The Nation Newspaper

Tag: warns

  • Mike Umeh warns Chelsea over Mikel

    Mike Umeh warns Chelsea over Mikel

    Nigeria Football Federation 1st vice president Mike Umeh has warned that Nigeria will not hesitate to report Chelsea to FIFA if they do not release midfielder John Obi Mikel on time for the forthcoming African Nations Cup in South Africa.

    Nigeria’s foreign-based professionals have been given up to the January 4 to report to camp but there are indications that Chelsea might want to want to hold on to the midfielder a bit longer and Umeh said the NFF will not hesitate to report the European champions to the World Football governing body.

    “The Nations Cup is a FIFA-recognised competition and we expect all the clubs in Europe including Chelsea to comply with the date for the release of players. Should they fail to comply, we have no other choice than to report them to FIFA.”

    Chelsea are in defending midfield crisis with Mikel’s back-up Orieul Romeu injured for the rest of the season and feelers suggests that the English club want to keep Mikel for few more days as they push for a top-four finish which would guarantee their return to the Champions League having crashed out of the competition few weeks ago.

    Chelsea will play QPR on January 2 which is suppose to be the player’s last game before joining Nigeria’s camp in Faro Portugal but there are indications that they will want the player to feature against Southampton and Stoke on January 5 and 12 in an FA Cup and League games respectively.

  • DPR warns petrol stations not to hike price

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) at the weekend threatened to seal off any petrol station that sells products above the official N97 pump price.

    Speaking with reporters in Abuja at the weekend, the Head of Downstream Operations Yerima Kollomi said the agency would hand over any arrested suspect to the police.

    He said the DPR on Thursday sealed off a petrol station at Gwagwalada for selling above the pump price.

    The dealer, according to him, bought products from other marketers and sold above the pump price to customers.

    Kollomi added that the department is prepared to rid the streets of illicit fuel traders.

    His words: “Of course, that is one of the measures we are going to take. When we get them arrested we will hand them over to the police.

    “The police will prosecute them because if you are dealing in petroleum products you must obtain a licence to do that .

    “Anybody operating without a licence is operating illegally. “

    While commenting on the essence of ridding the street of black marketers, he depicted the situation as a shame to the country.

    He said: “It is a nationwide operation because it is a directive from the headquarters and we have started.

    “As far as the DPR is concerned, the official pump price of PMS remains N97 and we will enforce that to the best of our ability.

    “Yesterday, we went to one station in Gwagwalada and shut it down because we were made to understand that the dealer was the kingpin of the people violating the pump price.

    “The information we gathered is that some people will bring their products here to sell at exorbitant prices.”

    DPR agents and police operatives narrowly escaped the onslaught of a mob of black marketers in the Federal Capital Territory.

    The traders, it was learnt, almost set the operation van ablaze.

    The enforcement team, including armed policemen, raided the Banex Junction in Wuse 2 and its environs but the traders resisted, throwing stones at the team.

  • JTF warns against attack on military formations

    JTF warns against attack on military formations

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, code-named: “Operation Restore Order”, yesterday warned host communities of military formations in the city against allowing members of the Boko Haram to use them to launch attacks on barracks and other military formations.

    JTF’s spokesman Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, in a statement, said the military is aware that massive attacks are being planned by the sect on military formations in Maiduguri, adding that the task force is ready for action.

    Musa said: “Information available to the Joint Task Force indicates clandestine plans by the Boko Haram to attack military barracks in the Maiduguri metropolis, particularly the headquarters of the 21 Armoured Brigade.”

    He urged the host communities, especially residents of houses near the Giwa Barracks, to be watchful and inform the JTF of any suspicious movement in their vicinity through the advertised hot lines, which are operational 24 hours daily.

  • INEC warns Oke to stop blackmail

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday warned the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, against making “baseless” allegations.

    It urged Oke to seek redress in court, if he had complaints about the election.

    Oke had, in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Kunle Adebayo, alleged that INEC and security agencies rigged the election for the Labour Party (LP).

    In a statement by its Director of Legal Services, Mr. Oluwole Uzzi, INEC said: “No amount of blackmail can discredit the election, because prominent and respected Nigerians, including the PDP, have congratulated the winner and hailed INEC and the electorate.

    “Oke is a lawyer and he is certainly aware of the electoral dispute resolution mechanism enshrined in our constitution. Any aggrieved person is encouraged to avail himself of this process, where the facts and evidence adduced are subject to forensic examination. Justice is dispensed according to law and proven facts, not on sentiment or whimsical notions.

    “Having resolved to seek redress in court, why then did Oke resort to taking umbrage in the mass media in an attempt to discredit, subvert and undermine a credible process?

    “The commission stands by the sanctity of the voter’s register as well as by the declaration and return made, which was in compliance with extant laws and rules.

    “It did not at anytime conspire with anyone or institution contrary to the law. It acted fairly, competently and professionally in its conduct of the October 20 election.

    “INEC acted without fear or favour, affection or ill-will and in line with the law and international best practices. It intends to continue doing so and no amount of blackmail or intimidation will deter it in this resolve.”

  • Minister warns contractors, consultants on flood projects

    The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia, has warned contractors handling soil erosion and flood control projects to speed up completion of the projects.

    She said the warning was given to ensure prompt inauguration, stressing that no payment would be made to any contractor without visible and verifiable reports of performance.

    Mrs. Mailafia spoke yesterday in Abuja while addressing contractors, consultants and officials responsible for the execution of the 15 projects in the Southeast.

    She noted that excuses would not be accepted for job delay, adding that contractors said they had a thorough knowledge of the project terrains and inherent challenges before they were awarded the contracts.

    The minister said: “I cannot sit here, approve the payment of over N1 billion in the last one year and not see the inauguration of the projects. I’ve not taken, received or asked for a kobo from anyone of you. I have never asked anyone to see me before I acted on files, nor have I asked anyone to see me after granting approvals for any of these projects, which were awarded before I assumed duties here. I will not be stampeded by any means by anybody into payments that I am not convinced any person is entitled to.

  • No excuses, NFF warns Keshi

    No excuses, NFF warns Keshi

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has told Stephen Keshi they expect his team to beat Liberia on Saturday and qualify for the 2013 AFCON.

    NFF director of technical Emmanuel Ikpeme made the declaration in a chat with MTNFootball.com

    Ikpeme, who led the advance party of the NFF to Calabar, said, “The federation have given the coach all he needs to give Nigerians result this weekend so there would be no room for excuses.

    “No national team coach should wait for last minute permutations to qualify for any tournament. Every national team coach should win all their matches and that is what we expect from the Eagles.

    “They should win this weekend in Calabar and save us the headache of any mathematics as regards qualification.”

    Last October, the Eagles failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup after they were held to a 2-2 draw by visiting Guinea in Abuja.

    Coach Samson Siasia would subsequently lose his job after he urged his players to go for a third goal when they were leading 2-1 only for them to leave their defence wide open for Guinea to launch a quick counter attack and score a crucial equaliser in stoppage time to eliminate Nigeria from the competition.

    A 2-1 win over Guinea on that fateful day would have qualified Nigeria to the last AFCON.

    Keshi’s contract is tied to a performance clause which stipulated he qualified Nigeria to the Nations Cup in South Africa and reach at least the last four of the biennial tournament.

  • Oshiomhole warns tax defaulters

    Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday warned that tax defaulters to pay up.

    He said it is sad that while low-income earners pay their taxes, the rich do not.

    Oshiomhole spoke at the plenary session of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the St. Matthews Anglican Cathedral in Benin, the state capital.

    He said: “We have emphasised that we must re-invent the concept of tax. Workers at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) are on strike over tax payment. Tax payment is a federal law; it was not made by me.

    “People who think they can evade tax because they are working in sensitive places need to rethink. If a sick person is brought to the hospital, the fact of his being sick does not preclude the person from paying for his treatment.

    “I have a couple of times paid the hospital bills of indigent patients at UBTH, who were not discharged because they had not paid for their treatment. If you can detain the poor on account of his being unable to pay his medical bills, who are you not to pay tax?

    “We sealed the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) for tax evasion. If motor mechanics pay and commercial motorcyclists pay tax, there is no reason a federal agency should evade tax.

    “It is very fashionable in Nigeria for people to spend N50 million on weddings, N100 million on birthdays and even much more on funerals, but such persons are often unwilling to pay five per cent tax.

    “In such a situation, it is better to send them to prison, just to remind them that the prison is not meant for only the poor. The prison is meant for those who flout the criminal law.”

    Oshiomhole said it was sad that 52 years after independence, the masses were getting poorer. He blamed it on the absence of good governance.

    The governor said: “The state must create a good environment for the people to operate. If politicians try to divert attention, the church must stand on the side of truth.

    “In Edo State, we have tried our best; first to regain the confidence that Edo is viable. We have made modest efforts to restore hope, but what we have done is nothing compared to what we need to do to get to the level that we deserve.”

    State CAN Chairman Rev. Peter Imasuen said the theme of this year’s plenary is: “Fostering Good Governance”.

    He said: “Good governance is all about accountability and transparency. Despite increasing democracy and stability in sub-Saharan Africa, corruption and conflict remain serious barriers to ending extreme poverty.”

  • Stop using money to buy votes, INEC warns politicians

    Stop using money to buy votes, INEC warns politicians

    Ahead of the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the weekend warned politicians to desist from using money to get votes from the electorate.

    The electoral body said it is a serious offence for the electorate to sell their voter’s cards or votes during the election.

    Speaking at a voter-education sensitisation forum in Akure, the Akure South Local Government Electoral Officer, Mr. Surajudeen Rahman, said INEC is determined to conduct a free and fair poll by ensuring that the people’s votes count.

    He said: “Avoid election-rigging, fraud and confusion. Don’t bribe or accept bribe during the poll. It’s a crime. Don’t vote more than once. It’s an offence to do so. Don’t sell your voter’s cards. Don’t sell your votes. Don’t sell your right.”

    Rahman urged politicians to embrace peace during and after the election, stressing that INEC could only conduct a credible poll when politicians abide by the rules.

    His words: “Let us work for the peace of the state. Let’s walk on the path of peace. Let us talk peace. Let’s promote a peaceful election. INEC is putting all its cards face up on the table. We will keep our affairs open and transparent.

    “Election day is not a day to settle old or fresh scores. Election is about choosing a candidate of our choice. We appeal to you to allow our workers do their work at the polling units. We must allow the peace that prevails on the election day prevail after the announcement of the results.

    “Respect and support freedom of opinion and expression. Give to others as much freedom as you want for yourself. Enjoy your freedom to vote and allow others do the same. After voting, wait for the final result of the election. INEC is the only body responsible for announcing the final results.”

    Rahman enjoined the electorate to come out en masse on the election day and vote for the candidates of their choice.

  • Stay away from Lagos, ACN warns criminals

    The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has warned criminals to steer clear of the state.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, ACN warned criminals that there is no room for them to operate in the state.

    The government, Igbokwe said, was committed to total policing of the state to safeguard lives and properties of residents.

    With the heavy investment the government has made on security, there is no hiding place for criminals in the mega city, he said, adding: “We note that it is natural that the nature of Lagos as Nigeria’s commercial capital and its most productive state has given fillip to criminal prospecting for an ideal state to perpetrate their noxious acts.”

    “We note that armed robbers, kidnappers, 419ers, ritual killers, petty thieves and all manners of criminals are hoping to tap into the expanding economic potentials of Lagos, but we want to warn them that the Lagos State Government is ready for them and will ensure that the state retains the relative peace it had been enjoying in recent times.”