Kofi Annan dies at 80

FORMER United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has died at age 80.

Mr Annan died in the early hours of Saturday in Switzerland after a short illness, according to a statement issued by his family.

The Nobel Peace Laureate was the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from January 1997 to December 2006, and became the first black African man to take on the top job as the world’s top diplomat.

He was founder and Chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation, which issued a statement on social media, saying: “It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness...”

“His wife Nane and their children Ama, Kojo and Nina were by his side during his last days,” it said.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan waves after delivering his final speech to the 61st session of the UN General Assembly in New York in 2006. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

“Wherever there was suffering or need, he reached out and touched many people with his deep compassion and empathy. He selflessly placed others first, radiating genuine kindness, warmth and brilliance in all he did.”

Naira gains 40k against dollar at parallel market

The Nigerian currency, Naira gained 40k against the dollar at the end of trading, exchanging at N359.60k stronger than N360 traded last Thursday.

The Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N469 and N413 respectively.

At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the Naira exchanged at N360 to the dollar, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N469 and N413 respectively.

Trading at the investors’ window showed that the naira gained 30k to close at N362.50 from N362.53 traded on Wednesday, posting a turnover of 606.21 million dollars, while the Naira was sold at N306.10 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official rate.

It would be recalled that the naira had remained stable at the foreign exchange market, due largely to the series of interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria,

Peace PIAK

The post Naira gains 40k against dollar at parallel market appeared first on Voice of Nigeria.

HIV/AIDS: Survey records 99% response in Nasarawa – Coordinator

North-Central Zonal Coordinator, National Aids Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS),Dr Musa Abdullahi has said that a recent survey on HIV/AIDS recorded 99 per cent response in Nasarawa State.
Abdullahi disclosed this shortly after handing over medical facilities to the Nasarawa state Ministry of Health in Lafia.
He said the survey was a huge success, as 88 out of the 89 enumeration areas earmarked for the project in the state was covered by the team during the exercise held from July 16 to August 16.
He however said that the exercise did not hold in one of the enumeration areas as a result of communal crisis, which caused the people to dessert their villages.
“We also had some hard-to-reach communities with security challenges but with collaboration from the security agencies we were able to access the place and conduct the survey,” Abdullahi said.
He said it was too early to give out findings of the survey in terms of prevalence as the data was still being collated to be analysed before being made public.
“For now, it would be early to begin to give you prevalence because the data are still coming in and analysis and data cleaning has to be done.
What I can tell you is the response rate among the people of Nasarawa state is about 99 per cent, which is very impressive,” Abdullahi said.
He lauded the state government’s support in terms of logistic and monitoring towards the success of the survey.
He said the donation of the furnished offices and equipment to Nasarawa State Government was aimed at strengthening facilities at the ministry of health for effective performance in the area of HIV/AIDS.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Ishaku Abari who received the equipment and keys to the offices on behalf of the government promised to make good use of them.
Similarly, the Director of Public Health at the ministry, Dr Ibrahim Adamu said the donation was timely because of projects being planned by the ministry required partnership from non-governmental organisations.


L.Nasir

Maternal mortality: Experts drum support for Safe Motherhood Campaign Initiative

Some medical experts in Bayelsa have advised pregnant women to key into the Safe Motherhood Campaign Initiative of the State Government to tackle infant and maternal mortality rate.
The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics Primary Health Care Board,Dr Ebiakpo Agbedi  gave the advice during an orientation programme in Yenagoa.
Agbedi said that the programme was organised by the state Ministry of Health for members of the Sensitisation Committee on Safe Motherhood.
He explained that the essence of the Safe Motherhood Initiative was to promote good health of mother and child across the communities.
The Bayelsa State had on July 31 launched its Safe Motherhood Initiative.
“The pregnant women participated in free ante-natal care; enrolees of the safe mother initiative will get free insecticide treated mosquito nets, HIV/AIDS screening, tetanus injection and routine immunisation.
Other benefits include free diagnostic tests, a monthly incentive of N3,000 from the point of registration into the programme which will last for two months after delivery,’’ Agbedi said.
Director, Reproductive Health in the ministry, Happiness Mass  also advised pregnant women on the importance of the  programme.
Mass said some of the reasons for the high infant and maternal mortality rate include infection of the newborn.
She said that the infection occurs especially around the stump of the umbilical cord and excessive bleeding during child birth.
She added that the ministry was collaborating with relevant stakeholders to adopt a flexible approach to the routine immunisation of children.
The  Programme Manager, Saving One Million Lives for Result, an NGO, Ebikapaye Okoyen said other benefits of enrolees in the programme include a N2,000 package at point of registration.
Okoyen added that a delivery kit after child birth was also included among other items.
The  Chairman of the Sensitisation Committee, Chris Odi said the committee would work hard to spread the safe motherhood message, using the local dialects of the people for effect.

L.Nasir

Zamfara State to recruit more health workers for PHCs

The Zamfara Government plans a massive recruitment of health workers for its Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state, an official has disclosed.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health Dr Habibu Yelwa  stated this at a Routine Immunisation Demand Creation meeting in Gusau.
The meeting was organised by the state Primary Healthcare Board in collaboration with UNICEF for traditional rulers and local government health officials in the state.
According to him, the state government embarked on general renovation and provision of adequate health personnel to health facilities across the state as part of its commitments to improve health care delivery in the state.
“As we are all aware that the state government had recently recruited 100 doctors and 340 nurses and midwives in our general hospitals across the state to improve health care delivery at secondary level.
On primary health care, we are now working to provide one functional PHC in each of the 147 wards across the 14 local government areas.
“We have selected 30 PHCs for the take off project; we have embarked on total renovation of 14 out of the selected 30 as pilot, we will continue with the project until we achieve our target.
We are also planning massive recruitment of Community Health Officers, Pharmacist Technicians in September this year, so as to equip our PHCs with adequate numbers of health workers”, he said.
The Permanent Secretary thanked the state Primary Healthcare Board and UNICEF for organising the meeting, which he described as a welcome development.
Yelwa said the meeting apart from reviewing the routine immunisation activities, would also enhance the level of participation in activities at the grass roots by all stakeholders.
He said the state had been recording effective performance in routine immunisation in previous years.
“we won both national and international awards but unfortunately today we are recording low performance.
Therefore, it has become necessary to review the situation and identify the factors in order to move forward,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the state Primary Healthcare Board,  Yusuf Mafara, said the meeting was aimed at sensitising traditional rulers on the low performance recorded in the LGAs at the last Oral Polio Vaccine Campaign.
Mafara, who, was represented by the Assistant Cold Officer of the Board, Malam Sani Halliru, said the traditional rulers have greater role to play in improving health care delivery especially at the grassroots.
The meeting was attended by the 67 District Heads and local government officials from Anka, Gusau, Kaura-Namoda, Talata-Mafara and Tsafe LGAs.

L.NASIR

Ugandans demands release of opposition leader

Politicians, musicians and well-wishers of Uganda’s popular legislator Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine are demanding that government releases him from military detention.
Bobi Wine was one of several legislators and opposition supporters who were arrested following clashes with President Yoweri Museveni’s security forces on Monday, during campaigns in the West Nile town of Arua.
Bobi Wine has since been charged in the military court martial with unlawful possession of firearms while the other legislators and opposition supporters including the eventual winner of the Arua by-election Kassiano Wadri have been charged with treason.
He cannot walk, he was carried into the room wopposihere we saw him, he cannot sit straight, he speaks with difficulty and has a lot of pain breathing.
While the circumstances surrounding the arrest and subsequent charges were severely contested by many as being politically motivated, the focus has now switched to the physical state of Bobi Wine and his fellow legislator, Francis Zaake.
Both legislators were brutally beaten while in detention and are barely conscious four days after they were arrested.
Bobi Wine, who is currently detained at Makindye military barracks in the capital Kampala, can’t walk on his own, can barely talk and has several wounds all over his body, according to his wife and lawyers who have been allowed to visit him.
Reports said, Daily Monitor, reported that the other legislator Zaake, is currently on life support at Rubaga hospital in Kampala.
Uganda’s leader of opposition in parliament, etty Aol who visited Zaake that her colleague’s life was ‘on the mercy of God and we pray that he keeps him alive’.
“His condition is very bad. The people who tortured him did it with an intention of killing Hon Zaake. We hope that he gets better” Aol said.
Ugandans are rallying together using the hashtag #FreeBobiWine, to demand that government releases the legislator, so that he can receive proper medical attention as requested by his family.

Hauwa Mustapha

Eritrea president returns to Ethiopia

The Eritrean president is due to return to Ethiopia, for an official visit to the Amhara region, state-run Fana broadcasting corporate citing head of the regional state’s communication bureau, Nigusu Tilahun.
The visit will be the second time in two months that Afwerki is travelling to Ethiopia.
He reciprocated a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Asmara in July 2018 after the two nations ended two decades of hostilities.
An exact date has yet to be communicated but ahead of Afwerki’s visit, a delegation from the regional state will travel to Asmara.
Eritrea has also not officially commented on the development, the current development comes as Eritrea hosted a second round of peace talks between regional states in Asmara.
Officials of Amhara region entered a peace deal with an exiled group – the Amhara Democratic Forces Movement to resume peaceful political involvement.
The Oromia regional government had earlier reached a similar agreement in Asmara with exiled former terrorist group, Oromo Liberation Front.
Hauwa Mustapha

2019 Polls: Electoral Commission makes clarification on budget

Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has made clarifications on its budget for 2019 General Election, saying that the figure it presented was N189.2 and not N264 billion as widely reported.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yaqoub, made the clarification while speaking with State House correspondents on Friday.
He said: “the commission requested for N189.2 billion, that is what the executive proposed to the National Assembly, so there are no discrepancies in the figures at all.”
“Secondly, also for the very first time in the history of our country, that citizens know the budget of the electoral commission, that budget has never been defended before the National Assembly, as citizens know line by line how much the commission proposed l, what the money is going to be spent on, I think I am very happy with this process.”
The INEC boss also said that there is no provision for election observers in the budget for the 2019 General Election.
He said: “There is no line in the budget for international observers. What we are provided for are the kits, you know the jackets, caps, publication, that we give to international observers, the stickers that are fixed on their cars to be identified on Election Day.”
“This is the standard practice. Each country that organizes elections provide these facilities for those who monitor elections. But their accommodation, transportation will be born by various election monitoring groups and not by the Nigerian government.”
On fears that the 2019 General Election might be postponed following delays in the passage of budget for it, Yaqoub said “there are no conditions under which elections should be postponed.”
He said: “Under section 26 of the Electoral Act, the date is formed and fixed, February 16, 2019. We issued the timetable way in advance for the very first time in the history of our nation, citizens of Nigeria know when elections will take place one year in advance. It has never happen before.”
Over 80 million to vote in 2019
Professor Yaqoub said over 80 million Nigerians have been registered as the country goes into the 2019 General Election.
He said: “We have voters register of over 80 million citizens. As at Saturday last week the 11th of August, we have registered 12.1 million this will eventually be added to the 70 million voters that is already registered for the 2019 general elections.”
“We started the continuous voters registration exercise on 27th April 2017, so we have been, as provided for in our constitution, registering voters consistently in the last 16 months.”
“In response to appeal by Nigerians, we have created more centers for the registration but finally decided that we should suspended the process as provided for by the law, six months to the elections. But gain in response to appeal by Nigerians we have now extended to the end of the month.”
He said registration would continue until August 31, while collection of Permanent Voter Cards would continue until one week to the general election.

Imran Khan begins new era in Pakistan as Prime Minister

Pakistan's new Prime Minister Imran Khan sworn in at a ceremony in Islamabad, ushering in a new political era as the 65 years old World Cup cricket hero officially took the reins of power in the nuclear-armed country.

Uganda charges Bobi Wine, 2 lawmakers with treason for stoning Museveni

Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine: one of the lawmakers charged with treason

Three Ugandan lawmakers, including musician turned politician, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine and dozens of others have been charged with treason over their alleged role in the stoning of President Yoweri Museveni’s convoy earlier this week.

Another lawmaker was charged separately in a military court martial.

One of the vehicles in the long-ruling Museveni’s convoy had its rear windscreen smashed when he traveled late on Monday to campaign for a ruling party candidate in a parliamentary by-election in the northern town of Gulu.

Museveni said on Wednesday he was unharmed, but five MPs were arrested in the moments after the incident.

Three of them, including the independent Kassiano Wadri who won the by-election, appeared in court in Gulu and were charged together with dozens of others.

They were accused of “intent to do harm to the person of the president,” according to the charge sheet, which also said they “unlawfully aimed and threw stones, thereby hitting and smashing the rear windscreen of the presidential car”.

A magistrate told the defendants they could not enter pleas as their offence, classified as treason under the penal code, could only be heard in a higher court. He ordered that they be detained until Aug. 30.

Medard Sseggona, a lawyer for the defendants, told the magistrate that some of the accused had been “badly beaten and tortured during the process and after arresting them” by soldiers.

He asked the magistrate to allow the sick among the accused to have immediate access to medical care. That request was granted.

Two other lawmakers, Francis Zaake and Robert Kyagulanyi, a popular musician-turned-politician who goes by the stage name Bobi Wine, did not appear in court.

On Wednesday, a leading opposition figure said Zaake had been severely beaten, as unverified images purportedly of Zaake lying on a bed emerged on social media.

Relatives and opposition MPs who travelled to Gulu to attend the court proceedings said they had been denied information on the whereabouts of Zaake and Kyagulanyi.

A statement from the Ugandan military late on Thursday said Kyagulanyi had been arraigned in a court martial in Gulu, charged with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, and would be held until Aug. 23.

Under Ugandan law, civilians found in possession of materials typically reserved for the armed forces are tried by courts martial.

Rights activists have long accused Museveni’s government of using tactics including beatings by security forces and detentions to stifle opposition to his rule.

Museveni has been in power for more than 30 years and officials say he has broad public support.

Last year parliament, dominated by Museveni’s party, scrapped an age limit of 75 on candidates for the presidency, a move critics say means Museveni could potentially rule for life

“Nigeria can become industrial giant through steel” – Kogi government

Elizabeth Christopher, Abuja

The Kogi State Government says the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta steel company will help position Nigeria as an industrial  giant in the world.

The Director General Media and publicity to the state Government, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo said this at the end of a meeting with prospective investors in Abuja, the nation’s Capital.

According to him, Nigeria could become an internationally recognized Industrial nation when it begins to produce steel.

“When you start producing your steel, you have become an industrial giant, must of the things we are importing  now you will not have to import them again it will help construction work it will mean that we can now produce locally and export to other countries at a far cheaper rate,” he said.

Mr. Fanwo added that the kogi State Economic Team is already firming up agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with investors in several sectors of the economy.

Peace PIAK

Rights group calls for security reform in Ethiopia

International rights group, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Ethiopian government to arrest a rising spate of insecurity in the country.
Maria Burnett, HRW’s director for East Africa and the Horn, said ethnically and religiously-charged killings particularly in the Oromia and Somali regional states were a huge cause for worry.
In a statement titled, ‘Ethiopia Violence A Concern Despite Reform Promises,’ she stressed that the only way Ethiopians could genuinely benefit from Prime Minister Abiy’s bold agenda for change was for the killings to be curtailed, investigated and perpetrators brought to book.
Bringing perpetrators swiftly to justice is the only way to not only stem the violence, but also signal to Ethiopians that the country is changing for good.
It detailed recent events especially in Jijiga, capital of the Somali regional state, where deaths, injuries, looting and burning of public and private properties were reported in the wake of a security standoff between federal and regional forces.
It specifically mentioned the involvement of two regional groups, Heego and Liyu police as complicit in the violence.
Heego is a youth group loyal to deposed regional president Abdi Mohamud Omar and the Liyu police a paramilitary force.
“Ethiopian authorities established the Liyu police in 2007 to combat the insurgent Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF); the paramilitary force has frequently been implicated in extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape,” the statement added.
It also enumerated instances of violence resulting in deaths across other parts of the country.
At least 15 people in other parts of the country DireDireDawa city, Shashemene, Tape town, and Adama city were also killed in ethnically-charged mob justice and rioting in August.
“The political and ethnic dynamics around these recent killings show that despite reforms and improved rhetoric on human rights from the federal government, insecurity is still a problem – particularly where Liyu police roam unchecked.
“Bringing perpetrators swiftly to justice is the only way to not only stem the violence, but also signal to Ethiopians that the country is changing for good,” the statement concluded.

Hauwa Mustapha

U.S. Attorney General orders speed up of immigrant deportations

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has sought to speed up the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Sessions told immigration judges to only postpone cases in removal proceedings “for good cause shown.”
He said in an interim order that the “good-cause” standard “limits the discretion of immigration judges and prohibits them from granting continuances for any reason or no reason at all.”
Sessions has led efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration, including a “zero tolerance” policy that separated immigrant parents from their children while they were in U.S. detention. Trump abandoned the separation policy in June under political pressure.
Critical in showing “good cause” is whether a person is likely to succeed in efforts to remain in the United States, either by appealing for asylum or receiving some form of visa or work permit, Sessions said on Thursday.
Troubling Order
Session’s order has however been criticised by immigration Lawyers.
Stephen Kang, an attorney with the ACLU immigrants rights project, described Sessions’ order as “troubling” and one of a series that “has moved in the direction of restricting due process rights for individuals who are in removal proceedings.”
Kang said Sessions seemed to portray immigrants seeking more time to prepare their cases as trying to “game the system and avoid deportation.”
Kang said removal proceedings were complex and people needed time “both to get lawyers to ensure that their due process rights are protected and time just to make sure their cases get a fair hearing.”
However, Sessions maintains that granting continuances solely for good cause would be an “important check on immigration judges’ authority” and demonstrate public interest in “expeditious enforcement of the immigration laws.”

National Youth Games: Officials warned against cheating

As the zonal elimination of the North-Central Zone for the National Youth Games continues, coaches and directors of sports from the zone have been warned to desist from fielding overage athletes.
The zone’s Coordinator, Patrick Uwagbale who said this in Ilorin, explained that any athlete who was overage and made it to the games, when discovered would be banned for two years with the coach serving the same punishment and would pay a fine of N5 million to the state.

He thanked the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed for accepting to host the zonal elimination within short notice after Kogi and Plateau states had turned down the chance to do so.
The North-Central coordinator said the zonal elimination for team sports only became imperative to decongest the games proper.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman Nigeria Directors of Sports Forum and Kwara Director of Sports, Malam Tunde Kazeem, assured the states of fair officiating and screening of the athletes.
He urged the participating states to bear with the state if there were shortcomings during the elimination because the state was not prepared to host initially.
Kazeem said that the Youth Games was a formative stage for the athletes hence the reason to for the screening to be strict so that the right athletes were allowed to take part.
He disclosed that independent persons had been contacted to conduct the screening and urged the coaches to cooperate with the people screening the players.
The Kwara director of sports urged the umpires to be fair in their judgment.

Messi to miss Argentina friendlies in U.S.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has ruled himself out of two friendlies in the U.S. next month, a source at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has said.
The source, confirming widespread reports in Argentine media, said the FC Barcelona forward would miss the games against Guatemala and Colombia and possibly more.
“We don’t know what will happen after, but for now (Messi) has told the coaching staff that he will not be part of the next squad,” the source said.
Reports said Messi was still disappointed over Argentina’s poor showing at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminated at the last 16 stage by eventual winners France.
He will not go to Los Angeles for the Sept. 7 match against Guatemala or to New Jersey to face Colombia four days later.
Interim coach Lionel Scaloni is due to announce his squad for the games by next Monday.
It is not the first time Messi has decided to take time out from international duty.
He retired after Argentina lost the 2016 Copa America final, their third defeat in a major final on three years, but he changed his mind two months later.
Argentine officials hope the 31-year-old will do the same after a short break and are keen to encourage the five-times World Player of the Year to return.
“The doors of the national team are open to him,” the source told Reuters.
Argentina will play four more friendlies in October and November.
Their next tournament will be in 2019 when they go to neighbours and arch-rival Brazils for the Copa America.
The twice World Cup winners have not won a major title since lifting the Copa America in 1993.

D’Tigress to arrive Lagos for W/Cup camping

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) says the women’s senior national basketball team, D’Tigress will arrive in Lagos on Aug. 20, for the next phase of camping ahead of 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain.
The championship scheduled to hold from Sept. 22 to Sept. 30, in Tenerife, Spain.
The Media Officer of NBBF,  Afolabi Oni, said on Thursday in Ilorin that the team had been training in Atlanta, U. S.
“The team led by Hughley Otis, will have their last training in the U.S. on Saturday before their departure to Nigeria on Sunday,’’ Oni said.
According to him, one of the players will be dropped from the team.
“Presently, we have 14 players, including Adaora Elonu who has been drafted by Atlanta Dreams.
“The team will reduce the number of players to 13 before coming to Nigeria,’’ he said in a statement.
Oni said one of the players will be dropped because there are three players (Uju Ugoka, Nkem Akaraiwe and Nkechi Akashili) who are already in Nigeria for the next phase camping.
He said that the team had settled in and were now focused on the task ahead.
Oni said the team’s experience in the U.S. would translate to a good outing at the World Cup.
“The adjustment has been so tremendous because the players are adjusting day by day, while the team’s chemistry has continued to improve.
“By the time the team rounds off on Saturday, we would have been able to achieve our set goal,’’ Oni said, adding that the team had been in camp for over two weeks.
“Coach Hughley Otis came with different dynamics and techniques both for offense and defense which has actually helped the team.
“He has seen the energy and ability of the girls and we have been able to adjust,’’ he said
The team will start training on Tuesday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.

Team Sky to skip Vuelta for Tour of Britain

Tour de France winners, Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome, will line up at next month’s Tour of Britain rather than the Vuelta a Espana, Team Sky said on Thursday.

Froome will make his first appearance in the British race since 2009, instead of the final grand tour of the season.
Also, Thomas would return to the race on home shores after winning his maiden tour title last month.
The pair will be joined by Dutchman, Wout Poels, when the race begins at Pembrey Country Park, Carmarthenshire, on Sept. 2.
“As soon as I’d finished the tour, I knew I wanted to ride the Tour of Britain and race on home roads.
“I want to go to the race in the shape to compete and enjoy it,’’ Thomas said.
“We’ll have to see how the next few weeks go but I’m looking forward to it and I know we will have a strong team there.
“ Poels is looking really good at the moment too,’’ Thomas added.
Six-time Grand Tour winner, Froome will be racing his first Tour of Britain as Team Sky rider, while Thomas finished seventh overall last year.
Their participation rules them out of the Vuelta a Espana, which starts on Aug. 25.
“The Vuelta a Espana has always been such a big goal and sadly coincided with the Tour of Britain.
“But not doing La Vuelta this year gives me the chance to come back to the UK and race on what looks like a great parcours,’’ said Froome, last year winner of Vuelta.
Froome had tested positive for excessive levels of Salbutamol, following a urine sample at last September’s Vuelta.
However, International Cycling Union cleared him of wrongdoing ahead of last month’s Tour de France, where he finished third.

Age not responsible for Victor Moses’ retirement – Christian Chukwu

Christian Chukwu, former Super Eagles coach and captain, says the retirement of  Nigerian born Chelsea player, Victor Moses, from international football was a matter of decision and not age.
Chukwu said Moses knew about his body faculty more than any person.
He said that the decision should be read from the player’s personal opinion and not from the age.
“Victor Moses is a very vibrant and young player, so he has the right to take decisions for himself.
“He knows his body more than any person, therefore, it is best known for him why he retired and we wish him well,’’ Chukwu said.
The Chelsea of England player announced a surprise international retirement.
He did this in a series of twitter posts and pictures citing his club career development and family as part of his reasons for the decision.
The former Stoke City, Westham and Liverpool player, thanked Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, the coaching staff, Nigerians and indeed the NFF for their support and opportunity given him while playing for the national team.
Moses, 27, scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for the Super Eagles.
Moses was instrumental in Super Eagles conquering of Africa in 2013, and represented the country in two World Cups – 2014 and 2018.
No reactions have come out from NFF over this development.
However, his Chelsea teammate, Eden Hazard, has wished him well in his future endeavours.
Hazard twitted “Congratulations! You made your country proud’’.

Cycling Lagos gets ministerial endorsement

Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi will lead other cycling enthusiasts in the Celebrity Race of the Cycling Lagos event on Aug. 25.
Media Officer of the tournament Bamidele Adeleye said the minister would be in company of other dignitaries.
”The minister confirmed his participation in the 2.5km race between Teslim Balogun Stadium and the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos.
“We are excited to receive the news about the participation of Amaechi in the Cycling Lagos’s Celebrity Race.
”It is one of the various race categories that include Corporate Race, Professional Race, Children/Youth Race, Amateur Race and the Club/Veteran Race.
”On June 3, Amaechi joined other cyclists on a ride in Abuja to mark the World Bicycle Day, declared by the UN.”
Bamidele said that the wife of the Governor of Lagos, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, would also grace the occasion where she would also mentor children.
The competition is expected to attract over 1,000 cyclists from within and outside Nigeria and it is organised by Cycling LifeScope Ltd.
The event is supported by the Lagos State Government, Lagos State Cycling Association, Eko Hotels & Suites, Super Sports and Leadway Assurance Company.
Other sponsors are Addefort Ltd., WorldStage Group, Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info, JAC Motors, Simba Group, TVS and Access Bank.

South Korea hires ex-Portugal coach Bento

South Korea hires 

ex-Portugal coach Bento

Paulo Bento: to coach South Korea’s Taeguk Warriors  till 2022

Former Portugal boss Paulo Bento will coach South Korea over the next four years through the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Friday.

Kim Pan-gon, a top KFA official in charge of finding a new coach, said that with “four years of patience and support” Bento will take the Taeguk Warriors to new heights.

“Coach Bento fits the Korean football style as he pursues high-pressing games and tight defences denying opponents chances for counterattacks,” Kim told journalists.

He also praised Bento — who took Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2012 — for his strength in the knockout stages of competitions.

“He is professional, charismatic and has passion and confidence,” Kim said.

Bento and his staff are scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Monday, the KFA said.

Bento took the Portuguese reins in 2010 after four seasons in charge of Sporting Lisbon, but was sacked in 2014 after an ignominious home defeat to Albania.

He later had stints in charge of Brazil’s Cruzeiro and Olympiakos in Greece, and was appointed coach of Chinese Super League club Chongqing Lifan in December last year.

The CSL side sacked him last month after he failed to improve the side’s fortunes.

Bento — a tough-tackling defensive midfielder capped 35 times by Portugal — replaces South Korean Shin Tae-yong, whose contract expired last month.

The contract terms remain unclear but his annual wage is expected to be higher than the 1.5 billion won ($1.4 million) received by Germany’s Uli Stielike, who coached South Korea from 2014-17, Yonhap reported previously.

South Korea — who reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002 — exited Russia 2018 at the group stage after defeats to Sweden and Mexico, despite stunning Germany to eliminate the defending champions.

Afterwards, Hyundai scion and KFA president Chung Mong-gyu handed over $3.5 million of his own money to hire a new football coach in an attempt to turn the national team’s fortunes around.

South Korea’s next major assignment at full international level is January’s Asian Cup. They were runners-up to Australia at the last edition of the tournament in 2015.

Google employees protest China’s Dragonfly

Google: employees protest China censor friendly search engine codenamed Dragonfly

Hundreds of Google employees have signed a protest letter over the company’s reported work on a censor-friendly search engine to get back into China.

The employees, according to a New York Times report, are demanding more transparency so they can understand the moral implications of their work, said the Times, which obtained a copy of the letter.

It has been signed by 1,400 employees and is circulating on the company’s internal communications system, the newspaper said, quoting three persons who are familiar with the document.

The letter argues that the search engine project and Google’s apparent willingness to accept China’s censorship requirements “raise urgent moral and ethical issues.”

“Currently we do not have the information required to make ethically-informed decisions about our work, our projects, and our employment,” they say in the letter, according to the Times.

Employee anger flared with a report earlier this month in The Intercept that Google is secretly building a search engine that will filter content banned in China and thus meet Beijing’s tough censorship rules.

Google withdrew its search engine from China eight years ago due to censorship and hacking.

The new project is said to be codenamed “Dragonfly.”

The tech giant had already come under fire this year from thousands of employees who signed a petition against a $10-million contract with the US military, which was not renewed.

With the secret project, Google employees are reportedly worried that they might unknowingly be working on technology that could help China hide information from its people.

“We urgently need more transparency, a seat at the table, and a commitment to clear and open processes: Google employees need to know what we’re building,” the protest letter says, according to the Times.

At a townhall gathering of employees on Thursday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the firm was committed to transparency, and that while it was “exploring many options”, it was “not close to launching a search product in China,” the Financial Times reported, citing a person present at the meeting.

State Cordinator Imo Reform Movement Finally Speaks on Rochas Poor Governance

State Cordinator, Imo Reform Movement Finally Speaks on Rochas Poor Governance

Comr. Victor Ojimadu, State Cordinator Imo Reform Movement

 Comrade Victor Ojimadu,
 State Cordinator, Imo Reform Movement speaks on the current situation of the state of Imo and the effect of Rochas administration.

We have come to a point where we can’t afford to remain silent while injustice continue to take place in Imo land. Imo State is for all and not some kind of business venture as someone has taken it to be.

We are lending our voice to the market women, to the civil servants, we are lending our voice to the aged, the young and old and we say no to injustice. We want a leader who has the heart to listen to the cry of the poor, cry of the helpless, cry of the sick, and generally the cry of the masses and able to deliver the dividend of democracy.

Rochas Okorocha

Imo State government, what else can we ask for if not for you to give us good roads, adequate medical delivery services, quality education, adequate power supply, and create enabling environment for SMEs to thrive.

Mr governor, Rochas Okrocha, we asked for standard roads and you gave us substandard roads that never lasted 4 years. We asked for good health delivery services and you gave us empty buildings that you call hospitals. We asked for quality education and you gave uniforms and sandals to pupils.

This is a government with misplaced priorities, wasting our resources.

In summary, there is no governance in Imo State. Only God can redeem imolites, as mercurial Rochas urgently needs atonement and spiritual deliverance for his crimes against humanity!

Now for his crime to continue he wants his son-inlaw to succeed him as governor.

Quote me anywhere I stand for the truth that is why Imo Reform Movement will not relent until Imolites get a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Enough of Imo Must be Better scam by Rochas. What saddens me is to see his propagandistic supporters make super of his free education scam and ornamental street lighting and celebrate this insensitive Rochas

I responsibly declare that Rochas is the worst governor Imo State has ever had for reasons adduced presently. We are hopeful, come 2019 that our people would see, speak and act the truth.