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African Volleyball Championships: Nigeria’s Players test negative for Covid-19

Mercy Chukwudiebere
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Members of the Nigerian U19 boys and U18 girls’ volleyball teams have returned negative tests for Covid-19, clearing the way for their participation in the African Nation’s Volleyball Championships scheduled to start in Abuja on Wednesday, March 3rd.

President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), Musa Nimrod, said the players who arrived in Abuja from their training camp in Kaduna on Monday were given Covid-19 all-clear and ready for the competitions.

“All the participating countries will undergo Covid-19 test whenever they enter the country and no team will play without a clearance certificate. We have informed them and also directed them to go to the Nigerian government website on Covid-19 protocols to read the guidelines and I am optimistic that they will adhere to the guidelines.

“Social distances will be observed for officials, invited guests and spectators who will watch the championship. Already, the seats have been space and tagged in line with Covid-19 guidelines and protocols,” Nimrod stated.

He said; “The hands watching and sanitisers have also been put in place. Apart from senitisers on the wall, every player and official will be given one senitiser each that he or she will be using both in the hotel and competition venues.

”And also wearing a face mask is compulsory.”

Cameroon, DR Congo, Central Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar and host Nigeria so far have registered their interest in the competition that the winners will represent Africa at the FIVB World championships.

 

NP/Mercy Chukwudiebere

Tiger Woods expresses gratitude to fellow Golfers

Mercy Chukwudiebere
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Tiger Woods has expressed his gratitude after seeing several male and female golfers show their support on Sunday.

Former world number one Rory McIlroy was among those who wore red and black,  the colours Woods is known for wearing in the tournament final rounds.

The 15-time major winner, 45, is recovering from leg injuries sustained in a car accident last Tuesday.

“It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts

“To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time,” Woods tweeted.

McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed and Tony Finau were among those who wore red and black while competing at the WGC-Workday Championship in Florida, which was won by USA’s Collin Morikawa.

Phil Mickelson did the same at a PGA Tour Champions event in Arizona, as did Annika Sorenstam at the LPGA’s Gainbridge Championship.

 

NP/Mercy Chukwudiebere

Injury forces Ashleigh Barty out of Dubai championship

Mercy Chukwudiebere
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World number one Ashleigh Barty will not compete at the Dubai Championships next week because of a leg injury.

In a statement, Barty said; “Unfortunately I have withdrawn from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a left leg injury.

“I look forward to competing again in Miami in a few weeks’ time.”

Barty, who also dropped out of the Qatar Open currently underway in Doha, is the reigning champion at Miami.

Unseeded American Danielle Collins sent an out-of-sorts Barty crashing out of the Adelaide International in the second round last month.

Collins seized on some poor serving from the Australian to claim a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win in just 65 minutes.

It was his first win over Barty in three encounters and her first win against a current world number one.

 

AFP/ Mercy Chukwudiebere

APC begins process of reviewing Constitution

Mercy Chukwudiebere
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The governing party, the All Progress Congress, APC has commenced the process of reviewing its Constitution in order to retain its position as the leading party in Nigeria.

The party’s National Secretary, Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John  Akpanudoedehe, stated this while inaugurating the APC’s eight member Constitutional Review Committee at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

Senator Akpanudoedehe noted that when parties are being created, they usually adopt the minimum requirements needed to secure registration, hence the need to keep reviewing its laws.

“At the formation stages, parties will often adopt the minimum requirements needed to secure registration.

“But as a pro people party, the APC leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni believes that in rebuilding the party, there must be reforms that reflect the current trends and aspirations of the owners of the party: that is the people, the masses,” he said.

He stated that the law itself was not a finished product, but, a work in progress.

“Our party has grown quite large in the last few years and is poised to become the largest party in the continent with the on going membership registration and revalidation exercise.

“For this reason, we must have a set of laws that is near perfect, by filling the lacunas, therefore, your work is well set out for you,” Senator Akpanudoedehe said.

He urged the committee members to take inputs from critical stakeholders, advocacy groups and party
members, saying previous efforts in this wise should also be countenanced.

A former National Chairman of the APC, Mr. John Oyegun had in January 2017 set up a constitution review committee however the report of the committee was never acted on.

The chairman of the new committee, Professor Tahir Mamman thanked the party’s leadership for the confidence reposed in them.

He promised the commitment of the committee to work within its time frame and approach its task with seriousness.

Other members of the committee are; Professor Dakas Dakas, Mr Akinremi Olaide, Dr Ego Ezuma, Mohammed Kumaila, Shuaibu Enejo Aruwa and Ekokoi Solomon.

Mr Dare Oketade is the Secretary of the committee.

 

 

Mercy Chukwudiebere

Roger Federer pulls out of Miami Open

Mercy Chukwudiebere
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Defending champion Roger Federer has withdrawn from this month’s Miami Open as he works his way back to full fitness following surgeries to repair his right knee.

The 39-year-old Swiss star, who has not played since losing in the semi-finals of last year’s Australian Open, is due to make his return from a year-long layoff at the Qatar Open in Doha next week.

However, the Miami Herald cited Federer’s agent Tony Godsick as saying on Monday that the 20-time Grand Slam singles champion had opted to skip the Miami tournament for scheduling reasons.

The Herald said Federer could play in Dubai after Doha but would then take a training break.

Federer’s withdrawal is a blow to organisers of the Miami tournament, who were forced to cancel last year’s event as Covid-19 chaos left sport in North America at a standstill.

The pandemic has already impacted the 2021 calendar, delaying the Australian Open and forcing the Indian Wells tournament in California, the traditional lead-in to the Miami Open — out of its usual slot in March.

Miami is still expected to feature a strong field despite Federer’s withdrawal, with world number one Novak Djokovic and 20-time Grand Slam-winner Rafael Nadal confirmed for the men’s draw.

Serena Williams and newly minted Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka are also slated to appear in the women’s draw.

 

AFP/Mercy Chukwudiebere

FIFA favours Motsepe for CAF Presidency

Mercy Chukwudiebere
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World football governing body, FIFA has asked three candidates to back South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe in the upcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidential election.

The previous incumbent Ahmad Ahmad was banned for breaches of FIFA’s ethical code, but has had the ban suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

”FIFA keen for a fresh start in Africa,” a source close to one of the candidates said.

Motsepe is a South African mining billionaire and owner of reigning domestic champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

According to the source, Augustin Senghor of Senegal and Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania are open to the idea of backing Motsepe and becoming vice-presidents themselves.

Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast would be offered a role as advisor to Motsepe.

“Motsepe is FIFA’s preferred candidate, they want someone new and not implicated in the former presidency.

“They want a better image so they can attract investors and sponsors,” the source said.

The CAF Presidential election is scheduled to be held in Rabat, Morocco on 12 March.

 

AFP/Mercy Chukwudiebere

APC tasks security agencies to unmask students’ kidnappers

Lateefat Ibrahim
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Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC has called on security agencies to unmask the criminal sponsors behind targeted attacks on the educational institutions in the country.

In a press statement signed by the APC National Secretary, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, the party expressed its delight in the release of students who were recently abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Marafa Local Government Area of Zamfara State, North West, Nigeria.

APC noted that its administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari would do everything possible to enhance the security and well-being of the people.

“While the Party commends all stakeholders for their selfless roles in securing the release of the schoolgirls, the APC restates President Buhari directive to subnational entities to provide adequate security in all schools within their areas of responsibility.

“From Dapchi to Jangebe, the President Buhari government has time and again displayed its proactiveness and capacity to address the heinous abductions and ensure quick and safe release of the students. However, the real task is for our security services to unmask the criminal sponsors and enemies of Nigeria behind the wave of targeted attacks on educational institutions in the country,” he said.

He said they would achieve this through synergised operations of  the security services and with the use of modern technological tools to ensure better intelligence gathering, vigilance, surveillance and collaboration with communities and stakeholders at different levels.

 

Lateefah Ibrahim

INEC seeks Lawmakers’ support to resolve polling units’ crisis

Lateefat Ibrahim
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Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commissio, INEC has highlighted the need for more broad based stakeholders engagement ahead of forthcoming elections across the country.

 

Some federal constituency elections are scheduled for mid 2021, while the Anambra state Governorship election holds in November and the Ekiti state Governorship election is expected to hold in 2022, before the General election in 2023.

 

Chairman of the INEC, Professor Mahmud Yakubu made this known on Tuesday, while presenting before the Lawmakers, the state of voter’s access to polling units in Nigeria.

 

According to Professor Yakubu, the presentation became necessary to help Nigerians appreciate the level of crisis caused by limited access to polling units and how INEC intends to solve the problem.

 

Credibility of elections
He therefore appealed to the Lawmakers and Nigerians as a whole, to support the project which is geared towards improving the credibility of elections in Nigeria.

 

The Chairman of the National Assembly joint committee on INEC & Electoral Matters, Senator KABIRU Gaya, assured Nigerians that no stone would be left unturned in supporting INEC to ensure greater access to polling units in Nigeria.

 

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan believes that the support for INEC would exceed creating better voting environments,but to also help the commission mobilise Nigerians effectively to vote for their Leaders.

 

He also re-echoed the Lawmakers’ commitment to passing the New Electoral Bill and the reviewed 1999 Constitution, before the 2021 annual recess of the National Assembly.

 

Lateefah Ibrahim/COV/EDWIN

Human rights lawyer kicks against discriminatory laws

Confidence Okwuchi
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A human rights lawyer,  Deji Ajare says any law that favours or targets a selected group of people is discriminatory.

Ajare, who made this known in an interview in Abuja to mark Zero Discrimination Day said the Nigerian constitution contains specific provisions prohibiting discrimination.

He explained that beyond the constitutional provisions there are ”pockets of laws entrenched in our legal system in Nigeria which by their nature are discriminatory.

 “It is on days such as this: Zero Discrimination Day, that we recall some of these laws and it is important that citizens and members of civil society step up and challenge the constitutionalism of this laws,” he noted.

The human rights lawyer described discrimination as a “terrible thing that leads to inequalities, and inequalities as the cause of a substantial percentage of all the problems in the world.

In line with this year’s theme which is ‘the fight against discrimination faced by women and girls’, Ajare noted that women are more discriminated against, not just in Nigeria but all over the world.

He said, “women are discriminated in the workplace, access to health care services, there are more women contacting HIV/Aids. With discriminatory access to health care facilities and of course it accounts for high mortality rate and so on and so forth”.

The Human Rights Lawyer added that, “if we have more people coordinating and providing pro-bono services to victims of discrimination, we are going to find that attention would be drawn to it and naturally we are going to eventually be able to achieve the aims of the SDGs which effectively in my opinion is actually to reduce inequalities which is a major cause of discrimination.

The Zero Discrimination Day is marked annually on the 1st of March.

 

Confidence Okwuchi

Youth empowerment: 1,500 youths to participate in Ebonyi summit

Nneka Oyibo Ukachukwu
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 Ebonyi State government says 1,500 youths will participate in its EndSARS Youth Summit to re-orientate them into government development agenda at all levels.

Commissioner for Business Development, Mr Stephen Odoh stated this while addressing journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital.

Odoh who is also the Chairman, Technical Sub-committee of the summit said participants had been drawn from 13 local government areas and other state-based organisations for the programme scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

According to him, the summit was in line with the National Executive Council (NEC) policy on integration of youths in nation building and promotion of human capital development.

“The mandate of the programme came from the NEC and every state has been directed to organise the summit.

This is a programme that will prepare youths and give them opportunities for economic development rather than depending on the government’’, Odoh said.

The commissioner said in line with the NEC directive, the summit had two components; the stakeholders talking to the youths and the youths talking to themselves.

“At the event, we will have Kanu Nwankwo in the area of sports, on entertainment; we have one of Nollywood actors, Mr Zack Orji and many other experts in various fields.

I believe this it will open an avenue for human development and move the economy and state forward’’, he said.

He said that the programme would be strictly on youth engagement as the aim was to ensure that youths do away with the mindset that only the government should empower them.

“Always look for what you can do and work towards developing such ideas’’, the commissioner added.

The commissioner thanked Ebonyi State Government for always being there for youths.

 

Nneka Ukachukwu

 

 

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