on /
in Sports 12:45 am Super Eagles and Liverpool striker Victor Moses is set to end the
goal drought that has hit him since switching tents to the Brendan
Rodgers’ side as he has set a target of 20 goals for himself by the
close of the season.
The on-loan Chelsea player who has failed to
find the back of the net since scoring against Swansea City at the
Liberty Stadium in September is hoping to add to his tally in coming
months.
“I just want to score goals. I wanted to score around 20 goals this season,” the 22-year-old told the club’s website.
“We’ve
still got lots of games to go, so hopefully I can get up to that
target. I think I’ve got the ability to do that so I’m looking forward
to every game.
“I want to keep working hard in training and doing
what I’m good at, which is working hard for the team. When I first came,
I was starting.
“Now, the manager has got a different view and he
wants to mix things around a little bit. I just have to be patient
until my time comes. I’ll kick on from there and help the team,” he
concluded.
Meanwhile some sort of silver-lining might be in store
for Moses’ Super Eagles team-mate and Toronto FC striker, Bright Dike as
reports in Canada have suggested that a communication channel has been
opened as regards the striker joining up with Celtic FC for a training
stint with the Scottish champions.
Dike, who scored for Nigeria in
the Super Eagles 2-2 draw with Italy at Fulham’s Craven Cottage, is
reportedly scheduled to be at Celtic Park to begin training with Celtic
FC
Scottish sports outlet STV Sports also revealed that Dike will
team up with the Bhoys in a bid to keep the striker in shape prior to
the start of the 2014 MLS season in the coming days.
It is however
clear if Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who also has Nigerian
international, Efe Ambrose in his squad, will make a move for the
striker who has stated clearly he wants to be part of Nigeria’s squad to
next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Toronto FC also communicated to
the MLS that there is no deal in place between them and Celtic as
regards the modalities of Dike training with Celtic, and therefore the
26 years old move has to be ratified by the MLS before it can happen,
but however talks have already opened as regards the proposal.
The
former University of Notre Dame standout, has made three appearances
for Nigeria, scoring two goals in the process since his goal scoring
debut in Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Catalonia in a friendly game prior to
the 2013 Africa Cup Of Nations.
on /
in Politics, Special Report 12:46 am
*The President’s letter that infuriated G-7 *Defection, best decision of my life – Kwankwaso
By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North
It was an opportunity and they grabbed it with both hands.
The aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, (G-7)
wanted a reason to dump their party and they were handed one by no other
person than President Goodluck Jonathan himself. And although some
of the seven governors explained that they all knew that Jonathan was
not prepared to meet with them and resolve the issues that gave rise to
the crisis, given his body language and the sustained acts of impunity
arising from the party leadership, they waited for the appropriate time.
LETTER-IN-CHIEF FROM COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
In fact, one of the governors confided in Sunday Vanguard that the
impression they got from the President’s body language suggested a
“great deal that we were being taken for a ride”.
The meeting that
was supposed to have been held on October 7, 2013 but which was
postponed because some members of the G-7 had gone for the Hajj,
appeared to have been permanently kept in abeyance.
Sunday
Vanguard was made to understand that whereas the Hajj had been concluded
and another meeting expected to be scheduled and held, nothing of the
sort was in the horizon.
“It got to a point that we all decided to write a reminder to Mr. President”, one of the governors disclosed.
The content of the letter was simply to “remind Mr. President of the
importance of time and the fact that he needed to meet with us”.
Rather than a quick response to their letter, the governors did not get any from the Villa.
Corroborating this, another governor revealed to Sunday Vanguard that
what they got was a belated response, the content of which was “not only
uncomplimentary, it showed clearly that some people were deceiving
President Jonathan about their sense of self importance”. The response jolted the governors.
“We were surprised to see a belated letter from the Presidency which
should have read something like ‘based on earlier talks’ or ‘based on
earlier exploratory talks with a view to achieving peace for our great
party’, what we got was a letter telling us that ‘in response to our
request for a peace meeting, the President has decided to meet with us. “The impression the tone of the letter conveyed was that we were the ones seeking to make peace with President Jonathan.
Some
of the faces at the merger includes Ogbonaya Onu, nPDP chairman, Kawu
Baraje, Senator Bukola Saraki, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Lagos
Governor, Bola Tinubu, chair of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande,
“Meanwhile,
we staged an open walkout on him at Eagle Square during that sham
described as a national convention; they leaders of the party called a
meeting and we decided to honour our leaders and elders by attending the
meeting; a committee was set up and we also accorded the committee some
level of due regard and respect, only to be slapped with such a letter
that can best be described as impudent.
“From the tone and
contents of the letter from the Villa, it became clear to all of us that
the President was not interested in resolving the contentious issues
and we decided to leave the party for them and go over to the APC”.
Even the last opportunity to avert the defection was bungled last Sunday.
Although
the seven governors had waited for him to meet with them in Abuja, as
scheduled, the President surreptitiously called off the peace parley,
claiming that he was tired after returning from the meeting of the
Honorary International Investors Council, HIIC, in London. Jonathan shot
himself on the foot by calling off the meeting when all the governors
had already settled down in Asokoro waiting for his arrival for the
final push to salvage the party from the brink.
“The President
wanted to give the whole world the erroneous impression that it was the
seven of us, who actually sought for peace, forgetting that he had
intervened before and asked us to sheath our sword and we respected him
and still waited,” the governor explained.
“As far as we are
concerned, we are gone to the APC for good and there is no turning back.
Any of the governors, who wants to still remain in PDP can do so; but
for me, it is over and forever,” the governor said.
THE DRAMA OF DEFECTION
Meanwhile, Aminu Kano House, an imposing edifice on Jose Marty
Crescent, in the high brow Asokoro District of Abuja, is not a
thoroughfare. Vehicles don’t stop and pick passengers around the
building, which is the official residence of the governor of Kano State.
Neighbours of Aminu Kano House – including Lagos House and Ondo House –
are aware of the unwritten rule prohibiting loitering around the area.
But that Tuesday morning, the golden rule was consciously waved for
political expediency. As early as 8am, scores of vehicles had started
piling up opposite the house. As the vehicles screeched to a halt, the
occupants moved towards the governor’s residence. Before long, convoys
bearing political bigwigs from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and
the All Progressive Congress, APC, also breezed in and went straight
into the waiting arms of their host, Dr. Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Kano
State Governor.
Kwankwaso, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers
State, Murtala Nyako, a retired admiral and governor of Adamawa,
GovernorAhmed Abdulfatah of Kwara, Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and
chieftains of the rampaging APC had gathered there for one main reason:
to make a clear statement that they there were fed up with the political
crisis in the ruling party and were ready to move over to the
opposition APC.
And, already waiting eagerly to receive the
decampees into their fold, were APC bigwigs, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi
Akande, Ogbonanya Onu and scores of other chieftains. On the side of the
leadership of the faction of the PDP popularly known as nPDP, were the
chairman, Alhaji Kawu Abubakar Baraje, Dr. Sam Jaja, Olagunsoye
Oyinlola, Senators Bukola Saraki, Adamu Abdullahi and former Bayelsa
governor, Chief Timipre Sylva.
Inside the expansive building, the
defecting governors met for about three hours with their new-found party
and concrete decisions taken before they emerged to address anxious
reporters on the lobby of Aminu Kano House. ”We are merging,”
Baraje, said; and added that “all these are implications of merging!
What we are telling you is that we have merged and we have agreed to
merge”.
But as they sauntered out with broad smiles on their
faces, it was clear also that some dramatic developments that could
jostle the merger arrangement had just taken place to the discomfort of
the parties. Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, and his Kwara
counterpart, who were at the parley, had sneaked out even before the
final decision to merge was taken. While Abdulfatah, a scion of Bukola
Saraki, took permission from his boss to travel, Aliyu, on the other
hand, stormed out of the venue when the decision to merge with APC was
being taken. He, like his Jigawa counterpart, Sule Lamido, does not
appear to favour a hurried defection to the opposition earlier than
January next year. For that disagreement on transition timeline, Lamido
did not even come to the venue of the meeting. Sokoto governor, Aliyu
Wamakko, a staunch believer in the early defection to APC, was out in
Senegal, attending an international development programme but had sent
words to his peers to count on his support. Read more
/
in Business 12:45 am
Chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) and
a cadet pilot, Mr Allen Onyema, speaks on how to make Nigeria’s
airspace safe among other issues.
What is your take on controversies trailing the proposed national carrier giving the Nigeria Airways experience?
What
I think the government should bother itself with is providing the
necessary infrastructure for the private sector to thrive in aviation. I
do not support government running an airline. Airline has several
avenues for leakages. Even private owners find it extremely difficult
controlling corrupt practices within their system.
Government
cannot and will never be able to run this business. The government has a
sincere disposition towards setting up a national carrier but the truth
is that corruption, in the coming years, will destroy the airline. If
the privately owned airlines cannot effectively curb leakages in their
system, government would be worse off.
*Mr Allen Onyema
Our airspace is becoming unsafe once again, as somebody interested in Aviation, what do you make of that?
You
may be right and wrong that our airspace is becoming unsafe because of
the not-too-good stories of the past. About a year ago, Dana Airline
crashed, we had the helicopter crash in Bayelsa and now you have the
Associated Airlines plane crashing, these may prompt anyone to say that
the skies are not safe. However, it may not be totally correct to say
that our space is unsafe.
It’s unfortunate and regrettable that
these things happened. Some of these things could be avoided but that is
not to say that they do not happen in other places. It’s just that when
it happens in other places, the way they react and the things they put
in place to forestall recurrence is not the way it happens over here. As
far as I can say for now, the Nigerian skies are very safe despite the
Dana and Associated plane crashes.
We also had the IRS that was guarded to land in Kaduna and a Cargo airline that made air return…
This
country needs the media to understand aviation very well, that is, the
dynamics of aviation and the dynamics of flying. If we all understand
it, we would be spared a lot of the stories going round. Every country
has air returns on daily basis. Air return is a precautionary measure,
it’s not that there is going to be a disaster.
It is like when you
are driving your car and one of your dashboard lights shows, you should
stop and look at the car, to know what it is. It may be ordinary fuse
which may not actually endanger the car. It could be something serious.
So, when a pilot notices an adverse signal in the air after take-off,
the only way he could stop is to turn back or land at an alternate
airport.
The attitude of Nigerians and the press might endanger
flight safety in this country. The way the media report aviation issues
might endanger flight safety. When a pilot decides to take precautionary
measures of going back to base, what you see in the newspapers the next
morning is ‘ABC plane almost crashed! Danger averted! 98 people escape
death!’
No, you don’t say it this way. In the developed nations
with world class facilities, they do air returns regularly, you can have
more than 20 air returns in a day. But in Nigeria, once it happens, the
Minister must resign is what you hear. Time may come when these
airlines, in order to keep afloat, will beg their pilots to see how they
could manage it to the end and not have an air return. And it could
spell disaster. Read more..
By Yemisi Sulaiman
With the christmas season here, there are
many ways in which you can look amazing at your Christmas party without
putting a hole in your pocket. Looking and feeling great isn’t about
spending all your money. It’s about relaxing, having fun and being
creative with what you have.
Here are some simple, but effective ways you can look good and dazzle your fellow partygoers whilst being on a tight budget.
GO FOR GOLD! simple gold necklace can turn the most boring outfit into something
classic and stunning instead. There’s something about the unique sheen
that emanates from even the most basic of gold pieces. Forget decking
yourself out in head to toe jewellery and go for that one piece, whether
it’s a bracelet, a ring or a necklace.
MAKE A STATEMENT
Having
one statement piece of clothing or jewellery means that everything else
can and should be understated. For example, your reasonably priced
(okay REALLY cheap) LBD and shoes will look amazing when teamed with a
statement necklace, brooch or handbag. So many people make the mistake
of thinking that everything they wear at the Christmas party needs to be
new and expensive, that is not true.
EXPERIMENT WITH MAKE-UP
Like
your clothes, one statement element of your makeup can transform your
look completely, whether its Twiggy style mascara, ruby red lips or that
iconic smoky eye. If you go for the makeup “statement”, everything else
can and definitely should be minimal.
Think glistening ruby red
lips with just a small slick of eyeliner on your top lids or smoky eyes
with a small amount of nude lipstick. But don’t go overboard on the
blusher! Why not experiment with your look using the ultimate makeover
tool?
TRANSFORM YOUR HAIR
Having great hair doesn’t always
mean spending so much at the hairdressers. if you one that wears your
natural hair, all you need is some hairspray, some hair clips and a good
hairdryer, to transform your hair to a pretty updo.
If you are
often in weaves you should try the long or short braids for new you.
And the good news is which ever braids you choose is pocket friendly.
So this party season, have fun, get creative and dress to impress.
From all indications, Bayelsa State is fast becoming the
entertainment capital of the country. The state once again successfully
hosted the first edition of the Caribbean African American Nations
(CAAN) Music Awards 2013, at the Cultural Centre, Yenagoa. As expected,
there was no dull moment at the world class event which was beamed
live to the world last weekend. Read More →
Author(s): Arit Akpan November 30, 2013 The
National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), on
Saturday, urged the federal government to include private schools in its
annual budget for education. President
of the association, Pius Okoh, said the inclusion of private schools in
the country’s annual budget would maximise the contributions of the
schools toward the country’s development. Mr Okoh added that the gesture would be in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda. “The
demography of private schools is not taken into consideration to know
what their challenges are, but often times, preference is given to
public schools to the detriment of private schools,” he said. “The worst
is that even the international donor agencies equally focus attention
only on challenges of public schools without taking private schools into
consideration. Parents
and guardians of pupils and students of private schools are also tax
payers in the country. Their children also deserve a share of the
country’s appropriation for education.’’ He
noted that the role of private schools in the country should not be
undermined as such schools had distinguished themselves in sharpening
the intellect of Nigerian children.
By Taye Obateru
As the nation hopes for a quick resolution of
the five-month old strike by the academic staff of universities,
students, parents, business people and other Nigerians in Jos speak on
how the strike has affected them.
Like a joke, the strike by
members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is going into
the sixth month. When it started on July 1, 2013, many had expected it
to last only a few weeks. Many students were initially reluctant to
leave school for home expecting the strike to be suspended ‘soon’. Their
expectation has been dashed and the strike has dragged from weeks to
months clocking almost half a year.
The negotiations between the
Federal Government and ASUU since the strike started is yet to result in
any positive development. Although hope rose following a meeting of the
ASUU leadership with a government team led by President Goodluck
Jonathan, which was said to have lasted about 14 hours, certain
developments seem to have compounded the situation resulting in further
frustration for students, their parents and other Nigerians.
File: LASU Students
The
major development was the death of former ASUU President, Professor
Festus Iyayi, in an automobile accident on his way to the meeting of the
National Executive Committee meeting of the union in Kano to deliberate
on the referendum by members based on the meeting with President
Jonathan. His sudden death forced ASUU to suspend the meeting for which
the nation had waited expecting an end to the strike.
While some
claimed the meeting was suspended indefinitely, the social media was
awash with speculations, mostly unfounded, that ASUU would not meet
until January. The rumor aggravated the distress of all those concerned
who want an end to the strike. Contrary to the speculations, however,
the meeting eventually held penultimate week but the outcome was equally
disappointing to many as, rather than an announcement of an end to the
strike, ASUU came up with some conditions that must be met for the
strike to be called off. Many Nigerians have continued to appeal to ASUU
to call its members back to work because of the immediate effect of the
strike on students, their parents and others, as well as the long term
damage it would do to the education sector and the society at large.
Many
cite the danger of leaving vibrant youths idle for a long time which
could lead them into unhealthy behavior. Some even claim that many
students have taken to crime, prostitution and other vices as Satan
finds work for their idle hands. Students have themselves expressed
their frustration at different fora for losing valuable time they should
be using for studies and moving towards their goals in life to a
prolonged strike.
Ukah Emele, a 400 level student of the
University of Jos, expressed his feelings thus: “The strike has affected
me nearly in every aspect. I practically feel like five months have
been deleted out of my life already. I mean, I would have been a
graduate today and possibly serving my fatherland. In as much as I have
been able to do a few things, I would have done a lot more if I had
graduated as scheduled. I am losing flair for academics, no thanks to
the FG/ASSU situation.”
Another student, Philip Ekigwe, said the
strike has devastated him emotionally putting a cog in the wheel of his
dreams. “I’ll say the prolonged ASUU strike has affected me negatively.
It is so because not only has the strike devasted me emotionally, it has
also forcefully put me behind my schedule of progress. It has shortened
my elaborate plans for the future to a mere dream that breaks with the
break of dawn. You can imagine a four-year degree programme which I had
hoped to complete in 2012 now dragging to God knows when”, Ekigwe said.
“With
the strike all my plans are shattered and yet I cannot plan further. It
has made me less enthusiastic about reading and education. In session,
schooling makes the mind active and searching. But the strike has made
me lazy and dull. I can’t remember the number of times I had need of my
books since the strike commenced”.
In the absence of much to do
and the lack of interest in studying occasioned by the lack of an idea
of when the strike would end, students spoken to said they have been
finding ways of keeping busy to engage their minds. For Emmanuel Kalu,
who is lucky to be skilled in computer programming, he has been working
“to keep my mind busy.” He, however, expressed concern that the
situation was not pleasant as students who opt to work often have to
settle for menial jobs because they are unqualified for professional
jobs. He agreed that the situation could lead to increase in crime and
prostitution.
Emele was also worried about the possible backlash
of the strike, noting, “we have seen crime rates soaring since this
industrial action started. Take a look at the social media, it is all
about the book of lamentations, report of all sorts of wrong activities
occasioned by idleness – rape, armed robbery, unwanted pregnancies,
prostitution and possibly suicides.”
The students are not alone in
the lament as parents are equally grief-stricken seeing their children
idling away for months. Those interviewed said they have had to incur
additional expenses feeding and taking care of their children and wards
much more than when schools were in session. According to Ambrose Amali,
whose three undergraduate students are affected by the strike, “the
children seem to consume more because of idleness. Initially I was harsh
on them blaming them for being wasteful as their constant report of
this or that has finished was upsetting my budget, but I now try to
understand their frustration.” see more..
By Kingsley Omonobi-Abuja, Simon Ebegbulem And Onozure Dania The Chief
of Army Staff Lt General Azubike Ihejirika, has advised Nigerians not
to panic over speculation of the spread of terrorists into other regions
of the country, assuring that security moves were in top gear to
monitor terrorists movements just as the Director of Army Public
Relations, Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru also alerted Nigerians
that Boko Haram terrorists have come out with new tactics to circumvent
security measures put in place towards curtailing their activities in
the North East.
The new methods according to General Attahiru include resorting to
attacks on soft targets and erecting snap road blocks on major highways
in the north east.
He however stressed that the Army has been responding swiftly through effective combat patrols both on air and land.
15.
Goc 1 Div., Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab (l), with the Chief of Army Staff,
Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, at the First Commanding Officers’ Workshop
on Enhancing Military Professionalism in Kaduna on Tuesday
General
Attahiru said: “While the onslaught on the violence extremist
organisation continues, the insurgents have devised methods to
circumvent the new security measures by resorting to attacks on soft
targets and erecting snap road blocks on major highways in the north
east” he said.
”Equally, our troops have responded appropriately
through effective combat patrols both on land and air in order to
dominate the area of operations,” he stated.
Describing the United
States’ designation of Boko Haram and Ansaru as Foreign Terrorist
Organisations (FTO) as a step in the right direction, he noted that the
Nigerian Army has continued to carry out “full spectrum
counter-insurgency operations, with emphasis on both kinetic and
non-kinetic operations to shape the operational environment in the north
east”.
”Currently, 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in conjunction
with the Nigerian Air force had carried out simultaneous offensive
operations. Based on these operations, insurgents were successfully
cleared from some camps in SambisaForest, BitaVillage in Damboa Local
Government as well as Gujba in neighbouring YobeState. Many insurgents
were killed and large cache of arms and ammunition were also recovered,”
the Army spokesman said.
In the same vein, the General Officer
Commanding, GOC, 2 Division Garrison, Major General Ahmed Jubrin
expressed the readiness of the Nigerian Army to combat terrorism and
other security challenges in the country.
Addressing the soldiers,
General Jubrin who was represented by the Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin,
Brig.-Gen. Patrick Akem, said at the end of the 2 Brigade “Inter Brigade
Combat Proficiency Competition,” which ended in Benin City, yesterday,
said that the exercise was geared towards combat readiness, as much as
confidence building for men of the Nigerian Army.
According to
him, “all these are geared ensuring that the desire of the Chief of Army
Staff to build capacity in a manner that will position us to tackle the
challenges we are facing currently. We have done this not only to
create awareness but to give confidence to the nation that indeed we are
training and we are able to tackle the challenges that we are facing.
Chief of Army Staff in Lagos
Speaking
in Lagos while commissioning the remodeled headquarters of the Nigerian
Army Engineers Complex, at Bonny cantonment , Victoria Island,
Ihejirika noted that attempt by some insurgents to read more...
COBHAM - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho revealed on Friday he will
not bring in a new striker when the transfer window opens in January.
Mourinho
has just three experienced front men to call upon in Fernando Torres,
Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o as Belgium international Romelu Lukaku was
allowed to go out on loan to top-flight rivals Everton in August.
Torres
has only just regained fitness after a spell on the sidelines however
and Eto’o will miss Sunday’s Premier League home game with Southampton
because of an injury suffered during Tuesday’s Champions League defeat
in Basel.
Ba, for his part, rarely starts so Chelsea appear to be
at a disadvantage compared with title rivals Manchester City and
Manchester United, who have greater strength in depth up front.
It
was suggested Mourinho had been busy lining up deals for some extra
firepower, with AC Milan’s Mario Balotelli and Jackson Martinez of Porto
two names linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Reports claimed talks were at an advanced stage on a £30 million ($49 million, 36 million euros) deal for Martinez.
However,
Mourinho insisted Friday: “It’s not true what I read a couple of days
ago, that the agent was in London meeting with me or with Chelsea
directors. It’s not true at all.
“In the January market we’re not
going to buy any striker, so we will go through to the end of the season
with Fernando, Samuel and Demba. Nobody goes in. Nobody goes out,” the
Portuguese added.
Mourinho said he expected Eto’o, the Cameroon
international, to be absent for around two weeks. “The information I
have is that he has a grade one muscular injury, which we think is two
weeks,” he said.
“I’m throwing into the air a number, but when I say two weeks it will not be a month.”
Chelsea
had also been linked with a move for Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao as a
replacement for Ashley Cole but Mourinho scotched that suggestion.
“I
don’t want Portuguese players,” he explained. “I always had them but,
at this moment, it’s enough. I don’t have them now. Hilario is the only
remaining one. But we don’t need.”
Also not needed is Lukaku,
despite the player’s occasional statements to the media that he is
hoping Mourinho is watching his spell on Merseyside carefully with the
aim of a Chelsea recall.
However, this appears to have irked the
‘Special One’, who challenged the Belgian to come clean on exactly why
he left on transfer deadline day.
And Mourinho himself was remaining enigmatic on the issue on Friday.
“Romelu
is a young boy who likes to speak,” he said. “But the only thing he
didn’t say is why he went to Everton on loan. And my last contact with
him was to tell him exactly that: ‘Why do you never say why you are not
here?’ So it’s something he should say, the reason why he’s not with
Chelsea and is in Everton.”
Cole, who has been struggling with a
hip problem, could return for the Southampton game, or the two Premier
League fixtures that follow in quick succession.
“Now it’s time
for the squad,” Mourinho said. “We now play Southampton, Sunderland and
Stoke – SSS – so the SSS week everybody will have a chance, and Ash will
play for sure and will have the chance to show that he’s fine.
“His
attitude is phenomenal, as always — the same today as when he trained
with me the first time,” added Mourinho, now in his second spell in
charge of Chelsea.
“He went through a difficult period, yes, and Cesar Azpilicueta is playing fantastically. That’s the only point.”
By Vincent Ujumadu, Tony Edike and Enyim Enyim The All
Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Willie Obiano, has been
declared winner of the governorship election in Anambra State. The returning officer, Prof James Epoke said Obiano satisfied all the requirements of the law “and is hereby declared winner. ” The result showed APGA polled 180,178 votes, PDP polled 97,700 votes; APC got 95,963 votes,
Obiano
while LP had 37495 votes.Before
yesterday’s supplementary election conducted in 210 polling units in 16
local councils across the state where the exercise was cancelled during
the November 16 exercise, Obiano was already coasting home to victory,
having scored the highest number of votes and securing 25 per cent in 18
of the 21 local government areas of the state. The 16 local
government areas where INEC conducted the supplementary election
are Aguata, Awka North, Awka South, Anambra East, Anambra West,
Ayamelum, Anaocha, Ekwusigo, Idemili North and Idemili South. Others
are Ihiala, Nnewi South, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Orumba North and
Oyi. Residents flout restriction order
ADHOC
Staff wait for voters during the Governorship supplimentary election at
Chukwura Primary School II, Abatete in Idemili North LCA
Though
there was restriction of movement in the affected areas, some people
were still doing their normal businesses and traffic was light on the
roads in all the areas. Soldiers were stationed along all
the roads leading to Idemili North local government area and Onitsha
South local government area, which had the highest number of polling
units of 160 and 17 respectively where the supplementary election took
place. APC, LP agents take part Though the All Progressive
Congress, APC, the Labour Party, LP, and the campaign organization of
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Comrade Tony Nwoye, said
they would not participate in the exercise, their agents were seen in
many polling units. However, while APGA and PDP agents wore tags, those
who claimed to be APC agents did not wear their tags. At Abatete in
Idemili north, agents of the PDP and LP were at the polling units. Voters’ apathy In
all the polling units where the supplementary polls took place
yesterday, there was very low turnout of voters and heavy presence of
security operatives. In most polling units visited by Sunday
Vanguard, electoral officials and sensitive electoral materials arrived
early. But, despite the early arrival of these materials, the number of
eligible voters, who came out for the accreditation exercise, was very
low compared to the turn-out during the November 16 and 17 elections. Early results At
Zik Avenue, Onitsha polling units 8, 9 and 10, APGA scored 18 votes,
APC – 8, while PDP polled 6. At polling unit 006, APC scored 9, APGA got
26, while PDP scored 2. REC commends Anambra voters, says there’s no boycott Despite
the low turn out, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers,
Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, who supervised the election in Onitsha South and
Onitsha North council areas, commended the people of Anambra for coming
out to vote yesterday’s supplementary governorship election. Ikoiwak spoke at Okija Hall where voting took place in four polling units. APC out to cause mischief – PDP chairman Meanwhile,
the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State,
Prince Ken Emeakayi, has accused the APC of causing mischief and
deceiving Nigerians. Emeakayi spoke with journalists at Akpkogwe polling booth Ogidi ward 1 where he had gone to observe the supplementary election. He said that despite APC’s call on voters to boycott the election, the party has agents in all the polling units. INEC ignores Ubah’s case Meanwhile,
the supplementary poll held, yesterday, in apparent disregard of a case
by the LP candidate in the November 16 election, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah,
seeking to stop it. A letter by Ubah’s lawyers, Olagoke Fakunle,
SAN, and Co, to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, dated November 29,
2013, notified INEC about the case. “You would have noticed that
amongst the processes is a Motion on Notice for interlocutory in juntion
restraining you from conducting any further election in Anambra State,
with regard to the office of the Governor of the State, until the court
has had an opportunity to review the legality of your pre-election
processes towards that election”, the letter said. “It was for the
reason of the urgency and importance of this action that the Federal
High Court, on 28th November 2013, made an order to abridge the time
within which you and other Defendants may file your responses to both
the application for injunction and the originating summons. The court
also granted accelerated hearing of the matter by adjourning the hearing
to 9th December, 2013. “We therefore hereby demand that you
postpone the proposed supplementary election for the Governor of Anambra
state to avoid a situation whereby you would have foisted a fait
accompli on the court and the court in response will therefore be
constrained to void everything you have done including the outcome of
the proposed supplementary election, with attendant waste of national
resources. “The appropriate thing for you to do at this stage,
therefore, is to enter appearance and file your responses to the
processes you have been served with and await the court’s determination
of the illegality or otherwise of the pre-election process leading to
your decision to hold a supplementary election for the Governor of
Anambra State, before you continue with any further plans for the
conduct of any election of the Governor of Anambra State.”
The new national identity card can be used as Automated Teller
Machine (ATM) card anywhere there is MasterCard logo in the world,
the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said. NIMC’s Director of Technical Services, Emmanuel Ogungbe, said
on Thursday in Abuja that the commission had already signed an
agreement with MasterCard. “As opposed to just being an ID card, the card is also a cash
card,” he said. “What that means is you can also use it the way you
currently use your ATM card. So if you put money on the card, you can
withdraw his money anywhere in the world that MasterCard right now
is accepted. Two, it’s also a travel card. What that means is that very
soon, especially within the West African sub-region, you can
travel passport-free as long as you have this card with you. So this
card has multi-purpose use and that is why we are calling it
a general-multi-purpose card, it’s not just an ID card. According to him, all that a holder of the card needs to do is
to present it at the point of entry of any country where it will
be swiped. He said the information about the person, similar to the ones on passport, would come out and the country would allow entry. Mr Ogungbe said that the new card was error-proof and would enhance the security of the country. “We have a system called automated biometrics identification system
in our data centre that checks information of newly registered
people coming into the database against what we already have in
the database,” he said. “If there is a hit, that means that person
was registered before and of course this means we will deny
new registration. So, there is no way of beating that system for now; I’m very
confident of that. That will ensure that you can only register once.
What the bad elements do is to hide in a way that you won’t be able to
capture them. But we are saying with this (ID) we know who they are and
we will be able to very easily locate them.” According to him, if there is a crime and the police are able to
lift finger prints from the crime scene and send to NIMC, the
commission will be able to give the full details of the criminals. He also said that the card would reduce incidences of bank frauds as fraudsters would be easily detected and apprehended. “Talk about even fraud in the banks, where someone will obtain a
loan in a particular bank, move on to the next bank without servicing
the previous loan to obtain another loan; that will become a thing of
the past,” he said. “Because once the bank takes your
national identification number, it can see all your various
transactions, all various businesses that you have with all the other
banks.” He said that government had asked the commission to register
every single Nigerian and legal resident, but warned aliens against
any attempt to use the card to commit crimes.
Author(s): Ayo Samuel November 30, 2013 CAF Confederations Cup campaigners Bayelsa United will carry
out the necessary upgrade on their stadium ahead of the planned visit by
officials of the Confederation of African football (CAF), who will be
in town soon for facilities inspection. Revealing
the planned move to Telegraph, the Bayelsa Football Association
chairman, Gospel Ewa, said that apart little work that needed to be done
on the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenegoa, the state was ready for the
African challenge ahead of them in the coming season. Bayelsa United, who were described by many as the surprise package of
2012/13 League season having challenged for the title till the last day
of action, will be flying Nigeria’s flag in the CAF Confederations Cup
thanks to a third-place finish on the log behind Kano Pillars and
Enyimba in the final League standings. Meanwhile, the Bayelsa FA boss also hinted that his fast developing
state would in no distant future make known her intention to host the
Annual General Assembly of the NFF. Ewa said the impressive display by the last hosts, Delta State
amongst other things had again reignited his desire to bring the
country’s football bigwigs to Bayelsa. “By God’s grace, before my tenure ends as FA chairman, I hope to bring the NFF AGA to Bayelsa,” Ewa concluded.
Author(s): Nnamdi Ogwazu November 30, 2013 The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the Enugu State
University of Science and Technology (ESUT), have said they will resume
academic activities on Monday, December 2. They made the announcement in separate statements issued in Nsukka and Enugu on Saturday. The Registrar of the UNN, Mr. Anthony Okonta, in the statement,
stressed that “normal academic activities would resume immediately.” The statement directed students, who had outstanding examinations for
the 2012/2013 session to report to their respective faculties and
departments on the Nsukka and Enugu campuses. The ESUT Registrar, Mr. Chris Igbokwe, also advised students and
academic and non- academic staff to report to the institution on
December 2. According to the statement, students were advised to return to their
Agbani and Enugu campuses as the second semester examination would
commence on Monday, December 9. The Federal Government had on Thursday, directed all federal universities to resume work on or before December 4. The statement, issued by the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr.
Nyesom Wike, directed the striking members of ASUU, to resume work on or
before December 4 or consider themselves sacked.
Author(s): Jewel Stephen
December 1, 2013
The Lagos State Government, on Saturday, said it would demolish
structures built under electric transmission cables across the state.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, said this
while monitoring the monthly sanitation in Ayobo/Ipaja area of the
state.
He said building under high tension installations was fraught with
grave danger, adding that it also constituted environmental nuisance.
Bello said government could not afford to watch residents endanger
their lives, adding that officials would soon remove the illegal
structures.
“In fact, I have instructed the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development to deal with that.
“Ordinarily, how can people erect structures under high tension cable?
“We have said time and time again that people shouldn’t build under
the high tension cables and poles because it is dangerous, but they
won’t listen.
“And some of these people still ask us for amenities like drainages
and so on. Who will ever do that? We are sorry we cannot do drainage for
people under high tension,” Bello said.
The commissioner warned residents against building on flood plains, saying the practice threatened lives and the environment.
He advised residents against dumping refuse in drains and canals as doing so could cause flooding.
The commissioner said the government was building new drains and
expanding the capacities of existing canals to prevent flooding.
He appealed to residents to co-operate with government in improving the environment by abiding with environmental laws.
Chairman of Ayobo/Ipaja Local Council Development Authority, Mr. Shakiru Yusuf, said flooding was a major problem in the area.
According to him, most of the residents were confined to their homes
most times during rainy seasons as the area was always flooded.
“We, therefore, appeal to the state government to come up with urgent intervention to end this perennial problem,” he said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Mr. Ganiyu Johnson,
said the government was committed to the transformation of Ipaja/Ayobo
and the rest of Alimosho.
He said the ongoing rehabilitation of Ipaja/Ayobo road and execution of other projects demonstrated that commitment.
Johnson appealed for patience on the road, saying the council was doing everything possible to ensure its early completion.
This can best be described as the most shocking remark ever made
by a State Governor to a poor woman. The heart of a man who can say such
things, especially in front of a huge crowd and cameras is desperately
wicked.
This video shows Governor Adams Oshiomhole ostensibly leading
officials of the state to sanitize the city of Benin, the Edo State
capital. In the course of his tour of duty, he came across a widow
roadside hawker.
The poor widow knelt before the imperial governor, a former labour leader, begging for her little means of livelihood to be saved. She pleaded that she’s a widow.
But her pleas fell on the governor’s deaf ear. In what could be
regarded as the most unkind cut of all, the governor said the widowed
woman should “go and die”!
Afterwards he stood for some seconds looking indifferently on how the
officials took the women’s belongings away, and he left the scene of
the drama.
The leader of Niger Delta people’s Volunteers Force, NDPVF,
Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, Friday, debunked reports that he was flown
into Abuja aboard presidential jet shortly after his release by the
Beninoise gendarmes, saying he was still in Cotonou, the capital of
Benin Republic. Alhaji Asari-Dokubo who described the reports as
tissues of lies said he will flying into the country aboard commercial
flight any moment from now.
The
arrogance of Shekau and his group is unislamic. Which President if not
Goodluck, will accept somebody to tell him to become a Muslim or resign?
Asari-Dokubo
who spoke through the South East/North Central Coordinator of Niger
Delta People’s Volunteers Force, Mr. Emmanuel Amakiri in Abuja, accused
enemies of the present administration for his current travail and
incarceration by Beninoise gendarmes.
He said that there was no
iota of truth in the insinuation that President Jonathan deployed a jet
to ferry him to Abuja a few hours after his release.
According to
him, “we want to correct erroneous impression making round in some
quarters concerning the unfortunate incident in Benin republic in the
arrest of the leader of NDPVF and our mentor, Alhaji Mujahid
Asari-Dokubo.
“After all efforts by his followers and the Nigerian
people we were able to secure his release. There was a rumour that
presidential jet was deployed to BeninRepublic to fly him to Abuja.
“As
I speak with you, Asari-Dokubo is still BeninRepublic, and possibly to
come back to Nigeria by today or tomorrow aboard commercial flight.
“So,
we are here to debunk emphatically that no presidential jet ever
brought Asari-Dokubo to Abuja. He will come with Arik aircraft and all
of us, his followers, friends and admirers will be at the airport in the
public glare to receive him,” he said.
We analyse the change in media discourse following a breakthrough in nuclear proliferation talks.
For the past decade, reporting on the nuclear negotiations with Iran
has been a broken record of communication breakdowns, stumbling blocks
and discord. But this month, following a breakthrough in Geneva, the
tune has changed.
Some media outlets, especially the reform-minded newspapers in Iran,
have sounded a triumphant note and criticisms from conservative outlets
in Iran, the US and Israel have seemed off-key.
All the while, Iran’s new leadership has been projecting harmony
through the same social media that previous administrations have treated
with suspicion.
Discussing the new nuclear narrative on Iran, we speak to Hassan
Beheshtipour, a Tehran-based journalist; Scott Peterson, Middle East
correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor; Jasmin Ramsey, co-editor of Lobe Log; and Ali Vaez, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.
In our News Bytes this week: South African newspapers defy
the ruling ANC party and publish photographs of the president’s private
residence; the editor of one of India’s top investigative magazines,Tehelka, faces accusations of sexual assault; and a New York court has awarded a Haitian photographer $1.2m in a copyright case after Agence France Presse used his pictures without permission.
Also on this week's show, we talk to Jeremy Scahill, who first made
his name in 2007 uncovering the story behind US military contractors,
Blackwater. Since then he has turned his attention to the Obama
administration’s covert wars in countries like Yemen, Pakistan and
Somalia. Those investigations became his latest book: Dirty Wars and
the documentary movie of the same name tells, not only this story but
also the personal tale of a determined reporter pushing past government
denials.
Scahill visited our London studios to discuss the movie, his
journalism and the independent media outlet supported by eBay
billionaire, Pierre Omidyar.
Finally, online comments sections can feel like the Wild West of the
Internet and if what is at stake is fan frenzy over global pop stars
like One Direction and Justin Bieber, things can get nasty. The YouTube comedy network, Dead Parrot,
took one such exchange between two teenage uber-fans and recreated it
as a sinister war of words between two ageing British thespians. With
nearly two million hits, YouTube Comment Reconstruction #1 is our Web
President Jonathan has weekend,
said his government did not give the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, an ultimatum to resume work or be sacked.
Fielding
questions from newsmen, at the expanded caucus meeting of the Bayelsa
State Peoples Democratic Party held at Government House, Yenagoa, the
President said, the Supervising Minister of Education only passed on the
decision of Committee of Vice Chancellors.
“We didn’t give them
ultimatum; it was the Committee of Vice Chancellors that took that
decision. The Supervising Minister of Education only passed on the
decision.”
Jonathan also said the strike embarked upon by the ASUU was no longer a trade dispute , but a subversive action.
Jonathan
He
said, “What ASUU is doing is no longer trade union. I have intervened
in other labour issues before now, once I invite them they respond and
after the meeting they take decision and call off the strike.
“At
times we don’t even give them a long notice unlike, in the case of ASUU
that was given four days notice before the meeting. As you are meeting
to resolve trade disputes, you expect the trade unions to get their
officials ready.
“What was expected having met with the highest
authorities in the land for long hours, was for ASUU to immediately
issue statement within 12 or latest 24 hours to state their position
whether they were accepting government’s offer or not. And if they are
not accepting they state the reason for that.
“But despite the
fact that I had the longest meeting with ASUU in my political history,
we did not start that meeting until around 2:00 pm and the meeting ended
the next day in the early hours. As far as the government of Nigeria
was concerned, all the critical people that should be in a meeting were
there, so what else do they want?
“After that they didn’t meet
until one week, despite the fact that you met with the highest
authority. It was unfortunate one of them, Prof. Iyayi died.
“The
way ASUU has conducted the matter shows they are extreme and when Iyayi
died, they now said the strike was now indefinite, our children have
been at home for over five months.
Leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
yesterday moved from Abuja to their respective campuses expecting
crackdown, as the Federal Government has issued several threats.
President Goodluck Jonathan might no longer be directly involved in
negotiation with the lecturers: he is angry for the ASUU leaders’
contempt for the office of the President, their decision to issue new
conditions and theim being allegedly backed by some external forces.
After spending almost a week in Abuja in hopes of resuming talks, the
ASUU leaders were eventually left with no other option but to go back
to their campuses.
A top leader of ASUU said on conditions of anonymity: “Our leaders
have returned to their campuses. They were disappointed with the Area
Boy or Agbero method adopted by the Minister.
“The military style of the Minister of State for Education will only compound the situation.
“So, we are back to our trenches as it was the situation during the
military era. We are ready for the worst now. If the situation becomes
uncontrollable, we will also go underground and resort to guerilla
tactics.”
Meanwhile, a source within the Federal Government said: “We hope that
they will not overreach their bounds, because what they have done in
the last four months amounted to economic sabotage.
“If they continue to take the law into their hands by paralysing
activities in the universities, we may try them for economic sabotage.
This is also the extreme end the government may go too.
“Let them study the enabling laws to see what they have been
violating. We are not yet disposed to wielding the big stick, but if the
government is pushed to the wall, it will invoke relevant laws to
manage the situation. We are waiting for what they will do.”
A different source added: “”ll the security agencies have been
directed to protect lives and property on all the campuses nationwide,
especially in the universities that have reopened.
“Union leaders are also under watch to prevent recourse to self-help, which may lead to wanton destruction of property.
“The government will not tolerate any intimidation or harassment, and
any violent union leader risks being arrested. But those who restrict
themselves to the confines of the law have nothing to fear.”
On Jonathan’s position, a government source said: “We are trying to
insulate the Office of the President from further negotiation with ASUU
if at all the union will allow such or there will be room for such.
“We think relevant ministers and the Committee of
Pro-Chancellors/Vice-Chancellors should be able to handle the rest of
the talks/negotiation.”
According to investigation, the December 4, 2013 ultimatum given by
the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, followed the
directive of the Presidency.
The government source added: “The President is angry because he
over-indulged ASUU leaders. It is only in Nigeria you see the President
sitting for 13 hours with union leaders on any issue and at the end of
the day, there will be no courtesy from the union.
“While the President was expecting feedback from ASUU leaders within 72 hours, they kept him in suspense for two weeks or more.
“And instead of feedback on where the talks stopped, ASUU leaders
came up with fresh conditions when even during the negotiation, they
admitted that some of the clauses in 2009 agreement cannot be
implemented.
“The President is human. He now has every cause to believe that the
strike action seems to have the backing of external forces seeking to
bring his administration down. That was why he decided to come down hard
on ASUU, too.”
This is the first pic of Jude Okoye with his brothers Peter and Paul
Okoye since his absence at Peter's wedding to Lola two weeks ago. Peter
has since said reports that his family does not support his marriage to
Lola Omotayo is ridiculous.
He told Encomuim magazine;
"I saw some of those reports and was full of laughter. Everybody is
just laughing because the reports are like comedy to us. Honestly, there
is no iota of truth in the rumour. But it’s one of the prices you pay
as a celebrity, so I remain focused.
Europa League victory for Tottenham relieves pressure on coach ahead of Man Utd game while Lyon reach last-16.
Tottenham Hotspur won 2-0 against Tromso in the bitter chill of
Norway on Thursday to seal first place in Europa League Group K and ease
a little of the pressure on manager Andre Villas-Boas.
Reports
in England in recent days suggest that the Portuguese is hanging on to
his job after last Sunday's 6-0 hammering by Manchester City in the
English Premier League, and another substandard performance on the trip
north of the Arctic Circle would have done him few favours, even if
Spurs were already through to the last 32 before this game.
Michael
Dawson and Roberto Soldado were the only two players to keep their
place in the team from the Manchester City debacle, and the much-changed
Spurs side had to wait until the second half before finally breaking
down a team who were recently relegated to the Norwegian second tier.
The
opener on the artificial pitch at the Alfheim Stadion did not come
until the 63rd minute, when Adnan Causevic turned the ball into his own
net under pressure from Vlad Chiriches, and the London club doubled
their advantage when Gylfi Sigurdsson set up Mousa Dembele to fire home
from 12 yards with 14 minutes remaining.
Dembele struck the post
soon after but the 2-0 scoreline was enough to maintain Tottenham's
perfect record in Group K and boost confidence ahead of Sunday's Premier
League clash with Manchester United.
"It was important for us to
get back to winning ways. We said that before the game when we were
back in London," said Villas-Boas.
"We knew about the conditions
and the artificial pitch and the players did well to get a result which
puts us back on our toes, ready for Man Utd." Swansea lose
Meanwhile, Swansea City were
unable to get the point that would have clinched their qualification
from Group A as they lost 1-0 at home to already-qualified Valencia,
Dani Parejo scoring the only goal of the game in the first half.
However,
Swansea were left to rue an erroneous decision by the officials to
disallow an Alvaro Vazquez effort before the break that would have
brought the Welsh side back level.
"I've seen the disallowed goal
and it was at least one yard onside so that was a pity," Swansea
manager Michael Laudrup told ITV after the game.
"With a little
more we could have got that point, at least, that would have got us
through. Now we have to maybe get that point in the last game in
Switzerland (against St Gallen)," added Laudrup, who lost Wilfried Bony
to a hamstring injury which could rule the striker our for several
weeks.
Kuban Krasnodar beat St Gallen 4-0 earlier in the day,
with the Paraguayan Lorenzo Melgarejo scoring twice, and the Russians
could yet overhaul Swansea on the final day.
There was agony for
England's other representative Wigan Athletic, who saw their chances of
qualification taken out of their hands in a late 2-1 home loss to
Belgium's Zulte Waregem in Group D. see more
Negotiations with Taliban tops agenda of meeting between Nawaz Sharif and President Karzai.
Pakistan's prime minister is in Afghanistan to discuss efforts to
start peace negotiations with Taliban leaders, who have so far refused
to have direct contact with the Afghan government.
Nawaz Sharif arrived on Saturday on his first visit to Kabul since
being elected in May. He was expected to hold talks with Afghan
President Hamid Karzai.
Many Taliban leaders are thought to be based in Pakistan, and Karzai has sought Pakistan's help to get them to talk.
Pakistan said it recently released former Taliban number two Mullah
Baradar, who Afghanistan believes to be a key figure to bringing the
group to the negotiating table.
"Sharif is also likely to meet with the High Peace Council here," Al
Jazeera's Jane Ferguson reported from Kabul on Saturday, referring to
the body of elders who have been gathered together since 2010 to try to
push forward peace talks with the Taliban.
"Those peace talks have been fraught with difficulty ... they have stopped and started over the years.
"What's likely to be negotiated today is three-way talks between
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Baradar, if he wants to take part in this."
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained.
Afghanistan has often accused Pakistan of aiding Taliban leaders taking
shelter across the border, and of backing the former Taliban regime in
Kabul.
Sharif and Karzai were also expected to discuss boosting economic
ties and collaborating on energy projects to alleviate chronic power
shortages in the neighbouring countries.
Opposition leaders say 'all-Ukraine' rallies are being prepared as protesters regroup after violent crackdown.
Ukraine's political opposition has said it will call a country-wide
general strike to force the resignation of the country's president after
police broke up pro-Europe protests using batons and stun grenades.
Arseny Yatsenyuk, one of three opposition leaders and a former
economy minister, said on Saturday that the organisers have begun
preparations for "an all-Ukraine national strike" to topple President
Viktor Yanukovich.
"Millions of Ukrainians must rise up. The main thing is not to leave
the squares until the authorities have been overthrown by peaceful
means," Yulia Tymoshenko, jailed former prime minister, said in a letter
read to journalists by her daughter.
The move came as around 100 Ukrainian protesters took refuge from
police batons and biting cold inside the walls of a central Kiev
monastery.
"This is the only safe place we have left, and besides I have nowhere
else to go," said Alexander Ananich, a 17-year-old student from the
city of Lviv. Violent crackdown
The main protest, on Kiev's central Independence Square, swelled on
Friday evening to nearly 10,000 people as news spread of Yanukovich's
decision to orient Ukraine back towards former Soviet parton Russia by
refusing to sign a key European trade deal at a Vilnius summit.
In the early hours of Saturday, police used batons and stun grenades to disperse the protest.
TV footage showed police beating one young woman on the legs and
kicking young men on the ground. Several people were given emergency
treatment on the spot for cuts to the head.
There were no hard figures on how many people were hurt.
Inside Story - Ukraine's choice: East or West?
"By my count we are talking of tens of cruelly beaten people, perhaps
hundreds," Andriy Shevchenko, an opposition deputy, was quoted as
saying by Interfax news agency. "It was absolute savagery."
The Interior Ministry said the riot police moved in "after the
protesters began to resist the (ordinary uniformed) police, throwing
trash, glasses, bottles of water and flares at them".
Police cleared away anti-Yanukovich posters and political graffiti
and took down flags and banners, including the EU blue and gold
standard, before sealing off the area.
The protests evoked memories of the "Orange Revolution" of 2004-5
against sleaze and election fraud, which doomed Yanukovich's first bid
for the presidency. But those protests took place peacefully without
police action and Saturday's violence was unprecedented in Kiev.
"There is a concern that these protests could grow into something
resembling the Orange Revolution," in which Yanukovich was forced from
office in 2004, said Al Jazeera's David Chater, reporting from Kiev.
"We are likely to see confrontation rather than compromise," in coming days, he added.
United States officials were among the first diplomats to react to the crackdown.
"The United States condemns the violence against protesters," read a
statement from the Kiev embassy. "We urge the government of Ukraine to
respect the rights of civil society and the principles of freedom and
speech and freedom of assembly."
The opposition called for the resignation of the government and early parliamentary and presidential elections. Ukraine: State of Chaos
Despite calling nuclear accord "an historic mistake", some say Netanyahu may be softening his tone.
The
recent agreement in Geneva between the world's major powers and Iran
over its nuclear programme is a bitter pill that Israel's prime
minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has spent much of the past week choking
on. For
much of the past decade, Netanyahu has been leading the chorus of doom
about Iran, warning of the imminent threat posed by its supposed pursuit
of a nuclear bomb. Seven years ago, as leader of the opposition, Netanyahu issued
one of his characteristic warnings: "It's 1938 and Iran is Germany. And
Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs." The leadership in
Tehran, he added, was "preparing another Holocaust for the Jewish
state". Despite
the available intelligence, almost all politicians in Israel publicly
share the assumption that Iran is close to secretly building a nuclear
warhead, with many further claiming that Tehran's first priority will be
to destroy Israel. More
generally, an Iranian bomb is seen as a threat to Israel's nuclear
monopoly in the Middle East, and likely to give Iran much greater
influence both in the region and in Washington. There
is also the fear that an Iranian bomb might push Arab states to pursue
their own nuclear arsenals, further eroding what Israel calls its
"qualitative military edge". It emerged this month that Saudi Arabia has been in talks with Pakistan about acquiring a nuclear weapon. 'Existential' interests Netanyahu
has therefore been able to cast himself as the defender-in-chief of the
Israeli interests that he describes as "existential". He,
more than anyone else, has dared to risk souring relations with the
White House over the issue. The prime minister is also reported to have
seriously considered a go-it-alone military strike against Iran, but was
prevented by vehement opposition from most of Israel's military and
security leadership.
Israel condemns pact as "historic mistake"
So
when news of the deal emerged, secured in large part through months of
back-channel negotiations that Israel knew nothing about, Netanyahu
could barely contain his anger. He
labelled the deal, which mildly eases the current sanctions in return
for concessions from Iran on its uranium enrichment programme and
increased international oversight, as a "historic mistake". "Today
the world has become a much more dangerous place because the most
dangerous regime in the world has taken a significant step toward
attaining the most dangerous weapon in the world," he said. This interpretation has been widely echoed
by Israeli pundits and commentators, many of whom have adopted the
analogy of the appeasement of Hitler by Western leaders at Munich in
1938. Senior
government ministers went on the offensive too. Naftali Bennett, the
economy minister and leader of the right-wing, pro-settler Jewish Home
party, warned
US television viewers that the agreement was a prelude to "a nuclear
suitcase" blowing up in New York and Madrid within five years. Avigdor Lieberman, the far-right foreign minister, joined the prime minister in condemning
the deal and hinting that Israeli military action was still possible.
"We have to be serious enough to take responsibility for our fate," he
said. "As always, all options are on the table." Coming to terms? But
there are already strong signs that Netanyahu and his ministers are
rethinking their initial, confrontational stance towards the US. Yossi
Alpher, a former adviser to Ehud Barak, who was until recently
Netanyahu's defence minister and shared his hawkish policy on Iran, said
Netanyahu was showing signs that he was coming to terms with the
outcome in Geneva. Read More
Plane carrying 34 people crashed in a remote border area, killing all on board, according to the police.
A
Mozambique Airlines plane has crashed in a game park in northeast
Namibi, killing all 34 people on board, Namibian police have said.
The plane, en route from Mozambique to Angola, went down in remote
terrain in the Bwabwata National Park, where Namibia turns into a narrow
strip of land sandwiched between Botswana and Angola.
"My team on the ground have found the wreckage. No survivors. The
plane is totally burned," Willie Bampton, a regional police coordinator
in the Kavango region, said on Saturday.
Flight TM470 from Maputo, the Mozambican capital, did not land as
scheduled in Luanda, the Angolan capital, on Friday afternoon, and the
airline initially said the plane might have landed in Rundu, in northern
Namibia.
It said it coordinated with aviation authorities in Namibia, Botswana and Angola to locate the missing plane.
A Namibian police helicopter joined officers on the ground in the search.
The plane was carrying 28 passengers, including 10 Mozambicans, nine
Angolans, five Portuguese, and one citizen each from France, Brazil and
China, said the airline. Six crew members were on board, it said.
The area is vast and there are no roads, making it difficult to
locate the plane, Bampton was quoted by the Namibian Press Agency as
saying.
The search was conducted in the Bwabwata National Park in
northeastern Namibia. Several thousand people as well as elephants,
buffalo and other animals live in the park, which covers 6,100 square
kilometres.
Our pick of the best luxury travel deals this week,
including half-price breaks at a castle in Dartmoor and tropical
holidays in the Maldives and the Caribbean. FRANCE 35% off at Crillon Le Brave, Provence | From £152 a night
for two
Ah, a provençal Christmas: the Saint-Rémy de Provence street
market, elaborate confectionary, candlelit suppers fit for Marie
Antoinette, stargazing and pretty little churches full to the brim
with the sound of carols. Five-star boutique country hotel Crillon
Le Brave, near Avignon, is offering up to 50% off stays this
Christmas with three special offers. The beautiful stone hotel sits
on a small hill with views across the countryside, full of olive
groves and vineyards. It has an outdoor heated swimming pool, three
restaurants and a mini spa, and 32 bedrooms. Prices are based on
two sharing and start at £152 per room per night for stays between
Sundays and Thursday, saving £83 per room per night. Stays between
Fridays and Saturdays start at £174 per room per night, saving £94
per room per night. The hotel is also offering 50% off an extra
night for guests staying over Christmas when rooms start at £285
per night, which includes a dinner for two. All rates include
breakfast.
Valid: for stays on the days stated above between 20 and 30
December 2013. For more information or to book contact www.crillonlebrave.com OMAN 16% off a week's holiday at Six Senses Zighy Bay | From
£1,899 including flights
Six Senses Zighy Bay is one of the best hotels in Oman - indeed,
one of the best hotels in the Middle East - backed by the dramatic
Hajar Mountains of the Musandam Peninsula. Turquoise Holidays is
offering a seven-night holiday there for two people, staying in a
villa, from £1,899 per person, saving £375 per person. The service
is excellent, as is the food which you can choose to eat on the
beach or in one of six restaurants. There's also an award-winning
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to paraglide into the resort on arrival. Price includes flights
from London to Dubai with Emirates and car transfers (less than two
hours).
Valid: for travel up to 13 December 2013. For more information or to book contact www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk or 01494 678
400 MALDIVES 35% off a week's holiday at The Residence, Maldives | From
£2,050 including flights
Turquoise Holiday is offering a seven-night holiday for two at The
Residence, Maldives from £2,050 per person, saving £1,100 per
person. On Falhumaafushi island in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, the
resort has a Clarins jetty spa overlooking the Indian Ocean, three
restaurants, a fitness centre and a sauna and steam room. There's a
freshwater swimming pool too, which you can jump straight into from
huge white daybeds. You'd be staying in a Beach Villa with direct
access to the beach, a living room and a verandah. Price includes
flights from London with British Airways, domestic flights, boat
transfers, accommodation and daily breakfast.
Valid: on bookings made before 15 December 2013 for travel before
30 April 2014; exclusion dates apply. For more information or to book contact www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk or 01494 678
400 32% off a week's holiday at the Park Hyatt Maldives
Hadahaa | From £3,345 all-inclusive
Bailey Robinson is offering a seven-night holiday for two in a
Park Villa at the private-island Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa resort
(pictured) from £3,345 per person, saving £1,640 per
person. The resort is on the North Huvadhoo atoll, one of the most
amazing reefs in the world. A white-sand beach surrounds the entire
island, and there's a spa, two swimming pools and a 24-hour fitness
centre. Price includes flights from London Gatwick to Malé with
British Airways, transfers and a week's all-inclusive stay.
Valid: for stays up to 21 December 2013. For more information or to book contact www.baileyrobinson.com or 01488
689700 NEW ZEALAND FLIGHT SALE
Quick! Air New Zealand is holding a one-day flash sale on
29 November only for return flights to Los
Angeles, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands from London Heathrow.
Prices are discounted across economy, Premium Economy and Business
Premier classes. The steal of the lot is a return Premium Economy
ticket to Los Angeles, with prices from £876 per person including a
saving of 14%. Return economy prices start from £457 to Los
Angeles, £884 per person to New Zealand and £1,172 per person to
Tahiti. Price includes all taxes and surcharges.
Valid: 29 NOVEMBER 2013 ONLY. For more information or to book contact www.airnewzealand.co.uk Learn more
*PDP, APC agents present at polling booths
By Tony Edike
The
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State, Prince
Ken Emeakayi has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of causing
mischief and deceiving Nigerians.
Emeakayi spoke with Journalists at Akpkogwe polling booth Ogidi ward 1 where he had gone to observe the supplementary election.
He said that despite APC’s call on voters to boycott the election, the party has agents in all the polling units.
He said the APC used the same deceitful tactics to defeat other parties at the election in Obosi on Sunday.
“I
am impressed with the level of preparedness of the INEC; they started
early enough, the materials arrived on time in all the polling units
except one unit, it arrived there at almost 10 am.
“We must have
to say that the exercise is going on very well; however, I want to use
the same opportunity to commend the Inspector General of Police for the
level of security on ground in every polling booth; and every part of
this area is well secured. So far, so good, there is no report of
violence anywhere”
”The PDP was not happy with the Director
General of our campaign when he called for a boycott because this place
is supposed to be PDP stronghold, so most of our members didn’t get the
second message that they must come out to vote; they relied on the
earlier call by the DG of our campaign.
*Voting in progress at Obosi road polling booth in Nkpor Ward II in Idemili North LGA. Photo: Tony Edike
“And
from what you can see in all the polling units, what we said earlier
has been confirmed that APC is only out to cause mischief; they are only
trying to deceive Nigerians; while they are out there saying they are
not participating, APC agents are everywhere, including this polling
unit.
“In fact, yesterday night, (Friday) the APC mobilized people
through radio announcement and they were going around with vehicles,
motorcycles and town criers, asking their voters to come out and vote
for them”.
Three chieftains of APGA, Dr Philip Atanmuo, Chief Ivy
Ifeatu Obiokoye and Chief Eric Eboh, who also spoke at the polling
booth, expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by INEC, as
well as, the level of participation by voters in the affected areas.
At
most of the polling booths in Idemili local government, agents of the
APC, PDP and APGA were seen while voters were trickling in to be
accredited.
Unlike the November 16 election, voters’ turnout was low as few persons were accredited as at press time.
The supplementary election is holding in 210 polling units in 16 local government areas of the state.
Soldiers
mounted roadblocks along major roads within Idemili LGA near the
commercial city of Onitsha which has the highest number of voters in the
state.
The Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, NDPVF, has warned Nigeria’s
tiny West African neighbor, Benin Republic, to free its leader, Mujahid
Asari Dokubo or be ready to incur its wrath.
The NDPVF, a former militant group founded by Dokubo, issued the
warning in a statement signed by its leaders, Mr. Rex Ekiugbo Anighoro
in Abuja last night, following Tuesday’s arrest and detention of the
former militant leader by Benin’s gendarmes (police) in an unknown
location.
It would be recalled that radical lawyer, Festus Keyamo, had alerted
the nation to the arrest of Dokubo on Tuesday afternoon in Cotonou and
lamented that since then, he had been kept incommunicado as his location
remained unknowned.
But Dokubo’s arrest by the authorities was likened to a kidnap by the
NDPVF, which said it was appalled by the unprovoked breach of the
fundamental rights of the youth leader.
It said: “We hold this arrest as an absurdity. It is unprovoked and
questionable and has been without any reason from the government of
Republic of Benin.
“We consider this as a kidnap of our leader by the President of
Republic of Benin working with certain opposition figures in Nigeria.
“We hereby make demand on President Yayi Bonni of the Republic of
Benin to release, unconditionally and with immediate effect, our leader
Alhaji Asari-Dokubo and offer unreserved apology to him for this
monumental breach of his rights.
“We call on all the aggrieved youths of Niger Delta to be on red
alert and ready for a total showdown and shut down if in the next 48
hours his release has not been made.
“We call on the President of the Nigerian union to mediate on this
potential diplomatic row that may lead to an unprecedented
conflagration”.
Super Eagles and Liverpool striker Victor Moses is set to end the
goal drought that has hit him since switching tents to the Brendan
Rodgers’ side as he has set a target of 20 goals for himself by the
close of the season.
simple gold necklace can turn the most boring outfit into something
classic and stunning instead. There’s something about the unique sheen
that emanates from even the most basic of gold pieces. Forget decking
yourself out in head to toe jewellery and go for that one piece, whether
it’s a bracelet, a ring or a necklace.
COBHAM - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho revealed on Friday he will
not bring in a new striker when the transfer window opens in January.
The Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, NDPVF, has warned Nigeria’s
tiny West African neighbor, Benin Republic, to free its leader, Mujahid
Asari Dokubo or be ready to incur its wrath.