President Bola Tinubu says performing Umrah is a deeply spiritual experience for him, describing it as an opportunity to pray for Nigeria and its citizens.

Tinubu spoke in an Aso Rock video posted on his X page after performing Umrah, also known as the lesser hajj, early Friday morning in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

“I am grateful to Almighty Allah for the privilege of performing Umrah here in Saudi Arabia,” Tinubu said.

“This is a deeply spiritual moment for me, and an opportunity to offer prayers for our beloved country, Nigeria, and all our people.

“May Almighty Allah accept our prayers and supplications, grant our nation lasting peace, strengthen our unity, protect our people, and bless our collective efforts to build a more prosperous Nigeria.

“May He grant us wisdom and strength in the service of our nation and accept our Ibadah.”

Tinubu said the religious exercise is also significant to him because of his love for Nigerians, commitment to his responsibilities and faith in God.

“I believe this Umrah is very significant for the love of our people, commitment to the job and our country, Nigeria; commitment to the will of Allah that his words must prevail, and that there’s no other God but Allah and he’s the only one that makes a human being what he can be and what he would be in life,” he added.

“We just pray for our nation. We pray for everyone to be well, to live in harmony and faith in God almighty.”

The president arrived at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Thursday evening and was received by Yakubu Gambo, Nigeria’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Ahmad bin Thafir, the Saudi head of royal protocol.

Michael Owen has told British magazine “442” that he did not receive the recognition that usually comes with winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001.

Owen won the Ballon d’Or at the age of 22, after an extraordinary season with Liverpool in which the club won a cup treble: the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup.

2001 was also the year Owen scored a hat-trick in England’s 5-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Germany. The match, played in Munich, cemented his reputation as England’s most lethal striker.

To win the highest individual honor in football, Owen beat a field of stars that included Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Raúl, Rivaldo, England team-mate David Beckham and Luís Figo.

Owen said: “I don’t think I got the recognition I should have got when I won the Ballon d’Or. In our country, the Ballon d’Or was never that important. When I was in Spain, they called me a hero for winning it. I am incredibly proud to have received this honor.

“I look back at the list of winners, and I still have it saved on my phone: a picture of the points table, showing who finished second, third, fourth and so on.

“When you look at that list, it’s amazing. It’s what I always dreamed of as a child. I didn’t just want to be a footballer; I wanted to be the best footballer. Looking back now, I appreciate winning the Ballon d’Or even more than I did when I was playing. Back then, you were 22, it felt like just another trophy, and you were only thinking about winning it again.”

When Owen won the award, the Ballon d’Or had not yet reached the prominence it would later have in the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. From the late 2000s into the 2010s, the two players competed for the award almost every season, and football fans worldwide followed their rivalry for the title of the world’s best player.

To this day, Owen remains the last Liverpool player to win the Ballon d’Or while at the club.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed Samson Adamu as its substantive general secretary.

The decision comes months after he was initially named interim placeholder for the role in March, after Veron Mosengo-Omba, a Swiss-Congolese official, resigned.

Adamu becomes the first Nigerian to hold the post since CAF was founded in 1957.

The 40-year-old, who previously served as CAF’s Director of Competitions, takes over the administrative helm of African football’s governing body following approval by the executive committee.

With extensive experience in sports governance, Adamu has played a key role in organising major continental competitions, including the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and CAF Champions League.

As general secretary, Adamu will fill a role widely considered the “engine room” of African football, responsible for the body’s day-to-day administration, legal matters, and implementing decisions made by the executive committee.

Adamu holds a FIFA Master in management, law and humanities of sport. He began his journey in football administration by establishing the now-defunct Copa Lagos beach tournament in the early 2010s.