The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ethiopia

UN condemns murder of over 30 Ethiopian Christians

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday condemned the murder in Libya of over 30 Ethiopian Christians by an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh).

The council made the condemnation in a statement issued by the UN Information Centre (UNIC), which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

It described the situation as a “heinous and cowardly murder’’.

“Members of the Security Council strongly condemned the heinous and cowardly apparent murder in Libya of over 30 Ethiopian Christians by an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh).

“This crime once again demonstrates the brutality of ISIL, which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities,’’ it said.

The statement quoted the council to have said that ISIL must be urgently defeated and that its intolerance, violence and hatred must be stamped out.

It also expressed the council’s “deep sympathy and condolences’’ to the affected families and Ethiopian government.

The statement also restated the council’s strong condemnation of the persecution of individuals and entire communities on the basis of their religion or belief.

“The members of the Security Council expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, to the Government of Ethiopia, as well as to the families of all victims of ISIL.

“The members of the Security Council stressed again that ISIL must be defeated and that the intolerance, violence and hatred it espouses must be stamped out.

“The members of the Council further emphasised that such continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by ISIL do not intimidate them, but rather stiffen their resolve to counter ISIL,’’ it said.

April 21, 2015
Keshi set for Ethiopia job

Immediate past coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Stephen Keshi may not have exaggerated on his claims of having ‘other offers’ outside Nigeria, as SL10.ng can exclusively report that the 52-year old is a subject of interest from the Ethiopia Football Federation.

The former Nigeria skipper was replaced as the Super Eagles coach on Thursday by the Amaju Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) executive committee and promptly replaced by Amodu Shuaibu – albeit on an interim capacity.

However, SL10.ng have exclusively gathered from sources inside the Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF) that the EFF have shortlisted Keshi, as well as two other coaches to replace the under-fire Mariano Barreto, who’s currently handling the Ethiopian men’s national football team.

The Walya Ibex of Ethiopia are bottom of group B, in the qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with three points from four games – their first and only win coming on Wednesday in a hard fought 3-2 win over Mali in Bamako. And with qualification looking very unlikely, the EFF have shortlisted three candidates that could replace the 57-year old Barreto, with Stephen Keshi being the prime candidate.

The Ethiopia Football Federation are yet to make any official statement to this effect, but SL10.ng understands that the executive committee led by Juneidi Basha will meet within the next two weeks to decide Barreto’s fate, and possibly the appointment of Keshi.

“The executive committee will meet within the next two weeks because Barreto will be fired, and Keshi is likely to be appointed. Two other coaches have also been shortlisted but many of the executive committee members believe Keshi is the right man,” a source informed SL10.ng.

Barreto, an Indian-born Portuguese coach replaced Bishaw Sewnet in April 2014 and was tasked with leading the Walya Ibex to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations but with Ethiopia all but out of the qualifying race, Keshi looks set to become the next coach of the Ethiopian team.

Meanwhile, the Stephen Keshi camp has refused to deny or confirm the interest. Emmanual Ado, Keshi’s agent told SL10.ng that they would not be confirming or denying anything at the moment.

October 18, 2014
Ethiopia, linking up Africa through air

Ethiopia is a country that holds allure for so many people all over the world. It has an enchanting rich history. Strategically located in East Africa, Ethiopia is a country that has been able to harness its advantageous location and make itself almost indispensable to other African countries as a link to the rest of the world. For more than five decades, through its national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, the country has woven a kind of spider web across Africa, linking up the continent in way that has made airline business profitable to it. Ethiopia Airlines has moved from being the Pride of Ethiopia to the Pride of Africa.

Recently, the airline’s Managing Director, International Services, Mr. Esayas Woldemariam Hailu, was in Lagos to talk on the giant strides and consistency that have seen the airline survive in the tumultuous African aviation industry. In an industry that has seen many airlines go into oblivion as quickly as they are established, Ethiopian Airlines has been among the few in Africa that has broken the trend, and in the process, offered both Nigerians and Africans the opportunity for seamless connectivity.

The experience of the airline becomes even more noticeable in Nigeria where there is no national carrier, while the privates airlines in existence are struggling to continue to be business. Assessing the success the airline, Hailu believes it has nothing to with the ownership, moreso since Ethiopian Airlines is 100 per cent owned by the Ethiopian government. He said: “ Ownership is not a question. There are so many private airlines which came and faded away. There are also government-owned national carriers in other parts of the world that have survived and thrived. For example, when we take the case of Ethiopian Airlines, the 9/11, SARS, energy price hike and at least two, domestic revolutions, the toppling of the monarchy in Ethiopia and the toppling of the military junta, Ethiopia/Eritrean war, we have survived all these. The secret is not in the ownership. Be it private or government, if it is squandered or mismanaged, it will seize to exist. So, it is a matter of diligent management. When it comes of the management of Ethiopian Airlines, the government has given the management the autonomy to run the company with industry discipline and economic sense. The only thing they request is that at the end of the year, to show them the numbers and our performance. Any company within Africa, be it private or government, if you combine hard work of the workforce and diligent management and also customer service, then your business is going to succeed.”

Many have wondered why an airline, which has probably the youngest fleet in Africa, finds it easy to access funding, while other airlines are going burst. To this, the MD said: “Let me start from how we finance our flight expansion. First, the Ethiopian government, being the shareholders, guarantee our loans. Secondly, the aircraft manufacturing countries, for example, when we import aircraft from the United States, Boeing, the American Exim Bank, because they want to encourage export of their country’s national products, they know our performance and follow our track record, our credit worthiness, so, they participate in the financing. Because we are 100 per cent government-owned, we don’t sell shares. We are not listed, so we cannot raise cash. But we completely finance, year to year, and we make profit, we pay our principals and interests on loans. So, we are self-financing airlines. We finance our debts from our annual operational profits, from our revenue, from our own cash flow. So, that is how we are financed.

“Number two, we try to see different hubs in Africa and how we integrate them. Asky has 22 destinations in this sub-continent of Africa. They siphon all the traffic and feed us at different locations. The Francophone countries, like Lome, the Anglophone countries like Monrovia, Freetown, Banjul, Accra, and so on and so forth. So from other places like Mali-Bamako,, we take them to the eastern part of Africa, to the Southern part of Africa or to Gulf Middle-East, Asia, Europe and America. The same is true of Malawiair. Based in Lilongwe in Blantyre, they operate to Johannesburg, Dar Isalam and Lusaka. Now, they are going to expand to Maputo, Bulawayo and other places. They collect the traffic and they feed us in Lilongwe, from where we take them to the rest of Africa and the rest of the world. By so doing, number one, we create an integrated market within Africa. We also connect Africa to the rest of the world because, as we see, Africa is not road or rail inter-related, because if we try to build roads, from Southern Africa to the north, from west to the east, it is going to be ten thousands of kilometers. But building of just an infrastructure of three kilometers, an aircraft can depart from that and go to the rest of the continent. People can travel as tourists to each other’s country, export cargo and they can sell or buy from each other, while business in Africa can get strengthened with a lower level of investment. That is what we have tried to do, although aviation in unfairly and highly taxed in Africa. Aviation is taxed higher than tobacco and alcohol in Africa. It is highly regulated, highly taxed and highly restricted, but it is the most essential service that everybody wants to have. African governments have to liberalize the African sky in line with the Yamoussoukro decision. Right now, many African countries are giving more flying rights to the Gulf carriers to their own African brothers. That needs to be corrected for Africa to thrive. When started operating in many of the African countries, they were still launching wars, but we didn’t desert them, we continued to operate, even when the number of crew was more than the number of passengers. We kept operating and developing the route for Africa. Now, an airline comes with just 10 years of history, and they give all the traffic to them. That will be a misplaced priority, we should rethink our decision.”

Hailu also talked about how the airline has been impacting on Nigeria for so many years: “The Ethiopian Airlines sales manager is a Nigerian. Many airlines bring them from outside. All our local employees in Lagos are Nigerians. When you fly our aircraft, you will see nationals from different parts of Africa. We have a co-pilot from Nigeria. When we employ, we upload advertisements and people from all parts of West Africa and south Africa. Many Africans have been employed and are flying our machines. So, it is open for Nigerians to come and participate. We have cabin crew for West Africa French speaking like Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and other parts of Africa. Another thing is that we make our passengers feel at home. We want to know our passengers by name. That is why we speak pidgin and so on. we have that special African hospitality tailored towards Africans. We are Africans and we know what it takes to please an African man or woman, so they can expect many things from us.”

September 13, 2014
Addis Ababa- where ancient history meets modern civilisation

Adeola Ogunlade, who recently visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, writes on his impressions of the city that has served as headquarters of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) and its successor Africa Union (AU).

ETHIOPIA has a rich history; early civilizations, old architecture, and unique culture.

Addis Ababa was ‘discovered’ in 1889 by the wife of Emperor Menilik II, Queen Taitu Betul, and she encouraged her husband to settle there. Betuk, was a war strategist who supported her husband in the fight against colonization by the Italian government in 1936.

It is a city filled with a tapestry of so many stories of the modern day. Ethiopia is the only country on the continent that was not colonized by any Western power thus it is a melting point of that historical feat.

Although, I had been inundated lots of negative stereotype andwas thus cautious as I moved round the ancient city, but to my amazement, right from the Bole Airport into Arakilo to Pissaare to Addis Central Business City, Old market area of Arada at the northern end of Church hill toward the Addis Ababa University, the people were welcoming; the smiles, warmth and show of hospitality was worthy of commendation. I met one of the receptionists at the airport who gave me a bottle of water as we waited for our vehicle to convey us to the hotel. The airport is beautifully designed to accommodate thousands of people moving in and out of the country whether for business, politics or as tourists.

The airport workers are always on ground and willing to answer any questions from passengers without asking for a bribe or tips except you give voluntarily. With Addis Ababa situated at the foothills of the 3,000 meters Entoto Mountains and rambles pleasantly across many wooded hillsides and gullies cutting through with fast flowing streams, the weather is hot. Due to this water is a gift you should be ready to give to your neighbour. At the hotel, the receptionists were very welcoming and kind to everyone irrespective of nationality. For many nationals who could not roam their phones, there was a provision at the reception to call. I remember, most times, I called my wife, one of the receptionists who was always with a smiling face said to me “yes, I like that, you are married, calling your wife is very important. I also have a guy that used to call me and he tells me he loves and he wants to marry me and we are planning to do our wedding soon” and I replied with a smile encouraging her to pray and trust God for a blissful union.

The city is also littered with a lot of movie theatres that have spanned 50-60 years.

A conservative people

Although, the city has over 112 embassies which make it the fourth largest with embassies in the world; coupled with the fact that the headquarters of the Africa Union, United Nations, Economic Commission for Africa, Africa Development Bank, World Bank and other world bodies are situated in the county, one would want to think that the country will be very flamboyant in its spending and outlook. But the reverse is the case. The gap between the rich and poor is not so wide because going through the city centre; the rich and the poor live together. More surprising is the fact that even with security men around, public buses pass through the Prime Minister’s Palace to go to their different destinations. Although, the poverty level of the people is high as beggars with haggard clothes are found on the streets, car parks, public places, churches, and market places like most African countries, the people have a sense of belonging toward the needy. People cook food and distribute to the needy and beggars on the streets.

It is not news that Ethiopians girls are beautiful, if not one the most beautiful species God created in Africa, the fact is that they always dress decently. You can see that culture of decency in them which stands them out. Majority of the people are Catholics and Judaist which obviously affect their way of life and worship; the people tend to live decently. Their actions, words and dressing tend to be very decent and simple even within the corporate circles. I was however amazed when some prostitutes accosted me and two other new found friends who were missionaries from Nigeria, they were decently dressed and stood by the road side in a corner at about 11:00pm seeking patrons among passersby for sex. Addis Ababa is also unique and very apt on road safety tips; at every junction, there are traffic signs for motorists and the road users. Motorists are liable to 14 years prison term for knocking down a road user using the Zebra crossings which are visible on major streets and highways.

The country survives largely on food export, tourism and the Africa Union which provides 30% of its annual GDP, but it has become a strong voice within the East Africa Community as neighboring countries have at one point or the other sought refuge there during war time in countries such as Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan among others. Ethiopia is no doubt a police state.

Menilik’s Palace

I visited the first palace which was built by 1886 by Menilik II, the then Emperor of Ethiopia is located at the north east of Churchill Avenue at the end of Colsen and later donated to Addis Ababa University as the University Museum. The museum has different works of arts, paintings, artifacts about the works, bedroom, instruments of war, clothes of the emperor, his gold wristwatch, and other old artifacts. It was built with clay and wood on a two storey building. Entry into the Museum was the Library that has different genre of books on culture, history, science, religion, anthropology, and painting among others. There was a big drum used in 1918 which has two long thick sticks used to gather the people for war. Also, their major food called Njiera was also drawn in a painting that shows how the national food is cooked and served in the palace. There was an image of the Lion of Judah carved alive at the Museum that was preserved by the Emperor and its looks so fresh.

A visit to the bedroom of the emperor which was built with silver made elements with an inscription on the tip of the bed written in Aramaic language. Beside the bed was a chair, table and a small box where he kept his money while alive. On the table were scores of stamps scripted in Ethiopian language, an ancient clock. The bathroom was made with modern equipments and mirror.

Visit to 2000 Habesha Traditional Restaurant

This is one of the oldest restaurants with a tasty blend of authentic Ethiopian cuisines and traditional entertainment to awaken the soul. It is a restaurant patronized by most of the foreigners visiting Addis Ababa as it provides a refreshing change to both international tourists and local diners. Customers are served with high spirited professional musicians; the folkloric band inspires and motivates the audience to dance along. From South Africa to North, Central and West Africa, traditional choice songs are sung to the admiration of the audience. What surprises me was that Sudan with its long history of war, unrest and wanton destruction of lives and properties has lovely songs that were inspiring. It really made me sober that amidst our trying moments in Africa, we have a lot within to cheer ourselves. People from diverse cultures, race and ethnic backgrounds were in attendance as the audience danced to songs from their countries. About 20 countries were represented at the restaurant and every one could relate with their songs. The band used five traditional instruments which are drums, Keras, Washeuet, Keboio, Maspuko. They are made in Ethiopia. They are age long instruments that span two centuries and the people resonate with the sounds and melody that comes out of them. The sounds of the instruments are just as melodious as the sounds from contemporary instruments.

Amidst the fun, use of incense which is very predominant in many parts of Addis Ababa even in shops, supermarkets, offices which have become a ritual were positioned at the entrance to welcome everyone. A performance and development experts from Kenya, Mshai Mwangola said “Ethiopians have very much to do with smell and shops and public places incense are made. It is a whole bowl as incense is made with coffee, pop-corn alongside for the audience”. There were also free wines for individuals and group that participate actively in the fun filled event. The restaurants are set in warm, traditional surrounding with spectacular ethic interior. It is covered with animal skin with some wood.

Africa Union Headquarters

My visit to the new Africa Union headquarters in Addis Ababa was historic as the building now wears a new look with much support from Chinese Government. Although where the building was a consecration camp where many people lost their lives. The same venue now hosts 54 African leaders at least thrice a year to discuss on many issues around Africa’s development. The people leaving around the area could tell how gloomy the place was. Slaves, prisoners were killed there in their numbers.

Also between Bole area and the Presidential Palace is an expanse of land that has trees planted by 53 heads of state since 1963. Each state within the African continent ensures that the trees continue to grow. The new country, South Sudan, is expected to plant its tree soon. It is an historic centre for Ethiopian and Africans in general

Burning of incense

This is an age-long tradition of the average Ethiopian and it is prevalent in most public places, markets, shops, restaurants, and traditional churches. They are often-times placed at the entrance to welcome visitors or guests. It has a spiritual undertone as so many of the visitors react to it anywhere they perceive the scent and it has become a ritual. The practices of burning incense can be traced to Judaism. Many Ethiopians believe that they have so much in common with the Israelites. They believe that Queen of Sheba had a child with King Solomon and thus the practice of Judaism seems to have to strong a hold on the people. It is oftentimes set up with coffee and popcorn for people to come around and have a feel of it and then take some coffee.a

June 1, 2014
Food vendor inserts cocaine in private part

Cocaine exhibits recovered from the suspect

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has prevented a food vendor in Lagos, Chinelo Okorom Lynnette, 36, from smuggling 685 grammes of cocaine inserted in her vaginal.

Anti-narcotic operatives apprehended her at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos during inward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian airline flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

NDLEA commander at the airport, Mr. Hamza Umar said that the suspect ingested few wraps and inserted others in her vaginal.

“The suspect tested positive for drug ingestion and vaginal insertion. She however expelled a total of 685 grammes of substance that tested positive for cocaine while under observation at the airport” Hamza stated.

In her statement, the suspect disclosed that she was deceived into drug trafficking under the guise of importing female bags.

“I am a food vendor at Ajangbadi, Lagos and have never been involved in crime. I am a victim of man’s cruelty to man. My husband abandoned me with four children two years ago.

I work hard to pay their fees and ensure their proper upkeep. The last straw that devastated me was when the landlord forcefully ejected me. I had nowhere to turn to for solace.

I was crying like a baby when a man came to console me. I have never met him in my life. He asked me to wipe my tears and promised to introduce me to importation business.

I felt he was God sent until he sponsored my trip to Addis Ababa. When I got to Ethiopia, he told me to take cocaine to Nigeria. Initially I disagreed but he threatened to recover his investment at all cost” the suspect stated.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade said that drug traffickers always change routes and tactics.

“Going to Addis Ababa to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria is one of the tricks employed by drug trafficking syndicates. Cocaine is not known to come from Addis but we were able to detect it because of our vigilance.

We are prepared to counter the activities of drug kingpins and bring them to justice. We look forward to fruitful progress in our investigation” Giade stated.

The NDLEA boss urged members of the public to be cautious of the tricks employed by drug syndicates adding that the suspect’s action is shameful.

The suspect will soon be charged to court.

April 8, 2014
Jan 4 International friendly- NFF gives Ethiopia Thursday deadline

The possibility of the much talked about international friendly match between the Home based Eagles and their Ethiopian counterpart appears to be hanging in the balance after officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) failed to confirm a definite date for the game that was originally slated for the Abuja national stadium on January 4, 2014.

SportingLife gathered that all efforts made by the football house to get information from the Ethiopia football federation as to when they would arrive the country yesterday was to no avail as no official from the East Africa country responded to the spirited calls from Nigeria.

Speaking to SportingLife on phone from Abuja, NFF Secretary General, Musa Ahmadu revealed that if the federation fails to get any response from the Ethiopians by tomorrow, then, they would have no other option than to cancel the friendly since time was no longer on the side of the team.

“Several calls were made to the the Ethiopia football federation but we didn’t get any feedback. After making the last call at about 8pm, we took the decision to give them up till tommorrow to make up their mind on whether the friendly would hold or not”

Ahmadu also disclosed that Kano Pillars, the Nigerian Premier League champions that the Eagles forced to a 2-2 draw last Monday,have been placed on standby to play the Home Eagles on January 7 in case the Ethiopians fail to honour the friendly.

“We have made back up arrangement for the team knowing fully well that we are running out of time. The Eagles were already scheduled to play the second leg of the friendly against Pillars and therefore if the Ethiopians disappoint us, we simply go ahead with the Pillars game on January 7,”he said

January 1, 2014
Ethiopia arrive Nigeria Nov. 14

The Ethiopian delegation for the November 16 2nd leg 2014 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria’s Super Eagles at the U.J.Esuene Stadium, Calabar will arrive the country on November 14 if words coming out of the East African nation are anything to go by.

Director of Competitions of the Ethiopia Football Federation, Telda Dagnechaw confirmed that they will be touching down in Nigeria two days before the cracker on November 16.

“The Ethiopian team will arrive two days ahead so they can prepare properly and get used to the weather and environment. This is the Ethiopian Football Federation Association’s conclusion, but they will have to contact the Nigerian Football Federation on the arrival date and preparation for the team,” Dagnechaw told Brila FM from Addis-ababa.

November 7, 2013
IDEYE INSISTS: I’m fit for Ethiopia

• Absence from Dynamo due to three-match suspension

Brown Ideye has said he is fit while dismissing reports he will miss next month’s World Cup playoff against Ethiopia due to injury.

Speaking in a special interview with MTNFootball.com from his Ukraine base, Ideye said: “I am only serving my three-match suspension, I am not in any way ruled out. I am shocked at these reports back home. I have not been in the team because I was also asked to rest after the muscle strain I suffered.”

Brown, who was a second half substitute in Addis Ababa against Ethiopia in the first leg World Cup qualifier, further stated: “I have resumed training and will join the full squad by next week and hopefully be available for selection in next weekend’s game. I am fit and ready to go for the Eagles. There is no truth in the report that I am injured and ruled out.”

The Eagles go into a November 16 return leg match in Calabar with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Ethiopia.

October 28, 2013
Ethiopia League is better organised – Ayoola ‘Kanu’ Moses

Ayoola Moses aka Kanu is a well known face in the Nigerian Premier League before moving to Ethiopia League. The former Niger Tornadoes, Crown and Plateau United attacking midfielder tasted action in both the Pro and the Premier League before moving out of the country.

In this interview with SportingLife’s Akeem Lawal in Ethiopia during the FIFA World Cup qualifier first leg play-off at the Addis Ababa Stadium, Moses, who is one of the eight Nigerian players plying their trade in the Ethiopian league, believes they are also good for the national team. Excerpts:

Ethiopian league is way behind Nigeria Premier League, why did you choose to come here?

I’ve been playing here in the Ethiopian league for the past two seasons, since 2011. In fact, the league is of high quality and well organised.

Here they deal with contracts and respect contracts. They respect players’ contract and follow the rules and agreement. When you sign a contract you will be given all your money before the commencement of the season and that does not happen in Nigeria. There is respect for players, they provide accommodation for players. In fact, when you are a good player and you are doing well, they will always respect and appreciate what you are doing for them. Those are things that make me comfortable here than playing in the Nigerian league.

How would you compare Nigeria league with Ethiopia?

The only thing that is different between the two leagues is that in Nigeria 99 percent of the players are talented, which is not like that here. Nigeria league is also physical, but when we are talking of ball possession, Ethiopians are very good in that. In Nigeria we have better pitches which can help players performance.

How are you rated here in Ethiopia?

In Ethiopia, they really appreciate my football and they appreciate that I’m a Nigerian because of the quality and name that we have in football. I’m adjudged to be the best player in the two clubs I’ve played for here. When you are a foreign player, you have to play better than the Ethiopians because they expect you to be like Lionel Messi and other big stars. It makes it difficult here for us. In Nigerian league, I can do one or two things to show my quality as a professional player, but here you have to do extra. As a midfielder, they don’t want to know, you have to give the finishing pass and even score goals. In my first club Dire Dawa FC, I was the highest goal scorer with seven goals as a midfielder. In my second and present club, Nyala FC, I’ve been scoring most of the important goals for them including the final goal that made us qualify for the play-offs. They always praise me, saying that I’m different from other players they have because I always give them the result. It’s not my making but the grace of God and the experience I had gathered in the Nigerian league. When you are a good player, it’s very easy to play in Ethiopia.

How many Nigerians are currently playing in Ethiopia and what is the relationship you have with them?

We are eight in number. Our relationship is very cordial. When I came, I met four Nigerians namely: Favour Emmanuel and former Sharks FC goalkeeper, Abbey Samuel though I don’t know if he played in Nigeria league. We also have Philip Daudu, who is one of the best players we have here. There is also Mike Awoniyi, former Union Bank and OUK central defender. I came with Akeem Akande, former Gabrous players. Two players joined last season making eight of us right now.

We always go out as one Nigeria whenever we are free. With my experience in the Nigerian league, I always talk to them, letting them know ways of life. We share good times together and they respect me a lot.

We call ourselves before matches to wish each other good luck. We have lots of foreigners here from Cameroun, Ghana, Uganda and so on that give Nigeria foreigners lots of challenges and we have to show that we are the giant of Africa. With these individuals we have in different clubs, they have to show that they are the best in their club which will further boost the image of the country.

They do ask us if we play in the national team, but we tell them it’s not easy to play in the Super Eagles because we have lots of great players both home and abroad.

With coach stephen Keshi giving home-based players into the national team, don’t you think your chances of making it into the team is slim?

Actually, the mentality we have in Nigeria is that we always underrate some country’s football thinking that they are playing nothing while their league is very good.

For example in the Ethiopia national team, they only have one player that plays outside, the rest are in Ethiopia Premier League. All these players play the Nations Cup qualifier and went to the competition proper and everybody saw the way they play. Even some of them are on the bench in their club sides. Their national goalkeeper is in bench in his club, a foreigner is the first choice. In Nigeria, there is nothing stopping us to play in the national team, it depends on the quality and the league.

For example Godfrey Oboabona, a central defender who played in Nigeria league before he was called to the national team. There was no Super Eagles’ central defender that ever had such opportunity because we always believe that until a player play in Manchester United or Atletico Madrid that can make the national team. With my experience in the Nigeria league, I don’t think it will be difficult to play in the national team. I really appreciate coach Stephen Keshi for giving the home-based players chance and I believe we can also have the chance. If he can look our way and invite us into the national team, he too will see that we have some good and talented materials over here.

How many clubs did you play for in Nigeria and what are the teams?

I was with Crown FC in 2005 season and half season I move to Prime FC. I was there when they qualify for the Premier League. From Premier I came back to Crown when Chief Olajide Olagbenro came from Plateau United and he convinced me to play in Crown. I played there from 2007 to 2009.

In 2009, I went to Niger Tornadoes when Coach Godwin Uwa and Ladan Bosso were handling the team. When Crown got promotion in 2010/2011 they told me ‘you have to come, you are our experience playe’ so I rejoined Crown in 2011 and after the end of the season I travelled to Ethiopia.

October 27, 2013
Journey to Ethiopia

Flying with the Super Eagles to Ethiopia offered plenty of prospects. The first objective was to clinch the three points at stake in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier between Nigeria and the Walya Ibex, even if the team didn’t play well.

Little emphasis was placed on any likely encounter with the team’s chief coach Stephen Keshi. Our seeming grounds of differences have been in the course of doing our jobs. So it didn’t matter if we avoided each other. We both stood our grounds even when he walked ahead of me as we alighted from the aircraft on Monday morning in Abuja.

Inside the aircraft on Saturday morning at 2.45am, the discussion shifted from the fear of the type of aircraft that NFF chiefs had secured. Wow was the general talk when we entered the aircraft. It was the latest, a Dream-liner, an 800 series jet. The passengers’ initial fears disappeared, but there were hisses from concerned Nigerians who were miffed that Nigeria doesn’t have her own fleet. No curse was spared our leaders over the killer status that our aviation industry had attained.

The four hours five minutes flight was like a cruise in heaven. Even with the patches of clouds in the course of the trip, there was no panic as the Dream-liner pierced through them like hot knife through butter.

As the aircraft taxied towards a halt on the tarmac, concerned Nigerians were startled at the number of such Dream-liners with Ethiopian Airline insignia on them. We counted seven of such aircraft and a lot more bigger aircraft, one of which took us back home on Monday morning at 2.20 am at the Addis Ababa International Airport. Many thought the NFF must have spent a fortune to charter the aircraft.

Whilst our aircraft taxied to a halt, some spotted the presidential jet and another round of discussions ensued. Entering the airport, we were marvelled at the modern facilities in place. Everything worked. The environment was neat. Everyone did his job. No overzealous officials and immigration checks were smooth.

Outside the airport, we were greeted with the rustic parts of Addis Ababa, beginning with the rickety buses assigned to the delegation. Well, in warfare, all is fare; so you could ‘excuse’ the Ethiopians for offering cockroaches infested buses for the best team in Africa- the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The rustic parts of Ethiopia offered us the opportunity of seeing antique vehicles, such as Lada, Morris Mariner, Volkswagen Beatles etc. What a comic relief.

The Ethiopians were friendly. They showed that they watch the European leagues with the way they struggled to take photographs and get autographs of Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi, Liverpool’s Victor Moses and Newcastle’s Shola Ameobi.

They told us pointedly that they would beat the Eagles – as was expected- although some of the fans expressed reservations about their ability to stop the Eagles.

Saturday evening went as planned for the players and coaches. President Goodluck Jonathan, who had been in Ethiopia, a day earlier, visited the team in training. Jonathan’s visit and wise counselling raised the players’ morale and compelled them to give their best knowing that the country’s number citizen and indeed millions of Nigerians would be rooting for their success over the Walya Ibex.

The rustic part of Addis Ababa melted into modernity when we were checked into three-star hotels surrounded by slums. But for the two days that we stayed, there was no blackout. Everything worked in the hotel. The attendants were courteous. We were shocked to find out that 1,800 Birr exchanged for $100, as against the Naira which is N16,000 to $100. Did this transaction translate to the state of the two countries’ economies? Another round of arguments (from none economists) in the Nigerian delegation began, with The rustic part of Addis Ababa melted into modernity when we were checked into three-star hotels surrounded by slums. But for the two days that we stayed, there was no blackout. Everything worked in the hotel. The attendants were courteous. We were shocked to find out that 1,800 Birr exchanged for $100, as against the Naira which is N16,000 to $100. Did this transaction translate to the state of the two countries’ economies? Another round of arguments (from none economists) in the Nigerian delegation began, with many insisting that it was wrong to judge Ethiopia from the capital city Addis Ababa. Again, this position raised another controversy when the question was asked about a particular city in Nigeria that can boast of uninterrupted power supply for two days? This debate divided us sharply, until we dispersed on Saturday night to sleep.

Indeed, the task of changing the dollar to Birr was done in the hotel and at the airport. There were no currency traffickers. What, however, stunned us as we began the journey back was the difficulty in getting the hoteliers to change the Ethiopian Birr to the US Dollar as we were told that those collected from us had been registered and taken to their apex bank. We were impressed, although equally stunned, that some duty-free shops also rejected the conversion from Birr to the US dollar or as a medium of exchange for their goods and services.

Match day was quiet. Many looked forward to the game, with great expectations; although some cautioned against a far-fetched upset.

At noon when the movement towards the Eagles’ hotel began, it dawned on the Nigerian delegation that Ethiopia was not all about marathoners. They had imbibed the football culture to such an extent that a first-timer to the country on that Sunday didn’t need any prompting to know that the people were preparing for a soccer ‘war.’

Women, including the expectant mothers, kindergarten kids, boys, girls, couples and the aged thronged the streets dressed in the country’s green-red and yellow jerseys. They raised their hands to indicate the number of goals that the Walya Ibex would score against the Eagles. As the Nigerian delegation drove through the streets, the unanimous talk inside the buses was that we were being taught a lesson in patriotism.

Indeed, this writer gathered that those Ethiopians who saw the game live had flooded the stadium as early as 8am. By noon, when the stadium was filled to capacity, others were told to head for the viewing centres. Can this happen in Nigeria? Not possible because we would have printed more than the number of tickets needed. Besides, black market operators would have bought up all the tickets and hoarded them to create panic at the gates and inflate the prices for desperate fans. Around the stadium, security operatives were firm.

Some of us had a hectic time entering the stadium and that was expected for visitors, especially in countries with language difficulties, such as in Ethiopia. The impact of what we saw enroute the stadium was an intimidating presence of fans rooting for their own. The Nigeria Football and Other Sports Supporters Club’s members stood besides the state box, their voices submerged in the wild and coordinated shouts of the Ethiopians.

Soon the game began. We realised how ambitious our hosts were. A ding-dong game, with the Eagles showing why they are champions albeit through their experienced handling of the ethiopians’ spirited attacking onslaught.

Then the disputed goal that brought out the rage and bile of the hosts. That gave an inkling of what to expect if they lost. Water bottles, all manner of objects were thrown towards the field, the Nigerian bench and the supporters.

Pleas through the public address system from their football chiefs calmed the situation a bit, until they scored the first goal which Vincent Enyeama insists didn’t cross the line. The deafening noise from the over 25,000 Ethiopians was the impetus that the Eagles needed to prove their mettle.

A goal not envisaged by Emmanuel Emenike and a calmly taken but deserved penalty kick ensured that the Eagles had a foot in Brazil, ahead of the second leg in Calabar on November 16.

The return trip to Nigeria was pleasant with many recalling those tense moments and the ungentlemanly conduct of the Ethiopian fans who pelted the Eagles’ bus with stones and cudgels. Igiebor’s palm was cut. Nigeria Embassy officials, who handled the delegation’s passage in-and-out of Addis Ababa, were wonderful.

Inside the aircraft, the Ethiopian Airlines staff did their jobs excellently. They interacted with everyone and congratulated the Eagles for their victory. The air hostesses took photographs with their preferred stars. The coaches were not left out, with chief coach Stephen Keshi getting the most attention. He had to. He was the man of the moment. Congratulations Big Boss. All hail the Super Eagles. And I pray that the November 16 clash in Calabar will be a stroll in the park.

October 19, 2013