Barcelona respect Valdes' decision

Zubizarreta: Barcelona respect Valdes' decision

The shot-stopper communicated via his agents that he will leave Camp Nou when his deal runs out at the end of next season, and the Blaugrana have called for fans to support him

Jan 18, 2013 2:20:00 PM

By Sam Lee

Getty

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has insisted that the club respect Victor Valdes' decision not to renew his contract.

The goalkeeper, whose current deal runs until 2014, revealed on Thursday that he will not entertain talks over a new agreement.

And Zubizarreta explained that Barca officials did not have a chance to offer their shot-stopper improved terms, and has urged fans to support the 31-year-old's decision to leave Camp Nou.

"We were holding the first meeting to initiate the process for renewing Victor's contract. The meeting began with us expressing the club's desire to extend his contract, because we consider him to be a top class goalkeeper," he told Barca TV.

"But before we could make any proposal or discuss anything, his agent said the decision was already made and meditated, and that he will not be staying any later than June 30, 2014. It is an irrevocable decision.

"We must respect the professional decision of a player who has spent 12 years in this home.

"With that in mind, we are asking you to continue supporting him and to encourage him as much as you have done throughout his career. He is committed to this jersey until June 30, 2014 and will defend the goal with everything he has and knows.

"Meanwhile, we shall work together to see what the next steps should be, along with him and his agent, to work together to deal with this situation that arose yesterday [Thursday]."

Earlier in January, Valdes claimed that he wanted to end his career at Barcelona, but also hinted that he might be tempted by pastures new.

"Since I signed the last contract I have not spoken about it. I signed the last one in June 2009 and have not been concerned since," he said at the time.

"It is not the time for me to be worrying about it, there is still time. I'm focused on winning games. My dream is to retire here… Time will tell.

"I have spent 11 years here and as goalkeeper it is difficult in many ways. I do not rule out other cultures, other football, other countries, we will see."

Reports in Spain suggest that Valdes is holding out for wages similar to Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, and have linked the Spain goalkeeper with a move to Liverpool.

The British press, meanwhile, have suggested that he could be replaced by Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.

Facebook Launches Graph Search

Facebook Launches Its Own Search Engine: Graph Search

The new engine, dubbed Graph Search, was announced at a media event at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation that the social networking giant may be prepping its own branded smartphone or a new mobile app.

The Graph Search tool was touted by Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg as being an intuitive search engine that lets users perform searches with "natural" language rather than keywords. Unlike most search engines, Graph Search was built to respond to longer queries like "People who like tennis and live nearby" or "Sushi restaurants in Palo Alto my friends have liked" rather than the shorter keyword searches performed by sites like Google

Graph Search can also handle queries related to photos, allowing users to search for "Photos of my family" or "Photos of my friends taken in Italy," for example.

Facebook further distinguished Graph Search from generic Web search engines by explaining that every piece of content retrieved has "its own audience" and can't necessarily be seen by everybody on the site. Graph Search will only display content to users who would have been able to see it anyway, per their pre-existing privacy controls.

"We've built Graph Search from the start with privacy in mind, and it respects the privacy and audience of each piece of content on Facebook," wrote Tom Stocky, director of product management at Facebook, and Lars Rasmussen, director of engineering at Facebook, in the company blog Tuesday. "It makes finding new things much easier, but you can only see what you could already view elsewhere on Facebook."

Privacy concerns among Facebook users escalated last year, when the networking site killed off a feature allowing users to vote to change certain governance or privacy settings.

According to Eden Zoller, principal analyst at Ovum, Graph Search will significantly improve Facebook's search function, but it could also thrust the company's "mixed track record" with privacy back into the spotlight.

"Before the arrival of Facebook's Graph Search, the search function on Facebook was basic and as such, a wasted opportunity given Facebook's imperative to strengthen advertising revenues. Facebook Graph Search will no doubt leverage member data to provide advertisers with more targeted, personalized advertising opportunities going forward," Zoller said in a statement Tuesday. "But Facebook needs tread very carefully here and be mindful of user privacy. It claims to have built Graph Search with privacy in mind, but Facebook has a mixed track record on this front and is in the habit of pushing privacy to the limits of what is acceptable."

Investors also appeared unsure about the new Graph Search tool, with Facebook shares dropping 2.6 percent Tuesday afternoon.

Facebook said Graph Search is still in the "very early" stages of development. The tool is available in beta today, with the final version being built over the coming months. Once completed, Graph Search will likely be embraced by companies advertising on Facebook, as it will help them send customized ads to users based on their gender, age or location.

When Graph Search officially goes live, Zuckerberg said it will join the Timeline and Newsfeed features as the "third pillar" of Facebook.

Guardiola To Take Over At Bayern

Bayern Munich have confirmed Pep Guardiola will become the club's new manager in the summer.

Guardiola, 41, has been without a club since leaving Barcelona at the end of the 2011-12 season as he sought time away from football.

During his sabbatical in America, the Spanish coach has been linked with several clubs, including Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and AC Milan.

However, Bayern have moved to secure his services for the 2013-14 campaign after they announced on Wednesday he has agreed a three-year deal at the Allianz Arena.

Guardiola, who won three Liga titles and two Champions League trophies during his time at Barca, will succeed Jupp Heynckes as Bayern boss.

Bayern confirmed the news on their official Twitter account: "Jupp #Heynckes will finish his successful career by the end of this season. Pep #Guardiola will take over as FC Bayern head coach in July."

Electoral Integrity

Electoral Integrity; The road to sustainable development

Electoral Integrity; The road to sustainable development. By Olewuike Daniel

The quest for good governance and development dates back to both military regime, and present democratic government since 1999. We should note however that electoral integrity has been a major problem in Nigeria which vis a’ vis has led to truncating Nigeria’s quest to reap the fruits of good governance and sustainable development

Electoral Integrity is a difficult concept to define but an essential element of a democratic government system. Electoral Integrity is inherent to the principles of democracy. It contributes to the administration of free and fair elections, without which democracy would be compromised.

The need for electoral integrity cannot stand without the involvement of students(youths), electoral observers which includes independent observers, civil society coalitions and the media, given way to fair, transparent, and equitable election administration.

An election is the outcome of a complex process requiring the participation of a multituple of players. There are winners and losers in every election. The stakes are high, and the temptation is great to ensure victory through illegal or morally questionable means. Election results can be rigged to predetermine who will win or lose. An election can be disrupted, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the process. In all an election without integrity subverts the purpose of a democratic election, and cannot be considered fair and equitable.

Nigeria has gone through regimes Electoral umpires in this quest of maintaining electoral integrity and building good governance and integrity. Students and youth alike are not left out in ensuring that Nigeria attains this level, looking at the fact that they play a major role in ensuring that elections sanctity are not tempered with but the wish of the people are maintained.

It is important to note that good systems expose and combat electoral corruption, and ensure integrity. The priority of most electoral agencies is to create an electoral system that imposes checks and balances on the activities of election administrators. The legal framework sets out electoral integrity protection mechanisms and defines the institutional structure supporting it. Under the legal framework, the authority of each branch and each position within the election administration can be delegated and limited to ensure that checks are in place and abuse of the system is prevented.

.Given socio-political rivalries and the threat of electoral corruption, Electoral integrity cannot be taken for granted. Mechanisms for maintaining and implementing integrity need to be established within the very organizations that administer elections. These mechanisms must make it possible to monitor actions of the electoral administration; they must ensure oversight of the electoral process by other government sectors or agencies, civil society, and the media; and they must provide for enforcement of rules and regulations through administrative or legal means

Electoral integrity is particularly important; without effective enforcement, the best rules and regulations are merely good intentions. It is necessary to establish enforcement mechanisms so that anyone breaching election legislation is stopped and prosecuted in a timely, professional and non-partisan manner. Effective law enforcement will help not only to maintain the integrity of the process but also to prevent future problems.
Above all the efforts and contribution of students to nurturing our country’s democracy over the years has played a major role on what we have today, but this however can be built on and harnessed to ensure that electoral integrity, good governance and development in the country is sustained with the aim of improving the well being of individuals living in the country. We can all join hands to ensure that the electoral process leading to good governance is peaceful, free and fair.

Nigeria’s Alakija displaces Oprah Winfrey

Nigeria’s Alakija displaces Oprah Winfrey, becomes richest black woman in the world

on DECEMBER 5, 2012 · in NEWS

8:33 am

 

Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, a Nigerian billionaire oil tycoon, Fashion designer and philanthropist is now the richest black woman in the word, according to report published by Ventures Africa, an African business magazine and news services.

Alakija, 61, is worth at least $3.3 billion- contrary to a recent Forbes Magazine ranking which pegs her net worth at only $600 million. She is $500 million richer than media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, whose wealth estimated at $2.7 billion in September.

*Alakija

Folorunsho Alakija is the founder and owner of Famfa Oil, a Nigerian oil company which owns a 60 percent working interest in OML 127 that produces about 200,000 barrels a day.

Alakija, was born into a wealthy, polygamous Nigerian family. She started out her professional career in the mid 70s as a secretary at the now defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria, one of the country’s earliest investment banks.

In the early 80s, Alakija quit her job and went on to study Fashion design in England, returning to Nigeria shortly afterwards to start Supreme Stitches, a premium Nigerian fashion label which catered exclusively to upscale clientele. The business thrived, and Alakija quickly made a tidy fortune selling high-end Nigerian clothing to fashionable wives of military bigwigs and society women.

Oil Prospecting License
In May 1993,  Alakija applied for an allocation of an Oil Prospecting License (OPL). The license to explore for oil on a 617,000 acre block – (now referred to as OPL 216) was granted to Alakija’s company, Famfa Limited.

Nigeria's Richest Woman

Meet Nigeria's Richest Woman - Mrs Folorunsho Alakija

28 November, 2012
Local

Nigeria's richest woman draws the bulk of her fortune from oil.

Folorunsho Alakija started her career in the mid 1970s as a secretary at the now-defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria, one of the West African nation's earliest investment banks.

In the 1980s, after studying fashion design in England, she founded Supreme Stitches, a Nigerian fashion label that catered to upscale clientele.

Her biggest break came in oil. In 1993 Nigerian President Ibrahim Babangida awarded her company, Famfa Oil, an oil prospecting license which went on to become OML 127, one of Nigeria's most prolific oil blocks.

Famfa Oil owned a 60% stake in the block until 2000 when the Nigerian government, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, unconstitutionally acquired a 50% interest in the block without duly compensating Alakija or her company. The block earns her N157 million a day.

Famfa Oil went to court to challenge the acquisition, and in May this year, the Nigerian Supreme Court reinstated the 50% stake to Famfa Oil. Chevron owns the remaining 40%. Through her charity, the Rose of Sharon Foundation, Alakija supports widows throughout Nigeria.

Source: Forbes Magazine

Source: Linda Ikeji's Blog

Freedom Of Information Act 2011

SENSITIZATION WORKSHOP FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF CIVIL SOCIETY & GRASSROOTS ORGANISATIONS ON THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. daniel@aneej.org

Acronyms and Abbreviations

FOIA – Freedom of Information Act

MRA- Media Rights Agenda

CSO – Civil Society Organisation

FBO – Faith Based Organisation

CBO – Community Based Organisation

AGF – Attorney General of the Federation

ICPC – Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission

Introduction

The sensitization workshop was organised by MRA on the need for civil society organisations to use the FOIA in holding public institutions accountable and also enshrining the need for transparency. The meeting held at Prestige Hotel and Suites, Benin City on Tuesday October 30, 2012.

The target audience were representatives of various CSOs. CBOS,  FBOs, and grass roots organisations in Edo State.

Objectives of the Sensitization Workshop

1.      To Build the Capacity of CSOs, including CBOs, FBOs & other grassroots organisations, to effectively utilize the FOI Act.

2.      To encourage & motivate CSOs, including CBOs, FBOs, & other grassroots organisations, to make request for information under the FOI Act in areas which will lead to a more enhanced quality of life in society.

3.      To encourage the workshop participants to mainstream FOI in their organisations, regardless of the sectors in which they work.

4.      To train participants to formulate actual request for information relevant to their sectors and thereby increase their chances of obtaining information from public institutions & private entities that are relevant to the sectors in which they work

5.      To encourage participants to submit request to any public institution with information of interest to them after the workshop & to provide MRA with feedback on the outcome of such effort

6.      To encourage participants & equip them with the knowledge, skills & practical tools to sensitize & train others in their immediate communities to use the FOI Act.

Further Details

The meeting brings out the importance & underlying philosophy of FOIA aptly captured by Article IV (i) of the declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa which states that: “Public bodies hold information not for themselves but as custodians of the public good and everyone has a right to access this information…”

In effect, therefore, every person has a legally enforceable right of access to records, documents and information held by public institutions, subject to certain exemptions stated in the Act. This right applies to both legal (Registered companies/organisations) and natural persons (you & I). The law stretches further to state that rights to information is not subject to citizenship making it possible for non- citizens living in Nigeria to be able to access information.

Participants were taken through the various importance of the FOIA which serves as a tool in fighting corruption and establishing democratic accountability and good governance. In the area of promoting the respect of human rights, the FOI law can facilitate access to reports of investigations into allegations of human rights violations, making it easier to get speedy judgement in human rights cases. 

Participants also looked at the timeframe for responses on information been sought, exempted information, judicial review, the role of the AGF and various offences and punishment under the FOIA. The Act supersedes the provisions of all other Acts, Laws or Regulations(the official secret Act, the Evidence Act, the Criminal Code, the Penal Code, the Federal Public Service Rules. etc.), except the Constitution & those Laws entrenched in the Constitution like the ICPC Law.   

There was a video documentary on how freedom of information law was used by disempowered communities in India to fight corruption and enforce their right of information.