Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Video - Nigeria aiming to revitalize economy dependent on oil
Nigeria's economy has been hit hard by the falling price of crude, which has lost almost two-thirds of its value in the last year. Although the country aims to re-invigorate it's oil dependent economy, many of its citizens are grappling with these changing economic times.
Nigeria Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh fined for youtube rant
Oliseh looks set to consult with his lawyers about contesting the sanction.
The 41-year-old posted a video on his own website to hit back at what he called the "insanity" of his critics.
He had come under pressure after Nigeria failed to get past the group stages of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.
The coach has since apologised to the NFF for his outburst aimed at the Nigerian media as well as his vociferous former international teammates.
"When I spoke of critics I did not mean the general public of Nigeria! I would never dare refer to my beloved country men as insane!" Oliseh published on his Twitter account.
In another Tweet: "How dare I insult 170 Million people who I love and have shown me so much love. Please forgive the error of editing! God bless you all."
The country's sports minister Solomon Dalung and NFF boss Amaju Pinnick met in the capital Abuja on Tuesday to discuss the embarrassing saga.
Former Nigeria captain Oliseh, who succeeded Stephen Keshi as coach in July, has seen his reign in charge of the three-time African Champions blighted by controversies.
Some high profile players have decided to retire since he took over as coach including goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama - Nigeria's most-capped player - who quit after he was replaced as captain.
Two weeks later striker Emmanuel Emenike also announced his retirement from international football.
Oliseh, unpaid for five months, had also gone public with the money problems affecting his team during the CHAN tournament to the embarrassment of his employers.
Nigeria face seven-time African champions Egypt in back-to-back 2017 African Cup of Nations fixtures next month.
They are two points behind group leaders Egypt after two rounds of matches with only group winners guaranteed automatic qualification to the tournament in Gabon.
BBC
Related story: Nigeria Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh goes on youtube rant
President Muhammadu Buhari didn't call all Nigerians criminals
The presidency has described as misconstrued the various interpretations of President Muhammadu Buhari’s comments in an interview granted to the UK’s Telegraph newspaper on February 5.
In a statement Tuesday by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, noted that the wave of negative reactions to the President’s remarks about the reputation of Nigerians abroad was a result of incomplete understanding of President Buhari’s point.
“President Buhari was asked about the flood of migrants from Nigeria and the fraudulent applications for asylum put in by people desperate to leave their motherland at any cost, and it was this question that elicited his response,” he said, encouraging Nigerians to avail themselves of a full text of the interview, which has now been made available on the Telegraph’s website.
Mr Shehu added that it was preposterous for anyone to imagine that the president of Nigeria would describe all the citizens of the country he leads as criminals, when he himself is a Nigerian–obviously not a criminal–and when there are many Nigerians of honest living making their country proud all over the world.
“Unfortunately, there are also Nigerians giving their country a bad image abroad, and it is to those Nigerians that the President referred in his comments,” he said, adding that people may play politics and online games with the President’s comments, but the fact of the matter remains that Nigeria’s reputation abroad has been severely damaged by her own citizens.
“These Nigerians who leave their country to go and make mischief on foreign shores have given the rest of us a bad reputation that we daily struggle to overcome.”
Mr. Shehu called attention to the many efforts of President Buhari to clean up the image of Nigeria, such as the war on corruption, stating that acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to preferring a solution.
“President Buhari is very aware of the problems the people of Nigeria face both at home and abroad, and he is not shying away from admitting them even as he focuses on solutions to bring them to a permanent end.”
Premium Times
In a statement Tuesday by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, noted that the wave of negative reactions to the President’s remarks about the reputation of Nigerians abroad was a result of incomplete understanding of President Buhari’s point.
“President Buhari was asked about the flood of migrants from Nigeria and the fraudulent applications for asylum put in by people desperate to leave their motherland at any cost, and it was this question that elicited his response,” he said, encouraging Nigerians to avail themselves of a full text of the interview, which has now been made available on the Telegraph’s website.
Mr Shehu added that it was preposterous for anyone to imagine that the president of Nigeria would describe all the citizens of the country he leads as criminals, when he himself is a Nigerian–obviously not a criminal–and when there are many Nigerians of honest living making their country proud all over the world.
“Unfortunately, there are also Nigerians giving their country a bad image abroad, and it is to those Nigerians that the President referred in his comments,” he said, adding that people may play politics and online games with the President’s comments, but the fact of the matter remains that Nigeria’s reputation abroad has been severely damaged by her own citizens.
“These Nigerians who leave their country to go and make mischief on foreign shores have given the rest of us a bad reputation that we daily struggle to overcome.”
Mr. Shehu called attention to the many efforts of President Buhari to clean up the image of Nigeria, such as the war on corruption, stating that acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to preferring a solution.
“President Buhari is very aware of the problems the people of Nigeria face both at home and abroad, and he is not shying away from admitting them even as he focuses on solutions to bring them to a permanent end.”
Premium Times
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Nigeria Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh goes on youtube rant
Nigeria's head coach Sunday Oliseh hits back at the "insanity" of critics in the Nigerian media with an eight-minute rant.
The Super Eagles were eliminated in the group stages of African football tournament CHAN, but Oliseh defends his record, and points out he has lost just two of his 14 games in charge of Nigeria.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Former Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi criticises President Buhari
Mr Sanusi said the drawbacks of the policy "far outweigh its dubious benefits", the Financial Times reports.
President Muhammadu Buhari told the BBC last week that he was not convinced of the need to "murder" the naira.
The falling oil price has put pressure on his currency policy.
The authorities are keeping the official naira rate at around 200 to the US dollar, but the black market rate is closer to 300.
The government relies on oil exports for vital foreign exchange and the declining price means there are fewer dollars in the country.
"The government does not have the reserves to keep the exchange rate at its official level in the market, " Mr Sanusi told the Financial Times.
The policy has "never worked" wherever it has been tried, he added.
But Mr Buhari told the BBC that he is yet to be convinced that he should allow the currency to be devalued.
In an effort to sustain the policy, the government has imposed currency restrictions, and halted the importation of certain goods in order to stop dollars leaving the country.
Mr Sanusi was the central bank governor from 2009 to 2014, when he was suspended by then-President Goodluck Jonathan following a row over corruption in the oil sector.
He is now the emir of Kano, an influential religious post among Muslims in Nigeria.
BBC
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