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  • National women volleyball team hits Algeria today

    National women volleyball team hits Algeria today

    A contingent of the national women volleyball team, comprising 12 players and four officials, will depart for Algeria today an official has said.

    Adisa Beyioku, Secretary-General of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the contingent would leave for Cairo through an Egypt Air flight. He said the contingent would continue on from there to Algeria to arrive on Feb. 22 for the 2014 FIVB World Championship Qualifiers.

    “The competition is the Women’s Final Phase Qualifiers Group T and is scheduled for Feb. 22 to March 2, with the opening matches on Feb. 23. The Nigerian team is playing its first game against hosts Algeria on Monday, Feb. 24,’’ the NVBF secretary-general said.

    He listed the other teams at the competition as Ghana, DR Congo, Botswana, Cameroon and Egypt.

    “The Nigerian team will face Botswana on Feb. 25, Cameroon on Feb. 26, DR Congo on Feb. 27, Egypt on Feb. 28 and Ghana on March 1.’’

    Beyioku said the Nigerian contingent would be led by the NVBF Technical Director, Mr Tony Eghiemai-Oghuma, as Head of Delegation.

    “Other officials on the delegation are Gloria Ret, Stephen Ekpo and Philo Egbuniwe, while players listed for the competition include Ladi Jalmet, Mercy Promise and Ene Jalmet. The rest players are Bukky Oluwatosin, Adesua Edeke, Esther Dusu, Esther Ahua, Ibironke Enimehin, Chinenye Nwosu, Chimdiya Ibe, Francisca Ikhiede and Nwamaka Okonmah,’’ he said.

    The NVBF secretary-general assured that the team would do its best to make Nigerians proud as it had prepared intensively for the competition.

    “The team has been camped for about three weeks by the federation, and we are confident that the team will not disappoint Nigerians,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the competition in Algeria is Pool 1 of the qualifiers’ final phase, with the Pool 2 already ongoing and scheduled to end in Kenya on Feb. 23.

  • Credit to Nigeria’s economy hits N14tr

    Credit to Nigeria’s economy hits N14tr

    The aggregate banking system credit (net) to the domestic economy grew by 3.4 per cent monthly to N14.09 trillion, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Economic Report for November, last year has said.

    The report also said the figure showed a growth of 4.1 per cent compared with that of the preceding month.

    “The development reflected, largely, the 10.9 and 1.1 per cent increase in claims on both the Federal Government (net) and the private sector.

    “Over the level at end-December 2012, aggregate banking system credit (net) to the domestic economy rose by 10.98 per cent, due largely to the growth of 8.9 per cent in claims on the private sector,” it said.

    It said the banking system’s credit (net) to the Federal Government, on month-on-month basis, grew by 10.9 per cent to negative N2.3 trillion, compared with the growth of 17.0 and 22.9 per cent at the end of the preceding month and the corresponding period of 2012, respectively.

    According to the report, over end-December 2012, net credit to the Federal Government grew by 3.9 per cent, reflecting, largely, the 77.9 per cent increase in the banking system’s holding of government securities.

    “On month-on-month basis, banking system’s credit to the private sector, grew by 1.1 per cent to N16.4 trillion, at end-November 2013, in contrast to the decline of 0.02 per cent at the end of the preceding month,” it said.

    The report noted that, relative to the level at end-December 2012, banking system’s credit to the private sector rose by 8.6 per cent, compared with the 7.5 per cent increase at the end of the corresponding period of 2012.

    It said the development reflected, largely, the 8.3 and 9.8 per cent increase in claims on the core private sector and States and Local Governments, respectively.

    At N8.6 trillion, foreign assets (net) of the banking system at end-November 2013, fell by 2.4 per cent, on month-on-month basis, compared with a decline of 0.3 and 0.35 per cent at the end of the preceding month and corresponding period of 2012, respectively.

    The development was attributed, largely, to the respective decline of 1.5 and 6.4 per cent in the CBN and banks’ holdings of foreign assets. Over the level at end-December 2012, foreign assets (net) of the banking system fell by four per cent.

    “Other assets (net) of the banking system, on a month-on-month basis, fell by 0.6 per cent to negative N8 trillion, at the end of the review period, compared with the decline of 4.5 and 0.5 per cent at the end of the preceding month and the corresponding period of 2012. Over the level at end-December 2012, other assets (net) of the banking system fell by 28.5 per cent,” it said.

  • Shortage of security professionals hits IT

    Global shortage of skilled security professionals has hit the information technology (IT) sector impacting negatively on organisations’ ability to monitor and secure networks.

    It is estimated that there is a shortage of nearly a million skilled security professionals, a situation that has made individuals and several organisations vulnerable to attacks.

    Such attacks are the socially engineered theft of passwords and credentials, hide-in-plain-sight infiltrations, and exploitation of the trust required for economic transactions, government services and social interactions.

    According to the Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report, there is now an increased sophistication and proliferation of the threat landscape as simple attacks that cause damage have given way to organised cybercrime operations that are sophisticated, well-funded, and capable of significant economic and reputational damage to public and private sector victims.

    It also showed that there is increased complexity of threats and solutions due to rapid growth in intelligent mobile device adoption and cloud computing which provide a greater attack surface than ever before. The report lamented that new classes of devices and new infrastructure architectures offer attackers opportunities to exploit unanticipated weaknesses and inadequately defended assets.

    “Cybercriminals have learned that harnessing the power of Internet infrastructure yields far more benefits than simply gaining access to individual computers or devices. These infrastructure-scale attacks seek to gain access to strategically positioned web hosting servers, name servers and data centres—with the goal of proliferating attacks across legions of individual assets served by these resources. By targeting Internet infrastructure, attackers undermine trust in everything connected to or enabled by it,” the report noted.

     

     

     

  • IDB’s support to Nigeria hits $678m

    IDB’s support to Nigeria hits $678m

    ISLAMIC Development Bank (IDB) Vice President Birama Boubacar Sidibe, at the weekend in Abuja, said the bank has devoted $678 million to infrastructural development in Nigeria.

    Sidibe addressed State House correspondents after leading a delegation of IDB Group to a meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo.

    Nigeria is one of the bank’s shareholders.

    He said: “…till date, we have approved $678 million. Half of it, till now, was devoted to financing trade; the rest was on Education, Health, Agriculture and Power, Water and Sanitation.

    “Infrastructure financing in Nigeria, mainly electricity generation and distribution, may lead to the need for connectivity. I mean, highways and railways being given a bigger level of things.”

    On the meeting with the Vice President, he said: “We are here with the Islamic Development Bank Group and I wish to say that Nigeria is one of the most important among the top eight shareholders.

    “We are here to support its development challenge , by bringing the resources, the know-how, the advisory from the multi-dimension aspects of our group.”

    On the power sector, he said: “…because of the ambitious and realistic privatisation programme, we are pleased to learn that the process that led to the selection of private sector operators in Nigeria could be able to be associated as operators in the generation and distribution.”

    “I think this is the best thing that can happen to a country where the energy challenge is there.’’

  • Airtel’s subscriber base hits 25m

    Airtel’s subscriber base hits 25m

    Airtel Nigeria yesterday said it has grown its subscriber base to 25 million, adding that it has simultaneously been growing its capacity to offer superior service quality to its customers with its advanced technology of 3.57G.

    Speaking at the launch of a new thematic campaign it tagged, ‘Come Alive’ at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, its Chief Executive Officer, Segun Ogunsanya, said the telco has invested massively on the network, adding that it is now present at all the nooks and crannies of the country.

    He said the telco, being global fourth operator, has left its indelible footprint on the sand of time with innovative and superior services at costs that are usually pocket-friendly to its customers.

    Speaking about the new campaign, Ogunsanya said it effectively summarizes its brand promise of empowering Nigerians to realize their full potentials and dreams, enabling youth and the young-at-heart to Come Alive and to stay in touch with their family, loved ones and friends with the latest and most innovative mobile Internet and digital value offerings.

    It also said it is committed to exciting telecoms consumers, creating the right digital environment for them to succeed and empowering young Nigerians to express themselves, share their stories, connect with the rest of the world, inspire other people and practically blaze the trail in their respective endeavours.

    The new campaign, which rides notably on the crest of Airtel’s 3.75G data network highlights the company’s role as an enabler for an enriched digital experience and in assisting young Nigerians and telecoms consumers actualize their dreams by staying connected with the right community of friends, families and associates anytime, anywhere and through a robust bouquet of mobile internet package and innovative digital value offerings.

    Ogunsanya said the company is committed to empowering young Nigerians with the latest and most innovative package and exciting digital experience.

    According to Ogunsanya, Nigerian youths are highly talented, resourceful, innovative, hardworking and resilient people, also noting that Airtel is well-positioned to enable young Nigerians and the youth-at-heart to create success stories for their life ambitions.

    He said: “We have come a long way in preparing for this moment that Nigerians can be proud of. As a youth-focused, mobile Internet network, actualizing dreams can only be more realistic with us.”

    Also speaking, Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Deepak Srivastava, reiterated the company’s commitment to providing innovative, exciting and pocket-friendly products and offerings that will further allow subscribers on the network achieve success in all areas of interest.

  • Boko Haram hits Nigeria hard at 53

    Nigeria was preparing to celebrate its 53rd Independence anniversary when it happened. Even though the event has become a yearly ritual, those in government place a store in its celebration. At times, when they read the nation’s mood and see that the people are not happy with them, they will say the celebration will be low key. When they are riding high with the people, they spare no expenses in celebrating the anniversary. Whether low or high key celebration, the truth is they waste public fund on it.

    To those in power, this jamboree is not a waste, but a necessity which must be marked, come what may. The Independence anniversary cannot go unsung, no matter what, except perhaps, if something untoward happens to one of our mighty men of power. That is when it will dawn on them that there is need to cancel the celebration. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in marking our National Day, but I believe that we should know where to draw the line when certain things happen in the society.

    Leaders who care about their people feel for them in every way. When the people are happy, they are happy, when the people are sad, they share in their sorrow. Those are leaders, who sleep and think about their people because they know that the power they wield flows from the people. In Nigeria, our leaders are too far from us to appreciate our worth. They know that they can get to power without our votes because they can rig elections and still declare them free and fair. To them, the people do not count, but they pretend that we do.

    Most times, we fall for their tricks. Or is it their sweet tongues? With sweet words, they woo us to vote for them and where in some cases, we do not, they use underhand tactics to get the votes and with a pliable electoral umpire they are returned as winners and the real winners declared the losers.

    Nobody is a second class citizen in this country. The president was born the same way other citizens of this country were born. One’s lowly birth should not make him a second class citizen and those born with silver spoon should not see themselves as superior to others.

    We should all learn a lesson from the humble background of President Goodluck Jonathan. We heard the story from him when he told us the harsh conditions under which he went to school. He had no shoes, he said, when he was going to school. He also had no bag as his bare hands served that purpose. Today, as Providence will have it, he is our president. Now, the days of no shoes are behind him and we thank God for that. We have many others like that in other high offices in the land. Many of them have forgotten those days of little beginning, contrary to the teaching of the scripture, but some still remember and tread with caution.

    The beauty of a grass to grace story is the lucky person’s remembrance of where he is coming from and the uncommon favour he found with God. He is not the only person, especially in a country like ours with a population of over 160 million and counting, before he was singled out for such favour. His remembrance of this is expected to temper his attitude and guide him in everything he does.

    But, what do we see often times? People tend to forget their background and turn themselves to tin gods, oppressing members of the class they once belonged to. That is what power and money do to people, especially the unwise, who forget that vanity upon vanity all is vanity. Did we come to the world with power? No. Did we come with money? No. Will we go with our power and money? No. We came with nothing and we will return with nothing.

    Boko Haram, the dreaded Is

    lamic fundamentalist, which

    believes that “education is a sin” has been on the loose now for over four years. The group has rebuffed all peace entreaties, perhaps, because it feels it has what it takes to pursue its devilish agenda. It has been killing, maiming and looting and there are no signs yet that it will soon stop. The Federal Government went out of its way to court the group, yet it did not embrace this hand of fellowship. This misguided group has turned itself into a terror in the land. The Northeast has since lost its peace to Boko Haram’s hideous activities.

    Between 2009 and now, it is believed to have killed over 3000 and the group, it appears is not done yet. In the days ahead, it is likely to kill more people. Boko Haram, for reasons best known to it, is waging a war against society. Granted that a mistake was made in the extra judicial killing of its leader, Yusuf Muhammed in 2009 has the group not killed, enough people in retaliation all these years? Should it not cease fire now and allow peace to reign? Does it think that these senseless killings will bring its leader back to life? Boko Haram has bitten more than it can chew, but unfortunately, it seems the government lacks the will to stop the group.

    The group is emboldened by the government’s seeming helplessness in the face of its atrocities, which it is in no hurry to end. As long as Boko Haram can kill people with ease in the Borno – Yobe axis, it will continue to carry out this dastardly act until it is dislodged by superior force. With what the group did on Sunday, some 48 hours to the celebration of our 53rd Independence anniversary, there is no need to beg it to lay down its arms again. If the group knows how to kill, the government too should devise means of stopping it from carrying out these fatal acts. Or is the government saying that Boko Haram cannot be stopped?

    The government should not give the impression that Boko Haram is such a fiend that it cannot match it guns for guns. What the group did on Sunday was to challenge us all to a duel. What Boko Haram did on Sunday was not new, but to have done it on the eve of the country’s 53rd anniversary is a challenge not only to the government but to the society at large. Boko Haram is spoiling for a fight with the people and I think it is high time we gave it to the group. We have appealed to it, we have cajoled it, yet it keeps on killing school children. It is time for the government to remove its gloves and fight Boko Haram with bare knuckles. What it did on Sunday is not different from what some militants did on October 1, 2010, when they stormed the Eagle Square in Abuja with bombs during the celebration of our 50th Independence anniversary.

    If we are a nation that values hu

    man life, what happened on

    Sunday was enough to have stopped us from celebrating the 53rd Independence anniversary. But the government appeared unmoved by the cutting down of some of its youths in their prime. If anybody in government had a child or two in the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Yobe State, would it have reacted in the lukewarm way that it did? We don’t pray for tragedies, but when they happen, we should be able to show concern as human beings because of the casualties. The families of the slain students will forever see those in government as a bunch of uncaring and inhuman people.

    To show feelings with those in grief is not a sign of weakness on the part of those in government. Rather, it shows that they too are human and know how it feels when people die, especially in such barbaric circumstance. Being in power should not make us lose our sense of humanity. We will leave office one day, but we will continue to live in the midst of people until our time comes to go. Would the president have lost anything if he had cancelled his media chat that night in memory of the slain students? Would we have lost anything as a nation if we had cancelled the Independence anniversary celebration? We would have lost nothing because there will be other anniversaries to celebrate.

    But those who died in that gory circumstance will not die twice. So, it would have been befitting to honour the dead by cancelling last Sunday night’s Presidential Media Chat, considering the circumstances under which they died. If somebody high up in government had been involved, that chat may not have taken place. Even Tuesday’s celebration would have been called off, no matter the amount already spent on preparations. Remember, we nearly skinned former President Shehu Shagari alive for travelling abroad when the NECOM House was on fire during the Second Republic. So, which is worse travelling abroad when a public building was on fire or celebrating the National Day when over 40 of your citizens were killed.

    If people in high places could bellyache that some people did not pay them condolence visit over the death of their beloved ones, I think we should also not keep quiet when government fails to honour its massacred citizens, no matter how lowly they may be. Every human life is precious, whether that of the poor or the rich. Otherwise, the rich will not cry because certain people did not visit them personally when they were bereaved.

  • PDP crisis hits Jonathan’s home

    The Biblical refrain that a prophet is known save in his own place takes a resonance in the ongoing crisis of identity in the Peoples Democratic Party. The initial anxiety in the ruling party rose in the seven states where the governors inspired fissures and a turbulent schism. Analysts had viewed this as a geo-political statement depriving the president of a playground in key parts of the North as well as in Rivers State, a pivotal Niger Delta hot spot, where Governor Rotimi Amaechi has manifested an independence of spirit.

    This week the crisis came home to roost, literally, in Bayelsa State, which should ordinarily stand as a fortress for Jonathan. Loyalists to former governor Timipre Sylva stirred some rumpus when President Goodluck Jonathan rallied his supporters to a meeting with a view to solidifying his hold on the state. Some of Sylva’s loyalists ran a full page advertisement in some newspapers pillorying the high-handedness of the president.

    They were victims of the Jonathan dispensation in Bayelsa State, when the president manipulated the machinery of state and the party to disenfranchise Sylva’s supporters, imposed a candidate in Seriake Dickson in whom Jonathan was well-pleased, and set up an aggressive military machine for a kangaroo election. The police, army, air force and navy, in a proverbial use of a sledge hammer on a fly, imposed a governor. Before that, President Jonathan lied he knew nothing about it before he confessed that he knew everything about it in a shameless political rally.

    “Let the old PDP of impunity and injustice pass away,” proclaimed the advertisement, “and a new dawn break over Nigeria with the new authentic PDP. Nigeria has never been more divided. The Niger Delta has never been more divided. Bayelsa State has never been more divided. The new authentic PDP is our only hope. Let’s keep promises! That’s what Ijaws are known for.”

    The president, in trying to put his party in order, must develop charity, which has not begun at home.

  • Mikel hits South Africa Tuesday

    Mikel hits South Africa Tuesday

    Chelsea star Mikel Obi will join the Super Eagles on Tuesday ahead of a friendly against hosts South Africa in Durban.

    Mikel, who has been busy with his club’s pre-season build-up in the USA, said he will leave London for South Africa on Monday night.

    “I will be in South Africa on Tuesday morning because I will leave London Monday night. It will be an interesting game for both sides as we have World Cup qualifiers coming up soon,” Mikel told MTNFootball.com.

    He played a pivotal role when Nigeria won a third AFCON title in South Africa in February.

    Meanwhile, Elderson Echiejile was one of the early birds in South Africa ahead of this Mandela Challenge match as he flew into the country Saturday morning.

    The Sporting Braga of Portugal star said on his official website www.elderson3.com that Wednesday’s match venue Durban reminds him of his first goal for the Eagles against Mali in the semi-final of the AFCON.

    He also said he remembers the beautiful 85,000-capacity Moses Mbhida Stadium as well as the energetic Zulu dance that preceded the match against Mali in February.

    The bulk of the Eagles squad are due in South Africa this morning.

    Wednesday’s friendly will kick off at 6.30 pm Nigerian time.

  • Flyover: Ajimobi hits back at Ladoja

    Flyover: Ajimobi hits back at Ladoja

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has slammed former Governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, for his criticism of the newly-built Mokola flyover.

    He said he displayed ignorance in a construction matter in his bid to score cheap and undeserved political points.

    Ladoja criticised the bridge in an interview, saying erection of barriers restricting heavy-duty lorries and articulated vehicles from it means it is not strong. He also decried the cost of the bridge and compared it to the one built by the Ogun State Government, which, according to him, was cheaper.

    But Governor Ajimobi, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Mr. Kayode Adepoju, a civil engineer, faulted the former governor and said his criticism was based on bitter politics and not to serve any good purpose.

    Adepoju at the weekend picked holes in Ladoja’s argument, saying the erection of a barrier is to prevent articulated trucks from constituting a nuisance in the event that they break down or skid off the one-lane bridge.

    He said: “It is as if the former governor is out to misguide the people with misinformation, which portrays the old man as somebody with little or no knowledge about the essence of a flyover.

    “Former Governor Ladoja doesn’t understand the difference between the usual bridge built over a river and a flyover.

    “As an engineer of many years with a name to protect, I can’t be here superintending a sub-standard construction. So, it is wrong and uncharitable to conclude that barriers are put on the bridge to avoid its collapse. What purpose will the bridge serve if an articulated truck should break down on it or fall on the ones plying the main road under the bridge?”

    Stressing that it is wrong to compare two structures built in two places as Ladoja had done in his comparison of the Mokola, Ibadan bridge with the one in Abeokuta, he said besides the difference in the length of the two bridges, the cost was also different because of the anxillaries that accompanied the one built in Ibadan at a cost of N2.9 billion.

    Adepoju said the construction firm, which handled the project, the Chinese Construction Company (CECC), is a firm owned by the Chinese government and not connected with any politician.

    He said besides being a bigger construction firm than most popular construction firms operating in Nigeria, its proposal was the cheapest for both the bridge and the anxillaries as noted earlier when the job was to be awarded.

    “We have no regret working with the company. Its delivery is satisfactory,” Adepoju said.

  • ASIA PRE-SEASON TOUR FALLOUT: Moses hits London today

    ASIA PRE-SEASON TOUR FALLOUT: Moses hits London today

    Super Eagles forward, Victor Moses and his Chelsea mates are expected to arrive London today having left the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia and were on their way back to London last night.

    The Blues earlier on Thursday hammered BNI Indonesian All-Stars 8-1 in their final pre-season game of Asia tour.

    A statement on the club’s official twitter account “revealed that the team will be flying home straight after the game to prepare for the second leg of pre-season in USA against Joel Obi’s Inter Milan in Indianapolis on Thursday 1 August 2013.

    “Everybody is on board and the plane will shortly leave Jakarta bound for London. Thank you Indonesia for your amazing support,”the statement on Chelsea official Twitter account read in part.