Nigerian Breweries Plc, brewers of Maltina and other premium brands has announced the sum of N4 million as the total cash prize for the 2010 edition of the Maltina Dance All (MDA) reality TV show which has just kicked off. The first prize winning family will cart away a whopping N2.5 million.

A custom officer in charge of License and Bond of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Tin Can Island Command, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Umar has bagged an Africa International Media Organisation award, (AIMO).

By Richard Animam

Brigadier-General
Emmanuel Okaro
did not mince words when he was asked the caliber of people who should be in the new Nigeria Football Association (NFA).
“We need People with integrity and sincerity in whatever they are doing. We don’t want a group of politicians that would come and do same thing all over again. In fact, the present NFA as constituted should be swept aside alongside Sani Lulu, Amanze Uchegbulam and Taiwo Ogunjobi”, the retired General said as he began to pour out his thoughts.
“Running of football is not supposed to be for only those on the board. People who are not board members should be able to contribute by way of advice to the board, so that we can move forward.
“The people who should be in the NFA, are people who are able to listen and liaise with government. Government is the sole sponsor of our football and they certainly have a say on how the game should go. FIFA has not said the FA should not liaise with government. It is the day to day running that is what FIFA is against”, he said.
General Okaro added that there are credible Nigerians with integrity who, if drafted into the NFA sub-committees, will bring quality into the programmes of the federation. People whom he said can contribute immensely to the development of our football.
He stressed that the situation now is where only loyalists are drafted into committees. And as soon as they notice that they are singing a new tune, they are dropped. They would not be invited to meetings again.
According to him, every member of the past board were busy trying to perpetuate themselves in office and as such completely forgot about grassroots development. Such people should not be found anywhere close to our football.
“Any person who has any relationship with the old order should not be allowed to come back. There should be a new order. As a matter of fact, the next election should start from the state FA. There must be elections at the state FA before the elections at the national level. What they have done is to invert the pyramid. Instead of starting from the bottom, they start from the top, so as to provide the chairman with the opportunity of filling various positions with his people. We can not afford to continue like this”, he said.

When a new chapter of equal distribution of power in the country’s history book opened in 1999, with the gentlemen agreement of power zoning, it was a Yoruba man, in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that benefited from the formula.

British Airways has become the first United Kingdom carrier to take delivery of the long-range Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Even with some weeks left before elections into the board of the Nigeria Football Federation, the fate of dismissed board members, Alhaji Sani Lulu, Amanze Uchegbulam and Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi in the elections has been decided.

Englishman and referee Howard Webb could be dubbed Mr. Controversy if records of his football refereeing are anything to go by. Like in 2006, he ended the 2010 assignment with some controversies.

Olympic and world 100-meter champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser broke down and cried when she was confronted with the result of her positive dope test to pain killer, Oxycodone at the Diamond League in Shanghai, China on may 23.

Nigerian athletes selected for the African Championships left today for Nairobi, Kenya where the competition is scheduled to start on July 28.

Christine Ohuruogu is yet to decide whether she will defend her Commonwealth Games 400m title.Ohuruogu will be absent from this month’s European Athletics Championships in Barcelona with the quad injury that forced her out of the recent UK Championships.

The grand finale of the 2010 edition of the Delta State league was over the weekend held amidst pomp and pageantry at the main bowl of the Oghara Township Stadium.

All is certainly not well with the Flying Antelopes of Enugu. The side which started the just concluded Globacom Premier league season like a house on fire, fizzled out when it mattered most as a result of financial problems.

Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim said he decided to hire Samson Siasia as the Technical Adviser of Heartland FC because he wanted to see the dream of many Nigerians who are wishing for the team to win the CAF Champions League title this season come true.

Former Super Eagles player Thompson Oliha has urged the new board of the NPL led by David Owumi to ensure that the Globacom Premier League is run by people who are vast and knowledgeable about the game, reports Kate Obodo
Olihah, believes corruption has eaten deep into the league and needs the right people who know the game very well to move the league forward .

Having assessed the 2009/2010 Globacom Premier League which ended last week, former coach of Heartland of Owerri FC, Benedict Iroha has advised the new league board led by Davison Owumi to take into consideration problems affecting the smooth running of the league in order to ensure a good organization come next season.