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Tag: Nigeria

  • Nigeria: Three stories, one message – By Azu Ishiekwene

    Nigeria: Three stories, one message – By Azu Ishiekwene

    Three – maybe three and a half – stories go to the heart of why Nigeria appears stuck in a rut. And for some strange reason, all of them are rooted mainly in energy and power. 

    The first is about a project, the Mambilla Hydroelectric Project. If you live in Nigeria – except you’re the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu – there’s a good chance you would have heard about this project, which is located in Gembu, Taraba State. 

    In that case, there’s a chance you might also have heard that the national power grid, more in the news for collapsing than for generating power, collapsed three times last week, plunging most parts of the country into darkness. The Minister of Power is too busy making excuses to notice. 

    Mambilla, rolling grid collapse

    But he doesn’t have to worry. Others are counting the number of grid collapses for him. In its lead story on October 21, PUNCH reported that the national grid has collapsed 105 times in 10 years despite the government’s $1.4 billion in loans to fix the problem. If we still have the appetite for more loans to waste, the report said an additional $2.9 billion from the World Bank could indulge our irresponsibility. 

    But that’s just the beginning of the Mambilla story. I’d be foolish to claim there’s one single Mambilla story. There isn’t. But this is a version from several trusted, ringside sources. Sometime in 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo visited the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest power station in China, with an installed capacity of 22,500 MW. 

    He liked what he saw and wanted the company to replicate something on a smaller scale in Mambilla. At the time, it was estimated that the dam would generate an additional 3,050 MW for Nigeria, a chronically underpowered country struggling to generate 2,500MW for over 200 million people. The project was divided into three lots at a contract sum of roughly $6 billion to be delivered in five years.

    Sunset on a contract

    Since the word “contract” and Nigeria are made for trouble, trouble started. Sunrise Power and Transmission Company, promoted by Leno Adesanya, teamed up with North China Power and China Hydroelectric to bid for Mambilla. It seemed, however, that that was not the original plan, which was to have China Three Gorges Corporation, the China state-owned power company that built Three Gorges, build Mambilla, or at least build Lot 1. 

    One thing led to another, and the Minister of Power at the time, Dr. Olu Agunloye, who said he believed he was acting on behalf of the Nigerian government, awarded the contract, as turnkey, at $6 billion to Sunrise through “a letter of intent” in 2007. 

    Sunrise and its Chinese partners turned up at Mambilla, as did China Three Gorges, based on Obasanjo’s invitation: two significant contractors, two separate invitations, one task, and one divided government. But the government soon changed hands. Obasanjo was out, and President Umaru Yar’Adua was in. 

    Sorry, we can’t pay

    In 2009, Adesanya pressed Yar’Adua to cancel Lot 1, which was awarded to the Chinese because it was a turnkey project for Sunrise. The government did, but funds were not released for the project to commence.  Meanwhile, China Three Gorges backed off at the first smell of trouble, leaving Nigeria to stew in its misery. 

    In 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari came in and cancelled the project. Adesanya was furious and went to the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, demanding $2.3 billion and $400 million in two separate arbitrations for the government’s alleged breach.  

    Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, doing what he did fantastically well, renegotiated the penalty with Adesanya to $200 million. Buhari refused to pay, and as Adesanya headed back to Arbitration, the EFCC dragged him and Agunloye, charging the latter with seven counts of forgery, contract award without approval, disobedience to presidential orders, etc. 

    Long story short, 12 years after Mambilla was supposed to have been completed with all its transformative promises in power, rail, roads, infrastructure, and jobs (not to mention the missing N30 billion Obasanjo left in the project account), we’re still in a rut, stewing deeper and deeper in the misery of rolling blackouts and collapsing grids.

    Isn’t it possible, for God’s sake – and the sake of the bigger picture – for this government to end the drama around the project and save Baby Mambilla from the stale, disposable bathwater?

    Wilbros war

    This second story illustrates how such a missed opportunity never ends well. It’s the story of Wilbros, one of the biggest things in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in its heyday. In 2008/2009, when the ego war between Obasanjo and his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, was at its peak, the EFCC, never missing a chance to outdo itself, said Wilbros senior officials had paid $6 million in bribes to top members of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). 

    A director of the company pleaded guilty to the charge in a US federal court, and the EFCC pounced. Fair enough, but what was the company, Wilbros, doing, and was it not possible to prosecute the errant directors without destroying the company? At the time of the blowout, Wilbros, a US-Nigerian-based company, was building the West African Gas Pipeline. 

    Dream deferred

    It was Nigeria’s biggest oil and gas construction company, competing with Saipem and having over 3,000 workers. The gas pipeline was massive. According to the World Bank, completion of the project would have improved the competitiveness of the energy sectors in Ghana, Benin, and Togo by promoting cheaper and environmentally cleaner gas from Nigeria instead of solid and liquid fuels for power generation and other industrial and commercial uses.  

    Wilbros was at 80 percent completion of the gas pipeline project when the EFCC struck. The matter dragged and dragged. By 2013, Wilbros’s massive pipeline coating plant was rotting, among other valuable assets worth billions of naira. The company was wrecked by its inability to finish the project, yet nothing emerged from the prosecution of the big names bandied about as suspects, including former GMDs of NNPC. Wilbros sold off its remnant to Ascot, and the rest is history. 

    Pan Ocean’s troubled sea

    Pan Ocean is the third story. Pan Ocean, an indigenous oil and gas exploration company, embarked on one of the most audacious projects of its life. Under Dr. Festus Fadeyi, its chairman at the time, the company invested over $500 million in a gas project to feed the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System and the West African Gas Pipeline. 

    It was supposed to have an impact similar to what Wilbros attempted to do. But there was a problem. The chairman, also a significant shareholder in Skye Bank at the time, had allegedly overborrowed from the bank, forcing it to over-leverage. He had reportedly borrowed about N240 billion, over half of the bank’s total debt.

    When Buhari’s government pounced in 2015, some of the funds had found their way into oil mining leases, including OML 98 managed by Pan Ocean, which was among the seven revoked. The critical point is that all mining leases that reverted to NNPCL, ostensibly in the public interest, have served neither the public interest nor those of the original owners. They have become NNPCL’s ATM. 

    Mother of them all

    The half of the three stories, actually the mother of them all, is the Ajaokuta Steel Company. It’s the story of a wasting N4 trillion asset for another day. It competes with the four state-owned refineries in demonstrating how ego, primordial greed, and monumentally poor judgment could lead to state collapse.

    Yet, carefully and thoughtfully managed, these cases could have helped lessen our current misery. 

    One man willing to go on the record on this matter, Dan D. Kunle, power and energy expert and professional of over 30 years, told me last week, “It’s an irony that Nigeria is suffering amid these great opportunities when presidential intervention could turn the page and bring this country the relief it needs badly.”

    Three stories, one message: Who will bell the cat?

  • How Nigerians can shift from agonizing to organizing – By Magnus Onyibe

    How Nigerians can shift from agonizing to organizing – By Magnus Onyibe

    A recent article in The Guardian newspaper highlighted the growing challenges of rising living costs in Nigeria, using data from surveys on the daily expenses of an average Nigerian family. As of August, the estimated cost of a single meal for a family of four is N1,255, translating to a monthly food expense of N150,000. This is a troubling reality, especially when compared to the federal minimum wage of N70,000. The survey data shows that a family earning this amount cannot afford even a single meal per day, as the minimum wage is less than half of the monthly food cost required. In effect, a Nigerian family earning the minimum wage can only afford half a meal per day.

    Given this context, the recent moves by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Rivers State Governor Siminari Fubara to raise the minimum wage to N85,000 have been welcomed. Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has also increased the minimum wage in his state to N77,000. Meanwhile, outgoing Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki took the lead by implementing a N70,000 minimum wage for workers in his state even before the federal government and its negotiating team, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), finalized their recommendations. While several other states have gone beyond the N70,000 mark, Lagos and Rivers States have set the highest standard with their N85,000 minimum wage. It remains to be seen whether the ongoing negotiations between the federal government and labor unions will result in a nationwide minimum wage increase to at least N100,000 per month.

    As discussions around further wage increases continue, the government should also explore the possibility of shifting to bi-monthly salary payments instead of the current monthly system. In countries like the United States, bi-weekly payments are a standard practice.

    Labor leaders in Nigeria should shift their focus from simply advocating for wage increases and start considering alternative approaches, such as adjusting salary payment cycles. While wage hikes remain a primary focus, the frequency of salary payments can also significantly impact workers’ financial well-being. Paying salaries bi-monthly could offer numerous advantages, both for employers and workers. Due to space constraints, I will focus primarily on the benefits to workers.

    One of the key advantages of more frequent salary payments is that it enables workers to better manage unexpected expenses. A regular income stream reduces the stress of waiting an entire month for the next paycheck. This adjustment would also allow for more effective budgeting, aligning with bi-weekly expenses, and ultimately enhancing employee satisfaction. This boost in morale could reduce turnover rates among staff.

    Transitioning to a bi-monthly wage payment system would be a significant change, and one I strongly advocate for in Nigeria. It could help mitigate the effects of the current rapid inflation, where the prices of goods frequently increase before the next purchase while salaries remain on a monthly payment cycle. This shift would move away from the traditional “30 days make a pay” approach and could better address the economic realities faced by workers.

    Having made this seemingly simple yet crucial suggestion to reduce the salary payment interval from 30 days to 15 days, I sincerely hope that labor leaders and government officials consider adopting this practical approach as a means to support workers during these challenging times of high inflation.

    Meanwhile, some critics have claimed that the Edo State governor’s decision to raise the minimum wage was politically motivated, aiming to secure votes for his preferred candidate in the governorship election on September 21. Similarly, accusations have been made against the Ondo State governor, suggesting that his N77,000 wage increase ahead of his re-election on November 16 was intended to win support from workers.

    However, both governors have defended their actions, arguing that their motives are not politically driven but rather focused on the welfare of workers, which they see as a fundamental duty of their roles.

    Regardless of the underlying motivations, the increase in the minimum wage—which has now doubled, with some governors adding even more—is ultimately beneficial for workers. Given that the cost of living has skyrocketed due to the significant devaluation of the naira and the removal of fuel subsidies, workers deserve this adjustment and more.

    This situation has been made worse by the recent surge in fuel prices, which now range between N1,000 in Lagos and N1,400 in other parts of the country.

    In light of this, Nigeria’s civil servants are in a difficult position, as the high fuel costs—a major driver of transportation expenses—have further escalated living costs, leading to widespread hardship among many Nigerians.

    While the current spike in living expenses is undeniably daunting, Nigerians must strive to overcome the despair brought on by these challenges and reject a mindset of victimhood. Only by doing so can they achieve their full potential, which appears within reach and may be realized sooner than expected.

    This outcome depends on maintaining the course of reform and enduring the sacrifices needed to secure a better future for everyone, rather than repeating the mistakes of the past—such as when General Ibrahim Babangida’s mid-1980s Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) was abandoned midway, leading to further setbacks for the nation and its economy.

    To avoid a repeat of protests like the #EndBadGovernance riots, I urge the current administration, which has committed to achieving a national reset and renewal, to revisit the N70,000 minimum wage. Increasing this wage would help ensure that workers can better cope with rising living costs.

    It is encouraging that key government officials—Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris Malagi, Minister of State for Labor Nkiru Onyejeocha, and Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun—are reportedly in discussions with labor leaders to ensure a smooth and conflict-free adjustment to the minimum wage. This adjustment is essential to help mitigate the impact of the recent fuel price hike, which has worsened the cost of living.

    Clearly, the previously agreed-upon minimum wage of N70,000 is no longer sufficient to support workers amid escalating living costs. These economic pressures have been intensified by the political and economic reset pursued by the current administration over the last 18 months, as highlighted in a recent survey by The Guardian.

    In closing, it may be helpful to reflect on Jean-Paul Sartre’s view on hardship: “Life begins on the other side of despair.” This perspective suggests that if we view our challenges as opportunities for growth and preparation, we can better navigate the period following the removal of the petrol subsidy and other reforms.

     

    Magnus Onyibe, an entrepreneur, public policy analyst, author, democracy advocate, development strategist, alumnus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA, and a former commissioner in the Delta State government, sent this piece from Lagos, Nigeria.

    To continue with this conversation and more, please visit www.magnum.ng.

  • Nigeria: Three stories, one message – By Azu Ishiekwene

    Nigeria: Three stories, one message – By Azu Ishiekwene

    Three – maybe three and a half – stories go to the heart of why Nigeria appears stuck in a rut. And for some strange reason, all of them are rooted mainly in energy and power.

    The first is about a project, the Mambilla Hydroelectric Project. If you live in Nigeria – except you’re the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu – there’s a good chance you would have heard about this project, which is located in Gembu, Taraba State. 

    In that case, there’s a chance you might also have heard that the national power grid, more in the news for collapsing than for generating power, collapsed three times last week, plunging most parts of the country into darkness. The Minister of Power is too busy making excuses to notice. 

    Mambilla, rolling grid collapse

    But he doesn’t have to worry. Others are counting the number of grid collapses for him. In its lead story on October 21, PUNCH reported that the national grid has collapsed 105 times in 10 years despite the government’s $1.4 billion in loans to fix the problem. If we still have the appetite for more loans to waste, the report said an additional $2.9 billion from the World Bank could indulge our irresponsibility. 

    But that’s just the beginning of the Mambilla story. I’d be foolish to claim there’s one single Mambilla story. There isn’t. But this is a version from several trusted, ringside sources. Sometime in 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo visited the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest power station in China, with an installed capacity of 22,500 MW. 

    He liked what he saw and wanted the company to replicate something on a smaller scale in Mambilla. At the time, it was estimated that the dam would generate an additional 3,050 MW for Nigeria, a chronically underpowered country struggling to generate 2,500MW for over 200 million people. The project was divided into three lots at a contract sum of roughly $6 billion to be delivered in five years.

    Sunset on a contract

    Since the word “contract” and Nigeria are made for trouble, trouble started. Sunrise Power and Transmission Company, promoted by Leno Adesanya, teamed up with North China Power and China Hydroelectric to bid for Mambilla. It seemed, however, that that was not the original plan, which was to have China Three Gorges Corporation, the China state-owned power company that built Three Gorges, build Mambilla, or at least build Lot 1. 

    One thing led to another, and the Minister of Power at the time, Dr. Olu Agunloye, who said he believed he was acting on behalf of the Nigerian government, awarded the contract, as turnkey, at $6 billion to Sunrise through “a letter of intent” in 2007. 

    Sunrise and its Chinese partners turned up at Mambilla, as did China Three Gorges, based on Obasanjo’s invitation: two significant contractors, two separate invitations, one task, and one divided government. But the government soon changed hands. Obasanjo was out, and President Umaru Yar’Adua was in. 

    Sorry, we can’t pay

    In 2009, Adesanya pressed Yar’Adua to cancel Lot 1, which was awarded to the Chinese because it was a turnkey project for Sunrise. The government did, but funds were not released for the project to commence.  Meanwhile, China Three Gorges backed off at the first smell of trouble, leaving Nigeria to stew in its misery. 

    In 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari came in and cancelled the project. Adesanya was furious and went to the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, demanding $2.3 billion and $400 million in two separate arbitrations for the government’s alleged breach.  

    Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, doing what he did fantastically well, renegotiated the penalty with Adesanya to $200 million. Buhari refused to pay, and as Adesanya headed back to Arbitration, the EFCC dragged him and Agunloye, charging the latter with seven counts of forgery, contract award without approval, disobedience to presidential orders, etc. 

    Long story short, 12 years after Mambilla was supposed to have been completed with all its transformative promises in power, rail, roads, infrastructure, and jobs (not to mention the missing N30 billion Obasanjo left in the project account), we’re still in a rut, stewing deeper and deeper in the misery of rolling blackouts and collapsing grids.

    Isn’t it possible, for God’s sake – and the sake of the bigger picture – for this government to end the drama around the project and save Baby Mambilla from the stale, disposable bathwater?

    Wilbros war

    This second story illustrates how such a missed opportunity never ends well. It’s the story of Wilbros, one of the biggest things in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in its heyday. In 2008/2009, when the ego war between Obasanjo and his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, was at its peak, the EFCC, never missing a chance to outdo itself, said Wilbros senior officials had paid $6 million in bribes to top members of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). 

    A director of the company pleaded guilty to the charge in a US federal court, and the EFCC pounced. Fair enough, but what was the company, Wilbros, doing, and was it not possible to prosecute the errant directors without destroying the company? At the time of the blowout, Wilbros, a US-Nigerian-based company, was building the West African Gas Pipeline. 

    Dream deferred

    It was Nigeria’s biggest oil and gas construction company, competing with Saipem and having over 3,000 workers. The gas pipeline was massive. According to the World Bank, completion of the project would have improved the competitiveness of the energy sectors in Ghana, Benin, and Togo by promoting cheaper and environmentally cleaner gas from Nigeria instead of solid and liquid fuels for power generation and other industrial and commercial uses.  

    Wilbros was at 80 percent completion of the gas pipeline project when the EFCC struck. The matter dragged and dragged. By 2013, Wilbros’s massive pipeline coating plant was rotting, among other valuable assets worth billions of naira. The company was wrecked by its inability to finish the project, yet nothing emerged from the prosecution of the big names bandied about as suspects, including former GMDs of NNPC. Wilbros sold off its remnant to Ascot, and the rest is history. 

    Pan Ocean’s troubled sea

    Pan Ocean is the third story. Pan Ocean, an indigenous oil and gas exploration company, embarked on one of the most audacious projects of its life. Under Dr. Festus Fadeyi, its chairman at the time, the company invested over $500 million in a gas project to feed the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System and the West African Gas Pipeline. 

    It was supposed to have an impact similar to what Wilbros attempted to do. But there was a problem. The chairman, also a significant shareholder in Skye Bank at the time, had allegedly overborrowed from the bank, forcing it to over-leverage. He had reportedly borrowed about N240 billion, over half of the bank’s total debt.

    When Buhari’s government pounced in 2015, some of the funds had found their way into oil mining leases, including OML 98 managed by Pan Ocean, which was among the seven revoked. The critical point is that all mining leases that reverted to NNPCL, ostensibly in the public interest, have served neither the public interest nor those of the original owners. They have become NNPCL’s ATM. 

    Mother of them all

    The half of the three stories, actually the mother of them all, is the Ajaokuta Steel Company. It’s the story of a wasting N4 trillion asset for another day. It competes with the four state-owned refineries in demonstrating how ego, primordial greed, and monumentally poor judgment could lead to state collapse.

    Yet, carefully and thoughtfully managed, these cases could have helped lessen our current misery. 

    One man willing to go on the record on this matter, Dan D. Kunle, power and energy expert and professional of over 30 years, told me last week, “It’s an irony that Nigeria is suffering amid these great opportunities when presidential intervention could turn the page and bring this country the relief it needs badly.”

    Three stories, one message: Who will bell the cat?

     

    Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

  • WAFU B U-20: Nigeria pip Cote D’Ivoire to squeeze into semi-final

    WAFU B U-20: Nigeria pip Cote D’Ivoire to squeeze into semi-final

    Nigeria’s U-20 national team, Flying Eagles, have qualified for the semi-final of the ongoing 2024 WAFU B U-20 championship in Lome, Togo.

    This was after the team on Thursday defeated  Cote D’Ivoire 2-1 in their last group game.

    Goals from Clinton Jephta and Kparobo Arierhi ensured a hard earned victory for the Nigerian side.

    Even with the lackluster performance, Nigeria still managed to top the group with a better goal difference, ahead of Cote D’Ivoire and Burkina with same points.

    NAN reports that Nigeria will now clash with Niger Republic in one of the semi-final matches for a place in the final,  and a ticket to the U-20 AFCON slated for South Africa in January 2025.

  • Why leadership quality declining in Nigeria – Danjuma

    A former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd), has warned that the standard and quality of political leadership in the country is declining at an alarming rate.

    He warned those in authority to take immediate steps to stem the tide.

    Danjuma gave the warning when he received a delegation of the League of Northern Democrats (LNF) who visited him at his Ikoyi residence in Lagos.

    “Leadership quality in Nigeria is going down and down and down,” Danjuma was quoted as saying by Dr Ladan Salihu, spokesperson of LND.

    The retired general said the situation is worse in the North and urged leaders to sit up and stem the worrisome tide.

    He also advised the LND to pursue their vision with measured doggedness because they are up against a section of a corrupt political class with plenty of power and money that will be ready to fight back to continue being in power.

    Leader of the Delegation and former Kano State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, earlier said that their visit was to brief Gen. Danjuma on the vision and mission of the league which include principally the influencing of the emergence of credible political leaders across the country, and most especially in the North, by forging unity among the various ethnic groups in the North.

    He said it is also to facilitate a credible leadership recruitment process across all public offices and making the North a bloc of first influence in Nigeria.

    Shekarau said the North is immersed in insecurity and backwardness in education, in the economy and in general development.

    He said the LND is intensifying contacts and consultations with eminent statesmen to tap into their vast knowledge on politics and leadership which are crucial to the league’s objectives.

     

  • One in five malaria deaths globally occurs in Nigeria’ – Daniel Gbue

    One in five malaria deaths globally occurs in Nigeria’ – Daniel Gbue

    The Media and communications specialist of the Global Fund project of the Society for Family Health (SFH), Daniel Gbue, has disclosed that one out of five deaths from malaria globally occurs in Nigeria,

    Quoting different world statistics on malaria prevalence in Nigeria, Gbue also said the disease kills nine persons every hour in Nigeria.

    He spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at a one-day media orientation for practising journalists across the state on the ITN universal coverage campaign.

    “It (malaria) is the commonest cause of absenteeism from schools, offices, farms, markets, etc resulting to lower productivity.

    “In addition to the overburden on health system it also exerts a huge social and economic burden on our communities and country, retarding the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 40% annually and billions of Naira is lost to malaria annually in form of treatment cost, prevention and loss of man hours.”
    He called on media practitioners to propagate anti-malaria campaign by promoting use of treated nets in order to help reduce the disease across the country.

    The Project Director of the SFH, John Ocholi, said the body will be distributing 3.1million long lasting insecticide treated nets to residents of Ogun State, as part of the efforts to combat malaria in Nigeria.

    He said the programme is being carried out in collaboration with the state government, the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and other partners.

    Ocholi explained that the distribution is aimed at reducing malaria prevalence in the country by encouraging regular use of treated nets in all households.
    The Project Director insisted that a “malaria free Nigeria” is attainable, saying the country is on track.

    He, however, expressed concern over low utilisation of treated nets by the households especially in Ogun State.

    “Ogun State has one of the least percentage of net utilization in the world , it’s somewhere around 30% and net ownership is about 60-70%.

    “So, we also want to encourage people to use the net. We are begging people once you get this net, air it for 24hrs after that, put it over the sleeping space and sleep inside it every night.

    “If we save money from buying drugs we can use it in other things like education, transportation, feeding and others. And that’s why we say health is wealth, it helps you to do other things,” Ocholi said.
    Ocholi disclosed that the team will be working with 14,000 personnel to distribute the nets from 1,400 distribution points across the state between October 31 and November 6.

    The Malaria Program Manager for Ogun State, Mrs Olamide Adeyinka, disclosed has embarked on an interpersonal sensitization to improve on net utilisation.

    “We are having alot of community mobilization. We have CSOs ( Civil society Organisations ) who are working in the community to make people see reasons why they need to use the net correctly.“

  • U-17 Women’s World Cup: Nigeria beat hosts Dominican Republic

    U-17 Women’s World Cup: Nigeria beat hosts Dominican Republic

    Shakirat Moshood’s 89th minute goal following a strike from 24 yards out helped Nigeria to a 1-0 defeat of hosts Dominican Republic late Tuesday in Santo Domingo.

    The win in both teams’ final match of Group A at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup ensured that Nigeria will face Group B runners-up U.S in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

    The Flamingos found the going tough under driving rain against the determined hosts and could not make their overwhelming ball possession count for long.

    But with a minute left on the clock Moshood, now with four goals, unleashed a rocket from outside the penalty box for the lone goal.

    Home captain Renata Mercedes and goalkeeper Rondon led a famous resistance against Nigeria, who are now one of the elites of the competition, and the hosts deserved praise for their pushback.

    It was a performance which ensured the Flamingos made nothing out of 16 corner-kicks.

    Nigeria Head Coach Bankole Olowookere made three changes to the starting line-up, bringing in Rokibat Azeez, Blessing Ifitezue and Ramotalahi Kareem, for Onyedikachi Ekezie, Peace Effiong and Harmony Chidi.

    He restored Effiong and Chidi after the hour, but it took a special effort from Moshood, also scorer of the tournament’s fastest goal, to break the hosts’ hearts.

    Victory means the Flamingos top their group with nine points from three matches, three points better than second-placed Ecuador.

    The South Americans, with Caprice Chiuchiolo netting a brace, walloped New Zealand 4-0 in the group’s other match to finish with six points.

    They have now set up a clash with Group B winners Spain on Sunday.

  • Whenever I hear North, East, West, I get frightened – Obasanjo

    Whenever I hear North, East, West, I get frightened – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday in Abeokuta said the principle of regionalism has continued to plague the country, describing it as the root of Nigeria’s problems.

    Obasanjo said this when the League of Northern Democrats visited him, noting that the principle of regionalism which was adopted at Nigeria’s independence in 1960 was still being craved for today.

    “Where a leader hails from does not matter. Rather, what he brings to the table in terms of development and governance should matter,” he told the group led by former Kano state governor, Ibrahim Shekarau.

    Obasanjo faulted the name of the group, advising it to become a national league rather than a sectarian group.

    “One of the things that led us to where we are today, and we haven’t gotten out of, is regionalism.

    “Whenever I hear ‘North’, ‘East’ or ‘West’, I get frightened.

    “Your name would have been ‘National League of Democrats’, instead of ‘Northern League of Democrats’. But you must start somewhere,” he said.

    The former President however noted that the group was right to be concerned about Nigeria.

    “But how we correct the wrongs is what should be paramount in our minds.

    “Nigeria is greater than all of us and we should see it as a wholistic entity.

    “I share your concern, but if you’re a National League, maybe I will join you and even be your Patron if I cannot be active because I’m getting old,” Obasanjo said.

    Earlier in his remarks, Shekarau had explained that the group was an amalgamation of like minds of Northern extraction.

    He disclosed that the group, which has a membership of 400, came into existence three months ago as a result of various consultations and discussions.

    The former state governor said the group seeks to influence political decisions and the process of recruiting leaders at all levels in Nigeria.

    He added that the issue of credibility and righteousness in leadership have been a challenge in the country.

    “We have analysed the various challenges facing us as a nation and particularly as the largest region, and we have to influence certain decisions in the political landscape.

    “There are many issues facing us: issues of insecurity, issues of unity among ourselves, issues of youthful exuberance, and issues of education.

    “We also have ussues of making sure our democratic process is sustained and improved upon,” the former Minister of Education added

  • CAF to rule on  2025 AFCON qualifier between Nigeria, Libya Wednesday

    CAF to rule on  2025 AFCON qualifier between Nigeria, Libya Wednesday

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is expected to announce its verdict on the abandoned 2025 Africa Cup of Nations’ Group D qualifier between the Mediterranean Knights of Libya and the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Wednesday, October 23.

    According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, the African football body will rule on the players’ ordeal during the first leg in Nigeria which ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles and the reverse fixture that was eventually delisted.

    The second leg of the encounter was originally scheduled for Benina Martyrs Stadium in Libya on October 15.

    However, it was cancelled by CAF after Nigeria’s players and officials were left stranded at the Al Abraq Airport for over 14 hours without food, water and Internet, before they flew back to their home country.

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), after the incident lodged a complaint with CAF, but the Libyan FA denied the allegations and insisted they did nothing wrong.

    Following Nigeria’s petition, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) submitted all the necessary documents to CAF to back up their claims.

     

     

  • Why Nigeria needs innovative thinkers to surmount challenges — UNILORIN VC

    Why Nigeria needs innovative thinkers to surmount challenges — UNILORIN VC

    Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof. Wahab Egbewole, has said the economic challenges in the country require innovative thinkers to surmount.

    Egbewole expressed this view at the 39th convocation of the university on Monday as he charged the new graduates to be such thinkers.

    The Vice Chancellor who titled his speech at the occasion “No Longer Where We Were” said the graduating students had been trained to be innovative thinkers and people with capacity for value addition and asked them to hit the ground running as graduates

    “As important as today is to you and our institution, let me take the liberty to caution that while counting the stars, we do not lose our focus on the moon. I know you are excited but the reality is that you are no longer where you were some four years ago just as our university is no longer where we were. Your critical thinking ability should be activated now as the society awaits the wonders of your degrees to change the situation and restore hope for a better country.

    “As a nation, the experiences of recent times have clearly shown us that we are No longer where we were some 10 or 15 years ago. Our nation is greatly challenged and needs problem solvers, innovative thinkers and people with the capacity for value addition which your training offers you. You must therefore hit the ground running,” he stated.

    Egbewole, who said that the high number of graduates the university is churning out yearly underscored the contributions the institution is making in the training and enlisting manpower for the nation, charged the graduates to be good ambassador of the school.

    “Dear graduands, you need to understand that this occasion sets you up for unavoidable societal expectations to deliver and add value in your own corner to yet a great nation, your immediate community, this university and yourself.

    “You will have to pick bills, take responsibility for your actions, contribute meaningfully to nation building and maturely integrate into the new world because you are no longer where you were for years ago.

    “Becoming our ambassadors and advocates is a rare and matchless privilege in all ramifications. Guide jealously the heritage bequeathed on you from here on,” he stated.

    While congratulating the graduates and their parents, the Vice Chancellor emphasised that the graduates should make use of training they received from the university.

    “I sincerely hope that you will make use of your training here. Let your actions, contributions to national development and or course your give back to your alma mater from here on always reflect that it is not same you that was once described as admission seekers or ‘jambito’ but now a proud graduate of the Better by Far university.

    “Your approach to issues of life should truly be better to show that you are no longer where you were years back but rather, now a progressive, impactful, resourceful, highly trained, and productive individual just as your institution,” he said.

    A total of 12, 042 of students of undergraduate programmes are graduating while 1, 875 ones who have completed their post graduate programmes are participating in the convocation ceremonies.

    The grand finale will take place on Tuesday.