Governing Bodies
NIGERIA SPORTS MINISTRY PLACES LATE RASHIDI YEKINI’S MOTHER ON MONTHLY STIPEND
The Nigeria Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, has placed the mother of late Super Eagles striker, Rashidi Yekini, Alhaja Sikiratu, on a monthly stipend of N10,000 $25.6452).
The Representative of the Minister at the donation ceremony, Olaitan Shittu, disclosed this in Ijagbo, near Offa in Kwara on Wednesday, when he donated Ramadan gift on behalf of the minister to the aged mother.
The Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, also donated the sum of N50,000 as part of the Ramadan gift to the aged mother on Wednesday.
Shittu explained that it was not the first time the Minister was reaching out to Alhaja Sikiratu Yekini as he was also at Mama Yekini’s residence in September, 2019.
Responding, Alhaja Yekini who spoke in her local dialect (Yoruba), thanked the Minister and prayed fervently for him.
“I have been abandoned for a long time and have not seen any help from anyone.
“I was hospitalised for few days, some months ago and I did catered for myself despite scarce resources, even last month, I received treatment from the hospital.
“I need help from Nigerians, but this Minister has done very well, especially remembering me in this holy month of Ramadan.
“Since my son died, it has been very tough for me because I do not have any help from people.
Rashidi’s siblings are not doing well too, so, I was left to struggle for life everyday” Alhaja Sikiratu Yekini said.
Late Rashidi Yekini who died eight years ago in Ibadan after retiring from football, had his professional career, spanned more than two decades and was mainly associated with Vitória de Setúbal in Portugal, but he also played in six other countries besides Nigeria.
Yekini scored 37 goals as a Nigerian international from 58 games and represented the nation in five major tournaments, including two World Cups where he scored the country’s first-ever goal in the competition against Bulgaria in the USA 94 World Cup.
He was also named the African Footballer of the Year in 1993.
Items donated include, 50kg bag of rice, 10kg bag of wheat, six tins of Milo as well as the sum of N50,000.
Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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