The Nation Newspaper

Tag: target

  • CHAN 2014: No target for Keshi, says NFF

    CHAN 2014: No target for Keshi, says NFF

    NFF Technical Committee Chairman, Christopher Green, has insisted that no one would give the Super Eagles technical crew a target at the forthcoming Africa Championships for home based players, but said that Stephen Keshi and his boys have all it takes to win the championship

    Speaking in Abuja, the NFF executive committee member said “it doesn’t warrant giving Stephen Keshi a target at the CHAN tournament holding in South Africa. One thing that is obvious is that Keshi has done very well with the team within a space of one month. We have also seen that he is very determined to make a maximum impact in the championship, so we need to encourage him. The boys on their parts, would not want to disappoint the Coach and the country, because they know that if they play well in this championship, they can make it to the World cup, so they would have to put in their best”.

    Continuing, the Rivers State FA Chairman said “that makes it very good for us as everyone would want to strive to write his name in gold”.

    He promised that the NFF would give the team all the support to ensure that they excel at the Africa Championships and World Cup proper in Brazil later in the year .

  • Judges’ target

    Judges’ target

    Reports that the National Judicial Commission (NJC) has set a minimum target of between 16 and 24 judgments a year for judges across the country from 2014 is difficult to situate. While we are in agreement with the NJC that indolent and ineffective judges should be retired; there is the need to properly weigh the parameter used by the commission to arrive at that figure.

    We consider that it may be unrealistic to make such a demand, when the judges do not determine the number of cases that come before them in a year. Again, has the commission considered the cost on quality of judgments in arriving at the decision, knowing that some cases are more intricate than others?

    Again, the work output of a judge in a busy court like in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Onitsha and other commercial centres will no doubt be different from their colleagues operating in remote areas, where the number of cases in a year may not be up to 24. We are also worried that if emphasis is on quantity, some judges may find it convenient to treat the matters before them shabbily, to meet the requirement. Has the commission considered the impact of dumping badly heard cases on the appellate courts, thus depriving litigants without resources the right to go on appeal?

    Moreover, in determining the effectiveness of judges, what measure has the commission put in place to sieve judges who give ill-considered judgments from the system; as their impact is also as ruinous as indolent judges that delay cases before them unduly. While no doubt the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, has shown grit in tackling corruption more than her predecessors, we believe that corruption-induced judgments constitute by far, more danger than the quantity of cases determined by a judge in a year. So, the NJC has a more serious challenge tracking corruption in the judiciary.

    Also, as we have always argued, the NJC, nay the country, must seek a more efficient way of appointing only competent persons to the bench. That is the surest way to have competent and efficient persons as judges in our courts. Part of the challenge, as we have also argued, is that the centralised system of appointment, remuneration and discipline of judges is unrealistic. Apart from the fact that it negates our federal system of government, it also hoists equal measure for unequal work across the country’s judiciary, which may have informed the new policy of between 16 to 24 judgments in a year. As we have noted on the issue of federalising wages, it is unrealistic for a worker, whether a judge or some other workers, who work in diverse areas and economic environments, to receive the same salary.

    It may indeed be noted that many Nigerians will not wager for the integrity of our judiciary, and one reason is the undue delay in the courts. This also may have informed the instruction to deliver a reasonable number of judgments in a year by the judges; but the NJC may not be able to achieve that by fiat. Part of the strategy should be to provide efficient infrastructure for the judiciary. In some courts, the judges still write in long hand; some do not have good libraries, qualified research assistants, efficient power supply system and other basic infrastructure.

    So, the NJC needs a mixed bag of demands and incentives to achieve an efficient judiciary. While pushing for increase in the number of cases a judge must decide in a year, it must also work to ensure quality judgments that will endure.

  • Still on Nigeria and MDGs 2015 target

    SIR: September 2000, 189 heads of State and government adopted the UN Millennium Declaration. The eight key goals and 21 targets that were set and agreed to be attained on or before 2015 are eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achievement of universal primary education, promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction in child mortality rates, improvement in maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria other diseases, environmental sustainability as well to develop a global partnership for development.

    Thirteen years after, Nigeria’s attainment of the set goals has been rated differently from good to bad and to worse depending on who is saying it. What is glaring to all and sundry is that life has not been a bed of roses under the harsh economic climate.

    For instance, President Goodluck Jonathan, at the Water Summit, held recently in Abuja stated that Nigeria needs over N350 billion annually to meet its water and sanitation targets while Vice President, Mohammed Sambo, at a stakeholders meeting in Abuja also said that “Although Nigeria has made significant strides in reducing maternal mortality from figures that were above 1000/100,000 live births in 1990 to 545/100,000 live births in 2008, attainment of the health MDGs still remain a challenge in Nigeria, as the current annual reduction in under-five mortality of 4% is far below the 13% annual reduction needed to bend the curve to attain Goal 4 by 2015”.

    To the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Nigeria is among the 38 countries that have already met the internationally set hunger eradication targets ahead of 2015! According to the Director-General of FAO, José Graziano da Silva, “these countries are leading the way to a better future. They are proof that with strong political will, coordination and cooperation, it is possible to achieve rapid and lasting reductions in hunger”.

    On-track are the MDG 2 goal of achieving universal primary education; MDG 3 of promoting gender equality; MDG 6 of combating HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases; and  MDG 8, centered on global partnership for development.

    Off-track targets are MDG 1 that covers the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; MDG 4 – reduction in child mortality; MDG 5 – improvement in maternal health; and MDG 7 – ensuring environmental sustainability.

    The status of MDGs in Nigeria indicates that the country is unlikely to meet most of the targets. The incidence of poverty is reported to have increased from 54.4 percent in 2004 to 65.1 percent in 2010 while about 10 million children of school going age are out of school.

    In the 2011 elections, women representation at the National Assembly was found to have declined and the national average is about six per cent which is one of the lowest in Africa while climate-related shocks, as manifested by extreme harsh weather conditions, claiming livelihoods and exacerbated Africa’s food insecurity, resulting in a high incidence of strife, widespread hunger, underweight children and extremely low dietary consumption patterns in which the World Bank says over 70 per cent of Nigerian adults are poor.

    The post 2015 development agenda should recognize the changed context of the world, the changing geography of poverty and the need not only to improve the content but also put in place an accountability framework. Additionally, it must recognize the changed demographics of the world, youth issues and the challenge of terrorism.

    • Adewale Kupoluyi,

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

  • Nembe City target top 10 finish

    Nembe City target top 10 finish

    Nembe City midfielder, Dafe Omonigho, is confident his side can secure a top-10 finish in the Glo Premier League.

    City beat Heartland 2-0 at the weekend to move to 10th place with 29 points, 10 adrift of the leaders Kano Pillars, and Omonigho feels there is enough time for them to move further up the table to finish comfortably in the top half.

    He told supersport.com that despite the sale of their top players recently, they were capable of winning their remaining home games to achieve this target.

    “We are happy we beat Heartland to regain our place in the top half of the table,” he said.

    “We did not only beat Heartland, we also outplayed them, and that is why I’m confident we would finish within the top 10 because they are a very strong side.

    “Even our coaches were surprised with the manner we took them out.

    “I’m not assuring anybody of winning the title, or qualifying for Africa, but we are capable of finishing anywhere between sixth and eight.

    “When you consider we just got promotion and then had to sell some influential players, then that is a reasonable target.

    “I feel the teams that beefed up their sides well during the last couple of transfer windows are the ones that should contest for the title and continental tickets.

    “Our new players have slotted in well, and though we have some top teams like Sunshine Stars, Kano Pillars and Kwara United coming to Yenagoa, we’re confident of winning our remaining home games.”

    The former Bayelsa United player said they should not be associated with relegation.

    “We’ve never thought about relegation, and had our team remained intact our ambitions would have been much higher,” he pointed out.

    “There’s still enough quality in the side to pick up points on the road, and a decent run of games cannot be ruled out.

    “Our fans should not lose any sleep because they will certainly be watching premiership football next season.”

  • Students urged to target excellence

    Students urged to target excellence

    Former Vice-Chairman of Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Pastor Joseph Adeniran has urged students to aim for excellence.

    He was addressing students of McPherson University, Seriki-Sotayo, Ogun State, during the maiden Students’ Week.

    Adeniran, a journalist, said Nigeria remained backward because excellence had been sacrificed for mediocrity. In his presentation entitled: Excellence: The relationship matrix, he said excellence could be achieved by devotion to study, stressing that students must be the driver of their destiny.

    “You can become an expert in anything you can devote 10,000 hours of practise to. The 10,000 hours are a great wand for expertise, greatness and excellence,” he added, urging them to be leading lights as pioneer students of the faith-based university by sticking to excellence and doing a common thing in an uncommon way.

    He, however, cautioned the students against vices that may terminate their academic pursuit.

    Other speakers at the event included the university Chaplain, Reverend Ezekiel Abikoye; Deacon Bisi Afolabi and Dr Abikoye Aderounmu.

    Afolabi spoke on Academic excellence: Pathway to greatness while Aderounmu lectured the students on You and your health.

    Elijah Fadare, 100-Level Accountancy, said the Week was impactful. His colleague from the department of History and Diplomatic Studies described the programme as worthwhile.

     

  • Nestle Nigeria, Skye Bank, Eterna target N17.4b

    Nestle Nigeria, Skye Bank, Eterna target N17.4b

    The trio of Nestle Nigeria, Eterna Plc and Skye Bank Plc could make a total profit before tax of about N17.4 billion in the next three months, according to latest forecasts released by directors of the companies.

    In separate forecasts on operations of the companies, their directors indicated positive outlooks for the second quarter ending June 30, 2013.

    The board of Nestle Nigeria, which recently announced full cash dividend of N15.85 billion for the 2012 business year, said the food and beverage company would make an average profit margin of 18.8 per cent on every unit of sales.

    According to the forecasts, Nestle Nigeria’s turnover is expected to be N31.75 billion while profit before tax would be N5.97 billion during the three-month period.

    After provision for taxes, net profit distributable to shareholders is estimated to be about N5.04 billion.

    The Board of Skye Bank estimated that average pre-tax profit margin would be 14.1 per cent in the second quarter with profit before tax expected to be about N10.6 billion.

    The bank’s top-line is projected at N75.23 billion while profit after tax could be N8.48 billion.

    Similarly, Eterna predicted a profit margin of about 6.5 per cent, indicating that it would only make profit of N6.50 kobo on each N100 unit of sales.

    According to the projections, profit before tax is expected at N825.0 million with total sales put at N12.78 billion. Profit after tax is estimated at N594 million for the three months.

    Nestle Nigeria had recently announced that it would be distributing N14.66 billion as final cash dividends for the 2012 business year, bringing total cash payouts for the year to N15.85 billion. The food and beverage giant had earlier declared interim dividend of N1.19 billion.

    The Board of Nestle Nigeria indicated it would be recommending a final dividend per share of N18.50 in addition to interim dividend of N1.50 paid in December 2012, bringing total dividend per share to N20.

    Key extracts of the audited report and accounts showed a general improvement in the profitability of the company. On the average, Nestle Nigeria made N21.46 in pre-tax profit on every N100 unit of sales in 2012 as against N18.58 recorded in previous year. Gross profit margin had also improved from 41.44 per cent in 2011 to 42.99 per cent in 2012.

    While total sales rose by 19.1 per cent, improved cost management magnified the impact of sales growth on the bottom-line, pushing pre and post tax profits up by 37.64 per cent and 28.12 per cent.

    Total sales stood at N116.71 billion in 2012 as against N97.96 billion in 2011. Gross profit rose from N40.59 billion to N50.17 billion.

    Profit before tax increased to N25.05 billion in 2012 compared with N18.20 billion in 2011. Profit after tax rose from N16.50 billion to N21.14 billion.

    With these, earnings per share improved from N20.81 in 2011 to N26.67

     

  • Lagos State Command’s swimmers target 8 gold medals

    Lagos State Command’s swimmers target 8 gold medals

    The Lagos State Police Command swimmers say they will clinch at least eight of the 15 gold medals on offer at the Nigeria Police Force Games in Port Harcourt.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Games planned for Feb. 24 to March 3 will now hold between March 1 and March 10.

    In separate interviews with NAN on Thursday in Lagos at their training session at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, they said that they were ready for the competition.

    They said that lack of facilities and training kits as well as grants would not deter them from wining at the 10th edition of the bi-annual competition.

    Cpl. Yellow Yeiyah, the team’s captain, told NAN that they had trained hard and were in high spirits to excel at the Games. Yeiyah said that the postponement of the competition would help them to improve on their training.

    “We are in good form and high spirits and will win nothing less than eight gold medals out of the 12 at stake at the competition,’’ he said.

    Cpl. Ademola Ayenuwa, who lamented the lack of training kits and grants, said it would not deter him from doing his best to win at the competition. He said that the NPF should ensure adequate kits and grants in subsequent competitions to motivate them to excel.

    “We did not get any training kits or grants but this will not deter us, the NPF should take note of this in subsequent programmes,’’ Ayenuwa said.

    Cpl. Gabatomini Williams also said that in spite of lack of facilities, the team had managed to train hard for them to soar high in the competition. She appealed to the NPF to promote the officers who win gold at the competition rather than monetary reward.

    Cpl. Ebinga Enanma said that athletes who recorded outstanding performances should be given international exposure for them to represent Nigeria at international competitions.

    “I learnt that other countries will be participating, this will make the competition highly competitive but I appeal that outstanding officers should be given international exposure,’’ Enanma said.

    NAN reports that 20 swimmers, including 10 males and 10 females will represent the Lagos State Command at the Games. They will feature in 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle, butterfly and 4x100m, 4x200m individual medley and relays.

     

  • Ayila, Jude Aneke hit target

    Ayila, Jude Aneke hit target

    Yusuf Ayila scores on Turkish debut Yusuf Ayila scored on his debut in Turkey, while Jude Aneke was also on target in Egypt on Sunday.

    Ayila scored for Orduspor in a Turkish top flight game against Istanbul Buyukdehir. He put his team ahead 2-1 in the 33rd minute before Istanbul BB equalised to end the game 2-2. The former Dynamo Kiev player was booked in the 70th minute. Orduspor are now 13th on the table with 26 points from 22 games.

    Former Nigeria U-17 striker Simon Zenke was on from start to finish for Istanbul BB but fired blank.

    In Egypt, NPL all-time highest goal scorer Jude Aneke scored his first goal for El-Daklyeh in Egyptian Premier League on his first start on Sunday.

    Aneke, who debuted on Wednesday seeing just 11 minutes of action, started on Sunday against Ismaily and justified his selection by scoring a goal in his team’s 2-1 home loss.

    The ex-Kaduna United forward equalised for El-Daklyeh in the 54th minute when headed home a pull out before he was replaced by Motaz Hassan in 60th minute.

  • Customs fails to meet N320b target

    The Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs failed to meet its N320 billion revenue target last year.

    The command made N283 billion.

    On export, the command got as N129.9 billion, leaving a shortfall of N37 billion.

    Sources said the commodities exported included palm kernel cake, cocoa beans and wheat bran pallets, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, ginger, hibiscus flower, gum Arabic, processed rubber, shrimps, and lead ingot.

    Others were 4,625,837 square feet of processed leather, 74,547 cases of Dettol brand of disinfectant, Maggi Crayfish, 29,062 cartons of biscuits, 97,100 bags of assorted bathroom slippers and 1,655,320 litres of ethyl alcohol.

    Investigation also revealed that there has been an increase in the number of containers scanned at the Apapa port.

    The command scanned 18,489 containers last year.

    A breakdown of containers at the port shows that 3,390 were scanned for the first quarter with an average of 113 containers daily; the second quarter recorded 4,225 with a daily average of 142 containers.

    For the third quarter, 4,832 containers were scanned with a daily average of 161; 6,042 containers were scanned in the last quarter with an average of 201 scanned daily.

    Sources said a total of 14,128 containers were exited from the port using the fast track method.

    “Currently, 119 companies have availed themselves of this service and have achieved a monthly average of 1,177 containers exiting the ports under the scheme, a total of 14,128 containers were exited using fast track method,” the source said.

    Despite the fact that the command was N40 billion short of the expected revenue target for last year, Umar said an unprecedented N283 billion was collected as total revenue between January and December last year.

     

  • Customs fails to meet N320b target

    The Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs failed to meet its N320 billion revenue target last year.

    The command made N283 billion.

    On export, the command got as N129.9 billion, leaving a shortfall of N37 billion.

    Sources said the commodities exported included palm kernel cake, cocoa beans and wheat bran pallets, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, ginger, hibiscus flower, gum Arabic, processed rubber, shrimps, and lead ingot.

    Others were 4,625,837 square feet of processed leather, 74,547 cases of Dettol brand of disinfectant, Maggi Crayfish, 29,062 cartons of biscuits, 97,100 bags of assorted bathroom slippers and 1,655,320 litres of ethyl alcohol.

    Investigation also revealed that there has been an increase in the number of containers scanned at the Apapa port.

    The command scanned 18,489 containers last year.

    A breakdown of containers at the port shows that 3,390 were scanned for the first quarter with an average of 113 containers daily; the second quarter recorded 4,225 with a daily average of 142 containers.

    For the third quarter, 4,832 containers were scanned with a daily average of 161; 6,042 containers were scanned in the last quarter with an average of 201 scanned daily.

    Sources said a total of 14,128 containers were exited from the port using the fast track method.

    “Currently, 119 companies have availed themselves of this service and have achieved a monthly average of 1,177 containers exiting the ports under the scheme, a total of 14,128 containers were exited using fast track method,” the source said.

    Despite the fact that the command was N40 billion short of the expected revenue target for last year, Umar said an unprecedented N283 billion was collected as total revenue between January and December last year.