Nigerian Newspapers
Onifade taking courts by storm
It took one road trip for Demola Onifade to astound his new basketball teammates and coaches.
But it was nothing that the 16-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria, did on the court.
“We’re together as a team, back at the hotel,” said Rob DePersia, a local attorney who is the coach of Team Speed, an AAU squad that features top teenage players from South Jersey. “Demola said, ‘I have to go and study.’ He went and did his homework twice.
“He has that inner drive. That’s why he’s going to be great.”
Onifade has more than determination. He also has the height, wing span, agility, and speed to make a major impact on the South Jersey basketball scene over the next two seasons.
The 6-foot-9 athlete enrolled at Camden Catholic on April 12. He lives in the school’s Nazareth House, a dormitory on campus for international students.
Onifade’s journey to the United States was arranged by Youth Interlock Society, a nonprofit organization based in Chester, Pa., that provides educational and athletic programs as well as mentoring services for at-risk youth.
The organization sponsors Team Speed, which includes South Jersey players such as junior Matt Klinewski of Eastern, junior Rodney Williams of Cherry Hill West, and sophomore Theo Holloway of Paulsboro, among other South Jersey players.
Youth Interlock Society’s founder and director, Earl Pearsall, said he is paying Onifade’s tuition, room, and board at Camden Catholic with help from donations from friends and supporters of his organization.
Pearsall said he learned of Camden Catholic’s housing arrangements for international students and strong academic reputation through DePersia, whose twin sons, Rob and Nick, are members of Team Speed as well as sophomores at Haddonfield High School.
“That’s a great place for Demola because he will be challenged academically,” Pearsall said of Camden Catholic. “He wants that.”
DePersia and Pearsall said that nobody from Camden Catholic was involved in the process to bring Onifade to America or to enroll him in the school.
Msgr. Andrew Martin, Camden Catholic president emeritus, resides at the Nazareth House with the international students who live there.
Martin said has been “amazed” at how well Onifade has adjusted to Camden Catholic as well as dormitory life.
“He’s such a nice young man,” Martin said. “He has fit in so well. Just the other day, I had to drive him to Somerdale because he was meeting a friend to go to the movies.”
Martin said Camden Catholic created the Nazareth House two years ago at the site of an old convent as a way to increase enrollment and add diversity to the student population.
The dormitory currently houses about 35 students, most of whom are from China. Onifade rooms with two other boys, one from Mexico and one from China.
Onifade is one of two Nigerians on the Team Speed squad who were brought to this country through Youth Interlock Society. The other is 6-foot-8 Adelou “Gabe” Adesina, who is a junior at Chester High School.
Onifade said he began dreaming about coming to the United States to play basketball a little more than a year ago. He said he has been playing the game for about three years.
“I knew I would find better basketball here,” Onifade said. “That’s what I wanted.”
Onifade said he attended Ikosi High School in Lagos. He also was enrolled in the city’s Rapid Basketball Academy, which facilitated his move to the United States.
DePersia said the process of bringing Onifade to this country took nearly a year and involved layers of bureaucratic complications.
“It was incredibly complicated,” DePersia said.
Onifade said he left behind a family that includes his mother, Sola, and father, Kola, as well as an older brother and sister and younger twin brothers.
He said his mother was “happy and sad” that he was leaving home and that he talks with her regularly on the telephone.
“Maybe when I graduate, my parents will come over to see me,” Onifade said.
Onifade said one thing bothers him about South Jersey: The weather.
“It’s cold,” he said.
He likes the food, especially “fries and burgers.” He said his diet in Nigeria consisted mostly of rice. He said he has gained about 15 pounds in his first month in this country.
Onifade said he likes “science and algebra” as school subjects. He hopes to go to college on a basketball scholarship and major in engineering.
“I want to be an engineer, but first I want to play professional basketball,” Onifade said.
Onifade has unpolished shooting and ballhandling skills. He has struggled against some of the better competition that Team Speed has faced in a few tournaments, according to DePersia.
But the coach said Onifade is getting better and better. He’s been averaging “double-digit rebounds” and about six points in recent games.
At a recent practice, Onifade dunked effortlessly and ran the floor like a much shorter athlete.
“He’s gotten a lot better,” said the 6-8 Klinewski, a second-team all-South Jersey selection last season who recently committed to attend Lafayette on a basketball scholarship. “He’s lifting weights, getting stronger. You can tell he’s going to be really good.”
DePersia said he expects Onifade to improve dramatically as he continues to gain weight and strength and develop a deeper understanding of the sport.
“He’s adamant that he has to become a great player,” DePersia said. “He takes the same approach to basketball that he does in the classroom.”
Asked what he likes best about his new home, Onifade said, “The way schoolwork and basketball go together. I know I have to do well in school if I want to play basketball.”
Klinewski said he won’t forget Onifade’s first road trip, when Team Speed traveled to Pittsburgh the weekend of April 19-21 for a tournament.
“We were all together in one room, and I walked into my room, and there he is studying,” Klinewski said of Onifade. “I was like, ‘D, come on.’ But that’s the way he is. He knows this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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