The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Morocco

  • Hard fighting Morocco hands victory to Iran

     

    It was indeed complete drama Friday as Morocco last minute put victory on the plate for Iran at the Saint Petersburg Stadium.  The Atlas Lions of Morocco had kicked off the tie with all the fireworks they could muster and were very much in a hurry to clinch victory.

    The Herve Renard tutored side created more of the chances but were unable to convert any.

    Both teams had put in considerable effort in the first half living an impression that the second half will be full of fireworks. The second half of course lived up to prediction as both teams battled to the finish in search of breakthrough.

    It was however Iran that had the last laugh not because they scored the goal but because they mounted enough pressure forcing Morocco to hand over victory. It was Bouhaddouz’s own goal gave it to Iran.

    Iran will next take on Spain while Morocco face Portugal in two ties that cannot be considered tea parties at all.

    Friday’s win is very historical and will definitely ginger Iran. It is there second win in the world cup finals the first being against USA at the 1998 world cup in France.   So two African countries Egypt and Morocco filed out against opponents in search of vital points but ended up with none. How will it turn out for Nigeria and Super Eagles tomorrow?

  • 2026 FIFA World Cup: Mixed reactions trail Morocco’s failed bid

    For many who had hoped another African country would get the nod to host the senior FIFA World Cup, they were disappointed on Wednesday when Morocco failed the 2026 FIFA World Cup bid in Russia.

    The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada after FIFA’s congress voted on Wednesday to back the joint bid by the three countries.

    All 211 Member Associations of FIFA voted at it’s 68th Congress in the Russian capital to choose between African candidate Morocco and the joint bid of the USA, Canada and Mexico.

    The North American bid beat the rival Morocco proposal, winning 134 votes to 65 for Morocco.

    A cross section of football enthusiasts who spoke to NAN expressed disappointment at the outcome of the result, while others were indifferent, saying the best bid won.

    Tunde Popoola, the Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) said it was indeed a sad development for the continent, adding that his desire was to see another African country hosting the FIFA World Cup.

    “I am absolutely gutted that Morocco missed out of this wonderful opportunity of hosting the world.

    “I think it’s time for FIFA to rotate the hosting of the world Cup from continent to continent.

    “If it is not done Africa will never host the World Cup again,” he said.

    However, Musa Talle, Chairman, FCT Football Association, said the Moroccan bid was already dead even before the votes were cast as it was no match to the American-led bid.

    “Morocco’s bid was believed to be strong with support from a majority of African countries and the European confederation, but it could not match the American-led bid for facilities.

    “Even with their Championship of African Nations (CHAN) stadiums and the promise of more to be built over the next eight years, Morocco had nothing like the resources or experience of each one of its three opponents.

    “Never mind the three combined.

    “Therefore, the race to host the 2026 World Cup was not David against Goliath, but David against three Goliaths,” he said.

    Read Also: Okocha in FIFA Legends squad

    Talle noted that the recently organized CHAN showed how good Morocco could be as a host and organiser, adding, however, that the World Cup was a different ball game.

    “CHAN which is Africa’s secondary international tournament is incomparable to the World Cup.

    “Of course, CHAN allowed Morocco to show off some of their new infrastructure, including the impressive new stadium in Agardir.

    “Plenty more will have to be built if they ever hope of standing a chance to host the World Cup,” he said.

    Godwin Bamigboye, the Chairman, FCT Football Coaches Association, corroborated Talle’s view, saying even though he wanted Morocco to win, the combined bid of U.S., Mexico and Canada was superior.

    “The American-led bid completely outstripped Morocco’s bid when it comes to available usable stadiums. The NFL alone has 31, and that does not even cover Canada or Mexico.

    “Nor could Morocco compete in terms of training bases, given the wealth of professional and university sports teams across North America.

    “Nothing in the Morocco bid book came close,” he said.

    Emmanuel Amakiri, the Proprietor of Amakson Football Academy, on his part queried FIFA for allowing the World Cup to be hosted by multiple nations.

    “To have three big countries together… they have proven they can host it alone, so why combine the three?”

    “I’m advocating that henceforth only one nation be allowed to present a single bid for the World Cup because it is not fair to have multiple nations competing against one,” he said.

    The 2022 FIFA World Cup finals will take place in Qatar, while the 2026 finals will be the first to have 48 teams in attendance.

     

  • PDP mocks Buhari’s ‘image laundering’ trip to Morocco

    …says Nigerians can’t be deceived

     

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed what it described as “image rescue effort” by President Muhammadu Buhari during his last visit to Morocco.

    A statement on Tuesday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the reception given to President Buhari by the Moroccan Prime Minister, Saadeddine Othman, was a poorly packaged deception to sugarcoat his deep-seated disdain for Nigerian youths.

    The party observed that President Buhari’s “sudden praise-singing” of Nigerian youths in faraway Morocco was only a desperate afterthought aimed at reversing the public opprobrium he earned himself over his “lazy youths and lovers of freebies” comment, and not borne out of genuine regard for the youths.

    The statement said, “Unfortunately for Mr. President, our youths now know better and can no longer fall for his tricks.

    “Every Nigerian is aware of President Buhari’s disdain for our citizens and his reported comments in Morocco as inconsistent with his known beliefs and dispositions.

    “Nigerians recall that in a most recent gaffe, Mr President described the members of our National Assembly as idle and unproductive just as he dismissed our youths as unfit to run for Presidency in 2019, even while signing the “Not Too Young To Run” bill into an Act.

    Read Also:Nigerians intellectually aggressive, economically ambitious – Buhari

    “Perhaps, this explains why his handlers resorted to heavily edited press statement on the Morocco visit”.

    The PDP said President Buhari’s visit to the Moroccan Prime Minister cannot wash away the “disgraceful invectives” he openly poured on the energetic and vivacious Nigerian youths at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), in Lindon, in the presence of other world leaders.

    The party said it would need another CHOGM in London to remove the President’s “lazy and lover of freebies” stamp on youths.

    “The PDP is aware of the desperate bid by President Buhari to stop at nothing to beguile the citizens once again that election is around the corner.

    “However, it is important to inform him that Nigerians now know his true colours and will reject any design to take them on a second ride to nowhere.

    “President Buhari should therefore end his gimmicks and let go of straws. He should amply come to terms with the fact that the only expectation Nigerians require of him is to tender a direct apology for his abysmal performance and get prepared to leave the stage for a more innovative, and people-oriented President which Nigerians will elect on the platform of the PDP, come 2019,” the statement added.

  • Nigerians intellectually aggressive, economically ambitious – Buhari 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that Nigeria’s strongest selling point remained an “intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious’’ populace that always seeks self-improvement and self-actualization in any part of the world.

    Speaking in Rabat, Morocco during an audience with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, at the Royal Guest Palace, President Buhari said Nigeria’s “visionary and resilient population’’ works hard to always position the country for more growth, fueled by a largely youthful group that continually wants to contribute to development.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said “Nigerians are intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious. I received some of our students here yesterday and I am really impressed with the zeal and fearlessness they exuded.

    “In Nigeria we have a very young and aggressive population and we are working very hard to create the enabling and inclusive environment for their contributions to be better appreciated,’’ the President told the Prime Minister.

    Read Also:Buhari returns to Abuja from Morocco

    He also said his government is harnessing the human and material resources available in the country, especially in the educational and agricultural sectors, while seeking partnerships with countries that can explore the huge potentials in Nigeria.

    The President noted that Nigeria was already on the verge of an agricultural revolution as the importation of rice had been cut down by 90 per cent in 18 months.

    “We need to do more to improve our statistics on food production and graciously, the weather has been auspicious in the last couple of years for agricultural growth. We are happy that through partnership with you and hard work the price of fertilizer is already down by 50 per cent,’’ he said.

    On the three agreements signed during his visit, namely, Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, vocational training in agriculture and building of a chemical plant in Nigeria, the President assured the Prime Minister that they will receive appropriate attention.

    “We have a huge gas reserve in Nigeria, and we should be known more for gas exploration than for crude oil. So, we are happy with the new partnership with Morocco,’’ he added.

    In his remarks, the Prime Minister said his country had always been impressed by Nigeria’s intellectual zeal and strength, noting that “many Moroccans appreciate the intellectual contribution of Nigerians, especially in literary works.’’

    “Your visit to our country is historic and we are looking forward to more partnerships, especially among our universities, which would further consolidate our relationship,’’ Othman said.

    President Buhari also met with the head of the Moroccan legislature, Habib El Malki and the President of the Advisers on Commerce, Ben Chemmas.

    The Nigerian leader ended his two-day visit to the Kingdom of Morocco with a visit to the mausoleum where he laid wreaths on the tombs of past kings.

  • Falana cautions Fed Govt against signing deal with Morocco

    LAGOS lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has advised the Federal Government against signing any bilateral agreement with the Kingdom of Morocco for the exploitation of the resources in the occupied Western Sahara.

    President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in the Kingdom of Morocco yesterday on a two-day working visit.

    He warned that should government make the mistake of doing it, “such agreement will be annulled and set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction”.

    Falana gave the advice in a statement issued in Lagos titled: “Matters arising from President Buhari’s trip to Morocco”.

    The activist lawyer drew the attention of the Federal Government to the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the High Court in South Africa, which have ruled that the Kingdom of Morocco is not competent to exploit any of the vast natural resources in Western Sahara as they belong to the Saharawi people.

    Falana advised the Federal Government to take advantage of Buhari’s trip to press for immediate end to the colonisation of the territory.

    According to him, “Article 20 (1) of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights provides that the peoples of Africa shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination and shall freely determine their political status and shall pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen”.

    He contended that Nigeria is under a legal duty to support the struggle of the colonised people of Western Sahara for political independence from the Kingdom of Morocco.

    The erudite lawyer noted in 1984, the defunct federal military government headed by General Muhammadu Buhari supported the legitimate demand of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination by ensuring that the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic was admitted to the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union).

    In protest against the admission, the senior lawyer explained that the Kingdom of Morocco, which continued to occupy the territory of Western Sahara, withdrew from the continental body.

    The decision of Nigeria to champion the legitimate cause of the Saharawi people, Falana said, was informed by several resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the 1975 ruling of the International Court of Justice, which held that the Kingdom of Morocco does not encompass Western Sahara.

    However, notwithstanding that the Kingdom of Morocco has not ended the illegal colonisation of Western Sahara, the African Union created a dangerous precedent last year when it admitted the coloniser as a member state of the body.

    The Kingdom of Morocco has been disrupting meetings of some African Union (AU) committees by insisting that the accredited representatives of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic  be prevented to participate in such meetings.

     

     

     

  • Buhari leaves for Morocco today

    President Muhammadu Buhari will begin a two-day working visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, has said.

    Shehu, in a statement in Abuja  yesterday, said the visit was at the invitation of King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

    He said the two leaders will discuss socio-economic matters affecting their countries, following prior engagements in December 2016, during the official visit of the Moroccan leader to Nigeria.

    “In Rabat, discussions will focus on strengthening existing agreements on the fertiliser industry, education cooperation, the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project and establishing a basic chemical platform to harness Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources and support Morocco’s diammonium phosphate industry,” he said.

    Shehu recalled Nigeria and Morocco had in December 2016 signed a collaboration agreement to revive the abandoned Nigerian fertiliser blending plants.

    He said that following the signing of the agreement, 14 fertiliser plants had been revitalised so far under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative with a capacity of 2.3 million metric tonnes of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (K) -NPK fertiliser.

    Shehu noted that the president will  be accompanied on the trip by governors of Ebonyi and Jigawa, Dave Umahi and Abubakar Badaru respectively and other senior government officials.

     

  • Revealed: Trafficked Nigerian girls turned into slaves in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, others

    Many Nigerian girls trafficked to Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman and other Arab countries to work as maids have been turned into slaves, The Nation has learnt.

    Among the victims are those identified as Iya Ibeji, Ayo, Monisola, Adejoke and Adefolakemi, who were said to have been trafficked to Saudi Arabia on December 30, last year.

    Adefolakemi, The Nation learnt, was battling chronic depression and had collapsed twice at her master’s place because she was being made to work from 5am to 9pm, denied freedom and usually locked inside the house.

    The victim, who was being threatened by her traffickers for insisting that she wanted to return to Nigeria, was asked to pay 18,000 Riyals (about N1,728,776) or serve her master for two years.

    According to her, she was lured by her secondary schoolmate, Adetutu Kassim, who took her to meet one Olori Omolara, alias Mama T of LT Travel and Tours with the promise of a job and good salary. She said: “They told me that they would get a job for me and I would earn good salary. They never told me they were taking me to Saudi Arabia for modern slavery.

    “Adetutu is in Oman, another Arab country. She took me to meet Mama T and Mama T now took me and some other girls to a hotel in Abuja, where we met an Arab agent called Ashiraf.

    “We were taken to a hospital, to a doctor at Wuse for medical checkup, and on December 30, we left Nigeria through Ethiopian Airways.

    “Before we left Nigeria, Olori said I had to pay her the first two months of my salary. I agreed to. They said my sponsor in Saudi Arabia paid for my ticket and visa and so I would have to go and work for the person. But when we arrived Saudi Arabia, I fell sick and they said my sponsor rejected me.

    “They then gave me to another family, who said the paid 16,000 Riyals to the agency to take me. I was taken to the woman’s house, and she said that I would be on monthly salary of 750 Riyals. She said I was not allowed to go out.

    “I do not have permits. She said I had to work daily from 5am to 9pm, and I was entitled to an hour break. I had to endure the unbearable conditions the first two months so that I could pay Olori.

    “I paid the money. The woman I worked for was the one who sent it through Western Union. She never showed receipts but she told me she had sent the money and Adetutu usually acknowledged that Olori had received the money since I was not in contact with Olori.

    “After paying the two months, I told them I wanted to go back home, but they refused, saying that I must pay 18,000 Riyals or work for the woman for two years before I could be freed. They took me to the police station and threatened to deal with me. But I told them that my health was failing and I could not continue with that kind of work. They refused to listen.

    “I have been put under house arrest. They even sent a Nigerian woman to come and convince me to stay, and that if I refused, they would hand me over to the police and I would be gang-raped and sent to prison.

    “I am going through hell here. The other girls are also not finding things easy but it seems they are still paying Olori because they said they were still in debt and have to continue suffering until they finished paying their debts.

    “Honestly, this is modern slavery. I accepted the job when I was told because I felt since it was abroad, it would be better than Nigeria. I did not know that these people treat others like animals.

    “When I complained to my madam that the work time was too much (16 hours daily), she agreed to give me an hour break, which was between 3pm and 4pm. But she later changed the break time to 10am-11am, saying she discovered that I used to rest when she was at school teaching.

    “Please, I am begging Nigerian government to come and take me out of here before I die. My health is failing. Every day, I clean seven rooms, three toilets, two parlours, a kitchen and a big compound about four times. I wash and iron daily too. Now, I cannot even stand again because my legs are shaky.

    “I wake up at 3:30 am every day and would work from 5am to 9pm. What kind of life is that? They said that is the law in Saudi. The woman tried to seize my phone the other day to stop me from communicating with my family. I don’t have a telephone number.

    “I don’t have a SIM card. I chat on WhatsApp through my Nigerian line through the internet in the house. She has threatened to turn off the internet to cut me off.

    “She said I cannot go anywhere unless my family paid her 18,000 Riyals. I told her to ask the agency she gave money to because they did not give me anything.

    “I do not know anywhere here. I am not allowed to go out. Even if I want to throw waste, her son must accompany me. It’s slavery, modern slavery. Where will I get 18,000 Riyals?

    “I am afraid here that something might happen to me. I fear that I might not return to Nigeria again. I fear I might die here. I am losing my mind.

    “I think an agency in Saudi contacts Olori and she supplies girls to them. I don’t know their arrangements, but I know that at the end of the day, they are the ones benefitting while the girls are miserable, exploited.

    “The woman I work for is Famita Mana AlDossari. They live in Alkhobar, after Dammam. Dammam is a popular state in Saudi. I need help please.”

    Our correspondent contacted Ashiraf and Omolara on telephone and they assured that the victim would be returned, only to contact the agency in Saudi to pressure her into submission.

    Ashiraf said the girls were denied freedom in line with Saudi laws, adding that he was unaware they were subjected to such work conditions. He also said he was unaware Omolara collected money from them, insisting that anyone who wanted to come back would be returned without delays.

    Omolara also denied extorting or exploiting the girls, claiming that she only wanted to help them earn a living.

    In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Omolara said she was rallying round to get a ticket for the victim. But in a recorded conversation, she accused the victim of threatening her with a journalist, adding that she would only  be  released  if  she  paid  the  18,000

  • Morocco trade with 15 ECOWAS member countries

    Morocco has said its trade with the ECOWAS region hit one billion dollars in 2016 and reinforced its request to join the region.

    President of the Moroccan House of Representatives, Mr Habib El Malik said this when he hosted delegation of ECOWAS parliamentarians led by the Speaker of the parliament at an inaugural session on regional integration in Rabat, Morocco on Thursday.

    The session was tagged “Towards a better movement of persons and goods among African countries: What mechanisms?”

    Malik emphasised that Morocco was committed to the promotion of regional and continental integration and trade.

    “ECOWAS and Morocco have strong relations; volume of trade between both parties was one billion dollars in 2016 which represents more than 37.3 per cent of increase compared to 10 per cent of trade in 1996.”

    “Morocco is ECOWAS’ first economic partner and we are working on partnerships to enhance trade and promote south south cooperation.”

    Malik further said there was the need for countries to put in place appropriate framework to address challenges posed by migration and integrate migrant populations to reduce security risks.

    “We have stabilised the situation of 25,000 migrants and this is part of proactive efforts to stand with other African countries; we also have about 25,000 students studying in different institutions in Morocco.

    “These show that we are committed to the promotion of regional integration and Morocco joining the ECOWAS will be of mutual benefit and open up huge prospects in ECOWAS.”

    He added that Morocco being part of the ECOWAS region would place the region as the 16th economically prosperous bloc globally and further make it possible to access foreign markets.

    Read Also: Morocco budgets $15.8 billion for 2026 world cup

    In her address, Morocco’s Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs Mounia Boucetta said Morocco’s admittance to ECOWAS would also promote opportunities for youth development.

    “Free movement hinges on participation of all and we will look toward the well-being of all Africa.”

    Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Mr Moustapha Cissé Lo recalled measures put in place by the regional bloc to promote free movement of goods and persons.

    Cissé Lo also reiterated the parliament’s support to admit Morocco as part of ECOWAS.

    “Morocco’s application to join ECOWAS is to be encouraged; Morocco is a platform for communicating exchanges for overcoming challenges in the region.”

    The session ended with a declaration by participants to strengthen competitiveness of all member states, encourage economic integration promote peace and enhance cooperation.

    The participants also reaffirmed their commitment to implement the agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area recently signed in Kigali by more than 40 African countries.

    NAN

  • 195 Nigerians in Moroccan prisons for drug crimes – Envoy

    Amb. Baba Garba says there are 195 Nigerians in prisons in Morocco for drug related crimes.

    Garba, the Nigerian Ambassador to Morocco told our correspondent in Rabat, Morocco, that the government was yet to have a prisoner transfer agreement with Morocco.

    “We have the menace of Nigerians that come from Latin America, transiting Morocco that are carriers of drugs.

    “We have a number of them in prisons purely for drugs; I send the figures officially to government, there are 195 of them in prisons.

    “We have a bi-national commission and we are proposing end of June or the first week of July because of the Ramadan.

    “It is at this forum we will talk to our Moroccan counterparts about a prisoner transfer agreement but at this point we do not have such agreement.”

    The envoy, however, said there were excellent relations both countries adding that the outcome of the visit of the Moroccan king to Nigeria in 2016 had boost bilateral relations.

    “Since 2017 up on till now, we have not had farmers complain about shortage of fertiliser in NIgeria; this is one of the gains.

    We have had many agreements signed with Morocco in different sectors and we are pursuing them.

    We have have had agreements signed in transport, climate change, lagoon and river control.

    He also added that an average of 50 students from Nigeria were being offered scholarships by the Moroccan Government.

    Some students are trained in Qur’anic recitation and trained to be Imams; here the king is a leader of the faith and every mosque here is well documented and there are checks and balances.

    “If we have such systems imported in our country it will checkmate certain things.”

    He further said no less than 3000 Nigerians lived in Morocco.

    NAN

  • Morocco budgets $15.8 billion for 2026 world cup

     

    Host of the recently Championship of African Nations (CHAN) Morocco have proposed using 14 stadiums and budgeting to spend 15.8 billion dollars on infrastructure if it wins the right to host the World Cup soccer finals in 2026, the country’s bid committee announced at a news conference on Saturday.

    The country however said it  will not need to build new stadium but will renovate and modify existing venues and add temporary capacity to others, said candidature chairman Moulay Hafid Elalamy, who is also a government minister.

    The North African country is up against a joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States when world soccer governing body FIFA’s member countries decide in Moscow on June 13 who will host the tournament eight years from now.

    Saturday’s news conference revealed details of Morocco’s bid book, which was presented to FIFA on Friday, with the central theme being making their football infrastructure sustainable after the tournament and keeping down construction costs.

    At least five stadiums, termed legacy modular stadiums and with largely temporary capacity, will be downscaled after the finals to meet the specific needs of their local communities. Casablanca and Marrakech will both have two stadiums with other venues being the capital Rabat, Agadir, El Jadida, Fez, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate Oujda, Tangier and Tetouan.

    “The World Cup is a national priority for our government and that is why it has guaranteed the required investment in our exciting and innovative stadium plans,” added Elalamy.

    “Our beautiful and welcoming nation offers players and fans something very special with just one timezone, one currency and all host cities are within a 550km radius from Casablanca, meaning limited travel and simple logistics.

    “All host cities are also all located within an hour’s drive of an airport, so players and fans need only focus on the one thing that matters most – football.”

    Morocco bid unsuccessfully to stage the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 World Cups. The country was second to the U.S. in ‘94, behind France in ‘98 and just lost out to South Africa for the 2010 finals, the only time the event has been held in Africa.