NPFL Roundup: Sunshine Star Join Five Other Clubs For Super Six

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May 22, 2023

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles earned the first three points of Group D of the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina after an own goal by Guillermo De Rena and a smart finish by Samson Lawal steered them beyond Dominican Republic in Mendoza.

Ibrahim Muhammad’s shot had been firmly held by goalkeeper Xavier Valdez and Jude Sunday and Tochukwu Nnadi had threatened in the fore within the first quarter-hour, before Japanese referee Yusuke Araki opted to consult the Video Assistant Referee and then award a penalty to Dominican Republic in the 20^th minute, after a tackle by Daniel Daga.

The resultant penalty was brilliantly converted by Edison Azcona.

Sunday, Nnadi, Fago Lawal, Samson Lawal and Muhammad all doubled their efforts with onslaughts launched towards the opposition, but goalkeeper Valdez was brilliant on the day, especially in tipping over Sunday’s dipping shot from outside the box in the 37^th minute.

Defender Solomon Agbalaka, who headed the goal that sank hosts Egypt at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations in January, attempted a similar effort in the 58^th minute but found Valdez capable. From a dashing run in the 61^st minute, substitute Emmanuel Umeh should have done more than place the ball in the keeper’s waiting hands.

Daga, Sunday and substitute Haliru Sarki all tested the keeper in a second half dominated by Nigeria, but Samson Lawal was very alert to smell blood and capitalize on a defensive lapse by the boys from Dominican Republic to score Nigeria’s winner in the 68^th minute. This was a minute after Jude Sunday had the ball in the net from a flowing team move, but it was ruled offside.

“We are happy with the three points though we wanted the boys to win by a higher margin as goals advantage do matter along the line in a competition such as this. The next two matches will be much tougher and I expect the Flying Eagles to also show sterner stuff,” said NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi who watched the encounter at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.

Next up for the two-time runners-up of the FIFA U20 World Cup is a clash with Italy at the same venue on Wednesday evening. A draw will most certainly guarantee a place in the knockout rounds for the Flying Eagles, ahead of their final group phase encounter with Brazil in La Plata on Saturday.

Nigerian Govt. Says All 36 States Have Benefitted From Rural Electrification Agency

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May 21, 2023

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, has praised the Rural Electrification Agency for its impact, calling the agency a star in the power sector in Nigeria saying that projects it implemented have gone a long way in closing the energy gap and uplifting unserved and underserved Nigerians.

He stated this while briefing journalists at the presidential villa Abuja.

According to the Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, the REA has achieved some successes under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) as 5 million Nigerians have been electrified, and 1.2 million solar home systems (SHS) have been deployed across the 36 states of the Federation.

He added that with its many other projects including the 249,193 tons of carbon emissions that have been saved, the REA has created over 1,000 jobs.

The Minister assured that with all the equipment being purchased for both the generation, distribution, and transmission channels, the electricity supply would improve soon.

Meanwhile, Jedy-Agba said the council approved two memos for the ministry.

The first one is approval for the award of a contract for the procurement of 25 numbers of 33 KV circuit breakers and 120 numbers of surge arrestors for systems used by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

The second one is the variation due to price escalation on the construction of the Dukanbo Shonga 132 KV double circuit transmission line in Kwara state at the cost is N1.5 billion.

Beautiful Nigeria: Gombe State, Jewel In The Savannah

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May 21, 2023

Gombe is a state in northeastern Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Borno and Yobe, to the south by Taraba State, to the southeast by Adamawa State, and to the west by Bauchi State.

Named for the city of Gombe, the state’s capital and largest city, Gombe State was formed from a part of Bauchi State on October 1, 1996.

The state is among the multilingual states in Nigeria.

Of the 36 states in Nigeria, Gombe is the 21st largest in area and the 32nd most populous, with an estimated population of about 3.25 million as of 2016.

Geographically, the state is within the tropical West Sudanian savanna ecoregion. Important geographic features include the Gongola River, which flows through Gombe’s north and east into Lake Dadin Kowa, and part of the Muri Mountains, a small range in the state’s far south.

Ethnically, the State is inhabited by various ethnic groups, primarily the Fulani people living in the north and center of the state along with the Bolewa, Kanuri, and Hausa people, while the state’s diverse eastern and southern regions are populated by the Cham, Dadiya, Jara, Kamo, Pero, Tangale, Tera, and Waja people.

In the pre-colonial period, the area that is now Gombe State was split up between various states until the early 1800s, the Fulani jihad seized much of the area and formed the Gombe Emirate under the Sokoto Caliphate.

In the 1910s, British expeditions occupied the Emirate and the surrounding areas, incorporating them into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate which later merged into British Nigeria before becoming independent as Nigeria in 1960.

Originally, modern-day Gombe State was a part of the post-independence Northern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the North-Eastern State.

After the North-Eastern State was split, Bauchi State was formed in 1976 alongside ten other states.

Twenty years afterward, a group of LGAs in the Bauchi’s west was broken off to form the new Gombe State.

Economically, Gombe State is largely based around agriculture, mainly of sorghum, maize, groundnuts, millet, beans, rice and tomatoes.

Other key industries are services, especially in the city of Gombe, and the livestock herding of camels, cattle, goats, and sheep.

Gombe has the fourth lowest Human Development Index and one of the lowest GDP in the country.

Gombe State’s slogan is the Jewel In The Savannah. It was formed in October 1996 from part of the old Bauchi State by the Abacha military government.

Gombe State is blessed with abundant natural resources which are attractive to investors. Among such resources are:

●Uranium
●Coal
●Limestone
●Gypsum

The state has a lot of attraction and they include:

●The Tomb of Sultan Attahiru

●Bubayero’s Tomb

●The famous Bima Hill

●The Dadin Kowa Dam

●The Killang Hill

●The Tula Plateau

●The Bulok Warm Spring

●The Kalam Hill

●The Cham Valley

●The Ancient Binga Ruins

●Major Mash Grave

●LT Phillips Grave

●Bace Hills

●Tula Hideout Caves

●Kanawa Forest

Eko Electricity Distribution Company Staff Members Electrocuted In Lagos

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May 21, 2023

Two staff of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) have been electrocuted to death in the Obalande area of Lagos Island.

The Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the development.

He said the case was reported to the Lion Building Division of the command on Saturday at 5.55 p.m. by another member of staff of the EKEDC from Lagos Island.

He further said that the EKEDC worker reported that on Saturday, one of his colleagues, simply identified as Umaru, 51 years old, got electrocuted while digging to locate a faulty transformer cable at the P&T Obalende area.

“In the process, another colleague named Sunday Awaruwa, 48 years old, who tried to rescue the victim, was also electrocuted.

Based on the report, detectives visited and photographed the scene, rescued the victims and rushed them to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where they were confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.

“Their remains were deposited at the IDH Morgue, Yaba for autopsy. Meanwhile, investigation is in progress,” he said.

Exploring The Grodno Drama Theater, Belarus

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May 21, 2023

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The Grodno Drama Theater, sometimes called as Regional Drama Theater of Grodno, is the official seat of the theather that is located on the right bank of the Neman River, in the city of Grodno, which is in the western part of the Republic of Belarus.

The building is mostly used for theatrical plays, however, it is also used for concerts.

Built between 1977 and 1984, the building has a futuristic shape which was designed by the architects A. Machulsky and A. Parkhuta, with the collaboration of the sculptor L. Zilber, who designed the equestrian sculpture at the entrance of the building.

As it is relatively modern built structure among the Old Castle and New Castle of Grodno, the mainly oval building has concrete columns that are connected on the exterior with downward and upward arches, and there is additional rectangular building in the back for the purpose of the people who are working in the theater.

As it is blended in the most inconvincible way with the panorama of the city, this interestingly shaped building is one of the most important landmarks of the small Belarusian city, and definitely something from the Soviet era architectural marvels that deserves to be seen.

Once Upon A Time – May 21 – 1904 – Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Forms In Paris

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May 21, 2023

1792 Mount Unzen on Japan’s Shimabara Peninsula, erupts creating a tsunami, killing about 15,000; Japan’s deadliest volcanic eruption

1832 1st US Democratic National Convention held in Baltimore

1871 -July 28] French regular troops attack Commune of Paris; 17,000 die

1927 Aviator Charles Lindbergh, in the Spirit of St Louis, lands in Paris after the first solo air crossing of Atlantic

1932 After flying for 17 hours from Newfoundland, Amelia Earhart lands near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, becoming the 1st transatlantic solo flight by a woman

Historical Events Today Events in 2023
Today in Film & TV
1908 1st American horror movie silent film “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” premieres in Chicago

Today in Music
1981 Reggae musician Bob Marley receives a Jamaican state funeral

Today in Sport
1904 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) forms in Paris

1999 All My Children star Susan Lucci finally wins a Daytime Emmy after being nominated 19 times, the longest period of unsuccessful nominations in television history

2004 Stanislav Petrov awarded World Citizen Award for averting a potential nuclear war in 1983 after correctly guessing Russian early warning system at fault

Famous Weddings
1553 Lady Jane Grey (15), later English queen for 9 days, marries Lord Guildford Dudley (18)

1825 Prince Willem FK marries Louise AWA of Prussia

1944 Actor Burgess Meredith (36) weds actress Paulette Goddard (33) at David O Selznick’s Beverly Hills home

Only one actor has appeared on film with both the Beatles and Elvis Presley: the little-known Norman Rossington – May 21, 1999

Flying Eagles Battle Dominican Rep In U-20 World Cup Opener

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May 21, 2023

The Flying Eagles will begin their U-20 World Cup campaign with a tricky Group D opening fixture against the Dominican Republic.

The highly anticipated fixture is billed for the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, Argentina on Sunday (today) and it is the first encounter between both countries at any competitive level.

Nigeria, seven time African champions and a two-time finalist at the U-20 World Cup, qualified for the tourney after easing to a 4-0 victory over Tunisia in the third place match at the 17th Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in March.

Dominican Republic on their part, made history qualifying for their first ever FIFA World Cup at any level after they reached the semi-final of the Concacaf U-20 Championship following a 1-0 win over Jamaica in the quarter-finals.

While Nigeria will be desperate to build on their impressive pre-tournament form, the Quisqueyano will be eager to prove their mettle and potentially cause an upset in their debut appearance at the tournament.

Dominican Republic have lost their last five games – against Ecuador (3-0), Argentina (0-4), Uzbekistan (0-3), Iraq (3-2) and Brazil (1-0).

But despite their winless run, the Flying Eagles coach, Ladan Bosso, has vowed that his side won’t underrate the debutants but will go with full confidence into picking all three points when it takes on Sunday evening.

“As I stated earlier, we are happy with the results from the two friendly matches we played in Buenos Aires,” Bosso said.

“We won one against an Argentina club and then drew with the Colombia U-20 team that’s also taking part in this tournament. Those are not bad results.

“More than anything else, what the results have done is to give us confidence that we can get the job done. Victory over Dominican Republic on Sunday (today) will stabilise our winning mentality. It is a factor that matters in championships and that is why we are determined to win on Sunday.”

Bosso will most likely opt for the squad that started the friendly against Colombia in Buenos Aires last Tuesday, with Chijioke Aniagbosos in goal, Daniel Bameyi, Solomon Agbalaka, Abel Ogwuche and Benjamin Frederick in defence, with Ibrahim Muhammad, Samson Lawal and Jude Sunday upfront. However, Emmanuel Umeh, who was among the scorers in both friendlies, could start against the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, AC Milan U-19 star, Victor Eletu, may sit out Sunday encounter after he only joined up with the Flying Eagles squad late.

It was learnt that midfielder Eletu was only released by Milan after he played an U-19 game Wednesday before he headed out to South America.

The Flying Eagles will take on Italy in a second group game on Wednesday.

Orban Rejects Arsenal, Prefers United, Liverpool Switch

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May 21, 2023

KRC Gent forward Gift Orban has named Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool as the three Premier League clubs he would consider joining in the summer, but ruled out a move to Arsenal.

The 20-year-old Gent forward has scored 19 times in 19 games so far this season in all competitions, despite having only move to Belgian football in January.

A host of Europe’s leading clubs have been linked with the former Stabaek striker but would, according to the Evening Standard, only leave if Gent receive a sizeable fee.

Orban is said to be happy to continue his development at Gent but in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws (via Sport Witness) he indicated his desire to test himself in the Premier League.

“Playing in a big league,” he said when asked what his ‘craziest football dream’ is.

“At a club where I feel comfortable and where I play. The Premier League is my ultimate dream. Manchester United, Liverpool or Manchester City.”

A move to Arsenal, however, holds little attraction, however, with another trophyless season highlighting their inability to compete with their rivals both at home and abroad, according to Orban.

He added, “I don’t really like Arsenal that much – it’s like they don’t want to win titles. They play and sell players – that’s it.

“I want to go somewhere where they win prizes. At Real Madrid they don’t have time for tiki-taka, there they just grab titles.”

Despite their end of season collapse, which has gifted the title to City, Arteta is insistent that progress has been made at Arsenal and that his young side will return stronger next season.

“We can look at the picture with a really narrow and thin vision, or we can have perspective of where we were, where we are today and what we’ve done.

“We cannot lose sight of what’s happened in certain moments where we weren’t at our best or at the level required to be the champions or be in the position we are in today. We have to acknowledge that as well.

“What we have ahead of us next summer is extremely important and we have to absolutely nail it.”

Cote d’Ivoire Host CAF Women’s Champions League 2023

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May 21, 2023