Sports
Dry Bones Shall Rise Again’ – Shaibu Vows To Restructure, Replicate Edo Feats At NIS
By Joseph Ebi Kanjo
Former deputy governor of Edo State and current Director General of National Institute for Sports (NIS) Comrade Philip Shaibu, has vowed to restructure and replicate what he did in Edo sports at the institute.
Shaibu, as the deputy governor of Edo State then, and who was saddled with the responsibility of overseeing sporting activities in the state, rejuvenated sporting activities by upgrading the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium to world class with modern facilities; made sure Bendel Insurance FC were promoted from the second amateur division to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), among others.
Speaking with sports writers who visited him to congratulate him on his new appointment, the DG said, during his visit to both the Lagos and Abuja centres of the institute , he discovered that Nigeria has a lot of sporting facilities and infrastructure that can cater for the whole of Africa.
He added that because many of the infrastructure have remained unused for a long period of time, they have become non-functional and obsolete.
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Shaibu, who also mentioned that a lot of courses and programmes that ought to be run by the NIS have been abandoned and unutilised, promised to reform the NIS by bringing some new and relevant courses for coaches and athletes and expunge old and irrelevant ones.
“In the coming weeks, we are going to be restructuring the NIS in line with its mandate. There would be a lot of reforms that we are going to carry out in the coming weeks.
“We will make sure that we add to the courses in the NIS, and expunge some. We are going to upgrade the courses beyond where they are now,” he said.
He added: “Those infrastructure were built not just to produce athletes for Nigeria alone, but for Africa and the world at large.
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“I saw some equipment – brand new – but they are non-functional because they were not put into use. In fact, I saw some brand new equipment in their carton but they are not working, why? because rats and what have you destroyed them.”
The Director General, who promised to decentralise the NIS for easy access by the grassroots, noted that as a known training institute, coaches would be trained at local government level so as to eliminate a situation anyone comes on board to bear the name coach after “gathering some children.”
He added: “We’re going to be decentralising the NIS for easy access and easy reach. The mandate of the NIS when it was created 50 years ago was to have centres across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. But we intend to go beyond the six geo-political zones because we need to go to the grassroots to deal with the issue of coaches.
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“That means we are going to be having local government training centres where we will be training those coaches with the basic knowledge they need to impact on players.”
Shaibu also promised to reactivate athletes’ hostels in the institute by making sure they are giving a phase lift and ensure only athletes are permitted to stay in the hotels. He added that the hotels are not for non- athletes accommodation either through payment of rent or any means.
Earlier, Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Edo State chapter, Kehinde Osaigede, who was flanked by other executives, while congratulating Shaibu for his appointment, expressed optimism that he would take the institute to an enviable level.
Sports
AC Milan Scrap Victor Boniface Transfer Over Failed Medical Tests
AC Milan has called off its proposed transfer of Nigerian striker Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen, claiming the player failed to pass mandatory medical examinations.
The deal, which had been verbally agreed upon with a €5 million loan fee and a €24 million buy option, fell through despite Boniface’s arrival in Milan within the last 48 hours.
The decision was confirmed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, on Sunday.
READ ALSO:Man City Agree Fee With AC Milan For Midfielder Reijnders
“AC Milan call Victor Boniface deal off as Nigerian striker did not pass the medical tests,” Romano posted.
“Despite verbal agreement for €5m loan fee and €24m buy clause with player in Milano in the last 48h, deal called off due to medical. Boniface, returning in Germany today.”
According to reports, the 24-year-old Nigerian international had two anterior cruciate ligament operations and recurring groin problems that have affected his availability in recent seasons.
Milan are not the first Serie A club to have reservations about the striker’s fitness, with reports suggesting that Roma rejected a swap proposal involving Boniface and Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk several weeks ago due to similar concerns over the Nigerian’s condition.
Sports
Why I’ll Never Advise My Son To Visit Nigeria – Taribo West
A former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, on Friday, berated the Nigeria Football Federation and Lagos State Government for allegedly abandoning the family of late goalkeeper, Peter Rufai.
Speaking at Rufai’s burial in a video posted by News Central on Friday, the ex-Inter Milan star expressed disappointment over what he described as the neglect of Nigerian football heroes after their death.
“It’s disheartening that you have Lagos State, you have the Nigerian Football Association. They drop the bulk on the family. I felt in my spirit that there is nothing to put your life for. That’s why I say I have to shift back so that I will not implode. It’s grieving.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Ex-Eagles Goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, Is Dead
“My mother passed on. I never shed tears. My father passed on in my hands. I never shed tears. When Rufai passed on, I had goose pimples on my body. And every individual I’m speaking to, there were tears rolling down my cheeks. What kind of nation is this?” he said
The former international recalled similar situations with late football icons such as Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, and Thompson Oliha, stressing that the treatment of ex-players discouraged him from encouraging his children to serve the country through football.
READ ALSO:Ex-Super Eagles Coach, Monday Sinclair, Is Dead
“With this kind of example, I will never advise even my son to put his feet for this country. Send me out! Do we have a Football Federation or do we have a Football Association in this Lagos State? That this hero, this soldier, this football evangelist, has to be treated this way in his family.
“Could you imagine that the family would be crying just to solicit in within our groups to ask for money? That is madness. Look, please let me go. I don’t want to pour my heart,” he stated.
Rufai, fondly called “Dodo Mayana,” was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and the country’s debut at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
He passed away in July 2025.
Sports
CHAN 2024: Top Scorers Ahead Of Quarter-final Fixtures
Uganda’s Allan Okello and South Africa’s Thabiso Kutumela are currently joint top scorers at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), with three goals each as the tournament heads into the quarter-final stage.
The group stage concluded on Tuesday, with Sudan holding Senegal to a 0-0 draw to finish top of Group D, while Nigeria defeated Congo 2-0.
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Here are the top scorers going into the CHAN quarter-finals:
Allan Okello (Uganda) – 3 goals
Thabiso Kutumela (South Africa) – 3 goals
Abdelrazig Omer (Sudan) – 2 goals
Kaporal (Angola) – 2 goals
Austin Odhiambo (Kenya) – 2 goals
Clement Mzize (Tanzania) – 2 goals
The quarter-final fixtures are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
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