The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Re: Further thoughts on Ekiti polls

    Re: Further thoughts on Ekiti polls

    Dear Mr. Segun Ayobolu,

    Please permit me to correct some wrong information in your article titled ‘Further thoughts on Ekiti Polls’   in your column on the back page of the Nation of July 5, 2014. It is obvious that you based many of your assumptions on the wrong information you received from Ekiti. Whoever gave you information in Ekiti gave you wrong information upon which you based your article and thus misinformed the public.

    Your first misinformation is that Dr. Fayemi lost his polling unit, town and ward to the PDP. However, the truth is that Dr. Fayemi won in his polling unit, town and ward- Isan/Ilafon/Ilemeso. The results from INEC’s form EC8A is, unit 09 Fayemi APC- 167, Fayose PDP- 1(one) Opeyemi Bamidele LP-(0). Fayemi’s ward- Fayemi-2,022 Fayose-261, Bamidele-6. Please always be sure of your facts. That is about election results in Fayemi’s polling unit and ward.

    On the other spurious misinformation upon which you based your article and conclusion, you are very wrong! Whoever gave you that information has misled you into writing your article and you are guilty of a grievous error of judgment. Fayemi did a lot in Isan though that is not to say he is a Governor of Isan town but that of Ekiti State and there should be no regret about this. It is possible that the man who sent you an sms from the governor’s town was the only voter for Fayose who recorded 1 vote in the town. This is expected as no leader, including Fayemi and Fayose, no matter how popular, can have 100 percent support in his home town. Let’s assume the result is the true expression of the wishes of Ekiti people,  while 38 people voted against Fayose in his home town of Afao,  only 1 voted against Fayemi in Isan so who is more popular at home?

    If excessive militarization of the State before and during the election did not affect the result of the election substantially what else did in your estimation assuming we are not considering other factors? A situation whereby as many as 400 (Four Hundred) APC leaders who were supposed to galvanise their members to vote were hounded and herded into various detention cells on the eve of election and on election day could not be said to be a non-issue. No doubt, this shameless, crude and naked abuse of Federal power substantially affected the result of the election.

    Mr. Ayobolu, how else will Fayemi refute the misinformation that he or his wife built a University in Ghana? Apart from debunking this wicked lie at every forum by the Governor and his wife Bisi, is the onus not on those who alleged to prove that he actually owns a University in Ghana? Till date, none of those who alleged this has been able to come up with the name or address of the University in Ghana so what else is Fayemi or his wife supposed to do?

    That Dr. Fayemi built mansions in Isan on assumption of office is not only fallacious, but mischievous because he had completed those set of six bungalows before he was sworn in on October 2010 and this was declared as part of his assets and published in the dailies.

    Your analysis about the stomach infrastructure cannot be correct. Let’s assume without conceding that Fayemi lost because Ekiti people prefer stomach infrastructure which he fails to do, are you telling us Fayose did better stomach infrastructure between when he emerged as governorship candidate of the PDP in April 2014 than Fayemi who started this 42 months ago? If it is all about rice (as we are made to believe and this is an insult to Ekiti people), do you know that Fayemi more than two years ago started feeding the elderly with choice cooked food all over Ekiti why those who can cook were given raw food stuff under the food bank programme?.

    This is apart from the fact that 25,000 elderly people were paid N5,000 monthly. 15,000 youths were paid N10,000 monthly under the Youth Volunteer Scheme. Over 2,000 women across Ekiti benefited from Conditional Cash Transfer by earning N5, 000 monthly. This is aside from thousands of women across the state that the wife of the Governor has empowered with cash and materials. Such groups as hairdressers, market women, tailors, food vendors were regularly empowered with cash and tools not once. There are many other programmes aimed at empowerment (stomach infrastructure) which the government did for many Ekiti people.  I need to be enlightened what other stomach infrastructure we are talking about. There is no community in Ekiti state that does not earn a monthly cash inflow of between 500, 000 and 20 million naira being various amounts earned by indigenes of such towns from various government programmes mentioned above so which other stomach infrastructure are we talking about? Is Fayemi expected to be throwing money on the streets at regular intervals?

    About Dr. Fayemi’s alleged disconnect with the masses, nothing could be farther from the truth.

    This is a governor whose budget is a result of town hall meetings of requests from the communities in Ekiti state. He did this from 2011 to 2013.  Many projects in the 131 towns in Ekiti state today are a result of the town hall meetings and requests made. The wife of the governor since 42 months ago have been interacting and impacting positively on the women in the rural areas through many of her empowerment projects. She has paid hospital bills of many indigent patients, she has taken over the care of multiple births under her Multiple Birth Trust Fund. She visited markets and farmsteads more than once to interact and empower the women. Fayemi is the only Governor who has given many communities various sums of money to assist in many projects such as town halls and palaces which many towns have abandoned due to lack of funds. So the question is, how else does a governor connect with the grassroots? Is the analysis of this election not all about calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it?

    You said Otunba Niyi Adebayo’s 22 year old son is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Diaspora matters, this is also not correct as there is no such position in Fayemi’s government. There is a Senior Special Assistant to Fayemi on Diaspora matters who is from Ire-Ekiti and he is close to 50 years of age. I don’t know where you got this wrong information from.

    On your allusion that Fayemi has kept Asiwaju and those who helped him to power at arms length, I don’t know what informed your position except Asiwaju complained to you! You may be close to Asiwaju but you are not the only person who is close to him and that is not the view and position of the rest of them. Fayemi has not kept Asiwaju at arms length but has continued to hold this human colossus in high esteem.

    I also don’t understand what you mean by the statement that Fayemi’s Commissioners and Special Advisers cannot boast of N1 million naira in their bank accounts, then I ask, is being a Commissioner all about personal aggrandizement? I won’t say much about that but I know that is also not correct.

    If you are truly Dr. Fayemi’s friend, you ought to have done a thorough check of your facts before writing that article which is an embarrassment to him and an attempt to rubbish his person and all his achievements in Ekiti State. With a friend like you Ekiti State needs look no further for an enemy or how else can one put the deliberate distortion of facts from you especially on the poll results from Fayemi’s unit, town and ward. This is why Yorubas say, Idaamu akoni lo maa so omugo di ologbon (It is the tribulation of a brave man that turns a foolish man to an emergency adviser)

    The truth of the matter is that there is not yet an agreement that the result of the Ekiti election as declared by INEC is the true reflection of the wishes of Ekiti voters. Many believe that the result is strange and more than meets the eye. Fayemi in his concession speech said that much and that is why the party is challenging the result in court. If the ballot papers were compromised as is rumoured in many quarters, then it means that the votes of Ekiti people didn’t count. If this is the case, it follows that any analysis based on the  result cannot explain anything, cannot describe Ekiti people as preferring stomach infrastructure to physical infrastructure and as people who are ingrates and who do not value development despite their education!

    I want you to ponder over these questions:

    1. Is it possible for Dr. Fayemi an incumbent who has transformed Ekiti so much to lose with such a margin to the extent that he didn’t win in any Local Government?

    2. If a thief burgles a house and carts everything away including the grinding stone for pepper, what will you think?

    3. If the result is real, why are people not jubilating across Ekiti in proportion the votes declared in favour of the PDP candidate? For example if it is true that Fayose scored 41,000 votes in Ado-Ekiti why is it that, not even 1,000 people of this figure could come out to jubilate after the result were announced?

    4. Did all PDP Governors who have earned second terms perform more than Kayode Fayemi or did they meet all your conditions especially stomach infrastructure for their people?

    5. Teachers have been on strike in Benue State for the past 9 months, are you saying the PDP Governor there will not win again if he should contest for another term?

    6. Are you saying the present Kogi State Governor will not win again despite his refusal to pay minimum wage?

    7. Are you saying that Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State will not win a second term despite conducting the same Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) which Ekiti teachers revolted against? In Bayelsa, those who failed the test were redeployed.

    The result defies all logic, all reasoning and all commonsense. Until the mystery behind the ballot papers is resolved, I implore you and other columnists to hold your judgment and analysis of Ekiti elections.

    Hakeem Jamiu

    Ado-Ekiti

  • Nigeria’s soccer circus

    Nigeria’s soccer circus

    (My World Cup diary, 13)

    Wednesday’s FIFA ban on Nigeria isn’t new. We have been through this before. We learnt nothing from previous threats from FIFA, largely because many people see the NFF as a casino.

    Again, President Goodluck Jonathan would be persuaded by views from discerning Nigerians on the social networks to accept FIFA’s verdict, like he did four years ago, when he banned the Super Eagles, if we hope to play the beautiful game in Nigeria. Our young girls Falconets are due to participate in the U-20 World Cup in Canada. They are likely not to attend, except this ban is lifted.

    President Jonathan should please allow the girls participated in the competition. They have laboured through the qualifiers. Playing at the World Cup opens a new vista in their career. They are bound to secure bigger contracts to play outside Nigeria. Cash from such lucrative soccer deals can change the lives of their families.

    We need to protect the game that has brought fame and wealth to many, who are from humble families. Austin Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Pepetual Nkwocha, Stella Mbachu, Mercy Akide-Udoh, Desire Okparanozie et al are their families’ breadwinners. Their lives have changed for the better since they attained stardom playing for Nigeria. Sports, especially football, is business; not a platform for settling petty feuds among contending parties.

    FIFA’s rules are sacrosanct. They are obeyed by 208 other countries. I wonder why Nigerians think that such rules are not biding on us. The statutes are respected, even though we have refused to repeal Decree 101, which gives powers to the supervisory minister to wield the big stick.

    Yesterday’s bad men are now the tools to remove hitherto good men. It is a vicious cycle which leaves football administrators in a trance. We repeat the same mistakes and expect changes. Jobbers and influence peddlers in the corridors of power heat the soccer polity with personal interests, leaving national interests comatose.

    Yesterday’s men are back. They spent the last four years plotting their return. We have not asked them what they have been doing during the lull. Shouldn’t Nigeria break away from this clan if we truly want the game toSportswear giant Adidas has denied suspending links with Nigeria, pending when the impasse is settled. It is a business decision, but, like they say, there is no smoke without fire. This is just the beginning. Even the new board won’t be able to convince sponsors to bankroll the game because such firms would rather watch the trend than plough their cash into an unstable body. The truth must be told that FIFA has democratic methods of dissolving football federations through the ballot box. The impression here in Brazil is that the government has coerced a few people to undertake this task of sacking the Maigari-led board. I digress!

    Coaches whose heads have been slated for the chopping table over Nigeria’s poor outing in Brazil (forget about the Eagles qualifying for the second round) are smiling since the confusion in the Glasshouse ensures that their jobs are intact. Our football cannot grow when the senior national team is populated by foreign-based players, most of who warm benches in Europe. Attempts to get the Eagles coaching crew to invite our players doing well in Europe for a balanced squad that could compete favourably at the Brazil 2014 World Cup were rebuffed on the altar of giving them freehand to run the squad.

    Our game will get the desired fillip when the Eagles excel at big competitions, like the World Cup. Certainly not under these coaches. Eagles would have played better with players such as Ikechukwu Uche, Chinedu Obasi, Victor Anichebe, Sone Aluko, Lukman Haruna, Nosa Igiebor and Sunday Mba-to mention a few. They did well for their European clubs last season.

    We recorded quantum growth after the 1994 World Cup because Clemens Westerhof picked a lot of our good players. Their performances compelled European clubs and their scouts to visit Nigeria. They took away some undiscovered players, such as Sunday Oliseh, Obafemi Martins, Austin Okocha, John Utaka and Emmanuel Emenike.

    Oliseh played for Julius Berger, but he never made the national team until Westerhof fished him out of Europe. Okocha was a gazelle for Enugu Rangers; he wasn’t considered until he dazzled in the German league. Nigerians knew Obagoal as a youth player with Inter Milan, yet he did very well playing street football in Ajegunle. But for Joseph Yobo’s persistence on Emenike, he would have played for South Africa, in spite of the fact that he played locally here until he sneaked out to South Africa

    Eagles’ coaches’ match reading notes in Brazil were highly inaccurate. They lacked the tactical savvy to outwit more intelligent managers. They lived in a cocoon, scared to imbibe some of the new tricks of the game, using the expertise of others better than them in various facets of team building. So many countries did well in Brazil because they had dispassionate backroom staff sitting in different stadia, charting the playing styles of their likely opponents, using the FIFA match chart. When such teams meet, the games are usually end-to-end stuff where the most proactive of the two sides wins. No team prosecuted matches blindly like Nigeria did.

    We are talking about a second round finish at the Brazil 2014 World Cup because goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was spectacular in our first three matches, especially the opening game against minnows Iran. Eagles crashed out in the fourth game because of Enyeama’s slip. You won’t blame him. He is human.

    But what were the coaches’ instructions to the players? Coaches who can brazenly give Gabriel Rueben a jersey and allow him enter the pitch for a World Cup game deserved to be sacked. Not for a country like Nigeria, with abundant talents at the grassroots. But do our coaches want to work?

    A day before the game between Holland and Croatia, I watched the Croatians train. I saw an ATP ranked Lawn Tennis player use his racket to hit the tennis balls towards the goalkeepers. I was curious. Tennis player and racket in a football training ground. I understood the impact when Croatia’s goalkeeper stood between Holland and goals. He virtually dragged the game into a penalty shoot-out, which the Dutch won 4-3.

    Holland’s manager Louis Van Gaal showed that coaching is not about begging the Dutch to pray for the team and its players like our coaches do. With the clock showing 100 minutes, Van Gaal beckoned on Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul to warm up. Where I sat in the stadium, I told Punch Sports Editor Pius Ayinor that Krul would be introduced into the game. I predicted that Krul would win the match for the Dutch. When it turned out that way, Ayinor wasn’t surprised.

    Ayinor alluded to the game between Ghana and Germany, where the German coach called his fellow World Cup mate Berti Vogts, asking what he thought was wrong with his team while the game was on.

    Germany’s coach Joachim Loew’s call was instructive. Vogts works for USA as Jurgen Klinsmann’s spy and the Americans had beaten the Ghanaians. Vogts told his countryman the Ghanaians had limping wing back. He challenged them to launch their attacking forays using the limping star’s position. It worked and Germany drew 2-2 with Ghana.

    Indeed, Loew has made the German side open to contributions from knowledgeable Germans. He listened to the voice of wisdom and included Klose in his World Cup competition, with one mission in mind- for Klose to break the record of scoring 16 goals at the Mundial. Klose was just a goal away from history. Today, Klose and indeed Germans can celebrate the feats.

    Only teams with such depth-in-strength can aspire to win the World Cup, not ours where Oguenyi Onazi’s injury exposed the Eagles’ weaknesses like the leaking nostrils of a sick child. Eagles in Brazil were tactless. The players struggled through our games. They had no game changer or match winners. Substitutes were awful.

    Did any of our coaches call up Sunday Oliseh to find out how the team was playing? Oliseh was the head of one of FIFA’s technical study groups at the World Cup. He would have given our coaches an unfettered brief of what to do.

    Our coaches are currying influence in high places and taking injured players around instead of staying back to see how others play and compare notes. Neymar is on a wheel chair. Nobody has played politics with his injury by taking him to see Brazil’s President. I must commend President Jonathan for the kind gesture of paying the medical bills of injured Onazi and Michael Babatunde in London. I hope this is sustained with other athletes. It is important to ask what would happen to the players’ reward from the insurance policy secured for them at the Mundial? They are also entitled to some cash from FIFA.

    Countries know the rule when a player is injured playing for his fatherland. The matter was resolved by FIFA last year. Injuries to players are expected because they are tagged accidents. Brazil FA chiefs have pushed Neymar’s case to their insurers. Not so with Nigeria, where we drag every little thing to President Jonathan.

    Some of the coaches who have exited the Mundial are here watching games and pushing to establish relationships with better coaches still in the competition. Many have become match commentators. Ours’ are in the country beating their chests that Nigeria equaled a record set in 1994 (20 years ago) and blaming everyone else but themselves for the Eagles’ shoddy showing at the Mundial.

    Did anyone raise objection about the Eagles’ shambolic outings? It is on record that Nigeria and Iran played the worst game at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, culminating in the fans booing both countries. The voice of the people, they say, is the voice of God. Not so?

  • Further thoughts on Ekiti polls

    Further thoughts on Ekiti polls

    The primary vocation of the intellectual is the pursuit and advocacy of truth no matter how distasteful or bitter. Paul Baran, the late American political economist, insisted that the intellectual must ruthlessly criticise everything under the sun with the determination and courage to pursue rational inquiry to wherever it may lead irrespective of the consequences. In a famous lecture at the University of Jos, the late Professor Aaron Gana, the eminent political scientist, linked this to the famous admonition by Jesus Christ that “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”. The journalist is no intellectual. The nature of the profession gives little time for the kind of detailed and rigorous research undertaken by the intellectual. Journalists are said to write history in a hurry. Yet, we are no less bound by a commitment to truth as the intellectual. That is why it is said in the profession that while comments are free, facts are sacred.

    Last week, I joined in the effort to make sense out of the June 21 governorship elections in Ekiti State, which saw an incumbent, Dr Kayode Fayemi, perceived to be high-performing losing comprehensively to a populist, theatrical and controversial Ayodele Fayose with a tainted record as an impeached former governor of the state. Like most other commentators, including the famous Professor Niyi Osundare, whose satirical poem, ‘A rice O compatriots, thy stomach’s call obey’ has gone viral on-line, I interpreted the outcome of the election as a vote by the Ekiti electorate for instant and transient material gratification rather than enduring development; an endorsement of crude distribution of food and cash to the people rather than initiating and pursuing projects and programmes to uplift them out of poverty.

    In his thoughtful public ruminations on the Ekiti polls, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has raised pertinent questions, which have been misinterpreted as insulting the Ekiti people. Like the Governor, I also wondered if governance should be about distributing money to the poor or empowering them to be self-reliant through development projects. I wondered how an incumbent governor could have lost in his own home town and ward in a credible election. Well, given the overwhelming responses to my column – phone calls, text messages, and emails – mostly from Ekiti indigenes, I am afraid I was dreadfully wrong. I reacted cognitively and logically to the Ekiti polls without a proper appraisal of the empirical realities.

    Yes, the excessive and intimidating militarisation of Ekiti before and during the election was unwarranted. The partisan use of security agents by the Minister of Defence, Musliu Obanikoro and Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan is contemptible and condemnable. The intimidation of APC political leaders, abridgement of the freedom of movement of APC governors and teargasing by mobile police of the Governor Fayemi’s convoy negated the creation of a level paying ground necessary for free and fair elections. Yet, from the feedback I have received, the truth is that Mr Ayodele Fayose would still have won without all of these abuses. Indeed, it appears to me that violence would have broken out if, for any reason, Fayemi had been declared winner. It was that bad.

    Is it possible that Dr Fayemi could credibly have lost in his own home town, Isan-Ekiti? A reader from the town sent me a text message that he voted against the governor because he always insisted he was the governor of the whole of Ekiti State and not of Isan. Thus, they did not enjoy any special privilege from the fact of their son being governor. This may have been ethically right on the part of Fayemi but it was politically suicidal for him at home. Another response to my article was that Fayemi had built an imposing country home in Isan within his first year in office while most of the people remained immersed in poverty. The Fayemi government never successfully refuted the widespread rumour that the First Lady, Bisi Fayemi, allegedly built a higher institution in Ghana during his tenure. Thus, it is not that the people did not see and appreciate the massive infrastructure projects of the Fayemi administration. However, the construction of these projects were perceived as financially empowering a few in Fayemi’s inner circle many of whom were of no significant economic status before his emergence as governor. Thus, the quite natural and understandable insistence of the people that what is now popularly called ‘stomach infrastructure’ must be democratised and not restricted to the governor and his friends.

    A lecturer at the Ado-Ekiti University told me that most of the staff and students of the institution voted against Fayemi. If a Phd holder could not connect with his own academic colleagues, what are we talking about? And at the same time Fayemi was completely disconnected from the grassroots lumpen elements that were swept off their feet by Fayose’s populist antics despite the latter’s well- known flaws. Similarly, a national legislator of the APC from Ekiti State told me of how Fayemi had become inaccessible and alienated from the legislators at both the state and national levels and even many members of his cabinet. I am told that while many of Fayemi’s commissioners and special advisers could hardly boast of one million naira in their bank accounts, those in his inner circle had reportedly become stupendously wealthy. The Chief of Staff, Yemi Adaramodu, reportedly rude, arrogant and snobbish was a key factor in Fayemi’s loss. An APC chieftain in Ado-Ekiti recalled how Fayose and Opeyemi Bamidele reached out to him morally and financially when he lost his mother while his own governor did not even give him a phone call. This illustrates how alienated the Fayemi government was even from his own party that was consequently demotivated from working for his re-election with passion and commitment.

    Otunba Niyi Adebayo reportedly had two commissioners in Fayemi’s government including the commissioner for works; his 22 year old son was Special Adviser on Diaspora Matters (whatever that means) to the governor and Adebayo had five cousins appointed at various levels of the administration. This was in addition to unrefuted reports of the former governor handling several contracts.  Yet, many of those who fervently supported Fayemi intellectually, morally, financially and logistically during his three and a half year struggle to reclaim his mandate, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were kept at arms –length by Fayemi. The same Tinubu has stood valiantly by him following his June 21 defeat. Otunba Adebayo who could not even deliver his polling unit to Fayemi has remained thunderously silent while another of Fayemi’s cherished ‘godfathers’, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), who publicly supported Fayemi before the election has come out after the polls to say that Ekiti cannot afford to be in opposition! It is stunning that a highly respected SAN cannot appreciate the critical, indispensable necessity of opposition for healthy democracy and good governance. That, however, is a matter for another day.

    I hate to write these bitter truths but have no choice but to honestly put out the feed- back generated by last week’s column. Dr. Fayemi is my friend but I deliberately refused to visit Ekiti throughout his tenure. I never requested for, nor was ever offered even a bottle of coke by his government. All I have written in support of his government and re-election have thus been based on principle and the facts as I saw it. But what I can now surmise is that an ordinarily brilliant, humble and unassuming Kayode Fayemi became transformed by power into a haughty, hubristic governor almost contemptuous of his party and people. It is ironical that a student of power like Fayemi turned out to be so inept in its usage and management. There is no way, for instance, that an astute politician would have allowed Opeyemi Bamidele, who played such a key role in his emergence as governor, to become such a bitter opponent.

    The outcome of the June 21 election in Ekiti was a massive rejection of Fayemi’s style of governance and not necessarily of the APC. But the APC is suffering the consequences of condoning and ignoring the excesses of the governor. If Fayemi had got his politics right, a million bags of rice or a battalion of soldiers could not have delivered Ekiti to the PDP. Luckily for the APC, in Osun, Ogbeni Aregbesola is a solid grassroots politician; his lifestyle and attitude have not been perverted by power; he is a fervent and passionate party man; his massive development projects are integrated into the local economy and where he has inevitably had conflicts with interest groups, he has bent over backwards to explain his motives and resolve the issues. The loopholes that facilitated PDP’s victory in Ekiti do not exist in Osun. If the Ekiti elections reflected the will of the people, then it is very good for Nigeria’s democracy. This means that given his appalling non-performance, President Goodluck Jonathan is a very vulnerable incumbent in a credible 2015 election.

  • Ekiti: Nigeria’s democracy on critical support 

    Ekiti: Nigeria’s democracy on critical support 

    Truth has indeed triumph (sic) in Ekiti. Shame on people who are paid to image launder for people with impeccable moral and intellectual credentials. The people have spoken. Period and shut up please”. That was the insulting and gloating text message sent to me by a reader who was reacting to my short take, last week, on the Ekiti polls titled ‘Ekiti: Truth Will Triumph’. I wrote, “As is now usual with Nigerian elections under President Goodluck Jonathan, the number of security agents will probably outnumber voters in today’s polls. On one hand is a candidate yet to clear himself of corruption and murder charges currently in court. He confronts an incumbent with impeccable moral and intellectual credentials. There is a candidate whose loftiest idea of government was to build poultry sheds. There is an incumbent with sterling performance in infrastructure provision and social service delivery. In between is a decent progressive who unfortunately finds himself on the wrong side of history. Ekiti is a land of honourable and valiant people. They can neither be deceived nor intimidated. We shall ultimately celebrate the triumph of truth”.

    Despite the outcome of the election, I take nothing back.

    Despite Governor-elect, Mr Ayodele Fayose’s purported victory, Dr. Kayode Fayemi maintains the moral and cerebral high ground. In the aftermath of the polls, Dr Fayemi is suddenly being accused of sundry sins. Significantly, no one has said that he ran a corrupt government or stole Ekiti State’s funds. Yet, even after he was pronounced elected as Governor, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) maintained that Mr Fayose is still being prosecuted for alleged multi-billion Naira fraud involved in his administration’s Integrated Poultry project. Indeed, he was impeached and disgraced out of office by his own political party for that alleged offence. It speaks volumes of our diseased democracy and contaminated politics that such a person could have been presented to the electorate by a political party and claimed a landslide victory. The triumph of this kind of tainted truth can only be ephemeral and transitory. As for my friend, Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele, it can certainly not give him enduring fulfilment that all he has been able to achieve is help play the spoiler and enthrone the same retrogressive forces he had fought all his life as a committed progressive.

    Fayemi has remained an icon and role model of grace, decorum and honour in what is supposed to be his moment of travail. The last has certainly not been heard of this unique intellectual, democrat even if misunderstood reformer in the country’s politics. After rain comes sunshine and after darkness the glorious dawn, the great Awo once intoned. So shall it be in Ekiti. I am amazed at how uncritically some of our most respected public analysts have accepted and celebrated the outcome of the Ekiti polls as truly reflecting the will of the people. Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State is one of the few who has taken a deeply introspective and philosophical look at the implications of the Ekiti polls both for decent human behaviour and democratic sustainability. Too many of our public commentators have been surprisingly desensitised to the unacceptable level of militarisation of Ekiti before, during and after the election. This has now become a normal feature of Nigeria’s abnormal elections.

    A Commander-In-Chief and his military high command currently being humbled and hobbled by a rag tag Boko Haram force can dissipate scarce resources as well as the energy, passion and focus of the security agencies on the conduct of armed elections at a time when they acknowledge the country is at war. This is the height of irresponsibility. All of a sudden the armed forces and other security agencies have become politically hyperactive. Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro and his Police Affairs counterpart, Abdul-Jelil Adesiyan, are given free access to Ekiti State. They reportedly deploy professional security personnel for partisan purposes. Yet, the mobile police tear gas the convoy of the incumbent governor. An army captain threatens to shoot another governor and prevents him from campaigning for his party in Ekiti State. The aircraft of another of the party’s governors is grounded and his freedom of movement curtailed.  When security agents get used to defying constitutional political authority, the entire democratic process is endangered. It has happened in the past. Let us be careful. There is darkness visible. Nigeria’s democracy is on life support.

    It is of course not impossible that Mr Fayose won the election. But is the margin of that victory defensible? Is the scale of his purported triumph logically and rationally justifiable? Could Governor Fayemi have been so bad that even the people of his home town would vote against him? It has been argued that the Fayemi government was ‘disconnected’ from the people. Now, my question is this: What is the first level and basis of a government’s ‘connected-ness’ with the people? Is it not performance? Now, even Fayemi’s harshest critics concede that he performed. He built roads. He modernised schools. He built health care facilities. His education reforms led to marked improvements in Ekiti State student’s performance in internal and external examinations. His health policies led to a reduction in maternal and child mortality rates. He is accused of not sharing public funds to the people (stomach infrastructure). But his government had the first comprehensive social security scheme for the elderly in the country. So the majority of those elder citizens and their relatives in all local governments voted against him? He is said to have been too elitist and distant from the people. Yet, he held Town Hall meetings in virtually all communities in the state to gauge the feelings of the people. His government introduced the first community participation in the budgetary process in the country. That way it was the priority projects identified by the various communities that were reflected in the budget and implemented.

    I am not saying Fayemi is a Saint. Let he who has no sin cast the first stone. It is most probable that even though he meant well, he did not communicate his government’s policies and strategies effectively enough. Post- election analysis also indicates that his administration alienated and did not empower his own party foot soldiers enough. Those are lessons for the future. But I insist that these factors cannot explain the margin by which he purportedly lost the election. Perhaps the unkindest cut has been from my favourite columnist, Ishaq Moddibo Kawu, of The Vanguard who cited Asiwaju Tinubu’s alleged overbearing influence as being responsible for the APC’s loss of Ekiti. While respecting Asiwaju as his leader, Fayemi tactfully and cleverly kept him at a distance from his administration in Ekiti. I can authoritatively say that Tinubu did not have a single nominee in Fayemi’s cabinet. Fayemi wisely cultivated local leaders like Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Chief Afe Babalola so that Ekiti people would not see him as being dictated to from Bourdillon. Indeed, the failure or reluctance of Tinubu and the other party leaders to rein in the governors and enforce party discipline for fear of being tagged overbearing has led to alienation between the governments and the party in many APC states that must be urgently addressed.

    For now, I congratulate Mr Ayodele Fayose on his victory. He sounds much wiser and more mature now. If he has learnt the appropriate lessons from his first outing, Ekiti will be the better for it. Ultimately, unorganised spontaneity, cynical populism and energetic mindlessness cannot be the basis of sound and progressive governance.

  • Whose jinx? (My World Cup diary, 11)

    Engage any soccer-crazy Nigerian in a discussion on the Brazil 2014 World Cup, he or she would recount jinxes that the Super Eagles have broken in this series. Before Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to Argentina, these pundits would tell you that the Eagles are the only team not to have conceded a goal after two years. You would be told that the coaches have broken the jinx of winning a world Cup game for Nigeria since France’98. You would be educated about the achievement of qualifying for the second round since 1998. These posers become more bizarre when you see people waiting for the predictions of a certain prophet on our matches before they are played. Unthinkable. Yes, because if the prophet is that good, why don’t we hand over the team to him and start celebrating.

    Have we forgotten that this is our fifth appearance and that we need to join the league of World Cup winners at the senior level after our dominance in the age-grade cadres? The only way the world would applaud Nigeria as a football nation is when the Eagles lift the World Cup at the senior level. Every edition, Nigeria is always tagged the favourites, at least from the African perspective. We disappoint pundits because of our tunnel-vision of trying to surpass a feat that we achieved 24 years ago.

    Football isn’t mathematics where cumulative figures add up, according to various theorems. Football, for some people, celebrates exceptional talents, such as Argentina’s gazelle Lionel Messi.

    Wednesday’s last group game between Nigeria and Argentina lived up to its billing, with the fixture hinged on the sublime skills of Messi and Nigeria’s John Mikel Obi. Messi and Mikel emerged from the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Holland, with Nigeria losing 2-1 to Argentina. Messi has grown to become FIFA’s Player for the Year of four times. Mikel has a remarkable career with Chelsea. While Messi has immensely talented mates for both club and country. Mikel has been Nigeria’s star-of-the-pack, with most of his Eagles mates being average players.

    In 2005, Mikel and Messi were two of the best attacking midfielders in the world at the U-20 level. Messi has maintained playing  in that role. He has developed into an amazing

    talent. But, Mikel has been played out of the attacking midfield role. Mikel now plays as the defensive general, an assignment given to him by Jose Mourinho. Mourinho converted Mikel to the defensive midfield because he needed to replace ageing Frenchman Makelele at Chelsea FC in London. The Nigerian has done well but his knack for scoring goals has melted away like ice-cream under the scorching sun.

    Against Argentina on Wednesday, Mikel’s seeming commanding presence in Eagles’ defence, playing in front of the defenders, would have yielded us more dividends for the Eagles, if we had someone else with Mikel’s talent and skills. This has been Eagles’ albatross since Mikel broke into the team.

    Eagles in the last six years have not played attacking soccer anchored on creative midfielders like we have seen with Messi in Argentina, Neymar in Brazil, Pogba in France and ageing Snieder in Holland. If Holland, Brazil, Argentina and France make it to the semi-finals, it would be because of the remarkable contributions of these foursome.

    On Wednesday, the Argentines showed that they watched Eagles’ matches by exploiting the team’s weaknesses. Messi remained in the vacuum created between the Eagles’ left back Juwon Oshaniwa and the left winger, where Ahmed Musa functioned, us

  • A New World of terrorist, militant and populist democracies

    I start today with the statement – wonders will never end – and by the time we finish with each other today on this page, I bet you will agree that I have not exaggerated, missed the point or used that otherwise innocent expression very lightly. I state that I have no doubt whatsoever in saying that under normal circumstances or what Economists will call – a ceteris paribus assumption – which is ‘all things being equal, democracy has come to be accepted globally as the style of governance most suitable for economic progress and socio political stability, because it allows through mass suffrage for the participation of the largest number of people in any society or political system. It follows therefore that whatever the conclusions I reach today, the intention here was never to doubt the efficacy or suitability of democracy as an ideology in finding solutions to the governance and leadership problems of our time. The first wonder I unleash therefore is that the former Nigerian president retired General Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly said in a BBC Hausa service interview that while some of the abducted 200 Boko Haram girls will not be released for some time, the ones to be released may be released only because they are pregnant. Which really is something that I cannot get over given the source and the gravity of the abduction not only to the parents but the civilised world at large. The second wonder was the news that the US and Iran have promised to support the government of Iraq to stop Sunni rebels that have taken over most of the North and East of Iraq from overrunning the capital Baghdad. That amazing amity of views from both US and Iran on Iraq is a major diplomatic earthquake as both nations are very strange bedfellows indeed where Iraq is concerned as they had a common enemy in Saddam Hussein the former Iraqi dictator that the Iraqi Invasion of 2003 by the US removed from power. So what has made this incredible volte face to happen? That is food for thought later. The third wonder today was the reported caution of the US Consul in Nigeria to the use of the term ‘rig and roast’ by a Nigerian leader and the lecture by the US envoy on the vocabulary of campaigns and elections in Nigeria which I find thoroughly amazing for its lack of respect for the peculiarities and political culture of the Nigerian environment with regard to elections and campaigns and on which I intend to take the distinguished diplomat on a brief excursion on this page later. Having thrown up my wonders and amazement let me now dilate on them in that order. I also want to put a label on each as I go about analysing each situation. I therefore see the the cruel fate that the former Nigerian Head of state has predicted for the abducted Chibok girls as possible only in a terrorist democracy like Iraq and Syria but definitely not yet Nigeria. I see the advance of Sunni rebels on Baghdad and the odd pair panic of the US and Iran as the symbol of a Militant democracy where stability depends on the ascendant insurgency of the day or the moment. Thirdly I see the danger pointed out by the US Consul in the context of a message of deterrence understood in the political environment of communication but lost to the good intentioned US consul, and label this Nigerian environment a populist democracy similar to the vibrant and populist democracy in Turkey under PM Reccyp Erdogan. Now let me treat my categorisations of these wonders in that order. First, it is only in a terrorist democracy that the sort of predictions made by the former head of state of Nigeria on the abducted Chibok girls can take place and the incumbent Nigerian president is well advised to take OBJ to task on the matter especially as he said that he knows how to contact Boko Haram but has not been asked to do so by the Federal government. The ugly fate he has foreseen for the girls should not be allowed to be achieved by all right thinking and God fearing people the world over. To me it is like making the abduction a fait accompli which means that the government should kow tow to terror which is something that I know the former Nigerian head of state would never have allowed if he was in power. The nonchalance attendant on that sort of fate for the Chibok girls coincide in great measure with the callous ease with which Syria’s president organised his re – election for a new term of office recently at the peak of a mindless civil war ravaging his nation, Syria. Whether OBJ is contacted or not to contact Boko Haram, he should be told in plain terms that no sincere or humane government abandons its citizens especially girls to the sort of gory future or fate he envisioned so graphically and callously during that unfortunate interview. In the next case of the Sunni Insurgents advancing on Baghdad, the US is being pragmatic in making the same call as Iran its implacable enemy. But oil is at stake here and already the price of oil has risen sharply because it is easy to see that the crises in Iraq will cut global oil supplies for some time. And I am sure there is immense consternation in the Pentagon over the inability of the Iraqi government in Baghdad to defend that nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Obviously the Americans are learning that creating democracy in a foreign nation by invasion is no insurance for that democracy to thrive in the new environment. Surely the ghost of Saddam is haunting the government in Baghdad planted there by democratic elections but unable to provide the stability necessary for oil to flow through the oil life line of the west in the Straits of Homuz. This was a guarantee provided with US support by the Sunni dictator who lauded it over the Shiite majority as an antidote to Iran’s presence in the region before the US invasion removed him and put the Shiites in charge in a democratic election from which stability took a quick flight out of the window in Iraq. Now the Sunnis are returning to Baghdad and I think Saddam will be smiling in his grave at the US which removed him and is now shivering like Iran at the approach of Saddam’s protégé insurgents. That really is the wonder that may never end in military and terrorist democracies now springing up in our new world. On the ‘rig and roast‘ warning, the US envoy must be commended for his concern but the content and context of communication must be explained to him. He has rightly asked for caution as we go through the elections in June, August and 2015. But the warning is understood by those to whom it was sent given the history of campaigns and elections in the two states of Ekiti and Osun as well as the political culture of the two states. Again the Iraqi invasion by the US provides a good example of the peculiarities of political communication that US diplomats need to examine and respect. When the US captured Iraqi towns during the Iraqi invasion they left Saddam’s statues in the captured towns and proceeded but the applauding Iraqis laughed and scoffed at them in disbelief until they learnt they needed to pull down Saddam’s statue for the Iraqis to believe he was indeed gone. The same applied when Saddam’s sons were killed. The Iraqis did not believe until they saw their bodies on the streets. Nigeria is a vibrant democracy with a political culture of rigging and the message of deterrence is understood by real, past and potential riggers. Certainly the end justifies the common goal of free and fair elections that the US and Nigeria are striving to achieve and all that amazed me was the patronising posture by the US consul to be more catholic than the Pope in daring to think that he knows the pain of rigging more than the victims of several rigged elections in the areas of elections such as Ekiti and Osun states in the South west, where populist democracy is the vogue in this our Nigeria. That really was a pity.

  • Eagles of hope

    Eagles of hope

    The world’s greatest show has opened in Brazil. But I’m not excited. The talk in her about likely fairytale teams doesn’t include Nigeria. Hisses and sighs rent the air when Super Eagles is mentioned. What you hear are the exploits of Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Okocha, the late Rashidi Yekini, Emmannuel Emenike et al. They also talk about Stephen Keshi but the discussion stops at his feats with European teams because he played just a game at the USA’94 World. They ask how Nigeria dropped to such a laughable level where we are now parading a comity of bench warmers.

    They still celebrate Daniel Amokachi. Many purists still rate Da Bull as Nigeria’s best player, ahead of Kanu, courtesy of his exploits in England, Belgium and Turkey. They argue that Kanu was skillful, a match winner but he lacked the Da Bull’s guts. Nigeria kissed the USA’94 World Cup bye when Amokachi exited with the injury that nailed his career, they say. The argument can continue but my choice is Kanu. I wish these pundits could watch the Atlanta’96 Olympic Games where Kanu and Amokachi played. Kanu was certainly the best player in the world in that competition.

    They talk about Sunday Oliseh as the most accomplished Nigerian player. He played in Ajax FC of Holland, in several clubs in Belgium, Juventus in Italy and Dortmund in Germany, among others. Taribo West featured in the discussion. So did Victor Ikpeba, who many argue was Nigeria’s fastest. Do you agree? I feel it is Tijani Babangida. Perhaps after Segun Odegbami, Samuel Okpodu and Dominic Iorfa of yore? Emmanuel Emenike featured in the fastest player debate. But were they faster than Clement Temile? So, who is Nigeria’s fastest player? Food for thought.

    The discussion moved to the current Super Eagles and the unanimous choice of the best player fell on goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. Quickly, one of the discussants swore it wasn’t Enyeama. He argued that picking Enyeama was disastrous because it meant that the balls must always come towards him if he must justify our ratings. The message didn’t sink. He saw it on our faces and explained further.

    Craving for the balls to come towards Enyeama during Nigeria’s World Cup matches could be dangerous. Any error from him will be a goal and it would be very difficult for the Eagles’ attackers to equalise. The poser of having goalkeeper Austin Ejide as Enyeama’s deputy arose. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He muttered inaudible words and broke into a long prayer in which he asked God not to commit the Eagles into the shame of having a goalkeeper, who is not at his best to man the goalpost.

    This Enyeama apostle asked God to forgive the coaches for whatever sins they would have committed in picking the squad, pointing out that as rookies to the senior World Cup, such mistakes are pardonable. We all chorused Amen. But our man wasn’t done with his prayers. He went into momentary soliloquy and started binding and casting any spirit that will bring up the need for goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim to man the goalpost. The “Amen” was deafening.

    The prayer reached its crescendo when the choice of defenders came up. The back four men were difficult to pick. Godfrey Oboabona was the unanimous choice. Efe Ambrose next but the problem was in which position. Who will pair Oboabona in the central defence between Joseph Yobo and Omeruo? Many settled for Omeruo, except that they were worried if he had the cognate experience to marshal the defence against prolific strikers such as Messi, Higuain, Dzeko, Aguero, Di Maria etc.

    At this point the prayer had stopped. Another character took over. He explained why Yobo should pair Omeruo not Oboabona. These pundits argued that Oboabona should marshal the defence from the right back, where he can overlap and shoot at the goal. There was silence. Many recalled watching Oboabona play for Sunshine FC of Akure at the right back and scoring goals.

    Oboabona’s choice at the right back changed the argument. Again, this pundit suggested that Omeruo could be moved to the left back and Ambrose deployed to pair Yobo in the central defence. He was shouted down and called names. Herein lies the difficulty of the coaches in picking the Eagles’ first 11 players.

    The session to pick the midfielders continued. John Mikel Obi and Oguenyi Onazi stood out. The question became the formation that the coaches would adopt. The discussion moved to picking the four attackers. Emmanuel Emenike was the obvious choice to lead the team’s attacking forays. The issue arose about his fitness. Many pointed out that Emenike had been a shadow of his Africa Cup of Nations’ form, especially when fielded without Brown Ideye, who was dropped by the coaches for not having the knack for scoring goals.

    Who will pair Emenike upfront? Osaze Odewingie, who the coaches have said is desperate to impress them (whatever that means)? Or Shola Ameobi, who hasn’t shown the knack of scoring goals that we have seen him do for Barclays English premier league side Newcastle? Or debutant Nwofor?

    Tough task, no doubt. One guy suggested Victor Moses to pair Emenike. He was shot down by the others who preferred Ahmed Musa. Is Ahmed Musa fit for the World Cup? We settled for Musa- Emenike combination but with a caveat that the coaches must be sure that he is truly fit, lest we waste a big opportunity to utilise the three substitutions required by the laws of the game for tactical decisions to counter what our opponents would be throwing at us.

    Moses and Osaze were picked to operate from the midfield and join the attack. They would fall back into the midfield when we lose possession of the ball. The flaw from this mundane 4-2-4 formation which our coaches have played is that it lacks the presence of a creative midfielder, who can change the game tactically. What Moses offers to the Eagles is his dribbling skills which create openings. But Moses spoils it by excessive dribbling. Besides, he fails to swing the passes to his freer mates, preferring to shoot at the goal from very tight spots. The problem with Moses and his witty dribbles is that they are predictable. Such dribblers are easily marked. Witty coaches would deploy a hard tackling defender to mark him. The defender would be told to stop Moses from getting the ball first. if that happens, Moses would cease to function.

    Can Odemwingie be Eagles’ joker by playing the link between the team’s attack and defence? He could, if told so but does he have the strength to perform such roles having played all season for Stoke as the centre forward?

    As the Eagles await the Iranians on Monday, it is important to remind our players that their opponents qualified from their group like the Nigerians. The Iranians didn’t emerge from playoffs which means that they can play the game as much as the Nigerians, especially under the tutelage of Carlos Quieroz.

    The Iranians have watched tapes of our stars in their clubs and the national team. We cannot say the same of the Iranians. I just hope this doesn’t come back to haunt us on Monday.

    Iran’s coach has the requisite knowledge to handle the big stage which the World Cup symbolises, having worked with the great Sir Alex Ferguson. Ours will be at the Mundial as rookies, even though they are World Cup stars.

    Monday is Judgment Day for the coaches. Iran must fall. They must be beaten groggy with goals. The Eagles must learn from the Confederations Cup, where beating Tahiti 6-1 wasn’t good enough for the team to progress from the group. Spain and Uruguay beat Tahiti with more goals than the Eagles.

    Iran could be another Tahiti because Argentina and Bosnia could whip them silly, if the Eagles waste scoring chances. Will the Eagles make us proud on Monday with a whiplash of Iran? It is our prayer and I pray it happens. Good luck Eagles.

  • Match-fixing… not again!

    The die is cast. Mind games now rule the media. Every team dreams about lifting  the World Cup on July 13. It is five days to the opening game of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. No country can change her 23-man squad. Errors made can’t be corrected. Pundits have begun their permutations. But the disturbing news from FIFA is that of match-fixing. I wouldn’t have been worried if our beloved country, Nigeria, had not been listed among match-fixers, albeit allegedly with some unscrupulous chaps admitting to under-cover investigators that they can dubiously influence the result of Nigeria’s World Cup matches.

    I’m sad because all our World Cup matches will be under the spotlight. This will put our players under needless pressure. It will also smear whatever results we get, especially if we win handsomely or lose so woefully. We don’t deserve this perception, not now when our players have excelled for their European clubs. Innocent errors will be misconstrued as match-fixing. If any player scores a long range shot which should be the talking point of the Mundial, there is the possibility of some people winking than a deserved applause.

    Unlike in previous allegations made by indicted Singaporean, a certain criminal Henry admitted to be the evil genius. He also linked a Nigerian player, who the report said didn’t show up at the meeting.

    Did Oguenyi Onazi report the matter to his coaches, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) chiefs or FIFA in line with what the law stipulates? We are being told that Onazi informed Super Eagles chief coach Stephen Keshi in Philadelphia that he reported the issue to the police. I believe Onazi and trust the police report can be relied on since it was done in Europe. Otherwise, he would be in the soup.

    Nigeria is a football nation. Our exploits in age-grade competitions even though tainted with allegations of cheating suggest so. Besides, our players have competed well for jerseys with their European counterparts to underscore the fact that they are talented. The NFF chiefs must commence their investigations on all these allegations. It should start with subjecting the list of players’ agents to scrutiny. Those with shady background can be invited to provide further details about their backgrounds. It isn’t enough for us to say that they are unscrupulous. We must arrest the trend by prosecuting those with substantial evidence to show that they are culpable.

    One is puzzled that the match-fixing bug has stuck with the Eagles since the red card issued against Kaita. Kaita’s conduct on that day was ungentlemanly. It clearly showed that he is a temperamental person. How such misconduct can be related to match-fixing beats my imagination, especially as Kaita was unhappy with himself by covering his face? Criminals do not show the kind of remorse exhibited by Kaita after it dawned on him. Coach Samson Siasia led Nigeria to beat Argentina 4-1 in Abuja. Most people celebrated the feat since it marked Siasia’s first victory over the Argentines. But like a thief at night, the story broke that FIFA eggheads were looking for the referee from Niger. Till date, nothing has been heard about the referee. And I’m not sure if we see the danger in keeping quiet in the face of odium poured on the nation by a few criminallyminded people. It’s easy for Nigeria to fall into the fixers’ traps because we always like things delivered to us a la carte. Perhaps, if the friendly matches are played here with our NFF in direct control of what happens before, during and after such games, we can be free of this unholy stigma. I feel strongly that the Eagles should play friendlies at the team’s terms and not on mercantile conditions set by profit-seeking agents. It is true that countries trust them with such issues. Yet our country’s integrity supersedes whatever monetary gains the matches would accrue to us. For instance, the day after Nigeria held Scotland to a pulsating 2-2 draw, Republic of Ireland played a barren draw game against Italy with no tales of match-fixing at the same stadium. There is something wrong with how our matches are packaged. We need to redress this issue before charlatans destroy us. I won’t delve into the Eagles’ 23- man list. I have written a lot on it. The coaches have decided. We must respect their decisions. But the coaches have shown us that they can’t trust Chijoke Agbim to keep the goal for us. Against Greece on Wednesday morning, the coaches didn’t have the courage to substitute injured Elderson Echiejile with Oshaniwa at the left back position. Instead they opted to switch Ambrose Efe to man the position. They introduced Odunlami in his place on the right side. On Wednesday morning, Greece exposed our inefficiency in the midfield. Eagles’ coaches paraded two holding midfielders (John Mikel Obi and Oguenyi Onazi). Our coaches tasked our wing players (Osaze Odemwingie and Ahmed Musa) to drop into the midfield to help when we lost possession of the ball. However, our first substitution most times comes from these wing players and it affects the team’s rhythm. These flaws were repeated on Wednesday morning against Greece. Modern day football is anchored on the 3-5-2 formation or the 4-4-2. I wonder how the Eagles will cope against countries grounded in these formations. Good luck to Nigeria. Welcome Danagogo Sports Minister Dammy Danagogo said the National Stadium in Lagos is dead. Good talk. We have heard it several times from his predecessors. We have not seen much in terms of renovation of the facilities at the Sports City. What we hear later from Danagogo’s predecessor is that the budget for sports is too small. On Tuesday afternoon in Lagos, I put three posers to Danagogo over the way forward for sports. His response was intelligent. He showed that he understood the politics at the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Danagogo doesn’t want to create factions within the sporting media. He picked one of his critics as his special assistant. Last year, stakeholders met at the seat of government in Abuja to chart the way forward for sports in Nigeria. Decisions were taken; many – it is being said – are in the works. But unfortunately, the problems in the industry are still apparent. Perhaps, the biggest problem with us is the frequent change of sports ministers, culminating in policy somersaults. Specifically, I asked Danagogo what was the government policy for sports. His response on the aspect of strengthening the federations and getting them to develop sports to attract corporate funding raised hope. But it must be said that sports nosedived here the day a former sports minister, Jim Nwobodo relocated the federations to Abuja. The hub of sports in Nigeria is Lagos, which interestingly is the commercial nervecentre of the country. Indeed, Danagogo anchored his perception of Nigeria’s sports policy on the need to effectively evolve a system that would develop sports at the grassroots. He cited the National Sports Lottery, which he stated formed the basis for sourcing for more funds independent of government. Aside, this is the ongoing concession exercise of sports facilities. However, the minister was told to ensure that the right firms were picked and not land speculators. It must be stated that Danagogo assured everyone that politics won’t play any role in this initiative, especially concerning one of the facilities – the National Stadium, Surulere. Danagogo acknowledged the need to create the enabling environment to appreciate the contributions of sports-friendly corporate organisations through the Hall of Fame. The minister needs to visit those firms that identified with sports in the past to find out why they backed out. But he must be told that the corruption in most of these federations is chiefly why these credible firms backed out. No company worth its onions would want its goods and/or services tainted with tale of corruption or scandals. Our federation officials must be upright and see the task of developing sports as a business, as it is done in other climes. What I have observed here is that we strive to develop sports from the top, tasking the National Sports Commission (NSC) to provide the template. But the NSC ought to be the clearing house. The burden of grassroots development rests with the states. Not many states take the issue of sports development seriously. They hardly organise sports festivals. They only remember sports as a vocation when their governors want to jog for fitness. Most local government areas (LGAs) in this country don’t identify with sports largely because their chairmen are puppets of godfathers without the cognate knowledge of what it takes to lead people. Schools in the LGAs are in dilapidating state. Most of the recreational grounds have been converted to expanding such schools or most times, converted to motor-parks or business premises. Such settings encourage the kids to embrace social vices rather than dissipate such energy into sports. I left the minister’s parley with one view: the task of giving the NSC and NFF a document to run their operations would soon be unveiled. Like I always end this piece, Oba Khato Okpere, Ise!

  • NASFAT Prayer, terrorism and the politics of deceit

    I learnt of the death of the Emir of Kano this week just as I was reading a full page advertised prayer titled NASFAT PRAYS FOR NIGERIA with the sub title – Reinvigorating Godliness into Governance and Citizens Value System. This NASFAT Prayer is the underlying theme of all that I want to discuss today in the context of the above topic. I found the NASFAT prayer gripping and very brave and I think it is the first of such from a religious body in this nation that gives the vivid and clear impression that the Boko Haram menace transcends religion simply because that bloody sect does not recognise nor respect either God or humanity, in the inhuman fury with which it has waged a war of attrition and terror on Nigerians in the North East of the country, killing and maiming innocent Nigerians on a daily basis to date. Sadly the illustrious Emir of Kano was almost killed by Boko Haram for speaking up against the sect which recently killed the Emir of Gwoza. But the late Emir of Kano would smile in his grave any day if a copy of NASFAT prayer for Nigeria is shown him, as it was a pungent analysis of the problems of Nigeria and a no holds barred condemnation of Boko Haram and its claim of being a religious organisation, which was the reason the sect attempted unsuccessfully to assassinate the late Emir. Before dilating on some aspects of the NASFAT Prayer let me briefly comment on some issues on the global scene this week that lend themselves to interpretation and comments along the line of the topic of the day especially in terms of the politics and perhaps the diplomacy of deceit. The first was the news that the President and PM of Israel have sent a congratulatory messages to Egypt’s newly elected and anointed leader in the last presidential election in that nation, former army chief Abd Fattah al Sisi. Obviously the Israeli leaders are conversant with the diplomatic maxim that in diplomacy there are no permanent enemies or friends but permanent interests. Which showed clearly that Israel was perspiring nervously while the demonstrations in Egypt that overthrow former President Housni Mubarak were going on from 2011 and must have been really terrified when the Islamic Brotherhood which was an implacable of Israel won the elections after the demonstrations and President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood assumed powers as president before being upstaged on a military coup by the army, then led by the Field Marshal Israel was swiftly congratulating as winner in the last presidential elections in Egypt. Obviously the Israelis feel more secure and safe with a military politician in power in Cairo to maintain the status quo ante, which the election of Morsi rattled. Sisi’s election would therfore ensure that the peace deal with Egypt signed during the era of late President Anwar Sadat in Egypt and PM Menachem Begin in Israel, is in place and not in any danger of violation from Cairo, to ensure peace and stability between the two most powerful nations in the volatile Middle East, a region that is definitely the boiling pot of world politics today. Similarly in France where the victorious Allies that defeated Nazi Germany commemorated the landing of the Allies in 1944 in Normandy, France, the presidents of the US, Russia and Ukraine met at the ceremony and shook hands with each other which showed the niceties as well as the deceit inherent in global diplomacy. This is because the US president, Barak Obama had accused the Russian president of violating international law when he invaded and annexed Crimea in Western Ukraine. Normally they should not be on speaking terms because the US is leading EU nations in putting in place sanctions on Russia . But the morals amongst nations is different from the morals amongst individuals. So while Barak Obama may privately think that Vladmir Putin is a lawless individual he had to shelve that in France and speak to him as President of the US in the hope that diplomacy may still make him see the annexation of Crimea differently. Similarly the newly elected President of Ukraine met Russian President Putin and they did not come to blows as their two forces are doing killing each other in East Ukraine where Russian supported rebels are trying to secede and establish a pro Russian state on Ukraine’a territory. According to reports the two president met, shook hands and promised to resolve the issues amicably which I am sure must have sorely taxed the temper of the new Ukrainean president as the innocent looking and straight faced Putin is indeed the aggressor in the way his regime has been using force and terror to intervene and disrespect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. But again the issue of morals between states and individuals calls for restraint at such moments. It is therefore on the issue of morals that we return to NASFAT’s prayer for our nation Nigeria. The prayer admits that Nigerians are a very religious and prayerful lot with Mosques and Churches in virtually every street. What is lacking, the prayer noted is‘ sincerity of faith and devotion to the requisite moral codes of conduct enjoined on the faithful by God. Incidentally the prayer concluded ruefully‘ these two are the prerequisites for prayers to be answered, irrespective of the faith of the supplicants ‘. NASFAT then went on to identify acts of immorality amongst the rulers and the ruled in Nigeria. On acts of immorality in governance NASFAT identified eight points and I will dwell on two for reasons of space. On immorality on the part of citizens NASFAT identified four points and again I will discuss two of them for obvious reasons. Let me state that each and every one of these 12 acts should form compass for every Nigerian citizen interested in the salvation of our nation and in the pursuit of a goal of the realisation of a good and decent life for all Nigerians regardless of their creed or faith. On acts of immorality in governance I have chosen –Leaders living in mansions while the masses live in slums or are outrightly homeless and – Leaders having their children receiving education in the best private schools while large numbers of public schools are neglected, while a large population of school age children roam the streets uncared for. On the acts committed by the citizens I have picked that identified as – selling of votes and good conscience for monetary gains and – preference for apathy to partaking in tasking processes, works and organisations political and social structures through which state of affairs could be positively influenced. On the issue of mansions for leaders and homelessness for the masses nothing illustrates that more than the emergence of Boko Haram in the north where for decades school children have been attending Islamic schools while ignoring formal education. As far back as 1974 I could recollect a GOC, then General Abisoye reporting a military governor of the then North East where I did my national service to then head of state General Yakubu Gowon that the North East was not participating in the Universal Primary Education scheme of the Federal government because primary school students were not going to primary schools but were in Koranic schools under dogo yaro trees in Maiduguri, the capital of the NE state then. If schools had been established then and not mounds of blocks put on ground in far places for which bureaucrats in the capital paid ghost teachers in non existent schools, there would not have been easy converts for Boko Haram and its meaning would have no attraction, as it would never have been attractive to well educated young people it found in the gaping vacuum of poverty and ignorance it has exploited so massively and so callously in the vast arid sahel of the six NE states carved out of the former NE state. On the acts of immorality committed by the citizens the issue of the immorality of vote selling speaks for itself in terms of its rapaciousness and villainy. On the issue of neglect of education in public schools and the ascendancy of private schools and universities, nothing illustrates this more than the picture of a recent award of honorary degree by a private university to the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance, grinning from ear to ear as she received her award, while the news in the same medium was replete with that of several institutions of higher learning on strike for high tuition fees. Definitely NASFAT has played a role after my heart with these prayers and I doff my hat to its leaders for giving Nigerians hope that if we retrace our steps and pray to God we still have hope like Jesse Jackson said when he lost the presidential candidacy of his party in the US that God is not finished with us yet. Many thanks to NASFAT for such hope which I had thought was forlorn for Nigeria, till now.

  • Terrorism, culture and brutality

    On Nigeria’s Democracy Day May 29 President Goodluck Jonathan called on Nigeria‘s security forces to wage a ‘total war ‘ against the terrorist group Boko Haram and put an end to the impunity of terrorism and insurgency. The call was long overdue but even then, it is still appreciated that it has at last been made, if only for the records.

    More so as it is apparent that the military, amongst the security forces especially, is running out of excuses as well as ideas and stratagems to prosecute a war in a territory in which those who give it intelligence lure its forces into bloody ambushes by Boko Haram, making it look as if the famed Nigerian Army was an hostle army of occupation in its own territory in the North East, which is still a part of the territorial borders of our great nation.

    Globally amongst world leaders this week, President Goodluck Jonathan was not alone in giving the marching orders to a security apparatus that seemed to be fiddling like the famed Emperor Nero of the Ancient Roman Empire, who famously fiddled while his capital Rome, was burning.

    In Pakistan a woman was beaten to death, indeed she was stoned to death by her relatives because she married against the family wishes and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif ordered immediate investigation and urgent submission of the report this week as the Police were said to be standing by as the mob killing was going by.

    Which meant that the Police simply looked the other way as the crime was being committed because marriages are usually arranged by families in Pakistan and the Policemen who were in attendance outside the court house knew what they were doing and their excuse that they arrived after the crime had been committed did not jell with the Pakistani PM who has asked that those policemen around at the time be brought to book.

    Unfortunately what happened in Pakistan happened before when a government Minister was gunned down for criticising the Taliban by a policeman in his security escort while his colleagues just looked on.

    Similarly an Afghan Minister was beaten to death at the Airport in Kabul where pilgrims were waiting to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia just because some pilgrims had their flight delayed, not cancelled.

    Someone identified the unfortunate Minister as he was to board a flight on official duty and the irate pilgrims beat him to death with no one coming to the victim’s aid. The brutality in Pakistan and Afghanistan were fatal for the victims but the ongoing one in Sudan which is also outrageous and barbaric is not, at least for now.

    In that country a Sudanese woman of Ethiopian extraction was sentenced to death while pregnant for apostasy because she married a Christian and refused to divorce him which they said is against Islamic law in Sudan. The woman has delivered her baby while in prison custody this week with her first child, also an infant, and sentence is being delayed for two years to enable her take care of her baby. Which I find quite mind bogging in its cruelty and barbarity as all the world’s religion preach peace and mercy towards even enemies.

    The plight of the Sudanese woman to me is very similar to those of the abducted 200 Nigerian girls in the grim custody of Boko Haram with the wicked and ominous threat that they will be sold off in marriage like merchandise dangling over their heads as Boko Haram taunts a civilised world with more murders on a daily basis in Nigeria’s North East.

    Although Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has drawn a line in the sand for Boko Haram for threatening the gains of democracy it is to another African nation that we must look for an example of a head on solution to contain terrorism, insurgency and the sort of cultural brutality and religious bigotry in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria mentioned before.

    That nation is former Coloonel Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya where a retired general, Khalifa Haftar has taken up arms against terrorists and insurgents who he said had infiltrated government and the National Assembly of Libya. He accused the present Libyan government of being unable to contain terrorism thus being inept in maintaining the security and safety of life and property of Libyans generally. His call has been taken up by similar minded secular Libyans and Islamic insurgents like our own Boko Haram are being attacked all over Libya to bring sanity to the government and administration of that nation.

    The general has been branded a rebel by the government in Tripoli but he remained undeterred and has called for a postponement of elections due on June 25 saying that time is not conducive for this as the augean stable of Libya’s murky, bloody insurgency and terrorism has to be sanitised by force, first and foremost.

    The government in Libya has however said the elections must go on. Meanwhile the Islamist insurgents under attack by the retired general warned the US not to intervene while the US has asked its citizens in oil rich Benghazi east of Libya, where a US ambassador was killed recently, to leave the area because it was unstable in terms of security. The Islamist Insurgents on their part have warned that the US should not intervene in Libya as the consequence of such would be worse than what the US saw in Somalia and Iraq.

    Some critics have said the retired general could be a CIA agent as he fled and lived in the US when he quarrelled with the late Muammar Gaddafi. To me however his actions and motives are salutary and patriotic as he seemed focussed on achieving the stability and security of the Libyan state which has been elusive to the present government in Tripoli which so far has not been able to establish its legitimacy and relevance by containing the sanguinary and bloody insurgency of Libya’s many volatile and bloody Islamic insurgent militia.

    What the Libyan government should have done is to find common ground with the retired general who is fighting the for the government in a critical power vacuum created by the ineptitude and weakness of the government in Tripoli. Similarly the PDP government in Nigeria should find common ground with the opposition APC in fighting Nigeria’s Islamic Insurgency which is what Boko Haram truly is.

    Instead, a spokesman of the ruling party reportedly said that the demonstrations on the abducted Chibok girls was being orchestrated by the APC all over the nation. Which to me means that the PDP is directly giving kudos to APC although that was not intended.

    Any party that is involved in any demonstration on the abducted Chibok girls should be commended and saluted for such a patriotic gesture.

    That the ruling party should blame the APC for this means that the PDP is not involved in the demonstrations to bring our girls back and that is simply unpatriotic as the issue of the missing Chibok girls transcends politics and the ruling party should have joined APC in such a national assignment for the overall public good on the missing girls Certainly the PDP spokesman missed the point on the demonstrations and has only succeeded in portraying his party in very bad light on the demonstrations over the Chibok girls.

    In addition it was reported that APC was organising demonstrations because it was in power in the three North East states namely Adamawa, Yobe and Borno which are under emergency rule.

    Again that allegation missed the point. It is normal for the opposition to do what it was alleged to have done because that was the duty of a responsive and responsible political party in any such environment. It is also the duty of the government in power in Abuja to compliment such effort to show that it has not washed its hands off the missing Chibok girls or to quell rumours that it is just paying lip service to global and local efforts to find the missing Chibok girls.

    Such cooperation with the APC would have been selfless and civil on the part of the PDP and would have lent more credibility to the subsequent, new found courage of the Commander in Chief, the ruling party’s leader in declaring total war on Boko Haram. Instead of the hollow, rumbling thunder of silence, gloom nonchalance and uncertainty which greeted the threat, locally and globally especially on the issue of the missing 200 Nigerian Chibok girls.