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Tag: won

  • Why TB war must be won, by doctors

    Why TB war must be won, by doctors

    Doctors have joined the World Health Organisation (WHO) in drawing the battleline against tuberculosis (TB).

    The Association of General Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) has dedicated its forthcoming 38th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference to fight the killer-disease in line with WHO’s call on its member-countries and partners to “Unite to end TB”.

    AGPMPN, which AGM holds in Abuja on April 14, plans to collaborate with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP) to fight the scourge.

    Chairman, Scientific Committee for the AGM/Scientific Conference Dr Biodun Ogungbo said AGPMPN is partnering with Global Fund, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WHO and Clinton Health Access Initiative, among others, to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria because private hospitals exist in every part of the country.

    The group can also work towards a functional referral system for TB patients.

    Ogungbo described his group’s effort to end the scourge as timely as WHO’s End TB Strategy aims to reduce TB deaths by 90 per cent and new cases by 80 per cent by 2030

    “Though WHO said there has been significant progress in the fight against TB, with 43 million lives saved since 2000, but despite these advances, formidable challenges remain, including fragile health systems, human resource and financial constraints, and the serious co-epidemics with HIV, diabetes, and tobacco use.

    “MDR-TB is another critical challenge. Urgent and effective action to address antimicrobial resistance is important to ending TB by 2030. So are increased investments, as the global tuberculosis response remains underfunded for both implementation and research.

    “And the AGPMPN going with this year’s ‘Find TB, treat TB and working together to eliminate TB’ with the slogan ‘Unite to end TB’, is re-strategising along with Federal Government through the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP). The diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis are provided free of charge by the body,” Ogungbo said.

    TB, he said, could be diagnosed with a simple laboratory test, using a sputum sample. ”The laboratory diagnosis rests mainly with the identification of the tubercle bacilli in a clinical specimen (sputum, other bodily fluids such CSF) by using available laboratory methods, microscopy, culture and GeneXpert MTB/RI. The test GeneXpert MTB/RI and others have the potential to revolutionise the diagnosis of TB. Other methods such as a good history of contact with a sufferer, a chest x-ray and a skin test are also important,” he said.

    The association said its efforts would yield results and further reduce the cases of TB and drug resistance.

    “The collaboration will enhance the number of diagnostics, treatment and research centres across the country. We need private hospitals to take custody of some of the diagnostic kits and drugs for easy access by patients. This will also allow for good monitoring, evaluation, thus spreading the catchment net widely. This is also in the spirit of public private partnership (PPP) in health care as majority of Nigerians patronise private hospitals and clinics,” Ogungbo said.

    Chairman, Stop TB partnership in Nigeria Dr Lovett Lawson and her team members, including Dr Gabriel Akang, Dr Josephine Okechukwu and Dr Emmanuel Meribole, all of NTLCP are expected at the AGM.

  • Election tribunals sack PDP senators Abaribe, Nnaji

    Election tribunals sack PDP senators Abaribe, Nnaji

    Abaribe’s election nullified

    The election petition tribunal sitting in Abia State has declared Mao Ohuabunwa winner of the Abia North senatorial election.

    Ohuabunwa was declared winner after the addition and deduction of votes cast for him and the petitioner, Chief Bourdex Ogba Onuoha.

    Tribunal head Justice Adeniyi Onibanjo said Onuoha’s claims of irregularities were not enough to cancel the election, adding that the petitioner was able to prove that some of his votes were deducted by INEC, while Ohuabunwa’s votes were increased by the electoral body.

    The tribunal, therefore, decided to deduct the votes they believed were given to Ohuabunwa by INEC and added the votes believed to have been deducted from Onuoha back to him.

    The results, after deduction from Ohuabunwa, was 43, 738, while Onuoha’s, after adding his stolen votes, was 28, 210.

    The tribunal also dismissed Orji Uzor Kalu’s petition for incompetence, even as the petitioner earlier questioned the jurisdiction of the tribunal to handle the case.

    Onuoha expressed shock with the result, saying the tribunal delayed his mandate.

    He said he would proceed to the Court of Appeal to recover his stolen mandate, even as he urged his supporters to remain calm.

    The tribunal has nullified the election of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Lead judge said the election was inconclusive due to irregularities in Obingwa and Ugwunagbo councils.

    Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Chris Nkwonta petitioned the tribunal seeking nullification of Abaribe’s election for electoral irregularities.

    Abaribe said his team was confused about the ruling but has applied for a Certified True Copy of the judgment as a guide to an appropriate response.

    Abaribe, a three-term senator was first elected to represent Abia South in 2007.

  • ‘Imo governorship election has been won and lost’

    ‘Imo governorship election has been won and lost’

    The declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Imo State was inconclusive is generating controversy. A veteran journalist and former Special Adviser in the state, Evang. Ethelbert Okere, spoke on the matter in Owerri, the state capital.

    What is your take on the political logjam in the state?

    Logjam? Is there one?

    We mean the stalemated governorship election in the state…

    I don’t really see it as a logjam because as far as I am concerned, the matter is not difficult to handle. Re-run elections have been scheduled and once that is done, the whole problem would be over.

    A similar thing happened in 2011 and you were a key witness. Is history repeating itself?

    What happened in 2011 is quite different from what is happening now. In 2011, there was a grand conspiracy against the sitting governor. And the conspiracy was conceived and executed by outsiders. They merely used the good people of Imo State to commit a crime as I stated in the book I wrote on that episode. This time around, it is a straight fight between two top gladiators in the state, and the people are directly involved.

    You don’t see any conspiracy in the current case?

    I can’t see any conspiracy; if you do, show me one. For me, we have a clear case where the people have expressed their preferences. Unlike in 2011, there are no outside influences trying who determine who will win the governorship election in Imo. All the interests are internal.

    But, the results of the governorship election are being contested in several polling units and the INEC has scheduled a re-run in those units.

    That does not amount to a conspiracy. INEC has already accepted and announced the results that distributed more than three quarter of the total votes cast. So, we should focus on that to give the Imo electorate kudos for peacefully expressing their preferences. It is not good that the impression is being given that the governorship election in Imo is not successful because of about 127,000 potential votes. It is not fair to the people who toiled under the sun to take part in the exercise. The statement was unnecessary. As far as I am concerned, INEC in Imo over dramatised the matter. It should have declared a winner with what it already had.

    With over 144 votes in contention?

    Well, in principle, yes, but, as far as I am concerned, INEC was wrong in basing its calculations on registered voters. It should have used the number of PVCs collected across the state. And if that is used, a re-run would have been unnecessary. Although the electoral law says number of registered voters, but I feel that the INEC returning officer in Imo should have been more proactive and base his decision on the number of PVCs collected. What is the need talking about registered voters who cannot vote? The whole thing requires pragmatism. Across the country, INEC released PVCs for only 80 per cent of registered voters. In my view, it is superfluous to talk about registered voters in a situation like this.

    But, the two major parties concerned have agreed to go for a re-run…

    That’s ok, but I think Imo people should have been saved all that problem. As far as I am concerned, the governorship election has been won and lost.

    But, your party, the PDP is seriously contesting it. Are you not part of that?

    It is not about party now. I am basing my argument on what is on ground. Even party members concede defeat when they lose. That doesn’t make them bad party members. President Jonathan conceded defeat even before all the results of the March 28 presidential election were released. That does not make him a bad party member.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, has called for the cancellation of the governorship election in Imo. What is your take?

    Well, Metuh, like any typical politician, is reacting the conventional way: cancel election if things do not go your way. I read the report where he claims that majority of Imo people wants the election to be cancelled. That is not correct at all. He was even making incorrect allusions, like referring to Owerri South Local Government Area. There is nothing like Owerri South Local Government Area in Imo State. This type of inaccuracy shows that he is not well informed about what is on the ground. You can see that the whole place is peaceful. Personally, I wouldn’t like anybody to mislead the people into taking untoward actions. The people have voted. Going by results released officially by INEC, the governor won in 20 out of 27 local government areas. Except in a few L.G.As, he won with very wide margin. The asymmetry is striking.

    But, there are allegations that his party rigged the election…

    Allegations of rigging is not new in such elections. You and I know that rigging is never an exclusive act. All the parties usually get involved. Nigerians are no longer surprised when you allege rigging. If you read my article after the March 28 presidential election, I stated that it was obvious to Nigerians that the election was rigged in several parts of the country. Once the card readers failed to work, politicians saw another opportunity to write the results. The point I was really trying to make was that contrary to the assurances by INEC, the results of that elections were not error proof because the electronic voting system that was supposed to do that failed. The situation on April 11 might have improved, but parties still tried to sabotage electronic voting because it makes rigging easier.

    But, having said that, I am certainly not in a position to say where irregularities took place in Imo State during the governorship election. I can only talk of my own area. In my booth, there was no rigging. And I can assure you that there was no rigging in the whole of Ngor Okpala Local Government Area where I come from. If you go there today and say that the election should be cancelled as the likes of Metuh suggest, the people will be mad with you. The result was a close margin between the APC and PDP, but I can assure you that that is how it is in the area.

    The PDP candidate, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has represented the people effectively for 12 years and our people like him. So, it is safe to say that it is not possible to rig election against him in Ngor Okpala. It is also not possible for our people to have voted the way they did because of money. We are not like that. We are steadfast.

    So, what do you think happened?

    The people simply decided to vote the way they did for reasons that are perhaps outside the scope of this discussion. If we extrapolate the argument, it is also safe to say that plus and minus, voters in other areas voted largely according to their preferences. Imolites generally do not allow rigging. Agreed, desperate politicians try to rig but we Imolites are not known for that.

    In other words, you believe the results reflect the real feeling of the people.

    If they are not, Imo people would have since reacted. As I said earlier, the whole place is calm. Imolites would have since reacted if they were not the people who gave the governor majority of the votes in 20 out of 27 local government areas. The result is quite striking. If the people were not part of it, they would have since reacted.

    Sir, your posturing suggests that you have sympathy for the governor.

    That is a very ordinary way of looking at it. Basically, I am an apostle of peace. I do not want what happened in 2011 to happen again this time around. The election in 2011 was too rancourous and at the end it was the people that lost. Because of the way things went, the incoming governor then, Okorocha, was perhaps too bitter that he took certain steps I still believe he should  not have taken. Take the sacking of the local government councils, for example. We are still suffering from it up till today. Those who advised him to do so were able to sell that idea to him because they discovered that given the way things went, his mind was receptive to such a thing. I was even a direct victim. He stopped our salary of two months even when we had already worked for that. Till date, he refused to pay our severance allowances. All that was because of the bitterness generated from the election. Imo people should not be made to go through that type of thing again. They expressed their preference and from what we have on ground, that  preference was Governor Okorocha. To drag the matter is for me needless. I agree that the election should be re-conducted in the problem wards but I am against creating the impression that the entire election is of no use. That is creating unnecessary tension and rancor.

    Contrary to the posturing of some politicians, it is an assault on the collective psyche of the people to say that Governor Okoorcha has lost the election even after they have given him majority of the votes in 20 out of the 27 local government areas. Now, I understand that going by the latest release by INEC just about 127 votes are to be vied for at the re-run. Technically, none of the candidates has been declared winner but at the same time it is misleading to tell the people that it is not actually Okorocha that is leading. Imo people are too sophisticated for such lies.  INEC in its wisdom accepted the results that gave the governor the lead with almost 80,000 votes. The least we can do is to accept the situation as it is now.

    If the table turns after the re-run, the people will also see.

  • Why PDP won in Ondo, by Adekanmbi

    Why PDP won in Ondo, by Adekanmbi

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in Ondo State, Hon. Femi Adekanmbi, has given an insight into why the party  bounced back quickly from its defeat in the presidential election by winning majority of the seats in the Assembly election. He spoke with LEKE AKEREDOLU.

    How will you assess the State Assembly poll recently conducted in Ondo State?

    The victory that we recorded in Ondo State by winning 21 seats is very spiritual. Spiritual in the sense that nobody has ever thought that PDP will bounce back like this considering what happened in the last Presidential election, where we lost woefully. Thanks to the governor, Olusegun Mimiko who sat down and critically analyzed where the fault came from. He discovered that we lost due to the unending crisis between the old and new PDP members.  This was what we have been clamoring for that we need to resolve the issue. We thank God that some of the issues were settled before State Assembly election. Why did you reconcile with Mimiko despite denying you House of Representatives tickets twice?

    My differences with the governor came just because of the issue of party primaries when we were in Labour Party in 2011, and also during last year PDP House of Representatives primaries and he denied me the ticket. After that, I sat with my family and critically looked at the issue that for the governor to deny me this ticket might be divine. Divine in the sense that when God says yes, nobody can say no, I believe destiny cannot be changed. If Mimiko wanted to give me, he would have done so but for not giving me the ticket, why should I be fighting him? He called me several times, though, I refused and eventually we met, we resolved our differences and he pleaded that I should forgive and forget.

    Some of the old PDP worked against the party during the Presidential election, what is your take on this? 

    I sincerely believed that during the Presidential election, people had their differences against President Goodluck Jonathan, not particularly against Mimiko, because they expected Jonathan to have settled the issue. They expected his Chief of Staff, Arogbofa, who is from the state to settle the crisis. We held about three to four meetings with Mr. President and he never took any cogent decision on what he wanted to be done in Ondo State. That is why I don’t blame the governor because series of meetings were held, and agreement reached that the issue should be resolved. Our leaders in old PDP let us down, and that what why majority people worked against the party. We have corrected our mistakes now and that was why we got a resounding victory in the State assembly poll.

    What was the magic behind the party victory in the State Assembly, particularly in the APC strongholds?

    It is not longer news that my own northern senatorial district is the stronghold of APC but this time around, we got a victory there because we actually worked for it. In the last Presidential and National Assembly elections  we did not win any seat there, but the magic was that we called some of the aggrieved candidates of old PDP together and we held series of meetings with the governor and we pleaded with everybody. At this time now, we can’t leave our party, we need to join hands together and build the party. The governor accepted his blames and he went around to apologise to the people in all the 18 local governments.

    Are you saying the Crisis in Ondo PDP is over?

    Yes, the crisis is over because those who refused to accept the pleas of the governor have left the party and that means those who are left behind are those who have resolved their differences with the governor. We believed that we should move ahead and work with the governor.

    You were a leader of defunct ACN; did you regret leaving the progressive party?

    I don’t regret leaving the party because every stages of your life you progress. As a man, you must not regret everything you do in life provided that nobody can point to you and said I made you in life. I don’t take decisions without consulting my people. When I was in LP, I never intended to leave the party because the governor appealed to me when he denied me the ticket but, when I got to my house in Owo, thousands of my followers were already waiting for me and they said all us must go to ACN. I left Ondo State ACN due to the fact that 80 percent of them were not progressives. But the leaders of APC at the national level are excellent. I have worked with them before and they are doing great. Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is getting closer to the legend of late Obafemi Awolowo in Yorubaland. Governor Rauf Aregbesola is an excellent leader, I have worked with him for about six months and he trained me in politics. These people are doing great in the party but coming to the state level, the people there are very terrible and I said I can’t join them. I can assure you that PDP will start growing as from today and all our leaders who have defected will return back.

    It was learnt that you were already contemplating joining APC before Mimiko appealed to you, how true is this?

    I never made an attempt to leave PDP, though there were calls from the APC national leaders but I have said it before that I will not leave the party. I don’t want to turn to a political prostitute. Just because PDP lost Presidential election and I should not decamp to APC. I don’t think it is polite. People will start seeing me as unserious politician. I don’t just take decision without proper consultation. I can tell you that if I jump to AA today, my people will follow me and we will develop it.

    Do you think PDP will bounce back in South West?

    How did Yobe survive; how did Borno survive; how did Lagos State survive when PDP was at the center? We have to look at these things. If they can survive for 16 years that means Ondo and Ekiti can survive. We are looking at what it takes to survive as an opposition. First we must carry our people along. We need to embark on grassroots policies and that is what it takes a state in opposition to survive in situation like. You must be open to the people in whatever you do so that if any election comes up they stick with you. Look at Lagos State, APC remain unshakable because Asiwaju Tinubu does not neglect them. He embarked on a lot of grassroots politics and it will be so difficult for any other party to take over the state and that is what we are going to do in Ondo State. I can tell you that it will be very hard for any party to take over Ondo state with people like us still in PDP.

  • ‘Why Okowa won Delta PDP ticket’

    ‘Why Okowa won Delta PDP ticket’

    Smart Asekutu is the President, Delta Ijaw Peace Movement (DIPM) and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State. In this interview with PAUL UKPABIO, he speaks about the next month’s elections and  other issues.

    How would you react to the emergence of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State?

    I must say that his emergence as PDP’s flag bearer in the state is a welcome development. It calls for celebration because Okowa is a man that can be trusted with the resources of the state and he has worked with those that are in power today. He has moved progressively in his political career. Even in the contest for the ticket of the PDP, he was opposed in a manner that ordinarily nobody wants to think that he would win the primary. He is a man that we are very sure of, that he can deliver if given the opportunity to serve as governor.

    He is a former commissioner and SSG, and now a senator. The delegates decided to vote according to their conscience because of his track record of public service. He has done so many things that could speak for him as a man to be trusted. He was not backed by any godfather but the people. The grassroots decided that he should be the candidate of the ruling party in the state, and that is why every member of the PDP in Delta state is very happy that Okowa is the flag bearer of the party. I am supportive of everything that should be done to ensure he emerges as the governor of the state in the 2015 election.

    Do you think he has what it takes to confront the candidates of the opposition parties, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP)?

    People believe that things should be done fairly and that things should be shared equally. The other day, Chief Edwin Clark said on the pages of newspapers that this time around, whoever would become governor should come from Delta North because they believe that it is time for a Deltan of Delta North extraction to become governor.

    Yes, we heard some people complaining here and there, but genuine people of Delta State know that it is the time of Delta North to produce the governor in this state. Okowa is from that region and I would think that every well-meaning Deltan would give him their support. They would do what is right by voting for Okowa. I am sure that Deltans are already talking to themselves, reasoning within themselves to make sure they do what is right.

    Are you aware of the protests from sections of the Urhobo and Isoko against what they termed betrayal by the Ijaw of Delta South?

    We have been reading some text messages by some faceless persons concerning that. We don’t know the brains behind these nefarious actions because they have been sending these frivolous texts under cover. It is not out of place for people to complain, but I want to say that we need to be careful. You don’t just complain because what you desire is not in place or that you didn’t get what you wanted, therefore, the best thing is to destroy. It is not good enough.

    What about zoning?

    Today, the Ijaw, the Urhobo, the Isoko are one. So many things have always been proven that we are one. We need each other to succeed in everything we have to do and so we cannot go to the extreme. You don’t condemn a whole tribe because you wanted something but could not get it. You want to insult leaders, you gives names to people that have worked hard to even make life meaningful to everybody. You say because one thing did not work today, you want to destroy everything. I want to caution people that are behind these agitations to have a re-think. If they say some sensitive things about certain persons now, the next minute, they may see themselves needing the support of such people.

    So, don’t say because you did not get this one, you are trying to pass the blame or trying to call them names. We just need to be careful. The Urhobos today have produced governors. For instance, Chief Ibru was a governor, he is an Urhobo man. Chief James Ibori was a governor and he is an Urhobo man also. So, there are things they have enjoyed which other ethnic groups have not enjoyed. We have so many people contesting for this position and you know one person will certainly emerge and somebody put the strictures in place to deliver one person. We should not see it as the end of the game.

    After Okowa’s tenure, we will always have this kind of moment. So, you cannot just sit back and say because it did not happen the way you wanted it, you start calling people names. It is not fair. We don’t have to say things that we may regret tomorrow. I want to add that Urhobo people are people that we respect. We also respect Isoko people. There are people today I know are working effectively for all that we are celebrating now. The Urhobo are part of it, the Isoko are part of it, the Itsekiri are part of it. The victory of Okowa was not made possible only by a section of people, but by the Isokos, the Urhobos, the Itsekiris and the Ijaws; everybody worked for him. If anybody is complaining, we should be able to ask what happened and how it happened.

    And how would you react to the verbal attacks on Chief Government Ekpemukpolo Tompolo?

    It is very worrisome. A lot of people may not have known who Tompolo is. One thing I would say is that given the kind of struggle Tompolo was involved in, in the Niger Delta region, if he was a wicked man, he would not have survive a day. If he were a tribalist, he would not even have survived one day. This is one man who lived a very upright life even at the time he was a militant leader in the Niger Delta. Today, people respect him all round the Niger Delta and beyond. It is because this man does not represent one ethnic group but the Niger Delta region.

    All that he was trying to do was to ensure that good life for the people of the Niger Delta region. We should stop insulting people who have worked hard to make life meaningful for us.

  • Why The Nation man Ololade won, by CNN

    Why The Nation man Ololade won, by CNN

    The Nation’s serial award-winning Assistant Editor Olatunji Ololade emerged at the weekend winner of the Health and Medical Category of the CNN African Journalist of the Year.  Ololade received the award from the Managing Director of MSD South Africa, Kaja Natland in Arusha, Tanzania.

    He won the award for his story titled: “This marriage will kill me – Tragedy of Nigeria’s child brides”.  The judges praised Ololade for his excellent writing and attention to details.

    This is what the judges said about his winning entry: “This category provides the challenge of making oftencomplicated and technical issues understandable and readable. Our two excellent finalists illustrate both the range of entries and how well many of those rose to the challenge. Our winner produced a moving account of Nigeria’s child brides and a close look at the devastating medical and personal implications of forcing young teenagers to marry much older men. It is a major story on a widespread problem, written with a deep sense of humanity, and an excellent attention to detail. The medical issues are set out with clarity and the result leaves one with a tangible sense of the horrors of this practice and the long-term trauma. It is a moving and informative exemplar of the value of well-crafted health reporting. It was well-illustrated and effectively presented.”

  • How Delta won Eko 2012 – Pinnick

    How Delta won Eko 2012 – Pinnick

    The Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick has cited discipline, hard work and prayer as the factors responsible for the success story of the state at the just-concluded Eko 2012 18th National Sports Festival.

    Delta were the overall winners of Eko 2012, a feat they achieved even days before the conclusion of hostilities, the first triumph for the state since Kaduna 2009 and their 5th title overall (Bauchi, 2000, Abuja, 2004 and Ogun, 2006 being the others).

    Pinnick in a chat with Sports Writers at the National Stadium explained that after their inability to top the medals’ table as expected during the Garden City Games last year, he and his lieutenants went back to the drawing board to assess what went wrong and started earnest preparation for Eko 2012 while others were still on holiday.

    “Three days after we left Port Harcourt, we were able to identify factors that militated against us. We corrected those factors and today we are a great name.

    “I will give you an example. In Weightlifting, we got 1 gold medal in Garden City but today we got 14. In Judo we didn’t get anything in Garden City but today we had 4 gold medals.

    “In Powerlifting, we struggled with them in Garden City Games but today we got 10 gold medals. In Swimming too we struggled with them last year; we got 18 but at Eko 2012 we amassed 24 gold,”

    The Chairman gave kudos to the governor of the Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan who he said provided an enabling environment for athletes with his provision of necessary funding to help get the desired result.

    He also stated that with the release of funds as and when due, it was easy for the state’s athletes to embark on early preparation.

    “When you get your funding as at when due, you will get results. The impact is immediate. We got early preparation. We also embarked on the principles of discipline, hard work and prayer which answered all,” Pinnick said.

    The team placed first with an unofficial 114 gold, 99 silver and 75 bronze medals while Rivers and Lagos ended in 2nd and 3rd respectively with 76 gold, 71 silver and 70 bronze medals and 64 gold, 47 silver and 71 bronze medals in that order.

  • Wenger: Arsenal should have won

    Wenger: Arsenal should have won

    Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was pleased with his side’s performance against Manchester City but believes they should have taken all three points.

    The Gunners fell behind to a first-half header from Joleon Lescott before Laurent Koscielny struck an emphatic equaliser eight minutes from time to level the match at 1-1.

    Wenger was pleased with how his side acquitted themselves but admitted he was disappointed not to come away with the win.

    “It’s the minimum we deserved today,” he said.

    “I am pleased with the quality of the performance and our spirit but a bit frustrated because I felt there was room to do more.

    “We had early chances and very late chances. I’m thinking especially about Gervinho’s chance at the edge of the box where he missed the target.”