Nigerian Newspapers
Alone, all alone
For Stephen Keshi, these are not the best of times. Not after the heroic welcome that he received for guiding the Super Eagles to clinch the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations diadem in South Africa on February 10.
Watching last week Saturday’s 2014 World Cup qualifier against Kenya in Calabar, one could feel Keshi’s pains as he bowed his head with his two palms on his knees in awe.
The scoreboard clock read 91st minute. The minutes were ticking away fast towards the five minutes added time. His thoughts were deep just as he stood in a trance. Only Keshi can disclose what went on in his mind in those anxious minutes. He was lost in his thought such that when the equaliser eventually came, he was dumbfounded. He couldn’t celebrate. Relief was visible on his face. He tried to be happy, but the smiles refused to break through his heavy lips. He was certainly an unhappy person. There was conspiracy against him, he may not have known.
What Keshi didn’t know was that the players were unhappy with their captain Joseph Yobo’s absence, according to one agency report on Thursday night. This was how Samson Siasia’s fall was plotted.
“Why was Yobo dropped? Could it be because he stood up to Keshi and his assistants on how some of the cash the team got for winning the AFCON was to be shared equally among all the squad members?” asked a team official.
“Yobo is very upset that Keshi did not bother to even let him know that he would not be involved in the match against Kenya. Like Emenike, who blasted the coach for not getting in touch with him after he returned to his Russian club injured from the AFCON, Yobo equally feels insulted by Keshi,” a reliable source informed MTNFootball.com. I digress!
Keshi was alone, all alone after the game in Calabar. He must be wondering the limited number of calls he got, unlike after the Africa Cup of Nations’ feat. Such is life. Failure is not just an orphan, but also a destitute. Success has many fathers.
Was this the result we anticipated? No. But that is the hallmark of the beautiful game- suspense, shocks and intrigues.
Has Keshi learnt any lessons from what happened in Calabar? He should. The first lesson would be for him to plead with NFF eggheads for their support. Keshi must stoop to conquer – if he wants to guide the Eagles to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He should work with the technical committee. They can have their say in his list, but he would have his way.
A few suggestions won’t make him the puppet many people don’t want him to be. Perhaps, if the technical committee had scrutinised the list, they would have known that Efe Ambrose was ineligible.
Keshi should know that there are many landmines on his path, occasioned by the incidents that trailed his return to the country on February 12, after the Eagles became champions, 19 years after he led Nigeria to lift the cup in Tunisia in 1994 as captain.
It should strike Keshi today that he has been literally left alone. He has been allowed to do all the jobs that he craved for- free hand to pick his players, non-interference in the running of the team and uninhibited access to the President – in the event that his employers fall out of line.
Last Saturday’s result has shown Keshi that the whole gamut of winning matches goes beyond these caveats because there is more that meets the eye in football matches. Need I say more?
Would it shock Keshi to know that many people celebrated the team’s poor outing? The celebrations came from unbelievable quarters, with many saying: “Shebi im say naim do everything take make us win the cup?Oya make e do am again now.
Look, my ears are full. Keshi needs help. If Nigeria doesn’t go to the 2014 World Cup, it would not be Keshi’s headache because he would either get a better job or return to his pundit work on big sports channels in Brazil while we would be faced with the unenviable option of watching other countries play in the World Cup, like it happened in 2006 in Germany.
Those who celebrated the nerve-wrenching draw last Saturday, were the supposed stakeholders who told tales of the unexpected clandestine roles that they played in ensuring that Nigeria lifted the Africa Cup of Nations.
Many thought that I was a Keshi antagonist because of my articles and commentar ies. But I shocked them with my response, insisting that as a watchdog, I warn about the dangers ahead; I do not plot anyone’s fall.
It should worry Keshi that no one has asked him what happened in the game against Kenya. Nobody would ask because they are scared of hurting those in government. This is not good. Let me shock Keshi. Some of his backroom staff celebrated. Many said they have little input; in the team’s selection. But that is their self-serving style.
Keshi may have heard the drums of the supporters in Calabar, but those were the innocent indigenes. The real supporters who will be in Nairobi, for instance, are unhappy. They say they you have not “seen” them- whatever that means. They may see you and greet you warmly. They are bitter. But what they say behind you won’t shock you, if you play back what happened in Calabar. I waited in vain to hear the familiar battle songs. Such songs as: “All we are saying, give us more goals.”
They were missing or should I say inaudible because the supporters were absent-minded. They are definitely nursing a grudge that Keshi should address as we prepare to shock Kenya in Nairobi.
The Eagles will qualify for the 2014 World Cup, yet Keshi should play the politics of ensuring that no force intervenes. Reconciliation is central in realising this dream. Phone calls to these stakeholders could do the magic. The choice is yours to make, Big Boss.
Some of the dropped players are aggrieved. They have influence on others. They are planning a mutiny and I won’t be surprised if we scavenge to get a full complement of players to make the trip to Nairobi.
We know those players who dodge away games. We know those who feign injuries weeks or days before crucial away games only to return to play for their European clubs after the Nigeria game. Keshi must work around this hurdle. He must get all his men in Nairobi. The Kenyans are beatable except that their fans are very unruly like we witnessed in 2011 when Nigeria beat Kenya 3-2 to snatch the 2010 World Cup qualification ticket.
Keshi must show everyone that he once led this team. He should mend fences quickly. He should learn how to involve his key players in his selection, even if he doesn’t take their suggestions. Seeking their views makes them feel important. If the players stand and fight for you, half the battle for the World Cup ticket is won.
I haven’t spoken to Keshi since I saw him before the game against Cote d’Ivoire in South Africa. So much has been said about our sour relationship. But I will surprise him with a call when he returns from his holidays. He will shout and rain curses. I expect such. I will allow him vent his anger without a word. Once he has spoken, I will drop the telephone. Case closed- until I see him eyeball-to-eyeball.
Oboabona: Don’t listen to Sunshine
Super Eagles defender Godfrey Obaobona is being courted by Arsenal FC of England. The news was like music to the ear.
Oboabona’s Nigerian club, Sunshine FC of Akure, is said to have vowed not to allow him go for the trials. They argue that as an international and one of Africa’s best, Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger should sign him on.
On the surface, this audacious demand looks good but only on the altar of ego. In concrete terms, it would pay Oboabona a lot more, if he attends the trails at Arsenal, given the pedigree of the team’s manager as a renowned tactician.
Training at the Emirates Stadium in London offers Oboabona the best opportunity to learn new that would help him later. He would also rub shoulders with the Gunners big boys. His presence at Arsenal for trials would open a new vista for his game. Other European clubs would be angling to snatch him in the event that Wenger doesn’t.
Besides, if Oboabona plays well in the trials, he could be signed on and seconded to another European club, until his game develops to the required standard.
Great players started by signing for big clubs only to go to smaller teams to garner experience through regular appearances.
Indeed, if Wenger thinks Oboabona is not ripe enough, he could drop his name with any of the European managers who defer to him.
Interestingly, former Nigeria international Yakubu Aiyegbeni went to Middleborough because of his exploits against Manchester United in one of the UEFA Champions League matches.
King-of-the-dugout Sir Alex Ferguson saw Yakubu’s talent and recommended him immediately to one of his junior coaches, McLaren. McLaren didn’t need to see Yakubu play the game. He relied on Ferguson’s impeccable judgment to pick Yakubu. And, as they say, the rest is history.
Talks by Sunshine officials that they won’t allow Oboabona go is cheap. We have seen several cases where players bought out their contract to move to their preferred clubs. Obafemi Martins’s move to the Major League Soccer (MLS) is a classical example.
If Obaobona knows what is good for his career, he should seize the opportunity. Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in Europe with a fantastic manager, who has made several African players great. Ask Nwankwo Kanu. Obaobona, be wise!
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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