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Rohr, 25 Super Eagles Players Honour Keshi At Second Memorial Lecture

Published

7 years ago

June 8, 2019

Eric

Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, led no fewer than 25 players in the team’ camp in Asaba to the 2nd Stephen Keshi Memorial Lecture held in the Delta capital on Friday.

Keshi died in June 2017 and the memorial lecture was instituted by the National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers.

The eagles are currently camping in Asaba ahead of the friendly match with the Warriors of Zimbabwe on Saturday at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.

Rohr, at the sideline of the event, lauded the qualities of late Keshi and told newsmen that he (Keshi) made a mark in Nigerian football and abroad, as a player and a coach.

He expressed delight that the lecture held at a time when the Eagles were camping in Asaba ahead of the African Nations Cup tournament beginning on June 21 in Egypt, and for a friendly match with Zimbabwe in Asaba.

“I commend the association of professional footballers for keeping a date with Keshi. Such association is necessary to seek the welfare of members after retirement from active play.

“It is important that I bring all the players here as a mark of respect and honour to Keshi,’’ Rohr said.

The Chairman, Delta Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, said that the lecture was to expose the younger generation to the times and achievements of Keshi, which made the state government name Asaba Township Stadium after him.

He said the lecture was a pointer to the fact that all players must prepare for life after football, adding that it may be challenging to those who failed to prepare for their future.

According to him, like Keshi, the footballers must be dedicated, be objective and have a clear vision of what legacies they will leave behind.

“Keshi started as a footballer, became the captain of the team, and later a coach of the Super Eagles, which he played for.’’

On his part, General Secretary of NANF, Austin Popo, said the occasion was to keep alive the legacies and memory of Keshi.

He said that the lecture was among the promises the new leadership made after their election in 2018 to reposition the players’ union to truly represent and promote players’ right and interest in Africa and the world.

“The annual Stephen Keshi memorial lecture and the youth football tournament is one of such programmes.

“We are already discussing plans on how both bodies can make the second edition of the Stephen Keshi U-17 and U-21 national football tournament a success, with Delta government providing support,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean team comprising 25 players and eight technical crew arrived at the Hampton Hotel, Asaba, on Friday at about 11.30 am for the Saturday encounter.

According to the Zimbabwean Coach, Sunday Chidzambwa, the team is here to play and learn from the more experienced Nigerian Super Eagles.

The theme of the memorial lecture is “Life after Football: What Does the Country Owe Our Ex-Internationals?”

(NAN)

Headline

Defence Gulps Lion Share As Tinubu Presents N58.47trn 2026 Budget to NASS

Published

6 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has presented a budget of N58.47 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, with capital recurrent (non‑debt) expenditure standing at N15.25 trillion.

Tinubu presented the budget on Friday, pegging the capital expenditure at N26.08 trillion and putting the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.

He said the expected total revenue is N34.33 trillion, projected total expenditure: N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget is N23.85 trillion, representing 4.28% of GDP.

The budget was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.

In terms of sectoral allocation, defence and security took the lion’s share with N 5.41 trillion, followed by infrastructure at N3.56 trillion.

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Mike Adenuga, Emmanuel Macron Hold High-Powered Meeting in Paris

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Accomplished billionaire businessman and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, CdrLH, has held a private meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two powerful citizens of the world held the meeting on Wednesday at the historic Élysée Palace in Paris.

The high-level engagement underscores the longstanding relationship between Dr. Adenuga and the French Republic, as well as his continued relevance in global business and diplomatic circles.

A respected industrialist and philanthropist, Adenuga has been widely acknowledged for his contributions to economic development, telecommunications, energy, and humanitarian causes across Africa and beyond.

The meeting adds to Dr. Adenuga’s growing profile as a bridge between African enterprise and international leadership.

Headline

Free at Last: Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Soldiers, Aircraft

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Burkina Faso has released Nigerian soldiers who were detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country earlier this month, Nigerian officials said.

The release followed a diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s Military Leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said both sides resolved the matter amicably and secured the release of the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew.

The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act” carried out in defiance of international law.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, said the crew encountered a technical issue that required a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest available airfield. It said the landing complied with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.