Author: Fridayposts

Ozioma Ubabukoh The National Identity Management Commission on Friday said there were no plans to replace voter cards issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission with the electronic national identification cards. It said this while denying reports in the media (not The PUNCH), which claimed that the Delta State Coordinator of the NIMC had stated that the national ID would replace INEC-issued voter cards in 2019. The Head, Corporate Communications, NIMC, Chika Ogbonna, said that the reporter quoted the state coordinator out of context. Ogbonna said that the electronic ID card issued by the NIMC had a number of…

Idris Adesina El-Kanemi Warriors coach Ladan Bosso believes that  the national Under-23 team coach coach Samson Siasia will need the experience of Arsenal forward, Alex Iwobi, and Granada striker, Isaac Success,  at the Rio  2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.  Siasia during the week invited 30 domestic league  players to camp for the Olympics but he is expected to add a number of overseas-based players later. Iwobi has been in good form for the Gunners this season – scoring two goals and creating  assists in five games.  Success has also been instrumental in Granada’s campaign in the Spanish La Liga…

Former Super Eagles midfielder, Sani Kaita, is famous for his red card against Greece at the South Africa 2010 World Cup. In this interview with Idris Adesina, the former Sparta Rotterdam player explains what led to the red card. How did you start football? I started football as every normal young child in Nigeria – from the streets. It was fun and I can remember what it was like today. I had the dream then of becoming a professional footballer and I am happy that I was able to achieve that dream. I began playing professionally with Kano Pillars…

Kenneth Omeruo has spent the 2015/16 season at Kasimpasa in Turkey’s top flight. A physical presence in defence for the Istanbul club, the Nigeria defender has helped Kasimpasa reach an impressive fifth spot in the Turkish Super Lig, with six matches left to play. The 22-year-old, who played at the 2014 World Cup and featured prominently as the Super Eagles won the Africa Cup of Nations the year before, tells Chelsea’s website about the many different benefits his loan spell has brought… First of all Kenneth, how has the season gone so far? It’s been going really well. I…

Idris Adesina Coach of Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, William Voigt, has said his team’s target at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is to make history as the first African country to make it to the knockout  stages of the event. Voigt, who led the D’Tigers to their first African title in 2015, told FIBA.com that his players would be disappointed if the dream was not achieved. The D’Tigers have been grouped with hosts Brazil, Argentina, Lithuania, Spain and a team that will qualify via one of the three Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. The American said, “We have very high aspirations…

Andy Murray will play for a place in his first Monte Carlo Masters final on Saturday when he takes on resurgent clay king Rafael Nadal, AFP reports. The Scotsman will put his tennis to the test on the dirt against Nadal, after crushing an under-done Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-0 on Friday in their quarter-final. Fifth seed Nadal, who has struggled for form in the last 18 months, looked back to his best as he beat French Open champion Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-4. Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga brought the injury-comeback week for Roger Federer to a screeching halt as the eighth…

Anthony Joshua says he is “unlikely” to fight on July 9 now fellow British world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury defends his titles on that day, BBC reports. WBA and WBO champion Fury is scheduled to take on Wladimir Klitschko in a rematch in Manchester. “It was always in my mind to fight on 9 July, but there are other dates as well,” IBF champion Joshua, 26, told BBC. “Let Fury and Klitschko have their day. Let’s not mix anything up.” Fury defeated Klitschko on points in Dusseldorf last November to become WBA, WBO and IBF champion. The Englishman was…

The Chief Executive Officer of HotSports Group, Taye Ige, spoke to The PUNCH concerning the Rio Olympics and the current NFF crisis How has the preparation been for the Rio Olympics? Given your experience of the London 2012 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup, how has the interest of Nigerians been so far?  To say the least, the preparation has been chaotic.  With the sports ministry that is saddled with the responsibility of preparing our athletes completely engrossed with NFF’s dog-fight, federations are on their own as far as preparations are concerned.  Again, with the DG – Alhaji (Al-Hassan)…

Kunle Falayi The police in Lagos on Monday took into custody, a 40-year-old trader, Mrs. Deborah Gabriel, who brutalised her housemaid, eight-year-old Glory Ugbon, and then put pepper in the girl’s eyes and private part when the girl decided to steal a plate of rice when she was hungry. Five months after Glory started living with the trader as her housemaid, the girl has been allegedly brutalised many times and there are so many marks all over her body. Glory, who had been in the servitude of Deborah in Surulere, Lagos since November 2015, said her elder sister simply…

Kunle Falayi It was December 2013. When Nigerians were preparing to end the year on a high note, the family of 36-year old Dantala Da’u, was ending the year in a limbo; one caused by the mysterious disappearance of the young man, while on his way to Lagos to deliver cement. That period, it was learnt, should have been a period of joy for Da’u, whom the family said was preparing for his wedding which would have taken place two weeks after the time he disappeared. But he simply vanished without a trace. With no clue as to his…