The Nation Newspaper

Tag: misleading

  • Bosso warns players: Away win can be misleading

    Bosso warns players: Away win can be misleading

    Abia Warriors Technical Adviser, Ladan Bosso, has cautioned his players not to be carried away with their 1-0 away win over city rivals Enyimba FC at the Abia Township Stadium last weekend.

    The newly promoted side became the first club in the Glo Premier League to win an away game this season through a 35th minute goal from Cletus Itodo.

    Bosso told SportingLife that his focus is how to work on the team to maintain such performances in the subsequent matches.

    The former Bayelsa United coach admitted that African players don’t know how to manage success and thereby warned his wards not to over celebrate the victory over the Peoples’ Elephants.

    “The win is an act of God. We worked for it and God crowns our efforts. The people should not use that match to judge our team because such a result can be misleading sometimes. The point now is how to maintain such performance against Enyimba FC in our subsequent games,” Bosso told SportingLife.

    “I have learnt a lesson from what happened in the game between Nembe City and Heartland FC last season. Nembe City as a newcomers defeated Heartland FC in their first away match in Owerri but at the end of the day, Nembe City laboured to maintain their league status. It was the last league game victory that saved Nembe City from relegation. When I remembered that I restrict myself from unnecessary celebration.

    “Again, typical African players, especially Nigeria players don’t know how to manage success. We are still working on players mentality so that they can maintain such superb performance against Enyimba FC in our subsequent matches.

    “I want to thank Abia State government, our management and the fans for their support. I want them to keep supporting us.”

    When asked whether Abia Warriors is now king in Aba, Bosso added: “I don’t look at it that way. I came here to work for Abia Warriors and not to look at the king or queen in the state. My primary objective is to deliver.”

  • Reports on piracy misleading, says NIMASA boss

    Reports of attacks on ships on the nation’s territorial waters are sometimes exaggerated, the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, has said.

    He told members of the House of Representatives Committee on Marine Transport that NIMASA is collaborating with some security agencies to stem criminality.

    The NIMASA boss said the collaboration with the Navy and the Air Force had helped to reduce attacks on ships and cargoes.

    “Not all the cases of reported hijacks, piracy and robbery on our waters are genuine. Some of these cases are hyped to undermine us and shore-up insurance premium to Nigeria. I am not saying that piracy does not occur in our domain, but it is exaggerated. We are working tirelessly to reduce piracy and illicit crimes on our waterways to the barest minimum through these collaborative efforts,” he said.

    Akpobolokemi said NIMASA under his watch was committed to positioning Nigeria as the best maritime nation in Africa, by 2020.

    He said the budget performance of NIMASA in terms of revenue generation showed an improved performance as at October 31, when compared to last year’s, indicating that the agency is set to meet its target before the end of the fiscal year.

    urged the Federal Government to formulate and implement good policies that will galvanise the required change in the nation’s maritime sector.

    Akpobolokemi urged domestic and foreign investors to invest in the nation’s maritime sector as over 5,300 vessels called at the nation’s sea ports last year.

    Also delivering a paper on the Maritime Sector: Gateway to Nigeria’s economic transformation at the event organised by the Maritime Reporters Association (MARAN) in Lagos, Akpobolokemi, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mr Isichei Osamgbi, urged government’s agencies operating in the maritime sector to synergise to boost the sector.

    He said with appropriate synergy and information sharing, the sector would be transformed and yield huge revenue for the country.

    Akpobolokemi praised the National Assembly for its plan to amend the Cabotage Act and make it adaptive to the nation’s maritime industry.

    He listed the achievements of the agency during the period under review to include enhanced safety and security of the maritime domain through regular patrols, building a corps of qualified maritime professionals under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) scheme, establishment of Institutes of Maritime Studies in four universities, establishment of a Maritime University, establishment of a Science and Technical College and construction of a ship yard and dock yard.

    Others are regular funding of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, recruitment of qualified professionals in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Audit requirements, enhanced flag and port state administration, submission of the instruments of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 to the International Labour Organisation and procurement of boats through a PPP arrangement to boost enforcement.

    Appraising the agency’s performances, the Committee commended the budget performance of NIMASA this year.

    Its Chairman, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi noted that the management of the agency has been spending more on capital projects than overhead and described the step as a necessity and good omen if all sectors of the nation’s economy are to move forward.

    Ugwuanyi said his commitment will continue to support NIMASA in order to ensure maximum efficiency in the transformation of the maritime sector.

    The Committee also applauded the NSDP of NIMASA as a veritable tool for wealth creation and pledged its unflinching support for youth development in the sector.

    Speaking on the Cabotage Act, Ugwuanyi, however, said the committee had noted the concerns of the agency for an amendment to the law to make it more adaptable to the Nigerian maritime realities.

    He said: “We have noted your concerns about the Cabotage Act and have already made a presentation to the House Committee on Rules and Business. Very soon, the amendments will be presented to the House for consideration.”

    The Chairman however, urged NIMASA to support the aspiration of MAN towards transforming into a degree awarding institution, as that would further enhance capacity development in the maritime sector.

  • ‘Minister misleading Nigerians on employment figure’

    Edo State House of Assembly’s Majority Leader Phillip Shuaibu yesterday said the economic policies of the Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is an “imperialist system” which misleads President Goodluck Jonathan and the nation.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker, who addressed reporters in Benin, the state capital, berated the Federal Government for its inability to curb the theft of crude oil, despite the huge budget for security on the waterways.

    At a recent global Conference on Emerging Democracies in Africa, organised by the National Institute of Legislative Studies in Abuja, the Finance Minister said “youth unemployment a rate in Nigeria stood at 37 per cent”.

    Shuaibu said: “Dr Okonji-Iweala owes the youth an apology for misleading and feeding Nigerians with fake information. She probably lacks pity for graduates, some of who have stayed for about 17 years without jobs because they don’t know any commissioner or minister closely.

    “I think the Federal Government is not cutting its coat according to its size. This is because of information I have gathered. The government is having serious problems managing its greed. It is spending more than it is supposed to.

    “I honestly think the minister of Finance is the problem we are having today. She is deceiving Mr President and the country. She is an agent of imperialists and she has an agenda to destroy this country. I am very sure of my statement.”

  • Claims misleading, says Presidency

    Claims misleading, says Presidency

    THE Presidency yesterday alleged of a grand plan by the opposition to mislead the public, discredit the Office of President Goodluck Jonathan, and cause disaffection within the polity.

    Presidential spokesman Dr. Rueben Abati, who made the allegation, said there was an emerging pattern of disinformation and politics by trickery, orchestrated by National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    He was reacting to the ACN claim that the policies of the PDP-controlled Federal Government could scuttle democracy.

    But Abati said the ACN claim was to pit the Presidency against Nigerians.

    The statement reads: “In a previous press statement, we had pointed out that a well organized campaign by the opposition designed to mislead the public, discredit the person and office of President Goodluck Jonathan, and cause disaffection within the polity appears to be well afoot.

    “That there is an emerging pattern of disinformation and politics by trickery, orchestrated by Lai Mohammed and his ilk which is unsuitable to our democratic experience is now no longer in doubt.

    “We have been proven right, once more, with the deliberate disinformation engaged in today by the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    “Recall that last week, we were regaled with the publication of a fictitious Presidential directive on Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC and other matters which turned out to be a dubious bromide containing nothing more than a mishmash of carefully arranged and concocted lies, presented to the public as evidence of a document emanating from the presidency.

    “A press conference in Lagos, this thanksgiving Sunday, addressed by Alhaji Lai Mohammed continued this pattern when he alleged that the Federal Government was deliberately promoting policies that will plunge the nation into crisis with the objective of scuttling the 2015 elections.

    “He tried to exploit real challenges confronting the nation by instilling fear in the populace through the use of unrelated events; hoping to use such patterns and trends to build a conspiratorial case. Like all conspiracies, the case made fell quickly like a pack of cards when confronted with the facts.

    “It is a fact that President Goodluck Jonathan has presided over major elections since his assumption of office – the 2011 general elections, the 2012 state gubernatorial elections in Edo, Kogi, Adamawa, Sokoto, Cross River and Bayelsa as well as other elections in different parts of the country; which were all adjudged by local and international observers as free, fair and peaceful.

    “Indeed, President Jonathan’s commitment to electoral reforms which is founded on the ‘one man-one vote’ ethos underscores the administration’s belief and commitment to an emerging political culture that is inclusive, participatory and transparent.”

    The Presidential spokesman said Mohammed’s allegations were similar to those heard ahead of the elections referenced above.

    He denied allegation that an oil pipeline protection contract has been awarded to serve as a smokescreen to fund activities that would create chaos in the South-West.

    “Fact is, no such contract was ever awarded by this administration,” Abati said.

    The Abati statement further reads: “The more alarming aspect of the disingenuous press conference was the deliberate attempt to exploit religious and ethnic differences amongst citizens to create a state of siege and fear ahead of the 2015 elections.

    “This was clear in the use of the national Boko Haram crisis and the ‘terror-baiting’ of the populace. Is the ACN hatching a plot of electoral violence through auto-suggestion?”

    Abati urged the opposition to constructively engage the government of the day on issues of national importance in its legitimate search for political power.