Nigeria and Nigerians had a good outing at the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Award, scooping several laurels at the event, which held on Monday night in Marrakesh, Morocco.

The CAF awards which celebrates football brilliance and outstanding achievements across the continent, celebrated many talents on the African continent both at individual and team levels.

Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman was the star of the night as he won the coveted CAF Men’s Footballer of the Year Award after a brilliant year for club and country.

In the women’s category, Zambia’s Barbra Banda emerged as the CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award.

There were wins for Nigeria in other categories, including the goalkeeper of the year, won by Chiamaka Nnadozie, National Team of the Year and representations in the Best XI for both men and women categories.

Below is the full list of winners of the 2024 CAF Award.

Men

Player of the Year

Ademola Lookman (NGR)

Club Player of the Year

Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA)

Goalkeeper of the Year

Ronwen Williams (RSA)

Young Player of the Year

Lamine Camara (SEN)

Coach of the Year

Emerse Fae (CIV)

National Team of the Year

Ivory Coast

Club of the Year

Al Ahly (EGY)

Best X1

Andre Onana (CMR); Achraf Hakimi (MAR), Kalidou Koulibaly (SEN), Chancel Mbemba (COD); Mohammed Kudus (GHA), Sofyan Amrabat (MAR), Franck Kessie (CIV), Yves Bissouma (MLI); Mohamed Salah (EGY), Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman (both NGR)

Women

Player of the Year

Barbra Banda (ZAM)

Club Player of the Year

Sanaa Mssoudy (FAR Rabat/MAR)

Goalkeeper of the Year

Chiamaka Nnadozie (NGR)

Young Player of the Year

Doha El Madani (MAR)

Coach of the Year

Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe/COD)

National Team of the Year

Nigeria

Club of the Year

TP Mazembe

Best XI

Andile Dlamini (RSA); Michelle Alozie, Osinachi Ohale (both NGR), Lebohang Ramalepe, Karabo Dlamini; Linda Motlhalo (all RSA), Rasheedat Ajibade (NGR), Ghizlane Chebbak (MAR); Barbra Banda (ZAM), Asisat Oshoala (NGR), Tabitha Chawinga (MAW).

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman on winning the 2024 CAF Men’s African Footballer of the Year.

In a statement on Monday night by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu also hailed Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie for clinching the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award and the Super Falcons for being named the Women’s National Team of the Year.

The awards were announced Monday night at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco.

The President joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating these athletes, describing them as worthy ambassadors for showcasing their talent and bringing honour to the country on the continental and world stage.

The President express belief that this recognition by Africa’s highest football authority will inspire other upcoming athletes to remain steadfast in pursuing their dreams.

He affirmed that their determination, discipline and confidence underscore the administration’s resolve to build a better Nigeria where everyone thrives and succeeds.

‘‘These athletes embody the essential Nigerian Spirit. They signpost the best in us as a nation. Let no one ever write us off. I am incredibly proud of them.

‘‘Thank you for making Nigeria proud and keeping our flag flying.

‘‘Thank you for winning medals for Nigeria both at home and abroad. You will win more in the future,’’ the President said.

Former National Vice Chairman, North West, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has stated that former president Olusegun Obasanjo and other past leaders are responsible for the challenges plaguing Nigeria.

He insisted that the decision of Obasanjo and others to produce “anointed successors” makes them part of the problem.

Lukman stated this while reacting to Obasanjo’s remark that even Satan produces leaders but such are bound to fail, while those chosen by God will succeed.

Speaking via an open letter titled “Satanic Leadership and Nigeria’s Boiling Point,” Lukman urged Obasanjo to accept his past mistakes as Nigeria seeks solutions to its challenges.

He charged the former President to stop dwelling on the “vain glory” of his past and recognise that all Nigerian leaders since independence share responsibility for the leadership crises plaguing the country.

According to him, “Your Excellency inadvertently institutionalized the practice of imposition of candidates in our political parties.

“Without going into details, you will recall how in PDP, ahead of the 2007 elections, under Your Excellency’s leadership, the practice of imposition of candidates became the political robe of the PDP.

“Eventually, being the ruling party for sixteen years, the imposition of candidates became an acceptable political rule.

“With imposition, basically, our democracy lost its bearing and became a shadow of the worst authoritarian system.

“The major challenges faced by Nigeria since independence are a result of attempts by past leaders, including Your Excellency, to produce ‘anointed’ successors.

“This has contributed to the political crises and the resulting social and economic challenges, which have worsened under successive administrations.”

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has deployed 1,102 operational vehicles to ensure hitch-free movements of citizens during the yuletide.

Olusegun Ogungbemide, the corps public education officer, said on Monday that the FRSC has also deployed its personnel, including the special marshals, to the highways.

“These logistics include the deployment of 157 administrative vehicles, 754 patrol vehicles, 143 ambulances, and 48 tow trucks, which brings the total to 1,102 operational vehicles,” he said.

Ogungbemide quoted Shehu Mohammed, FRSC corps marshal, to have said that the mobilisation is aimed at curtailing excessive speed, overloading, dangerous driving and overtaking, lane indiscipline, and other traffic offences.

 

He urged members of the public to download the FRSC mobile application for real-time traffic reporting and updates, adding that they can also utilise the corps’ social media handles —facebook.com//frscnigeria,Instagram.com//frscnigeria, twitter.com//frscnigeria — in case of emergency.

“The directive also mandates the commanding officers to ensure effective collaboration with military units, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC),” Ogungbemide said.

“We also have collaboration with the Directorate of State Services (DSS), NGO Ambulance Service Providers, National Network on Emergency Road Services (NNERS), and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), among others.

 

“The operatives will be charged with the responsibility of identifying alternative routes to assist motorists during gridlocks and giving notification of traffic-distressed areas for intervention.

“The public can also call the 122 toll-free number as well as the National Traffic Radio live lines: 08052997848 and 09139600107, which are available means to reach FRSC to report traffic situations anywhere in the country.

“The public can also reach the situation room at 07054005754 and 07054005712, respectively.”

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has admitted that the immediate-past Muhammadu Buhari-led administration deceived Nigerians during its eight-year tenure.

He made the revelation during an interview on the ‘Mic On Podcast’ with popular TV achor, Seun Okinboloye.

Dalung, a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during Buhari’s first term in office between 2015 and 2019, stated that the administration lied to Nigerians.

According to him, “I am completely disappointed because what we told Nigerians was not what happened. We lied; we deceived Nigerians. Even though we used ‘people deceive people,’ referring to the PDP, for our campaign, we were a replica of what we accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of.”

Dalung recounted how he confronted Buhari about the worsening state of insecurity and hardship in the country at the time.

“When we came in, it was just the North-East that had security issues. By 2020, it was not even possible to travel from Abuja to Kaduna. I told the president, ‘If you don’t believe me, roll out a brigade of guards now, and I’ll join you. We’ll drive from Abuja to Daura. If bandits don’t attack us, I’ll go and die in exile.

“To be fair to the president, he expressed surprise, meaning that some of the things I told him, he was hearing for the very first time,” Dalung added.

The former minister also revealed that Buhari was often unaware of significant incidents occurring under his administration.

Dalung narrated an incident where the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) clashed in Asokoro District of Abuja, holding the community hostage for three days, without the president’s knowledge.

“It was me, during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, who informed him about the incident. I expected it to be on the agenda, but it wasn’t. I had to introduce it through AOB (Any Other Business), and the president was completely confused listening to what I was saying.

“At the end of the meeting, we even left without any closing prayer because he was visibly angry. On my way to the office, I saw those two agencies, directly under his office, holding a community hostage for three days over whatever interest they had, and the president didn’t know,” he recalled.

Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker of the house of representatives, says political parties must identify and nurture young Nigerians to take over leadership positions.

Abbas spoke in Abuja on Monday at the youth town hall meeting organised by the national assembly on the 2025 budget.

The speaker said Nigerian youths are active participants in governance and development, adding that their creative energy is necessary in every critical sector of society.

Abbas advised the youths to unite and boldly propose their demands and expectations for the 2025 budget.

 

“Your energy, creativity, and resilience are transforming every sector of our society, from agriculture to technology, arts, sports, and entrepreneurship,” the speaker said.

“Across these fields, you demonstrate that Nigerian youths can achieve greatness with the right support and opportunities.

“Yet, we must ask ourselves: how can you do even more? How can we, as leaders, create an enabling environment that allows your potential to flourish fully?

 

“This dialogue is, therefore, so important to explore how government policies, budgets, and programmes can better support you in taking your rightful place as drivers of national development.

“The responsibility of building the next generation of leaders must not be left to chance. Political parties, as key institutions of democracy, have an urgent role to play in identifying, nurturing, and empowering young people to assume leadership positions.

“The challenges of our time, from climate change to digital transformation, economic shocks to global security issues, demand leaders who are prepared, knowledgeable, and visionary. Preparation is, therefore, non-negotiable in leadership.

“It requires education, exposure, mentorship, and a strong sense of duty and integrity. Young Nigerians must be intentional about preparing themselves to lead, not just politically but in every sphere of society.

“I call on political parties to take seriously their mandate to scout for and develop young talents, ensuring that leadership succession is deliberate and inclusive. The future of our democracy and the survival of our institutions hinge on this.

Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of the SPAC Nation church in the United Kingdom (UK), says his current travails are politically motivated.

The Nigerian pastor, who is at the centre of a UK deportation saga, said the persecution started after a member of parliament (MP) from his district alleged that he was advocating against the gay community.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Adegboyega said the MP reported the church’s activities to the police.

He said the police could not investigate the allegations against him and the church because they were “all nonsensical”.

“You can’t claim that our proof is inflated without telling us why. The UK Metropolitan Police gathered charities in the UK and asked them to go to SPAC Nation. I wrote solutions for the home office,” he said.

“Truths must be backed with facts. For 10 years, we have been persecuted without one single move.

“Allegations without indictment, so why shouldn’t we suspect biases?

“We have a situation where people believed I was supporting certain political parties because one person believed that my agenda was to go against the gay community, and from that day, we have been to reconciliation meetings.

“The person wrote that my evangelical zeal was to make sure that the gay community in that area does not survive.

“He took dossiers of evidence against the church to the sacred ground of the parliament and submitted it to the internal affairs minister, who submitted it to the police, and the police came back to say that they couldn’t even investigate one thing because it was all nonsensical.

“The person is an MP, and the same person is sitting behind these things, making sure that he is not defeated.

“If there is any honour left in his system, what such men should do is apologise unless you’re saying the police authority of Great Britain is inept, which would be quite unfortunate.”

Adegboyega dismissed the deportation case against him, stressing that the focus should be on the contribution of his church to the safety and businesses of people in the UK.

“The country cannot deny it. There is no prime minister who can deny the result of the work we have done. When the metropolitan police came to the church, that was about three years ago; they sat down, and they came to learn,” he said.

“It is our result of how many lives have been saved, how many knives we have taken off the street, and how many businesses we created for this economy.

“We had a few hours of the tribunal, and in the tribunal, I was given a few hours to talk about the SPAC Nation, and we defended the honour of the SPAC Nation.”

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved the N47.96 trillion 2025 budget.

Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, spoke to journalists after the council’s last meeting in 2024 about its decisions.

Bagudu said the 2025 budget represents a 36.8 percent increase from the N27.9 trillion 2024 estimate.

The minister said the 2025 framework is based on key economic projections, including an oil price benchmark of $75 per barrel, daily oil production of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd), and an exchange rate of N1,400/$.

“Today, the federal executive council approved the budget proposals for 2025 with amendments which Mr president directed following a presentation to the federal executive council led by the director general of the budget office, Tanimu Yakubu,” the minister said.

“The 2025 framework is based on the oil price benchmark of $75 per barrel. Oil production of 2.06 million barrels per day. Exchange rate of one 1400 naira (to the dollar).

“All these are already included in the medium-term expenditure framework which we have presented here, which have also been approved by the national assembly. 

“So the total projected revenue for 2025 stands at N34.82 trillion out of which the expenditure is projected at N47.96 trillion which is an increase of 36.8% from the 2024 estimate.”

Bagudu said the deficit for 2025 is projected at N13.13 trillion representing 3.89 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

On December 12, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that Tinubu would present the 2025 budget on Tuesday.

nformation obtained from the World Bank’s website, has indicated that the apex bank is set to decide on three major loan projects for Nigeria in 2025, totalling $1.65bn.

This is part of the bank’s effort to address critical challenges in the country.

According to Punch, the loans currently in the pipeline, will focus on internally displaced persons, education, and nutrition enhancement.

The loans are designed to support Nigeria’s social and economic recovery, particularly in vulnerable sectors requiring urgent intervention.

The first project, titled Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project, has a commitment amount of $300m and is scheduled for approval on April 8, 2025.

The project, which remains at the concept review stage, seeks to provide sustainable solutions for internally displaced persons and their host communities, addressing their social and economic challenges.

The second project, HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All, is expected to receive $553.8m in financing.

Its approval is slated for March 20, 2025, and it also remains in the concept review phase.

The third project, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0, involves the largest share of the proposed loans, with a commitment of $800m.

The World Bank is expected to hold a decision meeting on the project by February 20, 2025.

The $1.65bn financing package reflects the World Bank’s continued commitment to supporting Nigeria’s ongoing reforms.

The World Bank’s schedule indicates that decisions on these loans will be made in early 2025, with Nigeria’s ability to meet project prerequisites and demonstrate accountability in implementation likely to play a key role in getting the funds.

Super Eagles of Nigeria forward, Ademola Lookman has succeeded his countryman, Victor Osimhen, as the CAF Men’s Player of the Year in 2024.

Ademola Lookman, who is currently 27-year-old clinched the CAF prestigious honor during the award ceremony at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier today, December 16.

The Atalanta winger, who started his international football career with the England youth team, contended with Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams for the honor. Interestingly, he was deemed better than the aforementioned players.

Ademola Lookman at the 2024 CAF Awards in Morocco.

Note that since the list of nominees was announced in November, most football enthusiasts believe that Lookman was more deserving of the honor than his competitors.

The former Leicester City winger had a superb 2023-2024 season with Atalanta as he helped them to win the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the history of the Italian side.

Recall that Lookman became the first player in history to score a hat-trick in the final of the said tournament as Atalanta won the trophy by beating the German Bundesliga invincibles Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.

He was also one of the highest goalscorers at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in which he helped Nigeria finish second behind the hosts.

Last season, Ademola Lookman scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists for Atalanta. So far this season, the Nigeria international has scored 11 goals and provided 5 assists in 19 games in all competitions.

Below are major stats of Ademola Lookman in 2024: 

1.  Over 20 MOTM Awards
2. Reached the AFCON Final
3. Scores brace in AFCON R16
4. Scores winner in AFCON QF
5. AFCON Team of the Tournament
6. Hat-trick in the Europa League final
7. Only African Nominated for the 2024 Ballon ‘Or