TheNewsGuru

Tag: Apologies

  • EPL: Guardiola apologises to Liverpool for fans unruly behavior

    EPL: Guardiola apologises to Liverpool for fans unruly behavior

    Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has tendered his unreserved apologies to Liverpool on behalf of City fans over uncomplimentary attitude in the game between both sides last weekend.

    Guardiola’s apology came following chants by his club’s fans referencing the Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies.

    The fans made the chants during their first defeat of the season which came through Klopp’s Reds at Anfield.

    After the game, Liverpool had expressed their disappointment over chants from City’s fans.

    But while fielding questions from Journalist on Friday, Guardiola apologized to Liverpool even though he said he did not hear the chants.

    Guardiola said, “I didn’t hear the chant. If it has happened I am so sorry. It does not represent who we are as a team or a club.”

    Guardiola added that he does not think the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City has become toxic after it was reported that City’s bus was attacked at Anfield after the game.

    Mancity will hope to bounce back from last week’s defeatto Liverpool as they face Brighton today (Saturday) at the Etihad on matchday 12 in the 2022/23 English Premier League season

  • #EndSARS: Apologies to Nigerian youths not enough – Ex-A’Ibom Gov, Attah

    #EndSARS: Apologies to Nigerian youths not enough – Ex-A’Ibom Gov, Attah

    Former Akwa Ibom State governor, Obong Victor Attah, has recommended the urgent “rebirth” of the country as a major response to the recent demands by Nigerian youths to fix not just the police force (#EndSARS) but the nation at large.

    The elder statesman, who condemned in strong terms the looting, arson and mindless attack on security agencies said those unwholesome acts were not part of the demands of the EndSARS protests.

    Attah explained that the decision by some state governments to apologise to the youths and called them to a negotiation table is not enough. He explained that the youths need assurances that the future will be better.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Attah spoke at press briefing on Friday on the recent happenings in the country.

    Read full speech below:

    A STATEMENT ISSUED BY (OBONG) VICTOR B. ATTAH AT A PRESS BRIEFING HELD AT THE NIGERIA UNION OF JOURNALISTS (NUJ) PRESS CENTRE AT UYO, AKWA IBOM STATE ON FRIDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2020.

    The events of the last three weeks which have enveloped our country in gloom are not ethnic, religious or, by any means sectional. They are national. However, given my primary constituency of Akwa lbom state, I want to start this statement by quoting the second and last stanza of Akwa lbom state Anthem which was recently launched by Our State Governor:

    God of mercy hear our plea
    Make our land a place to be
    Let the war-like sheathe his sword
    Still all vices in the land
    Grant your rule O Prince of Peace
    That our state may ever be
    Peaceful ever! Warring never!
    Let your will O God forever reign.

    Such sentiments as are expressed above do not admit of such activities as have plagued us in recent times. I therefore urge all Akwa lbom youths to rally in strong defence of their inheritance and to be totally united in their condemnation of all manner of unethical behavior and hooliganism that can lead to the destruction of personal and public property.

    l also join my voice with others in prayer that God, in His loving mercy, may forgive their sins and grant kind admittance into His kingdom of peace to the souls of those who have lost their lives in this struggle. May He also heal our land and comfort us as we try to bear this irreparable loss.

    The question that must be asked is, how did we get here? I am aware that our police have won several acclaims and accolades during peace keeping missions abroad so why do they exhibit such abominably unacceptable behavior at home! I also know that public resentment to police brutality, particularly SARS, is not a sudden thing, it has been building up.

    In response, the Federal Government set up in 2018, a presidential panel on SARS reforms. After thorough investigation, the panel recommended the sacking of 37 police officers, and the prosecution of 24 others.

    The panel further tasked the Inspector General of Police (1GP) to unravel the identity of 22 other officers involved in the violation of human rights of innocent citizens. To the best of my knowledge no effect has been given to the panel’s report.

    During the COVID-19 lockdown, the atrocities increased; voices of protests got strident but the authorities turned a deaf ear and the impunities multiplied. When the shouting got to a deafening pitch somebody callously dismissed it with the comments that the President will not succumb to intimidation or blackmail. Then the dam burst.

    Out of a feeling of total frustration and impotency, our youths poured out on the streets on a legitimate protest mission and suddenly the President could hear them loud and clear. But not before a legitimate protest mission that started out quite peacefully had turned into an orgy of looting, killing, wanton and mindless destruction.

    Our youths were shot and killed for seeking a change in the social order; for seeking a better future for themselves which we, the elders have denied them. In the process, a number of policemen and officers were also killed in the line of legitimate duty. The youths are our future; why must we deliberately set out to destroy our own future!!

    Today the youths are being asked to return to the negotiation table. I am not aware that they had at any time abandoned such a table. Even now, I do not know if it has been made clear to them where the table for negotiation is set. I believe that there ought to be an institutionalised method for conducting such dialogue.

    I thank the youths for accepting the President’s olive branch and coming out to bravely condemn the reprehensible acts of hooliganism and destruction in which we are now submerged.

    It is now patently clear that those indulging in these criminal acts are not the protesters but miscreants and hooligans who have hijacked the process.

    I want therefore to appeal to our youths, to eschew bitterness and to show further commitment to the peace process by halting all further protests so they will not be accused of participating in the destruction of their own future.

    There is no doubt that their primary purpose of EndSARS has been realized though at a heavy price. The healing process must now begin.

    Today we apologise to the youths and so we should; but is that sufficient succour? They need assurances that the future will be better but can it, if we continue as we are? Here and their voices were raised shouting for Change, for True Federalism, Resource Control, Diversification, a New Constitution for Nigeria. Chile, which had also inherited a Military Constitution has just changed it through a referendum. Why not Nigeria!

    Today, from every part of this country, the South-South, West, East, Middle Belt, North and indeed the Far North, more voices have now risen and combined into a thunderous national crescendo calling for a REBIRTH.

    In every part of this country today the urgent and compelling need for such a change has been acknowledged and endorsed. My plea, my passionate plea to the government is to please DO SOMETHING NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

    Let us not wait for people to come out on the streets to press their demand for change. God forbid, if that should happen, there would be no holding back. It would spell the beginning of an end. This is not a threat or blackmail but a prediction borne out of sound reasoning and the lessons of history.

    I end this statement with this prayer taken from the second and last stanza of our National Anthem:

    O God of creation, direct our noble cause
    Guide our leaders right
    Help our youths the truth to know
    In love and honesty to grow
    And living just and true
    Great lofty heights attain
    To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign

    God bless Akwa lbom State
    God bless and preserve Nigeria.

    Obong Victor Attah
    Elder Statesman and
    Former Governor, AKS

  • Oshiomhole blasts INEC chairman on National TV, demands apologies for election postponement

    The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole on Saturday expressed his disgust at the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for waiting till 2 am on Saturday to postpone the elections when it was obvious that the commission ‘was experiencing logistical challenges since Wednesday.’

    Recall that the chairman of the commission, Prof. Yakub Mahmood earlier announced the commission’s decision to postpone the elections initially scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 16.

    The commission had since been under fire nationally and internationally for postponing the elections on the very day it was scheduled to hold.

    At a press briefing with the stakeholders on Saturday, the national chairman of the commission insisted that as at 2 am on Saturday, the commission was confident that the elections will hold as scheduled.

    While voicing his anger, Oshiomhole said the commission under Mahmood had embarrassed the nation with the postponement. “I don’t understand why others are commending you but I think you owe us, particularly the players and Nigerians in general some apologies and more detailed explanation on why this postponement had to wait till 2 am on the scheduled date before postponement. This is an embarrassment to us a nation. We have spent a lot of funds mobilising agents across the over 176,000 polling units across the country. How do we explain the expenditure of such huge cost for a failed election. This about Nigeria. I came into this hall this afternoon to discover that some seats in front were reserved for foreign observers. This election is about Nigerians first and not our friends. Mr. Chairman, you owe us more explanation on why the postponement was not done at least forty hours to the elections,” a visibly angered Oshiomhole said.

    Other participants at the stakeholders press briefing also expressed their disappointment at the commission but advocated for support for a successful poll.

    The INEC chairman however reiterated that the campaigns are closed and so is the PVC collection.

  • Zuma: Okorocha blasts critics, says ‘I owe no one any apology, expect more statues’

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has reacted to critics condemning his recent invitation and honouring of the South African President, Jacob Zuma.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that apart from honouring Zuma with the highest honourary title in the state, Okorocha also unveiled a gigantic statue of the South African President and also named a road after him.

    The decision has been widely criticised as endorsing the governance style of a president who is facing corruption charges in his country.

    The critics also lamented that Zuma had been helpless to the recent xenophobic attacks and killings of innocent Nigerians in the South African country.

    However, in a swift reaction, the governor explained that everything he was doing was to reawaken the lost glory of the state which the former ruling party, PDP, had hitherto destroyed.

    This was revealed in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, on Tuesday.

    “If it was in the days of PDP, Schools and Markets would have been shot down. And roads closed because President Zuma was coming. But none of such things was done because Rochas and his government have human face. The PDP for the 12 years they held sway never attracted any meaningful visitor to the State except PDP NEC members who were coming to loot the State,” the statement read.

    Mr. Onwuemeodo in the statement also explained the rationale behind the governor’s gesture, saying Mr. Zuma’s visit was principally to sign a MoU between Jacob Zuma Education Foundation and Rochas Foundation College of Africa.

    Furthermore, he said a meeting was also held with Mr. Zuma and other businessmen at the Ikemba Ojukwu centre, including Leo Stan Ekeh of Zinox Computers, Dr. Pascal Dozie of Diamond Bank, Chairman of Innoson Motors, and a host of others.

    After the meeting, the state government decided to encourage the South African president to do more and appreciated him for coming by honouring him with a Merit Award and erecting his statue, the statement added.

    In a non-apologetic manner, Mr. Onwuemeodo said Gov. Rochas was determined to bring development to Imo state and would not be deterred by criticisms.

    “And in case these “Galatians” do not know, if all we need to do to attract good things or investments to Imo is erecting statues, then, we have no option than to erect as many of such structures as possible. We owe no one apology. Rochas made a promise to open the doors of Imo to the rest of the world, for good and he is doing that and we cannot be deterred by these enemies of our people,” he said.