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Tag: caged

  • Fayose will be caged on election day, says Fayemi

    •Apc will restore good governance

    All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has assured the people of Ekiti State of adequate security on July 14, when they go to polls to elect a new governor.

    Fayemi urged eligible voters to come out and exercise their civic rights and not to be intimidated by Governor Ayo Fayose’s alleged threats to cause mayhem on election day.

    The APC flag bearer declared that the incumbent governor will be caged on the day of election as he (Fayose) will only be allowed to vote and go back to his house in Afao.

    He said: “We will ensure adequate security for voters on election day because if you are not well protected, the election will not be free, far, credible, transparent, genuine and acceptable.

    “Fayose cannot threaten or intimidate anybody on the day of election.

    “Fayose will only be allowed to cast his vote and he will go back to his house in Afao.”

    Fayemi who spoke yesterday during a campaign tour to communities in Ido/Osi Local Government Area, said he was on a mission to rescue Ekiti people from poverty, misery and bad governance.

    He promised to put the state on the path of good governance, progress and development.

    Communities visited by Fayemi include Ifaki, Orin, Ora, Aaye, Ifisin, Igbole, Osi, Ido, Ilogbo, Usi and Ayetoro where more Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and members defected to the APC.

    Fayemi was joined at the rallies by the deputy governorship candidate Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, Ekiti APC Chairman Chief Olajide Awe, former Minister of State for Works Prince Dayo Adeyeye, former House of Assembly Speaker Dr. Adewale Omirin, former House of Assembly member Mrs. Bunmi Oriniowo and a senatorial aspirant Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu.

    The APC flag bearer said Fayose, the PDP and the candidate Prof. Kolapo Olusola have nothing to showcase in those communities in the last three-and-half years, noting that the projects being enjoyed by the people were the ones executed by Fayemi.

    Fayemi said projects like civic centres, health centres, five kilometer community roads, school and hospital renovations are flagship projects that would swing votes in APC’s favour.

    He promised that all the human capital development policies like payment of monthly stipends to the aged, free health services, free education, payment of WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and JAMB fees for pupils in public schools would return when the APC government takes over.

    Fayemi promised more Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) assisted projects, employment through Peace Corps, Ekiti Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA), return of core subject allowances and Rural Teachers’ Allowances, regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ benefits.

    According to him, a special health intervention programme for Obas and chiefs tagged “Ilera Laafin,” Local Council Development Areas, Volunteer Corps scheme, among others would return.

    He debunked the PDP’s allegation that he would sack teachers and civil servants, noting that workers enjoyed salary increase three times during his first tenure.

    Fayemi lampooned Fayose for owing core civil servants, local government workers and teachers between five and nine months salaries expressing regret that no worker had collected salaries meant for this year.

    He said it was an act of irresponsibility and insincerity for the governor to be calling himself a friend of civil servants and teachers and still be owing them arrears of salaries despite getting financial reliefs from the Federal Government.

    The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development declared that the

    PDP would meet its waterloo on election day as Ekiti people who had allegedly been deceived would show the umbrella party the way out of the Government House.

    He urged party members and voters to go back to their units and work, noting that election is not won on the social media but at the polling units.

    Fayemi added: “Let’s deal with PDP with our votes, we are going to give them a bloodied nose with our votes on July 14 because Fayemi of today is different from that of yesterday.

    “If the PDP people come here, they have nothing to campaign with and that is why they are resorting to lies, but they have exhausted their lies.

    “Go to your units, vote and protect your votes. Election is not done on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp, the votes are at the polling units.

    “APC will give a better life to our people, we have done it before and with your support, we will do it again because our legacies are all around the state for everybody to see.”

  • So, Messi can be caged

    IT was a nightmare for FC Barcelona’s fans in Italy after the most exciting side to watch squandered on Tuesday a three-goal margin secured in the first leg against Roma FC in one of the quarter-finals fixtures in the UEFA Champions League. For most Barca fans, their team is complete, with Lionel Messi playing. And the Argentine never fails for both club and country. Indeed, Messi has scored goals that have left spectators amazed.

    Messi ranks close to Cristiano Ronaldo in no particular order because both make the game exciting. Messi passes the ball in the vintage Barcelona tiki taka playing style  until when he pops up to score a goal. But Ronaldo emerges from  Real Madrid’s superb decoy moves, which he may not initiate, to score goals which leave defenders dumbfounded. Both players are reliable. They carry their teams when things go wrong and have incredible passion for victory, which rubs off on the others.

    When Messi and Ronaldo are off form, Barca and Real Madrid suffer. You won’t blame them because their mates know their worth and play to their potential. Who doesn’t want to win matches and trophies? Real Madrid are not as potent as they were last season because Ronaldo hasn’t recovered from his injury which arose from games that he played for Madrid and Portugal. He is getting better and Real Madrid are better for it.

    But Juventus FC of Italy gave Ronaldo something to ponder over- he was effectively checked. But he rose to the occasion by stepping forward to convert what many thought was a controversial penalty kick. That goal earned Real Madrid the semi-final ticket on goals aggregate, having won the first leg in Turin 3-0, only to be beaten by Juventus 3-1. Only Ronaldo could have converted such a penalty kick, given the rift surrounding  English referee Oliver Michael’s decision, with most pundits asking if he could have made  such a decision, if it happened in the Madrid side’s 18-metre box. Sheer hypothesis. Michael’s decision was correct. I digress.

    And so, on Tuesday night when the Italians had Messi inside the defensive web, Barca was rudderless, leading to their exit from the most prestigious European club competition. Italians are reputable man-markers. They sat back to fashion out how to mark Messi. They compelled Messi to abandon his ball distribution to look for the vital away goal from the centre forward position. The Italians kept the ball away from Messi’s playing area, making Barca vulnerable to the three goals which the team conceded. Had Barca registered Phillip Coutinho for the UEFA Champions League, Roma wouldn’t have succeeded in eliminating the Catalan side.

    Barca needed a player used to taking charge of a team playing badly under pressure. Coutinho would have freed Messi from the trap by scoring the vital away goal from either a long range shot or one of the free kicks. Barca missed cup-tied Coutinho.

    What the Italians showed the world, especially Super Eagles coaches and players, was that marking Messi starts with ensuring that the team doesn’t play in his favourite areas. They didn’t give any particular player to mark him. They chose to ensure that m he doesn’t go on his characteristic dribbling runs to wreak havoc.  Messi needs space but the Italians choked the place, forcing him to search for the ball, which isn’t his strongest asset.

    Interestingly, Roma had to change their game plan to stop Messi and his rampaging teammates just like the Super Eagles will need to do against the Argentines – if the need arises at the World Cup.

    Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco’s eureka moment came at five o’clock on Sunday morning. Unable to sleep after Roma’s home defeat by Fiorentina, Di Francesco found himself jotting down various ways in which he could stop Barcelona.

    ‘I couldn’t sleep, plus I’m a bit insane, so I got out of bed and drew up possible schemes for the Barcelona game, different looks that would put them under pressure in different ways. And this came to me. Had it not worked, you would have killed me,’’ he said after Tuesday’s game.

    Most impressive about Di Francesco is the way he coached a completely new game plan to his players in just two training sessions.

    ‘’We had a long way to go after the first leg but all credit to the coach because he invented this formation two days ago, he drilled it into our heads and it worked wonders,” said midfielder De Rossi. I have never seen Barcelona struggle so much. We pressed them throughout the game from the first minute. It was the first time we played with three at the back and we did great.’’

    Nigeria are the Argentines’ last World Cup opponents, but they would be driven by vengeance to beat the Super Eagles, even if they beat Iceland and Croatia, which could spell doom for Nigeria at the Mundial. We need to learn how to handle special players. This starts with watching how they play to cage them like the Italians did to Messi.

    However, Nwankwo Kanu’s profound submissions to Eagles stars ahead of the Mundial in Russia, if heeded, could be the fillip the Nigerians need to cause the biggest upset in the history of the competition.

    “This team is very good. No need comparing them with any other set of Eagles’ players because those are different era. Right now we have to look at the present team and see what they are capable of doing. For me, it is a very good side. There are no stars in the team but they will excel as a unit,” Kanu added.

    ”This is the first time I am seeing a team and not stars coming together to play for the Eagles. Those on the reserve bench are as good as the ones on the pitch. They are also very young and energetic, while the few experienced players will provide the needed balance. What is important is to pick one or two lessons from the friendly games.

    “We should not get carried away by the results but use the games to build a strong side. A lot of countries are also watching us; so whatever we do in those games is what they will use against us. And I am sure the experienced coach will add value to the team.

    “My advice is that the players should know that they are going to Russia to represent the biggest country in Africa, the giant of Africa, Nigeria. Putting on the green and white jersey should mean more to them than personal glory. They should know that playing for the country is bigger than playing for their respective clubs. So they should go to Russia and make Nigeria proud.”

    Good talk Kanu at a sporting event in Lagos where Peter Rufai admonished the players thus: “I think the team is doing what it ought to do by playing friendly matches. The team has been preparing well and we will all agree that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has done well by organising friendly games for the team in different parts of the world that will enable the Eagles grab different experiences. The coach and his crew will also be able to design a tactical formation that will benefit the team.”

     

    Eight goals against Falcons

     

    The deafening noise from football enthusiasts since France beat Super Falcons 8-0 wasn’t unexpected. As African champions, Falcons ought to have buckled their shoes to give the French a good fight. It wasn’t going to happen because the Falcons have been out of the game for over two years. What happened against France is the price for inactivity. I hope our soccer chieftains have learned the desired lessons.

    Falcons players have cried since they became Africa champions two years ago that they needed to be kept busy with local competitions and quality friendly matches, such as the game against France. But NFF chose to first get the domestic league back by inaugurating a league board, which has Aisha Falode as its boss. Falode’s committee has done the needful by getting sponsors for the domestic game and bringing fresh ideas that led to the commencement of the domestic league last week.

    The eight goals drubbing by France should inform the need to reengineer the squad, which should start with getting new players to replace those who can’t compete at the highest level. We need new players who can only be discovered from a good monitoring system with set rules of what to look for in the new-look squad.

    Interestingly, the new coach saw it all. He must have taken note of the weak areas. I hope NFF can direct the new manager to watch the domestic league. Signs of what happened in France stare us in the face. We have overcome so many because we are talented and more experienced. If we don’t take radical steps to improve, we would soon lose our champions tag for the also-ran teams.

    NFF chiefs should ensure that players who are retiring or cannot fit into the manager’s plans should be on coaching courses so that they can be drafted to the domestic league clubs. We must stop this idea of using and dumping our heroines, in this case after winning laurels for the country. Good experience for the Falcons. They now know how others felt when Falcons whacked them by the same score and even more.

    Watch out France, the Falcons will be back to fight you till death.

  • Averting another caged presidency

    Averting another caged presidency

    Following his shock and clearly unanticipated defeat in the April 28, 2015, presidential election, especially in the light of the unbroken electoral invincibility of presidential incumbency in the country’s political history, former President Goodluck Jonathan was ushered back from the dizzying heights of intoxicating glory to the sobering realms of reality. In perhaps the most reflective and philosophical mood of his 16-yearsojourn in public office, Jonathan told members of the Christian community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, who paid him a post-election Easter homage at the presidential Villa, that he had actually been in a cage during his adventures in power at various levels from Deputy Governor to Governor, Vice President and ultimately the country’s apex office since 1999.

    In his words: “From 1999 I have been in the hands of government. I am yet to see somebody luckier than I was in the hands of government for 16 years, not in government as a parliamentarian, because if you are in the National Assembly or House of Assembly, you take care of yourself in your house. I was in a cage being taken care of by the government. But I think it is enough and I am happy. Help me to thank God for that”.

    Of course, Dr Jonathan could not have been more mistaken as regards the true nature and essence of the cage. I am reminded of the gripping autobiographical novel, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, by the late African American writer, Maya Angelou. She writes with a combination of zest, verve and pathos about how, growing up in segregated America in the 1930s and 40s, she was ‘imprisoned’, her self-esteem entrapped in the limiting cages of racial discrimination, gender repression and class deprivation.

    The song of the caged bird is not a rousing, thrilling, joyous Hallelujah chorus. It is a dirge, a pitiful, mournful monotone. For, the cage is not a space of liberty and dignity. It is a humiliating place of confinement. It is a restrictive prison. It is a suffocating cell. Feed the caged bird as much as you want. It will always thirst for the freedom to flap its wings, hop from tree to tree and soar freely in the skies. By its very nature, the cage constricts, distorts and devalues the true nature of its trapped occupant.

    The defining essence of the quintessential occupant of public office particularly in a democracy is to pursue the Benthamite ideal of the greatest happiness of the greatest number of the people. He is fulfilled only by a passionate commitment to fulfilling his social contract with the public and promoting the general good. To do this, more so in a presidential system where governmental effectiveness depends largely on the energy of the executive arm, the Chief Executive must be free to soar in what Eugene Peterson would describe as the ‘wide open spaces’ of respect for the majesty of the law, dogged commitment to truth, unimpeachable transparency and fierce fidelity to the public trust. But the Nigerian presidency is deliberately designed to negate these values; to effectively cage the occupant of the office, imbue him with an exaggerated sense of his own infallibility, while crafty minders of the presidential zoo feather their nests to their heart’s content.

    You must give it to Jonathan. Yes, he has his own faults like all of us. But he is at heart a good natured man who can be sometimes amazingly naive in his utter simplicity. This is why he at least honestly admitted he was in a cage even if he himself betrayed a manifest misunderstanding of the nature of his confinement.  The Nigerian presidency is tailor made to take maximum advantage of the weaknesses of a man like Jonathan. Thus, while he theorized leisurely about the very intricate differences between stealing and corruption, the delighted minders of the presidential zoo kept him endlessly distracted while, as is becoming ever more glaring by the day, they engaged in a looting spree of epidemic proportions. But then, the problem is not with Jonathan. It is with the Nigerian presidency, which transformed an ordinarily humble school teacher into a most unwilling Nebuchadnezzar.

    It is my humble submission that every President in this dispensation has been effectively caged by the excessive and intoxicating powers of the Nigerian presidency. General Olusegun Obasanjo is an able man. It is not for nothing that he has played historical roles at key moments of Nigeria’s political evolution. His patriotism and nationalism are beyond dispute.He was really passionate about fighting corruption. Towards this end, he takes the credit for ensuring the creation and strengthening of such anti-corruption agencies as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission (ICPC).

    At the end of the day, however, Obasanjo’s legacy was indelibly stained by the aborted Third Term Agenda, aimed at illegal and immoral tenure elongation. This ranks among the worst forms of political corruption perpetrated in this dispensation. The excessive and intoxicating powers of the Nigerian presidency fed the Messianic streak in an otherwise well- meaning President making him vulnerable to the antics of  essentially self-seeking sycophants.

    The late President UmaruYar’Adua was a man of impeccable integrity as well as uncommon dignity and honour. But for the ill health that dogged his brief tenure, there were indications that he would most likely have easily ranked among the greatest Presidents of our time. Not only did he frankly admit the flawed nature of the polls that brought him to power, he took concrete steps to initiate fundamental electoral reforms. He set the precedent of publicly declaring his assets without prompting. Yet, a vicious and rapacious cabal, capitalising on Yar’Adua’s ill health marginalized the legal and legitimate institutions of state and practically hijacked the reigns of presidential power until death mercifully intervened.

    Now, President MuhammaduBuhari has his work cut out for him. His integrity is legendary. His zero tolerance for corruption makes him an iconic moral avatar. The Daura General’s austere lifestyle stands him out in the putrescent crowd of the country’s indulgent and hedonistic political and economic elite. Buhari cuts the enigmatic figure of the conservative General as radical reformer. In a short span of time in office, he has demonstrated convincingly that his redemptive zeal has not flagged. Yet, it is unlikely that the change agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which Buhari embodies, can transmute into the enduring transformation desired even if he spends two terms of eight years in office. The rot and decay have set in too deeply for an instant cure to be effected within such a short time frame.

    The change Buhari and the APC promise should, in my view, begin with the presidency itself. The President must curb the monstrous powers of an institution that perverts and taints virtually all who sit at the apex of presidential authority. Within the context of a demobilized civil society, an inchoate party system, a deformed federal structure that is essentially unitary, an ineffectual and morally incapacitated legislature and an economically famished and ethically challenged media, the Nigerian presidency is institutionally ‘overdeveloped’ and a veritable source of systemic dysfunction.

    Buhari must thus strive to enhance and institutionalize the relative autonomy of critical institutions of state – the police, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), anti-corruption agencies and Directorate of State Security (DSS) in particular – from the suffocating grip of the presidency. This is to ensure that if less restrained, decent and principled persons occupy the office in future after him,  they will be less able to wield presidential powers in the kind of politically detrimentaland disruptive ways we have witnessed in the last 16 years.

    Two other critical ingredients necessary to avert the possibility of another caged presidency under Buhari are first, decoupling the ruling party from the unhealthy dominion of the presidency. Luckily, President Buhari has shown a commendable reluctance to immerse his presidency unduly in internal partisan party matters. As the sobering experience of the PDP shows, when a ruling party at the centre becomes no better than just another parastatal of the presidency, its vital energies are sapped, its internal structures and processes begin to atrophy and it is only a matter of time before it collapses under its own dead weight. It is up to President Buhari and the APC to choose another path.

    Secondly, the APC must pursue a fundamental de-concentration of power from the centre to the states and local governments in a process of systematic re-federalization of the polity. The Buhari administration deserves commendation for its dogged prosecution of its anti-graft war. However, theover-concentration of power, responsibilities and resources at the centre, must also be a cardinal part of the APC’s change agenda in order to tackle the menace at the no less important structural level. As it is, the Nigerian presidency still remains very prone to being caged by ethno-regional cabals, unprincipled power cliques and shadowy cartels of graft with negative consequences for the polity.

  • Jonathan was really  caged, says Soyinka

    Jonathan was really  caged, says Soyinka

    Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has said that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was really caged by some forces while in office.

    He said Jonathan was unaware that the nation had been compromised and that ex-First Lady Dame Patience was on the loose and  ought to be charged for incitement or chaos.

    He however said he warned a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to beware of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He said Ribadu later confirmed that Chief Obasanjo was using him.

    Soyinka made the submissions in an interview he granted a team from Zero Tolerance Magazine, produced by the Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).

    He said he met Jonathan on more than two occasions and that it was obvious the former President had no knowledge of what was going on under his watch.

    He said: “Correct. There were forces around Jonathan, which he himself did not understand and that is why I stressed that, you’ve got to choose your circle of advisers very carefully, when you are in charge. He was caged; things were going on that he did not know about.

    “And again, I am revealing this to you, since this won’t be published till after the elections because I won’t want to be seen as campaigning for or against one side. It shows  in deep trouble governance can be; governance can dig itself into a huge hole and not even know it’s in there. The statement that was issued was issued the night when I met him.

    “Oh! It is more than two occasions, but two in recent times. I will tell you one interesting aspect of what we discussed. Jonathan did not know that the nation had been compromised so badly in this telephone thing with the King of Morocco. I was the one who told him when we met over an issue and I said to him, ‘by the way, how is the King of Morocco? Jonathan didn’t know what I was talking about’.

    “When I mentioned the telephone issue, he thought I was talking about his campaign for the AfDB  managing  director for which he was lobbying other Head of States. He said ‘I haven’t spoken to him in a long time’, and I said ‘no, you spoke to him a few days ago.’

    “He said ‘no, I intend to speak with him, I even asked my foreign ministry to link me up with him because I am campaigning for a candidate but I haven’t spoken to the King of Morocco’. Then I said to him, ‘You better go and read the newspapers of last week’. And I can tell you, he didn’t know.

    “So, can you imagine that the President did not know that a scandal had developed that involved a withdrawal of an ambassador!”

    On the former First Lady, Soyinka said she ought to be charged for incitement and chaos

    “On a lighter note, I asked him, ‘what are you doing about madam’, because that one seems to be embarrassing the nation as usual because that seems to be her function as so called first lady. “You got to a section of the country and tell your supporters to stone those who campaign for change and you insult another part of the nation by calling them those who produce children that they cannot look after. That woman should be charged for incitement, chaos; it’s incredible that she is allowed to run loose.”

    Pressed to disclose Jonathan’s reply to the question on his wife, Soyinka added: “I am not going to tell his response(laughs…). But I am free to tell you what I said, it will be an abuse of privilege if I tell you his response.”

    Soyinka said he did not bomb Jonathan but he had spoken privately with the President on the state of the nation.

    He said Jonathan allowed corruption to fester during his administration.

    Soyinka gave details on how he warned ex-EFCC chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu  against being used by ex-President Obasanjo.

    He said: “I warned your former boss, Ribadu, I told him that, your task will be done when in the course of your investigation; you discover that the source of the problem is the very person who appointed you.

    “He looked shocked a bit, and eventually he and I met in London, after, he was removed and El-Rufai was also in exile after they tried to kill him. We met and Ribadu refused to sit down. I asked him to sit but he said no, that until I accepted his apology? And he said, “I should have listened to you, I failed to listen to you. Something you said to me, and I failed to listen” Ribadu admitted that he realized very late that Obasanjo was using him.

    “So we have to destroy that link between power and corruption. Audu Ogbe confirmed what I am telling you. Then it was ‘go after this one, go after the one, ahh! You did not arrest him? Arrest his mother!’ I am challenging Obasanjo to deny it.

    “So when you are looking for corruption, you should look at the entire stratum of the society, while some forms of corruption are direct, others are indirect.”

    When reminded that former President Obasanjo said Ribadu investigated him and cleared him of all corruption charges, Soyinka said: I am not going to speak on this; but one thing l like, when I speak, I don’t dwell on rumours but at the same time I form opinion within the limits of the investigation which I make, that’s how far I go. I am a very curious person; I‘ll always ask: is this thing true, is it not true? And I use my own means to investigate and come to my conclusion.”

    “Of course he(Ribadu)  did, that was one of the longest discussions I had in a long time. We were there for almost four hours and we spoke for at least two and a half hours. I asked him a couple of questions and he told me certain things in confidence and there were things in which corroborated the things I have heard from different directions on investigations which I myself had made.

    “But the important thing is that he came around to see that my indication to him is that you had to get to the source of corruption which grows when it is tolerated.”

     

  • How we caged Drogba, others, by Super Eagles

    How we caged Drogba, others, by Super Eagles

    Super Eagles’ duo of Godfrey Obaobona and Kenneth Omerou have told NationSport how they combined to cage Didier Drogba from causing any damage in the AFCON 2013 quarter-final clash between Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

    The Sunshine Stars of Akure skipper in a chat conducted after the victory over the Elephants at the mixed zone of the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, hinted that: “Like I told you in the one-on-one talk we had in our last Group C game against the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia, I did categorically state that big names don’t play football.

    “With due respect to the former African Player of the Year, he is a fantastic player as he has achieved a lot with Chelsea. I was just composed, didn’t give him space and above all the dedication and team work in the defence against the Ivoirians was the reason for our success. So, I am happy that he didn’t score against us.”

    On what went through his mind when Tiote equalised, the Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA) product said that:”I was a bit down as it was a cheap goal we conceded. I didn’t let it demoralise me but went on pushing and at the end, Sunday Nba scored the winner for us.”

    For Samsung Fair play winner, Kenneth Omerou: “It was a good that is as good as wining the AFCON trophy.

    “We knew they had good players, but we didn’t let that get into our head as we had to stick to the instruction of the coaches, which at the end it proved positive for us.”