The Nation Newspaper

Category: Ondo Decides

Eight countries that have never qualified for AFCON

Playing at the highest level is every professional football player’s dream, a status that the African Cup of Nations and other continental competitions hold second only to the FIFA World Cup.

Here is a list of countries that have never participated in AFCON:

1. Somalia

This troubled nation located on the horn of Africa in the eastern part of the continent has never appeared at the AFCON. Despite playing in a few qualifiers years back, civil war, internal strife, and collapse of recognized government have prevented organised sports like football from being played in Somalia.

2. Eritrea

This northeast African country has also never been to the Nation’s Cup. Lack of funding due to internal conflict and an almost non-existent football association have meant that Eritrea could never put up a team capable of qualifying.

3. South Sudan

This new African country barely started playing international football a couple of years ago. This, coupled with internal conflict and lack of funding, has prevented the team from qualifying for the AFCON.

4. Chad

Chad has also never qualified for the AFCON due mostly to lack of funding that consistently makes them pull out mid-way into the qualifiers.

5. São Tomé and Príncipe

Sao Tome and Principe is another island country that has found it difficult to qualify due to their small population and lack of resources.

6. Djibouti

The Horn of Africa nation hasn’t fared well in all the qualifiers they have featured in over the years. A combination of lack of talent, funding, and organising has not allowed them to progress all these years.

7. Central African Republic

The Central African Republic has somewhat surprisingly never qualified for the AFCON despite years of involvement in African football. The captain of Central African Republic is Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia.

8. Eswatini

This small African kingdom has never qualified to play in the AFCON in their entire history. Despite always being involved in qualifiers, they have never quite been able to break the jinx.

February 3, 2022
APC governorship aspirant Adelami to fight joblessness

A governorship aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Chief Olayide Adelami, has promised to tackle joblessness and poverty if elected.

He said the ruling party would retain the state despite the defection of Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Adelami, the former deputy clerk of the National Assembly, said the defection of Ajayi will not affect APC’s fortune at the polls on October 10.

The aspirant, who was responding yesterday to questions by reporters after submitting his expression of interest and nomination forms at the APC secretariat in Abuja, said members in Ondo State were united in sending the deputy governor away.

He added that APC remained the party to beat in Ondo.

READ ALSO: N1b inadequate for 2020 Edo, Ondo elections, says INEC

Asked if the party is not threatened by Ajayi’s exit, Adelami said: “There is no threat at all because what would have been threats are those aggrieved APC members. They are coming together now. They are united in sending Ajayi away and this has brought together about 80 per cent of APC members in Ondo State.”

Adelami, who reiterated his choice of direct mode of primary election, said: “The popular opinion is direct primary. I normally refer to it as election before election. Nobody will be disenchanted; everybody will be given opportunity to express themselves.”

Highlighting his plans for the state, the Owo-born technocrat-turned-politician said: “Ondo State is yearning for something new, something novel. If you look at the history of the state, you will find out that this is not the first time. “Remember Baba Ajasin, who was a renowned teacher and a technocrat. Baba Adefarati, a renowned teacher and a technocrat. They all performed well.

“As I said, the first thing is to come to Ondo State to maintain party cohesion. Number two, the numerous disenchanted, near hopeless youths roaming the streets. We have so many of them in Ondo State, who have been carrying about their certificates for the past five, six years, looking for jobs that are not there. I’m coming to Ondo State to engage our teeming youths. To provide jobs for them. They must work, they are the assets of Ondo State and I value them so much.”

July 2, 2020
PDP aspirant withdraws from race

Our Reporter

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant, Mr. John Ola-Mafo, has withdrawn from the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for October 10.

He announced this yesterday in a statement in Okitipupa.

“The state yearns for a true leader who will make the goals and aspirations and the overall interest of the citizenry to be supreme objective of the government policies and programmes,” he said.

READ ALSO: Dogara chairs Ondo PDP gov screening panel

Ola-Mafo thanked supporters across the state who believed in his vision and who contributed towards actualising his dream.

July 2, 2020
Dogara chairs Ondo PDP screening panel

By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has named former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara as the chairman of a five-man screening committee for aspirants in the Ondo State governorship election.

READ ALSO: Dogara chairs Ondo PDP gov screening panel

Rev. Bunmi Jenyo will serve as secretary. Other members of the committee are Sen. Zainab Kure, Mr. Fred Agbedi and Mr. Ndubuisi Agwuama.

According to a statement by the National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Col. Austin Akobundu, the screening is scheduled to hold today at the party’s Abuja secretariat at 10am.

July 2, 2020
500,000 may be disenfranchised in Ondo as INEC shuns registration

Osagie Otabor, Akure

Over 500,000 likely voters in Ondo State may be disenfranchised in the October 10 governorship election, following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) decision not to embark on new registration of voters.

There are over 372, 888 uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the state, while the people that have turned 18 since the last voter registration are said to be over 200,000.

The electoral body said it would not distribute PVCs, carry out transfer and replacement of lost or defaced PVCs because of the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic.

INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Dr. Rufus Akeju, who briefed reporters in Akure, said the state had 1,822,346 registered voters, with 1,478,470 PVCs collected.

Said he: “For the avoidance of doubt, Section 78(7) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) empowers INEC to de-register parties in carrying out this constitutional responsibility.

“The commission has de-registered 74 parties and is now left with 18 subsisting parties in the political space of the country.

“In accordance with the election timetable released by INEC for the conduct of governorship election in Ondo State, the conduct of the political party primaries shall take place between July 2 and 25.

“Pursuant to the above, and also as political activities begin to gather momentum in the state, I hereby admonish the political actors and gladiators to live up to expectations.

READ ALSO: N1b inadequate for 2020 Edo, Ondo elections, says INEC

“Play the game according to the dictate of the extant laws, regulations and guidelines of their political parties to promote democratic values.”

Akeju urged parties to play the game according to the dictate of the extant laws, regulations and guidelines, to promote democratic values.

He said countdown to Ondo governorship election had begun and assured stakeholders of INEC’s non-partisanship.

The REC said the measure put in place was to mitigate the new challenge thrown up by COVID-19 pandemic.

July 2, 2020
Group backs US-based lawyer

Osagie Otabor, Akure

The Ondo Integrity Group has pledged support for a United States (US)-based lawyer, Dr. Nat Adojutelegan, for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It said its focus is to ensure only progressives occupy political offices in the country.

The group said it would use its numerical strength to mobilise, canvass and ensure progressives stay in power in Ondo and Nigeria in general.

Explaining why it supported the candidacy of Adojutelegan, the state Coordinator of the body, Olugbenga Akinbuwa, said they were supporting an aspirant with a clean antecedent, who had interest in human development.

READ ALSO: N1b inadequate for 2020 Edo, Ondo elections, says INEC

He said Adojutelegan fits into a candidate who has experience in dealing with the public not only as an exposed personality and a politician, but also as a public servant who knows the needs of the masses.

Akinbuwa said: “Dr. Adojutelegan rose from the level of obscurity to a place of grace.

“He knows the masses more. He has interacted with the people and this gives us assurance that he can influence physical development and impact the lives of Ondo State people, as he has always done for his people in Akoko, Ondo North and Ondo State at large.”

July 2, 2020
Akeredolu and the burden of moral leadership in Ondo State

“Tell the Senator he is not a member of the APC. Everyone involved in anti-party activities can’t come back through the back door, they would have to go back to their various wards to reapply for APC membership cards. They should also do the needful”.

The statement above is credited to Akeredolu during a dinner after his inauguration as Governor of Ondo State. (See Punch, February 27, 2017 p. 12, titled Akeredolu accuses Ondo Senator of disloyalty). Coming from a supposed political leader, the statement is both misguided and unfortunate. It is also an arrogant display of immaturity by a self styled SAN. Anyone familiar with the flawed processes that saw his emergence both as a candidate and later as a Governor would have advised Akeredolu to be more mature and careful especially on issues he is less morally qualified to talk about.

Benefiting from being imposed with impunity on more qualified candidates in the 2012 election and being the principal actor, beneficiary and a product of a controversial, flawed and heavily monetised primaries with deep moral scars on APC, Akeredolu should have been advised to face the challenge of reconciling aggrieved members of the APC who showed their moral conviction and anger against the criminal manipulation of the election processes in his favour.

Hence, rather than face the reality of the deep division within the Ondo State APC which he caused, he is casting aspersion on a Senator who almost single handedly resuscitated the party (ACN) in 2012 after Akeredolu’s woeful and disgraceful public exhibition of gross incompetence and inability to articulate his campaign programmes convincingly in a televised debate which illuminated his intellectual bankruptcy and legal emptiness.

The platform, the APC, of which Akeredolu now benefited as Governor through a fraudulent process was built and sustained by the Senator he arrogantly accused of working against the party.

The Senator he is accusing or threatening with anti-party activities has contributed much more than Akeredolu in building the APC in the state. Until very recently, Akeredolu is seen as a “stranger” in APC. In a comment in The Nation (July 3, 2016 p.45) an analyst described Akeredolu as “a tragic manifestation of a man’s self-centeredness and egomania. Here was a “stranger” who was imposed with impunity on more qualified candidates (in 2012)”.

Akeredolu should be reminded even at the risk of possible metacognitive aberrations and dysfunctions, that the senator in question represents and symbolises, more than him (Akeredolu), the hard core values of honour, humility, honesty, integrity and the rule of law which since inception had defined the operational ideology of APC in Ondo State until the basterdization and premature obituary of these values in the electoral processes which saw the emergence of Akeredolu as Governor.

Akeredolu’s “success” at the gubernatorial primaries and his “victory” in the governorship election have left a deep moral scar on APC in addition to making Ondo State a shameful reference point for the most monetised gubernatorial election in Nigerian history.

In just one stroke and all alone, Akeredolu’s misguided political misadventure in Ondo State has caused disaffection among leaders of the party both at state and national levels. It has also left a legacy of mega mess as regards the electoral process which he and his sponsors must contend with in the party. Akeredolu has in addition left the party deeply divided on ideological and moral grounds.

Given his narrow political base in the Ondo State chapter of APC, evidenced by his controversial victory in the primaries election and the fact that he pulled only 244,000 votes out of 1.6m votes in the gubernatorial election, Akeredolu should have been humbled by the results. Because of this factor and in addition to the disaffection he has caused among the national leadership of the party, rational Nigerians expect Akeredolu to seek peace and reconciliation. He needs to widen the political base of the APC and reposition it to face forth coming elections in a process which must involve all the leaders of the party. I hope the illusion and euphoria of transient power and arrogance will not becloud his assessment of the magnitude of the challenges that stare at him as Governor of a State which traditionally has been a reference point for progressive, honest and credible politics.

Hence, the health of the party must first be restored by an ideological mechanism that must include an unreserved apology to all members of the party at all levels by Akeredolu and his foreign sponsors. They have polluted both the party and the State. The aggrieved members who showed their moral uprightness and commitment to core values of honour, honesty and integrity should be persuaded back to the party unconditionally.

Akeredolu has neither the moral authority nor the political legitimacy to dictate terms and conditions to APC members who are manifestations of the core values of APC. We hope the Governor knows the difference between victory and success in electoral political processes even as Albert Einstein reminds us that in times like this, individuals with great ideas and spirits have always encountered mischievous and morally bankrupt oppositions from docile and mediocre minds. Our state still yearns for a moral political leadership which embodies and exemplifies APC’s core values of honour, decency, honesty integrity, the rule of law and ideological uprightness all of which are captured by the Yoruba concept of Omoluabi.

Dr. Musa Kosemani

Coordinator of Progressives Unite Against Imposition (PUAI), Ondo State chapter of APC.

March 7, 2017
Child safety: Nightmare of house helps
The fear of physical, emotional and verbal abuse of children by their nannies can be a mother’s biggest nightmare. A friend of mine once noticed bruises on his son’s laps and when she confronted her nanny, she told her that the son fell while playing.

The story didn’t sound true. Her instinct told her something was wrong and she decided to install hidden camera in her house. Then she got the shock of her life.

As captured in the camera, the nanny was physically abusing her son; she was a jolly friendly fellow to the children while parents were at home, but a totally different person while no one but she and the children are at home. She would hit at the child at every slight provocation; she shook him violently a couple of times, called him all sorts of despicable names and was like a maniac towards the child. My friend took the child for medical check-up; fortunately the child didn’t sustain much injury. The case was reported to the police; the nanny was arrested, detained for a while and released.

The demand for nannies and house helps is rising every year, gone are the days when mothers sit at home and don’t go to work, both parents work these days to make ends meet and when work pressure increases, some parents rush into hiring home care assistances without getting enough background information, there by endangering the lives of their children.

We have seen many videos online where hidden camera caught nannies physically abusing children, even babies. I remember a horrific video that surfaced online sometime ago, where a mentally deranged nanny from Uganda meted out aggravated violence on an 18 month old child, just because she threw up after she had forced her meal on her. She had beat that poor child in a fit of rage, after hitting the child viciously, to my greatest horror, as if the hitting was not enough, she mercilessly stepped on the child’s back, even after stepping on her back, she still kicked her viciously and dragged the motionless body of the child to another room, that was where the video ended but only God knows what else she did to that child. I was horrified, my heart bled for that child. The video was very disturbing

Some weeks back another video surfaced, this time around it’s a white lady that was seen physically abusing a baby, she kept hitting the baby repeatedly on the head, I couldn’t watch that video because it was extremely horrific and disturbing as well. I am almost certain that the child sustained brain damage because the she kept hitting the little baby’s head viciously. It would be a miracle if that baby turns out normal.

After these shocking videos it is very important that working mothers protect their children from those they let into their homes to take care of their children. First of all make sure you run a background check on the nanny, make sure you know everything about her family history, ask for at least 3 references, get in touch with them and ask detailed questions. Never get a nanny online without any back ground check because it’s very risky, we have heard cases of children kidnapped by nannies gotten online. It is an act of negligence to employ someone that would take care of your children while you are away, without running a background check on the nanny.

What you can do to protect your children against child abusers
- If you can afford it install cameras in the house and make sure the nanny knows that you have a camera in the house.
Njideka Obi, lawyer and a child safety advocate.
08060424282. safersmarterchildren@gmail.com
February 4, 2017
Be magnanimous in victory, Saraki urges Akeredolu

President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki has congratulated the Governor-elect of Ondo State, Chief Rotimi Akerodolu over his victory at the poll.

Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja on Sunday, said the people of Ondo state “could not have had a better choice.’’

Saraki said Akeredolu’s victory did not come to him as a surprise, going by his excellent credentials and years of preparedness for the business of governance.

He, however, urged the governor-elect to be magnanimous in victory by working with all relevant stakeholders in the arduous task of moving the Sunshine State to the next level.

He urged Akeredolu to fully deploy his wealth of experience garnered over many years in private legal practice in running the affairs of the state.

Saraki lauded the security agencies and INEC for the peaceful conduct of the election and thanked the people of the state for voting for APC during the election.

Saraki said: “The people of Ondo have made a clear choice by voting for the APC. I can only assure the good people of Ondo state that APC and its flag bearer have all it takes to wipe away your tears.

‘’Akeredolu will provide you the dividends of democracy that have hitherto eluded you.

“With Akeredolu on the saddle of governance, I have no doubt that the state will soon witness unparalleled development socially, economically and politically.’’ (NAN)

November 27, 2016
Ondo: I’m still studying the election result- Jegede

Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, Mr Eyitayo Jegede has said that he is still studying the outcome of the election.

“It is too early to decide on what to do as a person. My party, the PDP will decide what to do. We are still consulting with those that matter so as to know the next line of action, ” Jegede said on Sunday.

In his reaction to the results of the election that produced Mr Rotimi Akeredolu as the winner, Jegede said “I know we have won the heart of the people and I should thank our people for standing by us and for their show of love and their steadfastness.”

‘We are studying the situation and in the fullness of time you will know what the position of the party is,’ he added.

He stated that “the events that led to the election are known to you and I. We had 48 hours to prepare for the election. I was cleared by the court on Wednesday and had only Thursday to campaign and on Saturday I had to go for election.”

“Our request for postponement of election was denied by INEC for reasons that we are yet to fathom and these are the things in the next few days we will have to review,” Jegede said

The state Chairman of the PDP, Mr Clement Faboyede while reacting to the results of the election said the party will meet tomorrow with all the stakeholders and our decision will be made public.

“We thank God for the litigation processes and for the way we came out victorious and our heart desire candidate for PDP was cleared to contest the election few days to the election when there was no time for campaign.”

November 27, 2016