Latest on EKO 2012

The 18th edition of the National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012 kicked off yesterday with fanfare at the main bowl of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos. Vice president, Namadi Sambo, who declared the prestigious event open, enthused that the objective of the festival was to foster national unity and discover talents who would represent the country in future international engagements.

With a view to motivating the participating states to give their best at the event that opened amid glitz and glamour, Sambo, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, pledged a cash gift of N20m for any state that comes first, N15m for the second runner up and N10m for the third runner up. “I am highly delighted to be a part of the opening ceremony of the 18th Sports Festival in Lagos.

The main objective of this Festival is to foster national unity in the country and also discover talents that will be nurtured to represent the country in future international competitions,” he enthused. “Over the years, the Festival has achieved this target. You are aware that the Federal Government had a retreat to reform sports in the country. So, I can assure you that the recommendations of the retreat will be carried out to enhance sports development in the country,” he added.

I advise the athletes to stay away from performance- enhancing drugs and give their best to excel in the Festival. The officials should also be fair in officiating the games. “On behalf of the Federal Government, I pledge cash gifts of 20 million naira for the best state, 15 million naira for the second best state and 10 million naira for the third best state,” he said. He, however, assured of government’s support to Nigerian sports development.

Nigerians however may not see the best of the 18th National Sports Festival following revelations that some state sports councils and their athletes have yet to resolve issues concerning their daily allowances during the games and remuneration for winning medals at the event.

On Friday, the Lagos athletes protested the delayed payment, storming the Teslim Balogun Stadium where the Main Organising Committee is located, to demand their money. According to the athletes, it was better to agitate for the money then than wait for the games to begin.

One of the athletes said, “This protest is not meant to embarrass Lagos State but we’ve not been paid our allowances. We need money for our welfare.”

An official of the Local Organising Committee, however, confirmed that parts of the allowances were paid on Monday. The official did not disclose how much was released to the athletes.

A similar situation is bedevilling Team Edo. The athletes had protested by boycotting training while in camp in Edo State, demanding, among other things, increased daily allowances and an assurance of monetary rewards when they return from the games.

The Edo State government, in quick response, approved N120m for the athletes ahead of the games, but the fear remains in the team that some of them have been identified as troublemakers and would have been removed from the team had the games not drawn close.

The athletes were paid N1,000 daily while the coaches received N2,000 daily, but the athletes reportedly wanted a 50 per cent increase which the state said it could not afford.

In the case of Ondo,  athletes were only placated on Saturday with the reward for their efforts at the last sports festival in Port Harcourt in 2011. There were threats of a total boycott of the games by the athletes if they were not paid for the last event, a situation that affected their training schedule.

Chairman of the the Ondo team, Bamido Omogbehin, said on Tuesday that the cash for this edition would be N20,000 for gold, N15,000 for silver and N10,000 for bronze.

Top 30 Earning Football Managers

A list has been published in Brazil which places Jose Mourinho at the top of managerial earners in world football - Sir Alex Ferguson is only fourth and England boss Roy Hodgson is 30th!

Brazilian sports business consulting firm Pluri Consultoria has ranked what they consider to be the highest earning 30 bosses in the game with former Chelsea manager Mourinho sitting pretty at the summit, allegedly earning £12.3m per year. More Special Portuguese, than Special One!

Carlo Ancelotti, is second with a salary of £10.9m at Paris St. Germain.

Ferguson is the highest earning Premier League manager on £7.6m at Manchester United, with six other bosses in the English top flight making the top 30.

The highest paid international manager is former England boss Fabio Capello, whose disastrous spell in charge of the Three Lions at the 2010 World Cup has done little to put off Russia who are paying the Italian £6.3m.

1. Jose Mourinho – Real Madrid (£12.3m)

2. Carlo Ancelotti – Paris St. Germain (£10.9m)

3. Marcelo Lippi – Guangzhou (£8.7m)

Sir Alex Ferguson( Manchester United Manager)

4. Sir Alex Ferguson – Manchester United (£7.6m)

5. Arsene Wenger – Arsenal (£7.5m)

6. Guus Hiddink – Anzhi (£6.7m)

7. Fabio Capello – Russia (£6.3m)

8. Tito Vilanova – Barcelona (£5.6m)

9. Jose Camacho – China (£4.8m)

10. Roberto Mancini – Manchester City (£4.8m)

11. Frank Rijkaard – Saudi Arabia (£4.3m)

12. Jupp Heynckes – Bayern Munich (£4.2m)

13. Andre Villas-Boas – Tottenham (£3.6m)

14. Harry Redknapp – QPR (£3.2m)

15. Jorge Jesus – Benfica (£3.2m)

16. David Moyes – Everton (£2.9m)       

Guus Hiddink

17. Manuel Pellegrini – Malaga (£2.9m)        

18. Paulo Autuori – Qatar (£2.9m)

19. Abel Braga – Fluminense (2.8m)

20. Luciano Spaletti – Zenit (£2.7m)

21. Antonio Conte – Juventus (£2.4m)

22. Cesare Prandelli – Italy (£2.4m)

23. Vanderlei Luxemburgo – Gremio (£2.4m)

24. Muricy Ramalho – Santos (£2.4m)

25. Tite – Corinthians (£2.4m)

26. Ottmar Hitzfeld – Switzerland (£2.1m)

27. Joachim Low – Germany (£2m)

28. Marcelo Bielsa – Athletic Bilbao (£2m)

29. Martin O’Neill – Sunderland (£2m)

30. Roy Hodgson – England (£2m)

Arsene Wenger

LAGOS PAINTS HOUSES IN PREPARATION FOR EKO 2012

Residents of the Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC) estate adjacent to the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos have had their houses painted by the state government, ahead of the 18th National Sports Festival.

Information gathered reports that the Games, tagged “Eko 2012,’’ will hold from Nov. 27 to Dec. 9.

A check showed that houses on streets opposite the LSDPC estate, such as Ogunmola, were also similarly painted. The government is also painting and fumigating houses around the stadium and the other venues for the festival.

The venues are: the University of Lagos, Akoka; the Yaba College of Technology and the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka. However, some of the residents have called on the government to ensure effective monitoring, to prevent the contractors from doing shoddy jobs

 The painting of houses around the Games venues is part of government’s efforts to create awareness for the fiesta and to ensure that the neighbourhoods remained clean.

PRESIDENT’S BROTHER’S DEATH DAMPENS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Late Meni Jonathan

Meni, a half-brother to President Goodluck Jonathan is dead.

A statement issued by the President’s media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Chief Meni died on Tuesday morning at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a brief illness.

The statement reads:

“President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan announces with sadness the death earlier today of his younger brother, Chief Meni Innocent Jonathan.

“Chief Meni Jonathan passed away at the National Hospital, Abuja after a brief illness.

This event dampened the festivities that would have accompanied the 55^th birthday celebration of the president.

We condole with the president and his family. May the soul of the departed rest in perfect peace.

CHELSEA SACK ROBERTO DI MATTEO

Roberto Di Matteo

 Chelsea Football Club, have fired the Club’s manager Roberto Di Matteo. This was contained in a statement released by the Club’s management.  This sack followed a run of poor form.

“The team’s recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the Board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season. Our aim is to remain as competitive as possible and challenge strongly on all fronts. The owner and the Board would like to thank Roberto for all he has done for the club since taking over in March. Roberto helped guide us to an historic Champions’ league victory and a seventh FA cup. We will never forget the huge contribution he has made to the club’s history and he will always be welcomed at Stamford Bridge”, read the statement.

The Italian who did win 24 of his 42 games in charge of the club has had a bad run. The latest being the 3-0 loss to Juventus leaving the club in danger of not qualifying for the knockout stage of the Champions’ league. If they do not qualify, they would be the first immediate champion not to go past the group stage of the next one.

The Club will be making an announcement shortly regarding a first team manager.

WENGER PONDERS HENRY’S THIRD SPELL AT THE EMIRATES

Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move to bring Thierry Henry back to the club. Arsenal’s record goalscorer made a hugely-successful return last winter, scoring against Leeds in the FA Cup before netting a last-minute winner at Sunderland.

Wenger said: "He has been practising with us. Three times. Will I sign him again in January? I don't know - I don't rule it out. I don't know if he would be interested. "This year we will lose Gervinho to the Africa Cup of Nations again, so we will be short - particularly if Chamakh goes."

"You know what he gives you. He gives you hope, especially when he comes on. That is the most important thing," he said.

"He is a communicator. An extrovert, very intelligent. He can only give good advice to players because he was in their position when he arrived here."

Israel begins Gaza's onslaught

Israel killed the commander of the Hamas military wing, Ahmad Jabari in one of the over twenty(20) airstrikes on the Gaza Strip  Wednesday morning, the 14th of November, 2012.  This has been the worst attacks on the Palestinian territory in four years in retaliation for renewed rocket fire on southern Israel. Gaza's health minister said 10 people were killed, two of them young children.

This new operation followed the recent firing of over 120 rockets into the south of Israel from the Gaza Strip over the last week. Early yesterday, both Israel and Hamas confirmed that Ahmed Jabari, the commander of Hamas' military wing, had been killed as he travelled in a car in Gaza City. Israel released a video showing a direct hit on Jabari's car.

The killing of Ahmad Jabari marked a dramatic resumption of Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian militant leaders. He was the most senior Hamas official to be killed since the last war in Gaza ended in early 2009. He has long topped Israel's most-wanted list, blamed for a string of deadly attacks, including the kidnapping of Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit in 2006.

The military said its aircraft targeted more than 20 facilities that served as storage or launching sites for rockets. Among the weapons destroyed were rockets that could hit as far as 40 kilometers (25 miles) into Israel.

The chief military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, said "at this stage" there are no plans for a ground offensive. "We're focusing on an air operation," he said.

The military said the assassination was just the beginning of an operation codenamed "Pillar of Defense."

"After a couple of days on ongoing rocket attacks toward Israeli civilians, the (Israeli military) chief of staff has authorized to open an operation against terror targets in the Gaza Strip," military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovitch said.

She said Jabari had "a lot of blood of his hands" and that the military chief "authorized different targets" as well.

Advocates say targeted killings are an effective deterrent without the complications associated with a ground operation, chiefly civilian and Israeli troop casualties. Proponents argue they also prevent future attacks by removing their masterminds.

Critics say the killings invite retaliation by militants and encourage them to try to assassinate Israeli leaders. They complain that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.

Dovish Israeli lawmaker Dov Hanin condemned the killing.

"Assassinating leaders is never the solution. In place of the leaders killed, other will grow, and we will only get another cycle of fire and blood," he said.

During a wave of suicide bombings against Israel a decade ago, the country employed the tactic to eliminate the upper echelon of Hamas leadership. During that period, Israeli aircraft assassinated the previous commander of Hamas' military wing, Salah Shehadeh, the movement's founder and spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, and dozens of other Hamas military commanders.

That set off a wave of criticism from rights groups and foreign governments, particularly the strike that killed Shehadeh — a one-ton bomb that killed 14 other people, most of them children.

Israeli opposition leader Shaul Mofaz, a former chief of staff who has supported targeted killings, welcomed the strike.

"We need to continue this policy, to find them in every place," he told Israel's Army Radio. "Israel needs to determine the agenda, not Jabari."

Mofaz warned that Israelis should expect an escalation of violence in the coming days following the assassination.

Jabari was known in Israel as the man who accompanied Schalit when the high-profile prisoner swap took place last October. Schalit, who was captured in a cross-border raid from Gaza that killed two other soldiers, was swapped for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including more than 300 convicted killers.

Jabari, nicknamed Abu Mohammed, was born in 1960 in the eastern Gaza neighborhood of Shejaiya. In 2006, he became the acting commander of the military wing of Hamas after his predecessor, Muhammad Deif, was seriously wounded in an Israeli attack.

Jabari began as a member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, but switched his allegiance to Hamas after serving 13 years in an Israeli prison.

He survived four previous attempts by Israel to kill him. In one attempt in 2004 his eldest son, his brother and three other relatives were killed.

He was said to have led the bloody 2007 takeover of Gaza from Fatah forces, developing Hamas's military arsenal and its networks in Iran, Sudan and Lebanon and for his planning of the Schalit kidnapping. Hamas has ruled Gaza with an iron grip since then, and repeated attempts to reconcile with Fatah have failed.

The assassination threatened to further damage Israel's relations with Egypt, which is governed by Hamas' ideological counterpart, the Muslim Brotherhood.

The coming days would be keenly watched as the war unfolds

Abubakar Olusola Saraki is dead

Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, a Nigerian politician is dead. The former senate leader and Waziri of the Ilorin Emirate died in Lagos this morning, Wednesday, the 14th of November, 2012 . He was aged 79 and unconfirmed reports has it that, he is being flown to Kwara state for burial rites.

He was born on the 17th of May, 1933 in Ilorin, Kwara state.  He was educated at Eko Boys High School. He attended the University of London, and St George's Hospital Medical School, London. He worked as a medical officer at the General Hospital,Lagos and the Creek Hospital, Lagos.
In 1977, Olusola Saraki was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly that produced the 1979 constitution. In 1979 he was elected a Senator of the Second Republic, and became Senate Leader. In 1983 Saraki was re-elected into the Senate on the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) platform.
In his time, he was perceived a kingmaker in Kwara state. In 1998, Olusola Saraki became a National Leader and member of the Board of Trustees of the All People's Party (APP), contributing to the APP success in Kwara and Kogi States. He assisted Mohammed Alabi Lawal in becoming Governor of Kwara State. He is the father of the former Governor, Senator Bukola Saraki.
Dr. Saraki was a completely selfless and detribalised Nigerian whose entire life was dedicated to the service of humanity. He loved education, with a passion and as a demonstration of this he built and funded several Schools. Saraki did not stop there. He awarded Scholarships not only to indigenes of Kwara and Kogi States but extended it to the children of the poor wherever they come from.

May his soul rest in peace.