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Ogun Indicates Interest In Hosting National Sports Festival

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Ogun Indicates Interest In Hosting National Sports Festival

… Adopts Amusan, 24-year-old Hurdle Champion

The Ogun State government has indicated interest to host the National Sports Festival just as it has commenced the renovation of sport facilities across the state.

The state governor, Dapo Abiodun gave this indication when he received the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, who paid him a courtesy call in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

“We will like to host the National Sports Festival in Ogun State and I believe that you can not find a better state than us, particularly as the Gateway State.

“I was just sharing with you that we are quite disappointed that having hosted the sports festival in Edo, when the next state was announced, it now became Delta. We know that when the idea of the festival was first conceived, the whole idea of it was to foster unity amongst all the state in the country, particularly encourage our youths to travel and explore other states, enjoy their hospitality, understand their culture, heritage and compete with each other.

READ ALSO: National Stadium In Lagos Ready August – Sports Minister

“So, when the festival goes to Edo State today and then tomorrow goes to Delta, it clearly contradicts the vision for its formation.

I want to implore that going forward, we will like to host the sports festival in Ogun State, I believe that you can’t find a better State than us,”Abiodun posited.

He pointed out that as a result of huge funds required by the sports sector and competitions from other sectors for funding, his administration would set up a Sports Trust Fund where certain percentage of money is deposited on a monthly basis to fund sporting activities in the state.

“Beside the fact that we will be looking at others to support us, we are being creative about how that fund will be consistently funded regardless of who is in the office as the governor. That will ensure that a certain percentage monthly goes towards sports development so that we can produce more sports stars”, the governor added.

He disclosed that the state was looking for an opportunity to bid for the hosting right of the festival to showcase its potential to the world, saying that it was, however, imperative for the state to figure out the template that allows states to participate in the bidding process.

While expressing the desire of his administration to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, Abiodun said his administration looked forward to the support from the Federal Government in the area of youths development, maintaining that the issue of sports, education and youths was taken seriously in the state.

Earlier, the sports minister assured the governor that the National Sports Festival, would not depart from its original objective of promoting and fostering unity among the various ethnic groups as well as encouraging sports and youth development, which are the core mandates of his ministry.

Dare, who added that his ministry was looking for ways of strengthening the festival, revealed that an initiative had been put in place where an athlete is sponsored for training both locally and internationally, as well as a sporting facility is adopted for renovation.

According to him, the initiatives have already yielded fruits as two national stadia in Abuja and Lagos are under renovation.

READ ALSO: Witch Persecution and Miscarriage of Justice in Adamawa, Nigeria

On the adopt-an-athlete initiative, the minister explained that any Nigeria-based athlete that is adopted, a sum of $10,000 will be provided for him or her directly, while $20,000 is provided in a similar manner, to any adopted foreign based athlete.

He said the Federal Government in the last five and a half years, had rolled out 34 different youth-focussed programmes, noting it was important to accelerate the unbundling of youths in developing digital skills training, empowerment and entrepreneurship.
He expressed happiness with the return of contact and non-contact sports which was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, pledging that the Federal Government would assist the state in developing sports and youths activities, as the Ogun has produced and continued to produce some of the best sports stars in the country.
Meanwhile, responding to the adopt-an-athlete initiative of the Sports Ministry, Governor Abiodun announced the adoption of Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan, a Nigerian track and field athlete of Ogun State extraction.
The 24-year-old Oluwatobiloba who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles and sprint, won the 2018 Commonwealth and 2019 African Championship. She is also a two-time African Games champion, whose highest ranking is third in the world.
The governor, however, called on the minister not to hesitate to find other indigenes of Ogun doing well in sports, declaring his government was ready to support them.
“I like this adoption initiative, as you were speaking, I was already putting down names of who I am going to tell my sports team to go and speak with alongside some of our business people because this is a business state. I am very proud to hear that one of our daughters is doing well and doing us proud, each and every time that we find any indigene of Ogun State doing well, we support them, we throw our weight behind them.
“So Tobi Amusan is adopted this afternoon, please, help us to identify other young up and coming indigenes of the state who are doing well that we can support and nurture to actualise their dreams .We will be more than happy to do that. We will like to collaborate with you, the joy will be ours in Ogun state, but the glory is to the entire country”, he submitted.

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30 percent of Pele’s Assets Go To Widow – lawyer

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Pele

The 30 percent of the assets of the late legendary footballer Pele will go to his wife,according to his will disclosed by his lawyer.

The will states that Marcia Cibele Aoki, Pele’s third and last wife, will inherit his mansion in Guaruja, a seaside resort town south of Sao Paulo, where the couple lived, according to her lawyer Luiz Kignel.

Other assets belonging to Pele, who died after battling cancer in late December at age 82, include more real estate and a stake in the Pele brand, Kignel said, adding that a complete inventory has yet to be made.

The remaining 70 percent is reserved for Pele’s children, including an unrecognized daughter that he may have.

“He indicated the possibility of the existence of another daughter, whose recognition will depend on a DNA test, which could not be carried out (on Pele) due to the pandemic and the state of his health,” said Kignel.

According to Kignel, the woman in question is a Brazilian national and she has taken legal steps to be recognized as Pele’s daughter.

In September 2022, a court in Sao Paulo ordered Pele to submit to a DNA test, according to the G1 website. The test must now be performed on one of his seven recognized children.

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Obasanjo Shines, Scores Hat-trick As BBHS Mark 100 Years

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Obasanjo Shines, Scores Hat-trick As BBHS Mark 100 Years

By John Michael Ojo
It was a moment of joy yesterday in Ogun State as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, captained the football team of Baptist Boy High School, Abeokuta the state capital to a glorious victory in  a novelty match as part of the activities lined up to mark  the 100th anniversary of the college.

As a former student of the college, Obasanjo who toed the path of contemporary European stars like Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe and Neymar in the match, was the star attraction for spectators, many of whom are also former students of the school.

READ ALSO: Why Nobody Can Stop Me From Supporting Obi – Obasanjo

The encounter which saw the old students battle it out with former teachers of the college ended in a 3-0 victory in favour of the old students with all three goals coming from the former president.

Among the high-profile old students present at the event are Bukola Olopade, a former Sports Commissioner in Ogun State; and Hakeem Akintunde, who is the Chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in the state.

 

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Everton Fires Frank Lampard

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Everton Fires Frank Lampard

By John Michael Ojo
Relegation threatened Premier League side, Everton has relieved its manager, Frank Lampard of his role as the club’s head coach.

Frank Lampard, a former Chelsea midfielder and coach was sacked on Monday after an agreement was reached by Everton’s board, following a run of poor performances recorded under the tenure of the former British star.

With only three wins so far this season in the Premier League, Everton currently sits in 19th place with 15 points after 20 games played.

READ ALSO: Chelsea Fires Lampard

The news of his sack, was convened to him by Farhad Moshiri, the club’s major shareholder through a telephone call after a 357-day spell in charge of the club.

There have been wide speculations over his sack after Everton’s 2-0 loss to West Ham, with Lampard reportedly in a meeting with Moshiri, Chairman Bill Kenwright and Everton’s Director of Football, Kevin Thelwell.

Frank Lampard took over at Goodison with Everton 16th in the table, six points above the relegation zone.

Everton had 10 defeats in the remaining 18 games of the season, but secured their survival with a 3-2 comeback victory against Crystal Palace on what Lampard called “one of the greatest nights” of his career.

He won only 12 of his 44 matches in charge in all competitions, a win percentage of 27.27 that is far worse than his record at Derby (42.1%) and Chelsea (52.4%).

 

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