The Nation Newspaper

Tag: life

  • Life as a blind man is pathetic

    Life as a blind man is pathetic

    Visually impaired Dr. Ebohor Micheal Ndidi is the School Counsellor at Mayflower International College in Sagamu, Ogun State. He is an Applied Psychologist, who, despite his situation, is very outgoing, receptive, charming and welcoming. Interestingly, his declaration that “I am a very easy going person and I try to make new friends everyday,” tallies with the aforementioned qualities.

    He, however, declared that “grappling with the outside world most times is a different ball game, as people do not seem to understand that visually impaired people are human beings, who have their senses, brain and sensual organs intact and could live normally. Taking time out to speak with this reporter, Ndidi shared his hopes, challenges and how he has defied the odds to make a success in his chosen career.

    Like Essienkan, Ebohor  was not born blind. He became blind in 1997 when hoodlums came to burgle his house and he didn’t have money to give them. “I was a student of the College of Education, Oyo State at the time and I told them that I did not have any money, but rather than let me be, they beat me up and cut out my two eyes.”

    Subsequently, he went through rehabilitation with the Oyo Central Hospital for two years.

    “After my rehabilitation, I went back to Oyo College of Education to finish my course and later proceeded to do my BSC and MSC and Doctorate Degree at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) Ogun State.”

    Life as a blind man

    “Life as a blind man is very pathetic,” he reflects. “I am ordinarily an outgoing person. I love to make friends and create a lot of fun around me, but life as a blind man has been full of ups and downs; successes and challenges resulting from my disability.”

    He recalls how, when he went back to school in 1997 to continue his National Certificate of Education programme, his best friend stole his recorder, which he used in taking notes in the class. He said that action affected his grade in school that year, adding that “people cheat us, lie and take advantage of our disability.”

    He also reveals that getting a job as a doctor in applied psychology has been a tall dream. “I once applied for a job online and was invited for the interview; but on getting to the panel, they told me openly that I could not be employed in their company because I am visually impaired.”

    According to him, one other challenge he has faced is that people’s attitude tend to suggest that his PHD was awarded to him out of sympathy. But he said this is not true. “I had a wonderful supervisor who ensured that I go through the books, did my field work, presented and defended my thesis to earn my doctorate degree.”

    In his opinion,  Ebohor  thinks that “our society is such that people think that the visually impaired should be pitied and should live on aid and peanuts for the rest of their lives. But I think this should not be the case. Visually impaired persons may have lost their sight, but they have their brains, minds, sensual organs and other senses intact, and can contribute meaningfully to the society.”

  • Oghogho Asemota in new lease of life

    If there is a socialite who has retained a pleasant disposition in spite of the vicissitudes of life, it is Oghogho Asemota. Even when the world seemed to be crashing around her, the third daughter of Chief Sunny Asemota held her head high and retained a cheerful personality.

    The worst appeared to have happened when her decade-old marriage to Prince Adedoyin sank like a ship, but Oghogho took it all in her stride and proved to the world that not even a broken marriage could steal her smile. While her crashed marriage was the point of discourse among socialites, the dark-complexioned beauty appeared strong and cheerful, returning to the social scene with an uncommon grace.

    The Managing Director of Aralia by Nature, a landscape design company, is known for throwing no-expense-spared parties. A few months ago, she literally shut down high brow Victoria Island, Lagos, as she hosted her fellow silver spoon friends for her 40th birthday party. She was full of life as she embraced her friends, dancing, wining and dining.

  • Back to life

    Back to life

    The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has returned to life after the Yuletide break, which turned the campus to a ghost town. TOYIN ALI (300-Level Law) writes about the pains some students experienced  before they could travel home for the break.

    IT is a period many students don’t want to be in school. But in some higher institutions,  the academic activities reach their peak during the Yuletide. It is a time for assignments and tests. But to students, it should not be such as time. Students always want to stay away from campus to enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities.

    While many students may see the period as a time to have fun, others use the period to catch up on school work.

    Some institutions go on holiday during the Yuletide to enable students ease stress and prepare for academic task in the New Year. During the break, students leave their campuses in droves, turning a once-bubbling environment to ghost towns.

    This was the situation at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), where activities are gradually picking up as students return from Yuletide break.

    Two days before Christmas, students thronged banks on the campus to withdraw cash to travel home. Our correspondent saw customers moving in and out of banks. The banks’ halls and their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) ports were besieged by anxious students. Because of network challenges, some left in anger, others resigned to fate.

    Disappointed by the slow service in the bank, Yusuf Abdulsalam, a 200-Level Social Work student, said: “I came early to avoid queueing, but surprisingly, everywhere has been filled up to the brim. I thought I could get money on time because many students have gone for Christmas break. But, the situation is not different from what I experienced outside the campus. I would have to postpone my journey.”

    In the evening, students, who could not withdraw cash on the campus, thronged a Sterling Bank ATM port beside the university terminus. The situation got worse as it resulted in a long queue of students making frantic efforts to get cash.

    A student, who simply gave his name as Adekunle, said: “I tried to withdraw money at the banks on campus during the day, but the fluctuating bank network and a long queue did not help the matter. So, I had to come here this evening.”

    While many students were stranded at banks, the University Park throbbed with travellers. Different commuter transit buses were at the park to convey students from campus to their various destinations outside Kwara State.

    Lagos-bound students were more than those going to other states. Commercial transport companies made brisk business, sending their buses to the park to convey to their destinations.

    There was a growing concern among students, who predicted there would be transportation challenge during the Yuletide. But CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the university management and the Students’ Union Government (SUG) partnered with commercial transport firms to provide cheap service to students travelling home for Christmas.

    It was gathered that the management partnered with Safe Line, a transport company, which provided an Internet booking platform for students.

    Excited by this development, Bankole Adigun, a 200-Level student, hailed the management for responding to challenges faced by students. He said: “I was really excited when I learnt that the management partnered with private transport companies to convey students to their destination. It is a good development and it shows we have a management that cares about students’ welfare.

    Another student, Amina Afolabi, 400-Level Chemistry student, praised the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, saying the management’s move would improve academic rating of the university.

    On New Year’s day when CAMPUSLIFE visited the campus, the academic area was empty. Only a few students, who had one commitment or the other, were on campus. The ever-busy Love Garden in front of Students’ Affairs Unit was deserted.

    The much-patronised Coca-Cola Joint close to the SUG building was also a shadow of itself. All was quite in the bubbling male Lagos Hostel. A few students were around. The hostel common room, which housed the buttery, was lifeless. The female hostels were also deserted.

    However, activities are picking up again on the campus as students return from the break. The long queue is gradually returning to the University Terminus.

     

  • Rising above life’s challenges

    Rising above life’s challenges

    Imagine a visually impaired man running a $700, 000 business! This is the story of Ayo Awe, who rose to become a successful entreprenuer. Awe’s success story, as captured by DANIEL ESSIET, serves as an inspiration to others that, there is ability in disability. 

    At a young age, Ayo Awe  was diagnosed of a visual condition capable of leading to the loss of his sight. Subsequently, he received several treatments to correct it; but it was to no avail as the condition of the eyes deteriorated faster than expected, and was finally certified to be permanently visually impaired.

    Downcast and distraught, Awe braced, determined not to surrender to this vissicitude of life. And as he battled to adjust to this life-changing experience with  faith  in God, he  made up his mind to get quality education. For him, this was the only way to liberate himself from poverty and become relevant in the world.

    After sailing through his primary and secondary  school  education  in Lagos in flying colours, fortune shone on him as he got a scholarship  to study  Economics at the University  of Texas, Houston,United States (US) in  2002.

    Moving  to  the  US  turned out to have other advantages as well.  The low-stress environment and the government’s support for the  visually  impaired  persons, enabled him to  cope  with  high-quality  education challenges  faced by freshers. He graduated in flying colours  and  enrolled  for a  Masters in Information Technology (IT) at the University of Texas, Dallas.

    Keeping an open mind, maintaining an upbeat attitude, Awe  saw himself through his   programme and became a certified IT professional with eight  international  certifications  in Enterprise Solutions and  other  areas.

    After a stinct with various organisations, which further sharpened his knowledge and gave a boost to his market  value, he  began  to dream of  starting  his own  business.  He started AlphaGRC consultancy- firm that provides   specialised IT services  in SAP security and  audit space with $5, 000.

    Even though physically challenged, as chief executive officer, Awe leads the group, its global vision and develops key strategies, policies and systems, while being a role model for the company’s culture. Today, the business is worth $700,000 with branches  in United Kingdom and  Nigeria. He has eight people in his employ.

    Awe’s success story is a testimony to his belief that “adversity cannot  stop anyone from   achieving his  goals.”

    Consequently,  he has also set up a Foundation- Timeless Vision Foundation (TVF), a  charity  organisation  that promotes awareness, provide hope and improve standards of living for  blind people struggling to survive in the society.  Through all of his projects, Awe continues to inspire hope, ignite hope, and make it happen for the visually impaired.

    “At TVF, our core belief is that blindness should never  be a stumbling block to any man’s dreams.  TVF’s  immediate, short-term focus is primarily directed at benefiting the visually impaired community in Nigeria. In the near future, TVF is committed to expanding the scope of service to other developing African nations,” he added.

    Awe is working to give people with visual disabilities access to business opportunities.

    Through the foundation,  he  helps the blind    access new technologies and expose physical  challenged Nigerians   to peers of different abilities, building respect for people with special needs and a more inclusive society.

    He has been an ambassador, educating the public about what it’s like to struggle with blindness, while delivering a message of hope for people living with visual impairment.  His ability to communicate his feelings and positive outlook on life has touched thousands of peoples’ lives.

    Awe is determined to lead by example, has very high personal standards for himself artistically, academically and socially, and is an exemplary role model for young people striving to overcome challenges in their lives.

    His words: “Our biggest problem is not that the world is full of disabled people but the fact that the world is overwhelmingly full of more abled people who choose to do nothing about it. Our vision is to see a Nigeria where blindness won’t be a stumbling block for any blind person to achieve his/her dream.’’

  • Living life abroad

    Living life abroad

    TITLE : Diaspora and Imagined Nationality
    PUBLISHER: Carolina Academic Press.
    AUTHOR: Koleade Odutola
    REVIEWERS: Wale Fatade

    Nigerians love to talk and we are proud of our ability along that line. Outside the shores of our country, we are not afraid of airing our views and holding court on issues affecting the motherland. Among the hotly debated issues is whether or not Nigeria is a mere geographical expression, to use the words of a late political leader, or has emerged fully into a nation. While those living within the borders of Nigeria are engaged in debating this, those in the diaspora too are not left out.

    KoleadeOdutola’s Diaspora and Imagined Nationality: USA-Africa Dialogue and Cyberframing Nigerian Nationhood is an attempt at using the digital space to explore nationhood issues. The book is a revision of the author’s PhD dissertation, which required extensive re-work of the initial research. “The whole idea behind my PhD was to make sense of what Nigerians discuss online,” Odutola said in an online interview.

    “I discovered there are many issues and I choose how the issue of nationalism is discussed online. It is a book that can be read in part by different audiences depending on their social location and background. You can just read the exchanges without the theory and methodology sections and it will still make sense to you.”

    In his research, Dr. Odutola discovered that “Nigerians in diaspora are very passionate about Nigeria. They want a change like yesterday.” He added that the style of writing of most Nigerian scholars look toward Europe and America for authorities when it comes to complex issues like nationhood and “I thought I could locate Afrocentric ideas about nationhood but somehow I’m still searching.” Asked whether the concept of nationhood is alien to Africans then, he responded, “No, just that there are not many authorities who have articulated the concept.”

    He added, “Most of us confuse the State with the nation but Dr. Adebayo Williams expressed the idea of State-Nations for most postcolonial countries instead of Nation-States.”

    Three concepts are therefore evident: The nation; the State, and the country.  “A nation is like a dream, it exists first in the imagination of a few before it finds vent in text or in discourse. In the same way a virtual nation is normative in conceptualization. It is constructed through conversations and reflections. It speaks to how a nation structurally and functionally ought to be as opposed to how it is. The virtual narrative depends on external ideas to a great extent and on intuition in very rare cases. The purpose of a virtual concept of nationhood is to act as a parameter on which the real nation with all its imperfections and contradictions are judged. One issue the idea of virtual nationhood brings to the fore is that of legitimacy; who is qualified to discuss how a nation ought to be? Should the task be left to those who are within the malfunctioning national space? Or should the task be left to those who are located outside of the national space but depend on mediated communication and information for their knowledge?”

    Odutola equally acknowledges the eternal debate of ‘inside/outside’, which complicates the situation in that those inside may also be outside of the system and thus alienated. Immigrants, especially those in well developed countries with functional systems and coordinated structures take more than passing interests in the political affairs of their homeland and there are many examples of immigrant groups that have facilitated change sin their homelands using different information and communication technologies to connect and mobilise and organize geographically dispersed members.

    Does this then mean that Nigerians in the Diaspora engage more with nationhood issues than those in the country? “No, I can’t say that, please,” he answers. “I made a research decision to focus on Nigerians in the Diaspora because I was going to use a virtual ethnographic methods that relies more on text than on the ground observations. I know that Nigerians at home verbalize their concerns at different spots in the country. A visit to a vendor’s stand would provide enough data to do the same thing I did online.”

    Asked if he thinks Nigeria would evolve fully into a nation based on his findings, Dr. Odutola says,” Ha, that’s a very tough question for a researcher without a crystal ball but reading what Nigerians in the Diaspora express online, I think Nigerians want the nation to survive beyond that “mere geographical expression.”?Divided into five chapters, the book concludes that when identity is no longer anchored on location, home and nationhood become indistinguishable.

  • Life on a sweepstake

    (Tragedy of the youth’s entitlement mentality)

    We speak in several pitiful tongues. Every tongue reels a different story of identical loss and misery; and so, one comes to callousness, a savage ruthlessness and culture of protest that drives us to ruin our world: dateline Boko Haram, MEND, Ombatse and the complex bigotry, avarice and bloodlust characteristic of all.

    Yet this page will not contain the genocide, amorality and grotesque body count we have learnt to perpetrate not because they are too horrendous and unwieldy to keep tab of but because there is neither wisdom nor tact in rehashing the consequences of our towering idiocy and bloodlust.

    We blame the older generation for everything. We claim they created a very difficult world for us to live in; a world that is rigged to booby-trap our efforts to survive and that is why many of us fail. We also accuse the ruling class of keeping us unemployed, prone to corruption, exploitation, crime and the devastation of our economy and social infrastructure. We accuse them of denying us access and right to the Nigerian dream.

    What have we done with such world that they have given us? What are we doing to make it better for you and me and the generation that will succeed us? Nothing. Rather than evolve in thought and attitude, we choose to rant impotently and wallow in self-pity. And when we choose to productively engage our faculties, our conscious quest is marred by our inclinations to self-destruct.

    If our world is ruined, we are to blame for it. This is because we are major actors in every tragedy and perpetrators of every calamity that accentuates our ruin. We are the hoodlums causing chaos at random, according to the whims of criminal and benevolent godfathers. We are the policemen mounting road blocks to fleece hardworking compatriots of the little money they make, everyday. When they refuse to cooperate, we simply shoot them to death.

    We are the bankers pilfering the lifesavings of the poor. We are the bank chiefs stripping Peter to pay Paul and robbing the downtrodden to feed our wantonness and greed. We are wives to the thieving governor, and gigolo to the rogue bank chief. We are the journalists who sold out, the watchdog who became lapdogs and then, dung-dogs. We are armed robbers and thieves. We are the activists exploiting the downtrodden to perpetuate our grand schemes of greed.

    No matter the ills visited upon our generation, we lost the right to howl and cry ‘foul!’ the moment we agreed to do everything and anything to make money, including serving as instruments for the attainment of the perverse goals of the criminal ruling class.

    Shame, that we have to look unto the same generation that we accuse of ruining our world to take measures necessary to save our world. The current ruling class won’t save us. They can’t. And that is because like you and me, they are held captive by greed, irrationality amongst several base immoralities.

    Every generation considers itself uniquely challenged like we do and each generation truly is, in different ways. But I don’t buy into over-generalizations and self pity. Like we accuse older generations before us, successive generations will accuse us of ruining their world claiming we had better chances to resolve our crises and recreate the world that they would inherit from us.

    Our sense of entitlement goads us to believe that we are entitled to a good, fair life but for the ruling class and older generation that thwarts our dreams of bliss. When the older generation claims that we are ill-educated and unemployable, we respond in kind, claiming that they render us so with visionless leadership and substandard education. Truth is, school is a bore to many of us and artisanship doesn’t quite do it for us. We breeze through school and apprenticeship unenthusiastically, thinking that somewhere or somehow, something would give and we would chance on bliss.

    Notwithstanding, some of us enter the labour market thinking it wouldn’t hurt to be exploited a little. Having being raised on the mantra that “Slow and steady wins the race and tiny drops make an ocean,” we subject our will to the grindstone and stoically tread the path of obedience and honest labour. But the path of industry and honesty hardly ever pay off in the long run.

    Eventually, we realize that the system is designed to thwart our dreams while enabling the dreams of the exploitative one per cent at the top, and we get mad. We get mad because our leaders do not see us as human beings with cosmic value and rights anymore. But despite our dissatisfaction, we keep them in power and keep asking them for handouts. Our rage and rant hardly ever articulates our towering need for realistic opportunities.

    We do not choose to be treated with dignity. That is why the government and our employers become entitled to take away our dignity. That is why we are entitled to expect nothing from our politicians anymore. We should be ashamed of our sense of entitlement. We should be embarrassed by our failure as a generation. We should be ashamed that we go through life thinking the world’s a sweepstake.

    We believe the world is for the taking by a lottery; this is understandable as a carrot on a stick that the top one per cent – comprising government and big business – perpetually dangle before us. Thus the Nigerian dream has evolved from a promise and belief that every Nigerian will get to have a good life, a job they enjoy, a generous paycheck, affordable housing, healthcare and transportation and a secure retirement, into some reality show fantasy and a pipedream.

    Today, the Nigerian dream comprises a tall fantasy that every Nigerian will get to live a charmed life. It offers attractive fantasies of palatial residences in exclusive neighbourhoods home and abroad; fancy cars, easy money, consequence-free indolence, sex, fraudulence and violence to mention a few. The Nigerian youth consider these perks their birthright and they heartily pursue them on the streets and now ubiquitous reality TV shows where parents and their children from relatively humble backgrounds engage in funfest of foolishness and inordinate lust for unearned riches. The tragedy of this development resonates in the number of ‘has-beens’ and reality show runners-up still loitering the red carpets for the barest chance to hug the limelight for no justifiable reason or attainment.

    Each generation has a responsibility to wisely develop itself and become indispensable to the world despite all odds. It is the only way we could equip ourselves to take over the country’s leadership and use the resources and power available to us to provide this generation and the next, a secure, sustainable country that will be stronger than the one inherited.

    We need to stop whining and begin to take action now to reverse the rapid decline of our country. If we wait until we are older, it will be too late. Life in the future will be worse.

    Our hubris and sense of entitlement is sickening and truly mind boggling. It’s about time we seek our Nigerian dream not because we are ‘special’ but because we truly deserve it.

     

    •To be continued…

  • Aspirant promises better life for constituency

    A Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bolaji Ajimotokan, has said Agege Constituency 1 needs a good lawmaker, who understands the challenges of the area.

    He said he is vying for the House Assembly seat because the community has not made significant progress under those who had represented the constituency. He said, having lived among the people for from childhood, he noted nobody understands the terrain better than him.

    He said: ‘’I lived here, but over time, I travelled overseas for my education, I had thought that, by the time I come back, my community would have the grown. But, I can say that nothing has changed after 19 years of my sojourn in the foreign land. I want to be part of the change that can improve the lots of my people.’’

    The aspirant said he initiated some philanthropic project, to make impact in the community. ‘’The young Agege boys have benefitted from my quarterly organised football competition. Some of them have secured better offer through the exposure and the skills they displayed during the competitions.

    He added that his aim is to change the community by bridging the gap between the leaders and the led through quarterly town hall meetings.

    “Again, my vision is to alleviate the suffering of our people through communication, education and infrastructural development, this I strongly believe can come from effective lawmaking process that will recognise that Agege is part of the large community in the Centre of Excellence.

    ‘’We will put in place programme that will benefit the widows/widowers because our party the APC major cardinal point is about the people’s welfare. This is what I will dissipate my energy to and ensures that the enabling laws back it up.

    ‘’In terms of education, I hope to improve the lot of the primary schools in this locality. We can do this laying the solid foundation. This is possible through the act of parliament , I strongly believe we can do it and that must be done now.

    ‘’Through infrastructural development, the value of the houses will increase so as to attract into the community those in the high brow areas,” he said.

  • A race for life

    A race for life

    Students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) participated in an early morning exercise organised by the Anti-Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Club to sensitise the university community about the need to stop the deadly Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). ADEYEMI OLALEMI (400-Level Physics and Education) reports.

    Regular exercise is the best way to free the body of stress. But the busy academic schedules of students hardly permit that.

    Last Saturday, students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) abandoned all engagements for aerobics.

    The health awareness, tagged: UNILAG jog for life, was organised by the UNILAG’s chapter of Anti-Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Club.

    It was part of the events to mark the Health Week of the club. The Week featured health campaign, film show, seminar and novelty match between students.

    The aerobics started with awareness about Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the hostel, after which students left their rooms to jog.

    By 7.00am, the participants had thronged the university’s Sport Complex, clad in sport wears, trainers and face towels.

    The aerobics lasted till 8am, after which the participants ran round the campus. At the complex, the students were given branded T-shirts donated by Hope World, a non-governmental organisation. The shirts had inscriptions, such as “I support abstinence and mutual fidelity” and “Zero discrimination in workplace”.

    Apart from keeping the students fit after busy academic engagements, the president of the Club, Tomiwa Ogunmade, said the exercise would also spread the awareness of the deadly disease among the youth. “The exercise is an initiative aimed at creating awareness about HIV, AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases which threatens the dreams and aspirations of the youth. This will always remind them of the existence of the disease and why they must stop its spread,” he said.

    The club’s intention, Tomiwa said, was to sensitise the university community on how the deadly diseases could be prevented through abstinence, faithfulness and condomisation.

    While jogging round the campus, students took the awareness to Halls of Residence, singing and dancing. Some of the hostel visited included, Moremi, Jaja, Mairere, New Hall, and Amina Hall.

    The participants engaged their colleagues in discussions on how they could promote HIV–free society, teaching students how they could make use of condom and other objects to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.

     

  • Aspirant raises alarm over threat to life

    Aspirant raises alarm over threat to life

    A House of Representativesaspirant in Akinyele/Lagelu Constituency, Oyo State, Hon. Oladimeji Olayinka Segelu, has raised an alarm that his life is being threatened by some politicians in the area.

    Segelu said in a statement in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the threat is in connection with his ambition. He urged security agencies to beef up security around prominent politicians before, during and after the polls.

    The PDP chieftain lamented that his supporters, who embarked on a sensitisation drive for voters’ registration were attacked by hoodlums at Ogunsowo village, near Oyedeji, in Igbo Elerin area of Lagelu Local Government.

    Segelu, who is a close associate of Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman  however, said no amount of threat, harassment and intimidation could stop him from pursuining his ambition.

    He said: “The coming election and subsequent ones will be a matter of choice between merit coupled with credibility and mediocrity coupled with notoriety which are the alternatives open to the people of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in 2015. I am confident that the people will go for the most credible candidate.”.

  • Obasi enjoys life under Di Matteo

    Obasi enjoys life under Di Matteo

    Beijing 2008 silver medalist, Chinedu Obasi, has experienced a turnaround at Schalke 04, following the sacking of Manager Jens Keller.

    Under Keller, the 28-year-old was a bit part player, playing second fiddle to Sidney Sam and Mex Meyer in the team. However, since Keller’s departure a month ago, Obasi has started two of the last three games under manager Roberto Di Matteo.

    The Chelsea champions league winning coach has used Obasi just once as a substitute and that was in his first game in charge against Hertha Berlin.

    The Nigerian has started the last two games in a row against Sporting Lisbon and Bayern Leverkusen, picking up the man of the match award against Lisbon in the champions League.

    While he struggled for goals and game time under Keller, he scored his first goal of the season against Sporting Lisbon under Di Matteo and he has three assists to his name.

    Known for his pace and trickery, injuries have slowed down his career progress and last season he appeared just 15 times in the Bundesliga for Schalke 04 scoring three goals in the process.