The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • I felt like killing myself when we lost to France – Goal-keeper

    Flamingoes’ goal-keeper Gift Andy said she felt like killing herself after her side lost 3-5 to France in Thursday’s quarter-final match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan.

    Nigeria’s Flamingoes lost through penalty kicks following a goalless regulation time.

    During the spot-kick, she was unable to save any of the five shots from France’s players leading to the Flamingoes’ elimination from the World Cup.

    The goal-keeper told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on the team’s return from Azerbaijan on Friday night, that she almost saved one of the spot-kicks.

    “During the penalty kicks, I thought that I had the ball in my hands, but it slipped into the net.

    “When that happened, I felt like killing myself and have been crying ever since.

    “I feel sad because I should have saved some of the shots but I couldn’t.’’

    She said she was further saddened because the team missed the opportunity to win FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan.

    “It is most painful to me because I am 17 years old, which means I cannot play in the next U-17 World Cup.

    “I have to graduate to U-20, So, I just feel very bad about missing the World Cup,’’ she said.

    The goal-keeper told NAN that she felt bad for falling short of the expectations of Nigerians.

    “Nigerians only want good results and, knowing this, I was determined to excel but luck was not on our side,’’ she said.

    It would be recalled that while the goal-keeper failed to save the spot-kicks, a Flamingoes’ striker missed her shot.

    In her reaction, Sarah Nnodim, the striker who lost her penalty kick, told NAN that she was haunted by the guilt that she gave the victory to France.

    “Taking the penalty kick on Thursday, I was confident that I had selected the right angle, but I do not know what happened and the ball went wide.

    “Because of losing my penalty kick, I felt from that moment as if I had given our opponents the victory,’’ she explained.

    The striker, who scored four goals in her team’s victory over Colombia and host Azerbaijan at the group stage of the Women’s World Cup, said she felt her team had already lost to France the moment she missed her spot-kick.

    “The truth is that, it is very difficult for any goal-keeper to catch a penalty.

    “So, the moment a player misses the spot-kick, it will be difficult for the team to recover.’’

  • New Deputy Governor sworn-in for Taraba

    New Deputy Governor sworn-in for Taraba

    Alhaji Garba Umar, a businessman and politician, has been sworn-in as the new Deputy Governor of Taraba State.

    Presiding over the ceremony at the Dome of the Jallingo Motel on Friday, Gov. Danbaba Suntai urged the new deputy governor to live up to the dictates of the oath of office he swore to.

    He said that it was the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Taraba State and urged all to rally round government to ensure that the interest of the state was put first.

    Suntai said that as the number two officer in the State, Garba was expected to carry the people along in harmony with the PDP, the ruling party in the State.

    In his acceptance speech, the new deputy governor pledged total loyalty to the Governor as well as the people of the State.

    NAN reports that Garba’s appointment followed the impeachment on Thursday of the former Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sani Abubakar, based on allegations of gross misconduct levelled against him by the State lawmakers.

    The State’s Acting Chief Judge, Justice Josephine Tuktur, administered the oath of office on Garba at a crowded ceremony amidst tight security. (NAN)

  • EFCC arraigns 13 new oil marketers for N4.6 billion subsidy fraud

    EFCC arraigns 13 new oil marketers for N4.6 billion subsidy fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday arraigned 13 new oil marketers at a Lagos High Court, Ikeja for fuel subsidy fraud in the sum of N4.6 billion.

    The EFCC alleged that they obtained the money by false pretence and using fake documents.

    Ten of the oil marketers, made up of six persons and four companies, were arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru while the remaining three, made up of two individuals and one company were arraigned before Justice Lateefa Okunnnu.

    The six indicted oil marketers and their four companies were arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru on an eight- count charge.

    The charges bordered on “conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy to forge documents and uttering false documents”.

    The EFCC alleged that the marketers and their companies had conspired to and also obtain huge sums of money from the Federal Government of Nigeria, purporting the sum to be payment for subsidy under the Petrol Support Fund for the purported importation of Premium Motor spirit from Europe to Nigeria.

    Those arraigned before Justice Abiru are Anosyke Group of Companies Ltd, Ifeanyi Anosike, Dell Energy Ltd, Emeka Chukwu, Ngozi Ekeoma, Downstream Energy Sources Ltd, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula, Rocky Energy Ltd, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel.

    According to the charge sheets, Anosyke Group of Companies, Ifeanyi Anosike, Dell Energy Limited, Emeka Chukwu and Ngozi Ekeoma were arraigned on an eight count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain by false pretence; forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N1,537,278,880.82( One Billion, Five Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Two Hundred and Seventy Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and

    Eighty Naira, Eighty-Two Kobo), being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported supply of 15, 000 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit.

    On the other hand, the commission arraigned Downstream Energy Sources Limited, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula, Rocky Energy Limited, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah on an eight count charge also bordering on conspiracy to obtain property by false pretence; conspiracy to forge documents, forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N789,648,329.25( Seven Hundred and Eighty Nine Million, Six Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty Nine Naira, Twenty-Five Kobo), being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported supply of 14,273,0227 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

    The EFCC claimed that all the defendants at various times, forged different bill of ladens for Premium Motor Spirit, PMS not supplied all in a bid to claim the federal government subsidy on fuel.

    The ten accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges and their counsel applied for a date for hearing of bail application for them.

    They also prayed the court to order that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody as against prison custody.

    Justice Abiru granted the request of the defendants as he ordered that they be remanded in EFCC custody.

    He thereafter adjourned the matter till October 19, 2012 for hearing of their bail applications.

  • Cynthia: court adjourns for consolidation, new charges added

    Cynthia: court adjourns for consolidation, new charges added

    A Yaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, on Wednesday adjourned hearing on the case of seven suspects charged with  the murder of  Cynthia Osokogo, following request of consolidation by the police.

    Police prosecutor, Mr. Chukwu Agu at the resumed hearing notified the court of the state’s intention to consolidate the charges since they were cause of the same transaction.

    Agu said the new charge sheet which could not be read as a result of the absence of five of the defendants in prison custody, contained 11 charges.

    The primary suspects, Okwumo Nwabufo, 33, and Ezike Olisaeloka, 23 were charged along with the pharmacists, Orji Osita, 32 and Maduakor Chkwunonso, 25 on eight counts of conspiracy, rape, murder, administration of obnoxious substance, stealing and assault on August 27.

    Another suspect, Gideon Okechukwu who was said to be the driver that drove the primary suspects out of the hotel was brought before the court on September 26 on the same charges.

    Also brought before the court on September 26, were Ezike Ifechukwu, 22, and Ezeaka Chinonso, 27, on two counts of conspiracy and receiving Cynthia’s stolen phone under 409 and 326(1)(2).

    Ifechukwu, who is the brother of one of the primary suspects and Ezeaka were admitted to bail in N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum each after which they met their bail conditions and were present in court, but the other five who were remanded in prison were not in court on Wednesday.

    The prosecutor who prayed the court to issue a reproduction warrant mandating the prison authorities to provide the suspects at the next adjourned date, said it was necessary for the new charge to be read to them.

    He told the court that the accused to be joined are those who were discovered and arrested for been in possession of cynthia’s phone suspected to have been sold to them.

    He said the charge is being consolidated so that the matter can be heard before a court.

    Agu noted that although the charges will be in a singular sheet, the defendants will answer to the cases they were held for.

    “Those charged with receiving stolen phones will answer to their charge but because this is a cause of the same transaction, they will be charged on the same sheet”, Agu stated.

  • Jonathan orders security to find perpetrators of Mubi massacre

    Jonathan orders security to find perpetrators of Mubi massacre

    President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered security agencies in the country to fish out the perpetrators of independence day massacre in Mubi, Adamawa state.

    Besides, the president also ordered for full investigation into the killing with the aim of bringing the perpetrators to book.

    The directive was issued after the Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, briefed Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the killings which has continued to elicit strong condemnation from the general public.

    The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, President Jonathan disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday.

    The president according to him described the killings as tragic, sad, barbaric and shocking and has therefore ordered security agencies to investigate the gruesome murder.

    “The President has directed Securuty agencies to investigate the matter and get to the root because this kind of incidence, where people are called out and shot is really shocking.

    “He directed that no stone should be left unturned in the bid by the law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators of the mayhem are brought to book”.

    Abati said government regretted that the massacre occurred at a time when considerable progress was being made in tackling the security challenges in some parts of the country.

    43 were killed at Federal Polythecnic, Mubi, Adamawa State University, the School of Health Technology, Mubi and the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on Monday, October 1st.

    The Federal Polythechnic, Mubi lost 26 students, 14 were killed at the other two higher institutions.

    Also, three other persons, including a retired soldier, a guard and father of a student, reportedly lost their lives too.

    The murdered students were said to have been called out by their killers. As a replacement for one of their targets, the gunmen were said to have killed the father.

    Commissioner of Police in Adamawa, Godfrey Okeke, confirmed that 26 corpses had been deposited in the mortuary.

    Okeke said the killers came with a hit list with which they identified their targets before gunning them down

  • Subsidy: committee members arraigned over alleged gratification

    Subsidy: committee members arraigned over alleged gratification

    Four members of the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy Verification, who allegedly received gratification from the Integrated Oil and Gas Ltd., on Wednesday appeared in court on a three-count charge.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee members were docked at a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, along with three executives of the oil company, who allegedly offered them N1.5 million as gratification.

    The committee members are: Buhari Ganiyu (37), Alalade Abioye (30), Oni Oluwanishola (34) and Chukwujekwu Akabueze, whose age was not stated.

    Alalade and Akabueze are women.

    Those from the Integrated oil and gas are: the Managing Director, Anthony Ihenacho, 57; Assistant General Manager, Humphrey Nwosu, 44; and Financial Controller, Akinwusi Julius, 50.

    The three of them are males.

    All the defendants are standing trial for alleged conspiracy, offering and receiving of gratification.

    They, however, pleaded not guilty.

    The prosecutor, SP Asuquo Effiong, said that the company executives, had on August 30 at the company’s office at Marine Road, Apapa, given the money to the committee as gratification.

    He said that the committee members were being prosecuted for receiving the money in order to refrain from exercising their duties according to the rules.

    Effiong said that the offences contravened Sections 409, 64, and 63 (1)(a)(b) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

    The magistrate, Mr Martins Owumi, earlier turned down their bail application on personal recognition, and later granted each of them bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    He adjourned the case till Nov. 10 for further hearing. (NAN)

  • We are ready to face France – Flamingoes’ Coach

    We are ready to face France – Flamingoes’ Coach

    Flamingoes’ Coach Peter Dedevbo said his team was battle ready to face France in the FIFA  U-17 Women’s World Cup quarter-final match at the 8 MK Stadium in Baku on Thursday.

    Speaking exclusively to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during their training at the Baku Football Club in Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Dedevbo said the Flamingoes were favourites for the cup.

    “We thank God for qualifying us for the quarter-final stage of this competition. My team is very ready and well prepared to face France on Thursday.

    `We are putting everything into this very match, so that at the end, we will win”.

    He sounded rather philosophical that only God knows who will win Thursday’s match.

    The Coach said: “We want to take every game as it comes. We’ll do our best and leave the rest to God. Only God knows who will win”.

    But he quickly added that,“ the Flamingoes of Nigeria were the favourites for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria is favourite. We are favourites.

    “Thank God, there is no injury in my team. Everybody is okay”, the Coach said.

    On discipline, he said his team did not record any offence during the group stage of the competition because; discipline and fair play have been drummed into the ears of the girls.

    “We are bringing these young players up and preparing them for Nigeria’s U-20 (Falconets) and the Super Falcons’ squads. So, we always preach morals to them. We inculcate discipline into them.

    “We tell them always that players don’t just get booked for carded offences, anyhow. We make them to understand that it is too early for them to start having yellow and red cards’’

    “We just wish they will grow up in their football careers with this idea of fair play”.

    The coach said that his team was well motivated by the Nigeria Football Federation to perform well and “above all, we motivate ourselves.” (NAN)

  • NUT gives January 2013 deadline for new teachers’ salary

    NUT gives January 2013 deadline for new teachers’ salary

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Wednesday set January 2013 as deadline for states that have not implemented the new Teachers’ Salary Structure (TSS) to begin payment or face industrial disputes.

    The National President of the Union, Mr Michael Alogba-Olukoya, disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    The governors’ forum had in 2009 approved 27.5 per cent increase in salary of teachers in public schools, in line with the new Teachers Salary Scale (TSS).

    Alogba-Olukoya lamented that 18 states were yet to commence implementation of the TSS.

    He said that teachers’ welfare must always be held in high esteem, describing it as an important factor needed for the reform in the education sector.

    According to the NUT president, the union has displayed enough patience and understanding by suspending its recent strike over the delay in the implementation.

    Alogba-Olukoya observed that the affected governments were not showing concern to reciprocate the position of the teachers.

    “We only suspended the strike, based on the intervention of the Minister of Education, who promised to prevail on all the defaulting state governments over the issue.

    “However, we have started getting some commitments from some of the affected state governments who have promised to capture and commence the implementation of the TSS in their 2013 budgets.

    “We, therefore, want to appeal to these state governments to be honourable enough to honour this agreement which we went into in 2009,” he said.

    Alogba–Olukoya noted that teachers were not interested in strike because their position in national development was critical and should be treated with respect.

    He warned that the union would not be held responsible for actions taken over non-implementation of the TSS by January 2013.

    On the forth coming World Teachers Day, scheduled for Oct. 5, Alogba–Olukoya said that series of activities have been lined up for the celebration.

    “We have set aside a lot of activities to mark our day and celebrate ourselves in this part of the country because, truly we deserve to be celebrated.

    “We shall also be using that day to officially co-opt teachers of all the 104 Unity Colleges across the country into our fold.

    “You know that before now they had been seeing themselves as civil servants, even though they are all professional teachers,” he said.

    Alogba-Olukoya said that the union was hopeful that the Federal Government would use the celebration to come out with policies that would create the enabling environment for teachers to perform optimally. (NAN)

  • Governor’s wife pays fines to free 40 prisoners in Borno

    Governor’s wife pays fines to free 40 prisoners in Borno

    Forty inmates of the Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison regained their freedom on Wednesday after the wife of Borno governor, Mrs Kashim Shettima, paid about N600,000 fined them by the courts.

    The convicts had the fine option or serve their jail terms.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the money was paid through her pet project- the Support for Widows, Orphans and Tsangaya Children (SWOT).

    Speaking at the event, the SWOT Secretary, Mallam Abdulsalam Mohammed, said that Shettima was deeply touched by the plight of the inmates.

    “She was deeply touched by the plight of the inmates who are mostly young men.

    “Hence, she decided to pay the fine option so that they can regain their freedom.”

    Mohammed said the gesture was part of Nigeria’s 52 anniversary celebration.

    He also presented 50 bags of 50 kg rice to other inmates as part of the celebration.

    Mohammed said the foundation was established to provide support to the less privileged and vulnerable

    members of the society.

    Alhaji Yusuf Garba, the Deputy Controller of Prison in charge of the facility, thanked Shettima for the gesture and urged the freed inmates to be of good behaviour. (NAN)

  • Kukah blames nation’s under-development on military

    Kukah blames nation’s under-development on military

    Most Rev. Hassan Kukah, the Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto State, says the military administrations are responsible for the lack of meaningful development in Nigeria.

    Kukah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto on Tuesday that the military only succeeded in destroying the solid foundation of the nation’s democracy.

    He said that other countries that had similar military incursions in leadership had a different experience.

    “But in our own case the greed of the military led to their intervention which destroyed the foundation laid by the nation’s founding fathers,’’ he said.

    He explained that the Nigeria military had no capacity to provide basic infrastructure to the governed for all the years they were in power.

    He said, “the greed of the military that led to the myriad of military coups destroyed even the foundation of the military itself and this truncated democracy in Nigeria.’’

    Kukah called on Nigerians to exercise patience as democracy was the only option needed to ensure rapid political growth of the country.

    He said that the country could have been better in the hands of civilian administrations rather than the military.

    “Patience, understanding and support from Nigerians are the only guarantees to the nation’s even socio-economic and political development.

    “It is only by so doing that Nigerians from all nooks and crannies could feel the impact of the dividends of democracy.’’ (NAN)