The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pressure

  • Taraba House Speaker under pressure

    Taraba House Speaker under pressure

    The Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Josiah Sabo Kente, is under pressure over his alleged disregard for a court injunction restraining the House to screen commissioner nominees presented by the acting governor, Alhaji Garba Umar.

    Ripples gathered that by Friday, concerned political elders and several organisations in the state, including a group named Save Taraba from Anarchy (STA), have either taken the matter to Abuja or written the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Mohammed Bello Adoke, to intervene immediately.

    STA for example, in a letter to the AGF argued, among others that “since Governor Danbaba Danbaba Suntai is in court with the Speaker and the Assembly, the lawmakers who are defendants in the suit ought not to have screened any commissioner-nominee pending hearing and determination of the plaintiff’s motion on notice, as contained in the Orders of Interim Injunction (OII).”

    But sources close to the House said the speaker had no option than to ignore the court injunction, though he initially claimed not to have recieved it.

  • Pressure on Rivers security to free senator’s, Bipi’s associates

    Pressure on Rivers security to free senator’s, Bipi’s associates

    Rivers State Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu has got an order to immediately release the six aides to two politicians who were arrested on Friday by Joint Task Force (JTF) operatives and handed over to the police.

    It was also gathered yesterday in Port Harcourt that the JTF and the police clashed over how information on the arrest of the suspects leaked to the media.

    The suspects are said to be aides of Senator George Sekibo, who represents Rivers East Senatorial District and the self-acclaimed Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Evans Bipi. Both politicians have denied knowing them.

    Also yesterday, a witness, who pleaded not want to be named, spoke of how the suspects were arrested. He said Sunday Elisha, Uche Jenikachi, Ibinabo Lawson, Okechukwu Okoro, Jerry Tonye and Daniel Ibito-Anga were allies of Sekibo and Bipi, who represents Ogu/Bolo Constituency.

    The six persons, according to JTF spokesman Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, were arrested during a routine patrol at Ogu, headquarters of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area, with seven AK-47 rifles, 164 rounds of ammunition and six locally made canon launchers.

    Col. Nwachukwu said the six suspects were on Friday handed over to the police, for alleged illegal possession of firearms and not for any reason of political or social affiliation.

    Police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad, on Saturday night, said he had not been briefed about the suspects’ handover to the police.

    When Muhammad was again contacted at 5:54 pm yesterday, on the directive to release the suspects, he said: “As said earlier, I have not been briefed of the handover, if any, let alone talking about their (suspects’) release.”

    Muhammad’s claim was, however, faulted by a source who insisted that Mbu got the order.

    The source also commented on the crisis of confidence between the soldiers and the police on how the arrest of the thugs leaked to the media.

    Said the source: “Mbu complained that the story must have been leaked to the media by the Army/JTF. Mbu also lamented that the other security agencies (Army, Navy, Air Force, State Security Service) in Rivers State are not helping him and the police at all, in the fight against Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

    “He (Mbu) cited the arrest and the subsequent leakage of it to the media, as an example and that if it was the Rivers State Police Command that made the arrest, the media would not have heard about it.”

    According to the source, a JTF/Army officer dismissed Mbu’s claims and described them as “ridiculous and preposterous”, maintaining that the Army does not get involved in politics and certainly does not take sides in political fights.

    The source also admonished Mbu to look inside the police on how the story got to the media, reiterating that it was after the army handed over the suspects to the police for prosecution, that the story went public.

    The witness, at the scene of the arrest of the six suspects, said: “At 8:30 am on January 3, 2014 (Friday), I was leaving Eteo to meet with my cousins in Ogu when a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) sped past me. I had to slow down momentarily; because the speed with which it passed me was too much.

    “Not long, some JTF patrol vans that were coming from Ogu flashed their headlights to stop the jeep. It stopped. On noticing the JTF men, one of the occupants of the Sport-Utility Vehicle (SUV) quickly rushed into the nearby bush, with a bag containing arms.

    “He wanted to hide it from the JTF operatives, but they noticed him and cordoned off the area, searched and found the bag containing arms and rifles. As soon as the soldiers saw the arms, they pulled them from the car and started asking them questions.

    “The JTF men were led by Capt. Yusuf. The boys (arrested suspects) even wanted to take on the soldiers, but when they saw that they were more in number, they obeyed their instruction.

    “As the soldiers were asking them questions, they were answering. They were telling the JTF men their names. Then, the fat one among them started begging. He said he was SA (Special Assistant) to Senator George Sekibo. He said he was a humble person. Then, one soldier asked him if humble people carry weapons. He said he was only obeying his master.

    “He begged the soldiers to conceal the news from the public and especially the Rivers State Government and promised to give them any amount of money, if they can stop the news from spreading.

    “At that point, the JTF men asked them to stand up. They marched them into one of their vehicles. Some of them were taken to Bori Camp in Port Harcourt, but one was taken to Ogu. I do not know what they went there to do. It was at this point that I left. I do not know what happened after.”

    Reacting yesterday in Port Harcourt on behalf of himself and Sekibo, Bipi claimed that the six suspects were not known to them.

    The self-acclaimed speaker said: “I want to state categorically that none of the six persons arrested is my supporter or supporter of the senator. We have no dealing or link with any of them.

    “It is also worthy to note that none of those arrested made any confessional statement linking me or the senator to them. The statement by the JTF that the suspects have no political or social affiliation whatsoever vindicates me.

    “I strongly believe that the report which linked me and Senator George Sekibo to the suspects was a calculated attempt by the Rivers State Government and the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State to damage our political career and tarnish our reputation.

    “We also believe that it is an attempt by the Rivers State Government to divert attention from the murder case involving Chidi Lloyd (arrested and detained Leader of the Rivers House of Assembly, a lawyer, who represents Emohua Constituency).

    “Let me state clearly that as the ‘Speaker’ of the Rivers State House of Assembly that I am law abiding. I have not armed any one or group. I do not have any intention to do so any day. Senator George Sekibo and I have no link whatsoever with any arm-bearing group or person.”

    Bipi also urged the good people of Rivers State and Nigeria to discountenance the report as a dangerous political gimmick, targeted at the political opponents of the NGF chairman.

    Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Leyii Kwanee, a lawyer, has cautioned the police to stop overheating the polity.

    Kwanee, speaking to reporters yesterday at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, shortly after arriving from Lagos, where he went for a church’s retreat, said that it was wrong for the police to arrest the leader of the Rivers Assembly (Chidi Lloyd), in a case of accident, where he was not the driver, but a passenger.

    He maintained that there was no traffic offence that made a passenger culpable, even if there was a case of manslaughter or reckless driving, insisting that it was the driver who might be the offender and not the passenger.

    The deputy speaker wondered what aspect of the law that the police were invoking, if not a show of partisanship and vendetta.

    He said: “By my training as a lawyer, I know that Section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees presumption of innocence, in favour of an accused. Facts made available to me show that the leader (Lloyd), who is still physically weak, was not driving the car, as at the time the accident occurred.

    “That the leader was himself injured in the unfortunate accident. That the driver of the vehicle has since reported to the police and cooperating with the police. The question is why arrest the leader, when he was not the driver of the vehicle?”

    Kwanee, who is also the Chairman, Parliamentary Exchange and Mentorship Programme of the Pan African Parliament, said it was because police in Rivers were taking sides that Nigerians had been calling for Mbu’s redeployment.

    The deputy speaker noted that the development was a calculated attempt to drag Amaechi’s name in the mud and demonise the leader of the Rivers House of Assembly.

    He said: “The development portends danger for our democracy. I wish to advise the police to be professional and shun any attempt by anyone to use them to cause disorder and chaos in Rivers State in order to declare a state of emergency, which is intended to give the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) an advantage before the 2015 general elections.

    “The police should not overheat the polity with any sensational report likely to mislead the good people of Rivers State.”

    Kwanee also admonished the teeming supporters of the Rivers governor not to be deterred by what he called the antics of the police and the PDP, assuring them that truth would prevail.

  • Pressure denied Okagbare 100m title — Abari

    Pressure denied Okagbare 100m title — Abari

    Excessive pressure has been identified as the major factor that stopped Nigerian’s track rave of the moment Blessing Okagbare from clinching a medal in the 100m event of the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Moscow, Russia

    Head of Coaching and training National Institute for Sports (NIS) Solomon Abari who made the submission in chat with Sportinglife Tuesday, said an elite athlete is often faced by pressures both from within and outside, noting that it is not easy for most athletes to manage such pressures especially at critical moments when decisions and efforts need to be made in split seconds

    Abari however thumbed up the 24 year old Delta born athletes for claiming gold in the long jump event, maintained that the future is still very bright as opportunity abound to tinker her into a world beater.

    “The pressure is too much and is it not an easy thing to manage for most athletes. There are pressures from the coaches, from friends and relatives, from well wishers among others. There is even pressure from the athlete herself and all these sometimes lead to momentary loss of concentration with affects split second performance. The good thing however is that she is still young and can be helped to manage such pressures to perform better,” he said

    The veteran athletics coach however frowned at the tendency to put athletes solely in the hands of foreign coaches, noting that it selfdom produce 100% result.

    “The local coaches need to be involved in the training of our athletes that is the best way to produce maximum result.

    Okagbare finished sixth in the 100m battle posting a time of 11.04seconds

  • 2015: Pressure mounts on Jonathan to overhaul cabinet

    2015: Pressure mounts on Jonathan to overhaul cabinet

    Apparently worried by threats of massive electoral misfortune in the 2015 elections, some key stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been mounting pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to overhaul his cabinet.

    The sources viewed majority of members of the cabinet as apolitical and a good number of them with little electoral value. This, they said, could whittle down the influence of the party and its electoral fortunes.

    Also, the stakeholders have impressed it on the president, the need for surgical operation on the present leadership of the PDP.

    This is with the view to taking precautionary steps to avert legal entanglements in which some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) have found themselves ahead of nominations for the 2015 poll.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had questioned the process through which eight members of the party’s NWC emerged at the party’s March 2012 convention.

    INEC had withdrawn recognition from the eight officials who emerged through affirmation rather than election, a development that has put a question mark of the eligibility of the officials for their various positions.

    Some aggrieved members of the party have taken the PDP to court to challenge the continued retention of the eight officials in the party’s NWC.

    The implication of this is that candidature of contestants, emerging from conventions presided over by these officials could be voided should the aggrieved members have their way with the court process.

    A source in the hierarchy of the PDP who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity at the weekend, said it’s high time the president identified what he described as the friends and enemies within the party.

    According to him, “the president and PDP need to define their friends and identify their enemies. The debacle in the Governors’ Forum may not be bad for Jonathan after all. Now he knows who he can trust, who can deliver and those who can fight him till the end.

    “Even in identifying these enemies, the president needs to be careful so that he does not alienate potential friends and further dwindle his opinion poll rating in the process of rooting them out the enemies”, the source added.

    Also of great concern to the stakeholders is the challenge posed by the emerging All Progressives Alliance (APC) that is gaining ground in the Southwest and the Northwest geopolitical zones.

    The current face-off between President Jonathan and some PDP governors in the Northwest has similarly been identified as a major setback for the ruling party, a fallout of which the opposition APC could make a political capital of.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • GUMBA BEATS GONG FOR FOOTBALL ‘It has lessened my high blood pressure’

    GUMBA BEATS GONG FOR FOOTBALL ‘It has lessened my high blood pressure’

    You don’t have to look further than Adamu Ibrahim Gumba, Chairman, Senate Committee on Sport and Social Development, to affirm the belief that sport is the elixir of life, following his disclosure that the beautiful game of football has suppressed his troublesome high blood pressure.

    Sports and wellness go hand-in-hand, and late Prussian explorer and philosopher Alexander von Humboldt redoubtably stated that ‘true enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are united.’

    At the lobby of the posh Ryad Mogador Menara on the popular Mohammed V Street in Marrakech, Senator Gumba was truly in a joyous mood as he conversed with The Nation Sport & Style the day after the Golden Eaglets thrashed Tunisia to book their place in the Final of the 2013 Morocco CAN Under-17 Championship.

    “Until now, I didn’t even watch live football matches, rather,” stated the 65-year-old former Deputy Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs, “I preferred to watch a repeat after I might have known the result which gives me the room to watch the game peacefully and enjoy it without tension.”

    But this is no longer the case for Senator Gumba. Known for his quest for excellence and not doing things at half measure, Senator Gumba has literally poured his heart into his job as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sport and Social Development so much so that he has been lavishly rewarded.

    “I was never a sport freak at all until I became the chairman, Senate Committee on Sport and Social Development,” admitted the former teacher whose life is a study in perseverance, having risen through the rank to become Bauchi State’s Head of Civil Service on his way to the 7th National Assembly. “In fact, I was not even interested in watching football because I’m hypertensive and always very anxious.

    “Particularly, when any team from Nigeria is involved I usually feel that my blood pressure would increase and I may have some health complications. But since I became the chairman, Senate Committee on Sport and Social Development, it becomes extremely important for me to watch sport and football matches live.

    “Over time, I have been able to develop the strength and resistance against having high blood pressure and I have gradually overcome the problem.

    “I can now watch football with little or no tension at all and as a result, I’m very much interested in watching football or any other sport for that matter live at the stadium,” enthused the holder of a Bachelor of Science degree in Government from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

    Speaking further on his new-found love for football, Senator Gumba reckons that the beautiful game has become the opium of the Nigerian people, hence the need for government to pay more than lip service to its growth and development.

    “Football has brought so much joy to Nigerians and at this stage of my life, I want to use every available opportunity to ensure the unity of this country,” noted Senator Gumba who is a Fellow, Nigeria Institute Of Management and a proud recipient of the 1977 Kano State’s N.Y.S.C Chairman Award.“Sport, and particularly football, is one opportunity that we can explore for the benefit of building a strong indivisible, great nation.

    “The only thing that brings unity in Nigeria today is sport and that is why when there is a match involving Nigeria, everybody is involved. This is an area which the Nigerian government and politicians should explore to unite the country and that is why I want more government’s funding for sport.

    “More than any area of life, sport is the best thing that can unite us in this country and I usually devote my time and attention to watching Nigerian teams play now.

    “Strangely, I don’t support any specific club, rather I pick a club at the start of a match, so I’m less attached to any particular team which has helped in reducing my tension,” he revealed, as he spoke candidly about issues befuddling the administration of the game in the country. Excerpts.

     

    On the never-ending crises in Nigerian sport

    We in the senate committee on sports are very worried about the crises in sport, particularly football. Last year, we had so many cases in court with several groups against one another, but we thank God that we crossed the hurdle that they were all resolved. But we are as confused as anybody by some of those ugly things rearing their heads again, the infighting in sport by now should be a thing of the past. We all can see that our sport and particularly football can be better if there is better environment. The Super Eagles won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa; the Flying Eagles came third in Algeria and the Golden Eaglets nearly conquered the continent too. You can see that if we all join forces together and there is unity in the system, our sport would be in good standing. Be that as it may, one is becoming so disturbed with the problem in the administration of the league following the crises with the club owners and League Management Company. We can all see that it is the administrators that are really the problems with sport in Nigeria. We are not happy with this sad development and they should know that the country belongs to all of us. We would continue to talk with them so that they all can be working for the glory of Nigeria.

    On poor funding of sport

    The budget for sport and not only football is not adequate, and let me restate it that I’m not happy about this. When President Goodluck Jonathan held a special retreat on sport last year, I thought that a special attention that sport deserves was now in the offing but I think I’m wrong. After the retreat, I was expecting an improvement in the budget for sport, unfortunately, that didn’t happen and I’m very unhappy. Frankly, I think the highest authority in the land is just paying lip service to sport. It is about time we were conscious of the fact that it’s an important aspect of our nation and one of the forces that bind us together. Take for instance the performance of the Super Eagles in the final of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa and I believe the Boko Haram too ceased fire that day because everybody was praying for Nigeria to win. You could see that everybody was happy about such development and I expect that the highest authority in the land should as a matter of urgency focus its attention on sport more than ever before. Though, Mr. President wants more private sponsorship and funding in sport, I don’t think it is something that can be done with a stroke of the pen. It has to be a gradual process for us to expect bumper private funding in sport. I expect that government should still ensure proper funding and improved budget for sport until we are able to cross the Rubicon of better private funding. Unfortunately, we seem to be going nowhere with poor funding by government and little or no funding from the organised private sector. Take football as an example, half of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) budget had already been consumed by the AFCON and how do you want them to prosecute other programmes for their FIFA World Cup? There are other qualifying matches for the 2014 World Cup; the Confederation Cup in Brazil for the Super Eagles and several other developmental projects; how do we want the NFF, for instance, to cope in such dire financial state? I want government to come to the aid of the NFF as quickly as possible so that their situation is salvaged.

    On drainages in sport

    What drainages are we really talking about when the NFF cannot even carry out some of its functions? If they have the resources, would the NFF pull the country out of the CHAN tournament? If they had the resources I don’t think they would be downsizing or contemplate cutting the allowances of the national teams. All of these are just symptoms that they have a very lean budget in executing some of their projects. So this noise about the NFF carrying retinue of people on jamboree is no longer feasible because they don’t have such fund to do that. How much was allocated to them for 2013 and how much have they already expended on so many championships that have brought glory to our country? These are the issues we should look at and not unnecessary distractions. We should look at how much had been budgeted and how much they have spent, it is by so doing that we would appreciate the need for government to improve the budget for sport. It is something that is crystal clear that the NFF as well as other sport federations are groping under lack of fund. Unless government no longer wants Nigeria to participate in future championships and by doing so, you are down grading Nigeria. But we need to be at these major championships due to our sheer size and performance over the years. The private sector is not coming into sport as quickly as we all expect. As a result, I think government should improve its funding of sport until we have improvement from the private sector.

    On Golden Eaglets

    Coming to Marrakech for the CAN Under-17 Championship gave me the chance to see them physically for the first time after watching their games several times on television and I was more than impressed. My colleagues and I were able to see them and we want to commend their efforts because these are very young boys who have done their best too. We keep motivating these boys because they deserve commendation because it was glaring that the officiating left so much to be desired.

     

  • ‘Leadership is about handling pressure’

    ‘Leadership is about handling pressure’

    Ndidi Nwuneli is the initiator of LEAP Africa, director, Sahel Capital and the co-founder of ACCE Foods. Yetunde Oladeinde had an encounter with the social entrepreneur at this year’s edition of the annual Oye Women’s Conference which took place at the Metropolitan Club in Lagos last week.

     

    THERE are a number of female entrepreneurs who run small and medium scale businesses all over the country today. However, a number of these women are just struggling to survive and make ends meet like their male counterparts. Ndidi Nwuneli talks about some of the challenges as well as how women can network and conquer the business scene.

    She said: “Women work so hard and sometimes you wonder what gives them so much energy. When they are passionate about something, they work all day and night to make it succeed. Unfortunately, most women don’t like to work together. Usually, I ask a number of women why this is so. Is it a trust thing? The truth is that as a lone ranger, you can’t go far.”

    One challenge that women face, Nwuneli noted, is the fact that women have so many talents. “They can do so many things at the same time. Sometimes, I tell them to write out everything they do to find out how passionate they are about these things. You need to constantly ask questions like, ‘Does it give me energy for risk or does it give me for joy?’”

    She continued: “Most times, you find the ability to take risk and have everybody around you. The truth is that whether you make money or not you have to pay their salaries. Sometimes, we try to debrief them by blind-folding them to get a feel of what it would be like in real life. When we did this we realise that some of them don’t like to be blind- folded.”

    Personally, Nwuneli says she prefers to be in charge and help others discover and rediscover themselves. “Leadership also depends on how you handle pressure; some people handle pressure well while others do not. It also depends on how much value you place on a particular thing. For some women, it could be their work or career while for others it is the children and husband. So you have to figure out where the other competing priorities are.”

    LEAP focuses on helping young people discover their talents and how to leave a legacy behind. “I started LEAP because I was angry with the state of affairs. We had trained about 20,000 people directly and about 200,000 people indirectly. Interestingly, we measure impact not by numbers but what we do especially through our leadership and ethics programmes. I like to start things and not end them and so we have had two successions at LEAP, giving others the opportunity to be who they want to be.”

    Success in business, Nwunelis explained, is about a gap you want to fill. “This is the time of life where they need to figure out who you are, whether you want to fit in and find out what problems you want to solve. In our society, what you see is people going into a particular business because someone is doing it. Most times, they do not find out the challenges the other person has passed through. A successful business is one that constantly innovates and develops new strategies.”

    The amazon runs a food processing business with her husband and the value statement was a company by Africans for Africans. “Starting ACCE Foods was propelled by passion and a sense of urgency. Whenever we travelled out of the country, we found that the food we buy is one third of the price of food in Nigeria. The price of food is astronomical and we import over 90 per cent of what we consume.

    “We wanted to show that we could do it. We wanted to do things differently. Most companies have Chinese, Lebanese and other foreigners as managers. Now, we are onto the third production manager because we want the best for the company. So, there is an important issue around choice.”

    The process, Nwuneli informs, involves understanding the nature of the competitive landscape, identifying strategic options and then evaluating and making choices. “Most of the foods produced in Nigeria is organic and about one per cent is affected by pesticides while a few use fertilisers. So there is an advantage because this is one of the few places in the world where you can have organic food.

    “For someone going into tomato cultivation, this is lucrative at the moment. It is only the cherry tomatoes that are being imported now, unlike what we had in the past. Paste, however, is huge substitutes and it is very cheap, it is imported and they just pack it. Land does not also pose a big problem for agric business because in Epe you can get land to rent for farming with about N15, 000 a year.”

    Nwuneli adds: “Some state governments also give space to encourage farming. However, if you want to start an airline business it is not so easy. This is relative to space, getting the license and you would need a lot of capital here. Oftentimes, women focus more on the product and forget about the other part of the strategy. It is good but it is better to keep your eyes on the line.”

    She also stressed the need to build companies that would outlive their owners. “How many women have companies that have a board? If a company is about a person, what happens if she falls sick for a month? But if you have a board you would be taken seriously. Having a board is a prerequisite for funding. You need a strong board that is credible. In return, the board would feel honoured in helping us shape the future. Don’t fill your board with friends; it is better to make use of people you respect and those who have value to add.”

    Stressing the need to have mentors and critics on board, Nwuneli adds: “It is better to have people who can tell you when you mess up. You can’t do it alone. You also need champions, prayer partners who can push you. We need to keep our best hands, people with exceptional character because character is important. We can help them to become market leaders. Unfortunately, we live in an environment where the issue of integrity comes up every day. Your relationship with others, their superior knowledge, intuition and vision are important. Taking decisions and admitting mistakes also make us human.”

    It is also pertinent to think about a succession plan from the first day. “Life expectancy now is 47, and for women it is a little higher, say 49. So you can see that a lot of people are living on borrowed time. We also need to differentiate between management and leadership. We also need to change our mindset and stop working for free. They need to pay for your services and as women we need to be discipline when it comes to money.”

    Touching lives and leaving a positive legacy, she believes, is more important than fame. “I went to a US website and they have all the tricks in products that are substandard. These includes some coloured and contaminated spices that include corn starch, dye and extracts. Everyday people are dying and half of the problem is from the food consumed. All of us owe it to ourselves to leave a legacy of excellence. When I hear what people who have passed through me have achieved, it makes me very happy. It is not about you but what you are called to do. St Francis of Assisi said it’s no use walking anywhere to preach unless you are preaching in your walking. ”

  • ‘No pressure to replace Ekiti deputy governor’

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has said he is not under pressure to replace his deputy, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, who is on a sick leave.

    In a statement yesterday, the governor’s media aide, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, said: “The attention of the governor has been drawn to false and misleading reports in some newspapers regarding the health of the deputy governor, as well as the misrepresentation of the meeting between the governor and Mrs. Olayinka’s elder brother, Chief Olusegun Famuagun, the Sasere of Ado-Ekiti.

    “While it is true that the governor and Famuagun met, the governor did not tell the chief that he was under pressure to replace his deputy; neither did he allege that some politicians had started lobbying for the position that is not vacant.

    “The widely reported falsehood is a figment of the writers’ imagination. We urge journalists to be guided by the ethics of the noble profession and stay away from fictitious writing.”

  • ‘Ngige under pressure to contest Anambra poll’

    A chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Anambra State, Chief Barth Nwibe, has said former Governor Chris Ngige is under intense pressure to enter the November governorship race.

    Ngige is the senator representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly. Nwibe was a House of Representatives aspirant for Aguata Federal Constituency in the last general election.

    The ACN chieftain spoke when he led a team of party supporters to a meeting of Anambra Women Organisation (AWO) at Ezinifite, Aguata Local Government.

    He explained that though Ngige has not indicated interest in the race, there is pressure on him to contest the November election following his excellent performance when he was governor.

    Nwibe donated N1.5 million to the women’s group to boost their activities.

    He said: “Looking at Senator Ngige’s past record in infrastructural development, he will surely deliver on good governance to the people.”

    The ACN chieftain promised to take the messages he received from various groups to the senator.

    “I am interested in who will develop the state, create employment for youths, improve the lives of our people, among other things” Nwibe added.

    The women promised to support any candidate who would implement free education, create jobs for youths and empower the women.

    “What we expect from the governorship candidate are improved living conditions, where our children will have access to free education and jobs,” they said.

    The women said AWO would back any candidate who would not only promise and also implement programmes to improve the people’s lives.

  • Renard: Zambia not under pressure

    Renard: Zambia not under pressure

    The head coach of Zambia, Herve Renard has said that contrary to the reports that his player are under pressure, the team exudes greater confidence now than ever in the defence of the AFCON trophy they won last year.

    The Frenchman though expressing high regard for the Super Eagles, however, said nothing scares him especially in football, as he expects that his team carries the day.

    “The match against Nigeria is not the final, the final is still way up though, but it will no doubt be a very tough encounter. The atmosphere in camp is perfect and we hope to win against Nigeria and qualify for the quarter finals,” he said.

    The former assistant coach to the Ghana national team said he is not intimidated by Nigeria’s record especially against Zambia in the past, but added that his team remains the team to beat.

    “We are not under any form of pressure. I am not scared of any team in the competition. We have not lost the desire to fight which we displayed in the last edition. I take responsibility for the outcome of the last match against Ethiopia. I took a risk by bringing in a striker for a defender because I wanted more goals, but against Nigeria tomorrow (Today), it will be a different ball game.”

    The match has been scheduled for the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, 5pm South African time and 4pm Nigerian time.

  • Obasanjo under pressure

    Obasanjo under pressure

    Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who allegedly grabbed and pocketed all the power arms of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) when he was the president of Nigeria and leader of the party is believed to be under pressure from his loyalists to take advantage of the current crisis in the party to take back total control of the embattled party.

    Obasanjo, who was recently alleged to have been dumped by the powers that be in the party, when he suddenly resigned as the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, is today considered the only person that can be listened to by all the current factions of the party in the ongoing face off. Already, he is being lobbied to help out. But the question to be asked is if his reconciliation efforts will help revert to statuesque or re-enthrone the big man in Ota as the true leader?