30032019 - Appointments‘ll be on merits, national spread — Buhari

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46 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2019 National Institute for Sports: Bringing back good old days By Jacob Ajom THURSDAY 21 March, 2019 was a special day in the life of Nigeria’s premier sports institute, the National Institute for Sports. In it’s 25 years of existence, the institute on that day performed its 7 th Convocation, the first since 2005. 1,500 students were conferred with certificates, diplomas and higher diplomas on the occasion. It was an event that restored hope in both the graduands and the students and dignity to the school. For an event that was billed to start at 10 a.m, the graduating students satrted poring into the venue, the NIS Multipurpose Hall, National Stadium, Lagos as early as 8 a.m. The students could <strong>be</strong> seen taking group photographs in their academic gowns. Some making final preparations to ensuring they “It is a special day. We thought it would never happen <strong>be</strong>cause since 2005 that I graduated I am yet to experience this,” said Nigeria’s first Olympic medalist, Chioma Ajunwa. Ajunwa charged the school’s management team to improve. “This is the highest sports institute in the country that has produced a lot of coaches that have contributed immensely to the development of sports in the country. Any coach in Nigeria that did not pass through the school is not acceped outside this country. So management ought to <strong>be</strong> up and doing and don’t keep students for long periods <strong>be</strong>fore holding convocation.” Another graduate, Jumai Mohammed said, “Today is a happy day for me and my colleagues <strong>be</strong>cause we have waited for so long for this event. With this convocation, we now have our certificates and have something to show that you actually graduated from this school. It will enhance our chances in the labour market, even outside the country.” Mohammed was one of the lucky student who didn’t need to wait for long <strong>be</strong>fore the convocation. She rounded off her programme in 2018. On this she said proudly, “we were the set that brought an end to the long wait. We broke the jinx and ushered in a new era in the life of the school.” Former Bendel Insurance striker, Mfon Bassey said, after one’s active days as a footballer it was only desirable that one pursued a coaching or sports management career. “Without a certificate one is doomed,” the former 3SC and Nigerdock player said. That was why he said he cherished the events of that day.”I consider this day special in my life. I came here to acquire knowledge and it would show in the way I work and the result will also prove that the school actually impacted greatly on me.” Bassey said government must try and improve its support for the school. “Right now they are trying but the school deserves more. Poor power supply has <strong>be</strong>en one of the biggest problems in the school. It frustrates the students efforts to read,” Mfon, a 2016 graduate said Director of the NIS, Dr Eke Kingdom Chukwudi was the happiest man to have “broken the 14-year jinx.” He felt proud of his management team and the support he got from the governing board of the school led by Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima. He was also appreciative of the contributions of corporate Nigeria in the realisation of his major breakthrough since assuming office a few years back. The director looked to the future with renewed optimism. Said the Director, “Accreditation of the institute by the Board for Technical Edication is in progress •Graduating students getting set for their convocation and when that happens, our graduates would <strong>be</strong> recognised and accepted anywhere they go.” The director also appealed for improved funding for the institute by the federal government while also appealing to the corporate organisations to do more for the school. “I appeal to corporate bodies to give back to the society, the excess profits they record annually. Supporting the NIS would <strong>be</strong> a welcome development.” The Chairman of the governing board, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima said his board would not rest on its oars as it was working for a review of the school curriculum in order to make it more encompassing in the training of modern day coaches. On his part, Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung said he was jinx breaker whose tenure has seen him revive the country’s sporting traditions. “First it was the National Sports Festival which could not hold for several years, we were able to stage a very successful festival at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja last year, today it is the NIS holding its convocation after 14 years. I share the joy of the students and the graduands, some who have waited for 14 years for this event. “I must emphasise that we must endeavour to keep some of these laudable sporting traditions we inherited..” He recalled that the NIS came about through an initial collaboration <strong>be</strong>tween Nigeria and the Institute for Sports of Germany. It has since <strong>be</strong>en abandoned but we are going to revisit that partnership agreement, dust it, with a view to reviving it. We also have an existing collaboration with the University of Johannesburg.” He promised that a team will soon visit South Africa pursuant to revisiting the collaboration. “I have told the chairman of the governing board that he has no time to spare. He has to work 24/7 to ensure this institute works again,” the minister said. Dalung also said that the NIS would go into collaboration with friendly institutions of higher learning in Nigeria in order to enhance its course content in to achieve their vision to “<strong>be</strong> a first class institute transforming Nigeria and sustaining it as a world leader in sports. Wilder ‘ll only fight Joshua with 50-50 split of purse DEONTAY WILDER says there is no chance he will fight Anthony Joshua unless there is a 50-50 split of the purse. Boxing fans have <strong>be</strong>en calling for a unification fight <strong>be</strong>tween WBC heavyweight champion Wilder and Britain’s title holder Anthony Joshua. In negotiations until now, the Joshua camp have offered terms in his favour due to the four-<strong>be</strong>lt champion’s bigger appeal. But Wilder, 33, insists he is the biggest draw in boxing and his much-hyped meeting with Joshua will not happen until the contracts treat them equally. Speaking to The Schmo, Wilder said: “Loyalty is everything, it’s the foundation of success. “How can you do negotiations, a deal, if we don’t know what the other party is doing? “Whatever the fight was worth, let’s say $3, and you give me $1 and he gets the rest of the pot – I’m lowering my standards. That’s not right to me. “Like I said, and I’ll say it again, the only way this fight is going to happen is if it’s 50/50. I don’t care what it is. • Wilder Joshua BADMINTON: 18 countries for Africa Senior Championships Eighteen countries will take part in the All Africa Senior Championships which will come up from April 26 to 28 at the Alfred Diete Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The Championships is made up of two separate tournaments: the Mixed Team Event holding from April 22 to 25 and the Individual Championship which will hold from the April 26 to 28. The 18 countries that have registered for the showpiece event include Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Congo, Congo DRC, Eritrea, Egypt Ghana and Ivory Coast. Other participating countries include; Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the host country, Nigeria. The Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) has commended registered teams and promised to stage the <strong>be</strong>st All Africa Senior Championships the continent has ever seen. The BFN President, Francis Orbih promised that the country will <strong>be</strong> ready to host Africa. Orbih stated, “As part of the preparations for this competition, the BFN organized the 1st Rivers Governor’s National Badminton Championship in Port-Harcourt in Decem<strong>be</strong>r 2018. The National Championship provided us with an opportunity to test-run the facilities and infrastructure needed to host the All African Championship. “We learnt a lot of lessons from the National Championship, which have proved very useful in our current preparations. The Rivers State Government has <strong>be</strong>en very supportive in our preparations and with their continued support, we will <strong>be</strong> ready.” Rivers State for Sports, Boma Iyaye noted that the expected level of participation shows that Rivers State is still one of the most important destinations for sports tourism in Nigeria. “With the kind of infrastructure investments made by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, we are not surprised to see the quality of countries interested in coming to the state to take part in the Championships. “Rivers State is ready and we are sure this will <strong>be</strong> the <strong>be</strong>st All Africa Senior Badminton Championships ever. This is the promise of the Rivers State Government to Africa and we are committed to keeping this promise,” he added.
Betway excites Nigerian Basketball fans with NBA predictor promo FOR basketball lovers in Nigeria, Betway is making the experience of watching and following NBA games extra special. The leading online sports <strong>be</strong>tting giant is rewarding basketball fans with a promotion where users of the platform stand a chance to win cash prizes of up to N4m. The NBA Predictor promotion is an opportunity for Nigerian basketball enthusiasts to predict seeding and winner of the NBA playoff series up to the Championship finals in June, 2019. The promotion, which <strong>be</strong>gan on Friday, 1 March 2019, is now very popular among young and savvy basketball fans in the country. For some of them, the chance to win big while watching one of the most exciting sports in the world is too good a deal to pass on. Speaking on the promotion, Harvest of medals for Team Nigeria By E<strong>be</strong>le Orakpo A group of young Nigerians often neglected and relegated to the background by society due to no fault of theirs, were in far away Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, writing the country’s name in gold. Talk of the rejected stone <strong>be</strong>coming the chief cornerstone! The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games which took place from March 14–21, 2019 had 60 athletes and 24 officials representing the country at the multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities. They did not disappoint as they competed in eight events (athletics, badminton, basketball, football, table March 24th, 2019, marked the first anniversary of Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor’s Nigerian and African Record of 22.04sec in the women’s 200m set at the Wes Kittley Invitational in Abilene, USA. Her new Record eclipsed Mary Onyali’s former mark of 22.07sec set in 1996. What made Blessing’s feat even more impressive was the fact that it was her first race of the season. Okagbare-Igoteguonor will surely go into the history books as one of the <strong>be</strong>st athletes the continent, and I dare say the world, has produced. Over the years, she’s managed to combine the 100m, 200m and Long Jump, and that’s certainly no child’s play, especially when there is a need to compete in more than one event at a major championship. In 2013, she stormed to an African Record of 10.79sec in the 100m while competing at the London Anniversary Games where she defeated the reigning Olympic Champion at the time, Betway Country Manager, Lere Awokoya says “We recognise the growth in popularity of basketball, l am particularly amongst young Nigerians who religiously follow the NBA. The NBA Predictor Promo is our way of connecting with these fans and rewarding them for their love of the game.” Betway continues to reward Nigerians with mouthwatering cash prizes through various features and promotions like 4-To- Score, Money Back, Book-A-Bet, amongst others. The 7th convocation of the National Institute for Sports, Nigeria’s premier sports institute was scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, 2019. tennis, volleyball, swimming and cycling) and returned with a total of 33 gold, 21 silver and 10 bronze medals. A breakdown of the medals shows that they won 12 gold medals each in unified football a n d volleyball events, f o u r g o l d medals in athletics, the two in badminton, one in cycling, one in dance and one in swimming. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica. Okagbare-Ighoteguonor had earlier set a new African record of 10.86sec in the semis, <strong>be</strong>fore <strong>be</strong>ttering her time to 10.79sec in the final. Her 100m Record lasted for three years <strong>be</strong>fore Cote d’Ivoire’s Murielle Ahoure broke it by the slightest of margins - 0.01sec, replacing it with a new mark of 10.78sec. Although Okagbare- Ighoteguonor started the 2018 Athletics season on a high, with her new 200m Record, the rest of the season didn’t pan out as expected as she eventually succum<strong>be</strong>d to an injury, which forced her to end her season earlier than she had envisaged. That notwithstanding, she still managed to inspire a much younger 4x100m team to Bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, and Gold at the African Championships in Asaba. The Delta State athlete has no doubt faced some disappointing moments in her career, chief of which would probably <strong>be</strong> the London 2012 Olympics which she approached with such high hopes but eventually finished 8th in the 100m. There was also the 2015 and 2017 World Championships in Beijing and London respectively (she placed 8th in the 100m in Beijing and occupied the same position in the Long Jump in London). She didn’t make the 100m final at the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, barring any injury, Okagbare-Ighoteguonor <strong>be</strong>lieves she still has a lot to offer as she is now chasing a World Championships Gold medal, SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2019 — 47 Champions League Tour: Heineken brings Puyol to Nigeria Spanish football legend and Champions League winner, Puyol will <strong>be</strong> touring the nation as part of the UEFA Champions League Tour as presented by Heineken. The UEFA Champions League Tour will see both the football Legend and the iconic cup travel to various cities across Nigeria, from the 16th-18th of April 2019, as part of Heineken’s commitment to delivering premium experiences to consumers and football lovers. The tour will <strong>be</strong> a three day experience that will feature exclusive encounters in Lagos and Uyo and an unmissable match to <strong>be</strong> played by select consumers featuring the Spanish superstar, Puyol. It’s no surprise that the premium <strong>be</strong>er brand selected Carles Puyol Saforcada regarded as one of the <strong>be</strong>st defenders alive as the football legend to accompany the UEFA Champions League cup when it lands in Nigeria. Defending Heineken’s choice of Puyol, Emmanuel Oriakhi, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries had this to say; “Often considered as one of the <strong>be</strong>st defenders players of all time, Puyol is the perfect fit <strong>be</strong>cause we wanted to host one of the world’s <strong>be</strong>st football Legends and also to give Nigerians the chance to meet him for the first time here, in Nigeria. We’re excited to <strong>be</strong> creating premium exciting experiences for our consumers and we’re sure they’d <strong>be</strong> more stunned as we make other announcements in the coming weeks.” Heineken is a leading partner of the UEFA Champions League since 1994 and the last 25 years have seen the competition <strong>be</strong>come the most watched club competition in the world. WIPO highlights sports investors, innovators on WIPD Top sports investors, brands, broadcasters, developers and innovators will <strong>be</strong> on celebration in Nigeria alongside their global counterparts come April 26 as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) focuses on the industry in its annual World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD). The theme of the 2019 WIPD is “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports” and the event will <strong>be</strong> marked in Nigeria with a special recognition/awards ceremony for institutions and individuals whose investments and contributions have helped in the sustenance, growth and enjoyment of sports, and a summit on “Intellectual Property Law and Sports Business.” The event is <strong>be</strong>ing organised by Friends of the Creator Foundation chaired by Dr Ogaga Ifowodo in collaboration with the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the National Film and Video Censors Board and the Lagos chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). “It is especially instructive that the WIPO is focusing on sports business this year. It is in Two Records down; one more to go for Okagbare Ighoteguonor Okagbare having won Silver and Bronze respectively in the Long Jump and 200m in Moscow in 2013. She also aspires to break the African Record in the Long Jump <strong>be</strong>fore she calls time on her illustrious career. In an interview with Making of Champions in Decem<strong>be</strong>r, Okagbare-Ighoteguonor had this to say: “I know I still have it in me, it’s just that this health issue has taken a lot from me. If I can get back to <strong>be</strong>ing healthy, there is so much more to accomplish in the few years I have left to represent this country very well. My major focus right now is to get healthy again. “I’ve just <strong>be</strong>en cleared to start practice which is really good news. I just want to stay healthy <strong>be</strong>cause other things are fine. Mentally I’m there. The African Games and the World Championships are around the corner; I’m still missing a World Championships Gold medal; I’ve got Silver and Bronze so I’m still looking forward to representing Nigeria and not just <strong>be</strong>ing at a competition, but medalling as well. “I have this goal of breaking the recognition that while athletes’ performance create the excitements, investors, sponsors and innovators play critical roles in the global propagation and in bringing diverse peoples and cultures together and supporting them to enjoy sports across societies”, said the Project Coordinator, Fred Edoreh. “The event is significant towards strengthening intellectual property laws to protect sports businesses, and to appreciate and build the confidence and continued commitment of existing and new investors, institutions, brands, sponsors and persons whose investments and contributions keep sports going.” While the organisers are keeping the list of awardees under wraps, expected as special guests of honour at the celebration are the Honorable Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, alongside top investors, brands and developers in Nigerian sports, and sports law experts including Abdukhakeem Mustapha (SAN), President of the Confederation of Africa Football Appeals Board, Chijioke Okoli (SAN), pioneer General Counsel of Team Nigeria and erstwhile Chairman of the Lagos branch of the Nigeria Bar Association, and Beverly Agbakoba-Onyejiana, sports business law advocate and investor. African Record in all my three events, which I have already achieved in the 100m and 200m. I’m still waiting for that 7.12m in the Long Jump which I think I’m capable of. I’m hoping everything goes well. I’m looking forward to that as long as I’m healthy and as long as my body allows me.” Going forward, the Beijing 2008 Long Jump Silver Medallist says she will continue to compete in all three events but would probably just settle for one event at a major championship; that would <strong>be</strong> up to her team to decide, depending on how she is feeling at the time. Breaking the continental records in the 100m and 200m is no mean feat. It would <strong>be</strong> great to see Blessing’s hopes of breaking Chioma Ajunwa’s African Record in the Long Jump, eventually come to pass. That is certainly a tall order, and I’m sure a lot would ponder on how realistic this target is. However, I’ve learnt never to say ‘never’. Still basking in the euphoria of the first anniversary of her 200m record, I wish Okagbare- Ighoteguonor a healthy 2019 and hope her dreams come true.
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