The Nation Newspaper

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  • Muslims offer prayers to mark Nigeria’s independence anniversary

    Muslims on Friday converged on the National Mosque,Abuja, and offered special prayers for peace and sustainable development as Nigeria prepares to mark its 59th independence anniversary.

    The Murshid of the Mosque, Professor Shehu Galadanci, led the session.

    Galadanci prayed to God to guide leaders in making decisions that would affect the lives of many Nigerians.

    He also prayed that God might assist the nation to overcome some of the challenges, especially in the areas of insecurity, corruption and economy.

    The event was attended by the President-General of Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar; the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; and FCT Minister Muhammad Bello who represented President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Also at the event were representatives of service chiefs, with DIG Usman Tilli, representing the Inspector-General of Police.

     

     

  • A troubled league

    The domestic league is dead. The clubs are slave camps. The country’s league seasons have no calendar. Weekly matches are marred by violence with the culprits (hoodlums, urchins etc) made to look like spirits due to inadequate security. Referees are beaten to pulp regularly because league venues don’t have close circuit televisions to track the beasts. Sadly, some of these battered referees don’t record their ordeal in their match reports, except such scenes happen in parts of the country where the media presence can overwhelm the influence of desperate club managers, owners and, sometimes, sports commissioners.

    Rather than secure an official television station for the competition to help curb violence and carnage, the organisers watched in awe as the previous league television station stopped the contract. A proactive league board would have accepted what the previous television sponsor offered and secure an arrangement where others could either show the games live or record them to be shown later.

    The composition of the board makes it difficult for the members to take binding decisions, especially punishing those who flout the body’s rules. The league board has taken a harvest of decisions with different interpretations, depending on the clout of the offending clubs. If a less influential team infringes on a law, it could get a five-match ban, with a decision to play outside the home state, for instance. If a bigger team flouts the same law, the referees would be punished for ineptitude and the offending club’s fans prevented from watching the next three matches.

    A disturbing example was the ban imposed on Kano Pillars’ captain for his unsportsmanlike conduct during the Super 4 game against Rangers at the Agege Stadium in June, 2019. Instead of banning the player from all competitions, the board stylishly allowed the Pillars’ star the opportunity of playing in the country’s oldest football competition, the Challenge Cup, which is now known as the Aiteo Cup. It is only in Nigeria that such a thing can happen because we politicise everything.

    Well managed league boards in Africa and Europe have begun, with the players sure of the season’s termination date, unlike ours which has become a league without end. It only ends at the dictates of the organisers, who are quick to adopt short cuts for the competition to end. Nigeria is the only league where clubs dictate how the season should end.

    When the organisers are not talking about the now fraudulent contraption called abridged league to hide their ineptitude, demoted clubs form a clique which canvasses that those relegated last season should remain.

    Our clueless administrators fall into the trap by extending the number of clubs in the elite class. It is a shameful circus of how the leagues shouldn’t be prosecuted. The organisers take delight in shifting the commencement  dates of the competition, the recent being the disgraceful pronouncement  that this 2019/2020 season won’t start because there are no sponsors. Isn’t it disheartening that the players have trained for several months without kicking the ball in any competition. Poor lads.

    Payment of players’, coaches’, officials’ and ancillary staff’s is almost forbidden. The so called administrators of the beautiful game (now ugly in Nigeria) are unperturbed about the sad development which turned our players into beggars and emergency cab drivers  for those who have cars in order to eke out a living. Unfortunately, the organisers cannot  secure a sponsor for the league. They drove away the sponsors they met in the league because of their tardy administrative style.

    Companies don’t work in a vacuum. A league without a calendar which will be complied with can’t get a sponsor. A league where administrators cannot stem the tide of violence at match venues is doomed because no firm wants its products and services enmeshed in controversies. A league where the target audience of sponsors (the fans) are scared of attending matches cannot generate cash internally for the clubs and for itself.

    A league where fans run through tear gas fired by security operatives to prevent mayhem isn’t one to attract positive comments from the globe. A league whose fixtures can be changed for spurious reasons, such as going to watch the World Cup, when only one goalkeeper in the domestic league makes the Super Eagles’ squad, underscores the organisers’ poor knowledge of growing the game. After all, matches weren’t played every day. Besides, World Cup fixtures were known months before the competition began.

    Sadly, our football chieftains who gloat around the country over their feats as match commissioners in FIFA and CAF competitions have not been able to implement the objective of using the domestic game as the nursery for the Golden Eaglets (through clubs’ feeder teams), Flying Eagles, Olympic Eagles, CHAN Eagles and Super Eagles. It suits them more to woo Nigeria-born lads in Europe and the Diaspora than to supervise the local game to produce more stars like we had in the past.

    To underscore the importance FIFA attaches to the local game, Enyimba FC and Ifeanyi Ubah FC goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa brought into the coffers of both clubs $237, 720 (N86 million) following the Super Eagles exit from the group stage as they failed to make it out of the group containing eventual finalist Croatia, familiar foes Argentina and debutants Iceland. Imagine if any Nigerian club had up to five home-based players in the Eagles for the World Cup? Simply multiply N43 million by five (N215 million from FIFA). Good money? Sure, but do our football organisers think this way?

    A league where touts sell match tickets at the gate yet the organisers don’t know why there is carnage. A league where 50 wiry security operatives with batons are trying to stop 3000 rampaging fans from beating up a referee, shows who the organisers are – jesters.

    When a referee is killed, we will constitute panels to find out how it happened, who did it, why and how? Innocent souls will be arrested while the roughnecks will be walking the streets, free as air, with instructions from their principals not be seen around any stadium. Of course, the noise over the dastardly act won’t last long; it will be buried with the victim whose family will be left to bear the burden of losing their loved one.

    Nothing seems to be new because these same characters run the competition yearly. Those who run the domestic game have the penchant for signing MOUs. They enjoy listening to themselves. Those with dissenting views don’t know what it takes to run the game. But this writer won’t give up until the right personnel are put in place.

    The first thing that stadia where games are played need urgently are CCTVs which can’t be destroyed to cover up malpractices. Besides, any stadium that is slated to host games must build special exit gates that will make it absolutely impossible to access the referees before, during and after matches. Any harm inflicted on match referees will translate to 10 points deduction from the offender’s total. Such a defaulting club should not be allowed to play in that venue for one year.

    With a live coverage of the domestic league, it will be easier to identify where a problem began. Those running the league met an existing television right sponsor and a title owner of the league. What happened to these two bodies which funded the operations of the organising body?

    Referees should be encouraged to sue clubs which send touts to beat them. The referees’ body should secure lawyers for them and refuse to discontinue such cases, no matter whose ox is gored. Asking clubs to pay assaulted referees’ hospital bills is not enough.

    A league whose representatives at the continental level are beaten at home by less-fancied clubs in another country should attract the ire of the organisers. Not so here. Nothing changes yearly. A league where new winners keep recycling players who failed with former winners isn’t one to celebrate. Except the league is run properly and clubs are compelled to have feeder teams and competitions instituted for them to play games, the league cannot perform its role of developing players for the national teams.

  • Ogun deputy gov urges women engineers to be role models

    Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, has tasked the Association of Professional Women Engineers (APWEN) to be role models by encouraging younger girls to take up challenging careers like their male counterparts, describing engineering as a notable profession that is worthwhile.

    Engr.  Salako-Oyedele, who gave this charge while receiving in audience the association led by its chairperson, Engr. Omolola Banjo, commended it for its interest in partnering the state government in the area of infrastructural development.

    While pledging her readiness to support the association boost the image of engineers in the state, she lauded the group for its various initiatives targeted at empowering the girl child in nation building.

    Meanwhile, the Ogun State government has reiterated its commitment towards making the state truly the first investment destination of choice not only in Nigeria, but in the sub-sahara Africa.

    The governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, stated this in his address at the 34th Annual General Meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria  (MAN), Ogun State branch, with the theme: ‘The manufacturing sector: An integral part of making Ogun State the industrial hub of Nigeria’ held at Park-Inn Radisson, Abeokuta.

    Represented by his Deputy , Engr. Salako-Oyedele, the governor said his administration understood that governance was all about the people, hence the need to provide good governance that is participatory, inclusive, responsive , effective and efficient.

     

     

     

  • Finally, a clue to tackling killer herdsmen menace

    A friend once asked me what I would tell God, if He gave me the chance to suggest what He should do to make the world a better place. My response was that God should make it impossible for anyone to harbour a thought without the people around him knowing what he or she is thinking about. Every evil deed is preceded by a thought, and its execution would most probably be aborted by others, if they have a foreknowledge of it. Didn’t the good book say that the mind of man is desperately wicked and no one can know it? It follows then that the key to checkmating the manifestation of the mind’s wickedness is to prevent a deed before it is done.

    With the scary incident in which 36 cows were struck dead by lightning in Ijare, a community in Ifedore Local Government Area, Ondo State last Saturday, there is another wish I would table before God, if He gave the chance to do so: turn all the forests that harbour killer herdsmen in the South West, the South East, the North Central and other parts of the country into sacred lands in the same manner as Oke-Owa Hill where the cows in question met their waterloo.

    As the story goes, the unfortunate cows were led by some Fulani men to the top of the hill for grazing in spite of repeated warnings by some leaders of the community that the hill was a sacred ground that could only be visited by the traditional ruler of Ijare who has the grace to ascend it to perform some rituals once in a year. But like a hunting dog destined to get lost would ignore the hunter’s whistle, the herdsmen called the bluff of the residents and guided their cows to the hilltop. As the cows were busy devouring the lush grass on the hill, the sky roared in anger and instantly terminated their lives.

    Reports say the owners of the cows described the incident as an act of God, while some people tend to see it as a mere coincidence. For the Olujare, the traditional ruler of the community, however, it was a manifestation of the wrath of the gods against the herdsmen and their cows for destroying many farmlands in the area. The Olujare said the community had repeatedly warned the errant herdsmen against their destructive acts in the area, but they would not heed the warnings, adding that the issue had led to open confrontation between the herders and the farmers in the community on many occasions.

    “It has happened and there is nothing we can do,” said Olujare’s second in command, Chief Wemimo Olaniran.” We regard it as the act of God which nobody can query. There had been occasions like that with some individuals who desecrated the land. In the past, we did witness thunderbolt attacks when any part of Ijare, particularly the sacrifice places, was desecrated.”

    The Ijare incident will certainly be bad music in the ears of blood-thirsty herdsmen who in recent times have constituted themselves into terrors in different parts of the country. Until now, they have enjoyed a free reign destroying the farmlands for which poor farmers have toiled for years, killing, maiming and kidnapping innocent people for ransom. But it would seem that a solution is about to be found to their reign of terror, and it cannot be a mere coincidence that the solution is coming from Ondo State where deadly herdsmen have repeatedly assaulted elder statesman Chief Olu Falae and abbreviated the life of Funke Olakunrin, the beloved daughter of another Ondo-born elder statesman, Chief Reuben Fasoranti.

    Since the Ijare incident was reported early in the week, the once obscure community is said to have become a tourist attraction not just for ordinary Nigerians and even foreigners, but for monarchs from different parts of the country who are desperate for a solution to the menace of killer herdsmen in their domains. They are said to be trooping to Ijare for clues on how their communities can be transformed into sacred lands in the same manner as Ijare such that they can scare away the herders who are bent on overrunning their domains and turning them into grazing fields for their cattle. It is the amazing extent to which a gratuitous incident can transform the fortune of an obscure community in the blink of an eye.

    Even Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who only a few months ago was recommending massive production of Indian hemp as a solution to the economic problems of Ondo State, can finally heave a sigh of relief from the vitriolic jibes that have been hauled at him by his horde of traducers since he mooted the idea as a long-term solution to the state’s social and economic problems.

  • Brokers ask professionals to embrace insurance

    AS a leading provider of insurance and re-insurance services, YOA Insurance Brokers Ltd, has advised professionals to embrace insurance to minimize risks to their businesses.

    YOA Insurance Brokers took its insurance advisory services to the recently concluded 2019 General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association.

    The week-long event, with the theme: ‘Facing the Future’ was borne out of the pressing need to lay a sustainable foundation for an optimistic future.

    The NBA conference participants took turns to visit the YOA Insurance Brokers booth and were treated to cocktails while they got a dossier containing a comprehensive collection of statutory and voluntary insurance benefits products and solutions. The products offered help employers reduce costs associated with human resources administration and offer the employees benefits that will improve engagement, productivity and loyalty.

    Sir Afam Linus Anijekwu, Managing Solicitor of Afam Law Consult, appreciated the team for an excellent outing at its maiden appearance at the conference and noted that there was a need for more organisations, like YOA, to help in making more information available so that more lawyers could tap into the world of insurance.

     

     

  • Tipper crushes vulcaniser while urinating by roadside

    A 29-year-old vulcaniser has been crushed to death by a tipper lorry in the Akinhan area of Awowo in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    Sources said the victim, Adeyemi Abiodun popularly called olainukan was called by an unidentified motorist to help him fix his car’s flat tyre penultimate Wednesday.

    He was said to have crossed the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway to meet the customer and quickly fixed the bad tyre.

    Read Also: Five wedding guests die, several injured In Ekiti accident

    Sources said he was pressed and decided to urinate by the road side during which the tipper which had a brake failure hit him and died instantly.

    The driver of the truck fled immediately while irate residents prevented other tipper drivers from passing through the area.

    Normalcy was however restored in the community after about three hours.

    His remains were deposited at the morgue in Ifo General Hospital, while he was buried last Thursday amid tears by sympathisers.

  • Nigerian plans to establish varsity in Sierra Leone

    THE founder of the Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu,  Osun State, Chief Ramon Atobatele Adedoyin, has expressed his readiness to establish a university in Sierra Leone.

    He said this during a four-day working visit to Sierra Leone.

    Adedoyin was received with his wife, Iyabo, at the Freetown Airport by the Nigerian Embassy staff and officials of the University of Makeni from where they boarded a boat to  Freetown.

    Chief Adedoyin and his entourage used the opportunity to visit to Sierra Leonean officials, including the Minister for Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Gbakima, to discuss areas of mutual cooperation to the two countries.

    The couple and their entourage were hosted to a breakfast treat by the Nigerian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, His Excellency, Ambassador Habiss Ibrahim Ugbada, who expressed delight that the visit would go a long way to further strengthen the strong and cordial relationship between the two countries.

    The delegation had earlier attended the postgraduate congregation of the University of Makeni where Chief Adedoyin delivered the convocation lecture titled: ‘Postgraduate Education and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals’.

    He said the purpose of his visit was to solidify academic relations between the Oduduwa University and the University of Makeni.

     

  • DisCos flay PwC’s comments on taxes

    THE Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) which is the umbrella body of the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) on Friday said that the power firms pay all applicable taxes.

    In a press release by its Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Barrister Sunday Oduntan, the association yesterday debunked the comments credited to Dr. Andrew Nevin, Chief Economist of PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC) on Wednesday, September 25.

    The statement reads in part: “Dr. Nevin, at a  power sector roundtable organised by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, was quoted to have declared that no Distribution Company (DisCo) in Nigeria has paid any tax to the Federal Government since 2013 when they were privatized because they have been “on a loss-making track” since then.

    “While acknowledging Dr. Nevin’s effort to highlight the challenges of the sector in his presentation, thus fostering a dialogue that is critical for the resolution of same, we, hereby, unequivocally state that this claim relating to Discos not paying FG taxes is misleading, incorrect and not supported by the facts.

    “As responsible corporate citizens, all of our member DisCos take their tax obligations to the federal and state governments, as applicable, seriously. As a result, the DisCos diligently pay all necessary taxes that apply to their operations.

    Read Also: DisCos to FG: Respect electricity contracts

    “These taxes include the minimum Company Income Tax (CIT), Withholding Tax (WHT) and Value Added Tax (VAT).

    “We will like to encourage all parties interested in the growth and success of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry to constantly diligently verify their information to avoid creating more challenges than those which already exist in the sector.”

  • Customs boss lauds Ogun command over joint border security

    The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (CGC), Col Hameed Ali has commended the Ogun 1 Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the ongoing joint border security exercise across the country.

    Ali made the remarks on Thursday during an assessment tour of the ongoing joint border security exercise in Ogun 1 Customs Area Command at Idiroko town, which shares border with the Benin Republic.

    He thanked the operatives of the joint border operations in the command for sustaining the exercise since the beginning of the operations last month.

    The customs chief who was received by the Controller of the Ogun 1 Area Command, Comptroller Michael Agbara, was accompanied by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic, Kayode Oguntuase, Comptroller General of Immigration, Mohammed Babandede and Brigadier General . E.A Ndagi, Coordinator of Joint Border Security Exercise, among others.

    Read Also: Ogun Customs Command 1 rakes N6.7b revenue

    ‘’My observation is that the officers are doing well. They are deployed to do a job and they are doing it exceptionally well, and that is the reason why Mr President (Buhari) asked us to come and convey his appreciation and commendations to the officers.

    He also said the closure of land borders was in the best interest of the country.

    He noted that the closure of land borders by the Federal Government was necessary to fortify the country’s security and economy, against the backdrop of smuggling of unwholesome goods including arms and ammunition into the country.

    He said: ‘’We are touring the operations sectors. As you know, we are doing an operation called ‘’Border Drill’’ and as a result of that, we have deployed our men in most of these commands.

    ‘’There are three reasons for going round. First, is to convey Mr President’s compensation to our troops and personnel that have been deployed to carry out those drills.

    ‘’Secondly is to further explain to them the reasons why we are doing this drill. Thirdly, is to getting feedback on the ground as to the successes and challenges (of the operation).

    He disclosed that the exercise would not be terminated unless there was assurance of cooperation from neighbouring countries on Nigeria’s anti-smuggling policies.

  • Seven countries Nigerians can visit without visa

    Traveling for Nigerians increasingly requires adequate planning. With Nigerian passport ranking 83rd in freedom to travel across the world, acquiring a visa is always difficult and strenuous.

    However, there are visa-free countries accessible to all Nigerian passport holders. With just a valid passport, you can gain entry into these African countries without having to stress yourself over a visa. Some may, however, be required to apply for a visa at their point of entry.

    ·       Rwanda:  Easily the neatest African country, Rwanda has become a destination choice for investors and tourists. After the 1994 genocide war, the East African nation is wearing a new look. It is also a secured nation with less than five percent national crime rate.

    Visa is obtained at entry point with just $100 for Nigerian passport holders.

    ·        Djibouti

    In East Africa, one of the best places to visit from Nigeria is Djibouti.  You may require a visa on arrival at an affordable rate, but the country still has beautiful places to visit such as the Lake Assal, which is the lowest point on land in Africa. In the world, it is only the third after the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.

    ·        Morocco: The culture, weather and exotic offering of Morocco make the country a great destination for honeymooners. There are super-amazing sites, shops, restaurants, cafes and more around the streets of Morocco which could definitely tempt you to turn your honeymoon into a typical excursion you will not regret.

    READ ALSO: Nigerian tour operators at war with Tanzania over new visa rule

    ·        Cape Verde: This is an island country that is found on the West African coast. It is one of the most welcoming tourist destinations on the continent as it has a great weather and beautiful spots that you could have a splendid vacation.

    ·       Kenya: This beautiful tourist destination has a lot of wild life, safari and historical places on offer. Cities to explore include Nairobi and Mombassa with the hosts generally welcoming and helpful. Visa is also at the point of entry.

    ·       Uganda: This East African nation with rich historical cuisine and sites such as the Lake Victoria and others allow Nigerians to travel to obtain visa at the point of entry.

    ·       Sudan: Nigerians can get visas at entry point to visit the massive deserts and wild life conservations in this hugely vast country.