The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Germany

  • EFCC partners Germany on anti-corruption

    EFCC partners Germany on anti-corruption

    The German government and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are collaborating through art and other creative means by young people to fight corruption.

    German Consul-General in Lagos, Ingo Herbert and Head, Public Affairs, EFCC Lagos Zonal Office, Samin Amaddin said it was important to nurture children’s innocence and creativity to build a corruption-free society.

    They stated this at weekend when the Consulate hosted the 2016 finalists of the EFCC/Creative Youth Initiative Against Corruption (CYIAC) with the theme, ‘My new Nigeria free from corruption’.

    The project, which was launched in Abuja on October 4 by EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu, featured paintings, essay and poetry renditions by  21 primary and secondary pupils from 9-14 years, who qualified to represent 16 schools in Lagos from a pool of 120-student and 60-school participants.

    Herbert said: “This initiative is about Nigeria and its future. Corruption creeps into a society when people accept it and fighting it has to start with the mindset that it is not acceptable. It is a good thing that Nigeria has demonstrated that corruption is not acceptable.”

    Samin Amaddin, head, public affairs, EFCC Zonal Office who thanked Germany for its support for Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive, said the EFCC recognised the importance of inculcating in children, values that would sustain their integrity.

  • Germany pledges 18bn euros for Lake Chad

    Germany pledges 18bn euros for Lake Chad

    •To deport Nigerians without papers

    Germany plans to  inject 18 billion euro to Lake Chad Basin region and another 50 billion euro for the overall area in a bid to recharge the Lake Chad, Chancellor Angela Merkel saidat the weekend.

    Merkel at a joint press conference with visiting President Muhammadu Buhari in Berlin described the Lake Chad region as of great priority to both countries.

    “In terms of cooperation we said we will earmark 18 billion euro for the Lake Chad region area and 50 billion euro for the overall areas,” she said.

    “The Lake Chad region is in an alarming situation, there are 11 million people displaced. Some of them are starving there only 10 per cent of the Lake Chad is left which obviously erodes source of livelihood.”

    She hailed Nigeria’s success in combating Boko Haram activities in the area.

    Merkel noted the current economic difficulties in Nigeria and said the situation was complicated by the high prices of oil, high unemployment rate and the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta.

    On the problem of migration she said: “My point in this is that we need to see to it that human traffickers are out of business, we have to strengthen legal migration to also create jobs in Nigeria, jobs possibilities for vocational training, possibilities in education. Also in the context of migration partnership, we will also talk about readmission agreement.

    “Germany has hundreds of people who will have to be returned to Nigeria and our first interest will be how to help the young people to get a job or find a job.”

    Merkel also commended President Buhari’s effort in fighting crime, terrorism in Nigeria.

    She said: “You see first the successes of these policies and you also see great readiness of partners in ECOWAS and in the region to participate in this good fight and this good course.

    “Today’s exchange made our relationship closer, there is great potential we still need to tape and particularly in this difficult time we want to stand by your side.

    “Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and has great potential for economic progress and this current crisis due to low oil price has to be overcome so that your GDP can be boosted and not in decline as is the case right now.”

    Merkel said Germany would assist Nigeria in recovering its stolen funds stashed abroad.

    “I do appreciate him (Buhari) and if he has any indication as to where those funds are we will obviously immediately follow up. Anything the president indicates to us in this respect we will take up, we want to fight corruption with him,” she said.

    “Our foreign minister for example, has been instrumental in establishing international exchange, our finance minister has worked on thus as well so in the future, it will be very difficult to get money out of the country to hide them. We will work together with you on this,” she said.

  • ITTF World Cup: Quadri’s win inspired my quarterfinal berth – Swedish star

    ITTF World Cup: Quadri’s win inspired my quarterfinal berth – Swedish star

    Sweden’s Par Gerell was not initially considered as a participant at the 2016 ITTF World Cup but the absence of some top players gave him an entrance into the competition but when the competition ended he was considered to be among the top eight in the 20-man competitors.

    However, the Swedish star told Nation Sport after his quarterfinal exit that the first group win against Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri gave him all the needed confidence and determination to go further in the championship.

    “I must tell you I respect Aruna Quadri a lot because he is one of the most feared players in the world. In the last two years, he established himself as a force to reckon with in the game.

    As an African champion, he stunned the world in Rio when he edged out some of the top seeded players. I could recollect that in our first meeting at the 2016 German Open, he showed his stuff to me when he defeated me. But when I saw the draw that I will be facing him in the group stage, I knew that when it comes to rally, I cannot cope with him particularly with his powerful forehand. So I decided to rely on my service which I loaded with a lot of topspin. This was what really helped me in the victory I recorded against him.

    Being my first match in the tournament, the victory will go a long way in motivating me to progress beating players like Aruna showed that you are capable of beating anyone in the championship,” he said.

    Gerell, whose fine run was cut short in the quarterfinal by China’s Xu Xin expressed satisfaction with his performance in his first outing in the championship, while admitting the superiority of the Chinese star.

    “After winning the first game, I was leading 7-4 in the second game but he won. Also I was leading in the third game, he caught up with me and he won. I knew that if I can win the second or third games, I could put him under a lot of pressure because I noticed he was nervous in the first game. I also missed a lot of easy balls. I am happy with my performance in the competition being last to be included in the tournament and getting to the last eight is encouraging,” the Germany-based Swedish said.

  • ITTF president seeks fresh term in office

    The incumbent President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Thomas Weikert is seeking election as the number one table tennis person in the world after officially launching his campaign in Saarbrucken, Germany at the weekend.

    The former Germany Table Tennis Association President during a press briefing at the weekend during the 2016 ITTF World Cup said that he hopes to bring a lot of changes to the fortune of the sport having paddled the canoe of the sport in the last two years after the erstwhile President, Adham Sharara resigned in 2014, while he provisionally took charge.

    “In 2014 no election was necessary for me to take on the responsibility as president. I am delighted that I can now also stand for the delegates’ vote for the first time in Dusseldorf in 2017,”the lawyer from Limburg said.

    With five central themes on his agenda, Weikert said: “The ITTF is firmly committed to keeping table tennis attractive for players, spectators and media and further improve its appeal. Current key words include game speed, game length and TV broadcasts. In collaboration with relevant experts, topics such as net height, rapid set decisions and angles of television cameras shall be discussed and put to rest.”

    He however added, “We need to take some important and necessary decisions in our sport in the next four years. My goal is to not only secure an excellent position for table tennis within Olympic sports, but also further develop it.”

    The 54 year-old sports law expert promised to further develop the sport in ‘small’ nations with the help of the federation’s development aid as well as promoting training programmes at the highest level in order to raise the level and peak of the sport to an even broader basis.

  • Akpabio’s wife escapes death in Germany

    There is but a thin line between life and death. For Unoma Akpabio, life almost gave in to death after a major surgery in a German hospital. Unoma was said to have slipped into coma after the surgery, prompting friends and family members to launch into serious prayers for her to regain consciousness.

    While the nature Unoma’s surgery remains yet under wraps, it was said to have been a major one. Unoma is a major player in the politics of Akwa Ibom. So influential is she that the emergence of the current governor of Akwa Ibom State as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is credited to her. As Akpabio himself would later confess during the PDP governorship campaign inauguration in Uyo in the build-up to the last general election, Udom was nowhere in the picture until he was recommended by his wife and then first lady of the state.

    Akpabio, who on the occasion described Unoma as ‘Mother Theresa’, spared no adjective as he showered praises on her for spotting for him, a worthy successor in Udom.

  • Nigeria, others for real estate expo in Germany

    Nigeria and 74 other countries have indicated interest to participate in this year’s 19th International fair on Real Estate and investment Expo holding in Munich, Germany, in October.

    The fair, expected to host to over 18,000 visitors from across the global, is regarded as the largest property and investment expo in Europe since 1998.

    The focus this year will be on commercial property: office, retail, hotel, logistics, health, infrastructure and residential property for institutional investors.

    The organisers of the fair, Messe München International and Trade and Fairs Consulting, Germany, are in talks with a Lagos-based public relations company, Niche PR and Events, to recruit participants from the country.

  • World War II bomb defused in Berlin

    A World War II bomb found in Berlin on Wednesday was successfully defused, local media reported.

    The find had disrupted local and national rail service in the German capital around midday as the authorities had to cordon off the site within a 200-metre radius and evacuate local residents.

    The bomb, which has an estimated weight of 100 kilogrammes, was found during street works in the city’s eastern Friedrichshain district early Wednesday, the police said.

    The location of the bomb was between Warschauer Strasse and Ostkreuz stations in an area popular with tourists.

  • NOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL GERMANY CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

    THE fourth edition of the annual Nollywood Film Festival Germany (NFFG) and Nollywood Europe Golden Awards (NEGA) has started to receive entries from filmmakers.

    According to a release from Ehizoya Golden Entertainment, organisers of the event which holds in Frankfurt, Germany, the deadline for registration ends by July 21 while submission of films ends by July 31, 2016.

    While the NFFG offers Nollywood filmmakers a viable platform to showcase their movies to Europeans and Nollywood fans in the Diaspora, NEGA honours Nollywood stake-holders, Nollywood stars, comedians, musicians both in Africa and in the Diaspora.

    Others also honoured include outstanding statesmen and captains of industry who have done well to the admiration of the world. Not left out in the honours list are successful Africans, whose impact have been profound in the culture and tourism sector.

    According to submission guidelines contained in the release, unless a special waiver is granted, films must have been made during the last 24 months preceding the Festival and must not have been shown on internet or TV.

    Also, the Selection Committee only screens the films in DVD (PAL) which must not be less than of 90 minutes or more than 120 minutes duration. The movies must also be subtitled in English if the original version of the film is not in English.

  • Germany shows interest in Nigeria’s gas

    Germany shows interest in Nigeria’s gas

    Nigeria’s quest to expand its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market into Europe received a major boost  yesterday as a visiting German trade delegation indicated interest in the country’s gas supply.

    Leading German investors on a visit to the  Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Towers, Abuja, Vice Minister for Economic Affairs & Energy and Member of the German Parliament, Mr. Uwe Beckmeyer, said the country was seeking development of business relationship to accelerate the supply of LNG especially in the country’s ship building industry.

    Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe,  in a statement yesterday explained that Mr. Beckmeyer, said Nigeria’s LNG would come in handy as the country and other European industrial powers seek to cut down drastically on carbon dioxide (C02) emissions arising from heavy industrial operations since LNG is far friendlier to the environment.

    “We have a lot of interest in LNG and I think this is one special thing we should develop in the next few years. I think there is increasing demand in Europe especially as we seek to reduce emissions. It is useful for both sides to develop this special business relationship,’’ the German Vice-Minister stated.

    Welcoming the delegation, Dr. Kachikwu said the oil and gas industry was ready to embrace the interest for improved business relationship expressed by the German trade delegation noting that the Federal Government is working assiduously with other relevant stakeholders to ensure activation of LNG Trains 7 which would help accommodate potential off-takers from new markets.

  • Germany increases scholarships to Nigerians, others

    Germany increases scholarships to Nigerians, others

    The new Consul-General of the Consulate-General of Germany in Lagos, Mr Ingo Herbert, on Tuesday announced his government’s decision to increase scholarships for Nigerians and other Africans.

    Herbert told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that his government had at its recent bilateral meeting decided to increase its annual scholarships from 450 to “a more reasonable number”.

    “Before now about 450 Nigerians benefit every year from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

    “But from our recent bilateral meeting, the German government has decided to increase its annual scholarships to Nigeria and other countries from 450 to a much more reasonable number,’’ he said.

    Herbert said that the initiative was part of the German’s human development agenda aimed at giving more Africans opportunities to go and study in different German educational institutions.

    The envoy also said that it had become imperative to increase the scholarships following the growing interest of Nigerians and other African in studying in Germany.

    “We have realised that after the U.S. and U.K., most Nigerians and other foreign students like coming to study in Germany,’’ he said.

    The consul-general said that German universities and colleges had started courses in English Language so as to be able to accommodate more Nigerians.

    He restated his government’s commitment to encouraging and creating the right learning environment for the would be beneficiaries of the scholarships.

    Herbert also expressed satisfaction with the successes currently being made by some Nigerians that had benefited from the scholarships in the past in their professions.