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Olympics’ Disqualification: Angry Fans Want Sports Minister Sacked

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Many Nigerian sports lovers have expressed anger and disappointment over the disqualification of 10 Nigerian athletes at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

It was yesterday reported that ten Nigerian athletes were disqualified for not meeting the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15 governing National Anti-Doping Federation.

While some of them called for the sacking of the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, others asked him to resign.

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They recalled how Dare sacked a former Technical Director of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Sunday Adeleye, for registering two Nigerian top athletes, Blessing Okagbare and Divine Oduduru, under “wrong” categories at the World Athletics Championships, held in Doha in September 2020.

READ ALSO: [JUST IN] Olympics: Ten Nigerian Athletes Banned From Tokyo

During the championships, Okagbare and Oduduru faced disqualification scare for not partaking in the men’s and women’s 100m race.

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Some of the fans, who called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to sack the Minister, described the disqualification of Nigerian athletes as embarrassing.

Abiola Fakoyede said, “No thanks to our Minister of sports and his ministry. Next time appoint professionals to manage our sports ministries and not politicians who are good at not following rules.”

The minister should resign with immediate effect,” Awotunya Aderemi added.

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Tunde Stephen also said, “Their handlers and the Minister of Sports should have done the needful by now and that is to resign.”

READ ALSO: Japan Opens Mass Vaccine Centers Two Months Before Olympics

Ajanson Peter lamented that “We should not have wasted our time to go in the first place. This is a total disgrace, I am shocked that simple testing requirement, we couldn’t meet up to.

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“What were they expecting, for the IOC to allow them to compete after not meeting the minimum standard for testing? They must be jokers.

“Table tennis, we didn’t pass the three rounds in both male and female categories. Football, we didn’t qualify. Basketball, we have lost two matches. Taekwando, we didn’t qualify.

“Our only hope was in athletics, even this one too, we couldn’t do the right thing to enable us to compete. Our sports ministry is in total shamble.”

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Sunday Dare must go,” Babanginda Kubura posted while reacting to the news of the athletes’ disqualification on Facebook.

Olawale Adigun requested that “When is Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, and Athletics Federation of Nigeria President going to resign after this national disgrace.”

On Twitter, KPK @kpumpin0007 said, “Sunday Dare should be receiving his sack letter this morning.”

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READ ALSO: US Soccer Council Member Removed After Controversial Speech

William @_SirWilliam_ wondered if “Sunday Dare will still have a job after this.”

@InnieNuell said, “It’s bad. Shameful! And to make it worse when these men make atrocious mistakes nobody is sacking them, nobody is coming for their heads.”

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@Abu “Buhari, it is getting too late to sack Sunday Dare,” another fan, identified as Abu, posted.

(PUNCH)

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Awujale: UNILAG Don Leads Ruling House Faction

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A professor of Media Law and Mass Communication with the University of Lagos and one-time Commissioner for Information in Ogun State, Fassy Yusuf, has emerged as the head of a faction of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House dubbed as the “Original Fusengbuwa Ruling House.”

Speaking at a briefing held on Thursday in Agunsebi, Ijebu-Ode, the professor stated that the royal family, which is next in line to produce the next Awujale of Ijebu land, has kicked off registration of the family members of the ruling house as part of foundation-laying preparations for the selection and filling of the vacant stool of Awujale.

The faction of the ruling house being coordinated by Yusuf comprises the Jadiara, Bubiade, Tunwase and Fusengbuwa royal families.

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This development is coming on the heels of the reported reconciliation of the two previous factional groups led by Adedokun Ajidagba and former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdulateef Owoyemi.

READ ALSO:Awujale Succession: Court Battle Begins Over Ruling House Leadership Crisis

Yusuf said, “I must also emphasise that the mourning period of the late Awujale, Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR, GCON, who passed on July 13, 2025, will officially end on Sunday, October 11, 2025, paving the way for the implementation of the succession process.

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“The Declaration made under Section 4 (2) of the Chiefs Law 1957 indicated that the four ruling houses are entitled to produce Awujale, and they are Gbelegbuwa, Anikinlaiya, Fusengbuwa, and Fidipote, but it is now the turn of Fusengbuwa.”

He further explained that candidates must be of the ruling house and from the male line, except in cases where succession devolves through the female line under the Abidagba principle.

Responding to questions about the Folagbade Adenuga group’s claim of having the right to produce the next Awujale, the former commissioner stressed that Folagbade is not listed as a ruling house in the declaration and therefore must align with one of the recognised branches.

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READ ALSO:PHOTOS: Awujale Installs El-Rufai As Gbobaniyi Of Ijebu Land

As part of preparations to pick a successor to Oba Adetona, who joined his ancestors on July 13, 2025, Yusuf said that membership registration forms to build a family database and expression of interest forms for aspirants to the throne had been prepared for a smooth sailing exercise.

Recall that preparation to pick the next Awujale after the death of Oba Adetona, aged 91, in July, and who reigned for 65 years, had been gathering momentum, particularly within the Fusengbuwa ruling house, which is the next to produce the next Awujale.

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The former President of ICAN, Alhaji Owoyemi and an oil and gas magnate, Adedokun, had been at each other’s throats for some time over the leadership of this ruling family.

The two elders, however, about a week ago, decided to bury their differences and reconciled to work together in unity, even as they both pledged to ensure that the right candidate for the vacant stool of Awujale is selected when the time comes.

It was gathered that the three-month mourning period of Oba Awujale would be completed by October 11, after which the race to pick the next Awujale would go into full swing.
(PUNCH)

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Pastor Adeboye To Lead Prayers For Nigeria

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The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God,Pastor Enoch Adeboye
The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. Photo Credit: RCCG

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, will host a special thanksgiving service to commemorate the 65th Independence anniversary of Nigeria.

In a statement made available to Saturday PUNCH, RCCG said the service, themed “The King of kings,” will take place at the church’s national headquarters in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, on Sunday.

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READ ALSO:RCCG Pastor Arrested Abroad For Greeting ‘Ladies And Gentlemen’ — Adeboye

According to the RCCG, the programme was inspired by a divine direction, and it would feature special prayers for public office holders in the country.

“Guided by divine direction, Pastor Adeboye will lead special prayers for government executives, legislators, politicians, electoral institutions, peacekeeping groups, political leaders, elder statesmen, students of political science, citizens’ rights organisations, and for the people of Nigeria at large,” the statement read.

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The church urged the general public to join the programme, describing it as a “solemn national intercession for peace, unity, and divine progress for the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

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Why We Shut Chinese Supermarkets —NAFDAC

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has shut two Chinese supermarkets located in the Jabi District and eight cosmetics shops at Wuse Market, Abuja, for selling and distributing regulated products in the country.

NAFDAC disclosed this in a press statement on Friday, signed by the Deputy Director of Public Relations/Protocol, Adegboyega Osiyemi.

The agency said, “Acting on the directive of the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, the enforcement team confiscated and evacuated offending products worth over N170m.”

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READ ALSO:NAFDAC Orders Removal Of 101 Products, Warns against Sale, Use

It noted that the enforcement exercise was carried out by the NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement Directorate and members of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines and Unwholesome Processed Foods in Abuja, led by the Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Musa Embugushiki.

The supermarkets, situated on Mike Akhigbe Way and Ebitu Ukiwe Street in Jabi District, Abuja, were sealed following credible consumer complaints and subsequent surveillance by the NAFDAC Enforcement Team, which revealed that the operators were engaged in the sale of unregistered food items and products labelled exclusively in the Chinese language, contrary to NAFDAC’s mandatory labelling policy requiring English translations for the Nigerian market and regulatory understanding.

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“Despite initial resistance and denials by the foreign national at Ebitu Street that the supermarket had yet to commence operation, the enforcement team confirmed that the outlet was in full operation and selling unregistered regulated products.

READ ALSO:NAFDAC Warns Of Fake Artemetrin DS, Antibiotic Ciprofit 500 In Circulation

“In a related operation, eight cosmetics shops within Wuse Market were also sealed for the sale of banned, expired, and unregistered cosmetics, aphrodisiacs, and aesthetic medicines. Investigations revealed that certain individuals had been illegally presenting themselves as dermatologists and pharmacists, prescribing and selling harmful products to unsuspecting consumers under the guise of body enhancement, skin whitening, aesthetic improvement for women, and manpower for men,” it stated.

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NAFDAC highlighted that some of the cosmetics products seized include Wenicks Capsules, Maxman Capsules, Boobs Enlargement, Curvy Weight Gain, Skin Whitening Vitamin Gummies, Collagen, Royal Jelly, Glutathione and Whitening Gummies.

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