Captain of Nigeria’s senior national football team, Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa has lend his voice on how President Muhammadu Buhari led APC government is handling the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

Musa who will be the latest celebrities to expressed opinion along other stakeholders who have knocked the Federal Government and President Buhari over the prolonged shutdown of academic activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

Onwardnews24.com can confirm that today (Tueaday) makes it 147 days the strike was declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities with no meaning steps taking by government to end it.

Ahmed Musa who ply his trade with the Turkish side, Fatih Karagümrük forward has lambasted those managing the affairs of the country for being selfish and lack concern for a common man.

He wrote on Social Media (Instagram) on Tuesday saying: “To all our political office holders whose children school abroad.”

“How do you feel visiting your children abroad, taking pictures in their schools and posting online while ASUU is on strike?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6HDcajzAf/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

“Like seriously, how it okay to you? You are running a system that you don’t believe in.”

“Show me one Oyibo leader whose child is schooling in Nigeria. E no dey touch una?

President Buhari has recently expressed concern  over the strike and asked for a lasting solution to put an end to it.

Technical Adviser Augustine Eguavoen has called up Captain Ahmed Musa, deputy captain William Ekong, midfielder Wifred Ndidi and forwards Moses Simon and Kelechi Iheanacho in a Super Eagles’ provisional list of 32 for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off round against the Black Stars of Ghana.

Also called up are goalkeepers Maduka Okoye and Daniel Akpeyi, defenders Kenneth Omeruo, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi and Abdullahi Shehu, midfielders Oghenekaro Etebo and Joseph Ayodele-Aribo, and forwards Victor Osimhen, Odion Ighalo and Samuel Chukwueze.

Leicester City FC of England forward Ademola Lookman, recently cleared by FIFA to switch international allegiance and former U17 World Cup star Akinkunmi Amoo are officially called for the first time, while defender Calvin Bassey and forward Emmanuel Dennis return to the fold of the three –time African champions.

2021 AFCON forwards Taiwo Awoniyi and Peter Olayinka, defender Chidozie Awaziem and long-time absentee Ogenyi Onazi are in a seven-man standby list.

The camp opens in Abuja on 21^st March, with a 24 –man final list for the two big games to be released at a later date.

Nigeria take on Ghana in the 20,000 –capacity Cape Coast Sports Stadium as from 7.30pm on Friday 25^th March, with the reverse leg set for the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Tuesday, 29^th March as from 6pm. The winner over two legs will earn one of Africa’s five tickets to the 22^nd FIFA World Cup finals, scheduled for 14^th November – 18^th December this year in Qatar.

FULL SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Defenders: Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Calvin Bassey (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal)

Midfielders: Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC, England); Akinkunmi Amoo (FC Copenhagen, Denmark)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain); Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Hilal FC, Saudi Arabia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England)

Standby: Chidozie Awaziem (Alanyaspor FC, Turkey); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, Germany); Paul Onuachu (KRC Genk, Belgium); Peter Olayinka (SK Slavia Praha, Czech Republic); Ogenyi Onazi (Al-Adalah FC, Saudi Arabia)

Mees Palace Football Academy will be looking to retain their titles in
the upcoming Tsemba Wummen U14 and U16 youth league in Plateau State
this weekend, having unveiled their squads for the 2021 season.

The unveiling was done with panache as team photos (group and
individual) were released to the public via the academy’s social media
accounts.

Affectionately known as the ‘Blue Panthers’, Mees Palace Football
Academy has taken a giant stride towards retaining the title they won
in 2019 by unveiling a crack team to feature in the U14 and U16
categories of the 2021 season of the Tsemba Wummen Youth League.

The league, which started in two years ago, is played on a home and
away format by 20 youth teams across Plateau State for the biggest
youth football diadem in Nigeria.

CEO of Mees Palace Football Academy Emmanuel Adukwu who is also the
sponsor of the league reiterated his desire to promote youth football
to the next level in Nigeria while hoping his team retains the title.

“We are into the second edition of this league which was formed to
give budding young talents in Plateau State the platform to showcase
their abilities while also honoring the life of my late friend Tsemba
Wummen who was a visionary when it comes to youth development,” Adukwu
stated.

“The young lads at Mees Palace are being tutored in various facets of
life apart from football. We want them to grow and be model citizens
that can contribute a lot to Plateau and Nigeria.

“This league will keep the youth busy and also help to promote their
talents so the world can see what we have here in Plateau State.

Technical Adviser of the team Tony Ogharanduku also believes his team
will be ready when the league starts next weekend.

The former Mighty Jets and FC Taraba coach has been one of the brains
behind the football revolution at Mees Palace is optimistic his side
will lift the league title once again.
“We have been working hard behind the scenes to get the boys ready for
the commencement of the league,” he revealed.

“It is always tough for us every season but the boys have been working
hard to see that they do their best to retain the title. The U14s and
U16s are ready for the challenges ahead and hopefully, with hard work
and determination, we shall succeed. Ogharanduku added.

We finished the U13 league with a total of 92 points last time out to
win the title, with our talismanic attacker Ahmed Musa notching up 33
goals to claim the top scorer’s gong.

 After dominating the Jos Chillin’ competition in December of 2020,
our boys will be hoping to make back-to-back wins in one of the
leading Youth competitions in Northern Nigeria.

The Tsemba Wummen league is a 20-team league that is in two categories
– the U14 and U16 category and it will be contested by two teams in a
home and away format.

Super Eagles of Nigeria captain, Ahmed Musa, has supported the maiden edition of the Plateau North Senatorial district grassroots football tournament with a whopping six million naira for the eventual champions, second and third placed teams.

Ahmed Musa, who was so impressed with the main purpose of staging the tournament aimed at promoting peace, unity and reconciliation in Plateau North senatorial zone by Senator I. D. Gyang, decried the fact that people are no longer free in their movement and relationship, unlike when he was growing up in the said senatorial zone.
According to him, “Its so sad that people don’t freely relate well with one another, unlike those days when we were kids going from house to house to celebrate and feast during Christmas and Sallah! Its strange that this fun-filled moment we used to look forward to are nearly not in existence again. Am giving my own little contribution to this project because it will go a long way in uniting people in the senatorial zone and promote peace, apart from the fact that it will also unearth hidden talents from the grassroots level.”

The tournament, which will see teams in the 73 electoral wards battle themselves out for the ultimate prize money of 3 million naira, 2 million naira for the runners up team and 1 million naira for the third placed team, will kick start next week with the preliminary rounds in six local government areas like Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jos East, Bassa, Jos South and Jos North.

In his own speech, the sponsor and the brain behind the grassroots tournament tagged, Plateau North Senatorial District Peace, Unity and Reconciliation Football Tournament, Senator, representing Plateau North in the Senate, Istifanus Gyang, said “Aside from promoting peace, unity and reconciling people of this great senatorial district, I want to also see talents from this district become another Ahmed Musa both at the national and international level.”

The tournament which will be an annual event according to Senator I.D. Gyang, saw kits presented to all the teams in the 73 electoral wards of Plateau State yesterday.