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Kano: Ganduje Breaks Record, Endorses Deputy As Successor, Picks Senatorial Form

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The Source
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Ganduje and His deputy, Nasir Gawuna

By Gideon Njoku

Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje has broken a record.

On the verge of serving-out his second term as Governor, Ganduje has willingly endorsed his Deputy, Nasir Gawuna, to succeed him in office in 2023.

The Governor, also, selected and endorsed a running mate for Gawuna. The lucky guy is Ganduje’s former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, Murtala Garo.

It is not that  Ganduje set a precedence. He was Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Deputy Governor, and succeeded him in office. But according to very reliable sources in Kano, Kwankwaso was literally, allegedly, forced to allow Ganduje to succeed him – which was surprising because, he had always been Kwankwaso’s “boy”, until they fell out after he became Governor.

Ganduje’s choice is worth celebrating because it is like a taboo in Nigeria for Deputy Governors to aspire to succeed their bosses in office. Any hint of such aspiration could cost them their jobs.

In Imo State, during the tenure of now Senator Rochas Okorocha as Governor, it cost Deputy Governor Eze Madumere, a long time close friend and associate of Okorocha, his office as Deputy Governor.

Okorocha had him impeached for harboring such thoughts because he had lined-up his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him.

But in the instant case in Kano, Ganduje willingly  endorsed his Deputy to succeed him. It is not known if Ganduje is imposing his Deputy on the State, but he has also shared a couple of other offices.

To himself, Ganduje  appropriated the seat of a Senator as his retirement abode. At 73 years old, if he does win, he will be 77 years at the end of his first term as a Senator. If he seeks a second term, and wins, Ganduje, a strong supporter of the Bola Tinubu 2023 Presidential aspiration, and an in-law to the late Governor of Oyo State, whose son married his daughter,  Ganduje will be 81 years old.

Ganduje’s only prayer should be that if Gawuna wins, he should not treat him as he, Ganduje, treated Kwankwaso. Months after he became Governor, and Kwankwaso a Senator, Ganduje barred Kwankwaso  from visiting Kano, not even Kwankwaso’s Senatorial Zone could he visit.

In 2023, however, Ganduje’s choice will face formidable competition from the PDP candidate, and Kwankwaso’s candidate in his new Party, having quit the PDP.

In 2019, Ganduje barely won a second term in office after a re-run Governosship election between him and the PDP candidate.

Jonathan Appointed To Board Of European Council On Africa And Middle East

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The Source
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Goodluck Jonathan

Former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has been appointed to the International Advisory Board of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM Council).

By this appointment, Dr. Jonathan becomes the first sub-Saharan African leader to serve on the Board of the ECAM Council, a non-profit organisation established with the purpose of promoting and developing relations between the countries of Europe, Africa and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, with Italy playing a leading role.

Other members of the Advisory board are Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission, Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, Secretary General GCC Gulf Cooperation Council and Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission (AUC).

A letter from ECAM Council to the Office of Dr. Jonathan informing him of the appointment stated: “For your information, the Chairman of ECAM Council Dr. Kamel Ghribi is well acquainted with Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. We are setting up an international advisory board of ECAM Council and Dr. Ghribi would be delighted to welcome him on board.”

It noted that the Council was “founded with the purpose of developing realistic, effective and long-lasting solutions for more sustainable healthcare systems, with a special focus on the common issues affecting the Southern hemisphere of the globe.”

Dr. Jonathan will be attending this year’s ECAM Council’s high-level advisory board meeting holding in Italy on 30th May.

Every year in Italy, ECAM Council hosts a summit, in cooperation with The European House – Ambrosetti. It brings together a selected group of heads of state, government ministers and heads of multi-lateral agencies and focuses on long-term investment and international partnerships in healthcare and infrastructure, as well as the contribution of the private sector in creating strategic hubs in the African continent.

Nwajiuba Resigns From Buhari’s Cabinet

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The Source
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Emeka Nwajiuba

By Gideon Njoku

The Minister for State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has resigned from President Muhammadu Buhari’s Cabinet.

Nwajiuba, a Lawyer, from Imo State, resigned in obedience to the President’s  order on Wednesday, that those in his Cabinet, seeking elective positions against 2023, should resign on, or before May 16, 2022.

Nwajiuba by being the first to resign has surprised many who were also surprised by his aspiration to the office of the President. Not a few people think he stands no chance in his aspiration.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Nwajiuba had come under severe criticism by a cross section of Nigerians for purchasing a N100m Presidential Form, and seeking to be President when University Students have been home for nine weeks and counting because their teachers are on strike.  But Nwajiuba had said that Forms were purchased for him by a group made up of friends and associates.

With his resignation, Imo State, where he hails from, no longer has a representative in the Federal Cabinet.

Embarrassed, Buhari Orders Amaechi, Malami, Others To Quit Cabinet; Exempts Osinbajo

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The Source
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Muhammadu Buhari

By Gideon Njoku

Embarrassed by the number of his Cabinet members seeking to replace him in 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari has finally garnered the courage  to do what he ought to have done many weeks ago.

He has asked his Cabinet seeking elective offices in 2023 to resign. The deadline for their resignation is May 16, 2022.

Reliable sources told this medium that even though the number of the All Progressives Congress, APC, members aspiring to the Presidency may have been a ploy to raise money for the Party, the President had suddenly become uncomfortable by the ease with which each of his Cabinet members seeking to be President in 2023, raised the N100m APC price tag for the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms.

Briefing the Press on Wednesday, Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said only Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is exempted from the order because he is elected, not appointed.

By this order, many say  Buhari  has separated the men from the boys. Those who bought the Forms for the fun of it, just to be counted, knowing  they would never get more than five votes at the Primary, will now have to decide if they want to lose their plum Ministerial job for a wild goose chase, or still enjoy it for the next one year. The Buhari Government expires on May 29, 2023.

Those affected by Buhari’s order include the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, who is running for the office of the Kebbi State Governor, Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, Minister for Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, Minister for State, Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, Minister for Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, Minister for State, Petroleum, Timipere Sylva, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.

Others are the Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Uche Ogar who is running for the office of the Governor, Abia State, and the Minister for Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen who is running for a Senatorial seat in Plateau State.

The fate of the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele is not yet known. He, too, has his eyes on running for the office of the President.

Not a few people think a number of the Ministers would, because of the President’s order, jettison their empty Presidential ambition.

However, for the APC as a Party, it is a win-win situation as the N100m each aspirant paid is not likely to be refunded to any of them – except the President so orders.

FG Targets N500bn From Medical Tourism After 9000 Doctors Moved Abroad

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Resident Doctors

By Tosin Olatokunbo

After Nigerian health tourists spent a whopping N500 billion seeking medical treatment abroad last year, the Buhari’s government said it planned to end the anomaly soon.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who on Tuesday said the federal government is working to provide Nigerians with affordable world-class health facilities to end medical tourism and brain drain in the country.

In a country where health workers are not well remunerated, dearth of state of the art medical facilities in government owned hospitals resulting to incessant strikes in the sector, not a few insist that the target remained a tall dream.

The minister spoke barely a month after the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA said over 9,000 Nigerian medical doctors have left the country, within two years, seeking greener pastures abroad.

Top destinations for these doctors, the magazine has learnt are Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, the United States and other European countries.

The emigration of the medical experts which the NMA said happened between 2016 and 2018, negatively impacted the nation’s health care system that only 4.7% of specialists were left to take care of Nigerians’ health issues.

NMA President, Professor Innocent Ujah, lamented in Abuja in April that the migration of Nigerian health professionals abroad has left only 4.7 per cent specialists to attend to Nigerian health problems.

But the minister said the situation will soon come to end, noting that that the intention of the federal government is to transformed the country into health hub for foreigners searching for good medical services.

Mohammed who spoke on Tuesday in Lagos at a media tour of Duchess International Hospital, also disclosed that part of the plan is to create more jobs in the health sector, apart from conserving Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

“We as a country will also conserve our foreign reserves while earning foreign exchange, we will begin to reverse the brain drain in the health sector; create jobs and provide affordable and standard healthcare for our people,” the minister said.

He stated further that, “It’s a new dawn for the health sector and we are proud of what Duchess and other healthcare facilities are doing in bringing about this new dawn.

The minister explained that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN set up the N100 billion Healthcare Sector Intervention Fund, which was later expanded to N200 billion, in the wake of COVID 19 three years ago.

The intervention fund, he said, was to provide credit support for the healthcare sector through long-term, low-cost financing.

2023 Presidency: Ngige, Amaechi Get Court’s Approval To Run

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Chris Ngige

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Relief has come the way of some presidential hopefuls in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC following an Appeal Court judgment, on Wednesday which voided Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022. The section bars government appointees at state and federal level from contesting election.

The section provides that, “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

Recall the ministers have opted not to resign claiming that the section negates the provision of the constitution

For instance, the Minister of Labour and Employment had insisted that the Act sought to disenfranchise him against the spirit of the constitution, noting that the Act is inferior to the 1999 Constitution as amended.

According to him, “An Act is inferior to the constitution, an Act cannot also take people’s right away from them, rights given to them by the constitution. So, to that extent we leave it that all these things will be decided at the realms of the law.

“I am a law abiding citizen, if the law says that we shall resign 30days before election and that is the supreme law and another smaller law says you resign 90days or 80days before, I will obey that which is in the constitution.”

“And the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is supreme, it is the supreme law of the land. I haven’t also seen the party (All Progressives Congress) guideline, it is only speculative, it is in the realm of the media.

“You people want to pitch us against our party. Our party is a legal entity drawn from the constitution. We owe our formation as a political party to section 40 of the constitution, freedom of association where people are allowed to come together and form association, which can be political parties.

“Some other associations can move to become labour unions, group of workers; so there is freedom of association. Our party exists because of that portion of the constitution. So, our party is constitutionally birthed and recognised.”

The implication of the judgment, watchers of events say, is that the ministers who have indicated their interest in the presidency can go ahead to contest without resigning their positions as provided in the act.

Apart from Ngige other contesting ministers include Rotimi Amaechi (Transport); Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba (Education), amongst others.

Pressure had been mounted on the ministers to resign after President Muhamamdu Buhari signed the Act passed by the National Assembly in January.

Nduka Edede had challenged the Act before a Federal High Court in Umuahia which ruled in his favour.

But ruling on the appeal today, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal set aside the judgment of Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the lower court which voided the provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022, citing lack of locus standi on the part of the plaintiff and lack of jurisdiction by the trial court.

The Court of Appeal struck out the suit marked: FHC/UM/CS/26/2022 which Edede filed before the FHC in Umuahia.

While determining the appeal on the merit, the Appellate Court held that the provision was unconstitutional because it violated Section 42 (1)(a) of the constitution and denied a class of Nigerian citizens their right to participate in election.

Jonathan In Dakar For Sub-Regional Dialogue On Democracy, Peace

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The Source
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Jonathan in Dakar

Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan arrived in Dakar on Tuesday to participate in a Sub-regional dialogue on sustaining democratic principles in West Africa organized by the West African Elders Forum (WAEF).

Dr, Jonathan who is the chair of WAEF will be declaring the event open alongside Senegalese President Macky Sall. The two-day programme, beginning on May 12, 2009, will provide the opportunity for former heads of state and other thought leaders in the sub-region to review recent socio-political developments, identify challenges and offer some recommendations that would enhance credible elections and peaceful transition of power in the sub-region.

Other notable leaders from the sub-region expected at the event include former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, former United Nations Special Representative to West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas and former President of the ECOWAS Commission Dr Thomas Ouedraogo.
Participants at the dialogue will be focusing on many issues affecting the growth of  democracy in the sub-region including constitutional term limits, credible elections as well as return of military coups and unconstitutional change of government.

They will also examine processes of galvanizing and harnessing subregional and regional responses to the socio-political challenges affecting West Africa’s democratic progress and advancement.

Since inauguration last year, WAEF, an initiative of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, has continued to champion causes that promote, peace, democracy and good governance in the sub-region.

Two months ago, the Forum made up of mainly former Presidents and prime ministers from the sub-region  convened a strategy meeting where they shared their thoughts on the democratic trends in West Africa.

During the inauguration of the Forum in March last year, Dr. Jonathan, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and six other former West African leaders resolved to collectively exert their enormous goodwill towards ensuring peace in West African nations, by promoting credible elections and good governance, in order to prevent the nations from descending into crises.

Other former Presidents who participated in the virtual event where a mechanism targeted at preventing and resolving election related conflicts and maintaining stability in the sub-region was established include Pedro Pires Cabo Verde, Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Liberia, Amos Sawyer Liberia, Ernest Bai Koroma Sierra Leone as well as former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Mrs. Aminata Traore, former Senegalese Prime Minister.

N100m Nomination Form: PDP Accuses APC of Stealing Government Funds for Elections

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The Source
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Muhammadu Buhari

By Gideon Njoku

The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari Presidency of allowing the mass looting of public funds to corruptly create a war chest for the APC to intimidate Nigerians and muscle the 2023 general elections.

The PDP was reacting to the embarrassing number of Presidential aspirants who are paying the sum of NI00m, each, to purchase the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms.

At the last count, at least 20 of them have made public their ambition, and are purchasing the forms. They include, surprisingly,  members of the President’s Cabinet and state Governors.

Not a few people are of the impression that the APC has reduced the aspiration to the office of the President to a huge joke. But many are of the strong belief that the APC is, deliberately, hiding under the forms to raise money for the 2023 elections, as indeed, a number of those who purchased the forms know they would never win a Local Government Area Chairmanship election in their States.

The PDP which own forms cost N40m is of this opinion. In a statement on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP called for an investigation into the sources of the funds being paid for the forms, by especially, Ministers,  and accused  the APC Federal Government of a brazen looting of public funds.

Following are excerpts from the statement.

“The PDP alerts that the APC is diverting public funds meant for development purposes and salaries of workers to its coffers by orchestrating the purchase of its Presidential nomination form by all manner of persons at excessive N100 million to warehouse sleaze funds for the elections

“Our Party has information of how public funds are being withdrawn from Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals of government and diverted to people who have no verifiable means of livelihood to purchase APC’s Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for individuals without any electoral value and who cannot even win Local Government elections.

“We have intelligence on how public funds are pulled out of government Agencies in a surreptitious design perfected by an APC leader in connivance with certain individuals in positions of authority close to top persons in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“Nigerians will recall that the PDP had earlier alerted on how the CBN under Mr. Godwin Emefiele as CBN Governor has been turned into the finance department of the APC where APC leaders fraudulently access public funds through nebulous subsidies, shady intervention programmes and discriminatory exchange policies which perpetuate illegal arbitrage system

“The rejected APC has resorted to this underhand method to corruptly rake in billions of naira from public treasury without consideration for the welfare of Nigerians.

“This APC’s nefarious action is informed by its realization that its leaders cannot make huge donations to the APC coffers as they will be violating the limits of contribution to political parties as stipulated by law and regulation.

“The APC is a sinking ship with ill-fated and inchoate sailors holding on to straw including this shameless attempt to sweep our national treasury. It is regrettable that the APC has shamelessly and soullessly extended their corruption to our electoral process not minding the consequential effect on our democratic system.

“In any case, such shenanigan and criminal pillaging of our treasury cannot prevent the imminent crushing defeat of the APC at the polls in 2023, Nigerians having realized the fraud and life discounting experiences that the APC represents.

“The PDP calls on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Accountant General of the Federation as well as the Auditor General of the Federation to immediately commence investigation and monitor the movement of funds in Ministries,   Department and Agencies of government so as to protect our national treasury from the APC as we approach the 2023 general elections.

“The National Assembly, pursuant to its constitutional duty to expose and prevent corruption should in the interest of Nigerians commence a public investigation into these happenings.”

PDP: Crisis In Oyo, As Senator Balogun Dumps PDP For APC; Calls Makinde’s Project Fraud

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Kola Balogun and Seyi Makinde

By Akinwale Kasali

The Crisis rocking the Oyo State People’s Democratic Party, PDP, took another twist, as one of its stalwarts, Senator Kola Balogun, representing Oyo South Senatorial District has  defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The Senator who is the younger brother to the New Olubadan of Ibadan, at an event held at the APC State Secretariat, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, on Tuesday, formally joined the APC, collapsing the structure of the PDP in his Senatorial District.

For weeks, Senator Balogun and Governor Seyi Makinde had engaged in a soft war, following allegations that the Governor, who owns the PDP structure in the State was not willing to give the Senator a ticket to return to the Senate for a second term on the platform of the PDP.

At the defection ceremony, Senator Balogun appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, APC loyalists, its leadership and his supporters, the State Party Chairman, Hon Isaac Omodewu, and other Party Executives for accepting him back to the party.

He claimed he had gone to the PDP on sabbatical and now back home.

Berating the Governor Makinde-led administration for the increasing spate of insecurity in the state, Senator Balogun emphasized that hoodlums now kill recklessly daily in the State capital.

“People are being killed every day, yet the governor is not doing anything about it,” he said.

On Makinde’s Light-Up Oyo Project, Senator Balogun said using diesel to power generators to run the streetlights is fraud and a waste of resources.

“They claimed they’re lighting up Oyo State with streetlights. Ask them: whose company is selling the diesel they use to power the generator used to run the street lights? They are just serving their interests,” Balogun stated.

However, commenting on how he got the Senatorial ticket in 2018, Senator Balogun said: “When in 2018, I was given the ticket, I was told it was a delicate one. The party offered Adeniran and Sarafadeen Alli but they rejected it; I received it and God favoured me. Today, those who helped Seyi Makinde to win the election have left him, yet he kept saying ‘no problem,’ but he would soon realize that there are ‘problems.”

Welcoming Senator Balogun into the APC fold, the State Chairman, Hon. Ajiboye Omodewu said APC was lucky to have the three Senators and 11 House of Representatives members in the State, which, according to him, would give the party opportunity to win the 2023 election in the state.

In his comment at the event, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari said the coming of Senator Balogun into the APC would foster unity and enhance collaboration among federal lawmakers.

He, however, tasked the party members to unite and ensure they work for the emergence of the party in the next election.

With the defection of Senator Balogun, the ruling PDP in the state, led by Governor Makinde’s administration, has no elected representative in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Mixed Reaction Trails Exclusion Of Osimhen From Super Eagles Friendlies

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Victor Osimhen

By Akinwale Kasali

Soccer enthusiasts have frowned at the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF and Assistant Coach of the Super Eagles, Salish Yusuf, for not inviting Napoli Football Club of Italy Striker, Victor Osimhen, for the international friendly matches against Ecuador and Mexico scheduled for the United States of America.

Yusuf released a 30-Man list of players that would prosecute both friendlies in preparation for the 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, including Fatih Karagumruk Football Club of Turkey winger and Captain of the Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa and forward Moses Simon, ahead of the prestigious international friendly matches.

The inclusion of Musa has however generated controversy.

Fans and observers of the team argued that Musa’s days are numbered in the team as he has no impact in the team, just merely making up the numbers.

The Coach also invited new faces which is said to be a welcome development.  However, despite the invitation of some new faces, Nigerians have expressed their dissatisfaction with the list.

Some questioned the inclusion of Musa, while many others hit out at the NFF over the absence of Victor Osimhen.

A section of the fans also asked who would lead the team out, given the 2013 African champions are currently without a coach.

But despite the fans’ anger, the Mexico and Ecuador friendlies will be the start of a new era for the Super Eagles.

The three-time African champions will hope to put their World Cup failure behind them as they start a new chapter. The Super Eagles missed out on World Cup qualification after losing to Ghana via away goals.

The three-time African champions will clash with CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico at the AT & T Stadium in Dallas, State of Texas on Saturday, 28th May, before flying to New Jersey to tackle Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison on Thursday, 2nd June.

Yusuf, who is also Head Coach of the CHAN and the U23 teams, has included eight home–based professional players, including goalkeepers Adewale Adeyinka and Ojo Olorunleke, defender Ibrahim Buhari, and forwards Victor Mbaoma and Ishaq Rafiu.

Only 25 players will make the final list for the tour, which is preparatory to next month’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Sierra Leone in Abuja (9th June) and São Tomé & Príncipe in Marrakech, Morocco (13th June).

Goalkeepers: Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands); Adewale Adeyinka (Akwa United); Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC)

Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Isa Ali (Remo Stars); Chidozie Awaziem (Alanyaspor FC, Turkey); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Ibrahim Buhari (Plateau United)

Midfielders: Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC, England); Chiamaka Madu (Rivers United); Babatunde Afeez Nosiru (Kwara United); Azubuike Okechukwu (Yeni Malatyaspor, Turkey); Samson Tijani (Red Bull Salzburg, Austria); Alhassan Yusuf (Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England); Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Cyriel Dessers (Feyenoord FC, The Netherlands); Victor Mbaoma (Enyimba FC); Ishaq Rafiu (Rivers United)

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