Blog

CAF Award: Exclusion of Nigerian players worrisome —  Enthusiasts

NAN-S-3
CAF
By Kemi Ajayi
Lagos, Nov.23, 2016 (NAN) Friday Ekpo, an ex-international, on Wednesday described the exclusion of Nigeria players from the five finalists for the 2016 Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Player of the Year Award as worrisome.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no Nigerian player was among the five players announced by CAF on Nov. 22 as final nominees for award.

Mikel Obi, Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho were part of the 30 players earlier listed for the award, after which the top five were selected.

Ekpo told NAN that the nomination showed that the country’s players have not performed creditably in their clubs and national team.

“Honestly, it’s a worrisome situation for our football, we have produced numerous CAF footballers of the year in the past but it’s a different scenario in the recent times.

“It shows that our players are not doing enough in their various leagues and national team to merit the award.

“So, for me it’s not surprising that none of our players was part of the top five finalists,” he said.

Also, Falade Oyekan, board member, Lagos State Football Association told NAN that players must up their game to get the desired recognition.

“We have won this award several times and I still believe we have players that can still win the award if they are ready to do the needful,” he said.

Emmanuel Adisa, a grassroots coach in Ajegule area of Lagos said that the exclusion of Nigerian players from the list was a sign  of the decline in the country’s football.

“No Nigerian player deserves to be in the top five players for the CAF award because of the present state of our football,” he asserted.

NAN reports that the country had won the CAF awards five times since its inception in 1992.

Kanu Nwankwo was the last Nigeria player to win the award in 1999 having won it in 1996. (NAN)
KOA/ENN/MZA
==============
(Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Maharazu Ahmed)

NAN-H-17

Library
By Christian Ogbonna
Yenagoa, Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) The Star Deepwater Petroleum Ltd, a Chevron company, and four other co-ventures in the Agbami Oil field, have handed over a hybrid library to the Central Epie Secondary School, Opolo, in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

The four co-ventures are: the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Famfa Oil Ltd, Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Ltd and Statoil Nigeria Ltd.

A statement issued on Wednesday in Yenagoa said that the commissioning of the library was performed by the Bayelsa Commissioner for Education, Mr Markson Fefegha.

Fefegha, represented by Mrs Alice Atuwo, Permanent Secretary, Bayelsa Ministry of Education, lamented that the absence of libraries in schools across the state was a challenge to teaching and learning in the state.

The Commissioner commended Chevron on the gesture and urged them not to limit their assistance to a particular school, but to extend it to other schools.

Mr Jeffrey Ewing, Director, Star Deepwater Petroleum Ltd, who was represented by an official, Mr Michael Kabi, described the provision of the hybrid libraries as “one of the programmes in their social investment plans aimed at improving the reading culture among students’’.

The chairman of Famfa Oil Ltd, Mr Modupe Alakija, who was represented by Mr Obinna Iheonu, said the company WAS working with other co-ventures in the Agbami Field to enhance qualitative education in the area.

Alakija described education as “key to development” in the country and a precursor to improved standards of living.

Earlier, the Principal of Central Epie Secondary School, Mr Matthias Banigo, expressed appreciation to the oil servicing firms for the provision of the library and appealed to the Bayelsa government to provide more reading desks at the school. (NAN)
OOC/PIO/PIO
===========
(Edited by Idonije Obakhedo)

NAN-H-16
Housekeeper
By Tomisin Erogbogbo
Lagos, Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) A Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday remanded a 23-year-old housekeeper, Henry Iruma-Egana, who allegedly stole his employer’s credit card to purchase goods online.

The Magistrate, Mrs F.O. Ikobayo, remanded the housekeeper pending ruling his bail application.

She adjourned the case to Nov. 30 for the ruling.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused, who is facing a count charge, had pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Insp. Richard Odigie, had told the court that the accused cloned Mr Godwin Okoh’s credit card on Nov. 16 and used it to buy goods worth N 328,000.

He said that the accused used the credit card to pay for a home theatre, laptop and cellphone he purchased on Konga.com.

“Okoh received alert of withdrawal of N187,500, N68,000 and N73,000 respectively on Nov. 16 and 17, and then went to his bank to report the withdrawals.

“The theft was traced to the accused,” Odigie told the court.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
(NAN)
TME/KOO/IGO
============
(Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Ijeoma Popoola)

NAN-HE-11

Jobs

Ringim (Jigawa), Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) A Chinese commercial outfit, Lee Group, said on Wednesday it had established a sugarcane company in Kaugama Local Government Area of Jigawa that will generate 15,000 jobs for farmers and marketers.

The spokesperson of the company, Alhaji Ahmadu Zago, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ringim.

According to Zago, by the time the company comes on stream in 2017, it will attract both formal and informal employment for citizens of the state in particular and Nigerians in general.

He said the company would also provide job opportunities for other personnel that would work in the company.

He said the company had concluded all necessary arrangement to begin operation soon.

The spokesman said the company had begun paying one billion naira as compensation to about 10,000 owners of the farm lands where the farms and company would be sited.

Zago also told NAN that the company had acquired 12,000 hectares of agricultural land for the cultivation of sugarcane.

He said the moment the clearing of the farm land was completed, planting of sugarcane would begin in the approaching rainy season. (NAN)

MS/GOM/YEE

Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Emmanuel Yashim

=======================================

Residents advocates teaching of self-defence in schools to checkmate crimes

NAN-HG-3

Defence

By Justina David Auta

Abuja, Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) Residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday advocated for the teaching of self-defence technique and annual excursions to prisons for students to checkmate increase in crime.

Some of the residents, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, decried increase in criminal activities in the country such as kidnap, rape and robbery, which they appealed for more stringent measures to curtail it.

Mrs Blessing Okon, a primary school teacher, said proper training on martial self-defence techniques would equip students with skills that would protect them from kidnap, molestation, rape and other crime.

“If the public, especially from early childhood are trained on self-defence technique, it would go a long way in protecting them from falling victims of rape, molestation, kidnap and so many criminal activities,’’ she said.

Also, Mr Emmanuel Mantim, advised that students should be taken to prisons, courts as well as police stations as part of their school activities to enable them see the reality and consequences of engaging in criminal activities.

“Students shouldn’t just be taken to good places like airports, recreation parks, Senate, Houses of Assemblies and Representatives for school excursion.

“They should also see the effects and repercussion of engaging in criminal activities by going on excursion to prisons, police station and courts, which I believe would serve as deterrent for them, as well as mould them positively,’’ he emphasised.

On his part, Mr Musa Idris, father of three, also urged the government to consider introducing some subjects in schools that would raise the security consciousness of children, which he said would have positive impacts on them, as well as reduce crime rate in the future.

“If children are taught about the negative impact of engaging in criminal activities from early childhood in addition to the training they receive at home, it would build their morals as well as breed them to be good and honest children,’’ he said.

Similarly, Mr Pius Maigamu, also stressed the need for security presence in schools and communities to curb criminal activities.

“Permanent security presence should also be deployed in schools, particularly in primary schools to reduce the rates of criminal activities,’’ he stressed. (NAN)

JAD/MST/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Stakeholders blame poor funding for erratic power supply

NAN-HE-3

Power

Raji Rasak and Yunus Yusuf

Lagos, Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) Some stakeholders in Lagos State have attributed the current challenges in the power sector in the country to huge operational hitches confronting the operators.

They made the observation in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

The stakeholders spoke against the backdrop of constant power outage, poor billing system and corruption still bedeviling the sector even after privitisation.

The privatisation of the sector was to address these perennial issues.

At the conclusion of the power sector reforms in 2013, the general belief was that power generation would improve substantially beyond the old range of 3, 500 and 5,200 megawatts.

But the power generation is still in the same range, while new problems of power distribution and transmission have compounded the situation.

Mr Charles Fashola, the Managing Director, Seacof Engineering Ltd. in Lagos, said that some of the challenges were due to insufficient power generation, obsolete facilities, poor manpower, poor customer database and low meter distribution, among others.

He said that absence of new investments in the sector had worsened power supply in the country.

Mr Simon Andrew, a power consultant, said that the major problems of the new investors were revenue and funding challenges.

Andrew, who is also the Managing Partner, Slongy Power Consultant Ltd., said these operational challenges would continue until there was adequate funding and improvement in revenue profile of Discos.

According to him, the entire electricity sector is faced with huge revenue shortfall.

“The implementation of cost reflective tariffs, access to long-term debt capital and equity injection will still not address the revenue shortfall in the system in the short term.

“It must be understood that there is time lag between the period these investments are made and the accrual of benefits

“Even if all the required financing were available today, it would take time for technical and non-technical losses to be addressed.

“For instance, it takes between nine to 12 months to build injection substations; it will take at least two years for a Disco to address its metering gap,’’ he said.

Mr Kola Adeshina, the Chairman, Egbin Power Plant, also said that electricity supply would not be stable in the country until the issue of pricing was adequately addressed.

He said that the right pricing would solve the financial problem of operators which had incapacitated them.

Adeshina also said that there should be provision for alternative sources of gas because most of the power plants in the country lacked gas supply.

Mr Godwin Idemudia, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), said that the market should be opened up more than what it was now.

According to him, owners of distribution companies that could afford to generate should be allowed to do so and distribute within their area of operations.

“This idea of all Gencos sending power to Oshogbo before it is now sent back to the various Discos should be critically looked into.

“The banks should give credit facilities to the Discos more than they are doing presently.

“The activities of the militants in the Niger Delta are nothing helping matters at all. Apart from creating bad image for the country, they are not encouraging potential investors.

“The Disco owners should be given enough time to meter their customers.

“Increase in the exchange rate is another factor that has hindered the positive plans of the investors,” he said.

Alhaji Abdul-Rasak Osho, the Chairman, Iponri Housing Estate Residents’ Association, said that much improvement might not be achieved in the sector until corruption was reduced to minimal level.

Osho gave example of metering of consumers by distribution companies, saying that more than half of consumers were yet to be metered three years after the directives by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Company.

“In my area, most of the houses are still on analogue meters and all these meters are not being read by their officials.

“Apart from this, if there is any fault either from transformers or from cable that supplies the estate, the officials will ask landlords to contribute money to buy another cable or to repair the fault.

“If only government can eliminate corruption in power sector and increase the capacity of our transmission, I am sure electricity supply will improve in the country,” he said.  (NAN)

ROR/YO/TA

Edited by Tajudeen Atitebi

NAN-HE-1

Economy

Bauchi, Nov.23, 2016 (NAN) A university don, Dr Yusuf Ibrahim, has called on the Federal Government to ensure balancing in its anti-graft war and efforts at resuscitating the nation’s economy.

Ibrahim told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Wednesday that although the anti-corruption fight was remarkable and had yielded positive returns, it should go “side-by-side” with other issues, particularly resuscitation of the economy.

“The President is doing a good job in fighting corruption but there is need to also address the economic down-turn that is making life difficult for ordinary Nigerians.

“The anti-graft crusade appears to be over-shadowing other key areas, especially the economy and something needs to be done,” said Ibrahim, a lecturer at the Bauchi State University.

He said that because of Buhari’s antecedent, Nigerians had faith in his ability to turn things around to reduce their hardship and were anxiously waiting to start reaping the dividends of democracy.

Ibrahim, who teaches International Relations, also advised that the Nigerian government should start preparing grounds to foster its interest under the new United States administration of President Donald Trump.

“The Nigerian leadership should start making moves to foster the country’s interest under the Trump regime.

“It is not out of place, for example, to reach out to Trump by either sending a delegation to US to congratulate him, or through other means, with a view to extracting some commitments from him.

“That was what the Japanese just did when their Prime Minister went to congratulate the US President-elect, in spite of Trump’s anti-Japan rhetoric during his campaign.

“This is how it should be; there is never a permanent enemy but permanent interest,” he said. (NAN)

AE/ASH/ASH

NAN-S-5
Insecurity
By Ajibola Olaniyi
Osogbo, Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) A sports enthusiast, Mr Leye Adeola, says there is the need for government at all levels to invest in sports development at the grassroots to curb youth restiveness and  insecurity in the country.

Adeola made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Osogbo.

He also advised philanthropists in the country to invest in sports development to complement the efforts of the governments in ensuring security.

According to him, sports have the potency to engage idle minds among the youth roaming the streets and indulging in sundry criminal activities.

He explained that vices were on the increase because of inadequate activities that could keep the youth busy.

The fan expressed regret that inter-house and inter-school sports competitions were no longer feature periodically “youths are no longer developed and encouraged to win laurels’’.

According to Adeola, talented sportsmen and women are being selected from annual events to represent their constituencies in national and international tournaments.

“Our country needs conscious grassroots sports development to engage the youth positively in the face of prevailing security challenges in our nation. Throw a ball into the field and see the passion for the sport.

“The interests of the youths must be enlisted by making available adequate sports facilities.

“Insurgents are also lovers of sports, they are fans of one sport or the other, so they could be engaged as well and take their minds off criminal activities.’’

Adeola also said there was the need to strike a balance between education and sports, saying that an educated person performed better in sport.

According to him, there is a nexus between crime prevention and passionate youth participation in sports when the government and corporate bodies invest in them. (NAN)
DOO/OSA/MO/PDE
==============
(Edited by Shittu Obassa/Morayo Omolade/Peter Ejiofor)

UniUyo, UniZik shine at VCs excellence awards

NAH-H-39

Awards

Abuja, Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) The University of Uyo (UniUyo) and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UniZik), Awka, have emerged the two most outstanding universities at the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities(AVCNU) awards night on Tuesday in Abuja.

The awards night was part of the three-day 2016 Nigerian Higher Education Summit organised by AVCNU, Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVC) and Trust Africa, Dakar, Senegal.

UniUyo and UniZik emerged first and second overall winners, respectively, in the Research Excellence Award category, while Federal University of Technology, Minna, came third.

UniUyo also bagged the Science and Technology award while UniZik won the Arts and Humanities award.

Covenant University, Otta, took the Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine award as Redeemers’ University, Ede, Osun State, won the Life Science and Medicine award.

University of Ilorin and Kogi State University also received Innovation Excellence awards.

TY Danjuma Foundation won the Lifetime Contribution award for its impactful contribution to education.

Speaking afterwards, Prof. Michael Faborode, the Secretary-General, CVC, said that Nigeria had a de-motivating national reward system.

He said those who worked hard deserved award in order to motivate children and upcoming researchers.

“These are people who are committed to the cause of education in the country; they have committed their resources to make enduring impact in education; and that is how we came up with TY Danjuma Foundation for the award.

“Since 2005 we have been having the Nigerian Universities Research and Development Fair (NURESDEF); and every year, we bring in industries to come and see the innovations in the Nigerian University System.

“The efforts of these researchers are not properly appreciated; now we are recognising those that have been very impactful.

“These are things we need to motivate our children to commit to research.

“These awards will continue annually and we hope industrialists will take up these innovations; we also hope that the government will recognise them,’’ he said.

In his remark, a representative of UniZik, Prof. Chris Iwueze, said that the institution was determined to excel in technology.

He said that host town, Awka, was known for its crafts and technology which the institution was adding value to.

“The university is doing everything to promote technology and based on this, we are very serious with research,’’ he said.

The awards were in recognition of universities that excelled in the sixth NURESDEF held at UniZik in March. (NAN)

CJ/MST/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Organisation inaugurates centre for bio-gel production

NAN-H-38

Project

By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko

Ibadan, Nov. 23, 2016 (NAN) Lifebuilders, an Ibadan NGO, has inaugurated a centre for production of bio-gel (cooking fuel) production at Akinyele Local Government Area, Oyo State.

The organisation’s Executive Director, Chief Grace Oluwatoye, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

NAN reports that Lifebuilders and partners also recently produced moringa bio-gel as a climate change impact mitigation project.

Lifebuilders is an organisation registered for health and sustainable development interventions targeted at young people and rural dwellers.

Part of its goals is to enhance self-employment among women and out-of-school youth in the non-formal sector including agriculture and other vocations of their choice.

Oluwatoye said the organisation since 2004 had been promoting the moringa tree as a ‘miracle’ tree with several potentials for exploitation.

“Lifebuilders has worked in collaboration with VMV Ltd to produce the VIDSAMOR Moringa tea, powder as well as fortified plantain powder which promotes healthy diet.

“It has worked assiduously on making bio-gel for cooking out of the moringa ethanol produced from moringa plant.

“With funding support under the Global Environment Funds Small Grant programme, Lifebuilders enlarged its moringa farm at Ijaiye, Akinyele LGA, Oyo state, with additional 500,000 trees.

“The trees form a raw material base for the production line,” she said.

She further noted that a successful outcome of the project was the design of locally fabricated machines for processing the bio-gel.

“More success stories is about how the wastes of fibres, wood particles of moringa are ready sources of raw materials for building industries as inputs into ceiling asbestos, POP fillers,” she said.

Oluwatoye said the organisation also worked in collaboration with Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, Raw Materials Research and Development Council, as well as University of Ibadan, among others.

She appreciated the donor, Global Environmental Fund Small Grant Programme (GEF-SGP) for giving the organisation the opportunity to explore the innovation for the benefit of mankind. (NAN)

CC/MST/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola