President Goodluck Jonathan orders overhaul of sports sector in Nigeria

Expressing dismay over the poor outing of the Nigerian Olympic team in the just concluded London Olympic Games, President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that the entire gamut of the sporting sector of the country should be re-organised.

Despite the release of N 2.2 billion two months before the London Olympics the 55-man Nigerian contingent with a coterie of officials returned home without any medal, while irregular medal clinchers like Tunisia, Uganda, Algeria and even Gabon and Botswana, returned home with some medals of varying colours.

This is the third time that Nigeria will record such an abysmal performance at the Games. The first was at the 1980 Moscow Games and the second was at 1988 Seoul Olympics.

President Jonathan, Wednesday, advocated for a national retreat at which the apex government, state governments and the private sector will discuss how to reinvigorate the country's sporting sector in order to make it robust and productive.

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku told State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that the president has indicated that some key sports administrators will be affected by the changes being proposed but he did not give names of those that will be affected.

The Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, who traditionally ought to have been present, was conspicuously absent at the briefing.

Sources in the know revealed that some prominent administrators, particularly the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Chief Patrick Ekeji, may lose his plum job.

President Jonathan, the information minister said, was irked by the performance of the athletes and said that the industry should be rekindled to meet future challenges through proper planning, provision of adequate funds and the setting of standards that could be met in all future games.

"President Goodluck Jonathan ordered for a total and comprehensive re-organization of the sporting sector, following the disappointing performances of Nigerian contingent to the London 2012 Olympics.

"The President accordingly directed for a national retreat which will involved state governments as well as the private sector to re-order priorities in the Nigerian sporting sector.

"He said what took place in London must be the beginning of a new momentum to place Nigerian sports at a level that will enable this country return to the glory it is known for in the areas of sports.

"President Jonathan believes for us to change the present scenario, we need to specialize, we need to plan and we need to fund sports in a way that this country will continue to make impact in the sporting sector.

"He believes that the next Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil must enable Nigeria sets specific targets and realize them in order to promote our sports development.

"He also called for a new direction in sports management as well as funding and planning. He believes that what this nation needs at the moment is to take a sober look at what has happened and indeed change the scenario by working hard on all that we need to do to return the sporting sector to his glory.

"Mr. President emphasis the need for early planning, better administration of sports as well as funding which he believes can no longer be left to the government alone but must involve the private sector to generate sufficient resources to return our sports to it's glory.

"So in the next couple of weeks you are going to see action in this area as we prepare to work and ensure that Nigeria in subsequent events, in continental and global takes it proper place within the continent and globally in sporting competitions."

Related story: No medals for Nigeria at London 2012 Olympics

Former President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida says Nigeria is more corrupt today

Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has dismissed insinuations that his regime institutionalised corruption and declared that the scourge is more rampant today than in his time.

The general, who is 71 today, was speaking to reporters at an interactive session on the eve of his birthday in his Hilltop residence in Minna yesterday.

"Some people said I institutionalised corruption but I remember I removed a governor for stealing N300,000, but now you cannot remove them even for stealing N3 billion," the general remarked, noting that those still accusing him of alleged corruption 22 years after he left office were neither realistic nor fair to him.

The former military president who also stated "I managed poverty but some people managed affluence" said he will continue to respect the late human rights lawyer and advocate Chief Gani Fawehinmi because he did all his criticism as a legal luminary "and you always learnt one thing from him."

Commenting on the prevailing security challenges, including the potential threat by the Boko Haram, IBB said it is a passing phase, insisting that the development will not disintegrate the country.

He added that people should be sincere and accept that President Goodluck Jonathan needed support of every Nigerian.

When asked whether he was hopeful that the nation will remain the same in the face of the Boko Haram and other challenges, Babangida said "Positive! Yes, you know why? When I was growing up I was involved in so many things in this country which border on the stability of this country.

From 1963 to 1993, when I left office, I was involved in many things. We also saw many things like Tiv riot and civil war. It went on like that because we are a 'developing' country, so it went through and is still going through. I participated in virtually every operation from 1964 till I left office. I am sensible enough to know that we have to go through this."

The former military president said what is happening in Nigeria is a passing phase in the history of every developing nation, saying that it is instructive to note that all the leaders of developing nations are always aware of the challenges.

He also stated that it was his belief that unlike his own generation, the younger generations have more things that will make them bond together easily and he could see the younger generation achieving unity at least 50 years.

"I don't think that we are likely going again into civil war despite all that is happening. I am not sure that your generation may like to go through what we went through," IBB remarked adding that hope for keeping Nigeria one lays in the hands of the common man and not the elite and media who he claimed were unnecessarily sensational about issues that could easily be resolved through dialogue.

The former military president said the common man has never been involved in the "if you cannot get it you find a reason to spoil it" syndrome.

He explained that his coming together with his "Boss" former president Olusegun Obasanjo was the best they could do at the moment because "when me and my Boss Obasanjo issued a joint statement we proffered our solution, it is laziness for somebody to sit down and ask what did we do. Fine, we were there when it started but we should not be deprived of the right to make a contribution, what President Jonathan needs is support and that is what we are giving him".

He said what he shared in common with former President Obasanjo was a passion for a united Nigeria. "I can tell you that if there is somebody committed to the unity of Nigeria that person is my Boss OBJ".

IBB therefore said: "I plead with all of us to live with one another in peace, that is the only way we can move forward. The country has a lot of potential, what we need to do is to try to live in peace with one another, we can channel this virtue of ours towards achieving a great country."

On his feud with Edwin Clark he said "Chief Edwin Clark is my friend. I have known him for over 30 years, there is mutual respect between us, he will not deny me as his friend. The media might have heightened it."

On the state police debate, IBB supported the idea of state police that will operate within the confines of a given law saying that in the 50s and 60s there was state police but "they said it was used to molest political opponents".

He said he wondered why the fear of state police continues to persist, saying "left to me the purpose of government is security, the fears that governors will use the state police is unfounded".

Commenting on why he left the late General Sani Abacha behind in 1993 when he was stepping aside, Babangida said that he left him behind to strengthen the interim government and not for any ulterior motive, saying that what happened after that was another story entirely.

Northern governors salute him at 71

Meanwhile, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has paid tribute to former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who turns 71 today, saying his life is a testimony to the power of good leadership and purposeful living.

The chairman of the forum and Niger State Governor Dr Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, described Babangida as the symbol of statesmanship, patriotism, vision and courage which are some of the excellent leadership virtues that have guided him through his years of active public service life.

The NSGF stated this in a statement signed by Governor Aliyu's Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo. According to the forum, the former military leader has excelled in his chosen profession and went on to preside over Africa's most influential country during which period he showed rare vision, courage and exemplary leadership.

The governors noted that IBB had consistently remained on the path of promoting national unity, integration and development with his influential networks cutting across the length and breadth of Nigeria and beyond.

The forum said the history of Nigeria will always be incomplete without paying tribute to IBB's contributions and achievements to the socio-economic and political development of our country.

The governors listed the achievements of the former leader to include the realisation of the vision of Abuja as the Federal Capital City by providing the most vital infrastructure and moving the seat of power from Lagos in 1991.

The Forum also made reference to the privatisation of the broadcast industry, the licensing of private universities and airlines and the liberalization of the banking industry, including the establishment of community banks (now microfinance institutions) as ranking among IBB's notable legacies.

The governors then prayed God to grant Babangida excellent health, courage and many more years of selfless service to Nigeria and humanity.

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Nigerian couple given 14 years in London prison for child abuse

What most Nigerians culturally do by using corporal punishment to correct their children when they do wrong and go scot free has become the albatross for two Nigerian couples resident in the United Kingdom.

For beating their six children with brooms, hoovers and wires and even giving their baby a morphine overdose after childbirth, the Nigerian couple have been jailed for seven years each in London, with the UK press calling them all sorts of names.

But the Nigerian married couple denied the allegations, claiming the children were victims of a racist witch-hunt. They were, however, found guilty of cruelty to a person under 16.

The parents convicted of a decade long campaign of abuse against their six children were jailed for seven years each yesterday.

The Nigerian couple, which the paper said claimed their kids were possessed by evil spirits, were found guilty after Coronation Street star Michelle Collins gave evidence against them.

The parents argued that the children had been ‘brainwashed’ into making the allegations by the police, the London Borough of Haringey and Miss Collins who they said ‘wanted to steal’ them, UK’s Green Crown Court heard.

Jurors rejected the parents conspiracy theories. When they are released, they face deportation back to Nigeria – despite pleas from their legal team that they have been ‘punished enough’ by having their children taken into care.

As they left the court, the paper said the couple wailed: ‘We are innocent, this is a miscarriage of justice.’

The couple were accused of beating their children with brooms, hoovers and wires and even giving their baby a morphine overdose just days after her first birthday.

A report published in UK’s Daily Mail said five of the children were rescued after their eldest daughter threw a heart-wrenching SOS note out of a window.

The report said it was not until their one-year-old baby was given a morphine overdose over a year later that police reopened the case which led to their prosecution.

The paper said the plight of the children was so bad that Miss Collins, who met them at a church lunch, took them to the cinema ‘because she felt sorry for them’.

The Miss Collins gave evidence as a prosecution witness during the trial of the parents, both 40, who could not be named to protect their six children.

Sentencing them to seven years behind bars each, Judge James Patrick described it as ‘shocking mistreatment’ that they had tried to cover up with a ‘web of deception’.

Judge Patrick said: “No-one who sat through this trial could help but be moved by the fact that these intelligent, charming, fun, lovable children continue to love you despite what you put them through.

“You alleged a conspiracy involving a well-known actress, who had done nothing but show your family generosity and kindness, a member of a housing charity, social workers and foster carers.

“Those who had taken the trouble to support you were repeatedly accused of dishonesty, lying, and conspiracy to rob you of your children when the reality was that both of you were lying – in fact they ware simply seeking to give your children stability.”

But the parents claimed they were victims of a conspiracy – and even alleged Miss Collins was involved in a witch hunt against them and wanted to ‘steal’ their children.

One of the youngsters, a baby at the time, had been allowed to stay in the home by Haringey council, who were involved in other case called the Baby P and Victoria Climbie cases, despite the fact the five other children had to be rescued.

The abuse reportedly came to the attention of police in April 2010 when their nine-year-old wrote an SOS note and threw it out of her bedroom window.

The heart-breaking plea read: ‘My mum is the worst mum ever because she can’t cope with five of us, her broken hand and being pregnant. She always leaves me out so I always starve and I am forced to work.

‘If I don’t get enough house work done, I am beaten without mercy with the wooden end of a broom. I have scars all over me to prove it. I can’t stay here. I would like a new mum.’

It was found by a neighbour who called the police, and when officers attended the address they found the children living in messy conditions with ‘dirty’ and ‘dishevelled’ clothing.

Revealing scars the eldest said her mother had hit her with a cable, a broom, and a hoover and her father had dangled her by her feet down the stairwell of the house, tied her hands behind her back and her legs together ‘to get the devilish spirits out’, prosecutor Emma Smith said.

Her sister, who was seven at the time, had a stick shaped bruise of her thigh and after a few months in care, she drew a series of pictures showing her dad beating her and her being left home alone and including a speech bubble saying ‘I’m hungry.’

The children were left home alone for hours, sometimes days on end, with the elder kids forced to look after the others.

They had even been forced to lie to a charity and social services that they were living alone with their mother in one room and had no idea who their dad was so they could scam benefits.

Even during the trial the eldest feared she had torn her family apart with her ‘devastating cry from the heart in the form of a letter which she threw from the window’, the judge noted.

There was an investigation but no further action, and the five children remained in care until the parents once again came to police attention on 28 June last year, when they gave their baby an overdose.

‘But for the events of June 28 you would have gotten away with your crimes because of a merciful decision not to prosecute you’, Judge Patrick noted.

The couple’s sixth child, a baby girl, the report said, was also initially taken into care but then returned to her parents. They took her to St Thomas’s Hospital just days after her first birthday last year.

The paper went on to say that without treatment, the baby could have died but doctors managed to save the youngster, who it is believed was given morphine orally that morning.

Vanguard

Police detonate 963 IED and arrest 108 in Kano, Nigeria

Kano State Police Command Tuesday said it had detonated 963 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) of different calibre, as well as arrested 108 suspected criminals at different locations in the last eight months in the state.

The state Police Commissioner, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, said: "From August 1, 2012, the command was able to detonate a bomb at Federal College of Education (FCE) Kano, 10 undetonated explosives at Rijiyar Zaki along Jambulo Estate and four IEDs recovered and detonated at the same Rijiyar Zaki, on August 6, including another one at BUK."

Idris said out of the 963 bombs detonated, two were suicide prime car bombs, adding that all the IEDs were successfully detonated since January 20 to date and that the detonated bombs did not cause any injury or damage.

Addressing journalists yesterday at the Officers Mess, the police commissioner disclosed that items recovered within the two weeks include, 26 IEDs, 10 rounds of ammunition, two pistols, pump action guns, one air rifle and nine double barrels.

Idris said other items were three AK 47 riffles, 226 cartridges, 12 knives, 11 stolen vehicles and 45 rounds of ammunition, stressing that the command was ready to discharge its role in ensuring the protection of lives and property.

"We are always combat ready in the state and we are always appealing to the public to report any suspicious persons or movement to the nearest security outfit for proper action," he said.

The commissioner also explained that 108 persons suspected to be criminals were arrested at different hideouts in the state, while 92 of them were charged to court for different offences ranging from being in possession of Indian hemp, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

He said the command in collaboration with other security agencies had concluded plans to ensure a successful E-id- Fitri celebration in the state, assuring residents that the command was combat ready to forstall the breakdown of law and order during the celebration.

This Day

Related stories: Police diffuse bomb in Abuja Church

Boko Haram terrorists killed at Chad border

According to World Bank - 80% of businesses in Nigeria bribe government officials

The report of a World Bank study conducted in 26 states in Nigeria has indicated that about 80 per cent of businesses in the country paid bribes to government officials in 2011 to stay in business.

World Bank's 2011 report on 2011 investment climate in Nigeria said one-third of micro-enterprises agreed that "informal payments/gifts to government officials" were common occurrences, suggesting that registered firms deal more with such requests for bribes.

Only 20 per cent of micro-enterprise firms reported to have had foreknowledge of the amount of money required to "get things done," a situation that means the informal payments are sudden and unplanned for.

The report further stated that these informal payments/gifts represented approximately 1.2 per cent of annual sales for all micro-enterprises. It added that micro-enterprises dealing in government contracts were expected to pay approximately 4.3 per cent of the value of contracts that they were hoping to secure.

Manufactured goods attracted larger bribes (6.7 per cent) than those for small services (3.9 per cent). However, firms in the formal sector obviously spent more on corruption, as 47 per cent of formal firms claimed that informal gifts/payments were commonplace in comparison to 33 per cent for micro-enterprises.

The report also stated that micro-enterprises have a greater mistrust of institutions than formal firms; that 63 per cent of formal sector firms and 72 per cent of micro-enterprises reported that the application of laws was not consistent and predictable; and that 41 per cent of formal firms and 20 per cent of micro-enterprises reported that they had advance knowledge of informal payments/gifts.

Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi and Kwara states are some of the states where the study was conducted. The other states are Nassarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

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