Dream Team VI celebrates "golden" bronze

Just when the last hopes of Team Nigeria bringing home a medal from the Rio 2016 Olympics were fading out, the Dream Team VI put the smile back on the faces of Nigerians by beating Honduras to the bronze medal of the football event.

The team and the nation's sports administrators have been celebrating the feat. Thanking the players for winning the bronze medal, the team's coach Samson Siasia said ;
“I want to say thanks to the players. They did a great job. It is good to take something home.

“Having bronze is not easy, we are happy and we have to celebrate. We have to enjoy this moment."

To the team's captain, John Obi Mikel, the bronze medal "is very important, because football in Nigeria is absolutely massive.

“We had extra-pressure but we have done it for us, for our family, for Nigeria."

An elated Gumel who almost led Team Nigeria to a barren Olympic Games could not hide his relief.

“I commend you for relieving all Nigerians at home and abroad all the tension that marked our presence at the Games.

“It is rewarding to at least take home a bronze. I know it could have been better.

“They have broken a jinx of returning home empty handed since the last London 2012 Olympic Games. Opportunities are there for us all to plan for the future.’’

Perhaps the much criticized Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung celebrated more than everyone.

According to Dalung, “the players and coaches are the “real heroes’’ of the Games.

“I want to commend these brave heroes who against all odds surmounted obstacles to finish as the third best team in the football event.

“They are the real heroes of this Olympics. They showed determination in the face of challenges to win this `golden’ bronze,’’ he said.

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Man kills wife, 3 others with pestle

The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the killing of 43 years old housewife, Mrs Yemisi Adio and three other persons by her husband, Mr Taiwo Adio.

A statement issued the spokesman of the command, El-Mustapha Sani in Sokoto on Sunday disclosed that the suspect bludgeoned the victims to death with a wooden pestle.

Sani said that the incident happened on Saturday at the old airport area of Sokoto city. He identified the victims as Rachael Adewole, 42, Dennis Adewole,10, and Esther Badelu, 14, all of the same address.

He added that the pestle had been recovered as exhibit while the matter had been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department.

''All the corpses had been deposited at the morgue of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, for post mortem,” he said.

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3 pregnant women barred from performing Hajj in Bauchi

Four intending female pilgrims from Bauchi State have been barred from performing the 2016 Pilgrimage, according to the state’s Deputy Amirul Hajji, and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alhaji Kawuwa Damuna.

He said that the three intending pilgrims were discovered to be pregnant, while a fourth woman was disqualified on health grounds.

He said that medical officials  discovered the pregnant intending pilgrims during their final screening, adding that the other pilgrim barred on health grounds was seriously ill.

"She was seriously sick and was also barred from boarding the aircraft conveying third and fourth batches of the state pilgrims on health ground,’’

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Finance Ministry to manage recovered loot - Adeosun

The Ministry of Finance has been assigned the responsibility of managing assets recovered from treasury looters.

Making the disclosure in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun said that some of the recovered assets were mind blowing.

She disclosed that the press would soon be allowed to view some of the recovered loot which include very expensive jewelry, over N115 billion in local and foreign currencies 183 buildings, and five ocean going vessels.

She stressed that the current anti-graft campaign of the government if sustained would take the country out of economic recession.

“Fighting corruption is fundamental and if we stick with that and all the money stolen or diverted is directed at projects that could grow the economy, we would recover.’’

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NFF damns Peterside Idah over Japanese Dr's donation to Dream Team

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has tongue lashed former national team goalkeeper, Peterside Idah over a Twitter post in which he said that officials of the federation wanted to hijack the $3900 cash donation given to Dream Team VI at the Rio 2016 Olympics by Japanese plastic surgeon, Katsuya Takasu.

Speaking through its president, Dr Amaju Pinnick, the NFF described Idah's tweet as "an atrocious false alarm."

“His message was a lie, an atrocious false alarm before an important match. I had exchanged correspondence with the Minister on the issue of the donation and we agreed that there was need for caution. The Minister said to me that he read the donation in the papers and had expressed serious concern. I also received a mail from the NFF Integrity Officer who expressed very serious concern with this kind of donation.

“I got in touch with the Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil and the Minister to say that whatever had to be done should be done after the Bronze Medal Match, to avoid any distractions. The NFF may be having financial challenges, but I assure you nobody in the Federation is interested in that money.

“If we get the Government’s go-ahead to collect the money, no official of the NFF will be involved even in the collection. The money will be received directly by the team,” he said.

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NAF test runs third locally weaponized Alpha Jet

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF has successfully test run its third  locally reconfigured Alpha Jet aircraft which was acquired  without weapons delivery capability.

NAF spokesman Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa said in a statement that the air force, at the heat of the Boko Haram insurgency, had acquired three Alpha Jet aircraft from private sources in the USA without combat capability.

He said that unsuccessful attempts to use foreign agents to reconfigure the aircraft forced NAF to look inward.

“The challenge led the NAF to look inward for solution locally by assembling a team of engineers and technicians designated NAF “Technical Response Team (TRT)” comprising serving and retired NAF personnel, and civilians.

“The team, has since its inauguration, achieved tremendous successes that have greatly enhanced the operational capability of the NAF, especially with respect to the ongoing fight against the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, as well as saved huge foreign exchange for the nation.

“One other major feat achieved with the latest reconfigured aircraft is its ability to fire rockets and bombs from both the East and West blocks,“ he said.

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Boko Haram: rescue operations to continue in spite of negotiations - COAS

The military will continue its counter-terrorism operations in the Northeast of Nigeria despite calls in some quarters for government to dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai said this on Saturday during the commissioning of Nigerian Army Officers Wife Association, NAOWA Day Care, Nursery and Primary School at the Ribadu Cantonment, Kaduna,

He said that the military had so far rescued more than 20,000 persons abducted by Boko Haram terrorists.

His words.
“We have so far rescued over 20000 abducted persons, and we are still rescuing more and we will continue to do that.

“We will continue to carry out our rescue operations, this rescue is ongoing, as far as the Army, and indeed the military is concerned, we will continue to play our own part.

“The negotiation is left for appropriate arm of government, but we are looking for any information to rescue anybody that is being held hostage.”

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