Governing Bodies
Akaburunoye’s effort is a boost to Imo State Human capital development project, says sports commissioner
The Imo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Dan Chike Ogu has commended the National Leader of Hope Rising for Imolites, Success Obioma Akaburuonye on his successful training and empowerment of hundreds of youth via skills acquisition in the areas of solar energy, CCTV installation among other spheres of interests to the participants.
The commissioner who represented Governor Hope Uzodinma stated this at the country home of the sponsor, Chief Akaburuonye in Aboh Mbaise LGA where he graced the colourful event of the graduation and award giving ceremony for the graduands.
He thanked the legal as well as business mogul for his courage and benevolence in uplifting the youths and curbing youth restiveness.
Ogu praised the graduands for their will and doggedness in participating in the intensive and extensive training for Imolites from all the LGAs of the state. He stated that the productive programme is coming at the right time and urged the youths not to relent but go all out to practice what they’ve been thought business-wise and also train others to become self employed.
The “golden commissioner” reiterated the commitment of the Shared Prosperity Government of Governor Hope Uzodinma in sustaining its various youth empowerment intervention programmes and keying into private and corporate empowerment programmes as veritable means of fighting poverty and restiveness in Imo State.
He decried an apparent apathy by the youths on issues of skills acquisition in preference for white-collar jobs. And stated that the Imo state government had initiated various youth development programmes, chief among them being the empowerment of 15,000 youths with requisite training and start up grants of N250,000 each aimed at equipping them with the skills to drive them into economic sustainability and entrepreneurship.
He commended the organization for embarking on various career development activities and assured that the government will always help drive such programmes always.
The major highlight of the event was the award of one participation slot for the most outstanding graduand to participate at a forthcoming national youth conference on entrepreneurship and presentation of certificates and start up tools to the graduands by the Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Dan Ogu.
Also at the event was the immediate past Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Iyke Njoku, the APC Chairman of Aboh Mbaise LGA, the Youth Leader and Women Leader of Hope Rising for imolites among other notable personalities.
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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Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
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