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I Never Saw Messi As A Rival – Ronaldo Says After Juventus Thrashed Barcelona 3-0

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
I Never Saw Messi As A Rival - Ronaldo Says After Juventus Thrashed Barcelona 3-0

Cristiano Ronaldo insisted he never saw Lionel Messi as a rival after Juventus brushed past Barcelona in the Champions League.

Ronaldo converted two penalties and Weston McKennie also scored at Camp Nou, where Juve claimed a 3-0 win and top spot in Group G on Tuesday.
Messi had a game-high 11 shots, including seven on target, but Barca fell as he faced Ronaldo – who starred during nine seasons in LaLiga with Real Madrid – once more.
Ronaldo, who shared a brief embrace with Messi before the clash, said there was no rivalry between the two all-time greats.
“I have always had a very cordial relationship with him,” the Juventus star told Movistar+.
“I shared 12, 13 or 14 years of award ceremonies with him. I never saw him as a rival.
“He always tries to do what is best for his team and me too. I always got along very well with him.
“But we know that in football, for the press, for the show, a rivalry is sought, but I have always gotten along well with him. I see him as always.”
Since 2003-04, Messi’s seven shots on target were the most a player has had in a single Champions League match without scoring. His 11 in total was also the most in a game without scoring in the competition.
But Ronaldo scored his first goals against Barca in the Champions League (in his sixth appearance) and 133rd and 134th goals in the competition.
“Barcelona are going through a difficult time, but it is still Barcelona,” Ronaldo said.
“The truth is that we are very happy, we knew it was an almost impossible mission, it was a complicated mission and we played well.
“The key was to get into the game well, we scored two early and from there we believed it was possible.”

Shock As Robbers Invade Government House, Cart Away Millions Of Naira

By
Shalom Ekelaka
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Shock As Robbers Invade Government House, Cart Away Millions Of Naira

An undisclosed amount of money, reported to be millions of naira, has been stolen from the Akwa Ibom State government house.

The money was meant for journalists, raising questions on why the state government was giving such money to journalists in the state.

According to Daily Trust, the money was kept at the office of the secretary to the chief press secretary to the governor.

The office was reportedly burgled as the locks were tampered with. Then the “Ghana-must-go bag” containing the money was emptied and left on the floor.

Chief security officer to the governor reportedly went to the press centre a day after the incident to invite the driver to the chief press secretary for interrogations.

“The money came in yesterday afternoon, but they refused to share it to the people it was meant for,” a source told Daily Trust. “So, the thief came in the night and destroyed the keys and gained access to the office of the Secretary to the CPS.

“This is not the first time the government house press centre is being robbed. We have lost about three plasma televisions, one at the reception, one in the reporter’s office and the other in the office used by cameramen. In all of these, no meeting, no replacement,” the source added.

Ekerete Udoh, the chief press secretary to the state governor, declined to comment on the theft.

He said that those who were meant to be paid would get their money.

Youths In 19 Northern States Vow To Take Action Against Second Wave Of #EndSARS Protesters

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Youths In 19 Northern States Vow To Take Action Against Second Wave Of #EndSARS Protesters

The Northern Youth Leaders Forum says it will mobilize youths in 19 northern states and Abuja to resist the second wave of the #EndSARS protest.

The group also alleged that the second wave of #EndSARS were attempts to pave the way for a military incursion by way of a coup and possible disintegration of the country.

The youth group, an umbrella body of 42 northern youth groups, said it reached the resolution at the end of the National Executive Council meeting of the  body in Gombe.

NYLF Chairman, Elliot Afiyo, who addressed journalists, in Yola on Tuesday, said the group was prepared for a violent confrontation with #EndSARS protesters in any part of the North.

He said, “From the intelligence reports we received from our zonal and state coordinators and also from some of our members in the security circle, the second wave of these protests as planned by their sponsors, should not be allowed to take place in any of the northern states and Abuja.

We are in possession of credible intelligence reports which shows that, the sponsors of these protests have strategised to bring down completely the already recessed Nigerian economy so as to give way for a military takeover and final disintegration of the country which we considered and truly too, unacceptable.

“To this end, we want to sound a serious warning to the organizers and all their sponsors to discontinue their plans and embrace dialogue or face whatever consequences as a result of the protests. All our zonal and state chapters are fully mobilised and prepared for violent confrontation with the protesters in any part of the North and Abuja.”

The group maintained that if the government was being perceived as failed, the right thing to do is to change it through the ballot box in 2023.

The group also called for the complete overhaul of the nation’s security architecture in addressing the security challenge.

ASUU Agreed To End Strike Today – FG Makes Shocking Revelation

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
ASUU Agreed To End Strike Today - FG Makes Shocking Revelation

The Federal Government says it has delivered on offers made to the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

This was in reaction to the claim by the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, that the government had failed to deliver on offers made to the union.

Ogunyemi had blamed the FG for union’s failure to call off the strike, noting that the lecturers would not return to classes until their salary arrears were paid.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, however, revealed that ASUU agreed at their last meeting with the government team on November 27 to call off their nine-month-old strike before December 9.

“The truth of the matter is that a ‘gentleman agreement’ was reached at the last meeting in which ASUU agreed to call off the strike before December 9, 2020, and the minister, in turn, agreed that once the strike is called off, he would get a presidential waiver for ASUU to be paid the remainder of their salaries on or before December 9,” Ngige stated.

This was contained in a statement from Ngige media office on Tuesday, titled, ‘We have kept our promises to ASUU – FG.’

Ngige said it was false and discomfiting for ASUU to wrongly inform the public that the government agreed to pay all withheld salaries before it would resume work, stressing that the timelines attached to the various offers made to the union had been complied with.

The minister stated, “The N40b Earned Academic Allowances have also been processed just as the N30bn revitalisation funds, bringing it to N70bn. Likewise, the visitation panels for the universities have been approved by the President but the panel cannot perform its responsibilities until the shut universities are re-opened.

“The gazetting is also being rounded off at the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation while the Ministry of Education is ready to inaugurate the various visitation panels.”

He disclosed that “they were paid for February and March, after which it was extended to April, May and June, months they were on strike on compassionate ground, bringing it to five months.”

The statement added, “Asking the government to pay these four months before it goes back to work means ASUU is placing itself above the law of the land and no government will encourage it as it is a recipe for chaos in the labour milieu.”

Meanwhile, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said that the eight-month long strike by ASUU was an indication that university lecturers had not taken into consideration the larger challenges facing the country.

“Government conceded something. The problem is that they refused to look at the problem of the whole country. The Minister of Labour is working hard at it. It is amazing how ASUU will stay out of classrooms for so long. There’s a need for our elite to understand the challenges facing the country,” The President added.

INEC Told To Deregister APC As A Political Party, Declare All Seats Vacant

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
INEC Told To Deregister APC As A Political Party, Declare All Seats Vacant

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare vacant, the seats of lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, its spokesman, the opposition party also asked INEC to officially deregister APC.

He was reacting to the dissolution of the APC’s party structures by the national executive committee (NEC) of the party.

Ologbondiyan, who said APC no longer has an operational structure required by law, added that December 8, 2020, should be remembered as a “liberation day” for Nigerians “as their tormentor for five years has finally dissolved out of our political firmament”.

“The APC being overburdened by the weight of failure, humongous corruption as well as the plagues of economic recession, violence, killings and hardship it has brought to our people, forcefully exited itself from the nation’s political firmament by dissolving all its national, zonal and state structures,” he said.

“With this exit, December 8, 2020 has gone into the history of our nation as liberation day, especially given the spontaneous jubilation by Nigerians over this step towards political oblivion by a political party that has brought so much pain on them.

“Now that the APC has become defunct, the PDP invites the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially deregister the APC and recall its certificate of registration, given that it no longer has operational structures as required by law.

“In the same vein, INEC should immediately declare the seat of all lawmakers elected on the platform of APC at the federal and state levels as vacant and commence the process of bye-election to fill the seats, as required by law.

“Furthermore, government agencies, civil society organizations, as well as the international community, should immediately gazette the APC as a defunct political organization in our country.”

He asked leaders of “the fizzled APC to get ready to answer Nigerians for their misdeeds, and not to think they can get away with their atrocities by forming or joining another political party”.

Woman arraigned for defrauding EFCC, Customs job seekers

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Woman arraigned for defrauding EFCC, Customs job seekers

The Makurdi Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Patience Simon Robert, before Justice Simon Aboki of the Nasarawa State High Court, Lafia.

She faces charges bordering on impersonation and obtaining money by false pretences.

In a petition, a victim alleged that she collected N1.5million from him under the pretext of helping his children secure EFCC jobs.

The defendant also allegedly defrauded some other Nigerians with propositions for employment in EFC and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

According to the commission, over N11million made from victims was traced to Roberts.

It revealed that an Abuja-based citizen paid N4.5million for an EFCC job after the defendant posed as non-existent “Director of Intelligence.”Her offence is punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.

Roberts pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.

Prosecution counsel, George Chia-Yakua, asked the court for a trial date.

Chia-Yakua prayed for her remand in a correctional centre pending trial.

But defence counsel, Esson Agu Agah, requested bail on liberal terms.

Justice Aboki granted Roberts bail in the sum of N2million with one surety in like sum.

The surety must have a landed property with a Certificate of Occupancy, and must deposit two passport photographs with the court.

The judge ordered her remand in a correctional centre pending the perfection of bail.

The case was adjourned until January 15.

Roberts had been arrested at different times for impersonation and fraud by security agencies, and was once dragged before a Magistrate Court in Minna, Niger State.

Moghalu: Financial Inclusion Spurs Business Development And Economic Growth

By
Akintomide Aroso
-
Moghalu: Financial Inclusion Spurs Business Development And Economic Growth
Kingsley Moghalu

Professor Kingsley Moghalu, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, has said adoption of financial inclusion systems will spur business development for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Moghalu gave the advice at the 2020 edition of the Africa Business Ethics Conference (ABEC), which entered its second day on Tuesday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (MAN) reports that the theme of the conference is “Tackling Corruption to Reduce Poverty and Unemployment in Africa: A Necessity for Building Resilience to Global Risks”.

Moghalu also emphasised the need for strong political institutions and strong regulatory reforms to enforce ethical standards that would engender level playing environment for businesses to thrive.

This, he said, would ensure a more ethical business culture, once public sector reforms tackled corruption. He pushed for more training on ethics in the business environment.

Moghalu also advised on the need to transit from shareholders capitalism to stakeholders capitalism to improve inclusive economy in Nigeria.

“We are talking about the workers becoming part owners and sharing in the profit of the company as a way to improve an inclusive economy in Nigeria.

“Financial inclusion contributes to business ethics in a number of ways which can be seen in the steps that the CBN has taken.

“They include the introduction of non interest banking, micro finance policy and electronic banking to bring more people into the financial system.

“Electronic banking activities which contribute to environmental sustainability are very traceable and help to increase the ethical culture and component of doing business in Nigeria, unlike cash.

“It promotes business ethics as it facilitates equitable access to economic opportunities and advances inclusive economic growth and not just Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth we often think is growth.

“We are talking about growth that is efficient in improving the efficiency of labour, in the context of being diversified across sectors, in the context of distributing the effects of economic growth between the wealthy and the poor,” he said.

In his remarks, Dr Muda Yusuf, Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) urged the organised business community to be more effective in their roles in combating corrupt practices.

Yusuf also appealed for more government reforms to adequately address and reduce corruption in the country. He said that the more difficult it became to be ethical, the lesser the number of players in the formal sector.

The LCCI director-general said corruption issues in the private sector were centered on smuggling, counterfeiting, piracy, under-invoicing, contract inflation, compromising due process, among others.

“All these create unfair competition detrimental to the development of the private sector.

“Sometimes, when we talk about issues of corruption in the public sector, a lot of these things happen in agreement with the private sector.

“The private sector players should support government agencies with capacity, intelligence to engender an ethical, level playing field for businesses to thrive.

“We must push for regulatory reforms that address the atmosphere of corruption, promote free market principles and push for adequate remuneration of staff to address vulnerability to corruption,” he said.

National Population Commission: Nigeria’s Population Now 206Million

By
Akintomide Aroso
-
National Population Commission: Nigeria's Population Now 206Million

The National Population Commission says Nigeria’s population is now estimated at 206 million.

This comes exactly two years after the NPC estimated the country’s population at 198 million.

The Chairman of the NPC, Nasir Kwarra, said this at a press conference on the commencement of the next Enumeration Area Demarcation in Abuja on Tuesday, Punch reports.

Kwarra said since Nigeria had not been able to hold a census in the last 14 years, it would be challenging to know the exact population of the country.

He said, “In the absence of an actual census, we formally make projections, and we have all along been making our projections, and we estimate that as of 2020, the estimated population of Nigeria is 206 million.”

The NPC boss said  President Muhammadu Buhari had the sole right to announce the next census.

Kwarra, however, said he was confident that Buhari would do the needful soon.

While announcing the commencement of the Enumeration Area Demarcation exercise, Kwarra said about 260 local government areas out of the 774 in the country had been fully demarcated.

He stated that the 11th phase of the exercise would begin on December 9, 2020, and end on January 20, 2021.

The NPC chairman said, “Planning for the census is anchored on the EAD as the basis for estimating both the human and material resources required for the census. In essence, the success of a credible and accurate census depends very much on the quality and reliability of the EAD.”
Kwarra explained that the EAD exercise is not the enumeration of persons living in the country but a preparatory exercise before the census.

He said the NPC would be assisting the Independent National Electoral Commission to create digitized maps of INEC registration areas for the first time as part of the EAD. He said this collaboration would positively affect future elections.

The NPC chairman further stated, “It is essential to say that the latest technology is being deployed for this EAD exercise, including the use of very high-resolution satellite imageries as the base map, the use of GPS for georeferencing and the use of GIS for data management.

“Also, personal data assistants (handheld devices/tablets) that include computer software for population estimation are being used for data capture.”

Sex-For-Passport: Nigerian Embassy In Germany Fires Staff

By
Akintomide Aroso
-
Sex-For-Passport: Nigerian Embassy In Germany Fires Staff

The Nigerian Embassy in Germany has fired Martins Oni, a security officer after he was found culpable of sexual abuse and other criminal activities.

Oni’s dismissal comes a month after a viral video showed him in a hotel room half-naked where he had planned to meet a woman for sex to facilitate the issuance of her passport.

The embassy said the security guard was found guilty of the allegation, having violated relevant codes.

Here is the embassy’s statement, released on Tuesday:

“THE Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has terminated with immediate effect the contract of Mr Martins Adedeji Oni, a security officer at the mission. His dismissal follows an investigation into allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct.

“Mr Oni was suspended from duty on 17 November after reports emerged that he had curried sexual favours in return for help with the renewal of a passport. The Embassy immediately established an Investigation Committee to examine the allegations and any related issues, and to make recommendations for action.

“The Committee interviewed Mr Oni and other witnesses as part of a thorough examination of these very serious charges. It concluded that Mr Oni was culpable and in violation of all the relevant codes. As a result, Mr Martins Adedeji Oni contract with the Embassy as a Local Staff has been terminated.

“The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to stress further its zero-tolerance policy towards all abuses of office, and especially of sexual misconduct. The Embassy is grateful for the help of the public in tackling such abuses.

“As public servants, we pledge to follow all due process as part of our continuing commitment to deliver the highest ethical & professional standards in all our operations, also at Consular & Immigration.”

Federal Government Announces Reduction In Fuel Price

By
Akintomide Aroso
-
Federal Government Announces Reduction In Fuel Price

The Nigerian government has announced a reduction in the pump price of premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol, from N168 to N162.44 per litre with effect from December 14.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this at the end of a meeting with labour leaders which began around 9 pm on Monday and ended at 1:30 am on Tuesday.

The product presently dispenses at N168, following the decision of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company to increase the ex-depot price of petrol from N147.67 per litre to N155.17 per litre in November.

The ex-depot price is the price at which the PPMC sells the product to marketers at the depots.

The minister said a technical committee had been set up to ensure price stability in the industry.

Ngige stated that the committee, which would report back to the larger house on January 25, would appraise the market forces and other things that would ensure stability in the industry.

“Our discussion was fruitful, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, which is the major importer and marketers of petroleum products and customers, have agreed that there will be a slide down of the pump price of PMS and that the price cut will get us about N5 per litre and that the price cut will take effect from next Monday, a week today,” ThePunch quoted him to have said.

Ngige explained that the price reduction was not meant to suspend deregulation because it did not affect the price of crude oil but on areas where the NNPC as the main importer had agreed that it could cut costs like freight and demurrage costs.

He said the new price slash was a product of a joint committee of NNPC and labour representatives, which looked into ways of cutting costs.

On the aspect of electricity tariff, both sides agreed to wait till the next meeting date on January 25 to enable the special committee dealing with complaints to conclude their deliberations.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Ayuba Wabba, communicated the position of the minister, saying that both sides reached the agreement.

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