Sahara Reporters Latest News Monday 3rd June 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 03/06/19
Read also
target=_blank>30-Year-Old Kills One-Year-Old Baby In Enugu
The Police Command in Enugu State has begun an investigation into the alleged killing of a one-year-and-five-month old baby by her mother in the state.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Sunday in Enugu that the incident happened on May 30.
Mr Amaraizu, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), noted that the incident took place at Amankanu village in Amuri community within Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
He said that the woman identified as one Ijeoma Nnaji, 30, allegedly killed her daughter, identified as one Chiemerie Nnaji over a yet to be established reason.
“It was, however, gathered that the body of the child was now deposited at Agbani General Hospital morgue.
“The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Sulaiman Balarabe, has directed a full-scale investigation into the incident which has begun at the state Criminal Investigations Department of the command.
“The suspect is helping in the investigation so far,’’ the police spokesman said.
CRIME
Police
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Wike Vows To Rid Port Harcourt Of Road Mechanics, Street Traders, Others, Gives One Month’s Notice
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has given roadside mechanics, car dealers, street traders, and private taxi park operators, a month’s ultimatum to vacate the streets of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Addressing them at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday, Wike said the artisans and traders must comply with the stipulated period because his administration is committed to the restoration of the Garden City status of Port Harcourt.
He said: “I am giving all groups one month to leave the roads. Within this one month, you should find alternative locations to carry on your businesses.
“By the first week of July, the state government will swing into action. Port Harcourt must be clean, whether you like it or not.”
The governor added that he called the meeting to avoid unnecessary conflict and to negotiate the time for all the traders, mechanics and car dealers to leave the roads.
“We have called this meeting to avoid conflict. I called you to discuss the time frame for the implementation and not to change the decision,” he stated.
“Our roads are now mechanic workshops. Our roads are now markets and motor parks. There is this spirit that makes the traders and mechanics believe that you can only make money on the road. We will end that spirit. Your activities litter the road. There will be consequences for mechanics using the road for their trade after the one-month period. The vehicles being repaired will be seized,” Wike stated.
According to the governor, his administration will not allow the operation of illegal motor parks and car shops along the road, pointing out that the police and other security agencies will enforce the directive.
Rivers State Police Commissioner, Usman Belel, assured that the police would work with the government to ensure that the artisans leave the roads.
However, representatives of the car dealers, motor park operators, mechanics, and traders requested a different time frame to vacate the roads.
Business
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Buhari Eyeing UN Presidency For Nigeria
Ahead of election for the Presidency of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled to hold in New York tomorrow, President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a Federal Government delegation to support Nigeria’s candidate, Prof. Tijjani Muhammad- Bande.
Prof. Bande, who is the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, will become the second Nigerian to be elected President of UNGA after Maj. Gen. Joseph Nanven Garba (rtd), who held the position between 1989 and 1990.
According to a statement by the presidency, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb, Mustapha Sulaiman, is leading the delegation which includes, the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Dr. Bello Aliyu Gusau; and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu.
President Buhari is confident that Nigeria’s Presidency of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly will provide a unique opportunity for Nigeria to lead the global call to tackle the political, social, economic and environmental challenges facing the world.
The statement said: “Nigeria looks forward to working with UN member states to promote international peace and security, prevent conflict, strengthen global action to tackle climate change, ensure inclusion, human rights, and empowerment of youth and women.
“Nigeria hopes to build on progress made under Ecuador’s Presidency of the 73rd Assembly led by María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, and further promote key themes that President Buhari has championed on the global stage since 2015, which include climate change, combating terrorism and violent extremism, and establishing functional anti-corruption mechanisms to assist countries like Nigeria recover and repatriate stolen funds.”
International
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Nigeria’s Securities And Exchange Commission Details How Wale Tinubu, Alake of Egbaland And Other Directors Ruined OANDO
CEO of OANDO, Wale Tinubu
CEO of OANDO, Wale Tinubu
Fresh facts have emerged concerning the alleged infractions and false disclosures by Oando Plc which prompted the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to mandate the oil firm’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Wale Tinubu, his deputy, Omamofe Boyo, and other board members to resign.
SEC had barred Tinubu and Boyo from being directors of public companies for a period of five years.
SEC recalled that following the receipts of two petitions from Dahiru Mangal and Ansbury Incorporated, the Commission in 2017 conducted an investigation into the activities of Oando Plc and observed certain infractions of securities laws by some members of the board of Oando Plc.
SEC noted that its findings were communicated to Tinubu through a letter dated July 10, 2017.
In the letter, the commission also noted that it engaged Deloitte and Touche to conduct a forensic audit of the activities of Oando Plc, through which findings were made.
SEC disclosed the infractions in a six-page letter dated May 31, 2019, which was addressed to the Chairman, Oando Plc, obtained by Sahara Reporters. The letter was signed by Mary Uduk, the acting Director-General of SEC.
According to the letter, the findings from the investigations revealed nine major infractions such as alleged corporate governance lapses, failure of internal controls and incidental issues arising from the sale of a subsidiary.
Others are suspected market abuse and insider dealings, related party transactions, payment of interim dividends despite liquidity constraints, false disclosure, non-disclosure of beneficial ownership and tax-related issues.
The letter partly read, “There were several corporate governance lapses stemming from poor Board oversight.
These include irregular approval of director’s remuneration, director’s participation in matters in which they had declared an interest, unjustified disbursements to directors and management of the company, failure of the audit committee to hold meetings with management, internal auditors and external auditors.
“Oando Plc failed to establish an effective system of internal controls as required under Section 61 of the ISA 2007, over its financial reporting thereby compromising the integrity of the company’s financial controls and reporting as revealed by the misstatements in the financial statement, a high number of related party transactions and unjustified disbursement to directors.
“In 2013, Oando Plc reported the sale of its subsidiary, Oando Exploration and Production Limited (OEPL), to Green Park Management Limited without obtaining the approval of the commission, (in violation of the provisions of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2007) and the consent of the Minister of Petroleum (As required under the Petroleum Act,1969).
“In 2012, 2013 and 2014 and 2015, certain insiders of Oando PLC sold shares of the company during “close period” despite having knowledge of active closed periods by the company and contrary to the Rules of the NSE. The insiders include Ocean an Oil Investment Limited (OOIL – represented by Jubril Adewale Tinubu and Godwin Omamofe Boyo), Ocean and Oil Development partners (OODP – represented by Jubril Adewale Tinubu, Godwin Omamofe Boyo, Francesco Cuzzocera), and ECP African Fund II PC (a Company in which Nana Appiah-Korang wards Director).
The letter also detailed how the OODP, the major shareholder in Oando PLC represented by Jubril Adewale Tinubu, Godwin Omamofe Boyo and Francesco Cuzzocera authorized the sale of 1,210,000,000 units of OODP shares in Oando Plc valued at N21,455,909,256.
The trades purportedly took place between January and October 2015, preceding the release of the 2014 audited financial statements on October 23, 2015, in which Oando Plc declared an unprecedented loss of N183 billion.
SEC further noted that during this period, these representatives of OODP were insiders of Oando Plc and had access to material non-public information regarding the poor financial status of the company commencing December 2014, in violation of the provisions of the ISA 2007 regarding insider dealing.
This violation is being referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency, SEC says.
Oando PLC was also allegedly involved in several related party transactions linked to key Board members, particularly Jubril Adewale Tinubu and Godwin Omamofe.
According to SEC, some of the related party transactions were not disclosed in the 2012 and 2014 financial statements, adding that an impression was created in the 2013 and the 2015 financial statements that these disclosures had been accurately reported.
SEC also says Oando Plc failed to fully comply with the SEC Code of Corporate Governance for public companies.
Other infractions highlighted in the letter were that Alhaji Dahiru Baraú Mangal failed to disclose his substantial ownership in Oando Plc as required by CAMA.
Similarly, Oando allegedly Plc failed to notify the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) of his shareholding of 5% and above as required by the rules of the NSE.
“This is being referred to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE),” SEC notes in the letter.
There were also some tax-related issues mentioned in the letter. According to SEC, Oando Plc deducted an amount representing 24% of the dividend paid to shareholders in 2014 as withholding tax.
This exceeded the statutory requirement of 10% as required by the Compliance Income Tax Act (CITA).
Oando PLC also allegedly failed to comply with several tax laws such as Companies Income Tax Act, Value Added Tax Act etc.
Tinubu and Boyo have refuted SEC’s allegations.
In view of the above violations, SEC has since directed Oando Plc to pay the total sum of N417,692, 316 as fine.
Here is the breakdown below as contained in the letter obtained by Sahara Reporters.
“SEC has since directed Oando Plc to pay the total sum of N8,450,000 to the Commission (SEC) for publishing untrue statement in its 2012 Financial Statements, in violation of Rule 3 (4) of the SEC Rules and Regulations, made pursuant to the ISA 2007.
“ N7,850,000 to the Commission for publishing untrue statements in its 2013 Financial Statements, in violation of 3 (4) of the SEC Rules and Regulations, made pursuant to the ISA 2007.
“ N42,750,000 to the Commission, for non-disclosure of related party transactions in its 2012 Financial Statements, in violation of Rule 39 (1&7) of the SEC Rules and Regulations, 2013, made pursuant to the ISA 2007
“ N30,625,000 to the Commission, for non-disclosure of related party transactions and its 2014 Financial Statements, in violation of Rule 39 (1&7) of the SEC Rules and Regulations 2013, made pursuant to ISA 2007.”
SEC also ordered the directors of Oando Plc to immediately refund to Oando Plc, the total sum of N145,767,316, being remuneration and other benefits paid to them above the provisions of the Board Charter.
The letter further added, “In view of the gravity of the corporate governance lapse and internal control failures observed in the company, every person who sat on the Board of the company when the failures occurred to wit:
Oba Micheal Adetoun Gbadebo CFR
Mr Mobolaji Osunsanya
Mr Olufemi Adeyemo
Mr Oghogho Akpata
Chief. Sena Anthony
Mrs Ammuna Lawan Alli OON
“For certification of untrue statements of materials facts in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 financial statements of Oando Plc in violation of Section 60 (2 (b) (ii) of the ISA 2007, Mr. Jubril Adewale Tinubu (Group Chief Executive Officer) and Mr Olufemi Adeyemo (Chief Financial Officer) are ordered to the sum of N91,125,000 (each) to the commission.”
OANDO-SEC Report.pdf
(function(){
var scribd_doc = scribd.Document.getDocFromUrl(‘ 20Report.pdf’, ‘pub-38756116719609018964’);
var onDocReady = function(e){};
scribd_doc.addParam(‘jsapi_version’, 2);
scribd_doc.addParam(‘public’, true);
scribd_doc.addParam(‘allow_share’, true);
scribd_doc.addEventListener(‘docReady’, onDocReady);
scribd_doc.write(’embedded_doc_79547′);
})();
OANDO SEC REPORT
Scandal
Exclusive
News
AddThis
:
Documents
:
OANDO-SEC Report.pdf
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Depression By Iyawe Isoken
In the past, Nigerians were said to be resilient, but the case is different now. The World Health Organization in 2017 declared that globally, about 300million people are depressed; and In Nigeria, about 7.8million people are said to be suffering from depression, with about 1.5million cases yearly, and that is about 3.9% of Nigerians population. This earned Nigeria the title of “the most depressed country in Africa.”
What is Depression?
It is a mental health problem that is marked by persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed to the point that marked impairments are noticed in the daily activities; that is, functioning in the physical, psychological, social, marital, etc aspect of the person’s life are affected.
Clinical depression and mood fluctuations.
Clinical depression isn’t the same as occasional periods of feeling down or mood fluctuations, hence, here are some differences.
Clinical depression presents with many symptoms of depression, while mood fluctuations presents with few symptoms.
The symptoms in clinical depression persists for two or more weeks, while that of mood fluctions is short lived.
Symptoms in clinical depression are often severe, while that of mood fluctuations are often not severe.
Clinical depression interfere with various aspect of human life, while a person with mood fluctuations has the ability to live life normally, without interference and can still function at various capacities.
The cause of clinical depression may be unknown, while mood fluctuations may have a definite cause eg, death of a partner, unemployment, abuse, separation and divorce e.t.c.
Note: Though mood fluctuations have specific causes if poorly managed and symptoms persist for more than two weeks, clinical depression is imminent.
Incidence
Anybody can develop depression, but it is common among:
Women – Women develop depression twice as often as men. One reason may be the various changes in hormone levels that women experience. For example, depression is common during pregnancy and menopause, as well as after giving birth, suffering a miscarriage, or having a hysterectomy — these are all times when women experience huge fluctuations in hormones.
Ages 15-29
Ages 50 and above
Risk factors
The exact cause of depression is unknown, but lots of risk factors can be linked with its development and they are:
1. Chemical imbalance in the brain: low level of amines such as serotonin, dopamine can lead to development of depressive symptoms.
2. Genetics: heredity
3. Environmental factor: such as exposure to violence, abuse, poverty, neglect etc
4. Major life event: sucj as death of a loved one, unemployment/loss of job, imprisonment.
5. Substance use disorders: alcohol and drug addiction. About 30% of substance users suffer from depression.
6. Personality disorders like border line personality. People with this personality are often emotional unstable, with feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, impulsivity and impaired social relationships.
7. Terminal/ Chronic illness like cancer, kidney and heart disease.
8. Medical conditions like hypothyroidism, HIV/AIDS.
Types of depression (based on severity)
Mild : this type of depression has few symptoms, and the symptoms result in only minor functional impairment.
Moderate : symptoms or functional impairment are between ‘mild’ and ‘severe’
Severe : this type has lots of symptoms, and the symptoms markedly interfere with functioning; it can occur with or without psychotic symptoms, and suicidal tendencies.
Forms of depression
1. Persistent depressive disorder : it is a major depression, but symptoms are less severe, but they last up to two years.
2. Post partum depression : symptoms of major depression appears during pregnancy or after delivery.
3. Psychotic depression : a major depression with psychotic symptoms such as delusion and hallucinations.
4. Seasonal affective disorder : symptoms of depression appears during winter, but disappears during summer.
5. Bipolar Affective Disorder : a two pole illness with a period of normalcy. At a time, there may be symptoms of mania(direct opposite of depression), and another time, there are depressive symptoms.
Others forms are:
Disruptive mood dysregulation : this is common in children and adolescents
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder : common in females just before the commencement of their monthly menstrual flow.
Symptoms of depression
Low mood/sadness
Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
Low energy level
Feelings of unworthiness, hopelessness, guilt
Withdrawal to self
Irritable
Anxiety
Poor or excess sleep
Low or increased appetite
Poor concentration
Suicidal ideas/thoughts/attempts. 50-70% of suicide cases have depression
Note: more than three of these symptoms indicates a high probability of a major depression; though further assessment is needed.
Treatment
No matter the severity or form, depression must be treated by the mental health team. Treatment ranges from
1. Psychological treatment: cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT), psychotherapy, psychosocial treatment.
2. Antidepressants: these are drugs used to treat depression.
3. Electroconvulsive therapy: this is an electrical treatment.
If a specific cause is identified, it must be treated, like thyroid problems.
Prevention of depression and other mental health problems
Talk about your feelings with someone you trust and who can help you e.g, your parents, spouse, pastor.
Regular exercise: keeps us active.
Eat a balanced and proper diet in a timely manner.
Rest and sleep: learn to take a break before you break down. 7-8 hours of sleep at night, and 1-2 hours during the day.
Avoid substance ( illicit drugs) use.
Keep in touch with friends and family: call only when necessary, don’t replace visiting and verbal communication with calls and text messages.
Do something you are good at engage in pleasurable activities.
Accept who you are: never compare yourself with others.
Ask for help when the need arise.
Care for others: give support and guidance, and be empathetic.
Get a routine mental health check-up every 6months to 1year.
Stress reduction and management; strengthen resilience and learn more coping skills.
Education on mental health and ill health.
WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE
1.When a person talks regularly about dying or wanting to die.
2. Talking about feeling empty, hopeless or having no reason to live.
3. Planning their death – buying lethal items, stocking pills at home.
4. Having a feeling of guilt or shame
5. Talking about being trapped or having no solution to problems.
6. Talking about being a burden to others.
7. Withdrawing from friends and family.
8. Taking risk that can lead to death – reckless driving etc
9. Talking about death all the time.
10. Giving away important possession.
11. Saying goodbye to friends and family – verbally or writing a suicide note.
12. Putting affairs in order or making a will.
Opinion
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
Iyawe Isoken K.
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Nigerian Judges Perpetuating Illegality By Imposing Fines On Public Interest Litigants –Falana
Prominent human rights lawyer and activist, Femi Falana (SAN), has condemned the imposition of fines by Nigeria’s high court judges on public interest litigants, describing their action as unconstitutional.
Recently, some high court judges have imposed fines ranging from N5 million to N10 million on concerned citizens whose cases were struck out for want of locus standi.
The legal expert said, in a statement issued today that such action cannot be justified under the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.
He, thus, considered it a renewed attack on public interest litigation by the udges.
“Specifically, the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 have enjoined judges to encourage public interest litigation in promoting the human rights of Nigerian people. Ex abundanti cautela, the doctrine of locus standi has been abolished in the area of human rights by Order III of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009,” Falana asserted.
He added that since access to court has been guaranteed by sections 6 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution and article 7 of the African Charter on Hunan and Peoples Rights Act, it is illegal and unconstitutional to impose fines on aggrieved citizens who approach the courts to challenge the illegal official policies or unconstitutional legislations under the current democratic dispensation.
“As far as the law stands,” the senior advocate of Nigeria pointed, “no judge has the power to order a litigant to pay costs outside the ambit of the Rules of the respective high courts. Even in the award of costs litigants and their counsel are given fair hearing by judges. Why then are fines imposed on litigants or lawyers without allowing them to make any representation?”
Continuing, he said: “I wish to state that no judge is empowered by the Constitution, High Court Law or Rules of Court to impose fines of N5 million or N10 million on a litigant who has not been tried and convicted for committing a criminal offence in Nigeria.
We are therefore compelled to draw the attention of our judges to the case of Fawehinmi v Akilu (1997) NWLR (Pt 65) 979 wherein the Supreme Court overruled the case of Abraham Adesanya v The President (1981) ANLR 1. “Since the anachronistic doctrine has been set aside to pave way for public interest litigation our judges should desist from striking out or dismissing cases.
Legal
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>My Nations Cup Story And Super Eagles Chances By Ehi Braimah
Football is like opium, the addictive analgesic, taken by football fans around the world – the evidence abounds in every stadium environment and around television sets screening live matches. Now, you can also watch a tension-soaked match on your tablet or smartphone, as long as it is internet enabled and the appropriate apps are downloaded, many thanks to rapidly growing technologies! Nigerians are very passionate about football and the English Premier League (EPL) and other leagues in Europe have driven this passion to an all-time high. For those who do not know, I’m an Arsenal FC fan – a Gunner for life!
The excitement is usually palpable – chants of ahhs and oohs rent the air arising from additional surge of adrenaline; energetic victory songs and gloomy faces of defeat tell the inevitable stories after 90 mins. Sometimes, a team can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as in the cases of Liverpool versus Barcelona and Ajax versus Tottenham – two nerve wrecking semi-final Champions League matches that produced miraculous comeback victories by Liverpool and Tottenham that set the stage for an all-England clubs final in Madrid, Spain recently. Liverpool won the game 2 – 0 with Mohammed Salah scoring the first goal from the spot in less than two minutes and Divock Origi scoring the second goal three minutes from full time.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to participate at the next Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to hold from June 21 to July 19, 2019 in Egypt, with their group matches holding in Alexandria. Having missed the last two tournaments hosted by Equatorial Guinea in 2015 and Gabon in 2017, what are the chances of the Super Eagles now that the competition has been expanded into a 24-team format? The fighting spirit displayed by Liverpool and Tottenham is what the Super Eagles need to become relevant again in African football. Nigeria has won the Nations Cup three times – in 1980 when we hosted the competition; in 1994 in Tunisia and 2013 in South Africa.
I was right inside the FNB Stadium six years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, when the Super Eagles guided by the late “Skippo” Stephen Okechukwu Keshi – may God Almighty preserve his soul — lifted the Nations Cup trophy as champions of Africa beating Burkina Faso by a lone goal in an epic encounter on February 10, 2013 when the tournament featured 16 countries.
Since 1957, Egypt has dominated African football by winning the Nations Cup a record seven times but the remarkable back to back wins in 2006, 2008 and 2010 stands the Pharaohs out as the Kings of African football. Cameroon and Ghana, on the other hand, have won the Nations Cup four times each and the continental rivalry between these three counties has become legendary.
It is being speculated that Egypt is ‘hosting to win’ again – that’s what they did in 1959, 1986 and 2006. This should be a source of concern to the other teams including Nigeria, merely looking at the historical records. Expectedly, Mohammed Salah, the confident striker and EPL highest goal scorer last season — an honour he shared with team mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — will lead the attack for Egypt.
In trying to assess the chances of the Super Eagles and understand how our national team can overcome the formidable challenge posed by Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana, I called Bode Oguntuyi, a sports reporter of note and long standing colleague, to share his views on the matter. Bode told me the Eagles will not be disgraced at the tournament but they have to work very hard.
Nigeria will play alongside Burundi, Guinea and Madagascar in Group B at the tournament in Alexandria. This is a group Nigeria should win without breaking too much sweat, with the toughest opposition likely to come from Guinea.
Recent statistics suggest that the Eagles should not under rate the Guineans. The two countries were in the same qualifying group for the 2012 Nations Cup, and the Syli Stars prevented the Eagles from taking their place at the main event following a harrowing 2-2 draw in Abuja after the Guineans had won the first leg 1-0 at home.
Then, at the 2016 Africa Nations Championships, Guinea handed the home based Eagles another 1-0 defeat in the last group game to move into the quarter-finals while Nigeria headed home. For the Eagles to remain super and qualify from their group in Alexandria, Coach Gernot Rhor and his players should beware of the Guineans because, apart from Egypt further down the road, the Syli Stars will be out to stop them again.
Going by their current form, Bode expects the Eagles to qualify from their group but where they finish on the table may determine how far they go in the tournament. “If the Eagles take care of business and finish top of the group, they will be handed the relatively easy draw of playing the team that has the best third place finish in any of Groups A, C or D. But if they finish in second place, they will have to square off against the second placed team in Group F which has Ghana and Cameroon,” says Bode.
I’m sure the Eagles would like to avoid a confrontation with Ghana and Cameroon so early in the tournament, a very good hint for Gernot Rhor. The competition gets tougher from that point on, since the chaff of the tournament would have been burnt off and only the teams with a real chance of winning the trophy would be left. By the time we add Guinea and Egypt into the mix, the Eagles and the coaching crew should know from Day One who their tough opponents would be and assess their chances critically.
Michael Porter, the world-renowned professor of strategy, says the strategy is all about winning by gaining competitive advantage. For example, having an influential midfielder or a top striker or a goalkeeper with a safe pair of hands could be a good advantage. Mikel Obi was an influential midfield supremo at the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, and I expect him to lead by example again in Egypt, especially now that he is the team captain.
Realistically, it should be considered a successful tournament for the Eagles should they make it to the semi-finals. After that, any other achievement is a bonus. The reason for this is simple: despite the impressive results of both the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Nations Cup qualifiers during which they won their tickets with a game to spare, the team is still in transition. But because they are the Super Eagles of Nigeria, you underrate them at your peril. In fact, former international and ‘Prince of Monaco’, Victor Ikpeba, believes the Super Eagles will get to the semi-finals. “The team will do well having missed the last two tournaments,” says Ikpeba confidently. “Although we shall miss Victor Moses in the Eagles line-up, Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa will lead the attack and they will be supported by Alex Iwobi and Mikel Obi,” Ikpeba further assures Nigerians.
*Braimah is a public relations and marketing strategist based in Lagos
Opinion
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
Ehi Braimah
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Pilot Loses Licence In Nigeria For Flying With Expired Medical Certificate
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revoked the Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL) of a pilot who flew for six consecutive months with an expired medical certificate.
NCAA said the pilot whose identity and the airline he flew for was not disclosed, flew between November 2018 to May 2019 without a valid medical certificate.
Earlier, the same pilot had for four months, January 2018 to May 2018, flew without a valid medical document before it was renewed on May 11, 2018.
A statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA said: “Specifically, the pilot’s medical certificate commenced validity from 17th July, 2017 and expired on the 16th January, 2018. Another one was processed on 11th May 2018 which expired on the 10th November, 2018.
“However, investigation has revealed that instead of the pilot revalidating his medical certificate he conducted flight operations as the pilot-in-command (PIC) in flagrant disregard of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs).“According to Part 2.11.1.2-(b) A flight crew member or air traffic controller shall not exercise the privileges of his/her licence unless he/she holds a current medical certificate appropriate to the licence.”
Adurogboye added that the agency had determined that pursuant to Part 2.11.1.2(b) of the Nig.CARs, the pilot had lost the privileges of his licence, stressing that he didn’t hold a current medical certificate appropriate to the licence.
The NCAA added that in Part 2.2.9.3 (a) A licence, rating, authorisation or certificate “shall be revoked if the holder has lost the skills for exercising the privileges mentioned in the document or fails to meet appropriate medical standards as shown by the result of a medical examination or a test.
“Therefore, in line with Part 1.3.3.3(a)(1) of the Nig.CARs, the Pilot’s Licence ATPL (A A- Aircraft is hereby revoked with immediate effect, and it ceases to be effective,” it added.
The statement hinted that the pilot had been directed to return the invalidated licence to the authority’s director of licensing (DOL) within seven days of receipt of the letter of sanction, stressing that the letter has since been dispatched accordingly.
Travel
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
target=_blank>Lagos Leads Highly Indebted States With More Than N1 Trillion Debt
The Economic Confidential, in the latest ranking, has ranked Lagos State as number one highly indebted states in Nigeria.
Lagos sits atop the list after incurring a total of N1.043 trillion in 2018. The ranking shows Lagos has N513,514,416,769.20 as external debt and N 530,243,773,934.40 as domestic debt, bringing the total debt by Lagos to N1,043,758,190,703. 60.
According to Economic Confidential researchers on the Annual High Indebted States (AHIS) on External and Domestic Debts as of 2018, “the amount owed by Lagos State represents about twenty (20) percent of the total debts owed by the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which is N5.376 trillion in 2018.”
The Economic Confidential recently published a report detailing each states’ revenue generation profile in comparison to their federal allocations while concluding that many states cannot survive without federation allocations.
States listed as highly indebted are Edo, Kaduna, Cross River and Bauchi.
“Among the front runners in the highly indebted states for the external debt stock include Edo, Kaduna, Cross River and Bauchi with $276.25m (N99.45bn), $227.25m (N81.81bn), $188.77m (N67.95bn), and $133.93m (N48.21bn) respectively.
“Investigations further reveal that among the first five highly indebted states in the local debt stock saw Lagos emerging tops with N530.243 billion, followed by Delta state with N228.805 billion, Rivers with N225.592 billion, Akwa Ibom state with N198.663 billion and Cross River with N167.955 billion.
“Outside Lagos state that is leading the pack, Rivers state is second with N253.772 billion, Delta comes to third position with N251.589 billion, followed by Cross River in the fourth position with N235.914 billion and the fifth position was grabbed by Akwa Ibom with N215.099 billion,” the ranking shows.
The ranking also revealed the five states that made the list of least indebted states in the external debt stock.
Taraba state has a debt of $21.611m (N7.780bn), Borno has a debt of $21.618m(N7.782bn), while Yobe state debt stands at $27.486m(N9.895bn).
“Two states of Plateau and Kogi from North Central Nigeria have external debt stock of $28.874m (N10.394bn) and $31.584m (N11.370bn) respectively.
“Of the 36 states of the federation, five (5) states account for the lowest in both domestic and external debts. They are: Yobe, Jigawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Niger.
“Yobe state has a total of N37.667 billion, Jigawa N46.586 billion, Sokoto with N52.723 billion, while Katsina and Niger states have N53.220 billion and N63.915 billion respectively.”
The external debt profile of Federal Capital Territory for 2018 stands at $31.848 million (N11.465bn) while the domestic debt is N164.245bn bringing a total of its external and domestic debts to N175.710bn.
Economy
Money
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
Aso Rock Cabal Misleading Buhari on Nigerian Maritime University –Ijaw Youth Council
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), the umbrella body of youths in the Niger Delta has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to sign into law the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State Establishment Bill 2018, claiming he is being misled by a cabal in Aso Rock.
“The IYC believes that Mr. President is being misled by the cabal in Aso Rock who do not want the institution to succeed. Therefore, the IYC call on the National Assembly under the leadership of Senate President Saraki and Speaker Dogara to veto the presidential assent and pass the bill into law,” said Eric Omare, the IYC President.
He added, “Nigerians would recall that President Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Maritime University bill is not the first antagonism of a Nigerian president to developmental efforts into the Niger Delta region through legislative intervention.”
In 2000, when the NDDC Act was passed by the National Assembly, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was reported to have refused to sign the bill and the National Assembly under the leadership of Dr. Chuba Okadigbo passed the NDDC Act into law.
According Omare, history is repeating itself and therefore called on the National Assembly to defend the interests of the Niger Delta.
”We wish to remind President Buhari that the institution is part of the special response to the historical deprivation of the Niger Delta region which was conceived by the Obasanjo administration, nurtured under the Yar’Adua/Jonathan era and came to reality in the Jonathan administration with the laying of the sod in 2014 with academic activities kicking off under the Buhari administration in the year 2017,” IYC stated.
Niger Delta
Politics
News
AddThis
:
Original Author
:
SaharaReporters, New York
Disable advertisements
:
You can also check
