12022018 - Fuel crisis : PDP, APC in verbal war over President's role

SPE, foundation
play golf to heal
ailing hearts
By Egufe Yafugborhi
THE Annual Open
Golf Tournament of
the Nigerian Society of
Petroleum Engineers
(SPE) ended in Port
Harcourt, Rivers state,
Saturday, with
participants reaching
out to improve
awareness on care for
the heart and support
recovery of those with
ailing hearts.
The event, 3rd in the
series and held at the
Port Harcourt Gulf
Club, attracted notable
golfers and enthusiasts
including Amayanabo
of Twon-Brass, Alfred
Diette Spiff and GOC 6
Division of the
Nigerian Army, Maj
Gen Musa Yusuf, who
represented Chief of
Army, Maj Gen T.Y.
Buratai as Special
Guest.
Mourinho’s
curse continues
at St. James’
Park
JOSE MOURINHO
endured yet more
misery at St James’ Park – as
his old enemy Rafa Benitez
hammered the final nail into
Manchester United’s title
coffin.
Portuguese boss Mourinho
has never won on Tyneside
in the Premier League.
And that run extended to
seven matches after Matt
Ritchie stunned the visitors
with a 65th-minute winner.
Defeat for Mourinho’s men
means they are now 16 points
behind runaway league
leaders Manchester City
with just 11 games to go.
And the best United can
now surely hope for is the
runners-up spot.
How Newcastle boss
Benitez will have loved
getting one over Mourinho,
who he has feuded with for
more than a decade.
But more importantly, this
was a precious three points
in the Toon’s battle to beat
the drop.
And from being in the
relegation zone before kickoff,
they are now up to as high
as 13th – albeit still only two
points above the bottom
three.
This was Newcastle’s first
win at St James’ in nine
attempts – and nobody would
have predicted it.
•Mourinho
Eagles ‘ll win
Russia 2018
World Cup
– Amokachi
By Jacob Ajom
Former Super Eagles
forward Daniel
Amokachi has
made the strongest
prediction ever, on the
chances of Africa’s
participation in this year’s
FIFA World Cup, claiming
that Nigeria will emerge
world champions for the
first time.
Amokachi who was at the
partnership signing
ceremony between NFF
and Nigerian Breweries
said the Eagles have a very
Dalung hosts Nigerian marathon
winners • Congratulates Lagos State Govt
The Minister of Youth
and Sports
Barrister Solomon Dalung
will receive the the first
Nigerian male and female
runners to reach the finish line
By John Egbokhan
Things are looking up for
Nigerian teams
campaigning in the CAF
Champions League,
following positive results
achieved by Plateau United
and Mountain of Fire and
Miracles Ministries FC at the
weekend.
Nigerian champions,
at the just concluded Acces
Bank Lagos City Marathon
on Tuesday in Abuja.
Barrister Dalung will also
present monetary incentives
of Five hundred thousand
Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018 — 47
Eagles World
Cup plan
excites Siasia
wards to weather the
storm.
“It is going to be one
game at a time. I am
happy the focus is not
only on the Argentina
match as we also have
Croatia and Iceland.
Croatia are a
technical side and
Iceland have a
disciplined side that
hits you after which
they will park a bus.”
He said the level of
commitment from the
current Super Eagles
players was top notch
“because they are well
bred professional.
“I was asked in the
studio, where I work
about the chances of
African
representatives at the
World Cup this year, I
was emphatic. I said
four teams from
Africa would be in the
second round, three
teams from Africa
would be in the
quarter final, two in
the semi final and one
will be in the final.
And Nigeria will win
the World Cup. That is
what I said, that is
what I believe. You
may have your own
belief.”
CAF Champions League: Plateau Utd win, MFM draw
Plateau United cantered off
to a dream start in the
preliminary round of CAF’s
Premier cup competition,
defeating visiting Eding
Sport of Cameroon 3-0 in Jos.
It was a first leg encounter
with the coach Kennedy
Boboye-tinkered Plateau
United putting big smiles on
their fans faces with three
goals scored while keeping a
•Eagles
bright chance of lifting the
trophy. “I am their number
one fan. We have a bunch
of new generation players
who are from the diaspora,
who started from
academies at early age
and played through the
ranks to the national team.
They understood the game
at an early age and that
impacted on the team’s
performance throughout
the qualifiers.”
The 1994 and 1998
World Cup hero said
Eagles’ World Cup group
appears tough but he
believes in the ability of the
Coach Gernot Rohr’s
•Mr. Ziad Maalouf(m), MD Seven-Up, his wife Rosy wee among the runners during the
Lagos City Marathon on Saturday.
naira to each winner.
The Minister made the
pledge at the medals
presentation ceremony at the
Eko Atlantic City, Victoria
Island Lagos at the end of the
clean slate, heading into the
second leg tie.
In another game featuring
a Nigerian team, Mountain
of Fire and Miracles
Ministries FC, played out a
thrilling 1-1 with Real
Bamako of Mali in Bamako.
MFM FC, finished second
in the NPFL last term and
their away performance
against a strong Real
2018 edition of the
Access Bank Lagos City
Marathon.
Iliya Pam of Plateau
state was the first
Nigerian male to breast
the tape while Deborah
Pam also won the in the
women’s category.
The Minister will also
receive two children
who completed 22km
and 10km respectively.
He pledged to support
their running career
with N100,000 each to
encourage them.
“I wish to announce
the sum of five hundred
thousand naira each to
the first male and
female Nigerians to
complete the marathon.
The President of the
Athletics Federation of
Nigeria should bring
them to my office, as
well as the two children
who ran 22km and
10km respectively.
Bamako team
portends great things
for a side making their
debut in the continent’s
flagship competition.
MFM will head into
the reverse leg in Lagos
in high spirit, hopeful
of getting the goals that
will send them into the
next round of the
competition.
Former Super Eagles coach,
Samson Siasia is happy with
the friendly matches lined up for
the Super Eagles ahead of the
2018 FIFA World Cup finals.
The Super Eagles will take on
Poland, Serbia, DR Congo and
England before the World Cup
which is scheduled to be hosted
by Russia.
“It is a joyful thing for every
Nigerian that we have qualified
and going to fly our flag in Russia
but as we all know, World Cup is
all about preparations,”
Siasiasaid.
“The coach (Gernot Rohr) and
the FA need to do everything
possible to carry out the World
Cup plans. Fine, we have seen
partnerships here and there but
we need to do so much more.
“Personally, I will commend
Nigerian Breweries for coming
up to partner with the NFF,
because they need something like
that to make things easy for them
ahead of the World Cup,” he said.
Iwobi begs
Arsenal fans after
loss to Tottenham
Alex Iwobi has sent a
message to Arsenal fans
in the wake of the painful 1-0 loss
to Tottenham Hotspur in the
Premier League on Saturday at
the National Stadium in London,
saying they are prepared to right
the wrongs in Thursday’s Europa
League clash with Alhajji Gero’s
Ostersunds FK.
The Nigeria international was
not named in Arsenal’s starting
line-up for the first time in eight
matches across all competitions
but came off the bench as
replacement for Mohamed
Elneny in the 65th minute of the
contest.
Writing on Instagram, Iwobi
stated : ‘’Being an Arsenal fan
myself, Saturday’s defeat was
very disappointing and hard to
take.
Conte: Sacking
me ‘ll be stupid
Antonio Conte has
suggested he should not
have to win silverware to save his
job at Chelsea.
Blues boss Conte lifted the
Premier League trophy in his
first year in England but has
come under increasing pressure
this season after failing to mount
a title defence.
Conte, who has a contract until
the summer of 2019, believes the
relationship between a club and
their manager is more important
than winning trophies.
“I think that you continue to
work with a manager or coach
not because of what he achieves
in one season, but because you
trust in him,” said Conte. “Then
you build something with him.
“But it doesn’t mean you
have to win something,
because that’s not simple.
Conte