The Nation Newspaper

Tag: missing

  • Entrepreneurship, the missing factor

    SIR: The grief and fear of low or inconsistency of pension and retirement benefits, the terror of not having steady salary and other domestic challenges mostly lead our retirees to a short life span after retirement.

    More than 90% of those that tried to start up a business usually fails because of lack of financial literacy. Our country is blessed with variety of natural resources.  We are front runners in the continent as an economic power. We are the giant of Africa; we have several opportunities at our disposal.

    Universities and colleges taught us to become good employees so that we can have good and secure jobs but nothing is taught on  entrepreneurship. Although most universities are trying to bring entrepreneurship courses into our curriculum but  they are entirely different from what it is in real sense.

    Nigerian government has failed to provide employment for its citizens; the rate of unemployment continues to rise as new entrants graduate from our institutions with no certainty of having employment.

    No graduate has to die seeking for employment . Let us seek entrepreneurship education so that we can exploit the God-given gifts our dear country is endowed with.

    The sky should be our beginning towards making our country a better one .

    • Ahmad Shehu Kano,

    Kano State

  • Onazi missing in Lazio’s defeat

    Onazi missing in Lazio’s defeat

    Super Eagles midfielder Ogenyi Onazi was not listed in the Lazio  squad that was swept aside 3-1 by Hannover in Germany on Sunday.

    The Nigeria international sprained his ankle in the second round World Cup fixture against France and he has spent one month on the sidelines, before he resumed training with the rest of the squad a couple of weeks ago.

    But the Nigerian international was left out of the game by coach Stefano Pioli for reasons best known to him.

    Stefano Pioli threw the two new signings Marco Parolo and Stefan De Vrij full in from the start at the HDI-Arena against a team ready to start the Bundesliga next weekend.

    The hosts broke through after 21 minutes when Marcelo rose above the crowd to nod in a corner kick.

    Leonardo Bittencourt pounced on  a Michael Ciani error, but lobbed off target with only Federico Marchetti to beat.

    Antonio Candreva wasn’t so fortunate,as his howler did lead to a goal, Bittencourt rolling across for the unmarked Lars Stindl.

    Leon Andreasen’s header skimmed the woodwork and Joselu failed to make the most of a Marchetti howler, but the goalkeeper did better when parrying Bittencourt’s curler.

    Lazio’s first chance of the game was after 55 minutes, as the goalkeeper managed to block Filip Djordjevic’s audacious backheel flick on the line.

    Keita Balde Diao came off the bench and was brought down by Christian Schulz for a penalty, which Cristian Ledesma converted.

    However, Hannover restored their two-goal cushion with Stindl getting on the end of a long ball.

  • Obi missing in Inter’s loss to Man Utd

    Joel Obi’s regular run in Inter Milan’s pre-season games came to a halt on Tuesday when he was left on the bench for the entire duration of his team’s 5-3 loss to Manchester United on penalties with scores deadlocked at 0-0 after extra time.

    Obi prior to the game has played in all of Inter’s pre-season games, posting impressive showings that drew praises from manager Walter Mazzari and made the club stall on a deal for Chilean midfielder Gary Medel.

    However, in Tuesday’s game youngster Rhene Krhin was preferred ahead of the Nigerian as opposed to other games new signing Yann M’Villa usually Obi’s pair in midfield was brought on in place of Krhin.

    It is still unknown if the 23-year-old picked up a knock or if he is carrying any injury  prior to the game but he was listed among the team’s substitute.

    The match ended 0-0 needing penalties to separate the teams and Darren Fletcher sealed the win for Manchester United after Inter Milan defender Marco Andreolli struck the crossbar with his effort.

  • Nine-year after; family still in search of missing member

    These are not the best of times for the Ejiofor family of Owerri,  Imo State in South-eastern Nigeria,

    The past nine years have brought neither sadness nor joy to the family members following the sudden disappearance of one of them, Emeka Charles Ejiofor.

    Their shining star Emeka, an Engineer and employee of an oil company, was declared missing in 2005 and had remained out of sight ever since.

    Even though they have assurances from spiritualists and ‘prayer warriors’ that Emeka is still alive and would return home, nine years of waiting in vain for this ‘revelation’ to come to pass has done little to lift their spirit.

    Speaking to “The Nation” in Ondo town, on behalf of the distressed family, Emeka’s sibling, Nnamdi lamented their inability to locate the whereabouts of his 49 year old brother.

    He was said to be hale and hearty before the unfortunate incident happened.

    According to him, the information obtained by the family revealed that Emeka left his house located at Ekeremo community, Bayelsa state, for his place of work on the fateful day, when he ran into a riot which broke out in the community.

    He said as a result of the pandemonium his brother (Emeka) reportedly ran away from the spot to another place for the purpose of seeking refuge.

    Nnamdi, however hinted that the family was told of how some people suspected to be assassins ran towards his brother apparently in a bid to kill him, but he was able to escape from the hands of the killers.

    Though Emeka was said to have been saved from his attackers, but his whereabouts later became an issue, because he could not be found since then and all efforts made by family members to contact him have proved futile.

    Nnamdi amid tears said:”Our brother, Emeka was said to be hale and hearty and had gone to his place of work, when he ran into a riotous crowd on the fateful day.

    “He was said to have managed to escape from the scene when he noticed that some of the rioters, were coming towards his direction with the intention to hurt him.

    “Although, he was said to have escaped from his attackers, Emeka was yet to return home since year 2005 when the incident occurred, all efforts made to unravel the circumstances leading to his disappearance, had proved abortive.

    None of his colleagues in his last place of work and members of the family has been able to establish any link with him.

    “We have lodged complaints with the police, visited many hospital morgues and sought spiritual assistance in several places of worship, yet we still could not get favourable result” he stated.

    Nnamdi explained that, although family members have received several assurances and spiritual revelations, stressing that he (Emeka) was not dead and would return home one day,

    The failure of the revelation to come to fruition since 2005 has been a source of worry to the entire family, children and wife of the missing man leaving them in a state of despair.

    While appealing to well meaning individuals, security agencies, religious organisations to come the aid of the Ejiofors in their search for their son, Nnamdi said anyone who has useful information that could lead to the whereabout of the missing Emeka could contact him on telephone no 08146525611

  • Missing WTF Grand Prix, a major setback, says Chukwumerije

    After missing out from the last World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Grand Prix in China, three-time Olympian, Chika Chukwumerije admits  this might affect the country’s chance of qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Excerpts:

    What does missing the WTF Grand Prix mean to you personally?

    Irrevocable loss of funds, time and hard work – with the first two being very limited resources.

    What impact will it have on the country’s chances of qualifying for the Rio Olympics?

    Missing a G4 tournament is not funny at all, because winning it will send one up the charts by as much as 10 – 15 slots. It means we would have to invest more to win back those ranking points – that means more competitions to attend, extension of training time, increase in the mental and emotional stress that it takes to be focused.

    We cannot afford for our National Taekwondo athletes to miss the majors. Don’t miss the Africa Games, the World Championships, the Grand Prix, and do not miss the G-2s. If we do that and do relatively well, we will have two or three people automatically in the Olympics. It is that straightforward.

    What is the implication of this on your career?

    After a decade of this up-hill battle, one feels like giving up. Probably Thomas Edison would frown and remind me of his words that, “many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up”, but it does not change how frustrating it gets to work so hard and feel like one’s efforts are being emptied into a black hole.

    It is demoralising to compete against opponents who have committed resources – dedicated funds, dedicated training spaces, dedicated support training staff etc. We might be just as talented, but it is definitely not a level playing field.

    Nonetheless, I have shaken off the disappointment. There is a whole new generation of young taekwondo athletes coming up and being inspired. We must keep showing them the way through our examples, and the first example would be “never to give up even though the going is always tough”. We will keep working towards set goals one step at a time.

    What is the response of WTF to your complaints?

    The WTF did everything right – sent info on time, got Nigeria registered once we acknowledged on time, and provided the platform to engage the host organisers in order to participate. Thus, it was not an issue for the WTF. It was a mistake from the official representative of the China Taekwondo Association, and it won’t be fair to bring the WTF in on this. What has happened has happened; we can only learn from it and ensure it does not happen again.

  • Nigeria’s missing schoolgirls

    Nigeria’s missing schoolgirls

    Islamist extremists from the Boko Haram sect have a five-year record of atrocities. In the impoverished northeast of Nigeria they have murdered schoolchildren, attacked mosques and churches and this year slaughtered villagers in their hundreds – in the pursuit of imposing strict Islamic law on a multi-ethnic and multi-faith nation.

    In the past three weeks they have carried out two bomb attacks in a crowded neighbourhood of Abuja, the capital, signalling a fresh bid to broaden their impact after a period in which they have been largely confined to the remote northeast. Nearly 100 people died in both attacks, the latest of which comes days before Abuja is due to host business leaders and politicians from across the continent and beyond at a World Economic Forum conference.

    The militants’ sobriquet translates as “western education is forbidden”. No crime they have committed in that name has traumatised the country quite like the abduction of 270 schoolgirls on April 14. The girls, aged between 16 and 18, were preparing to sit exams when they were taken from school hostels late at night. About 50 escaped. It is thought that the militants initially took the rest to a forest redoubt. Subsequent reports suggest some may have been trafficked into Chad and Cameroon and forced to “marry” the insurgents as sex slaves.

    There is no easy way to combat an enemy willing to use such tactics. But the mass abduction, together with the bombings in Abuja, have exposed the limitations of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency strategy and greatly undermined public confidence in the capacity of the state.

    Nigerians have understandably been outraged at the girls’ disappearance, incensed by ineffectual efforts to find and free them and upset at an initial lack of international support – which some have contrasted to global efforts to track down the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. That is changing. A Twitter campaign under the hashtag “bringbackourgirls” is drawing global attention. Both Britain and the US have offered assistance. The Nigerian military is now reportedly deploying more troops in addition to those struggling to police a state of emergency in the worst affected states.

    Meanwhile, the tragic plight of the girls has united Nigerians in demanding a more effective response to the threat posed by Boko Haram. President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration can build on this sentiment to make the case for a more comprehensive approach to the crisis.

    His administration has committed ever greater resources for defence – now twice those allocated to national education. But his military strategy to contain the insurgency is insufficient given the magnitude of the threat. This is exacerbating divisions between the predominately Muslim north and mostly Christian south, and poisoning national politics just when Nigeria should be capitalising on its new status as Africa’s largest economy.

    More troops are clearly needed to protect villages and schools and to pursue Boko Haram in the bush. Belatedly, the government is putting together a relief fund to help victims of the violence.

    This should be buttressed with a well-resourced, and publicised development plan to address the economic malaise of the north. This has worsened in parallel with a surge in pockets of relative affluence in the south and contributed to the radicalisation of parts of the population. The government should also intensify efforts alongside northern political, traditional and religious elites to deradicalise and reintegrate militants while isolating the hard core of terrorists.

    The battle will inevitably be long. But Nigerians need to feel as though the state is winning. For now, they do not.

    -Financial Times

  • Dikko fires 13 Customs officers over ‘missing’ containers

    Thirteen Customs officers have been relieved of their jobs for allegedly sabotaging the efforts of the Comptroller-General Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi in making the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) work.

    The PAAR was introduced last month after the Federal Government declined to renew the contract of the three service providers handling Destination Inspection at the ports.

    The affected officers, it was learnt, were dismissed at the Tin Can Island Command in Apapa, Lagos, last week for taking advantage of the new regime to “fly” 40 containers out of the ports without proper examination and necessary documentation.

    “Fly” in maritime parlance is stealing of cargoes.

    The goods, sources said, were worth over N150 million.

    Contacted, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Tahir Musa confirmed the sack of the officers, saying 14 officers were fingered in the sabotage, but one was freed and re-instated after investigation.

    While addressing stakeholders at the Apapa Customs Command last week, Musa explained the challenges facing the Customs in implementing the PAAR. He said more than 99,300 Risk Assessment Reports (RAR) were transferred to the Customs by the former service providers, adding that the huge number of the RARs is creating problems in the issuance of PAAR on imported goods.

    “You are aware that the first PAAR was generated by Customs within 58 minutes of upload, but now, because of these 99,000 plus, we found out that PAARs are not coming out as anticipated, that is the reason we are here today, to tell you the problem we are facing.”

    He appealed to the stakeholders to support the Customs to sustain the PAAR regime, saying it is aimed at facilitating trade and reduce the time spent on cargo release from the ports.

    The Assistant Comptroller in charge of Modernisation and Research, Iya Abubakar, alleged that some of the 99,300 RARs were fabricated, adding that some saboteurs were trying to take advantage of the new situation to create problems.

    He alleged that most of the RARs were generated illegally after the Customs had taken over from the service providers.

    “From Apapa, I have seen RARs that were presented and were generated on December 2, wondering how that could be possible. “We know it is not true, but all the same, since you are complaining, management is saying that we should go ahead, but we know it is a lie, the pipe was closed on November 30, so how did the service providers generate your own RAR on December 2,” he querried.

    He said: “Importers who have already processed their documents and whose RARs are pending in the banks and could not be transmitted to NICIS platform as at November 30, 2013 by the service providers, are directed to access their RARs from the authorised dealer banks and commence processing of their goods.”

    Abubakar urged stakeholders to take advantage of this opportunity and get their cargoes released on or before January 31, 2014.

  • ‘N84b missing from education board’

    A judicial Panel of Enquiry set up by the Abia State government to look into the activities of the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) has alleged that N84 billion was missing from the coffers of the board from 1991 to 2012.

    It said since the board came into existence, it had received N97 billion and had spent about N13 billion on building, renovation and equipping of primary schools.

    Presenting its report to Governor Theodore Orji in Umuahia, panel Chairman Justice Ken Wosu said it was regrettable that despite its huge resources, it had little or nothing to show due to the alleged fraud.

    He said its finances were enough to turn the fortunes of the education sector around.

    Justice Wosu urged the governor to implement the recommendations of the panel and ensure that those culpable were brought to book.

    The panel chairman told the governor that of the N97 billion the board had received since 1991, ASUBEB had spent N13 billion to execute capital projects.

    He said: “We recommend a halt of the projects by the board.”

    Justice Wosu said funding was not the problem but rather ‘’poor management over the years. The chief executives, who have worked in the board since inception, should be held responsible for the mismanagement.”

    He said the fraud increased between 2002 and 2005 when contracts were awarded indiscriminately to friends and cronies of government.

    On April 15, Governor Orji inaugurated the Judicial Panel of Enquiry into ASUBEB to look into the activities of the board from 1991 to last December.

    The panel said most of the board’s funding was generated from the Federal Government, Abia State, UBEC, ETF, UNICEF and other donor agencies.

    Governor Orji thanked the panel, assuring them that government would act on its report.

    Orji said the panel was not set up to victimise anyone. He said the public demanded a probe.

    The governor said: “After years of existence, it is painful that a board, which should have improved the sector, has failed.”

    He said the burden of building and rebuilding schools, rests on NDDC, ASOPADEC, SURE-P and other donor agencies.

  • N776b fertiliser fund missing, says Adesina

    N776b fertiliser fund missing, says Adesina

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has disclosed that about N776 billion is missing from the N873 billion jointly spent on fertiliser subsidy over the past 30 years by both the federal and state governments.

    Adesina said the money disappeared between 1980 and 2010 because government was actively involved in the purchase and disbursement of fertiliser to farmers across the country.

    The minister spoke at a Breakfast Meeting with the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido and Managing Directors of selected banks, yesterday in Abuja. The meeting was attended by Managing Directors of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Zenith, Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Jaiz, Diamond, Enterprise Bank and others.

    Describing the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme as laudable, he added that lending to farmers have also doubled in the last two years from two to four per cent.

    Adesina said: “Between 1980 and 2010, the total amount the federal and state governments spent on fertiliser subsidy was roughly N873billion but aboutN776billion literarily just developed hands and legs and walked away. This was because government was buying and selling fertilisers but farmers are not getting it.”

    He things have changed as seeds and fertilisers were being directly sold by private companies to farmers through the e-wallet system.

    Adesina commended the financial institutions for supporting the agric sector. He said President Goodluck Jonathan had released N9.9 billion to support the cassava bread initiative.

    According to him, the fund would be used to improve cassava bread production and training of master bakers.

    He further stated that so far, the ministry had trained over 385 master bakers in the six geo-politcal zones of the federation and was targeting the training of another 3000 master bakers.

    Adesina said the agriculture sector had attracted a total of $8 billion in the last two years, stressing that the private sector had executed $4 billion out of the $8 billion on seeds, fertilisers, rice, juice and others.

    He said total loan to agric sector by banks was N3.5 billion which was captured by the seeds, fertilisers companies and agro-dealers. The minister revealed that banks had advanced over N20 billion loans for this year’s GES and 4.2 million farmers had been reached.

    He added that following the Maputo Declaration, the Federal Government had taken agriculture as a business by involving the private sector investment so that agriculture would be a dominant sector.

  • Ideye, Haruna, Taiwo missing

    Ideye, Haruna, Taiwo missing

    Nigerian stars plying their trade in Ukraine all missed out on the Ukraine Premier League 2012/13 season awards list.

    The UPL official website on Tuesday released the names of winners jointly voted by the website and the fans. A total of 853 fans took part in determining the top professionals for the just consluded campaign.

    Dynamo Kiev trio of Brown Ideye, Lukman Haruna and Taye Taiwo all missed the party.

    Ideye’s exclusion from the nomination list could be considered a harsh decision as he immensely contributed to Dynamo Kiev’s fourth place finish, scoring 17 times in 28 appearances to clinch second spot on the League’s top scorers chart behind Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mkhitaryan with 25 goals.

    Also missing out on the awards is Issy Idahor of Zorya, Abayomi Owonikoko who stars in the colors of Volyn and Mohammed Aliyu of Tavriya.

    Meanwhile, Dynamo Kiev’s Maksym Koval was voted the best keeper while Shakhtar’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan was named the best player of the 2012/13 season of the league beating team-mate Fernandinho and Kiev’s Andriy Yarmolenko in second and third spot respectively to clinch the award.

    The awards ceremony will be held on July 10 in Odessa before the match Ukraine Super Cup game.