The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Win

  • Eagles win test game 3-1

    Eagles win test game 3-1

    The Super Eagles defeated non-league side Water FC of Abuja 3-1 in a test game on Saturday.

    Both teams first clashed on October 5 in the run-up to a 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against Liberia and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

    Eagles forward Sunday Mba served notice of what was to happen on Saturday when he blasted wide after being set up by Ejike Uzoenyi after just the second minute.

    In the sixth minute, Azubuike Egwuekwe strayed forward to head home an Uzoenyi corner but a Water FC player blocked it with his hands.

    The referee rightly pointed to the spot and Mba stepped forward to send the keeper the wrong way.

    The Eagles would have been two more goals up but Gambo Mohammed blasted wide in the 10 minute, before hitting the cross-bar with a textbook header in the 20th minute.

    Gambo finally registered his name on the score board when he out-jumped the Water FC defence to nod home a Solomon Kwambe cross.

    The amateur side thereafter woke up and subjected the Eagles’ defence to sporadic raids. Agbim saved in the 42nd minute by palming the ball for a corner kick. The resultant corner kick was rammed home in the 43rd minute by Okey Aboyin, who was also on target when both sides met in October.

    The second half was barely five minutes when onrushing Mba was felled in the vital area and referee Aniete promptly pointed to the spot and Mba stepped forward to dispatch his second goal of the day.

    The game which was watched by NFF technical director Emmanuel Ikpeme went on a ding dong affair till a dramatic moment in the 85th minute when a Water FC attacker was felled in the Eagles vital area.

    A penalty was awarded but blasted wide by Ifeanyi Adibe to ensure a respectable scoreline for the national side who will arrive in the USA today for a friendly against Venezuela on Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, nine players from the NPL have made the final cut for the Venezuela game.

    The list was announced lunch time Saturday by assistant coach Daniel Amokachi.

    Leading the pack is home-based skipper, Chigozie Agbim, who recently moved from Warri Wolves to Rangers. Others are Sunshine Stars skipper Godfrey Oboabona, left back Benjamin Francis, who has been in impressive form at the national team’s camp.

    Also picked are Warri Wolves centre back Azubuike Egwuekwe, Solomon Kwambe, Umar Zango Umar, Henry Uche, Sunday Mba of Warri Wolves and Ejike Uzoenyi.

    The team will depart for Miami through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos by 10pm via Delta Airlines and accommodation has already been reserved for the team at the Intercontinental Doral in Miami.

  • A war Lagos must win

    A war Lagos must win

    It seems unlikely that the protest by angry Okada riders last week took Lagosians by surprise. The resort to jungle tactics supposedly to protest the Lagos Traffic Law as it affected the activities of the group was largely expected. At the end of their rage, 10 Bus Rapid Transit buses were reportedly destroyed just as their anger was sufficient to guarantee hell for innocent Lagosians caught in the middle.

    Much as the rights of citizens in a democracy to protest laws considered injurious to their group interest is conceded, the problem begins when such protests extend beyond the boundaries set by the law – in terms of its wanton violation of the rights of other citizens and brazen disregard for the demands of public order and safety. Such niceties were obviously lost on the hoodlums who vandalised the BRT buses and blocked the highways in the course of protest.

    Even now, it must have dawned on the rioters that the battle with the state government on the restriction on Okada to designated routes is one they are unlikely to win. Surely, it cannot be that the mob desires a return to the ancien regime when they held court handing summary judgments to their hapless motorists’ victims on the highways.

    Of all the factors said to have spurred the state government into taking the drastic steps to curb the menace represented by the Okada riders, the least articulated is the frightening counter-culture spawned by the rise of the business of ferrying human cargoes with motorcycles. To me, if the nation has enough reason to worry about the public safety and environment issues involved in the operation of Okadas, they have even far more to worry in that destructive culture of self-help and instant gratification that it spawned.

    I am aware of the arguments that have served as self-justification for the business; that it emerged as self-help in the context of the suffocating economic environment of the 80s, something of a functional, creative response to the unprecedented unemployment and constricting opportunities faced by youths. Today, it has since become a way of life and sadly for many, an escape from the rigours and disciplines of learning a trade, and for some no hopers, a cover for criminal activities.

    Like any law, the Lagos Traffic Law is far from perfect. I believe however that the law has carefully balanced the concerns for security, public safety, infrastructural and the environment with the needs of the operators. Beyond question, the law did not even pretend to be anything but a disincentive to the trade. However, it serves one important purpose of pushing the frontiers of the debate on public policy, forcing the nation to rethink the anomalous surge in a business that continues to put many innocent lives and limbs at risk.

    Traditional explanations about the staying power of the business being linked to poverty and unemployment are probably as true today as they were in the 80s when they first emerged. However, it seems to me that the surge in recent years and their staying power would have to be located outside of this traditional explanation to embrace what is clearly the penchant by those involved in instant gratification. Of course, majority of those in the business are neither sufficiently educated to take advantage of the limited opportunities in the labour market, nor do they possess sellable skills to be gainfully employed by self or anyone. It has also been argued that the low capital threshold and the fact that there are very minimal barriers to entry make it doubly alluring.

    There is however question that the business thrives because many involved would not even consider the option of either learning a trade or trying their hands on other worthwhile economic activities. The latter is something to worry about not only because it explains the dearth of critical skills, it is also the source of raw aggression and the accompanying group action often associated with the business.

    The question of the extent of accommodation that could be allowed the operators in the rapidly transforming megacity would certainly remain “live” just as the larger issues of public policy involved would remain open to debate for some time to come. It is, I guess, a derivative of the let-live argument which attempted to rationalise the sprawling squalor of Makoko or its jungle variant in Ajegunle both of which the government in Lagos has had to confront at different time in the past. Even then, it seems that the Lagos State government is far-sighted than many would rather give it credit for at this point in time. One can only hope, at least for the sake of the future of this country that the state government, as indeed other state governments that have restricted the operators will stay the course.

     

  • OUR Women… Now, You WIN

    OUR Women… Now, You WIN

    THIS week’s piece is a combination of news dissemination and informed analysis, structured to specifically connect with a special target audience – our young women for their information, awareness and call to action. To be more precise, we are talking to WOMEN (female) YOUTH with innovative ideas and entrepreneurial drive, ready to bring about progressive change for a better Nigeria, based on productivity, industry and employment generation, through their readiness to take advantage of a rare but once-in-a-lifetime opportunity offered by the Federal Government’s youth empowerment and employment generation program, known as YouWIN designed for women.

    SO, THE NEWS: the President, leading the Federal Government team, has just launched the second edition of the YouWIN (Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria) program for women.

    The first time we wrote an article on YouWIN was October 9, 2011. It was shortly after the Federal Government launched the YouWIN program for the first time. We did, in that writ-up, identify with the plusses of the program, driving home the benefits inherent for our youths and the nation. The attraction remains the strategic focus for which the program was designed: to enable aggressive growth in employment, by engaging and supporting the youths. It involves the Federal Government’s massive financial investment in form of grant, training and mentoring of participants. Specifically, however, the second edition of YouWIN is designed and focused for WOMEN.

    Essentially, YouWIN is an expression of the Federal Government’s determination to create employment for our youths, drawing on their creativity, industry, determination to excel, through constructive engagement. On the government’s part, it has committed to providing grants up to N10, 000, 000 per person for investment

    Specific Objectives of the Program include to:

    • Attract ideas and innovations from young entrepreneurial aspirants from Universities, Polytechnics, Technical colleges, and other post-Secondary institutions in Nigeria;

    • Provide a onetime Equity grant for 1,200 selected aspiring entrepreneurs to start or expand their business concepts and mitigate start up risks;

    • Generate 80,000 to 110,000 new jobs for currently unemployed Nigerian youth over the three years during which the three cycles will be implemented;

    • Provide business training for up to 6,000 aspiring youth entrepreneurs spread across all geo-political zones in Nigeria;

    • Encourage expansion, specialization and spin-offs of existing businesses in Nigeria; and,

    • Enable young entrepreneurs to access a wide business professional network and improve their visibility.

    PLEASE NOTE!!!

    • YouWiN is an equity contribution to your business. It is therefore NOT A LOAN but a grant.

    • Award recipients will be paid according to the needs of the business and specific mile-stones stated in the business plan.

    • Award recipients must be registered with CAC before disbursement of funds even though they do not need to be registered to apply. YouWIN will support the registration process.

    • Award recipients will operate accounts using their registered companies with any of the participating commercial banks prior to disbursement.

    • Award recipients must sign a grant agreement with the managers of YouWiN before disbursement of funds.

    Apply Now!

    Competition Timeline

    • Mon. Sep 3, 2012 Launch of 2012/2013 Edition of the YouWiN! Business Plan Competition tagged “YouWiN! Women”.

    • Mon. Sep 3, 2012 First stage business concept submission starts after launch by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    • Sun. Oct 14, 2012 First stage business concept submission closes. No entries accepted after this date.

    • Mon. Oct 15, 2012 Marking of first stage submission by an International Business School.

    • Fri. Nov 30, 2012Notification of successful first stage candidates and invitation for training in each state of the nation.

    • Mon. Dec 10, 2012Training of the 1st set of second stage candidate starts. Trainings will be held in sets on 10 – 21 December 2012 and 2 – 11 January 2013.

    • Mon. Dec 10, 2012 Submission of second stage business plan starts on 10 December 2012 and ends 8 February 2013. Please note that only entries from candidates who attended the training and had their biometrics information collected are eligible and will be reviewed.

    • Fri. Feb 8, 2013 Submission of second stage business plan entries closes. All qualifying candidates must submit their business plans by this date.

    • Mon. Feb 11, 2013 Business plan marking commences with an international business school providing quality assurance.

    To apply, please go www.youwin.org.ng

    To us at MC&A Digest, the exciting thing about this women-directed program is the challenge it brings to our teeming population of educated, creative, focused, entrepreneurial and industrial women. To us, it is great thinking on the part of government for the ingenuity in encouraging the women towards putting their entrepreneurial spirit to work. This program puts a grant (not a loan) of up to N10m at the disposal of at least 1,200 women with demonstrable skills, abilities and creativity to start and run their own businesses and conveniently create employment for many others.

    The roll-call of female-driven businesses comes to mind at this time, across various industries. For instance, we can readily recall the Lady Cobbler (an excellent and ingenious demonstration of artistry, creativity and purposeful engagement). That enterprise has expanded exponentially, giving employment and apprenticeship to a sizeable number of men and women. We also remember the size and scope of businesses in the food vending business such as Tasty Fried Chicken brand. That brand has excelled under the watch of a woman, who has demonstrated plenty of commitment to industry, providing jobs to many across the country.

    Aside from service businesses, we know of women that are excelling in architecture and building industry, landscaping, interior decoration, auto maintenance, manufacturing, beauty products and accessories sales and distribution. With the generous provision of grants by the Federal Government, all our women need to bring to bear is intelligence, creativity, intelligence and entrepreneurship. We should have that in abundance among our women. It is also important to underscore the fact that the primary beneficiary of this program is the individual woman who stands to improve on the basic success measure of personal wealth and income, investment drive and enhanced living standard.

    Our women youth with initiative should hurry to take advantage of this rare opportunity offered by YouWIN for women program to empower themselves. That is the focus of this program. The Federal Government’s determination to empower the nation’s youth (especially the women by this unique program), should be seen as a challenge our women youth should hurry to take advantage of. It is a clarion call for the women.

    Given that the scope of commitment and support for both editions is the same, underscores the efforts towards achieving a penetrable reach-level with this program. The world is changing on all fronts, with regard to nation-building. In a recent interview on the CNN news channel, the President of Chile did capture the changes in the global pillars of development. According to him, the traditional growth pillars, according to world standard, are democracy, growing economy and literacy level. Going by the new world economic order, however, all of that has changed. Today, the new and operating pillars of development are: TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP and EQUALITY. It is also instructive to note that digital and knowledge-based economy is the new development frontier. In realization of this paradigm shift, Nations are structuring their development plans and pattern around the new insight, paying particular attention to the details of change.

    On a broader scale, YouWIN initiative strikes a connect with the ENTREPRENEURSHIP ingredient for growth and nation-building. As we noted in our first article on this program, this initiative by the Federal Government is a call to duty for the youths in this country. They should take advantage of the ample opportunities offered through this program, to actualize that productive personal ambition to work for a prosperous and better Nigeria.

    YouWIN for WOMEN presents our women-youths the opportunity to join hands in building a Nigeria of our dream. Our women are highly creative, patient, innovative and industrious. These are rare qualities we must take advantage of at this time. Between October 2011 and now, the first edition of the YouWIN program has thrown up 1,200 award winners scattered across Nigeria, actualizing the projection of the Federal Government.

    Women, the opportunities have been provided in large measure. If we do not optimize the opportunity inherent, we are to blame. The grants are ready, the entry is open and the process is on. Log on today and start the process of growing into a successful entrepreneur. Empower yourself, grow your wealth, become an employer of labor. Take advantage of YouWIN for women.

    This time, YouWIN is all about you our women!

  • Jonathan charges Flamingoes: Win U-17 World Cup

    Jonathan charges Flamingoes: Win U-17 World Cup

    President Goodluck Jonathan has charged Nigeria’s junior women team, the Flamingoes, to go all out and win the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan.

    Tukur Mani, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Iran, who has concurrent accreditation to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Kazakhstan, delivered the President’s message to the team and their officials in Baku.

    The Deputy Head of Mission in Azerbaijan, Garba Bello, said: “Amb. Tukur Mani, while delivering the message of President Goodluck Jonathan to the team and their officials, urged them to excel.

    “President Jonathan said we should boost the morale of the players and inspire them to go far and win the tournament.

    “God willing, the team has started doing what the president urged them to do by beating the host nation Azerbaijan 11 – 0 on Tuesday before their fans.

    “The match of yesterday (Tuesday) was a display of high skill and cohesion in the Flamingoes team.

    “Even in the opening game against Canada, Nigerian girls showed good football, although they drew at the end. It was obvious that Nigeria was a better team than Canada in the game.

    “With the way they are going, our girls will reach the final and lift the FIFA Under 17 World Cup. I have watched all the teams in this competition training and I can say that we have no rival.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Flamingoes will end their group campaign with a match against Columbia at Bayil Stadium in Baku on Saturday.

    Meanwhile, with her five strikes against Azerbaijan in Tuesday’s 11 – 0 victory, Nigeria’s Chinwendu Ihezuo set a new tournament record for most goals by an individual in one game.

    She overtakes Germany’s Kyra Malinowski and Korea Republic’s Yeo Minji, who each netted four against South Africa and Nigeria respectively during the 2010 edition.

    Only two games into the campaign, Gambia have already equalled the tournament record for goals conceded.

    The record was set by South Africa who shipped 17 in three matches at the 2010 edition.