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REJOINDER: ADDRESSING SLANDEROUS ATTEMPTS BY ABUBAKAR ABUBAKAR ON THE PERSON OF HONORABLE KHAMISU AHMED MAILANTARKI, PRESIDENT OF MAILANTARKI CARE FC, ABUJA
REJOINDER: ADDRESSING SLANDEROUS ATTEMPTS BY ABUBAKAR ABUBAKAR ON THE PERSON OF HONORABLE KHAMISU AHMED MAILANTARKI, PRESIDENT OF MAILANTARKI CARE FC, ABUJA
By Adamu Usman Ahmed
The management of Mailantarki Care FC, Abuja, has noted with grave concern, the false, malicious, and misleading claims made by Abubakar Abubakar (Yellow) while granting an interview to a Morning Sports, a weekday English program by Amana Radio on Friday 18th April, 2025 in Gombe.
The fabricated statements made by Abubakar (Yellow) in its entirety was disgraceful to the Nigeria’s National team (U-20) for its official (Coordinator) who is neither a Media Manager nor the Administrative Secretary, to appear suddenly and without authorisation, on air for such spurious assertions aimed at tarnishing the remarkable image and overwhelming efforts of Honorable Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki on football development in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.
Abubakar blatantly lied during the radio interview on an internal issue concerning two clubs that he (Abubakar) was never in any point in time part of both teams (Mailantarki Care FC and Doma United FC) in whatsoever capacity neither was he a representative of the player in question (Haruna Aliyu) nor a spokesman of the National Team (U-20) or its administrative secretary.
In fact, during the partnership formalities of Haruna Aliyu between the two clubs in 2023, Abubakar was a coordinator at Gombe United and until date, he has never been part of any of the two clubs regarding any partnership of whatsoever player hence he had no genuine information to disseminate in public domain.
In his desperation to attack our club president’s effort on football development and progress in Gombe State and Nigeria at large by directly linking the exclusion of Gombe-born defender Haruna Aliyu in the final list of the National team U-20 ahead of the upcoming 2025 AFCON in Egypt.
To set the record straight, Hon Khamisu Mailantarki’s effort to elevate/promote Gombe State indigenes to the highest level of their respective football career, ensured an agreement reached between the two clubs and secured the services of the player (Haruna Aliyu) who further facilitated his invitation for a trial and consequently amazed the technical crew under the then U-20 National team Head Coach Isa Ladan Bosso ahead of the 13th African Games held in Ghana.
While Hon Mailantarki was busy sponsoring qualified Gombe State indigenes to a historic European tour in Denmark and Norway through his club, Mailantarki Care FC, instead of receiving motivations through commendations and accolades from the stakeholders in the state, people like Abubakar Abubakar opted for tort against the humble person of the President of the Mailantarki Care FC despite the fact that he operates as club owner with many officials including the club Technical Director, multi award-winning gaffer Manu Garba OON, the head coach of National team (U-17).
Thanks to the likes of Honorable Farouk Yarma, who provided an annual sports awards event (Prudential Sports Awards) for honoring outstanding sports individuals in the state, and of course in its maiden event Mailantarki was awarded for his immense contributions to grassroots football development in Gombe State.
More so on the issue raised regarding Aminu Muhammed (Obi) and Ibrahim Yahaya, who Abubakar falsely claimed were maltreated by our principle, which stand in contrast to the fact that both Aminu and Ibrahim were players of Mailantarki Care FC through a legitimate contractual agreement by their respective owners, and in the spirit of sportsmanship and the love of Gombe State, both players were allowed on free loan to continue playing for Gombe United considering their significant impacts towards the performance of the club in 2022/2023 season.
Both players are still rightful players of Mailantarki Care FC and are highly indebted with the show of great concern, commitment, and unending support towards their career development at various levels which includes successful outings with the National team U-20 at Niger Republic 2022 WAFU games in addition to a recent trial trip for Ibrahim Yahaya at Danish Super League club Aarhus Gymnastik Forening.
The then acting General Manager of Gombe United Abubakar Abubakar had deliberately blocked a potential career development trip facilitated by Mailantarki Care FC for the duo (Aminu and Yahaya) when they were clear favorite to clinch a professional contract with top European clubs moment after their brilliant outings at the WAFU 2022 zonal competition in Niger Republic, a move that could have generate an income to Gombe United as well.
Hon Mailantarki’s unending efforts towards the success and progress of young talented footballers in Gombe State and across the country Muhammed that he fully sponsored the first Gombe player Auwal Muhammed Adamu (Auwalulu) to secure a professional contract in one of the European clubs (Gandzasar FC, Armenia) in addition to young sensational full-back Jabir Hassan who is currently trading tackles with a Serbian club.
So many other players are currently undergoing trials in various elite development squads, beside several opportunities offered to Gombe based players for their respective career development through his Abuja based main team and the Gombe based U-17 feeders, Mailantarki is on the verge of sponsoring more qualified talents to yet another European scouting tours before the end of the current 2025 football calendar where more potential transfers are expected.
Abubakar’s lame attempt to smear Mailantarki’s praiseworthy efforts in the development of footballers’ career had ridiculed himself against the well established facts and record of players sponsored by Mailantarki (Flight ticket, accommodations, feeding, visas etc) to successful or otherwise trials in various European clubs while others formed part of the contingents that travelled to the 2022 and 2024 glorious international tours in Denmark and Norway as follows.
(Other Geo-political zones players not mentioned as we intended to repute the wrongly assertions by Abubakar Abubakar, who discredited the efforts of Mailantarki on the progress of Northern Players)
Gombe State:
Auwalu Muhammed Auwalulu (Gandzasar FC, Armenia), Abdulrahman Saidu (Salgeuros FC, Portugal), Sadeeq MB (Jammerbug FC, Denmark), Babawo Ibrahim (Jammerbugt FC, Denmark) Isiyaku Ligu (Denmark and Norway Cups), Amos John (Denmark and Norway Cups), Hamisu Ibrahim (Denmark and Norway Cups), Abdulazeez Maiyadi (Denmark and Norway Cups), Ibrahim Sani (Denmark and Norway cups), Adamu Gambo (Denmark and Norway cups), Abdulazeez Musa Bappa (Denmark and Norway cups).
Bauchi State:
Manji Williams (FK Abdish-Ata Kant, Kyrgyzstan), Sadiq Abdullahi (Jammerbug, Denmark), Promise Damala (Jammerbugt, Denmark), Nasiru Jibrin (Jammerbugt, Denmark), Abubakar Lamido (Denmark and Norway cups), Idris Ashiru (OPS Finland), Abdullahi Isa (Mosta FC, Malta).
Kano State:
Miko Dalha (Denmark and Norway cups), Usman Muhammed (Denmark and Norway cups), Hashim Muhammed (DFK Daivana, Lithuania), Usman Ghali (Jammerbugt IF, Denmark), Ishaq Usaini (Çorum FC, Turkey), Sabi’u Ibrahim (Aarhus FC, Denmark), Khalil Sammani (FDC Vista, Russia).
Adamawa State:
Ishaya Yuguda (St. Andrews FC, Malta), Silas Alfred (Hibbernians FC, Malta), Simon Gaston (Jammerbugt FC, Denmark), Auwal Abba (Mosta FC, Malta).
Benue State:
Victor Ochayi (Septemvri Sofia, Bulgaria), Miracle Williams (Kryvbas Rih, Ukraine)
FCT, Abuja:
Izuchukwu Daniel (FC Van, Armenia), Joel Zachariah (Monaco FC, France)
Borno State:
Tijjani Mohammed (Hammarby IF, Sweden).
Yobe State: Muhammed Abdullahi (Jammerbugt IF, Denmark).
Katsina State:
Yusha’u Armiya’u (Fredek-Mistek FC, Poland)
Abubakar, who is deploying all possible means to divert the attention of Gombe State football stakeholders and enthusiasts of the round leather game from his inability to facilitate even a trial call-up to any of Gombe State talented stars in the National team U-20 hence his desperate defamatory and baseless claims on the person of Honorable Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, who established himself as one of the brightest football club owners/administrators in Northern Nigeria and the country at large.
The Nigeria Football Federation NFF’s decision to de-list the player in question, Haruna Aliyu from the final list of the upcoming U-20 AFCON in Egypt was best known to them as the apex football governing body in the country, which has several committees under which respective decisions are made, and as at the time of writing this response there is no official statement issued yet by any of the NFF’s committees in that regard, beside they are at liberty of not issuing any statement since a certain number of players must be shortlisted from the invited players based on the recommendation of the team’s technical crew.
However, while we await a possible official statement regarding the reason for the player’s absence from the final list, we at Mailantarki Care FC are saddened with the development, especially on the part of the club president who champion the cause of Haruna’s National team assignment few years back.
Most likely, the decision could be connected to the conflict of interest on the player’s part whom was ill-advised and misled to signed another different contract despite having a binding pre-contract agreement with Mailantarki Care FC, a decision amount to a breach of contract, an act that can cause instability in the player’s psychological prowess as the shenanigans took place while he was in his final camping exercise ahead of the upcoming U-20 AFCON slated to kick start in few days.
Haruna Aliyu had already agreed and signed a pre-contract with Mailantarki Care FC that is binding, hence becomes a player of Mailantarki at the end of the current Nigeria National League (NNL) 2024/2025 season, the development ensured after the player’s decision not to extend his contract with his present club Doma United beyond the 2024/2025 season.
A pretence Abubakar Abubakar went further to even dragged the name of a high-profile staff of the NFF, Nasiru Jibrin, whom he said the latter clears ways and gave a go ahead to legitimized an act of ‘conflict of interest’ against the rule book of the apex football governing body.
Just so you know, Mailantarki Care FC made a name for itself in the football industry for its unique identity and accomplishments in just 4 years of existence so far where several talented players successfully transferred to various clubs in Europe, wins three International Youth Championships in a remarkable record breaking outings in Norway (Norway Cup) and Denmark (Dana Cup) in its debut year 2022 and 2024 respectively, won Abuja FA Cup, promoted to the 2nd tier of the league among others.
Furthermore, in its debut year of existence in 2021, the club held the first-ever scouting tournament (Gombe to Europe) involving European football managers in the history of Gombe State, a successful program held at the Pantami Stadium that paved way to so many Gombe State indigenes to travel to various European clubs especially Portugal and Denmark.
Upon completing its multi-billion naira ‘Mailantarki Sports Complex’ in the heart of Abuja, the club will become the standout among its peers not only in Nigeria but the continent at large, so the likes of Abubakar Abubakar, should rather follow suits in aiding headways to achieve an optimal desired success of the beautiful game of football in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.
Sunday 20th April, 2024
Adamu Usman Ahmed ASM, AMInsTA
Director of Media and Communications
Mailantarki Care FC
Abuja, Nigeria.
REJOINDER: ADDRESSING SLANDEROUS ATTEMPTS BY ABUBAKAR ABUBAKAR ON THE PERSON OF HONORABLE KHAMISU AHMED MAILANTARKI, PRESIDENT OF MAILANTARKI CARE FC, ABUJA
News
VP Shettima Mourns Borno Terror Attack Victims, Says No Religion Endorses Killing Of Innocent Lives
VP Shettima Mourns Borno Terror Attack Victims, Says No Religion Endorses Killing Of Innocent Lives
By: Our Reporter
Ahead of his trip to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Vice President Kashim Shettima , has expressed grief over the death of 25 persons killed in the multiple explosions in different locations across Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Monday.
He pointed out that no religion sanctions the killing of innocent lives, as the sanctity of human life remains a core tenet of major world faiths.
VP Shettima, who spoke on Tuesday during the closing of the Annual Ramadan Tafsir at the State House Mosque, Abuja, prayed Almighty Allah to grant the souls of those killed in the terror attack in Maiduguri eternal rest, reward them with Aljannah firdaus and give their family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Praying Almighty Allah to also vanish all agents of terror from the surface of the earth, the VP said, “May the lives of innocent souls – 25 of them – that lost their lives in Maiduguri last evening rest in peace. May Allah grant their souls eternal rest and reward them with His Aljannah firdaus, and may Allah also grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses.
“May Allah bring this madness to an end. No religion sanctions the killing of the innocent. Whatever that is motivating them, may Allah either guide them on to the right path or May Allah vanish them from the surface of the earth.”
The Vice President emphasised the need for all Nigerians to continue to pray for the country across every sector, as well as pray that the Almighty should continue to grant President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and members of his team wisdom, courage, sincerity and equity in service.
He noted that each season of Ramadan reminds Muslims of a truth that power often tries to hide from man, and that no sit is permanent, just as no office is ultimate and no human being stands above his dependence on his creator.
VP Shettima said, “In the presence of Allah, the distance between the mighty and the unknown vanishes. What remains is character, what remains is accountability, what remains is what we did with the trust placed in our hands.
“This is why gatherings such as this matters. They rescue public lives from arrogance; they retain soul to scale; they teach those entrusted with authority that the nation is not built by policy alone but by conscience; not by proclamation alone but by restraint; not by ambition alone but by fear of Allah.”
The VP called on the Muslim faithful to continue to live in the teachings and lessons of the month of Ramadan, as the final days of Ramadan begins to sleep through their fingers.
“The question before us is not whether Ramadan is ending. The question is whether its teachings will continue to live in us after the moon has changed.
“It is quite easy to cut the head when the atmosphere is charged with devotion. The harder task is to carry it into ordinary days, into the market, into the office, into the home, into the chamber of power, and into the private corners where only Allah sees what we are doing, ” he noted.
While drawing from the lessons of Ramadan, the Vice President said the holy month had thought the Muslim faithful that pity without mercy is noise and worship without service is incomplete.
“So, as we close this year’s Tafsir, let us not return to the habits that weaken our common lives; let us not go back to bitterness, to reckless speech, to indifference dressed as sophistication. A believer doesn’t spend the whole month learning only to become a captive again of anger, greed and division.
“Nigeria needs homes where children encounter good examples before good advice. Nigeria, indeed, needs leaders in every spare who understand that influence is a trust, not a license, ” VP Shettima said.
He paid growing tribute to the Chief Imam of the State House Mosque, Sheikh Abdulwaheed Suleiman Abubakar, and his lieutenant for conducting the Tafsir with wisdom, calm hearts.
Earlier, the Chief Imam prayed for sustainable peace and development of Nigerian and the success of the Tinubu administration’s policies and programmes.
The cleric emphasised the need for leaders at all levels to continue to discharge their responsibilities with the fear of Allah for the process and development of the country.
VP Shettima Mourns Borno Terror Attack Victims, Says No Religion Endorses Killing Of Innocent Lives
IGP Visits Maiduguri Bombing Sites, Assesses Security Measures
By: Zagazola Makama
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has visited victims of the recent IED explosions in Maiduguri and assessed the security situation at key attack sites, underscoring the force’s commitment to public safety.
The IGP visited the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), where casualties of the bomb blasts are receiving medical attention. He commiserated with victims and their families, assuring them of the Nigeria Police Force’s resolve to identify and dismantle networks responsible for the attacks.
Following the hospital visit, he proceeded to the Maiduguri Monday Market, one of the sites targeted by the terrorists, for an on-the-spot security assessment. The visit included interactions with local security personnel to review operational preparedness and strengthen coordinated response measures.
The IGP also visited the Borno State Government House and the State Police Command Headquarters as part of ongoing engagements to enhance collaboration between federal and state security agencies.
He emphasized that security has been significantly tightened across Maiduguri and its environs, with increased patrols, surveillance, and joint operational deployments aimed at preventing further incidents. Residents were reassured of the force’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property in the aftermath of the attacks.
IGP Visits Maiduguri Bombing Sites, Assesses Security Measures
Save us From Heavy Trailers Killing Our People… Muna Garage Residents Cry Out to Zulum
By: Bodunrin Kayode
Residents of Muna axis after customs area in Maiduguri have called on Governor Babagana Zulum to save them from the excesses of heavy duty vehicles who deliberately clog the international highway leading to Gamboru Ngala council area on a daily basis.
Some of the residents who spoke to this reporter after a recent crash which almost killed all the occupants of a commercial “Keke” regretted that the road traffic authorities in the state have not given this international highway the priority it deserves in terms of traffic management due to it’s prominence.
A careless trailer which was parked along the road close to the Alkome police hospital had narrowed the road for another trailer and a Keke nappe which struggled for the little space remaining all driving towards the Muna Garage area when a brush occurred and a sudden bang from the back by a third trailer which almost killed all the occupants of the keke nappe.
Some of the commuters came out alive from the crushed Keke with minor wounds while a particular man had his forefoot crushed almost hanging away from the ball of one of that very foot.
It was a bloody weekend for the commuters as blood from one of them flowed freely into the Keke and on the tarred road leading to Muna while onlookers rushed to see if anyone survived the crash.
Since no security personnel showed up within the first 30 minutes of the crash, the wounded were rushed to a nearby hospital while the trailer cleared from the road to ease traffic movement.
Most of the eye witnesses were enraged by the incident with some blaming it on the Keke riders while others castigated the trailers who insist on parking on the shoulder of this international route which should be free from these kinds of challenges.
Baana, a vulcanizer who says he has spent over three decades on this axis of the town called on Governor Babagana Zulum to as a matter of urgency build a massive modern trailer park for the heavy trucks so that they will stop parking along the road while they wait for clearance in the morning to embark on their journeys to Ngala and beyond.
“Lack of a modern trailer park is the main reason why we keep recording lingering accidents on a daily basis here with countless of people being wounded and are not recorded in the government statistics.” He stressed.
For mallam Isa, a teacher inside the suburb behind Alkome police Hospital, the Governor should as a matter of urgency sign an executive fiat to stop trailers from parking on main roads like this one leading to Mafa,Dikwa and Ngala.
” We are calling on the Governor to invoke an executive order based on section 5 of the 1999 constitution by banning all trailers from parking on the trunk A roads leading to Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
” This is because, apart from endangering the lives of commuters, prolonged stay on the tarred roads cause a lot of damage to the roads which the Governor has dualized after destruction by insurgency.”
Mallam Isa also called on Federal and State Road Safety managers in the state to create a road side emergency station along this route that would be assisting them in clearing accident victims in the road throughout the week and even during the weekend.
“look at this accident that just happened, they are all guilty of one offence or the other. But I equally blame the Keke riders because if they have respect for human lives, they will not be contesting for right of way with heavy duty trailers.
” These trailers are very wicked people. They use their big structures to block and entrap people only to be begging for mercy when the damage has been done.
” Their excesses are as grave as that of the keke napep people. The Federal Road Safety and the Borno traffic management authorities should increase their fines further to serve as deterrent on the rest.
Save us From Heavy Trailers Killing Our People… Muna Garage Residents Cry Out to Zulum
Maiduguri Bomb Blast: In time of tragedies, let us also Understand VP Kashim Shettima’s position
VP Shettima Mourns Borno Terror Attack Victims, Says No Religion Endorses Killing Of Innocent Lives
IGP Visits Maiduguri Bombing Sites, Assesses Security Measures
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