Trabzonspor of Turkey striker, Paul Ebere Onuachu is being tipped to take over full sponsorship of a one-day memorial football competition to be staged in honour of his first grassroots coach, Osahon Emokpae.

Sports247 gathered that the competition, which is scheduled to hold this Thursday at FHA Stadium in FESTAC Town, Lagos, is the brainchild of Nigerian Grassroots Football Federation (NGFF), of whose junior team Coach Osahon was the pioneer handler.

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NGFF president, Pastor Oscar Ezinwa Emmanuel disclosed that the single day competition will be staged like a memorial carnival involving 12 teams, all of which were influenced one way or the other by Coach Osahon, who was until recently the caretaker committee chairman of Badagry Division Football Association (BDFA).

Pastor Oscar, who is also fondly called ‘TM,’ further disclosed that the competition, which will be staged on a knock-out basis, with games lasting only 20 minutes each, without any half time, will be graced by many esteemed personalities of football across Lagos State, Nigeria and abroad.

The competing teams will be led by Young Stars FC of Satellite Town, which Onuachu played for as a teenager, and from where Osahon took him along to FC Ebedie of Sagamu, when he became head coach of the club owned by Barrister Churchill Oliseh.

Other teams to feature in Thursday’s Osahon Emokpae Memorial Football Carnival include Young Eleven FC, CATS Boys FC, NGFF All Stars Selected, Vido 99 FC, ECAS FC and Golden Intercontinental FC.

Also listed to feature in the competition, which will run from 8am to 4pm at the popular terrain owned by Federal Housing Authority are Flying Sports Academy, SC Heritage, Santana Boys FC, Festiko FC and Awori United.

The NGFF scribe told Sports247 that the organising committee decided to woo Onuachu as the competition’s sponsor based on the fact that he is the late coach’s biggest product and he contributed immensely in efforts to stabilise the grassroots football zealot when the illness that claimed his life started.

“We know that Paul Onuachu really spent a lot on Coach Osahon’s medical bills, and we thank him so much for his efforts. It’s a good example he gave for other players to always remember the coaches that brought them up.

“In the same vein, we are solemly appealing to him to kindly take up the bill for this carnival that we want to stage in honour of Coach Osahon, a man who gave all his life to promoting youth football.

“We have a budget of just one million naira to cover things like refreshments, snacks, water, organisational needs, logistics, fees for referees, awards and other necessities.

“I personally appeal to Onuachu to take up this responsibility and, by the special grace of God, he will be blessed more abundantly in return. Good health will continue to follow him and he will soar higher.

“I know him as a caring boy, who has even given donations to his community in Imo State, for which God will also reward him exceedingly. Injury will mot befall him and he will have a sound mind on the field all the time. Amen,” Pastor Oscar prayed.

The Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, arguing that the administration deserves commendation rather than criticism for removing fuel subsidy and unifying the foreign exchange market.

Mr Adedeji spoke in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

He said the reforms were necessary because the Tinubu administration inherited an economy burdened by an unsustainable fuel subsidy regime, an opaque foreign exchange market, an underperforming oil sector and a narrow tax base.

According to him, the government’s decision to remove the subsidy was implemented alongside the unification of the foreign exchange market as part of broader efforts to stabilise the economy.

He pointed to several indicators which, he said, showed that the reforms had begun to change the structure of the Nigerian economy.

Mr Adedeji cited the growth in domestic refining capacity, saying it had increased from about 30,000 barrels per day before the reforms to about 700,000 barrels per day.

He also said government revenue had risen significantly, from about N12 trillion to N40 trillion, attributing the increase to improved revenue collection and broader economic reforms.

The NRS chairman said the administration’s objective was not to increase the burden on Nigerians but to create an environment in which businesses could grow and generate greater prosperity.

“We are taxing prosperity, not poverty,” he said, stressing that the government would ultimately collect more revenue when businesses become more profitable.

Mr Adedeji also defended the government’s tax reforms, saying they were designed to broaden the tax base and improve the business environment rather than extract more money from poor Nigerians.

He said about 90 per cent of Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue goes to the states, arguing that the reforms had therefore strengthened the finances of sub-national governments.

The NRS chairman said the government had also taken steps to address structural constraints to economic growth, including electricity supply, education, infrastructure and access to credit.

He cited the Electricity Act as one of the reforms intended to change the structure of the power sector by allowing greater state participation and creating room for investment.

According to him, reliable electricity is essential to industrialisation and reducing the cost of doing business.

Mr Adedeji also defended the administration’s infrastructure spending amid concerns over the pace of budget implementation.

He said there was a difference between budgeting and funding, arguing that the government could not simply release money without considering the strategic allocation of resources to projects with long-term economic benefits.

He cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway among major infrastructure projects requiring substantial funding.

He also linked infrastructure spending to employment, saying projects such as the coastal road and airport reconstruction would create jobs and stimulate economic activity.

The NRS chairman said the “government was also supporting agriculture through institutions such as the Bank of Agriculture and the Bank of Industry, to expand mechanised farming and improve production.”

Mr Adedeji acknowledged concerns about the hardship Nigerians had experienced since the reforms began, but argued that the government was focused on consolidating the gains already recorded.

He said the administration’s priority was to maintain economic stability while ensuring that the benefits of the reforms gradually translated into improved household prosperity.

He also rejected the perception that increased government revenue meant the administration was taking more money from poor Nigerians.

Rather, he said, the government’s approach was to expand economic activity and collect more revenue from increased prosperity.

Mr Adedeji defended government expenditure against criticism of public officials’ lifestyles, explaining that government spending also circulates through the private sector.

He used spending on facilities such as conference centres as an example, arguing that government expenditure could generate revenue for private businesses and create employment.

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On youth unemployment, he said the administration was supporting technical and vocational education while encouraging corporate organisations to play a greater role in creating employment opportunities.

He said education remained critical to reducing poverty and improving the economic prospects of young Nigerians.

Mr Adedeji also highlighted the government’s credit programmes as part of efforts to promote economic inclusion, particularly by providing financing for small businesses and individuals.

He said continued support for such programmes would help more Nigerians participate in economic activity.

The NRS chairman said the government’s recent reforms, including the new tax laws, would require time to produce their full impact.

He urged Nigerians to support the consolidation phase of the reforms, saying the government was focused on improving energy security, education, infrastructure and the broader economic environment.

He maintained that the ultimate objective of the reforms was to build an economy capable of generating prosperity without relying on unsustainable government interventions.