The Nation Newspaper

Tag: South Africa

  • Nigeria, South Africa renew rivalry at Law Digest Awards

    Are South African lawyers and law firms better than their Nigerian counterparts? No, says Mr. Seyi Clement, Editor and Publisher of Law Digest and the organiser of Law Digest Africa Awards.

    Clement, whose United Kingdom-based law firm, Augustine Clement, recently won the ACQ 5 Law Awards 2016 as well as the Corporate INTL Global Awards, told The Nation that he expects Nigerian lawyers and law firms to prove themselves at the Law Digest Africa Awards 2016.

    He said: “I’m satisfied that Nigerian firms are competing on an equal footing with their long established counterparts from South Africa and in some cases out-performing them as well.

    “I hope that this year’s award, for which voting closes this month, will confirm that the success of Nigerian firms at last year’s awards was not a fluke and Nigerian firms are truly at par with their South African counterparts.”

    Last year, Aluko & Oyebode, beat 10 African countries including South Africa, to become Africa’s leading law firm by winning the Law Digest most contested, Law Firm of the Year award.

    Other Nigerian winners in the previous editions are Banwo & Ighodalo, G. Elias & Co and Templars. International winners at the awards include, AB & David of Ghana and Bowman Gilfillan of South Africa.

    Clement said the award represents “a mark of quality which is essential for firms to maintain a competitive edge in a highly competitive market, such as legal services”.

    With an extensive panel of judges including Bar Associations and individuals such as ex Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, CON, the awards, Clement added, is “perhaps the most coveted and respected for lawyers in Africa”.

    ”The award is based on the opinions of over 5,000 senior practitioners across Africa, and an independent panel of judges, and is open to all lawyers in Africa with categories of every type of practice both in-house and private practice,” he said.

     

     

  • South Africa don for UMA Pre-Ramadan lecture

    The 22nd Pre-Ramadan lecture of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA) will hold on Sunday at the institution’s main auditorium.

    Organising Committee chairman Dr Saheed Ahmad Rufai, said the lecture entitled The Muslim between the idea and the contemporary perception will have Prof Yusef Waghid of the Department of Education Policy Studies of University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and Founder and Director of Darul-Ifta’wan-Najaat Arabic School, Oworonshoki, Lagos, as guest speakers.

    According to him, the lecture will afford Muslims and non-Muslims to learn more about the religion and clear misconceptions.

    While UNILAG Vice-Chancellor Prof Rahaman Bello, will be the chief host, Yinka Folawiyo Group Managing Director Mr Tijani Tunde Folawiyo will chair the lecture.

    Rufai said the event would feature presentation of scholarship awards to post graduate students.

  • South Africa’s EFF party ejected from parliament

    South Africa’s parliamentary protection services forcefully removed members of the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters party on Wednesday from the chamber as they attempted to disrupt proceedings ahead of an address by President Jacob Zuma.

    Zuma will address the lawmakers later on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

     

     

  • Rotary South Africa delegates visit LCCI

    Rotary South Africa delegates visit LCCI

    A delegation of Rotary International District 9400 has visited the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Victoria Island, as part of the group’s Friendship Exchange programme.

    The team, which was visiting the country for the first time, was led by Mrs Koeki Quashie. She was accompanied by her husband, Kobla; the Honorary Consul of the Ghana High Commission in South Africa, and Chief Executive Officer, TravelVision, Mr Peter Bradshaw David.

    Mrs Quashie said they were on a two-week visit to the country, adding that though some of the group’s members had visited other countries, they had not been to Nigeria or any African country.

    She said: “We have never had any exchange in Africa. I have always wondered why we don’t do inter-African friendship exchange.  This exchange involved a lot of hard work but I am happy to say that it came to fruition.’’

    LCCI Director-General Muda Yusuf said his organisation and Rotary have some things in common – both are voluntary organisations and that some past presidents of LCCI were Rotarians. He said though opportunities and resources abound in Nigeria, the economy is facing some challenges.

    He,however, added that the government through its reforms policy is solving the problem. ‘’Nigerians are very enterprising people. We are everywhere,’’ he said.

    Others at the event were LCCI Director of Trade Promotions and International Relations Dele Alim; Head, BEST Unit, Mayowa Olanihun.

    On the Rotary District 9110’s team were Chairman,Friendship Exchange Mrs Onikepo Oshodi and Mrs  Uyi Sowobi, among others.

  • ITF lists Nigeria for World Team Qualifiers in Tunisia

  • Nigeria, South Africa partner on nation branding

    Nigeria, South Africa partner on nation branding

    Nigeria and South Africa are arguably neither friends, nor foes. Since the former apartheid nation appears hinged on undermining Nigeria’s contribution to its struggle against white imperialists, the relationship has become a sort of cat and mouse affair,-at least at citizen-to-citizen level.

    Despite that, the two countries play lead roles in trade, investment and exchange of ideas that could position Africa as the next global hub.

    However, with the growing attention on Africa, the two countries are on a mission to partner on rebranding. Taking a cue from the successful positioning of South Africa as a global brand, the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) has committed itself to collaborating with Brand South Africa, a company set up by the South African government to manage South Africa as a brand.

    PRCAN will work towards participating actively in the Brand Summit scheduled to hold in South Africa later in the year.

    PRCAN President John Ehiguese, who led his team to receive a delegation from Brand South Africa in Lagos, said there are good things Nigeria could draw from the strategies deployed by Brand South Africa, in kickstarting its own destination branding programme.

    According to Ehiguese, there are salient opportunities for Nigeria to consider arising from the successful branding of the South African nation.  He said: “We suffer from a negative perception externally. The image of Nigeria out there is not what it should be. It is not that Nigeria is as bad as it is often portrayed, but that is the perception generally. We think that there is an urgent imperative to do for Nigeria what Brand South Africa is doing for South Africa.”

    He recalled that the relationship between the Association and Brand South Africa began about two years ago, when the then Chief Marketing Officer of Brand South Africa, Wendy Tlou delivered the second PRCAN Gold Medal Lecture in Lagos. He said that PRCAN was quite glad that even with a change of guard at the marketing arm of Brand South Africa, the conviviality between both organisations continued. “We will be glad to partner with you in any area that will enhance the relationship between both our countries,” he assured.

    He told the delegation that PRCAN is committed to outreach programmes locally and internationally, explaining that the association had entered into partnership with the African Public Relations Association (APRA) to organise the 2016 APRA Conference in Calabar next month.

    He said that being a member of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), PRCAN had invited Maxim Behar, ICCO President, as lead speaker on the Consultancy Day of the 2016 APRA Conference.

    Linda Magapatona-Sangaret, Chief Marketing Officer of Brand South Africa, said her team was delighted to be in Nigeria and would explore immense partnership opportunities with PRCAN. She invited PRCAN to get ready to be part of the proposed Brand Summit to be held in South Africa later in the year.

    Magapatona-Sangaret said that Nigeria and South Africa had a lot in common and that the mission of Brand South Africa was to have all of Africa recognise as a quality brand. “Our biggest asset is our people and our rich culture and we must play to our strength in these and other areas,” Magapatona-Sangaret declared.

    In her delegation were Sindiswa Mququ, General Manager for Africa and Middle East for Brand South Africa, and Tope Ogbeni-Awe of TopComm PR, consultants to Brand South Africa, while the PRCAN team included Muyiwa Akintunde, the Vice President.

  • Zuma celebrates 74th birthday amid growing opposition

    Zuma celebrates 74th birthday amid growing opposition

    South African President, Jacob Zuma, celebrated his 74th birthday on Tuesday, amid growing calls for his resignation, mostly from the opposition.

    “My birthday wish is to see South Africa increasingly becoming a better place for all,’’ Zuma said in a message to the nation.

    Presidential spokesperson, Bongani Majola, said that Zuma would spend the day with his family in Pretoria.

    The president is embroiled in a series of scandals, notably improper state spending on his rural home and the Gupta business family’s alleged undue influence over his government.

    South Africa’s top court in late March ruled that Zuma violated the constitution by ignoring orders from an anti-corruption body for him to repay public money improperly used during security upgrades at his private home in Nkandla.

    The opposition has failed in a bid to impeach Zuma in parliament following the ruling.

    It has also accused Zuma of his links with the Indian-South African Gupta family after some sitting and former officials alleged the Guptas offered them ministerial posts.

     

  • Nigeria hits ITTF World Junior Championship

    Nigeria hits ITTF World Junior Championship

    With medals to show for their efforts, Team Nigeria (boys and girls) yesterday confirmed their places at the 2016 ITTF World Junior Championship holding in South Africa after finishing among the top three teams at the ongoing ITTF African Junior & Cadet Championship in Algiers.

    It was the boys’ team that first secured their spot after making it to the final where they had to settle for the silver against Egypt in the final.

    But the road to final for the boys was not without its hurdles as Nigeria’s road to South Africa was not without efforts, as the West African giant had to fend off host – Algeria in the quarterfinal before setting up a semifinal clash against the highly-rated Tunisia.

    As the last match on Day Two of the championship, the clash between Nigeria and Tunisia had all the suspense expected of such game being the deciding match to determine the two first teams to qualify for the World Juniors.

    Algeria Junior Open Champion, Tunisia’s Omar Ammous could not save his team from the hand of the Nigerians despite winning his match against Azeez Solanke with Amadi Omeh and Abayomi Animasahun recording emphatic victories over SAADAOUI Mootezz and OUESLATI Raed.

    Bespectacled Omar Ammous tried to restore parity for the Tunisians but the skills of Nigeria’s Amadi Omeh was too much for him to handle as he fell 3-1 to concede an overall 3-1 defeat to Nigeria.

    But the Nigerian boys conceded defeat to Egypt in the final to pick the silver medal.

    Unlike the boys team that girls’ team had to wait till yesterday before knowing their fate.

    They were unfortunate against Algeria in the semifinal tie after losing 3-1 to the host nation.

    And to complete the continent’s three slots for the global championship, the team made up of Ajoke Ojomu, Esther Oribamise and Nimota Aregbesola gently dismantled Angola 3-0 to join Egypt and Algeria at the World Juniors.

    For their efforts, the girls’ team also has a bronze medal to show for their qualification.

    Ajoke Ojomu told NationSport that she was happy that they join the boys in the qualification, while blaming their semifinal loss to Algeria on hard luck. “I am happy that we qualified for the World Junior Championship and this is one of our goals in Algiers and I hope we can do well in other events,” she said.

    Over 10 countries are taking part in the championship with the doubles and singles events serving off today and the tournament ends on April 12.

  • South Africa exhumes political prisoners hanged during apartheid

    The exhumation of 83 political prisoners hanged at Pretoria Central Prison during the apartheid era had started in the country’s capital on Wednesday, Justice Minister, Michael Masutha, said.

    The minister said the remains would be identified and returned to their families.

    Report says some 130 political prisoners were hanged on the gallows of the correctional centre between 1960 and 1990.

    The remains of 47 of them mainly members of the Pan Africanist Congress and United Democratic Front anti-apartheid organisations had been exhumed,
    while 83 of them remain buried in unmarked graves.

    The apartheid government was widely criticised for its mass executions of anti-apartheid activists, most of them black South Africans.

    It said that the last execution carried out at the prison was of Solomon Ngobeni in November 1989, who was convicted of robbing a taxi driver.

    The last woman executed was Sandra Smith, also convicted for murder in June of the same year.

    In February 1990, President Frederik Willem de Klerk declared a moratorium on executions in the country, while the death penalty was abolished in 1995.

    However, many South Africans had called for the death penalty to be reinstated after a surge in violent crimes and murders in the country.

    A survey conducted in 2015 by the South African research group Pondering Panda found that over three-quarters of young South Africans wanted the death penalty back. (dpa/NAN)

  • Afe Babalola, others to get African leadership award in South Africa

    Afe Babalola, others to get African leadership award in South Africa

    Renowned lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Aare Afe Babalola will, on Friday,  get the African Leadership award in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    Babalola, who founded Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), will join other institutions and individuals at the Sandton Sun Hotel, Johannesburg, at an event that will showcase some of the continent’s leading public and private institutions committed to excellence, innovation and African growth.

    The event will also showcase individuals, whose hard work and leadership have contributed to building legacies and strong brands.

    The event, tagged: “2016 African Educational Institutions of Excellence”, according to Dr. Ken Giami, the Publisher of African Leadership Magazine, is designed to re-echo the words of the late South African President Nelson Mandela that “education is the most powerful tool to change the world and it remains the most potent force in sustaining Africa’s developmental push”.

    Chairman of the African Leadership magazine’s North America Board, Joe Beasley, said: “We are resolved to shining the spotlight on frontline educational institutions and the academia, which have pioneered excellence and innovation in Africa’s educational landscape through exceptional leadership.”

    Aside the award segment, Giami said delegates will join other leaders to discuss the future of education on the continent.

    Other institutions of excellence to be honoured include: University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; University of the Free State, Bloemfontain, and University of Cape Town, both in South Africa; Covenant University and Babcock University in Nigeria, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; among others.