Abeokuta - Elizabeth Sonubi, the Ogun
Commissioner for Woman Affairs and Social Development, on Wednesday,
said the state government would prosecute anyone caught practising
"Female Genital Mutilation."
The commissioner disclosed this in
Abeokuta during a news conference to celebrate the "16 Days Activism on
the Elimination of Gender Based Violence’’ with the theme "Let us
Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Woman.’’
According to Sonubi, offenders are liable to one year imprisonment.
She said "Female Genital Mutilation and Female Circumcision Prohibition Law’’ is in force in the state.
She
added that the law is aimed at preventing anyone from cutting or
mutilating the female private part, organ or clitoris in any manner.
The commissioner explained that Female Genital Mutilation was a common and harmful traditional practice on women and girls.
She
defined it as practice where female genitals are partly or entirely
removed or injured with the goal of affecting a woman's sexual feelings.
"This
practice is mostly performed before puberty on girls between the age of
four and eight years, but recently, it is performed on babies from
weeks or months old,’’ she said.
According to her, it is performed during adulthood in some culture.
She
said it was commonly practised in the South West, particularly in Ogun,
stressing that the state government would continue to support and
protect the interest of women.
Thursday, 18 December 2014
UN chief heads to West Africa for Ebola
UN - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that he's
heading to West Africa to demonstrate the U.N.'s solidarity with the
countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak, and to see for himself
how the world is responding.
The UN chief will leave on Wednesday night and visit hard-hit Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea as well as Mali. He will also visit Ghana, where the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response is headquartered.
"I want to see the response for myself and show my solidarity with those affected, and urge even greater global action," Ban told a news conference.
In the world's largest Ebola outbreak, some 18 500 people have been infected, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Of those, more than 6 800 have died.
Ban said local communities and national governments are engaged, there has been “an impressive outpouring of life-saving contributions from across Africa and across the world... and we are beginning to see improvements”.
But he said there is still a shortage of people and resources to tackle Ebola, and warned that "now is not the time to ease up on our efforts”.
"As long as there is one case of Ebola, the risk remains," Ban said. "We must do everything we can to get to zero."
During his trip, Ban said he will meet with five presidents and staff from the UN mission known as UNMEER. He said he will also try to visit treatment facilities provided by key countries such as the US, Britain and France, and some other local treatment centres.
The secretary-general said he will be travelling with Dr. Margaret Chan, the World Health Organization director-general, and UN Ebola chief Dr David Nabarro. He said Tony Banbury, who heads UNMEER and is in Conakry, will also join the trip.
The UN chief will leave on Wednesday night and visit hard-hit Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea as well as Mali. He will also visit Ghana, where the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response is headquartered.
"I want to see the response for myself and show my solidarity with those affected, and urge even greater global action," Ban told a news conference.
In the world's largest Ebola outbreak, some 18 500 people have been infected, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Of those, more than 6 800 have died.
Ban said local communities and national governments are engaged, there has been “an impressive outpouring of life-saving contributions from across Africa and across the world... and we are beginning to see improvements”.
But he said there is still a shortage of people and resources to tackle Ebola, and warned that "now is not the time to ease up on our efforts”.
"As long as there is one case of Ebola, the risk remains," Ban said. "We must do everything we can to get to zero."
During his trip, Ban said he will meet with five presidents and staff from the UN mission known as UNMEER. He said he will also try to visit treatment facilities provided by key countries such as the US, Britain and France, and some other local treatment centres.
The secretary-general said he will be travelling with Dr. Margaret Chan, the World Health Organization director-general, and UN Ebola chief Dr David Nabarro. He said Tony Banbury, who heads UNMEER and is in Conakry, will also join the trip.
Super Eagles end 2014 on a low
Lagos - Nigeria has slipped one step from 42nd to 43rd in the world
in the latest FIFA ranking released by world football governing body on
Thursday, ending the year 2014 on a poor note.
The African champions however held on to the 9th spot in Africa after failing to book a ticket to the 2015 Cup of Nations to be hosted by Equatorial Guinea.
Nigeria had continued to go the downward trend since September where they were ranked 37th in the world and 6th in Africa.
Algeria maintained the top spot on the continent, and so was Tunisia and Ivory Coast in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
Senegal, Ghana and Guinea retained their 4th, 5th and 6th places, same as Cape Verde and Cameroon.
Globally, Germany continue to seat on top, and are trailed by Argentina, Colombia, Belgium and Netherlands in the top five positions.
Brazil, Portugal, France, Spain and Uruguay complete the top ten teams in the world.
The African champions however held on to the 9th spot in Africa after failing to book a ticket to the 2015 Cup of Nations to be hosted by Equatorial Guinea.
Nigeria had continued to go the downward trend since September where they were ranked 37th in the world and 6th in Africa.
Algeria maintained the top spot on the continent, and so was Tunisia and Ivory Coast in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
Senegal, Ghana and Guinea retained their 4th, 5th and 6th places, same as Cape Verde and Cameroon.
Globally, Germany continue to seat on top, and are trailed by Argentina, Colombia, Belgium and Netherlands in the top five positions.
Brazil, Portugal, France, Spain and Uruguay complete the top ten teams in the world.
Real Madrid, Spain dominate European club scene
Paris - If, after years of unbridled success, 2014 was brutally
disappointing for Spain on the international stage, it was a glorious
year for the country at club level.
A thrilling title race in La Liga, home to the world's best player Cristiano Ronaldo and his great rival Lionel Messi, made it the envy of the rest of the continent, while Spain took a clean sweep of the European trophies and Real Madrid are in line to cap it all by becoming club world champions.
More than anyone else, it was a year to remember for Real, who finally won the European Cup for an unprecedented 10th time, ending a 12-year obsession with 'La Decima'.
After years of frustration since Zinedine Zidane's stunning volley in Glasgow secured their ninth European Cup in 2002, and more than a billion euros spent in the transfer market by president Florentino Perez, Carlo Ancelotti's side beat city rivals Atletico 4-1 after extra time in a pulsating final in Lisbon in May.
It
was so nearly a nightmare for Los Blancos, with only a stoppage-time
equaliser by Sergio Ramos keeping their hopes alive before they ran away
with the game in extra time once Gareth Bale had put them ahead.
"This squad is full of young players, talent and desire. This can be the start of a great cycle," coach Ancelotti ominously declared later, having matched former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley's achievement of winning three European Cups.
"When I signed for Madrid the Champions League was the primary objective for this season. Here the history with 'La Decima' made it even more important," added the Italian.
So much so that Casillas, who would later endure a disastrous World Cup as the holders were eliminated in the group stage, said the night in Lisbon felt "like something even bigger than winning the World Cup."
For Atletico, meanwhile, it was a reminder that they remain the David against their city neighbours' Goliath and could only continue to upset the odds for so long.
Diego Simeone's side have been a breath of fresh air across Europe and their Spanish title triumph, secured with a final-day draw away to rivals Barcelona, came against all odds.
After almost a decade in which Real and Barcelona had utterly dominated La Liga, Atletico broke the mould with a side led by the bruising centre-forward Diego Costa.
It seems hard to believe that such a story will be repeated any time soon, however, making their failure in the Champions League final all the more agonising.
An elite few continue to dominate in Europe's leading leagues. Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich may have been humbled by Real Madrid in last season's Champions League semi-finals, but they won the Bundesliga in record quick time and conceded just three goals in going unbeaten through their opening 16 games of this season.
Overcoming the blow to their prestige of seeing president Uli Hoeness jailed for tax evasion in the spring, Bayern's all-conquering team are being taken to new levels by Guardiola, of whom Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "I have never seen such diligence in any other coach."
In France, Paris Saint-Germain won last season's Ligue 1 title with a record points tally from Monaco and remain favourites to win this season's crown, despite Marseille's revival under Marcelo Bielsa.
And in Italy, the country's richest and most decorated club Juventus won the league with a record tally of 102 points last season, and few would bet against them winning another Scudetto in 2015.
But on the European stage, Spain has outshone the rest, with Sevilla winning the Europa League and then losing to Real in the final of the European Super Cup.
Spain has dominated the transfer market too, with the biggest moves seeing Colombia World Cup star James Rodriguez join Real from Monaco for 80 million euros ($99m) and the controversial Luis Suarez leave Liverpool for Barcelona for a similar amount.
And while Italy was as active as anywhere in terms of coaching changes, with Massimiliano Allegri replacing Antonio Conte at Juventus, Filippo Inzaghi taking over at AC Milan and Roberto Mancini returning to Inter, the highest-profile appointment came at Barcelona, where former player Luis Enrique arrived in the summer.
The Catalans, after a glorious era under Guardiola, are currently playing catch-up with their great rivals Madrid, though, just as Messi has played second fiddle to Ronaldo, at least at club level.
While Messi reached the World Cup final with Argentina, Ronaldo was eliminated at the group stage with Portugal, but he has broken the 60-goal barrier for a fourth calendar year in a row, and his goals have powered Real on an incredible run of 21 straight wins, with a Club World Cup final still to come.
A thrilling title race in La Liga, home to the world's best player Cristiano Ronaldo and his great rival Lionel Messi, made it the envy of the rest of the continent, while Spain took a clean sweep of the European trophies and Real Madrid are in line to cap it all by becoming club world champions.
More than anyone else, it was a year to remember for Real, who finally won the European Cup for an unprecedented 10th time, ending a 12-year obsession with 'La Decima'.
After years of frustration since Zinedine Zidane's stunning volley in Glasgow secured their ninth European Cup in 2002, and more than a billion euros spent in the transfer market by president Florentino Perez, Carlo Ancelotti's side beat city rivals Atletico 4-1 after extra time in a pulsating final in Lisbon in May.
"This squad is full of young players, talent and desire. This can be the start of a great cycle," coach Ancelotti ominously declared later, having matched former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley's achievement of winning three European Cups.
"When I signed for Madrid the Champions League was the primary objective for this season. Here the history with 'La Decima' made it even more important," added the Italian.
So much so that Casillas, who would later endure a disastrous World Cup as the holders were eliminated in the group stage, said the night in Lisbon felt "like something even bigger than winning the World Cup."
For Atletico, meanwhile, it was a reminder that they remain the David against their city neighbours' Goliath and could only continue to upset the odds for so long.
Diego Simeone's side have been a breath of fresh air across Europe and their Spanish title triumph, secured with a final-day draw away to rivals Barcelona, came against all odds.
After almost a decade in which Real and Barcelona had utterly dominated La Liga, Atletico broke the mould with a side led by the bruising centre-forward Diego Costa.
It seems hard to believe that such a story will be repeated any time soon, however, making their failure in the Champions League final all the more agonising.
An elite few continue to dominate in Europe's leading leagues. Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich may have been humbled by Real Madrid in last season's Champions League semi-finals, but they won the Bundesliga in record quick time and conceded just three goals in going unbeaten through their opening 16 games of this season.
Overcoming the blow to their prestige of seeing president Uli Hoeness jailed for tax evasion in the spring, Bayern's all-conquering team are being taken to new levels by Guardiola, of whom Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "I have never seen such diligence in any other coach."
In France, Paris Saint-Germain won last season's Ligue 1 title with a record points tally from Monaco and remain favourites to win this season's crown, despite Marseille's revival under Marcelo Bielsa.
And in Italy, the country's richest and most decorated club Juventus won the league with a record tally of 102 points last season, and few would bet against them winning another Scudetto in 2015.
But on the European stage, Spain has outshone the rest, with Sevilla winning the Europa League and then losing to Real in the final of the European Super Cup.
Spain has dominated the transfer market too, with the biggest moves seeing Colombia World Cup star James Rodriguez join Real from Monaco for 80 million euros ($99m) and the controversial Luis Suarez leave Liverpool for Barcelona for a similar amount.
And while Italy was as active as anywhere in terms of coaching changes, with Massimiliano Allegri replacing Antonio Conte at Juventus, Filippo Inzaghi taking over at AC Milan and Roberto Mancini returning to Inter, the highest-profile appointment came at Barcelona, where former player Luis Enrique arrived in the summer.
The Catalans, after a glorious era under Guardiola, are currently playing catch-up with their great rivals Madrid, though, just as Messi has played second fiddle to Ronaldo, at least at club level.
While Messi reached the World Cup final with Argentina, Ronaldo was eliminated at the group stage with Portugal, but he has broken the 60-goal barrier for a fourth calendar year in a row, and his goals have powered Real on an incredible run of 21 straight wins, with a Club World Cup final still to come.
Maku urges PDP to cancel Nasarawa gov primaries
Abuja - Former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has called on the
Peoples Democratic (PDP) leadership to cancel the governorship primary
election in Nasarawa State due to alleged irregularities.
Maku’s call is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Publicity, Maku Campaign Organisation, Zakari Edege.
Maku, a governorship aspirant in the state, wondered why there were separate delegates lists for the conduct of State and National Assembly primaries and the governorship primary”, said the statement.
Maku in the statement also alleged that the conduct of the primary election did not conform with the established guidelines as the number of ballot papers exceeded the number of delegates in Nasarawa state.
He complained that threat and coercion were used to prevent delegates from freely expressing their choice.
He noted that voting commenced late and went into the night thereby exposing delegates to danger.
“It is on this premise that I urge you most respectfully to use your good and exalted office to intervene by canceling the governorship primary election held in Nasarawa State”, it said.
“I also urge you to conduct another primary election so as to ensure that a free and fair election is conducted in the state”, the statement said.
- NAN
Maku’s call is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Publicity, Maku Campaign Organisation, Zakari Edege.
Maku, a governorship aspirant in the state, wondered why there were separate delegates lists for the conduct of State and National Assembly primaries and the governorship primary”, said the statement.
Maku in the statement also alleged that the conduct of the primary election did not conform with the established guidelines as the number of ballot papers exceeded the number of delegates in Nasarawa state.
He complained that threat and coercion were used to prevent delegates from freely expressing their choice.
He noted that voting commenced late and went into the night thereby exposing delegates to danger.
“It is on this premise that I urge you most respectfully to use your good and exalted office to intervene by canceling the governorship primary election held in Nasarawa State”, it said.
“I also urge you to conduct another primary election so as to ensure that a free and fair election is conducted in the state”, the statement said.
- NAN
Benue deputy governor, assembly members to dump PDP for APC
Makurdi - The deputy governor of Benue State, Steven Lawani and some
members of the State House of Assembly are set to dump the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) , reports Leadership.
Lawani and the lawmakers decided to dump the PDP after losing out in the just concluded primaries of the party in the state.
Lawani , who is aspiring to govern the state in 2015, is aggrieved because he was denied the ticket to fulfill the aspirations of the Idomas to rule the state.
Many lawmakers who had contested the PDP primaries and lost are all set to dump the PDP.
Read more at Leadership.
Lawani and the lawmakers decided to dump the PDP after losing out in the just concluded primaries of the party in the state.
Lawani , who is aspiring to govern the state in 2015, is aggrieved because he was denied the ticket to fulfill the aspirations of the Idomas to rule the state.
Many lawmakers who had contested the PDP primaries and lost are all set to dump the PDP.
Read more at Leadership.
Jonathan is APGA’s presidential candidate for 2015
Awka - Just like it did in the 2011 presidential election, the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has adopted President Goodluck
Jonathan as its candidate for the February 2015 presidential election,
reports ThisDay.
The candidature of Jonathan was adopted on Wednesday at the party’s special national convention in Awka.
Victor Umeh, APGA’s National Chairman, said the endorsement of Jonathan was informed by the need to have a leader who is a binding force that would advance national unity and remain a calm president in the face of hostilities.
He noted that the party was supporting Jonathan’s second term ambition because he pledged to implement the 600 recommendations of the recently concluded National Conference.
The candidature of Jonathan was adopted on Wednesday at the party’s special national convention in Awka.
Victor Umeh, APGA’s National Chairman, said the endorsement of Jonathan was informed by the need to have a leader who is a binding force that would advance national unity and remain a calm president in the face of hostilities.
He noted that the party was supporting Jonathan’s second term ambition because he pledged to implement the 600 recommendations of the recently concluded National Conference.
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