President Bola Tinubu sends his condolences

to Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze on the passing of his mother.

The President also extends his sympathies to the family and friends of Mrs Sarah Chukwueze, who passed away on Thursday.

President Tinubu mourns with the Chukwueze family and encourages them to find solace in the memory and legacy of their late matriarch.

“The passing of Mrs Chukwueze, the mother of one of our bright football stars, just a few days after the passing of Super Eagles’ captain Wilfred Ndidi’s father, is deeply saddening.

I mourn with them, and I am with them in prayers during this difficult time,” the President says.

President Tinubu prays that God Almighty will grant the departed eternal rest.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)

Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has attributed Nigeria’s failure to clinch the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco to what he described as indiscipline on the part of Victor Osimhen, arguing that individual actions disrupted team unity at a critical stage of the tournament.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Oliseh said Osimhen’s public confrontation with teammate Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s 4–0 Round of 16 win over Mozambique disrupted the squad’s chemistry and weakened their title chances.

During the match, Osimhen appeared to rebuke Lookman for not releasing the ball in an attacking move, an incident that drew backlash from fans who criticised the striker’s conduct as unprofessional.

Oliseh claimed the consequences were felt beyond the Mozambique fixture, insisting Lookman’s form dipped noticeably afterwards, affecting Nigeria’s attacking potency in the semifinal.

“Let’s look at the toxicity that might have cost us the AFCON title,” he said. “We are confusing talent with licence. Victor Osimhen is world-class, but talent is not a license to destroy team chemistry.”

“Look at the evidence. Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest lights, he became a shadow of himself, and we lost our bite. When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit.”

He added that Lookman had been “the most dangerous player in the tournament until that public verbal abuse broke his focus,” arguing that Nigeria lost “the psychological edge needed to win” against a disciplined Moroccan side in the semifinal.

Oliseh also criticized what he described as a fan culture that now tolerates such behavior: “What’s worse, and frankly, what’s most dangerous for our football is the fan culture that now tolerates this.”

A Magistrate Court sitting in Sagamu, Ogun State, has resumed hearing in the case against Adeniyi Kayode, the driver of a Lexus SUV involved in the fatal road crash that claimed the lives of two close associates of heavyweight boxing star, Anthony Joshua.

Kayode, 46, was arraigned before the Sagamu Magistrate Court on January 2, with Magistrate Olufunilayo Somefun presiding.

He is facing a four-count charge bordering on dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care and attention resulting in bodily harm and property damage, as well as driving without a valid national driver’s license.

The charges are said to be contrary to various provisions of the Federal Highway Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Ogun State.

The court had earlier granted the defendant bail in the sum of ₦5 million with two sureties.

The case stems from a tragic accident that occurred on December 29, 2025, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where the Lexus SUV reportedly collided with a stationary truck.

The crash led to the deaths of Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, both close associates of the former world heavyweight champion.

Joshua and the driver were said to have sustained minor injuries in the incident. The boxer was later discharged from the hospital after being certified medically stable to continue his recovery at home.

Following the tragedy, Joshua, accompanied by his mother, visited a funeral home in Lagos to pay his last respects as arrangements were made to repatriate the bodies of the deceased to the United Kingdom.

Ayodele and Ghami were laid to rest after a funeral prayer held on January 4, 2026, at the London Central Mosque, followed by burial at Hendon Cemetery.

Their deaths, particularly Ghami’s as Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach and Ayodele’s as his personal trainer and confidant, drew widespread tributes from across the global boxing community.