FIFA PRESIDENCY: Pamodzi Boss, Itemuagbor Backs Kalu

Pamodzi Sports Marketing (PSM) boss Mike Itemuagbor has backed the FIFA Presidential bid of former Abia State governor Orji Uzor Kalu describing it as a Nigerian project worthy to be embraced by everyone.

Speaking with examples about the lopsided trends in sports administration globally and Nigeria’s indifference towards seeking such offices when the opportunities present itself, Itemuagbor stated that:”Nigeria is the only country in Africa that participates in all FIFA events in Africa despite the huge cost of these competitions, yet lacks presence in the global sports bodies.

“If a Jordanian Ali fully backed by the people and government of Jordan despite their non-participation or presence among the countries of football in the world why not people of Nigeria back Orji”

“Nigeria is the main issue and Orji is behind at the forefront of football in Nigeria because he has the requisite management experience having governed a state for 8 years in Nigeria besides being a publisher, also a football enthusiast and an administrator, who has committed his personal resources in the past. With the new recognition of Nigeria by the global community, we implore the African continent to come together and emulate Europe and Asia with their block votes.

“Today we have executive committee members from Saudi Arabia in IAAF despite no record of Athletics, because Asia went to the election with their block votes as against a divided Africa. Should Kalu Orji decides to contest for the FIFA presidency, let us all as Nigerians support with the same zeal we use to support the national teams of Nigeria. We all have to see the FIFA Election as a 90 minutes game to put Nigeria at the top as always. lets throw our hats for Orji Ozor Kalu.”

Orji Uzor Kalu photo credit politicscope.com

‘Look at what happened at the last IAAF elections in Beijing and how Asia came together to ensure two of their own, Ahmadi AL Kamali from the United Arab Emirates and Nawaf Bin Mohammed Al Saud from Saudi Arabia got elected into the IAAF Council albeit they are not strong nations as far as the sport of track and field is concerned.

‘Nigeria is a power house in continental and global football and we have results on the pitch to show for this. It is high time we took advantage of this and the fact that the whole world now see us in a positive light to assert our position as a country to reckon with,’ he said and wondered how Jordan’s Prince Ali is better qualified for the position than Orji Kalu.

‘In terms of whatever reasons or parameteres you want to use or think about, Orji Kalu presents better credentials than the Jordanian prince.This should be an eye opener to Nigerians and Africans that we should not under value ourselves, he further said reiterating that Orji Kalu possesses the right credentials to lead FIFA.

“We need to make our impact felt in these international bodies and I feel strongly that Kalu as a Nigerian, if given the chance with his wealth of management experience as enumerated above can turn things around for the good of the game.”

TOP STARS JET IN FOR OKPEKPE

All the invited foreign athletes confirmed for Saturday’s 3rd Okpekpe 10km road race in Okpekpe, Auchi,Edo state will jet in today according to organisers of the race.

In the travel itinerary made available to the media in Lagos by former Nigeria track and field star, Yusuf Ali, who is a member of the main organising committee for the race, all the athletes except Foimi Justilin of Cameroun will arrive Lagos from as early as 5.30 this morning till a few minutes past noon.

Foimi was expected in Lagos late Tuesday evening from Douala, Cameroun while Morocco’s Lahbabi Aziz is expected to jet in at 5.30am today.

Also expected in Lagos today are three former winners of the annual Obudu international mountain race, Abebe Dinkesa, Hunegaw Yismaw and Genet Yalew who will jet in aboard an Ethiopia Airline flight.

Meanwhile Ali has assured that Saturday’s race will be very different from the two earlier editions because of the international recognition it has received.

‘As you all know the Okpekpe 10km road race is now one of the few races the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has designated as one of the leading road races around the world. In fact we have only three of such in the African continent,’began Ali,

‘The Okpekpe race is now an IAAF bronze label race and what this means is that all rules regulating the organisation of the race as layed down by the IAAF must be strictly enforced.

‘For example the number of nations that must participate in a bronze label race must be at least four and we have satisfied this requirement by having athletes from Cameroun, Morocco, Kenya and Ethiopia who have ran faster than the standard set by the IAAF for the year.

‘We are also going to ensure the specified number of doping tests is carried out after the race while in the area of prize money,the gender equality rule is also followed such that what the male winner earns is also what the opposite sex will get,’explained Ali.

The former national and African long jump champion also revealed that the granting of the bronze label status to the race means world and area records set in Okpekpe will be recognised by the IAAF.’

Ali has also revealed that the race course which starts from Apama Road and ends in Okpekpe will be closed to vehicular traffic.

The Okpekpe 10km road race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing,a leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and rights acquisition business in Nigeria in conjunction with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Edo state government.

The race is run over hills and sandy path and it starts in Apama road and ends in Okpekpe, a town in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. It is located about 25 km North East of Auchi.

OKPEKPE: NEW PRIZE MONEY FOR EDO INDIGENES

Organisers of the third Okpekpe 10km road race scheduled for next month in Okpekpe have announced a quantum increase in the prize money for the first nine Edo-state born finishers in the men and women race.

The respective male and female winners will go home with N500,000 each ,an increase of N400,000 while the first and second runners-up will get N300,000 and N250,000 respectively.

The ninth-placed runner will get N50,000 while the eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth and fourth-placed finishers will go home with N75,000, N100,000, N150,000 and N200,000 respectively.

Yusuf Ali, a member of the organising committee and former Africa, Commonwealth and World Universities Games long jump champion explained that the committee arrived at the decision to increase the prize money for the locals because of the need to encourage them and make them more competitive.

Okpekpe road, Edo State

‘The committee feels there is the need to make Edo-state indigenes up their game and make them more competitive. The new prize money structure will make them train more and, hopefully, we will get them to compete for the main prize of $25,000,’he said and expressed happiness that the male winner in that category in the past two editions,Lawrence Osheku has promised to improve on his performance.

‘You can seee that the guy who emerged the best Edo-state indigene in the last two editions, Lawrence (Osheku) is already talking about improving from a 34 minutes runner to 31 and this will be a significant improvement. I am sure if he is able to achieve this, he will be contesting for the top prize for Nigerian runners.We believe by next year he will be among the contestants for the $25,000 top prize,’said Ali who heaped plaudits on race owner, Mike Itemuagbor for approving the new prize money structure for Edo state indigenes.

‘He (Itemuagbor) is a blessing to the state and athletics in particular and Nigeria in general. If we have more people like him organising world class sporting events in Nigeria,the country would rank among the best in the world in any sport.

‘He has been the driving force behind the monumental success the race has achieved in the last two years culminating in the award of a bronze label status for the race,the first of such in West Africa,’remarked Ali.

The Okpekpe 10km road race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing,a leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and rights acquisition business in Nigeria in conjunction with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Edo state government.

The race is run over hills and sandy path and it starts in Apama road and ends in Okpekpe,a town in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. It is located about 25 km North East of Auchi.

Nigeria’s Olumudi Ready For Okpekpe

Nigeria rave of the moment in long distance race, Aderonke Olumudi, on Sunday in a telephone conversation with our correspondent confirmed her readiness to partake at the third edition of the annual Okpekpe 10km Road Race.
The Kogi-born athlete has been in a rich vein of form since moving to the United States of America, she recently won the 10km Women’s category of the third GE Irving Marathon race.

Olumudi, had earlier won women’s silver and bronze medals at the March 14 fifth Longview Marathon and the 21st March 13th Bearathon Marathon races both in US respectively.

“I am ready to race at the Okpekpe,” she said. “I was at the first edition of the competition, and I am ready to be the first Nigeria to win the race.

Aderonke Olumudi photo credit Aderonke Olumudi

“My target for now will be to perform well at the Lake Minneola Half Marathon billed for April 25, and hopefully take the form to Nigeria for the Okpekpe race.”

The Okpekpe 10km road race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing, a leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and Rights Acquisition business in Nigeria in conjunction with the AFN and Edo state government.

The previous editions of the race were dominated by East Africans with Kenya’s with Nigeria athletes yet to finish top five of the race.

3000 RUNNERS FOR OKPEKPE RACE

Over 3000 runners are expected to participate in next month’s 3rd Okpekpe 10km road race scheduled to hold in Okpekpe, Auchi in Edo state, organisers of the race have confirmed.

‘We are expecting over three thousand runners for this year’s race which will hold on May 16,’reveals former Nigeria track and field international, Yusuf Ali who added that interest in the race from various managers across the world have been both encouraging and overwhelming.

‘The runners are expected to submit their registration forms with medical certificate of fitness and they are expected to sign a waiver form to acknowledge among other things the risks inherent in running a 10km race unfit,’ said Ali, a former World Universities Games, African Championship and Commonwealth Games long jump champion.

Ali further revealed that the race will be conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

‘IAAF Road Race Label Regulations will also apply to the Okpekpe Road Race 2015 which has been certified by the IAAF as a Bronze Label road race,’said Ali.

The Okpekpe 10km road race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing, a leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and Rights Acquisition business in Nigeria in conjunction with the AFN and Edo state government.

The previous editions of the race were dominated by East Africans with Kenya’s Moses Masai winning the maiden edition while Ethiopia’s Teshome Asafan won the men’s title at the second edition and his country woman, Wuday Ayalew winning the women’s title.

NFF wants Brazilian Embassy to arrest impersonators…commiserates with Itemuagbor

The Nigeria Football Federation has called on the Embassy of Federal Republic of Brazil in Nigeria to arrest persons who come to the embassy with forged NFF letter-headed papers, introducing themselves as officials of the Federation or persons or groups known to it.

NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu disclosed that the Federation is in possession of a number of such forged letters sent to the Embassy of Brazil by some scamsters with intent of securing entry visas into that country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.

“We have been alerted to this scam and we are taking it seriously. Some officials in the Embassy of Brazil informed us about what is going on, and we are in possession of some letters written by these scamsters, with intention of getting entry visas into Brazil, ostensibly for the FIFA World Cup finals. People go to the embassy with forged letter-headed papers of NFF introducing themselves either as NFF officials or as being known to the Federation.

“The Nigeria Football Federation has given the Embassy of Brazil the go-ahead to arrest those persons and hand them over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution,” Amadu said.

One such letter, dated 28th April, 2014 and signed by one Akeem Oyeyode (no official of NFF bears such name), was forwarded to “The Consular Department, Brazilian Consulate, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.”

In the letter, eight officials of a so-called Oluyole Football Club of Nigeria were introduced to the embassy as going to watch “Nigeria Matches playing against Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 16th of June, 2014 in Brazil for the opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” and urged the Consular to use “your good office for the issuance of the Brazilian Entry Visa to the team to enable them watch and support the Green Eagles of Nigeria playing against other countries in Brazil at the Mundial Cup.”

NFF commiserates with Itemuagbor over loss of father

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, on Wednesday expressed sadness over the death of Chief Pius Itemuagbor, the father of NFF Marketing Consultant, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor.

Chief Itemuagbor, 94, was said to have breathed his last at Otuwo General Hospital, Irrua, near Auchi, Edo State on Monday.

“The NFF and the entire Nigeria football family mourn with a key stakeholder, tireless initiator and lover of excellence, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor over the death of his father, Chief Pius Itemuagbor. It is always a thing of grief and sorrow to lose any parent, no matter how old they grew to become.

“Mike has described his father as ‘loving and caring’ and we very much appreciate how much he is missing the man already. We pray that God will grant Mike and the entire family Chief has left behind the fortitude to bear the big loss, and also grant the departed eternal rest,” Maigari prayed.

Mike Itemuagbor, the Chief Executive Officer of Pamodzi Sports Marketing, is a titan in the field of sports marketing worldwide and is also a member of the Marketing Committee of the Confederation of African Football.