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Tag: confidence

  • Abe: I have confidence in Judiciary

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Rivers Southeast in the March 28 National Assembly election, Magnus Ngei Abe, has said he never described the Judiciary as 419.

    The senator said he had confidence in the Judiciary, adding that he would continue to hold judicial officers in high esteem.

    Abe was reacting at the weekend to a statement credited to him that he impugned on the integrity of the Judiciary when he addressed his supporters at his Bera hometown in Gokana Local Government Area.

    The senator said he was misinterpreted in his remarks, following the judgment by the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, which struck out his petition against Olaka Nwogu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He noted that it was the condition the tribunal gave him to provide witnesses from every unit in his senatorial district within five days that he described as 419, and not the Judiciary.

    Abe said there was no election in Rivers State, particularly in his Gokana Local Government Area, in the March 28 and April 11 elections.

    The senator hinted that he would appeal the judgment.

    Abe said: “…Everybody in Nigeria knows that there was no election in Rivers State. The outcome of our case at the tribunal was not satisfactory. So, we have decided, in keeping with the decision of the APC in Rivers State, that we must seek justice for you and for all of us.

    “We have decided that we must proceed to the Court of Appeal to appeal against the decision of the lower court. A lot of comments have been made about the decision of the court. Most regrettably, one of the comments that people keep referring to is to say that Senator Abe said it was judicial 419. In making reference to that comment, everybody else forgot everything else that I said in that comment.”

  • Expert praises Buhari for restoring investors’ confidence

    Expert praises Buhari for restoring investors’ confidence

    Oil and Gas Council Managing Director, Drake Lawhead, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the transformation of the country’s  oil and gas industry, saying foreign investors are developing confidence in the economy.

    He said for decades, foreign firms which were considering doing business in the sector  accepted certain realities that their boards found difficult to accept. He said those problems were well-documented, and that they would apply to all  companies, adding that it is undeniable that Nigeria’s foreign direct investment has been hampered by the perception, corruption and theft.

    Such ingrained perceptions do not disappear overnight, but there is a change in mood about the prospects for cleaning up the business practices of the industry that have all happened on the back of President Muhammadu Buhari’s election.

    Lawhead said: “The people we speak to in London and in Asia have kept an eye on many of the reforms that are sweeping through the Energy sector in Nigeria. Things like the appointment of Dr Kachikwu and the wholesale change at the Director level at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and cancellation of contracts, etc., send a strong signal to companies here that Nigeria is serious about regaining the trust of the international business community. They are watching to see what happens now.”

    Lawhead added that President Buhari’s self-appointment as Oil Minister – something that is   unusual in Europe or America but which makes sense in Nigeria and for Buhari – has been viewed rather positively in the West; a sign that the President is serious about the importance of getting that sector right and has put himself in charge of it to make sure.

    Institutional change can be slow – there are too many vested interests that exist in bureaucracies for wide scale organisational change ever to be a simple matter. Yet, it does happen, it must happen for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector to thrive as it deserves to, and the early signs are that things are changing – and importantly, it’s a change that has been noticed by the international business community.

  • Oyo APC passes vote of confidence on Ajimobi, party chair

    The All Progressives Congress(APC), Oyo State chapter, yesterday passed a vote of confidence on Gov. Abiola Ajimobi and the chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke.

    The party described Ajimobi and Oke as good political players whose wealth of experience and managerial acumen facilitated the victory of APC in the last general elections in the state.

    In a statement, Director of Publicity and Strategy of  the party, Olawale Sadare,  denied  speculation about an alleged internal crisis in the state chapter of the party, noting that the rumour was the handiwork of some misguided elements.

    According to the statement; “the well attended executive session at the South West office of APC was the first in the last few months and it reviewed a number of critical issues such as consideration of the reports of the last general elections as well as those of the committees set up to recommend appropriate disciplinary actions for erring members including some members of the National Assembly.

    ”The meeting lauded the proactive steps taken by Senator Ajimobi and the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party which were enough to resolve the leadership crisis that threatened the smooth inauguration of the 8th Oyo State House of Assembly. The steps prevented what could have thrown the state into another round of intractable infighting in the legislative chamber.”

  • ‘We have confidence in Ondo APC leadership’

    ‘We have confidence in Ondo APC leadership’

    Chairmen of  the 18 local government chapters of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State yesterday passed a vote of confidence on the state executive committee led by Isaac Kekemeke.

    The party leaders debunked various allegations levelled against the leadership of the party and appreciated the successes it recorded in the recent elections.

    A group, Political Youth Frontiers (PYF) had earlier condemned the alleged recalcitrant posture of Kekemeke which they claimed have deprived many members from contributing their inputs into the affairs of the party for its development.

    They particularly lamented that the leadership of the party shunned proceedings at the election petitions tribunal where some of its state Assembly candidates contested the election results.

    But the chairmen maintained that there is need to instill discipline in the party in view of recent happenings.

    Addressing reporters at the state office of the party in Akure, the chairman of Akoko North Local Government chapter of APC, Alhaji Rasheed Badmus said, “we need to correct the recent happenings where some members tend to indulge in some acts that tend to portray the party in bad light.”

    Badmus noted that all party members should realize that constituted authorities should be respected at all levels.

    He advised against the idea of groupings within the party, stressing that it should be discouraged where they exist.

    According to him, “APC is a big party with open arms to embrace and accomodate all entrants who should be encouraged to operate within the constitutional positions of the progressives party.

    Children and youths have been charged to justifiably appreciate the huge investments on them by their parents and the nation at large by excelling in all their endeavours.

  • ‘Our mission is to make people regain their confidence’

    ‘Our mission is to make people regain their confidence’

    Founder of Genius Camp, an adult school with branches in Lagos and Ogun States, Oluwarotimi Johnson, speaks with Medinat Kanabe about his passion for educating adults amongst others.

    Why open a school for adults instead of the normal school? What have been the challenges?

    I believe God opened my eyes to the area of adult education to make the ‘illiterates’ relevant to today’s world. When we started, we faced challenges of adults who thought there was no way they could learn to read again, that they have other things to do and responsibilities to meet…. So what we did was go the extra mile to encourage them.

    What makes us unique is that even if you have not been to school at all, we make sure that you’re able to read under a few weeks. We have a curriculum that we have developed, because if we say we should follow the laid down primary school curriculum, we would take too long teaching something we can teach in a short time.

    I also believe God wants me to help a lot of people regain their lost confidence. I know people who look big from the outside but small things will make them feel defeated. Another reason why I opened the school is that there are many people between age 16 and 70, who get insulted because they can not  write a teller to deposit money in the bank. Whenever I see such people, I try as much as I can to cover them up by assisting them.  So, it is a passion in me.

    Some parents have come here to enrol their children for JAMB or WAEC or other exams tutorials, but end up registering themselves because they see other adults like themselves here learning.  I also like to build people’s confidence.

    How do you convince them to enrol?

    Many people want to enrol for adult education, but for some reasons they refuse. I tried to find those reasons, work on them to my advantage and then advertise the school to them.

    One of the reasons is that most of the places where they teach adults do not befit them. You don’t expect a man who has four houses, several cars and very comfortable, to come and receive lectures sitting on a chair meant for primary school children.

    Another problem is time. Many of them are very busy people, so we allow them decide the time that is convenient for them. Apart from that we have professional lecturers who understand their profession.

    What do you put them through when they first come in and what reason do they give for coming to school?

    Because we are professionals, we already have an idea of what they are coming in with. We first do an interview to know each person’s reason for coming. Some want to go to school to prove their past generations wrong; some because they just want to learn to read and write; some because they want to do well in business; or just meet up in the society  not necessarily to go to the university. Some, as pastors want to go to school so as to relate in English language with their congregations who cannot speak the local dialect used in the church.

    We also ask the level of education they have had before to determine their level of intelligence, so we can know where to fix them, because no matter how far or low your educational background is, we have a place for you.

    We teach anything as long as that is what the person requires to learn. We teach adults the A B C alphabets; we have gone as far as holding their hands to write. We also teach them the two-letter words and other basic things. The way we have structured it, even if you have never been in a formal school setting and no matter you age, you will be accepted.

    What do you call the classes?

    We call them levels because the word level makes them feel better than calling them Basic 1. We also refer to some as language class and exam class too. Usually, they learn in three weeks, what a 4-year old would learn in a year; don’t forget that the adult brain is more developed.

    What else do you teach them?

    We have a course called the Mind Programme, structured to help programme their minds so that they can manage issues that occur outside the classrooms, like communication, how to do business differently from an illiterate; such basic things that they don’t pay attention to, including how to deal with people, how to handle family issues, break barriers; how to

  • Cross River tribunal gets citizens’ confidence

    A socio-political group in Cross River State, the Liberation Team, has passed a vote of confidence in the state’s National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal to deliver fair judgment.

    Its Coordinator, Bassey Ekpo Eyo, noted that despite the fears in some quarters that the tribunal may have been compromised, the group had confidence in the judges to ensure justice.

    The activist is a supporter of the Labour Party (LP) candidate for Cross River Southern Senatorial District in the April 11 elections, Prince Bassey Otu.

    The LP candidate had filed a suit at the tribunal against Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) candidate Gershom Bassey for alleged irregularities in the April 11 National Assembly poll.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Calabar, Eyo said: “We, the Liberation Team supporters of Prince Otu, were shocked when we heard some supporters of the other camp boasting that the tribunal would truncate the proceedings in their favour due to influence and money.

    “This, if viewed carefully, may be a setup to tarnish the image of the tribunal’s chairman. We have unflinching confidence in the tribunal to deliver justice in their judgment.”

     

  • ‘I’ll restore students’ confidence in NANS’

    ‘I’ll restore students’ confidence in NANS’

    His tenure as Lagos State University Students’ Union Government (LASU SUG) president was marred by struggles against fee hike, which forced the government to revert to the old fee.  Nurudeen Yusuf, a 500-Level Law student, wants to take a shot at Southwest leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). He tells SIKIRU AKINOLA what he intends to achieve if elected. 

    You have handed over as  Lagos State University (LASU) Students’ Union Government (SUG) president. Why do you want to lead students in the Southwest?

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is at a crossroads in the Southwest, which was once seen as the most vibrant zone. My aspiration is a beacon of hope, because NANS in this part of the country has not lived up to its billings.

    The dreams of our past leaders that inspired vibrant unionism have been smothered. Today, thousands of students have looked away in disillusionment and frustration. The leadership has failed to provide an enabling environment for students to show their leadership skills and academic prowess.

    The minimum acceptable standard of leadership should be to improve the level of intellectual culture of the students, starting from the most basic form of education to the higher institutions. Leaders must also be able to protect students against victimisation and unlawful expulsion. Given the experience I had as president of LASU Students’ Union Government (SUG), I believe I am competent to restore confidence in NANS. I intend to offer a responsible and responsive leadership, having satisfied the requirements of the association and the electoral laws.

    How do you plan to scale the hurdle, given that students from Lagos State and Obafemi Awolowo universities  are seen as too ideological for NANS leadership?

    First, Lagos is the Centre of Excellence, while Ile-Ife is the cradle of Yoruba civilisation. These uncommon features resonate in whoever is taking the gauntlet of leadership from these axes. The exemplary leadership qualities students from these places have are easily seen anywhere. But, we will not fold our arms while some people plan to abort our common destiny. I am the only one, who is running normal academic programme among the candidates. We cannot continue to entrust our leadership in the hands of people whose studentship has question mark.

    What do you think is responsible for the ideological decline  in NANS in this part?

    NANS is a structure erected on leftist ideology to serve as dependable pressure group. The existence of the body is not by accident, but as a result of exposure of the NANS founding leaders to the yearning of the people and students. Just as the likes of Obafemi Awolowo were spurred to struggle for our independence, NANS founding members secured liberty for the students’ movement and laid the foundations for vibrant students’ union. They built the most vibrant students’ movement, nurture the institution and defended its ideologies. These ideals have been eroded by the ineptitude of dim-witted students’ leaders who have ruled in the past years. NANS is being misrepresented, vilified and seen as group of bandits. But, change is inevitable. We must sort separate the chaff from the wheat.

    What will you correct if elected as Zone D coordinator?

    I would, first of all, restore the trust students have in the body. Because of years of broken promises and inaction, students are skeptical about NANS and its leadership. We would adhere strictly to the principles to regain the confidence of members and avoid the past failure. The disconnection between NANS and students would be a thing of the past. This is the core of our strength as enshrined in the preamble to the NANS constitution. I am also coming to restore the hopes and aspirations of students in the Southwest by keeping faith with the tenet of unionism, which is activism. We must retrace our steps and restore our shared values.

    What is your expectation from President Muhammadu Buhari on education?

    Nelson Mandela said education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. Lee Quan Yew led Singapore to prosperity through human capital development. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said the core element of All Progressives Congress (APC) mission is to make education, from primary to university, accessible to all people, regardless of economic circumstances. To survive in the modern world, education remains the key. Therefore, we do not like a situation where only eight per cent of our national budget is allocated to education. We want President Buhari to increase the quota to 41 per cent as done in Kenya. Our campuses are veritable platforms for cross fertilisation of ideas to transform our society. Some of country’s challenges would be solved in the president invest heavily in education.

    Is it true that some politicians sponsored you during the LASU fee hike struggle?

    Let me put the record straight. Nobody, whether politician or lecturer, sponsored our struggle against the Lagos State government during the LASU fee hike struggle. If anyone or group of persons, except students, claimed to have sponsored the struggle, let him come out and say it in the public. The struggle was for our well-being and we took it up to the level that forced former Governor Babatunde Fashola to reverse the fees. Though we were persecuted, but we thank God we did not fail.

  • Confidence, key to Germany victory-Awoniyi

    Confidence, key to Germany victory-Awoniyi

    Two-goal hero Taiwo Awoniyi believes confidence will play a vital role for Nigeria when the Flying Eagles face Germany in one of today’s quarter final matches of the FIFA U-20 World Cup holding in New Zealand.

    Awoniyi whose goals against Hungary set up this epic clash in Christchurch said the team’s self-belief will be crucial in the outcome of this match billed for this morning.

    “It’s great that we have rediscovered our confidence and we are in the knockout stage of the World Cup,” he said.

    “The wins against North Korea and Hungary after the loss to Brazil have boosted our self-belief to do even more.

    “We have to work together as a team to meet up the challenge that Germany will pose against us.

    “They have done well in the group stage and we just have to go out there and give our best against them.

    “The key to victory against Germany is to have the confidence that we can do the job on the day, that no matter what we have to make our country and ourselves proud.”

    Other players that spoke to Africafootball.com also voiced the same assurance of overcoming Germany to set up an all-African quarterfinal clash against Mali.

    It will be a battle between the African champions and the champions from Europe with the Germans the more impressive in the group stage of the tournament having scored 16 goals and let in only two goals.

    However, while Nigeria had to face the likes of five-champions Brazil and Hungary, Germany took apart Fiji, Honduras and Uzbekistan.

    For coach Manu Garba he expects the competition to be a lot tougher in its business end.

    “The second round will be a lot tougher because we are in the knockout stage. This is where if you made a mistake, you will go home,” he said.

    “But we are very optimistic and very motivated to go through because our opening game against Brazil has taught us a very big lesson.

    “After we lost against Brazil, we have improved match after match and I believe we will have a good game against Germany despite the fact that they are the highest scoring team of the group stage and they are European champions.

    “They are a very good team, but we are capable of beating them to reach the quarterfinals.”

    Incidentally, the Flying Eagles trained in Germany for three weeks before coming down to this World Cup.

    Skipper Musa Mohammed will be available after he missed a day’s training over a tooth ache, so too injury concerns Kingsley Sokari and Ifeanyi Matthew.

    El Kanemi Warriors midfielder Matthew has missed the last two games due to a deep cut in the foot against Brazil.

    It will be a special contest for Germany skipper Kevin Akpoguma, whose father hails from Benin City in Nigeria and will be in the stands cheering his boy to glory.

    Weather conditions will be more favourable to the Europeans as it could be as cold as 0 degrees on match day inside the Christchurch Regional Stadium, which was built after the earthquake in February 2011 killed 185 people.

    Both countries have met twice at this competition and they claimed victory in a game apiece.

    They first met in the group stage in 1999 when Nigeria hosted the competition and the hosts won 2-0 with goals from Ganiyu Shittu and Hashim Garba.

    Their second meeting was at Egypt 2009 when Germany eliminated Nigeria led by coach Samson Siasia in the Round of 16 by 3-2. Nigeria’s goals were scored by Daniel Chima Uchechi and Rabiu Ibrahim.

  • We have confidence in Buhari, say APC members in US 

    Members of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Houston, United States chapter, have expressed hope in the ability of the President-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari to bring genuine transformation to Nigeria with effect from May 29.

    At a meeting in Houston, the party supporters felicitated with Buhari and sent him a congratulatory message for a well deserved victory in the March 28 general election.

    In a statement signed by its Chairman, Pastor Ade Odusola and Secretary, Elder Chime Opara, the supporters resolved to support the incoming Buhari’s administration in its renewed effort to re-position Nigeria under the current hard earned democratic dispensation.

    It also admonished the transition committee to be mindful of the input of the grass roots in the nomination for appointments so as not to promote a disconnect between the local and federal level.

    The group opined that army of volunteers should be created in the organs of special advisers in an effort to cut costs in lieu of economic hardship facing the country at the moment.

    While applauding the 10- point agenda of the in-coming president, priority should be given to power supply in order to boost industrialization and promote human empowerment through creation of jobs for the unemployed masses.

  • Business confidence index dips

    Business confidence index dips

    The first quarter of the year aggregate Business Confidence Index (BCI) dropped from the 30 per cent it posted in fourth quarter of last year to 22.3 per cent.

    This represents a 7.7 per cent slack of the confidence level among business operators over the last three months, says Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) latest report.

    The report said it represents the largest quarter on quarter point drop of the BCI score over the last three years. The report signed by LCCI Director- General, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said conventionally, movement of the BCI score by up to five points indicates the presence of significant positive or adverse development in the country’s economic and business environment.

    He, however, regretted that the drop of the BCI scores at this time suggests that business leaders are largely pessimistic about expanding their business and investment spending over the next few months.

    It is worse with indigenous manufacturers as growth in the sector shrank by 19.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, according to data by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).