The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Germany

  • I’m Now ‘Relaxed and Relieved’, Eagles Manager Reveals

    I’m Now ‘Relaxed and Relieved’, Eagles Manager Reveals

    Super Eagles Manager, Gernor Rohr on Sunday afternoon said he just had the chance to watch the replay of the tension soaked Nigeria versus Zambia match and that Eagles got a victory from the tough match was a breathe of life.

    A number of Super Eagles players and coaching staff including Rohr were sighted at the Akwa Ibom Airport on Sunday afternoon to jet out to Lagos and Abuja.

    Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina, Leon Balogun, William Troost-Ekong, Ahmed Musa, Abdullahi Shehu and Chidozie Awaziem were among some of the players sighted  as they make their way back to Europe.

    Before the Dana Air plane left the airport, manager Gernot Rohr reiterated that the Zambians pushed his team all the way, but the Super Eagles defence soaked their attacks and the contribution of Chelsea wing-back Victor Moses and Anorthosis Famagusta midfielder Abdullahi Shehu in the far front  gave Alex Iwobi the assist to score.

    ” Zambians gave us a tough match. Not that it was not expected, but I just watched the replay now, we defended well, Eagles did well. Alex Iwobi came on and changed the game, Victor Moses did well to dribble and Shehu’s cross went straight to Iwobi who scored.”

    ”I am now relaxed and relieved,” the 64 year old Eagles coach said with a smile. he added that “greater task still lies ahead.”

    This can however be well understood going by the tension and pressure that soaked not just the player both also the technical crew from the start to finish of that Saturday game in Uyo.

    The Zambians played the match as if there was no tomorrow says one of the Nigerians fans at the capacity filled stadium, he however breathe relieve that a decisive goal eventually came through Iwobi.

    Meanwhile, about 13 countries have already booked their place for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with final qualifying matches still to be played.

    See the Countries below:

    Europe: Belgium, England, Germany, Russia (as hosts), Spain

    Africa: Nigeria

    Asia: Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

     North, Latin America: Costa Rica, Mexico

    South America: Brazil

  • Niger updates death toll from militant attack to 7

    Niger updates death toll from militant attack to 7

    Four Nigerien troops and three U.S. soldiers were killed in an attack earlier this week in southwest Niger near the border with Mali, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

    The ministry updated the casualty figures from the ambush on Thursday, adding the death toll of their own forces to the three soldiers already named by the U.S. side.

    Eight other Nigeriens were wounded, as were two members of the U.S. forces who are providing training to the Nigerien Army on combating extremists in the region.

    The joint patrol was ambushed by terrorist elements in a dozen vehicles and on 20 motorbikes,” Niger’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

    Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou said in an earlier address that the terrorist attack had claimed “a significant number of victims.”

    “Our country has once again been the victim of an attack by terrorist groups,’’ Issoufou said in a speech on Thursday at the opening of an economic forum in the capital Naimey.

    The U.S. Africa Command has said their two injured servicemen have been evacuated to Germany for medical treatment.

    The attack took place around 200 kilometres north of Niamey, near the border with Mali, where the terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is active.

    NAN

  • Ex-Iraqi President Talabani’s body arrives in Kurdistan

    Ex-Iraqi President Talabani’s body arrives in Kurdistan

    The body of former Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, arrived in the Iraqi Kurdish City of Sulaimaniya on Friday for an official funeral attended by several Iraqi and regional officials.

    A coffin carrying Talabani’s body was wrapped in the Kurdish flag carries by military personnel from the plane coming from Germany.

    Talabani died on Tuesday, according to Kurdish television station and internet new portal Rudaw.

    His body would be taken to the Great Mosque in the Sulaimaniya city before he is buried.

    Talabani’s wife, Hero, and Kurdish President Masoud Barzani were joined by Iraqi President Fouad Massoum and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at the airport.

    A key mediator in Iraq’s divided political scene, Jalal, who died at 83 years, became the first Iraqi Kurdish president in 2005.

    Talabani has been hospitalised several times in recent years, ever since he suffered a stroke in 2012.

    NAN

  • Germany, England Qualify for 2018 World Cup

    Germany, England Qualify for 2018 World Cup

    Germany and England on Thursday qualified for the 2018 World.

    Germany secured the ticket to defend their World Cup title in Russia with a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland, who will likely move on to the playoffs from UEFA Group C.

    The roster of teams that have qualified for the Russia 2018 World Cup has now hit ten as the duo of England and Germany joined the list.

    England entered the match knowing that a victory would secure their spot at next summer’s tournament in Russia, and a late Harry Kane effort was enough to see the Three Lions through.

    On the part of the defending champions Germany, they booked their ticket by beating Northern Ireland 3-1 in Belfast.

    Germany progress as group winners but Northern Ireland remain well placed to make November’s play-offs.

    Aside Germany and England who just booked their places, the other teams that have qualified for next year’s World Cup are hosts, Russia, Brazil, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, South Korea and Saudi Arabia

    Meanwhile, Tunisia and Nigeria could also join this list if they win their respective qualifying games this weekend.

     

  • German authorities defuse World War II era bomb in Berlin

    German authorities defuse World War II era bomb in Berlin

    Some 10,000 people were returning to their homes on Tuesday after they were evacuated so that a 250-kilogramme aerial bomb dating back to World War II could be defused and removed from a construction site in West Berlin.

    The bomb was discovered near south-west Berlin’s Innsbruecker Platz square on Monday, prompting authorities to cordon off the area within a 500-metre radius and evacuate people in the surrounding residential buildings and patients in a home for the elderly.

    The fire brigade and the police said in separate statements overnight to Tuesday that the bomb had been successfully defused and that 450 people were involved in the effort, which took several hours.

    Underground and suburban rail traffic was disrupted, and officers went house to house to ensure that the area was cleared before disposal experts moved in.

    More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded ordnance is regularly found buried in Germany, a legacy of the intense bombing campaigns by Allied forces against Nazi Germany.

    At least 60,000 people were evacuated in central Frankfurt in September, the biggest operation of its kind in post-war Germany, after a 1.8-tonne British bomb nicknamed “Wohnblockknacker,” or blockbuster, was discovered.

    In May, 50,000 residents were ordered out of their homes in the northern city of Hanover over several WWII-era bombs.

    And on Christmas Day 2016, the discovery of an unexploded 1.8-tonne British bomb prompted the evacuation of 54,000 people in the southern city of Augsburg.

  • Merkel, Macron pledge to lead EU forward post-Brexit

    Merkel, Macron pledge to lead EU forward post-Brexit

    French President, Emmanuel Macron, won backing from Angela Merkel for plans to reform the EU after Brexit, founded on what the German chancellor called “intense” cooperation between Paris and Berlin.

    But during an EU dinner in Estonia that lasted till midnight ahead of a formal summit on Friday, some leaders sounded wary of the youthful new French leader’s ambitious ideas, set out in a speech at the Sorbonne on Tuesday, for deepening EU integration.

    Merkel, re-elected for a fourth term on Sunday but weakened by the rise of an insurgent eurosceptic opposition, met Macron for half an hour before dinner and, according to a French aide, welcomed his speech as “visionary” and a return of co-founder France as a driving force in the European Union project.

    But she also noted differences.

    Some of her potential new coalition partners, along with northern governments like the Dutch and Finns, are very dubious about his suggestions for pooling budgets with less fiscally austere states in the south.

    “As far as the proposals were concerned, there was a high level of agreement between Germany and France.

    “We must still discuss the details, but I am of the firm conviction that Europe can’t just stay still but must continue to develop,” she said.

    French officials said Macron, who they said spoke again with Merkel at length after the late-night dinner, was not trying to impose his ideas but to show others that they were in their common interest and recognised that some needed time to reflect.

    “The idea is not about forcing people to give a binary response.

    France cannot force things,” one said, adding that Paris hoped leaders could agree on a way to work on the ideas in the coming weeks before an October summit in Brussels.

    “The dinner,” a Macron aide said, “Was a chance to share further the Sorbonne project … Things are on the move.”

    An EU official said that the dinner had shown there was a “strong and shared willingness to maintain the unity” and that the EU should be “open to address new ideas” while continuing to work to deliver concrete results for citizens.

    Summit Chair, Donald Tusk, would consult governments in the coming two weeks and make proposals for how to follow up on the debate about reform at a summit in Brussels on Oct. 19-20.

    European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, proposed similar but different reforms earlier this month and called for a landmark summit of the 27 in Romania on the day Britain leaves the EU in 18 months time, on March 30, 2019.

    British Prime Minister, Theresa May, also attended the dinner in spite of Britain’s increasing isolation as it prepares to quit.

    She took the opportunity of Friday’s “digital summit” in Tallinn to visit British troops on a NATO mission in northern Estonia and pledged post-Brexit security cooperation with European neighbours confronting Russian threats.

    May arrived with a better sense of whether her keynote major Brexit speech last Friday has succeeded in unblocking talks in Brussels on Britain’s divorce package.

    The chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, praised on Thursday a “new dynamic” to Brexit negotiations created by concessions made by May although progress was still not sufficient to allow discussions on future trade relations.

    EU officials said she should not expect direct feedback in Tallinn from the other leaders.

    But she was expected to talk to Merkel and others individually as she pursues her quest for agreement to open talks on close ties with the bloc.

    Friday’s talks on a “digital agenda” for Europe will range from ways to ease cross-border flows of data while protecting privacy to cyber security and taxing online businesses.

    NAN

  • Germany to train 10,000 youths in Ogun, Plateau

    Germany to train 10,000 youths in Ogun, Plateau

    Germany has concluded plans to train 10,000 Nigerian youths in Ogun and Plateau between September and June 2018  to enable them acquire  vocational skills.

    Mr Horst Bauemfeind, an official of  GIZ, the  German national  agency for international cooperation, stated this in Abeokuta on Thursday at the inauguration of the committee for the monitoring of the initiative in Ogun.

    Bauemfeind said that the project would provide demand-oriented vocational training for  young persons in the agriculture and construction sectors  considered to be two areas with high growth and employment potentials.

    He further said that the gesture was part of an ongoing development cooperation between Nigeria and Germany based on bilateral agreement.

    The German official,  who said that 5,000 youths would be trained in Ogun,  explained that his team had already embarked on an assessment tour of vocational centres and technical colleges in the state to identify possible gaps and areas of needs.

    He added that the team had also organised workshops on vocational skills development for the agriculture and construction industries to aggregate the demands of the stakeholders and develop  a programme strategy.

    “The project aims to improve the vocational skills and knowledge of young Nigerians to increase their employment prospects .

    “The project will work in three activity areas namely: increase training at the level of micro and small enterprises  as well as  improve the capacity of training providers and public private dialogue on vocational education and training in Ogun,’’  he said.

    Bauemfeind said that the committee made up of critical stakeholders  in agriculture and construction sectors in the state  would  ensure the alignment of the project with partner strategies for full implementation.

    The Chairman of the committee, Rev. Peter Akinola, said he was concerned about the millions of Nigerian youths who had  remained unemployable.

    Akinola, a former  Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, however, expressed optimism that the  training would reverse the trend.

    He called on  government  to refocus and redirect  policies in order to priotise vocational education and training among the youths.

    Mrs Hafsat Abiola – Castelo, who is a co-chairperson of the committee, said  the body was committed to the sustainability of the project.

    Abiola – Castelo,  who is the Special Assistant to Gov.  Ibikunle Amosun on Trade and Investment,  also pledged government’s  support for the programme.

    She said the committee planned to partner the organised private sector to defray the cost of the training per participant to make it affordable for more young persons after the exit of the Germans.

    “The training costs N100,000 per participant in the construction aspect which has been fully paid by the German government.

    “The committee intends to engage some partners to defray the cost and reduce it to about N25, 000 so that those who have been trained by the Germans can retrain others at affordable cost at the end of their own programme,” she said.

    She  called on the youths, particularly  females, to take advantage of the programme by Germany to improve their  living standard.

    “Our young women should not abandon the training because they are relevant in the value chain of the construction sector,  particularly in the area of interior decoration as well as in cassava processing aspect of agriculture,” she said

  • ‘How we influence trade between Nigeria, Germany’

    ‘How we influence trade between Nigeria, Germany’

    The Nigerian-German Business Association was set up to ensure better trade collaboration between both countries. In its over 30 years of existence, the association has pioneered initiatives and collaborated with stakeholders to promote bilateral relations between both countries.  In this interview with Bukola Aroloye, the association’s president, Mr Gbenga Adebija, is optimistic that cementing a mutually beneficial relationship between both countries will boost Nigeria’s economy. Excerpts:

    What is the feeling like with your new appointment?

    It is a tremendously exciting challenge to know that I have a role to play in managing bilateral business relations between the largest economy in Europe and the largest economy in Africa. In terms of significance and impact, therefore, this is thus far the most significant role in my career.

    Having been in the private and public sectors for years, how will you compare the two sectors?

    I believe that as with most public sectors around the world, the Nigerian civil service needs to catch up with the private sector in terms of the key parameters used to evaluate both sides. However, there are definitely encouraging signs especially in Lagos State and several other states around the country. I also believe the trend of appointing high-ranking private sector executives into the public sector has been of significant benefits towards professionalising standards in the civil service.

    How will you describe the business relationship between Nigeria and Germany?

    All stakeholders in Nigeria and Germany are working collaboratively to maintain a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship between both countries. The Nigerian German Business Association has been at the forefront of this objective since 1986 and this remains a key priority for us.

    What is the volume of trade between Nigeria and Germany?

    This is obviously subject to several socio-economic variables and so there has been upswings and declines observable on an annual basis. For instance it was about 5.4 billion euros in 2104, declined to 2.9 billion euros in 2015 and it was 605 million euros in 2016.  The focused objective of the NGBA is to ensure significant and sustainable growth and in trade volumes now and in the future.

    How do you intend to foster the business relationship between Nigeria and Germany?

    Since 1986  when it was established, the NGBA has pioneered initiatives and collaborated with relevant stakeholders to ensure conducive atmospherics for good bilateral relations between both countries.  We organise trade delegations, exhibitions, business to business meetings, trade  facilitation and several other platforms for beneficial stakeholder engagement  in both countries.

    In what ways or areas has the Nigerian-German Business  Association influenced the Nigerian business terrain?

    I would say we have influenced business in both countries because of our cardinal objective to facilitate trade and investment between both geographies. Some of the biggest German brands are here in Nigeria such as  Bayer, BASF, Lufthansa, Commerz Bank AG,  Merck, Julius Berger, Siemens and Deutsche Bank. The benefits to the Nigerian economy is tremendous is terms of job creation, revenue generation, growth in GDP, technical and management capacity development and cutting-edge technology. The NGBA is also focused on improving the volume and value of exports from Nigeria to Germany.

    What commodity / service is mostly traded between the two countries?

    Oil has been the most traded but we are trying to grow non-oil exports by volume and value from the Nigerian side while the Nigerian economy stands to benefit from the excellent array of world-class German brands from various sectors such as Manufacturing, Energy, Electronics, Automobile

    How easy is it for Nigerian exports to get into the German market?

    It is becoming easier and this is an area the NGBA and our associates like the German Delegation for Industry and Commerce, the German Consulate and relevant government agencies are working together to facilitate a continuously improving and export-friendly business process for the benefit of exporters and other entrepreneurs.

    Foreign investors’ confidence in doing business in Nigeria has waned over the years.  What efforts are you going make to restore this confidence?

    Although it is not our sole responsibility, the NGBA definitely sees this as a major priority. Apart from sustainable stakeholder engagement by way of advocacy and current and previous activities since 1986, there are several potentially impactful initiatives in partnership with public and private sector stakeholders to improve the perception of the Nigerian business sector in the international business community as well as foster a culture of integrity amongst Nigerian entrepreneurs.

    With your experience at the global level, how can indigenous companies compete with their foreign counterparts?

    There are several factors such as access to finance, access to markets in relevant geographies, capacity, business strategy, business process and socio-economic policies of the operating market. Succession planning  is also very important because here in Nigeria, businesses rarely survive its founders. There are so many German family-owned businesses which have been in existence for hundreds of years. We can certainly learn from their example.

    What should government do to ensure more foreign companies are encouraged to do business in Nigeria?

    The atmospherics of any business environment is vitally important and I would say there is reason for modest optimism. We now have a stable democracy, security is improving across the country, government is focused on improving Ease of Doing Business and embedding relevant socio-economic policies to establish an enabling environment. I would also further advocate that these policies should be continuously reviewed to ensure they are as business-friendly as possible. It is also encouraging to see a gradual paradigm shift in a few areas in government from strict regulatory and enforcement to that of collaborative facilitation. Most of the key factors to drive Foreign Direct Investment are at various stages of maturation.

    Where do you see the Nigeria -German Business Association in five years?

    The NGBA is an organisation with an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence and so we will remain at the vanguard of excellence in the promotion of bilateral trade relations.

  • Cameroonian coach : Lions are more experienced than Super Eagles

    Cameroonian coach : Lions are more experienced than Super Eagles

    The Cameroonian coach, Mr. Hugo Broos, say the Indomitable Lions, having played at the Confederation Cup in Russia, is more experienced than the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

    Broos said this on Thursday in Uyo at a pre-match news conference ahead of FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifying match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Friday.

    The coach said that the Indomitable Lions, apart from being African champions, had played against difficult national teams of Chile, Germany, and Australia in the Confederation cup.

    “We are four points behind Nigeria and we know that if we lose, we are finished. We will play a very good game even in depression.

    “Everybody knows that tomorrow’s result and that of Monday are very important, I’m not afraid,” Broos said.

    He said that he was alright with the weather in Uyo and would play to win the match.

    The Ccameroonian team captain, Benjamin Moukandjo, said that the team was focused and had prepared hard for the match.

    Moukandjo corroborated his coach’s perception that Friday’s match with Nigeria would be tough.

    “I know tomorrow’s game is important. If we win tomorrow’s game, we shall keep the hope for Russia alive,” the captain said.

    He said that his team was ready for the Super Eagles.

  • Merkel: Admittance of refugees in 2015 was an`humanitarian exception’

    Merkel: Admittance of refugees in 2015 was an`humanitarian exception’

    German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Tuesday that her decision, two years ago, to allow hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter Germany was a “humanitarian exception’’.

    She said that the decision was “not the basis for a long-term strategy.’’

    Merkel said at her annual summer news conference ahead of a general election that steps had been taken in the wake of that decision to ensure that such an influx would not repeat itself.

    She is running for a fourth term in office in the Sept. 24 election.

    Her Christian Democrats (CDU) currently has a 13-per-cent-point electoral lead on their main challenger, the Social Democrats (SPD).