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Super Eagles Star, Wilfred Ndidi Storms Ikeja Cantonment As Brig. Saraso Fulfils Promise to Little Wonders FC
The Brigade Commander of the Nigerian Army 9 Brigade Command, Maryland, Ikeja, Brig. Gen. M. L. D. Saraso has yet again fulfilled his promise to support the Little Wonders FC, the football team resident in the cantonment with a visit of Super Eagles and Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi. This is in line with his decision to spur Little Wonders to success as they prepare to play in the Lagos State League. The team qualified for the league for the first time since its inception in 2002.
The visit of the Nigerian international, Wilfred Ndidi came alongside a friendly match of Little Wonders FC against Bomb Blast FC at the Lt. Gen. T. Y. Buratai sports complex inside the army cantonment. The game was an explosive match and is second in series lined up for the team by Brig. Gen. M. L. D. Saraso. It ended in a 2-2 draw with Wilfred Ndidi scoring the second goal for Little Wonders FC. The other goals were scored by Stanley Joseph of Little Wonders and the duo of Bulus Zaina and Nurudeen Akanbi of Bomb Blast FC.
Speaking with Oki Samson of Trek Africa Newspaper and other Pressmen on the reason for the novelty match, Brig. Gen. M. Saraso noted: ‘The essence of organizing this friendly novelty match is just to encourage the youths in the barracks. When the Little Wonders FC that have been grooming themselves for years on this pitch, Ndidi was one of them until he left for Europe to play professionally. They for the very first time as a team qualified to play in the Lagos State League. When they came to me with this good news, I promised that I am going to encourage them to go higher.
The least I can do is to get their contemporaries, people who started like them with humble beginnings and same background to come and identify with them, play with them, gist with them, get very good advice from them so that they can be encouraged and developed in order to realize their full potentials.’
‘We started this when I first brought in Moses Simon who plays with Nantes FC. He is also a barracks boy who started in Kaduna. His father is a soldier who served till he retired. I said it will not be out of place to get someone from this barracks from this same pitch. I found him and he obliged. I am sure it will impact youths playing on the pitch and those sitting on the pavilion by his presence and will likely wait to put in more determination to their acts.’
‘I want to encourage the youths to remain disciplined as the barracks is founded on discipline. There should be good ambassadors of the barracks, shun crimes and vices’, the Brigade Commander stated.
The special guest of honour at the football match, Wilfred Ndidi who also emerged from the barracks in Maryland, Lagos was elated to be invited to part of the success story. He said: ‘This is a great privilege for me to be back home. Special thanks to Brig. Gen. Saraso for inviting me. I am really honoured. I am really happy to see everyone. I am here to encourage these players and I believe my presence will make them feel that way. I am blessed to have come out of this place to let them know I came from the roots. I will advise the youths that they have the talent and quality, they should showcase it.’
On the need for youths to embrace education, the Leicester City FC star remarked: ‘On the other hand, they have to further their education which is a plus for you. It is a reality that you can be in school and play football so that you can have something to fall back on if football doesn’t work out.’
‘I didn’t think I would get to the top growing up in the barracks. I just wanted to play football. It was just the grace of God and the opportunity came and I took it. I am really pleased. I am really blessed. I am really proud of myself’, Ndidi concluded.
At the event, Wilfred Ndidi gave N500,000 each to Little Wonders FC, Bomb Blast FC, and widows in the cantonment.
Dignitaries at the novelty match are; Base Commander, 651 Base Services Group, Ikeja, Air Commodore Kolade Adeniran Ademuwagun; Director, Institute of Army Education, Nigerian Army Cantonment Ikeja, Brig. Gen. M.M Kini; ; Director, Nigerian Army Archives, Ikeja Military Cantonment, Lagos, Brig. Gen. M.A. Uba; CEO Achieving Greatness, Mr. Emmanuel Ojibo; Chief of Staff, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army Cantonment Ikeja, Col. I.O. Amah; CEO of Teeded Nig. LTD, Mr. Tunji Aded Adeyankinnu; CEO, Emperor Resources Ltd, Mr. Femi Shadamoro among others personalities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There is no gainsaying the fact that everyone desirous of making impact in life must live a life of purpose. This is where knowledge and information come to play. It is these knowledge and information that will set an individual apart from his contemporaries.
I strongly believe, if one is not informed, they are ill-informed, and when they are ill-informed, they can’t perform well in any given endeavour. This is because information leads to reformation and transformation. We can therefore, confidently say that information leads to formation because everyone is a product of what they know.
Knowledge acquisition is one of the best things that can happen to anyone. People with knowledge are revered, and highly respected. Having knowledge is like having money. People from all walks of life will seek you.
There are different kinds of knowledge, and they include Revealed Knowledge, which comes from those who wrote the Bible and Intuitive Knowledge, which comes from the mind. It is the ability to gain knowledge without conscious reason or explanation.
Others are Empirical Knowledge, which is information gained through observation, experimentation, and direct experience, rather than through theoretical reason or intuition; Authoritative Knowledge, which is the knowledge a man has because of his expertise in a particular field; and finally but not the least, Rational Knowledge, which is a form of knowledge that uses reasoning and philosophy to understand the world.
From this illustration, a decisive mind can see that knowledge is priceless. Knowledge is like education. It can provide security and access. Even the Book of life says in Proverbs 4:13, “your education is your life, guard it very well”; and in Hosea 4:6 that “my people perish for lack of knowledge”.
From my personal experience in life, apart from death, one of the greatest levelers of all time is education. This is because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. That explains why children from humble backgrounds ought to take their education very seriously, especially if they don’t have affluence.
On a personal note, I come from a very humble background, my late parents didn’t have the opportunity of acquiring a decent education, but they knew the value of education and endeavored to give me and my siblings a decent education. In retrospect, when I look back and see some of my contemporaries whose parents couldn’t give them a decent education, I bless my late parents because education has exposed me to lots of opportunities in the United States, and the global world in addition to granting me an audience with the high and mighty in society.
Sometimes, when I look at my modest achievement, I’m deeply humbled because I know it is the grace of God. Who am I to author two amazing trailblazers’ books, get featured and profiled by the New York Times, engage in high level conversation with leaders of thought and captains of industries. Apart from the grace of God, intentional seeking of knowledge, and wise counsel from mentors and strategically positioning myself have been some of the cornerstone to my success.
Imagine if my late parents didn’t give me a decent education and opportunity of travelling to the United States, most of these opportunities and exposure wouldn’t have been readily available.
When one is decently enlightened, educated and informed about life, their level of reasoning and understanding differ from an ordinary man. If one desires to go far in life, one must seek knowledge.
It is your knowledge that sets you apart from others.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished Ghostwriter, “If you are a man of great knowledge, people will have great respect for you. If you are a man of great wisdom, people will have great reverence for you. And if you are a man of both, great knowledge and great wisdom, you will be the most eminent of men. But in real terms, people don’t care how much you know, or how much wisdom you have, unless they know how much you care.”
The moral of this quote is that despite the knowledge and information at one’s disposal, if one lacks empathy, their knowledge, experience and whatever they have mean nothing.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overemphasized. In our contemporary society, a fast way of attracting opportunities is by showcasing the knowledge at one’s disposal. It is so sad that many people don’t take time to read, research and learn new trends applicable in their industry, and in the world generally and as such, they find it difficult to fit in and grow.
It is instructive to note that when you seek knowledge, opportunities will seek for you. A major reason people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems and to solve problems, one ought to have understanding. Do you know that if you don’t have money, the reason is often because you are not solving a problem, or you are not solving enough problems, or you are not solving the right problem or you are not solving problems for the right people. Generally, we make money because we have something unique to offer to the world. Therefore, to solve problems, one must have knowledge and information.
We currently live in an age of technological, where skills, talent and creativity are in high demand. Any progressive being that desires to go far must be intentional in seeking knowledge. Successful acquisition of knowledge, information and understanding can lead to discernment and wisdom.
In conclusion, as you journey towards life, if you want to make an impact, seek opportunities, and earn more money, do yourself a favour by endeavoring to seek knowledge, wisdom, and information. You can’t get these by sitting on your sofa or staying in your comfort zone.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
