September 2018

at September 24, 2018 0
Is Nigeria ready for the 2019 election which is just six months away? Have the executive and legislature given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the resources and support it requires to organise the election? These questions are raised within the context of the executive/legislative imbroglio over the funding of the election. It is clear that if the money is not made available through appropriation, the election will not hold, as expenditure of public resources must be based on the exercise of the constitutional legislative power of appropriation. Otherwise, the expenditure will be in violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian 1999, as amended.



First, the president sent a proposal in the sum of N242.45 billion to the National Assembly (NASS) in late August 2018, shortly before the NASS proceeded on their annual legislative break. The budget proposal was sent late as there was no justifiable reason for the president not to have sent the budget in the first quarter of 2018. That elections would hold in February 2019 is a fact that has been public knowledge since the last elections in 2015. That the elections require money is also a fact which no one can deny. Thus, the delay in sending the budget to the NASS is inexplicable.

On the part of the NASS, they proceeded on their vacation without considering the INEC budget proposal. But this can be linked to the hurried nature of proceeding on the vacation. The heat of defections from one party to the other in the Assembly was so strong and threats of impeachment were hanging on the neck of the leadership of NASS. Thus, the break was fast forwarded by a few days. If the relationship between the executive and legislature had been good, may be, the leadership of NASS would have used a few days to consider and approve the proposal before proceeding on vacation. But the bottom had been knocked off the relationship and so much bad blood had subsequently flowed in-between. It took a lot of public pressure for the leadership of NASS to consider reconvening to consider the proposal, and then masked men came from nowhere and occupied the premises of the federal legislature. This led to public outrage and the eventual sacking of the director general of the Department of State Services. Thus, public attention was taken away from the INEC budget proposal to what in every respect looked like an attempted coup and a grave affront on constitutionalism.

Upon reconvening the NASS committees to consider the proposal, media reports indicated that the committee membership became divided along party lines on the actual sum of money to approve and how the approvals would come. Members of the ruling party sought a deviation from the way and manner the president made the request by insisting that even the parts of the request slated to come in 2019 should be approved immediately, while the opposition members stuck to the approval as set in the president’s letter. At the end of the day, reason appeared to have prevailed with an agreement on the approval in accordance with the presidential request letter.

Unbelievable Hitler sign emerged again!

In requesting for funding for INEC, the president set a trap for the NASS and himself. The bulk of the money he sought is to come from the virement of funds already appropriated for other projects, which the president claimed were inserted by the legislature. Evidently, the president was not happy about the projects and the impression created is that he signed the Appropriation Bill into law on protest. To get back at the legislature, he therefore asked them to reassign the funds for the INEC funding. From the beginning, it was clear that the battle between the executive and the legislature on the extent of their powers in matters of appropriation had shifted from the national budget and now finds resonance in INEC’s budget proposals.

In approving the INEC budget, the NASS committee unanimously turned down the president’s request on the source of funding and rather asked the president to get the bulk of the money from Service Wide Votes. The emphasis on the unanimity of the funding source agreed by NASS shows that legislators can pretend to be fighting each other along party lines but when push comes to shove, over their access to public funds, they become united and will throw the can back to the president. There was no division along the familiar fault lines of Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, and defecting members or those who have stayed loyal to their parties. In asking the president to get the bulk of the money from Service Wide Votes (SWV), anyone who is familiar with good and fit budgeting practices will know that the NASS simply told the president that if you seek to blackmail us for “inserting” projects into the budget, we would not allow you to get away with your soft underbelly slush funds in the name of SWV.

It is important to understand that the federal government turns the idea of the SWV on its head. Generally, fit and good practices stipulate that SWV should not exceed 5 per cent of the budget but the practice now is that it is in excess of 20 per cent and most times, it is for nebulous items nobody accounts for. Indeed SWV are subheads that could be managed by respective ministries, departments and agencies under whose mandate the activities fall. But they have become centralised and pooled and no one asks questions about how they are managed, neither is there sufficient information and reportage by the executive on how the money is utilised. In the last administration, the Oronsaye Committee on the reform of MDAs had recommended that SWV be scrapped but no one listened to this.

The executive/legislative INEC budget feud is not over because the president is bound to refuse to give assent to the approval from the NASS. He will definitely throw back the bill to them and then a stalemate will ensue. It now becomes a game of who will blink first, while the national assignment of preparing for elections will suffer. While this goes on, time will continue running and the February 2019 date will draw nearer. The executive and legislature will be enmeshed in their campaigns to come back to their positions, and governance will likely take a back seat. This set of facts is the rationale for the opening question on whether the executive and legislature have given INEC the resources to organise the 2019 election before we talk of its credibility. Would they resolve their disagreements on time or would the president simply dole out money on the basis of the doctrine of necessity, as some scholars have suggested?

This discourse takes the position that there is no necessity or urgency to invoke the doctrine of necessity. Everything has been contrived by the president, with the NASS playing along. No one is considering the national interest. It is an ego trip. The way forward is for the president and NASS to look for money outside of these two contested pots of “inserted projects” and SWV to fund the 2019 elections. The executive and NASS may, if they so wish, continue their feud after the elections.

Christian Alert Group; Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.

For more information: 08038276188, 08033376734, 08038754069 & 07034463316. USA contacts: 6787487829 & 2149005848.

Please forward others, Sharing is Caring for a Better Nigeria 2019.
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at September 22, 2018 0


The 2019 elections will soon be here with us. An opportunity to exercise one’s democratic rights by helping to decide in whose hands the affairs of the country should be in the next couple of years ought to be an exciting period totally devoid of fear and dread. That is why the desperation saturating the political atmosphere needs to be defused. While not begrudging the politicians the opportunity to seek to be voted into power, they should try not to stifle the excitement that should accompany every democratic exercise in our country.

Why for instance should people be consumed with fear for their lives and those of their loved ones each time Nigerians are going to the polls? Yes, some of the politicians may be genuinely interested in improving our lives and society if voted into office, but they should also duly respect our right to reject them at the polls, despite their noble intentions. And when that happens, they should accept our verdict with grace and equanimity and wait for another opportunity to repackage and represent themselves to us more attractively.   

It is not and should not be a do-or-die affair. There have been reports of clashes between supporters of rival parties here and there. Some politicians have not helped matters too. Provocative statements oozing from their mouths tend to be viewed by their misguided supporters as a signal for “war.” And as one encounters the reports of some ‘battles’ already staged even while the elections are still a couple of months away, one is deeply pained that in the event of any struggle between giant ‘elephants,’ it is always the tender grasses that  suffer and get destroyed.  When lives are snuffed out, what once looked like rosy futures are brutally aborted.

Nigeria Democracy Can it be Saved?

But, are the people itching to put their lives on the line for selfish politicians aware that at the end of the day, when the smoke of battle has cleared, the once   “fire-spitting” politicians would always find ways to amicably settle their differences and use the blood of those who had wasted their lives for them to negotiate juicy appointments for themselves. And what would be the fate of the grasses they had crushed when the battle was raging? Who will reserve a care in the world for those nursing life-threatening wounds sustained during the battles fought on their behalf? Yes, who cares? That is the reason for this outcry to Nigerian masses especially the youths (the easy conscripts to these self-serving struggles and clashes). They should _shine their eyes!_

The Nigerian Masses ought to have realized by now that he has been deceived and used a lot for unwholesome enterprises, in which he has remained the ultimate loser each time. Will he be deceived forever before he realizes himself?  Some of his peers have had their lives impaired or even cut short for willingly doing the unhealthy biddings of unscrupulous and selfish politicians. Must other youths allow that to be their fate too before they realize that the fellows using them do not attach any value to their lives? Must this continue to happen again and again?

As one looks at the beautifully photo-shopped smiling faces of politicians on posters and bill boards, one cannot help wondering what are hidden behind those wide grins.  After all, their pronouncements and actions are often in direct contrast to the faces they display. But it is a pity that majority of those who blindly follow them and do their every bidding are unable to read the handwriting on the wall. And a very painful reality is that majority of these blind followers and easy preys are young Nigerian men and women – the so-called future leaders.

It is time the Nigerian Masses asked themselves how and where many of their fathers and mothers that had danced to the tune of these politicians and helped them execute their self-serving designs are today.  What impact did their association with these fellows make on their families and society?  This is therefore the time to _shine their eyes_ and determine, like Chinua Achebe once said, where the rain began to beat them.

My simple advice to Nigerian Masses today is: You have a choice in this matter! You can refuse to die the death which man and the devil have designed for you.  You do not need the kind of politicians we see around today to be whom you should become.  Most of them have rather influenced the lives and future of many young people in the wrong direction, an evil they would not even contemplate for their own children.  What good can a man possibly offer who has carefully packaged his own children and sent them off to some distant, safe land, and so now cares less how his unguarded language and actions heat up the atmosphere of the nation where other children like his are stuck in?  The politician that works so hard to ensure that there is always pre-election or  post-election violence or both, does not care how many young adults remain or are cut down in their prime as they seek to realize their ambitions?  For many of them, their familiar refrain is that “blood must flow” if things do not work out the way they had anticipated, but whose blood?  Of course, not theirs or that of their children or relatives.  So youths, you had better shine your eyes. Do not be the prey.

A story was told of a politician who attended a friend's burial. Before he appeared, so much praises and noise had been made to herald him. And  before leaving the venue, he dropped some amount of money which was found so humiliating to the people that some wished it could be thrown back at him.  Later the women needed to share the money among themselves (peanut it was indeed) and what happened? Loud voices of misunderstanding, quarrels and curses as they decided on who should get what.  Meanwhile, the ‘good’ man had majestically walked away amidst ovations while the villagers laid curses on each other as they shared the paltry sum.  Relatives and those who had enjoyed friendly and harmonious relationships before the arrival of the ‘philanthropist’ suddenly became enemies, and who knows how far that would go.

I would really want Nigerian Masses to know that these politicians are not altogether foolish after all, even if they once were.  ‘Nothing goes for nothing,’ they now insist.  In times past, some fellows had counseled that one could accept the ‘free’ gifts distributed by them during their campaigns but vote for the candidate of one’s choice and go scot free.  Today it is no longer so.  It does seem that their gifts have assumed a shade of Greek, and those who take them might eventually pay heavy prices. Indeed, even the few cups of garri or rice that came to one could be very ruinous.  Now, ask yourself: do these desperate, “generous” politicians allow their children or other relatives to partake of those their ‘benevolence’ or ‘good will’?  Check it out.  Any of their relatives driven by greed to partake in those gifts is on his own.  The gifts are usually given from very “special” purses or stocks. Yes, they are Greek gifts!

So, people, do not contaminate your precious life and future with cursed ‘gifts’.  What you see and receive from them is more of poisoned apples. Be wise?  Unfortunately, information like this hardly gets to the grassroots that are actively engaged in some unwholesome political activities and who wear the “garments of death” for politicians. Neither does it get to suicide bombers lurking somewhere in markets, motor parks and other places waiting to brutally destroy themselves and others, or those of them roaming the villages and highways ready to do whatsoever money had persuaded them to.  It is incumbent on religious and traditional leaders, parents, teachers, etc, to ensure that these youths are no longer brainwashed and led to their ruin. We owe it to them.

Indeed, we have a responsibility to firmly determine to save themselves. They must resist the lethal seduction of selfish politicians. They must help their sisters, brothers and friends to do so. Let their eyes open so they can see clearly to prepare themselves for a better Nigeria , which shall surely come.  Indeed, soon, it will be their turn to lead the country. So, they must not mortgage their destiny no matter how alluring the “mess of pottage” being placed before them is. And that is why I tell them again and again: shine your eyes!

Christian Alert Group, Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.
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at September 17, 2018 0
It is another election season, and once again , the Nigerian Masses will witness that unfortunate aspect about POLITICS which reveals the deceptive nature of Politicians in Nigeria. Political aspirants in their desperate quest to capture power will always make FAKE PROMISES!


A typical political campaign rally in Nigeria is very interesting to behold. Venue is a large expanse of land flowing with party faithful and rented crowd for the purpose of adding some credibility to the whole show. There is usually a heavy presence of law enforcement agents positioned at strategic locations and it's a shame for the law enforcement agencies to be used by politicians knowing the fake promises.

Close to a high, well decorated elevated platform is a popular musician hired to thrill the crowd to frenzy. Decked in colourful but flowing agbada and babariga attires, the politicians soon take time to climb the stage one-by-one, chanting party slogans and mesmerizing the crowd with their rhetoric. Many of them are truly gifted orators who can compete with the best of actors on stage. They tell their followers what they want to hear: free education for all; free healthcare for every citizen; uninterrupted electricity; thriving industries; employment for all. They promise to even build houses for the masses on planet Mars. All they ask of you in exchange is your vote and I am praying that the masses wake up from Slumbering.

How Buhari got it wrong on Rule of Law

Now, in a democracy, like the type we practice, there is really nothing wrong with anyone or a group of people aspiring for public offices in a legitimate manner. It is the norm in most leading economies of the world. But our own case as a nation is very peculiar. Why? Very few of our public officers fulfil their campaign promises when they get to power. Indeed, our politicians are best good at making empty promises and taking care of their private and family needs at the detriment of the masses that voted them into power. If you doubt me, take another look at the history of our political landscape over the years and tell me if we have truly advanced in any of the areas they often hammer on during their campaigns. Do we now have housing for all?  NO! Are our healthcares better? NO! Are there thriving job opportunities for our teeming graduates? NO! When are we likely to get to the promised land? I doubt if it will happen in our generation with this thieving politicians we have presently.

Someone may ask why are things this way? Could it be that most of our politicians are ill-prepared or ignorant of the expectations from a public officer? YES! Or, like someone once opined, could it be that they are wired with a different type of gene once they clinch political positions such that they lose touch with the yearnings of the masses? YES! Now that we are getting ready for another election season, the political climate is getting charged with all forms of nocturnal meetings, promises, alignments and realignments. As usual they will come up with all forms of promises to lure the electorates, please wakeup from Slumbering. The latest craze is the buying of votes. We saw it during the not-too-recent election in Nigeria when agents of the two leading political parties openly doled out cash for electoral votes which is illegal and unprecedented. The implication of this is horrendous for our democracy. We must not allow this to continue. The onus lies with the electorates and the civil societies to stand up against this sort of illegality in our polity. They must cry out and insist that the right thing is done to protect our hard-earned democracy. They must realize that left for the politicians alone, the rot can go on, so long as their individual and collective interests are protected. We must wake up and do the right thing for the interest of our country which is very, very serious hopefully you that are reading will be provoked come 2019.

Christian Alert Group, Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.
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at September 17, 2018 0
In countries where democracy has firmly taken root, it has become a political force used in redefining human existence in terms of the realization of socio economic development and building of egalitarian society.

Nigeria as a developing democracy is yet to fully imbibe all the tenets that make democracy the leading system of governance in most parts of the world.

Among other things, democratic practice in Nigeria is still battling with political violence which derives its energy and dominance from the army of young men and women in the country.

Of major concern is that “democracy” in the Nigerian context is becoming a germinating ground for youth violence, ritualism and radicalization to the extent of making thuggery and arms proliferation a regular business among youths.

These situations are as a result of certain factors which have undermined the essence of democracy in the interest of few who cleave to power by any means necessary in the pursuit of unjustifiable objectives.



The youths have become “sacrificial lambs” for the sustenance of the interests of the bloody political demagogues under the umbrella of democracy. In whichever way or whatever justification for youth involvement in political violence especially, rituals, thuggery, the ultimate truth is that it undermines democratic development and youth participation in mainstream politics.

Events have shown that political demagogues both at the state and federal level are in the habit of arming thugs in the guise of empowerment. This undemocratic culture has frequently triggered conflict. It has been reported that at least 50 percent of Nigeria elections are associated with serious violent incident that has resulted in loss of lives what a big Shame.

Fierce competition between rival leaders or political parties during elections has resulted in outbreak of civil unrest in such places as Rivers, Kogi, Bauchi, Kwara, Plateau, among others.

Of paramount importance here is that whether violence before, during or after election, the quick and available machinery for the execution of the agenda, are the youths.

By implication, a large chunk of youth involvement in political thuggery is attributable to ignorance as study have revealed that unemployment, corruption and bad governance contribute immensely in explaining youth involvement in political violence.

The problem with Nigerian

Sadly, even where the government is relatively doing well, the opposition members resort to twisting the minds of the youths against the party in power so as to champion their interests. All these and more reveal youth vulnerability to interest of some senseless politicians whose interest can only be achieved through arming of thugs.

The elites are responsible for arming the youths, who mostly are political thugs to manipulate electoral outcomes, kidnap or kill political opponents, threaten and intimidate electorate, destroying lives and property, as electoral processes are disrupted.

Thuggery and rituals will continue to dominate the political space until our individual vote counts. In other words, one sure way to put an end to political violence is to ensure as a people that every vote counts. Once the politicians and the electorate are satisfied that their vote counts and it is the only means of getting to power, they will not resort to self-help by arming thugs.

It is about time our law enforcement do their duly diligence to serve and protect making sure that anyone found to have engaged thugs and hoodlums to win elections be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest our judiciary also should not be compromised. Also, jobs should be created for the unemployed in order to make it impossible for politicians to recruit youths for political violence.

It is my view that the menace of political rituals and thuggery in Nigeria has to be checked in order to have sustainable democracy that would indeed be a government of the people, for the people and by the people.

Christian Alert Group, Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.

For more information: 08038276188, 08033376734, 08038754069 & 07034463316. USA contacts: 6787487829 & 2149005848.

Please forward others, Sharing is Caring for a Better Nigeria 2019.
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at September 07, 2018 0
Aren’t we sick and tired of the number of current and former officials in government breaks the law and walk free like nothing happened, spewing hypocritical garbage whilst simultaneously sucking up national treasury, welcome to theatre of drama where election will cost N242, 000,000,000, Two hundred and Forty billion naira only to vote incompetent leaders of people who earns N18, 000 monthly as minimum wage.

Having being recently made the headquarters of poverty thanks to our leaders, I am baffled. If someone breaks the law, isn’t there a price to pay? If we are to be a civilized nation, we have to obey the laws. If we don’t there are consequences to be paid. All we ever wanted is an economy designed to ensure that government live up to its responsibility so basic human need is meet. This ultimately leads to low crime rate and youth restiveness.



But instead all we get is different episodes of drama, with plots of strife and sorrow, a nation blessed of numerous resources, despite abundant natural resources, the country continued to lag behind in terms of prosperity, Poor roads, lack of railroads, inconsistent policies and inaccessibility drove foreign investors away. Without a natural disaster its people die of hunger and dwindle in abject poverty like the fishes drown and die of thirst in the river… Do you know that Nigeria still has about 10.5million children out-of-school? The highest in the world according to UNICEF. A country where it is a known fact politicians pay for votes but we can all pretend the ballot box is a true reflection of what the people want.

Billions of money looted are being recovered they claimed! but has been in thin air, we can only hear about it, we don’t know where it’s going just like the allocations, yet we keep piling up debts from international bodies. Every level of government and sectors has been inflicted and nourished with corruption which is now defined as almost legit by association with a ruling political party. Membership to a ruling party sanctifies one off corruption regardless of the level of looting but distance from a ruling party means great consequences.

These hoax, lying, conniving, duplicitous wastrel rulers, going by the trend of their political parade which is dividing people, creating hatred, negativity and changing our political landscape for the worse shows up when their regime is almost over, spewing all sort of lies, things they should have given the people, things they never noticed when they got into power just to deceive the masses to get back into power and only to leave us in mired in dire mediocrity.

You may like this Did USA called Nigerian president Lifeless

It will definitely take us a while to claw back up in this age where almost every youth are after fast & illegal riches, taking shortcuts to success, they are moulding us to be exactly like them. Before, it was a no job for the poor, uneducated, less privilege; but, today, among those currently in court for theft are Elites, people with real titles of Honourables, Professors, Reverends, Imams, Doctors, Kings, Judges, Graduates and Bishops.

The revolution is about to start, the masses should not be distracted by the “Game of Defection” going on in the Political Scene, its all part of the plan, that has always been the plan, after spending most of their political lives under the umbrella party they joined another party, same old people with a different name blaming those with the umbrella for all our calamities neglecting they played a major role. They are defecting again telling us they have rebranded the umbrella Shameless old wagons!

We can’t continue to pull in our heads like turtles and pretend we don’t care, that we will survive regardless of the calamities our leaders turn this great nation into, I don’t believe that we are surviving very well or will survive in the future if we do not rise up, en masse, and protest justly at every opportunity we have of insensitive abuse of power.

It is happening! A better Nigeria, It is time to stop them in their tracks and give our nation a chance to heal. The mindsets on the social media platforms are positive but elections are not won on social media so we need to bring the same energy to the streets, the market place, ghetto, motor parks to inform the uninformed, bridging the information gap, sensitizing, orientating and teaching them as free thinking humans, we have the capability to discern what we believe is “right” and what is “wrong” with every action we take, there are consequences, good and bad.
We can make the nation great by being civil, we all have the responsibility of not just voting the right candidates but also making sure every aspect of the society functions properly and it is paramount for us to remain united, that is our strength regardless of our societal status, religion or tribe, the goal is to remain united, honest and make sure the voice of the voiceless is heard for the great course

Its all on us that our own society performs well and stick to the basic principles of a thriving society. We should not forget how many people have sacrificed their lives for the course. For sure there will be traitors, for we have seen beauty in people that were called ugly and we have demons in the most angelic faces but we have to be hopeful, the future of the country depends on the people and the representatives we elect.

Of course the old wagon politicians will lure us with funds like they have always done with empty promises, accept their gifts but make sure you do the right thing by electing people who have the knowledge of how you lived in your boys quarter, people who understand the struggle of getting a job, difficulties we face on our dilapidated roads, the commotions encountered getting a bus to your destinations, why your take home makes you feel irresponsible as it struggles with your children school fees and how much you would have saved if power supplies were to be consistently available and much more.

Story about Cryptocurrency

Christian Alert Group, Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.
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at September 04, 2018 0
Which nation will surprises you in this new UEFA Nations League. What is your prediction? will less football developing(underdog)  nation rise to top or will the tough keep going?

 
UEFA Nations League: The new tournament designed by FIFA. How many nations involved and expectations

International Football actions returns barely after Russia World Cup 2018 but this in a brand new style instead of international friendlies called EUFA Nations League. 


The newly-founded UEFA Nations League commences on September 6, with 55 European counties competing in four leagues.

The notable match to watch is the crashed out on Word Cup Spain faceing England and the current World Cup Winners France face previous champions Germany.


Meaning of the UEFA Nations League?


The UEFA Nations League us a new upgraded international friendly tournament. The league is being didived into Four fcomat where the winner will be crowned Nations Legue Champions. The league starts September 6 2019 rn through June 2019. England will be playing against other European nations.


Check Daily football tips here

How will UEFA Nations League work?




There system invloves 55 National teams  split into four leagues (A, B, C and D) based on their UEFA ranking at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.

Inside those four leagues, teams will be split again into different nations groups, which will be made up of either three or four teams.

Within the  best performed national league, four teams will be promoted at the end of each cycle, while four national teams will be relegated. The relegated nations will then play at their new game in the next competition, which starts in 2020.

The winners of the four groups in League A table will qualify for the Final Four competition.

How have the groups been divided?



UEFA Nations League draw table



Full League table A draw

Group 1: Germany, France, Netherlands

Group 2: Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland

Group 3: Portugal, Italy, Poland

Group 4: Spain, England, Croatia


Full League table B draw

Group 1: Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic

Group 2: Russia, Sweden, Turkey

Group 3: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Northern Ireland

Group 4: Wales, Republic of Ireland, Denmark


Full League table C draw

Group 1: Scotland, Albania, Israel

Group 2: Hungary, Greece, Finland, Estonia

Group 3: Slovenia, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus

Group 4: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania


Check everything about EPL Premier League

Full League table  D draw

Group 1: Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra

Group 2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino

Group 3: Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands, Malta, Kosovo

Group 4: FYR Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar


This Nations League Runs from to?

Matchday 1: September 6-9, 2018

Matchday 2: September 9-11, 2018

Matchday 3: October 11-13, 2018

Matchday 4: October 14-16, 2018

Matchday 5: November 15-17, 2018

Matchday 6: November 18-20, 2018

Finals: June 5-9, 2019



What will be the Final Four?


Final Four is the end of the Nations League. This will take place in June 2019 and the group winners from League A against each other. There is only one-game semi-final stage followed by the final.

The winner will be called as UEFA Nations League champion.

The Final Four tournament will only be played in odd years, meaning that in years when there is no a World Cup or European Championships, there will be a Nations League winner.


How will the EUFA Nations League affect European Qualifiers?

Euro qualifiers for 2020 will start in March 2019, with double headers in the March, June, September, October and November international breaks.

Teams will be divided into five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams. There will be 10 matchdays in total - the same number as now.

The top two teams from the 10 groups qualify automatically for the Euros, while four more places at the finals will be awarded to play-off winners. Sixteen national teams will compete in the play-offs.


Each Nations League league gets four play-off spots. If the winner of a group has already qualified for the Euros, the next best team which has not qualified goes into the play-offs.

Those sixteen teams will go into four groups, with the top team going to the Euros. The four teams play two one-off semi-finals and one one-off final to determine play-off winners.

So, if one of the Home Nations fails to qualify the traditional way, each league has a path of its own to the finals.

The UEFA Nations League rankings will also determine the composition of draw pots for subsequent European Qualifiers.

UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
UEFA EURO 2020 play-offs: March 26-31, 2020

What are the benefits?

"The UEFA Nations League creates more meaningful and competitive matches for teams and a dedicated calendar and structure for national team football," according to  UEFA, who believe the new format addresses concerns national associations raised about friendlies no longer providing adequate competition.

As well as the appeal of being named National League winner after the Final Four showpiece event for top teams, weaker teams will have better opportunities to qualify for European Championships - the bottom 16 in the rankings are now guaranteed one of the 24 qualifying spots.

Weaker teams will also face teams of a similar level - so there will be fewer thrashings and more meaningful games for fans.

Drop Your predictions!

#UEFA
#Nation
#League
#UEFANationsLeague
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at September 03, 2018 0

Nigeria On Police Decentralization Plan!


Recently, then Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, announced that steps are being taken to decentralize the Nigerian police. This police decentralization scheme has forms part of the canons of the noisome demand for restructuring of the Nigerian polity. The later-day amplifiers of restructuring said that the central police we have at present is both unwieldy to meet the critical needs of policing and too centralized to police the nooks and crannies of the country and deal with rising security issues that gnaw on Nigerians. They may be partially right. The ubiquitous nature of the Nigerian police has rather made it difficult for the police to meet the security needs of Nigerians and has been deficient in securing the lives and properties of Nigerians. Again, the rigid central command of the Nigerian police has sometimes become a burdensome encumbrance on its capacity to permeate the nooks and crannies of the country and deal with security issues which mutate by the day and require such close security marking as community policing can muster to deal with.

However, we should be sure that the decentralization plan is not to wholesomely grant the demand for state police which suffers from many deficits. Some people wrongly interpret the decentralization plan to mean granting state police. This, I believe, is not the intention and how the plan is implemented will prove this at the end of the day.

What really vitiates the demand for state police is the lack of sincerity and honesty in those that have made the demand a sonorous credo in recent times. It does not demand any strenuous inquest to know that those who noisily clamour about state police as an integral part of the complex and hardly-articulated call for restructuring do so basically from an expedient political standpoint. The demand is not borne out of patriot reasons, which introduces the greatest and most potent danger in granting state police; the use of state police for political purposes! It is quite strange that those that noisily clamour for state police today have been strident and implacable foes of that same demand some light years ago. Because of the recent re-arrangement of the country’s political equilibrium, they have turned around to become arch-protagonists of the very same issue they had spent decades fighting against. On the other side, those that developed the template for state police and fought vigorously for it some few years ago are no longer enthusiastic about the clamour. So the issue of where one stands on this issue is a matter of political expediency, interests and position.

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The decentralization outline still needs to be given some conceptual clarity for Nigerians to understand the scope and extent it will go. Some questions poring through the minds of Nigerians remain’ will the decentralized police also have decentralized control or still be under the present control regime? Will new men be recruited to drive it or it will operate with the existing men of the Nigerian police? Will the decentralized police operate side-by-side with the present police? Perhaps when the policy gets implemented, Nigerians will know whether the plan will cure the well-reified incompetence and shortfalls of the present Nigerian police and whether it is an answer to the clamour for state police. So until much light is thrown into the police decentralization plan, no one can rightly say if the plan deals with the multifarious problems besetting the present police force. In whatever guise the plan pans out, it is obvious that it is intended to rend the tight central command the police have at present and grant some reasonable autonomy to the component parts of the federation in matters that pertain to control of the police. This is apart from the intendment to deal with the age-old impediments that have made the Nigerian police a noxious, ineffective outfit and has lowered its rating amongst Nigerians.



 However, it is advisable that before we plunge into this delicate issue, the country must convince itself that it is not going to arm several factional war-mongering armed groups that will stand diametrically opposite each other and rather worsen the security challenges the idea is aimed at solving. It is one’s honest feeling and belief that as political positioning in Nigeria is a game of musical chairs, the country should not be in a hurry to take decisions that may plunge the country into a fratricidal warfare in the long run. In decentralizing the police, care should be taken to ensure that while the decentralized police units are granted some reasonable levels of autonomy to deal with particular issues that affect their operational areas, a level of central control must be maintained to ensure they don’t grow wings and serve diverse interests that seriously impair the nation’s unity in the long run. Care must be taken to weave through the political schemes that are standing ready to latch onto the plan for narrow political ends if decentralization makes control of the police fluid and manipuable to some vested provincial interests.

Yes, it can be reasonably argued that a decentralized police can draw its manpower from a given localized zone and is best suited to know and deal with localized problems within its area of operation but adequate care should be taken to maintain the control over it so that Nigeria is not reduced to a boiling cauldron of contending police forces that could be used to divide rather than build a united country that draws strength from its diversity. Even as a decentralized police, there should be adequate caution to maintain a unified standard, unified training, unified scope and world view as well as unified control to ensure that abuse does not creep in to endanger the wellbeing of Nigerians. While each decentralized police unit will draw from its own peculiarities within its given area of operation, there must be requisite provisions to safeguard the core of policing which aligns with the corporate interests of the Nigerian nation. We should be careful not to create regional or state armies that hears not its owner’s whistle but carry out in quite contradictory manners that will ultimately endanger the peace and unity of Nigeria.

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Also, the issue of funding the decentralized police will be a critical issue because certainly, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. This is also one of the impediments that will work against state police at any given day because the states, as composed in Nigeria presently, are precarious, dependent units that are struggling to meet their basic demands to the people. I wonder what kind of police a state that is owing several months of workers’ salary can run. Policing is a core security issue that requires funding from the first line charge but what can a state that goes cap-in-hand to the center for sustenance do when it is not assured of an independent funding scheme? A hungry, disheveled and ill-equipped police becomes an instant danger to those it is meant to police so states have to be solvent before they can meet the demands of state police. In the decentralization plan, such issues as funding determines where the control and loyalty of the police lie. So decentralizing the police will have meaning when its funding arrangements are sorted out and there are no two ways to fund the police in Nigeria today than from the federal level given the tentative financial status of the states.

But in all, it is my honest opinion that what the police needs most today is complete evaluation of its personnel, methods, arms and total re-orientation. This must be holistic and radical to ensure that both a new template and new personnel are developed to take the police from staid, rotten and odious stereotypes and strategies. The Nigerian police needs complete overhauling to meet the policing demands of a complex and modern society, new values, new ethos, new ground rules, new strategies, new orientation, new equipment and new hands are needed in the Nigerian police to redirect it from its present invalid state to a functional state. I honestly don’t feel state police answers our problems here as I fear that the demerits of a state police trump its merits. Maybe decentralized police will be the panacea to our policing problems. Maybe, just maybe.

Christian Alert Group, Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.

For more information: 08038276188, 08033376734, 08038754069 & 07034463316. USA contacts: 6787487829 & 2149005848.

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at September 01, 2018 0


President Muhammadu Buhari has been under fire since declaring that “rule of law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest.” That is understandable. Yet, Buhari is right, but he is also very wrong.

To begin with, the message would not have been a big issue if the messenger is not Muhammadu Buhari. Having headed one of the most dreaded dictatorial military regimes in modern history, where human rights abuses were common, a major reason Nigerians allowed Buhari back to the corridors of power was his pledge to fight corruption and abide by the rule of law. Like many, he had wondered why the war against corruption has been an endless failure and vowed to win it this time. And we believed him.

But we are all finding out the hard way: Fighting corruption with Nigeria’s brand of rule of law is easier said than done. For example, the rule of law includes an ancient tenet of criminal law, Presumption of Innocence. This term, in Nigeria, has meant that corrupt politicians are not only presumed innocent until proven guilty, they also have the liberty to influence the courts to adjourn corrupt cases interminably. Buhari’s apparent difficulty in navigating between the rule of law and leadership is where his current war against corruption came crashing down.

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The president deserves pity here, though. Considering that he had achieved a measurable success on the war on corruption as a military leader, with little or no regard to rule of law, Buhari is very frustrated that he cannot record similar success on the same problem as a democratic president. He is frustrated on how some politicians with undeniable evidence of massive corrupt enrichment at the time of arrest are allowed to walk free for decades, waiting for endless trial, in the name of rule of law. Today, Buhari even appears confused on which way to go. Does he continue by toeing the line of rule of law and keep failing? Or does he revert to his old play book of violating human rights while getting the job done?

It is clear that the president has chosen the later. That is probably why he made the controversial statement that “rule of law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest.” But, if the truth is said, Buhari is right. His statement is consistent with both the Nigerian Constitution (Section 45) and UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as a vital principle of effective national leadership.

Nigeria’s war against corruption is no longer a child’s play, and we can take a cue from experiences in successful democracies. In her recent war against terrorism after the disastrous 9/11 bombing, United States of America, commonly viewed as the epitome of liberal democracy, adopted all sorts of drastic measures to win. Some of these measures included intrusive searches on passengers at the airports and waterboarding of captured enemy soldiers. Though these were roundly viewed as an infringement of individual freedom and civil liberties at the time, a vast majority of the people eventually embraced the rationale. But guess what? President George W. Bush did not sit moping and expect Americans to follow. His success required a great deal of leadership, influencing the people and later backing his actions with enabling congressional Acts.

The objective fact is that this whole hoopla on rule of law calls for true leadership. One of the most widely cited theories on Effective Leadership Formula, is that “effective leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals.” It goes without saying that President Buhari has to do whatever it takes to get the job done, regardless.

Moreover, not only is leadership contingent upon the environment, extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary actions. Therefore, Buhari cannot afford to fold his hands while his efforts are grossly undermined—all in name of borrowed theories. For instance, Presumption of Innocence has become a legal right of the accused in the Nigerian criminal law, quite alright, but it has become imperative to come to terms with the reality that the original authors might never have considered the Nigerian condition where the accused can collude with the judges to adjourn cases forever.

In short, even as it is vitally important for leaders to be unwavering in their pursuit of rule of law, any rule of law ought to advance the greater good, if it is to translate to effective leadership. Blind following of rule of law can easily lead to destructive power. It is rather mystifying that the strict interpretation of the rule of law is only sacrosanct in Nigeria when it only protects corrupt politicians and their cohorts in the private sector—at the cruel expense of the poor masses.

But Buhari is still very wrong on three fundamental grounds.


First, the cover with national interest and security is crudely selective. The clear optics is that Buhari espouses rule of law only when his party members or tribe are the culprits, but he goes to abuse all rights when perceived opponents or opposing tribes are the victims.

Second, the history will not forgive Buhari for making the contravention of the rule a common phenomenon. The president had every opportunity to have capitalized on his overflowing popularity early in his regime to influence the Legislature to enact enabling Acts that could have strengthened some of the laws he is currently abusing with reckless abandon.

Thirdly, Buhari is wrong by overheating the polity by presenting what he is not well equipped to defend. It is obvious that someone from his team crafted the line on rule of law and national security, which is mundane, but the president has shown that he is not capable of weaving the ensuing debate in such a way that it can be seen in a positive sense. A dynamic leader would thrash the opposing voices in a simple Q & A press conference. But that is not Buhari’s forte.

Overall, leadership is all about influence. Instead of carrying on like an emperor, it is incumbent upon President Buhari to learn how to influence the Nigerian people and other arms of government towards the attainment of national goals. Instead of continuing to appear lawless in course of national interests, Buhari should—without further delay—maximize his presidential power to influence the legislature to enact new Acts that can override imperfect laws.

Christian Alert Group, Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.

For more information: 08038276188, 08033376734, 08038754069 & 07034463316. USA contacts: 6787487829 & 2149005848.

Please forward others, Sharing is Caring for a Better Nigeria 2019.
Read more »
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