Premier League champions Leicester City are to sign Nigerian international attacking midfielder Ahmed Musa from Russian champions CSKA Moscow for $21 million (18.8 million euros). Separately, Leicester announced earlier Sunday they had signed former France Under-21 midfielder Nampalys Mendy from Nice on a four-year deal, as they bolster their squad for a tilt at the Champions League.
The 23-year-old Musa, who scored a brace for Nigeria in a 3-2 defeat against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup finals, is to sign a five-year deal. “He’ll be leaving Tuesday,” CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky told Russian media of the player, who joined CSKA in 2012 and has scored 53 goals in 161 games. “And if you look at the way things are done over there you’ll see he is a player just made for English football,” Slutsky said. Leicester’s first signing since winning the English Premier League was Sporting Gijon defender Luis Hernandez on a free transfer.
Manchester City are set to prevent Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho from playing for his country at this summer's Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
New City boss Pep Guardiola wants the 19-year-old to stay with the English Premier League side for pre-season.
Nigeria included Iheanacho in their provisional squad, despite having received a letter from City to say the player would not be available.
"I don't know if my team and my country have decided," Iheanacho said.
"If your country wants you to play for them you surely have to do so, but it's not up for me to decide. I don't know if it has been concluded or not."
Iheanacho, who joined City from the Taye Academy in his native Nigeria in January 2014, broke into the club's senior side last season and scored 14 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions.
His displays have seen him move above Wilfried Bony, the experienced Ivory Coast international, in the pecking order.
If he went to Brazil for the Olympics for the football tournament, which takes place between 3-20 August, he would missing the opening weeks of the Premier League season.
City believe that the Iheanacho would benefit more from spending a full pre-season working with Guardiola as the player seeks to establish himself as a first-team regular.
Versatile Speaking at a fan event at City's Academy Stadium, Iheanacho said: "Everyone knows Pep and what he can do. I think he is a great manager and I think he will bring many things to this team.
"I can play number 9, 10, 7 and 11 as well so I can play in different positions. Anywhere I can fit in, I will play.
"I am happy with what I did last season and now I have to work really hard this season to get something for the team and work for the team as well."
Iheanacho faces fierce competition to win a regular place in City's line-up, with new signing Nolito able to play in attack, as well as Bony and first-choice forward Sergio Aguero.
But the teenager believes that he can persuade Guardiola to give him a chance as City seek to improve on last season's fourth-place finish.
He said: "Everyone wants to start games and work hard. I need to work extra hard and I will get a chance," he added.
"It will be a big season for me, and for every player."
The Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group that has been carrying out attacks on Nigerian oil facilities in the past few months, claimed responsibility on Sunday for five new attacks in the southern energy hub since Friday.
The group had previously not laid claim to any attacks in the Niger Delta - the source of most of the OPEC member's oil - since June 16.
Petroleum Ministry sources said in late June that a month-long truce had been agreed with militants. But the Avengers said they did not "remember" agreeing to a ceasefire.
Attacks in the Niger Delta have pushed Nigerian crude production to 30-year lows, although the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said last week that output was rising because of repairs and a fall-off in attacks.
In messages posted on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday, the Avengers said they had attacked a pipeline connected to the Warri refinery operated by NNPC on Friday night.
They added that they blew up two lines on Saturday night close to Batan flow station in Delta state run by NPDC, a subsidiary of NNPC.
The militants also said two Chevron facilities close to Abiteye flow station, in Delta state, came under attack early on Sunday.
Residents in some of those areas reported hearing blasts.
"All five operations" were carried out by an Avengers "strike team", the group said.
Garba Deen Muhammad, a spokesman for state oil company NNPC, whose managing director is the oil minister, confirmed that the crude facilities identified by the Avengers had been attacked.
"Government will not be deterred in its efforts to find a lasting solution to these attacks," he said.
Chevron spokeswoman Isabel Ordonez said that "as a matter of long-standing policy," the company did not comment on "the safety and security" of its personnel and operations.
The militants say they want a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth, which accounts for around 70 percent of national income, to be passed on to communities in the impoverished region and for areas blighted by oil spills to be cleaned up.
On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari hosted a group of community leaders from the Delta and urged them to pacify people in the restive region where anger is widespread.
Eric Omare, of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), which represents the Delta's biggest ethnic group, said the "resumption" of attacks was "worrisome", adding that the government had failed to build on goodwill generated by the oil minister's visit to the region in June.
"The federal government has not taken any practical step toward resolving the issues," said Omare, adding that the IYC urged the Avengers not to carry out further attacks in order to "give room for constructive dialogue".
Nigeria have started the process of finding a new manager of the national team, according to the country's football federation.
The Super Eagles have been without a permanent coach since Sunday Oliseh quit the post in February.
The Nigerian Football Federation is hoping to be able to draw up a shortlist of candidates by Friday.
"We encourage applications from all highly-qualified persons, whether they be Nigerians or expatriates," it said.
"Applications are welcome until Wednesday, and the Technical and Development Committee will meet on Friday to look through all applications and release a shortlist."
Caretaker manager Salisu Yusuf guided Nigeria to victories over Mali and Luxembourg in two friendly matches in May, but the NFF president Amaju Pinnick has publicly declared his intention to appoint a foreign manager for the country instead.
Nigeria were rocked by Oliseh's exit, brought about by a dispute over contract violations, and they had to play two crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt in March under the temporary charge of Under-23 coach Samson Siasia.
The three-time African champions were eliminated from the competition and will not feature at next year's finals in Gabon.
Opinions are sharply divided about what direction the NFF should follow after the country's failure to qualify for the 2015 and 2017 Nations Cup tournaments under local managers.
Nigeria have been drawn in the same African 2018 World Cup qualifying group B as former champions Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia.
The group includes three of the five African countries who went to the last World Cup in Brazil and they will be battling for a single place at the tournament in Russia.
Algeria and Nigeria both got past the group phase in 2014 and were eliminated in the round of 16 while Cameroon, hampered before arriving in Brazil by a player strike over money, lost all three games and conceded nine goals.
James Entwistle, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, has expressed his country’s readiness to stand hand in hand with Nigeria and provide any assitance needed to jointly combat corruption. He also assured that no looted funds are laundered through the American banking system. According to the diplomat, the Obama administration has already offered technical assistance to local anti-graft agencies for the training of investigators and prosecutors.
Mr Entwistle made the announcement during the 240th United States Independence Anniversary celebration cocktail party in Abuja on Saturday. He said: “Not just the political freedom you exercised last year, but freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom from sickness, and freedom from corruption. The last election was tremendous democratic success, not only for Nigeria, but the growth of democracy across Africa. As you fight Boko Haram and secure and rebuild the Northeast, and you strive for harmony in the Niger Delta and across the land, we will continue to help in every appropriate way.
Indeed, let us redouble our efforts on the humanitarian front in the Northeast. Nigerians are dying of starvation in Nigeria. The United States stands with every Nigerian who believes that Nigeria can be healthier, safer, and more prosperous.” On economy and investments The ambassador also commended Nigeria’s economy direction, stressing the importance of fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange rate control. Besides, he urged the government to keep developing investment-friendy environment to attract more foreign companies thus boosting economy.
“As you continue privatization of the power grid, through President Obama’s Power Africa initiative, we stand ready to, among other things, help companies invest in building more electricity infrastructure, especially environmentally-friendly power generation. As you increase your commitment to healthcare and education, we support those efforts too,” he assured Mr. Entwistle, who has worked 35 and a half years at the U.S. Foreign Service, is planning to retire and leave his post of the ambassador to Nigeria by the end of this month. He has described his stay in Nigeria as a fascinating time and expressed optimism and hope for the better future for Nigeria. However, he refused to comment on his letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, over sexual allegations against three Nigerian lawmakers while on official trip to the U.S. months ago.
