The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has recertified the Okpekpe international 10km road race as a bronze label event.

This followed the successful organisation of the third edition of the hugely successful road race last year in Okpekpe,near Auchi in Edo state where all required standards/criteria were met for the re-award of the label.

It has become a tradition for columnists to take stock of the year just gone in relation to expectations in the new year.

In Nigeria, I find this quite boring because we end writing and saying the same things every year in a country where sport is measured by the success or otherwise of football.

Traders from the demolished Owonifari electronic Market, Oshodi were weekend divided on whether to re-accept the Lagos State Government’s planned relocation to Oshodi Resettlement Market (former Isopakodowo market) or not. While some maintained their previous stance, others have backtracked.

Kelechi Iheanacho is celebrating his FA Cup goal during Manchester City’s 3 – 0 triumph over Norwich City in the third round. Sergio Aguero was instrumental in the fifth goal Iheanacho scored in a City shirt in all competitions this season, setting him up just after the half – hour mark , as the visitors gave themselves a two – goal advantage.

LAST week was quite eventful for Nigeria and the challenged economy. The Manging Director of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, Ms Christine Lagarde, held extensive meetings with the nation’s political and economy elite. Amongst them were the Governor and executives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Budget and Planning Minister, Mr. Udo Udoma, the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly as well as chief executives of commercial banks in the country.

The home-based Super Eagles have set their sights on winning their first African Nations Championship, kicking off this weekend in Rwanda. Nigeria will play in Group C with Tunisia, Niger Republic and Guinea. Their opening game will be on Monday, January 18, against Niger in Kigali.

In a move to bring to an end the struggle for who is the legitimate occupant of the seat of the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, the Youth and Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung in a surprise move after denying backing the move of Chris Giwa to reclaim his alleged mandate as head of the NFF, has scheduled a peace meeting for January 20, 2016.

Messi will show up in Zurich with five trophies under his arm, as will Neymar. The only one that got away was the Spanish Super Cup, but their contributions have been decisive in all of the competitions which they have played in. Messi can even boast having scored at least one goal in every tournament played in 2015.

UGHELLI—THE Apostolic Vicar of Bomadi Vicariate, Bishop Hyacinth Egbebo, has lamented what he described as the high level of impunity and abuse of human rights in the anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Lagos lawyer and rights activist, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmoud Mohammed, to step into the crisis that is currently rocking election petition cases urgently, to save the judiciary from imminent loss of integrity and respect.