Sports

12-Year-Old Boy Wins NAF 10Km Walk

Published

7 years ago

August 13, 2018

A 12-year-old boy, Agbama Daniel, who participated in the Air Force 10 Km Annual Walk/Run/Jog exercise, organised by the Tactical Air Command (TAC), Makurdi, last Saturday in Makurdi, won the fastest Base Boy prize.
Agbama, who lives with his Airforce father at the NAF Base, was declared the fastest out of many other boys that competed in the race.
The boy said he had been running and jogging longer distances.
No official recording of the time within which the exercise was completed was given.
The event was organised for both security personnel and their families living at the NAF Base.
Tidesports source reports that more than 200 personnel drawn from the various security and paramilitary organisations also participated in the exercise in Makurdi.
Tidesports source also reports that the event, which holds annually, seeks to boost inter-agency cooperation among sister security agencies and promote healthy lifestyles of officers and men.
All activities were divided into male and female categories and competed for by both officers and men.
For the female category of Joggers, Flight Lieutenant OC Moses, emerged the only winner with a finish time of 1:11:27 seconds.
The first position of the Female Officers Walk was won by Squadron Leader EE Danjuma, who completed the exercise in 1:22:21 seconds, while the second position was won by Flight Lt. AJ Enemanna, with a time of 1:22:54 seconds. No one came third.
For the Air Women Joggers, Cpl. Awokoya, who finished the exercise in 52’5seconds came first, Air-Craftswoman (ACW) RN Nebo came second with 58.18 secs, while ACW-JC Onyezim was third with 1:40 mins.
Master Warrant Officer Emeghauabe, won the first position in ACW Walkers category, having finished in 1:15:16secs.
His closest rival Flight Sgt. BM Sofekum, finished with a time frame of 1:21:45secs, while another Master Warrant Officer Nwo Onyilo, came third with 1:25:75secs.
For the Officers’ Walkers category, Group Capt. A Idris, won with 1:12mins, Air Cdre BA Sani came second, recording 1:18:20secs, while AVM Idi Lubo, was third with 1:21:51secs.
In the Air Wives Association , two winners emerged, they are Patricia Omaka and Ukindigh Beatrice who finished their walk in 1:3mins and 1:09 minutes respectively.
Olakama, a Youth Corps member, serving at the NAF base was first in the race finishing the 10 Km run in just 43 minutes.
His rival Nwaiwa Andrew came second with 47 minutes, while Onyeogbo Kido was third with 1:52 minutes.
Speaking at the presentation of prizes, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) TAC, AVM Oladayo Amao, charged soldiers to do regular exercises to maintain healthy lifestyles.
Oladayo said such regular fitness exercises enabled them to achieve mental, physical and emotional balance needed to carry out their duties.
“The exercise is meant to keep personnel physically, mentally and emotionally stable to cope with the demands and challenges of defending the country’s territorial borders,” he said.
He also commended the Chief of Air Staff( CAS), Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar, for providing the logistics for the event and charged soldiers to take advantage of it to ensure regular exercises to maintain healthy bodies.
According to him, the exercise is in line with the CAS vision to reposition the Airforce to be highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for effective and timely response to national security imperatives.
He said the exercise also provided a platform for sister security agencies to interact and build mutual relationships healthy for the task of defending the country.
He expressed happiness that there was no casualty during the exercise and commended the officers for their professionalism during the exercise. Rector, Army Institute of Technology, Makurdi,
Also, Maj-Gen Chukwuemeka Okonkwo, said physical fitness was central to military operations and charged security personnel to exercise regularly.
“For us in the military, we must be physically and mentally fit to perform our constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and properties as well as fight and defeat external enemies and overcome threats to territorial integrity,” he said.
He commended those who won laurels and urged them to train hard to keep the record, while also encouraging those who never won prizes to strive hard to win in the next edition.

Sports

Arsenal must win trophies to leave legacy – Arteta

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that the Premier League leaders must win trophies if they were to be remembered like the “Invincibles” side that last won the title for the Gunners in 2004.

Arsene Wenger’s side romped to the title 22 years ago without losing a single league game.

Arsenal headede into last night’s clash at home to reigning champions Liverpool with a five-point lead at the top of the table after Manchester City and Aston Villa dropped points against Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, respectively on Wednesday.

Arteta’s men, runners-up for the past three seasons, have two more points and four more goals than Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ managed after 20 games.

But the Spaniard said those stats matter little unless Arsenal go on to win the league.

“No, because ‘the Invincibles’ won a lot,” Arteta told his pre-match press conference on whether his side can be considered better than Arsenal’s last title winners.

“They won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that.”

The lone major piece of silverware won by Arsenal in six years under Arteta remains the 2020 FA Cup

“There are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years we have managed more points and more goals than ever before. But at the end, we have to translate that to major trophies,” he added.

“Probably doing what we are doing now would have been enough (in 2004), but now it’s not, and we have to make the margins even bigger.”

Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield back in August in what was billed as an early showdown between title rivals.

The defending champions headed to the Emirates 14 points off the top after a difficult second season for Arne Slot, but Arteta insisted the Reds remain a superb side.

The Gunners were without sidelined defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera but were“monitoring the load” on Kai Havertz as the Germany forward intensified his training while continuing to recover from a long-term leg injury.

Sports

AFCON: Osimhen, Lookman Threaten Algeria’s Record

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Nigeria sharpshooters Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will provide a stern test to the flawless record of Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, a son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane, in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Morocco.

Zidane is the only first-choice goalkeeper amongst the eight quarter-finalists to have kept a clean sheet in all of his tournament matches so far, but the task facing him in Marrakesh tomorrow will not be easy.

Former African player of the year award-winners Osimhen and Lookman have tormented defences during the tournament, scoring three goals each.

Zidane, 27, kept clean sheets in group matches against Sudan and Burkina Faso before being rested against Equatorial Guinea.

He was recalled for a last-16 clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo and once again was unbeaten during a dramatic extra-time victory.

Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, his Spanish wife and another son have been among the crowds in each match Luca played for the Desert Foxes.

“It is special when your family come to watch,” said Luca Zidane, who began his career with Real Madrid B in 2016 and now plays for Spanish second-tier side Granada.

Born in France, Zidane represented his country of birth at five age-limit levels. Under FIFA rules he could also play for Spain or Algeria, where his grandparents were born.

Zidane chose Algeria, debuting in a 2026 World Cup qualifying victory over Uganda last November and, when an injury ruled first choice Alexis Guendoez out of the AFCON, he was promoted.

“I am proud to represent Algeria and play in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is a great experience,” he told reporters.

“I try to be myself, to build my career on my terms, step by step,” he said.

Algeria have been an AFCON bogey team for Nigeria, winning four and drawing two of nine meetings, including a 5-1 drubbing of the Super Eagles en route to winning the 1990 tournament at home. But the current Super Eagles appear to be in the mood to get this one over the Algerians.

The Desert Foxes have put successive group-stage exits behind them under Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic and substitute Adil Boulbina unleashed a thunderbolt to eliminate DR Congo.

Nigeria are the 12-goal leading scorers in Morocco with Osimhen, Lookman and Akor Adams forming a potent frontline.

But coach Eric Chelle will be concerned that the three-time champions have conceded four, the most among the eight title hopefuls.

Sports

Palace ready To Sell Guehi For Right Price

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has said that the club would sell captain Marc Guehi this month if his asking price is met.

The England defender is out of contract in the summer and Manchester City have emerged as contenders to sign him during the January transfer window.

Palace blocked a proposed £35m move to Liverpool last summer but risk losing the 25-year-old for nothing at the end of the season.

City’s interest in Guehi has progressed following injuries to defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias during Sunday’s draw against Chelsea.

“I’m not naive,” said Glasner, as reported by Tidesports source. “If a massive offer comes from City and Marc wants to do it, it will happen.”

Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are among the European clubs to have shown an interest in signing Guehi on a free transfer, and he can sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from this month.

“If you’re just valuing sports, everyone in the club will say Marc has to stay,” Glasner added. “The chairman will tell you the same. But it’s not one-dimensional. If you see the financial situation, it’s very important.

“If somebody comes, there will be a moment when the club says ‘now the financial issue is more important than the sports issue’.

“There will be a threshold where the club has to say it will happen, as long as Marc says ‘I want to leave’, because the final decision is always with the player.”

Guehi helped Palace finish 12th last season and win the FA Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

The Eagles then won the Community Shield in August, beating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties, and are 14th in the table and through to the knockout phase play-offs in the Uefa Conference League.

“The chairman rejected many offers in the summer because we want to play a successful season and wanted to win the Community Shield,” Glasner added. “Therefore, Marc is important, and then he rejected the offer.

“The threshold at that time, the money we got offered was not above it. Maybe it was close, but it was not above.”