NAIJAFEED

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Nigerian Becomes Coca Cola CEO

After many decades of successful operation in the Nigerian market, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited has announced the appointment of a Nigerian, Kelvin Balogun as the Company's new Chief Executive Officer effective February 1, 2011.

Kelvin, the first Nigerian to occupy the position, succeeds Islay Rhind, who will be retiring from The Coca-Cola Company.

The new CEO joined the company in October 1999 as Strategic Planning & Business Development Manager. In February 2002 he moved to East Africa where he held positions of increasing responsibility in Kenya, Tanzania and the Horn of Africa before assuming the role of Strategy Director for the Coca-Cola East & Central Africa Business Unit in May 2008 with responsibility for strategy development across 27 countries. Kelvin's last role in East Africa was that of General Manager for the East Africa & Mozambique Franchise, leading Coca-Cola's operations and market development in Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique.

Reacting to the appointment, President of Coca-Cola North & West Africa Business Unit Curt Ferguson, said "Kelvin is well grounded in the business and has a strong track record of performance. He successfully rebuilt some of the key business drivers for profitable growth in several East and Central African markets. We are confident that he will accelerate the growth momentum that our business has built in Nigeria and will lay a solid framework for sustainable market leadership".

Kelvin began his career in 1989 as a Business Analyst at Accenture in Lagos, and rose to the position of Senior Manager & Head of Strategy Competency. He has an MBA from the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University in Atlanta and a Bachelors degree in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. He is also an alumnus of the Lagos Business School and the Logistics Strategy School at the Cranfield University in the UK.

"I am excited by the opportunity to return home and help shape and drive the Coca-Cola business here" said Kelvin. "Nigeria is a strategic growth market; my colleagues and I will focus on strengthening the fundamentals of the business, deepening the bonds between our brands and our consumers and expanding our market leadership".

This Day

Eagles Drop As Black Stars Rise On FIFA Rankings

Nigeria dropped eight places on the FIFA World rankings for February, which was released yesterday. But Ghana moved up a step to replace Egypt as the top African nation.

Egypt currently engulfed in political tumoil, plummeted from the 10th position to 33rd on the global rankings. There was no movement among the top five. World champions Spain lead the pack followed by Netherlands, Germany, Brazil and Argentina.

The sharp drop by Egypt, Nigeria and others on the African listing was because of their inactivity. Egypt has not played any friendly since their back-to-back win of the Africa Nations Cup, while Nigeria have only played their friendly matches on the pages of newspapers.

The Black Stars ranked 15th thus top the African rankings for the first time since May 2008. Cote' d Ivoire moved five places down to the 26th spot. They are second on the continent. Egypt are third while Nigeria retained the fourth position. Burkina Faso at 41 displaced Algeria from the African top five. The Desert foxes dropped from 36 to 55.

There was brighter news for South Africa who for the first time in five years have climbed four places to occupy 47th position, behind Cameroon and Guinea who are perched at the 43rd and 46th places respectively.

The next Fifa rankings will be released on Wednesday 9 March.

Nigeria's Super Eagles will now tackle Sierra Leone in a friendly next week Wednesday after a proposed game with Guatemala in the United States was called off.

Chairman of the technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Chris Green, said the Guatemala match has been cancelled because the match organisers feared incurring a huge loss.

"The organisers were apprehensive of the goings_on in Nigeria as regards a FIFA ban after football matters were again taken back to regular courts," Green said.

Eagles now to play Sierra Leone

There have been huge doubts over the Guatemala game, but the NFF insisted last week that all arrangements for the encounter had been concluded.

Officials have now disclosed Sierra Leone will replace Guatemala on the FIFA friendly day window with the game likely to be played in Lagos.

Media reports suggested that the country's top Euro-based stars have been contacted to rearrange their travel plans and now fly into Nigeria for this match.

Vanguard

Related stories: Super Eagles sink in FIFA ranking

FIFA suspends Nigeria

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

FIFA Decides Adamu's Fate Today

Dr. Amos Adamu will by the end of today know if he still has a future in football, as the Appeals Committee of FIFA sits to decide the fate of the Nigerian official.

Adamu along with fellow FIFA Executive Committee member, Reynald Temarii of Tahiti were both suspended last December after the governing body's Ethics Committee found them guilty following an inquiry into World Cup vote selling allegations levelled against them by British newspaper, The Sunday Times.

Adamu was given a three-year ban from all football related activities, while Temarii got one year.

However, both men, insisting on their innocence, subsequently lodged appeals with FIFA's Appeals Committee, which recently announced that it would be hearing their cases over 48 hours beginning from today.

But Adamu, who arrived Zurich on Monday for the hearing, has been sounding very confident of overcoming what is definitely a defining moment in his long and often controversial career as a top Nigerian sports administrator.

Speaking before leaving the country, Adamu, who is also a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee, said he expects to get a fair hearing, and ultimately, vindication.

"I don't want to say too much about the appeal but I know I'll get a fair hearing. It is important that I clear my name in this matter and I believe that will be done at the meeting," said Adamu, who is also WAFU President,

The man who will decide Adamu's fate is Bermuda Football Association President, Larry Mussenden, who chairs the Appeals Committee.

If exonerated, Adamu would be cleared to stand for re-election to his FIFA post. The Confederation for African Football has its annual assembly February 23 in Khartoum, Sudan, where it will choose two of its four delegates to the FIFA ruling body.

Apart from Adamu and Temarii's cases, the Appeals Committee will also hear three others. Aloulou, a Tunisian lawyer who chaired FIFA's disputes panel, is challenging a two-year sanction. FIFA referees committee member Amadou Diakite of Mali and Ahongalu Fusimalohi from Tonga were each suspended for three years. Bhamjee got a four-year ban.

A sixth official, Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana, has not appealed his ban.

However, even if their suspensions are upheld, the men can still seek redress at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS); because the Lousanne-based organisation has the power to overturn the Appeal Committee's verdicts.

The hearing will be held at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich.

This Day

FIFA boss condemns vote sting

FIFA keeps the nation in the dark over ban

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Mob Sets Bank On Fire in Abuja

What could have led a policeman to shoot a pregnant woman dead? That, is the mystery which the Federal Capital Territory Police Command was trying to unravel.

On Monday, tragedy broke out in Mpape, Abuja as stray bullet fired by a policeman guarding one of the banks (names withheld) in the area shot a pregnant woman dead.

The pregnant woman whose identity could not be immediately ascertained was passing by before the bullet fired by the trigger-happy policeman went off and sent her to her early grave.

An eyewitness said the policeman was trying to challenge a taxi driver who attempted to make a u-turn in front of the bank. The bullet he fired, apparently against the taxi driver, swerved and hit the passer by, stated the eyewitness.

The name of the officer could not be established and the real reason why he fired the shot.

However, the sound of the gun was said to have attracted people in the area who subsequently set the bank ablaze.

It was confirmed that employees of the bank escaped as the commotion raged while top officials of the bank who were later spotted by the Nigerian Tribune declined comment on the matter.

As at the time of filling this report, the area where the incident took place was deserted as passers-by feared possible arrest by the police.

The Police Commissioner in charge of FCT, John Haruna who later arrived the scene of the incident noted that the situation was under control.

He said the police would do everything possible to fish out the officer who committed the murder and ensure that he is brought to book.

Daily Champion

Nigerian president orders immediate evacuation of nationals in Egypt

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday directed National Security Adviser Andrew Azazi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Odein Ajumogobia to immediately evacuate Nigerians trapped at the Egyptian airport in Cairo.

President Jonathan who is currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the 16th session of the African Union (AU) General Assembly according to his spokesperson, Ima Niboro gave the directive Sunday night when he got the news of the plight of Nigerians in Egypt.

The Nigerian leader said both Azazi and Ajumogobia (who is also in Addis Ababa) must coordinate the mission and return the trapped Nigerians home to their families and loved ones.

About 200 Nigerian including students, businessmen, government officials, and others on medical visits are said to be stranded at Cairo's International Airport due to the turmoil in that country.

According to findings, they are said to have been at the airport for days with no access to call home as Egyptian authorities had blocked mobile services as well as access to internet.

While Egypt air flights to Europe, Arabian cities and others are still operating, same cannot be said of flights to African cities including Lagos, Kano, Accra, Nairobi and Entebbe.

Egypt has cancelled flights to African cities without any excuse thereby subjecting Nigerians to harsh conditions.

Egypthians have been in turmoil for nearly a week, with hundreds of thousands protesting the continued stay in office of President Hosni Mubarak.

He has been in power for 30 years and the protesters have insisted that he must go beforean end to the crisis in the country.

People Daily