World News Update

PRESS STATEMENT The Nigerian Federation of American Football (NFAF) has been formally confirmed as the official governing body responsible for the administration, growth, and development of American football in Nigeria, marking a decisive turning point for the sport nationwide. The official inauguration ceremony for the board, is scheduled to take place on Tuesday February 10 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, to usher in a new era of stability and structured leadership following a prolonged period of internal disputes and uncertainty. Hon. Bukola Olopade once again proved his leadership strength by brokering peace among the stakeholders, replicating his decisive intervention that earlier rescued Nigerian e-sports from crisis.  His actions ended months of division and delivered a united, stable, and credible federation now positioned to drive real growth. Speaking on the establishment of the Federation, Hon. Bukola Olopade stated that “NFAF was created to bring order, c...

With eight days left to the 11th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, excitement continues to build as organisers reaffirm the strong financial incentives on offer for athletes across multiple race categories, further underlining the event’s status as Africa’s biggest road race. In the 10km race for both men and women, prize money has been fixed to reward top performances, with ₦500,000 set aside for first place, ₦400,000 for second, ₦300,000 for third, ₦200,000 for fourth, and ₦100,000 for fifth.  The structure reflects the marathon’s commitment to encouraging broad participation while rewarding excellence beyond the elite marathon distance. Beyond the 10km category, significant financial rewards have already been announced for other races.  The elite 42km international marathon will share a total prize purse of $250,000, with $50,000 awarded to the winner and cash prizes extending to the top eight finishers, reinforcing the race’s World Athletics Gold Label status. Nigerian runn...

With nine days left to the 11th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, the race announced another major boost with global sportswear brand PUMA announced as the official apparel sponsor. PUMA, the third-largest sportswear manufacturer in the world, is headquartered in Bavaria, Germany, and is renowned for building products for athletes who move with purpose and speed. The brand has consistently empowered sportsmen and women through cutting-edge innovation, performance-driven technology, and bold design. As part of its involvement, PUMA brings its elite running pedigree to Lagos, spotlighting the Deviate Nitro™️ 3, one of the standout running shoes of the season, designed to deliver speed, comfort, and responsiveness at the highest level of competition. Globally, PUMA sponsors some of the biggest names in sport. In football, the brand partners elite clubs such as Manchester City, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Palmeiras, Olympique de Marseille, Valencia CF, and Girona FC.  PUMA also kits na...

History Is Not a Development Plan _By Abiola Odetola_ There is a kind of love that claps. And there is a kind of love that tells the truth. As Ogun State turns 50, it would be easy, maybe also expected to write the familiar tribute, the great names we produced, the firsts we claimed, the achievements we once wore like a crown, or probably eulogize the current governor and government for its many achievements.  However, Ogun is a state of immense pedigree in Nigeria’s modern story, a place that has repeatedly supplied the country with its thinkers, reformers, builders, and dreamers.  Ogun did not merely participate in Nigeria’s story, it helped write it. But anniversaries are not only for applause. They are also for audit. If Ogun at 50 is only a celebration, then we have learnt nothing. Because a state that is truly serious about its future does not only praise the past, it interrogates the present and prepares the next fifty years with painful honesty.  This is that conv...

With just 10 days to the 11th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, attention now turns to one of the most important pre-race activities: race kit collection. All registered runners are expected to collect their race kits from February 9 to February 13, between 9:00am and 5:00pm daily.  The designated collection point is the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. The race kit collection exercise is mandatory for all participants and will ensure athletes are fully prepared for race day, with access to official bibs, timing chips and other essential materials required to compete. As the countdown intensifies, organisers encourage runners to plan ahead, arrive early, and complete the process smoothly ahead of the February 14 race day.

With 11 days left to the 11th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, organisers have confirmed a total prize purse of ₦11 million exclusively for Nigerian runnerscompeting in the 42km marathon race in addition to the general prize package for all runners. The prize structure, which applies to both men and women, underscores the marathon’s growing focus on rewarding local talent and strengthening grassroots and elite long-distance running within Nigeria.  Each gender category will share ₦5.5 million in prize money, spread across the top 10 finishers. Under the breakdown, the first-place Nigerian finisher will earn ₦2 million, while the second and third positions will receive ₦1.5 million and ₦1 million respectively. The fourth-place finisher will go home with ₦500,000, followed by ₦200,000 for fifth place and ₦100,000 for sixth. Athletes finishing between seventh and tenth positions will each receive ₦50,000, ensuring broader reward coverage and competitive depth among Nigerian runners. T...