Connect with us


BIG STORY

SPORT: Details Of Nigeria’s Contract With Peseiro, New Super Eagles Coach

Published

on

Some details of the contract agreement between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the newly announced Head Coach of the Super Eagles have been obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

Though the NFF issued a press statement on Sunday announcing it had settled for the 62-year-old, the federation was silent on the details of the contract agreement with the Portuguese manager.

However, PREMIUM TIMES has reliably gathered some of the inside details of Peseiro’s contract.

It was gathered the new Super Eagles Head Coach will receive $70,000 monthly (over N29m) from which he would pay his two incoming personal assistants.

PREMIUM TIMES also learnt that the NFF is signing just a year’s deal with Peseiro with an option for another year depending on how things turn out in the initial 12 months.

Among other clauses in his contract, Peseiro is expected to watch 60 percent of domestic league games as he has been mandated to discover homegrown talents for the national team.

Cheapest option

While a handful of other coaches were also shortlisted for the Super Eagles job, Peseiro, in the end, turned out to be the cheapest option.

Sources familiar with the NFF’s recruitment process said other coaches that could have been hired for the national team were either not affordable or not available for the job.

“A number of other coaches were also contacted but it is either the salary they were asking for was too high or they were not even favorably disposed to a national team job at the moment,” a source at the NFF told PREMIUM TIMES

“Peseiro turned out to be the cheapest option for the NFF and that was why they settled for him.”

This is the second time the NFF is announcing Peseiro as the coach for Nigeria having hurriedly done the same on the eve of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon.

Then, it was announced that the Portuguese will be an observer while Austin Eguavoen will be solely in charge of the Eagles at the continental tournament.

The ‘appointment’ of Peseiro by the NFF was, then, contained in a communique issued after the NFF’s executive council meeting held on December 29, 2021.

PREMIUM TIMES had then highlighted five important things to know about the new Super Eagles coach including the fact that he would be the first Portuguese manager to manage the national team.

However, a few weeks after, Peseiro revealed that talks to handle the three-time African champions collapsed due to financial queries and clauses in the proposed contract.

CV

José Vitor dos Santos Peseiro, 62, is a Portuguese who played as a striker in his days and has wide and varied experience coaching clubs and national teams across four different continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.

An educationist with a degree in physical education/sports sciences, Peseiro has top-level coaching qualifications/training and has coached at Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto, Panathinaikos, and Rapid Bucharest.

He also had stints at Sporting Braga, Victoria Guimaraes, Al-Hilal, Al-Wahda, Al-Ahly Cairo, Sharjah FC, and Real Madrid, as well as serving as Head Coach of the Saudi Arabia and Venezuela national teams.

Though well-traveled and with vast experience, Peseiro appears to have more sack letters than trophies but it would be out of place to outrightly conclude he will not succeed with the three-time African champions, Nigeria,

From Panathinaikos to FC Porto to Braga and even Saudi Arabia, there has hardly ever been any happy ending wherever he has found himself.

That said, the Portuguese tactician has some notable moments winning silverware, with the last being the league title with Al-Ahly.

He is saddled with rebuilding the Nigeria team to a formidable one and his first outing will be leading the Super Eagles for the upcoming tour of the United States of America.

There, the three-time African champions will slug it out with Mexico and Ecuador ‘A’ Teams in prestige friendlies.

 

Credit: Premium Times

BIG STORY

JUST IN: Super Eagles Legendary Goalkeeper Peter Rufai Dies At 60

Published

on

The Super Eagles have honoured former Nigerian goalkeeper and 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Peter Rufai, following reports of his passing.

In a statement posted on Thursday via X, the national team referred to Rufai, popularly called “Dodo Mayana,” as an iconic figure in Nigerian football whose impact will always be remembered.

“Forever in our hearts, Dodo Mayana. We mourn the passing of legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, a giant of Nigerian football and a 1994 AFCON champion,” the statement said.

The statement praised Rufai’s outstanding career, highlighting his remarkable performances and influence beyond football.

“Your legacy lives on between the sticks and beyond. Rest well, Peter Rufai,” it added.

Rufai was a key member of the celebrated Nigerian team that won the 1994 AFCON and qualified for the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup in the same year.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

When Lagos Drew The Line On Plastic Waste, It Chose The Harder, Better Path — By Babajide Fadoju

Published

on

On July 1, 2025, the Lagos State Government began full enforcement of its long-announced ban on single-use plastics less than 40 microns in thickness. These included styrofoam food packs, polystyrene cups, plastic straws, and thin carrier bags. This was not just another policy roll-out. It marked a significant environmental turning point for one of Africa’s most densely populated cities.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, had spent months leading the charge. At every forum and press briefing, he maintained that the state would not shift the enforcement date. And when that date arrived, the government kept its word. What many had assumed would be delayed or softened became a reality across markets, food vendors, eateries, and shopping outlets. Lagos had drawn the line.

The decision did not happen overnight. In January 2024, the government had announced the ban on styrofoam products, warning that other forms of non-biodegradable single-use plastics would follow. Manufacturers, food service businesses, and packaging companies were given an 18-month window to adapt. By January 2025, after multiple consultations with key industry players including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Restaurants and Food Services Proprietors Association of Nigeria (RFSPAN), and the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), the government granted a six-month extension. That grace period ended on June 30, 2025. The very next day, enforcement began.

Commissioner Wahab consistently emphasised that the decision was not driven by convenience or popularity, but by necessity. Lagos, with its coastal geography, had become especially vulnerable to the effects of plastic pollution. Thin plastics and styrofoam containers were not just littering the streets; they were choking the city’s drainage systems, causing repeated flooding, and disrupting the natural flow of water across low-lying areas. The government had been forced to spend billions clearing clogged drains, dredging canals, and evacuating waste. These were resources that could have supported education, housing, or healthcare. Continuing with the status quo would have been reckless.

Across the world, over 70 countries had adopted similar bans or restrictions. Some had introduced taxes on plastic bags. Others had outright prohibited the use of certain materials. Lagos joined that global conversation not to make a statement, but to solve a real problem. For years, markets like Mile 12 and Oyingbo had been overwhelmed by plastic waste. Waterways like the Ogun River and Lagos Lagoon had carried tonnes of microplastics downstream. With each rain, the damage multiplied.

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) played a central role in translating policy into action. In the weeks leading up to enforcement, LAWMA organised community outreach campaigns, market sensitisation, and stakeholder meetings. Waste collectors were briefed on how to spot banned items and how to separate recyclable materials. LAWMA officials worked directly with traders, waste vendors, and informal sector recyclers to ease the transition. Educational materials were printed in English, Yoruba, and Pidgin to reach as many residents as possible.

Despite all these efforts, resistance remained. Some business owners argued that alternatives were more expensive. Others claimed they had not received enough notice. But Wahab was unflinching. He stated clearly that any manufacturer or distributor who had failed to find a safer, eco-friendly alternative after 24 months was simply not ready to comply. The policy had been public knowledge since 2024. The time for excuses had passed.

There was also concern about job losses, especially in the plastic production and distribution chain. The government responded by highlighting the opportunity for innovation. Biodegradable packaging, paper alternatives, reusable food containers, and local compostable materials were now in demand. New jobs could be created in eco-friendly product design, waste sorting, and recycling infrastructure. Wahab noted that Lagos would support businesses willing to shift in this direction, but would no longer subsidise pollution in the name of economic convenience.

The path Lagos chose was not the easiest, but it was the most responsible. It took political will to push through a decision that affected thousands of daily transactions, from street food sales to major retail chains. It took environmental clarity to say no when delay would have been more comfortable. And it took administrative strength to follow through on enforcement, when doing nothing would have been easier.

Now, the hard part continues. Enforcement must be consistent. Public awareness must be sustained. And alternatives must remain within reach of ordinary citizens. But with this bold step, Lagos signalled that it would no longer be held hostage by harmful habits and unchecked commercial practices.

The story of July 1, 2025, was not just about plastic. It was about leadership. It was about vision. And it was about protecting a city that refuses to collapse under the weight of its own waste.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

AMCON Sells Ibadan DisCo For N100bn

Published

on

The Asset Management Company of Nigeria has confirmed the sale of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.

Gbenga Alake, managing director and chief executive officer of AMCON, revealed the details of the transaction during a media briefing with journalists on Thursday.

In April 2024, the federal government announced plans to sell five electricity distribution companies managed by banks and AMCON.

Ibadan DisCo, which was under AMCON’s management, is among the five companies listed for sale. Others include the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, and Kano Electricity Distribution Company.

During the briefing, Alake stated that the company was sold for N100 billion.

He mentioned that AMCON would soon transfer the company to the preferred bidder.

“Today, I announce to you that Ibadan DisCo has been sold. When we came in, it has already been sold. It was sold for how much?” Alake said.

“We got in and said no, it cannot be. We said they should go and submit a new offer that we were not going to sell for that.

“At the end of the day, we got almost double of what Ibadan DisCos was going to be sold for.”

He explained that the sale has sparked legal disputes, with “so many interests now fighting and writing”.

Alake maintained that despite the matter being in court, AMCON remains confident that the process was properly handled.

“We have sold it… and whatever is still happening in court, we will face it,” he said.

On May 15, reports emerged that the African Initiative Against Abuse of Public Trust, a civil society group, had filed a suit at the federal high court in Abuja against AMCON, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and Ibadan DisCo over an alleged planned sale of a 60 percent stake in the company for $62 million.

The civil society group, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/866/2025, described the sale as “secretive and illegal,” claiming the price was “corruptly undervalued”.

The group also argued that the transaction would result in a $107 million loss compared to the $169 million paid for the same stake during the 2013 privatisation of Ibadan DisCo.

Continue Reading



 

Join Us On Facebook

Most Popular