withinnigeria.com

Author: Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo

  • Algeria’s semi-final win; deserving and worthy – Nigeria Coach Rohr

    Algeria’s semi-final win; deserving and worthy – Nigeria Coach Rohr

    Super eagles of Nigeria coach, Gernot Rohr has described the winning of Algeria against Nigeria as a worthy and deserving one.

    Rohr said Algeria were worthy winners after Riyad Mahrez’s last-gasp free-kick threw his team through to a first Africa Cup of Nations final in 29 years.

    The Manchester City winger, Mahrez fired in from 20 yards with the last kick of the game in Cairo to clinch a 2-1 victory after Nigeria forward Odion Ighalo had cancelled out a first-half own goal by William Troost-Ekong.

    “It was a big fight until the last minute. Algeria did better in the first half than us but we came back in second half and we conceded this goal in the last minute,” said Rohr.

    “I think the players wanted to go to extra time and believed Algeria would be tired and they could win in it extra time.”

    “I have to congratulate the players for a big fight against this very good team. They won it in the last minute and they deserved it,” he added.

    Rohr further praised the persistent determination of his team which bounced back strongly to a heartbreaking loss to Madagascar by trashing holders Cameroon and knocking-out South Africa, but they had no time to respond to a devastating blow of genius from Mahrez.

    “It was a wonderful match, but we lost it so we are not happy. We scored an own goal which was unlucky but we came back like throughout the tournament when there was something difficult against us,” he said.

    “A fantastic free-kick made the difference.”

  • Herdsmen stab 49 year-old farmer to death in Ogun

    Herdsmen stab 49 year-old farmer to death in Ogun

    Outcry in Adao community, Alabata area of Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State as two suspected herdsmen allegedly stabbed a 49-year-old farmer, identified as Rafiu Showemimo, to death.

    Newsmen reliably gathered that the despicable act was executed on Sunday when the demised 49 year-old farmer was on his way back home from his farm when the suspected herdsmen confronted, subdued and stabbed him in the neck.

    The 49 year-old farmer was reportedly abandoned as suspected herdsmen were reportedly waiting for the farmer to die after being stabbed in the neck.

    Recently, a 76-year-old man had escaped death after suspected herdsmen attacked him in the head, two weeks ago.

    The man had gone into a coma but was revived at the hospital two days after the attack.

    Attempts to get reaction from the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, failed.

    He could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.

    However, the Olu of Alabata, Chief Sanusi Waheed, who oversees the affected Adao community as one of his consenting communities, stressed the need for quick government’s intervention to abort the plans of the youths to foment trouble. He added that the herders had crossed their boundaries.

    Waheed said, “The Fulani have crossed their boundaries and we can’t condone their excesses anymore, there is a need for an urgent intervention of the government in the Fulani/herdsmen problems in this community and country. We would do all within our powers in communicating our plight to the government.”

    When newsmen visited the community, the youths were sighted standing at strategic points in their numbers and armed with local guns, cutlasses and charms.

  • INSECURITY: Buhari’s govt has failed – Wole Soyinka

    INSECURITY: Buhari’s govt has failed – Wole Soyinka

    Professor Wole Soyinka has affirmed that the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to address insecurity issues in the country has wiped away positive achievements of his administration.

    As claimed by the nobel laureate of literature, the problems confronting Nigeria were beyond Buhari.

    Soyinka declared this while playing host to students who paid him a visit on his 85th birthday.

    Wole Soyinka made it clear that there is a performance gap in success rates of state governments but the central government has failed.

    “The problems of this nation are beyond the solution that can be offered by this government, that’s the first admission; they have to stop thinking in partisan government.

    “There has always been a major problem with successive governments. It’s easier on the state level to say that a particular state is definitely doing better than another state. But the central government has failed, that’s my view in the main.

    “There is a minimal level which any government which has been elected to power must achieve to be considered a true representative of the people.

    “Look at what’s happening today with the cattle all over the place, that’s a security issue which should never have reached this level. That singular act has resulted in hundreds of people being killed, farms were taken over; it has wiped away a lot of the positive achievements of the government.

    “They need to confront this nation as a habitation of human beings where very serious issues like economy, security, health, even threats of secession come up every day and convoke at the same time, a national conference, what I call an Indaba across all section which we will all meet and debate everything, including the economy of this nation,” Soyinka said.

  • Reformed 500 thugs surrender in Bauchi

    Reformed 500 thugs surrender in Bauchi

    Fewer than 500 suspected thugs popularly known as Sara-Suka have relinquished criminality as a result of the organized Puff Adder Operations of the Police Command in Bauchi.

    These suspected thugs who were arrested between May- July in connection with kidnapping and other social vices in the state were granted pardon after signing an undertaking to repent from evil ways and be of good citizens.

    Sizeable number of arms and ammunition and other dangerous weapons were recovered from these thugs within the period.

    Newsmen gathered among the repented youths, 31 students, 294 are skilled in various hand jobs while 170 are unskilled.

    Advising these thugs at the police command headquarters in Yandoka Bauchi during the surrendering of arms, Commissioner of Police , CP, Habu A. Sani said: “The command through organized Puff Adder Operations which involves all  its Tactical and Operational Units successfully cracked down the notorious Sara-Suka gangs and arrested most of their members  including those supplying them with dangerous drugs.”

    CP, Habu A. Sani said due to the intense pressure and the command awareness campaign and jingle on the ills/ negative consequences of drugs abuse and other crimes, the Sara – Suka thugs surrendered and denounced the act of criminality in the state

    The CP said he was keeping to his word of promising to eradicate crimes in the state.

    “It is important to know that since the implementation, the strategy has been effective as a lot of criminal activities in the state were checkmated and over 500 suspected criminals in connection with Sara-Suka thuggery, armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes were arrested, a large number of arms and ammunition and other dangerous weapons were equally recovered between the months of May and July 2019.”

    Explaining the reason for the pardon, Sani said: ” It is worthy of note that most of the youths engaged in Sara-Suka thuggery are creative and have lot of potentials in life if their situation is well managed, the Command is mindful of such potentials as such granted them the olive leaf and towed the carrot approach but with strict conditions and undertaking to repent and be good citizens.”

    The Police boss said the Command’s door is open to others who are yet to repent as he vows that the police will not rest in is oars in the sustained fight against crime and criminality in the state.

    The State Government has promised to rehabilitate the repentant Sara-Suka thugs.

    Governor Bala Mohammed, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr. Abubakar Kari, said the government will use the information provided by the police in integrating them to the society.

    Mohammed said the state will come up with empowerment programmes aimed at assisting them in capacity building to better their lives.
  • I know politicians who have suddenly turned billionaires – Rotimi Amaechi

    I know politicians who have suddenly turned billionaires – Rotimi Amaechi

    Former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi has declared that Nigeria is a country without consequences, reckoning that people and eligible voters have successfully failed to hold politicians and leaders accountable for their actions and policies.

    Amaechi said that he knows politicians who have suddenly turned billionaires few months after taking up political positions.

    Amaechi who is also an erstwhile minister of transportation stated this during a panel session at the fifth edition of The Nigeria Symposium For Young and Emerging Leaders held in Lagos on Friday.

    Speaking on ineffective policies and extreme poverty, Amaechi explained that the country’s wealth has been in the pocket of few influential ones and called for politicians to invest in infrastructure in order to create employment opportunities and reduce the rate of crime.

    “I know politicians who have suddenly become billionaires, and this is the money that should have been used to build roads and provide amenities that could have been used to improve the lives of citizens. Our politicians have to be clear on how they intend to lift people out of poverty,” he said.

    Also commenting on citizen participation, a former presidential candidate, KOWA, Professor Remi Shonaiya, added, “We have to educate ourselves in order to become more active, and we have to begin to consider the greater good in our decisions.

    “Most of us don’t care about what is happening in the House of Assembly, we are much more concerned about ourselves. The focus has to be on the people, not the government. But we as the people also have to make sure that we hold our leaders accountable to us. There’s too much personal style in the way we practice politics in the country,” said Professor Shonaiya.