1996 Olympic gold medalist, Emmanuel Amuneke, has said that although he would love to coach the Super Eagles if given the opportunity, he was not desperate for the job.

Amuneke, a former Super Eagles player, said this while addressing newsmen in Owerri on Tuesday.

The former Nigeria U-17 national team coach and former coach of the Tanzania national team, said the job of coaching Nigeria’s national team should be given on merit and to whom with the interest of football and Nigeria at heart”.

The Spain based former striker, who played for Sporting Lisbon football club in Portugal and Barcelona football club, expressed confidence that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would eventually appoint the ideal coach for the Super Eagles top job.

He said that with a plethora of Nigerian talents scattered across the globe, a lot of professional capacity, technical expertise and consultation would be required to harness the talents, combine them and achieve the needed balance.

“The Super Eagles’ upcoming World Cup qualification matches against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa and their counterparts from Benin Republic would necessitate the appointment of a substantive coach who would also need some time to put the house in order for best results.

 “I am not desperate to be Super Eagles coach, though I nurse the ambition to coach.

 “If I have the opportunity to serve my fatherland , I will accept it and deliver my all,” he said.

He however, called for the development of football at the grassroots for further development of the Nigerian league for harnessing of more talents. (NAN)

Abdul Samad Rabiu (ASR) Africa, an affiliate of BUA Group of Companies, turned the sod of a N250 million Administrative Block and Conference Room at Al-Qalam University, Katsina, on Thursday.

In 2022, ASR Africa announced the launch of its 2023 Tertiary Education Grant Scheme to cover 22 institutions, one of which is Al-Qalam University, a private Islamic institution.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Dr Ubon Udoh, Managing Director, Abdul Samad Rabiu (ASR) Africa, said education remained one of the priority areas of its interventions.

Udoh said that the Chairman of ASR Africa, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu was committed to supporting quality education in tertiary institutions in Nigeria and in Africa as a whole.

He commended the management of the university for providing prompt feedback and required documentation on the project to ensure its speedy take-off and advised it to endure judicious use of the facilities.

Udoh also assured the university of speedy completion of the projects.

In his remarks, the varsity’s vice-chancellor, Prof. Nasiru Musa-Yauri commended the Chairman of ASR Africa and the BUA Group for finding the institution worthy of the grant.

Musa-Yauri said the project was one of the university’s priority needs, adding that the university was set to launch its College of Allied Health Sciences for the 2023/2024 academic year.

“Upon completion of this project, staff and students in Bachelors’ degree programmes in the sciences for the 2023/2024 academic year will have lecture rooms and offices for their programmes.

“They include those in Nursing Science, Public Health, Radiography, Physiotherapy, Optometry, and Medical Laboratory,’’ he said.

BUA Group of Companies is one of Africa’s largest food, mining, manufacturing, and industrial conglomerates.

Its affiliate, Abdul Samad Rabiu (ASR) Africa was initiated in 2021 to provide sustainable impact-based home-grown solutions to issues affecting health, education and social development in Africa. (NAN)

The Deputy Governor of Edo, Mr Philip Shaibu, on Wednesday prayed the seven-member investigative panel on his planned impeachment, to obey an interlocutory injunction of a Federal High Court, Abuja.

At its  maiden sitting on Wednesday in Benin, Shaibu, through his lawyer, Prof. Oladoyin Awoyale, SAN, said the panel’s sitting to investigate him would amount to fait accompli.

He argued that there was a subsisting order of interlocutory injunction granted by an Abuja Federal High Court and further hearing had been adjourned to April 8.

Awoyale argued that with the court’s order, all parties are advised to obey the ruling.

However, counsel to the House of Assembly and Deputy Clerk, Legal Department, Joe Oaifi, argued that the panel’s sitting was supported by Section 188 (10) of the constitution which foreclosed any court from preventing the House of Assembly and the panel from discharging its constitutional responsibilities.

The State Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa,  constituted a  panel headed by retired Justice S. A. Omonuwa.

The panel has the mandate to investigate the allegation of misconduct levelled against the deputy governor by the Edo State House of Assembly.(NAN