Ighalo: “I Turned Down £300,000 a Week Because My dream is Not For Sale. God Said it Wasn’t For Me!”

Odion Ighalo did not sleep for days. For as long as he cared to remember he had been dreaming of scoring goals in the Premier League. Then, with Watford on the brink of their return to the top flight, there came a mind-boggling offer from China, promising to pay him £40million over four years.

When he said no, they came back and offered more. They continue to bombard him with offers, each one bigger than the last. The latest is double the original and still the answer is no.

‘I have 14 goals in the Premier League, how do I go to China now?’ said Ighalo, who signed a new five-year deal in September thought to be worth about £30,000 a week.

Odion Ighalo replicates his famous goal celebration as he points to the sky in acknowledgement of God. 

His mind is settled but when Watford owner Gino Pozzo gave him permission to talk to Hebei China Fortune last summer, he almost left.

‘I was very close,’ he said. ‘They made a £10m bid and were offering me over £200,000 a week; a four-year contract. I couldn’t sleep for three days. That kind of money is not easy to turn down. Some team-mates in the dressing room were saying, “You can’t miss this chance”. But I don’t jump into decisions like that.

‘I prayed about it, and God said it was not for me, no matter how much money it was. I knew God would direct me. When I said I don’t want to go, they offered me more money, almost £300,000 a week. I told them it’s not about the money.’

Chinese Super League clubs are on an aggressive recruitment drive, with money no object, brokers on the prowl and a transfer window open until February 26.

Ighalo has struck up a fearsome partnership with Watford team-mate Troy Deeney this season

Ighalo turned down almost £300,000 a week from the Chinese to realize his Premier League dream.

‘They have called again and I have turned them down again,’ said Ighalo. ‘Maybe if I keep scoring goals, that team will come with triple the money at the end of the season. When the time is right to go to China I will know. If it’s for me it will come to pass.

‘When I was in Ajegunle, I was watching the Premier League, dreaming one day I would be part of it. If I keep doing what I’m doing I can enjoy my football in England for four, five or six years.

‘I helped this team to promotion. How can I leave because of money? I know money is good. With that sort of money I can secure my life. But you can’t sell your dream.’

Ajegunle is an urban slum in Lagos, Nigeria, known as AJ City. It is notorious for poverty and crime, and the 26-year-old can recall how he would dive for cover as gunshots rang across the football pitch, a dusty patch of land known to locals as the ‘Maracana’.

Ajegunle also has a reputation for producing some of Nigeria’s best footballers, including Taribo West, Obafemi Martins and Brown Ideye.

‘I’m happy to be one of them. I’m proud to be Nigerian and to have come from a ghetto like that. It is not the best place to grow up. It wasn’t easy and it has been a rough journey. But it gave me strength to work and keep struggling. Looking back, I can’t complain. Hard work and the grace of God have paid off in my life.’

Ighalo’s goals have helped fire Watford into the top 10 of the Premier League this season

Ighalo sends home part of his wage each month to support his parents, six brothers and sisters, extended family, friends, charities and community schemes in Ajegunle, where he plans to open an orphanage later this year.

‘I don’t want people to praise me,’ he said. ‘I know where I came up from, and it was not easy to get where I am today. That’s why I’m giving back.’

His goals are celebrated in Nigeria, where English football is hugely popular. Ighalo grew up as a Manchester United fan but the bright yellow influence of Watford is slowly spreading. ‘A lot of people send me messages to tell me they’re Watford fans,’ said Ighalo. ‘They were supporting teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool, but now they’ve started supporting Watford because I’m doing well and scoring goals. Every time I go back I take 50 to 100 shirts to give to friends and family.’

Two goals against Liverpool prompted contact from Kanu. ‘He texted me to tell me what a great job I was doing, and told me to keep going, working hard,’ said Ighalo. ‘This is a guy I used to watch playing for Arsenal when I was so little, back in Nigeria.

Ighalo says he was not prepared to sell his dream of playing in the Premier League to follow the Chinese cash.

‘He is one of my idols. It is a great honour to have people like that, who I used to look up to, encourage me and send me a text when I score a goal and tell me to keep pushing.

‘He lives in London. We spoke the other day. He’s going to come and watch one of my games soon.’

Ighalo left home for Norway at the age of 18, having impressed scouts of Lyn at a trial. A year later, he signed for Udinese — one of the three clubs owned by the Pozzo family, but appeared only six times in Serie A in six years.

There were two loan spells at the other Pozzo club Granada, a brief one at Cesena before he joined Pozzo’s Watford, initially on loan before making it a permanent transfer in October 2014. He is one of only two players to appear for all three Pozzo-owned clubs. With 14 Premier League goals this season, he represents another triumph for the Italian family’s global scouting network.

His ‘Iggy Scoop’ dribbling manoeuvre, where he feints to go one way but then drags the ball in the opposite direction, has delighted fans and bamboozled defenders, while his goal celebration has become an enduring image of the season.

‘I am a Christian and I believe so much in God,’ said Ighalo. ‘I’m not perfect. I have my flaws. I am human. Only God is perfect. I try to acknowledge him in my life.

‘Whatever I am now and what I am going to be is through God.

‘I want to return the glory to him when I score goals, and that’s why I go down on my knees, point my hands to the sky and say this goal is dedicated to you. I believe he gave me the strength to score the goals. I don’t care what anyone says about that. I don’t think anything in life will ever stop me believing in God.’

As for the ‘Iggy Scoop’, he said: ‘Kanu used to do this at Arsenal. It’s not one of my own, but I’ve been doing it for a long time. I scored a few goals with it in Norway.’

His style is effective, and opponents are seeking out ways to stop him and strike partner Troy Deeney.

With Dailymail

Nigeria army probes recent Boko Haram attacks

The Nigerian Army on Sunday said it has launched a probe into recent attacks by Boko Haram militants which claimed dozens of lives of lives near Maiduguri, capital of northeast Borno state, according to The Guardian.

At least 85 people died when insurgents stormed and torched a village on January 30, the third attack in four days defying President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim Nigeria had largely defeated the jihadist group.

“The recent unfortunate attacks by Boko Haram terrorists on communities close to Maiduguri, despite our successes, call for concern,” the army said.

“The Nigerian Army has already commenced investigation into the attacks… All cases of indiscipline and related acts of misconduct including human rights abuse in the operations will be tried by the Special Court Martial,” said the statement said, without clarifying what the probe was investigating.

Thousands of people have fled their homes near Maiduguri for the capital and many are afraid to return, despite government assurances of their safety, after the recent attacks.

Buhari in December claimed that Nigeria had largely won the fight against Boko Haram, but since then the militants have killed dozens in raids and suicide attacks, including across the border in Cameroon.

Rights group Amnesty International has also accused the military itself of committing war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in the course of its operations against the group.

Boko Haram, which seeks a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has killed some 17,000 people and forced more than 2.6 million others to flee their homes since the start of its insurgency in 2009.

17 die in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway accident

Seventeen people died and 74 others injured in an accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway yesterday morning, according to The Nation.

The accident, which occurred shortly after Ibadan, involved two vehicles.

There were 96 people inside the vehicles.

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) gave the cause of the accident as over speeding, which led to loss of control by one of the drivers.

FRSC’s Head of Media Relations and Strategy Bisi Kazeem, in a statement, warned people “against sitting on top of trucks and lorries”.

“Two vehicles were involved– a DAF Trailer White, Reg. No. XS626 LSD and another articulated truck.

“It was caused by speed violation and loss of control. There were 96 people involved (95 men, one woman.

Eyewitnesses said about five corpses had been taken to a mortuary.

Other victims of the accident, which occurred around 7am, were not removed until past 9am.

A victim, who lost two relatives, covered the faces of the deceased with clothes and broke down in tears.

Shouting the name of Allah as he wailed, the victim identified simply as Mohammed, refused all entreaties as he knelt down between the two corpses and wept bitterly.

One of the survivors of the accident, who gave his name as Mohammed Seripino, said the trailer was coming from Kaduna and had travelled all night.

He said each passenger paid N1,000 as transport fare, adding that the journey from Kaduna was smooth before the accident occurred.

“We are all Hausa. We were coming from Kaduna. Each passenger paid N1,000. This (accident) is not good,” he said.

An eyewitness, who gave his name as Yinka Dada, said he was seeing off his son, who was on his way to Lagos, when the accident occurred.

He said, “I saw everything. I was by the roadside when the accident occurred. I was with my son who was going to Lagos when I saw two vehicles speeding as if they were competing in a race.

“The other vehicle was able to control the wheel, while the driver of the trailer lost control, tumbled down the expressway, and spilled out the passengers one after another.”

An Electrical Engineering student of the Abdul Gusau Polytechnic, Zamfara, who did not disclose his name, said government should be blamed for the poor response to the plight of the victims, The Punch reported.

The student said, “Our leaders have embezzled all the money that should be used to put infrastructure in place. This is why people are dying like rats.”

A middle-aged man, Onyekachi Otuonye, lamented rescuers’ response time to the accident.

Otuonye said, “This is deplorable. Even slaves should not be treated like this. Human lives should be treated with respect and dignity.”

A man in a cleric robe, who attributed the accident to witches and wizards, was shouted down by some sympathisers.

When the man brought out a book of his predictions on the accident that would occur on the road in 2016, sympathisers warned him to stop, saying there were no witches on the road.

One of the sympathisers, Biliaminu Awodele, who confronted the cleric, said, “Accidents happen all over the world, nobody dey blame witches and wizards, abeg, carry your yeye prediction commot here!”

However, the FRSC said 17 people died in the accident, while 79 others were injured.

The Oyo State Sector Commander, FRSC, Yusuf Salami, said the accident involved an articulated vehicle and a Peugeot J5 vehicle.

He explained that both vehicles were travelling to Lagos, adding that the accident was caused by impatience, speeding and struggle for right of way.

He said, “A Peugeot J5 with number plate, XS 626 LSV, and a DAF articulated vehicle with number plate, AA 902 MML, had an accident as both drivers were struggling for the right of the way. They were both going to Lagos when the accident happened around 9.30am on Sunday. It happened just before the campus of the Dominion University in Sepo, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“There were 96 people involved, with 17 confirmed dead. It is obvious that both drivers were speeding and suddenly lost control of the vehicles. The Peugeot bus was loaded with passengers and goods, but the casualty figure rose because the other vehicle was travelling to Lagos with huge number of illegal passengers.”

Sambisa is last battle ground with Boko Haram - DHQ

Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said Boko Haram has been knocked down in Borno and other parts of the Northeast.

It said the only battle ground left is in the Sambisa Forest, the about 80 kilometres swathe of thick bush that is the sect’s stronghold.

It said once the battle for Sambisa is over, Boko Haram will become a thing of the past.

But the DHQ pleaded for support from every citizen because it is a Nigerian war against Boko Haram insurgents.

Director of Defence Information Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar spoke exclusively with our correspondent against the backdrop of the allegation by Senator Baba Kaka Garbai (Borno Central) that half of Borno State is still being occupied by Boko Haram.

Gen. Abubakar said: “The situation is clear on how much we have decimated Boko Haram. Technically, we have knocked down these insurgents.

“ The insurgents have been beaten and I stand by what I said. I can beat my chest that the insurgents have been decimated.

“All these attacks on soft targets do not mean that Boko Haram insurgents are occupying any territory. They are carrying out these attacks in order to remain relevant. The insurgents are pretending to be alive when in reality they have lost out.

“The attacks on soft targets by the insurgents do not translate to occupation of territories or some parts of Borno State or the North-East.

“The insurgents’ attacks on soft targets are not peculiar to Nigeria. These terrorists do so in the U.S. France, Britain, and many countries. We are doing our best to protect these soft targets.”

Gen. Abubakar said: “What is left is Sambisa Forest. That is the last battle ground with the insurgents.

“ This Forest is about 80kilometres but I believe very soon, we will overrun the Forest and rout out the insurgents. We will certainly send them packing from the Sambisa Forest.”

“For anyone to make a claim that half of Borno State is under the insurgents is not helping the military. It is just to get media attention. We have decimated Boko Haram. This is the reality.

“We want to appeal to Nigerians to appreciate and support our gallant troops to maintain the high rate of success we have achieved in the war against the insurgents.

“This is a Nigerian war versus the insurgents. Boko Haram is a national catastrophe which requires the support of all to address. Every Nigerian must be seen to be contributing morally to the war against these insurgents. “

With The Nation

Mr. Rotimi Amaechi had used $150m to fund the All Progressives Congress’ elections - Wike

THE Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Sunday that he would not have contested a governorship rerun if the Supreme Court had failed to uphold his election.

The governor also alleged that between December 1 and 18 of 2014, the immediate past government in the state led by Mr. Rotimi Amaechi had used $150m to fund the All Progressives Congress’ elections, adding that the state government will recover all stolen funds, according to The Punch.

Wike said this at a thanksgiving service at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

But reacting to the allegation, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Chris Finebone, described the claim as a big lie from “the very depth of hell.”

Finebone challenged Wike to take Amaechi to court, adding that the former governor was without blemish.

He said, “That (allegation) is a big lie taken from the very depth of hell. Wike talks big and tough, but behind his tough-talking is a moronic coward. He will not advance that accusation beyond the comfort of his audience.

“His deeds are awaiting him and at the appropriate time, he will be held to account. If he is serious, let him go to court and summon Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. But you can be sure that he (Wike) will not do that because that Amaechi is without blemish.”

The governor said he would have opted out of the rerun in order to prevent loss of lives that could have trailed the poll.

Wike added, “Nothing is impossible with God. Men of God prophesied a few days to the Supreme Court ruling that the judgment will confirm the mandate given to us by the Rivers people.

“We won the election clearly as has been confirmed by the Supreme Court. If there was a rerun, I wouldn’t have contested because there would have been a bloodbath. I resolved not to be part of anything that would bring about bloodbath.”

He pointed out that the failure of the “evil plotters” meant that Rivers people would return all the legislators, whose elections were nullified by the Appeal Court.

Explaining that the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed his election restored the confidence of Nigerians in the judiciary, Wike stated that the ruling of the apex court confirmed the will of the Rivers people.

He assured the people of the state that he would judiciously use the mandate given to him to advance the course of the development of the state.

The governor restated his earlier declaration that he would not allow the rigging of the State and National Assembly rerun elections in the state, saying any INEC staff who attempts to rig will be treated as an armed robbers.