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My Dream Is To Play On The Biggest Stages Of Football – Leke James

Published

4 years ago

October 26, 2020

Nigerian professional footballer, Leke James, who plays as a forward for Norway’s Molde FK in this interview with Olawale Ayeni, states that he has what it takes to lead the Super Eagles attack if given the opportunity by the national team handlers amongst other.

How did you start your football career?

I started playing football when I was around 5-6years old in Kaduna State where I was born, then started playing with my childhood team (NITR stars Academy) in the same city.

Later played for Fc Hearts in Ghana, from there I was invited to the Nigeria U-17 team in 2008 where I played the AYC qualifiers against the Benin Republic but didn’t make it to the Tournament.

In 2010, I moved to First bank FC Lagos, there I went for trials with a club in Sweden which later didn’t work out that same year.

In 2011, I signed for Bridge boys Fc Lagos (former Julius Berger FC) then went to try with another club in Norway (Aalesunds Fk) towards the end of that year which was successful where I signed my first professional contract in Europe from January 2012, which is where another chapter of my life started to where I am today and the journey continues.

Tell us about your best and down moment in your career so far?

The best moment in my career was last year (2019) where I won the league with my team (Molde FK) the first in my career so far and also qualify for the group stage of the Europa League competition this year.

And the down moment was when I was hit by a career threatening injury in 2017 where I had surgery and was out of action for almost a year.

Who is your football mentor?

Dalima Ronaldo is my mentor, I grew up watching him, and I love his style of play.

What is your biggest dream you seek to achieve in your career?

My dream is to play on the biggest stages of football before my retirement.

Do you have what it takes to lead the Super Eagles attack?

Yes, I have what it takes to lead the Super Eagles attack if I am called with the trust and confidence of the coach. I have a lot to offer in the Eagles attack and am hopeful that my time will come.

How best can we develop the Nigerian league to meet the international best standards?

We need to put in place the right facilities, also restructuring the clubs, and improved management of the league. I think these are some key points among others that we can do to improve the Nigerian Professional football league (NPFL).

What are your plans after retirement?

The plan is to work in the football sector.

Do you still have the plans of hosting your yearly youth competition this year amidst the coronavirus outbreak?

Unfortunately, the tournament won’t hold this year because of the pandemic. We hope things get better next year. The last edition was impressive because a lot of talents were discovered and we hope to keep it that way in the next edition.

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Featured

How Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso Repositioning the Raw Materials Sector For Economic Diversification

Published

4 days ago

September 3, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

As we embark on a journey, we always pray for an able, experienced, and courageous driver, pilot, or sailor depending on the means of transportation.

This is because the captain will have enough experience and boldness to navigate out of turbulence and to bring all the passengers and crew to the intended destination.

Interestingly, these fine qualities of ability, experience, boldness, and many more, abound in the man, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso, who we all are pleased was appointed the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, the Director General/CEO by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few months ago.

This is because he has brought his knowledge, ability, experience, and doggedness to bear in carrying out his assignment in charge of the Council.

The RMRDC, operating under the Federal

The Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, is pivotal in driving Nigeria’s industrial growth by optimizing local raw materials exploitation, development, and utilization. RMRDC, ab initio, was conceived as a child of necessity when Nigeria was reeling from the throes of global recession and plummeting crude oil prices.

Without an iota of doubt, today, the council is experiencing a transformation with massive innovation in raw material exploitation, development, and utilization, supporting business and industrial growth, and contributing to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

Speaking this during a press briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja to commemorate his 100 days in office said the council is laying a solid foundation through numerous innovations that will further enhance growth in the country.

According to him, in the past 100 days, my strategic pursuits have been to lay solid foundations for enduring success in these goals.

“Upon assuming this position, I set five crucial deliverables which include, refocusing the Council as a premier research institution; Strengthening the Council’s productivity and operational efficiency; Significantly improving the staff welfare to be the best in the class of similar organizations;

“Others include, Boosting the Council’s visibility and instituting remarkable culture change that encourages ownership and productivity as well as Strengthening and deepening the Council’s place in the international arena.”

While speaking on his Achievements so far, the DG revealed: “My first task, therefore, was to implement a strategic goal-setting for the Council’s staff to define and set out clear objectives and targets to be achieved by the Council within a specified period towards refocusing on this historical mandate. We unleashed five significant initiatives in that regard.

“The nationwide raw material data collection exercise that focused on technical and investment information. erships to drive our mission forward.

“The restructuring and renaming of the former Technology Innovation Complex (TIC) at the Obasanjo Space Center at Airport Road, Abuja, to a Research and Demonstration Plants Complex (RDPC). This complex will be Africa’s first center of excellence in raw material research, featuring state-of-the-art laboratories, technology development workshops, and proof of concept demonstrations.

“We have reactivated the Council’s Journal and repositioned it internationally. The repositioned Journal of Raw Material Research [JORMAR] will host RMRDC’s researchers’ publications, which are crucial in promoting awareness, facilitating knowledge sharing, and informing stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria’s raw materials sector.

“The collaboration with universities and academies will strengthen our capacity for conducting market-guided research, ensuring sustained workforce training while deepening our orientation in science.

The council has reformulated a new template for all our research proposals to ensure and sustain a clear departure from the old culture of blue-sky and deliberately endless research.

Speaking further, Prof Nwanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso stated that Staff welfare remains a top priority as an issue of unpaid salaries is settled as well as set up a comprehensive welfare program.

“Similarly, we established the RMRDC Training School to sustainably build our staff and stakeholders’ capacity to further the staff welfare improvement goal.

“We are committed to openness, inclusiveness, and performance management and have initiated steps to continuously improve staff ownership, orchestrate transformative culture change, boost our corporate visibility, and enhance

“To further strengthen our visibility and communication strategies, we are upgrading our media infrastructure, which includes the launch of the RMRDC online media platform, The RMRDC TV Online.

“Additionally, we are working hard to effectively enhance the intellectual property and patent portfolio of RMRDC from its current 40 to approximately 200 new patents within the next 24 months. This proactive approach secures valuable IP assets and positions the Council as a leader in innovation within the raw materials sector, contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic growth.

“As well as launching an e-registration and certification portal to enhance transparency in the raw materials sector,” DG revealed.

He however reaffirmed his commitment to reshape the future of research, technology, and innovation, driving Nigeria towards an industrially vibrant and technologically resilient economy.

“As I mark 100 days in office, I boldly say that the Council is on the verge of rewriting its history.

“I believe that in no distant future, RMRDC will play a leading role in enhancing raw materials’ development to boost raw materials’ industrial trial processing and attain sustainable industrial growth in Nigeria.

DG, however, applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, for his unwavering support and mentorship, saying the Minister’s leadership has been instrumental in the progress made so far.

In his opening remarks, the Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mr Chucks Ngaha commended the hard-working DG who has weathered the storm further to put the Council on the ladder of more prosperity.

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