Shehu Dikko and his gang, the good, the bad, the ugly By Abdulgafar Oladimeji The massive felicitation messages that have continued to herald the announcement of the appointment of mallam Shehu Dikko, by Tinubu’s government , as the chairman of the resurrected National Sports Commission, NSC has left me somehow perturbed . Disturbed because , in Nigeria, it is trite that when you are assigned to man public office and everyone is crying aloud hurray, hurray, hurray, then the public expectations are usually very high, the odds are often higher that you may end up leaving office as a villain.…
Author: Abdulgafar Oladimeji
Abdulgafar Oladimeji
Abdulgafar Oladimeji is a sports writer with over two decades experience in the industry. As a reporter , he has worked with top major Nigerian newspapers, freelancer with newspaper and broadcast media organizations in Africa, Europe and America. He is a well travelled sports journalists reporting major sports events across the globe.
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Kejelcha breaks world half marathon record in Valencia Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha broke the world half marathon record* at the Medio Maratón de Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Zurich on Sunday (27), clocking 57:30 at the World Athletics Gold Label road race. In his sixth appearance over the distance, the 27-year-old world indoor mile record holder set off behind the pacemakers before taking command of the race just before the third kilometre. From then on, he started running at 2:43/km pace in pursuit of the world record. The two-time world indoor champion went through 5km in 13:38, 10km in 27:12 and 15km in 40:56. It…
Nigerians in diaspora thank Tinubu for appointing Dikko chairman NSC, advocates for the principles of federal character By Abdulgafar Oladimeji A coalition of concerned sports stakeholders have urged the federal government of Nigeria to consider the principles of federal character in making further appointments into strategic sports public offices . The stakeholders under the aegis of Concerned Sports Stakeholders in Diaspora , CSSD expressed worries over what it described as the present lopsided occupation of public sports offices. The group thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his courageous and well appreciated recent moves to heal the ailing sports sector.…
Nigeria wins West Africa deaf football championship The Nigeria National Deaf football team , Deaf Eagles have been crowned as the new West African champions. The Nigerians outshone their opponents from neighboring Niger republic to lift the trophy for a record 5th time at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena popularly known as Onikan Stadium in Lagos. The Deaf Eagles thrashed Niger Republic 4-0 in the final of the 12th edition of the West Africa Deaf Football Championship to be crowned as the reigning champions for the fifth time running.
AIPS strongly condemns the removal of Oğuz Tongsir, the President of our member organization, the Turkish Sports Writers Association (TSYD), and the appointment of a government-appointed trustee in his place. This decision is a direct interference with press freedom and the independence of sports. Journalism, as a cornerstone of democratic societies, must be kept free from any political pressure. We demand the immediate reversal of this decision to ensure an environment where sports writers can work freely, and we call for respect of the autonomy of the Turkish Sports Writers Association, allowing it to resolve matters within its own dynamics.
South-South League: Five rugby players risk sanctions over pitch brawl Five rugby players may come under severe sanctions from Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, NRFF for indulging in an alleged actions that contravenes the regulations governing the league. The players last Wednesday were alleged to been indulged in a brawl in the top-of-the-table clash between Delta State and Edo State. Edo player Anwar Aliyu is alleged to have tackled Delta winger Isidor Okafor into touch leading to the brawl, which escalated. Christian Eleberi from Edo and Isidor Okafor from Delta, were both sent to the sin-bin for their actions. NRFF General…
Foul cry over Turkish government’s intervention in the affairs of sports journalists The recent decision by the Turkish Ministry of Interior to intervene in the affairs of the Turkish Sports Writers Association (TSYD) has been met with widespread criticism, with many calling it an unacceptable violation of democratic principles. Oğuz Tongsir, who was elected president of the association for a fourth term by 499 votes from its respective members, has been suspended from his role. In his place, a trustee has been appointed by the Turkish Court and the Ministry of Interior, overriding the democratic process. A PURE POLITICAL DECISION…
Nominees announced for Track Athlete of the Year 2024 As part of the World Athletics Awards 2024, World Athletics is pleased to confirm the nominees for Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. Given the higher number of disciplines on the track, there are six nominees for this category, though – as with the other categories – there will be just two finalists. In what has been another memorable year for the sport, the nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, World Athletics Indoor Championships, one-day meeting…
10 sports removed from Commonwealth Games Ten sports have been axed from Commonwealth Games ahead of Glasgow 2026, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has revealed. This comes as the CGF officially confirmed Glasgow as the host city for the next edition of the Games in two years’ time. The sports that have been dropped include cricket, hockey, rugby sevens, badminton, table tennis, diving, beach volleyball, mountain biking, squash and rhythmic gymnastics. The roster of sports that will be played at Glasgow 2026 includes athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls, and 3×3 basketball. By contrast, the…
Tennis: Jones and Rottgering triumph at ITF Junior Finals in Chengdu Australia’s Emerson Jones and Mees Rottgering of Netherlands were the toast of Chengdu after lifting silverware at the 2024 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals. The ITF Junior Finals – the junior equivalent of the ATP and WTA Finals – is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors calendar. Jones and Rottgering have written their names into the event’s illustrious history and, by doing so, have become the first players from their nations to top the ITF Junior Finals podium. Queenslander Jones arrived…
