Monthly Archives: May 2010

Lagerbäck Drops Nigeria’s Highest Goal Scorer

Adeola Aderounmu

Ikechukwu Uche will not be in South Africa. I doubt if this boy will ever play for Nigeria again.

He could not have been dropped for his injury since Mikel Obi is also just back from Injury lay off period.

Well, it could have been that he was not impressive in training. Or maybe the coach didn’t want to give 2 slots to the same family, since Kalu his brother is in the team.

Some people feared that the team was selected by Nigerian government officials. From past experience/ occurence, this may also be the case. You never know.

Depending on what happens in South Africa the truth will eventually unfold-if it was Lagerbäck’s team or a team packaged for him by NFF under the influence of this-and-that Minister or Governor. Actually it is not a rumour that government officials have or used to have slots in the National team. A former member of the super Eagles told me that just 2 days ago.

Well, I wish Uche a wonderful career ahead of him. If I was the coach to be candid I would take Uche to the World Cup and leave behind one of the tired legs. The man who scored the highest numbers of goals to take us to the world cup (unless the team doctors rule him not fit) deserve to be rewarded with a slot in the World Cup.

Life does not always bring what we wished or hoped for. Uche will have to learn to leave this sadness and disappointment behind. He should support his brother and wish the team well.

I HOPE THAT he will bounce back and continue to play good football. I hope that he will achieve more greatness in his international career. If he decides to play for Nigeria again in the future, he must show the coach and Nigerians that we made a big mistake to have dropped him in this crucial tournament.

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Nigeria’s Final World Cup List

2010 World Cup

The Nigerian Team:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda, Israel), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petah Tikva, Israel)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes, France), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Daniel Shittu (Bolton Wanderers, England), Ayodele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), Rabiu Afolabi (SV Salzburg, Austria)

Midfielders: Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany), John Utaka (Portsmouth, England), Kalu Uche (Almeria, Spain), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham, England), John Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England), Sani Kaita (Alaniya, Russia), Haruna Lukman (AS Monaco, France), Yusuf Ayila (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine), Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia)

Strikers: Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton, England), Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth, England), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg, Germany), Victor Obinna Nsofor (Malaga, Spain)

May 29’s Nigeria Scam Day

Adeola Aderounmu

I actually received an invitation to an event to mark the fake Nigeria’s Democracy Day in Stockholm. I could have been a speaker at the event. What a joke?

I salute the organisers of, and speakers at, the events. I saw some notable names and I give my due respect. It takes a lot of negative courage to endorse falsehood and propaganda. If the plan works out Nigeria’s Ambassador to Sweden will grace the occasion. He’s a friend and I wish all of them well.

May 29 is not Nigeria’s Democracy Day. Nigeria became an independent country on October 1st 1960. October 1 is Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

On June 12 1993 the head of Nigeria’s junta and tropical gangster called Babangida annulled the best ever election in Nigeria. I have written about that quite a number of times in earlier blog posts / articles. Hundreds of Nigerians lost their lives in the stalemate and dilemma that followed that senseless annulment.

Pro June 12 activists celebrate June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy. This is to honour MKO Abiola who died in jail and failed to utilise the mandate that he was given on June 12 1993.

The invitation from NIDO-Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation-was a kind of insult. I’m assuming those who continue to preach May 29 as Nigeria’s day of democracy are either ignorant or foolish or both. We must not allow this lie to reach our children. We must not pass this distortion of our history to the next generation.

The military and the lame civilian government that imposed themselves on us in Nigeria have continued to deceive people at home and abroad. If you search deep to the roots of all these anomalies, you will find a group of people who have no dignity or they lost it, to money.

Yes money. The root of several ills and evils in the global society.

NIDO, what a name? What an evil agenda?

If we want to do something in the name of Nigeria, shouldn’t we move away from the scams and lies? Think out loud again, so these people in NIDO will tell their children, family and friends that May 29 is Nigeria’s Democracy Day? No Greater Shame..!

I will write it down and I will tell my children that October 1st is Nigeria’s Democracy Day. It is the day that we gained our independence from the Colonial Masters. I will tell them I’m so sorry that my generation like the one before mine failed them and destroyed the foundations of the nation.

I will tell my children how Politics of Food and lies, politics of deceit and hatred and extreme selfishness and insanity in public places deprived Nigeria of her rightful place in world history.

I will let them know that I did my best at home and that I continued to do the best I can everywhere I’ve found myself since I left home.

I’ve written a book where they’ll read about Nigeria’s kind of politics and there they will find out that if there is any reason at all to change Nigeria’s Democracy Day, that reason will be June 12.

On that day the expectations of over 100 million Nigerians were deleted eternally by a wicked and evil soul called Babangida.

It is an unforgivable act to distort history.

May 29 as Democracy Day is a scam.

The Glory of Nigeria is lost because of these types of political aberrations.

Nigerians who should know better are thinking more with their stomachs. Their brains are rambling for unsatisfying money and insatiable desires. How can they find peace?

Where is the hope for Nigeria when we gather our intellectuals to the wrong gathering and sell lies to the world?

Inter Milans’ Champions League Victory: A million points for Samuel Eto’o

By Adeola Aderounmu

Barcelona’s coach Josep Guardiola is the most ungrateful coach/ sportsman I have seen in the last few decades. Even if you were going to sell a player because he suddenly became a surplus, there was no need to subject that player to ridicule or humiliation in the process of doing that.

When Eto’o was sold to Inter Milan, he was subjected to unnecessary humiliation by Josep Guardiola. In fact one season before that he had wanted to do away with Eto’o but the humble Samuel went on to win both the league and champions league with Barcelona as one of the highest goal scorers in Europe.

Jose Mourinho has gone proved to the world that he is the best coach in the world and that Samuel Eto’o is one of the most versatile player alive today.

Eto’s didn’t have to scored all the goals. He did his bits but his contributions to the success story of Inter Milan this year shows that he is among the greatest African footballer of all time.

Nobody will forget that he gave the pass to Milito when Inter defeated Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions league final. Nobody will forget that he was in the attack, he was in the midfield and he was always beside Maicon when needed. You will never find a more versatile player in football today. Who could have thought that Samuel Eto’o has all these qualities? Thanks for Mourinho for bringing out all these qualities in Eto’s.

Mourinho is the special one, a genius who has proved to Guardiola that Eto’o is one greatest players in world football today. In short you don’t sell a treasure like him if you dream of winning the Champion Cup.

This topic will not be complete without feeling some sympathy for Zlatan. Zlatan left Inter Milan because he wanted to win the champions league with Barcelona. That was a wrong move. In recent history it has been rare to see a club win the champions league back-to-back. So Zlatan’s move to Barcelona was a careless move for success but good one for money. Now we know that Zlatan is a misfit in Barca’s shirt and he’s probably looking at his options now that Bacelona has bought David Villa. Well, their headache!

Congratulations Samuel Eto’o, Your name is now written in Gold. You have won 3 champions league gold in about a period of 5 years. You are one of the greatest African footballers. Some will say that you are the best. This is not a debate but a tribute to you, that we love you and we will continue to follow your progress.

Samuel, you have no more points to prove that you are one of the greatest. Just go to the world cup in South Africa and do your best.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

As we say in Nigeria, shame to bad people!

Inter Milan Wins Champions League 2010

BY Adeola Aderounmu

Inter Milan 2: Bayern Munich 0

Inter Milan are Champions of Europe. D. Milito scored the first goal in the 35th minutes and sealed the game 35 minutes later, that is the 70th minute with a wonderful strike after receiving a wonderful pass from Samuel Eto’o.

Inter didn’t care much about the possession. They got only about 30% of it. Bayern Munich should have known better than making all those unnecessary short passes that led to nowhere. Football is not about number of passes or percentage of possession. You have to find the net. With 30% possession Inter Milan found the back of the net twice.

Two moments of magic and two moments of excellent strikes. Milito is not the one who scores 2 goals out of two chances but on the day of the final, that’s what he did. Two chances, two goals!

Mourinho is the greatest coach alive. He is definitely the special one.

Congratulations Inter Milan, Congratulations Italy!

Jonathan’s Choice of VP reduces the rest of us to Pawns

Adeola A.

Namadi Sambo will become Nigeria’s Vice President. The main reason of course is to allow Mr. Jonathan to contest for the presidency in 2011. Politically a good move because even if Namadi Sambo decides to run for the presidency as well, it will provide a checkmate for the intention of Ibrahim Babangida.

Ordinarily we should not be talking about Babangida. Mr. Ibori has been arrested in Dubai and will be repatriated to the UK or Nigeria. Babangida stole more money than Ibori. No one will understand how the justice system works in Nigeria. Some people like Babangida and Obasnajo remain above the law.

So if Babangida remains in the presidential race instead of in kirikiri prison, then his ambitions have just been checkmated because it is not clear if either Jonathan or Sambo will win the PDP ticket next year. Mr. Goodluck Jonathan just played the chess game of his life but we remain the pawns. Yes the ordinary Nigerians were not in the consideration when the selection was made.

I don’t think Mr. Jonathan had constant electricity or regular water supply in his mind when he made the choice. He sat down probably with some political strategists and planned his own survival. The rest of us are pawns and we can rot away for all he cares.

Knowing fully well that Sambo is an IBB-boy as they used to say, Jonathan has now politically pitched IBB and Sambo against each other in terms of political ambitions. Sambo will of course like either of these 2 things: 1) to continue as VP for as long as Jonathan is president and then becoming a president when Jonathan bows out. OR 2) Outrightly gunning for the presidency in 2011 depending on how circumstances play out in the months ahead.

Jonathan will be hoping for the luck to continue. There may be a deal though: Sambo will probably lie low for as long as Goodluck live his new dream-president for as long as possible.

It’s a dilemma for everyone anyway but we remain restless. We are worried about the real rewards of true democracy. Nigeria is lost. We have no leaders. Rulers after rulers continue to emerge.

We are looking for ways out of our poverty. We long for electric power, water, good roads, good schools. We long for simple but quality existence. All we get is politics of bitterness. All we see are cruel and mean politicians who continue to play the game of life with our presence and future.

If Mr. Sambo is confirmed, it will be another interesting chapter of our nation to see how the duo of Jonathan-Sambo lead Nigeria forward. Time will time whose interests were in focus when the choice and decision were made. In 2011 all the possibilities would have been exposed. Sometimes the pawns survive while the knights, king and queen do perish. In Nigeria this is so true, evil rulers and bad politicians persist but we have seen them come and go. The last chapter remains unwritten.

2011 Elections in Nigeria, Jonathan Should Contest

Adeola A.

Goodluck Jonathan is a citizen of Nigeria and by providence the current “president” of Nigeria. The current debate about whether or not he should contest in the 2011 Presidential election is a very-very stupid debate.

Goodluck Jonathan belongs to PDP which is obviously a very strong party but also a very deceitful one. This party has been in power since 1999 and under these past years Nigeria has become more corrupt and the percentage of people that have slipped under the poverty level has escalated. Under the PDP Nigerians have continued to suffer due to the lack of the basic things of life like water and electricity.

PDP to many of us remained the nest of killers as confirmed by Wole Soyinka. That party boasts of looters and evil rulers like Babangida and Obasanjo. Co-looters like Atiku have found their way back to the fold. Ogbulafor the chairman of the party is currently standing trials for the monies he stole under Obasanjo and Bode Geroge is cooling off in kirikiri maximum prison. Ibori is on the run. In so small measures, the PDP continues to destroy Nigeria because they have no masterplan to get us out of the doldrums. The primary interest of Nigerian politicians remains to make money, get rich and care about self.

Anyway the current in-house trouble within the PDP is how to prevent or stop Jonathan from contesting in 2011. The Northerners in that party in their characteristic manner since 1959 do not want power shift to the South, let alone Mr. Jonathan from the Niger Delta region. What a useless mentality?

This is my take. Mr Goodluck Jonathan is a Nigerian and by provisions of the federal constitution of Nigeria is free to contest for electable offices including the position of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria. Unless he is sentenced to prison term for stealing, armed robbery or other crimes that can prevent him for pursuing his dreams, I see no reason (until then) why he cannot be allowed to contest for the office in question.

Indeed Goodluck belongs to PDP and he knows the evil nature of his political party. He knew how he was handpicked for the office of the VP by Obasanjo. This PDP party for Mr. Jonathan is a necessary evil. How he will overcome remains his personal dilemma and invariably a national problem. National, because if the status quo is maintained in the PDP, the unity of Nigeria will suffer a severe blow on the head. The system may collapse and the fears of critics may be fulfilled. The people in the leadership of the PDP have always put themselves before the nation. Isn’t that tantamount to treason?

From another perspective the outcome of the in-house fight in the PDP is one issue. The other issue is that irrespective of the candidate that would emerge from the PDP, that should be one part of the story. Who says that Mr. Jonathan would be the president if he becomes a candidate? Who says that the northern candidate in the minds of the northerners will win come 2011?

There are other political parties in Nigeria. They must present their own candidates too. It shouldn’t matter where the candidates are coming from. It is more important that we have candidates who are not corrupt. We want candidates who have not participated in the looting and destruction of Nigeria. There should be possibilities to present formidable candidates that will challenge the evils that have been perpetrated by Mr. Jonathan’s party since 1999.

2011 is a new golden chance. Bring in the electoral reforms. Give us a level playing field. Bring the PDP candidates be it Jonathan or Danjuma or Mustafa or Galadima or Shagari. Let us put them against one or two lovable, sincere and trustworthy Nigerians and above all let us count the votes.

We must not bring or accept the likes of Babangida or Atiku. In fact we should continue to mount pressure for the prosecution of Babangida, Obasanjo, Atiku and Ibori. These men and their accomplices stole Nigeria to dryness. Babangida alone stole more than 20 billion dollars. This money is enough to build a new country and bring some European countries OUT of economic recession. Where is our money Babangida?

No one can boast that Jonathan is not corrupt. The money stolen by his wife has not helped matters at all. Who, in Nigeria is not corrupt?

Let Jonathan contest but let him or the PDP do that in a normal democracy. In 2011 let MY VOTE COUNTs.