Month: December 2015

Jose Mourinho’s Second Chelsea Sack

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By Adeola Aderounmu

Mikel, Mourinho and Fabregas

Mikel, Mourinho and Fabregas

Jose Mourinho is a good manager. The results put him as probably the best manager to date in the history of football.

Many say he did it all with great clubs, but l doubt that. Porto was not a top club when Mourinho started to make his waves with them.

Fast forward 2015 Mourinho made one of the biggest mistakes any worker could make. He complained too much about his tools.

The team doctor Eva Carneiro had nothing to do with the 2-2 draw with Swansea at the beginning of the season. His outburst and reactions were over the top.

How that spilled into the players’ head and mentality is another story.

Chelsea players have not played for Mourinho this season. They are the ones who earned the bad results, not Mourinho. A coach cannot go to the pitch to play the game and he has limited options until the transfer season is re-opened in January or during the summer.

The sacking of Mourinho is one of the biggest players revolt in history.

But it was coming and to not see it is to pretend that failure is success.

He would have learnt some of the hardest lessons of his career with the bunch of arrogant, tired legs at Stamford bridge.

He must learn to be more diplomatic and never to call the name of his players during a match preview or review. Don’t blame your players in the open. Talk to them individually and collectively when necessary.

Mourinho made his errors but the poor results and the performances of the players went over the limits. Many of them paying tributes to Mourinho on social media are actually supposed to be covering their faces in shame. I won’t name them. Mourinho will do so in his many books which l am sure will be bestsellers.

I wish Mourinho success in the future and l hope the lessons are learnt.

aderounmu@gmail.com

 

I Didn’t Know Donald Trump Was A Real Person

/ Adeola / 2 Comments

Just imagine a Donald Trump-presidency and a gun-for-all American society. I say a Swedish prayer for all American people, May The Wind Be Your Way..!

I Didn’t Know Donald Trump Was A Real Person

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola_dec_2015

With the title of this essay, l have not lied.

If you think it is funny or ridiculous, you have a right to that feeling especially if you know who l am.

If you choose to continue to read after this point, try to have an open mind and be objective.

I followed American politics for a while especially when Barack Obama became a candidate for the White House. Before the presidential election in 2008, l got a request from a media organisation probably based in the United States to write an opinion about Barack Obama.

So l did a series of online interviews with some people in Nigeria right from my base in Sweden. The results were 3 articles on Obama and the 2008 American presidential election in general.

The media group known as Vote2008 Takeaway has since pulled down all the publications or maybe they moved the websites. I cannot be sure which.

I started to tune down my interest in American politics after Obama’s victory. I read about all the opposition to Obama’s policies from the republican side.  Not that l was very pleased with Obama himself. The last straw was when American drones started to take away lives around the world. I zoomed away from American politics.

Later on, l started to hear the name Donald Trump more often. I must have heard it in connection to the 2008 election and probably did not pay attention to it.

The reason l have not paid attention to the name is because for some (probably strange) reasons l was connecting the name to something about THE SIMPSONS.

I don’t know or recollect how that happened. But it happened so.

For once l never thought Donald Trump would turn out to be a real person.

I mean my CNN channel disappeared from my free cable network and l hardly tune in to Aljazeera after l was unable to get a reply from one of their correspondents after making some enquiries on a subject matter. I felt dumped because l just helped them with one of their programs by participating in a recorded Skype-video conversation.

Anyway one fundamental argument, as l reflect now, why l didn’t think that Donald Trump was a real person was because most of the things attributed to him don’t sound real. So l just laugh and thought whoever invented this comic character is crazily funny.

I also thought: what is the media getting at when they portray such a comic character?

Let me repeat, this is not a joke. There was a time l thought Donald Trump was not a real person.

Yes, l am a writer. Yes l write about Nigerian politics since 2001. And yes l am not ashame to say that in the early days l didn’t know that Donald Trump was real.

I have my priorities.

I didn’t think all the dumb characters portrayed in Simpsons or other cartons or comedies are real.

It was when it dawn on me that Obama’s second term is drawing to a close that l started paying attention again to some aspects of American politics especially the candidates vying for the White House.

By the summer of 2016, l’ll probably catch up with all that is obscure now.

But how did l discover that Donald Trump was a real person?

It is the same way l have checked my sanity over the years. I ask people unexpected questions. Even at meetings or gatherings l have asked questions or make comments off the mark just to do some reality checks.

One day l asked my wife-have you been hearing the name Donald Trump? She said yes. So who is he l asked?  After our conversation, l finally came to terms that Donald Trump actually exists and that he is not just a character in the Simpsons.

My wife laughed, but it was in a good way.  My sanity check was complete.

So, l finally discovered that Donald Trump was actually a real person.

Oh my..!

I couldn’t believe my ignorance. At my age..!

Still, l didn’t pay attention so close enough. Even after discovering that he is a real person. I mean, l thought the media had been unfair to him and that they must have attributed all those nonsense to an innocent man. There must be some of those stories about him that are exaggerated.

My line of thought was liberally, dilutedly objective: if a man is going to become the president of America in this century, he should at least not be dumber than Mr. Obama’s predecessor or McCain’s running mate.

I reasoned further, though l didn’t fancy Obama’s drones, Americans can still produce people who can show enlightenment, grasp of globalization and ability to discern between fishing in Alaska and hiking in Barcelona.

Does anyone remember Sarah Palin, the former vice-presidential candidate who does not even have an international passport? Sarah Palin l know. She was for real!

I thought that Donald Trump was a comic media invention that was developed to haunt Barack Obama. I thought it/he was a comic character and how l arrive at that reasoning will forever remain a mystery.

I can quite understandably and easily align with people who think that Donald Trump is dumb. I mean l didn’t even know he was a real person like Sarah Palin.

If 20 % of all the things attributed to him are real or correct as much as he is a real person, l am so sorry for all categories of American people.

In those days when l used to watch Jay Leno’s late night show, l ’d been taken aback several times when Leno went on the streets of America to ask people simple questions.

For some episodes, he asked sometimes very simple questions that sound like: who is the president of the United States? Amazingly some people don’t know, don’t care!

As l reviewed the Jay Leno’s shows that l watched and placed them side-a-side the emegence and rise of a presidential candidate like Donald Trump, my shock about the realness of Trump simply just disappeared.

I mean he is a leader in the race to the White House.

I can imagine that Jay Leno asked other questions like: where is Iraq? Some people would have answered, in Africa. I mean the US invaded a country that majority of her citizens do not know the location even if you give them a map.

The United States probably have the largest accumulation of ignorant people per total population on a global scale. Some will argue. I care less. But l wish they could do their research or possibly go deep into the villages and cities in America.

Hence when a character that should exist in a comedy suddenly turned out to be a real life leading presidential character in the US, you can get a better perception of where the world is heading in general.

On a global perspective, the world is in the hands of the wrong people. Are we for real?

Mostly l have read only the headlines since l discovered Donald Trump. That way, I have maintained my sanity since my wife explained to me who he is.

With all that l have to do, think or worry about especially if you love Nigeria and Africa like l do, adding the content of Donald Trump’s campaigns or useless speeches will amount to what the swedish people called slosseri med tiden. Go figure..!

My greater sympathy goes to all those who have suffered persecution, rejection and extreme discrimimation in the hands of Donald Trump-the real character.

Just imagine a Donald Trump presidency and a gun-for-all American society. I say a Swedish prayer to all American citizens (by birth or naturalization), May The Wind Be Your Way..!

aderounmu@gmail.com

Paying It Forward: The Way I want To Live

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

In this story l want to share some real life experiences of paying forward.

Paying It Forward: The Way I want To Live

By Adeola Aderounmu

One day my phone rang 5 minutes after l returned home from a shopping mall. I had done the weekly grocery shopping for the family at a store barely 2 km from our home.

I picked up the phone and the voice at the other end was not a familiar one just as the number also did not turned up any name. Have you been shopping at the store today? The voice asked. Yes l just came home, l replied.

Can you check your wallet if you are missing something? Sure l said and immediately knew something was wrong. Yeaaaa….l said….one of my credit cards is missing.

I have it, he said.

Another 5 minutes l met the man at the store and he gave me back my credit card.

How did you find me, l asked full of curiosity.

When l saw your name, l sent a text message to my son and he looked up your contact information on the address book online. That’s how l got your number, he concluded.

I was short of words. It came to me at as a shock. The speed at which he got in touch with me gave me the conviction that he didn’t think twice about what to do when he found my credit card.

He could have gone on a spending spree and l wouldn’t have known until the next day or the next time l need the card.

I was so convinced of the man’s honesty that l kept using the credit card until it expired. I mean l was not afraid that he could have copied the number and the 3-digit security code at the back.

I was pleased.

When we exchanged pleasantry further with each other, he told me that he migrated to Sweden from Iraq many years ago.

We shook hands and l drove back home. I explained to my wife and she smiled. We were both pleased.

I know that when you talk about righteousness that l cannot claim to be holy. But l am sure that l do the best l can. I try to radiate love and to show people that l care.

I have paid forward so many acts of kindness that have been done to me.

I have asked friends and acquaintances to pay forward, but not all the time. Sometimes l need some things back so l can carry on with a normal life as well.

Just two weeks ago, l was at another shop where they sell stuffs they claimed come from all over the world. I found Nigerian plantain there, so their claim may be true.

On this particular day, an elderly woman was ahead of me and she had paid for all her grocery and stuffs. She was packing her things and had forgotten to remove her credit card from the payment machine.

The machine was positioned so that the cashier does not see if the card has been removed or not. The idea is that cashier do not see your codes when you make a payment.

Luckily for this elderly woman she was still packing her things when l wanted to insert my own credit card. It went quickly because l bought only 2 or 3 items. So l took her credit card and handed it over to her.

She was pleased.

On my way out, l said to her trevlig helg! (have a nice weekend) and she replied tack detsamma! (thanks, l wish you the same).

I didn’t think twice when l had the chance to hand over the elderly woman’s credit card. She has completely forgotten it in the machince.

I could not waste the chance to represent. I mean l grew up in Nigeria and we were raised to be good, to be kind and to be helpful.

In my family especially my father always say, remember the son of whom you are.

I am so ashame of all the negative news about criminals in Nigerian government and the stupidity of Nigerian politicians.

I am not going to be a perfect man or claim that l am a righteous man but l do my best.

Last week, precisely on the 4th of december 2015 l was on my bicycle  about 2 km away from home when l noticed something unusual on the ground, so l stopped.

autumn_morning

Cold Autumn Morning in November, Sweden

If you don’t know how it is in Sweden at this time of the year, then it will be hard to comprehend the cold, dark, winter mornings.

On this day it was cold and raining.  So l had every reason to hurry up to work. I should ignore every object that intends to distract me.

When l stopped my bicycle, l looked down at the dark object lying on the wet ground on this dark morning. It turned out to be a mobile phone. It is a Samsung-Galaxy S5.

samsung_S5

The Samsung S-5 l found on the ground on my way to work

The first thing l did when l got to work was to check the mobile phone out properly. Luckily l could access the phone by just swipping the screen. Luckily too the owner had a facebook account where l saw a home-telephone number.

10 hours after l found the phone it was reunited with its owner.

She was very happy and she brought a gift when she came to our house to collect her phone.

choco_plant_1 (2)

The Gift l got in appreciation

I do not know what she and her husband whom l got at the other end of the phone in the morning have discussed but the gifts she brought gave volume to their thoughts. I accepted the chocolate and the special seasonal plant that she presented to me. (see pictures)

This is the way l want to live.

This type of paying forward is what makes the world go round.

I hope Charlotte is as impressed as l was when a man from Iraq gave me back my credit card which l had forgotten in a shopping wagon as l hurriedly left the store.

I hope that that elderly woman at the global market store was impressed that some of us are in this country not just because of what we gain from the country but also because we are good people who can contribute our bits to make the country a better place to live.

We came here to learn and to share our experiences too. Now Sweden is our home too.

We are good people.

I can recall that l have been good in uncountable ways both at work and at play.

Some people have touched my lives both in Nigeria and here in Sweden. l have tried so hard to pay forward by touching other people’s lives positively. But we soon learn that we cannot please everybody and some people will make good deeds look like divine favours. They don’t pay back and they don’t pay forward.

I have always thought of writing for the rest of my life, because everyday in my head, there is always a chapter that is left unwritten out of my life’s experiences- at home, work, with friends, families and the people l see everyday on the train, on the bus, and everywhere l go.

The way l live and work have given me adequate shield and buffer from the negativity that surrounds me. For examples, all those extra hours l have spent on my students since 1990, without pay, are the ones that count most.

For it is at those times that l have gone out of my comfort zone to give my students the extra help and support that they need.

I am happy when they find the motivation with which they succeed in the moment and subsequently obtaining the momentum that keeps them going throughout life.

This is the way l want to live-full of content and paying forward all the good deeds.

In my view, this is part of the secret of authentic happiness. It adds meaning to our lives.

 

aderounmu@gmail.com

 

Faleke’s Trauma: APC’s Dictatorial Tendencies Unfold

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

The lack of common sense within the APC is tragic. Where is the change? Where do we go from here?

Faleke’s Trauma: APC’s Dictatorial Tendencies Unfold

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Sometimes when you hear about certain things happening in Nigeria and especially those things that emanate from the political circles, you get so shocked that you begin to wonder if these people running Nigeria have any brain cells at all.

I have seen many comical pictures on the social media where different Nigerian rulers or presidents have had their heads replaced with coconuts.

On a closely look, those comical images are near to reality for Nigeria’s political class.

So Audu Abubakar died. Some have called for autopsy reports to ascertain if he was murdered or if he died of natural causes. I think his family has more say on what path they choose.

Ordinarily one would have thought that succeeding or replacing Audu Abubakar ought to be common sense. Mathematicians will call it logic.

Late Audu’s deputy Mr.  Faleke should step into his shoes and finish the race for the his late boss and definitely for his party-the APC.

As I understand it now, there are about 49 000 votes up for grab.

Bu what has the APC mandate under Mr. Buhari done?

They have brought out a man from the PDP to be the replacement for APC’s Audu Abubakar. Yahaya Bello campaigned for Idris Wada after he lost the APC governorship ticket. They have now brought him back to the APC and chose him ahead of James Faleke.

Let those who have ears hear now, the trouble in Kogi will most definitely add to the already brewed troubles in Eastern Nigeria and the war in Northern Nigeria which will make Nigeria one of the most unstable and most unpredicatable places on earth.

James Faleke has gone to court. The cases may draw for a long time and they may stall the proposed conclusion to the elections.

The constitution of Nigeria is already messed up on this matter. There are as many opinions as contributors.

I learnt INEC which was supposed to be an independent body even ran to the Attorney General for suggestions. That way it became easy to finger the presidency in the dilemma.

I am not the one to bring out the ethnicity and religion of James Faleke. His names will do. I wish he could called on Ifa though.

If APC needs help in flaming their politics of tribe and religion, they will get as many help as they want with this nonsense and ingredients that they have started.

For, the death of Audu was already a matter that created problems for the interpretations of Nigerian electoral law.

The problems would have been mild and probably manageable by sticking to Faleke and hoping that he will gather the necessary votes from the disputed ones.

Who will tell the dunces and mumus in APC that Yahaya Bello can never win the governorship election with 49 00 votes even if he claims all the votes?

When late Audu Abubakar contested with Faleke as his deputy, they had votes that counted for both of them. Is APC interpreting these votes as votes for the party and not the candidates?

Then, they should also be preparing their lawayers for the suits that will come from the PDP.

As it looks now, PDP is contesting both with Idris Wada in their official party and with Yahaya Bello on the platform of the APC. Head or tail, PDP will win the elections if they are conducted on Saturday but Bello will not be the winner.

He cannot possibly be allowed by Wada or the PDP to assume the position of the governor with less than 50 000 votes.

APC is not even gradually showing its true colours, it is doing it with speed. As soon as the party took over from Jonathan and PDP at the center, it was quick to show in the morning what Nigerians should expect for the rest of the day.

Not least is the rise of dictatorial tendencies and one-sided prosecution of persons perceived to be political enemies and adversaries.

The side-tracking of Faleke (if APC succeeds) will be a new chapter in the books of dictatorship. It is too easy for the presidency to lie and change a lot of stories in the media. This is because they have not allowed Buhari to speak to Nigeria in Nigerians.

Unless someone can prove otherwise, l have read many statements credited to Mr. Buhari when he is outside Nigerian than when he is in Abuja.

It is time to hear him speak. His opinions count. During the elections’ campaign, he hardly spoke. When does he intend to start talking and giving his opinions directly to the people and the media?

Is the APC not tired of having to change every single opinion that is credited to it or Mr. Buhari?

Some of those opinions and issues will continue to trail this administration for as long as it exists at the center.

The APC as it seems is always changing and does not seems to stand for anything. That is why it is falling apart and falling for everything.

For sure, a lot of people will want to bring party ideology which is of course nonsensical and other lines of legal implications into what is transpiring in Kogi State.

My take is that it is simply wrong and actually stupid to replace Faleke. If Audu was alive he would have re-contested with Faleke. If Audu had won, he would have been governor and Faleke is deputy. If Audu had died one week after he became governor, Faleke would have been the governor.

What we know now is that the last sentence does not hold water with APC mandate and Buhari’s rulership. Faleke could have been booted out of office, and Yahaya Bello imported from PDP to the governor’s house.

These are all hypotheses. But again, the last option is very possible with APC dictatorial tendencies as we now know.

Have we forgotten too easily how we all rallied round Goodluck Jonathan during those trying months? I do not intend to elaborate further. A word is always enough for the wise.

APC must not forget that what goes round, comes round. It is Faleke today, you will not hear it from me where this is going to come up next. But it will happen and some people will run from Cape Town to Cairo asking for sympathy and placement.

Meanwhile all these nonsense and ingredients from APC are perfect distractions from other dangerous situations in Nigeria.

The petrol scarcity is back and the eastern part of Nigeria is gradually locking up or is it down. Unemployment is on record high, crime rate hitting the roof and the standard of living digging deeper.

Where is the change?

Where do we go from here?

aderounmu@gmail.com