NAIJAFEED

Monday, June 21, 2010

Super Eagles to get N4.5 million each to beat Korea

Nigeria Football Federation has promised the Eagles' players 30, 000 dollars each (about N4.5m) if they beat South Korea on Tuesday.

Nigeria have lost two of their group B games and are in danger of being dumped out of the World Cup. But a win against Korea and a little favour from Argentina against Greece will offer the Eagles a chance of moving to the round of 16.

NFF president, Sani Lulu, met with the players last weekend and dangled the 30, 000 dollars carrot before the players, in order to ginger them for the decider against the Koreans.

The Eagles have not collected any bonus so far for the World Cup. They were promised 10, 000 dollars each (about N1.5m) for a win.

"The players will pocket 30,000 dollars each if they beat Korea and qualify for the next round. It was something the NFF leadership agreed with the players."

The Eagles will earn a further 12,500 dollars per head for victory in the Round of 16.

Lulu told the team to rise to the occasion, adding that the whole country is behind them.

Vanguard

Video overview of Group B in the 2010 World Cup

Sani Kaita apologizes for red card

An apologetic Nigeria midfielder Sani Kaita has given more details leading to the incident that got him to see red and invariably cost the Super Eagles three precious points at the World Cup.

Kaita was sent off in the 33rd minute in his team's surprise 2-1 loss to Greece in a Group B match on Thursday after he appeared to lunge at Vasileios Torosidis with a foot in a touchline scuffle.

The sending off proved to be the turning point of the game as Greece soon drew level before grabbing a winner for their first-ever World Cup victory.

"The guy (the Greece player) hit the ball on my body (stomach) and abused me, saying some very unprintable things. That really got me very angry. That is why I reacted like that to him. But that was a big mistake by me and I will remember for a long time," Kaita said.

"I cannot stop apologising to all Nigerians for making this costly mistake. I am very sorry and I pray that we win our next game (against South Korea) to qualify for the next round, where I hope to redeem my image with a good performance if I'm picked," he added.

"I couldn't sleep all night thinking about what my action has cost my country, but I hope that Insa Allah (by the grace of God) we will win our next game and thereafter I promise to put my life down on the pitch to ensure we go very far in this competition."

The former Sparta Rotterdam ace therefore called on Nigerians not to give up on the Eagles, but rather support the team for Tuesday's match against South Korea in Durban.

"The mood in camp is really high. They have accepted my apology and they are now desperate to win our next game for me so that we could move to the second round of the competition," he offered.

"We still need the support and prayers of Nigerians for us to get the qualification ticket to the next round. Nigerians would see a different Sani Kaita Insa Allah when we qualify.

"And I promise that what happened yesterday will never happen again."

Vanguard

Related stories: Sani Kaita receiving death threats

Lagerback finds Greece defeat bitter

Kaita shows no remorse

NDLEA discovers cocaine in sandals, arrests four suspects

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a Spain-based Nigerian, Ezeugha Sunny, for trying to smuggle one kilogramme of cocaine inside his sandals.

The suspect was detected during routine check on Iberia flight on Wednesday when he carefully packed the cocaine in two 500-gramme parcels and neatly hid in a pair of sandals he was putting on at the time of screening.

Three other suspects, Abuku Prince Kennedy, 26; Oparaji Anthony, 40, who lives in Spain and Tochukwu Christopher Okeke, 35, who lives in Monrovia, Liberia, were tested positive to drug ingestion.

NDLEA Airport commander, Hamza Umar, said Okeke swallowed 45 pieces of narcotic substances on his way to Liberia. He was to board Arik flight when he was tested positive to drug ingestion.

Anthony ingested 71 wraps while Kennedy swallowed 45 wraps.

Hamza, who said the suspects were still on observation to expel the drugs in their stomach, warned drug traffickers to stop their nefarious activities.

Sunny, a factory worker in Spain, claimed to have been given pair of sandals by a contact in Lagos.

In his words, "I work in Spain but I lost my job some months ago. Though I am single, it is difficult to cope in Europe without a job. It is joblessness that led me into drug trafficking. I needed money for my upkeep and when they told me that the drug will be inside my sandals. I felt it was a good plan to escape arrest. But my desire did no work out." The suspect hails from Anambra State and is said to have lived in Madrid for over 10 years.

Chairman of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, attributed the seizure to dedication and excellent profiling techniques applied by undercover officers of the agency at the airport.

Giade said, "The seizure is unique and the dedication of the officers must be commended. Drug barons will have their drug concealment methods discovered because we are prepared and committed to our duty of drug control. Regular training in both interdiction techniques and passenger profiling is also our strength".

He also said jobless Nigerians living in Europe were fast becoming the targets of drug barons and advised them to return home and be legitimately employed rather than smuggle drugs and end up in prison custody.

He said suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.

Daily Champion

Sani Kaita receiving death threats

Death threats are being sent to Super Eagles player, Sani Kaita over earning a red card during the World Cup match against Greece last Thursday.

However, news close to the Eagles' camp has it Nigeria is not taking this lying low and a course of action is being mapped out to protect the midfielder.

Kaita told the German news agency that he had received death threats via email, and team Media Officer Idah Peterside said the NFF had written an official letter to FIFA and the Nigerian government.

"He has received over 1000 threats to his email, so we are not taking this lightly.

"We have spoken to the Nigerian Minister of Sports to inform him about the situation, and we are also writing to FIFA to notify them," Peterside said.He added that the minister and other Nigerian officials were disappointed at the situation.

"Here is somebody on national service who is trying to do his best. For people to threaten his life is shocking and disappointing.

"He is shaken, but is getting support from his team mates and team officials."

This Day

84 year old woman arrested for selling babies

The weather was cool this Thursday evening as it had rained for hours in some areas of the Lagos metropolis while other areas were bone dry as usual and commuters were bracing up for the notorious gridlock which gets worse when it rains.

They were not unduly perturbed because though the homeward journey was going to be long but the weather was cool. Then along came a newspaper vendor displaying an evening paper with the headline: "Lagos Shuts Baby Factory: Woman, 84, Arrested For Selling Babies". All eyes were drawn to the paper and a commuter, Iyke, bought a copy to read.

"Wonders will never cease in Nigeria. Abracadabra, the more you look, the less you see. That has been our experience in this part of the globe," commented Iyke.

"O boy, read it out loud please," a number of commuters pleaded with Iyke who said tongue-in-cheek: "You guys should not disturb me. After all you saw the vendor or do you think the papers are for decoration? They are for sale, so go and buy your own," thereupon he began to read the story aloud to the hearing of all.

"This is insane! How can an old woman who is close to her grave and should be making peace with God turn something meant to be a blessing into a curse? Was the orphanage home registered by government?" Femi wanted to know.

"Yes, the report said she was granted license by the state government some years ago to operate the orphanage," Iyke replied, adding: "But trust our people to exploit every loophole. The 84-year-old woman built an unapproved maternity centre where babies are delivered and also a school in the same place."

"Wait a minute, where were the government agencies in charge of all these things all the while? They just issue licence and no follow up and that gives people the chance to do whatever they want," noted Jossie. "I believe they would have discovered these atrocities if they had been up and doing. I hate the lackadaisical attitude of the average civil servant. Nobody cares.

I shudder to think about the fate of those unfortunate kids that had been sold, maybe to ritualists."

"Money is everything in this part of the world so people go to any length to make it. My question is, how was she getting those pregnant girls to deliver and sell their babies to her?" asked TJ.

"They may be young ladies who got pregnant and were afraid to go home to face their parents; so such people are grateful to whoever will take care of them and keep the baby at the end of the day so they could go on with their lives," answered Ify.

"It is possible that she recruits young boys and girls and pay them peanuts for the purpose of breeding babies for her. Much the same way you breed animals for sale, like what happened during the slave trade. It's just so sad how low we have sunk," lamented Eunice.

"All these are possible because of the 'I don't care' attitude of our leaders who are busy stealing and stashing our money in foreign banks while we are here suffering. Young people are ready to do anything to keep body and soul together. So unscrupulous elements in the society exploit these loopholes," said Kate.

"This is not the first time such a thing would be happening. Some years ago, it was one orphanage home somewhere in Isolo, Lagos State which was shut down and the operators arrested. Nobody knows what became of them. I hope the ministry concerned would henceforth live up to its responsibilities and government should provide them with all they need to discharge their duties creditably," counselled Ken.

"The public should also be at alert. If they see such evil going on in their environment, they should alert the security agencies or the relevant arm of government as it happened in this case. This evil must stop," said Iyke.

"The woman said she only gives out babies who were not wanted by their mothers, and that she never asked the prospective adoptive parents to pay but asks for donations of between N100,000 and N200,000. So what do you call that?" asked Zuby.

"It's wickedness, pure and simple, no other name for it," replied Ken.

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