Nationwide strike starts

The first day of a planned three-day countrywide strike over pay went ahead in Nigeria Wednesday, despite last ditch attempts by President Goodluck Jonathan to avert it.

Federal government offices were deserted whilst banks were shut and public bus services were cancelled.

Schools and gas stations however remained open and privately run taxis were operating as usual as tens of thousands of commuters ignored the strike call.

Jonathan on Tuesday cut short a business visit to Lagos to fly back to the capital Abuja to personally take part in emergency late night talks with the country's main unions.

Those talks ended with the unions saying the strike would proceed as planned, but labour leaders said they would meet again later on Wednesday.

"The only thing we can say ... is that the strike is on until it is called off," said Promise Adewusi, acting president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The unions had initially demanded an almost 700 per cent pay rise on the national minimum wage, which has stood at 7,500 naira (36 euros) for the past decade despite double-digit inflation.

After months of negotiations, they settled for a 240 per cent pay hike to 18,000 naira (87 euros), but some three months on the government has yet to accept the recommended figure.

It is feared the strike could shut down Nigeria, the world's eighth-largest oil exporter and Africa's most populous country.

RFI

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MEND to launch fresh attacks on oil rigs

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has threatened to launch fresh attacks on oil installations across the Niger Delta soon, an online medium, www.oyibosonline.com posted yesterday.

In the report titled, "Mend Plans Serial Attacks on Oil Rigs", the medium said MEND had issued a statement claiming its readiness to turn the table on the amnesty programme by launching new attacks.

"In the coming days, our fighters will launch series of attacks on oil installations across the Niger Delta," the group said in the statement e-mailed by Jomo Gbomo, MEND's spokesperson, the report also said. It also reported that MEND has claimed responsibility for Sunday's hostage taking of seven expatriates after a swoop on oil workers at a coast line in Akwa Ibom State.

The online report posted a letter said to have been issued by mend saying its fighters on Sunday caught some oil expatriates working with Afren, a company engaged in drilling at the Okoro oil field in Akwa Ibom.

Meanwhile, the United States and France have called for the prompt release of all the hostages. "We're, of course, concerned about their safety and hope for their immediate release," U.S State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters. Also, the French foreign ministry spokesman confirmed it had received information indicating that two of its nationals had been taken hostage.

"We have indications concerning the abduction... and the possible presence of two French nationals among the people abducted," said ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.

Our correspondent called Lt. Col. Timothy Anthigha, the spokesman of JTF in the Niger Delta to speak on the report but he didn't respond.

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Samson Siasia appointed as new Super Eagles coach

Former Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, coach Kashimawo Laloko has described Samson Siasia 's appointment as the new Super Eagles coach as a beginning of a new era in the country's football.

Laloko said that Siasia knows where the shoe pinches, pointing out that he is on ground and has the knowledge on how to get the best out of the players while his consistency with Nigerian football would bring the problem of the game to an end.

Laloko urged Nigerians to be patient with the former Super Eagles striker saying he is not a magician but has the charisma to bring back the country's lost glory in football both in Africa and the world.

The former handler of the defunct Stationary Stores football club of Lagos said appointing Stephen Keshi would have looked like hiring a foreign coach .

"Siasia's appointment is going to bring change to the country's football. He knows where the problems lie and he is presently handling Heartland football club of Owerri in our local league.

"I know what Siasia can do, he has the charisma to carry the players along and as well transform the Super Eagles. He goes to the nooks and crannies of the country to fish out talents from nowhere. We all saw it with the U-20 team in 2005 both in Benin during the Africa Youth Championship and World Youth championship in Holland.

"Again the same happened when he qualified the country for the Beijing Olympics football game final three years later and the team won silver medal. What I am saying is that the right man has been given the job.

"I am not saying that Keshi is not good for the job, but bringing him to take over as the coach is like hiring a foreign coach to handle the team", Laloko surmised.

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Five hostages taken from oil rig

Five people were taken hostage on Monday from an oil rig off the coast of Nigeria.

Two of them are believed to be French, according to a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson. The rig in the Delta region was attacked early Monday morning, according to the company that overseas it.

"We have indications concerning the abduction off Lagos and the possible presence of two French nationals among the people abducted," said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero. "We are looking to confirm these indications."

The British company that oversees the rig, Afren, said only that the oil rig in the Okoro oil fields was attacked and five crew members were likely taken hostage. Two other crew members were wounded.

"Two crew members are stable after receiving wounds to the leg, and have been evacuated by helicopter to a shore-based clinic," said the company in a statement.

The nationalities of the five hostages were not given, but a security source told the AFP news agency that there were two French, two Americans and a Canadian.

Kidnappings are frequent in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's oil production heartland, with groups calling for a better distribution of the country's oil wealth.

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FIFA boss condemns vote sting

A senior FIFA figure has condemned an undercover investigation into World Cup bidding as "unethical".

The probe by the Sunday Times led to the suspension of two FIFA executive committee members, Nigeria's Amos Adamu and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii.

They were suspended after allegations that they asked for money for projects in return for World Cup votes.

The newspaper also alleged that Qatar's 2022 bid has colluded with the Spain/Portugal 2018 bid.

Mohamed Bin Hammam, the Qatari president of the Asian Football Confederation and a member of the executive committee which will vote on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts, has now expressed doubts about the fairness of the newspaper's investigation.

His remarks will increase concerns that England's 2018 bid may suffer from a backlash by Fifa members unhappy at the Sunday Times sting and a programme currently being worked on by BBC Panorama.

Bin Hammam said on his website: "Forging identity, fabricating evidence and setting traps are unethical behaviours in my point of view.

"One thing about Middle East media, these are rare happenings there.

"Is it ethical to use unethical measures to protect the ethic?

"How can we serve justice and look for fairness by not acting justly and fairly? How will we clean dirty laundry by using dirty water?"

Bin Hammam also echoed FIFA president Sepp Blatter in conceding it was a mistake to have the 2018 and 2022 votes on the same day, 2 December.

He said: "We all underestimated the passion for the game around the world; we miscalculated how much football has influence over the feelings of people.

"By admitting that mistake, FIFA executive committee members realised how much it is impossible to demand from their member associations not to talk to each other about their bid.

"The World Cup is the largest business of FIFA. Collusion will always have a chance to happen as far as two bids will be decided together, but we all pray that no corrupted collusion will find its way to the bids."

Bin Hammam also revealed it was Uefa president Michel Platini who made the decisive intervention to prevent the 2022 vote being postponed until next year when he told last Friday's meeting 'we cannot change the rule of the game during the game'.

Daily Trust

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