Nigeria's Amos Adamu banned for three years

Nigeria's Amos Adamu has been suspended from all footballing activity by Fifa's Ethics Committee for three years and fined $10,000.
Tahiti's Reynald Temarii was suspended for one year and fined $5,000 by the committee.
The move follows allegations that the pair asked for money in return for voting on World Cup hosting rights.
It means they will not be able to vote on which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.
Adamu released a statement protesting his innocence and vowing to fight the ruling.
"I am profoundly disappointed with the Ethics Committee's findings and had honestly believed I would be exonerated of any charges by now," he said.
"I am innocent of all the charges levelled against me by the Ethics Committee and I completely refute the decision they have made.
"I will be lodging a full appeal against it with immediate effect."
Four former executive members - Slim Aloulou of Tunisia, Mali's Amadu Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi of Tonga and Botswana's Ismael Bhamjee - all received sanctions from Fifa.
Bhamjee was banned for four years, Diakite and Fusimalohi for three and Aloulou for two and all four were fined $10,000.
But the committee dismissed accusations of collusion between Spain/Portugal and Qatar, who are bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.

Blair: World anxious about Nigeria’s 2011 elections

The international community is expecting a lot from Nigeria’s general elections next year, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.

“Everyone, including the international community, is expressing a great deal of interest, a great deal of excitement for the elections and everyone is anxious for the elections to be conducted in the best possible way,” Blair told journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after a visit to President Goodluck Jonathan.

“I think the preparations are going on and expectations are high around Nigeria, which is a great thing. Back in the West, things are pretty difficult politically, difficult economically. There is a hugely enhanced interest in Africa and in Nigeria. There is a lot of hope and excitement,” Blair said.

The former British leader told President Jonathan during their meeting that the Nigerian government is enjoying the support of the international community.

Nigeria denies pressure from the West on Iran

Foreign Affairs Minister Odein Ajumogobia has denied that there were pressures from Western nations on Nigeria to report its seizure of arms shipment from Iran to the United Nation’s Security Council.

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Joy Ogwu, on Monday formally notified the UN’s Security Council sanctions committee about the seizure of the arms by the State Security Services (SSS) which intercepted 13 containers labelled as building materials but which were actually rocket launchers, grenades and other explosives in October.

Mr Ajumogobia told reporters at the UN before leaving New York that “I feel we have international obligations to carry them out as responsible members of the UN and it is as simple as that, and I made that very clear to the Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki when I met him in Abuja last week’’ he said.

He said most senior foreign diplomats told him at the UN that they were impressed with Nigeria’s handling of the issue but declined to mention the specific countries that made the commendation. Mr Ajumogobia further explained that the next step for Nigeria was to continue with the ongoing investigation on the issue and submit a detailed report to the UN committee later.

Friendly match controversy

Another angle to the row was the cancellation of a friendly football match between Iran and Nigeria, less than 48 hours to the kick-off. Mr Ajumogobia however denied that the cancellation by the Nigeria Football Federation had anything to do with the row over the illegal arms shipment.

“My understanding is that they had some technical problems. There were some players who were supposed to play in the friendly match that were not available” he noted adding that “I think it was just a mere coincidence; it wasn’t connected as far as I am concerned.”

A France-based shipping company CMA CGM which transported the shipment said it was hidden in containers labelled as building materials and attempts were made to send it to Gambia before the Nigerian police seized them.

The foreign envoy however said that “my view is that if a third party is laying claim to a cargo in Nigeria then they will do so properly and through the proper channels. I haven’t had such claim brought to my attention. When it is, I will deal with it appropriately. In the meantime, the security agencies are still investigating that aspect of the claim on their own. But as a Foreign Minister, I will not speculate as to who or what is claiming to anything, because under the Resolution 1929, we have clear obligation to report any arms contravention to the UN,’’ he said.

Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki during a press briefing in Tehran on Monday also hinted that investigations had revealed that the arms shipment was destined for The Gambia.

Mr Ajumogobia noted that the seizure had brought to the fore the need for government agencies to be vigilant on resolutions and international conventions and that his ministry would ensure that other government agencies are notified about the need to enforce international sanctions.

Iran is currently under series of UN sanctions which cut across military equipment, financial transactions, business interests and travel ban on individuals associated with the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme. The country is banned from supplying, selling or transferring arms. The country however has good diplomatic relationship with Nigeria with the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visiting Nigeria in July where he pledged his nation’s support to help Nigeria with its nuclear technology for power generation.

Back

Party alleges plot to cause chaos in Ekiti

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday claimed there are plots to instigate chaos and instability in Ekiti State to force the federal government to impose a state of emergency in the state.

It said that the plans involve using the recent dissolution of local government councils in the state as a pretext to foment trouble throughout the state.

The party’s candidate, Kayode Fayemi, last month became governor of the state after the court ruled that the former PDP government has been illegally occupying the office since 2007. The two parties, which are evenly matched at the state assembly, have been at each other’s throat since.

Mr Fayemi recently dissolved the executive councils of all the local governments in the state and on Monday inaugurated a new care taker committee to take over the running of the councils. The sacked council bosses are all members of the PDP because the ACN, which was then in the opposition, boycotted the local government election that brought them in.

The state’s chapter of the PDP has, however, ordered the ousted local government chairmen and councillors to resume their office in open challenge to their sack.

This order, a statement issued by the ACN National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed said, is part of the plot by the opposition to trigger trouble that will be used “as an excuse to prevail on the President to impose a state of emergency on the state.’’ He warned that “any attempt to foment trouble will be resisted by the peace-loving but courageous and indefatigable people of the state. If the government has not deemed it fit to slam emergency rule on states like Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Abia where militancy and kidnapping are thriving, or states like Ogun and Oyo which have become hotbeds of political thuggery, why would anyone even brood such for a peaceful state like Ekiti,” he said.

The party said whoever thinks the law has been broken with the dissolution of the Ekiti councils and the appointment of caretaker committees should head to court rather than take to the streets.

It advised the PDP to emulate it (the ACN), which has always resorted to the courts to resolve any political logjam.

Lawmakers boycott

On the controversy over the decision of 12 members of the 26 member state house of assembly to ratify the dissolution of the assembly, Mr Mohammed said the blame should go to the PDP lawmakers.

“The decision by the PDP members of the Ekiti House of Assembly to boycott that sitting is in line with what the PDP has been doing in Edo State, where lawmakers have been boycotting assembly sessions for the past six months, hoping this will grind the machinery of state. If any member of the house anywhere refuses to attend sessions, he or she should be recalled, and possibly charged with treason,” he said.

The party also pointed out that it is out-numbered in Osun State House of Assembly, the National Assembly and many other states, but that its members have always ensured that “we will have our say, even if we can’t have our way.”