Archive for nigeriang

Towards the Nigerian-Ghana Music Festival

19/09/2010 No comments

Towards the Nigerian-Ghana Music Festival

According to
Musiliu Peregrino Brimah, Majek Fashek’s first outing was in Ghana
where he performed a series of concerts. While there, he won the
Nigerian Music Award. On his return he played concerts around Nigeria
and eventually left for the United States of America, where he signed
up with the InterScope Record label that also had Snoop Dog in its
stable.

Brimah picks up the
story. “Majek played at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York
and, in the appreciative audience were Carlos Santana and other top
musicians. He was a big hit because they had never heard a band play
reggae with talking drums; his diminutive dancer, Pogo, who also played
shekere, thrilled the audience. The Jamaicans in particular, inventors
of reggae music, were shocked. Generally, Majek was well accepted on
the American music scene and he appeared on the famous David Letterman
Talk Show. He made a record in America which was favourably reviewed in
music journals as well as the upscale Esquire magazine. He was
described as the new voice of international reggae! When Fajek came
back to Nigeria, the first thing he did was to kiss the ground.

“I again advised
Majek to be closer to God. We went to a party in Ikeja where Sunny Ade
was playing and when Sunny saw Majek he started praising him in song.
Later, I told Majek I did not like the way he was behaving as he was
always restless and, that, if he had lost the key he should look for
that key that controls the mind. I asked him if he was taking drugs and
he said: no. Rather, he told me, he had read the spiritual book, ‘Seven
Books of Moses’ on the way to America. I have not seen Majek since
then. All I hear now are stories.”

The first Oxygen

Musiliu Peregrino
Brimah himself had to move on with his art. He designed the label for
the new Punch newspapers’ record company, Skylight Records. He designed
album covers for Ebenezer Obey, Orlando Owoh, Christie Essien-Igbokwe,
I.K.Dairo, Oriental Brothers, Kabaka, BLO, Manu Dibango, Tee Mac, Dele
Abiodun and Jonny Haastrup, amongst many others.

He delved further
into his passion for identifying and producing young talents. He worked
with a young group, Special Branch from Festac and, one of the members,
Tony, brought Paul Play Dairo. “I interviewed Paul Dairo,” Brimah
recalls, “and gave him an assignment to do the Johnny Cash song ‘I can
see clearly/now the rain is gone’; and sing it in the style of Seal. He
did the song and I was overwhelmed by [his] talent. So, I formed a
group which I called Oxygen, with Paul and Tony in 2002. Paul brought
in Slam and Bayo and, they all had talent. We were doing Hip Hop and
Hiplife; a mixture of highlife and hip-hop. We were doing fantastic
sounds and we were about to release our sound when Paul did ‘Mosorire’
for his father. I had already gotten Oxygen a record deal in America;
but Paul went to Kenny’s Music who released Moserire and it became a
big hit. That was the end of the first Oxygen.”

The second Oxygen

Brimah did not give
up! “I formed another Oxygen group,” he reminisces, “with Modog, Cool
Irie and, then a fellow producer told me he wanted me to meet a girl
called Asa who had talent. When I auditioned Asa and heard her voice I
was fascinated. With her in this new group called Oxygen Track 2, we
did a recording at Ayo Bankole’s Mainstream studio in Surulere. After
we shot the video, Asa told me she wasn’t too happy with the behaviour
of some of the other musicians so she decided to go solo. I continued
working with young musicians and, I worked with OJB who later produced
the hit ‘African Queen’ for Tuface Idibia.”

Brimah’s Peregrino
Music has continued to produce cutting-edge innovative popular music in
Nigeria and Ghana. Two of such products currently in the market and
making waves are ‘Ekute Oyingbo’ by Kaduna-based King Suleiman and
‘Ikebe’ by Katsina Rankies, based in Nima, Accra, Ghana. The lyrics in
both recordings are in Hausa and English.

When will he
release his earlier musical experiments with Oxygen and other groups?
“I think the time is right now,” he responds. “They were unknown
musicians then and the music industry then had not become what we made
it to be.” What are the special factors that now drive the Nigerian
Music industry? “These young musicians are money-spinning machines
today, not like before. The publicity, their involvement with
telecommunication companies and the fact that their music now has
international appeal has made all the difference!”

Celebrating Nigeria and Ghana

Musiliu Peregrino
Brimah’s pet project now is the Nigeria-Ghana Music Festival scheduled
for November 2010. It is a project that has gestated for some time. “I
first conceived the idea back in 2004/5. Then in 2007 I went to Ghana
to see the then President of the Ghana Musicians Association, Sidiku
Buhari, and told him that the purpose was to develop our culture
through music. He liked the idea. I then talked to Tee Mac who was then
President of PMAN and he too liked the idea. Then in 2008 I went to the
then Minister of Culture and Tourism, Adetokunbo Kayode, and the
Ministry gave me approval for supporting African Music and Culture.

“I then went into
collaboration with CBAAC and we did a promotional mini-documentary for
the Nigeria-Ghana Music Festival with the theme, ‘A Bit of Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow’ and aired it on the Music Africa programme on
Silverbird Television for nearly two years. In the promotional film, we
talked about the Beats of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow including
Highlife, Juju, Afrobeat, Fuji, Kpalogo, Adowa (both from Ghana) and
others. We have done enough publicity and we believe this is the right
time to do the Nigeria-Ghana Music Festival because of Nigeria’s 50th
Anniversary and Kwame Nkrumah’s centenary. The theme of the Festival is
Integration and Development because Nigeria and Ghana are like
twin-sister countries!

“We are looking at 10 musicians, four from Ghana and six from
Nigeria. We are definitely planning on having great musicians from
Nigeria and Ghana. Already, some state governors are part of the
sponsorship we have received. We plan on using the Lagos City Hall and
more details will be available as we embark on the final advertising
and awareness push very soon,” Brimah concludes.

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entertainment

PERSONAL FINANCE: Financial aid and the adult child

19/09/2010 No comments

PERSONAL FINANCE: Financial aid and the adult child

It is the desire of every parent, to educate their children and to see them move on to become self-sufficient. With today’s challenging global economy, however, there is a huge increase in the number of grown ups having to depend on parents when the real world becomes too tough to cope with. Described as ‘the worst job market in a generation’, huge numbers of graduates face more economic uncertainty than their parents who were born at a time of relatively greater opportunity and promise.

A challenge of 21st century parenting is the sheer number of dependent adult graduates. The question is, have today’s parents raised a generation of spoiled young people who are unable to cope with the real world? Are we perpetuating the ‘Boomerang Generation’ phenomenon, which has seen parents welcoming adult children back home after university, paying off their debts, keeping their mobile phones funded, and paying all their bills? Or, is today’s world just so difficult that they are unable to make their way without our assistance?

What stage are your children at? Have they completed their education? Are they looking for jobs? Have they started work? How much do you continue to support them? Do you give all that they ask for or just a part. Will the money help them to become more self-sufficient or will it just lead to more and more requests for help? The answers will vary from family to family. Consider these scenarios and see where you fit:

• You feel that your financial obligations end when your children graduate

• You support your children financially, and expect to do so for the rest of your life

• You will give your child the first few month’s rent and a security deposit for a new apartment and then they are on their own

• Your child can continue to live at home rent-free and doesn’t need to contribute to any of the household expenses.

• You will set them up in an apartment which you will fund until they are on their feet

• You have educated your child and will not give any further financial support, either because you cannot afford to, or you choose not to.

When should you step in and when should you hold back?

Take the time to analyse the request carefully, particularly if a significant sum is required. Is there a genuine need? If they desperately need the money for an important, legitimate need and you can afford it, then there is no harm in giving or lending as the case may be. Most parents would not mind stepping in during a true emergency, such as if a child or grandchild needs medical care, or school fees must be paid to keep children in school.

The implications for your retirement

It is wonderful to be able to support your children but, at what cost to yourself? For many parents, continuing to financially support adult kids who return to the empty nest could have serious consequences for your financial future, particularly your retirement. If you sit down to actually assess the numbers in terms of how much longer you must continue to earn, it puts it into perspective. Remember you need to look after yourself so that you do not become dependent on them in later years.

Family dynamics

Every child is different. Take a good look at each of your children’s money personalities. In the same family, you will discover that various children deal with money matters differently. You find one child has been frugal from their earliest years, whilst another who is a spendthrift and extravagant, feels that you owe them a living. Some children are simply unwilling to accept that they may need to take a step down on the economic ladder when they leave home. Indeed, many young adults seek to imitate their parent’s lifestyle that has taken nearly a half-century to build.

Emotional and psychological aspects of financial aid

Be aware of the emotional repercussions for the whole family, of financial aid. If the handouts are jeopardising family relationships and family finances, then things need to change. When adult children constantly demand and receive money, there may be feelings of dependency that this creates, which can lead to resentment. Parents too may feel resentful, about being constantly pressured to provide.

The psychological dynamics get even more complicated if some adult children are getting help while others aren’t. You find families where for example two self-sufficient sons deeply resent the hundreds of thousands of naira being given to their spoilt sister; the brothers may have concerns that they are being penalised for being financially responsible.

Does helping do more harm than good?

There is a fine line between helping and spoiling your children. How much are you really helping by keeping them dependent on you? If your children know that they can always come back to you for a bail out, they may never learn how to deal with financial setbacks or how to manage their own money. Studies show that the more dependent children are on their parents, the less able they are to be economically self-sufficient.

Of course it makes smart economic sense for a child to move back home where life is comfortable and rent is usually nonexistent. But by allowing adult children to live at home free of charge so they can spend more money on travelling and eating out is not teaching them financial responsibility. At a minimum they should be encouraged to cover some basic expenses whilst putting away some savings to prepare them for the realities of starting out on their own.

Help your child to be self-sufficient

Even if money is no object for you, make an effort to wean your child off you financially, and consider ways to help them become more self-sufficient. If you are going to help a child pay off mobile phone or other debt, put something in writing clearly stating the terms including interest and repayment schedule. Clear expectations and definite limits are always better for all parties involved. Adult children also need to know in advance when financial aid will begin to be withdrawn and may eventually stop.

Saying no is one of the most difficult things for a parent to do, but sometimes you have to step back, take a deep breath, and let whatever happens, happen. Even if some pain results, your child may just learn some valuable life lessons before its too late. They might not appreciate it now, but remember that your efforts to make them financially self-sufficient will ultimately result in more balanced, more purposeful and more empowered adults; the alternative can be grim.

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Money

Financial markets dim on AMCON pace

19/09/2010 No comments

Financial markets dim on AMCON pace

It has been three weeks since the board of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) was inaugurated. Since then, much of its activities have been shrouded in confidentiality. Apart from ongoing covert plans to recruit management staff which was not publicly advertised, the financial district for which the corporation is expected to provide succour, is in the dark as to the strategy for roll out. Since the inauguration, investors in the Nigerian capital market have lost a whopping N132 billion, while the market performance indices has reached its lowest level in six months.

AMCON portends good

Finance minister, Olusegun Aganga insists that the AMCON portends good for the economy. According to him, the aim is to remove obstacles in the banking sector and bring it to closure. “So that the financial sector and the economy can start moving again and there is liquidity in the market,” he told journalists at a briefing in Lagos last month.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi, is worried about the reluctance of banks to lend to the real sector. “Bank lending has not been growing as fast as we would like it to grow. Bank lending is a major worry because we would like to get more money into the real economy,” he told Reuters.

A major source of concern has been how the project will be funded. Mr. Aganga said he is taken a cue from other parts of the world where it has been done. “In other parts of the world where this has been done, the banking sector which you are helping contributes to the cost. The banks, the Central Bank and the ministry of finance have to agree. Banks will generate about N1 trillion towards the cost of AMCON. I want to do this at minimal cost to government,” he said.

Beyond funding

However, beyond the issue of funding, the apprehension among financial sector operators is how the toxic asset to be taken over will be priced. Emmanuel Moore, chief economist and head, Market Risk Management, Access Bank Plc said at a forum in Lagos at the beginning of the year that the pricing of the assets needs to be sorted out before AMCON begins operation. “They can adopt fair value accounting or mark to book value in which case the assets will be marked at current market value,” he said. He said if the assets are priced low, the banks may not be willing to sell to the AMCON and if priced too high, the banks may be unnecessarily rewarding the shareholders. “So this is going to be the most contentious issue,” said Mr. Moore.

Delay in AMCOM operations

More importantly, many see the delay in the take-off of AMCON as eroding the value of the banks it is supposed to rescue. Unity Bank and Wema Bank initially tied their recapitalisation plans to success of AMCON but are now looking beyond it in order to meet the September 30 recapitalisation deadline set by the CBN. Wema Bank company secretary, Oluwole Ajimisinmi said the N10 billion which the bank requires for its regional banking license is not solely hinged on AMCON. “We are raising N9 billion via a special placing offer which has been approved by the Nigerian Stock Exchange. We already have commitments equal to the amount on offer,” he stated via text message. Ndu Eke of the corporate communications department of Unity Bank said the existence of AMCON would give a boost to its recapitalization effort. “Our rights issue was successful from which we raised over N23 billion. Our success is not hinged on AMCON but it is going to be a boost.” He said the bank was well on its way to maintaining its national banking license.

Many operators are of the opinion that the longer the CBN and shareholders of the eight banks take to agree to sell the banks, the less attractive they become. This sentiment is shared by Dianna Games, the honorary chief executive officer of the South Africa-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, who believes that the delays were affecting the performance of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

“Problems at the NSE, and the possibility that due diligence of the ailing banks may show a worse situation than originally thought, may have eroded investor confidence,” Games was quoted as saying by Times Live, a South Africa based online publication.

No compromise

However, there are no indications that the CBN will reach a compromise with the banks’ shareholders any time soon. The minority shareholders still insist that the regulator has no moral standing to seek investors for institutions it does not own. According to them, the CBN should allow the existing shareholders recapitalize the banks while it supervises the process. On the other hand, the regulator maintains that the N620 billion which it injected into the rescued banks gives it no option that to hand the institutions over to new core investors, or in the alternative, hand the banks over to the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) for liquidation.

Boniface Okezie, president of one of the shareholder groups said the insistence by the CBN to hand the banks over to a new group of owners was in the manner of riding roughshod over other interests.

“What we are saying is that the management appointed by CBN cannot midwife the handover of the banks. Up till now, the Central Bank has not told us how much is required to recapitalise each bank,” he said. According to him, aggrieved shareholders have sought legal protection by obtaining caveat from courts in Lagos, Abuja, and Ibadan restraining any investor from investing in any of the rescued institutions. Meanwhile, the search by the CBN for new core investors for the rescued banks continues.

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Money

Barca wary of more madness at the Calderon

18/09/2010 No comments

Barca wary of more madness at the Calderon

Barcelona’s recent
trips to play Atletico Madrid in La Liga have been end-to-end thrillers
that have usually ended up with a victory for the home team.

The Calderon has
witnessed 25 goals in the last five league clashes between the teams,
with Atletico stringing together 2-1, 4-3 and 4-2 victories in the last
three years.

The champions
suffered their only defeat of last season there and midfielder Andres
Iniesta has warned his team mates to heed the lessons from those
matches when they return on Sunday (1700 GMT).

“Sometimes these
games are mad, and I can remember in some of them they have scored
twice against us in five minutes,” the scorer of Spain’s winner in the
World Cup final told daily Sport.

“We have to try and
play our own game and above all else to be very focused. We can’t
afford to give them any chances because they have dangerous players,
especially up front.”

Atletico strikers
Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan have been in devastating form over the
last month, helping their side build on last season’s Europa League
triumph by winning the European Super Cup and their opening two league
games.

They travel to play
Greek side Aris in the Europa League on Thursday and hope Aguero
recovers from a bruised leg in time for Sunday.

Shock defeat

Barca recovered
from their shock 2-0 home defeat to promoted Hercules last weekend with
a midweek pummelling of Panathinaikos in the Champions League, when
Lionel Messi led them to a 5-1 victory.

Pep Guardiola
perhaps paid for resting a number of first-team regulars against
Hercules but will no doubt field his strongest side against Atletico,
as he did on Tuesday.

Real Madrid travel
north to play promoted Real Sociedad on Saturday (2000), battling to
win over their demanding fans after some uninspired opening
performances.

New coach Jose
Mourinho is still fishing for his best side but will have been lifted
by the energetic display they put on to defeat Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 in
their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

New boys Mesut Ozil
and Angel Di Maria impressed against Ajax and it was only profligate
finishing from the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo that
denied them a more flattering scoreline.

Defender Sergio Ramos dropped out of the squad on Wednesday with a suspected calf injury and is doubtful.

Second division champions Sociedad have the same record as Real from their first two games — a win and a draw.

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Sports

Ekeji slams federation, Friends of Rugby

18/09/2010 No comments

Ekeji slams federation, Friends of Rugby

The Director
General of National Sports Commission (NSC), Patrick Ekeji has accused
officials of Nigerian Rugby Federation and Friends of Rugby of double
talk and insincerity.

Ekeji, who was in
Lagos for elections into the executive committee of the National
Olympic Committee (NOC), said the unease in the rugby family in the
country was the result of officials of both bodies refusing to bury the
hatchet.

“All stakeholders
must be honest and sincere. There are a lot of discordant tunes in this
matter. There was a clamour for private sector involvement in sport. As
result, we did what we thought was right and concessions came as a
result of that. The Rugby Federation took up the offer and we did the
concession. Now some of them have told lies and are now saying that
they did not want the concession after it had been done,” Ekeji said.

Ekeji has however
said that the only way out of all the mess in the federation is for all
interested parties to work together and sort out their problems.

Ekeji’s comments
came on the same day Friends of Rugby held a press conference at the
National Stadium in Lagos accusing the NSC of indifference concerning
the case of the ban placed on Rugby by the International Rugby Board.

Spokesperson for
the organisation, Ntiense Williams, said efforts to get the NSC
involved in resolving the issue were unsuccessful.

“Our discussions
with them (NSC) and the Sports Ministry have all proved abortive. Do
they want the federation to spend four years before they take charge?
Two years is still long way to go and we need to salvage what we can
right now before it is too late,” he said.

The call for action
by Friends of Rugby is coming on the heels of last week’s protest by
Rugby players under the aegis of All Rugby Football Players staged at
the National Stadium.

Independence tourney

Friends of Rugby
also unveiled their programme for Nigeria’s 50th independence
anniversary at the briefing. Olatunji Fasimoye, a member of Friends of
Rugby, explained the reason behind the tournament. “It is a way the
Rugby family celebrate independence but this year’s would be special
because of the golden jubilee. It is going to be 7’s tournament between
16 teams made up of men and women clubs in Nigeria. We are also hoping
to bring in some African countries to join us as we celebrate Nigeria.
The tournament would hold on the first and second of October. Winners
in the men and women category would be awarded trophies and a cash
prize,” he said.

Last year’s men’s tournament was won by Cowrie RFC while the Edo
team won the women’s category. The finals of the Lagos Rugby Union
League that was scheduled to hold this weekend has been postponed till
the 16th of October.

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Sports

Bio warns athletes on doping

18/09/2010 No comments

Bio warns athletes on doping

Ahead of next
month’s Commonwealth Games in India, the Minister of Sports and
chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Ibrahim Bio has asked
athletes to desist from using performance-enhancing drugs in their bid
to win laurels in India.

He said they should
keep away from doping, which he pointed out could tarnish the country’s
image at the tourney. Three Nigerian athletes: Amaka Ogbuebulam, Gloria
Keamsoude and Vivian Chukuemeka were recently handed various bans for
taking banned substances.

Bio also asked athletes to intensify training in their bid to do the nation proud.

The minister, who
visited the training session of the badminton, wrestling and
weightlifting team yesterday at the Abuja National Stadium, expressed
optimism that the team will do well in India.

During the visit,
lamented that fact that out of the four countries listed for the tour,
only two agreed to issue visa for the team. He however told the
athletes that the commission is working hard to ensure that the teams
embark on international training tour and that it was impressed with
the team.

The coaches and
athletes expressed surprised at the minister’s visit, saying it is the
first time a serving minister would visit the team in camp.

Olukayode Thomas,
the minister’s Special Assistant on Media denied claims that the
minister has abandoned his duty, saying he only travelled for medical
treatment with permission from the presidency.

“It is not true that the minister was away for four months, as he
only travelled at the end of July and returned on August after an eye
surgery. He travelled after getting formal approval from the presidency
and his recent trip for the less Hajj, which was in fulfilment of his
religious obligation, was just for five days and while he was away he
was still in touch daily with the Director General, Patrick Ekeji on
the happening within the commission. So the minister is abreast of
event within the ministry,” Thomas said.

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Sports

Ndanusa emerges as NOC President

18/09/2010 No comments

Ndanusa emerges as NOC President

Sani Ndanusa, the former
Sports Minister, has been elected the new
president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in an election conducted in
the board room of the NOC secretariat at the National Stadium, Lagos.
Ndanusa got a landslide victory as all the 23
accredited delegates voted for him. His
opponent, Habu Gumel,
was absent at the venue.
Others elected into the new board were; Jonathan Nnaji as the 1st Vice
President, while Solomon Ogba was returned
unopposed as the 2nd Vice President,
and Tijani Umar as the 3rd Vice President.
Tunde Popola emerged as the Secretary General; with 21 votes
to defeat the incumbent, Banji Oladapo, who got two
votes. John Hamakim defeated Uche Nebedum by
the same margin to clinch the Deputy Secretary
General post.
Bappa Aliyu and Tony Ubani completed the list of the
newly elected board as they were voted in as Treasurer
and Public Relations
Officer respectively.

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Sports

Nadal reluctant to talk about Federer record

18/09/2010 No comments

Nadal reluctant to talk about Federer record

With the U.S. Open
trophy tucked safely under his arms and the world of tennis at his
feet, Rafa Nadal answered the one question everybody was asking with a
shy grin.

“I think talking about if I am better or worse than Roger (Federer) is stupid,” he protested.

“Because the titles
say he’s much better than me, so that’s true at that moment. I think
that will be true all my life.” Federer, 29, has a record 16 grand slam
championships, but the 24-year-old Nadal made his ninth grand slam
triumph something extra special.

The 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2
victory over Novak Djokovic of Serbia for his first Flushing Meadows
win made Nadal the seventh man to claim all four of the sport’s grand
slam titles, and the first since Rod Laver 41 years ago to close a
season with wins at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S.
championship.

The question, however, still remained.

Almost from the
moment he stepped onto the court as a teenager raised on dusty red
Spanish clay courts, Nadal has been answering the same question: Was he
going to be the greatest player of all time?

Nadal’s New York performance made a huge statement.

Amazing feeling

After piling up
five French Opens, two Wimbledons and an Australian Open the
hard-hitting left-hander had set his sights firmly on the final jewel
in the grand slam crown.

He improved his
serve, honed his volley and nurtured his fitness to triumph at a
Federer stronghold where the Swiss had won five titles and reached six
successive finals.

“It was an amazing
feeling,” beamed Nadal. “I played my best match in the U.S. Open at the
most important moment, so I am very, very happy for that, for sure.

“To win in here in
the U.S. Open I think is the more difficult tournament for me to play,
more difficult conditions to adapt, to adjust my game on this court,
for the balls, for the court, for everything.”

With Nadal sweeping through the slams, it is easy to forget the turnaround the Spaniard has made.

A new man

Last year his
chronic knee problems were so bad it kept him from defending his
Wimbledon title. An abdominal problem weakened him at the U.S. Open,
and his physical woes were so bad he quit his quarter-final at the
Australian Open in January.

“Life changes
sometimes, no?” said a philosophical Nadal. “Ten months ago (it) seemed
like I was never gonna be the same. Now, seems I’m gonna be one of the
greatest…

“When you come back, you are ready to value how difficult it is win titles and how difficult is to be there all the time.”

Nadal understands
how quickly things can change in tennis and in life, but he served his
rivals a dire warning in addressing the state of his game.

“For me the most
important thing is try to keep serving like I did during this
tournament,” said Nadal, who lost only one set in the championship.

“If I can do it, it
is gonna be a big change for me and my tennis career, because if I have
those free points that I had during all this tournament, (it’s) gonna
be different for me.

“I can play more aggressive. I can play with more calm when I am returning.

“After that, I can
improve everything: volley, keep improving the volley, keep improving
the position on court, being more inside the court.

“I improved a lot
since last year, but never is enough. I am not a perfect player, so
everybody can improve.” Even with improvement, Nadal was loathe to
speculate on catching Federer.

“We will see what happens in the future. I am not a genius.”

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Sports

Super Eagles to wait longer for new coach

18/09/2010 No comments

Super Eagles to wait longer for new coach

Plans of naming a
substantive coach for the Super Eagles on or before an earlier set
deadline of October 1, 2010 is no longer feasible, the acting head of
the Nigeria Football Federation Musa Ahmadu has said.

“In all honesty, I
do not see us having a coach that will be contracted on a long term
basis before the earlier set target of October 1st 2010 giving the
circumstances surrounding the elections; the decision taken by the
court to annul it and all that,” he said.

Ahmadu, who is
currently in charge of affairs at the NFF however revealed that the
football house will be relying on stand-in coach, Augustine Eguaveon to
lead the Eagles when they take on the Syli Stars of Guinea on October
10 – in their second game of the ongoing Africa Nations Cup qualifiers
in Conakry.

“The problems
notwithstanding, the preparation for the second game against Guinea in
Conakry will go on as we will be talking to the interim coach to see if
the previous arrangement that we have on ground can still go on and I
am sure as a matured person he would look at it and oblige us,” he said.

Orphaned Eagles

The Super Eagles
have been without a coach since the departure of Swede, Lars Lagerback
who did not return to his duty post after the disappointing outing at
the South Africa 2010 World Cup.

The previous board
of the NFF had earlier held negotiations with Heartland Coach Samson
Siasia and looked set to name the Beijing Olympics Silver winning coach
as manager of the Eagles before disagreements over wages put the deal
on hold.

While Siasia
requested for a $100,000 monthly salary and a signing-on fee, the NFF
offered him a monthly salary of $20,000. The situation however took
another dimension as the now suspended board announced that will
advertise the Super Eagles coaching post rather than stick with Siasia.

Lawal’s advice

Meanwhile, former
Super Eagles player Garba Lawal has advised that the NFF should be
proactive in resolving the appointment of a coach for the team .
According to Lawal, a prompt decision will go a long way in keeping the
team focused as they seek qualification for the 2012 Nations Cup to be
jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

“Sincerely I am not
happy when we waste so much time in naming coaches for our teams, it
was the same attitude that affected our game at the World Cup where we
only named a coach just three four months to the World cup. I just hope
they can make up their mind to pick someone on time,” he said.

Nigeria is currently behind Guinea in the standings as it only
managed a 2-0 victory over Madagascar while Guinea secured a 4-1
victory over Ethiopia in Addis Ababa

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South Africa leads the way in Casablanca

18/09/2010 No comments

South Africa leads the way in Casablanca

There are over 250
athletes representing 19 countries at the 2010 Senior African Swimming
Championships holding in Morocco. But after the first day of
competitions, the South African team is head and shoulders above the
rest. Team South Africa snagged 11 medals and set four tournament
records at the end of day one.

Karin Prinsloo
began the medals haul for South Africa in the Monday morning heats when
she broke Lauren Roets’ six-year-old record in the 100m freestyle with
a time of 56:48s. She then took 800th of a second off that morning
record in the evening finals clocking 56:40s. Compatriot, Leone Vorster
took the silver medal in 57:50s.

In the men’s 100m
breaststroke event, William Diering, who posted the fastest time in the
morning heats, finished second in 1:03:13s in a hard fought race with
Algeria’s Nabil Kebbab. Nabil has a South African connection as he is
being coached by former South African coach Karoly Torros, who
currently heads Algeria’s swimming.

The South African
show continued when Kathryn Meaklim finished the 400m individual medley
and set a new Championships Record time of 4:45:76s, improving on her
previous morning heat record of 4:53:72s. Bianca Meyer claimed bronze
in 4:52.69.

There was another
gold and silver haul for South Africa in the women’s 50m backstroke.
Chanelle van Wyk set a new Championship Record clocking 29:31s while
Jessica Ashley-Cooper claimed silver in 29:90s.

In the men’s 50m
backstroke, youngster Darren Murray swam his way to the top of the
podium in a time of 26.56, with Garth Tune coming in a close second in
27.03.

The women’s 4 x
200m freestyle relay promised to be an exciting final, following
Tunisia and Algeria’s quick times earlier in the day. The race lived up
to the expectations as the crowd rose to their feet in a nail-biting
final sprint which saw Team South Africa break the 2006 Championship
Record in 8:27.61, with Tunisia and Algeria completing the remaining
medal placings.

Medal rankings
after day 1 Wednesday’s event Day 3 15 September 2010 15 400m Freestyle
Women 16 100m Freestyle Men 17 100m Backstroke Women 18 200m Backstroke
Men 19 50m Backstroke Women 20 50m Butterfly Men 21 4X100m Free Relay
Women 22 4X200m Free Relay Men

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