Nigeria

Lagerbäck Drops Nigeria’s Highest Goal Scorer

/ Adeola / 3 Comments

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.

Nigeria’s Final World Cup List

/ Adeola / 29 Comments

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)

2011 Elections in Nigeria, Jonathan Should Contest

/ Adeola / 10 Comments

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.

NIGERIA’s WORLD CUP SQUAD

/ Adeola / 18 Comments

Adeola Aderounmu

Lars Lagerbäck is not going to the World Cup to perform experiments. Conventional wisdom shows that that may be a fatal approach. The Nigerian coach will be going to South Africa in June with the players he inherited from Shuaibu Amodu.

What is then the difference between having coach Amodu in South Africa and Lars Lagerbäck who failed to qualify Sweden for the same competition? The outcome of the performances of the Nigerian team will be known in June 2010.

I cannot give a prediction of the outcome in South Africa but I know that the strategy of Mr. Lagerbäck will be different. Nigeria may end up playing a more defensive-style football and if this happens people are really going to be upset with the coach especially if the Super Eagles are disgraced out of the tournament.

Every Nigerian is a football analyst in his/ her own rights. If Lagerbäck’s strategies fail they will tell him what he doesn’t know about our football. They will let him know in clear terms that next to God, the next thing on the minds of Nigerians is football. To hell with politics and the looting politicians. Give us good football and take our sorrows away.

It doesn’t matter that Nigeria qualified for the world cup by a slim chance. The expectations are the same as if we qualified in a big way. Hence it is clear from the team squad that Mr. Lagerbäck himself is not willing to take chances. But the big question is “will he and his boys deliver when the heat is on in South Africa?”

Football coaches have one of the most fragile jobs in the world. Lagerbäck may not realise this because it took so long for him to get booted in Sweden despite several imperfections. Nigeria’s imperfections have produced coach after coach and the recycling of Amodu is a clear piece of evidence. He’s been there 3 times in the last 12 years !

If Lagerbäck fails in South Africa-not getting to the second round or quarter finals-there will be extreme pressure on his employers to fire him. That sort of failure will seal the automatic end to the international careers of the present crop of Super Eagles, most of whom are already past their primes anyway. If Lagerbäck survives he may eventually get the chance to try and do something new for Nigerian football. In that case, say 3 years from now, it would have become evident what he can do with the bunch of talents that Nigeria boast of. Some of us will get the chance to compare his records in Sweden with the situation in Nigeria if he survives 3 years as the coach of football-crazy Nigeria.

Just before the world cup, Nigeria will play 1 or 2 friendly matches. That is if the Football Authority is not fooling around like they did last month. These matches will not be adequate preparations for a country that is serious in going far in the tournament. If Nigerian plays the friendly matches, they will provide rare opportunities for Lagerbäck to see his squad first hand.

Performances in the friendly matches for those who get to wear the national colours and the few days in training will culminate in final selection of players for the world cup.

My expectations are not so high. Still the Nigerian in me wants Nigeria to do well in this world cup. Nigerians need something to cheer about, something to soothe us despite our political and social worries. Football is our religion and history has it that during those moments when Nigeria could have been torn apart, we were kept together by the common glories that football brought to our troubled nation.

I wish Mr. Lagerbäck and the Super Eagles all the best that the god of soccer can give them. With such a dull preparation, they will need all the luck in the world if they want to survive any game at all in the tournament. Good luck may even come from the seat of power. In Nigeria and for Nigerians, anything can happen!

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda, Israel), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petah Tikva, Israel), Bassey Akpan (Bayelsa United, Nigeria)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes, France), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Onyekachi Apam (OG Nice, France), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Daniel Shittu (Bolton Wanderers, England), Ayodele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), Rabiu Afolabi (SV Salzburg, Austria), Terna Suswan (Lobi Stars, Nigeria)

Midfielders: Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany), John Utaka (Portsmouth, England), Brown Ideye (FC Sochaux, France), Peter Utaka (Odense Boldklub, Denmark), , 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), Victor Anichebe (Everton, England), Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth, England), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg, Germany), Ikechukwu Uche (Real Zaragoza, Spain), Victor Obinna Nsofor (Malaga, Spain)

PDP-Making a fool of us

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

Adeola A.

In PDP-21st century Nigeria, they have a zoning system for presidency and presidential candidates.

It is the most stupid thing you can imagine and it is a reflection of brainless thoughts.

If the PDP principle works out, what it means that Nigeria should never be conducting presidential elections. This is how it works.

From 1999-2007 Obasanjo a southerner was the president of Nigeria. From 2007-2015 Mr. Yar Adua (may his soul rest in peace) should be the president of Nigeria. From 2015-2023 an Igboman or someone from the East or South East should be the president. So it means conducting elections (assuming that Nigeria becomes a one-party state) will be senseless and stupid altogether.

If you think about these things and if it works out this way, it shows nothing but extremely low intelligence or the absence of it in the Nigerian political scene. It is one of those things I classify as classical insanity/ madness of Nigerian politics.

According to this evil manifesto of the PDP- the unfortunate party of Mr. Jonathan-Mr Jonathan is living on a borrowed presidency. They mean that he must vacate the seat in 2011 so that a man from the north of Nigeria can finish the terms of Mr. Yar Adua. No greater senselessness!

I don’t pity Goodluck and his new predicament. He came and rose to power through the PDP. He knows what’s in for him and I’m sure his biggest dilemma now is how to change the status quo. That is his headache.

For Nigerians, our headache is how to prevent such a useless and senseless way of thinking to become a permanent way of life for us.

Rotational presidency is rubbish. It is very undemocratic and anti-progressive. Unfortunately it was this excuse that was used to perpetrate the criminal-mode elections that brought Jonathan and Yar Adua to power in 2007. Yar Adua is gone, to rest. This leaves us with Jonathan as the president we never voted for.

I will always wish Mr. Jonathan all the Goodluck in his name. But even luck does run out. Nigerians are talking about electoral reforms. But the PDP which unfortunately happens to posses many strongholds is now the biggest problem we have. Invariably Mr. Jonathan will appoint a northerner as the Vice president. This is PDP’s legacy and the way of Nigerian politicians-doing things that will benefit only the political class who have held Nigeria/Nigerians hostage for 50 years.

In an ideal world Mr. Jonathan will appoint a selfless person and a person who is intelligent to tackle the problems of Nigeria. He should be looking for an active man who will work together with him to see how they can move Nigeria forward, at least one step since 1960.

But that is far from what we have on ground. Merits can go to hell! In Nigeria, some people, usually called the cabal are now arranging how to present a VP to Mr. Jonathan the same way that Jonathan himself was presented to Yar Adua by the Obasanjo-led junta. The same cycle of idiocy is rehearsed and repeated. Welcome to Nigeria!

The ultimate task is to wipe out that useless policy of rotational presidency because if we continue to live by that mechanism, we only confirm that political posts are a means to loot, steal and plunder the wealth of Nigeria.

All political parties should allow free flowing democracy that is devoid of zoning. At every opportunity every candidate irrespective of their origin in Nigeria should be allowed to contest freely for offices and positions as long as they are qualified and not found wanting in a criminal court of law.

Are there people with brains in the PDP? Let them speak up now against this evil against man and nature. It is devilish to zone offices, much so the office of the presidency.

The other options that I mentioned in a post long time ago is the strengthening of the opposition party. Rather that proliferate like the babies of rats, the opposition parties should propose a coalition with viable manifesto and wrestle power from the PDP.

This is where fairplay and the influence of Mr. Goodluck will be tested in the forth coming elections either as a candidate for the PDP if the wicked party abandons its zoning system and allow reason to prevail OR as an observer now tired of pushing his luck too far.

In Nigeria, anything can happen. What looks so certain is that we will get a VP, who like Mr. Goodluck, will not be appointed or elected on merits. Of all the names that have popped up, I fancy no one. I don’t fancy Nigerian politicians when at the time you expect much from them; they give you little or nothing.

Our future is always in our hands. The realities of our lives still stare at us. In the midst of plenty, millions are starving. The basic things of life continue to elude millions. Unemployment remains rife. Education is at an all time low, basic health care is still luxurious , social infrastructure in general are damned and the overall quality of our lives despite the combined wealth from oil and natural resources remains despicable and pitiable.

Nigeria is not a poor country. There is enough in this country for everyone if we tackle greed, nepotism, corruption, ineptitude, sycophancy and selfishness in both public and private places.

Our lives and our future will continue to be in our hands and the outcomes will always depend on what we do or neglect.