There has been an unease in Sao Paulo and indeed some Brazilian cities since the national team lost by1-7 to Germany in the semi final of the ongoing World Cup tournament which it is hosting.
Reports say that most of the citizens were seen openly wailing even as at today, while the Germans are being careful not to celebrate the victory.
While some Brazil-based Nigerians hinted that the fans merely suppressed the anger in order not to be seen as bad hosts, yet a few believe the fans could still stage protests.
It was gathered that there were isolated cases of burning of buses in anger in certain parts of the cities, which were reported by just a few television stations.
It was reported that many of those who had stockpiled firecrackers for celebrations after the match failed to set them off while a few die-hards, apparently to give vent to welled-up anger, set off a few shots.
The streets were quiet, as noise of pin drops could be heard far off, unlike when the team scraped through till their eventual elimination.
The yellow and blue jerseys – the national colours of Brazil which were donned by fans — soon petered out.
Some, in an apparent pretence to cover up against cold, used their pullovers, sweaters and jackets to cover the jersies. [myad]
Embattled governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Hamman Nyako (rtd) has made it clear that he would not resign even as he gave an insight into why members of the state House of Assembly are after his job. Nyako who answered reporters’ questions today after attending the launch of the steering committee of the Safe School Initiative at the Presidential Villa. Governor was insisted that he would not resign even as he said that the impeachment has not reached a crisis point. Nyako claimed that the state is calm, adding that the issue was before the court. “I expect the lawmakers to obey the rules in anything they do. Well, it is in the court and the court said it was not well done. “We are hoping that if they want to do it, they will do it by following the normal process in whatever they want to do.” Asked to confirm if he had tried to reach out to President Jonathan to come to his aid, the governor simply said: “not yet. It has not reached that crisis point.” He however did not rule out the possibility of calling for help from the President when the need arises, expressing hope that the man would step in since the state had also been there for the President, he too would intervene when it matters. “We have supported him all this time; he has supported us and in situations like these when Mr. President’s support is required, we will seek it.” Nyako said he was not considering the resignation option, describing the suggestion that some former Heads of State had spoken to the President on his behalf as “excellent” On the root cause of the crisis, he said:” Adamawa is a very interesting place. If I tell you we have 87 ethnic groups and the two religions are fairly balanced, It means that being sensitive to each and everyone of us is very important. It is a place of intellectualism; everybody has his own point of view and you have a group of people who share a certain point of view. And until it changes, they will maintain that point of view. But we have been peaceful somehow and we will remain peaceful.” On rumoured plans to defect back to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Nyako noted that: “Quite frankly, you know how I joined the PDP and partisan politics in the first place. It is not really my field. My field is known. You know what I was before. We are straightforward; have two distinctions: loyalty and disloyalty; two separate pieces. But one of the interior politicians told me that there are a lot of things in between loyalty and disloyalty which up till this moment I have not appreciated. So, for me, disloyalty with this type of attitude with Nigerian politics of today you are likely to step on toes of a few.” The Adamawa governor who was among the G5 governors who decamped from the PDP to the APC some months back, has been faced with a serious impeachment threat from members of the State House of Assembly for about two weeks. While he has put in several measures to ward off the threat, the lawmakers and Chief Judge of the state had proceeded with the impeachment processes, relying on allegations of fraud and nepotism leveled against him.
Military personnel are said to be interrogating some prominent Nigeria politicians following discovery of their identity cards in terrorists’ camps which were destroyed inside the Balmo Forest in Bauchi State last week. Coordinator of the National Information Centre (NIC) Mr. Mike Omeri made this known in Abuja today during the regular briefing by members of the Centre on efforts to fight terror in the country and find the over 200 Chibok secondary school girls abducted since April 14 this year. Omeri said: “following the last successful operatios carried out by security forces to dislodge terrorists from their forest bases in Darazo Local Government Area end of Balmo Forest, some politicians are currently being investigated following their link with activities in the forest.”
FIFA has suspended the Nigerian Football Federation with immediate effect due to government interference. Only last week, Nigeria government officials sacked the entire national football federation leadership after the Super Eagles fell to France in the round of 16. In doing so, the defending African champions risked an international ban. FIFA had given Nigerian government upto yesterday, Tuesday to reinstate President Aminu Maigari, but failed to do so. As a result of the ban, no Nigerian football team, including clubs, will be allowed to participate in international sporting events. That means Nigeria will not be allowed to participate in the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (5-24 August 2014) should the suspension not be lifted by July 15.
President Goodluck Jonathan has said that his government is mobilising resources to provide safety environment for children in the Northern part of the country to go to school and gain education. He regretted that Boko Haram insurgency has presently scared a lot of children, especially female ones from going to school. The President, who inaugurated a steering committee on Safe School Initiative at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today said that the initiative is a response to Chibok girls who were abducted in April by Boko Haram. He said that stastitic showed that school drop out at basic education is too high, “and in some states it is up to 70 percent. “In Borno state, children, especially girls are not going to school because of Boko Haram attacks. It is so unfortunate.” President Jonathan vowed to deploy political, economic and security as part of the wholistic measure to bring Boko Haram insurgency to an end. “We need to cushoin the effects of Boko Haram on victim through support fund and others which will be launched soon.”
About three million victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the North East of Nigeria are to be part of the $20 Million (about N3.2 Billion) which the federal government and people in the private sector of the economy have pledged as donation to rehabilitate the structures and persons affected. The federal government donated $10 Million (about N1.6 Billion) while the people in the private sector, led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr. Nduka Obaigbina donate the same amount. Information gathered at the inauguration of a steering committee on Safe School Initiative at the Presidential Villa today, showed that the money would be used to reconstruct schools, residential and office buildingd and other structures that have been destroyed or damaged by Boko Haram. The President, Goodluck Jonathan, who inaugurated the committee said that houses would be built for teachers of primary and secondary schools in the country, starting from the emergency state in the North East. Also to be constructed in schools are perimetre fencing, toilet facilities and other things, adding that the project would be handled by Presidential Initiative North East (PINE). This is even as the President of Dangote Group of companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who spoke on behalf of private sector expressed pleasure in being of service to the fatherland. He gave assurance that private sector will fulfil its $10 Million pledge for the programm even as he announced that the sector is set to create 180,000 jobs in the North East. He assured President Jonathan of their continues support, whatever it will take, to bring about peace in the country and extinct Boko Haram. Members of the Committee on Safe School Initiative are governors of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa state; Director General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sani Sidi, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Nduka Obaigbina, the National Security Adviser, minister of Women Affairs, minister of state for education, representatives of National Council for Women Society and Civil Society Organizations.
President Goodluck Jonathan, today, swore-in four new ministers who were cleared by the Senate last week even as he allocated portfolio to them with the former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau being assigned to the ministry of education. The President, who performed the swearing-in of the ministers shortly before the beginning of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also made some minor cabinet reshufflement. The new ministers and their portfolios are: Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau-Education Dr. Stephen Oru-Niger Delta Affairs Mr. Adedayo Adeyeye -Minister of State, Works Dr. Abdul Bulama-Minister of Science and Technology. President Jonathan directed the erstwhile Minister of State, Works, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, to take over as Minister of State for Finance. Yuguda will also continue to supervise the Ministry of National Planning until a substantive minister is named. The President warned the new ministers that their appointments were not enviable, saying that they were being brought in at a time when Nigerians expected a lot from them. He advised them to perform not only to satisfy him but all Nigerians.
Brazil’s World Cup dream crumbled in spectacular fashion on Tuesday in a record 7-1 semi-final defeat. Here is a blow-by-blow account of a Germany’s night of triumph:
– ONE (Thomas Mueller 11)
Brazilians wondered how their team would cope without the injured Neymar, but the absence of captain Thiago Silva, such a reassuring presence at the back, was just as big a blow.
The Brazilian defence was hopelessly exposed at the opening goal, as Toni Kroos floated in a corner from the right and Thomas Mueller found himself completely unmarked at the back post to slot home his fifth goal of the tournament.
However, the movement by Mueller and the German players was intelligent as David Luiz, who should have been marking the goalscorer, found himself blocked off and unable to make a challenge.
– TWO (Miroslav Klose 23)
The crumble really began as Fernandinho failed to cut out a pass from the German right, and Kroos and Mueller combined to cut through the middle of the Brazil defence.
Klose collected the ball inside the area and saw his shot from close range blocked by Julio Cesar, but he still reacted the quickest to convert the rebound.
The veteran striker confirmed himself as the greatest poacher in the history of the competition, scoring a record-breaking 16th World Cup goal to move one clear of the Brazilian Ronaldo, compounding the hosts’ misery.
– THREE (Toni Kroos 24)
Almost immediately after the restart, Germany scored again through a combination of poor defending and marvellous finishing.
Nobody cut out Philipp Lahm’s low centre in from the German right, and even after Mueller mis-hit his shot, the ball came to Kroos.
The Bayern Munich man’s connection, first-time on the half-volley with his left foot from the edge of the area, was marvellous and Julio Cesar could do nothing.
– FOUR (Toni Kroos 26)
Fernandinho was hopelessly caught in possession just outside his own area, and Kroos and Sami Khedira took advantage to break into the area.
Khedira returned the ball to Kroos, who this time simply could not miss.
– FIVE (Sami Khedira 29)
The culmination of an extraordinary first-half burst that will go down in history came as Mats Hummels sliced right through the heart of the Brazilian team, riding unchallenged deep into the opposition half.
Germany simply walked the ball into the net this time, with Mesut Ozil providing the assist and Khedira applying the finish.
– SIX (Andre Schuerrle 69)
Brazil attacked after the break in a doomed attempt to rescue some pride, but they still had six defenders in their own area when Germany went on to add a sixth goal midway through the second half.
Schuerrle, who had replaced Klose 11 minutes earlier, still found himself in space in the box to convert Lahm’s cutback, as Brazil were yet again found wanting on the left-hand side.
– SEVEN (Andre Schuerrle 79)
Mueller turned provider this time to set up Schuerrle to score again, and his delightful control was followed by an arrowing left-foot shot on the half-volley that beat Julio Cesar and went into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
Oscar’s late reply for the hosts was irrelevant, with Brazil already having succumbed to their greatest ever humiliation. [myad]
An anticipated 140 million Indonesian voters are trooping to various polling cnetres to elect the President even as the government declared today a national holiday in what has been described as the world’s largest direct presidential election.
The polls were scheduled to be open for just six hours and closed at 1 p.m. Jakarta time. The voting was reported to be going smoothly, with relatively short lines at polling stations.
“All I want is a good leader,” said 21-year-old Monica Apriyani, a first-time voter who arrived at her polling station in Cibinon, Bogor, as it opened at 7 a.m. She declined to say who she voted for.
With less than 30 minutes to go before the polls closed, fewer than 400 of the 558 registered voters at one polling station in the South Jakarta neighborhood had cast their ballots, prompting an election official to use a public address system to urge local residents to vote.
“Don’t waste your vote,” he called out. “Your vote will determine the future of Indonesia.”
The election offers a stark choice between populist Governor Joko Widodo, a former mayor and furniture exporter, and former general Prabowo Subianto, who was discharged from the army for human rights abuses but is now a wealthy businessman and political party founder.
Many voters traveled long distances to be with their families and cast their ballots together in their hometowns. In Jakarta, where traffic congestion is typically among the worst in the world, the streets were nearly empty.
Voting was simplified for this election, the ballot only has two choices. Many voters identify the candidates by their ballot positions—No. 1 for the ticket of Mr. Subianto and running mate Hatta Rajasa, and No. 2 for the ticket of Mr. Widodo and running mate Jusuf Kalla.
Mr. Widodo arrived at his voting station in central Jakarta shortly after 10 a.m. wearing a brown and yellow traditional batik-patterned shirt. Accompanied by his wife, Iriana, he waved to a crowd of supporters and flashed the number two with his fingers.
The polling station isn’t far from the elementary school that U.S. President Barack Obama attended when he lived in Indonesia as a boy. Mr. Widodo has been called Indonesia’s Obama and often draws parallels to the American president for being a young, upstart politician that is perceived as a man of the people.
Mr. Subianto also arrived at his voting station, near his home in West Java, at about 10 a.m., wearing his trademark white safari shirt and a black pechi hat. He waded through a throng of cameras and supporters, waving, shaking hands and giving an occasional military-style salute.
“Everyone needs strong leaders now,” Mr. Subianto said in English in response to a question from a reporter. “Leaders must make good decisions, right?”
After voting, Mr. Subianto kissed babies and shook hands with villagers, some of whom shouted his name.
“Mr. Prabowo, can you please kiss my son’s forehead,” said one father, using the candidate’s first name. “We came all the way from Sukabumi,” about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away.
Mr. Subianto kissed the boy’s forehead and asked, “Have you voted?”
“Yes sir, we voted for you,” the man said.
Etty Djuhaty, 63 years old, who voted at a polling booth in West Java, said casting her ballot was easy.
“It took all of 5 minutes for each person to get the ballot, pick their candidate of choice and stick the ballot into the box,” she said.
However, she said she saw at least six voters who found that their names weren’t on the voter list, which is a common problem. They were able to register but had to wait until the polls closed at 1 p.m. to see if there were ballots available for them, she said.
“If there are ballots left, then those six get their turn,” she said. [myad]
Many Brazilians left the stadium last night in tears, even before half time as German national team pounded them with 7 goals to one in the ongoing World Cup tournament which it (Brazil) is hosting. The sports loving Brazilians were too stunned to watch the match beyond first half.
The host trailed 5-0 before a half-hour had passed at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte. The 7-1 scoreline was the worst defeat in the soccer-crazed nation’s history, dashing hopes of overcoming the national tragedy of losing the final game of the 1950 World Cup at home.
Brazil spent $11 billion preparing to host the tournament, the first on home soil in 64 years, with the national squad tasked with delivering nothing less than a record-extending sixth title. Memories of the failure may last longer than the pain endured six decades ago when Brazil lost the final game to Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.
“It’s embarrassing,” said Alberto Portugal, 56, one of scores of fans wearing Brazilian jerseys who were streaming out of the stadium mid-game. “We are supposed to be the team that plays beautiful soccer.”
After the match, officials reported isolated disturbances with military police in Rio saying some fans fled a viewing party on Copacabana beach after a fight broke out. Globo News showed images of buses burning in Sao Paulo, though it wasn’t immediately clear if the vandalism was a reaction to the game.
Teammate’s Absence
The buildup to the match was dominated by discussion about how Brazil would overcome the loss of top scorer Neymar, who suffered a fractured bone in his back in the closing stages of the quarterfinal win over Colombia. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari called in a sport psychologist to ensure the players could deal with their teammate’s absence.
“Of course, they had higher pressure on their shoulders,” German midfielder Toni Kroos told reporters. “They had to become world champions at home. Of course we had a load on our shoulder, but theirs was heavier.
Brazil was hurt further when its captain and defensive leader, Thiago Silva, lost an appeal to overturn a one-match suspension for accumulating two yellow cards.
To ease Brazil’s anxieties, a member of the back-room staff poured salt on the field before the game, a tradition common in Brazil to bring luck.
Wasn’t Fazed
It didn’t work. Germany, a three-time champion that lost to Brazil in the 2002 final in Yokohama, Japan, wasn’t fazed by the pressure created by Brazilian fans as the game kicked off.
The Europeans took the lead in the 11th minute as Thomas Mueller took advantage of the first of several defensive lapses that led Germany to score five unanswered goals in 18 minutes. Mueller smashed the ball after David Luiz and Dante, Mueller’s teammate at Bayern Munich, missed Kroos’s corner.
Miroslav Klose then tapped in a rebound for a record 16th World Cup goal. Kroos added two in three minutes as Brazil’s defense capitulated amid jeers from the home fans.
‘‘There were 10 minutes when I don’t know what happened,” Brazilian player Marcelo Vieira da Silva said. “Today was the worst day of our lives.”
Once Sami Khedira knocked in the fifth goal, Brazil supporters started deserting the stadium. Many of the remaining fans broke down in tears.
‘Got Worse’
“The first goal was a shock and then it just got worse,” said Rayssa Mayrink, 37, an office administrator who paid 156 reais ($70) for a ticket, as she left the stadium during the interval. “I am going to try and block it out of my memory, but it’s not going to be easy. I thought it was better to leave.”
Things deteriorated further after halftime as substitute Andre Schuerrle added two more goals, including the seventh that condemned Brazil to its biggest-ever defeat. Oscar got Brazil’s only goal in injury time at the end of the second half.
As soon as referee Marco Rodriguez blew the final whistle to end their agony, Brazil’s David Luiz and Luis Gustavo dropped to their knees to pray. Luiz, who was captain in Silva’s absence, burst into tears and Oscar had to be comforted by coach Scolari.
A team that was cheered on to the field by a packed stadium left it to a chorus of boos and empty seats.
Funeral March
While many Brazilians wept, others said they were resigned to the loss and even had a sense of humor about it. Renato Nakazato, a 37-year-old designer, walked along Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo with two friends playing a funeral march on a toy horn. In the same city Eder Araujo laughed after saying he left a job to be able to watch all the World Cup matches.
“Apparently it wasn’t worth it,” Araujo, 32, said.
Some in the stadium jeered President Dilma Rousseff, who had promised to host the “cup of cups” as she runs for re-election in October. She wrote on her Twitter account that she was saddened by the defeat, also using lyrics of a popular Brazilian song to urge the nation to overcome the loss.
“Losing 7-1 is a great disappointment, something that will go down in history,” Luiz Carlos, a 52-year-old cook, said in Rio. “Brazil will never be able to erase that shame” [myad]
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Embattled governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Hamman Nyako (rtd) has made it clear that he would not resign even as he gave an insight into why members of the state House of Assembly are after his job.
Military personnel are said to be interrogating some prominent Nigeria politicians following discovery of their identity cards in terrorists’ camps which were destroyed inside the Balmo Forest in Bauchi State last week.
FIFA has suspended the Nigerian Football Federation with immediate effect due to government interference.
President Goodluck Jonathan has said that his government is mobilising resources to provide safety environment for children in the Northern part of the country to go to school and gain education.
President Goodluck Jonathan, today, swore-in four new ministers who were cleared by the Senate last week even as he allocated portfolio to them with the former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau being assigned to the ministry of education.
