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Tag: Tough

  • Buhari: why anti-graft war is tough

    “Though tough, we are not relenting”, President Muhammadu Buhari has said of his administration’s anti-corruption battle. In his remarks at the 24th edition of the National Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja, the President says some powerful individuals are frustrating the efforts, Assistant Editor NDUKA CHIEJINA and MOSES EMORINKEN report.

    SOME corrupt individuals have built financial war chests to frustrate the battle against systemic corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday at the opening of the 24th National Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja.

    The President, who took his administration’s anti-graft crusade to the NES, said the individuals are staking everything to frustrate their investigation and prosecution for corruption-related offences.

    He reiterated the need to tackle corruption, which according to him is not stunting economic growth, but discouraging inflow of investments.

    Lamenting persistence of corruption in the system, President Buhari said that perpetrators of corrupt acts “will always find ways to contaminate the reformed system to ply their unwholesome trade.”

    Represented by Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari said:  Those involved in corruption have a way of fighting back using the looted resources at their disposal. These corrupt officials have built formidable contacts and financial war chest to frustrate their investigation and prosecution.”

    Assuring that his administration will push on with the battle against graft, President Buhari assured that his “administration will never be deterred in its anti-corruption war, considering the destructive and contagious nature of the malaise.”

    He described grand corruption “as outright diversions of public funds by officials of government for Private or personal use. There are other layers of corruption such as taking a percentage kick back from procurement services.”

    Speaking at the first plenary session, moderated by the founding Dean, Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, Mrs. Ngaire Woods, Prof Osinbajo said:  “Corruption in Nigeria attained alarming level prior to now. By 2050, Nigeria will become the World’s third most populous nation and over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population will be youth. High oil revenue does not translate to job creation because grand corruption is the biggest problem of Nigeria.”

    Asked by the moderator to name influential Nigerians that have tried to prevent prosecution of corrupt persons, Osinbajo said: “I would like to refer to the Nigerian elite, and it’s probably not fair to be that broad, but practically, every segment, because people who have access to you, they could be political leaders, religious leaders, business leaders, whoever has access to you.

    “We have a system where people just feel like, ‘why don’t you just give this guy a break?’ Which again is part of the problem? You don’t get one call, you get several calls.”

    Osinbajo described the slow pace of prosecution as one of the most frustrating parts of the fight against corruption.

    The vice president said: “Confronting it is crucial as you really can’t avoid it and the only way to confront it is for government to be determined, to be committed to it.

    “Especially by strengthening the systems that will make corruption become something that will attract consequence, something that will attract sanctions.

    “If government is committed to it and focused on a number of indices, then I think things will change, and people really want to see some results.’’

    He, however, described as encouraging that the government has secured the conviction of two former governors, a development he noted “has shown that the hand of justice may be slow, but it would eventually catch up.”

    On the significant step so far taken by the government on corruption, Osinbajo said the government had not been folding its arms.

    He said that the government has been holding those that had made away with public funds accountable,  charging them to court and seizing their assets both locally and internationally.

    He said: “To an extent, those individuals have been brought to book. Although, the administration of justice process has been slow, the justice system has its own delays many of which can be resolved by legislation.

    “And there is the attitude of counsel to engage in tactics to keep cases on as long as possible to find a way out for persons accused of crimes.

    “What we need is a much more efficient system that is able to decide very quickly and take appropriate steps.

    “We need to pay close attention to the judiciary and the personnel to ensure they are persons of integrity.’’

    Osinbajo, therefore, urged Nigerians to join forces and support the fight against corruption in the country for the benefit of all.

    He said: “The most important thing is to have the critical mass of individuals in the private and public sectors who are committed to the same ideal, especially as it regards corruption.

    “Frankly, I do not think it involves everyone; I think it requires a few people who are prepared to join forces with those who want to fight corruption.

    “What is required is for them to see that this is important for all of us and it is in our best interest to fight corruption.’’

    High growth rate amid poverty

    He identified the factors responsible for the high growth figures, rising poverty and unemployment rate in the country.

    According to him, absolute poverty, defined as the number of those who could not afford the bare essentials as food, shelter and clothing, had been the biggest economic challenge for Nigeria in the past three decades.

    The President noted that the biggest drain on Nigeria’s resources was grand corruption, which he described as stealing of large sums of the public resource by public officials in collaboration with private individuals

    He said that the problem of poverty and the attendant deficits in human development indices were significant because Nigeria’s population continued to grow at about three per cent annually.

    Buhari, however, explained the paradox of high growth figures amid rising poverty and unemployment figures.

    His explanation: “The first is that high oil revenues do not necessarily translate to jobs. The high revenues can only translate to jobs and better living standards if the revenues are invested in diversification of the economy, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and social protection for those who cannot work.

    “The question of course is what happens to the revenues? The most important drain on our resources is grand corruption; the stealing of large sums of the public resource by public officials in collaboration with private individuals.

    “The second reason that explains the paradox of high growth figures and rising poverty and unemployment figures flows from the first, namely: the poor investment in infrastructure and the non-creation of an enabling environment for business.

    “The third is the lack of commitment to diversification of the economy; which would in turn provide multiple streams of revenue; this is both an issue at the National and sub-national levels.

    “The fourth reason that explains the paradox of high growth figures and rising poverty and unemployment figures is the low investment over the years in the businesses at the bottom of the pyramid.’’

    He said that in addressing the identified challenges, there was a focus on empowering the jobless youth and millions in extreme poverty, by a mix of micro-credit schemes.

    According to him, the Federal Government is also focusing on infrastructure support for markets and small business clusters, welfare for the most vulnerable and direct creation of jobs.

    The President said the Federal Government under his watch was committing at least 30 per cent of the yearly budget on capital, especially infrastructure.

    He listed other measures aimed at addressing poverty as diversifying the economy especially agriculture, mining and the promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

    Others are: strong fiscal discipline, especially zero tolerance for grand corruption; support to states for payments of salaries and emoluments; social protection programmes covering at least five million of the poorest.

    The President said that most of the measures were captured in details the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

    “Generally speaking, we have kept faith with these objectives; by putting in place stricter regime of fiscal discipline, we provided for 30 per cent capital expenditure from 2016 in spite of earning 60 per cent less.

    “We invested so far a total of N2.7 trillon in capital spending; the highest ever in the history of the country.

    “This covers investments in rail, roads, power and dams.

    “In diversifying the economy, Agriculture has been a major success story with increasing budgetary allocation to Agriculture from N8.8 billion in 2015 to N46.2 billion in 2016 and N103.8 billion in 2017.”

    First gold refining licence issued

    Budget & National Planning Minister Udo Udoma, said that the Federal Government has issued the first gold refining licence to Kian Smith Limited, as part of its effort to revamp and diversify the economy.

    The issuance of the gold refining license, he said, was a product of the Focus Labs as contained in the nation’s economic blueprint – the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

    He said: “The primary objective of the ERGP was to get Nigeria out of recession, which the policy document has successfully achieved.”

    As an outcome of the ERGP, the Focus Labs, Senator Udoma said “have also been able to accelerate the development of the national gold development policy and the establishment of a federal gold reserves scheme in Nigeria.”

    He said: “I am happy to inform us that the first gold refining licence has been issued to a company called Kian Smith Limited, which was one of the companies that participated in the labs. The Federal Government is finalising modalities to purchase gold from local refiners, via a federal gold reserves scheme.”

    Kian Smith is a Nigerian company, registered seven years ago, with focus on minerals, commodities and marine services.

    The minister also said: “A local automobile assembly plant was being supported to double it delivery in Nigeria and help drive economic growth.”

  • Fed Govt to go tough on highway vandals

    The Federal Government may have concluded plans to arrest  criminals terrorising users of the  road, The Nation has learnt.

    Sources close said the government was not happy with the artificial portholes and gullies  on the roads created by vandals with intent to rob.

    One of the sources, a Manager with the Federal Emergency Roads Management Authority (FERMA), said as part of the plan, the government summoned the authority’s chief executive officer.

    The manager, who declined to be mentioned, said the government was worried at the rate highway vandals were destroying street lights and bridges that the government spent huge amount on their repairs.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, directed that that people who illegally occupy the federal roads and highways should vacate them

    He said the government would arrest those destroying public assets, especially roads.

    The minister said the Federal Government was concerned with the deplorable state of its roads  sometimes caused by the activities of vandals.

    Fashola said: “The government has come up with a law to stop vandalism of equipment and other unwholesome practices on the highways. Very soon, the government will enforce the law with a view to arresting some culprits and also deter others.”

    He said government, for now, is leveraging Information and  Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, such as android phones, digital cameras to deal with the situation.

    “Recently, we informed government officials to capture the faces of anybody found damaging federal roads with the aid of their phones and report the matter to designated agencies or departments under the Federal Ministry of Works. When the issues are reported to us, we will prosecute the offenders,” Fashola added.

    According to him, the government has set up what he described as “Right of Way Public Committee,” stressing that the committee has started work.

  • Whistleblowing made tough

    It wasn’t expected to go the way it is going.  The drama began in April with the discovery of mind-boggling cash hidden in an up-scale apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos, by anti-corruption fighters acting on a tip-off. It was expected that by now the whistleblower or whistleblowers in this case would have been rewarded based on the presidency’s whistleblowing policy.

    But the way things are going, the public can’t be sure what to expect. Another development further complicated the case. A report said: “A man, Abdulmunmini  Musa, claiming to be part of those who provided information that led security agents to recover $43.4 million, N23.3  million and 27, 800 Euros from Flat 7, Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, has sought to be included as beneficiary of the compensation to be given to the whistle blowers by the Federal Government.”  It also said:   The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Ministry of Finance and Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as defendants. Also listed as defendants are Bala Maina, Steven Sunday and Sheriff, who have been pencilled down as beneficiaries of government’s compensation for providing information that led to the recovery of the Ikoyi flat cash. Musa said he wants to be included in the compensation because he worked with Sunday, Maina and Musa to leak information about the Ikoyi cash to security agents. ..”

    The question of who should be paid what is compounded by the question of how much should be paid. The Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, was quoted as saying at an event last month: “If you blow the whistle and the government recovers cash, you are entitled to between 2.5 per cent and five per cent. The maximum limit is five per cent. According to the policy, if you blow the whistle and it is below N500m, you get four to five per cent because the higher the amount that is recovered, the lower the percentage that is given. This is the global best practice.”

    Owasanoye provided additional information that showed the public was given inadequate information about the policy when it was launched in December 2016. He explained: “If the recovery is between N500m and N1bn, you get three to four per cent (commission). If it is N1bn and above, it is 2.5 per cent. Indeed, there is a clause that we included in the policy to say that the government may determine the amount to be awarded based on other criteria provided that the amount to be awarded doesn’t exceed five per cent. In other words, the government may actually pay less than 2.5 per cent but nobody can be paid more than five per cent.”

    This belated explanation is inexcusable. It is unsurprising that Yakubu Galadima, a lawyer representing one of the whistleblowers expecting a reward in the Ikoyi Towers case, reportedly insisted on five per cent of the estimated N13 billion found in the expensive flat for his client. He said his client was expecting N860 million and not N325 million from the Federal Government.

    The gripping drama was intensified by a petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) by lawyers representing three claimants,   Abdulmumin Musa, Mr. Stephen Sunday and Mr. Bala Usman.  This petition tells the story from the beginning.  The twists and turns suggest that the story is far from its ending. A report said: “The solicitors noted that “Our clients informed us sometime in December 2016 that three (3) of them voluntarily walked into the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) at 15A Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos and gave vital information that led to the recovery of over N13 billion at the Ikoyi Towers, Lagos.” The Legal Practitioners further told the AGF that “upon subsequent visit to give a detailed information as required by the commission to raid the tower, they were told if the operation was successful, 5% of the amount recovered will be their take home within 72 hours of recovery, they were also cautioned that if the information happened to be false, then they will definitely be in trouble which the three mentioned above accepted because they were sure of their facts”. The petition continues: “That when the operation was carried out, it was successful but since then they have not received any commendation by the commission, let alone given any reward as stated even though the EFCC have their names and phone numbers”.

    The report added: “The Petitioners said rather than to do the needful, some of the EFCC staff gave them further information that they were not the only people who gave them information on the Ikoyi Towers as others were also involved without mentioning them. Upon various meetings by the three persons mentioned above, they agreed to go back and meet the Head of EFCC operations, Alhaji Samaila Muhammed and were told on their visit that the numbers have increased to nine (9) who made the report urging them to bring the remaining persons.”

    So, how many people played the whistleblower in the Ikoyi Towers case? The public was not expected to know their identities, but three or four names are known to the public and more names may become public. It is obvious that this attention-grabbing case has been badly managed by the authorities. There shouldn’t have been any controversy about who blew the whistle and how much should be paid as reward. There shouldn’t have been any name credited with whistleblowing in the public domain.

    It is noteworthy that Owasanoye was quoted as saying: “As of the end of October, over 5,000 whistles had been blown and about 75 per cent of that came from phone calls. So, you can report on the website, email, text message or phone call. “What are the things that the various communications have covered? Contract inflation, ‘ghost workers’, payment of unapproved funds, embezzlement of salaries, diversion of excess crude funds, improper reduction of financial penalties, diversion of funds meant for people, placing money in a commercial bank, non-remittance of deduction of pensions or NHIS and failure to implement projects.”

    He added:  “Others include embezzlement of funds received from donors, embezzlement of payment meant for personnel emoluments, violation of TSA which is the highest, violation of FIRS regulations, non-procurement of safety equipment, money laundering, illegal sale of government assets, diversion of IGR which is the second largest, financial misappropriation, concealed bailout funds, mismanagement of micro-finance banks and illegal recruitment.”

    The presidency expects more whistleblowing, and there may well be more.  But what will happen to the whistleblowers, considering what is happening in the Ikoyi Towers case?

  • Tough people last (2)

    Tough people last (2)

    Still on the same matter tough people last; have you ever pondered on this simile as tough as leather? Leather is beautiful, luxurious, natural and one of the great materials of the world. However, it’s absolutely gross to make. The process of leather production is lengthy and complicated. Leather is a material made from the skin of an animal using tanning or other similar processes. Tanning by ancient methods is so foul smelling. You may agree with me that products made from quality leather really last. In fact If someone is as tough as leather, they have a strong character or body and do not get upset or hurt easily. They think deeply about situations before they label it! Richard Carlson the author of – Stop Thinking Start Living says ‘When you think, you are using your imagination to create an image or picture in your mind of an event rather than the real thing..if you are thinking about how bad your marriage is, you are considering it in your mind, it’s all in your imagination. This is why the old saying, ‘Things aren’t as bad as they seem’ is almost always true. The reason things ‘seem so bad’ is because your mind is able to recreate past events and preview upcoming events, almost as though they were happening right in front of you, at that moment- even though they’re not. To make matters worse, your mind can add additional drama to any event, thereby making that event seem even worse than it really is, or was, or will be’.

    Your mind plays a pivotal role in helping you go through tough times because when your perception about a situation changes, your attitude automatically changes. Often times when you have the right information about an issue, your  perception about the matter will change, that is, there will be a paradigm shift therefore you will see things differently, when you see differently, you will think differently, when you think differently you will feel differently and when you feel differently you will behave differently.

    What makes you feel better, more joyful, more relaxed, more secure, is a shift in understanding not through a change in circumstance. Recently my husband and I walked through our garden and we saw a plant, Immediately I said ‘this plant is dying, the leaves are getting old and dropping’ my husband quickly responded’ yes the old leaves are dropping but I can also see new ones shooting out’. Wow! That blew my mind. Both of us saw the same situation from two different perspectives. You simply need to see something about the tough situation that you didn’t see before. It could be an opportunity for a new beginning. The mess can be an opportunity for you to be mesmerized. You must choose to see the good in that situation, that way your attitude will improve. A person’s attitude isn’t set; it’s a choice. Chuck Swindoll writes ‘Attitude to me, is more important than education, money, circumstances, failures, successes, appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a home, organization, church, mosque…’  My own mantra is; a right attitude wins always.

    Presently there is a plant growing on the roof of my house, please note that I do not intend to have a green roof. I noticed this, a few months back and I chose to leave it so that I could learn as much as possible from this plant. This kind of plant thrives naturally in a rooftop environment. Mind you it will be pretty daunting getting it down, I would definitely need help and of course a ladder to pull it down. I keep wondering, how on earth did this plant get to grow on a roof top??? It must be really tough to survive on that roof. The roots cling to the one storey building and this is mind blowing for me. This plant is outstanding and that is a vital lesson for you and I. You‘ve got to grow a thick skin to survive the storms of life or else you will remain like children who think everything that is good in life comes easy on a platter of gold.   Toughness be it mental, spiritual or physical is a priceless virtue and in the school of ‘the tough’ there are no wanderers.

     

    • Continued online

  • Life is tough and hard

    SIR: Ever since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the road to self-reliance and development has been messy to say the least. We’ve had corrupt leaders influencing the people, unqualified personnel in charge of ministries and agencies, politicians who only made it to high school. Right from time when the colonial masters granted us independence, there has always been the issue of maladministration-power in the wrong hands. Every new leader comes with his own batch of problems which would later have a direct effect on the citizens. When the late General Sani Abacha came on board in 1993, several Nigerians who were in opposition to his rule were locked up. Diverse human rights organizations wrote letters asking for the release of these citizens but Abacha turned a deaf ear. Many were assassinated. Talk about dreams and aspirations cut short. The then citizens passed through a lot of pain, distress and restriction of human rights. Yet our future leaders haven’t learnt that the welfare of the citizens is paramount and key to the success of any administration. The present-day Nigeria is in a state of mishap, neglect and hardship. Only few can afford to eat the legendary three meals per day.

    Ever since the recession, income and sources of revenue for individuals and families have been cut short. Fatal incidences and calamitous events have taken place which has changed the way citizens live and it’s a battle to survive in Nigeria. Downsizing by firms has increased the rate of unemployment and thrown more people in to the labour market that is already filled up. There has been a rise in the crime rates ever since. Petty thefts, kidnapping, armed robbery and cyber crime have topped the crime charts. This tough life has also made parents to withdraw their wards studying in private schools to register them in the sub-standard government schools where the quality of education is low and there aren’t enough facilities to cater for the needs of the students.

    Suicide which is always frowned at by members of the public seems to be the way out of this tough and hard life.  A recent case of suicide occurred in Lagos where a medical doctor jumped into the Lagoon and several days later, two women were prevented from doing the same. When they were interrogated, they cited their financial misery as the reason for wanting to commit suicide.

    Everyone have a tale to tell about the standard of living. To the common man, we all don’t know when prices of food crops will reduce. It’s surprising to hear that Nigeria which has the ability to grow virtually all food crops is affected by scarcity of the same food crops.

    We all wish we could wake up one day and all these suffering would come to an end-ultimate end. But alas, that could be a dream even for future generations to come.

     

    • Otolorin Olabode, otolorinolabode@gmail.com

  • Why 2017 will be tough

    SIR: At time like this, it is not very uncommon to see those who claim to be men of God making prophecies about national affairs. And experience has shown that much of those prophecies are pure guess-work or calculative predictions. As a person that has been following national occurrences very closely, I wish to make my own predictions.

    This is the year where this acclaimed economic recession will bite very harder. We have not experienced ‘anything’ in 2016 – that is just a tip of the iceberg. In 2017 Nigeria, death rate will increase. Many will die of minor infections and the government will appear very helpless. This 2017 is the year where many will be forced to drop out of school. This is the year that the rate of divorce we be very high; a year that will inflate the numbers of criminal activities.

    Year 2017 is going to be both very dense and fibrous. All of us, as a people, must tighten our belts to surmount this serious challenge. There is no way one can escape the lashes of the toughness – though it can be minimized – so, we must just ensure that we double our hustle.

    Additionally, we must not jubilate much as we begin this New Year. Well, maybe we can only jubilate for God’s protection over us. New Year will come and go but you will remain to face the consequences of a very reckless government. This New Year should be a time all of us get into the corner of our room and make sober reflections.

    It is a truism that the yesterday of a man will in a way or the other affects his tomorrow – same thing with Nigeria. As such, I have discovered that with the way this government has mishandled 2016, the country might never get out of this ‘peculiar mess’ it has found herself this New Year. This government has simply not taken any fruitful, convincing or responsible step which will signal an end to this harsh situation. And since ‘nothing’ has been done, the suffering and rigmarole will continue.

    This government is in dire need of leafs to detonate the effect of its intellectual arrogance; and that is what is killing us. Why can’t the government get other better economic advisers?

    We cannot just continue to deceive ourselves. We cannot continue to give ourselves baseless hopes like the other day when we hoped that these men will bring about change. Tell me today, where is the change?

    The New Year is here and we are obliged to live by it. We are left with no choice. But, the jubilation must not be too much since we are entering into a year of hardship and storm.

    • Festus Ogun,

     Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State.

  • Ikorodu Utd were tough-Baba Ganaru

    Ikorodu Utd were tough-Baba Ganaru

    Kano Pillars head coach, Mohammed Baba Ganaru has admitted that his side had it truly tough against newcomers, Ikorodu United.

    The Pyramid City side won 2-1 against the Oga Boys in yesterday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) matchday 15 clash at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

    Diminutive forward, Emmanuel Edmund put the Kano outfit in front in the 15th minute but Yemi Olasupo equalised in the 27th minute only for captain and midfield maestro, Rabiu Ali to grab the winner in the 77th minute to hand his side the whole three points at stake.

    Ganaru said the performances of the visitors were shockingly exciting though he praised his wards for a good game.

    “Three points are quite crucial in the encounter as I never expected the clash to be as difficult and tough as it turned out to be.

    “After we went in front through Emmanuel Edmund I think the players went home or actually slept off.

    “I believe they actually underrated the newcomers and visitors, Ikorodu United as they put up wonderful performance.

    “Truly, I never expected the difficult performance from Ikorodu United but I praise the players for a quality performance, too.

    “I just want to appeal to our supporters for patience and understanding as football is all about you win, draw or lose.

    “We promise to always do our very best to come up with good result in our matches,” said the former Nasarawa United coach to supersport.com.

    The hard fought win against the Lagos outfit takes the Pyramid City side total earning to 27 points from possible 45 in the 15-week old Nigerian top flight.

  • ‘2016’ll be tough for oil markets’

    Vitol, the world’s biggest independent oil trader, expects the year to be challenging for oil markets as stocks of crude and products continue to weigh on the market, prompting it to manage the business conservatively in these uncertain time.

    Despite these testing conditions, Vitol saw its total traded volumes of crude and oil products last year amount to 303 million metric tonnes (mt) – or an average of some 5.9 million barrels  per day (bpd) – up 13 per cent from 2014 when it traded 268 million mt.

    According to Platts, an oil and gas agency, the increase in trading was reflected in Vitol chartering 6,629 voyages last year compared to 6,053 the previous year.

    Vitol President/Chief Executive Officer, Ian Taylor, however, said despite the favourable market structure for physical trading, “the absolute price levels and market volatility are causes for caution”.

    “Revenues, which are dictated by absolute prices fell markedly despite an increase in oil and product trading activity,” he added.

    Vitol saw its 2015 revenue slump by 38 per cent to $168 billion compared to $270 billion in 2014. “We expect this coming year to be challenging for the oil sector. Demand growth will be in line with long-term averages, but below the high levels seen in 2015.

    “Stocks of crude and products continue to build and these will weigh upon the market. In this context, we shall focus on adding value to our customers and seek interesting opportunities, whilst remaining mindful of increased risks,” he added.

  • Mali will be tough-Amuneke

    Mali will be tough-Amuneke

    Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets coach Emmanuel Amuneke has stated that African U-17 champions, Mali who came from behind to beat Belgium 3-1 in the other semi final match on Thursday, would be a tough nut to crack.

    History will be made on Sunday with the second all-African FIFA U-17 World Cup final since 1993, when Nigeria beat Ghana 2-1 at Japan ’93, and Amuneke posited: “The Malians are the African champions, and we have to respect them. Aside that, they have also had a great tournament here in Chile. But we are a team that finds a way to play and function no matter the difficulty posed by the opposition.”

    The 1994 African Footballer of the Year added: “When Sunday comes, we are going to play Mali and I think it is going to be an interesting match but we want to enjoy this moment because this was a great match against a very strong Mexican team .We thank God, we are going to play the final again on Sunday and this gives us the opportunity to defend the trophy we won in 2013.”

  • Brazil will be tough -Amuneke

    Brazil will be tough -Amuneke

    The Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar will come alive again today when Nigeria and Brazil  for the first time  in the history of the global cadet championship clash for a semi- final ticket at the  FIFA Under-17 World Cup Chile 2015.

    There is a healthy rivalry between both countries with Nigeria slightly ahead of Brazil with four titles as against three under the belt of the South Americans and Golden Eaglets’ Head coach, Emmanuel Amuneke has admitted  that  it will be a battle royale when the two most accomplished teams at  this level ‘meet.’ “

    Our match against Brazil on Sunday is not a cup final  but I agree with you that it is not going to be an easy match either,” Amuneke told thenff.com.“

    This is one more game towards our objectives ; the Brazilian team is  very good  and over a month ago, we beat them 2-1 at the Suwon U-17 Youth  International Tournament in South Korea.

    “We have seen  the stuff they are made  of but it would  be a totally different ball game on Sunday because this is a World Cup match  and not a friendly match or a pre-World Cup tournament .

    “ But I’m hopeful, we are going to put up a good fight against them on Sunday,”  Amuneke  said.

    Nigeria and  Brazil have  seemingly had an identical route to the quarter final stage after both lost  once  at the Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso in Coquimbo at the  group phase.

    Whereas Brazil lost 1-0 to South Korea in their first opening match in Group B, the Golden Eaglets lost 2-1 to Croatia in their last Group A match and Amuneke further explained that there won’t be margin for errors on Sunday.

    He said: “ On Sunday, both teams would be at their best  because we have both seen ourselves in Korea before now ; and I expect this to be a difficult match for both teams  but what would count is the mentality of both teams on Sunday,” he said .

    “ We don’t build our team on jokers rather, we want to play as a team  because every player brought here is equal to the task but we are going to see how we can get better on Sunday.”