Sports
UNILAG VC For Burial, May 31
Academic activities resumed on Thursday at
the University of Lagos after three days of mourning for the late Vice
Chancellor, Prof. Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, who died on Saturday aged 62.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and
Research, Prof. Babajide Alo, however, said that academic activities would be “
low keyed”.
The management of the university had on
Wednesday announced that Sofoluwe would be buried on May 31 at the Ikoyi Vault
and Gardens.
“The whole university community is yet to
recover from the rude shock it went into when it received the sad and sudden
news of the death of its 10th vice chancellor.
“A high-powered burial committee headed by
my humble self was set up by the university to draw up the programme in
conjunction with the family.
“On Thursday, May 31, 2012, there would be
a lying-in-state on our campus followed by the burial service at the All Saints
Church, Yaba, and this would be followed with an interment at the Vaults and
Garden, Ikoyi, Lagos,” Alo said.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor said that the
burial programme would commence on May 25 with prayers at the mosque to be
followed with a special prayer on May 27 at the university’s main chapel,
Christ Our Light and the St Thomas Moore Catholic Church on the campus.
He said that on May 29, there would be a
Service of Songs at the Main Auditorium, main campus, Akoka.
“On Wednesday, May 30, there would be a
lying-in-state at the Multi-Purpose Hall at 8 a.m, and at noon, there will be a
special Senate session in the Senate Chamber and thereafter, it would be
followed by a wake-keep at the Multi-Purpose Hall,” Alo said.
He said that plans were on to immortalise
the late vice chancellor, especially after having achieved a lot in the two out
of the five-year term that he spent.
“We have a practise in this university
where our vice chancellors are always revered whether living or dead.
“If you look around, you will see pictures
of all our past vice chancellors hanging on the wall and for this, our late
vice chancellor, we will do everything possible to keep his fond memories
alive,” he added.
Alo said that at the University of Lagos,
it was unprecedented for an incumbent vice chancellor to die while on active
service, adding that Sofoluwe was the fourth vice chancellor to die while in
office in the entire university system.
Meanwhile, Mr Sodeinde Sofoluwe, elder
brother of the late vice chancellor, who represented members of the family at
the news conference, has debunked rumours making the round that the family was
suspecting a foul play.
According to him, “at no time, did the
Sofoluwe family, discuss with anybody or felt that our brother was poisoned or
due to any foul play or external forces, as being speculated in some
newspapers.
The DVC said that condolence registers had
since been opened at all the departments of the institution, as well as the
Senate Chamber and the Vice Chancellor’s Lodge.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.