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.

PORT HARCOURT— Niger Delta Youth Movement, NDYM, in Rivers State, has threatened to shut down the activities of an oil firm, Total E and P Nigeria Limited, in its oil-rich environment if the management of the company fails to recall the over 46 indigenous workers it allegedly sacked.

A Spring of Sweets is an anthology of poetry written by Tony Afejuku. The anthology comes to us as a phoenix of varied human thoughts recollected in moment of tranquility. A Spring of Sweets, can better be described as a diary of diverse human experiences in lyrics. Also, one may be correct to say that the anthology validates the immense capacity of the human mind to recollect and to reflect on avalanche of man’s unavoidable encounters with the many hurdles of life.

My first visit to Africa as IMF Managing Director was in late 2011, and the first country on my itinerary was Nigeria. At that time, Nigeria was emerging from the 2008-09 commodity price collapse and the banking crisis that followed. Since that visit, Nigeria has been acknowledged as the largest economy in Africa—with a maturing political system. We saw a peaceful general election last year in which, for the first time in Nigeria’s history, there was a democratic transition between two civilian governments. It was a strong sign of Nigeria’s commitment to democracy, to a new Nigeria.

For most Nigerians visiting a bank is no more a regular routine to look forward to. It is not because banks have become less important to our lives, but essentially with the era of smart technology and mobile banking, customers can transact business without visiting the banking hall. However in one of such moments, I recently found myself in one of Skye Bank’s branches where I had gone to do my Bank Verification Number (BVN) registration to avoid the CBN hammer. Whilst in the bank, I noticed a certain excitement in the atmosphere. There was evidence of a people working together in the interest of the customer at least going by the level of customer service I experienced on that day.

Baba Segun operates a thriving vulcaniser business located in the Kirkiri axis of Apapa. Though he has little education, he enjoys patronage from every segment of the society. This he attributes to two factors, namely his vulcanising skills and his mobile phone. “My phone is my number one equipment”, he said, adding, “It determines how many jobs I get everyday”. Though he could barely read or write, Baba Segun easily operates the mobile phone. “I have to force myself to learn how to use it”, he said.