Nigeria’s first multi-talented kid player has emerged in the ranks of Bee United Football Academy in Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos … and his name is Moses Ekwueme, Sports247 reports.

Unlike the famous Nigerian ex-international, Ifeanyi Ekwueme, who played from the left-flank for the Super Eagles, this new kid on the block is a versatile youngster who likes to stop shots at one and score them at the other.

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Amazingly, he was spotted by Sports247 while manning the posts for Bee United as their goalkeeper during a quarter-finals fixture at the ongoing Seamoriow U15 Football Competition at Islamic Field, Ikotun, Lagos, but it soon turned out that this Ekwueme is a master of many trades.

His unusual talent came to the forefront when he kept going forward to launch the attack with deft passes and hit a couple of free kicks in his attempt to save his team from defeat against Shuffle Select Football Academy.

However, for anyone who thought Nigeria’s version of Paraguay legend, Jose Luis Chilavert had emerged, Moses Ekwueme is quick to point out that he prefers creating goals than stopping them.

He told Sports247 exclusively, “I’m actually a midfielder, but I decided to keep for my team because our normal keeper was injured. I know that I can keep, but I prefer playing as a midfielder.”

Dramatically, the senior secondary one (SS1) student of Mulero Grammar School added: “I also play as a striker once in a while. In fact, I played top-nine for my team in our first match of this competition, and I even scored a goal.”

He concluded by emphasising that, though he is equally good as a striker and goalkeeper, his preferred position is in midfield, because he wants to be like Lionel Messi of Argentina.

“I’m good as a striker and as a goalkeeper, but I prefer playing in midfield. It gives me room to express myself and play like my football hero, Messi,” Ekwueme submitted.

Unfortunately, Sports247 reports further that Ekwueme could not save his team from losing to Shuffle Select, who won on Tuesday but lost 3-1 to the host’s during the first semi-final on Thursday.

Seamoriow Football Academy will now battle Arewa Warriors FA at 3pm on Sunday in the grand finale at same venue; after the team from Ile-Epo defeated Pumah FA 4-3 via penalties, following a 1-1 end to regulation time.

President Bola Tinubu has welcomed the planned launch of the African Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA), saying Africa needs financial institutions that better understand the continent’s economies and risks.

The African Union has announced that the agency will officially launch on 7 October in Port Louis, Mauritius.

President Tinubu said the development was another step towards building African financial institutions capable of providing more accurate assessments of the continent’s economies.

The president disclosed this in a post on his official X account on Thursday, recalling that he had advocated for an African credit rating agency in a February 2026 Financial Times article.

He said he also raised the issue at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, in May, where he called for Africa to develop financial institutions that understand its economic realities.

“Africa is not asking for favourable ratings. We are asking for fair ratings, grounded in our fundamentals and in the reforms our economies are actually carrying out,” he said.

Why the agency matters

Credit ratings influence how investors assess the risk of lending to countries and companies. They can also affect borrowing costs and the amount of capital available to governments and businesses.

African governments have repeatedly raised concerns about what they describe as an “Africa premium”, under which African countries may face higher borrowing costs because of how investors perceive the continent’s risks.

The three major global rating agencies, including Fitch, Moody’s and S&P Global Ratings, currently play a major role in assessing African sovereign and corporate borrowers.

President Tinubu, in an article published by Financial Times, argued that African economies were paying too much to borrow because international assessments did not always adequately capture their economic realities.

He cited a 2023 United Nations Development Programme estimate that shortcomings in credit ratings cost African countries about $75 billion annually through higher interest payments and foregone lending.

He also argued that commodity-dependent African economies could be particularly exposed to downgrades during global market downturns, even when their reserves, fiscal positions, and debt profiles remained manageable.

The proposed agency is therefore expected to provide an Africa-focused alternative by taking greater account of local economic conditions and reforms.

The African Union has said that AfCRA will operate alongside existing global rating agencies rather than replace them.

Tinubu seeks investor confidence

In his statement Thursday, the president said the establishment of an African rating agency should not be interpreted as a demand for preferential treatment.

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Rather, he said, the agency must provide assessments based on economic fundamentals and the reforms being implemented by African countries.

He pointed to Nigeria’s experience, arguing that improvements in economic data, fiscal transparency and reforms had contributed to recent upgrades by international rating agencies.

However, he acknowledged that the credibility of AfCRA would ultimately depend on the quality and independence of its assessments.

“AfCRA must now earn the confidence of global capital. That confidence will rest on its independence and the rigour of its work,” he noted.

The launch is scheduled for 7 October in Mauritius, with President Tinubu saying he looks forward to the development.