The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Togo

  • 100 students participate as Olympafrica Futbonet berths in Lagos

    As the much anticipated Nigeria Olympic Committee organised ( NOC ) 2018 Olympafrica Futbonet berths in Lagos, over 100 students from schools and football clubs marked the opening ceremony at the Olympafrica ground, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

    The newsmen reports that the International Olympics Committee ( IOC ) initiated competition is meant for the less privileged students, giving them a feel of sports.

    The event which is expected to hold between April 26 and May 6, has in attendance the Project Coordinator Abdulmalik Ibrahim, who said he was impressed with the turnout of the children.

    He said that the annual Nigeria Olympics Committee ( NOC ) sponsored event had given life to many less-privileged children in the society, adding that it gives hope to those who never dreamt of travelling out.

    “This is a competition with a rare opportunity for the less-privileged to have an opportunity to express themselves through sports.

    “The turnout today is impressive being the first day, others will still come when it is their turn to play. It is a wonderful opportunity because the competition is not all about winning.

    “The competition seeks to imbue in them the spirit of brotherliness and fairness, lessons we hold in high esteem during competition. What we want is discipline and fair play.

    “This competition is not about who wins and not winning at all cost; it may interest people to know that the team with the highest goals may not b the eventual winners,’’ he said.

    Abdulmalik said that the competition for school children between the ages of 13 and 15 would seek to foster unity among them.

    He added that the winners and the runners-up from Lagos and Port Harcourt zones would represent Nigeria at the international Olympafrica Futbonet scheduled for Togo this year.

    Read Also: Whither NCE in Lagos schools?

    The participants who spoke to the newsmen expressed their happiness with the competition.

    Adegoke Sulaiman said that he was happy to be among those selected to play in the competition, adding that the selection process was fair enough.

    “I am happy to be here, I think we are just picked randomly and I was surprised when my name was called,’’ he said.

    Olatunji Jokotola said the competition was new to him because of his knowledge of the normal football rules which were not fully practiced during the matches.

    “At first, I did not understand what the competition is all about, but as we played on, I got to know that there are some expectations from us outside the normal football activities.

    “These are what they want us to understand more than just playing the ball, I think it is good enough,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • HFN begins Camp in Kaduna

    HFN begins Camp in Kaduna

    The Handball Federation of Nigeria ( HFN ) has opened camping for Under-18 and 20 players ahead of the African qualifiers for the International Handball Federation competition coming up in Niger Republic.

    Our reporters,  reports that the camp commenced from March 5-30, 2018 at the Murtala Mohammed Square in Kaduna.

    Emeka Oko,the under U-18 coach said ” selection would be on merit. If you play well we will pick you and if you don’t we will drop you. We want to field the best for the country. ”

    Technical Director, Nigerian Handball federation, Ferdinand Emana, expressed confidence that the talents at their disposal would do the nation proud.

    “There is no doubt in my mind that this group of talented young players will spring  surprises in Nigeria as they were carefully selected from previous competitions last year.”

    A cross section of coaches said final selection of players would be tough because of the pool of talented players in camp.

    Read Also: AHCN rues govt’s disposition to NHF

    Chairman Kaduna Handball Association, Ahmed Abubakar expressed gratitude to the federation for starting the camp early, stressing that it would boost the confidence of the players.

    “The confidence is that the players will get to know each other and it will foster team spirit and cohesion and its a good development for the game”.

    Our reporters, reports that 28 players each for the under U-20 and U-18 teams are in camp out of which 14 players will be selected for each category.

    Nigeria is pitched in zone 3 of the IHF qualifiers alongside Ghana, Siera Leone, Burundi, Togo, Benin Republic and host Niger.

     NAN

  • FG pledges support for FCWC

    FG pledges support for FCWC

    The Federal Government has pledged to support the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea ( FCWC ) to achieve its goals for the benefit of the member states.

    Dr Bukar Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, conveyed the assurance at the 10th Annual Ministerial Conference on FCWC in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Ibrahim, who was represented by Mr Azeez Muyiwa, a Director in the ministry, said that the Federal Government would support the efforts of the committee to ensure that the fishery resources of the sub-region were sustainably exploited and managed.

    “Today’s annual conference is unique because the organisation is celebrating its 10th anniversary of existence.

    “The organisation’s excellent performance in fisheries management, promotion of fish trade, fight against Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported ( IUU ) fishing and regional cooperation among the member countries cannot be overemphasised.

    “The conference could not have come at a more auspicious time than now that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has redirected the focus of the Nigerian economy towards agriculture.

    “Efforts at harnessing the huge potential of fisheries and aquaculture will no doubt give an added impetus to the realisation of our shared objectives in wealth creation, food and nutritional sector in the Gulf of Guinea,’’ he said.

    Ibrahim, however, urged the participants to come up with a workable document that could be used to implement fishery development programmes that would be beneficial to the sub-region.

    Read also: ‘Mechanised Farming, key to Nigeria’s food security’

    Mr Seraphin Dedi, the Secretary General of FCWC, said that if the public and private sectors and all partners in the fishery sector invested appreciable resources in fishery development projects, the sector would record significant improvement.

    “If we are able to invest enough resources in the fishery sector, we may improve the contribution of fisheries to the food security, nutrition and the development of the sub-region.

    “The fishery sector is one sector that is helping a lot in terms redistributing the value addition of the sector to the population. So, if we invest in fisheries, you are sure that it will affect the people of the region.

    “If we look at the value chain of the fishery sector, we will discover that different people are involved in the system; by investing in the sector, you can touch all these people and facilitate the development of the region,’’ he said.

    Dedi said that FCWC was the regional fisheries body that managed the fishery resources of the region which comprised six countries — Nigeria, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic.

    “We are having this meeting in Nigeria, which is the conference of ministers.

    “We use to meet once a year and move from one country to the other. Part of the focus of the current meeting is the celebration of the 10th anniversary of our existence.

    “It means for the past 10 years, we have been working together as a body, sharing our experiences and implementing measures to combat illegal fishery in the region and manage our fishery resources.

    “So after 10 years, we need to sit down and reflect on what we have done so far and how far we can go again.

    “We have noted in our past discussions that investment in fisheries is not sufficient enough.

    “So, in efforts to support our region’s development, we decided to choose `Investment for Growth and Sustainability in Fisheries in West Africa’ as the theme of this year’s conference,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Buhari, Ouattara meet over Togo, Liberia, other issues 

    Buhari, Ouattara meet over Togo, Liberia, other issues 

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday  met  with Cote d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The leaders discussed issues bordering on the situation in Togo, Liberia, among others.

    The meeting also deliberated on issues of mutual benefit to the countries.

    Speaking with reporters  said: “It is a great honour and privilege to be in Abuja to see my brother and exchange views with him on the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Cote D’Ivore and to see how our sovereign nation is doing and also of course we had the opportunity to exchange views on major issues on the continent and the world.

    “I will like to thank President Buhari for his invitation. I had expressed the wish to come and see him, we had been in touch and I came to tell him that we are very happy that he is back in good health. This is important not only for Nigeria but for the whole of West Africa and our continent. We pray God that his health continues to be strengthened and be better for him to lead our sub region.

    “The leadership of Nigeria is quite important to all of us which is something that is obvious but I think it needs to be said.

    “President Buhari has shown a great leadership with the fight against Boko Haram, insecurity in the sub region and also on economic matters.

    “I expressed to him the fact as an economist and having worked in Nigeria many years ago, I am impressed by the measures which have been implemented to lift Nigeria out of recession.

    He said that Nigeria and his country have similar experiences resulting from crash in the prices of the two countries’ main export commodities at the international market.

    He specifically commended the President for the measures engaged to bring Nigeria out of recession.

    “Nigeria has seen sharp drop in the price of oil and Cote D’Ivore has also experienced an important decrease in the price of cocoa. As you are all aware, Cote D’Ivore produces 40 percent of world cocoa,  two million tons and the price dropped early this year by 40 percent.

    “So this has had negative effect on our economy. I know what Nigeria went through with the sharp drop in the price of oil.  So I expressed to him my admiration for all the measures which have been taken to lift Nigeria out of recession and to wish all the Nigeria people well because our sub region has made a lot of progress over the past few years and we need to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Cote D’Ivore and Nigeria. This is what we discussed and we have committed ourselves to do so.

    “We also discussed the situation in Togo and situation in Liberia on those we have complete consensus on how we should go about to strengthen democracy in our sub region.” he said

    According to him, President Buhari had promised to attend the AU/European meeting in Abidjan at the end of November.

  • FIBA was good exposure for Nigerian players – NBBF

    FIBA was good exposure for Nigerian players – NBBF

    A member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation ( NBBF ), Retd. Col. Sam Ahmedu, on Monday said Nigeria’s participation in the FIBA Africa 3×3 Championship was a good exposure for the players.

    Ahmedu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that in spite of losing in the final matches to Mali, Nigeria still had a good outing.

    NAN reports that Mali defeated Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigers and Junior D’Tigress 22-17 points and 9-7 points respectively in the final matches of the competition on Sunday.

    “Even with the losses in the final matches, it was not a bad outing for Nigeria”.

    “We knew it would be tough and that the hosts would leave no stone unturned to win the competition, which was being organised in honour of one of their people there”.

    “We should also not forget that Nigeria’s under-18 boys beat them in the Preliminary Round. Overall, it was a good exposure for our young boys and girls, and this portends a good future for their development,” he said.

    According to the NBBF official website, both teams did the country proud during the competition.

    During the tournament, the male team remained unbeaten in their opening round matches, even when they met Mali in the preliminary encounter.

    Nigeria’s under-18 boys defeated Togo 21-8 in their first game, while Republic of Benin suffered a 13-20 loss to Nigeria in their second Group A match.

    Junior D’Tigers defeated Mali 18-13 in their final group game, and went on to beat Benin 21-11 points in the semi-finals.

    Similarly, the Junior D’Tigress defeated Togo 12-8 in their first match, and lost 14-16 against Mali.

    NAN recalls that the competition, named “Tournoi International Salamatou Maiga U-18 Championship’’, was held in Mali from Saturday to Sunday.

    Seven teams, made up of four male and three female teams, participated and they were from Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Republic of Benin.

  • Nigeria raises concerns over electricity debts owed by Benin, Togo

    Nigeria raises concerns over electricity debts owed by Benin, Togo

    The Federal Government yesterday raised concerns over continuous electricity supply to Republic of Benin and Togo in spite of non-payment of outstanding bills and when Nigerians need the same power.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Power) Dr. Louis Edozien made the Federal Government’s position known at the opening of the route and environmental and social impact assessment study on the Nigeria-Benin 330 KV reinforcement project.

    He urged the company in charge of the bilateral power deal,  Communaute Electricique  du Benin (CEB), and Togo to pay up the mounting debts.

    The  said the ministry’s primary responsibility is to satisfy the electricity needs of Nigerians, “although the Federal Government is committed to integrating Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)  electricity market”.

    Edozien told the West African Power Pool (WAPP) delegates that  “Nigerians are not satisfied. I will explain why it makes sense to do this even in the context of the current dissatisfaction, but it is very difficult to make that argument very persuasively when the electricity we have already supplied is not paid for”.

    “So, I want to use this platform to emphasis to CEB that the debt that has accumulated for electricity already supplied needs to be settled as quickly as possible. It helps us explain to Nigerians why we should and must sign the supply by doing projects like this one.

    “Now, not only must the debt be paid but a mechanism must also be put in place to make sure the debt doesn’t balloon again and they are paid for as and when due,” he said.

    According to him, the essence of the commitment to supply power to the West Africa CEB and Niger Link arose out of government’s multi-lateral understanding about optimising the use of the River Niger as a resource.

    Edozien, however, told the delegates that the Nigerian electricity industry has moved from a vertically integrated government monopoly to an industry with private investors, hence the need for a power purchase agreement.

    He said it was “necessary to move the arrangement into a proper contract and I believe that that discussion is already on the way to move CEB contract from basically a government to government multi-lateral agreement to a proper purchase agreement with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company for the existing supply”.

    He added: “Now as your needs grow and as projects like this one are completed, you sign the amount of energy you are buying from Nigeria. Our expectation is that you will look to individual generation operators – two of whom are here – to contract the supply you need. The regulator is here and he is putting in place regulatory framework so that you can contract directly with the people who want to supply to you and I believe you have one such contracts already.”

    Interim Managing Director and WAPP Chairman Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed explained that the project, which is the second Ikeja West (Nigeria) to Sakete (Benin Republic) transmission line will be due for commissioning in 2021.

    The project, he said, is expected to take 24 months after six months of feasibility studies and the procurement process.

    The TCN boss noted that African Development Bank (ADB) is committed to financing the project, adding that it was the ones that funded the line from Ikeja West to Sakete and would still use the same funding corridor.

    The ECOWAS representative said the 330KV Nigeria/Togo Interconnection Reinforcement Project was aimed at augmenting the power exchange capacity of its predecessor, which was commissioned by WAPP in 2006.

    He added that the project shall stabilise the WAPP coastal transmission backbone spanning from Nigeria, Cote d’ Ivoire through Benin, Togo and Ghana, to increase the power potential of ECOWAS countries like Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Vice Chairman Sanusi Garba noted that government would not under the arrangement compromise power supply to Nigeria.

  • ITF Circuit :Nigeria’s Bulus hits final

    ITF Circuit :Nigeria’s Bulus hits final

    Nigeria’s Christopher Bulus Friday qualified for the boys’ singles final of the 2107 ITF Junior Circuit in Togo with a roller-coaster 6-1, 6-1 win over Alex Lago of Cote d’ivoire.
    Bulus reached the semi-finals of the Benin Leg of the point-earning tournament where he lost to eventual winner Delmas N’tcha of Benin and is now a victory away from bagging the crown which could see him rise significantly in the world junior rankings.
    Before claiming the scalp of Lago, the 16-year-old’s breathless display at the Stade Omnisports which has also saw him defeated Vansh Bhagtani of India 6-2, 6-2 and Hugo Jardin of France 7-6, 6-4 in the second round and quarterfinals respectively, is expected to fire him up for the final where he will meet the winner of the clash between sixth-seeded Nt’cha and Eliakim Coulibaly, the second seed from Cote d’ivoire.
    The Aces Tennis Club of Lagos player, who was a surprise quarter finalist at this year’s CBN Open,  has now reached his second final in the circuit in five months having appeared in the championship match in a similar tournament in May in Cote d’ivoire where incidentally, he lost to Coulibaly 6-1, 5-7, 4-6.
    In the girls’ singles, there was no respite for title holder, Oyinlomo Barakat Quadre, as she bowed 3-6, 4-6, in the quarterfinals to unseeded Margaux Rouvroy of France. She was beaten at the same stage last week by Bhakti Bawani of India.
    Nigeria’s Adetayo Adetunji won the Benin Leg last weekend but she is not participating. The final week of the tournament featuring about 90 participants from over 25 countries is scheduled to serve-off on Monday.
  • Benin, Togo electricity debts unsettle Nigeria

    Benin, Togo electricity debts unsettle Nigeria

    …FG opts for power purchase agreement

     

    The Federal Government of Nigeria Friday raised concerns over continuous electricity supply to the Republic of Benin and Togo in the face of outstanding bills while Nigerians need the same power.

    Speaking during the opening meeting of the route and environmental and social impact assessment study on the Nigeria-Benin 330 KV reinforcement project, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Power) Dr. Louis Edozien, urged the company in charge of the bilateral power deal: Communaute Electricique  du Benin (CEB) and Togo to pay up the mounting debts.

    He said that the ministry’s primary responsibility is to satisfy the electricity needs of Nigerians, although the federal government is committed to integrating ECOWAS electricity market.

    He told the West African Power Pool (WAPP) delegates that “currently Nigerians are not satisfied. I will explain why it makes sense to do this even in the context of the current dissatisfaction but it is very difficult to make that argument very persuasively when the electricity we have already supplied is not paid for.

    “So, I want to use this platform to emphasis to CEB that the debt that has accumulated for electricity already supplied needs to be settled as quickly as possible. It helps us explain to Nigerians why we should and must sign the supply by doing projects like this one.

    “Now, not only must the debt be paid but a mechanism must also be put in place to make sure the debt doesn’t ballon again and those are paid for as and when due.”

    According to him, the essence of the commitment to supply power to the West Africa CEB and Niger Link arose out of a government/government multi-lateral understanding about optimizing the use of the River Niger as a resource.

    Edozien however informed the delegates that the Nigerian electricity industry has moved from a vertically integrated government monopoly to an industry with private investors hence the need for a power purchase agreement.

    He said it is “necessary to move the arrangement into a proper contract and I believe that that discussion is already on the way to move CEB contract from basically a government to government multi-lateral agreement to a proper purchase agreement with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company for the existing supply.

    “Now as your needs grow and as projects like this one are completed, you sign the amount of energy you are buying from Nigeria. Our expectation is that you will look to individual generation operators two of whom are here to contract the supply you need. The regulator is here and he is putting in place regulatory framework so that that is possible so that you should contract directly with the people who want to supply you and I believe you have one such contracts already.”

    Speaking, the Interim Managing Director and WAPP chairman, Mr, Usman Gur Mohammed, explained that the project which is the second Ikeja West (Nigeria) to Sakete (Benin Republic) transmission line will be due for commissioning in 2021.

    The project, he said, is expected to take 24 months after six months of feasibility studies and the procurement process.

    The TCN boss noted that African Development Bank is committed to financing the project, adding that it was the ones that funded the line from Ikeja West to Sekete and would still use the same funding corridor.

    The ECOWAS representative said that the 330KV Nigeria/Togo Interconnection Reinforcement Project shall aim to augment the power exhange capacity of its predecessor that was actually the very one commissioned by WAPP in 2006.

    He added that the project shall stabilize the WAPP coastal transmission backbone spanning from Nigeria, Cote d’ Ivoire through Benin, Togo and Ghana, and to increase the power potential of ECOWAS countries like Niger, Burkina and Mali.

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Vice Chairman, Sanusi Garba noted that government will not under the arrangement compromise power supply to Nigeria.

  • ‘Falconets are experieced enough to beat tanzania’

    ‘Falconets are experieced enough to beat tanzania’

    The head coach of Nigeria female U-20 team, Falconets, Christopher Danjuma, said he has players with the experience to beat the Tanzanians in the Africa qualifier for the 2018 female U-20 World Cup.

    Danjuma who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria（NAN）on Wednesday in Benin, said the team was mentally and physically prepared to face the East African team on Saturday in Benin.

    He said weeks of intensive training and preparation had placed the Falconets in a good stead to beat their opponent in the Africa qualifying series.

    “Nigeria is a big country and do not settle for less but the best. We are in Benin to give our best.

    “The Tanzanians are coming to Benin to meet a team that has set a record in Africa at this category of female football.

    “The team is made up of excellent home based players. Most of them have experience having played at the U-17 category，so you can see that we are better prepared for total victory on Saturday.”

    NAN reports that Falconets arrived in the ancient city of Benin on Tuesday at about 9 p.m. from Abuja.

    The head coach of the team, Christopher Danjuma, who declined to speak on the journey by road, however, said the team are not deterred by the experience.

    NAN reports that the Tanzanian delegation is expected to fly into Abuja on Thursday and proceed to Benin same day.

    The second leg will take place in Dar es Salaam on Sept. 30, with the winner to tackle the winner of the Morocco/Senegal clash in the second round in November.

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Vincentia Enyonam Amedome from Togo as referee for the match.

    She will be assisted by compatriots Kossiwa Kpadenou (Assistant 1), Abra Sitsope Agbedanou (Assistant 2) and Aissata Ameyo Amegee (Fourth Official) while the match commissioner is Rochell Woodson from Liberia.

    The 9th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup will be staged in four cities in France from Aug. 7 to Aug. 26 2018

  • Osinbajo receives Togolese President in Aso Rock

    Osinbajo receives Togolese President in Aso Rock

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday evening received the President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo in his office at the State House, Abuja.

    The meeting was shortly after Osinbajo received a message from the President of the Republic of Niger, Issoufou Mahamadou.

    The message was delivered by the Minister of Petroleum of the Republic Niger, Foumakoye Gado.

    Details of the meetings were still unknown at the time of filing this report.

    No official statement concerning the two meetings have been issued as at press time.