Full text of Mitt Romney’s concession speech

November 7, 2012 by Agency Reporter 28 Comments ROMNEY: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, my friends. Thank you so very much. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory. His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. ROMNEY: His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. I wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters. (APPLAUSE) This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation. (APPLAUSE) ROMNEY: I want to thank Paul Ryan for all that he has done for our campaign. (APPLAUSE) And for our country. Besides my wife, Ann, Paul is the best choice I’ve ever made. (APPLAUSE) And I trust that his intellect and his hard work and his commitment to principle will continue to contribute to the good of our nation. (APPLAUSE) I also want to thank Ann, the love of my life. (APPLAUSE) ROMNEY: She would have been a wonderful first lady. She’s — she has been that and more to me and to our family and to the many people that she has touched with her compassion and her care. I thank my sons for their tireless work on behalf of the campaign, and thank their wives and children for taking up the slack as their husbands and dads have spent so many weeks away from home. (APPLAUSE) I want to thank Matt Rhoades and the dedicated campaign team he led. (APPLAUSE) They have made an extraordinary effort not just for me, but also for the country that we love. And to you here tonight, and to the team across the country — the volunteers, the fundraisers, the donors, the surrogates — I don’t believe that there’s ever been an effort in our party that can compare with what you have done over these past years. Thank you so very much. Thanks for all the hours of work, for the calls, for the speeches and appearances, for the resources and for the prayers. You gave deeply from yourselves and performed magnificently. And you inspired us and you humbled us. You’ve been the very best we could have imagined. ROMNEY: The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work. And we citizens also have to rise to the occasion. We look to our teachers and professors, we count on you not just to teach, but to inspire our children with a passion for learning and discovery. We look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: honesty, charity, integrity and family. We look to our parents, for in the final analysis everything depends on the success of our homes. ROMNEY: We look to job creators of all kinds. We’re counting on you to invest, to hire, to step forward. And we look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics. I believe in America. I believe in the people of America. (APPLAUSE) And I ran for office because I’m concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure. I believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy and to renewed greatness. Like so many of you, Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign. (APPLAUSE) I so wish — I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader. And so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation. Thank you, and God bless America. You guys are the best. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks, guys. (APPLAUSE)

Maduka vows to recover Capital Oil debt

The President, Coscharis Group, Dr. Cosmos Maduka, has vowed to get back all the money allegedly owed him by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah. Maduka, in a document made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, said, “Given the fact that I earned every kobo through my sweat, I will collect my money to the very last kobo. I vow to pursue this matter to the end. “I and my family will fight with everything to ensure that Ubah repays all the money he owes me. God is my witness.” Maduka claimed in the document that he entered into a joint venture business agreement with Capital Oil for the importation and sale of petrol. The basis of the joint venture agreement was that he would provide the funding for the importation, while Capital Oil would be responsible for the importation logistics as well as handle the sale of the product.

Capital Oil’s role, according to the document, was to obtain Petroleum Import Permits required to import PMS from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Department of Petroleum Resources. Capital Oil, according to the agreement, would also source for the products, open Letters of Credits to the supplier, who must deliver the product to its storage tanks, arrange for the sale of the product and pay the proceeds and subsidy element into the Joint Venture Account to repay the loan obtained by the Coscharis boss. For Maduka, the agreement stated, “The only risks are the risks of exchange rate fluctuation, unless Capital Oil acted fraudulently and diverted either the cargoes or shipment of the cargoes. “Finally, Capital Oil will process the subsidy claim for the imported products since it is known that the sales proceeds will not cover the cost of importation.” In order to ensure that Capital Oil fulfilled its part of the transaction, the document explained that a sales agreement, which ensured that it pre-sold the products being imported to Coscharis Motors, was reached. The Petroleum Product Storage Facility Letting Agreement was also reached under which Capital Oil leased the tanks in which the products would be sold to Coscharis. The duo also reached an Escrow Agreement, which provided for an account to be opened into which Capital Oil would domicile proceeds of subsidy collected by way of Sovereign Debt Notes for the products imported, which together with proceeds of the sale of the products, would be used to repay the bank credit facility. Explaining how Coscharis got involved in the deal, the document stated, “Given the fact that all the banks that had been approached refused to have anything to do with Capital Oil, Maduka approached Access Bank for a facility to provide funding for the importation of petrol. “The facility granted to Coscharis Motors was subsequently increased to $164m to accommodate additional requests by Ubah and Capital Oil for additional importation. Eventually, 10 Letters of Credits were established and fully negotiated. “Shipments were made and products were partially received for six of the 10 Letters of Credit, while products in respect of the remaining four Letters of Credit established for the importation of 130,000 metric tonnes of PMS were not delivered at all. This was despite the fact that all 10 LCs were fully negotiated.” When our correspondent reached Ubah on the telephone on Tuesday, he said, “We are already in court; and I won’t want to comment on this.”

You are here: Home / Sports / Ref called Mikel monkey — Chelsea Ref called Mikel monkey — Chelsea

The race-row that has engulfed Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg intensified further on Wednesday as two Chelsea players claimed they heard him call teammate Mikel Obi a ‘monkey’. It has emerged that the pair of unnamed stars say this is what happened during their match with Manchester United on Sunday — but the official categorically denies making any racist comments. Clattenburg has been accused of saying to Mikel, ‘Shut up you monkey’ as he booked him for dissent as well as calling Juan Mata a ‘Spanish t***’ in their 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge. Mystery had surrounded what Clattenburg actually said to Mikel – until these allegations were made Wednesday morning. But a source close to the referee told The Sun, “He said nothing of the sort – and he will fight this all the way. “There is a lot of noise on the pitch and the players could have easily misheard.” Meanwhile, Chelsea’s race case against Clattenburg is in serious danger of collapsing completely after it emerged that the club have employed independent lawyers to investigate the claims of their players. The club are expected to conclude their internal investigation into allegations that the referee racially abused Mikel and swore at Juan Mata. The external lawyers will then provide Chelsea with legal opinion as to whether their case will be successful. Despite issues over the available evidence, Chelsea remained robust. Chelsea will proceed with the case against the referee only if they are satisfied the claims made by the players after the game will stand up to the FA’s burden of proof. It means they will need to satisfy an FA commission ‘on the balance of probability’, but they also have to negotiate the complexities of the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into the affair. If the case breaks down, it will reflect badly on Chelsea, who made their claims of inappropriate language against Clattenburg in a strongly worded statement on Sunday, two hours after the final whistle. Earlier it emerged that the club and Mikel could be charged with misconduct by the FA after the Nigerian had to be restrained from manhandling the referee in his dressing room following the clash. Clattenburg did not mention the behaviour in the ‘extraordinary incident’ report he filed on Sunday, but he now has to make a detailed statement to the FA. Clattenburg’s assistants, Michael McDonough and Simon Long, and fourth official Mike Jones have filed reports in which they say they did not hear the Durham official say anything inappropriate. All four were in the referee’s room when Mikel burst in with Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay and manager Roberto Di Matteo. Mikel’s aggressive manner, along with the behaviour of other Chelsea officials, raises the possibility of FA action against the club. Both Mikel and Mata claim they have a witness to Clattenburg’s comments, and PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor, who has assessed both complaints, told Sportsmail the pair have his ‘100 per cent support’.