Archive for nigeriang

D-day for Siasia, Keshi

04/11/2010 No comments

D-day for Siasia, Keshi

Former
Super Eagles teammates Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi will be out to
outwit each other today when they face the technical committee of the
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The committee will be interviewing
them for the Super Eagles coaching job.

While Siasia had
been deep in negotiations with the former – interim – board, with
remuneration the only grey area, Keshi only joined the race when the
present board decided to advertise the position for interested
applicants.

Chris Green,
Chairman of the technical committee, has assured football fans that the
process for selecting the new manager will be very transparent.

“Of course there
are no sentiments; the committee is made up of people that have
integrity and would want to protect their names. We are going to be as
transparent as possible in our selection,” he said.

Apart from Green,
who is head of the technical committee, others that will decide who
becomes the next Eagles coach includes Enyimba boss, Felix
Anyansi-Agwu; former national team coach, Christian Chukwu; Paul
Bassey; Garba Ibrahim; Deji Tinubu; and Austell Elumelu.

Other members of
the committee include ex-internationals Austin Okocha, Garba Lawal, and
Victor Ikpeba with Emmanuel Ikpeme as secretary.

The NFF will unveil the new coach on Monday, November 8.

Meanwhile, there have been diverse opinions on who the cap fits between the two men.

For many, both contemporaries have impressive resumes having played together in the most successful Super Eagles team ever.

While Stephen Keshi
was captain of that highly talented side that won the African Cup of
Nations in 1994 and then played in the country’s first World Cup in the
United States, Samson Siasia played an important role up front and he
scored a famous goal against Argentina in the World Cup.

Keshi, 48, help
Togo qualify the World Cup in 2006. He was later to relinquish the
position after the dismal performance of the Hawks at the African Cup
of Nations in Egypt. He has also coached the Malian national team which
he led to the Cup of Nations in Angola this year.

The Malians were knocked out of the competition in the first round without a win and Keshi left the job.

Siasia, 43, has
seen a bit more success. He was the coach of Nigeria’s U20 side that
won the silver medal at the World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005
as well as the U23 side that won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics
in 2008.

However, as coach of Nigeria Premier League side, Heartland FC,
Siasia failed to match his predecessor feat; he failed to make it
beyond the group stage of the African Champions League whereas his
predecessor, Kelechi Emetiole, made it to the final last season.

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Sports

Jimmy Dludlu signs up for Jazz Series

04/11/2010 No comments

Jimmy Dludlu signs up for Jazz Series

Organisers of the
Lagos Jazz Series have announced the inclusion of South African
musician Jimmy Dludlu on the bill for the event, which kicks off in
Lagos on Friday. A multiple award winning jazz guitarist who has
performed on many continents, Dludlu joins a host of musicians already
lined up for the festival, including: Mike Aremu, Simone, Morrie
Louden, Ben and Aiyetoro.

With sponsorship
and suport from MTN, Lufthansa, Sofitel Morehouse, Bang and Olufsen,
Mercedes Benz, Petrolex and others, the organisers have promised that
this first Lagos Jazz Series,“will give Nigerians a musical experience
they will not forget in a hurry.”

With the recent announcement of Jimmy Dludlu signing up to perform at the event, they might just achieve this feat.

Dludlu an award
winning jazz performer and guitarist is celebrated both in his home
country South Africa and internationally. His style reflects a fusion
of both traditional and modern elements of jazz which have been
influenced by the likes of George Benson, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela,
Pat Metheny and Allen Kwela amongst others. He has toured and
collaborated with the late south african musician Brenda Fassie,
Chicco, Sipho Mabuse, Zairean Music star Papa Wemba and the late Miriam
Makeba.

Dludlu, saxophonist
Mike Aremu, Jazz band Ayetoro, Rwandan-Ugandan singer Somi, Soul-singer
Bez and all the others will star in what the organisers say ‘is not a
clash of talent but a symphony of voices and instruments for the
benefit of jazz enthusiasts in this part of the world‘

The Lagos Jazz Series beginning on November 5 will hold at the
following choice venues: Sofitel Morehouse Hotel Ikoyi, The Federal
Palace Hotel waterfront and Muri Okunola Park.

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entertainment

Lekan Babalola arrives for Muson Jazz Festival

04/11/2010 No comments

Lekan Babalola arrives for Muson Jazz Festival

UK-based Nigerian
musician, Lekan Babalola, will headline the Muson Jazz Festival, which
holds at the Onikan, Lagos arts venue on November 6.
Touted as “one of
the most extraordinary percussionists in world music and jazz,”
Babalola was met by festival director Ayoola Sadare at Murtala Muhammed
Airport earlier this week as he arrived the country for the concert.
The Jazz component
is one of the major highlights as the festival, which began on October
25, draws to a close. Intended to celebrate Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee,
this year’s programme has so far paraded various events like; a youth
concert, classical concert, a play and ‘My Kind of Music’ – in which
society figures share their favourite musical compositions and
playlists.
Joining Babalola on
the Jazz night’s playbill are the likes of Ayinke Martins (also based
in the UK), Herbert Kunle Ajayi, Biodun and Batik, Imole Africa, Mike
Osadolo, Pure and Simple and Olujazz.
As for Lekan
Babalola, he is an international musician who regularly forms part of
Jazz star Cassandra Wilson’s band when she tours. He also played on her
Grammy Award winning CD, ‘Loverly’, just as he appeared on the late Ali
Farka Toure’s ‘In the Heart of the Moon’ – also a Grammy winning album.
Babalola has collaborated with many international players like Branford
Marsalis, Tony Allen, Roy Ayers, and the late Fela Kuti; he has also
appeared as one of the African Jazz Allstars. Babalola’s music is
heavily influenced by his rich Yoruba cultural background, having been
born into a family who are custodians of tradition.
Jazz fans can
expect superlative performances of the Sax from Herbert Kunle Ajayi,
traditional talking drums from Imole, Rhythm and Blues and African
groove mixture from Mike Osadolo and others from the star parade.
Ayinke Martins is
an eclectic jazz performer. A protégée of Frances and Tunde Kuboye,
Martins is known for blending the Yoruba and English vocal medium with
Soul and African Jazz styles to produce a style that is solely unique
to her.
The Muson Jazz Night will kick off at the Shell Nigeria Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos by 7pm on Saturday, November 6.

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entertainment

Abia foils plan to smuggle kidnappers abroad

03/11/2010 No comments

Abia foils plan to smuggle kidnappers abroad

The Abia State
Government, yesterday, said it has uncovered a plot by some people to
smuggle 50 suspected kidnappers out of the country.

Kingsley Emeruwa,
the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, who disclosed this while
briefing journalists at the government house, said the state government
has reported the case to the inspector general of police. According to
him, a member of the group, who he said is a relative of the former
personal assistant to the impeached Deputy Governor, Chris Akomas,
impersonated the substantive Deputy Governor, Eric Nwakanma, to ask for
a waiver from the South African Embassy for entry visas for 50 persons
who they claimed were to undergo training on project management and
window server. The state government’s spokesperson said a letter from
the South African embassy to the government asking for confirmation
drew attention to the scam.

Reduced crime rate

Mr Emerua, who also
said kidnapping in the state has reduced following the invitation of
soldiers to the state, said the state Governor, Theodore Orji, has
banned any form of reception party by any group for the soldiers. He
also said the governor has requested that nobody should place any
advertorial for him on his birthday, but instead donate the money that
would have been used for such venture to charity.

The Special Adviser to the governor on security matters, Awa Agwu,
denied media reports that between 12 and 15 persons were kidnapped in
Aba last week. According to him, kidnapping in the state has dropped to
the barest minimum. Mr Agwu said political opponents of the government
are using the press to write things that are not factual, and urged
journalists to crosscheck their facts before publication. “The
prevalence of crime in Abia is below 15% and we commend the Army for a
job well done in the fight against kidnapping,” he said.

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newstoday

Committee submits framework for 15 million jobs by 2015

03/11/2010 No comments

Committee submits framework for 15 million jobs by 2015

The job creation
committee of the National Economic Management Team (NEMT) yesterday
submitted a framework to facilitate the realisation of an ambitious
target of creating 15 million new jobs in the country in the next five
years.

Chairman of the
Committee, Aliko Dangote, said in line with its specific mandate of
developing an action plan for interventions towards increased job
creation, the committee recommended priority areas in three core
sectors with strong and natural comparative advantage.

But the exercise is
already generating a conflict in responsibility among agencies of
government, as the representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour gave
indication during the ceremony that the ministry would, at the
appropriate time, express its concern over the ‘creation of another
office to do a job already assigned to the Federal Ministry of Labour –
making sure that unemployment is removed in the country.’ The official,
who represented the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chukwuemeka
Wogu, said: ‘I think Labour is well positioned today to drive and
coordinate the activities that would generate employment, whether from
the private or private sector.’ But Mr. Dangote identified the areas the
committee intends to focus its attention on to include agriculture and
agro-allied industries, manufacturing as well as building and
construction, though he also acknowledged the strategic importance of
the micro, small and medium-scale industries.

The framework
submitted yesterday focused on creating the environment that would
support entrepreneurs effort to set up new businesses; provide
opportunities for existing businesses to grow, as well as help mobilize
the informal sectors into the mainstream of the economy to enable them
benefit from government and private sector supports.

The committee
identified the entertainment and sports industries as emerging sectors
where the country has strong and natural advantages, where opportunities
to create jobs are immense, pointing out that as an extremely creative
and competitive nation with abundance of young people, these would be
natural areas of growth and focus.

At the core of the
overhaul, the committee explained, is the need to resuscitate
structured, credible and respected vocational programmes to provide the
skills that would fuel the growth of local industries and improve the
attractiveness of vocational careers.

Wait and see The
committee therefore asked government to appoint a Special Adviser to the
president on Job Creation, who would also be a member of the NEMT as
well as establishment of an Agency for Job creation responsible for
gathering, analyzing and disseminating information on job creation.

“The agency will be a
public-private partnership, but with independent leadership and
thinking to ensure that performance on job creation takes centre stage
in the assessment of the tenures of successive governments,” the
committee said.

Minister of Finance,
Segun Aganga, emphasized the importance of creating jobs for the
people, particularly for the youths who have the highest rate of
unemployment among the age bracket of 15 to 24 years, at 41.6 percent.
He said despite the growth of the economy, projected at 7.7percent this
year, unemployment has continued to outstrip the economic growth.

Though the Minister
was unable to explain how the committee would achieve its mandate
differently than the existing job creation agencies like the National
Directorate for Employment (NDE) and Ministry of Employment of
Productivity, he urged Nigerians to “wait and see” as said government is
determined to ensure its impact is felt as felt as possible.

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newstoday

DPP says Bafarawa’s exit will not shake the party

03/11/2010 No comments

DPP says Bafarawa’s exit will not shake the party

The Democratic People’s Party (DPP) said
on Monday that the defection of former governor of Sokoto State,
Attahiru Bafarawa, to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), has not
shaken the party.

Mr. Bafarawa, the chairman, Board of
Trustee (BOT) of DPP, has since forwarded his letter of withdrawal to
the party’s national chairman, Jeremiah Useni, the national secretary of
the party, Mohammed DanAzumi, said in Abuja yesterday.

Mr. DanAzumi claimed that Mr. Bafarawa
had the constitutional right to move to any party of his choice, so long
as the constitution had given him the freedom of association.

“It’s worthy to note that a wrong defection can ruin a politician and it is better to look well before leaping,” he cautioned.

The DPP scribe said it was natural that
Mr. Bafarawa’s supporters would join him, adding that the chunk of DPP
faithful would remain.

He, however, described the defection as
expected, claiming that Mr. Bafarawa move to ACN was not a surprise to
the party, adding that discussions had been on for quite a long time.

Click to Read More Latest News from Nigeria

newstoday

Jimmy Dludlu signs up for Jazz Series

03/11/2010 No comments

Jimmy Dludlu signs up for Jazz Series

Organisers of the
Lagos Jazz Series have announced the inclusion of South African
musician Jimmy Dludlu on the bill for the event, which kicks off in
Lagos on Friday. A multiple award winning jazz guitarist who has
performed on many continents, Dludlu joins a host of musicians already
lined up for the festival, including: Mike Aremu, Simone, Morrie
Louden, Ben and Aiyetoro.

With sponsorship
and suport from MTN, Lufthansa, Sofitel Morehouse, Bang and Olufsen,
Mercedes Benz, Petrolex and others, the organisers have promised that
this first Lagos Jazz Series,“will give Nigerians a musical experience
they will not forget in a hurry.”

With the recent announcement of Jimmy Dludlu signing up to perform at the event, they might just achieve this feat.

Dludlu an award
winning jazz performer and guitarist is celebrated both in his home
country South Africa and internationally. His style reflects a fusion
of both traditional and modern elements of jazz which have been
influenced by the likes of George Benson, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela,
Pat Metheny and Allen Kwela amongst others. He has toured and
collaborated with the late south african musician Brenda Fassie,
Chicco, Sipho Mabuse, Zairean Music star Papa Wemba and the late Miriam
Makeba.

Dludlu, saxophonist
Mike Aremu, Jazz band Ayetoro, Rwandan-Ugandan singer Somi, Soul-singer
Bez and all the others will star in what the organisers say ‘is not a
clash of talent but a symphony of voices and instruments for the
benefit of jazz enthusiasts in this part of the world‘

The Lagos Jazz Series beginning on November 5 will hold at the
following choice venues: Sofitel Morehouse Hotel Ikoyi, The Federal
Palace Hotel waterfront and Muri Okunola Park.

Click to read more Entertainment news

entertainment

Lekan Babalola arrives for Muson Jazz Festival

03/11/2010 No comments

Lekan Babalola arrives for Muson Jazz Festival

UK-based Nigerian
musician, Lekan Babalola, will headline the Muson Jazz Festival, which
holds at the Onikan, Lagos arts venue on November 6.
Touted as “one of
the most extraordinary percussionists in world music and jazz,”
Babalola was met by festival director Ayoola Sadare at Murtala Muhammed
Airport earlier this week as he arrived the country for the concert.
The Jazz component
is one of the major highlights as the festival, which began on October
25, draws to a close. Intended to celebrate Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee,
this year’s programme has so far paraded various events like; a youth
concert, classical concert, a play and ‘My Kind of Music’ – in which
society figures share their favourite musical compositions and
playlists.
Joining Babalola on
the Jazz night’s playbill are the likes of Ayinke Martins (also based
in the UK), Herbert Kunle Ajayi, Biodun and Batik, Imole Africa, Mike
Osadolo, Pure and Simple and Olujazz.
As for Lekan
Babalola, he is an international musician who regularly forms part of
Jazz star Cassandra Wilson’s band when she tours. He also played on her
Grammy Award winning CD, ‘Loverly’, just as he appeared on the late Ali
Farka Toure’s ‘In the Heart of the Moon’ – also a Grammy winning album.
Babalola has collaborated with many international players like Branford
Marsalis, Tony Allen, Roy Ayers, and the late Fela Kuti; he has also
appeared as one of the African Jazz Allstars. Babalola’s music is
heavily influenced by his rich Yoruba cultural background, having been
born into a family who are custodians of tradition.
Jazz fans can
expect superlative performances of the Sax from Herbert Kunle Ajayi,
traditional talking drums from Imole, Rhythm and Blues and African
groove mixture from Mike Osadolo and others from the star parade.
Ayinke Martins is
an eclectic jazz performer. A protégée of Frances and Tunde Kuboye,
Martins is known for blending the Yoruba and English vocal medium with
Soul and African Jazz styles to produce a style that is solely unique
to her.
The Muson Jazz Night will kick off at the Shell Nigeria Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos by 7pm on Saturday, November 6.

Click to read more Entertainment news

entertainment

TECH KNOW: Miro Player

03/11/2010 No comments

TECH KNOW: Miro Player

In today’s world
news moves faster than it ever has at any point in history, and the
demand for 24 hour news has fuelled a lot of competition between
traditional journalists and bloggers who generally take sides in a
story. The question is how can people keep up in this ‘world gone mad’?

A news aggregator
is a programme that takes a list of websites that you want to monitor,
and collects news from them on your behalf, constantly alerting you
when something new happens. Aggregators do this by subscribing to RSS
feeds. RSS (meaning Really Simple Syndication), is an XML based feed
language.

There are many RSS
programmes out in the wild, but my personal favourite is the Firefox
extension, Newsfox. If you are a KDE 4.x user, there is a programme
that I’m currently playing with called RSSNow, a nice little plasmoid
that displays your feeds in a ticker format scrolling across your
desktop. Pretty cool.

However, the RSS
programme we are interested in today is called Miro. Miro is an open
source Internet television programme that can deliver HD video and
audio. Its killer feature is that as an aggregator, it can keep track
of the latest episodes of your favourite TV programmes and work as a
digital video recorder. It can download that recent episode of Tinsel
if it is available online. This means that you can watch your programme
later on, if as is the case with most Internet connections around these
parts your live stream keeps lagging or breaking up.

The default setting
is to save the videos for up to six days, but you have the option of
saving permanently. Miro can also play videos in full-screen so that
boys can gather around to watch Stoke beat Manchester United. It also
has a built-in TV guide and a community (open source is heavy on
communities) rating system.

Positive attributes

Asides its RSS
programme, Miro incorporates a bit-torrent client, and depending on
your platform, a media player (Xine for Linux, VLC for Windows or
QuickTime for Mac). Another nice attribute of Miro is that it supports
the most popular video formats in use. This means that it can also
function as a great video/audio player when you are offline, no need to
start exploring the backwaters of the Internet for the right codecs to
play that matroska file. As a bonus, Participatory Culture Foundation,
the makers of Miro also offer another free programme, Miro Video
Converter. No prizes for guessing what that one does…

So why not fire up that browser and give it a try?

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Money

Calypso celebrates NYSC members

03/11/2010 No comments

Calypso celebrates NYSC members

Grand Oak Limited,
the manufacturers of Calypso coconut drink, has intensified the
company’s Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) initiatives through
reaching out to their core target, the youth.

This formed the
basis of the Calypso welcome party, which was aimed at meeting the
desired needs of the target consumers for entertainment, fun, and
pleasure.

The CSR initiative
is a veritable platform to create the sense of oneness in National
Youth Service Corp members who have different socio-cultural
backgrounds. The programme, which is an annual event, provides an
avenue for the youth corp members to showcase their talents and innate
potentials, with reward of home appliances by the company.

The event, which
was tagged ‘Calypso fun night’ is to ensure the youth corp members
enjoy a wonderful and interesting period while in their orientation
camp. The company sponsors the event on a yearly basis.

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Money
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