The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Still poles ahead

    Still poles ahead

    •In spite of the advances on polio, it is not yet uhuru in Nigeria

    EVEN though experts and donor agencies have warned that Nigeria may not be certified free of polio until 2017, it was exactly one year on July 23 that the country marked one year without polio. In a sense, this calls for celebration. But then, we have to be cautious doing this because the fact that we have not experienced any polio case in a year should not automatically translate to the eradication of the disease in the country.

    This is why we align with the warning by the President of the Nigerian Academy of Science and Chairman, Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunisation, Oyewale Tomori, that we should neither be complacent nor congratulate ourselves now over this seeming triumph over polio.

    ‘It was exactly one year on July 23 that the country marked one year without polio. In a sense, this calls for celebration. But then, we have to be cautious doing this because the fact that we have not experienced any polio case in a year should not automatically translate to the eradication of the disease in the country’ 

    In recent years, two health issues had afflicted Nigeria – polio, which had been with us for long before July, 20, 2014 when Patrick Sawyer flew from Liberia into Lagos airport, sick with the second health issue, Ebola Virus Disease. By the time Nigeria was finally declared free of Ebola, 20 people had been infected, eight of them died while three months were spent in tracing nearly 900 contacts.

    As for polio, Nigeria went free of it for three months between May and July, 2014. This was taken as a good omen because, according to experts, “if we get our acts together and maintain zero polio case until the end of July 2015, Nigeria will be removed from the list of polio epidemic countries; that is, countries that have never interrupted polio transmission”. But Tomori said that we should not expect the World Health Organisation (WHO) to remove Nigeria from “the ignoble list of polio endemic countries” until about late August or early September, 2015, when all the samples collected on or before July this year would have undergone some tests and found negative for polio disease.

    A step towards Nigeria being declared a polio-free nation is its delisting from polio endemic countries. But this can only happen if we can report “no polio case” for another two years after July, 2017. Tomori cautioned, “So, let us not bring out the drums and the palm wine tumblers in premature celebrations”. We support his call for sustained and real commitment to polio eradication and routine immunisation at all levels of government, because, without these,  “there is no guarantee that we can keep polio out of Nigeria in the next two years, to attain the polio-free status”.

    We must exercise cautious optimism even as we note that the International Monitoring Board (IMB) has released a new report cautioning Nigeria on the impression among its politicians that polio is gone out of the country, and warning that Nigeria has not yet been certified polio-free. We identify with this caution and therefore warn that it may be too early to celebrate, as celebration can only come when the present marking of one year without polio is sustained and Nigeria certified free of polio, say in two years. There is no point politicising the issue.

    We appreciate the efforts of previous governments to stamp out this disease. We note that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government tried on the matter but some rascals in the north were a clog in the wheel of progress. These detractors poisoned the minds of the gullible by saying that polio vaccine was a ploy to depopulate the north. This, of course, did not deter the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration from trying its best with regards to polio. The present administration should improve on past efforts so that we would, sooner than later, be certified free of polio.

     

  • Pay up

    Pay up

    Although the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) did not name the 19 states owing it for the last May/June Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE), it is just honourable that the affected states redeemed their image by paying up immediately. According to the council, the states owe it about N4billion. WAEC’s Head of National Office, (HNO) Mr Charles Eguridu, who disclosed this said the debt is affecting the council’s operations. “As I speak to you now, we are cash-strapped as a result of the delay in offsetting the registration fees owed the council by some states. As a result, we are finding it difficult in meeting our financial obligations, particularly to our supervisors, examiners and service providers”.

    We feel for the numerous candidates whose results would be seized if WAEC carried out its threat to so do should the state governments continue to ignore appeals to pay up.  But what the states have done by defaulting in their payment obligation to WAEC is to betray the trust the council reposed in them. Without their assurance that they would pick up the SSSCE bills, the council would not have allowed their candidates to sit for the examinations because it operates a ‘cash and carry’ business policy.

    If other West African states that also sit for the council’s examinations default in payment, the council would long have closed shop or its services would have deteriorated to the extent that its certificates would have lost the credibility that they enjoy in many parts of the world.

    We would have seen the development as fallout of the country’s present economic downturn but for the fact that this is not the first time some states have been defaulting in this self-imposed obligation. It had been happening even when the states enjoyed relatively healthy financial status. So, what we are witnessing with regard to the WAEC debt could be the consequence of financial recklessness and failure to prioritise expenditure in most of the states, which is unfortunate. After all, the affected states knew long ago that they had such obligations.

    We sympathise with some parents in Nasarawa State who do not want WAEC to withhold their wards’ results because, according to them, it is not the fault of the students that their state governments failed to pay their registration fees. But it does not seem litigation that the parents are recommending is the answer to the issue, too. We all know that justice travels here at snail’s speed. So, neither the candidates nor WAEC would derive any immediate benefit if litigation is the next resort. What should be done is to mount pressure on the affected states to pay up on time so that the students who need the results for the purpose of furthering their studies can do so without further delay.

    It is important to state that any state government that knows it cannot afford to pay the registration fees for its candidates should indicate so on time for the parents to take their children’s destiny in their hands. It is pointless promising to pay only to renege, thereby jeopardising candidates’ future. We know that in many of our states – corruption, impunity, fiscal recklessness – all reign supreme, making it impossible for the state governments to fulfil even their most basic obligations. But then, WAEC is not a charity organisation. It is in business and not many business concerns can stay afloat when it has a hefty N4billion debt to collect.

    So, the state governments should not take their irresponsibility to new lows that defaulting in registration fees represent. As a matter of fact, WAEC should not shield such states; it should name them, perhaps that would make them pay their debt. If the state governments must be reminded, the children that they fail to educate today will only end up being the society’s albatross tomorrow.

     

  • Thankless tanker drivers

    Thankless tanker drivers

    •They must obey Lagos State governor’s order

    Will Lagosians ever be spared the agony of the gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway? This question becomes pertinent given the latest order by the Lagos State Government to the state police command and the state task force team to rid the highway of the petrol tankers that have made plying the axis a nightmare. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode who renewed the order asked both organisations to restore sanity to the road and ensure smooth flow of traffic that has been hampered by the tanker drivers who park indiscriminately on the road in their bid to lift fuel at the Apapa ports.

    The latest order by Governor Ambode was the second since his assumption of office on May 29. About three weeks ago, he gave a similar order during a visit to the Apapa corridor. His predecessor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, did the same thing time and again before leaving office. Unfortunately, just as in the Ambode case, the tanker drivers disappeared from the road only for a while. This time around, they took advantage of the change of the commissioner of police in the state, which made the task force to retreat in the enforcement of traffic law because it was not sure of how favourably disposed the new police commissioner would be to the matter.

    It is good that Governor Ambode had reminded the security personnel of the need to enforce the state traffic law and ensure that traffic moves unhindered on the road within 48 hours. No sane government would allow the magnitude of impunity perpetrated by the petrol tanker drivers in its domain, particularly on a busy artery as the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. We must hasten to add, however, that this time, the compliance must endure. Never again should the tanker drivers return to the road to constitute nightmares to other road users.

    No doubt, the tanker drivers are rendering an invaluable service to the nation; but so are many others whose businesses they cripple whenever they park indiscriminately on the busy highway. And, since this is now becoming a recurring decimal, the governments, particularly the Federal Government, has to think out of the box. In the first place, it is a misnomer that Nigeria, a major crude oil producer, has to be importing the bulk of its petroleum products, necessitating the establishment of many tank farms in the Apapa ports axis, hence the huge number of tankers in the area.

    The Federal Government makes a lot of money from the Apapa ports. The problem is the lack of transparency in its management, especially as Nigerians hardly know how much comes in and how much of it is remitted into the Federation Account, if any. With the new dispensation, it should be possible to ensure that the right things are done with the revenue coming into the ports coffers. It won’t be out of place to suggest that part of the revenue realised from the ports be made to solve the perennial problems on the highway.

    Moreover, we need to relieve the Apapa ports of the burden of carrying all the load. In this regard, we note the collaboration among the Federal Government, the state government and a private investor to develop the Lekki Deep Seaport in Akodo, Ibeju-Lekki Local Council of the state. We are glad too that the Lagos State Government is planning another port for Badagry. The railway from the ports should also be resuscitated to link the Iddo Terminus for onward ferrying of products from the ports to other parts of the country.

    Ultimately however, the Federal Government has to do something about the country’s refineries. Importation of petroleum products for us is not only shameful and embarrassing as a major crude oil producer, it is also unsustainable because of the subsidy element that has remained a source of corruption over the years.

    ‘Ultimately however, the Federal Government has to do something about the country’s refineries. Importation of petroleum products for us is not only shameful and embarrassing as a major crude oil producer, it is also unsustainable because of the subsidy element that has remained a source of corruption over the years’ 

  • Handshake across the Caribbean

    Handshake across the Caribbean

    •The long-overdue restoration of US-Cuban ties finally takes place

    The renewal of diplomatic relations between the United States of America and Cuba is yet another welcome demonstration of the superiority of negotiation over military confrontation and the triumph of common interest over mutual suspicion.

    US-Cuba relations have over the past five decades been shaped by Cold War dynamics, America’s problematic relationship with Latin America, Cuba’s status as one of the world’s few remaining Communist nations, and a very vocal Cuban-American lobby in the US.

    This fraught relationship was to reach its nadir during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1961, when the Kennedy administration forced the Soviet Union to remove ballistic missiles that were stationed in Cuba. The imposition of a trade embargo by America upon the island only entrenched a mutual antipathy continually refreshed by both nations’ active meddling in the internal affairs of the other, as well as fraternisation with each other’s perceived adversaries.

    The aftermath of the collapse of global communism in the late 90s however demonstrated the increasing unsustainability of US-Cuba hostility. America was rebuilding relations with former opponents in Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. Its justified concerns about Cuba’s human-rights record were being undermined both by the lack of diplomatic contact and the fact that it happily did business with nations with even more dubious reputations.

    This new era in US-Cuba ties comes with obvious benefits. The increased social and economic links between the two countries will result in investment inflows, tourism and educational opportunities, all of which will enhance greater understanding and tolerance, as ordinary citizens engage one another away from inflamed political rhetoric. US relations with Latin America are also likely to improve, given the removal of what had been a major sticking-point for the region.

    Both the US and Cuba emerge from the process with enhanced reputations. Obama cements an increasingly significant foreign-policy legacy with another landmark achievement. America will obtain renewed access to a hitherto valuable trading partner. Cuba renews relations with the region’s dominant power largely on its own terms, as well as badly-needed trade, investment and technology that had long been denied it.

    There are, however, several issues which are yet to be settled. The trade embargo is, amazingly, still in place; its continued existence significantly undercuts much of the benefits of the restoration of diplomatic ties. It cannot be lifted without the authorisation of the US Congress, whose Republican majority is very likely to fight for its continuation. Then there is America’s continued occupation of Guantanamo Bay, unsurprisingly seen by Cuba as the barefaced occupation of its sovereign territory.

    In all, however, the restoration of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba has positive implications which far outweigh the problems of its full implementation. As was seen in the ground-breaking negotiations with Iran, the potential for cooperation to succeed where conflict has failed has been demonstrated. The belief that nations should focus more on the things that unite them rather than those which set them apart has been seen to have merit. The idea that old animosities need not continue to shape contemporary relationships has proved its durability.

    ‘In all, however, the restoration of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba has positive implications which far outweigh the problems of its full implementation. As was seen in the ground-breaking negotiations with Iran, the potential for cooperation to succeed where conflict has failed has been demonstrated’

    As the United States and Cuba move towards a mutually beneficial era in their relationship, it is to be hoped that other countries learn from their example and seek to build bridges where they have put up walls.

  • America’s gesture

    A lot depends on Nigeria concerning U.S.’ promise to help trace our looted funds

    THE latest offer by the United States government to help Nigeria track down billions of dollars in stolen assets must come to Nigerians as good news. Announcing the offer to his audience comprising mostly Nigerians in Washington last week, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke of a new resolve by the U.S. government to help identify the accounts; he spoke of a matching determination by his administration to prosecute the individuals involved – all in the effort to undo the damage done to the integrity of Nigeria by the activities of the individuals and compromised institutions.

    The offer is said to be sequel to the request by the president to his United States counterpart, Barack Obama, to help locate and return $150 billion believed to have been stolen by corrupt Nigerian officials.

    We see the US offer as important in a number of ways. Coming barely two months after coming into office, the offer is no doubt a measure of how seriously the world has come to take the Buhari administration’s resolve to combat the virus of graft and impunity in the nation’s public life. In the same vein, the request stems from the acknowledgement of the role that countries like the United States – with its vast global network of intelligence – can play to stem the scourge of illicit fund transfers from relatively poor countries like Nigeria.

    As important as the offer is, however, we also note that the collaboration is neither a novelty nor does it guarantee that the looted funds will ultimately be repatriated. A lot will certainly depend on what our officials choose to do or not to do. A good example is the Abacha loot. The international watchdog, Transparency International, reckons that the late Sani Abacha actually plundered an estimated $5 billion in the 1990s – all of which was laundered across banks in Europe and America. At the moment, only a fraction of the recovered loot is known to have been repatriated while a huge chunk of the repatriated sum is also on record to have been re-looted by officials. With rigour and integrity missing in the efforts, the result was the scandal that the Abacha loot – and re-loot – has since become.

    If we may restate the point, the offer by the US government is only a first step. We expect our officials to put their acts together by showing that they mean business this time around. The Buhari administration must show in words and in deed that the corruption, sloppiness, under-the-table dealings and outright bad faith which characterised the previous recovery efforts is now a thing of the past. It goes without saying that the nation deserves the services of the brightest and best attorneys as it goes after the looters of the common wealth.

    The bottom-line is that we expect the anti-corruption agencies to pursue every lead, every audit trail to their logical conclusion. That is the context in which the offer makes sense. The lesson must be taught that there can be no hiding place for those who used the privilege of their high offices to abuse public trust. The same goes for their collaborators. All illicit funds must be returned to the treasury just as we expect adequate punishment for the culprits.

    We must say also that a new framework of transparency in the management of recovered funds is long overdue. We see this as the surest way to assure Nigerians and the international community that recovered funds will not disappear into thin air once again. If that calls for a new legislation – so be it.

  • $2.1bn World Bank loan

    Assistance for the North-East is test case for Buhari government’s resolve on corruption

    AS the epicentre of the inhuman activities of the Boko Haram, the northeast obviously deserves a lifeline, either for rebuilding devastated infrastructure or assisting in resettling the over one million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from that area. This is why we welcome the low interest rate loan of $2.1billion from the World Bank, through its International Development Agency (IDA). According to agreed terms of the loan, the first 10 years will be interest-free, with additional provision for a further 30 years that would offer interest rate that is lower than the prevailing capital market rate.

    The fact that Boko Haram insurgents in the last six years have consistently unleashed inconceivable terror on the entire north gives a background understanding to the eagerness of not only the World Bank to assist through this loan, but the world’s desire to give succour to the affected people. This perhaps informed President Muhammadu Buhari’s commendation of the World Bank package at a meeting with representatives of the bank and others, as part of activities marking his recent four-day state visit to the US. The president urged the World Bank to send a team that would work in concert with the government’s team to identify areas of need. We agree that without this collaboration, it is doubtful if the bank can make any meaningful impact with the repayable fund.

    But again, we should not lose sight of the fact that once the country has met the bank’s processes of award, the loan belongs to Nigeria and not the World Bank. Although we are not oblivious of the mismanagement of some previous loans from the bank and other sources; we strongly believe that the World Bank should not be dictating to the nation how such funds would be spent. If experience is anything to go by, the bank usually, under the guise of providing assistance, spends a large chunk of such loan on consultants and others brought by it to supervise and lay the foundation for utilisation of the money.

     What the nation as a sovereign entity does with borrowed money is her business even though we, without equivocation, abhor imprudent spending of public funds — be it grants or funds generated by any government. This is where this particular loan for the rebuilding of the infrastructural and human capital development of the northeast becomes a test case and a big challenge to the President Buhari administration. Nigerians and indeed the entire world are patiently waiting to see how the government would disburse the loan and for what purposes.

    The tasks of rebuilding infrastructure, resettling displaced people and restoring reasonable peace in the northeast with this loan might become herculean when realised that theBoko Haram war is still growing in intensity. This is where we expect the government to set out clearly, ab initio; the action plan for the fund; and within what framework. This will ensure tracking of progress made between funds disbursed and achievements on ground. We are concerned about the security situation in the northeast and indeed the entire country.

    We want to remind President Buhari that the battle against graft is one of the strong reasons why Nigerians voted for him in the March 28 presidential election. At the end of the day, what we want to see is how far his administration can go in tackling the issue of corruption in funds management, including of course this northeast World Bank loan.

  • In order

    In order

    The Buhari administration deserves commendation, not condemnation, for calling on former public officers to account for their stewardship

    The on-going probe of activities of some officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration has continued to attract the attention of Nigerians. The search of the residence of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has particularly generated some controversy. Some have come up with conspiracy theories on the reasons behind what they consider the former NSA’s ordeal. It has been suggested that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the search acting on vendetta informed by a 30-year-old grudge against Col. Dasuki who was said to have effected the arrest of General Buhari when his military administration was sacked in August 1985. Others claim it is the beginning of a massive witch-hunt of those who served under the Jonathan administration. Curiously, no evidence has been produced to support the theories.

    The fact, as known today, is that officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) went to the home of the former NSA to effect a warrant for search obtained from a court of law. No one has said the DSS officials broke into the house as was the case under the military. They are said to have introduced themselves and shown the warrant. In response to the suggestion that the siege on the house lasted longer than necessary, thus constituting harassment, the DSS has explained that they were delayed because the search was resisted by military men on guard duty at the house.

    We find the explanations of the DSS credible and laudable. President Buhari received the mandate of Nigerians to cleanse the Augean stables left by his predecessor. He has vowed to recover looted funds and bring those found culpable of subverting national security and economy to book. So far, we do not see how he has stepped out of line.

    We call on Col. Dasuki and others who served under the former government who might be invited for interview by the security agencies to cooperate as no one is above the law. It is instructive that all who are being called to serve the state would at some point have to render account of their stewardship. Those who have served conscientiously have nothing to fear as the public is watching keenly for any suggestion that such an exercise is about witch-hunt.

    We support the conduct of the DSS in their efforts. The service promptly issued a release explaining why the search was necessary and how it was handled. No one has come forth with a contrary statement. The allegation of treasonable felony is too serious to be ignored by any responsible government. The result of the search, too, cannot be overlooked. They speak volumes about the rot that was the order of the day under the Jonathan administration. How did a retired colonel acquire 12 cars, five of which were bullet-proof? Were they official or private? If official, were they disclosed in the NSA’s handover note? Then, what was he doing with so many assault rifles? If allowed by the rules of engagement, he should be cleared. But if not, he deserves to be duly tried and punished.

    We wish to state, however, that the seizure of Col. Dasuki’s passport is unconstitutional as it was not based on a court order. Every accused is innocent until proven guilty and as such basic rights should not be violated. The international passport is the right of every Nigerian that cannot be whimsically withdrawn.

    The case of the former Chief Security Officer to Dr. Jonathan, Mr. Gordon Obua ,is not much different. He is an official of the DSS and as he has come out to explain, his employers have the right, and indeed, duty, to recall him for questioning as might be deemed fit at any point in time. We therefore call on all security agencies that might have cause to interrogate him and others to be civil in their approach and respect his fundamental rights. People under such circumstances deserve access to their lawyers as and when they might deem it fit and should not be restrained from receiving visitors at any point in time unless the courts sanction such strict isolation.

    All said, it is about time all Nigerians realised that officials are servants of the people and have no right to use their offices to do anything that cannot stand up to scrutiny. We call for a speedy investigation of all the allegations and openness in the process.

  • Agbeyegbe: A dance at 80

    The theatre icon is truly a game changer, grand living legend and more

    In the 32 years since Fred Agbeyegbe’s perhaps best known play, “The King Must Dance Naked”, was first performed, the playwright has not only achieved recognition, but has also attracted commendation for his consistent commitment to the drama and the stage. It is a reflection of his status that on his 76th birthday four years ago he was honoured with an impressive award by the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners (NANTAP). His decoration as a Grand Living Legend of Nigerian Theatre was a praiseworthy reward for his contribution to the development of theatre in the country through practice.

    Agbeyegbe’s role in the advancement of dramatic literature was more specifically defined by a colloquium organised to celebrate his milestone 80th birthday on July 22 with the theme “The Theatre Game Changer”. It is noteworthy that the event, accompanied by a “Theatre Carnival”, was scheduled to take place at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, where Agbeyegbe’s theatrical talent first enjoyed wide attention with the 1983 performance of his play, “The King Must Dance Naked”. When the play was staged in August last year in the context of the Legendary Plays Series, it represented a grand endorsement of Agbeyegbe.

     The play’s place in the history of theatrical productions in the country was captured by Agbeyegbe himself who provided a useful insight into why he is regarded as a game changer. He said in an interview: “…Theatre was dead. There was this big edifice, the National Theatre, in which next to nothing was happening… That was why everybody believed that Ajo Productions, “The King Must Dance Naked” and Fred Agbeyegbe, the three of them, all came to enliven the National Theatre.”

    It is interesting to note that, going by his words, Agbeyegbe’s energetic enthusiasm at the time was dampened by an ironic manifestation of philistinism by the powers that be. According to him, “And thereafter, we never looked back until many years ago when the Federal Government tried to sell it off. There was the Ajo Productions play series that spanned many years.” It is food for thought that the National Theatre is still threatened by non-artistic interests and the controversy generated by reported moves to sell the cultural showpiece is far from a closure.

    He further projected his devotion to drama by organising and funding a festival of arts and drama, AJOFEST, which featured performances by his theatre company, Ajo Productions. Four of his plays, “Budiso”, “The King Must Dance Naked”, “Woe Unto Death” and “The Last Omen” were staged during a month-long festival at the National Theatre in the 1980s, which was a remarkable development at the time; even today, that would be considered phenomenal.  His effort to reproduce the theatrical atmosphere in Abuja was also proof of his passion.

     Credited with 17 plays, Agbeyegbe’s observed use of local colour reflecting his Itsekiri roots speaks volumes about his cultural consciousness and his promotion of his cultural heritage.  Interestingly, he said of the focus of his opus: “What is our leadership all about? Is this the way it is in other parts of the world? When you come to the conclusion that it is not, and you are eager to know, you ask for the Nakedness of the Leaders, and as it turned out in this particular play, it was obvious that it is not who should be on the throne that was sitting there. So, that was why the king was asked to dance naked.”  The enduring relevance of this concern is a reason to appreciate Agbeyegbe’s dramatic voice.

     That Agbeyegbe is better known as a playwright, even though he is also a lawyer, underlines the intensity of his involvement in theatrical work.  At 80, he has secured a place in the hall of heroes of Nigerian theatre.

  • Oliseh has landed

    Oliseh has landed

    But then, how does he make the Super Eagles to soar again?     

    Sunday Oliseh, the new Super Eagles chief coach, landed the other day, shooting from the hips.

    Never again, he thundered, would Nigeria under him, be a rehabilitation camp. Whoever wasn’t playing, week in, week out, in the elite leagues of his base, should kiss Eagles bye-bye!

    But the roaring cheers had hardly died down when Oliseh probably realised he just jumped into the philosophical waters of the Greek, Heraclitus, who proclaimed you could not step in the same river twice — such was the flux of life!

    Does Nigeria, despite its famed foreign legion, have enough quality players to make Oliseh’s cut? Are these parlous times not different from Oliseh’s glory days as player, with the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Austine Jay-Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi and Samson Siasia, painting their host leagues with goals and dazzling the world with silky skills?

    Times certainly have changed. Oliseh, realising he may have aimed too high, entered a caveat: fading stars, but who can still deliver at the highest level, would still be given fair time to prove themselves — fair enough.

    But Oliseh’s virtual recant just underscores the tough Nigeria job — and the need to tread gingerly. Nigerians believe, rather misguidedly, they are the best in world football — and at all times. So, God save that coach who tries to mouth “excuses” — even if the “excuses” are clear facts: that, right now, the best of Nigerian players are only average by global standards.

    That is why he will do well to moderate expectation, though in truth he said he would try his best even if he was no messiah; and communicate the grimness of the present situation, even if he would not helplessly tweak his fingers.

    Fortunately, he is coming to the job with good credentials. He has a UEFA coaching licence; and is regarded as a sound soccer technocrat, in the FIFA Technical Committee, of which he is a member. He is regarded no less in UEFA circles — and UEFA is global football’s epicentre.

    The only dark spot is lack of coaching experience. On this score, the signals are mixed on his putative success or failure. Segun Odegbami and Adokiye Amiesimaka, perhaps the most brilliant minds in their generation of national team players, are upbeat Oliseh is the best man for the job right now. But both Clemence Westerhoff and Johannes Bonfrere, Oliseh’s Dutch coaches when he won the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 1994 and Olympics Football gold medal in 1996, demur. Both insist Oliseh is not good enough for the national team because he lacks experience. So, Oliseh is condemned to proving himself.

    But to do that, he must shun distractions. Already, there is misinformation that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has allowed the coach to do his job from Europe. That is not true. He only got permission to go scour Europe and monitor his players for the September 4 AFCON clash away to Tanzania.

    Just as well it is not true, for if it were, it would have jeopardised Oliseh’s ability to also scour the Nigerian local league for fresh and hungry talents. Therefore, both NFF and Oliseh must manage the information they push out; lest needless controversies ensue. Controversies, of course, cause distractions — and to succeed, distractions are what Oliseh does not need.

    Then, Oliseh’s fiery temper — has he tempered it as a coach? The Nigeria football management waters appear shark-prone. But Oliseh has a reputation for not suffering fools gladly. Has NFF cleaned up its acts? And worst-case scenario, is Oliseh primed?

    Recall: that peculiar Nigerian terrain, for alleged indiscipline, ousted him, as Nigeria captain, Amodu Shaibu as chief coach and Stephen Keshi as assistant coach, from Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup, even after the team had qualified! Ironically, the threesome are involved in this transition: Amodu as NFF technical director, Keshi as sacked coach and Oliseh as new coach!

    From all clinical analysis, Oliseh’s success at his new job is not at all assured. Still, we hope his coming will herald a new dawn for Nigerian football.

  • Wike’s indefensible act

    Wike’s indefensible act

    • Rivers State Governor’s unannounced visits to CJN and rude defence

    The visits by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, to the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmoud Mohammed, without an appointment, is irresponsible. The reasons he has offered for the visits do not hold water, because he knew that he has a case before the election petition tribunal, and he knows his case could eventually come before the CJN for adjudication. So, was Wike not bothered that his visits could trigger an alarm, that he was seeking an opportunity to compromise the judicial process?

    According to Wike’s media aide, the governor had gone to the CJN’s office to discuss the renewal of the appointment of the state acting chief judge, and the state acting president of the customary court of appeal, before the vacation begins.  He conveniently chose to forget that as a litigant before the courts, his visits could raise a doubt in the minds of his opponents, about the impartiality of the judicial process, of which the CJN is the chief custodian. But for the fact that Wike did not meet the CJN, it would have been reasonable for his opponents in the election petition case to worry whether Wike had compromised the process, using his influence as a sitting governor.

    To make matters worse, Wike chose to make the visit a personal affair, instead of an official visit, which would have seen his protocol officers set up an appointment through the protocol officers of the CJN. Such a process would have made the purpose of his visits clear from the beginning, and so allow the learned jurist an opportunity to accept or decline such inauspicious visits. But for the vigilance of the press, Wike’s clandestine visits, if successful, could have impugned the integrity of the highest judicial official in Nigeria; for it appeared as if Wike was determined to continue his visits to the office of the CJN, until he succeeded.

    For many, it is scandalous that a governor would, unannounced, attempt to badge into the office of another state official. It depicted the governor as unmannered in state protocols. But considering that Wike is a former minister of the country, it beggars belief that he could behave in such a manner, unless of course he had other ulterior motive for his two failed attempts to see the CJN. Wike’s political antecedents may have lent credence to the accusation by his opponents, that he holds nothing sacrosanct.

    It is also important that Wike reins in his media aides, unless he authorised the gibberish which they tried to pass off in their paid adverts, as explanation for his faux pas.

    The attempt to denigrate and impugn the integrity of the reporters who exposed his secret visits should be condemned. If we may ask, did the visits not take place, or did the governor not go to the CJN’s office without official information as to his motives? Or was the governor expecting the reporters not to report that the clandestine visits took place; or is it a lie that Governor Wike’s election is hotly contested by his opponent in the last general elections?

    Going forward, we expect that the governor would not make another attempt to visit the CJN, as long as he has a case pending in court. We also expect that if he insists on another round of visits, the CJN would rebuff him. If the governor wants to communicate with the CJN, he should do so in writing. We also urge the CJN to guard his reputation jealously, in the overall interest of our judicial process, regardless of the desperation of those seeking his attention.