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Nations Cup: Nigeria Pair Mozambique
The draw for the Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations took place yesterday in Luanda, the Angola capital with Nigeria pairing Mozambique, Benin and defending championships, Egypt in Group C.
The draw of the 27th edition of the championship also pitched host Angola with Mali, Algeria, and Malawi in Group A, while Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso will slug it out in Group B.
Group D will feature Cameroon, Tunisia, Zambia and Gabon.
Angola versus Mali will be the opening of the tournament.
Group A will be based in Luanda, Group B will be in Cabinda in the north of the country, Group C will play in Benguela, and Group D will be based in Lubango.
Former Angolan football legend Akwa said he thought all the groups looked difficult.
“It’s not just Algeria and Angola that could go through, Mali have a good national team and they can give us a lot of problems,” he said.
However, when asked ho far Angola can go, he said “I believe we can reach the final.”
Group B is being touted as the group of death with the prospect of Ghana and Ivory Coast renewing their rivalry.
The Chairman of Ghana’s Football Association said “there is no better description of this group.”
“Ivory Coast and Ghana are two of the best teams in Africa.”
“The group is interesting because Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo are all our neightbours.
“Togo has Adebayor, one of the best players in the world, and Burkina Faso’s Moumouni Dagano is the top scorer of the World Cup qualifying campaign,” he said.
However history favours Ghana as they’ve met seven times and the Ivorians have won just one of those encounters.
Egypt versus Nigeria looks like an exciting fixture to open Group C on January 12 in Benguela.
Nigeria’s coach Shaiubu Amodou was present at the draw and said that on paper Nigeria should emerge from Group B, but he added a word of caution.
“There are no small teams in football anymore” he said.
Nigeria’s former captain Sunday Oliseh described Nigeria’s group as a “delicate” one.
“Mozambique gave us a lot of hassle during qualifying” he said.
Oliseh also thanked Mozambique for helping Nigeria qualify for the World Cup.
They scored a lot goal against Tunisia in the final qualifying game which helped to put Nigeria through to South Africa 2010.
Mozambique’s most capped player and recent goal scorer Tico-Tico said he thought it was a tough draw for his side.
“We will just have to compete and see what happens” he said.
“Egypt are the champions of Africa so that won’t be easy but if we believe in ourselves maybe we can spring some surprises,” he says.
“Nigeria and Egypt would seem the obvious teams to qualify but anything can happen,” he said.
Former Cameroon striker, Patrick Mboma said that Group D will be no pushover either.
“We’ve only recently seen what Gabon can do’ he said.
However he predicted that the Indomitable Lions would reach the semi-finals, after which anything can happen.
“We have a new Indomitable Lions, a new captain, a new coach and hopefully a new reality, and I hope we can start the new year in the best way,” he said.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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