Category: Front News

The Honourable Commissioner for Sports, Youth and Public Safety, High chief Rodney Ajaelu has thanked the Internationals Armature Athletics Federation (IAAF) and the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) over the sports development equipment donated to the Imo Sports Council.
Ajaelu who expressed the gratitude during the official hand over of the athletics equipment donated by IAAF through the nations athletics body at the ministry in the state secretariat yesterday articulated satisfaction and commended the Int’l body and AFN for finding Imo state worthy of receiving such gift which, according to him will help the development of athletics at the grassroots.
He, however, charged the Ag. Director of Sports, Mr. Austine Atasie and the management staff of the Imo state Sports council including their coaches to catch in on the opportunity presented by the donation of the gift items to embark on intension training programmes in most of the schools in the Capital City with the equipment to catch them young.
While also thanking the state Governor, Owelle Okorocha for his support to Sports and the youths, Ajaelu also used the opportunity to reiterate the desire of his ministry to assure that the jinx of not hosting the State Sports Festival for over 10 years will be broken this year charging the council management and the press the partner to join in the drive of re-orientating the private sector on sponsoring sports to help develop the youths.
In a related development, the Sports Commissioner in the state, High chief Rodney Tony Ajaelu expressed confidence on the Imo State Hockey team, Heartland Flickers on their quest to reclaiming the African Club Cup Championship currently going on in Kenya.
The Commissioner, in a statement stated that so far the team which departed the shores of Nigeria last week Friday has recorded 3 victories and one draw in the four games played (as at yesterday) God willing the team is looking good to clinch the Trophy.

It was indeed fun filled atmosphere at the Sam Okwaraji Memorial Sports complex, Orlu during the final of the Hon Marcel Odunze Unity Football Competition for all the 13 INEC Wards in Orlu LGA as citizens of the area trooped out en mass to mark the closure of the tournament that kick started on December 28, 2016.
The annual championship designed by the lawmaker representing Orlu  Constituency at the Imo House of Assembly, Hon Marcel Odunze to identify and expose football talents from the area was a history making event as the two teams in the final, Ohafor/Okporo/Umutanze Ward and Okwuabali Ward were competing in the final for the first time having edged out the defending champions and last season’s runner up, Eziachi/ Amaike Ward and Umuna Ward and Umuna Ward respectively in the semi finals via penalty shoot-outs.
The keenly contested final match later saw Ohafor/Okporo/Umutanze come from behind to restore parity 1-1 before winning the game in the gamble and lottery of penalty 5-4 to emerge champions.
Presenting the trophy, the donor, Hon Odune congratulated the winning team and the runner –up   for showing good spirit of sportsmanship noting that all the participating teams are winners as the purpose of the competition was to unite the constituents as well as to discover talents.
He expressed his satisfaction with the level of competition among the teams announcing that already two players from the tournament have been invited to Heartland FC.
The lawmaker while promising to make the next edition bigger and better admonished the players to always maintain high level of discipline which according to him remains the bedrock for success.
The champions were later presented a trophy and a mouth watering  cash prize while the runner –up, Okwuabali Ward also got a cash award alongside Eziachi/Amaike Ward and Umuna Ward as consolation prizes.
The Top scorer, Chibuike Obinero from Eziachi, most Valuable player-Victor Chukwuma from Ohafor/Okporo/Umutanze and best goal keeper,Onuoha Chairman from Okwuabali all got cash prizes.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying draw made in Libreville Thursday pitted Nigeria against South Africa in one of the 12 groups and Tunisia against Egypt in another.
Nigeria and South Africa are in Group E with Libya and the Seychelles while Tunisia and Egypt are in Group J with Niger and Swaziland.
Both Nigeria and South Africa failed to reach the 2017 Cup of Nations tournament, which kicks off in Gabon Saturday with a fixture between the host country and Guinea-Bissau.
Nigeria lost out to Egypt after taking only one point from the two matches between countries who have won 10 of the previous 30 competitions.
South Africa held eventual group winners Cameroon twice, but finished an embarrassing third after losing and drawing against minnows Mauritania.
Both blockbuster pairings are repeats of 2015 qualifiers with Nigeria and South Africa drawing twice and Tunisia defeating Egypt home and away.
Ghana and Kenya are in Group F with Ethiopia and Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Brazzaville share Group G with Zimbabwe and Liberia.
Group L comprises decades-old east African rivals Uganda and Tanzania plus Cape Verde and Lesotho.
There will be three two-leg preliminary ties during March involving the six lowest ranked sides with the overall winners securing places in the group phase.

The Imo State Sports Writer Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has scheduled its election for new executives that will pilot the affairs of the Sports pen pushers in the next few years. The election is billed for January 28.
According to a release signed by Imo Election Commission Chairman, Mr. Ikechukwu sale of forms commenced officially on the 10th of January.
The release further stated that submission of forms will end by January 20th as screening and petitions will hold between January 21 and 25 before the qualified candidate will be published   while all campaign ends on 27th.
Collaborating the statement of SWANECO, the outgoing chairman, Mr Jhon Nwogu also urged members to ensure that the election activities are conducted in a healthy and friendly manner, charging the SWANECO members on free and fair election.

Few weeks after his Samuel Okwaraji Memorial Unity football competition for all the LGA’s in Imo State was concluded at the Dan Anyiam Stadium,  Mr Okey Ezeh is at it again as the one time APGA Imo guber aspirant is set to bank roll another competition in another Sports.
Sports Ambassador reliably gathered that moves have already been put in motion for the organization of the Dick-Tiger Memorial Boxing championship which will aim at helping to immortalize the legendary, former World Boxing champion as well as identity Boxing talents in Imo State and the nation in future national and Competition .
According to Chidozie Achonwa, media assistant to Okey Ezeh who revealed this to Sports Ambassador during the week, the Okey Ezeh Youth Foundation is consulting wildly to ensure that the event when it begins will also help to empower Imo Youths especially those who may want to become professional boxers like Dick Tiger.
While expressing his principal’s delight over the recently concluded Sam Okwaraji memorial Unity football Tourney which was won by Owerri Municipal, Achonwa didn’t fail to State Okey Eze’s desire to use Sports which he identified as unifying factor to unite Imolites and help the youths to realize their potentials through Sports.
He however said the programme for the Boxing championship will soon be made known as soon as the logistics are well articulated.

The saying that behind every successful man there is a woman has continued to proof itself as true especially with the revelation made recently by the wife of South East YSFON Sports Ambassador, lady Ugochi Grace Ogbonna Nee Nwosu where she described Prince Sir E.O Ogbonna simply as Bravo, an Italian  word meaning, wonderful and brilliant.
In a chart with Sports Ambassador, lady Ugochi while narrating her experience since they both met way back  during their secondary School days when she was studying at Bishop Lansbury Secondary School and the  husband in Emmanuel collage Owerri, revealed that it has not really been easy but her believe in God has kept her steady and focused.
Lady Ogbonna who poured encomium on her husband said she was never surprised at the success recorded so for stating the he has been a very hard working and creative person who likes taking risks and diversifying with his business opportunities.
“Am not surprised at his achievement and infact he will record more success because he is simply industrious and I say he is bravo in Italian word”, Lady Ugochi said.
On her family, Lady Ogbonna said by the grace of God her home has been built with patience, Endurance and Tolerance for each other.
She however advised other woman out there to always trust their husband, endure and be tolerant for their marriage to work because the trouble times

Former international, EmekaEzeugo, has urged the Federal Government to  allow the Nigeria Football Federation run as an independent body sourcing its own funds for its programmes.
The NFF relies on allocation from the Federal Government to take care of the national teams.
Ezeugo also said a  lack of legislation is killing football in the country.
“The NFF will continue to fail in its duty of paying national team players  until the right things are done. The Federal Government should take its hands off the funding of football in Nigeria,” he said.
“When government funds sports, accountability becomes a difficult thing. It will take a lot of probing to expose how the government funds are spent.
“If the NFF is independent and sponsored by the private sector, owing players will be a thing of the past. Players, who are the main actors in the sport, will not be owed their rightful allowances.”
He added, “The private sector wants to know how their money is spent before investing. When they give out money and are not convinced about how it is spent, they withdraw and the result is what we are currently seeing.
“Nigeria needs a legislation that will make the NFF independent, and also make state governments stay away from the running of football clubs. With the Exception of F.C IfeanyiUbah and a few other privately run clubs, the teams in the Premier League are guilty of owing players because they rely on government subventions, which come late. Sometimes the money  is shared before it gets to the players.”
The well-travelled former Eagles defender said the country should encourage private ownership of football clubs as it would encourage accountability.
He said, “The bedrock of football administration in the country are the clubs. The representatives of these clubs go into the state football associations and then into the NFF. When state governments own football clubs, the money allocated to them are not properly accounted for.
“These actions continue to the FAs and then the federation. But when we more private ownership of clubs, the players will be paid and the necessary legislation needed for the growth of the game would be pushed for. Accountability will also