Producing Nigerian Usain Bolt Should Be Made Top Priority—Collins

As the race for who becomes the president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria reaches a fever pitch, one of the candidates, Rosa Collins has declared that producing world champions for the country should be a top priority for prospective AFN top shots. 

The former African women triple jump record holder, during a chat yesterday said that putting Nigeria back into the map of top athletics nations should be a priority for any candidate wishing to lead the AFN. 

She added the days of persons coming to the AFN to seek selfish interests are over, and it was time to work for the rebirth of Nigerian athletics. “Anyone wishing to be president of the AFN should be prepared to produce a Nigerian Usain Bolt.

“If a country of 800,000 people can be producing world champions, what of that country with a population of the 150 million people? 

This is the mindset with which I am coming to the AFN and it should be so for every other board member. 

“We have talents in this country in abundance. But how can we produce champions when athletes will come to a competition and they wouldn’t be paid their winnings. How can an athlete represent this country and his allowances won’t be paid.”

Vanguard

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Nigeria Maintains Position in Latest FIFA Monthly Ranking

The latest FIFA Ranking by the highest football federation in the world has shown how some teams in Africa and the world fared in recent times.

Nigeria's Super Eagles

 

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have remained on the 40th spot with 726 points in the May FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday. According to the rankings table on the website of the world football governing body, Nigeria remained unmoved from the spot it occupied in the April rankings.

 

The position has also left Nigeria on the 5th spot in the continent behind Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkina Faso respectively. The Super Eagles Media officer, Toyin Ibitoye, reacting to the rankings said it was a reflection of what happened in the month under review.

 

“The ranking have come again and the Super Eagles were ranked 40th in the World and 5th in Africa, the same position we were as at the last ranking.

“I think it is nothing to worry about. In the month reviewed, nothing happened and there were no friendly games and no official games.

“The new FIFA ranking is a reflection of what happened during the month, but we will continue to do what we are doing to work and prepare the team.

“We are ready for the challenges coming up. Next month will be very busy for us; we will be going to camp for training.

 

Ibitoye said that the Eagles would concentrate more on the task ahead which were qualifiers for the 2018 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

 

“We will concentrate on preparing for the crucial game against Bafana Bafana of South Africa. This will be the qualifiers towards the 2018 Nations Cup.

“But last month’s assessment by FIFA is justifiable because it has been a quiet month for the teams in international front,’’ he said.

 

On the global scene, it was a quiet month on the international front with only seven games played.

 

The top 20 places remained static following April, with a one-place drop for Slovakia (24) into accounting for the only movement inside the leading 73 nations. Bolivia (73, plus 1) brought about that small ripple of motion, but outside the top 100 there were some notable changes.

 

A pair of wins for Madagascar (111, plus 9) over Malawi (114, minus 14) saw them claim the titles of the month’s biggest movers up and down the table respectively. Also, South Sudan (146, plus 8) are not far behind after similarly twice seeing off Somalia (206, unchanged).

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on June 1, 2017.

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Top 5 Skills in Nigeria That Will Get You Hired in 2017

As the chances of getting executive jobs by school leavers diminish, there is a need for extra skills to be able to meet the demand of employers.

 

 

A concerned Nigerian has penned down a compelling piece to boost the chances of progress of job applicants in the highly competitive Labour Market.

 

Read the piece below:

 

It is no longer news that racking up skills is one of the surest ways to get jobs this 2017 in Nigeria. If you have read my letter, you would have a clue of the message I am trying to pass across. For every advertised job in Nigeria, there are thousands of job seekers that apply for the specific vacancy which only the talented would get[in most cases.

 

Unfortunately, there are lots of skills to learn; but not all of them can get you hired easily.These top 5 skills in Nigeria according to opinion is based on a number of job searches that are related to them. In this article, I will list out the top 5 skills in Nigeria below.

 

1) IT SKILLS

 

This is among the top 5 skills in Nigeria, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to many, but the surprise here is that not every IT skill is actually a hot skill in Nigeria. There are some IT skills that are considered drab skills; it means are not always needed and no much vacancy advert from them.

 

So the hot skills under the IT sector include;

 

Programming: Your ability to write codes using various programming languages like Python, C#, Java and a host of them to create wonderful exciting pieces of stuff like websites and computer software. This is one of the leading IT skills in 2017 because of its complexity, thereby creating a huge gap in the supply level of programmers. Once you acquire this skill, you can either work as a tutor or get picked up by a top level firm.

 

Graphics Design: Your ability to create exciting designs will easily help you locate jobs in so many firms. Most firms are no longer willing to outsource this service out, making them employ graphics designers in numbers. Having this skill can either allow you work from home, work as a tutor in an IT school or work for an organization that needs your services.

 

Digital Marketing: The competition among firms has forced them to take most of their marketing campaigns online. Due to this new development, they are being forced to hire digital Marketers who will lead them through this campaign. Having this skill as a Job seeker guarantees you a job no doubt. Even without guarantee, your chances of getting something doing are on the high side.

 

Other Notable IT skills include;

 

Computer Engineering

 

Website Design/Development

 

 

2) Marketing Skills

 

Due to the competition for a larger customer base, it has made the marketing job to be ranked among the top 5 skills in Nigeria right now in th job market.

 

NOTE: I won’t advise you to work as a marketing slave to some firms.

 

According to research, about 40% of daily job adverts has something to do with marketing. Getting this skill is something you would really love to have as an ace in your chambers. Your ability to show the recruiter that you can sell, and bring businesses to the company is a really something that most firms need now. It also opens up your chances of getting that job. The opinion that marketers work only on a commission basis is totally false. Marketing executives and Business Development officers earn cool and super amounts depending on your ability.

 

3) Communication/Presentation skills

 

This is among the top 5 skills that can earn you a job. You must be someone who is outspoken and can be able to deliver messages precisely and clearly. A lot of consultancies, broadcasting, and advertising firms are on the lookout for people with such abilities. You can either write a detailed letter of introduction about yourself and what you can do, forward it to broadcasting houses and other related firms. Make sure your press them for feedback and most importantly, don’t ever give up.

 

 

4) Writing/Editing and Proofreading Skills

 

Due to the increase of blog and websites, a lot of firms are employing those who can create super contents for them on daily basis. Even most of us with full-time jobs are taking up such jobs as a side hustle. I believe that once you possess this skill, you can be able to gain employment for yourself with ease. For every blog and website you see, there is a content creator for them all. All you need do is to write a sales pitch to the owner of the site and wait for feedback.

5) Customer service skills

 

If you can show a firm that you can help convert leads to customers, convert buying customers to long-term customers, then there are jobs waiting for you to possess. This difference between this skill and others is that you must have a certificate to back up your claims.

 

There are lots of firms that offer certification training for customer service jobs, but only a few are genuine. You can do well to make an overall research about them and choose the one that is best for you.

 

Remember, to have a skill you wish to build your career into; or the ones that can be combined in other to complement each other.

 

Credit: Top Writers

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Ibori To Return To Nigeria In Days, Promises To Appeal Conviction

A former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, who was recently released from a British prison where he served a jail term for corruption, has said he would be in Nigeria in a matter of days. He made this known to a BBC reporter in an interview. He also said he will appeal his conviction and will remain in politics. The video after the cut.

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You Can Leave Nigeria If You Have Another Country - Buhari Tells Aggrieved Niger Delta Fighters

President Muhamadu Buhari has fired a warning to the aggrieved groups in the oil rich Niger Delta, saying that peace is critical to the development of the region.

President Muhammadu Buhari (6th r) Vice-President Yemii Osinbajo (6th l) Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State (4th r) Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa (3rd r) with Traditional Rulers and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta during at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday

 

Speaking on Tuesday at the Aso Rock villa in Abuja while holding a high-level meeting with leaders and other stakeholders from the oil rich Niger Delta region, President Muhamadu Buhari, disclosed that peace is critical to the development of region, and therefore called for a collective approach in solving the issue of militancy in the region. 

 

According to a report by Vanguard, the president said it was imperative for the leaders to unite and seek ways of ending the militancy and the sabotage of oil infrastructure in the zone, adding that anyone who had another country apart from Nigeria was free to leave the country. 

 

He expressed the determination of his administration to stay focused on its key campaign promises of securing the country, fighting corruption and creating jobs through the improvement of the economy. 

 

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, stated that the president listed peace, security, investment and prosperity as close linked together, adding that 'if we give peace a chance, investors will come here to invest.' 

 

Nobody will invest in an insecure environment. “We are determined to make life comfortable and affordable to all Nigerians. If anybody has a country to go to, let him go, we will stay here and salvage our country.” 

 

In welcoming the 16-point request presented for negotiation by the Niger Delta leaders, President Buhari said he was still expecting reports from officials he had instructed to review the implementation of the Amnesty program to determine where government fell short so that amends can be made. 

 

The president said the service chiefs were putting together their own assessment of the militancy situation, saying “when I have these reports, including this one (just presented), we will revisit the situation (in the region) to ensure that we succeed this time.” 

 

He however cautioned the leaders of the Delta that they had more to do than anyone else to bring peace to the region, given the influence they have on militant groups.

 

The President who delivered his report card on the war against corruption and the efforts to secure the country repeated his call to the Niger Delta leaders to join the administration in bringing peace to the troubled region. 

 

“Please Your Excellencies, Your Majesties, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen; we all have our individual constituencies. Let us try to pacify our constituencies. Let us first recover our country, secure the country and let us invite people who will invest. Let us create jobs for our people and let us be accountable to our people where we are sitting on treasuries, whether it is local government, state or the center. 

"We should ensure that we rebuild this country. Nobody wants to fail. So, the only way out is, if people understand and believe that we are doing our best at all levels, then we will have some peace. But it they have reason to doubt our performance and sincerity, then we will have problem,” he said.

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Nigeria Gets 7th Gold Medal

Flora Ugwunwa set a new world record in the women’s javelin – F54 event yesterday at the Rio Paralympics to give Nigeria its seventh gold medal.

She recorded a throw of 20.25 metres after six attempts to win the gold medal and take Nigeria’s tally to seven gold, two silver and one bronze medals.

South Africa’s Ntombizanele Situ completed the African sweep of the event’s medals by winning the bronze medal with a heave of 17.90m.

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National Embarassment: Foreign Flights to Nigeria Forced to Refuel Elsewhere

The scarcity of aviation fuel in Nigeria as well as high cost has forced foreign airlines to refuel outside the country.

 

Foreign airlines flying to Nigeria have started to refuel abroad to bypass pricey, and increasingly scarce, jet fuel as the oil producer battles a hard currency shortage that has made fuel available only at a very high price, according to Reuters.

It is the second blow for airlines operating in Africa's recession-hit biggest economy in a year that first saw the central bank make it almost impossible to repatriate profits from ticket sales as it tried to prevent a currency collapse.

The crash in the naira since a devaluation in June has led firms who market jet fuel locally, such as Total, Sahara and ConocoPhillips, to double the price to 220 naira a litre in August, and to as much as 400 naira this month, an airline executive said.

Even at the higher costs, marketers' lack of dollars has made fuel scarce. Some carriers have had aircraft stuck, or were forced to cancel planned journeys, after frantic last-minute calls from ground staff warned there was no fuel available.

"The economy is crying out for investment, and now it is going to be even harder for anyone to visit," said John Ashbourne, economist with Capital Economics.

 

"Who is going to want to park a billion dollars in a country that you can't even easily fly to? It sends the worst possible signal."

A spokesman for state oil company NNPC did not answer calls for comment. The central bank hoped floating the naira would attract dollar inflows, but the naira sunk by 50 percent, forcing oil firms to charge airlines, stuck with piles of naira, in dollars for jet fuel.

"It's an impossible situation. The oil marketers don't want to sign long-term agreements anymore so we have to accept whatever prices they demand," one airline executive said.

 

"We sell tickets in naira and now they want us to come with dollars.

"Spain's Iberia and United Airlines cancelled their Nigeria services earlier this year, and two local carriers also halted operations. Other international airlines responded by boosting ticket prices within Nigeria, charging its globe-trotting elite as much as $2,000 for an economy class ticket to Europe to cut losses - more than double the cost of a Lagos ticket bought abroad.

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Nigeria One Of The Poorest Countries In The World With 65% Living Below Poverty Line

A report released by the United Nations says Nigeria is in a fix. It said the country had been deeply divided along ethnic, religious and regional lines.

It painted a gloomy picture of the country’s economy, noting that most of the development and social indices in the country were below acceptable standards.

The report, which was read during a consultative meeting on the formulation of the UN Development Assistance Framework IV for the South-East zone, in Awka, Anambra State, observed that for decades, different segments of Nigeria’s population had, at different times, expressed feelings of marginalisation.

The report read, “Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and the seventh most populous in the world. Her population will be approximately 200 million by 2019 and over 400 million by 2050, becoming one of the top five populous countries in the world. Nigeria is one of the poorest and most unequal countries in the world, with over 80 million or 64 per cent of her population living below poverty line.”

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Is Mark Zuckerberg really in Nigeria? See photos

It seems the CEO of the popular online platform Facebook.com is in Nigeria..

Reasons for his visit is yet to be disclosed

Details later..

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See How Much Nigeria Has Lost To Gas Flaring In Six Month

Nigeria lost about $336.33 million in the first half of 2016, as oil and gas companies operating in the country flared 112.11 billion Standard Cubic Feet (SCF) of gas between January and June 2016, according to data obtained from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.” At the Nigerian Gas Company’s average gas price of $ per $1,000 SCF of the commodity, the flaring of 112.11 billion SCF translates to a loss of $336.33 million or N105.9 billion at current exchange rate. Giving a month-on-month, MoM, breakdown of the volume of gas flared by oil and gas companies in the period under review, the report stated that in January 2016, 22.32 billion SCF of the commodity was flared; 20.38 billion was flared in February; 20.11 billion SCF in March, while in April, May and June, 18.7 billion SCF, 15.8 billion SCF and 14.8 billion SCF respectively were flared. NNPC, in its Monthly Financial and Operational Report for the month of June 2016, also stated that the country earned $451.24 million or N142.14 billion, from gas export in H1’16. In addition, the NNPC report stated that the country earned N13.528 billion from domestic sale of gas in the period under review. The report further stated: “The MoM breakdown of the amount earned from gas export in H1’16 showed that the country raked in $135.89 million, $72.53 million, $2.28 million, $131.17 million, $60.25 million and $49.12 million, in January, February, March, April, May and June 2016, respectively. “However, all the proceeds from gas export, including proceeds from crude oil export in the period under review were utilised for the NNPC Joint Venture Cash Call payments, with zero remittance to the Federation Account.” In the area of domestic gas sales for the six-month period, the report noted that the country earned N880.31 million, N944.4 million, N2.53 billion, N3.66 billion, N2.45 billion and N3.06 billion respectively in the months January through June. Furthermore, in its analysis of commercialised and utilised gas, the report disclosed that out of a total of 1.35 trillion SCF of gas produced in the six-month period, 157.54 billion SCF was utilised in the domestic market; 591.88 billion SCF was exported, while 603.01 billion SCF was not commercialised, as they were either re-injected, used as fuel gas or flared. Also, giving an analysis of gas utilisation for the 12-month period, between July 2015 and June 2016, the report stated that total gas supply for the 12-month period stood at 363.19 billion SCF and 1.219 trillion SCF for the domestic and export markets respectively. The report added that between July 2015 and June 2016, average gas supply to power plants in the country stood at 650 million SCF per day to generate 2,825 megawatts (MW) of electricity. “A total of 327 million SCF per day was delivered to the gas fired power plants in the month of June 2016 to generate an average power of about 1,483 MW of electricity.”

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Photos: Dream Team Get Gallant Welcome As They Arrive Nigeria

Nigeria’s U-23 team that won bronze at the just concluded 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, have arrived in the country after clinching the country’s only medal from the competition.

Led by Coach Samson Siasia, the team were welcomed like heroes on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

They were received by cheering fans and supporters of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club. See more photos below...

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Nigeria Beat Honduras 3-2 To Win The Bronze Medal

Nigeria won the bronze medal in men's football on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over Honduras. Congratulations to them!

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Photos: Nigerian Drug Dealer Who Was Executed In Indonesia Laid To Rest Amid Tears

Izuchukwu F. Ezimoha, one of the Nigerians executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking recently has been laid to rest. He was laid to rest at his compound in Ezigbo village, Ihiala LGA of Anambra State on Thursday, August 18th. His outing service will hold tomorrow in his village.

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Oil Price Increases To $48.74

Recent over the few weeks the international prive for oil per barrel has being increase after an unexpected fall. Over the five weeks Bent Oil price has increase to $48.74 meanwhileU.S. West Texas Intermediate crude reached $46.16 per barrel, the highest since July 15, before easing to $45.98, settling at 17 percent above its $39.19 monthly low from August 3.

I hope this reduce the economic state in Nigeria

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Nigerian Olympic Runner Finishes Second Behind Usain Bolt In 200m Race

Nigerian Divine Oduduru, has put up a new personal best for the Nigerian athletes in the Rio Olympics, finishing 2nd behind Usain Bolt in the Men’s 200m Heat race.

Odurudu finished in a record time of 20.34. He is the reigning Nigerian 200m champion.

Usain Bolt eased to victory in his heat, with 20.28.

By this, Usain Bolt, Justin Gatlin, Yohan Blake and Nigerian Divine Ejowvokoghene Oduduru have all advanced to the 200m semi-finals.

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Nigerian Military Releases Statement On Boko Haram’s New Video

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has just issued the statement below reacting to Boko Haram’s new video accusing it of killing some of the abducted girls in air strikes.
The Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar disclosed that the military is examining the video clip to verify its authenticity. 
He said: “Currently we are studying the video clips to verify its authenticity and analysing the comments of the speakers in the video especially the terrorist member and the girl that spoke in mother tongue.”
General Rabe also disputed allegations in the video that some of the kidnapped girls were hit by an airstrike.

He said: “It is extremely difficult and rare to hit innocent people during airstrike because the operation is done through precision attack on identified and registered targets and locations. The Precision Airstrike is very effective at taking out targeted enemies because it is not a random operation. We are nevertheless studying the video clips to examine if the victims died from other causes rather from the allegation of airstrike.

PRNigeria gathered that the Nigerian Airforce through its Component in Operation Lafiya Dole was focusing on sustaining air operations and providing support to ground troops of the Armed Forces’ strive to rid Nigeria of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Airstrikes are controlled by professionally trained officers who coordinate the strike with friendly ground troops, after a lot of surveillance to limit casualty on the ground.
A top airforce officer told PRNigeria that 

“Nigeria Airforce employs precision guided weapons with modern Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance systems to reduce likely collateral damage from any airstrike. All the areas stroke throughout the operation were thoroughly monitored on intelligence surveillance and eye services before the attacks or shelling. Most of the targets areas were clearly identified before the air strikes to avoid collateral damages.”

Meanwhile the Defence Headquarters has promised to issue an update after its investigation.

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Nigeria makes it the semi-final after beating Denmark

Nigeria has qualified for the semi finals of the male football event at the ongoing Olympic games by beating Denmark 2-0 this night.

Nigeria will now play Germany in the semi-final. We say big congrats to them. More more victories please.

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Explosion rocks Nigeria, Spain match

There was a controlled detonation of a suspected bomb at the venue of the match between Nigeria and Spain late on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Olympic basketball match was fixed for 11pm Nigerian time.

The explosion occurred just as the teams began to play at the venue not so far from the revered Maracana Stadium.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that specialist officers were drafted in when the package was discovered and they had to systematically manage the explosion without creating panic and causing injuries to spectators in the hall. Even though spectators heard the huge bang when it was detonated, the players were deep in their business and may have imagined it was part of the usual drums and noise by the fans.

The coaches and top officials were however briefed about measures undertaken when the package was discovered.

Nigerian coach, William Voigt, who spoke about it said although he was worried he had to manage the information in order to avoid distracting his players. Nigeria lost the match 96-87.

Voigt said, “I had been notified. In fact, Ike (Diogu) was wondering what we were talking about. I decided not to say anything to anyone else. I didn’t really want it to be a distraction. I knew, certainly, when whatever it was went off.”

The American who coached Nigeria during its first African cup success in Tunisia last year, however, said that even though the bomb threat was a huge concern, he wouldn’t attribute the incident to why his players started the game slowly and eventually lost.

 “It’s something everybody noticed but the players didn’t. So I don’t think we can use that as a reason for why we weren’t ready to start,” he said.

The explosion is not the first mark of trouble in a country known for organised violent groups, even though they had been safe from raw terrorism in the last few years.

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Columbia defeats Nigeria in the Olympics

Colombia on Wednesday defeated Nigeria U-23 football team 2-0 at the Arena dos Corinthians in Sao Paulo to reach the quarterfinals of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Nigeria qualified for the quarterfinals after beating Asian champions Japan 5-4 on Thursday and edging Sweden 1-0 in Manaus on Sunday

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See The Nigeria Table Tennis Player Who Beat One Of Africa Record In Rio 2016

See The Nigeria Table Tennis Player Who Beat One Of Africa Record In Rio 2016

In the current Olympic games, Aruna Quadri, has break the record of being the first Nigerian, and also African, table to tenis player to reach quater final. He will be playing his next match on Tuesday 16, of August.

He also won an international table tenis game played in Dubai. And has reached many more height. Click here for more info. Let support our Nigeria players by cheering and wishing them good on there twitter and instagram page.

Although female table tennis on the other hand did not go any further after their first victory.

See more photos below:

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