The Nation Newspaper

Tag: under pressure

  • ‘MTN under pressure to list’

    MTN Group Limited is facing pressure to list its unit in Uganda as Africa’s largest mobile-phone company seeks to renew a licence in the country.

    While selling shares on the local bourse isn’t a pre-condition for the granting of a new 10-year contract, the East African nation wants “Ugandans to be part of the company,” according to Godfrey Mutabazi, the Executive Director of the country’s telecommunications regulator. MTN’s licence expires in October.

    A listing of the Uganda business would follow similar moves by MTN in Ghana and Nigeria — both agreed to by the Johannesburg-based company as part of a deal with regulators. The carrier has been embroiled in a number of spats with local authorities around the continent in recent years, most notably in Nigeria, where it agreed to a $1 billion fine in 2016 alongside an initial public offering of its unit in Lagos.

    The carrier is also offering a 35 percent stake of its Ghanaian unit to local investors in return for access to local spectrum, in what will be that country’s biggest-ever initial public offering.

    An MTN spokesman said the carrier couldn’t comment on a potential Uganda listing. The shares gained 0.7 percent to 102.16 rand as of 10:01 a.m. in Johannesburg, valuing the company at 192 billion rand ($13 billion).

    MTN Uganda has a market share of about 55 per cent, Mutabazi said. The company says is had almost 10.9 million customers in the country as of the end of March, compared with more than 221 million across 22 markets in Africa and the Middle East.

    Last month, MTN complained that officials from the Internal Security Organisation raided its data centre in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and disconnected four servers, posing a risk to customer data.

  • Moody’s: Banks’ earnings to come under pressure

    Commercial banks’ earnings will be threatened by lower yields on government securities despite ongoing stabilisation in lenders’ foreign currency funding and liquidity profiles, Moody’s Investors Service has said.

    In a report released yesterday, the global rating agency said outlook for the Nigerian banking system remains stable as lenders’ foreign currency liquidity risks moderate due to rising oil prices and a more liberal foreign exchange policy.

    The yields on Treasury bills (T-bills) have been declining in recent months as major economic indicators turn positive. The yields have dropped from over 18 per cent in the last one year to 10.60 per cent as at yesterday.

    Likewise, returns on Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Bonds have also nosedived to around 13 per cent from over 14 per cent previously. Analysts explained that as the economy recovers and attracts more confidence of foreign investors, earnings on government securities drop.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issues T- bills to raise cash to fund the government budget deficit, help manage banking system liquidity and curb rising inflation. The main investors in government securities are mainly pension funds and commercial banks which control more than 60 per cent of the market, followed by insurance funds and a few micro-finance institutions.

    The report titled: Banking System Outlook – Nigeria disclosed that liquidity risks have eased but earnings pressure and loan quality risks remain.

    Vice President and Senior Credit Officer at Moody’s, Akin Majekodunmi, said capital metrics would also decline marginally over the 12 to 18 months outlook period. Additionally, asset quality will remain weak, but a further deterioration in loan performance will be marginal as operating conditions slowly improve.

    “Operating conditions for Nigeria’s banks will continue to gradually improve over the next 12 to 18 months, but remain challenging. Nigeria’s growth prospects remain vulnerable to global oil prices, as crude oil will remain the nation’s largest export commodity and its main generator of foreign currency for the foreseeable future,” he said.

    Moody’s forecasts a recovery in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth over the next two years, up from 0.8 per cent last year, helping lending growth rise to around 10 per cent after a 15.4 per cent contraction in 2017.

    It said Nigerian banks’ profitability will decline on account of lower yields on government securities, as well as a likely reduction in income from derivatives. However, this pressure will be partially offset by a recovery in loan growth and transaction income from the expansion of digital platforms.

    Head of Research, Coronation Merchant Bank Group Guy Czartoryski, said the drop in T-bill yields is clearly a challenge for the banks in 2018.

    He said: “Modeling it out for the nine banks under our coverage, we anticipate that the drop in T-bill yields will occasion an average 15 per cent drop in Profits Before Tax in 2018.  In our report ‘Nigerian Banks, Winners and Losers in 2018’, we described this as something that banks will struggle to avoid this year. And we have already seen some evidence of this happening in the first quarter 2018 results”.

    Czartoryski argued that the banks need to go out and make fresh customer loans in order to replenish interest income this year, though clearly not all of them have enough capital to do this.

  • Jairo Pachon ‘Cameroon not Nigeria under pressure in race to Russia 2018’

    Jairo Pachon ‘Cameroon not Nigeria under pressure in race to Russia 2018’

    The Super Eagles would inch closer to Russia  2018 FIFA World Cup should they maintain their winning streak in their Group B qualifying phase in the upcoming home match against African champions, Cameroon, in Uyo on September 1.

    Under the watch of Franco-German coach Gernot Rohr,the Super Eagles galloped off to a flying start with a 2-1 away victory over Zambia in Ndola on Match Day 1 and subsequently hammered Algeria 3-1 in Uyo  to top the section with the maximum six points as against  two-point Algeria; one-point Cameroon and zero-point Zambia after two round of matches.

    It is against this backdrop that Jairo Pachon, FIFA licensed match and players’ agent and one of the brains behind Eurodata Marketing Sportivo E Culturale (simply known as Eurodata Sports) believes the Super Eagles would have a head start in the next round of matches in September.

    “Yes, I agree with you that the most important games for the Super Eagles this year is the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifier against Cameroon in September,” stated the Colombian who has been involved with Nigerian football set-up for almost a decade now.” But I think it is Cameroon that is under pressure; because the Super Eagles are currently on top of the group after winning their first two matches whereas Cameroon has only just one point.”

    Jairo is eminently qualified to speak about Nigerian football for obvious reasons. Apart from being   the arrow head of Eurodata Sports who are the official match agents to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) since 2011, Jairo is the son of Efrain Pachon, former Vice-President of the Colombian Football Federation under whose tenure the country’s football attained its golden period of the 1990s. The senior Pachon, who is the current chairman of Eurodata Sports, was also the former President of Santa Fe of Colombia between 1985 and 1990 as well as President of Cucuta Deportivo between 1995 and 2004. He also presided over Colombian Football team to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

    Coincidentally, when Jairo spoke exclusively with The Nation Sport & Style last week, the frenzy was all about Barcelona and the biggest transfer in world’s football following the departure of gifted Brazilian striker, Neymar, from the Camp Nou to Paris Saint Germain (PSG). But he reckoned there is nothing to be ashamed of regarding relatively low interest on Nigerian players during the ‘buying and selling’ season.

    “I don’t agree with the opinion that Nigerian players were not active during the summer transfers because it was not really a very busy transfer period generally as we have seen in the past whereby hundreds of players move from one club to the other,” reasoned the 41-year-old who is a passionate fan of English Premier League side, Arsenal.

    He continued: “So, it is not only about Nigerian players but, generally, the transfer season was not as exciting as what we used to have in the past. What applied to Nigeria was applicable to players all over Africa and even in my own country Colombia.

    “Apart from the big money move of Neymar from Barcelona to PSG, we don’t really have much to talk about transfers and we don’t have to blame our players for this. There are so many factors involved in movement of players and there should be little concern over that. Rather, we should be concerned about their status with their present clubs.

    “In the case of Neymar, one of the reasons he left Camp Nou has to do with the fact that he was playing under the shadow of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Barcelona. Apart from the mega-money involved, he must have probably felt he would enjoy more playing time at PSG where he could be the main star of the team.

    “I don’t think Nigerians should feel bad that there was little interest about Nigerian players, and in any case, we can still draw some positives since some of the players are well regarded in their present clubs.  Victor Moses had a fantastic season with Chelsea last time and he’s retained, which is very good and I think he would have a great impact again this season; hopefully for both Chelsea and Super Eagles. Ogenyi Onazi is enjoying himself in Turkey at Trabzonspor and I don’t think there is any point for him to move now.

    “We understand the scenario that led to the departure of Kelechi Iheanacho from Manchester City to Leicester. He is still a very young player and going to Leicester is good for him because he will enjoy better playing time.  Frankly, I see so much positives in Kelechi’s move to Leicester because it will help his development, and it will have a big impact for the national team,” he stressed as he shed light on sundry issues with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN. Excerpts…

     

    Nigeria versus Cameroon in 2018 World Cup qualifier

    Yes, I agree with you that the most important games for the Super Eagles this year is the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifier against Cameroon in September. But I think it is Cameroon that is under pressure because the Super Eagles are currently on top of the group after winning their first two matches, whereas Cameroon has only just one point. Again, the fact that the first leg is holding in Nigeria in Uyo gives the Super Eagles the opportunity to consolidate on their position before going to Yaounde. If the Super Eagles win at home, it is going to improve their confidence going for the return match. I want to believe the Super Eagles are better motivated to qualify for the World Cup in Russia because they have missed a couple of tournaments recently. I saw Cameroon closely before they went to the Confederations Cup because I organised their friendly match against Colombia. Of course, Cameroon are the current African champions but I didn’t see a team that is going to walkover the Super Eagles. And the good thing is that the Super Eagles started the World Cup campaign very well and this should be a basis of concern for Cameroon.  The Super Eagles are young and they are happy under the current technical adviser, which is very important at this level. Every match is different, but with hard work on the part of everybody, the Super Eagles can get good results off Cameroon over the two legs in Uyo and Yaounde.  Yes, there are worries over the goalkeeping department after the unfortunate news about Carl Ikeme, but it’s my opinion that Nigeria still has good goalkeepers to count on. How I wish someone like Vincent Enyeama would reconsider his stand and return to the Super Eagles because he has vast experience.  Otherwise, there is little to worry about other department since the players are without injuries and that means they would be able to play at their best level. And it’s good the European season would already be in the stream by the time the matches come up. It’s really going to be interesting encounters and I’m really looking forward to September.  By then, the Super Eagles will, hopefully, be firmly on course to reach the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

    Super Eagles and China connection

    I don’t see why playing in the Chinese Super League can be a big problem for the Super Eagles. Mikel, Ighalo and others are very experienced and they will also be good additions to the team. I don’t think the standard of the Chinese league is very poor as some people often say. We have not been able to judge because we don’t see its matches like the European leagues that are readily available on television. There is a Colombian player, Giovanni Moreno, in China and he actually captains Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. At some point, he was no longer called to play for the national team until he went to China to re-establish himself and he was recently called for the international friendlies against Spain and Cameroon. Of course, he showed his quality and I’m making this reference so that Nigerians don’t dismiss their good players because they are playing in China.  Players should be taken on merit and I feel the Chinese Super League is competitive enough, but, unfortunately, we don’t see much of it on television because there is no broadcast right in Europe, which might not help the coach to make decision. It is, however, interesting that few Nigerian players are doing well over there.  Though we have not heard much about Mikel because of his injury, Ighalo has been scoring regularly and these are professional players and they can always help the national team because of their vast experience playing at the top level. One of the advantages of the Nigerian national team is that there are so many talents, but frankly, I don’t think having players from the Chinese league is going to be a problem for the Super Eagles.

    Thumps up for Gernot Rohr

    It is true that I have worked with several coaches with the Super Eagles, but I would say I’ve been very lucky with all of them. I only had a one-game with the German coach (Lars Lagerback), and then the late Shaibu Amodu and then Samson Siasia; the late Stephen Keshi; Sunday Oliseh and Salisu Yusuf. This takes us to the present coach, Gernot Rohr, and we only met during the Super Eagles friendly matches here in Europe. But he has made a huge impression on me. He has created so much solidarity within the team in a short time and you know the impact a coach is making if the players are happy or not. He started so well, especially with World Cup qualifiers against Zambia and Algeria; and I don’t think losing the last match against South Africa in Africa Nations Cup makes him a bad coach. I think the loss to South Africa would be a wakeup call to him and the entire team going into the next round of matches for the World Cup and Nations Cup. I believe the goal of everybody is to see  that Nigeria qualify for the World Cup in Russia and we just have to forget about the loss to South Africa and focus on the upcoming matches against Cameroon in September. Generally, Rohr has been impressive in the way he has managed the team so far and I think the players and other officials are equally impressed based on my interactions with them. The coach is happy with the players and the players are happy with the coach; and that this is the kind of ambience that would produce good results. This is my humble opinion on Gernot Rohr.

    Good and bad times of Nigerian football

    I also know the circumstances that led to Nigeria not qualifying for both the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup at both the U-17 and U-20 levels, which is quite unfortunate since the junior levels are the buffer zone for coaches at the senior level to pick players especially from a team in transition such as the Super Eagles. The Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup at both the U-17 and U-20 would have been good avenues to see what the younger generation can do but by and large, I think the future of Nigerian football is still very bright. This year, we have also seen how powerful Nigeria can be on the African political football map with the election of NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, into  the executive committee of CAF as well as being given important positions in the set-up. This is a plus for Nigerian football and I pray it also translates to greater success for the national teams, because non-qualification of both the U-17 and U-20 for recent tournaments in Africa is still something that baffles everyone associated with Nigerian football.

    Eurodata Sports on the march again

    Our company, Eurodata Sports, has constantly been working to enhance the status of Nigerian football at every point in time, and besides official international matches for the Super Eagles, we ensure that the team plays quality friendly matches once we have match free days in the international calendar. The same is applicable to the other levels of the national teams and we ensure that we get them good tournament, which serves as good preparations before going on important assignments. We were involved with the preparations of the U-17 and the U-23 teams when they won the World Cup in Chile and the Bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games respectively, with the invitational tournaments in Suwon. We have started making plans and once the World Cup qualifiers are over, the Super Eagles will be engaged with quality friendly matches in preparation for future assignments. Once the Super Eagles qualify for Russia 2018 World Cup and the draw is made in December, we will unfold our plans for the team so that they can have good preparation and play some top quality friendly matches.

    As for other junior teams as well as the women teams, there are all kinds of programmes we are looking at and it must fit into their calendar too. As we have done in the last eight years, we have adequate plans for the other teams too just as we had for the U-17 during their training camp in Argentina where they adapted and prepared well before they won the World Cup in 2015.  So, we are looking at the best opportunities that would suit the teams as they prepare for the future.

    The Neymar’s circus

    Although Neymar is a great player, I don’t think going from Barcelona to PSG was all about football. It would have been important for him to have a teammate like Messi. And it would have been important for him to play in a bigger brand that is Barcelona, but his movement to PSG confounds clear reasoning. Beyond that, it is all about money. So, it’s good business as far as the transfer fee is concerned as well as what he stands to gain financially.  But I differ strongly as far as the football aspect is concerned. The Spanish La Liga is by far, far above the French Ligue 1 and I would have been excited if Neymar is an older player going to PSG. He would have been a far greater player if he had remained with Barcelona. Frankly, I don’t know his motivation of going to PSG other than the money.

  • Federations under pressure to win gold

    Federations under pressure to win gold

    National Sport Commission has put federations under pressure to win gold at all cost at the ongoing Brazzaville 2015.

    This was disclosed to SportingLife by president of a combat sport in Corcord Sports Complex of Stade de Lumite during a chance  meeting.

    According to the president, who do not want to be mentioned, the NSC  has put almost all the sport federations under unnecessary pressure to win gold without adequate support.

    “If you want good result from the federations, you do what was expected of you, no adequate camping or training exercise. The only language from the Commission was no money. And when you don’t have money how do you expect your athletes to deliver? It is not possible. If you spend ten naira, you get result of that amount and if you spend million, so you get result for that amount. It is what you sow, you reap. You do not expect miracle when you do not invest.

    “Look at most countries here especially our rivals Egypt and South Africans they flew here from various competitions, world championship or African championships, they are fit physically and mentally but its not like that in our own case and now they are expecting gold medals from the federations”,he said.

  • CAF Confederation Cup: Warri Wolves under pressure – Owumi

    CAF Confederation Cup: Warri Wolves under pressure – Owumi

    Chairman, CEO Warri Wolves, Davidson Owumi has said they will leave no stone unturned and do everything possible to overturn their 3-0 deficit next week when they host AC Leopards in the final leg of the CAF Confederations Cup play-offs.

    According to him, their status as Nigeria’s sole survivors on the continent has increased the pressure and burden of expectation.

    ” Naturally our position comes with a lot of pressure, because the burden of club football rests on our shoulders and it can be very demanding.

    ” We are trying to ease the pressure to the players, we’ve told them to go into the game and enjoy the atmosphere,” Owumi told www.footballlive.ng.

    ” And it would have been better for the football club if we had other teams still competing. It would take some pressure of us.

    ” Give or take we have done well from the qualification to the knock out rounds and now we are going to give it a really good fight to make sure we make Nigeria proud.”

  • Jonathan under pressure to sack IGP

    Jonathan under pressure to sack IGP

    There were indications yesterday that the Presidency is unhappy with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, for alleged security and protocol breaches.

    Some forces in government have started mounting pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to drop the IGP, but the President was said not to be interested in taking any disciplinary action against Abba.

    It was learnt that Jonathan has made up his mind to leave the fate of the IGP to the incoming administration.

    Investigation revealed that there had been disquiet in the Presidency over certain steps Abba took during the recently concluded presidential election and since Jonathan conceded defeat to the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Some forces in government were disturbed that with the exception of Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom and the entire South-East region, the Nigeria Police did not act the election script written for the force in strategic states like Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Borno, Kaduna and Kwara.

    The IGP was said to have instructed the Divisional Police Officers in Lagos to comply with the directive of the Commissioner of Police in Lagos and not any Assistant Inspector-General of Police.

    It was gathered that upon the ‘failure’ of the police in the strategic states, the Presidency was angry that the IGP was at the presentation of certificate of return to the President-elect by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, contrary to the norm.

    The Presidency had also noted that Abba was at the airport at a time to receive the President-elect.

    But a source said that what really “pissed off” the Presidency was the alleged leakage of the presidential directive to redeploy Assistant Inspector-General Tunde Ogunsakin from Rivers State on the eve of April 11 governorship poll.

    The covert decision was said to have been taken in the Presidency by three officials, including the IGP.

    A reliable source said: “There is disquiet in the Presidency on whether or not to drop the IGP for certain missteps. Some forces are angry that the police failed to back the status quo in some states during the recently-concluded poll.

    “I think the IGP chose a neutral position and opted to live up to his oath of office during the general election.

    “The IGP’s presence during the presentation of certificate of return to Buhari left many presidency officials dazed because it was alleged not to be within his official “mandate.”

    “The presence of the IGP at the National Collation Centre with Buhari was rated as a partisan move and a provocative initiative.

    “Some forces in the Presidency believe that Abba should be asked to step aside. The leakage on the redeployment of AIG Tunde Ogunsakin from Rivers State on the eve of April 11 governorship poll has fueled the demand for IGP’s sack.”

    It was however learnt that the President is not disposed to the exit of the IGP.

    Instead, he was said to have left the fate of the IGP and service chiefs to the President-elect.

    Another source added: “The President might not bow to the demand by some forces to drop the IGP because he is not a vendetta person. He has decided to leave the fate of the IGP and other service chiefs to his successor.

    “The fact that a former President sacked some public officials few days to his exit does not mean that Jonathan would follow in his footsteps.”

    A police source said: “You see, the IGP made sure that the police force was non-partisan throughout the election period, and this was a departure from the practice in 1983, 1993, 2003, 2007 and 2011 polls.

    “Naturally, some government officials, governors and politicians will not be happy at all. This IGP is professionally inclined and he has been enforcing this.

    “If you look at his antecedents even when Rivers State was volatile, he made sure that he was non-partisan. Up till today, the people of Rivers State still celebrate Abba for his professionalism.

    “He remains loyal to the President irrespective of the outcome of the election. To the best of my knowledge, he has not eroded the confidence reposed in him by the President. He keeps official secrets and he has never leaked any. Since he came on board, signals or information flow had become more compact.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “How can any IGP ignore the President-elect at any airport? Is Gen. Buhari not a former Head of State? Does he not deserve respect as an elder statesman? All these issues they are raising are petty.”

  • ‘Lamido under pressure to damage Buhari’s image’

    ‘Lamido under pressure to damage Buhari’s image’

    The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation alleged yesterday that Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido was under pressure from the Presidency to cast aspersions on Gen. Muhammadu Buhari with a view to damaging his reputation before Nigerians.

    The spokesman of the campaign organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, said at a news conference in Abuja that the Jigawa State governor is being pressurised to grant an interview to a radio station alleging that Gen. Buhari will only be a figure head president if elected, while the real business of leading the country will be handled by the vice president.

    Shehu said Governor Lamido was not qualified to speak on the leadership style of Gen. Buhari because he had never had any close contact with the former Head of State and never worked with him.

    He said: “We just got information that all FRCN stations have been directed to link up for a live interview to be granted by Governor Lamido.

    “The contents of the interview as agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo are to essentially damage Gen. Buhari along the line that he will be a figurehead while Osinbajo will be the de facto president. He will give examples of GMB’s leadership style, mentioning Idiagbon (COS-SHQ) and Alhaji Salihijo (PTF).

    “This situation, he will claim is unfair to the North as the Southwest will be indirectly getting another term of office as president in addition to the Obasanjo years, so Northerners should not be deceived into voting APC.

    “A few things we will like to point out to Governor Lamido’s audience members include the fact that Lamido had been pressured to do the interview because of the EFCC pressure on his sons’ corruption charges. Lamido has never worked near or with GMB to know his leadership style. Those working closely with him in the APC know otherwise”.

    He wondered when Lamido became the official spokesman of the north and how much of the cash being doled out by the President has been negotiated for the north by the governor.

    He said “When did Lamido become a spokesman for the North? What did he and other Jonathan apologists negotiate for the North as the South West has been doing with Jonathan in the last two weeks?

    “As a self appointed Northern interest spokesman, what is his response to the pejorative references made by Mrs. Patience Jonathan about Northerners?”

    But, the Director of Media and Publicity to the governor, Alhaji Umar Kyari, expressed surprise when contacted by The Nation for his reaction to the allegation.

    Kyari said: “It is not true. His Excellency did not grant any interview to FRCN as they alleged. The campaign organisation is replying to a non-issue. They should quote the interview, where and when.

    “I think it is not right for senior journalists and image-makers to be responding to non-issue in the name of politics.”

  • We are not under pressure – Nduka Ugbade

    We are not under pressure – Nduka Ugbade

    SL10.NG caught up with former Nigeria international and Flying Eagles assistant coach, Nduka Ugbade  on their way to  Senegal for the 20th Africa Youth Championship(AYC).  He talks about the pressure of doing well at the competition, the absence of several of their key players, their aspirations and what the future holds for this team. Excerpt:

    Sl10: You have selected 21 players for the tournament after months of preparing. Give us a brief overview of how it has been these past months and how you came about the players that have been chosen.

    Ugbade: The issue here is very simple and unique in its nature because for the first time – we’ve done it a little before in the past – but for the first time, we are progressing and we have a progression of a lot of the guys from the U-17 to the U-20 and they are used to the information and our philosophy and they’re also used to the methods we use in achieving our goals, and this is including those that just joined us at the U-20 level. Some of them have actually worked with us in the past and basically I will say there is no major stress. The only stress we have now is that when you’re participating in a competition and you have not started, there is a level of anxiety, but for the moment the boys are very fine and we’re prepared. We played two friendly matches against Ghana and we saw the psychological effect of not having exposure, especially in the first game but we overcame that to win the second game 2-0.

     What sort of challenge are you expecting in Senegal?

    We are expecting to play against stronger teams and possibly older teams as well, just the Ghanaians because we have just progressed from the U-17.  We are not just going to be participating, but we are going to be competing in Senegal. And I mean highly competing.

    Some key players are not participating due to club commitments and injuries, would you say it has put you under some level of pressure and how much  effect is it going to have?

    The issue here is that most of the guys that have missed out are very important to this team but like I always tell you, that was for the U-17 because the U-20 is a different ball game entirely. We keep saying this to all of them, because even if they were here, they will have to fight for places with those that are here.

    We recognise their talents but in modern football and for us training the boys, talent is no longer enough and we must develop it to become profitable for usage and that is why some of them signed for clubs worth millions right from the U-17’s. It is because we are playing on information and they are used to it but you cannot rule out the guys that are here, they’re very strong and we’re going to be competing very well in Senegal even without them. But during the World Cup, surely, most of them are going to come to fight for shirts and if they cannot, they will have to return back to their teams.

     I’m sure you’re well aware of the expectations Nigerians have of you. Does this in any way put you and the boys under pressure?

    We are not under pressure. Especially when we have a very formidable team that we know within our hearts are very good. Even without Kelechi Iheanacho, Musa Yahaya, Wilfred Ndidi, and Isaac Success, we are very confident and hopefully these guys will make the World Cup squad. I am sure we have a very formidable team that will participate very well in Senegal and do very well and go on to do very well at the World Cup.

     The U-17’s didn’t do well in Niger and naturally, expectations have shifted to your team. Wouldn’t this put some pressure on you, no matter how little?

    I would say yes, but just little pressure. We are very aware of how much our team is followed and loved by Nigerians and I read it every day on your website of how much they expect from us, and forming the squad for the 2018 World Cup (laughs), this can no longer be a joke when you continue to hear this every day. But we are not concerned about this for now, our interest is taking one step and one game at a time and finally qualify for the World Cup and if possible win the AYC and then try to win the World Cup.

     Thank you very much for your time

    You are welcome.

  • INEC under pressure over PVCs distribution

    INEC under pressure over PVCs distribution

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is under pressure to dump the use of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for the elections.

    Some of the critics insist that the national average of collection is less than 40 per  cent, a record that is creating ripples within the political parties and the civil society organisations

    Leaders of political parties and civil society leaders are kicking against the shoddy distribution of the PVCs.

    The Chairman of Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yinka Farounbi, said: ”Available records showed that less than 35 per cent of registered voters have secured the PVCs. How do you conduct any credible election with that type of very low voting population?“

    Nigeria Civil Society groups under the aegis of Situation Room also expressed concern that the distribution of PVCs and the conduct of the Continous Voters Registration (CVR) in INECs Phase 3 States of Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Plateau, Nassarawa, Niger, Imo, Lagos, Ogun and Rivers are experiencing serious glitches and complaints from citizens who have received very little information on it.

    The groups said: “Reports received by Situation Room shows that the exercise has been suspended in Rivers State and is being partially conducted in Lagos and Imo States.

    ”Several registered voters or persons intending to register have turned up in centres across the states only to be turned back or find that there are no registration officials on hand.

    “This has heightened tension and apprehension among registered voters and potential voting registrants. In Kano, Ogun and Plateau States where officials have been present, they have had fewer cards than the voters’ register.”

    The Chairman of Conference of Political Parties in Nigeria (CNPP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the PVCs may not ensure credible elections.

    ‘’How are we even sure that the PVC distribution will be achieved? Efforts have been made in the past to make use of the PVC, but without success. We should always review PVCs regularly, but this has not been done. There is no guarantee that this will work in Nigeria in the foreseeable future.”

    He also urged INEC chairman Prof Attahiru Jega, to fish out those behind the sabotage and sanction them appropriately.

    ”If INEC is to organise a free, credible and transparent election next February, it must quickly return to the drawing board to fashion out how to ensure that all Nigerians who are eligible to vote are able to do so without hindrance, and also purge itself of the fifth columnists within its ranks, who are bent on sabotaging the elections,” Musa said.

  • Single term row: Jonathan puts Aliyu under pressure

    Single term row: Jonathan puts Aliyu under pressure

    Northern Governors Forum Chairman Babangida Aliyu was at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday – barely 24 hours after a shouting match with Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio.

    The Niger State Governor was at the Villa for about two hours amid anxiety by his colleagues and political associates. He was reportedly “summoned” by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Aliyu has been under pressure from some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders to retract his comments on an alleged “one-term only agreement” signed with the governors of the party by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Besides, Aliyu is being asked to withdraw support for the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who is seeking re-election in May.

    Before the NGF rescheduled its chairmanship election on Monday night, Aliyu and Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio had engaged in a shouting match over the formation of the PDP Governors Forum, which the Niger State governor described as baseless and an attempt to break the ranks of the 36 governors.

    Aliyu was the only governor “summoned” to the Villa. It was not immediately clear yesterday what Aliyu was told at the Villa, but there were indications that Aliyu’s invitation may also have been in connection with his recent utterances that some external forces were at work to split the NGF.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We are aware that since he raised issues on the President’s pact with PDP governors, he has been under pressure to retract the comments he made during a phone-in-programme on Liberty Radio in Kaduna.”

    Some security agencies, PDP stalwarts and government officials are said to have obtained the tape of the interview for review to ascertain that Aliyu actually made the revelation.”

    According to source, the visit to the Villa was part of steps to change Aliyu, who is believed to be aggrieved against the Presidency.

    “They know that Aliyu is leading the Northern Governors Forum, a powerful caucus which could make much political impact. They also need the Forum’s support to stop Amaechi’s re-election in May,” he said, adding:

    “Of the 19 Northern governors, only four were said to be anti-Amaechi on Monday. They included Governors Ibrahim Shema(Katsina); Gabriel Suswam(Benue); Isa Yuguda(Bauchi) and Idris Wada(Kogi).”

    But it was also learnt that the visit to the Villa might have to do with alleged anti-party statements which Aliyu made at the NGF’s session on Monday.

    He faulted the formation of the PDP Governors Forum, saying he foresaw a dictator emerging in the nation’s polity, The Nation learnt.

    Another source added: “The PDP leadership felt slighted and it believes that Aliyu should be called to order. As a matter of fact, Akpabio visited the PDP National Headquarters on Tuesday to give bite to the new forum.

    “Some party leaders are already agitating that Aliyu should be sanctioned for anti-party activities.

    “The governor has also uncovered plans to frame him up as part of a grand plot to impose disciplinary sanctions on him.”

    The anti-Amaechi forces continued yesterday to rally Northern governors for the Presidency to effect a change of leadership in the NGF.

    A third source added: “These forces are now reaching out to the governors one-by-one to lobby them to dump Amaechi.

    “Those who are pro-Amaechi are watching their backs to keep the NGF united and solid against any form of infiltration.”