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U-20 World Cup Kicks Off as Nigeria Targets Three Points against Qatar
Two-time runners up in the U-20 football competition, Nigeria, will go all out for the three points against Qatar at the 15,300 -capacity Tychy Stadium, in their opening match of Group D of the 2019 U-20 World Cup finals on Friday as the tournament kicks off.
The captain of the side, Ikouwem Utin, has confirmed that nothing short of a win will be good enough.
“It is a big match for us, as every other match in this competition. We know the importance of picking up the three points in our first match, which is why we are determined to go all out,” he said from the team’s Vienna House Hotel in Katowice on Thursday.
“Taking the first three points will help us plan our approach better for the remaining matches in the group phase, and also boost our confidence.”
The team will leave their hotel in Katowice for the short drive to Tychy on Friday.
The game kicks off at 5pm Nigerian time. The second match of Group D, between Ukraine and USA, begins at 7.30pm Nigerian time.
Coach Paul Aigbogun and his assistants left out half of the squad members from the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Niger Republic in February, where the team earned the ticket to Poland, and infused a number of exciting talents in the midfield and attack.
While the choice for the number one shirt is between Detan Ogundare and Olawale Oremade (who was custodian in Niger), Valentine Ozornwafor and Igoh Ogbu are likely to keep their spots in central defence. Captain Utin would be at left back while Jamil Muhammad could be at right back.
In the midfield, there’s England-based duo Nnamdi Ofoborh and Ayotomiwa Dele-Bashiru, Perugia’s Kingsley Michael and home-based duo Effiom Maxwell and Aniekeme Okon.
Dele-Bashiru, who plays for English champions Manchester City, has been tipped by FIFA as one of the players expected to shine in Poland.
In attack, the Flying Eagles has England-based Chinonso Emeka, Jerome Adams (Norway), Tijani Muhammed (Czech Republic), Henry Offia (Sweden) and Success Makanjuola, who plays in the domestic league, vying for places.
“We have a tough history to match; silver medals twice, bronze once, and a number of quarter-final appearances. That’s why we must start very well, by taking the points against Qatar and then march on with confidence and self-assurance,” Flying Eagles coach Paul Aigbogun said.
“We are flying the flag of nearly 200 million Nigerians, as well as that of the African continent. We have put a lot of work into building a squad that will make Nigeria and Africa proud.”
Nigeria have qualified for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) following a 3-1 aggregate win over neighbours, Benin Republic.
The Super Falcons drew 1-1 with the Amazons of the Benin Republic in the second leg of the qualifier played on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
But a 0-2 victory in the reverse fixture in Lome, Togo, courtesy of goals from Esther Okoronkwo and Chinwendu Ihezuo, was enough to secure Nigeria’s ticket for the tournament with a 3-1 aggregate win.
Defender Ashleigh Plumptre headed in from a brilliant Okoronkwo corner to give Nigeria the lead at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Ogun. It was the Al-Ittihad star’s first goal for the Super Falcons since switching allegiance from England to Nigeria in 2017.
The visitors drew level in the 61st minute, thanks to a goal from Yasmine Djibril. However, it was too late for the Amazons to stage a fight back as Justin Madugu’s side kept the scoreline the same, booking their seat for the next WAFCON in the Maghreb nation of Morocco.
Nigeria won the last WAFCON after a heroic comeback against hosts Morocco. That trophy was a record-extending 10th title for the Super Falcons. They clinched it in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018.
Next year’s Women’s AFCON is set to take place between March 17 and April 3. The competition will also serve as the qualifier for the 2027 Women’s Wold Cup in Brazil.
Semi-finalists at the WAFCON are guaranteed automatic spots in the tournament. But two more teams can join the contingent via the intercontinental playoffs.
The Super Falcons have participated in all editions of the Women’s World Cup and reached the Round of 16 in 2023 before crashing out to eventual finalists England via penalties.
A former Minister of Education, Dr. (Mrs) Obiageli Ezekwesili, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of suppressing civic freedoms and eroding citizens’ rights.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) titled “A Memo to Nigerians: A Call to Collective Voice on the Shrinking Civic Space and Erosion of Citizens’ Rights in Nigeria,” Ezekwesili condemned what she described as a “deeply troubling trend” of growing state intolerance and repression of dissent.
She urged President Tinubu to immediately direct the Inspector-General of Police to release activist Omoyele Sowore and his colleagues, who were recently detained.
Ezekwesili also called on Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to publicly apologise to EiE Nigeria’s Executive Director, Yemi Adamolekun, and activist, Ms. Nafziger, over their reported harassment during a peaceful #EndSARS memorial event.
“The latest wave of actions against citizens by state security agencies reflects a deeply troubling trend — the steady shrinking of civic space and erosion of citizens’ fundamental rights in our democracy,” she wrote.
The former minister cited three recent incidents — the harassment of Adamolekun, the police clampdown on protesters demanding Nnamdi Kanu’s release, and the repeated arrests of Sowore despite a valid court order — describing them as evidence of “a dangerous pattern” of intolerance and abuse of power.
According to her, the Tinubu administration has become “intolerant of dissent, allergic to accountability, and fearful of citizens’ voices.”
“It is clear that President Tinubu is running a government and security apparatus that are increasingly intolerant of dissent. True strength of a government lies not in silencing critics, but in protecting those who speak truth to power,” she stated.
Ezekwesili urged Nigerians to defend their democratic rights, stressing that sovereignty belongs to the people, not the government.
“Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive on the silencing of conscience. Every act of repression against one citizen diminishes the liberty of all,” she warned.
”We must collectively safeguard our right to speak, assemble, and demand accountability. Our democracy must not become one without citizens.”
The United States government has revoked the non-immigrant visa of Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate.
In a letter dated October 23 and signed by the US consulate-general in Lagos, Soyinka was directed to present his passport at the consulate for physical cancellation of the visa.
Soyinka spoke during a media parley held in Lagos on Tuesday, where he read excerpts from the official correspondence sent to him.
“This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the nonimmigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in U.S. Department of State regulations 22 CFR 41.122 and is no longer valid for application for entry into the United States,” the letter reads.
The Nobel laureate said he could not identify the specific offence that led the revocation of his visa by the US government.
Soyinka said he applied for the visa after he received a letter from the US Internal Revenue Service about an audit for tax returns.
He explained that his trip was to resolve the tax issues, adding that he wanted to prevent a situation where the US might advertise him as a “tax dodger” to the world.
Soyinka made reference to how he discarded his US green card after President Donald Trump assumed office in his first term.
The Nobel laureate said he wondered whether his visa was revoked because he described Trump as “Idi Amin in white face”.
“It is necessary for me to give this press conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for their event, not to waste their time. I have no desire,” he said.
“It is necessary for me to give this press conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for their event, not to waste their time. I have no desire,” he said.
“I have written a lot of plays about Idi Amin. Maybe it is about time I also write about Donald Trump. Literary compliment. Maybe he would reconsider and restore my visa.
“I want to reassure the US Consulate that I’m very contend with the revocation of my visa. Individual citizens are free to interact with me.”
In September, Soyinka said he would not honour an invitation by the US consulate in Lagos for a visa interview scheduled for September 11, 2025.
TheCable
