Jonathan flies to South Africa for Mandela’s funeral, may return early

President Jonathan and his entourage will leave Abuja for South Africa on Monday, December 9, to attend the burial of former South African president, Nelson Mandela, who will be buried on Sunday.
Jonathan who announced his travel plans yesterday, will make the trip alongside the Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri.
Special Assistant to the president on New Media, Reno Omokri, spoke about Jonathan’s impending journey on Twitter, but did not disclose the size of the president’s entourage.
    President Jonathan leaves Abuja for South Africa tomorrow to join other world leaders in ceremonies leading up to Nelson Mandela’s burial.

TFF To Fine Drogba, Eboue For Paying Tributes To Mandela (LOOK)

DIDIER Drogba and Emmanuel Eboue face fines from the Turkish FA after displaying vests bearing tributes to Nelson Mandela.
The two Ivory Coast internationals unveiled their personal messages after Galatasaray’s game against Elazigspor on Friday, their first game after the death of South African icon Mandela.
Chelsea legend Drogba peeled off his shirt at the 2-0 win to reveal a tribute which said: ‘Thank you Madiba’ and former Arsenal defender Eboue’s vest said: ‘Rest in Peace Nelson Mandela’.
The Turkish FA (TFF) are planning to summon the Galatasaray pair to appear before the
Professional Football Discipline Committee because they had not sought prior permission to display their messages.
It is in contrast to England where games this weekend have been preceded by a minute of applause in celebration of Mandela’s life and his role in ending apartheid in South Africa and transforming the international profile of Africa.
Plans to discipline Drogba and Eboue are certain to attract criticism and fuel debate in Turkey, where the TFF are trying to keep political imagery out of football as directed by FIFA, although it has proved increasingly difficult in a football-crazy nation beset by political tension.

Who rocked the camo best? Chidinma, Davido vs. Wizkid

Be the judge..over to you guys who rocked the camouflage best?
The kedike crooner and ex-project famd winner – Chidinma? Omo baba olowo, Davido? Or the handsome starboy – Wizkid?

Paul Bassey: How favourable is Nigeria’s World Cup group?

South Korea and Greece and concluded that Argentina and the Super Eagles were going to progress in that order, yet we ended up drawing only one match and came out last in the group.
Two key phrases rule sports draws all over the world. The first is what is called “The luck of the draw” while the other is “group of death “
The direct meaning of the first contention is that there is a possibility of a team having the “luck” of finding itself in a group that it can easily top or come out from, depending on the perceived quality of its components.
The second assumption is that the group is peopled by teams believed tough and it will take a war, a battle of survival to be able to triumph therein.
Having said this much, we can understand why some of us insisted and prayed for a “favourable” draw for the Eagles, one that they will be able to maze through on the way to tougher successive rounds.
I wondered, for instance why anybody will want to play Brazil in Brazil in the very first round of the competition. With due respect to quality and the availability of players in her ranks, why will any coach wish for a confrontation against Germany, Spain and so called power houses of football, so early in the day?
Agreed that any team that wants to win the world cup must be ready to play and beat any team that crosses its path, but for me the key word there is READY.
With the draw that has been handed to us, even the luck of the pairings, by the time we have played Iran and Bosnia we will be READY to play Argentina and go for broke.
I was reminded by my son that four years ago, that is how I celebrated the draw that put Nigeria in the same group with Argentina, South Korea and Greece and concluded that Argentina and the Super Eagles were going to progress in that order, yet we ended up drawing only one match and came out last in the group.
Yes, I like to be reminded, that is why I have not suggested that this is a WEAK group. I have conveniently called it a FAVOURABLE GROUP.
I want to believe that between now and when the world cup starts, the Technical Department and the Technical Committee of the NFF will start work immediately to put at the disposal of the Keshi led technical crew all the information, logistics and player by player profile on Argentina, Iran and Bosnia. By now we should be able to know how these teams qualified for the world cup, their strengths and weaknesses and the depth of individual players.
As you are reading this, Coach Keshi would have taken a decision on the friendly matches he wants to play, those teams and countries that have similar playing patterns and cultures with the teams in our group.
By the time coach Keshi receives the files containing all the information on our opponents, he should be able to monitor ALL the players in their clubs and national teams. In other words if Argentina plays a friendly match today, Keshi MUST endeavour to be present, just as he will be interested in the form and progress of Argentine players in their different clubs, ditto Iran and Bosnia players.
The minutest detail are taken into consideration, to the point where the Eagles goalkeeper trainer will want to know who takes the opposition penalties and in what pattern over the last two and three years.
This is what the other teams will be doing against us and we cannot feign ignorance. This is what draws are all about, the opportunity to plan as the days tick by.
What about training camp venue and the availability of necessary infrastructure? During the FIFA World Cup in France in 1998, as FIFA Media Officer I had accompanied the General Coordinator in Marseille to go and visit the German team in their camp. A detention facility could not have been better fortified. When we finally got in, we met the team in a two hour training regime in a swimming pool. Yes swimming pool.
We also visited the gym that was laid out for the team and we were told by some of the physical trainers that the maximum days they train with the ball in a week is four days. That set me thinking, that “training” IS NOT eleven a side or the running round the field eleven times before the players settle down to play “ “probables” against “possibles
Football is a science, where even the rooming policy is consciously decided as an off the field strategy to help cohesion on the field of play.
With Friday’s draw, the qualification party has been brought to an end. The competition is now here with us. For us to go to Brazil and not do better than the four previous qualifications will amount to an anti climax.
The Aminu Maigari led NFF must therefore do all in their power to liaise with government with a view to extending full support to the team to succeed. This is the time to sit down and talk bonuses and allowances. This is the time to decide on and thrash out all those components that have in the past impacted negatively on our success.
Akin to the rites of Christian marriage, Maigari should now address   the Nigerian football community and ask   if there is any one that feels he has anything against Nigeria winning the cup! If so, let him or her speak now or forever remain silent …….because we will not tolerate any distraction from any level.

ASUU strike update: No resumption without signed agreement – Lecturers

In further defiance of the Federal Government’s order of resumption, the striking university lecturers, under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), have said that only a signed agreement would make them resume teaching.
The academic body has insisted that it would not obey the government directive to resume until the FG’s promises to provide adequate funding were evidenced in writing and signed.
The lecturers also said that having a signed agreement within their grasp would provide them enough leverage in case they needed it for future reference.
Nigerian Eye reports:
    The National Treasurer of the union, Dr Ademola Aremu, disclosed this while speaking with our correspondent on telephone on Sunday.
    Aremu said there can not be any meaningful progress until the government responds to the letter, stressing that ASUU’s request was the collective decision of members across the country and not the decision of the national leadership.
    The unionist waved aside the announcement by the Federal Government that it had deposited a large sum of money to meet the demand of ASUU with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He said the proper way of communication with the union should be through a letter confirming the signing of the new agreement it reached with the lecturers.
    Describing government’s announcement as a mark of insincerity, Aremu said that the only way it can take government seriously on the issue is a letter confirming the signing of the agreement.
    He said: “When we finished negotiation with the President, we promised to go and brief our members and communicate the popular decision of the union to his office. That was exactly what we did. The collective decision of members was that the government should put its proposal in black and white and sign it properly.
    “So, if government wants to communicate with us, it should simply respond to the letter, not announcing through the media that certain amount of money was already with the CBN. That is not proper. We don’t believe that is a fair treatment.”
    On the ultimatum, Aremu said it was a threat that can not intimidate any lecturer that is worth his salt.
    “Any academic that is not an intellect work, that is actually an intellectual will not be intimidated by the threat. Nobody can humiliate you when you are fighting a just cause.” He said.