The Nation Newspaper

Tag: don’t

  • ‘Don’t be used for election violence’

    The Lagos Central senatorial candidate of the PDP, Chief Sunbo Onitiri,  has implored our youths to be peaceful during the coming  presidential election.

    They should not allow themselves to be used  as thugs for violence, he warned.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Chief Onitiri said what the youths should ask from politicians is empowerment.

    He said: “The youths should vote with their conscience and vote wisely. The future and destiny of this country are in their hands. I urge them to shape the future of this country well. They should vote for the president that has the competence, capability and vision to rule us well and fight our poverty.”

    Onitiri said our security agencies should not take side with any candidate in the interest of our nation.

    “They should keep to their oath of allegiance and be loyal to our country, Nigeria, only. They should not intimidate or harass voters during the elections.  Nigeria belongs to us all. We have no other country we can call our own, “ he said.

    Read also: EFCC accuses 10 banks of money laundering

    He implored all Nigerians to use this opportunity to vote for a better change.

    “Let us all take our destiny in our hands.  Don’t sell the future and destiny of our nation. Vote wisely.  Vote rightly and vote your conscience, “ he said.

    Onitiri pointed out that the major problem of this country is leadership.

    “Let us carefully elect credible, competent and capable leaders that will take us to the promised land flowing with milk and honey,” he said.

  • Do these or Don’t Speak!

    Professor Val got an invitation to be one of the lead paper presenters at an international conference. He had been working on a research formula for a while and he had received several awards and international recognitions; therefore, he believed the audience would be excited to listen to his presentation. He negotiated his fee with the organiser of the event and agreed to speak for one hour.

    The conference was to begin on Monday and Val’s presentation was scheduled for Tuesday. Nevertheless, he arrived on Sunday because he had to transverse several countries to the location of the conference and the organiser had appealed to him to be present at the opening ceremony. To demonstrate how much Professor Val was appreciated for attending the conference, a party welcome was held in his honour on Sunday night.

    Finally, it was Tuesday and Prof Val’s presentation began. Unfortunately, not quite 15 minutes into the one hour paper, the audience started to be distracted. Don’t tell me that the distraction came because Val was not energetic and passionate about his subject matter because you are wrong. He worked really hard at it. However, the more he tried to be convincing, the more he lost the attention of his audience.

    One of the challenges he had was that he believed the one hour was not enough to do justice to the topic so he tried as much as possible to force so much information into the time. Of course, he also tried to speak as fast as he could. The greatest challenge of the presentation, however, was that he was a Russian and didn’t speak good English. That, more than any other thing, made it difficult for the audience to comprehend the presentation. Quickly, the initial excitement of see Prof Val “in the flesh” gave way to boredom.

    Thirty-five minutes into the presentation, about 50% of the audience was asleep, 25% was busy with a book or other materials, while the remaining 25% struggled to follow the presentation because of a particular interest in the topic. The Master of Ceremonies (MC) took a look at the audience and was uncomfortable, so he approached the organiser to discuss the situation. The organiser, however, insisted that the contract with Prof Val specifies that he would be speaking for one hour and he had been paid accordingly.

    After 50 minutes, the MC approached Prof Val, like he did for other presenters, to tell him that he had 10 more minutes. Prof Val reacted sharply by saying, “I have one hour to present. I will use my one hour”. While the MC courteously returned to his seat, the audience murmured as though they could not bear another minute of the presentation. When finally the presentation ended, members of the audience couldn’t wait to go for their long -awaited break and they didn’t care much about asking questions from the speaker.

    I’m sure a few questions may be going through your mind right now. One of them may be, “what did Professor Val do wrong?” The truth is that he worked perfectly by the book. He prepared hard, he was energetic and passionate, he was time conscious (his one hour) and he wanted to pass across a lot of valuable information to his audience. These are all virtues, aren’t they? So, what did he do wrong? Well, his asset was also his liability- he worked perfectly by the book. In public speaking, there are lots of valuable rules that enhance effective presentation. Nevertheless, it is extremely important to note that public speaking is an art. It is dynamic. Rules are set as guidelines but we must also learn when and how to apply them, or even how to sensibly break them.

    In this series, we shall be exploring exceptions to some public speaking rules. The greatest attribute of an experienced public speaker is the ability to effectively evaluate his/her audience and respond according. Whether you are a professional public speaker or you simply make presentations at work, your audience must be your prime focus. Next week, by the grace of God, we shall take a closer look at Prof Val’s errors. I would also love to hear from you. Kindly send me your comments or questions so that we can explore them together. Have a blessed weekend.

  • Don’t blame Amalaha – Ruth Ogbeifo

    Don’t blame Amalaha – Ruth Ogbeifo

    Nigerian veteran weightlifter, Ruth Ogbeifo, has laid the blame for Chika Amalaha’s weight-loss drug use mishap at the ongoing Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on the doorsteps of Nigerian weightlifting coaches, describing them as incompetent.

    The 2000 Olympic silver and 1999 World Championships bronze medallist flew into Glasgow from London on Tuesday evening fuming in reaction to the news of Chika Amalaha’s drug case and has no kind words for her coaches.

    “I feel very sad about this development and that is why I had to rush in from London to see our weightlifters. I sympathise abjectly with Chika. She is just a young girl, very strong and promising in the sport and did not deserve to be brought into this kind of situation. I blame our coaches squarely for her predicament. As I see it, the issue is about meeting the right weight and she couldn’t have accessed drugs all on her own.

    “I understand she competed about three months ago in Mauritius and she won without drugs, so how come she used those drugs now? Even if she got them herself, it is the duty of the coaches to know whatever medications their athletes are using and to research to be sure if the drugs contain banned substances.

    “The problem is that the coaches are lazy, incompetent and do not qualify to handle national team athletes. The point is that maintaining the required weight in your class is a primary condition in weightlifting and one of the main tasks of a weightlifting coach. You have to constantly monitor your athlete to be sure of what she is taking, what she is eating, what she is drinking in other to maintain a stable weight.

    “There were times we had to stay very, very light on food for months. A regular and well supervised programme assures that, but our coaches are just doing nothing. Coaching in weightlifting goes beyond telling athletes to bend down this way or hold their arms up this or that way. It is total supervision of the athlete which obviously was absent in this case.”

    Ogbeifo is apprehensive about how the sports establishment may now relate with Amalaha from this point and advises that she should be consoled and encouraged rather than alienated.

    “My biggest fear is how they will treat this little girl. She is strong and has passion for the sport but I fear that, as is the case in Nigeria, the authorities may discard her. I plead with them to console her and encourage her. She has a bright future and what happened is entirely not her fault. It is the coaches. The authorities have to find a way to make her forget about this incident and move on with focus on realising the place of her dream in weightlifting.”

    On the future of weightlifting in Nigeria, Ogbeifo maintains that it has to start from the training of the coaches.

    “We have a huge problem there. The coaches we have are not just up to it. First of all, they lack the training and experience. Many of them have not even won any medals in weightlifting and those that may have won need to be retrained and refreshed. There is a huge difference between the coaches who handled us and how they handled us in our days, and what obtains now. Secondly, there is so much nepotism in the system.

    “There are camps in Nigerian weightlifting and the coaches have the tendency to drop the best athletes for their favoured ones. I know Nigerian weightlifters and there are times when I am alarmed to see that the best lifters have been left at home or discriminated against while average ones are called to camp and taken to competitions.

    “That is also the reason why we are now beginning to see frequent cases of drug use. The politics in weightlifting is very strong and the people outside including administrators may not know it. We need to do something about opening up the place for merit to prevail. That is the only way we can save our weightlifting.”

  • ‘Please, don’t let me die’

    ‘Please, don’t let me die’

    •Blast victim seeks overseas treatment

    The well-lit room was bright,but around the youth all was dark. A huge blood-soaked bandage was woven round his head, covering his battered eye.

    “Please, don’t let me die,” he kept on crying.

    Ahmadu Bala’s right eye was blown off in Wednesday’s bombing in Kaduna. No fewer than 82 people died in the incident. Officials said 39 died.

    “Please, fly me abroad; I don’t want to die,” Bala ,18, cried on his bed at the Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital in the city.

    Bala recalled how he was caught up in the blast after leaving the venue of the Ramadan lecture by Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi.

    He said: “I was on my way back from ‘Tafsir’ (Ramadan lecture) at Murtala Square when I heard a loud sound and before I knew what was happening, I found myself on the floor, far away from where I remember standing.

    “I felt my head was very heavy. My right eye had been blown off by the bomb and I lost consciousness. I was rushed to Yusuf Dantsoho Hospital here by a good Samaritan, I was told after I regained consciousness.”

    Bala came from Labar, near Jaji, Kaduna State, to attend Sheikh Bauchi’s lecture.

    He added: “I am pleading with the Kaduna State government to look into my plight and save my life and the lives of others affected by the bomb.”

    The Nation gathered from a source that of the five victims brought to that hospital, Bala’s case is the most serious.

    “His right eye is blown off. When they brought him, we quickly took him to the operating room, took care of the wound and he is now stable and partially responding to treatment.”

    He said Bala needed to be flown abroad for treatment.

    “We suggest that the government should as a matter of urgency, fly the young man abroad for proper treatment because his eye as well as part of his skull was affected by the blast and if it is not treated promptly, the wound can get infected and it may have a serious effect on the victim,” he said.

    Five victims of the Alkali Road bombing were brought to the hospital, but four of them who had minor injuries were treated and discharged.

  • Don’t ‘kill Eagles yet – Kalu

    Don’t ‘kill Eagles yet – Kalu

    As strictures continue to trail Nigeria’s outing in Brazil, former Abia state governor Dr.Orji Uzor Kalu, Thursday put up a strong defence for the Super Eagles.

    “We may all be wrong afterall. Anyone who expected the team to have it easy was dreaming.The Eagles’ tight schedule and flight plans were the problem.They embarked on a trip around the globe, from North America to Germany, Nairobi to Namibia, then across the Atlantic to South America. It was like the legendary Ajala journey,” Kalu said.

    The ex-governor argued that Nigerian teams did not perform when much was expected of them.

    “It is our lot. No one gave the Dream Team a chance on the way to Atlanta in 1996, especially after they lost 0-3 to Togo in their final friendly in Lagos. Many Nigerians did not believe in Samson Siasia’s Flying Eagles in 2005. Nor did they believe in the 2013 Eagles team to South Africa.Yet they all did well,” Kalu added.

    He wondered how the Eagles were expected to fly with many stars out or down with injury.

    “There was no Emmanuel Emenike.We missed Victor Moses, Ogenyi Onazi, Nnamdi Oduamadi and even Keneth Omeruo. Many have forgotten that Spain are world and European champions as well as number One. Uruguay were Third best at the South Africa 2010 World Cup. Against the South Americans, Nigeria played Champagne soccer. The 2014 World Cup will be a different ball game,” Kalu summed up.

  • Chidi Nwanu warns Keshi, NFF: Don’t destroy Super Eagles again

    Chidi Nwanu warns Keshi, NFF: Don’t destroy Super Eagles again

    Super Eagles defender, Chidi Nwanu, who is now a full time Pastor in Belgium, has warned the Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi and the Nigeria Football Federation not to destroy the team as it happened after the USA ’94 World Cup when it was disbanded.

    According to him the downfall of the Nigeria senior national team actually began that time and the country’s football is still struggling to come back to limelight. He was of the opinion that more experienced players should be brought back into the team in order to fortify it most especially in the attack line of the team.

    Nwanu who was not happy with the performance of the Eagles most especially against the world Champions Spain told SportingLife from his base in Belgium yesterday that he was ashamed of the way the Eagles lost the game because of loss of concentration. He was particularly irked about the way the Nigerian team conceded the third goal against Spain.

    “I watched the Super Eagles match against Spain which Nigeria lost 3-0. I think they forgot to score and they forgot to keep their discipline either. They couldn’t make the goals, they lost their chances and they couldn’t concentrate in the defense,” he said.

    “The third goal that Spain scored against the Eagles was not supposed to be because everybody left the defense line including the goalkeeper trying to score. It was ridiculous to have done this at this level of a competition like the Confederations Cup.

    “I will say Kudos to the goalkeeper (Vincent Enyeama) because the Spanish team could have scored more goals if not for his efforts in goal by preventing many goals attempt from the Spanish attackers.

    “I think the Eagles gave too much respect to the national team of Spain and I don’t know why.

    “The Technical Adviser of the team (Keshi) and his technical crew as well as the welfare officer, if there is any in the team, should sit down and analyze how these experienced players can be useful to the team and how best they could bring some of them back to the team in order to fortify it. I know quite well that in all these national and international matches a team like the Super Eagles need experienced players in the team.

    “Let’s go back the memory lane. I don’t want what happened to the team (Eagles) after the World Cup in 1994 in United States of America to happen again this time around.

    “We came back from the USA ’94 World Cup and we were all disbanded despite playing impressively in the competition. So the players that formed the 1996 Atlanta Olympics were the team that played in the France 1998 World Cup and we know what happened then.

    “The Super Eagles disbandment in 1994 was the beginning of the downfall of Nigerian football then. The team was properly disorganized that time which is still reflecting in our (Nigerian) football up till date. The same trying is what is happening now in the Eagles. So we must try to stop this trend once and for all.”

  • Amaechi warns Jang: don’t impersonate NGF chair

    Amaechi warns Jang: don’t impersonate NGF chair

    Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Chairman Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi yesterday warned Governor Jonah Jang to stop parading himself as the forum’s leader.

    He said Jang’s assumption of NGF chairmanship is subjudice to the ongoing court process instituted by Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola against the usurpation of the NGF leadership by the Plateau State governor.

    Jang has called a meeting of governors for today. Amaechi said there would be no meeting. But, he urged governors to attend a session with President Goodluck Jonathan scheduled to hold at 9pm at the Aso Rock Villa.

    Amaechi, in a statement made available to reporters in Abuja, urged Jang to act within the “confines of decorum.”

    “On Saturday June 15 and Sunday June 16, reports in the media credited to my brother governor, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, announced that he has called for a Nigeria Governors’ Forum meeting.

    “Ordinarily, I would have ignored these reports as I do not imagine that as governors who hold our people’s mandate through the democratic process of free and fair elections, we would do anything to impugn our integrity.

    “However, as chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum, elected by my colleagues to safeguard their integrity and that of the forum, it has become imperative for me to request my brother Governor Jang to remain within the confines of decorum and cease to impersonate me and to stop parading himself as NGF chairman.

    “There is only one chairman of the forum, duly elected by a vote tally of 19: 16 on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, I as chairman of the NGF have not called for any Governors’ Forum meeting for Monday, June 17, 2013.

    “The only meeting scheduled for Monday June 17 is a meeting of all governors with His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan scheduled to hold at 9pm at Aso Rock Villa. All governors should please ensure attendance at this meeting with Mr. President.

    “I wish to reassure my brother governors that this storm shall pass and we all will be reunited as one family committed to our nation’s unity and supporting Mr. President in his vision for a Nigeria that safeguards the rights of all its citizens to good governance and democratic norms.

    “Governor Jang is my brother and friend and I habour no ill feelings towards him, but it is important that he stops this impersonation, as it could threaten all the good work we all have done together.

    “May I remind Governor Jang that there is a legal action that has been instituted against him by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State from parading himself as the chairman of NGF.

    “As leaders elected by our people, Nigerians are closely watching us. We must comport ourselves according to the dictates and principles of democratic and lawful practices and norms.”

    But indications emerged yesterday that the 16 governors loyal to Jang are plotting to make the President “recognise” the Plateau State Governor as the NGF chairman at the session.

    According to sources, one of the secret agenda behind the session with the governors is to cut Amaechi to size.”

    A source privy to the plot said: “Their plan is that after discussing some national issues with the governors, the pro-Jang supporters will push for response from their defeated leader as NGF chairman.

    “The President will thereafter tacitly ask Jang to respond. And since the meeting is holding within the confines of the Presidential Villa, it will be difficult for any of them to raise a voice against Jonathan.

    “Jang is expected to present a make-belief resolution of the NGF on the stalemate over the monthly revenue allocation at last Thursday’s meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee(FACC) in Abuja.”

    It was also learnt that some agencies have been mandated to provide adequate security for a meeting of the Jang faction fixed for today in Abuja.

    “Some forces in government are mounting pressure on most of the 23 PDP governors to attend Jang’s meeting. They are desperate to increase the number from 16 to 20 to show that Jang is in charge,” another source said.

    Last night, there were indications that some governors might boycott or walk out of the session with the President if any attempt is made to confer legitimacy on Jang at the Monday session.

    A source added: “I do not think it will be that easy for the President to recognise Jang as NGF chairman. This will open a new dimension to the NGF crisis.

    “Some governors might walk out if Jang is allowed to speak for the NGF at the meeting in the Villa.

    “Those who are loyal to Amaechi have their own plan to curtail any plot to foist Jang on NGF members. It will be an interesting session.”The Director-General of Jang’s factional Secretariat of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Mr. Osaro Onaiwu last night said there is no going back on a meeting of the Forum convened by Governor Jang.

    He said the meeting was summoned to discuss the declining statutory monthly allocation to states by the Federation Account Allocation Committee( FAAC).

    Onaiwu, who spoke with our correspondent, said the meeting would hold by 6pm on Monday (today) before the governors hold another session with President Goodluck Jonathan by 9pm.

    He said: “This meeting will go on as scheduled; it is not a political session; we are not out for sentiments. The meeting will start by 6pm.

    “The representatives of states walked out of the FAAC meeting last Thursday and whether you are NGF chairman or a governor, there is no way you will not be concerned.”

    On Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s position that Jang has no authority to convene the meeting, Onaiwu added: “Why can’t he convene his own meeting if he feels strongly about the session initiated by Governor Jang?”

  • Don’t boo Odemwingie

    Don’t boo Odemwingie

    : Nigerian returns to Baggies  line-up

    Steve Clarke has urged West Brom supporters not to let their feelings towards striker Peter Odemwingie affect their backing for the team in Saturday’s home clash with Sunderland.
    Clarke confirmed Odemwingie is part of his plans to face the Black Cats, returning to favour after his Twitter rants against the club and the bitter on-off transfer saga with QPR last month. Head coach Clarke knows some supporters will be in no mood to forgive Odemwingie but he has asked them to put any negativity towards the Nigeria international to one side.
    Clarke said: “I understand some of the supporters might not want to forgive Peter quickly but, when they go to the stadium, all I ask is they support the team.”
    He added: “If Peter scores a hat-trick and they choose not to celebrate Peter’s goals, they should celebrate the fact that the team have scored.
    “All we can ask is that the supporters support the team and don’t allow their feelings over one player to over-ride the fact that the support has been great this year, home and away.”
    Clarke admitted Albion’s shortage of options means Odemwingie will play again this season.
    He said: “We’ve had a couple of little chats but nothing in-depth and he knows the situation.
    “He knows he needs to work hard and he has to be ready for his opportunity when it comes and, for sure, it will come, because we only carry a small squad.
    “Will he be considered for Saturday? Absolutely. I’ve got 20 players available and he’ll be involved with the 20 players.”

  • •ACN chair: I don’t belong to a secret cult

    Ila-Orangun in Osun State was agog yesterday as the former Governor of the state and National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, celebrated his 74th birthday.

    The occasion also witnessed a presentation of the Award of Excellence as a Pacesetter to Akande for his achievements as the Osun State Governor by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the Osun State chapter.

    It was a day of encomiums for Akande. Governor Rauf Aregbesola; the presidential candidate of the ACN in the 2011 general election, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; former Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume and others described him as “a humanist”, “a leader of leaders and a man of integrity”.

    Aregbesola said Akande is passionate about people, having imbibed a political tradition that makes people the universe of politics and basis of governance.

    He said: “Baba Akande is a fantastic man, a model in leadership, integrity, resilience, dedication and zeal. He is a model in strength of character, versatility and humility, and he is highly disciplined.

    “Baba Akande is from a political tradition that makes people the universe of politics and the basis of governance. He has never ceased to remind us, indeed demand from us, that every policy and action of government must pass the critical test of people-friendliness.

    “He is a leader par excellence. This is why his tenure has been the most peaceful and rancour-free in political party administration. If you look at the other parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), you will notice that the members are at war with one another.

    “Chief Akande ran the most prudent administration and achieved so much with little. For us in ACN, he is a role model and father–figure, whose leadership style we admire.

    “Chief Akande is the quintessential Omoluabi, who has carried well the banner of this state, the Yoruba race and our great country, Nigeria.”

    Ribadu, who was full of praises for the people of the state for the support given him during the last presidential election, described Akande as a leader of the progressive forces in Nigeria.

    Describing Akande as the father of the progressive forces, Ribadu said the kind of leadership quality exemplified by Akande gives the people hope about the Nigeria project.

    Said he: “I am proud of Chief Bisi Akande; I am proud of Osun people. For the honour done to me, I promise I will not let you down. I’m a very proud member of this community.

    “Today, Baba deserves the honour the people gave him. He has shown that he is one of those the people hinge their hopes on in this country through his leadership style. He is the father of the progressive forces in Nigeria.”

    The state chairman of the NIPR, Prince Wale Oyekanmi, said the award conferred on Akande was a call on the leaders to be conscious that no matter how long, the legacy they left behind would bring honour or dishonour to them.

    He urged those in office to be committed to good work and be determined to serve the people.

    The NIPR hailed the Aregbesola administration for following the path of honour and integrity, which Akande followed.

    Akande said the honour done to him has vindicated him, despite the insinuations by his critics, who ventured into media propaganda to attack his administration when he was the governor of the state.

    He said despite the criticisms, he remained resolute and focused, adding: “I have been a devout Muslim since birth and I’ve never belonged to any secret cult.”

    Akande expressed gratitude to God for enabling him to celebrate his 74th birthday and thanked the people for honouring him.

    He said he would continue to fight for the interest and welfare of the people.