Videos capturing a distressing scene of a female student being subjected to bullying by a group of her peers have circulated widely across social media platforms, igniting a wave of outrage and demands for justice.
The victim, identified as a student of the prestigious Lead British International School located in Abuja, has become the focal point of a disturbing incident that has drawn widespread attention online.
The alarming footage came to light when a concerned individual took to Twitter on Monday, sounding the alarm and urging action to address the violent behavior witnessed in the videos.
“I need you guys to help me get justice. She was bullied in her school by her classmates at Lead British School, Abuja,” the tweep captioned.
The user shared two videos depicting the female student being struck on the face amidst an apparent discord.
In the first video, the victim endures repeated slaps from a female classmate, who is heard questioning, “who broke my heart?”
In a second video, the victim sits beside a male classmate who confesses, “I spoilt her relationship.”
Nigerians have flooded the comments section, denouncing the incident and sharing their own experiences, underscoring the widespread concern and outrage sparked by the footage.
Media
Pls repost ?#justiceformaryam. https://t.co/JUt0Wr8mbD pic.twitter.com/K8pRkH5dxo
— Pinkypromi3s?? (@mooyeeeeeee) April 22, 2024
The US Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether cities can ban homeless people from sleeping outside, as the country grapples with increasing rates of Americans living on the streets and a lack of shelter beds.
The case centers around laws in the city of Grants Pass, in the western state of Oregon, which banned camping or using any kind of bedding on public property as tents, blankets and cardboard filled its public parks.
Homeless advocates have argued that banning people from camping when there is nowhere else to sleep amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment” — prohibited by the US Constitution’s Eighth Amendment. The Ninth Circuit Court agreed in a 2022 ruling, which is now being appealed to the country’s high court.
The ruling from the nine justices will carry high stakes, with a record 653,100 people homeless across the country according to a 2023 count, as cities struggle to manage poverty, mental health issues, addiction and housing shortages.
Cities across the country use camping bans to sweep homeless people out of parks and other public property.
“The cruel and unusual punishments clause governs which punishments are permitted, not what conduct can be prohibited,” Grants Pass’s lawyer Theane Evangelis said in oral arguments.
“This court should reverse and end the Ninth Circuit’s failed experiment, which has fueled the spread of encampments while harming those it purports to protect.”
Grants Pass, population 40,000, does not have a municipal homeless shelter and instead relies on private charities.
Lawyers challenging the law argued to the conservative-majority Supreme Court that Grants Pass sought to “force its homeless residents into other jurisdictions” via the camping ban.
“The plan was to inflict fines and jail time on the City’s homeless residents until they were ‘uncomfortable enough’ that they left Grants Pass,” they wrote in written arguments.
The ordinances “nominally prohibit camping, but in reality make it unlawful for homeless people to sleep or rest anywhere on public property at any time with so much as a blanket to survive the cold, even if they have no access to shelter,” the lawyers argued.
Asked by Chief Justice John Roberts what the city would do if its appeal failed at the Supreme Court, Evangelis said its “hands will be tied.”
“It will be forced to surrender its public spaces,” Evangelis added.
In addition to poverty, drug addiction and a lack of shelter beds propelling homelessness, economists argue the country’s market-rate housing stock is woefully behind target — leaving the United States short of millions of homes needed to meet demand and increasing prices for existing housing.
[AFP/VANGUARD]
ThankGod Ikoma, a survivor of the tragic boat accident that claimed the lives of Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, Engr Precious Ofurum, and others has received a life-changing donation of N2 million from Billionaire Prophet, Jeremiah Fufeyin.
In a remarkable display of compassion and selflessness, Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin, who is the Senior Prophet of Christ Mercy Land Church and renowned for his philanthropy, recently donated N10 million to the family of the late Engr Precious Ofurum.
The senior prophet also extended his kindness with a substantial sum of 2 million naira to Mr. THANKGOD Ikoma, to take care of his needs.
The news of these extraordinary acts of kindness has resonated deeply across social media platforms, with Nigerians from all walks of life expressing admiration and gratitude for Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin’s generosity.
Netizens have flooded online platforms with prayers and blessings, acknowledging the senior prophet’s unwavering commitment to supporting individuals in times of adversity.
@CHIBUZOR_Nelson shared his sentiments, stating, “TBH, Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin is just one of a kind. This is so amazing; he blessed Engr Precious’s mother with 10 million naira, and now Mr. THANKGOD with N2 million.
An Abuja based food content creator, Brian Nwana is set to embark on an attempt to break Guinness World Record for most fast food restaurants visited in 24 hours.
The challenge tagged, “Brian Abuja Food Quest” is schedule to begin April 24th to 25th, 2024.
At a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, Brian Nwana revealed that the current record for the most fast food restaurant visited in 24 hours stands at 100 and was achieved by Airrack in New York, in December 2023.
“Our target is to surpass this record by visiting a minimum of 120 fast food restaurants within a 24 hour timeframe.”
Speaking on the reason for embarking on the attempt, he said, “I want to put Nigerian food on the map by show casing the different kinds and varieties of food that we have in the country.
“As a food content creator, I have seen how economic situation in the country has affected food businesses, so I want to use this attempt and opportunity to promote food businesses in Abuja. Also, I want to use the attempt to give back to my community by collaborating with the spots I visit to give free meals to people in the community who really need it.”
Nwana overtime has established a massive audience in the Nigerian food and entertainment industry by conducting restaurant reviews across various States in the country.
Also speaking, CEO of A.S. Management Agency (the management company behind the quest), Rhoda Kusimo, said the quest will help to put Abuja businesses on the global map as many of them are presently not known beyond their localities.
On his part, the Project Manager, Edoh Franklin, said the team has applied to the GWR and will follow all the rules and regulations recommended by the GWR, especially with regards to live tracking and map.
He called on Abuja residents to come out and cheer Brian to victory.
[Leadership]
UEFA are set to increase squad size for this summer’s European Champions to 26 players.
This follows a vote on Monday, which gave the green light for expanded squads.
The idea was first brought up during a meeting of all the nations’ coaches in Dusseldorf a fortnight ago.
But at a meeting of the UEFA national competitions committee on Monday, delegates voted in favour of increasing the squads from a 23-player limit to 26.
Enlarged squads were used at Euro 2021, to help teams cope with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the decision is not yet set in stone, as the UEFA executive committee (EXCO) needs to sanction the rule change – but it is expected that will simply be a rubber-stamping exercise.
[DailyPost]
Controversial cross-dresser, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye, alias Bobrisky, has appealed against the six months imprisonment imposed on him by the Federal High Court in Lagos which convicted him of charges of abuse of naira.
In the appeal lodged on his behalf by his lawyer, Bimbo Kusanu, Bobrisky wants the Court of Appeal to convert the six-month imprisonment to N50,000 fine on each of the four counts he was convicted of.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro had on April 12, 2024, sentenced Bobrisky, to six months imprisonment without an option fine for abusing the naira by spraying the currency at a party, leading to mutilation.
Bobrisky had on April 5, 2024, pleaded guilty to four counts of abuse of the naira preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The judge while sentencing the cross-dresser, said the judgment would serve as a deterrent to others who are fond of abusing and mutilating the naira.
However, in his Notice of Appeal filed before the Appeal Court, the cross-dresser urged the appellate court to consider the fact that he has no previous record of criminal conviction.
He averred that the sentence imposed by the trial court against him was punitive contrary to the mandatory provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law on sentencing.
He stated that the trial court did not consider the positive antecedent of the appellant, who did not waste the precious judicial resources of the trial court, when he pleaded guilty to the charge.
He also noted that he honoured the invitation of the EFCC on the first invitation during the investigation leading to the charge.
“The sentence of the lower court that imposed the maximum penalty of six months imprisonment without option of fine on the appellant, who is a first-time convict without a previous record of criminal conviction, is harsh.
“The learned trial judge erred in law and facts by his imposition of the maximum sentence of six months imprisonment terms against the appellant without the option of fine contrary to the provisions of Section 416(2) (d) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 that prescribed the mandatory guidelines on the trial court on imposition of sentencing after criminal conviction of a first time offender as the appellant.
“The trial court imposed the maximum sentence on the appellant, who has no previous record criminal of conviction, when there are options to impose a lesser sentence by the provisions of the ADCJA.
“The sentence imposed by the trial court against the appellant is punitive contrary to the mandatory provisions of the law on sentencing.
“The appellant has suffered a miscarriage of justice by the maximum sentence imposed by the learned trial court.
“The reasons adduced by the learned trial court for the imposition of maximum punishment on the appellant, which is essentially on what foreigners think of abuse of naira, is perverse and is out of tune with the reality of what the trial court should have been considered to impose maximum punishment on the appellant.
“The intendment of the provisions of the Central Bank Act 2007 that the appellant was charged with is for Nigerians not to tamper with naira and not what nationals of foreign countries view about tampering with naira.
“The trial court did not consider the positive antecedent of the appellant, who did not waste the precious judicial resources of the trial court when he pleaded guilty to the charge. The appellant honoured the invitation of the respondent, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on the first invitation during the investigation leading to the charge.
“The trial court failed to exercise his discretion judiciously and judicially in sentencing the appellant which has occasioned a miscarriage of justice against the appellant.”
[Punch]
Controversial cross-dresser and socialite, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has filed a notice of appeal challenging his conviction on a four-count charge of Naira abuse.
The Nation reports Okuneye was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on four counts bordering on naira abuse.
He pleaded guilty before Justice A.O. Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Justice Awogboro, on 12 April, sentenced Okuneye to six months imprisonment without an option of fine.
On Monday, in his notice of appeal, Counsel to Okuneye, Bimbo Kusanu, filed a notice of appeal, praying the Court of Appeal to set aside the maximum sentence.
Kusanu is asking the court to replace the sentence with an option of a N50,000 fine on each of the counts.
The counsel stated in the notice of appeal that the trial court imposed the maximum sentence on the appellant, who had no previous criminal record of conviction.
He stated that there were options to impose a lesser sentence by the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
He averred that the sentence imposed by the trial court against the appellant was punitive and contrary to the mandatory provisions of the ACJA.
The appellant stated that the trial court did not consider the positive antecedent of the appellant, who did not waste the time of the court by pleading guilty to the charge.
He stated that the appellant honoured the invitation of the respondent on the first invitation.
He said that the trial court failed to exercise its discretion judiciously and judicially in sentencing the appellant.
He explained that such an act had occasioned a miscarriage of justice against the appellant.
“The sentence of the Lower Court that imposed maximum penalty of six-months imprisonment without option of fine on the Appellant who is a first time convict without previous record of criminal conviction.
“The Learned trial Judge erred in Law and in facts by his imposition of the maximum sentence of 6 Months imprisonment terms against the Appellant without option of fine contrary to the provisions of Section 416(2) d of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 (“ACJA”) that prescribed the mandatory guidelines on the trial Court on imposition of sentencing after criminal conviction of a first time offender as the Appellant.
“The trial Court imposed the maximum sentence on the Appellant who has no previous record criminal of conviction when there are options to impose a lesser sentence by the provisions of the ACJA.
“The Sentence imposed by the trial Court against the Appellant is punitive contrary to the mandatory provisions of the Law (ACJA) on sentencing.
“The Appellant has suffered miscarriage of Justice by the maximum sentence imposed by the learned trial Court.
“The reasons adduced by the learned trial Court for the imposition of maximum punishment on the Appellant which is essentially on what foreigners think of abuse of Naira,is perverse and is out of tune with the reality of what the trial Court should have been considered to impose maximum punishment on the Appellant.
“The intendment of the provisions of the Central Bank Act 2007 that the Appellant was charged with is for Nigerians not to tamper with Naira and not what nationals of foreign countries view about tampering with Naira.
“The trial Court did not consider the positive antecedent of the Appellant who did not waste the precious Judicial resources of the trial Court when he pleaded guilty to the Charge. The Appellant honoured the invitation of the Respondent-Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the first invitation during the investigation leading to the charge”.
“The trial Court failed to exercise his discretion judiciously and judicially in sentencing the Appellant. which has occasioned miscarriage of justice against the Appellant.”
[TheNation]
The price of Household Kerosene (HHK) paid by consumers in Nigeria rose to N1,354.40 in March 2024.
The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, disclosed this in its March HHK price watch.
The figure represented an increase of 1.00 per cent compared to N1,340.94 recorded in February 2024.
However, on a year-on-year basis, the average retail price per litre of the product rose by 18.55 per cent from N1,142.46 in March 2023.
On state profile analysis, the highest average price per litre in March 2024 was recorded in Kaduna with N1,875.00, followed by Benue with N1,773.74 and Niger with N1,719.36.
Conversely, the lowest price was recorded in Rivers with N1,070.79, followed by Sokoto with N1,095.33 and Kwara with N1,110.90.
A former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani has called for the demolition of a Chinese supermarket located in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, for allegedly barring Nigerians from shopping in the facility.
Reports had earlier emerged alleging that the management of the supermarket situated at the China General Chamber of Commerce, along Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road in Abuja, directed security officers in the facility not to allow Nigerians in.
The development has triggered reactions from concerned Nigerians who demanded that the Nigerian government should force the supermarket to admit citizens
On his part, Shehu Sani, a former federal lawmaker said the facility should be pulled down in accordance with the laws of the Country.
In a post on his official X handle on Monday, Shehu Sani wondered why a supermarket in Nigeria would not be accessible to the citizens.
Reacting to the development, Sani said, “Any Supermarket in our Country that is not accessible to the Citizens of Our Country but to foreigners, should be forcibly opened or be pulled down in accordance with the laws of our Country”.
Awka, Anambra State capital, is again under the siege of gunmen, believed to be cultists.
At the last count, over 15 residents have been murdered in cold blood within the last two weeks, including some victims who cannot be identified as cultists, promoting the belief that what is happening could be targeted assassinations.
DAILY POST has followed the developments, and reports that the major problem seems to be a struggle for the control of revenue windows, especially collection of taxes from bus drivers and commercial tricyclists.
Investigation shows that no fewer than 15 persons have been gunned down in just two weeks in the city.
The orgy of killings started on Easter Sunday when as much as six youths were reportedly gunned down.
A source told DAILY POST that while the Easter merriment was being observed by Christians to commemorate the resurrection of Christ, the happiness of some people were cut short by gunmen.
“Some were felled at Okpuno area, behind Juhel, others were murdered around Eke Awka area and Obinagu,” a source said.
One of the incidents was said to have happened opposite Dike Park, around the Eke Awka Market, in Awka, the State capital.
According to sources, “The incident happened in the noon of Sunday, and also escalated to the Obinagu area, where some more persons were also gunned down by the cultists.”
It was gathered that one of the persons hit by the bullet was a staff of the Anambra State Judiciary, simply identified as Mr. Nwofor, who was said to be innocently going about his normal business before the cultists struck.
A resident of Awka, who did not want his name mentioned, said: “I suspected that there would be cult killings during that period. You know that most wanted cultists have left town, but during festive periods, they always come home to celebrate, and their rivals use the opportunity to pay them back for their past atrocities, which may include that they have killed their members.”
Just seven days after the Easter killings, three other persons also suspected to belong to secret cults were gunned down in the city.
Though security operatives could not confirm the number, a source said that two of the victims were killed in her presence.
The source said: “Two tricycles were driving recklessly along Zik Avenue at Eke Awka. They were pursuing themselves. Around Eke Awka market, the tricycle at the front got stuck in the traffic, and one boy inside it alighted and started running.
“Two boys in the tricycle behind also jumped down and pursued him. He ran towards Parkers’ area, along Zik Avenue, and diverted into a road by the right, into a mechanic workshop.
“The boys pursued him into the place, dragged him out and shot him to death. The incident caused pandemonium, and people were just running in all directions,” the source said.
Not done, two days after the same incident, another person described as Nwanayoeze, a popular Awka youth was gunned down around tricycle park, Unizik Junction.
Traders around Unizik Junction confirmed that Nwanayoeze was a very prominent youth in the entire area and also controlled revenue from tricycle operators in the area, and was feared by many people, even though they denied that he had any link with cultism.
The killings however did not abate. Thursday of the same week, a former president general of Amansea community in Awka North Local Government Area, Chief Cajetan Nwokike was killed.
On Friday also, at Unizik Junction, a man identified as Christian was gunned down. He is said to be an indigene of Enugu State, but manages a popular transport company in Awka that has fleets of luxury SUVs that ferry passengers to Abuja and Lagos.
He was gunned down in the presence of his co-workers by gunmen who came in a yellow tricycle. Eyewitnesses said the assailants were not in a hurry to leave after the assignment, as they entered the tricycle and drove away slowly.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, gunmen caused pandemonium at Aroma junction.
A youth from Amudo Village in Awka, and said to be a former tricycle operator before transiting into a revenue collector was gunned down.
A source said the assailants trailed him from the Ifite area of the state capital and shot him at close range at a filling station which serves as a popular bus stop for buses and tricycles.
Business outfits in the area were forced to close and roadside traders abandoned their articles and fled.
The major roads in the vicinity of the incident suddenly became empty, just as many people abandoned their cars and took to their heels.
Few hours later, residents of the town received news of another killing in the same junction. This time, an official of the Anambra Road Traffic Management Agency (ARTMA) was the victim.
A source said: “The man who was killed is an ARTMA official. He stopped some people who were driving a Toyota Sienna vehicle with tinted glasses, and the people shot him and drove off. It happened just close to me as I was boarding a vehicle this morning to go to Nnewi.”
The developments have heightened tension in the state capital and beyond, with residents not sure of who would be the next target.
“Security agencies seem to be overwhelmed; everyone is in panic mode,” a distressed resident told DAILY POST.
In one of his responses to DAILY POST, Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson person, SP Tochukwu Ikenga lamented that families of deceased people do not notify the police, so that investigation can commence.
He insisted that operatives were deployed to the areas of the incidents but no news of any killing was gathered.
DAILY POST however gathered that deceased person’s bodies are usually quickly removed by family members to avoid confiscation by police.
Meanwhile, in a recent press conference, the police stated its frustration, saying that most cult kingpins arrested by police were being freed by very influential people in the city.
The commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Aderemi Adeoye, who was represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Akin Fakorede, said: “When those things that have happened over a period of time begin to happen again, the question people should ask is Why?
“Could you imagine that the cultists we arrested, charged to court, and got remanded in prison custody that some powerful locals are going to the judiciary to lobby to get them released?
“And some have been released. And they are the ones unleashing this mayhem again! That is number one.
“Two, you must have heard of the AK-47 we recently recovered from a suspect in Awada. What the suspect told us was that they procured it for him to engage in a showdown with a rival cult group.
“Now, if that AK-47 was not recovered or had joined the recent cult-related clash, could you imagine what the casualty level would have been?
“We are already going after the cultists; and if we find that anybody is subverting justice, or is subverting due process, to get the cultists off the hook, they will face the music, notwithstanding whether the person is in the judiciary or civil populace,” he said.
Currently, major stakeholders in Awka who are worried about the orgy of bloodletting have started working towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.
Three prominent sons of Awka, the member representing Awka South 1 constituency, Hon Henry Mbachu, the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) Mr. Ossy Onuko and the Transition Committee Chairman of Awka South Local Government Area, Mr Anagor ThankGod have teamed up to get security agencies to stop the killings.
Addressing newsmen on behalf of the three after a meeting, Onuko said “Finding a lasting solution to the security challenges is necessary as the elected and appointed officers owe it as a duty to the people to keep Awka safe not just for residents but for thousands of investors trooping into the city.”
DAILY POST, however, noticed on Friday evening that as a result of the frequent cases of killings, men of the Special Anti Cultism Squad (SPACS) have mounted guard at Aroma junction.
Meanwhile, a popular activist in Awka, Comrade Osita Obi, who spoke to DAILY POST, said it was unfair that Governor Soludo was yet to utter a word over the killings.
He said: “Soludo is doing very well in infrastructure, but protection of lives and property is the major reason we elect leaders. He needs to say something.”
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The two wives of the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, are reportedly trying to surpass each other as both of them lay claim to the Office of the Fist Lady of the state.
Both of them signed off as the First Lady of Osun State.
An X user @ remidotun86 had on Sunday shared the two different posters printed by the two women, Amb. Arelu Ngozi Adeleke and Mrs Titilola Adeleke, welcoming Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, to the state.
Nigeria’s First Lady is billed to be in Osogbo, the state capital on Tuesday for the turning of sod of the Alternative High School For Girls at Oke D.O, Ilesha Road.
In the poster belonging to Titilola Adeleke, she wrote: “Official turning of the sod ceremony of the Alternative High School For Girls at Oke D.O, Ilesha Road, Osogbo”.
While Ngozi Adeleke wrote in her poster: “Welcome to the state of living spring. Experience the beauty of Osun State’s landscape” and signed off as the First Lady of Osun State.
Yinka Olomojobi, a law professor at Babcock University in Ogun, has been shot dead while resisting abduction.
Omolola Odutola, the Ogun police PRO, said two other persons were abducted in the Iperu area of the state at around the same time.
It was gathered that the incident happened on Friday around the Ajadeh Event Centre on Sagamu Road.
Odutola quoted eyewitnesses as saying that eight men dressed in black went into the relaxing lounge at 9:20 pm and opened fire indiscriminately.
She said the academic was shot in the chest for resisting abduction by the gunmen.
The PRO said the lecturer was rushed to the Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), where he was pronounced dead.
Odutola said one suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident. She added that an investigation has commenced on the matter.
“A suspicious coincidence led the police to arrest one Awada Ishaya “m” of Plateau state who was employed two weeks ago when the event center was launched as a security man for further interrogation,” she said.
The PRO said the manager of a car stand known as Dare and one other yet-to-be-identified person were taken captive by the gunmen.
The PRO said efforts are underway to apprehend the rest of the culprits and rescue the kidnapped victims.
Former Super Eagles of Nigeria head coach, Samson Siasia has revealed how Nigerian coaches are being ill-treated by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Samson Siasia who was the captain of the national team during his playing days has coached all national team levels except the under-17 side.
Before he was banned from football activities due to alleged match-fixing issues, Siasia led Nigeria to win the African Youth Championship in 2005 and also led the same team to finish second at the 2005 under-20 World Cup in The Netherlands.
The 56-year-old Nigerian tactician went on to win Olympic silver and bronze medals while in charge of the Under-23 team in 2008 and 2016 respectively.
Samson Siasia who is seen as one of the most successful local coaches in Nigeria was expected to apply for the vacant Super Eagles coaching job but he couldn’t due to his ban which will expire later this month.
While the NFF is busy hunting for a new coach, Siasia made an appearance on a podcast alongside ex-international Emmanuel Babayaro and journalist Matthew Edafe on Saturday. During the podcast, Siasia lamented how the NFF hardly gives local coaches time to prepare for tournaments and how the coaches are often paid very low compared to how the football federation pay foreign coaches.
He said, “They didn’t give me Super Eagles from the beginning and give me four years.
“They didn’t give Nigeria people four years, you lose one match, they fire you. That’s the truth. The white people will come, you give them more time, you pay them more money.”
Samson Siasia continued, “And we (local coaches), they won’t send us anywhere and they want us to be better.
“They will pay the white man $50,000 monthly, and pay local hires one million naira. From the on million naira, the coaching staff will also take you inside, and you also have to feed your family.”
Siasia who has coached almost all the levels of football in Nigeria said the only side which is relatively easier to coach is the senior national team.
The Bayelsa state-born tactician noted that coaches in the under-age levels mostly have to use their star power to get some things sorted on behalf of the NFF.
“Trust me the easiest team to coach (in Nigeria) is the Super Eagles because they will give you everything that you need,” Siasia said.
“But U-20, U-23 and the U-16 are even worse because you won’t see food to eat. The U-20 is a big problem because if you don’t know people who can help you, you are in trouble. After all, the truth is if you don’t start on time there is no way you can qualify for a tournament.
“All those times that I qualified for tournaments are not a joke, I know people that own hotels. I will go to them and beg them to allow us to lodge and that we will pay later. They will give you a job one month to play a game and you want to screen players and select the best. How do you do that?”
He continued, “We have to go and look for accommodation because they will put us in Goal Project where there is nothing. Do you know how these people (NFF) deal with the national team coaches? That is why most of them cannot qualify because if you don’t have a name you cannot go to the hotel owners to keep rooms for you for free.
“I qualified the country for the Olympics twice, how many other coaches have been able to do that?”
Nollywood veteran, Zack Orji has revealed how he underwent two brain surgeries in Nigeria.
Orji made this revelation in an interview with Channels TV on Sunday.
The Nollywood had slumped in the bathroom, leading to a critical medical emergency.
He said, “I can only say that it’s by the grace of God that I’m alive today because I passed out. I was out for like five and a half hours before help came.”
His friend, Bala Ahmed, who was in the UK at the time, was alerted by people at Orji’s house. This prompted a swift response from colleagues who hurriedly came to his aid.
The actor said, “Benedict Johnson rushed to the house, and I was there on the floor, incoherent. I couldn’t even stand because when he raised me, I slumped again, and he had to call another colleague whom we call Labista.
“So the two of them lifted me on their shoulders from the second floor to the ground floor and took me to the National Hospital,” Orji added.
Upon receiving the news, Orji’s wife, who was in Lagos at the time, flew to Abuja. On January 1st, the first surgery was performed by a neurosurgeon, Dr. Biodun Ogungbo.
“He’s an awesome guy,” Orji said.
But, a month later, after scans revealed a residual blood clot, Orji underwent a second surgery performed by Dr. Ogungbo.
Meanwhile, Orji received support from prominent figures, including the President of Nigeria, the President’s wife, the Vice President’s wife, the President’s son, and various ministers.
He said, “But in all of it, I’m grateful to God Almighty and I’m also grateful to so many people who stepped in. The President of Nigeria, the First Lady, the wife to the Vice President, the President’s son, the Minister for Women’s Affairs, the Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, the Minister for Works, and a whole lot of other people.
“I was receiving calls from South Africa, from the UK, from the US. Some of them were willing to, they were asking me, how can we help? How can we be of assistance? So it was overwhelming the way people responded to the whole thing,” Orji said.
Orji, after his recovery in Nigeria, however, was advised to seek post-surgery assessment in the UK, where he consulted with Dr. John Yeh.
“I’m grateful to God Almighty and I’m also grateful to so many people who stepped in,” he said.