U-20 W/Cup squad: How Iheanacho, Success escaped Garba’s axe

Most discerning followers of Nigerian  football were not surprised by the inclusion of Kelechi Iheanacho and Isaac Success in coach Manu Garba’s squad for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. It would have shocked many, had the duo, especially, Man City attacking pearl, Iheanacho been left out of the squad. But that is exactly what Coach Garba was set to do – drop them and continue with those he won the African Youth Championship in Senegal and those that had been in camp with him since April – before he bowed to pressure.

Musa Yahaya challenges for the ball with Erdal Rakip of Sweden during the FIFA U17 group F match between Sweden and Nigeria at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by FIFA)

FILE PHOTO: Musa Yahaya challenges for the ball with Erdal Rakip of Sweden during the FIFA U17 group F match between Sweden and Nigeria at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by FIFA)

Iheanacho, who shone like a million stars at the 2013 FIFA U-17 tournament in the United Arab Emirate has not featured for the team since that memorable championship, which he played a pivotal role in the team’s triumph.

During the African Youth Championship in Senegal, he was refused permission by Manchester City on the excuse that he was injured. The club later showed interest in the lad’s participation in the tournament but Manu Garba named his AYC squad without him.His eventual release by the club has been dogged by hitches. Iheanacho failed to catch up with the team in Germany, where they have been camping due to club commitments and visa hitches. A camp source told Sunday Vanguard Sports that his has not gone down well with Garba who was ready to dump the much liked youth international.

On his part, Isaac Success’ club, Granada of Spain were reluctant to release the former U-17 star. Success, who was highest goal scorer at the 2013 Africa U17 Championship in Morocco before suffering a hamstring injury at the FIFA U17 World Cup in the UAE, has been a consistent figure in the Spanish La Liga side. The club’s reluctance to release the player forced Coach Manu Garba to issue a 72 hour ultimatum. The player beat the deadline and was welcomed to camp by the coaches and players.

Nigeria’s best ever performance at the U-20 World Cup are runners-up berth at the 1989 and 2005 finals. African champion Nigeria will play her first match against Brazil in New Plymouth on the first day of June, before other Group E games against North Korea and Hungary in the same city.

Oshiomhole, wife shift honeymoon

There were indications on Saturday that the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and his newly-wedded wife, Iara, have postponed their much expected honeymoon till June.

Governor Oshiomhole had on Friday married former Miss Iara Fortes, an ex-model from Cape Verde, at a marriage ceremony witnessed by a large turnout of dignitaries from various sectors of the country and he was expected to proceed on a honeymoon with the new First Lady.

But it was gathered that the couple had placed their honeymoon on hold in order to attend the inauguration ceremony of the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) scheduled for May 29 in Abuja.

SUNDAY PUNCH reported that the new couple might have their honeymoon in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The source said, “They are still in Nigeria. They will go for their honeymoon maybe in June.”

Obama hosts Nigerian, four other young leaders

United States President, Barack Obama, has honoured a Nigerian, Adepeju Jaiyeoba, and four other young entrepreneurs from around the world at a Global Entrepreneurship event in Washington DC.

The White House, in a statement on its official website, noted that the emerging entrepreneurs from across the US and around the world were brought together to create innovative solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges, including poverty, climate change, extremism, access to education and health care.

The statement read, “The event comes ahead of Obama’s travel to this summer’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, Kenya and provides a unique opportunity to galvanise global attention on emerging women and young entrepreneurs.

“Jaiyeoba, who is a Nelson Mandela Washington Fellow for Young African Leaders, founded Mothers Delivery Kits in 2013 after losing a close friend to childbirth to address maternal and child mortality resulting from unhygienic and unsafe deliveries in Nigeria.

“She has been able to collaborate with other entrepreneurs, build employee capacity through YALI courses, and receive seed capital and mentorship from the US African Development Foundation.”

According to the White House, Jaiyeoba has expanded her services to internally displaced victims of Boko Haram.

The grant has also reportedly enabled her company to acquire new machinery, establish a storage facility in northern Nigeria to address transportation challenges, increase its Lagos-based staff, and reach nearly 80 community midwives and health care providers across 23 states in the country.

“The event will recognize the impact made by a number of U.S. government-led initiatives.

“The United States has played a key role in organizing all five previous Global Entrepreneurship Summits, including the inaugural summit in 2010, designed to encourage innovators to choose entrepreneurship as a profession and to empower aspiring entrepreneurs, giving them access to mentors, networks, and capital,” the White House further said.

Among the five entrepreneurs who spoke at the event was Tony Elumelu, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank for Africa.

Chinese Baby Rescued After Being Buried Alive For Nearly 10 Days

Police rescued a baby boy buried alive in a shallow, unmarked grave on a hillside in southern China’s Guangxi province, according to the country’s state media.

Chinese news reports say the baby was believed to have been left alone in the wilderness for as long as 10 days, but the details remain unclear.

The boy’s family decided to abandon him because he was born with a cleft lip and a congenital defect, according to a Xinhua news agency report. In China, thousands of infants with birth defects are abandoned every year.

CNN could not verify the details reported in Chinese media because police and the Civil Affairs Bureau, which is taking care of the baby, declined to give more information to foreign media.

The boy was born on April 20 and discharged from the hospital four days later after receiving treatment for a high fever, according to Tiandong County People’s Hospital.

“Normal parents ask the hospital to provide a birth certificate and arrange for medical insurance, but this family didn’t want a birth certificate and left immediately after paying the bill,” Wu Weili, deputy director of pediatrics at the hospital, told Xinhua.

“We do not know what exactly happened during the period of time when the baby was discharged from the hospital on April 24, and when he was admitted to the hospital again on May 4.”

On April 24, the family — including the infant’s grandmothers — allegedly hired a man for $290 to get rid of the baby, according to Xinhua.

That day, the hired man left the newborn to die in a cardboard box in the wilderness. Two days later, believing the baby to be dead, he buried him, according to Xinhua.

Later, a woman who was picking herbs on a hillside heard a wail. With the help of a few villagers, police rescued the baby and sent him to the hospital.

Wu said the baby was in critical condition — coughing up mud, his whole body covered in scratches and bruises — when he arrived at the hospital.

The baby weighed 7.8 pounds when he was born. By the time he was rescued, he weighed only 5.9 pounds.
“It really is incredible,” Wu told Xinhua of the infant’s survival.

Doctor forgets phone in patient’s womb

Thirty-six-year-old Hanan Mahmoud Abdul Karim, who was admitted to a private hospital in Amman, Jordan, for the operation on April 24, 2015, has narrated how a doctor abandoned a mobile phone in her body.
According to Gulf News, Harim claimed that during the procedure, the doctor left his mobile phone in her abdomen.

Her mother, Majeda Abdul Hamid, told local media that her daughter gave birth to a 4.8kg boy (10.5 lbs) and as all appeared to be well, she was sent home from hospital.

But later, she claimed that her family noticed her stomach vibrating, leading to severe pain.

“My daughter suffered serious pains and could not move,” the mother is quoted as saying. “I brought her back to the hospital where she was treated but nothing was done for her.” Hanan was then allegedly rushed to the casualty department of Al Bashir public hospital, where X-rays revealed there was a foreign object in her abdomen, Daily Mail reports.

She claimed that surgeons quickly operated on her to remove the phone. Her case was brought up in the Jordanian parliament, where parliament member, Salim Al Bataynah, called on the Jordanian government to resign as a result of the scandal. Agency report

Di Maria has been a disappointment- Van Gaal

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal admits Angel di Maria has been a "disappointment" this season.
Di Maria has 10 assists, but has found the net only three times in the league.

"He cannot say that he has had a marvellous season here," Van Gaal said.

"Normally Di Maria should have played, but the last weeks he doesn't play any more and the team is winning. Now, we are losing, so the chance of him coming back is higher. It is always like that. It is never that it is not like that.

"The issue that he is not always in the line-up is for him a disappointment, but also for me a disappointment."

I had Terry bid accepted by Chelsea- Steve Bruce

Hull City boss Steve Bruce has revealed how he came close to signing Chelsea captain John Terry.

He was close to signing Terry when he was manager at Huddersfield and a £750,000 bid was accepted but the Chelsea and England centre-back in the making turned him down.

Bruce said: "John came out of training with just a T-shirt on and it was freezing cold. I thought, Christ, who's this?

"Anyway when I got the Huddersfield job, I enquired about him and I was very, very close to signing him. We were that close with the fee but John turned me down in the end.

"I remind him now and again how different it could have been and what a great decision it was to stay at Chelsea. But I have always had this respect for John.

"He's a terrific player and for me he's still England's best centre-back.

"Yes, at times he lacks a yard of pace but you very rarely see him exposed. And the one thing which stands alone is that he's a competitor.

"Money and fame, Premier League titles and European titles have never changed him. He's still got the hunger and desire which a lot of young players should look to because he's been there, done it, worn the T-shirt and still has fierce pride about him.

"Sometimes the word great is used too much - but he's a great player. The big dilemma for everybody is where do you replace John Terry."