apartments that form part of the mall. The friend told police she had left him alone shortly before the fall. “Authorities are retrieving CCTV footage and conducting thorough interrogations to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the…

THE Flying Eagles have secured two friendly matches with Ivory Coast following the cancellation of their planned games against Egypt. The matches are scheduled to be held on Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 in Abidjan. Flying Eagles team administrator, Aliyu Ibrahim, confirmed that the team would depart Abuja for Abidjan on Monday. The seven-time African champions have been in camp for weeks under head coach Aliyu Zubairu, who had initially called up 30 players for the cancelled Egypt friendlies. The matches against Egypt were called off after both teams were drawn in Group B of the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup…

THE clamour for inclusion of domestic league players into the Super Eagles squad may pay off soon following a declaration by national team coach, Eric Chelle, that he has seen some players with prospects of getting a national team call-up. The coach unveiled in January as Nigeria’s coach, watched the Ikorodu City’s match with Plateau United in Lagos as well as the Remo Stars’ encounter with Kwara United in Ikenne. He revealed to Sports Village Square that he has seen some players with prospects of getting call up to the Super Eagles. He said that in the Lagos match, he…

ITALY and Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has condemned manager Gian Piero Gasperini’s public attack on Nigeria international Ademola Lookman following Atalanta’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Gasperini publicly criticized the Nigerian over his penalty miss in the Champions League on Tuesday night. The Nigerian forward, who had missed Atalanta’s previous six matches due to knee problems, made an immediate impact after being introduced at halftime with his side already trailing 3-0, scoring within 42 seconds to give the Italian side hope of a comeback. However, when presented with a chance to further…

LIVERPOOL will take on Paris Saint-Germain in one of the standout ties in the last 16 of this season’s Champions League after the teams were paired together in Friday’s draw. Liverpool finished first in the 36-team league phase of the competition to qualify directly for this stage, while PSG had to come through a two-legged play-off tie in which they crushed fellow French side Brest 10-0 on aggregate. The first leg will take place at the Parc des Princes in Paris on March 4 or 5, with the return at Anfield a week later. The clubs last met in the…

SUPER Eagles coach Eric Chelle visited the Flying Eagles training camp in Ikenne Remo following his return from a European tour. The former Mali coach, who recently met with key national team players in Europe, observed training sessions and shared words of encouragement with the U-20 squad preparing for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Head coach Aliyu Zubairu has invited 30 players to camp ahead of the tournament scheduled for April 26 to May 18, where the seven-time champions will face Egypt, Morocco and South Africa in Group B. The Flying Eagles will be aiming to…

GLASGOW Rangers defender Leon Balogun has reiterated his desire to return to the Super Eagles while opening up on missing out on the last AFCOn tournament in Ivory Coast where Nigeria finished second. Balogun’s last appearance for the Super Eagles was in 2022 during the country’s AFCON qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe at Stade d’Agadir in Morocco. The 36-year-old admitted that he had been left out of the team since then most times due to injuries but believed he was in a good position to make a return as he continues to live up to expectations at Rangers. “I…

AS Nigerians anticipate the Super Eagles list for the next 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March, we took a look at possible invitees who could be good additions to the men’s senior national team Chrisantus Uche Unarguably one of the breakout stars of the 2024/25 season in Europe, Uche, has been making a case for a Super Eagles call-up with his consistent performance for Getafe in the La Liga. The midfielder scored his third goal of the season in the Spanish topflight on Friday, netting the opener in Getafe’s 2-1 win over Girona. He has been one of the most…

WHAT is the reason for agreeing to an international friendly game with Russia when the country is currently under a FIFA ban? That is the question some members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are asking the leadership of the federation. The news broke at the weekend that Russia, which has been under a FIFA ban since 2022, has scheduled international friendly games against Nigeria, Belarus, and Zambia to be played in Moscow. The Russian Football Union (RFU) confirmed the games in a statement, which reads: “The Russian Football Union has reached agreements with the football federations of Zambia, Nigeria…

SINCE the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon started in 2016, it has been dominated by Kenyans and Ethiopians. The race is a gold label marathon held annually in Lagos. The inaugural edition of the race held on February 6, 2016 with over 20,000 athletes competing. Over the years, the marathon has grown, pulling in more sponsors and participants, and with them, more observers and enthusiasts. The Kenyans won the marathon in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. Again, Edwin Kibet of Kenya emerged winner of the 2025 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon for the US$50,000 prize money. Full…

NIGERIA’s emerging rivalry with South Africa got a new toss, yesterday when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) put both teams in the same group in the opening round of the African U-20 Nations Cup billed to be held in Cote d’Ivoire, from April 26 to May 18. The draw couldn’t have been tougher for the Flying Eagles, who will also battle with Egypt and Morocco at the same stage in Cote d’Ivoire. Nigeria, seven-time champions of the competition, defeated Egypt 1-0 in a group phase match at the last edition of the competition, which the North Africans hosted. Now,…

THE FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football, with nations worldwide aspiring to compete on the global stage. Since 1950, 17 countries, including Nigeria, have faced bans from the World Cup. Recently, Pakistan and Congo joined this group, preventing them from competing in the 2026 World Cup. While Russia has been banned since 2022, this isn’t the first time FIFA has taken such action. Below is the list of countries that have been banned from the World Cup. 1. Germany & Japan (1950): After World War II, both countries were banned from the 1950 World Cup as a…

TWO-TIME FIFA World Cup past master with Nigeria, Mutiu Adepoju, has urged coach Eric Sekou Chelle to ensure that the Super Eagles play with gusto in their drive to secure a ticket to the 2026 Mundial to be jointly hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. The Franco-Malian was employed in January and tasked to salvage the Super Eagles’ flagging World Cup dream after they found themselves in an unfamiliar fifth position in their Group C qualifying section with just three points from their opening four matches; where Rwanda, South Africa and Benin leads with seven points each with Zimbabwe in…

THE Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has announced a 24 man D’Tigers’ provisional roster for the crucial final Window 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers scheduled to hold later this month in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. The roster was made public over the weekend and it include 11 players from 4 clubs in the domestic league with Champions, Rivers Hoopers having the lion share of 5 players. One of the biggest club on the domestic front, Hoops N’ Read has three on the list while Wisdom Anyaoha and Rayyan AR Salis from Gboko City Chiefs is joined by Customs’ shooting guard Ibe Agu. According…

THE Chairman, National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko has assured the Nigeria Deaf Sports Federation of the commission’s support in upscaling deaf sports and providing a platform for athletes with special needs to express themselves. Dikko gave the assurance while receiving an NDSF delegation led by its president Dagbo Saka at the NSC secretariat in Abuja on Friday. “I congratulate you for the efforts you have been making to do what you love and live your passion despite your challenges. It shows your determination and belief in yourself. With more collaboration, I think we can be able to leave a lot…

SUPER Eagles coach Eric Chelle is hugely encouraged after he met with happy and “fired up” Super Eagles stars Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Wilfred Ndidi ahead of next month’s must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. A top source told only this newspaper that Eric Chelle and his first assistant, Hedi Taboubi, were lifted by the enthusiasm of the Premier League stars for the Super Eagles cause ahead of next month’s all-important matches. “The coaches expressed more confidence that the boys know what is at stake, they want to play at the World Cup, and so want…