BEEAFRICAN.COM Nigeria African Champions

 

Achebe, author of 'Things Fall Apart', one of the most widely read pieces of modern African literature, turned down the national title of 'Commander of the Federal Republic' in 2004 when Olusegun Obasanjo was head of state.

 

He wrote to President Obasanjo at the time, saying he was "appalled" by the "cliques" who had turned Nigeria into "a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom".

 

"The reasons for rejecting the offer when it was first made have not been addressed let alone solved. It is inappropriate to offer it again to me. I must therefore regretfully decline the offer again," Achebe said in a statement received on Wednesday.

 

The rejection by such a high-profile Nigerian, who lives in the United States, is an embarrassment for Jonathan who has been promoting his 'transformation' plan for Nigeria after winning elections in April which international observers and many Nigerians said were the fairest since the end of military rule in 1999.

 

"President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan regrets Prof. Chinua Achebe's decision," a statement from the presidency said.

 

"Coming as it does against the background of the widely acclaimed electoral reforms undertaken by the Jonathan administration, the claim by Prof. Achebe clearly flies in the face of the reality of Nigeria's current political situation."

 

Source: Reuters

 

The match has had to be called off.

 

"This postponement is as a result of an internal administrative problem in the Cameroon national team," the Algerian Football Federation said in a brief statement.

 

A statement from Cameroon's players said they had not received money promised for their appearance in a four-nation tournament in Morocco at the weekend, where they played on Friday against Sudan and on Sunday against the host nation.

 

"We have decided not to make the trip to Algiers and call on the authorities in Cameroon to keep to their agreements," a statement signed by the players and published on the www.camfoot.com website said.

 

Source: Reuters

American universities’ trusts (including Harvard’s) are also buying up land, reportedly displacing millions of farmers in the process. 

 

Advocates say the land is being taken from indigenous communities by often violent means, and that land rights are handed over without proper contracts after closed-door deals. A lack of regulations in these countries allows foreign firms to purchase or lease large tracts of arable land, leaving little recourse for displaced residents. 

 

Investors claim to be growing food for the global market that will indirectly alleviate food shortages in Africa, but land is very often used to grow non-edible export commodities such as flowers and biofuels.

 

 

Defendants of the deals say local farmers who are employed by foreign firms earn more working the land than they otherwise could, and that infrastructure developments (like clean water facilities or improved irrigation systems) are there to help them. 

 

But many of the long-term social and environmental costs are more hard to predict, and critics say the “land grabs” are already causing “deprivation and destitution” for locals. 

 

Indian author and media commentator Anand Giridharadas will the joining the programme. The Oakland Institute’s Executive Director, Anuradha Mittal, will be on the show via Skype along with Christine L. Adamow, Managing Director of Africa BioFuel, a U.S. company invested in farmland in Kenya and Tanzania.

 

Source: AJstream 

Black Cats manager, Steve Bruce, was furious at the time, saying that 48 hours before saying he wanted to leave, Gyan had shaken his hand and told him he was staying at the club.

Bruce said ‘parasites’ had turned his head over a big money move to the club in Abu Dhabi, but Gyan told Reuters in an interview he was delighted with the way things have turned out, and does not know if he will return to the Premier League.

 

Sitting in a museum by the River Thames at the launch of new artist-designed kits to be worn at the African Nations Cup in the New Year, Gyan, with a huge star shaved into his hair and a glittering diamond encrusted watch on his wrist, told Reuters:

“I’m really enjoying myself. Its really working out well for me and I’m really happy for now. I have no regrets at all about leaving Sunderland because everyone supported me, my family, everyone was positive, so I moved without any doubt.”

 

Gyan cost Sunderland a club record fee of 13.2 million pounds ($20.98 million) when they signed him from Rennes in August 2010 after he came to prominence for Ghana during last year’s World Cup in South Africa.

 

He was Sunderland’s top scorer in his debut season with 10 league goals, but was continually linked with a move. At the time Gyan responded to Bruce’s remarks that the offer was too good to turn down, and that he did not have a choice of staying once Sunderland accepted Al-Ain’s offer.

Two months on, while admitting the obvious, that the standard in the UAE is not as high as the Premier League, he says his reason for being there are more than just about the huge salary he is reportedly earning.

 

“Everybody knows the English Premiership is top in the world with more exposure and everything, but the UAE league is improving in terms of football,” he said.

“When I went there, I thought to myself -this is not what people are talking about, they are playing good football.

 

“People are looking up to me in Africa. I have more fans in Europe. After last season, who knows? Maybe I am getting more exposure in this league – it is improving, and I think I might be able to help that League improve.

“Football in England was not always what it is now, the league had to improve, well its the same all over the world.”

 

The UAE season has just started and Al Ain are second in the table behind Al Jazira after three games, with Gyan having scored two of their six league goals, but he will be missing for a number of league games in the New Year, when he returns to Africa for the Nations Cup finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

 

With a number of the traditional African powerhouses like holders Egypt missing, Ghana are among the favourites to win the title for the first time since 1982. “It’s been a while since we won it and we want to win it.

“Most of the big guys are out now – I’m talking about Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria – so now people are looking up to us. It’s good pressure for Ghana. We will go there and see what happens because the other countries will go there to win as well. It’s not going to be easy but we will see if we can do that.”

 

And what of the future after the African Cup and the loan deal with Al Ain ends? “Yes, I am on loan for one season with options. I will decide at the end of the season whether I am coming back to the Premiership or going somewhere else,” he said.

 

“I am still a player with Sunderland, but I have four or five options on how things are going to be and then I will decide where my future lies.”

 

Gyan was speaking at an event at the Design Museum where Puma unveiled new kits designed by artists from each country. The kits and works by the artist are part of an exhibition at the museum.

 

Source: The Chronicle

 

Ghana's Harrison Afful got the only goal of the game to give the 'Blood and Gold' the victory.

 

They take the title 1-0 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in the first leg.

 

Esperance will represent Africa at the Club World Cup in Japan which takes place next month and claim prize money of $1.5m (£933,000).

 

Wydad played most of the game a man down after defender Mourad el Massane was sent off for a crude challenge on Esperance striker Yannick N'djeng at the end of the first half.

 

Afful's strike came in the 21st minute of the game - the Ghanaian broke down the right hand side, cut infield and fired a powerful shot past Wydad's young keeper Yassine Bounou.

 

It was an impressive finish, out of keeping with a match that was mainly ragged and patchy, although - before they went down to 10 men - Wydad striker Fabrice Ondama was only denied by some impressive footwork from Esperance keeper Moez Ben Cherifa.

 

The two teams were playing their fourth game against each other in this year's Champions League - having also met in two group matches - and each of the previous three games had ended in a draw.

 

The over-familiarity served to cancel out the creativity and the spectacle was not enhanced by the sending-off of Massane.

 

But Esperance celebrated in style, as they claimed the continental crown for the first time in 17 years - and can now prepare to represent Africa on the global stage.

 

Source: BBC Sports