NAIJAFEED

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Nigeria's leader swears in new cabinet

Nigeria's Acting President Goodluck Jonathan installed his new cabinet on Tuesday, appointing senior Goldman Sachs executive Olusegun Aganga as his new finance minister. Jonathan also named former mines minister Deziani Allison-Madueke and Godsday Orubebe as the new oil and Niger Delta ministers.

With his own team now in place, Jonathan can assert his authority and revive key reforms that have stalled since ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua stepped away from the public eye last November.

With only 13 months of the presidential term left, Jonathan has focused the OPEC member's political agenda to include electoral reforms, security in the oil-producing Niger Delta, providing more reliable electricity and fighting corruption.

The new ministers, which include 13 returnees from the outgoing cabinet, will be critical in achieving these goals in Africa's most populous country.

Washington Post

Jonathan asks Obama to revisit Terror Blacklist

Nwankwo Kanu PSA - Kick polio out of Nigeria

Football legend Kanu aims to kick polio out of Nigeria with a public service announcement that urges parents to immunize their children.

NIGERIA'S soccer captain Nwankwo Kanu has two goals for 2010: he wants Nigeria to shine at the upcoming World Cup, and he wants to eradicate polio from Africa.

"Ive scored many goals for my country," the 33-year-old striker says in a series of Public Service Announcements now airing across Nigeria on radio and TV. "But theres still one goal I want to score: I want to kick polio out of Nigeria."

Polio Eradication

Nwankwo Kanu to retire from international football after World Cup

Return to Nigeria's Witch Children

Monday, April 5, 2010

Catholicism in Nigeria

Christian Purefoy reports on the new frontier for the Catholic church in Nigeria. Africa has become the fastest growing region in the world for the catholic church.

Bestselling author Uwem Akpan on CNN

Return to Nigeria's Witch Children

World Cup ball arrives Nigeria April 8

Legendary football "The Ball", presently on world tour will be a special guest of the Special Olympics Nigeria (SONigeria) from April 8-14 as part of the activities put in place to enrich the 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa.

Special Olympics Nigeria (SONigeria) Chairman, Victor Gbolade Osibodu, who disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing the media on SONigeria activities lined up for the 2010-11 said "The Ball" will be received on April 10 at the Astro-Turf 2000, Ikoyi, Lagos.

According to him, a novelty unified 5-aside soccer match featuring athletes with and without intellectual disability will be played in the spirit of the game to help create communities of tolerance and inclusion in Nigeria. The novelty 5-aside match will feature SONigeria athletes and COPA Coca-Cola players playing as a team.

On April 12, a street soccer match will feature Search & Groom team against Special Olympics Nigeria athletes.

While in Nigeria "The Ball" will visit some corporate organisations who have partnered with SONigeria over the years.

Speaking further on the event, Osibodu, called on members of the public to be part of the events and join SONigeria in hosting the World Cup Ball's journey to South Africa as tickets have already been made available free.

He commended Guaranty Trust Bank, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Publicis, Soulcomm, Astro Turf 2000 and Search & Groom for supporting the hosting of "The World Cup Ball" Every four years, a legendary football "The Ball" makes a journey from Battersea Park, London (where the very first FA rules football match was played) to the opening ceremony of the football world cup

In January "The Ball" left Battersea Park to make a 10,000 mile pilgrimage to South Africa through west and east Africa. In Africa "The Ball" will travel through morocco, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa in June 2010 for the world cup.

Daily Champion

Related stories: The World Cup comes to Nigeria

CNN reports on street football in Lagos

Couple arrested for concealing cocaine in twins

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have apprehended a 46-year-old man, Jimoh Oladega Bashir, his wife, Jimoh Mulikat Adebukola and six-year-old twins for trafficking 4.050 kg of cocaine.

According to a statement signed by Ofoyeju Mitchell, head, Public Affairs of NDLEA, and made available to Saturday Champion, the family of four was to board an Arik flight to London Heathrow airport on Sunday, March 28, 2010, when they were found with the illicit white powdery substance.

Though the man had no drugs on him, the wife concealed 3.350kg in almost every part of her body. She had some on her breast and under-wear. The innocent six-year old twins were also used in packing 700 grammes of the illicit drugs.

With a supermarket at Ajah, Lagos-to earn a living, they still engaged in the illicit act. Their reason was that they were duped the sum of N2.2 million and needed to smuggle the drugs to enable them pay the school fees of their children.

According to Jimoh, "we were to be paid 3,000 pounds while some quantity of the drugs would have been given to us. Initially, I rejected the suggestion but they convinced my wife who persuaded me to do it. My son is at Fountain University, Osogbo, and I need to pay school fees."

The wife also blamed their involvement on school fees and other family financial responsibility. In her words: "I have problem of my children's school fees. I have six children and I intend to give them good education. I also have younger ones and aged parents to take care of. They asked me to swallow the drugs but I was afraid that was why I packed them on my body," she stated.

Jimoh, the NDLEA's spokesperson further disclosed, hails from Oko town in Kwara State, adding that the children have been released to the family members. The couple, he added, will soon be charged to court.