Senate confirms Bianca Ojukwu as ambassador

By The Nation: Onyedi Ojiabor and Sanni Onogu

 

Mrs. Ojukwu

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu as an Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs which recommended her confirmation.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Matthew Nwagwu (Imo North) presented the report of the committee entitled: “That the Senate do consider the report of the committee on Foreign Affairs on the screening of Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu for appointment as an Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and approve the recommendation therein” at a plenary in Abuja.

Mrs. Ojukwu was not able to attend the screening of 85 ambassadorial nominees due to the death of her husband.

Although it was not stated, information available to our correspondents has it that Mrs. Ojukwu might be made special ambassador attached to the Office of the President. 

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Rashidi Yekini dies at 48

By Agency Reporter

 

 Yekini

Former African Footballer of the Year, Rashidi Yekini died Friday in Iraa, officials and family members announced.
Kwara State sports commissioner, Anthony Kayode Towoju, confirmed the passing away Friday evening of one of Africa’s most lethal strikers.
Family members said he died of a strange ailment and he is to be buried Saturday in his hometown of Offa according to Muslim rites.
MTNFootball.com reported that Yekini’s goals helped Nigeria to qualify for its first-ever World Cup in 1994 and he was rewarded with the prestigious African Footballer of the Year award in 1993.
He featured for Portuguese club Vitoria Setubal and also had a brief stint at Sporting Gijon in Spain and Greek side Olympiacos.
The 48-year-old Yekini has lived a reclusive life since he quit football around 2005, when he returned to star in the Nigerian league.
He has aggressively shunned the media limelight and has severally turned down offers to be part of the country’s football in some other capacities.
He rejected a chance to act as a Nigerian football ambassador to the 2010 World Cup and eventually his place was taken up by ex-international goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu.
Last month, former international skipper, Segun odegbemi, who played alongside Yekini at the famous Shooting Stars of Ibadan, dismissed concerns over the player’s well being.
Odegbami even promised in his weekly syndicated newspaper column that the striker will soon return to football to promote youth football after a lengthy private chat with him.
MTNFootball.com has specially gathered that his aged mother and second wife came to Ibadan two weeks ago to take Nigeria’s most prolific international striker to Offa after neighbours noticed he was “behaving funny”.
A visit to his house in Oni and Son, around Ring Road, Ibadan, showed that there is no one living there as the gate is firmly locked while the premises housing the four white flats is unkempt with overgrown grasses.
There were no cars in the compound and the tenants who lived in the other flats have since been evicted by their famous landlord.

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2015 not on my mind for now, says Jonathan

By The Nation: Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

 

President Goodluck Jonathan

From the Presidency came a reminder yesterday to the political class to leave President Goodluck Jonathan out of the ‘hue and cry’ over the 2015 presidential race and allow him deliver on his promises to Nigerians.






He expressed "deep concern" over the growing furore in political circles and the media over his alleged plans to seek re-election in 2015.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati said in a statement last night that the ‘irritating distraction’ was getting out of hand and must be reined in.
" What began as an irritating distraction some months ago, appears to have now assumed a life of its own, dominating political discourse in the country, with all kinds of mischief-makers and opportunists latching on to it, to heat up the polity unnecessarily," Abati said, adding: " The pointless, diversionary and very distractive hue and cry about the President’s alleged ambition to seek a second term in office is becoming increasingly disturbing by the day with headlines such as "JONATHAN’S 2015 AMBITION CAN BREAK UP NIGERIA" and "JONATHAN’S 2015 AMBITION FUELING INSECURITY," now regular fare in our newspapers and on the internet.
"For the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, President Jonathan wishes to reiterate that his primary concern and the focus of all his efforts now, just about a year into the four-year tenure for which he was elected in April 2011, is to deliver on his promise of positive national transformation.
"The President’s sole preoccupation as the nation moves towards the first anniversary of his administration on May 29, 2012 is to continue to give effective and purposeful leadership that will steer Nigeria towards overcoming its immediate security and developmental challenges.
"Nothing could be farther from President Jonathan’s mind at this point in time than the 2015 elections. The President has definitely not directed or authorized any individual or group to launch any campaign on his behalf.
"As he has repeatedly warned on many occasions, including the last national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, the inordinate ambition of a few self-centred Nigerians and their obsession with the politics of political succession in 2015 must not be allowed to distract the nation and its current leadership from the task of dealing with the much more urgent issues of development and the safety of Nigerians in all parts of the country.
"President Jonathan urges the political class and the Nigerian mass media, once again, to focus on the immediate priority of protecting, preserving and consolidating democratic governance in Nigeria, and giving the nation’s current crop of elected leaders at all levels the opportunity to deliver on their promises to the people without the distraction of an unending campaign for future elections."

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