Nigerian Football
National Stadium Lagos: Ambode Promises Legacy For Next Generation
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has promised to bequeath a legacy for the next generation.
He made the promise when he visited the National Stadium Surulere in company of the Minister of Youth and Sports Barrister Solomon Dalung on Wednesday.
According to a press statement issued by the special adviser to the sports minister, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the governor said that his government will create an all inclusive infrastructure that will not only provide facilities for sports men and women to train but will also allow families to bond.
“We promised during our campaign to use tourism, entertainment, arts and sports to drive youth employment and excellence. This is just one chapter in that road map to growing the GDP of Lagos. We cannot fold our arms and leave this monument to waste away. The last match that was played here was almost fifteen years ago. The truth is that the inner key to youth empowerment and youth employment is in re-establishing this edifice to its real world class standard, and then you earn layers of employment for our younger ones and even create family bonding”
Earlier, the minister thanked Governor Ambode and the people of Lagos State for stepping in to restore national pride to the stadium.
Barrister Dalung noted that the country’s sports history remains inconclusive if nothing is done to address the level of deterioration at the National Stadium.
“This edifice is a monument of national pride. Our visit is very important because it has provided us with the information on how we got to where we are today and what steps can be taken to forestall this in future. We have gone round and seen that this edifice is in a sorry state. The level of dilapidation is embarrassing. It can never be equated with our civilization as a people.”
Barrister Dalung urged the governor to establish a state infrastructural development agency when negotiations on the stadium are concluded, to help in the sustenance and development of the structure. He also promised continued partnership with Lagos state in other sports and youth empowerment related projects.
The Governor and the Minister visited the two training pitches, the indoor halls, the main bowl, switch room, the dilapidated boardroom as well as the players’ changing rooms.
Talks on a possible handover of the National Stadium to Lagos state will continue after a technical team carries out an evaluation of the level of decadence at the stadium.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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