The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Minister, Okunnu, Utomi, Bugaje, others seek united Nigeria

    Minister, Okunnu, Utomi, Bugaje, others seek united Nigeria

    By Tajudeen Adebanjo

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing, Alhaji Lateef Okunnu (SAN), former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Usman Bugaje and a Political Economist and Founder, Centre for Value in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi have urged Nigerians to uphold the unity of the country.

    According to them, tribalism, religious sentiment, hate speeches and fake news are among issues threatening the existence of Nigeria

    They along others spoke at the 26th Pre-Ramadan Lecture of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA).

    The themed is Though Tribe and Tongue May Differ: Interrogating Nigeria’s Nationhood.

    Alhaji Mohammed said his ministry realised in 2017 that fake news and hate speeches were threatening the unity of the country, hence organised a National Council and Information Summit to discuss it.

    “We followed it up in 2018 by launching Campaign Against Hate Speech. We know it is not limited to Nigeria, but we have tried to sensitise Nigerians about the danger of hate speeches and fake news,” he said.

    Okunnu, who chaired the event, said the country has never been this divided on ethnicity lines as being witnessed in the country today.

    Okunnu said there was no case of ethnicity in the history of Nigeria, but today it has been injected into the politics by some elements for their personal gains and attempt to break up the country.

    While citing examples of leaders who have governed the country in different capacities, Okunnu said, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikwe became influential in the country without promoting ethnicity.

    He said: “We knew nothing about ethnicity when I was born regardless of our origin. When I was growing up as a schoolboy, I followed politics before I clocked ten. I read newspapers in the restroom.

    “Ethnicity could not divide us. In fairness to Awolowo, he did not use Egbe Omo Oduduwa to govern the Southwest. Nnamdi did not use Igbo Union to govern when he was the Premier and same for Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Ibrahim Bello. The Nigeria I grew up in premised on unity. We must not allow ethnicity to divide us.”

    Dr. Bugaje, stated that competency should be the driving force that can take Nigeria to a greater height.

    He opined that national consensus as a panacea to the issues arising from conflict.

    Bugaje urged the ruling class and elite to focus attention on the next generation as statesmen think of their next generation.

    “The issues ahead of us are that of food, education, employment, infrastructure. How can we be competitive in all of these to grow our economy?”

    “We need to put policies in place to help us re-orientate Nigerians through the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to change people’s mind-sets of hatred and animosity,” he said.

    Prof. Utomi reminded Nigerians that permanent crisis stalls development and that there’s no action without theory.

    “And there cannot be development if we are not thinking things through. It makes us make mountain out of molehill. In our country, we seem unable to have rational public conversation because we are captive of emotions. And we have a moral duty to elevate our country beyond what we have currently.

    “As it is, Nigeria is travelling in the wrong direction and leadership will determine the commitment we give to education. Knowledge and sense of service are required to have quality leadership as Nigerian state is captured. We must rethink our democracy,” he advised.

    The Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Prof. Afiz Oladosu identified the various challenges confronting the nation and called for a guided restructuring.

    UMA’s President, Alhaji Shuaib Salis reminded everyone of the fact that Nigeria has been a blessing to humanity.

    “In solving South Africa apartheid and other nations’ crises, we are always there to play positive roles; though we have issues that we need to fix but not to break up but fix the gaps,” he said.

    The Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, commended the leadership of UMA and all members for the great initiative and impact.

    He promised to continue to support every move to take the University forward while praying for peace in Unilag and the whole country.

    National Orientation Agency (NOA) Director-General Dr Garba Abari gave a round down of activities of the agency in curtailing hate speeches and fake news.

    Dr Abari said the agency has an advocacy programmes to sensitise community and traditional rulers.

    According to him, NOA has visited 88 higher institutions to engage the youth to cultivate good value.

  • Muslim Marital Homes

    Muslim Marital Homes

    By Femi Abbas

    Monologue

    Today’s article is not new. It is only being republished here due to popular demand. When it was first published in this column six years ago (2015), many Muslim couples, in Nigeria and abroad, saw it as a true mirror of their matrimonial homes. Many others took it for a matrimonial handbook capable of serving as a guide for the conduct of their homes. Yet, many who missed it at that time but only heard of it from those who read it have severally called for its repetition in this column. Thus, because of the value it may add to Muslim homes and the role it may play in resolving conflicts in those homes, ‘The Message’ decided to re-publish it here today for the benefit of all and sundry. Here it goes:

     

    Preamble

    “A radical 20th century India-born British journalist and novelist, George Orwell, wrote a famous allegorical novel entitled ‘ANIMAL FARM’ in 1945. His focus in that novel was mainly on the Russian revolution of 1917 which he satirized venomously. While writing the novel, that social critic never thought that any possible ripples could arise from it, which might have a backlash effect on the entire human social life in the 21st century. But ironically, with the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), in 1991, the application of that book became manifest on the entire social life of today’s mankind. This will be explained shortly.

     

    Institution of Marriage

    Perhaps no institution in human life is as temporally or spiritually valuable as marriage. This is an indisputable fact across nations, races, cultures and religions. Marriage is the main axis around which the continuity of human existence on earth rotates. It is either a pivotal source of decency or a clear cause of malfeasance in any given society. Without marriage, human societies would have been like Orwell’s Animal Farm. And were Orwell alive today he would have probably redirected the focus of his novel towards the matrimonial homes globally rather than to condemnation of socialism.

     

    Rate of Marital Dissolutions

    Nowadays, the rate of dissolution of marriages is by far higher than the rate at which marriages are consummated. At least, going by the local customs of the various tribes in Nigeria one can conclude that marriages are conducted weekly throughout the country as against the daily occurrences of their dissolutions.

     

    Definition

    Some people define marriage as a legalization of intercourse and procreation of children without any reference to its divine sanctity. Others call it a social contract culturally or legally consummated between two consenting mature people of opposite genders. The latter definition is also silent on the obligation and responsibilities of such a union. In Islam, marriage is much more than both definitions. It is on the one hand, a promise made by the male gender who is soon to become the husband and on the other, a trust personification by the female gender who is soon to become the wife in the custody of her husband. Thus, marriage is an agreement between two families aimed at creating an avenue for continuity of social life through a common social venture jointly managed by the two representatives of both families in their bid to set up a home of their own.

     

    Essence of Marital Life

    In the life of any serious-minded human being, three events are fundamentally essential. These are birth, marriage and death. The three events form the main social axis around which the entire human life rotates. All other events in human life are merely peripheral.

    Throughout the world, today, (Nigeria inclusive), marriage has become a balloon which can be casually inflated in one minute and thoughtlessly deflated in the next minute. It has been taken for a mere chess game played for the fun of the players as well as that of the onlookers. To most Nigerians of today, marriage is not more important than dining, wining, singing and dancing. It has been reduced to mere fun and entertainment which many young couples see as a legitimate means of actualizing sexual urge that would have been perceived as a social aberration without passing through a formal matrimonial communion.

     

    Parable of Marriage

    While conducting a marriage in Lagos sometime in 2012, yours sincerely compared a marital couple to a pair of scissors which has two blades. Each of those blades faces a different direction. The one faces the right side whilst the other faces the left side. These positions are not naturally interchangeable. Yet, with the nuptial knot tying them together in the middle to seal their common destiny, the two blades jointly work assiduously in their move to certify the essence of that togetherness.

    Looking at a pair of scissors very carefully, one will discover that the two blades therein sometimes stick closely together and sometimes stand out separately. Their meeting and parting randomly accentuate the essence of their togetherness. Through those meeting and parting moments, the two blades of the pair of scissors communicate effectively and mutually function dutifully. When they stay apart, the tendency is for some intruders to assume that they cannot jointly function again and therefore attempt to penetrate the gap between them. But as soon as those intruders try to come in, the two blades of the scissors quickly come together to crush them. There is a marital lesson for human beings to learn from this.

     

    Implications

    Unfortunately, today, marriage has become like the country called Nigeria where projects are hurriedly executed to satisfy the momentary secret (under the table), in terms of contract, without any consideration for the quality and maintenance of such projects. When two young people of different genders and backgrounds are coming together to form a couple, they hardly think of the implications of such a union in terms of individual differences and the possible challenges that may emanate from those differences. Young couples of today perceive love, either from beauty point of view or from endowed wealth or even from pleasure of sexual intercourse. And, that is a way of turning infatuation or possession of material wealth or sexual enjoyment into love, which is usually the cause of early marital collapse.

     

    Love or Infatuation

    In marriage, love develops only gradually with mutual understanding, especially when it becomes evident that one spouse accommodates the weaknesses of the other through tolerance and compromise. The attraction which beauty or wealth or intercourse engenders can only, at best, generate tentative LIKENESS and not LOVE in the real sense. This is where the foundation of divorce is often laid even before the consummation of marriage. There is nothing called love in a matrimonial home in the absence of sincere communication and thorough mutual understanding as well as compromise and tolerance. It is not enough to claim mutual understanding through mutual study during courtship. No matter how long it may last, the period of courtship can never be enough for any couple to fully understand each other. That period is usually to impress each other while the tendency to pretend is often disguised. That is why an Arab poet once coined a couplet thus: “A liking eye sees nothing wrong in the conduct of the liked one; but a hateful eye only searches for the faults in the hated person”.

     

    The Seriousness of Marriage

    Marriage is a serious business which must be seriously negotiated initially by the concerned couples and their parents or guardians. At the courtship stage, the concerned couple must not only discuss the modalities of coming together as husband and wife they must also negotiate the factors of sustaining their marriage through proper sustenance of the home. Any marriage without a program of sustenance is likely to become like dew used by a farmer to water his crops into fruition. Can dew function like rain?

     

    The Prophet’s recommendation

    In his recommendation to Muslim men who are searching for wives, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was reported as saying: “Wives should be married on the basis of four factors: beauty, wealth, family background and faith”. He, however, emphasized (Islamic) FAITH as the strongest factor for Muslim couples. He did not recommend such factors to women because he knew the difficulties that women might face in making choices of husbands but he strongly recommended that a woman’s consent in the process of her marriage is germane. The Prophet then concluded that any marriage without such consent is invalid. This means that forcing a girl into marriage without her consent is illegal in Islam.

    Marriages are globally collapsing at an alarming rate today because couples and their families have closed their eyes to two key factors in sustaining the matrimonial home. These factors are COMMUNICATION and MUTUAL RESPECT. No marriage can ever survive or succeed without a thorough pre-marital counseling by parents, guardians or religious clerics who must not only tutor potential couples but also demonstrate practically to them how marriages are sustained using their own marriages as examples. Newly married couples often dream of building their homes in a floating castle without remembering that it is possible for a dream to end up in a nightmare.

     

    Communication

    There can be no matrimonial peace in the absence of adequate communication between husband and wife based on mutual respect. Nothing signals the collapse of a marriage more than a absence of communication. A marriage without effective communication is like a house without doors. Of course, the children from such homes are mostly the victims of any ensued divorce. If a marriage is initiated and consummated without communication, how can anybody think that such a marriage can be genuinely sustained?

    The real essence of marriage is for husband and wife to disagree in order to agree and not the other way round. In the process of disagreeing or agreeing, communication is the only key instrument. Without it, the home can never be solidly intact.

    Any couple that closes the matrimonial door to communication has surely opened that door to marital dissolution. Even divorce, whether through mutual agreement or through court injunction, must be a subject of communication in one way or another between both parties.

     

    Togetherness in Worship

    In Islam, one of the most potent ways of ventilating communication in the home is to worship and pray together at least twice in a day (morning and evening). A Muslim husband must at least be knowledgeable enough to lead his family in Salat and to preach and pray for such family daily. Through such worship and prayer, many knotty matrimonial issues can easily be untied. Besides, the children will learn to be good-mannered and to resolve disagreements among themselves. That is one of the reasons why Muslims are urged to acquire knowledge about their religion.

     

    Spate of Divorce

    The spate of divorce in any society today is much higher among the ignorant couples than the knowledgeable ones. It must be noted here that literacy does not necessarily amount to knowledge as erroneously believed in Nigeria by most elites.

     

    Matrimonial Conflicts

    Matrimonial conflicts are not new to any modern society. What seems to be new and worrisome about them is the geometric leap they are taking these days.

     

    Conclusion

    Today, Nigerian society is prone to danger of insecurity mostly because of matrimonial instability. And the more marriages are consummated, the more matrimonial homes crumble. Who, then, will save the society by saving our matrimonial homes? That is the biggest question of this time which is begging for a very positive answer. The security of Nigeria as a country depends very much on the stability of matrimonial homes. That is why emphasis should rather be laid on stability of homes than on distribution of contraceptives for the purpose of reducing procreation. There can be no peaceful nation without peaceful homes. This is a panacea for national insecurity. The battle for Nigeria’s future peace is rather in the matrimonial homes than in the Sambisa forests of this world, which is the enclave of the evil agents called Boko Haram. God bless Nigeria.

     

    NOTE:

    THIS article was first published in this column on August 21, 2015.

  • Lola’s sojourn in a forest of a thousand daemons

    Lola’s sojourn in a forest of a thousand daemons

    By Olukorede Yishau

    I want to tell you a story about the grit of a Nigerian-American married to a Swede.

    In the beginning, fiction writing found Lola Akinmade Åkerström. It was beautiful and marvellous in her sight. Over the years, however, she relegated it and made creative non-fiction and travel writing the darlings of her life.  Two non-fiction books— ‘Due North’ and ‘Lagom’— later the jealous lover called fiction staged a comeback. It was while Lola was on vacation in Portugal’s Algarve region and reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘Americanah’ that she visualised a novel about three black women and one influential white man. Right there she pulled out her notebook, outlined scenes, descriptions, characters, traits, features, interactions and quirks.

    By May 2018, as Lola recalled in a July 2020 piece, the first five or so pages were ready and she was so ecstatic. She had a dilemma: “I wasn’t sure which way I wanted to go with the book in terms of prose; whether or not I wanted it to be pure literary fiction which is what mainstream publishing expects from me as an African writer in the diaspora, especially, if I wanted to be taken ‘seriously’ as a literary writer. We needed to keep proving our command of language to primarily white audiences while writing stories mostly rooted in Africa.”

    The war between literary fiction and upmarket fiction was eventually won by the latter after she struggled to get into the second chapter of another African author’s literary fiction book. She did not want to write a book that readers will struggle to get into.

    “I didn’t want to hide what I wanted to say behind pretentious literary prose,” she wrote. So, she decided to write a novel that is in between literary fiction and commercial fiction.  Lola engaged the keyboard and after months of typing away, a character-driven novel with relatable plots was born. She christened it ‘Afroswede’.

    For a well-known travel photographer and author of ‘Lagom’, a book already translated into 18 foreign languages, you will expect Lola’s sojourn thereafter to be bump-free. But, in the forest of a thousand daemons that international publishing is, her road was rough, and it only recently ended in praise with publishing deals (in the US, UK, Canada and the Commonwealth) sealed for her debut novel now renamed ‘In Every Mirror She Is Black’.

    After working with a writing guru, Leigh Shulman, to get the manuscript ready for submission to a literary agent as required for mainstream publishing, nothing prepared Lola for the heart-breaking rejections to come.  To get an agent, she participated in a Twitter pitching initiative called #DVPit.  Several agents requested her manuscript, but nothing came out of it. Later in 2019, two-times Booker Prize finalist and Booker Prize judge Chigozie Obioma came to Stockholm, where Lola lives, to promote ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’. Obioma’s agent, Jessica Craig, was also on the trip. Lola’s friend, Yomi Abiola, sent Jessica a brief email introduction. Lola and Jessica met for 30 minutes.

    “I think it’s a remarkably polished first draft, and I really like your voice and writing style! And you bring a refreshing and intelligent new perspective to women’s fiction,” were Jessica’s words to Lola after reading the manuscript. Thus, she crossed the first hurdle to getting published by mainstream publishers.

    But then daemons in the forest of a thousand daemons were waiting for her. How dare she cross genres?

    “We were so eager and positive that the book would be snapped up right away in an auction. It was unique, different, epic, genre-crossing, and boundary-breaking. But traditional publishers were nervous about it. My book didn’t fit into a neat category they could easily check off even though many of them liked it.

    “The main problem is that most publishers are either literary or commercial. So, my book was too commercial for literary imprints and too literary for commercial imprints.

    “We got lots of positive feedback with the rejections which stumped even my agent and she’s one of the best in the business,” Lola wrote.

    As time went by, seventy commissioning editors had rejected the book and thirty-five others kept mute. Sourcebooks Landmark came through on June 10, 2020, with a pre-empt book deal to publish it in the United States and Canada.

    “Publishing a book comes down to who truly gets you, your voice, and your vision for what you’ve created, not who pays the most at auction for your manuscript. Getting to this point in any author’s life, especially as a debut novelist, is in itself a huge privilege and dream,” Lola said.

    On April 8, a deal for the UK and the Commonwealth was announced. Head of Zeus saw the vision and is running with it. On September 7, the American and Canada editions will be out and in February 3, 2022, this tale of three Black women whose lives are intertwined with a wealthy White man will be out in the UK and Commonwealth.

    The story follows Kemi Adeyemi, a marketing executive, who is lured from the U.S. to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, the CEO of Sweden’s largest marketing firm. Kemi’s immediate task is to help fix a PR fiasco about a racially tone-deaf campaign.

    There is also Brittany-Rae Johnson who meets Jonny on the plane on his way to the U.S. This chanced meeting ushers the former model-turned-flight attendant into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege. An unhealthy obsession develops.

    The third in the tripod is refugee Muna Saheed, recently granted asylum, whose day job is cleaning the toilets at Jonny’s office.

    These three Black women are shown ‘pepper’ by the man of means.

    We can now safely add novelist to Lola’s belt in addition to being the editor of Slow Travel Stockholm, speaker and an award-winning writer and photographer— whose works have appeared in National Geographic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Sunday Times Travel, The Telegraph, New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Slate, Travel Channel, Adventure Magazine, Lonely Planet and many more.

    My final take: If Lola Akinmade Åkerström had given up after 70 rejections, the world will not have a taste of the delight (‘In Every Mirror She Is Black’) that has blown the minds of internationally-renowned novelists such as Taylor Jenkins Reid, Imbolo Mbue, Nicole Dennis-Benn and Deesha Philyaw, among others. So, it is not time to give up yet. Get up, stand up; don’t give up the fight. You deserve a place in the sun and will defeat the daemons.

  • Rainstorm destroys 50 houses, electric poles in Kwara

    Rainstorm destroys 50 houses, electric poles in Kwara

    By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

    Rainstorm yesterday destroyed houses at Oro, Iludun Oro and Esie in Irepodun Local Government of Kwara State.

    The incident occurred barely 24 hours after fire gutted 30 shops in Oro.

    The rainstorm, it was gathered, also pulled down electric poles, thus throwing the communities into darkness.

    The rain, which started around 3pm, did not last up to an hour, an indigene of Oro, Niyi Adekanye, said.

    He added: “The incident has thrown Oro and its environs into darkness. We appeal to the state government to assist us.”

    The areas affected in Oro include St. Andrews Church, Abegun compound, Balogun square, etc. It was learnt that the roof of a house belonging to Mr. Shina Afolabi, done a day earlier, was blown off by the rainstorm.

     

  • Lagos urges residents to prepare for 261 days of rains

    Lagos urges residents to prepare for 261 days of rains

    By Okwy Iroegbu­-Chikezie

    Lagos State Government yesterday alerted residents along flood plains of major rivers and drainage channels such as Owode, Iwaya, Makoko, Badia, Ijora, Isaalu, Pota and Shibiri to move to higher grounds when the need arises.

    The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, briefing reporters on “the seasonal climate predictions and socio-economic implications for Lagos State”, said the state is also monitoring the low-lying communities of Agiliti, Agboyi,  Itowolo and Ajegunle, with the likelihood of Ogun River flooding the areas as well as other river basins.

    He said the peculiarity of Lagos as a coastal state and its strategic position as the economic hub of the nation necessitated the need to disseminate crucial information on this year’s rainfall prediction, to provide climate information and prepare residents ahead of the likely consequences of the rains, which will be between 238 and 261 days.

    Bello said the maximum annual rainfall for this year is predicted to be 1,747mm.

    He said the state government would ensure a flood-free and hygienic environment during the rainy season.

    The commissioner said the government is collaborating with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) not only in the areas of annual seasonal climate prediction, but also in downscaling the predictions to stakeholders.

    He added that the state had concluded preparation to have its network of weather stations to monitor the climate as well as increase the preparedness for weather related issues.

    Bello said the seasonal climate prediction for the state indicated onset dates that ranged between March 17 in earliest and April 6, while the season ending is predicted to be between November 30 and December 5. He said Ikeja is expected to experience about 261 days of rainfall, with a total amount of 1392mm and the rainfall onset date of March 17, while the cessation date is expected to be December 3.

    “Lagos Island has a rainfall onset date of April 6, while its cessation date is expected to be November 30. It is also expected that Lagos Island will have about 238 days of rainfall and about 1627mm of rainfall this year.”

  • EKSU lecturers to begin strike

    EKSU lecturers to begin strike

    By Rasaq Ibrahim, Ado Ekiti

    Academic workers at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti (EKSU) have said they will begin strike from April 22, after the expiration of their four weeks notice.

    The lecturers said the industrial action was necessary to protest alleged neglect of the university and its workers by the state government and the institution’s management.

    The ASUU Chairman, EKSU chapter, Dr. Kayode Arogundade, who stated this yesterday when he led other executive members to address reporters on the campus, said the lecturers are wallowing in abject poverty due to alleged neglect of the institution.

    Arogundade said that now fewer than 10 members of staff of EKSU had died due to the inability to pay medical bills from treatable ailments in the last three years.

    The ASUU Chairman stated that EKSU that is State owned, could not boast of any singular infrastructural facility put in place by the current State Government, since its inception in 2018.

    “As at today, Ekiti State Government is only subventing EKSU by 50% of its monthly wage bills, without paying any considerable attention to capital grants and infrastructural developments.

    “This has led EKSU Administration to ingloriously indulge in financial infractions, such as: Subversion of Tax Deductions to paying salaries

    Diversion of Pension deductions to paying salaries, fund diversion from various units of the University (Health Centre, ICT, Faculties and Directorates). By this, all these Units are left in absolute neglect and disarray.

    “Despite various appeals made to eminent personalities in the State to help call the attention of Government to the survival of the University, it appears the current Governor of the State has defiantly made up his mind to punish EKSU to its grave.”

    Arogundade accused Governor Kayode Fayemi of reneging on his promise to offset five months arrears of subvention being owed the University, within the first six months of assumption of office, saying, “ordinarily, it should not take the “brilliant and performing Governor” 3 years to defray the 5 months arrears of subventions being owed the University.

    “It is important to state herein that as at today, our workers are being owed the followings: 3 months arrears of salaries for the months of July, August and September, 2018;  6 years arrears of Earned Academic Allowances, 26 months unremitted pension deductions and 14 months arrears of half salaries.”

    He said that the Union, in the spirit of collective bargaining, had met with critical stakeholders in the University and Ekiti State more than Seventeen times since the inauguration of the current Administration.

    “Despite all efforts by our Union to embrace the spirit of collective bargaining, neither the Governor, University Council nor EKSU Administration deemed it fit to see to how our plights could be bettered and ameliorated. Rather, it has been unkept promises, continuously and unendingly running for 3 years, as if the education of our citizens is of no priority to them.

    “We don’t want to die before our money is paid. We are tired of promises. The Governor has denied us access to interact with him. He has called our bluff,” he added.

    The commissioner said the Emergency Flood Abatement Gangs (EFAG) of the ministry has been de-silting and working on linkages to the secondary and primary channels, to enable them discharge efficiently and act as retention basins.

    He said the government is determined to maintain the long-established synergy and partnership with the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Authority, which has ensured control and monitoring of the steady and systemic release of water from Oyan Dam, to prevent flooding of the downstream reaches.

  • Saboteurs killed Eagles in 2002, says Oliseh

    Saboteurs killed Eagles in 2002, says Oliseh

    By Oluwamayomikun Orekoya

    Nigeria legend Sunday Oliseh believes  the Super Eagles  would have  soared  to glory at the   2002 Korea/ Japan World Cup  but  for  saboteurs, even as he chided the  officials of the then Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and some media houses for Nigeria’s disastrous participation in the Far East.

    The former  national team captain opened up on his Super Eagles’  experience in his published autobiography titled  ‘Audacity To Refuse’ to be  released to the public today.

    The former Juventus  midfielder  who made 63 appearances for the West Africans, took readers through  his life’s  journey within and outside football but was miffed about the incident that  forced his premature exit from international duty in 2002.

     As sequel to  the  Super Eagles’ 2002 Africa Cup of Nations campaign  in Mali, Oliseh, writing about ‘The End of the Golden Generation’ said matter-of-factly: “The FA, in collaboration with some media houses, staged a thunderous negative campaign against the Super Eagles.

    “They criticized coaches, who had just achieved the impossible by qualifying Nigeria to the 2002 World Cup a few months earlier, were now crucified by some media houses.”

    “Some players, especially me by virtue of being the captain, were criticized just as bad, if not worse than the coaches,” the former Ajax star added.

    “Because of my obligations with my club BVB (Dortmund) in Germany, and the impossible task of expressing our version of events via the hostile media, Nigerians were deceived and set against the team.”

    The team, led by Amodu Shaibu and Stephen Keshi, was disbanded after the 2002 Nations Cup in Mali where they lost to Senegal in the semi-finals and Adegboye Onigbinde was appointed with just three months to the Mundial.

    “Combined with their strange behaviour and lack of investment by certain colleagues at the AFCON in Mali, the whole plot finally made sense,” Oliseh continued.

    “The team had been methodically set up to fail to reach the FA’s goal of sabotaging and dismantling the team; however, we miraculously got the semi-finals in spite of this plot.”

    The 556-paged memoir is Oliseh’s first book  and the very first by a member of what is regarded as Nigeria’s Golden Generation that  won the 1994  Africa Cup of Nations  en route to the country’s maiden appearance at the USA’94 World Cup  as well as the set that won Nigeria and indeed Africa’s first soccer gold medal at Atlanta ’96.

  • El-Rufai’s rhetoric

    El-Rufai’s rhetoric

    Hardball

    Of all governors of the northern states most challenged by insecurity, Kaduna  State Governor Nasir El-Rufai stands out in rebuffing any attempt at conciliation with bandits and insists on dealing them the harsh hand of law they deserve.

    Late last week, he restated for the umpteenth time that he would pay no ransom – not even if his son were kidnapped. “Even if my son is kidnapped, I will rather pray for him to make heaven, because I won’t pay any ransom,” he said in a radio interview. At another forum, he had argued that bandits have lost their right to life under Nigerian constitution. “The bandits are at war with Nigeria and there is no other way to approach the current insurgency but for security forces to take the war to (them) and recover forests they are occupying,” he said

    Earlier, his wife Hadiza advised kidnappers to perish the thought of abducting her. Late in March while visiting her farm, she tweeted: “At my farm today. Anyone thinking of **** me should not bother. The man has already warned me that he will not pay any ****” – putting the words ‘kidnapping’ and ‘ransom’ in asterisks.

    El-Rufai’s tough talk was against the backdrop of pressure mounted on him to facilitate the release of students of the Federal College of Forestry and Mechanisation, Kaduna who were kidnapped by bandits on 11th March and are yet to regain freedom. The kidnappers have demanded N500million ransom payment, but the Kaduna governor insists on not playing ball or even negotiating with the criminals.

    Parents of the kidnapped students are of a different view and are pressing the governor to soften up. A representative of the affected parents, Sani Friday, said they were afraid the bandits could kill their children should government deploy force to rescue the hostages. “(El-Rufai) made a statement before that he can do anything for the bandits to stop killing, so we want him to do something… The way we want the government to go about this is to negotiate. Even if they want to put any other security measure on ground, it should be after negotiation.” he argued inter alia on a television programme.

    From the high ground of societal morality and legality, you can’t fault the Kaduna governor for his puritan disposition; actually, he deserves praise for taking a strong line away from the tendency that has fostered resilience in the bandits and encouraged their criminality. But it might help to tone down the aggressive rhetoric by which sheer non-compromise is flaunted as a badge of honour whereas not much has been achieved to forestall successful attacks by bandits. The Yoruba have an axiom that one does not interrogate the death that killed one’s father when you do not yet have the sword of revenge in your control. Hardball thinks that is one useful counsel to apply in this circumstance.

  • Oyo back to hooliganism era, says Sheikh Bello

    Oyo back to hooliganism era, says Sheikh Bello

    By Segun Showunmi, Ibadan

    Popular Islamic scholar, Sheikh Muhyideen Ajani Bello, yesterday said Oyo State has gone back to the era of hooliganism.

    According to him, nothing has changed for good in the state after Ajimobi left office as the governor.

    Sheikh Bello said this during the 1st Annual Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi Memorial Ramadan Lecture at Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi Central Mosque, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

    According to him, the former governor of Oyo State, has died, but the legacy he left behind cannot be forgotten by the people of the state.

    Sheikh Bello noted that Ajimobi tried his best while alive touching many lives, adding that people of the state particularly Muslims will miss the ex-governor.

    He said: “Insecurity has returned to the state, people can no longer move freely, we have gone back to the era of hooliganism where people in the state can no longer sleep with their two eyes again.”

    Chairman of the event, Alhaji, Mutiu Oladejo a.k.a. Onimalu said that people in the state missed positive impact of the late Ajimobi, saying that the legacy left behind by the late governor cannot be over emphasise.

    He, however, called on Muslims across the state to come together and support themselves, and stops looking for their mistakes.

    “Ajimobi has done his best while alive which people in the state can never forget his footprint,” he said.

  • Akeredolu to Ajayi: return official vehicles or face embarrassment

    Akeredolu to Ajayi: return official vehicles or face embarrassment

    By Osagie Otabor, Akure

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has vowed to embarrass his former deputy, Agboola Ajayi, if he fails to return four official vehicles in his possession.

    The vehicles are Land Cruiser SUV, New Toyota Hilux, New Toyota Hilux and Toyota Hilux.

    The governor said he would press charges against Ajayi and other former political appointees who failed to return government property in their possession.

    He said it was reprehensible for Nigerians to condone the practice by elected officials or political appointees to take government belongings away when leaving office.

    Akeredolu, who spoke on Wednesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, said he (governor) did not buy any new vehicle after he was sworn in.

    He said he ensured that the vehicles he inherited were refurbished.

    The governor said he would unleash security agencies on former political appointees, including his erstwhile deputy, who refused to return government property.

    He said: “Ajayi has no right to steal if we want to use the proper word. Why does the former deputy governor think he merits those vehicles and others do not? The vehicles are public property. We have to stop this impunity. It is not only the ex-deputy governor, but other political appointees. This madness must stop.

    “So they want to take the vehicles away and then we will use tax payers’ money to buy new ones. There are many of them yet to return vehicles. Some have returned, but others are still feigning that they thought they would be reappointed.

    “We are waiting for the police to act on the petition. We will press charges against them. Ajayi no longer enjoys immunity; we will press charges against him. He should return those vehicles. Are we now going to buy vehicles for the new deputy governor?

    “These things are pure stealing. We have to challenge these people. If Ajayi refuses to comply, we will press charges against him. At the end of Akeredolu’s first term, we sent letters to political appointees to return government belongings because nobody was sure of coming back.

    “We will unleash security agencies on all of them. They made calls to Ajayi and he promised to comply, but later he started barring their calls. This is not decency and politics. Let Ajayi return the vehicles or else we will embarrass him.”

    Police Commissioner Salami Bolaji confirmed receipt of the petition.

    Salami, who spoke through the command spokesman, Tee-Leo Ìkoro, said he has directed investigation into the petition.

    Ajayi last night said he is in possession of two official vehicles and not four as demanded to be returned by the state government.

    Ajayi, who spoke through his media aide, Allen Sowore, said he returned all vehicles in his possession on February 23rd, the day his tenure ended, except the two vehicles, a Land Cruiser and a Hilux SUV.

    He said he is entitled to those two vehicles just like other former deputy governors in the state.

    Ajayi said one of the vehicles being demanded was at a mechanic workshop in Okitipupa, while the other was still with the dealer because full payment had not been made.

    The ex-deputy governor said Governor Akeredolu should be prepared not to take any government vehicle at the end of his tenure if he (Ajayi) is made to return the two vehicles.