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Jonathan charges youth to get involved in politics

Nigerian youth have
been asked to actively participate in the voters registration and
voting exercises coming up next year so that they can elect leaders
with track records and integrity, President Goodluck Jonathan said
yesterday in Abuja.
The president, who
stated this during the National Youth Summit organised by the Federal
Ministry of Youth Development, said the future belongs to them and it
is their duty to ensure that they use their numerical strength to
effect a change by ensuring the country has good leaders at all level
of government.
Mr Jonathan said as
a former student and lecturer, he knows the needs and desires of youth
and promised that he will not disappoint them if voted into office next
year. The president, who was excited by the loud applause from the
crowd, said the ovation has rekindled his joy and enthusiasm and has
also convinced him that what the youth and the entire country need are
leaders that will turn their dreams into reality.
“You have made me proud of you and I want to promise you that I would not disappoint you,” he said.
He charged them to
always think of how the country can move forward instead of thinking of
things that will not benefit humanity.
“If you don’t contribute to societal progress, foreigners will not come and fix Nigeria for you,” he said.
Youth power
The Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole said the problems the country
is going through today were caused years ago when none of those
gathered at the summit were probably born. To get out of the mess, he
said, youth should use their large population to effect a positive
change by voting good candidates into office at all levels.
“Nigeria today is
settling heavy debts that were incurred years ago due to
maladministration,” he said and suggested that the only way out is to
ensure good governance for the country. Mr Bankole advised the youth
not to allow themselves to be deceived by politicians who have nothing
to offer and challenged them to look at the achievements of this
government since Mr Jonathan assumed full office as president.
The Minister of
Youth Development, Akinlabi Olasunkanmi said the 2006 census put the
population of the youth at over 60 million and explained that if they
all voted, they can determine who governs the country.
“This generation of
young voters holds the weapon of change from old stereotypes,
primordial conceptions and entrenched cynicism,” Mr Akinlabi said.
Citing instances,
Mr Olasunkanmi said in the United States of America (USA), youth
participation at the ballot box progressively increased from 2006 to
date, noting that it is on record that over 22 million youth voted in
2008 to deliver a major power shift in the U.S,A , producing president
Barrack Obama, the first black man to ever occupy the White House.

Katsina budgets N99.9b for 2011

Katsina budgets N99.9b for 2011

The Katsina State government has budgeted N99.9
billion for its services in the 2011 fiscal year. The budget, tagged
“Budget of Fulfilment,” is higher than that of 2010 by N7.3 billion.

Presenting the budget estimate to the state House
of Assembly in Katsina on Thursday, state Governor,

The Katsina State government has budgeted N99.9
billion for its services in the 2011 fiscal year. The budget, tagged
“Budget of Fulfilment,” is higher than that of 2010 by N7.3 billion.

Presenting the budget estimate to the state House
of Assembly in Katsina on Thursday, state Governor, Ibrahim Shema said
the money will be sourced from the N52 billion Federal Revenue
Allocation and VAT of N5 billion. Other sources are N6 billion Special
Funds, N12.7 billion internally generated revenue, Capital Receipts of
N4.2 billion and the opening balance of N20 billion.

Mr Shema said N68.1 billion (68 per cent) of the
estimate was earmarked for capital projects, while N31.7 billion (32
per cent) was set aside for recurrent expenditure. He also said the
increase in the 2011 budget by N7.3 billion was based on realistic
computation of government’s revenue profiles, both statutory and
internal, as well as other expectations.

Describing the estimates as a “balanced budget,”
Mr Shema said the government will in 2011 complete all ongoing projects
and embark on new ones. He commended members of the state Assembly for
their cooperation and understanding, which he said had assisted
government in the implementation of the 2010 budget, and urged them to
maintain the tempo.

The Speaker of the Katsina State House of
Assembly, Ya’u Gwajogwajo, promised that the House will give the
proposal speedy deliberations and passage.

said
the money will be sourced from the N52 billion Federal Revenue
Allocation and VAT of N5 billion. Other sources are N6 billion Special
Funds, N12.7 billion internally generated revenue, Capital Receipts of
N4.2 billion and the opening balance of N20 billion.

The Speaker of the Katsina State House of
Assembly, Ya’u Gwajogwajo, promised that the House will give the
proposal speedy deliberations and passage.

ACN plans to capture South-South states

ACN plans to capture South-South states

More states in the
south-south geopolitical zone of the country will be taken over by the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), in the 2011 general elections. This
was the view of a Delta State executive of the party, Adego Eferakeya.
Mr Eferakeya said this while speaking to journalists after the
south-south zone caucus meeting of the party in Benin City yesterday.
Mr Eferakeya said all arrangements have been put in place to ensure
victory for the party in more states of the south-south, just as they
said the party will meet Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC)’s deadline for the submission of names of candidates for the
elections.

“We should work hard so that we can win more states because, as you know, ACN is the only party contending with PDP,” he said.

“We also spoke
about the primaries that are coming up, the dates will be fixed very
soon but tentatively, we expect that the primaries of the Action
Congress of Nigeria tentatively would be on the 6th for the state
houses of assembly, 8th, national assembly, on the 11th, the
governorship and on the 15th of January 2011 will be the presidential
primaries. We have all agreed that there will be a meeting of the
national body that will ratify and some of these dates may change. We
are also looking forward to collecting forms of expression of interest
and nomination forms which you know are very essential before primaries
can be conducted.” All together, Mr Eferakeya said all members present
at the meeting have said they are prepared to work hard for the success
of the party because they know that “divided we fall united we stand.
All of us are working in harmony to ensure that we win more states,” he
said.

The party official
also expressed optimism that security agencies will live up to
expectation of providing adequate security during its primaries and
meetings to avoid the series of explosions that have rocked some
political gatherings in the last few days.

The Edo State
Deputy Governor, Pius Odubu called on the party members to work hard to
achieve their set goal of winning more states in the region. He also
urged them to ensure that their followers do not disrupt the process.
Edo is the only state in the south-south that is being governed by the
Action Congress of Nigeria.

Group seeks international trial for promoters of Jos violence

Group seeks international trial for promoters of Jos violence

The Socio-Economic
Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President
Goodluck Jonathan to arrest and repatriate suspected perpetrators of
the violence in Jos, Plateau State to the International Criminal Court
(ICC) in The Hague for prosecution.

It, however,
attached the salvation of Jos to the government’s readiness to fight
against impunity in Jos by ensuring that no offender is shielded by
security agencies.

“President Jonathan
should meet this challenge head on and exercise the required political
will to make the arrest and transfer of perpetrators to the ICC
happen,” SERAP Executive Director,

Adetokunbo Mumuni
said. “It is now time for this government to show that it is truly
committed to putting an end to impunity for the crimes in Jos by
immediately arresting and surrendering suspected perpetrators to the
ICC.” The group called on Mr Jonathan to “show strong leadership in the
face of increasing violence in Jos, and the killings of innocent
citizens, by urgently arresting and surrendering suspected
perpetrators.” It stated that the court is already investigating the
international crimes being committed in Jos.

Doing little

No fewer than 80
persons have been confirmed killed and 109 wounded in the bombing and
reprisal attacks which took place in Jos from Christmas eve to date.

“It is on record that successive governments have failed to
implement the country’s international legal obligations to respect,
protect, and fulfil the human rights of the people of Jos by
persistently failing to deter and prevent recurring outbreaks of
violence, and by failing to effectively investigate and prosecute
suspected perpetrators,” SERAP says. “This in turn has fostered chronic
impunity for perpetrators, and total defenselessness of victims and
their relatives. The surest and most effective way to restore and
maintain peace and security in Jos is for this government to allow and
facilitate the investigation and analysis of Jos by the ICC by sharing
with the court important information that will lead to the transfer of
perpetrators to the court for trial.” The International Court had, in
November, promised to investigate and analyse the situation in Jos with
a view to prosecuting the relevant crimes. This followed a petition
sent by SERAP’s solicitor, Femi Falana to the ICC Chief Prosecutor,
Luis Moreno Ocampo.

Chelsea win, Arsenal draw as Liverpool lose

Chelsea win, Arsenal draw as Liverpool lose

Chelsea ended their dire run with a 1-0 home Premier League win over Bolton Wanderers but Arsenal, seeking to go joint-top with a win, conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at 10-man Wigan Athletic on Wednesday.

It was a miserable night for Liverpool as they were booed off after being outplayed and outfought by Wolverhampton Wanderers, who moved up from the bottom of the standings after securing their first away win of the season with a goal by Stephen Ward.

Arsenal’s draw took them to 36 points, two behind Manchester City and Manchester United, who lead on goal difference. Chelsea move back to fourth place on 34, one ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, with Bolton sixth on 29.

Having been beaten by Arsenal on Monday to make it just six points from 24, Chelsea were desperate to give their fans something to shout about.

However, there was little sign of last-season’s double-winning pedigree in the first hour as Bolton, who would have leapfrogged the Londoners with a win, worked tirelessly.

Neither side had managed a shot on target — though Didier Drogba did hit a post — until Chelsea finally found some energy after 61 minutes when Drogba charged down the right and crossed for Florent Malouda to sidefoot in.

Bolton had several decent chances to equalise but Chelsea nervously held on to record their first league victory since November 10.

“The first half was very difficult, we didn’t play so well and there was a lot of weight on our shoulders,” said Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti. “In the second half we were much better and played with more confidence, and after two games in two days we must say that the players did very well.”

The proverbial wet Wednesday in Wigan became harsh reality for Arsenal as, two days after outplaying the champions, they made eight changes and paid the price against a team who came back from 2-0 down to beat them 3-2 last season.

A Ben Watson penalty after 17 minutes had Wigan ahead but Andrei Arshavin equalised after 39 with an acrobatic volley and Nicklas Bendtner forced his way through to put them ahead just before halftime.

Wigan’s hopes seemed to have disappeared when Charles N’Zogbia was sent off for butting Jack Wilshere after 78 minutes but three minutes later they were level after Sebastien Squillaci headed into his own net.

Wolves belied their position at the bottom of the league by taking the game to Liverpool at Anfield where Steven Gerrard made his first appearance for six weeks after a hamstring injury.

Wolves had managed only one point on the road all season but fully deserved their win, earned by Ward’s neat finish after 56 minutes.

Worryingly for and increasingly frustrated Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, it was also their first clean sheet.

Sports

England retain Ashes against humbled Australia

England retain Ashes against humbled Australia

England stormed to
an imperious innings and 157-run victory in the fourth test to retain
the Ashes on Wednesday and plunge a declining Australia side into a
painful period of introspection.

The victory,
completed before lunch on the fourth day, gave holders England an
unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-test series and made Andrew Strauss’s
team the first to take the Ashes home since the Mike Gatting-led
triumph of 1986/87.

Then, as now, the
venue of the decisive victory was the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a
hulking coliseum where England had enjoyed precious few victories in
preceding years.

On Wednesday,
however, it resembled a Lord’s or a Headingley, with thousands of
English supporters clad in white and red chanting joyously in the
stands as the tourists completed a stunning rout of their former
tormentors.

The England players
embraced and pumped their fists in the air upon the dismissal of the
hapless Ben Hilfenhaus, caught behind for a duck off Tim Bresnan’s
bowling, as Australia were all out for 258.

“I think winning
the Ashes has always been a bit of a holy grail for English sides,”
said Strauss, whose ‘no complacency’ mantra has been taken fully to
heart by his business-like side.

“We haven’t won the Ashes yet but we’ve obviously retained the urn which has certainly been one of our primary goals.

“The guys deserve
everything they get, the players have stood up and performed when it
matters, the back-room staff have prepared us well and we sit here now
feeling like a lot of hard work has paid dividends for us.” Ricky
Ponting was gracious in defeat, but it was all pain and regret for the
Australian skipper, who also lost on tour in 2005 and last year, as his
woeful form at the crease mirrored the side’s greater batting struggles.

“Hopefully I’m not
just remembered as that guy, the guy who lost those three Ashes
series… I guess this result here is not one of my proudest.”

Quick finish

Speculation has
been rife that the 36-year-old might relinquish the captaincy in
disappointment, but Ponting said he would continue to fight for
Australia’s leadership, even as the side faces years of rebuilding to
regain their former standing.

“It’s out of my
control,” the under-fire skipper said of his tenure at the helm, as
selectors prepare to choose the side for the fifth test in Sydney.

Australia had
resumed on 169 for six, still facing a 246-run deficit to make England
bat again but lost their remaining wickets shortly before lunch with a
day and a half left to play.

Chris Tremlett
shattered Mitchell Johnson’s stumps for six, while Peter Siddle
defiantly slogged his way to 40 before belting a lofted drive off
Graeme Swann straight to Kevin Pietersen at long on.

The injured Ryan
Harris did not take his place in the side, while wicketkeeper Brad
Haddin, who had refused to gift his wickets cheaply like so many of his
playing partners at the top of the order, was left stranded on 55 not
out.

Bresnan, called
into the side for Steve Finn, was the pick of England’s bowlers in the
second innings, finishing with 4-50 after ripping through Australia’s
top order after tea on day three to quash the hosts’ slim hopes of
salvaging a draw.

He and Tremlett,
who replaced the injured Stuart Broad for the Perth test, made vital
contributions in an England side whose collective efforts trumped an
Australian team too often forced to rely on brilliant cameos.

The win was also a
stunning turnaround from the third test in Perth, where England slumped
to a 267-run defeat that levelled the series 1-1.

BRESNAN’S BURST
Australia’s resurgence on the fast WACA wicket proved little more than
a mirage when their batsmen, brittle throughout the series, were
skittled for a first innings total of 98, a record low against the
tourists at the MCG.

England pressed the
advantage by romping to 157-0 on the first day and anchored by a
sublime unbeaten 168 by Jonathan Trott, who was named man of the match,
posted a first innings total of 513 on day three.

Trott also scored a
century in the first Brisbane test in a record stand with Alastair
Cook. His performance in Melbourne echoed his brilliant 119 on debut at
the fifth test at the Oval that helped England seal the home series
last year.

Trott gave the
hosts a 415-run deficit at the MCG to make England bat again and any
hope of a fightback was quashed after tea on Tuesday when Australia’s
top order were blown away by Bresnan.

They limped to stumps still 246 runs in arrears and the victory early on day four for England was all but a formality.

While their side’s
misfiring top order remains their greatest concern, Australia’s
miseries were further compounded with the news that paceman Ryan Harris
would be sidelined for three-four months after scans revealed a stress
fracture in his left ankle.

“We owe it to
ourselves, we owe it to our fans around Australia to bounce back
quickly and show a bit of pride in what we do for our country,” Ponting
said of the final test in Sydney next week.

“Although we can’t
win the Ashes, there’s a good chance for us to level the series.”
Strauss said his players would enjoy the evening but the Ashes were
only one step on a long journey to their goal of topping the world
rankings.

“English cricket is
not just about winning the Ashes,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of small
steps on the way for us, including India next summer.

“I get the feeling we can still improve a lot as a side and that’s quite motivating.”

Sports

‘It starts from the grassroots’

‘It starts from the grassroots’

For sustainable
development in sports, there is the need to advance the course of the
athlete at the grassroots citing that the grassroots serves as the
foundation for development.

This was the view
of Babatunde Fashola, the Lagos State Governor while addressing
spectators and athletes at the 16th edition of the monthly boxing show
organised by the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame.

Fashola said the
reason he supports grassroots sports is because it was the place where
athletes could learn the discipline to prepare themselves for
competitions, noting that only through adequate preparation could
success be achieved.

“This is the only
way I know by which we can achieve success, when athletes are prepared.
The way of preparation, the way of planning, and the way of hard work
is the way to go,” he said.

“I assure you that
the victory will be shallow if we do not make any effort at what we do.
When we prepare and plan, we will be proud of our victories when they
come”.

The governor also urged athletes not to be in too much of a hurry to succeed.

“I tell you, when
you begin to make some impact in chosen field of endeavour, it will be
the national coaches that will come looking for you”.

Athletes’ welfare paramount

The Lagos State Governor has revealed that efforts are presently underway to see to the welfare of the Lagos state athletes.

“I want our teams
to stand out as the best any time they go out and we are doing very
thing within our capacity to see that it happens. We want some of the
best athletes in Nigeria to be from Lagos state.

To make that a
reality the governor said he has personally begun to work closely with
those involved in sports development in Lagos.

“Let me say that I am personally involved in the preparation of our
athletes to the next Sports Festival. My office is in direct
communication & liaison with the Ministry of sport. Just last week,
I had a meeting with the commissioner for sports; chairman, State Sport
Commission and Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports about the
welfare, equipment, camping and allowances of the athletes to the next
Festival. As soon I get their reports we will be able to improve on our
strategies, so as to consolidate our gains in sports,” he said.

Sports

Shorunmu, Salisu named Siasia’s assistants

Shorunmu, Salisu named Siasia’s assistants

Former Super Eagles
goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu and Kano Pillars Coach, Salisu Yusuf, have
been appointed as assistants to Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia.

While Shorunmu will
be a goalkeepers’ trainer with the team, Yusuf will be the second
assistant to Siasia who already has Dutchman, Simon Kalika, on his crew.

The appointment of
the duo was ratified at the annual general meeting of the NFF in Uyo
yesterday and thus put paid to speculations about those who were likely
to get the job.

While Shorunmu has
already had spells with the Eagles, working with former coaches Berti
Vogts, and Austin Eguavoen this will be Yusuf’s first experience at the
senior national team level.

Both men are however nostrangers to Siasia having worked with him in the past.

Yusuf was part of
Siasia’s technical crew at the 2009 FIFA World Youth Championship, in
Egypt, while Shorunmu worked briefly with his new boss while he was
head coach of Nigeria Premier League side, Heartland.

Both men are
expected to resume with Siasia whose is currently on holiday with his
family in the United States on January 3 to start preparations for a
busy 2011.

First test

The first
assignment for the new Eagles technical crew is the United States
President’s Day Celebration Soccer Invitational Tournament, the Green
Soccer Bowl. The tournament takes place between February 12-20, 2011
and will feature eight teams.

Already, players
from the local league who have been clamouring for a chance to exhibit
their skills in the senior national team have been handed an
opportunity by Siasia who has called 30 of them in preparation for
tournament.

The competition, in
honour of United States President Barack Obama, will take place at the
Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, venue of Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World
Cup finals match, which ended in a 3-0 defeat of Bulgaria in June 1994.

Already, the draw for the tournament has been made with the Super Eagles having to contend with Iraq,

Poland and Malaysia in Group A, while Egypt, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kenya and Bahrain will play in Group B.

Other decisions

The NFF also
approved through its General Assembly the sum of N6.8 billion as budget
for the activities and programmes of the for the Year 2011.

In addition, the Assembly approved the audited account of the Federation for the Year 2009.

The Congress resolved that elections into the State FAs be conducted
on or before 10th January, 2011 and that the NFF will send officials to
monitor and supervise the polls.

Sports

>Romantic Leonardo says Inter job is “biggest challenge”

>Romantic Leonardo says Inter job is “biggest challenge”

New Inter Milan
coach Leonardo, the former AC Milan boss who joined the European
champions last week after Rafael Benitez’s dismissal, said the job was
“a dream” after being welcomed like a rock star yesterday.

“I’m a romantic,” Leonardo told his first news conference at Inter’s training ground having arrived to wild applause.

“I wasn’t looking for work, I was looking for a dream and this is the biggest challenge there is.”

The Brazilian left
Milan in May after his only season in management following a series of
disagreements with owner Silvio Berlusconi.

He has returned to
Serie A with Milan’s biggest rivals having replaced Benitez but said
his acceptance of the role was not the start of a vendetta against the
Rossoneri.

“I thank Milan for 13 years together and I will never forget them but now I start a new adventure. I am a free man.”

Surprise switch

The 41-year-old
World Cup winner was a player for Milan before becoming a scout,
technical director and coach, making his switch to their bitter rivals
all the more surprising.

However, the clubs
have often swapped personnel over the years and league leaders Milan
have stayed largely quiet on the issue given their hopes of silverware
this term rely on former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Inter are bidding
for a sixth straight Serie A title but lie seventh at the mid-season
break following an injury crisis and loss of confidence under Benitez.

“I still believe in
the scudetto. I know 13 points is a lot but the championship still has
a long way to run,” added Leonardo, whose first game in charge is the
January 6 clash with Napoli at the familiar San Siro.

Inter president
Massimo Moratti is prepared for flak from Inter fans if his appointment
of a former Milan coach, who only guided the Rossoneri to third last
term, backfires.

“I am very happy about this appointment, I have always rated him,” Moratti said of a man who speaks five languages.

“Now let him work
without pressure but with all the ambition that we must have as
champions of the world. He bears a heavy weight on his shoulders, as I
do, for the decision the club have taken.”

Sports

The juniors start all over again

The juniors start all over again

Nigeria’s junior
tennis team – the 14 and under and the 16 and under – will be leaving
for Ghana in the second week of the new year to begin another quest to
try and wrest the West and Central African Championship title from
Ghana, who claimed the team trophy last time out in Accra.

Coach of the team, Mohammed Ubale, said 12 players for all the categories have been invited to camp for the event.

“The camping of the
players will start next week and Kaduna has been chosen as camp site
because we will be competing on clay courts in Ghana and in Egypt,
where the African championship will take place.

Ghana won the team
trophy at the 2010 ITF/CAT West and Central African Junior
Championships, courtesy of victories by Elisabeth Kapari and Francis
Akpese over Nigerians in the girls’ and boys’ 14 categories. Kapari
beat Sarah Adegoke 6-3, 6-0 while Akpese defeated Emmanuel Idoko 6-0,
6-0.

Nigeria thus came
second with Umoru Balami, winning silver in the boys’ 16 and under
category. Balami had been defeated by Tunde Segodo of Benin in the
final.

Better prepared

For the 2011 edition, Ubale believes Balami is better prepared and equipped.

“He has been at the
ITF Tennis Academy in Pretoria for the past seven months and because of
his excellent performances during that period, he has been granted a
full one-year scholarship. His game has improved so much that I believe
he will win the event in Ghana.”

Emmanuel Idoko also
performed creditably in last year’s boys’ 14 and under category and
Ubale is also hopeful for a better outing for the youngster.

“We will be better
prepared for this one and the issue of first time travellers which was
the case for our team last year is no more the case. The players are
now better equipped to deal with the pressure of playing away from
home.” He also added that only eight players will make the trip to
Ghana.

“We will trim the team as we get over our one-week camping. There will be two representatives per category for the tournament.”

Nine countries are
expected to participate in the week-long competition, scheduled to take
place at the Winneba Sports College, Ghana.

Players called to camp

Boys 14 and under Girls 14 and under: Sylvester Emmanuel, Sarah Adegoke, Joseph Imeh, and Zainab Oladimeji.

Boys 16 and under Girls 16 and under: Umoru Balami, Ann Okoro,
Emmanuel Idoko, Miracle Sunday, Mohammed Mohammed, and Ramota Adeyemi.