Former Vice President, Nigeria Football Federation, Shehu Dikko, has given insight into why new Super Eagles first choice goalkeeper and fans favourite, Stanley Nwabali, didn’t feature for the team under former coach Gernot Rohr, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nwabali has established himself as the country’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper with his impressive performances at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

While Nwabali’s rise to stardom has come as a big surprise to many Nigerians, Dikko said the keeper had always been under the watchful eyes of the federation.

“Nwabali has always been on the radar of the national team,” he tweeted.

“I recalled in June 2019 during the NPFL Super Six in Lagos and he was on the books of Enyimba FC, we invited Gernot Rohr to watch him as a potential successor/competitor to Uzoho. Unfortunately, his club GM went to inform him that Rohr was around to check on him, thinking he was helping him. But that made him so jittery being a young keeper just getting into the groove but he has always been a very good keeper as he even made the NPFL Allstar team in 2022 for the Budweiser match with John Terry and Roberto Carlos and the home-based Super Eagles match with Mexico in USA.

“Anyway, God’s time is always the best and he has once again proved the talent available in the domestic game.”

On Wednesday, the 27-year-old saved two penalty kicks from Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa to help Nigeria claim a 4-2 win over South Africa and progress to the final of the 34th edition of the AFCON.

The Chippa United shot-stopper, who is a strong contender for keeper of the tournament, was named Man of The Match for his impressive display.

Surprisingly, Nwabali has only six appearances for the Eagles and was only invited to the national team a few weeks before the AFCON after Nigeria’s head coach, Jose Peseiro, decided to make him his preferred choice ahead of Francis Uzoho, who has failed to live up to expectations.

In his competitive games so far, he conceded just two goals against Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

Nwabali will hope to continue with his impressive form when Nigeria take on Ivory Coast in the final of the AFCON on Sunday.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, on Friday, defended the apex bank by stating that it is already taking measures to contain the naira to dollar exchange rate and other related issues causing untold hardship in the country currently.

According to Cardoso, the decisions already taken will not only stabilize the rates but also reduce the negative impact of high exchange rates on inflation, as the two are interconnected.

Naija News reports that Cardoso stated this during an extensive meeting with the Joint Senate Committee on Finance, Banking, Insurance, and Financial Institutions on Friday, where he revealed that the CBN interventions have resulted in an influx of $1bn into the Nigerian market in recent days.

“We have already begun to see shifts in the positive direction. Indeed, they (CBN measures) have already started yielding early results with significant interest from foreign portfolio investors, which was a concern. That has already begun to supply the much-needed foreign exchange to the economy.

“For example, upward of the past few days, we have had over $1 billion that has come into the market, and this quite frankly has answered the question of if our policies are working,” Cardoso said.

The CBN chief stated that based on the available data, he can confidently say that the market has been positively responding to the policies implemented by the apex bank.

He further emphasized that the measures implemented to enhance the supply of US dollars in the Nigerian economy have the potential to reduce the volatility of the exchange rate and subsequently control inflation.

However, he highlighted the importance of Nigeria as a country moderating its demands for foreign exchange in order to ensure the sustainability of these measures.

While the CBN is diligently working towards restoring credibility to the central bank, he reiterated that the primary factor affecting the exchange rate is the demand for US dollars for both business and personal purposes.

Additionally, the CBN Governor assured that inflation is expected to decrease this year through the implementation of the inflation targeting framework, with a projected moderation of 21.1 per cent.

Naija News recalls that on January 31, the committee summoned the Central Bank Governor to appear before them.

The Senators are urging the CBN to provide clarifications regarding the multitude of economic difficulties that the nation is presently confronting.

Lawmakers Make Demands Known
Speaking earlier at the meeting today, the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Mikhail Adetokunbo Abiru, underscored the need for a forensic investigation of past transactions and the issue of compliance of the bank.

Given the current food crisis, which has led to increased poverty and insecurity, lawmakers are sceptical about the CBN’s ability to effectively demonstrate the success of its policies to the Nigerian people.

In the midst of this, Senator Orji Kalu strongly advocates for the government to reconsider the use of the dollar in business transactions, expressing concern over the declining foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country.

He also demands to know the plans of the CBN in reconciling with the NLC and TUC to avert the planned strike, a move he says will severely accentuate hunger and hardship.

The legislators express concerns regarding the proposed importation of food as a means to address food shortage, as they fear it may jeopardize the country’s food security and discourage farmers from further enhancing production.

Senator Adamu Aliero emphasized that there is no valid justification for resorting to importation. Instead, the government should prioritize initiatives such as irrigation and revisit the interventionist approach from the past to enhance the agricultural sector’s impact.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria assured that inflation is expected to decrease this year through the implementation of the inflation targeting framework, with a projected moderation to 21.1 percent.

Regarding the criticism of the CBN’s policies being ineffective, the Governor said that the market is responding positively to the measures that have been implemented.

Furthermore, he claimed that in order to ensure the long-term viability of the policies, it is imperative for the country to reduce its reliance on foreign currency.

According to his statements, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is diligently striving to regain trust and credibility in its operations. However, he firmly believes that the primary factor affecting the exchange rate is the persistent demand for US dollars for both commercial and personal purposes.

1-year-old Nigerian athlete, Favour Oghene Tejiri Ashe, has been arrested on multiple counts of theft and fraud.

Ashe, according to WTVM report, was arrested by Auburn Police on Thursday at his Alabama base.

The report stated that Ashe is specifically being charged with four counts of fraudulent use of a debit/credit card and two counts of theft of property third degree.

Auburn Police initially received a theft report on February 4, 2024, when a victim reported that multiple items were stolen from a purse near the 100 block of West Magnolia Avenue.

A credit card was among the items stolen, and the victim discovered several fraudulent charges were made using the stolen card.

Ashe was transported to the Lee County Jail and held on a $9,000 bond, the report indicated.

Ashe is one of the fastest Nigerian sprinters in history, having run 9.99s in the 100 meters at the national championships in 2022. He however holds a personal best of 9.96s he ran at the semi-final of the NCAA Championships last year.

He also represented Nigeria at the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 meters relay.

Ashe is the latest set of US-based Nigerian athletes to be arrested on fraud-related charges in the US, BoldSports reports.

Bold Sports in November 2022, reported how five Nigerian athletes, Toluwani Adebakin, Emmanuel Ineh, reigning African Games 100m champion Raymond Ekevwo, Mercy Abire and Aniekeme Etim were indicted and charged over wire and mail fraud in the US.

Adebakin and Ineh had earlier both been convicted of fraud and faced a possible 10-year jail term after they pleaded guilty to “violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activities, collectively sending tens of thousands of illicitly obtained proceeds to fraudsters in Nigeria as part of a larger mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.”

Abire went on to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and risked 20 years in jail.

A political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has blamed the Central Bank of Nigeria for contributing to the free fall of the naira in the foreign exchange market.

Utomi who spoke while featuring on a Channels TV programme, said that missteps of CBN over the years put the naira it is today.

The Lagos Business School founder lamented that Nigeria had depended on foreign exchange sent home by its people in the diaspora for a long time.

“Diaspora has been a significant part of the economy. They are supporting their people from there because things are not going well for most of their people.

“But you know what, that leads to an inflow of foreign exchange into the country, and that helped us keep things going," he said.

He, however, noted that technology and entrepreneurship have changed the whole thing and made it such that the dollar is not coming to Nigeria.

According to him, the diasporans would now simply use one app and the Nigerian in London or Chicago who wants to solve a problem for their relations here, gives dollars to somebody who is there and the naira goes to the person here.

“Yes, it solves the problem, but the Nigerian economy has not received the input of the dollar. And the Central Bank helped contribute to that by some missteps they made in the last few years.

“So, this is a major reason why the exchange rate is tumbling. Can we fix that? It is possible.

“But it takes people sitting down and people trusting the character of those making decisions,” he said.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have expressed concern about the high cost of operation, heightened by the recent increase in the naira-to-dollar exchange rate.

According to AON, people no longer travel for weddings and other events because they would prefer to send money to the event hosts since they cannot afford the outrageous ticket fees.

The professional association of domestic airlines in the country laments that the aviation fuel price hike has now made it challenging for airlines to conduct scheduled maintenance on their aircraft.

The operators highlighted that this situation poses a significant threat to their existence, as grounded aircraft cannot be transported overseas due to the scarcity of foreign exchange.

They have also warned that if this trend continues, there may not be enough operational aircraft for domestic services.

In a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, AON emphasized the urgent need for government intervention to prevent the potential collapse of many airlines, with the government ultimately being responsible for their demise.

The airlines expressed their concerns regarding the lack of stability in foreign exchange rates and the significant increase in the price of aviation fuel, which now stands at N1,300 per litre.

These factors have greatly impacted their ability to plan effectively and have created a sense of uncertainty and instability in their operations.

Okonkwo, who serves as the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, further elaborated on the issue, highlighting that passengers who had purchased tickets in advance for flights in 2023, when aviation fuel was priced at N700 per litre and the exchange rate was N800/$1, are now being airlifted at the current price of N1,300 per litre and an exchange rate of N1400/$1.

As a result, the airlines are facing substantial losses on these tickets, he observed.

“We are making losses on factors that are beyond our control. We are not only faced with the problem of scarcity of dollars; even the aviation ecosystem is feeling the heat. Handling companies have increased the cost of their services, airports have increased their charges and those that service the aircraft have also increased the cost of their services. The monies for these payments are coming from the passengers who are already exhausted financially,” Daily Trust quoted Okonkwo saying.

Okonkwo stated that numerous businesses in Nigeria are experiencing low profitability. As a result, the entrepreneurs who are crucial for passenger travel during both peak and off-peak seasons have ceased their journeys.

Additionally, he mentioned that the number of individuals travelling for tourism and social purposes is insufficient to ensure airlines maintain a satisfactory load factor and sustain their operations during the current low season.

The statement added: “Passenger traffic has shrunk because even those on social engagement like weddings, burials and other ceremonies may not be inclined to spend money on flight tickets; they would rather send credit alerts to those hosting the events who would appreciate such gestures. So, they pay instead of appearing in person.

“Air travel is a catalyst to economic development. There should have been government engagement with airlines at different levels. Airlines do not have special forex allocation, so they buy at the same place traders who trade in Brazilian hair, textiles, and others buy.

“Our passion to remain in this business is being eroded. We are at the point of oxygen supply. Some airlines are going into a coma. Our equipment is diminishing. The minimal revenues we earn to keep the airlines flying, we convert to pay our lessors.

“It is impossible to bring in more aircraft. Aircraft owners have become sceptical because of country risk. A Nigerian airline may meet its terms and all the standard criteria, but the aircraft owners consider country risk above other factors. Country risk supersedes everything, and lessors have their own obligations. So, there is nothing personal. Some airlines deposited money with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) but they cannot provide us the needed dollars.”

Former Nigerian international, Segun Odegbami, has predicted an easy victory for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their AFCON 2023 final clash against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.

According to Odegbami, the Super Eagles have beaten Ivory Coast before in the group stages and that alone should give the Nigerian team a psychological edge.

He added that the Elephants are not as good as the Eagles and have only been lucky to make it to the finals of the tournament.

Speaking on Friday during an interview with Channels TV, Odegbami however, who maintained the Eagles are going to defeat their opponents hands down on Sunday despite the home support, urged the government to provide encouragement for the supporters team so they can counter the Ivorian fans who are sure to storm the stadium on Sunday.

He said, “We have beaten Ivory Coast before; we defeated them in the group stage, which gives us a psychological edge. Also, the hosts have not played well; they are not one of the top teams; they’ve been lucky. It’s a miracle they’ve gotten to this stage; they haven’t earned or deserved it on the pitch.

“In the final on Sunday, it will be a noise-making, vociferous crowd trying to lift their players against a team that should be prepared for no distractions and focused for 90 minutes.

“The Super Eagles play their game against a team that respects us; on the street, the Ivorians know we are superior; we just need to display it.

“Our players must believe, and I know we shall outplay them. It’s going to be our easiest match; it’s going to be a training session, and Nigeria will defeat them hands down.”

He added that, “We’re going to be up against 60,000 Ivorian fans, and they will overwhelm any kind of support we provide. I urge the government to provide support for our supporters; we need their voice. When we score, you see the players rush to the stands because they know how important they are.”

Northern group, Arewa Initiative for the Defense and Promotion of Democracy (AIDPD), has asked Nigerians not to blame President Bola Tinubu for the current pains and hardship across the country.

The National Chairman of the group, Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, stated this in a communique issued to journalists at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

Ma’aji said certain politicians and clerics from the North have been in a hurry to dismiss the Tinubu administration as a failure just a few months into its assumption of office.

He urged politicians from the region to stop condemning the performance of the President but should blame the Muhammadu Buhari government for the economic hardship.

Ma’aji asserted that President Tinubu inherited enormous liabilities from its immediate predecessor, which will take time to fix.

He said: “Arising from our emergency meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, to review the State of the Nation, we, members of pro-democracy groups from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, make the following observations and resolutions:

“To commend patriotic Northerners and indeed all Nigerians who are cooperating and supporting this government in its bid to provide solutions to the nation’s problems despite the incitement by some unscrupulous politicians who are bent on inciting the masses against the government.

“That the world economy is currently not in the best of shape due to the Russian-Ukrainian and the Israeli-Palestinian wars, etc. We observed that the Nigerian economy is not exempted from this global economic problem.

“The current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited a lot of problems from the past administration of Muhammadu Buhari, which it is currently trying to address. For instance, the Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) had just revealed that the crude oil the country will be getting in the next six months had been sold in advance by the immediate past administration.

“That the solutions to the problems cannot be instantly solved but in a gradual pattern.

“That Nigerians should show patriotism by cooperating with this administration in its bid to find solutions to the country’s problems such as inflation, corruption, insecurity – banditry and kidnapping that the country is currently facing.”

Ma’aji further alleged that some disgruntled politicians are plotting to organise phantom protests across the country to smear the image of this administration.

He added: “Those disgruntled politicians who are using some clerics through misinformation to issue statements condemning this administration without any good reason should desist forthwith in the interest of our beloved nation.

“We are not averse to any form of legitimate protest to show grievances to the government’s policy or programme, provided it is done in good faith and under the laws of our beloved country, Nigeria. We frown at the idea of sponsoring people to stage fake protests for the financiers to score cheap political mileage by discrediting the current administration.

“We call on all Northerners and indeed all Nigerians to continue to support the current administration in its bid to bring Prosperity to our nation.

“That we Northerners are not against Mr President and this administration. We will continue to support and pray for this administration to succeed.

“That the current administration is just eight months into office. It needs more time to deal with the problems it inherited. So we, the well-meaning Northerners, are praying and positively collaborating with the current administration for it to succeed.”

The Super Eagles players on Thursday night, February 9, observed a minute silence for the four Nigerians who died during their match against South Africa on Wednesday, February 7.

An APC chieftain, Cairo Ojougboh, an Ivory Coast based Nigerian businessman, a serving NYSC member as well as the Deputy Bursar of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Alhaji Ayuba Abdullahi, all died on Wednesday night, Feb. 7, while watching the semi-finals between Nigeria and South Africa in the ongoing AFCON.

The players gathered and observed a minute silence in honour of the deceased Nigerians and went on to say prayers for the repose of their souls and for God to comfort their families.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has stated that there is no plan for an imminent increase in the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as petrol.

A statement by Olufemi Soneye, the chief corporate communications officer of the company, cautioned motorists against panic-buying.

The statement read, “NNPC Ltd. urges Nigerians to disregard unfounded rumours and assures them that there are no plans for an upward review of the PMS price.
“Motorists nationwide are advised against engaging in panic buying, as there is presently ample availability of PMS across the country.”

It had been reported on Monday that there were long queues in some filling stations in Lagos while residents of the city expressed fears that there might be a fresh scarcity of the product.

The long queues were noticeable at filling stations along the Ikorodu Road and Total Filling Station located at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way where the queues had led to traffic jams around the Ikeja axis of the state.

SaharaReporters had days ago reported that the NNPCL said the scarcity of fuel in some filling stations in some Nigerian cities, particularly in Lagos is caused by distribution issues.

It was gathered that NNPCL mega filling stations along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway did not dispense fuel as of Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, the NNPCL spokesperson, Femi Soneye, dismissed insinuations of fresh fuel scarcity, saying that the NNPCL did not have supply issues and that its products remained readily available.

Soneye, who added that the distribution issue in some areas had been resolved, was quoted as saying, “We are pleased to confirm that there are no supply issues, and our products remain readily available.

“The recent tightness experienced in certain areas was due to a brief distribution issue in Lagos, which has since been resolved.”

Also, the National Vice Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, said he was aware of the queues in some filling stations in Lagos, but said the queues might be due to panic-buying on the part of customers.

Team Nigeria claimed 11 medals at the just-concluded African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Ismaila, Egypt and earned the praises of Nigeria Weightlifting Federation president Ibrahim Abdul.

Joy Eze rounded off a magnificent performance for Team Nigeria on Wednesday after she scooped all the three gold medals available in the 71kg women’s category. Her three gold haul made it 11 medals for Team Nigeria consisting of six gold and five silver medals.

Eze lifted 104 kg in snatch to win gold and added another gold in clean and jerk with a lift of 130kg, before the weightlifter claimed her third gold by having the highest total lift (234kg).

Eze’s three gold moved her up to the top 12 in the Olympic qualification ranking in her weight class. Rafiat Lawal, Adijat Olarinoye and Umoafia Edidiong are closing in on Olympic Games tickets too with their performances in Ismaila and only the top 10-ranked will make it to the Olympic Games in Paris, France come July this year.

Lawal claimed three gold medals in the 59kg while Olarinoye bagged three silver medals in the same weight class and Edidiong picked up two silver medals in the men’s 73kg.

NWF boss Abdul praised the four weightlifters who boosted their chances of picking Olympic tickets and vowed to chase a record outing at the African Games in Ghana.

“It was a commendable performance from the four weightlifters. They have done us proud and we are all glad with what they have achieved in Egypt,” he said.

“We know the lifters are capable of doing more and we expect them to go full throttle at the African Games with the rest of their colleagues. We expect them to give the signal at the African Games before going to Thailand to complete the job.

“We shall proceed to camp almost immediately as they return from Egypt because the African Games is around the corner and we want to ensure we perform better than we have done in previous editions.”

The Nigerian lifters will participate in another Olympic Games qualifier next month when the International Weightlifting Federation World Cup holds from March 31 to April 11 in Phuket, Thailand, which will be the last qualifier before the Olympics.