Nigeria Content Online

Unable to re- enact
the form, which saw him score 21 goals in his debut season at the
Merseyside with Everton, Nigerian striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, has joined
Championship side, Leicester City on a loan deal for the rest of the
season. The transfer is a move many see as underlining the falling
stock of Nigerian players abroad.

The 28-year-old,
who had a successful medical test yesterday before completing his
switch to the Walkers Stadium from Goodison Park has been struggling
with injury and poor form all season, a fact that has seen him scoring
just once – in a Carling Cup game – all season.

City manager,
Sven-Goran Eriksson has been chasing a big-name striker ever since he
took over the reins at the Walkers, in October and for him, Yakubu fits
perfectly into his plans.

Yakubu is the
biggest signing the club has made since they were relegated from the
Premier League in the 2003/2004 season and the deal could be made
permanent in the summer if things work as planned.

Counting on Yakubu

City will be hoping
Yakubu will have the same impact he had when he joined Portsmouth from
Maccabi Haifa in 2003, when he scored a goal every other game as Pompey
won the title and promotion to the Premier League.

City who are
currently 12th on the log are four points adrift a playoff spot for
promotion into the elite division and will be away to Preston North end
this weekend, a game Yakubu may likely make his debut.

Aside the promotion
chase, City are also still in the FA Cup competition as they would be
away to Manchester City for the replay of their 3rd round fixture which
ended in a 2-2 stalemate last time out. Whilst hoping for a quick
return to the Premiership, Yakubu who joined Middlesbrough in 2005 for
£7.5million and scored 25 goals in 73 appearances before moving to
Everton two years later for a fee of £11.25m, will have to adapt
quickly to life in the championship. He joins other Super Eagles
players such as Kanu Nwankwo, Danny Shittu Sam Sodje, and John Utaka in
the championship.

Uchechi on the radar

Also, City are
reported to also have interest in another Nigerian striker, Danny
Uchechi, and could likely offer him a deal to very soon.

The former Flying Eagle star has spent five years with Charlton and
featured in a trial match at Aston Villa before Christmas, along with
South Africa international Bernard Parker as part of a two-week spell
with City.

Though he has
scored only three goals so far, Shooting Stars striker, Gbolahan
Salami, plans to finish this season as the League’s top scorer. He also
plans to upstage former Kano Pillars hit man, Ahmed Musa, who currently
holds the record of the highest number of goals scored in a season.

Last year, Musa eclipsed the twenty-year-old 17 goals record set by Ishaya Jatau and equalled by Orok Akarandut in 2009.

Salami, who was
among the new signings for the Oluyole Warriors before the start of the
season has been in blistering form for the Coach Fatai Amoo-led side.

“I cannot say i’m
the best but I will try my best to score more goals and finish the
season as the top scorer of the season, I am not fully fit now but I am
working very hard to be the best and I believe I can achieve this,” the
Nigerian Junior international said on his clubs website, www.
shootingstarssc.net.

Worthy signing

Currently in the
Eagles camp preparing for next month’s Obama Cup, Salami was at his
usual best in Shooting Stars last two games – at home to Sharks FC of
Port Harcourt and Niger Tornadoes of Minna. He scored against Sharks
from the spot and set up the second goal, while he provided the assist
for the first goal against Niger Tornadoes.

“We have good
strikers and midfielders in the team; I am very happy and I will
continue to put up a great display in all matches. Our coach is good
and we are all happy with him,” Salami said.

“It is our home
again; this is just two hours from Ibadan. I am very happy the
supporters have come to support us and even Gateway management has
visited us, so we are all happy with what they have done for us” he
said.

Shooting Stars next game will be against Warri Wolves, and the striker is looking forward to a great match.

The death on Tuesday of former Nigerian international, Gideon Njoku, has left members of the Nigerian football community sad.

Njoku’s death comes less than a week after Uche Okafor another Nigerian international died in the United States of America.

“It is truly shocking,” said Segun Odegbami, a former captain of the Green (now Super) Eagles.

“Chief and I were
together recently during the prayer and thanksgiving service organised
for Nigerian sports by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

We left the church
together and I remember him complaining that he didn’t have a job and I
tried to encourage him that something will happen soon,” Odegbami added.

“It just goes to
show that we are not supermen even though the way we carry on as if we
were. I am truly saddened by his death.”

Also reacting to
the death of Njoku, who was pivotal member of Nigeria’s gold medal
winning 1973 All Africa Games squad, Harrison Jalla, President of the
National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) said the former
international’s death was a surprise.

“I am at a loss for
what to say. Until he died I was in constant communication with him.
Even while he was in the village for the Christmas holiday, we still
spoke a few times. His death has really come as a shock to me. Chief
was a gentleman and a very straight forward person and we are really
going to miss him,” Jalla said.

A big blow to Nigerian football

A close friend of
Njoku, Godwin Dudu-Orumen, a lawyer and former member of the Nigeria
Football Federation’s (NFF) Technical Committee, told NEXTSports that
he is shattered by the death of the former Eagle who also had a stint
as coach of defunct ACB FC of Lagos.

“Chief Njoku was
more than just a friend to me. He was like a brother. He was coach of
my Football Academy and we also met from time to time at the All Stars
to which we both belong. When his son called me two days ago that he
had taken ill in his home town, we had advised that he be brought to
Lagos where he was duly admitted in a hospital. When I called yesterday
(Tuesday) and his son responded, I suspected that something was wrong.
His death is truly tragic,” Orumen said.

When contacted
about Njoku’s demise, the NFF through Ademola Olajire, its spokesman,
said his death was a big blow to Nigerian football especially coming so
soon after the death of Okafor.

“The news of his
death is shocking to us. We are pained that the community of
ex-internationals has shrunk further by the death of Chief Njoku.

We share in his family’s pain because his death affects all of us,” Olajire said.

The NFF spokesman
said the federation will play a role in the burial of the late former
footballer and that it has dispatched a letter of condolence to his
family.

Njoku, who was also at one time Team Manager of Enyimba Fc of Aba,
died from cardiac arrest in Lagos on Tuesday at the age of 63 leaving
behind a wife and children.

With many yet to
come to terms with the sudden death of former Super Eagles defender,
Uche Okafor, another teammate, Mutiu Adepoju has described as
unfortunate the demise of the former Nigeria international. Adepoju
said he finds it difficult to believe that the former player actually
took his life.

“It is just
unfortunate and it came to me as a shock. Uche and I were very good
friends and the last time we saw was at the opening of the Ogbemudia
Stadium in Benin. We spoke about a lot of issues and nothing suggested
that he had anything bugging him so much that he would decide to hang
himself,” Adepoju said.

The 3SC General Manager further said he would remember Okafor more for his diligence and hard work on and off the pitch.

“He was a true
professional and did not joke with any game. It is sad we are going to
lose him in such a manner. I pray God to give the family the strength
to cope at this difficult period and help stop deaths in the football
family,” he said.

Back in the days

Adepoju and Okafor
were key members of the Super Eagles during their playing days. Besides
helping Nigeria win the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, both were
also members of the country’s World Cup squads in USA 1994 and France
‘98.

Okafor’s body was
discovered last Thursday by his wife in their house in Little Elm, a
town about 30 miles northwest of Dallas, Texas. Little Elm police
detective Oscar Hinojosa said he hanged himself in an upstairs hallway;
a verdict Okafor’s family have not accepted as they have further
requested for a more comprehensive investigation into his death.

The family has however announced that Okafor will be buried in Nigeria.

The
President Cup Polo Tournament taking place in Lagos enters its final
stage this week. The event, which galloped off at the Ribadu Road Polo
Ground in Ikoyi last weekend has yet to throw up any clear leaders as
all nine competing teams jostle closely for the top prize.

Team Hassan
Katsina, losers to Team Dangote in the opening game of the tournament,
fell again by 41/2-8 to a resilient Team Ogunbanjo in its second match
of the tournament. The victorious Ogunbanjo team will face Team Dangote
on Friday.

In the first
encounter slated for Friday, Team Akinkugbe which secured a slim 51/2-5
win over Team Raccah in its first game of the tournament, will know its
fate when it faces a Team Owen.

Team Owen played out a 5-5 draw with Team Raccah in its first match of the tournament.

The hard fighting
Team Amusan, which secured full points in its opening 6-3 victory over
Team Oshogwemoh before being held to a draw by Team Owen in its last
game, will also take to the field on Friday.

Competition mode

Another team hoping
to advance into the semi-final is Team Churchward, whose feisty 5-5
draw with Team Amusan is one of the highpoints of the tournaments, face
Team Oshegwemoh, who are eager to record their first victory of the
tournament.

All the semi-final
games of the President Cup’2011 are billed for Saturday, while the
third place game and the final will be decided on Sunday at the
legendary Ribadu Road Ground, before a full house of top dignitaries
that include the Lagos State Governor, Raji Fashola who is expected as
the Special Guest of honour.

According to Ayo
Olashoju, the Lagos Polo Tournament Manager, the tournament, organised
by the Polo Management Committee (PMC) of the club is part of the build
up to the Lagos International Polo Tournament scheduled for next month.

PMC Secretary and Grounds Member, Bode Makanjuola said the President
Cup, which comes on the heels of the inaugural Santa Cup tournament, is
designed to put Lagos players and horses in their best competitive
shape ahead of next month’s moth International Polo tournament.

The first edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World ranking of the New Year has seen the Super Eagles remain on the 32nd spot.

A lot of teams on the log also maintained the positions they occupied during the last ranking.

The Super Eagles
had moved up one spot to finish the year 2010 in 32nd position. The
ranking turned out to be the worst year-end finish for the country’s
national team in the last six years.

Already, many are
expectant that the new Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, will be able
to change the fortunes of the team, which was formerly ranked very high
among football playing nations.

Spain continues to
lead the way as the world’s best team, ahead of the Netherlands and
Germany. The only change in the first 30 countries saw Egypt who
remains Africa’s best team swap places with Croatia. Egypt dropped to
the tenth spot, while Croatia moved to ninth place.

The seemingly
unchanged ranking was due to inaction at national-team level in most
confederations. Only 35 friendly matches have been taken into account
in the current ranking, 23 of which were played before the turn of the
year.

The country’s
national team will however soon get busy as it is expected to take part
next month in the Presidents Cup in the United States, the federation
has also said the February 9 FIFA friendly window will also be utilised
even though no particular team has been named for the Eagles.

Siasia gives up on Onuoha

In other
development hopes of Sunderland on-loan defender Nedum Onuoha playing
for Nigeria may soon fizzle out as the Super Eagles coach, Samson
Siasia may have given up on the former England U-21 captain.

Siasia who was
reported by local media to have had a bust-up with Onuha denied the
claim but said he will never call on Onuoha to play for the Eagles
again.

“Until he decides
to call me and tell me that he is interested in playing for this
country I will never call him anymore,” he said.

Siasia, who may
have be angered by the player’s attitude during his last visit to
England where he met with other England-based Nigeria players like
Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi felt he was disrespected by Onuoha.

“I called Nedum (Onuoha) to know if he wants to play for Nigeria and
the only thing he said to me was that he should be left out of the next
game (of the Nigerian national team). He didn’t answer my question and
that is a serious disrespect I must say because we feel he is a good
player,” he said.