Kenneth Ikpahwore, the Head Coach of Team Delta football team has attributed his team’s 5-1 trouncing of Team Oyo in the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival to hard work.
Ikpahwore told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday after the match, that he was impressed with his team’s performance.
NAN reports that the game which started on a slow note eventually took a dramatic turn, after the Delta boys took the game by the scruff of the neck
The team had earlier won their first game through a walkover after the Abia football team failed to turn up.
“It gives me pleasure to say that my boys have done well, and have made me proud.
“They were able to put all that I have being teaching them in the training into practise, and they also listened to all that I put across to them during the match.
“The game turned out the way we expected it to be, but nevertheless we would not be carried away by our win as we hope to win our next game,” he said.
Ikpahwore added that his boys were able to put their acts together after a tentative start.
“We started the game on a sluggish pace and it seemed that my boys lacked confidence, I said a few words to them and they picked up the pace,” he said.
Omodiagbe Agbonmere, who scored a brace for Team Delta, told NAN that he was pleased with his performance during the match.
“I am very happy that my team won and we hope to do better in our next match,’’he said.
Meanwhile, Sanusi Musiliu, the Head, Coach of the Oyo football team, said that the team would improve in spite of the defeat.
“We hope to play better in our next match.
“ We will not lose focus or let our emotions to weigh us down and we have to concentrate on our loops holes,” he said.
He added that their next match would be an uphill task because they will be taking on the host team.
“Our next match is going to be very tense because we are going against the host team, and we would not let our guard; and we will play our best.
“I see hope for us. I know we can do this and i believe in my boys,” he said. (NAN)
Call for sack of 50 per cent civil servants is insensitive — CLO
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), on Wednesday described as insensitive the suggestion by Mallam Lamido Sanusi, CBN Governor, that 50 per cent of the nation’s civil servants be sacked.
Addressing a news conference in Lagos, Mr Ehi Omokhuale, Lagos State Chairman of the CLO, described the call as “a backward statement’’ by a public office holder.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Sanusi had on Tuesday at the Second Annual Capital Market Committee Retreat in Warri, Delta, called on the Federal Government to fire at least 50 per cent of its entire workforce.
Sanusi argued that the country spends 70 per cent of her earnings on salaries and entitlements of civil servants.
He said that having the Federal Government’s staff strength reduced by half would free up capital for infrastructure development in the country and buoy the economy.
“There was no justification in the recommendation,’’ Omokhuale said.
The CLO chairman said that there was no sense in sacking 50 per cent of civil servants to join an already saturated labour market in Nigeria.
According to him, the focus of governments at all levels should be how to direct excess workforce into other productive use.
“Government should create more jobs to increase productivity for growth and development,” he said.
The CLO chairman pointed out that the problem with the nation’s economy was the high tech corruption that had eaten deep into the high echelon of public office holders.
“We still believe that Nigerian civil servants are underpaid and government must think up ways to shore up their remunerations,’’ he added. (NAN)