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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013
SPORTS LA TEST LATEST
Webb to referee Man United, Liverpool match
H
oward Webb has been named as the referee for Sunday's Premier League clash between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford. It will be the first time the Rotherham official has taken charge of one of the biggest domestic club fixtures in world football since the two contested an FA Cup tie in January 2011. In that match - Kenny Dalglish's first game back in charge of Liverpool - United won 1-0 courtesy of an early penalty from Ryan Giggs and Reds captain Steven Gerrard was sent off in the 32nd minute. That result prompted then Liverpool forward Ryan Babel to post a mocked-up picture of Webb wearing a United shirt on his Twitter account. The post and the accompanying tweet - "And they call him one of the best referees? That's a joke." - saw the Dutchman fined £10,000 and warned about his future conduct. Webb is regarded as one of the top officials in world football, and in 2010 became the first referee to take charge of the finals of the Champions League and the World Cup in the same year. Former referee Graham Poll told the Daily Mail: "Howard Webb, as the No.1 referee as ranked by UEFA, FIFA and the Premier League, is a natural selection for the Manchester United-Liverpool match this weekend. “He was selected for the World Cup final and the Champions League, so it is hard to argue with those credentials. “In appointing Webb, referee chief Mike Riley is covered in that, even if the game goes badly, he can say: 'Well, I appointed the No.1 referee.
Howard Webb ADVERT: BUSINESS: NEWS: LAGOS:
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QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE In 2013 we cannot do things exactly the way we did them in 2012 or in the past; we must revisit our attitude to work and take the state as their own by doing their best to keep the state going — Gov. Adams Oshimomhole
Dr. Jonathan, only change can change things T
his time of the year is usually associated with a lot of religious activity. Even those of us who are nonChristians find ourselves involved one way or the other with those celebrations, such as the exchange of gifts and visits and, now, the deluge of emails and SMSs. Even as he however rejoiced, the president of the country, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan had apparently maintained a fixed gaze on politics. Abuja, the nation's capital was swamped by his campaign posters, welldesigned and printed, announcing that there is no vacancy in the Villa come 2015. This is coming barely a year and some months into his current term of office. My friend, Dr. Reuben Abati was 100 percent correct when he said the President needn't order the arrest of these campaigners to prove that he had not commenced an early campaign for the 2015 presidential contest. Hear Reuben: "President Jonathan has not launched any campaign for re-election in 2015. He has not asked anybody to go and paste posters around Abuja. Whoever those people are they are acting on their own. They are not President Jonathan's agents. They are onto their mischief." Reuben ended by saying that since the police have their jobs cut out for them, they know what to do in the circumstance. Unfortunately for Reuben and the President's media team, much of the political class, the police force and the country's teeming population will not read this and even if they did, they will not believe them. This is considering that there is a lot of motion and movement even without words being spoken by the President in the direction of 2015. Now, as to the question of whether Jonathan will be President again in 2015, it is difficult if not dangerous to guess. This is currently a matter before a judge. In addition, God's ways are too intricate for the mind to answer but if the President wins
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MUSINGS By
Garba Shehu garshehu@yahoo.co.in
President Jonathan another term in 2015 elections, it will not be of the freewill of the people. How many oaths of office is he going to take? And under which constitution? What is he going to tell Nigerians that he has accomplished and for which they should hand the country to him for another four years? To be fair, it may not be difficult pointing at some areas in which a strong performance has been recorded. The President has kept an important hold on the ruling party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), which is important for his political life. They have also kept an enviable human rights record especially in the area of free speech. There is progress in the Railways, electric power generation and the sustenance of democracy as a form of government through improved elections. The negatives include mounting corruption, Boko Haram, Armed robbery and Kidnapping. That the country's Military choppers are busy ferrying VIPs to private burials when Boko Haram is threatening to seize a sizeable
chunk of the Nigerian territory or has done so already is yet another sad commentary on his government. A careful examination of Reuben's choice of words gives a sense of de javu. We have been there before. This type of campaign is not new in Nigeria. Nigerians who want to learn from the president's poster campaign should dig to the roots of past self-perpetuation campaigns in the country. It was started by the Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon when he resolved that the 1976 hand-over date to civilians was unrealistic. Since then, every ruler except a few have done one form of effort or another to task the patience of Nigerians by seeking an endless term of office. Gowon fell from power following his failure to achieve this. General Babagida, with all his shrewdness and astuteness, wit and cunning; with all those resources at his disposal, was forced to step aside by the force of popular opinion. The case of General Abacha was even more spectacular. He was the country's strongest leader ever who did not suffer opposition lightly and broached none. He was ruthless and didn't spare anyone. Under him, nobody could call for accountability without the fear of reprisal. Abacha threw everything into it but he too failed. Without a shot being fired, Abacha too, quit the scene. The story of President Obasanjo's tenure elongation plot was reason why some us had the "privilege" of being locked in prison and other detention cells repeatedly. As for those posters and their wall-to-wall coverage of Abuja on the New Year day, nobody can do that kind of job without
government knowing about it. Nobody could have printed the president's posters on that scale, at a printing press without anyone getting a hint of it. No, government is behind it all. Men on the streets know the large number of Jonathan groups putting up campaign offices under various aliases. Anyone of them could have done this. One of such groups, the PDP National Youth Vanguard has already sprung a defense of the posters, an indication clearly that they have more than a passing interest in the campaign. Now if the whole idea is to test the political waters or a dry run of sorts for the campaign, this thing has got the President's finger burnt and that must force him into a rethink. The furious debate over those posters is still on. It will probably die down with a little time. But the massive condemnations across the board by ordinary Nigerians are a pointer to what is in wait for PDP in the event that the President decides to be a candidate against the run of public opinion. This is even as no major contender for the office has yet spoken. It is a rare glimpse into what Nigerians think of the current national dispensation. When he read the New Year message to Nigerians, the President spoke eloquently about the need for change. He said all the right things that the occasion warranted but seemed totally oblivious of the corruption and arrogance that is deeply rooted in the DNA of his cabinet members. Jonathan cannot alter that DNA no matter how much he raises his voice and regardless of any threats that he may issue. Ministers seem not to fear him or the legislature or anyone for that matter. He needs to refresh his team. Only change will change the way things are. He must bring fresh blood if he wants to be believed. Let him find dynamic, aggressive, focused and dedicated people and bring them into his government. Many of them abound in the country if only he cares to look for them. The only question is, can he?
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