Nigeria Content Online

Ondo to payN1 billion compensation

The Ondo State
government will spend N1 billion as compensation to owners of buildings
to be affected in the dualization exercise of the Arakale Road project
in Akure metropolis.

Olusegun Mimiko,
the state governor, disclosed this in Akure on Monday while speaking on
the television programme, ‘Mr Governor Explains’.

He said that the dualization of the road would necessitate the pulling down of about 80 buildings, to pave way for the project .

Mr Mimiko described
Akure as the mirror of the state, the outlook of which would determine
the in-flow of massive investments into the state, noting that his
administration intends to create a state capital which will be a pride
in the country and that will attract investors, thereby, generating
revenue into the state coffers.

The governor
explained that the state government was carrying out massive urban
renewal projects across the state for the overall improvement of its
aesthetic outlook as well as improved and easy traffic system.

He also assured that apart from the two ultra-modern neighbourhood
markets already built by his administration in Akure and the abandoned
ones which were refurbished by his government, new markets would be
built to accommodate market women in Akure and all over the state.

Democracy has come to stay, says Imoke

Democracy has come to stay, says Imoke

The governor of
Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, after assessing democracy in the
country in the last 11 years, last weekend said civil rule has come to
stay.

Mr Imoke said the
military has no excuse to stage a comeback, and advised Nigerians to
have faith in this new system of leadership, as it will take the
country to greater heights.

In a town hall
meeting with the people of the state to mark Democracy Day , the
governor said that since democracy means service to the people,
government at all levels is expected to serve those who elected them,
stressing his belief in popular governance and commitment to the Cross
River project. The governor noted that 11 years on, there was need to
thank God for peace which must be sustained because when the state
remains as one, it can grow bigger and better, adding that though there
were a lot of challenges in the past, opportunities should be created
for others to grow because politics is not a stepping stone or wealth
creation but service.

He said that
democracy has to mature with the introduction of electoral reforms
where those elected are responsible to the electorate “as the era of
carry go don end” because it shows a bad example to the youth, saying
that Cross River will certainly become an example of electoral reform,
by creating a level playing field for the people to chose whom they
want to represent them and not accept candidates presented by the
elders.

Imoke promised that
there will be open primaries which will be monitored by civil societies
and NGOs, because he wants elections to be peaceful, stating that he
has no candidates for local government chairmanship and as such no
caucus chairman has a candidate. This, he said, was the intention of
the party — to inculcate internal democracy which will give the people
hope.

On the economy, Mr
Imoke disclosed that the state has got back its revenue derived from
other sources. He stated that last year was very critical as its
revenue was taken to another state with the ceding of the oil wells,
disclosing that revenue from the Federation Account fell to about N600
million per month, while salaries alone gulp N1.3billion.

The governor
regretted that some of the programmes initiated by his government did
not create the expected impact, not because of lack of resources, but
because those given the responsibilities have not performed.

Citizen obligations

Imoke reminded the
people about the need to pay taxes as their social responsibility, to
enable the government provide social amenities.

Victor Ndoma-Egba,
the Deputy Senate Leader and senator representing Central Senatorial
District, said despite many setbacks, the country has witnessed 11
years of uninterrupted democracy which is the longest in the nation’s
political history since independence.

Mr Ndoma-Egba
explained that Cross River has a government with human face and heart
as can be seen with its various people-oriented projects, as some of
the strides covered in Cross River have eluded other states.

The Town Hall meeting was attended by members of the National
Assembly, state House of Assembly, local government council
chairpersons, members of the State Executive Council, traditional
rulers, politicians, women and youth organizations, civil
organizations, NGOs, and civil servants.

Group to build new fire station in Lagos

Group to build new fire station in Lagos

Emmanuel Iheanacho,
the Minister of Interior, has said that Public Private Partnership
(PPP) is a vital instrument in the quest to reposition the Fire Service
that will meet the standard required in the 21st century.

In a statement by
Timothy Oyedeji, Assistant Director in charge of press, Mr. Iheanacho
admitted that the government and the private sector cannot afford to
sit back and watch the inadequacies in the service, while assets that
citizens have acquired over the years are gutted by fire.

The Ministry of
Interior, through the Federal Fire Service, is already partnering with
the National Assembly in the proposed amendment of the Act that will
give the service regulatory and associate responsibilities, while
actual fire fighting operations are brought closer to the citizenry
through municipal involvement.

Earlier, the leader
of the Lagos Millennium Group, Taiwo Taiwo, informed the minister that
her non-governmental organisation was poised to partner with the
ministry on plans to upgrade Ajele Fire Station, Lagos, as it would
build a state of the art fire fighting structure, in line with
international best practice.

Mrs. Taiwo further said her group, through a Public Private
Partnership (PPP) initiative, has secured a $2 million dollars grant
from Shell for the Ajele Fire Service. She assured that the target of
the group was to change the face of public infrastructure, as it has an
agenda of what it wants Lagos to be.

Group condemns rotational presidency

Group condemns rotational presidency

The Credible
Leadership Forum has condemned the rotational presidency system
practiced by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) saying it is
undemocratic and unconstitutional.

Ahmed Abdullahi,
the chairman of the group, said in Abuja yesterday that it is a
“democratic anathema” for anybody or group of people or a political
party to suggest that a qualified adult is not free to exercise his
constitutional right to seek election, based on his state of origin or
geopolitical zone.

Mr Abdullahi argued
that, with regards to the on-going debate about Goodluck Jonathan’s
chances in 2011, the president “as a Nigerian adult, is
constitutionally empowered to vote and be voted for.

“Goodluck Jonathan
has as much right to run for presidency in 2011 as the Nigerian voters
reserve the voting right to either vote him in or refrain from it,” Mr
Abdulahi said.

“Rotational presidency is not democratic. It is the arrangement of PDP,” he added.

Arguing along the
same lines, Nimi-Bariagha Amange (PDP Bayelsa State), a senator
representing the president’s home state, said that President Jonathan
was free to run for the presidency in the 2011 general polls.

Zoning is “unconstitutional”

Mr Amange, who
spoke to journalists at the Bridge Builders Forum, in Abuja, said that
the zoning formula adopted by the PDP is “unconstitutional and
undemocratic.” He added that zoning is also not recognized in the PDP
constitution.

“The constitution
is quite clear,” he said. “The constitution has never restricted
Nigerians to give vote to one particular area, person or religion.
People are confusing zoning with rotation. Zoning is like what we have
in the constitution, that is section 14 (2), federal character.
Permanent Secretaries are zoned, ministers are zoned.”

He said that Mr Jonathan has the constitutional right, like every other Nigerian, to seek election to any office in the land.

“The rotation is
that, if a president finishes his tenure, then the next president will
come from another area. That is the rotation we are talking about. Now,
Yar’Adua unfortunately did not finish his tenure and Goodluck is going
to finish his tenure. After that, since Yar’Adua is not here to take
his second term, automatically the north-west has completed its tenure.
That is what it means. So it should go to another area that has not
produced president before. That is the rotation that we are talking
about.

“Zoning is that immediately a president is elected, the other
positions are zoned. The vice president will not come from the same
zone with him, the Senate President will not come from the same zone
with him, and the Speaker will not come from the same zone with him.
That is zoning arrangement,” he added.

Eagles struggle against Colombia

01/06/2010 nigeriang 4 comments

Eagles struggle against Colombia

The Super Eagles
last night showed glimpses of a side ready to take on the rest of the
world when they played out a 1-1 draw with Colombia in London, with
Lukman Haruna grabbing his first senior goal.

The encounter,
which came up inside an empty Milton Keynes Stadium, saw the team’s
coach, Lars Lagerback, making 10 changes to the side that started last
Tuesday’s drab goalless draw against Saudi Arabia, with Aiyegbeni
Yakubu wearing the skipper’s band and leading the attack, while Osaze
Odemwingie and Obinna Nsofor operated from the flanks.

The Colombians,
however, started out the stronger of both sides and only a brilliant
save from Enyeama in the 13th minute prevented the Colombians from
shooting into the lead, courtesy of a curling shot from way outside the
penalty area from number 17 shirted Arley Martinez. The South Americans
nevertheless, shot into the lead from the resultant corner kick,
following a poor clearance from Dickson Etuhu that saw the ball falling
onto the path of Carlos Valdez, who scored with a spectacular volley.

The goal, however,
had a positive effect on the Super Eagles as they came out of their
‘nest’ and initiated attack after attack with the two fullbacks, Taye
Taiwo on the left, and Chidi Odiah, on the opposite flank, running at
the defence of the Colombians. The final balls into the penalty area
however, lacked the required edge.

Nsofor could have
pulled the Super Eagles back on level terms in the 35th minute, but his
shot from way outside the Colombian area, following a beautiful
build-up from defence, was parried out of play by the Colombian
goalkeeper.

Haruna’s entry

Haruna’s
introduction at the start of the second half, in place of Yusuf Ayila,
brought a much needed creativity into the midfield, as he showed that
his performance against the Saudis was not a fluke. He fought for every
ball and dished out tackles, even getting on the receiving end of a
couple of rough challenges by the Colombians.

But the AS Monaco
of France player was well placed to pull the Super Eagles back on level
terms when his fierce drive from over 25 yards sailed into the back of
the net.

And as Lagerback
gets set to name his final 23-man squad list this morning, the former
junior international looks set to feature at his first senior World
Cup, three years after leading the Golden Eaglets to the Under-17 World
Cup.

Sports

Gulder 5-a side enters last lap

Gulder 5-a side enters last lap

The gymnasium
complex of the National Institute of Sports within the National Stadium
in Lagos, will witness tough battles as the over two- month long Gulder
Five-a side football tournament enters its final stretch.

With the conclusion
of the regional finals in Lagos on May 22, the twelve victorious teams
are poised to engage in a contest for the ultimate prize of N5 million
with runners-up getting N2 million. Of the twelve teams vying for
honours, Lagos has the most combatants, with teams like 401 planners FC
of Ajegunle, Talent Builders of Lagos Island, Ikeja All Stars of Ipaja,
and Kush FC eager to do battle with FUTA FC of Akure, Royal Eagles of
Warri, Tackle Royal of Aba, Ado Babes of Onitsha, Saint Theresa’s of
Abuja, Inter FC of Enugu and two others.

Football fans who
at one time or the other have watched matches of this tournament are
looking forward to an exciting time at the National Stadium in Lagos.
To add colour to the event, organisers have invited former Nigerian
internationals, Henry Nwosu and Tarila Okorowanta among others. These
former internationals, apart from “feeling” the turf where action will
take place, will have sessions with the youngsters aimed at firing and
sustaining their interest in the game.

Prospects for Nigeria

FIFA Technical
Consultant, Heinz Marotzke, is also expected to attend. The German, a
one-time coach of the Green Eagles (now Super Eagles), said the Gulder
Five- Aside tournament will bring about a change in Nigeria’s
participation in five-a side competitions noting that in the past
“Nigeria always participated but never really won laurels.”

He noted that this
will soon be a thing of the past because the organisers of the Gulder
tourney are “establishing a unique and standardized installation
infrastructure which will give coaches and the players a year-long
opportunity for practice and competition.” For Marotzke, who had
coaching stints in Ghana in the seventies and handled top Bundesliga
side, Schalke 04, the use by players of the mobile artificial turf
designed for the Gulder Ultimate Five-A-Side competition was a
development in the promotion of the game.

“You are in fact,
bringing a modern sports-political principle into reality,” he said.
“Instead of building expensive white elephants of stadia away from the
population centres in the city, you are bringing with this project a
modern, less expensive and mobile football field of artificial turf to
the people,” the former national team coach said.

The five-a side tournament will end on June 5, 2010.

Sports

Lagerback to name Eagles for World Cup today

Lagerback to name Eagles for World Cup today

Super Eagles coach
Lars Lagerback will today make public his 23-man list for the 2010
World Cup as the team departs London for Durban to participate in the
19th FIFA World Cup finals, the first ever to be held on African soil.

The team’s
spokesperson, Peterside Idah, has hinted at possible surprises in the
final list and revealed that tension is running high among the players
as regards the final selection.

“There will be some surprises in the final squad,” Idah told mtnfootball.com.

According to him,
selection will be fair because a video analyst has been recording the
team’s training which will show the players who have been pulling their
weight and those who have not.

He added that the
players’ attitude has been very different than when they played under
coach Shuaibu Amodu because “probably they are now playing under a
foreign coach”.

The Swede had earlier invited 44-players but pruned the squad to a manageable 30 without any of them kicking a ball in camp.

Seven players of the remaining 30 will, however, have to kiss playing in this edition of the World Cup bye.

Eagles’ departure

The Nigerian
contingent to the finals will depart for South Africa by a chartered
Boeing 767-300 aircraft from Heathrow Airport, London on Monday
evening, and are expected to touch down in Durban on Tuesday morning.

Officials of the
Local Organizing Committee of the tournament have been put on notice
and will receive the Nigerian delegation with security and ground
transportation personnel, who will lead the team on the two-hour bus
ride to its base camp at Richard’s Bay, the Protea Hotel Waterfront.

According to Demola
Olajire, the Nigeria Football Federation spokesperson, officials are
already on ground in South Africa. They include Musa Amadu, Deputy
General Secretary (General Services) and Idris Adama, Head of Marketing.

The world’s biggest
single-sport spectacle rolls off in Johannesburg’s Soccer City on
Saturday, June 11 with hosts South Africa taking on Mexico.

President Goodluck Jonathan will be one of several world leaders at
the opening ceremony, and the Nigerian leader will also be available to
watch the Super Eagles’ opening match of the campaign the following day
at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park.

Sports

American ‘supersubs’ give Bradley new options

American ‘supersubs’ give Bradley new options

Jose Torres and
Robbie Findley made a late bid for World Cup starting roles for the
U.S. after coming off the bench to inspire Saturday’s 2-1 comeback win
over Turkey.

The U.S trailed 1-0
at halftime after a listless opening 45 minutes but the introduction of
Torres in midfield and Findley up front transformed the team.

Clint Dempsey, who
had not looked comfortable in attack alongside Jozy Altidore, was able
to drop into a deeper role after the change and Landon Donovan, lost in
the first 45 minutes, came alive.

A few days ago
Torres and Findley were not even sure of their places in the final 23
but Dempsey had no hesitation in putting the U.S. revival down to their
introduction.

“I think (what made
the difference) was Findley coming on with his pace, forcing the
defence to drop back so that me and Landon were able to get into the
pockets,” he told reporters.

“Also bringing Jose
into the game — he was able to get on the ball and I thought he looked
very confident and helped keep possession for us and caused them to
tire a little bit.”

Findley surprise

Findley was a
surprise inclusion in the 23 ahead of the experienced target man Brian
Ching but it is clear that Bob Bradley sees his speed as being a vital
weapon.

“He brought
energy,” the coach said. “He was a threat in terms of getting behind
them, going at people, holding the ball. He was sharp and confident
which is something we want — we want him to be aggressive when he has
chances.”

Findley created the equaliser with a nicely lofted pass over the top to Donovan, who found goalscorer Altidore.

Torres, who holds
Mexican as well as American citizenship, replaced Ricardo Clark in the
centre of midfield and slotted into a deeper, holding role where he was
able to prompt play.

“I thought Jose was sharp, found the right people and covered all the holes very well,” said Bradley.

But the U.S coach
was, not surprisingly tight-lipped when asked about his likely team to
face Fabio Capello’s England on June 12.

“Shall I just call Fabio next week and tell him?” he said.

Sports

Sweden, Finland to commence waste business in Nigeria

31/05/2010 nigeriang No comments

Sweden, Finland to commence waste business in Nigeria

Two
Nordic countries, Sweden and Finland, are exploring opportunities for
green businesses in Nigeria, as part of efforts to step up their trade
and investment promotion activities in Nigeria.

The
Cleantech or Green business involves bringing in technologies that will
help in managing Nigeria’s environment to gain commercial value.

Lauri
Voionmaa, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Finland, Nigeria, and
Efraim Gómez, First Secretary of the Embassy of Sweden, in Abuja, said
Nigeria is ripe for introduction of clean technology business, adding
that it is worrisome that Nigeria, up till this moment, treats wastes
as wastages, instead of commodities with economic value.

The
two countries said they have recently paid a visit to Cross River State
which, according to them, will host the pilot stage of the project,
based on the fact finding mission.

Mr.
Voionmaa said: “Finland and Sweden are global leaders in clean and
green technology, and champions of sustainable and competitive
economies. They are vocal in the global climate change debate, pursuing
ambitious emission cuts, comprehensive assistance in adaptation
schemes, and timely forestry measures. Cross River State has made a
name for itself, in and outside of Nigeria, for its dedication to
environmental issues – protecting and turning its natural endowments
into vehicles for responsible economic development.

“Cross
River and us Nordics are a perfect match. The opportunities for Green
business between us are abundant. I look forward to explore how we can
tap into the huge potentials in clean technology, green knowledge
management, and ICT for climate change.”

Waste to energy

Their
plan is to use Cross River State as the springboard for the numerous
activities they plan to embark on in this regard in Nigeria.

“We
want to see how our business can go straight into efforts of Cross
River State, not only on the government side, but also on the private
sector level; but we have not concluded exploration. We are looking at
various aspects of Cross River State economy like waste management,”
said Mr. Voionmaa.

The
representative of the two Nordic countries said they are convinced that
with the new technology they plan to bring in, about 6kilowatt of
electricity will be generated from wastes collected in the state.

Nordic
countries are versed in waste management, because waste is a commodity
that they have learnt to turn into energy, according to Mr. Gomez, who
added that Cross River can be self sustaining on waste if they can
convert it to energy.

“For
a city of the size of Cross River, we are certainly going to produce 6
to 7 megawatt of electricity from waste management,” he said.

“There
is huge potential for waste management in Nigeria. Ordinarily, in
Nigeria, waste is disposed as waste, treated as something annoying, but
it can be actually useful, for fuels. The next step is we have to
report back to our countries and for a preliminary assessment. That
will depend on the next discussions.”

Apart
from introduction of high technology, there will be capacity building
and cooperation with Nigerian universities for technology transfer.

Nigerian
president, Goodluck Jonathan, visited Finland and Sweden in May 2009,
together with representatives of the Nigerian business community and in
company of John Odey, Minister of Environment.

Also,
Minister for Foreign Trade of Finland, Pave Väyrynen, visited Nigeria
in March 2010 and the Swedish Vice Minister for Trade, Gunnar
Wieslander, made similar visit to Nigeria in 2009. Both led large
business delegations, representing experts in energy, environment, and
information and communication technology.

Money

‘It’s not just the logo’

31/05/2010 nigeriang No comments

‘It’s not just the logo’

Nigerian banks
should improve their brand value, as well as their customer care and
call centre services locally and internationally, while seeking to
deliver financial services and products to their customers, Foluso
Phillips, the chairman and CEO of Phillips Consulting has said.

Mr Phillips, who
stated this at the launch of ‘Flashwallet,’ a new product of Fin Bank
Plc, said improving customer care services in the banking industry
would go a long way in addressing some of the challenges customers
face, both in the country and outside.

“It’s not the logo,
but the brand value that matters,” he said. “We should be satisfying
customer demands and designing how we must change it to go along with
what customers are demanding for.”

Suzanne Iroche, the
group managing director of FinBank Plc, said the innovation of
‘Flashwallet’ is in recognition of the inherent risk and weaknesses
associated with the magnetic stripe cards and the Nigerian industry.

“Given the success
of FlashmeCash, (the flagship electronic and mobile banking product of
FinBank), and the bank’s commitment to remain the leader in the
e-products and retail segment of the banking industry, the bank is
today unveiling an innovative variant of the product with improved
capability and more value added benefits called the Flashwallet,” she
said.

Wooing the financially excluded

Flashwallet is an
electronic purse (Card) that allows holders to access their FlashmeCash
accounts across all the Interswitch-enabled Automated Teller Machines.
It is an EMV compliant card; chip and PIN-enabled.

The Chip and PIN
debit card tied to the bank’s FlashmeCash account is a tool that would
make customers access the funds in their accounts using the cards at
any Interswitch member banks’ ATM in a similar manner as the regular
ATM card. The innovated product enables the transfer of funds to other
accounts, purchase of GSM recharge PINs for direct use or for third
party use, payment of DSTV utility bill or MyTv among others.

Mrs. Iroche said
the bank introduced the card on April 30, 2009, well ahead of the CBN’s
directive to card issuers to migrate from the magnetic stripe cards to
chip plus PIN cards.

“Our general
e-business model has taken into consideration collaboration and
positive partnership towards the inclusion of the financially excluded
population, which is in line with the focus of the Central Bank of
Nigeria and the current world economic order,” she said.

Mr. Phillips
commended the bank on the launch of Flashwallet, adding that the bank
has been able to maintain its leadership position in e products in the
banking industry.

“It is a brilliant
idea,” he said. “Others can join you later. It is really about who gets
there first. It’s organisations like this that can stay ahead of the
game.”

Finance experts
have urged Nigerian banks to reach out to the people as mobile banking
is about outreach. They argue that through this medium, banks can move
people who don’t operate bank accounts into the banking society, and
thereby attract new customers.

Transactions via the Flashwallet costs N100, the bank management
said. It however added that there would be negotiations on the fees for
corporate organizations who wish to make large transactions via the
card. The bank management further stated that the default limit for
individual money transfers via the new product stands at N200, 000,
while corporate transactions would be based on negotiations with the
bank.