A youth soccer competition where foreign scouts fish out raw talents has kicked off in Lagos on Sunday. It is called Carl Woermann Nigeria Youth Football Championship. It is in its third edition. In one of the matches played yesterday, Stihl Power Tools Football Club of Badagry held Bosch Tools Football Club of Amuwo Odofin to a 1-1 draw.

There is a joke making the rounds that for election sake, the minister has even forgotten that he gave approval for the recognition of certain sports as Olympic sports, just because their chairmen are now in the opposition! “If there is a platform for contesting against me, it should not be for non performance. Our records are there for all to see,” Engineer Gumel argued.

REACTIONS from various quarters on President Umar Yar’Adua’s recurrent hospitalization in a Saudi hospital reflect the profound dilemma of the situation for Nigerians. Of all the reactions, the most remarkable and possibly subversive is the proclamation in the Senate that the president could, if he chose, stay in the Saudi hospital for one year.

THERE has been a tendency to play safe on the part of the Nigerian media with regard to the latest hospitalisation of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The Tribune Newspapers have been the boldest in covering all angles it believes relevant to the developing news.

“In spite of the effusive enthusiasm of this Administration, some Nigerians refuse to celebrate the recent debt relief conditions granted by our major creditors of the Paris club. “Under the terms of the Paris club deal, Nigeria will see $18bn of its total debt of $30bn canceled on condition that it pays the remaining $12.4bn between now and March 2006.