Bonus Dispute: APFON blasts NFF

... don't expect any magic from Super Eagles in Confed Cup

Austin Popo

The Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria, APFON has lambasted the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF over the bonus dispute between them and the players in Windhoek, Namibia.

President of the APFON and ex-Green Eagles Player, Austin Popo who expressed his displeasure during an exclusive interview with our correspondent over the weekend at the NFF Secretariat, accused the football ruling body of responsible for the frustration many ex-international and league players are presently going through.

He disclosed that the players held the country to hostage because of the lack of confidence they have in the FA officials. He alleged that the officials were in the habit of embezzling the money meant for the players.

Popo also disclosed to our correspondent that there are so many players in the Nigeria Premier League that are being owed millions of naira but the country’s football ruling body paid deaf ears to their cries because of what they tend to benefit from the league body.

He however warned Nigerians not to expect too much from the Super Eagles who are going to engage Tahiti in the ongoing FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil.

The APFON president noted that the bonus dispute coupled with their inability to arrive Brazil on time for their match will have negative effect on the team.

“It is a shame for the FA not to pay the boys their allowances. This is how they keep playing the boys around. These boys, at the age of 35, they will retire from active football, some of them might not even get to that age because of injuries but these administrators will be in office for more than 65 years, and yet they keep tossing these boys around. Imagine, they refused to pay these boys what belong to them and as if that was not enough, they even went as far as embarrassing us outside the country. This is a shame,” Popo concluded.

20 years after June 12 election

On Wednesday, Nigerians from all walks of life marked the 20^th anniversary of June 12 elections which was won by late Chief Moshood Abiola with different activities. 

Precisely 20 years ago, Nigeria had a presidential election, which was widely adjudged by political analysts and the then National Electoral Commission, NEC chairman, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu as the freest and fairest ever conducted on June 12, 1993 and won by late Chief Moshood Abiola.

As usual activists and other political analysts marked this year’s memorial with different activities ranging from lectures, symposia, rallies amongst others.

President Goodluck Jonathan during the inauguration of the Police Service Commission, PSC, at the State House, Abuja, described the day as a unique date in the history of the country.

President Jonathan said the struggle has affected the political landscape of the country and the trajectory of its conduct of the affairs of state.

He said: “June 12 is a unique day. It is a date that has changed the political history of this country in one way or the other. We appreciate what happened on this day. I think it is a unique date.” 

In most parts of the western states where the late businessman turned politician hailed from, Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun and Ondo States, the day, June 12 was declared public holiday with symposia and rallies.

Those who spoke at harped on the need to strengthen the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria, which the struggle for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election results helped to achieve.

As it is the norm every year, speakers at the event urged the federal government to immortalise Abiola. Others expressed concern about the state of the nation, after the events of June 12, 1993 the rebirth of democracy in 1999.

They argued that the effort of late Abiola is being jeopardised by politicians who have failed to live up to their promises and billings, a course Abiola died for.

In Lagos, the Governor, Babatunde Fashola faulted the decision of President Jonathan to rename the University of Lagos, UNILAG after the late Abiola.

He said the decision was designed “to mock his memories as the name of the institution was changed to MKO’s name without changing the law.”

Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, who was represented by CODER’s National Coordinator, Chief Ayo Opadokun, although, lamented the state of the country’s democratic institutions, 14 years after transition from military regime but disclosed that the country has made progress.

During his campaign

He said: “We are here to assess our progress. Our 14 years of democratic rule coincide with 20 years of June 12. We have made progress, though it is very slow. When Abiola won the June 12, 1993 election, we thought we had put electoral fraud behind us; 20 years after, we are still grappling with it.

“INEC has not witnessed any serious structural change, but vast results of fraud that forced progressives to go to court. The court exposed the fraud and gave back the people their mandate, especially in the South-west and Edo State. Elections in the 21st century are made to reflect the technology of today.”

Human rights activists and members of the civil society group, organised by the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, demanded that steps should be taken to ensure a posthumous declaration of the late Abiola as a former president.

President of the Campaign for Democracy, CD, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, who made the case for the posthumous declaration of Abiola as a former president, also demanded that the election be de-annulled.

Congress for Progressive Change, CPC vice-presidential candidate in the 2011 general election, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said the country has witnessed many changes, for better and for worse. 

However, former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, faulted the Jonathan administration’s anti-graft drive. He also lamented the rate of unemployment in the country, adding that present and past governments have not been serious about job creation.

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said though the nation might not have moved as fast as it should, it had made significant progress, especially under Jonathan.

In Abeokuta, Ogun State, late Abiola’s hometown, the Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, as part of activities to mark the day, led dignitaries, including the late Abiola’s daughter, Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, to participate in the 2013 Democracy Walk.

Amosun said described the election as a watershed in the history of Nigeria. He noted that the current civil rule was a product of the sacrifice made by people like Abiola and urged Nigerians to work towards entrenching democratic norms in the country. He also urged the federal government to declare June 12 a national holiday and immortalise the late Abiola.

Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, however cautioned that the June 12 celebration should not be a regional affair but a pan-Nigerian celebration because of the significance of the day and what it represents in Nigeria’s history.

He said: “June 12 is a pan-Nigerian mandate. It is not about Abiola or Yoruba race. It is about the collective desire of Nigerians from various walks of life and political divides to say no to military dictatorship.

“It was a day when all Nigerians came together, forgot about sentiments, be it ethnic or religious, and came together to act as one. We must therefore impress it on the federal government to make June 12 celebration a national event.”

In Ekiti State, the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi said June 12 is remarkable because it was a game changer and a paradigm shift that broke the mould clearly and decisively on such a scale that it became necessary to revise assumptions and stereotypes about the electorate.

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola urged the federal government to make public details of events that led to the death of Abiola. The governor stressed that the crises that emanated from the June 12 election annulment brought to the fore the fundamental political cracks in Nigeria's polity.

Former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Walter Carrington, said: “Mr Aregbesola needs to be thanked for remembering what too many states seem too willing to forget.  It seems that only four others stand with Osun today in declaring this 20th anniversary of June 12 a public holiday.”

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka said Democracy Day in Nigeria should be celebrated on 12 June of every year and not on 29 May as federal authorities want it to be.

“What June 12 possesses is exactly what May 29, or any other day, lacks. The former was a spirit of unified purpose, the latter simply an egotistical appropriation of the gift of the former,” Soyinka said in a statement.

He said it is a “futile undertaking” by some individuals who attempt to deny or crush the June 12 date. “We need to remind ourselves what June 12, 1993 represents. It is neither mere date, nor sentiment. It is simply Human Spirit,” Soyinka said.

However, some politicians, who attended a similar event organized by the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Lagos State Council, called on Nigerians to stop reducing every anniversary of the annulment of June 12 presidential election to a day of lamentation.

Frank Kokori took a swipe at the Judiciary and other sections of the society for allegedly betraying the struggle for a truly democratic nation. “Celebrating June 12 is celebrating a generation of Nigerians who sacrificed themselves for the democratization of Nigerians.

Similarly, former Ogun state governor, Olusegun Osoba said, they at NADECO made the mistake of not having a political wing like the IRA in Northern Ireland. “If Tinubu had listened to our leaders who did not want us to participate in the transition programme, he would have remained in America and he would not have been a governor. We have learnt our mistake. It is not worthwhile that the civil society should continue to lament bad governance 20 years after. I want the civil society to support the emerging political platform of progressives in the country.”

Founder of Oodua Peoples’ Congress, OPC, Dr. Frederick Fasehun berated the presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention NRC, Alhaji Bashir Tofa who contested against Abiola in the June 12, 1993 election for attempting to rubbish and belittle the June 12 historical event.

The OPC leader stated that when someone in the calibre of Tofa, attempts to belittle that historical event, then Nigeria is in trouble. “A foreigner may ask us to forget June 12 and he will be forgiven. A child may ask us to forget June 12 and it will be forgiven.

“A dim-wit may ask us to forget June 12 and it will be forgiven. However, when someone in the calibre of Alhaji Bashir Tofa, Presidential Candidate of the National Republican Convention, NRC, and Abiola’s opponent in the 1993 election, attempts to rubbish and belittle that historical event, then Nigeria is in trouble,” he said.

It would be recalled that Tofa, last week, said June12 was dead and should be forgotten.

How phone call almost claim two lives on Nyanya road

Two drivers cheated death yesterday when their vehicles fell into a ditch very close to Kugbo furniture along Nyanya/Keffi road.

An eyewitness told our correspondent that one of the drivers, who was driving a Toyota Jeep was making telephone calls when he rammed into the driver of the Golf car.



Accident scene



According to him, the Toyota Jeep driver was on top speed when he hit the Golf hence the driver couldn’t control the vehicle.

When our correspondent got to the scene, the occupants of the two vehicles have already been rushed to the hospital for medical attention. We gathered that no life was lost.

However, no official of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, or any security personnel was on ground to rescue the situation except some pockets of policemen who went to see what happened and continued with their movement.

Efforts to get to the FRSC officials proved abortive as they were not picking their calls while the other number was not going through.

Meanwhile, hold-up has begun to build-up on the ever-busy Nyanya-Keffi road, as motorists park on the road to have a look at the accident.

Pandemonium as fire erupts at ministerial briefing

There was pandemonium yesterday at the ministerial briefing to celebrate two years of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration at the Radio House, Press Centre, Abuja.

The fire erupted from an amplifier, when the minister of works, Arc Mike Onolememen was responding to questions from the audience on his achievements.

Transport minister, Umar briefing while others watch

It took the quick intervention of a staff of ‘Succex Studio’ for the fire to put off. The staff whose identify was not known as at press time, used his jacket to quench the fire.

Those who noticed the fire outbreak ran for safety and almost disrupt proceedings before everything was brought under control.

Shortly after that, another amplifier went up in flame when the minister of Information, Labaran Maku was addressing the audience.

The second fire outbreak forced people to run helter scepter hence disrupting proceedings. Efforts by the minister of Information to put things under control proved abortive as people were discussing on the issue while some left the venue of the event.

When information got to the minister of Information, he was forced to hurriedly tidy up the event even though he was given assurance by the technical and security teams.

Social Housing: Confusion rages over N2billion Dangote’s grant

A typical housing estate in Nigeria

There seems to be confusion surrounding the N2 billion donation promised by business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote to the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, FMLHUD for the provision of housing for no-income and low income earners.

The scheme which comes as part of the social housing initiative by the FMLHUD under the new housing policy and piloted through the Ministerial Implementation Team for Housing Delivery chaired by the Minister, Ms Amal Pepple was to deliver about two million housing units in the next three years.

According to the scheme, the objective is to significantly improve the well-being of the poor, needy and other vulnerable groups in the society, such as women, single mothers, elderly, widows and widowers, the physically challenged, homeless, and those who fall into the group as well as provide a sustainable way of reducing the housing deficit in the country, estimated at about 16-17 million units nationwide, as at 2011.

An estate in the UK

Source in the ministry of Housing said, in order to facilitate early take off of the scheme, government decided to launch the scheme with a N2 billion grants from Alhaji Aliko Dangote, which was said to have been released and the Ministerial Team on Housing had penciled down four cities for the pilot phase of the scheme. The cities are Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

However, more than one year after the promise made by the business mogul, the housing scheme is yet to commence.

During a visit to the ministry, the director of press, Paul Onuoha told our correspondent that the money has not been paid by Dangote.

At the groundbreaking ceremony of Goodluck Jonathan Legacy City in Abuja recently, the minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amal Pepple told newsmen that the money has not been given to them.

Mass housing estate in Malaysia

When Nigerian Pilot put a call through to Chief Operating Officer of Dangote Cement, Engineer Joseph Makanju, he simply told your soar-away paper that the policy of the company is that they don’t make promises and not fulfill it. He disclose that they don’t waste time to fulfill their promises and that cannot be an exception.

The proposed social housing

There are allegations in some quarters that the money must have been paid by the business mogul but must have been misappropriated by some people in the FMLHUD.

The end of Venus Williams?

Seven-time grand slam champion, Venus Williams crashes out of the ongoing French Open for the first time in 12 years. Could this mean that the end of her career is near?

Ebony Star, Venus Williams was rated World No 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association, WTA on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first African American woman to achieve this feat during the Open Era.

Her seven Grand Slam titles tie her for the twelfth time on the all time list and was more than any other active female player except for her younger sister, Serena Williams.

But things seem not to be going on well for the 32-year-old American who is presently ranked World No. 32 in singles as of May 27, 2013. At the ongoing French Open in Paris, France, Venus was sent parking by 40^th ranked Polish, Urszula Radwanska in the 1st Round.

This is Venus Williams earliest French Open exit in 12 years, she was defeated when she lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (4-7) 6-4.

Venus has only once suffered a first-round exit at Roland Garros, back in 2001 when she was defeated by Barbara Schett.

Troubled by a back injury in recent weeks, the 30th-seeded American had mounted a stirring comeback in the second-set tiebreak, clawing her way back from 0-4 down to reel off seven points in succession.

But the effort was too much for the veteran as Radwanska, the younger sister of world No.4 Agnieszka, took the tie on a second match point to make the last 64 for the second year in succession.

Coincidentally, Urszula Radwanska also crashed out at the French Open after beating Venus Williams; hence she won't have the opportunity to also face the younger sister, Serena or even her senior sister, No. 4-seeded Agnieszka. She lost by 6-3, 6-3 to German qualifier Dinah Pfizenmaier.

Urszula lost five of the first six games against the 127th-ranked Pfizenmaier, who finished with a 33-6 edge in winners in her third career Grand Slam match. Urszula has never made it past the second round in 13 appearances at Grand Slam tournaments.

After the 3-hour, 19-minute match, filled with ebbs and flows, a reporter asked whether it crossed the 32-year-old Williams' mind that this might have been the final French Open of her career but Venus answered, “If it's the last match, I'll let you know. That's pretty much how it works.”

Still adjusting to living with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease she revealed in August 2011, Williams now has two first-round losses in the past four Grand Slam tournaments. Her defeat at Wimbledon last June was the first time she had left a major championship that early since she lost in the first round of the Australian Open six and a half years earlier.

“With what I have gone through, it is not easy. But I'm strong and I'm a fighter. You know, I don't think I'm just playing for me now. I think I'm playing for a lot of people who have not felt well. I think for me today it is a positive to be able to play three hours,” the American said.

Inflammation in her lower back limited Williams to two matches over the previous one and a half months.

“I can't really serve very hard. It is painful when I do that. But I'm getting better. I just, you know, ran out of time to get better for this tournament,” Venus said.

The elder Williams sister broken 11 of the 17 times she served on Sunday. “My strategy was more or less to put the ball in, and that is very difficult for me, too, because that is not who I am. But that is all I had.”

But it ended with one last miscue by Venus, her 66th unforced error, a backhand dumped into the net.

“I'm just trying to handle defeats better, because it is no fun having a bad attitude about it. So I try to move on. It helps if you had some wins in the past, too. Those keep you warm at night. I have a lot of wins under my belt that help me feel better,” she said.

This result came a year after she lost in the second round at Roland Garros to Radwanska's older sister, Agnieszka, the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up.

Meanwhile, Urszula said she was well prepared for the match against Venus. “Yeah, of course, I was talking with Aga about Venus. I was well-prepared for this match, and I knew she was a great fighter, so I should be focused the whole match.”

Incidentally, Venus was ousted 12 months after her younger sister Serena, who owns 15 Grand Slam titles, was upset in the first round at Roland Garros.

Venus was one of two seeded players knocked out Sunday: No. 11 Nadia Petrova of Russia was beaten by Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. Otherwise, results went to form, with 17-time major champion Roger Federer picking up a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 victory over a guy making his Grand Slam debut, Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, while No. 4 David Ferrer, No. 14 Milos Raonic of Canada and No. 18 Sam Querrey of the United Sates also were among the winners.

Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 champion, and Sara Errani, the 2012 runner-up, advanced in straight sets in the women's draw.

The Williams sisters helped change the way women's tennis was played in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with 120 mph serves, stinging forehands and fantastic court coverage. They faced each other in eight Grand Slam finals, including the 2002 French Open, which Serena won.

Neither Williams has enjoyed much success in Paris after that championship match, where the clay tends to dull the strength of their swings and the footing can give them problems. Venus hasn't been past the quarterfinals since 2002, while Serena hasn't passed since 2003.

“I just keep trying, and it hasn't been working out for me,” Serena, who is ranked and seeded No. 1, said after stretching her career-best winning streak to 25 matches.

Meanwhile, the two Williams sisters, Serena and Venus pulled out of doubles at the French Open before playing a match.

The sisters were supposed to compete in that event at Roland Garros for the first time since 2010 after receiving a wild card from the tournament but they withdrew Wednesday.

Venus said she was bothered by pain in her back during a three-set loss in singles Sunday. Serena is into the third round of singles. They have won a total of 13 Grand Slam trophies in women's doubles, including at the French Open in 1999 and 2010.

The sisters have played in only one doubles tournament this season, losing to eventual champions Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January.

Venus Williams' titles consist of: seven in singles, thirteen in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She is one of only four women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles and amongst only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.

With sister, Serena (left)

Williams won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women's doubles. She and her sister Serena have won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.

With 44 career singles titles, Williams, along with her sister Serena, lead active players on the WTA Tour. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest winning streak since January 1, 2000. She is also one of only three active WTA players to have made the finals of all four Grand Slams, the other players being her sister Serena Williams and Russian Maria Sharapova.

Between 2003 and 2006, injuries plagued Venus’ career, In February, she won the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium defeating Kim Clijsters in the final. However, shortly afterwards, she began to struggle with injury. She reached the final of the clay-court J&S Cup in Warsaw, before being forced to retire against Amélie Mauresmo. She then suffered her earliest exit at a Grand Slam tournament in two years when she lost in the fourth round of the French Open to Vera Zvonareva.

Wimbledon was Williams' last event of the year as an abdominal injury that occurred during the Clijsters match prevented her from playing again. While she was recovering from the injury, her sister Yetunde Price was murdered. Williams finished the year ranked world no. 11. It was the first time in nearly six years that she had dropped out of the top 10. Venus thereafter suffered more injuries and losses and has been unable to return to her former form.

Sports analysts are however optimistic that the American tennis star might be forced to hang her rackets anytime from now if the same dismay performance continues especially in her subsequent games. Could this mean that the end is near for the seven-time Grand Slam title holder?

Born June 17, 1980 (age 32) Lynwood, California

Height        1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

Weight       72.5 kg (159.8 lbs)

Turned professional in October 31, 1994

Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Prize money - US$28,674,658 (2nd in overall earnings)

Singles

Career record      632–160 (80.3%)

Career titles         44 (7th in overall rankings)

Highest ranking  No. 1 (25 February 2002)

Current ranking  No. 32 (May 27, 2013)

Grand Slam Singles results

Australian Open - F (2003)

French Open - F (2002)

Wimbledon - W (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)

US Open - W (2000, 2001)

Other tournaments

Championships -W (2008)

Olympic Games - Gold Medal (2000)

Doubles

Career record      166–25

Career titles         20

Highest ranking  No. 1 (June 7, 2010)

Current ranking  No. 27 (May 27, 2013)

Grand Slam Doubles results

Australian Open W (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)

French Open W (1999, 2010)

Wimbledon W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009,2012)

US Open W (1999, 2009)

Other Doubles tournaments

Olympic Games - Gold Medal (2000, 2008,2012)

Mixed Doubles

Career record      25–6 (80.6%)

Career titles         2

Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results

Australian Open - W (1998)

French Open - W (1998)

Wimbledon - F (2006)

US Open - QF (1998)

Competitor for the   USA

Gold 2000 Sydney - Singles

Gold 2000 Sydney - Doubles

Gold 2008 Beijing - Doubles

Gold 2012 London - Doubles

Additional agency report

How Sports Ministry inflates accommodation money

We gathered that some officials of the Ministry of Sports and National Sports Commission, NSC, have cornered about N13million out of the funds released for the accommodation of sports contingents that graced the reception in honour of Under 17 Golden Eaglets players and athletes that made the country proud in Abuja recently.

Sports Minister, Abdullahi

Our reporter reliably gathered from a source in the ministry accounts department that the sum of N13 million was budgeted for accommodation at Transcorp Hilton Hotel and it was supposed to be one person in a room each but they ended keeping the contingents in a two-star hotel.

According to our findings, the sum of N80,000 was budgeted for a room for each player but they ended up paying less than N12,000 with two persons sharing a room.

Our source disclosed to our correspondent that the Special Assistants to the minister of sports, Bolaji Abdullahi were responsible for the disbursement of the funds.

He said after the event which was graced by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, guests were stranded the following day, as the officials were nowhere around to settle the bills hence the guests started complaining.

When our correspondent put a call across to a friend who would not want his name mentioned, who incidentally was part of the contingents, he lamented on how he missed his flight because of his inability to leave the hotel on time.

DG, NSC Elegbeleye

According to him, “I couldn’t go back today (Wednesday) because the hotel where we lodged held us to ransom because the ministry staff refused to clear the debts they are owing them. This is not the first time this type of thing is happening, we have always been embarrassed,” he complained.

Incidentally, the scam happened two days after the new director-general of the NSC, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye assumed office.

This is not the first time such scenario is happening as the NSC officials have always been fingered in such arrangements especially when they organise events in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. They have been caught involved in inflation of figures on several occasions.