The Nation Newspaper

Tag: difficult

  • ‘Dealing with financially excluded difficult’

    Diamond Bank said it is not easy dealing with finanially exluded members of the country.

    Its Executive Director, Business Development, Chizoma Okolie, said the bank has, however, being doing a lot to capture more people into the formal banking sector’s net.

    Sharing Perspectives on Consumer-centric Inclusion Banking at Digital Pay Expo in Lagos, she quoted the World Bank as saying 64million adults are financially exluded in the country while about 31million banked customers use the automated teller machine (ATM) to do their transactions.

    According to her, there is need to know what people in the financial services sector, stressing that the lender identified convenience, simplicity, borrow with little credit history, know me/involve me.

    She explained that there is always the need to bring convenience to the customers without necessarily disrupting their life styles, adding that the culture of the people also needed to be preserved while trying to catch them into the formal banking net.

    She said the determination of the lender to get more people to embrace financial services made it to partner MTN Nigeria to unveil the Diamond Y’ellow Account.

    According to her, the initiative has recorded a resounding success as account holders under the scheme has now hit 10 million because it has taken care of simplicity and convenience as their nearest agent could be located through the mobile phone.

    She said Beta Friends account is another initiative introduced by the lender to simplify banking to the customers.

    While this initiative sits within the comfort of the bank, she said it also does not distort people’s way of life and promoting social inclusion by providing opportunities through connecting people and connecting businesses. Currently, the product has 580,000 customers mostly women. She said Diamond Closa already has 317 agents.

  • Why impeachment of President Buhari may be difficult

    Some members of the National Assembly (both chambers) want the president impeached. They are within their rights to demand his impeachment. But how justifiable is the cry for impeachment? I used to be an ardent fan of the president, not anymore but that doesn’t mean that I should be a jingoistic cheerleader.

    Nigeria’s upper ten in the fourth republic have not behaved any better than this president. Look around you. Do you see a continuous investment in education everywhere in Nigeria, improvements in health and science and technology, as well as Nigeria building a democracy? Development must only be spearheaded by a president right?

    We love to sulk like the Arabs with love for blaming everyone but themselves for the decay in the Arab world, and yet before their eyes Israel became a developed country and superpower all through hard work and not solely from foreign aid.

    Where is our justice system? Doesn’t it favour the rich against the poor?

    Which state in Nigeria is politically stable?

    I love first-rated syllogisms for the development of Nigeria. It was Hannah Arendt who said that “War has become a luxury that only small nations can afford.”

    Can impeachment moves against President Buhari ever pass muster? I doubt it. Unlike in Egypt and Brazil there can never be a smoking gun in Nigeria.

    Never have we as a people been divided more than now. Youths across all geographical divides in Nigeria cannot pour out on the streets with one voice to demand the impeachment of a president that is massively popular with the average Joe in the north, the teeming population of the underprivileged in the society, those that really matter in the electorate process despite elitist blackmail. Considering that most elites do not vote, the browbeaten masses do, and these will follow the principle of “group think”.

    Northern youths in strong enclaves will Billy Club anyone who dares to think for themselves. The youths in the south would only pour out on the streets on anti-northern sentimentalities, not because of the policy chased by the president. Polemicists have led all youths astray.

    The decision on the procurement of armament for a country is reached and taken by a national security council comprising of a president, all service chiefs and other political persons and not singly. Commentators around love to invoke The US as having a perfect system, and I wonder how much of the US system they know about. Isn’t it said that members of the US Congress over time have complained about not knowing how much is allotted for intelligence operations and that most figures are hidden in other budget items?

    Haven’t you heard it said that some attempts by Congress to verify military expenditures have been voted down by many presidents and that some intelligence agencies’ are answerable only to the CIA and the Secretary of Defense and not to Congress? And that that country spends more on the military than all other domestic programs and yet military budgets over there are padded with billions of dollars to bypass cuts from Congress. The US does not have a perfect democratic system. Can we at least grow our own democracy?

    Did president Buhari engage in executive skullduggery by informing the legislative chambers about the purchase of a military aircraft needed to fight insurgency?

    President Ronald Reagan didn’t tell Congress when he bypassed them, the law and the constitution in Iran-Contra and even lied his way out of it when the bubble burst by informing the public that he didn’t know what happened to the money sent to arm the rebels in Nicaragua, money which came to the US purse as a result of arms sold to “rogue” Iran. His staffers later confessed that he had full knowledge of the deal but no-one made any attempt to impeach him.

    Which political party in Nigeria is progressive, liberal and conservative, a party for the poor and rich?

    Who will move against the president, members from his own party or those in the minority? Members from his party in the north wouldn’t even dare visit their constituency if they move to impeach him. History shows that political party members rarely impeach their own except on very serious grounds that infringe on and against national interests.

    The resignation of Richard Nixon over Watergate (Republican, the most trusted man in America at the time) was made possible by the majority Democrats in Congress and the Republicans had no choice but to follow their lead. Ken Starr pursued President Bill Clinton (Democratic) on Whitewater but got nothing, then Paula Jones, then Linda Tripp which led him to Monica Lewinsky. Bill Clinton was only impeached by the majority dominated Republicans in Congress as a payback for the resignation of Richard Nixon pursued by the Democrats. What is the opposite party in the minority in both houses of the federal parliament going to use as an excuse to punish the party in power and the president of Nigeria?

    I believe that power struggles will lead to the ruin of Nigeria, if not well managed.

    Just before the 1999 presidential elections in Nigeria, on a bus  from Ibadan to Kaduna, a frenzied debate ensued among a number of elderly, politically-alert individuals on their choice of preferred candidates between the major challengers at the time, General Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP (People’s Democratic Party) and Chief Olu Falae of the AD (Alliance for Democracy)

    The bulk of the persons on that trip wanted Chief Olu Falae to win for many reasons, one of which was that he was well-informed about the economy and as a university undergraduate (University of Ibadan) I felt entitled to offer my own opinion: I drummed up support for Obasanjo to win unless something unforeseen happened.

    My submission met with stiff denunciation especially from elders who felt I was too young to understand Nigeria and her workings.

    My reason even though immature was simple: he would stabilize Nigeria, prevent coups and restore peace which was really elusive. Years later, peace is still elusive.

    I don’t think it is right to be talking about impeachment when herdsmen are busy maiming and killing people everywhere and Dark Lords are enthroned everywhere daily. The call for impeachment is a cheap distraction from life affecting underdevelopment provided by politicians everywhere and not by a sitting president only.

     

    • Abah writes from Abuja.

  • 2019: It won’t be easy to remove incumbents, says Obasanjo

    • Banks on youths to do the magic

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo admitted yesterday that dislodging elected public office holders from power in next year’s election would be a herculean task for the opposition.

    The solution, according to him, however lies in the opposition winning over the youths whose collective effort, he said, can do the magic.

    Obasanjo, the brain behind the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM), told members of the group at a meeting in Ibadan that whatever needed to be done to make power change hands should be done.

    He charged youths in particular to get prepared to take over the mantle of leadership of the country.

    His audience included former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who is the National Coordinator of the movement; former deputy governor of Oyo State, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; two former secretaries to the Oyo State Government, Chiefs Olayiwola Olakojo and Ayodele Adigun; Obasanjo’s close associate  Otunba   Oyewole Fasawe; and a legal luminary, Hammed Raji  (SAN).

    Obasanjo is a leading campaigner against President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection.

     

    He said: “Some people believe that those that are in position, whether they are doing well or not, they must continue to be there. But when we say they must not be there, they will want to fight back. They will do many things to wreak havoc, but everybody must be prepared. It will not be easy to wrest powers from them. If you think it will be easy to liberate Nigeria, you are deceiving yourself.

    “But the God that did it yesterday will do it again today. We have seen this before. In this Nigeria, we have had a situation that we had five political parties and the five parties nominated one person as candidate for presidency. If only his nuclear family had voted for him, he would have won.

    “But our God is wonderful. God laughed. Now, God is laughing. When the time came, God revealed that He’s God. He is the omnipotent, omnipresent and eternal, who can do all things and who can make all things possible. But if we are leaving things to God, we have to do our own side.”

    “I just want to join in assuring you that the philosophy of what we have is CNM, and what it will transform to will not be different.

    “We have not had a political party in this country that is grounded in the grassroots. All our political parties are elitist. We have not got a party in this country that has given a pride of place to the youth.

    “The youths under 40 years old form more than 65 per cent of our population. Now, who will tell you that because you are under 40 years old, you cannot play a very significant role in the affairs of your country?”

    Going down the memory lane, he added:” I was Head of State when I was under 40. Now, France has elected a president that is under 40 years old,” he said.

     

     

     

  • ‘Difficult terrain hampers distribution of relief materials in Taraba’

    The Taraba State government says the difficult terrain is slowing down distribution of relief materials to victims of the farmers/herdsmen clash in the Mambilla area.

    Deputy Governor Haruna Manu, who visited victims of the violence in Gembu and Nguroje areas, however promised that the government will find a lasting solution to the problem.

    He added that some of the relief materials had started arriving at the various Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

    Manu said relief materials had since arrived at the various IDPs camps, while more were on the way.

    At the palace of the chief of Mambilla, Manu said what happened was a big surprise to the government, because Mambilla has been a peaceful community.

    He said: “The ethnic groups in Mambilla have lived together peacefully for many years without conflict. This is certainly the handwork of the devil and it must not be allowed to happen again.”

    According to him, the Federal and state governments have big plans to develop Mambilla with world class facilities, saying the Mambilla Hydro Electricity project is among the global 100 biggest projects. He urged the people to abstain from actions that could create the impression that Mambilla is unsafe for such huge investment.

    At Nguroje, the deputy governor urged the people to be peaceful, law-abiding and tolerate one another, assuring them that Mambilla was home for all and no ethnic group will leave for the others.

  • TRUE CONFESSION: Eagles are difficult, says Cuper

    TRUE CONFESSION: Eagles are difficult, says Cuper

    •Says Nigeria is big with tested and trusted foreign-based stars
    •Acknowledges Siasia’s tactical savvy
    •Vows to overcome Nigerians anywhere

    There is palpable fear in Egypt following the scary admission by the chief coach of the Pharaohs, Hector Cuper through one of his 11 technical assistants,  coach Osama Nabih that: “The first difficulty is that Nigeria is a big name in the African continent, despite failing to reach the last edition of the Africa Cup.”

    Nabih informed the Egyptians further in a radio programme aired in the country on Sunday that: “There are three difficulties that worry Cuper ahead of the two games. Cuper believes that Nigeria have more choices in their squad ahead of the two sides’ games in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, but he is ready to secure a place in the tournament’s finals.”

    “Nigeria is coached by Samson Siasia, who reached the Olympic Games by placing first with the U-23 team,” he added.

    “Moreover, Nigeria have 22-foreign based players alongside well prepared ones in the domestic  league. So Siasia possesses all the tools that lead to success,” the Pharaohs assistant coach said.

    “Despite the difficulty of the Nigeria game, we are working to improve our chance of qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in the coming Nigeria game,” Nabih said.

    Egypt is leading Group G with six points, two ahead of second-placed Nigeria. Only the group winners are guaranteed automatic qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

    The winners of three successive Africa Cup of Nations, in 2006, 2008 and 2010, Egypt will face Nigeria on March 25 in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers before playing the follow-up match four days later in Borg El-Arab Stadium in Alexandria.

  • ‘I love to do things that are difficult’

    ‘I love to do things that are difficult’

    Reverend Funke Abiodun is an engineer married to an engineer. Over the years she has contributed to the technical sector and served on the Lagos State Technical and vocational board. In addition, the energetic woman is passionate about humanitarian work as well as women and integrity in whatever area they find themselves. In this interview with YETUNDE OLADEINDE she talks about the things she does, her plans for the womenfolk and more.

    Why did you go into engineering?

    I studied engineering in India and Dubai. My major area is in the drilling of borehole. I started first in Dubai, then I worked with Julius Berger for a while and then my husband said that he doesn’t want me to work under anybody. Then I started a company that focused is on engineering and that business I adopted from my husband. So I used that business to work with UBA, I worked with First Bank as a consultant , Union bank , Gurara Holdings and Nexim Bank in Abuja.

    There is an estate called Gwarimpa Estate in Abuja, that place is a very difficult place to drill borehole. As a borehole engineer, I drilled more than forty boreholes in Gwarimpa. I did more than 80 in Abuja and in Lagos I worked on all First bank branches, old and existing branches. I thank God, HE has been proving himself. When it comes to engineering, God gave me the inspiration to draw plans in a unique way. Just tell me what you want and the owner would marvel and appreciate God in me.

    I was exposed again through Lagos state Technical and vocational center. God has been helping us with the children that we are training both in Agidingbi, technical college here. We have five technical colleges in Lagos. This includes Epe, Ikotun, Adurosoba, Ikorodu and Agindigbi. We oversee all the affairs of the colleges and make sure that our students get the best. People were not informed about technical colleges in the past, they taught it was only for dullards but that is changing now.  During our time, we did a lot of awareness and spoke to parents and there was a lot of turn around. You can see that all the technical colleges are being renovated and equipments are being bought for them.

    In the past, we didn’t have many women in technical areas, would you say this is changing?

    Yes, it is really changing. I believe that we have lots of ladies making a difference. In Agindigbi we have lady welders, about six of them and they are really good, there are also ladies in mechanical engineering. When I was young I loved to do what men do, that is what prompted me to go and do the borehole thing. Now, we have lot of women doing very well.

    Can we say it was easy for you because your husband is also into engineering?

    No!  It wasn’t like that. I think it was in me personally. Some people called me Margaret Thatcher when I was young.  I loved to do things that were difficult. I loved to do things that men do. I always see myself as a man because I am the first born of my family.  I was told that my father lost a boy before me but I do not know how that works but I believe that there is nothing impossible for a woman to do. I have some people that I am mentoring and this makes me happy. In fact about 8 people came to me from Landmark University and I don’t know how they got my contact but they said that they have searched for me and wanted me to mentor them.

    How do you juggle this with family life?

    It’s been easy because I have a husband that is very supportive. We tried to do things together but it got to a stage where he said you have to go this way and I that way and they meet at a point. Communication matters and we do not leave that out.

    Why are you passionate about women and integrity?

    I have a passion for women and I love women of Integrity anywhere I go. I have always wanted a woman to be confidence and it is that confidence that makes my husband allow me to represent him as a speaker and as an evangelist. Women of Integrity (WOI) is a program that the lord led me to start in London some years back.

    Then I brought some women together and gave them the confidence required to make a difference in their lives, family and the society at large. It is all about Charity, the need to give out as well as look inwards, to see if there is anyone in our midst who needs assistance in whatever way. This way you would know how to empower them as well as use the word of God to back them, giving them the relevant advise as well as teaching them how to fish. I discovered that there is need to reach out to women and empower them on how best to contribute to the society as well as handle the family. It is not wise to watch films from morning to night, when there are so many other useful things that you can do with your time. A lot of things come with prayers and you have to take a bold step.

    That bold step is what we are talking about, instead of being a liability to their husbands. It is not good for women to sit at home and be asking their husbands for everything. You need to look at yourself and ask what if God created you as a man, what you would do. The answer for me would be that I would feed my wife and children. Likewise, you can support your husband, where we are today, I told him about having a penthouse and he was like what if the money finished but I encouraged him.

    As women, we need to encourage our husbands. Our husbands are so flexible like babies. When you give them full support, you would see them doing greater things but if you do not do this, you see them falling easily. So I went all the way to encourage women that they can do it.

    Talking about integrity, the economy is in a state with retrenchments and corruption everywhere. What advice do you have for Nigerian women?

    I want to advise Nigerian women that they should be prayerful. Here I want to crave the indulgence of men by saying that women are more powerful than men, I believe that prayers can do all things. However with prayers, you cannot sit down and relax. Instead you need to add passion and hard work to make it. I want to encourage our women that after prayers, you seat yourself down to meditate and God would lift you.

    When you hear the voice of the lord, you would not seek wrong counsel. The voice of God would not let you look at somebody else’s cloth because you do not know what is going on underground. Live your own life, don’t live a fake life. A lot of the problems we have are that a lot of our women live a fake life. Although there is a portion that says that you fake it to make it, there are some areas that you can do this. For instance, you can pretend to be big when you know that something big is coming up for you but when you do this in some areas where you need assistance, and then you would fail. All we need to do is to be prayerful and focused. Most of us are not focused; we are looking at today and not thinking about tomorrow.

    You are also part of Inner wheel?

    If you have a spirit of giving then you belong to Inner wheel. When we got married my husband and I had a covenant to be giving   to the less privileged. Every time we had the opportunity to give to the poor we were happy and our spirit would lift. We continue until one day when we would see some people coming to drop things and I asked who they were and they told me they were Inner Wheel members. It got to a stage and a friend encouraged us to join Inner Wheel and Rotary, since we had the spirit of giving. That was how we joined and I have spent about 22 years. I have been president more than six times, secretary and now I am at the district level. Next year I want to drop this because I want to charter a club in Iju. I have been to the International rallies more than 7 times.

    How did you get into the Ministry?

    I thank the lord for the directive. It is due to my husband’s involvement with the powerful hand of God with the search and confirmation that HE really wants him to work for God. So, I had to go along with him.

    Immediately after the calling, God did something wonderful in my life. At that point, I was actually abroad on ministration and I was called by the Fashola Administration. They made me a member of the Governing board of the Technical and Vocational education body. Ever since then, I have been involved with the state government. We are just nine on the board and I never lobbied for it. We have a lot of people lobbying for things like this but I believe that it was God working as usual. HE says follow me and everything is going to fall in place. I appreciate God for that and I need to give the testimony openly.

    What is the name of the Ministry?

    The name of the ministry is the Beloved church. Initially, it was called the First Beloved Church Ministry International and that was what was registered abroad in the UK. The church started about 6 years ago. First it started as Saturday worship about 8 years ago. It was like a ministry, then at the Women’s development center, Agege. Then my husband thought it was going to be a partial thing.

    What was it like at that point?

    It was so nice because we could see the hand of God. But he was a minister to the prophets and most of the pastors he was mentoring got the touch of God. It got to a stage where God told him to start the Sunday service but because he had his own job, he didn’t want to take it up initially. My husband is an electronic electrical engineer while I am a civil engineer. At the same time, I have certificates on procurement. It was so easy when we started the Sunday service and since then, God has been so faithful to us.

    What are some of the achievements recorded?

    A lot! I can’t count God’s glory. If you look back at what has happened, naming them one by one, you would be amazed. God has been so good to us. My husband’s story is like the biblical Noah, who God told to go and build the ark. I know what he has suffered for the calling and I have also suffered for it. I did an operation five times and I nearly died. But I am alive and ready to evangelise for Christ.

  • I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO GAIN WEIGHT– WALE OJO

    I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO GAIN WEIGHT– WALE OJO

    Wale Ojo, popular for his role in the Mnet soap, The Adebanjos, speaks with DUPE AYINLA-OLASUNKANMI on his passion for the cinema as well as a burning desire to promote African culture and heritage, among other issues. 

    Why did you accept The CEO script?

    I love working with Kunle Afolayan, and aside that; anything I do is always based on the strength of the script. When I read the script, I really liked it.

    What makes this role different from the others?

    This role is the opposite of the character in the series The Adebanjos. This guy is fitter, and has more money. This is a serious role. My role in The Adebanjos is a comedy role.

    What should people expect from you in this movie?

    Well I really think they are in for a surprise. This is a thriller and it is going to be exciting. That is because it is a different kind of film based on its cast. We have Nigerian and international actors; the plot is also very strong with different twists and turns.

    Talking about your role in The Adebanjos, how easy is it for you to make people laugh?

    Well, I think it’s something that I have been able to practice over the years. It is part of my bag of skills as an actor. I believe that I can play any role; comedy, and serious roles. I can play Baba Suwe and Buhari, if I want to.

    Tell us about your quest to change the face of cinemas?

    I have a company called The New Nigerian Cinema; it is doing what Kunle is doing. I have directors on board and we intend to change the face of cinemas across Nigeria and bring it up to a new level; an international level. Our first move is to shoot a movie across the water, in Tarkwa Bay. It is titled The Ghost of Tarkwa Bay and it should be released by the end of this year.

    What should people look out for in this movie?

    It is my first production. It is a very rare movie that is tackling the subject matter that Nigerians don’t even know exists in Nigeria. So I think Nigerians will be surprised to see such movie and excited at the same time.

    Who are those featured in the movie?

    It is made up of completely unknown cast.

    Why are you working with unknown cast?

    It is just the way things turned out. The cast in the movie might have not done a lot, but they are good. The only known cast in the movie might be May Owen. That is the way I want it because of the nature of the film.

    But it is believed only established stars sell movies?

    But they are actors, but are not just known. There are lots of actors who are good, but are not just known.

    Why do producers go for known faces and not talents?

    I don’t know about them, but my disposition has always been to go for talents.

    Tell us about your annual festival abroad?

    It is not so much a festival, but I am on the board of the British Film Institute. So we screen movies. We are not limited to screening only Nigerians movies, but any African movie. The London Film Festival is different from what we do. The British Film Institute is like the National Theatre, it is always there. So we programme films there all year round. But the London Film Festival only takes place one month in a year.

    So how do you shuttle between home and abroad?

    I am very busy; I am always on the plane. I love what I do and I don’t get tired. Most of my time is spent here in Nigeria; but this year, it is looking like most of my time was spent outside. That is why I can’t really tell my movement, because when I got the call to be part of The CEO, I was actually on my way to another set. But I had to change my plans.

    Does that happen often?

    Yes, for example I was in Lagos where I just finished shooting Tinsel. I was on my way out, when I got a script from a very young unknown writer, by the name Gbolahan Akintunde. I got the script, read it and really liked the script. He said, ‘oga we don’t have much budget’ but I told him not to worry that I love the script and will do it. So I had to change my plans to what inspires me and moves me.

    As an actor, what do you look out for in a script?

    I look out for something that is novel; something new, that is different and has not been done before. And I look out for a part that is not stereotypical, that challenges me as an actor. I also consider how different it is from the other scripts, and also what it has to push up the Nigerian cinema.

    Have you always been this slim?

    (Laughs) Do you like my stature? Well I’ve always been quite slim; I find it difficult to gain weight. But I eat a lot. There was a day we finished shooting by 3:00am and I ordered for pounded yam. But I work out to keep fit.

    Aside movies, what other projects do you have?

    I am working on my charity called the Virgo Foundation. It is all about the promotion of African arts and culture, its vast history and heritage to a public hungry for the true knowledge of African affairs. And our first project is the Benin Bronzes; it is like an archive of the Benin bronzes that has been locked away in museums all over the world.

    Already we have photographed like four of these pieces from the British museum; our charity is the first given permission to take the photograph of the bronzes brought out from the underground where it is kept and put them on the website. That way, our children can have access to them while growing up. They should not be locked away. They can look at the different bronzes made by our ancestors and know what they mean.

    After that, I will be releasing a documentary titled Kalakuta Despise; which is a movie I am doing on Fela. I want to release the part of the documentary called Felabration. And then the prelude for the actual film later.

    Why are you focusing on African heritage?

    I don’t know. All I can say is I work on what moves me. I work from within. My charity is not a huge one, we just started and I am developing it story by story. And the aim of the charity will be to reach out to the masses in Nigeria; especially the less privileged. Not only with physical help but with information that can educate them on our history.

    We will also be dealing with things that affect our daily lives. But it is a step by step process.

    Most times, people who run NGOs complain about funds. What is your own story?

    At the moment, I am funding it myself. Obviously, as it gets bigger, we are hoping that more things will come into play. When people see the significance of what we are doing, they will come and support. Right now, I am not soliciting for funds.

    Taking you back to the documentary on Fela, don’t you think releasing a trailer now can affect the final production?

    Whoever pirates it, their head will jump off at 3:00am in the morning (Laughs). But seriously, it is a very important question; dealing with piracy. I think we just have to keep looking for the answer. I think we need to understand what is going on with piracy. There is so much involved in production and you don’t know who is a pirate; the person beside you might be one. Some of these films are pirated from the cinemas where they are exhibited. We experience such things abroad too. I have seen Hollywood movies being sold too. So it is a worldwide problem. It is not only movies, it also affects music too. It is an ongoing battle that can be won gradually.

  • Amuneke expects difficult game against hosts Chile

    Amuneke expects difficult game against hosts Chile

    • Impressed with new Eaglets

    Nigeria has been drawn against host nation Chile in Group A of the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup as the Eaglets attempt to win back to back titles-and become the second only country to do so at this level- but Chief Coach Emmanuel Amuneke suggests the fixture may not be as important as the first game against the USA.

    The Eaglets play Chile in the second group game 3 days after the tournament kicks off and while they will surely enjoy the greater support Amuneke says he expects to play some of the toughest games should Nigeria hope to achieve success.

    ” They (Chile) are very good but every team’s objective is to do well and even win the tournament. Chile are the host, they’ll have all the support of the home crowd behind them, but the most important for us now is to concentrate for the US game, in every World Cup the first game is very important. ”

    The Golden Eaglets Coach told www.footballlive.ng that in the main his concerns bother on not just winning but also the ability of the team to react positively to changes on the pitch , represent his tactics aright and work hard.

    ” You have to ensure you don’t lose because a win gives you confidence. But while am not overly concerned about the win I want to see my players display real discipline on the field.

    ”We’ve made it to the world cup and now we must work hard to make sure we achieve our set goals.”

    However, Amuneke says there’s need for synergy in every department of the team as the October kick off date for the World Cup draws near.

    Since the disappointment of the U17 Championship in Niger, several more players have come through to add some spine to the team and says the new legs have shown ‘some promise’.

    The team has been in camp near 6 months, Amuneke reckons his side has shown impressive quality up front but says his new task is to build a compact unit of players who will represent his game strategy in all situations on the pitch.

    ” We’re happy that most of the new boys are willing to play and have shown some promise. We’ve been scoring goals which is good for the team, but in football there are several departments in the team and my concern is how to bring cohesion,” Amuneke told www.footballlive.ng.

    ” People talk about the system of the game but that is merely about position,my concern is what to do on and off the ball, understanding why, where, who and all else that matters on the pitch.”

    Nigeria kicks off its title defense in Santiago against the USA on October 17.

  • We played on a difficult pitch- Odion

    We played on a difficult pitch- Odion

    •Happy to break the goal scoring jinx

    Watford of England forward Odion Ighalo has showered encomiums on his teammates for working hard on a difficult pitch to ensure they beat visiting The Les Sao of Chad in the first qualifying match of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) decided at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Saturday.

    Ighalo, whose goals helped Watford gain promotion to the Premiership in England in the past season confessed that the pitch of the Kaduna Stadium was difficult for good football. But he argued that the Nigerian players had no excuse to complain since they are professionals who should adapt in any situation.

    The Watford star in an exclusive chat with SportingLife in Abuja yesterday disclosed, “We actually did our best against Chad to squeeze out 2-0 victory despite the fact that, that wasn’t one of our best performances we could give. We fought hard as a team. We worked hard and we made sure we ran for every ball and at the end hard work paid off although we played on a difficult pitch. It wasn’t easy for you to play one touch there but we still work our ways out to beat Chad and won the three maximum points at stake in the match. It was a very important step for us towards qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

    The former Lyn Oslo of Norway striker, however, expressed happiness for scoring via a spot kick to open his goal account for the Super Eagles since he was capped by the Chief Coach Stephen Keshi. He vowed to continue from where he stopped against Chad to score in the next game he would play for Nigeria.

    “I would say I am relieved for scoring my first goal for the national team but I always put the team performance ahead of personal performance. As we won yesterday, even if I don’t score I will be very grateful to God. But to crown it up the team won and I scored which I am very happy for. As a striker I want to score goals that would boost my confidence.

    “I was very happy when I scored my first goal for the Super Eagles and surely it will boost my confidence and encourage me to work hard. I am happy to score the goal yesterday (on Saturday)”, Ighalo told SportingLife in Abuja yesterday.

  • Managing difficult conversations

    Welcome to the month of September. I pray that the month will deliver to you your great expectations and desires for the year 2014. If you have achieved the goals you set at the beginning of the year, congratulations, but don’t stop trying to do more. If you have not done too well, you should review your written goals and commit to them. If you have not done anything about the goals you wrote in January, or you didn’t even write any, don’t be discouraged, a lot can still be achieved in four months. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “if you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward”. Perhaps you don’t think you are making as much progress as you would have wanted but the question is, “are you still where you were in January?” If the answer is no, then you have something to be grateful for. Just make sure you keep moving.

    Last week, we discussed about having difficult conversations. When conversations are over-charged with emotions, they mostly become difficult to manage. Sometimes you dread having some discussions and you wish you can avoid them. However, avoiding difficult but necessary conversations can be misleading, unfair, affect other people’s productivity and efficiency, and it can also kill morale. If we hate to have difficult conversations, yet we must have them, how then can we make them less awkward and more effective? Here are a few suggestions:

    • Prepare yourself psychologically: we cannot overemphasize the need for you to be confident when having this kind of conversation. You need to prepare your mind ahead. It is very important for you to take charge of the conversation otherwise you will find yourself on the defensive. Even if you are about to confess that you made an error or you are answering for a poor business decision, you should be in control. One of the major ways to do this is to state that you are aware of your error, claim responsibility and explain what you are already doing or hope to do to remedy the problem. What you have done is to play the judge in your own case, which most people won’t do. However, this works better if you come clean before your error is discovered or if you have not spent all the time defending your action until you realise that there is no escape route.

    • Don’t make it personal: this is particularly important if you are performing an official assignment. Do you remember our little story from last week’s article? Mr. Charles had to break the news of termination of employment to Mr. Smart, who was a company driver in his late 50s, with an ailing wife and nine children. There are two extremes to breaking the news: one person may do so without any consideration at all, after all, it is another person’s job that is being lost, while another individual may have too much sympathy. The best approach is to find a balanced position. While you must deliver the message because you have been instructed to, you can still show that you care. Nevertheless, you must detach your emotion from the conversation so that you don’t take on unnecessary emotional burden. See your office (i.e. Chief Personnel Officer) as the one to deliver the message and not your person (Mr. Charles); that way, you will separate your personal emotion from your job responsibilities.

    • Drop hints: one thing you should try to avoid when having a difficult conversation is sudden outpouring of emotions. When you break unpleasant news suddenly, that is exactly what you will get. So, attempt to drop hints so that the other party can start to figure out the direction of the conversation before you conclude. You can do so by asking subtle questions that can lead to your conclusion. As the individual responds to the questions, he or she will also be trying to think ahead of the discussing. That will at least make the realization gradual. You may also send a message (i.e. email, SMS) with a subtle suggestion of what the discussion will be about. The main aim is to avoid sudden reactions.

    • Don’t prevent reactions: while it is a good idea to avoid sudden outpouring of emotions, we cannot prevent the expression of emotions altogether. When it is sudden, it tends to be excessive, but there is no way a difficult conversation will not be emotional. Never attempt to prevent the other person from speaking or expressing his/her emotions. While that is exactly what you were dreading in the first place, it is still safer that those emotions are expressed rather than bottled in. What you should do is that after you have stated your point, wait patiently until the other person has finished venting his/her anger. If you don’t interrupt, perhaps he/she will soon become exhausted and calm down for you to give further explanation. When the conversation involves your personal relationship with people, it is advisable that you try to rebuild the relationship if you can. Consequently, wait for a while for the emotions to calm, and then go for a follow-up conversation.

    Since every conversation is unique in itself, you may have better ideas of how to deal with difficult conversation. Please send me a message so that we can also explore your ideas and learn from them. Have a great weekend.