The Nation Newspaper

Tag: targets

  • Ambrose targets Hibernian’s scalp

    Ambrose targets Hibernian’s scalp

    Ahead of Celtic’s weekend clash with Hibernian, Nigeria stopper Efe Ambrose says the club should focus on the upcoming fixture instead of reminiscing on the drawn game with St Mirren .

    Speaking to the official website of Celtic, celticfc.net, Ambrose said: ”In football it doesn’t always go the way you planned. It can go in an ugly way and sometimes it can go in a good way.

    ”The most important thing is for us to keep our heads straight and our aim on the championship, work harder and prepare well.”

    Celtic could win the Premier League title if they defeat Hibernian and closest challengers Motherwell lose to St Mirren at home.

    Knowing that the championship could be won on Saturday, The Bhoys have stepped up preparations.

    ”We came back for the first game after representing our countries and it takes a little bit of time.

    ”But everyone will train a little bit together again and we will come back to where we were before,” Ambrose said.

    Efe Ambrose has started 20 games for Glasgow Celtic in the Scottish Premier League.

  • Yobo targets victory against Lazio

    Yobo targets victory against Lazio

    Ahead of Fenerbahçe’s Europa League quarter – final clash against Italians Lazio, Nigeria skipper Joseph Yobo says they need to win the home leg in front of their fans to stand a chance of progressing to the last four of the competition.

    Speaking to Fenerbahçe TV, the central defender said: ”I really emphasize this is a historic match for us. Our work continues, looking forward to a great match.

    ”Without supporters, it won’t be easy to reach our goals. We played two games without spectators and it was painful. Fans should be careful, the European situation is known. The fans support will be welcomed 100 percent.”

    Joseph Yobo has advised that Fenerbahçe should win Thursday’s game against the Italians without conceding a goal.

    ”Lazio is a good and strong team. We respect our opponents. To reach the quarter – finals, each team has very good players,” Yobo declared.

    Joseph Yobo, who was omitted from the Super Eagles last World Cup qualifying fixture against the Harambee Stars, has made 6 appearances in the Europa League.

  • UACN Group targets N6b Q1 profit

    Companies under the UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Group would pool about N6 billion in pre-tax earnings for the second quarter ending June 30, 2013, according to estimates made available by the directors of the companies.

    The three companies under the UACN Group include UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Plc, the parent company; UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) Plc, the real estate and property business and CAP Plc, the paint and chemical company.

    The group’s profit forecast for second quarter of 2013 is similar to forecast for the comparable period of last year, although the earnings projections for each company vary.

    In second quarter of this year, UACN is expected to contribute more to bridge decline in earnings potential of UPDC, while CAP would complement the group’s performance with higher earnings.

    According to the forecasts, the three companies are expected to pool total sales of about N47.08 billion while pre and post-tax profits could be N5.8 billion and N4.05 billion respectively. Both the pre and post-tax profits are flat with previous year’s projections while turnover expects modest increase of about 19 per cent.

    The forecasts underline changes in performance distribution within the group with both UACN and UPDC expected to witness declines in average profit per unit of sale while CAP is expected to see encouraging increase in average profit relative to the comparable period of previous year.

    CAP is projected with pre-tax profit margin of 32.1 per cent while 10.9 per cent and 12.1 per cent respectively are forecast for UACN and UPDC.

    According to the forecasts, CAP is expected to record profit before tax of N895 million on total sales of N2.78 billion. Net profit is estimated at N609 million.

    On the other hand, UACN’s turnover is expected to be N37.44 billion while pre and post-tax profits are forecast to hit N4.09 billion and N2.78 billion.

    UPDC projected total income of N6.86 billion. The real estate company is expected to pool profits before and after tax of N827 million and N660 million for the three-month period.

    In the comparable period ended June 30, 2012, the group had total sales of about N39.6 billion while pre and post-tax profits were estimated at N5.8 billion and N4.02 billion respectively.

    In terms of figures, UACN was expected to contribute about 65 per cent of total pre-tax profit but in real terms of profitability, it was the least profitable company within the group with a pre-tax profit margin of 12.1 per cent. CAP was the most profitable company with average profit per unit of about 30 per cent while UPDC trailed with 21.5 per cent pre-tax profit margin.

    UACN was projected to earn profit before tax of N3.75 billion on turnover of N31.01 billion during the period. Profit after tax was estimated at N2.63 billion for second quarter 2012.

    UPDC forecast turnover of N6.27 billion while profits before and after tax were put at N1.35 billion and N920 million.

    CAP was projected with net profit of N468 million from total sales of N2.30 billion while profit before tax was estimated at 681 million.

    Investors are awaiting the full-year annual reports and accounts of the quoted companies that formed the nucleus of the UACN Group. The Group had projected to pool about N13.6 billion in pre-tax profit for the year ended December 31, 2012.

    Many analysts said they expected UACN Group to surpass its earnings forecasts.

     

  • Sunshine Stars coach targets top 4 finish

    Sunshine Stars coach targets top 4 finish

    Samuel Abimbola, Head Coach, Sunshine Stars FC of Akure, has said that his projection for the team is to finish in the top four of the 2012/2013 Nigerian Professional Football League (NPLF) season.

    Abimbola made this assertion on Sunday in Akure while being hosted by the Ondo State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). The coach said that he had not foreclosed winning the league, but was more focused on building a solid team with character that would be playing good football.

    “Although we have not closed the door on winning the league, I am more focused on playing good football and finishing among the top four, so as to clinch a continental ticket,” he said.

    Abimbola said the club registered 35 players for the current campaign and that the average age of his players was 24 years.

    “Football is all about running around. At AFCON, the average age we had in the Super Eagles was 24 years, which was instrumental to the success of the country. With these young players and the experienced ones we have among them, I am seeing Sunshine Stars being the best in Africa in two seasons to come,” he said.

    In his remark, the state SWAN chairman, Akintunde Akinsemola, said he was happy that the coach responded to the association’s invitation and his projection for the team. Akinsemola pledged the support of the state chapter of the association.

     

  • Swedish firm targets Nigeria’s oil industry

    Swedish firm targets Nigeria’s oil industry

    Nigeria’s oil and gas industry may attract a major investment as Alfa Laval – a leading Swedish equipment manufacturer has concluded arrangement to collaborate with an indigenous firm, Jocam Nigeria Limited, to provide parts and maintenance services for all the former’s equipment with manufacturer’s warranty.

    The collaboration will focus on skills acquisition, equipment maintenance and technology transfer to boost growth in the nation’s economy.

    The Managing Director of Alfa Laval, Mrs. Maryne Lemvik, said the company will participate in the upcoming Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) conference and exhibition, which will hold at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, between February 18 and 21.

    Lemvik said that Nigeria is a very fast-growing economy and has become globally relevant to equipment makers such as her company. She said: “We see growth and opportunities in Nigeria and we want to be fully involved. Our ambition is to provide for companies in the oil and gas sector a wide range of key solutions designed for increased efficient performance.”

    Established in 1883 with headquarters in Sweden and regional offices across the world, Alfa Laval is a global manufacturer of equipment specially designed for oil and gas sector. Such equipment include systems for liquid/solid separation, heat transfer and treatment, fluid handling, among others, and operates in Nigeria both directly and through distributors.

    Jocam is a representative company that has wide range of interests in the oil and gas, power and marine support services such as international procurement, coating, and equipment stocking; sales and services of all range of industrial equipment for surface preparation, design, installation and maintenance.

    The Managing Director of Jocam, Mr. Nnamdi Okam, said that the Nigeria Oil Gas conference and exhibition will afford the visiting Swedish team an opportunity to interact with “our clients with a view to understanding the challenges of performance and maintenance of Alfa Laval equipment as well as introduce the latest and most modern solutions for improved productivity and cost-efficiency in the industry because oil and gas industry in Nigeria is yet to attain its full potential as most of the key technologies and expertise needed for optimal operation are still sourced from abroad.”

    The Communications Manager of Alfa Laval, Virginia Nordmann, said the company is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.

    Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications. It operates in about 100 countries and is listed on Nasdaq OMX. In 2011, the company posted annual sales of about SEK 28.6 billion about (3.2 billion Euros) and has about 16000 employees.

     

  • Omeruo: Eagles targets big win

    Omeruo: Eagles targets big win

    Young Eagles star Kenneth Omeruo tells MTNFootball.com in this exclusive interview Nigeria will be gunning for a big win versus Ethiopia.

    At 19, the youngest player on the Nigeria squad to the AFCON in South Africa was thrown into the deep end in the all-important Group C clash against defending champions Zambia on Friday and he came out with flying colours.

    The Chelsea loanee’s next target is to help the Eagles beat Ethiopia on Tuesday in Rustenburg and qualify for the last eight of the competition.

    He speaks to MTNFootball.com exclusively in this Q&A interview.

    Kenneth, congratulations on making your first competitive start for the Super Eagles against Zambia on Friday.

    Thank you. I was delighted to get my chance and I will continue to do my best to justify the confidence the coaches have in me.

    You had to fill the big boots of skipper Joseph Yobo and it was against the defending champions in a game with so much riding on it. Were you overwhelmed by the occasion, even if it were just for the first few minutes?

    I was not nervous and for me, every game is very important. I just kept my composure, stayed calm, and what further helped was the fact that I played in my more familiar position in the centre of defence even though I also play at right back.

    You had to mark out the Zambia top striker Emmanuel Mayuka. How was this experience?

    He’s a very strong and fast player, but I matched him for speed and made sure I made the right runs to stop him when he went for goal. You just must be alert when you are up against such a player.

    How would you score yourself out of 10?

    Probably an eight and a nine had we kept a clean sheet and won this game.

    The champions were awarded a penalty to draw level. Was this a good call?

    It was a very wrong call by the referee because we later watched the incident on video. There was very minimal contact between the two players and it was not even inside the 18-yard box.

    The team would have been disappointed and morale would have sagged.

    Yes, it affected most of us, but after we talked over it, we are all clear we have to win our next game and we will be fine again.

    What are your main club Chelsea saying as regards your performance at this AFCON?

    They are happy for me. The thinking was that at only 19 it would be a good experience to just be part of the squad to South Africa, but I’m now playing games.

    Do we then see you finally moving to Chelsea by the end of the season in the summer?

    There is no rush for me. I just want to keep playing. If I have to move to Chelsea and I sit on the bench, I would rather stay back at ADO Den Haag, where I have already established myself, to gain more experience.

    So, you may most likely stay at ADO?

    It is possible I may stay on till next winter or for another full season. We will soon know.

    But it is likely you may join them up for pre-season training after you failed to do so in the summer because you did not have a US entry visa then.

    Nothing has been confirmed yet, you just have to wait and see as things play out.

    What is the situation with the Nigeria U20s, who want you for the African Youth Championship in Algeria in April?

    I have already missed two matches for my club as I’m here in South Africa now and I may likely miss more. It may therefore be a very tough decision for them to let me go for the AYC. But let’s remain hopeful.

    Besides you, we have other young players like Ogenyi Onazi, Nosa Igiebor and Obiora Nwankwo on this squad.

    It’s good progress for Nigerian football and the credit must go to the coach for his belief in young players like us. This would further encourage other upcoming players that they have a chance in the Super Eagles.

    Now that you have finally broken into the Eagles, you would fancy being a part of the team for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, which resumes in March with a home game against Kenya.

    I’m looking forward to that, but we have to take it a step at a time. And now it is the Nations Cup.

    What should we expect when the Eagles face Ethiopia in Rustenburg on Tuesday?

    We will win.

    Why such confidence?

    We have not been outclassed by either Zambia or Burkina Faso and we expect to play on a better pitch which will allow us to keep the ball and express ourselves better. The pitch in Nelspruit is bad and it did not allow for good football.

    What do you think of Ethiopia?

    They are a good side, who like to pass the ball and have good movement, but we are better.

    They were trounced 4-0 by Burkina Faso in their last game. What then should you expect from them on Tuesday?

    They will come out to fight especially in the early minutes of the game because they still have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals as well. But we hope to remain focussed, play to the instructions of the coach and we won’t disappoint Nigeria.

    Would the Eagles be going for a big win against Ethiopia?

    Yes, we’re going for a big win for us to win our group.

    And so avoid Cote d’Ivoire, who have already won Group D, in the next round?

    Cote d’Ivoire are a big team, but we will take this tournament a game at a time because we will give everything to win it.

    Thank you.

    The pleasure is mine.

  • Ethiopia star targets quarter finals

    Ethiopia are returning to the African Cup of Nations after 31 years in the international wilderness.

    Pitted in the same group with one of the traditional tournament favorites Nigeria, defending champions Zambia and Burkina Faso, striker Adane Girma has commented on the Antelopes chances of progressing to the knock out round of the competition.

    ”We are here to play and win matches but we also realise that we are up against teams like Nigeria, Burkina Faso and to a degree Zambia with players playing in foreign leagues like in Europe. Ethiopia only has Saladin Said who plays in Egypt and Yusuf Saleh based in Sweden but everyone else is playing in Ethiopia. So we are also learning as we play these more experienced players. Our target is to reach quarter finals,” Girma told the official website of CAF.

    Coach Sewnet Bishaw has been putting the pieces together in rebuilding a team to reclaim Ethiopia’s glory days as one of the top sides from the continent.

    ”We are a young side with me and Dawit the oldest at 27 years and the youngest member is 20years old. The coach Sewnet Bishaw has been central to the unity and cohesion in the team and he is like a father to us. We got tired of been told of our successful past history and simply want to bring back some of that success back to Ethiopia football.”

    Ethiopia start the tournament with a tricky fixture against defending champions Zambia today, January 21.

  • Govt targets 25% production in local food consumption

    TWENTY-FIVE per cent of the food items consumed by Lagosians are to be produced locally, the state government said at the weekend.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperative, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, made the disclosure at a press conference held to commemorate the Year 2012 World Food Day. He restated government’s commitment to reduce food importation and encourage the youths to engage in farming.

    According to him, the government has a plan to establish a co-operative college where farmers can sharpen their skills and provide necessary supports that would help them achieve their collective objective.

    “Soon, Lagos would produce 25 per cent of the food consumed by over 20 million residents in the state. We have engaged 120 youths in rice production and additional 250 people would be engaged in the various agricultural programmes to boost food production in the state,” he said.

    The commissioner added that to ensure food security in the state, more people would be engaged in capacity building, adding that plans are afoot to make full utilisation of lands recently acquired by the state for farming in neighbouring states.

    Gbolahan said irrigation equipment have been provided for cultivation of the land acquired in Osogbo, Osun State, where he said the government will focus on the cultivation of vegetables.

    The commissioner listed some of the challenges facing the farmers to include lack of adequate skills, poor transportation system and erratic power supply. He blamed the low food production in the country on these challenges.

    He listed the provision of a 20,000 ton per annum rice mill at Imota, 10,000 broiler house and 2,000 birds per day processing centre, establishment of modern farm service centre and inauguration of Eko refrigerated meat vans amongst others, as some of the government intervention in agriculture.

     

  • Dangote Committee targets N100b for flood victims

    Dangote Committee targets N100b for flood victims

    National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation Co-Chairman Aliko Dangote spoke yesterday of plans to generate N100 billion for flood ravaged states and victims.

    Dangote told reporters in Abuja after the inauguration of the committee by President Goodluck Jonathan that it plans to raise the cash to complement the government’s efforts at mitigating the effects of the disaster.

    He said the fund would be raised from both local and international donors.

    “What we are expecting next is for goodies to come, we are actually going to meet and we will try as much as possible to raise funds both locally and internationally to complement government’s effort in terms of making sure that our fellow Nigerians do not really suffer from this devastating calamity of flood.

    “We will go round and (we will) see what needs to be done and also what government should do so that this thing does not reoccur again.

    Dangote solicited the support and cooperation of all well meaning individuals and organisations in the realisation of the committee’s objectives.

    He said that the provision of relief materials and rehabilitation of flood victims should not be seen as the responsibility of government alone.

    “We do not want to look at the flood disaster as a government issue.

    “For some of us, when there are disasters in other countries we helped and so we expect people to help us.

    “Government is doing its own but we, as private sector, we are very serious because we are donating our money out of our own goodwill.’’

    Dangote assured the flood victims that funds realised by the committee would be judiciously spent.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation is mandated to raise additional funds in support of government’s efforts to provide urgent relief for victims of recent floods across the country.

    President Jonathan in a nationwide broadcast announced that government will give over N17billion to the affected states and government agencies managing the disaster which has affected 22 states – the worst hit being those along the bank of Rivers Niger and Benue.

  • Kano targets 6 million kids for Polio vaccination

    Kano state is targeting 6 million children from ages 1 to 5 in the next vaccination exercise against the dreaded polio disease.

    The Commissioner of Health, Dr Abubakar Yusuf, disclosed this to reporters yesterday in Kano.

    He said: “Based on census figure, we are targeting 6 million for the vaccination and the state government has released all the necessary funds for the immunisation exercise to all the 42 local government areas.”

    He stressed that the government has held series of meetings with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children Educational and Scientific Fund (UNICEF) who are major partners, to ensure the success of the exercise.

    The commissioner assured of 100 percent coverage of under – served areas during the exercise using the newly introduced Geographic Information System (GIS).

    By using the GIS, Yusuf said: “supervisors will easily know what is happening in the under – served areas, which are the main targets for the exercise.”

    He also commended the use of the newly- introduced community- based Tsangaya or Koranic education system aimed towards eradicating polio at the grass root by using Mallams and Imams teaching children within the age bracket.