LAST week, I wrote about Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize-winning activist who was recently released from house arrest by the military junta in Myanmar.

ELDER statesman and founding member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Benjamin Apugo is a respected grassroot politician in Abia State and there is no doubt about it.

The worldwide players’ union FIFPro and FIFA today announced the 55 players shortlisted for the FIFA/FIPro World XI 2010 (see full list below), which is to be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala in Zurich on 10 January 2011.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) is to investigate claims about the gender of some players at the recent African Women’s Championship.

The National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Professional League have thrown their weight behind the forthcoming Nigeria International Football Expo holding in Lagos next month.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria( AFN) has sent in a strong five man list to the organizers of the 10th AKS/NNPC/MPN Schools Athletics Championship whose grand finale will come off in Eket on Saturday,December 4.

Former Eagles’ stars Emmanuel Amunike and Peter Rufai are front runners in the race by ex-internationals to assist Coach Samson Siasia.
It was gathered from competent sources that Amuneke has been favoured as assistant coach while Rufai will take the role of goalkeeper’s trainer. The duo are among the list of former players who are jostling to join the national team. Others include Henry Nwosu and Sylvanus Okpalla.

Former Nigeria Football Association chairman, Ibrahim Galadima has vowed not to make the same mistakes that led to the suspension of Amos Adamu from the executive committee of the world soccer governing body, FIFA.

THE Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Segun Runsewe, has expressed satisfaction over Nigeria’s participation at the World Travel Market (WTM), an annual travel trade exhibition recently held at the ExCel Centre, London, as he described the country’s performance as the best in the last four years.

AS the political feud between former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Kalu, and his successor, Theodore Orji, deepens, the two prominent indigenes of the state who signed the bail bond that freed Kalu from EFCC detention, Senator Uche Chukwumerije and a traditional ruler, Eze Gaius Ihejiamaizu, have written to the anti-corruption agency and courts, seeking to withdraw their signature.

ABIA State House of Assembly has passed a supplementary budget of N5.9 billion, bringing to N71.6 billion the total approved appropriation for 2010 fiscal year.

World Travel Market (WTM) 2010, the premier global event for the travel industry, experienced an impressive 10% increase in visitors.
Almost 27,000 (26,908) visitors attended WTM 2010 over the four days (Monday, November 8–Thursday, November 11) compared to 24,402 visitors who attended WTM 2009, reveals unaudited figures of the event.

Foreign exchange inflow into the economy fell by 11.85 per cent in $2.38 billion October, said the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
Meanwhile, the Naira further depreciated on Wednesday despite decline in foreign exchange demand at the official foreign exchange auction.

An African Develop-ment Bank (AfDB) delegation led by its President, Donald Kaberuka, met with Nigerian development financial institutions (DFIs) officials on Wednesday, 24 November 2010 in Abuja to exchange views on how to boost the country’s economy through close collaboration.

First Bank of Nigeria Plc (FirstBank), has announced the appointment of four (4) new Non-Executive Directors to its Board. The directors are : Mr. Ambrose Feese Mrs. Ibukun Abiodun Awosika, Mr. Ebenezer Adewale Jolaoso, and Alhaji Lawal Kankia Ibrahim.