The Senator representing Abia Central in the Red Chambers, the Senate, Distinguished Senator Austin Akobundu, has assured the public-spirited individuals in Ikwuano LGA of his readiness to partner with them to develop and train out-of-school children including fishing out hidden soccer talents in the area.

Speaking at the inauguration of Chief Nzeribe Okegbuo Foundation in Ikwuano on Saturday, the Distinguished Senator, represented by a former Abia State Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs, Prince Obinna Okey, explained that the reason for such partnership is to ensure that Ikwuano and indeed Abia Central does not have any child that is out of school due to lack of funds to pursue his/her education.

The event featured a draw for football matches in Ikwuano for this season.

He commended Chief Okegbuo for his philanthropic gestures and assured him of his determination to partner with him in ensuring that the sons and daughters of Ikwuano are given the best.

Senator Akobundu at event described the soccer fiesta as an arena to fish out hidden soccer talents and called for a more vigorous efforts to catch talents in Ikwuano young through regular football meets.

On ways of developing sports in the area, the Distinguished Senator noted with delight that Ikwuano has produced abundant football talents both in the past and present and vowed to use his vast connections to ensure that such latents are not ended in the local football pitches of Ikwuano.

Distinguished Senator Akobundu thanked Chief Okegbuo for using football as rallying point for soccer talents and recalled with joy the exploits of Ikwuano sons like Chimezie Ngadi of Rangers International FC and current Vice Captain of Super Eagles and Kasimpasa FC of Turkey defender, Kenneth Omeruo in the game of football and remarked that such latents in Ikwuano should be fished out.

The highlights of the event was the election of the executive that will run the foundation which the Distinguished Senator used as a forum to commend those that emerged as leaders of the foundation and urged them not to betray the trust reposed in them by those that elected them.

The occasion also featured distribution of bags, books as well as cash gifts to 46 students from the area including a draw for a soccer competitions/league for Ikwuano LGA this season.

The first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie saw NPFL champions, Rangers securing a 1-0 victory over Angola’s Sagrada Esperanca.

Kazeem Ogunleye scored the winning goal 12 minutes from time and the NPFL champions held on to the narrow lead for the rest of the game.

Rangers will aim to progress to the group stage with a draw at the reverse fixture in Luanda on Sunday, November 22.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s other representative, Remo Stars, exited the competition in the first round after being defeated by AS FAR of Morocco.

Babaganaru wants Akwa United to give More

In a bid to secure maximum points in their upcoming clash against Abia Warriors, Akwa United’s technical adviser, Muhammad Babaganaru, emphasized the need for improved performance from his team.

He expressed confidence in his players’ readiness to fight for a win in their first home match of the season at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Sunday.

Ekerette Udom joins Villarreal

Nigerian defender Ekerette Udom completed a move to Spanish club Villarreal from Rivers United. He signed a two-year deal with the La Liga side.

Nwoke Leaves Sporting Lagos

Goalkeeper Christian Nwoke joined Danish side Aarhus Fremad on a season-long loan deal from relegated NPFL side, Sporting Lagos.

Nasarawa State Deputy Governor Meets Nasarawa United

Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Agbadu, held a closed-door meeting with Nasarawa United’s technical crew to fine-tune the team’s plan as they begin their campaign in the NPFL.

Nasarawa United will be facing Niger Tornadoes at the Bako Kontagora Memorial Mini Stadium on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has expressed his disapproval of Victor Osimhen‘s decision to join Galatasaray after his potential move to Chelsea fell through.

Victor Osimhen was reportedly close to joining Chelsea, but the deal did not materialize, leading him to secure a season-long loan move to Galatasaray instead.

Reports claimed that the 25-year-old Nigerian striker decided to settle for the Turkish side after Chelsea decided to pay him far lower than his salary at Napoli.

The Nigeria international was expected to remain at Napoli after the transfer saga since he had a contract with the Italian side until June 30, 2026. Instead, he moved to Turkey on loan.

When asked to compare Osimhen’s move with Paulo Dybala’s decision to remain at Roma after rejecting a lucrative offer from the Saudi Pro League, Zola told Corriere dello Sport that the decision of the Nigerian was based on money.

He argued that Dybala decided to stay at Roma beyond this summer because the Argentine footballer followed his heart, not his wallet, unlike Osimhen.

While differentiating between Osimhen and Dybala’s transfer saga, the retired Italian footballer said: “One is a beautiful story and the other a little less so.

“Dybala chose with his heart and not with his wallet.

“But I don’t want to judge, everyone is free to make their own choices.”