The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • WCQ: We will attack Malawi – Keshi

    WCQ: We will attack Malawi – Keshi

    Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi , has said his team will attack against Malawi in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier.

    The Super Eagles lead Group F with nine points and need only a draw to advance to the final rounds of the qualifying tournament, but Keshi said they will still go for broke against the visiting Flames of Malawi.

    Speaking to MTNFootball.com in Calabar, Keshi said, “Nothing will change from how we use to play, we play attacking football and that is what we will play on Saturday.

    “What I want now is for my boys to remain in good health, which I am happy God has granted us. We are in high spirit and the boys are hungry.

    “Despite the short time for training, I must say I am impressed on how the boys have responded, no sign of tiredness or stress from long trip. Well we will see how it goes.”

    Although Keshi was not forthcoming on his starting XI, he said “The usual suspects will start – Mikel, Efe, Oboabona, Vincent, Elderson and that’s all.”

    The match kicks off by 4pm Nigeria time.

     

  • Robbers kill three policemen in Sokoto

    Suspected armed robbers have killed three policemen at Tureta, in the Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the police officers were killed on Wednesday.

    The Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto State Police Command, Al-Mustapha Sani, confirmed the incident in an interview with NAN in Sokoto on Friday.

    “There was a report of an armed robbery by a gang of hoodlums from the neighbouring Zamfara, numbering between 15 and 30.

    “They operated at Dorawa Village about three kilometres from Tureta town, the headquarters of the local government.

    “Upon receiving information about the attack, a combined team of police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and vigilantes was organised the following morning.

    “The armed robbers who had fled into a forest, laid ambush at Kuruwa Village about 20 km away from Tureta town and a gun duel ensued,’’ he stated.

    Sani said two of the police officers died on the spot while the other officer died on the way to the Tureta General Hospital.

    He assured that the command was on top of the situation, adding that investigation on how to track the fleeing hoodlums had commenced.

     

     

  • Jonathan seeks united, borderless Africa

    Jonathan seeks united, borderless Africa

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday called on African leaders to avoid policies that could stand in the way of intra-African trade and unity of the continent.

    He made the call during a joint press briefing with his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta at the Kenyan Government House in Nairobi.

    Jonathan, who is on a three-day state visit to Kenya, made the remark after a bilateral meeting and the signing of various agreements and Memorandum of Understanding between Kenya and Nigeria.

    Reiterating the need for African countries to work together to move the continent forward, he said that Africa countries must go beyond primary production and servicing industries abroad with their raw materials from forest produce or solid minerals.

    He said: “We must work hand in hand to add values to what we produce and encourage intra-African trade.

    “If you go to Europe, trade within the European Union nations is about 70 per cent, thereby, telling the rest of the world that they can survive without going outside the EU.

    “In Asia trade between the Asian countries is about 50 per cent also telling the world that they can stay alone.

    “But in Africa, trade between us has drop to as low as 11 per cent, that is a way of telling the world that we cannot stand alone except the rest of the globe come to assist us in one way or the other,” he stated

    The President pointed out that trade and free movement of goods and services within the continent is been inhibited by administrative constraints in term of visa restriction, consular and immigration issues among other factors.

    To turn around the trend, he charged regional blocs like the East African Economic Community, SADEC and ECOWAS to come up with good policies that will encourage trade and free movement of goods and services in the continent.

    “We are looking forward to the day that the whole of Africa will be an economic bloc, where we can move just like the EU arrangements.

    “That is the only way we can create wealth for our people and we will no longer be talking of poverty alleviation and so on,” he added.

     

  • You can’t declare Suntai unfit to rule – Kaduna youths

    You can’t declare Suntai unfit to rule – Kaduna youths

    Southern Kaduna youths under the auspices of the Southern Kaduna Youth Liberation Movement on Friday asked the Taraba State House of Assembly to set up a medical team to access the state of health of the state governor, Danbaba Suntai, before declaring him unfit to rule.

    The argued that only a duly constituted medical team can declare the governor “medically unfit” to carry out his constitutional responsibility of governing the state.

    The youths also accused Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo of fueling the political crisis in Taraba State, alleging that there was a grand design to sow the seed of religious politics in the state.

    The youths in a statement made available to The Nation on Friday in Kaduna wondered why only the nine Muslim members of the house met and passed a resolution, asking Alhaji Garba Umar to continue as acting governor.

    In a statement signed by the President and Secretary of the group, Charles Bijimi and David Jonathan respectively, the group said what is going on presently in Taraba State is purely immoral politics of power mongering.

    They said, “That there is political crisis in Taraba State is not in doubt. What is the cause of the crisis? There is a callous campaign being waged, with claims that Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State should still remain in hospital in the United States, and should not return to Nigeria to resume his office as Governor of the state.

    “There are deliberate efforts to mislead Nigerians to believe that Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai is medically not fit to discharge his functions as Governor of Taraba State. Members of the Taraba State House of Assembly have not constituted a medical board to examine governor Suntai, yet they stand before the press to gratuitously declare him medically unfit.

    “This is purely immoral politics of power mongering. Everyone seems to forget that Mr. Suntai won the Governorship election in 2011, and that Alhaji Garba Umar, the Deputy Governor was not even his running mate.”

     

     

  • Why investors shun Nigeria – EU

    Why investors shun Nigeria – EU

    The head of European Union delegation on governance, Mr. Alan Monday, said corruption and insecurity in Nigeria has forced investors shun the country.

    He said corruption and kidnapping precisely had scared foreign investors away and also made Nigerian investors to invest in other African countries.

    Mr. Alan stated this on Friday in Port Harcourt during a press conference organised by Search for Common Ground (SFCG), an EU organisation that promote peace in Niger Delta region.

    He noted that their job in Nigeria is not to attract foreign investors to the country but to ensure the reintegration of ex-militants, promote peace and stability in the region.

    He called on the Federal Government to be serious in the fight against corruption and find a lasting solution on security challenges in the country.

    Mr. Alan said: “We are not here to discuss the issue of investors because insecurity and corruption in Nigeria has already scared many foreign investors away from investing in the country, including Nigerian investors and EU cannot do anything about that.

    “Remember before now the story of the Niger Delta region is often presented as a bleak one of oil bunkering and agitation. We are here today, because something new is going on in the region.”

     

     

  • Army deploys 700 for Liberia’s operation

    Army deploys 700 for Liberia’s operation

    … Senior officers to monitor North-east troops’ deployment

    The Commandant, Nigeria Army Peacekeeping Centre, Maj.-Gen. Salihu Uba, on Friday said 700 soldiers would be deployed for Peace Support Operation in Liberia.

    Uba said at the end of the pre-deployment training conducted for the soldiers at the centre in Jaji, Kaduna State that the personnel, drawn from the 22 Battalion, would serve for six months.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that he commended them for their professionalism, and urged them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria.

    The commandant assured that the centre would continue to expand its facilities “to provide first class training to troops and participants.”

    “The vision of the Nigerian Army peacekeeping centre is to deliver realistic training to potential peacekeepers for the multidimensional challenges of contemporary peace support operations,” he stated.

    Uba added that the centre had been discharging its role creditably, which earned it a certificate of recognition from the United Nations, as Centre of Excellence.

    The General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Maj- Gen. Ahmad Jibrin, charged the soldiers to be focused, professional and efficient in discharging their mandate.

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has sent a combined team of senior officers from the Army and Defence Headquarters (DHQ) to monitor the deployment of troops to the force newly formed 7 Division.

    This is contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja and signed by the Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade.

    It said the team would assess the level of effectiveness of the Division’s deployment in handling the next phase of the security operations in its area of responsibility.

    “They will on return to Abuja, brief the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff on the present state of the mission being undertaken by the Division.’’

    NAN recalls that the 7 Division was formed recently to take over the security operations meant to check terrorist activities as ordered by President Goodluck Jonathan.

     

  • APGA insists on Obiano for Anambra election

    The Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra, Chief Mike Kwentoh, said the party would not feature two candidates in the November 16 governorship election in the state.

    Kwentoh said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Awka on Friday.

    He said that presenting two candidates would confuse the electorate and affect the party’s chance of retaining the leadership of the state.

    The chairman regretted the activities of Chief Maxi Okwu’s faction whom he said participated in the reconciliation by Governor Peter Obi in the full glare of the public.

    He described those who wanted to divide the party after the reconciliation as dissidents.

    “We do not welcome double candidature, it is alien to us in APGA and as I am talking to you now, we have just one candidate in the person of Willy Obiano for the governorship election.

    “Those trying to divide our party are dissidents and I call their actions rascality of the highest order,”he said.

    NAN recalls that a faction of APGA led by Chief Okwu on Monday picked Dr. Chike Obidigbo as its gubernatorial candidate.

    Chief Victor Umeh’s faction had earlier elected Chief Willie Obiano as the APGA candidate for the election in a primary conducted in Awka on August 26.

     

  • South-east PDP backs Jonathan, Tukur

    South-east PDP backs Jonathan, Tukur

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South East zone has passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, describing last Saturday’s purported split of the party as regrettable.

    In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the National Vice Chairman for the South East Zone, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), the party requested all aggrieved members to shield their swords and work for a united PDP that will always deliver the mandate of the people.

    The statement reads, “The PDP South East Zone hereby places its implicit and unreserved vote of confidence on the leadership of the Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan-led Federal Government and the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP.

    “We regret the incident that trailed our Special Convention last Saturday at the Eagles Square, Abuja where some of our members staged a workout and wish to advise those aggrieved members to yield themselves to the on-going re-conciliatory measures for an amicable resolution of the standoff.

    “The PDP as a large family is bound to have some altercations because of the different shades of opinions and interests. However, the ability to resolve the crisis as swiftly as it arises is what makes a party a truly national one.

    “The PDP as a democratic organization maintains internal democracy and also gives room for resolution of grievances whose scope had been raised to the highest pedestal of party politics to accommodate elders and critical Stakeholders in the PDP since last Saturday.”

     

     

  • Arewa to CAN: Promote peaceful co-existence among Nigerians

    The pan northern socio-political organization, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has taken a swipe at the the Christian Association of Nigeria, saying the organization owe it a responsibility to encourage peaceful and harmonious co-existence in the country.

    In a statement made available to The Nation on Friday in Kaduna, the ACF said CAN should be working hard to overcome what divide the people and not to promote cleavages along ethnic and religious lines.

    Reacting to CAN statement on its advice to the Federal Government to reconsider its position on the 2016 national census, the ACF said its view on the issue was misunderstood by the Christian body.

    The statement reads “the attention of the ACF has been drawn to reports credited to CAN in which the religious body expressed its displeasure over the ACF’s call on the Federal Government to reconsider its decision to allow the 2016 census to be conducted under the watch of Chief Festus Odimegwu.

    “And so, given the apparent misunderstanding of ACF’s positions on this issue of national importance, it has become necessary to issue this press release in order to dispel any misconceptions arising from ACF communiqué.

    “The new NPC chairman, since assumption of duty, has repeatedly said the census exercises from 1816 to 2006 have not been done with the best of intentions as a result of undue manipulations to favour some sections of the country. More so that data on religion and ethnicity were not included. Consequently, the NPC would go as far as efforts could go to make corrections in 2016.

    “Many people and groups reacted by saying such statements by the chairman would make many Nigerians conclude that the outcome of 2016 census would be work from the answers, thereby generating avoidable controversies that will be unhelpful. What is more, religion and ethnicity, being emotive issues, will compel adherents not to accept results that do not favour them.

    “In addition, since census figures are for planning and management of socio-economic development, and not for promotion of religion and ethnicity, the inclusion of such data will be superfluous, besides generating avoidable controversies.”

     

     

  • Harassment of Nigerians in Kenya to end soon – Jonathan

    Harassment of Nigerians in Kenya to end soon – Jonathan

    President Goodluck Jonathan has assured the Nigerian community in Kenya that he would end the challenges of intimidation, harassment,discrimination and extortion of the country citizens by the Kenyan security operatives.

    Jonathan gave the assurance on Thursday night in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, during an interactive session with Nigerians living in that country.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was part of the events lined up for the three-day state visit of the President to Kenya on the invitation of Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta.

    The President made the remark as part of his response to several complaints from representatives of the Nigerian community.

    NAN reports that complaints by the community revolved around illegal deportation and maltreatment of Nigerians by Kenyan authority.

    Jonathan said that his government was aware of the development and that it was one of the major issues to be addressed during talks with his Kenyan counterpart.

    “We are aware that there were issues and that is why we are here to see how we can work with the government of Kenya to resolve the issues raised.”

    “The Minister of Interior, Mr. Aba, Moro, is here because we want to sign a Bilateral Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding on this and other issues between Kenya and Nigeria during talks which the two Presidents will preside over.

    “We have a number of issues and many complaints have come to us.

    “I remember when my wife was to come here for a programme, there were issues.

    “Some Nigerians were just sent back home without passing through the normal procedure which almost created a diplomatic row between Nigeria and Kenya.

    “But I said that Nigeria will not have to engage in unnecessary diplomatic row with any African country but would rather look at positive ways of managing the situation because we have Nigerians everywhere.

    “It is better we manage the development to the benefit of the two countries than going into unnecessary diplomatic issues.

    “Of course, the President is my good friend and I believe myself and the President of Kenya will be able to solve all the problems,’’ he said.