Paralympic Committee Nigeria (PCN) has concluded arrangements to host the country’s Paralympians after the recently concluded Paralympics held in Paris, France.

As contained in a statement issued by the President of the PCN, Sunday Odebode and made available to newsmen on Monday by the Public Relations Officer of the Committee, Niyi Alebiosu, the gala /award nite will hold on Friday at Balmoral Hall, Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

The Honourable Minister of Sports John Owan Enoh will be the chief host of the event during which distinguished personalities and athletes will be honoured with awards of excellence.

Odebode further stated in the statement that “this is a project of the PCN Board aimed at celebrating our athletes for their outstanding performance at the 2024 Paralympics, and to say a very big thank you to them all.

“Also, it will help boost their morale ahead of future international competitions.

This will also encourage all other athletes to improve on their performances. We are not limiting it to those who won medals at the Games but all our athletes.

“They have shown greatness and we have to appreciate them. This is the first time in the history of para sports and PCN and we hope to keep it going”.

He, however, informed that all efforts have been put in place to host a hitch free event that will mark the beginning of good fortune for para athletes in the country.

Nigerian striker Victor Boniface was rushed to the hospital after a terrifying car accident following Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

The 23-year-old posted photos and videos on social media, showing the wreckage of his vehicle and a bloodied hand.

Fortunately, Boniface avoided serious injury and shared an update with his followers, writing, “God is the greatest.”

Boniface on Saturday had played a crucial role in Leverkusen’s win, scoring the winning goal in the 71st minute.

The victory marked Leverkusen’s return to winning ways, ending a two-match winless streak in the Bundesliga.

The accident comes just days after Boniface’s harrowing experience with the Super Eagles in Libya.

The Nigerian national team was stranded at an abandoned airport for 18 hours without food, water, or phone connections and ultimately boycotted their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Libya’s Mediterranean Knights.

The incident marks the second challenging experience for Boniface in a short span, highlighting his resilience and determination.

Despite these challenges, Boniface has demonstrated his ability to bounce back, scoring crucial goals for his club and hopefully for his country soon.

With five goals in seven Bundesliga games, it underscores Boniface’s importance to Leverkusen’s success

African football has been hit by further scandal after auditors looking at the books of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) discovered missing expense claims.

The audit and compliance committee has claimed that more than $16 million of “unrecognized expenses” were not included in official accounts. What this means in the larger scheme of CAF accounting is that it should’ve posted losses of more than $25 million.

In July, CAF’s general secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, boasted that the organization was reducing its debt after inheriting a deficit of close to £30 million in March 2021, however last month the audit and compliance committee claimed there had been “unauthorised interference” from Mosengo-Omba because the external auditor had been appointed by him.

He responded to those claims in a letter last week saying CAF’s statutes had not required him to seek their consent “before engaging a consultant”.

“To this end, it was deemed inappropriate to comment or discuss with her the matters under investigation, as this could have been taken as interference in the official proceedings.”

In another letter, Mosengo-Omba said that CAF will extend the 70-year age limit by five years for prospective executive committee members at its general assembly next week.

Asked by The Guardian newspaper to respond to inquiries regarding the audit process, neither CAF nor Mosengo-Omba gave any indication they will answer the questions. With $12 million for “technical costs not allocated to clubs, federations, and host countries”, and the remainder corresponding to “unrecorded expenses that should be accrued and recorded” one has to wonder where the money has gone.

The audit and compliance committee has said that the discrepancy is for the year ending 30 June, 2023.