The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • TETFund: Much about contract

    TETFund: Much about contract

    By Olujide Mayowa

    With the renewed determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fight all forms of corruption in a more professional manner and with due regard for propriety, efficiency and respect for the rule of law, it is the expectation of Nigerians that anti-corruption agencies in the country will align with the president’s reinvigorated commitment and discard the toga of media trials and leaks, or being used as instruments of blackmail and character assassination, particularly of public office holders.

    Sometime in April 2024, an online media outfit carried a publication on a N7.6 billion contract allegedly awarded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), with a similar report emerging from another online newspaper barely a month after.

    While it is no longer news that anti-corruption agencies have since commenced investigations into the allegation against TETFund, one is taken aback to note that the investigation of the is not based on any complaint by the management of its beneficiary institutions, or vociferous unions in the institutions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), but a little-known organization by the name Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) with neither presence nor footprint in the educational sector.

    The reports suggest that that the Fund is being questioned over its decision to sign a memorandum of understanding instead of going through the contract process in executing the ICT Roadmap programme. The roadmap programme, records indicate, consists of two components. One is about enhancing the communication skills of relevant staff of tertiary institutions while the other is the blackboard digital learning platform for all students in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

    Available information indicates that the ICT Roadmap programme is not a new project. The scheme actually predates the tenure of the current executive secretary. It commenced in 2016 and was predicated on the report of a study on the state of readiness and relative level of adoption of ICT by beneficiary institutions. Just like committees were constituted for the Research Development Programme and Higher Education Book Development Initiative of TETFund, the same was done for the Learning Management System project. These committees parade academicians from all tiers of tertiary institutions across various disciplines with relevant and valuable experience to design the framework for implementation.

    The objective was clear. Many of the country’s tertiary institutions were lagging far behind in ICT knowledge and application. While various schools were at different levels, with some requiring additional investments in both infrastructure, systems transformation and personnel training, many institutions in remote locations had little or no broadband penetration. Moreover, newly established institutions have to establish systems, hire and/or upskill personnel before coming onboard the TETFund-supervised programme.  

    Analysts have argued that considering the “siddon look” attitude of many Nigerians as experienced with updating INEC voters register, collection of PVC and registration for National Identification Number, it is unwise to subject a scheme as the ICT Roadmap – largely a training programme- to the usual procurement process of fixed contracts, with the booby traps of default clauses, stiff penalties and huge cost variations.

    Indeed, the framework agreements and MOU approach embraced by TETFund entails partnering, collaboration and cooperation. These are more flexible approaches than the contract system. The approach of the managers at TETFund ensures that only tuition access fee per student/trainee is fixed. This allows variability without penalties and that is why the number of beneficiary institutions has increased to 271 from the initial 253 when the MOU was first executed. Presently, a few private universities have indicated interest in embracing the scheme under the TETFund umbrella. The new joiners will benefit from a fixed cost and enjoy a discounted price!

    Read Also: Lagos seeks partners to double LSETF funding

    One other lesson that can be learnt is that service contracts involving access or license fees are typically based on availability, whether it is used or not and are subject to renewal on an annual basis with the possibility of price adjustment. The MOUs adopted by TETFund have 3-5 years duration and the cost per trainee remain fixed for the entire period. 

    Going beyond the surface, seeking a strict understanding of the procurement process and the law which established TETFund, one understands that the agency does not unilaterally chart the path for its interventions to beneficiary instituti With the renewed determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fight all forms of corruption in a more professional manner and with due regard for propriety, efficiency and respect for the rule of law, it is the expectation of Nigerians that anti-corruption agencies in the country will align with the president’s reinvigorated commitment and discard the toga of media trials and leaks, or being used as instruments of blackmail and character assassination, particularly of public office holders.

    Sometime in April 2024, an online media outfit carried a publication on a N7.6 billion contract allegedly awarded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), with a similar report emerging from another online newspaper barely a month after.

    While it is no longer news that anti-corruption agencies have since commenced investigations into the allegation against TETFund, one is taken aback to note that the investigation of the is not based on any complaint by the management of its beneficiary institutions, or vociferous unions in the institutions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), but a little-known organization by the name Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) with neither presence nor footprint in the educational sector.

    The reports suggest that that the Fund is being questioned over its decision to sign a memorandum of understanding instead of going through the contract process in executing the ICT Roadmap programme. The roadmap programme, records indicate, consists of two components. One is about enhancing the communication skills of relevant staff of tertiary institutions while the other is the blackboard digital learning platform for all students in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

    Available information indicates that the ICT Roadmap programme is not a new project. The scheme actually predates the tenure of the current executive secretary. It commenced in 2016 and was predicated on the report of a study on the state of readiness and relative level of adoption of ICT by beneficiary institutions. Just like committees were constituted for the Research Development Programme and Higher Education Book Development Initiative of TETFund, the same was done for the Learning Management System project. These committees parade academicians from all tiers of tertiary institutions across various disciplines with relevant and valuable experience to design the framework for implementation.

  • Malaria: A public health concern that must be taken seriously

    Malaria: A public health concern that must be taken seriously

    SIR: Malaria is a life-threatening disease that continues to ravage Nigeria, accounting for a significant proportion of global cases and deaths. As a tropical country, Nigeria is prone to malaria transmission by the female Anopheles mosquito. Alarmingly, 76% of Nigeria’s population is at risk of malaria due to high transmission areas. In 2019, Nigeria accounted for 27% of global malaria cases and 24% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report, 2020.

    In 2021, around 247 million cases of malaria were reported worldwide and about 619,000 people died. Four African countries accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide: Nigeria (31.3%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), Tanzania (4.1%) and Niger (3.9%).

    The disease has far-reaching negative effects on society and the economy. These include high morbidity and mortality, as the disease is a leading cause of illness and death in Nigeria, particularly among children under five and pregnant women.

    Malaria imposes a significant economic burden on households, communities, and the nation, with costs including healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and reduced economic activity. Repeated episodes of malaria lead to absenteeism, poor academic performance, and increased dropout rates among children.

    Among other negative effects, malaria increases the risk of anaemia and malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations like pregnant women and children.

    Read Also: Malaria: FG steps up elimination drive with advisory board, ministerial taskforce

    Now that the rains are here, malaria cases are on the rise, and mosquitoes are building resistance to some drugs. Without mincing words, some people treat malaria all-round the year.

    It is imperative for the government at all tiers and citizens to take the fight against malaria seriously. While the government has a major role to play, the fight against malaria requires collective efforts. Citizens must implement indoor residual spraying and environmental management strategies to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

    The government must increase access to insecticide-treated bed nets, which is a proved and effective prevention method and improve access to diagnosis and treatment by enhancing healthcare infrastructure, training healthcare workers, and increasing access to accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

    Government must integrate malaria control into primary healthcare services to enhance early detection and treatment even as it conducts public awareness campaigns to educate Nigerians on malaria prevention, symptoms, and treatment. The government must invest in research and development of new malaria control tools, such as vaccines and drugs and collaborate with international partners to leverage resources, expertise, and funding to support malaria control efforts. Health systems must be strengthened to ensure effective delivery of malaria control interventions.

    The government must prioritize the fight against malaria, as the disease has devastating effects on the society and economy.  By prioritizing the fight against malaria, Nigeria can reduce the burden of the disease and improve the health and well-being of its citizens.

    The government and citizens must unite to combat malaria. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our nation to take action against this deadly disease. Malaria is a major public health concern in Nigeria and it must be treated as such, but together, we can defeat it. Let us work together to prevent avoidable deaths and enhance a healthy Nigeria.

    The time to act is now. Let us join forces to eliminate malaria in Nigeria.

    • Dayo DaSilva dsv123ng@yahoo.com
  • Mass-kidnapping: Our military is incapacitated

    Mass-kidnapping: Our military is incapacitated

    SIR: What is happening in Nigeria is that terrorists, bandits, insurgents, can easily kidnap scores, or hundreds of people at a go, move them to different locations within the state or in the neighbouring state, hold them as hostages for weeks or months during which negotiations would go on, collect ransom (often in huge amount of money, foodstuff, new motorcycles, etc.), before releasing the hostages in batches, and may decide to keep the women or school girls as wives or sex slaves, before or after ransom payment.

    The military and the rest of the security forces remain completely helpless to the situation, other than the often repeated worn-out excuse like:  “We have identified their location, but you know we have to be very careful to avoid any harm to the hostages”. Meaning: There is nothing we can do about it. The president would issue strong directive to the military to rescue the hostages. It all ends there, till next time again. And situation keeps deteriorating rapidly.

    Since the kidnap of over 200 Chibok secondary school girls in April 2014,  through the abduction of about 300 school boys in Katsina State few years ago, to the recent March 2024 abduction of about 300 primary and secondary school pupils (boys and girls) in Kaduna State, there have been more than 12 such mass-hostage situations. And in all of them, the military and other security forces had practically no solution to offer. It is like everyone comes into office, enjoy their time and go, accepting there is nothing they can do about the situation.

    In 1992, some Chechen insurgents/terrorists hijacked a Russian passenger train from neighbouring Tajikistan, and diverted it to head to Chechnya. That was during the period of Chechnya resistance insurgency war against Russian authority. The hijackers wired the train with explosives and threatened to blow it up with the passengers if Russian forces intervened.

    Read Also; On the resurgence of mass kidnapping

    Russia quickly sent Special Forces teams to strategic locations along the rail route. The troops were in protective gear with specially equipped medical teams. Then a crop-dusting, low-flying aircraft (the type used to spray herbicides on large farm lands), swooped on the train and sprayed it with tear-gas smoke in repeated runs. The train soon grounded to a stop and the nearby troops swooped on them. None of the hijackers could escape. The specially equipped medical teams resuscitated hostages whose medical conditions predisposed them to respiratory problems arising from tear-gas effect.

    Over 400 hostages were rescued in that operation. About three of them reportedly died in the hospital afterwards. That form of mass-hostage situation which was the first of its type in Russian experience, never repeated anywhere throughout the years of Chechnya insurgency/resistance war with Russia in the 1990s. There are different other approaches in other case studies, including but not limited to air-sprayed defoliage agent that would drop down every foliage/leafs from the vegetation and lay it bare for aerial surveillance.

    This writer is a retired military officer trained in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. Well studied landmark terror incidents around the world. The Nigerian situation which is terribly record-breaking has effective solution, if we are serious about it. It is like those in position of authority are either too squeamish to take the required firm action or they are not sufficiently worried about the situation. Nobody can do it for us. It is entirely our problem.

    • Azubike Nass, Enugu.
  • Attacks on PBAT’s northern appointees

    Attacks on PBAT’s northern appointees

    SIR: Today, we are witnessing incessant attacks and smear campaign against political office holders of northern extraction serving under the Tinubu administration by some busybodies and enemies of the North and Nigeria as a whole.

    The ongoing campaign of calumny against our leaders is unwarranted, malicious, insidious and baseless, and therefore has to be stopped. Insults and character assassination have no place in the cultured north.

    The recent uncharitable deployment of insulting words against respectable northern leaders by the former national vice chairman, Northwest of APC, Salihu Lukman, is utterly disgusting. What he said against the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is a blatant lie. Honest and sincere Nigerians know who Nuhu Ribadu is, his character, antecedents and his current performance as a National Security Adviser.

    So, also, our formidable vice president, Kashim Shettima and all our ministers and aides serving this government.

    We expect people like Salihu Lukman would study the scorecards of those people before launching his unprovoked assault.

     There is a difference between being a regional champion and being a mischief maker. The latter is trying unsuccessfully to create disharmony between the president and the vice president. When this tactic didn’t work, they came up with another narrative -northern marginalization. Now they have started raining abuses on their fellow northerners serving the government. They even claim that the North is being short-changed under this government.

    The same President   Bola Ahmed Tinubu that has  given the north the critical portfolios of education, defence, agriculture, health, police affairs, in addition to key offices such as  Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the National Security Adviser, NSA among others?

    Look at the number of gigantic infrastructural projects the Tinubu administration is executing across the north. These range from roads, housing, schools, agriculture, etc. These are apart from nationwide projects which every Nigerian is entitled to benefit.

    It is interesting that now it is not the easterners playing marginalizing card but the north that just relinquished power one year ago. Little wonder our brothers from the South label us as people with born-to-rule mentality.

    It is high time the political manipulators understand that their old fashioned divisive politics is no longer effective in extracting personal favour. The common man now is conscious and cannot be bamboozled by politics of parochialism. Northern political elites know their game of deception is over because they had all the opportunity in the world, yet they didn’t use it. They enriched themselves and their families, sent their children abroad for education, and left behind the children of the poor without even food.

    • Comrade Bishir Dauda Sabuwar, Unguwa Katsina.
  • Time is of the essence, Mr. President

    Time is of the essence, Mr. President

    Sir: The pace at which the Tinubu-led government is moving to implement key proposed policies has been slow. Painfully slow. It seems the government is out of touch with the people’s frustrations. If they truly understood the public sentiment, they would recognize the growing impatience.

    The time for endless talk is over; people need to see action. The delayed decision-making on critical facets will have dire consequences if care is not taken.

    Take, for instance, the tax policy recommendations led by Taiwo Oyedele’s tax team. In October 2023, the committee came up with “20 recommendations for immediate reforms”-it’s been crickets since then!

    This committee was established almost a year ago to deliver actionable recommendations that would simplify tax compliance, reduce tax burden on businesses and boost economic growth. Today nothing concrete has been gazetted. There have only been sporadic updates.  Despite the urgency and high expectations that surrounded this initiative, the progress has been sluggish.

    What about the proposed new minimum wage? Has it fallen off the radar? Labour has expressed their frustrations, but now there’s silence. Is the government waiting for another strike, followed by more unproductive meetings? This cycle of strike-meeting-silence is becoming cliché.  This gives the perception that neither side prioritizes the well-being of workers

    Read Also: Tinubu appoints new board for Family Homes Funds

    Then there’s the consumer credit scheme. It seems policies are proposed, then there’s a lot of talk, and then silence. Last we heard, it was approved, but what are the next steps? How many people have applied? When will people start accessing credit to improve their standard of living? The government’s lack of urgency is damning. They seem to think they have all the time in the world, but a year has already passed.

    Consider agriculture as another example. The president declared a state of emergency on food shortages almost a year ago, yet there has been no coordinated response. There seems to be no concrete plans to improve food production or security. What is being done to reassess the food supply and distribution channels? What is the update on the touted commodity board to stabilize food prices? What are the plans to promote sustainable farming methods and enhance local farmers’ capabilities? The declared emergency seems to have lost its urgency. The emergency is no longer emergency-ing to borrow the street parlance.

    How many ministers are even active in this government? The answer, unfortunately, reveals a stark reality: only a handful can be identified as consistently contributing to their mandates. There is a concerning trend of inefficiency and inaction by numerous ministers which undermines this government’s ability to deliver on its promises. It seems there are many loafers, and it’s time for the president to wield the big stick, lest widespread complacency erode public trust in this administration’s ability to govern efficiently.

    The business of governance needs to commence in earnest. The honeymoon period is over, and Nigerians want visible actions.

    President Tinubu needs to understand that the situation on the streets is dire, and time is running out. One year has passed, and all we’ve seen is huffing, puffing, bickering, and inaction.

    It’s time to deliver on the promises that convinced some of us to vote for him based on his track record. Action, please!

    •Chiechefulam Ikebuiro,chiechefulamikebuiro@gmail.com

  • Obi and call for Kanu’s release

    Obi and call for Kanu’s release

    Sir: Recently, Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, asked the Nigerian government to release Kanu from detention. He stated this while speaking to reporters in Onitsha last weekend. According to him, “I don’t see any reason for his continuous detention, especially as the courts have granted him bail. The government must obey the court…we are in a democracy, and we should not be doing things that are arbitrary and not within the law”.

    This is not the first time Obi is calling for the unconditional release of Kanu. Under the Buhari-led administration, he asked that the government release the IPOB leader and stop the use of force in fighting the Biafra agitators in spite of the fact that these misled youths had taken arms against the state and had created a quasi-state within the nation.

    I think Obi is making a grave mistake in this his populist clamour for the release of Kanu who is undergoing trial for treasonable felony.

    First, it is a transparent untruth, as usual, for Obi to claim Kanu has an existing bail granted him which the federal government is disobeying.

    Read Also: Tinubu, APC salute National Secretary Basiru

    For the uninitiated, Kanu was arrested in 2015 when Buhari was in power. Some of the stakeholders from the eastern part of the nation intervened and he was granted bail on several conditions. He flouted the conditions and fled the country. About seven years later, he was arrested again in Kenya and brought to Nigeria to face trial. The Court of Appeal held in 2022 that the IPOB leader was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and that the action was a violation of the nation’s extradition treaty and also a breach of his fundamental rights. On this basis, the appeal court struck out the terrorism charges filed against him by the government and ordered that he be released immediately.

    The government appealed the ruling of the appeal court by obtaining an order staying the execution of the court at the apex court. The Supreme Court reversed the acquittal granted to Kanu by the appeal court and ordered the continuation of his trail at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

    Several bail applications by counsels to Kanu were dismissed by the court. So it is not true that there is any existing bail for Kanu the government is not obeying; Obi is not telling the public the truth.

    Secondly, Obi is not sympathizing with victims of Kanu’s purported orders as much as he is with Kanu being in detention. There is hardly no agency from the Nigerian Army, Airforce, Department of State Security, Immigration, Customs, Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, and Civil Defence, even the Ibos in the East, that have not fallen victims to the sabre-rattling of the murderous group. The gang have killed a lot of people in most atrocious and grisly ways. There was a video that went viral sometimes last year where they striped a military couple and cut them with knives like they were cutting beef.

    Recently, about five soldiers on security mission were murdered in Abia State in cold blood.

    Does Obi think about the untimely death of these military personnel who did not die in the hands of external aggressors, but in the hands of internal rascals aided by rhetoric from these so-called leaders of the movement? What about the family of the victims? Does he think if the man accused of instructing and aiding the killings of their family members serving the nation does not face the full length of justice, they will ever find psychological closure to the internal pain?

    What Obi should be calling for is justice to be served without prejudice; not unconditional release of Kanu. Apart from murder, treason is one of the highest crimes known to man in my own estimation. No state looks away while her security operatives are murdered without those involved facing some measure of consequences when apprehended.

    •Elempe Dele,Lagos.

  • We northerners are our problem

    We northerners are our problem

    Sir: The North, as a region, is being destroyed and made inhabitable for people, unattractive for investments and hostile to development not by anybody but its people.

    In the early 2000s, when the Islamic sectarian movement led by Mohammed Yusuf started preaching against Western education and influences and recruiting homeless and out-of-school children and youths in Maiduguri, Borno State, the northern governments and elite did not immediately show interest in curbing its activities. It was alleged that some politicians were even enlisting the nefarious services of the group to intimidate and harass their political opponents. This continued until the group which came to be known as Boko Haram became a cancerous monster carrying out assassinations and unleashing acts of violence on the people and government facilities.

    At the height of the conflict between herders and farmers over water and arable land in the North-central and some parts of the Northwest, the northern governments were reluctant to form a common ground and address the conflict head-on. Some religious clerics were taking sides and scheming to see the group they were sympathetic to triumph. This continued until the stick-wielding herders turned armed bandits became sophisticated and started abducting women and children, destroying farmlands taking control of large territories of lands and enforcing their rule.

    Read Also: #OneNigeriaUnity Fabric competition to promote national unity, competition – First Lady

    Many northerners, besides direct victims of violence, remain silent or indifferent. Politicians and elites pursue the oil money of the south and amass enough to buy property in Dubai, and highbrow areas in Abuja and Lagos, fly their wives and relatives for pilgrimage and their children overseas for studies, caring little for the plight of the impoverished millions. Poverty is weaponized to blind and silence the people.

    Our lack of concern towards addressing this issue may stem from a generational seed of discord sown by those who oppose unity and progress. When people from different backgrounds unite to bring about positive change, it threatens the elite and politicians. They use religious clerics to stoke division and turn people against each other. Interestingly, there are more religious wars in Northern Nigeria today than anywhere in the world not because the people love God or piously abide by His dictates but because the politicians and elite in the region know that is the greatest weakness of the people, so they use it effectively for political and selfish gains.

    Although the federal government has not done enough to address the insecurity in the region and other regions, tackling insecurity and making the northern region habitable and attractive for investment can only be achieved with the absolute resolve of the people.

    •Jerry Obanyero, Esq.jerryobanyero@gmail.com

  • Generation Z and the future of society

    Generation Z and the future of society

    SIR: Generation Z, also known as Gen Z or Zoomers (1997-2012), exemplifies change more than any other generation. They have grown up in a unique era, shaped by the internet, social media, and significant cultural and societal shifts. Generally, popular opinion indicates that Gen Z comprises youths between ages 18 – 25, while Millennials are those between ages 26-42, and Gen Xers are between 43 and 55 years of age. Surprisingly, Gen Z is distinct from previous generations not just because of technology, as many believe, but also due to how they spend their time, interact socially, exert their energy, show their passion, focus their attention, and their attitudes towards religion, sexuality, and politics. Gen Z is arguably the most health-conscious, economically aware, academically inclined, socially creative, and technologically adept generation. Hopefully, the next generation, Gen Alpha, will continue this trend of change.

    Many technology-savvy Gen Zers are problem solvers in today’s world. Some of their inventions have greatly benefited the generation as a whole. These Gen Zers have also contributed to and continue to enhance the economies of countries through the invention of machines that improve efficiency and increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Tech-savvy Gen Zers have invented bots and artificial intelligence to help students and individuals learn from the comfort of their smartphones, contributing to various aspects of life.

    Many are known for their creativity in virtual affairs, solving technical problems, and making life experiences easier. Their rapid growth in the digital age and technical knowledge is commendable.

    Though contestable, recent studies from investment companies indicate that Gen Z households are building retirement funds faster than past generations due to financial education shaping their spending habits.

    Read Also: Understanding Generation Z

    Gen Z has grown up in a challenging environment and developed a resilient mindset. This mentality is reflected in the contemporary “Cruise” philosophy, which some embrace to cope with modern challenges and hardships.

    Gen Z has been criticized for an excessive sense of self-importance, preferring to be perceived as their own boss, resulting in an inflated sense of entitlement and expecting things to be handed to them without effort. Some Gen Zers are seen as overly self-focused and narcissistic, prioritizing their own needs and desires above others. The constant bombardment of information and stimuli has led to a perceived short attention span and difficulty focusing on one thing for an extended period.

     The ease of access to information has led to concerns that Gen Z may not develop critical thinking skills, relying on surface-level knowledge rather than deeper thinking and creativity.

    Gen Z faces unique challenges and pressures contributing to anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns, exacerbated by their virtual environment and isolated individuality. Their  constant connection to technology raises concerns about addiction, social isolation, and decreased face-to-face communication skills. This addiction can lead to using technology to harass, intimidate, and commit virtual atrocities.

    Gen Z has been criticised for being overly sensitive and lacking patience in adversity, showing disregard for traditional authority figures such as parents, teachers, and elders. Unlike previous generations, some Gen Zers prioritize wealth, influence, and popularity over meaningful achievements, sometimes resorting to fraudulent means to meet societal standards.

    Many Gen Zers seek shortcuts to success, avoiding the processes of life and opting for quick riches, often disregarding the potential consequences.

    Some in this generation show an unruly disregard for laws and protocols, with an “anything goes” attitude leading to substance abuse, casual sex, and a hook-up culture.

    These negative values oftentimes destroy them from within before affecting the outside world. These behavioural trends bear the potential to wreak havoc in society if not consciously and deliberately countered with their opposites.

    Engaging with them reveals that many convincingly progress in error without knowing, yet provide blind justifications for their moral and personal failings.

    • Adeleke Oluwaseyi James, <jamesadelek2014@gmail.com>
  • A coach for the national team

    A coach for the national team

    SIR: After a draw and a loss, making the Super Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the next World Cup dicey, Finidi George resigned his position as coach of the Senior National Team. Finidi was there for less than two months. Now Nigeria is again combing for who to manage the team.

    In a soccer crazy nation like Nigeria, everybody is interested in the performance of the national team. We all saw how Nigerians were united behind the team during the African Cup of Nations. That’s what footballing success means to Nigerians and whoever manages the national team is of concern.

    There is usually a foreigner-indigenous divide on who to manage the team. I believe that Nigerian football has since come of age and no outsider should coach the team again.

    To begin with, it is colonial mentality that everything foreign is better. It is the same attitude we bring to call ups to the national team in which players in the local league are never given a chance to be selected. How does one explain why the highest goal scorer of the NPFL doesn’t get an invite or that we have a goalkeeping problem and yet none of the 20 goalkeepers that feature weekly gets a mention?

    We have even gone further the drain by not only picking foreign-based ahead of the local to giving foreign-borns greater advantage in wearing the Nigerian jersey.

    Despite that no country ever won the World Cup with a foreign coach, or that the last three AFCONs were won by indigenous coaches and even that all the African teams that went to Qatar were led by indigenous coaches, those in the foreign coach divide will still sound louder than a vuvuzela in favour of a white man leading the Eagles.

    Another reason some people have completely written off local coaches is the allegations that indigenous coaches don’t have the clout to earn the respect of the professional players.

    Read Also:Super Bikers seek  partnership with NFF, National Teams

    The indigenous coach is always under pressure despite taking the job in perilous times like we find ourselves now. A small hump on the round and we scapegoat him for a sack. Compared to his overhyped foreign counterpart that is treated like royalty and given all the perks needed for work including time that the local coach never have. That is why citing the successes of Clemens Westerhof or Gernot Rohr as yardsticks for foreign managers is unfair.

    What did Westerhof achieve in six years that Stephen Keshi didn’t surpass in two years?

    So now that Finidi is gone, how should the NFF go about the hunt for a coach for the national team? Instead of looking at the next AFCON or World Cup in choosing a coach, NFF should look at creating a football industry that will self-procreate coaches and players after its kind. They should look more intently at viable football nations that have taken World Cups and topping FIFA rankings for granted. These nations do so not just with indigenous coaches but with indigenous football.

    Indigenous football is simply having you own football style, football culture, football language and football DNA. The reason a foreigner will not even be considered to manage the Dutch national team, for instance, is not for patriotism, national policy or economic expediency but because the then manager of Ajax, Rinus Michels, had in the 1970s developed what we know as Total Football that is peculiar to the Netherlands. This is what Pep Guardiola built on when he took lessons from handball and other ball sports to evolve what that commentator that couldn’t keep pace with Barcelona’s endless passing called tiki-taka. Today Spanish teams, men and women of all ages, will pass their adversaries dizzy unto submission. It is why the Italians are evolving from their ruthless defensive catenaccio to a more positive and possession football just as European influence has made Brazil to change the rhythms of their Samba to rhyme with present realities.

    These nations are so enshrined in their respective footballing cultures that they hardly pick players outside their individual leagues to make up their national teams.

    Nigerian music can be identified globally, likewise Nollywood without “technical advisers”. Our football has come of age. Enough of hiring a Portuguese today, Dutch tomorrow or Franco-German the day after experimenting with our Eagles.

    • Ayodele Okunfolami, Festac, Lagos.
  • National development; a call to sacrifice

    National development; a call to sacrifice

    SIR: Is there any country on this planet that is free from challenges? All the continents are bedevilled by one kind of predicament or the other. From Europe to Americas, Africa to Middle East, etc., there is no longer any El Dorado in the world. Many people left Nigeria for other climes in search of greener pasture, many of them died in the deserts and sea, unceremoniously. Those who were lucky to reach their destinations got there only to meet even more complicated challenges there.

    In Europe, for example, the far-right political parties such as National Rally in France are winning elections.  These far right politicians such as Jordan Bardella are anti-immigrants. Any undocumented immigrant is not welcome. In the Middle East especially, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc. our women are subjected into servitude.

    And that even in diaspora, you are not completely divorced from the problems you fled from. Apart from difficulty of getting assimilated into the new environment they found themselves, there is always a problem in raising and training your children in accordance with your indigenous culture tradition and belief. This includes respect for parents and elders, eating habit, mode of dressing, language, eating habit, family solidarity, good neighbourliness etc.

    In the Middle East, we have wars not only between Hamas and Israel but Huthis and Hezbollah of Yemen and Lebanon are involved. Syria is in shambles and then Iran and Israel.

    Then we have a raging war between Ukraine and Russia. In Latin America and the Caribbeans, there is even no government in Haiti. The gangs are in control. In Columbia, the drug barons call the shots.

    So, there is no escape and no shortcut to run.

    Then what is the way forward?

    We must change our mind-set. Today, courtesy of globalization, the whole world is interdependent. A war between Ukraine and Russia or even change of power in U.S. and Europe could impact on the whole world as we are witnessing.

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    Secondly, there is no messiah in the world. Peter Obi, an averaged politician who ruled Anambra like every mediocre politician cannot perform than president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The noisemaking role he is playing since his failed presidential ambition is what is expected of a demagogue.

    And political horse-trading by tired old politicians scheming to wrest power in the next election cannot be equated with French Revolution or what Deng Xiaoping did to China.

    The only way forward is each and every one of us should rise and play his part as a citizen. To sleep and expect the few political office holders do the work cannot work. They can’t succeed if the rest of the citizens are not ready to make the necessary sacrifice.

    • Comrade Bishir Dauda Sabuwar, Unguwa Katsina.