The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Win

  • ‘Nigeria ‘ll win anti-terror war’

    ‘Nigeria ‘ll win anti-terror war’

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke with reporters in Lagos on the focus of the Buhari Administration in the new year, the anti-terror war, anti-graft battle and other issues. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    Is the country actually winning the anti-terror war?

    For anybody to know and appreciate what the military has done, you need to cast your mind back to this time last year when 20 out of the 27 local governments in Borno State were in firm control of Boko Haram; when six local governments in Yobe State and four local governments in Adamawa State were in their control to today, where you probably have about one or two local governments where they are still trying to operate from. That would give you an idea as to what the military has achieved in the last couple of months. So, when we say that the Boko Haram has been largely defeated, we are actually vindicated by the fact that even what happened during Christmas, is kind of things you expect from any insurgency because they know that they are on their way out. The army have been able to decimate and decapitate them to a large capacity to launch the kind of rendezvous attacks they used to launch before. I must also use this opportunity to thank immensely the vigilantes; the Civilian Joint Tasks Force.  But for them, we would have had more casualties than we have today. They have been working round the clock, even in the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) centres to identify Boko Haram insurgents.

    Boko Haram insurgency like any other insurgency is not a conventional war. We are not saying that by December 31, there would be no more attacks or there would be no more bombs or suicides. We are not saying that.  That is the nature of insurgency. Look at what happened in France last month. France has no insurgency, yet the terrorists were able to embarrass the entire French security systems or take Colombia, where insurgency was expected to have ended many years ago, yet they still stage attacks or even the United States.  What we are saying is that, the military has succeeded largely in meeting the deadline of December 31. The military have done their bit; it is for us, civilians to assist them. What the military are doing now is to barely mop up the humanitarian body of Boko Haram. And this is why we appeal to all media, especially the independent broadcasting organisations to please follow the steps of the NTA that has been helping in airing our jingles on how to identify suicide bombers, explosive bombs and to avoid certain places. If they join us, we can go long way. FRCN, Voice of Nigeria, NAN and NTA have taken up the gullet and I have been assured that by the next meeting I am going to have with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, they would be able assist us also. So, really it is for us in Nigeria today as civilians, to also own the war and supply the missing link. The biggest problem we have now about Boko Haram is not dislodging them; we have actually succeeded in that. It is how do we rehabilitate and resettle the millions of Nigerians who have been displaced? It is how do we revive the economy of the North-East that had been shattered by Boko Haram? It is how do we ensure that the effect of five-six years of Boko Haram insurgency does not resort in famine? Because when you have the kind of the insurgency we have, farmers cannot go to their farms. And if you known what Borno State represents in the agricultural landscape of Nigeria, you will see that that should be our major focus now.

    Some people are of the view that there was no need for the deadline on the insurgency…

    In any war or conflict, government must give a deadline. That deadline was given as a result of the assurance given by the military and the success of the military. It is a common thing; even during the Nigeria Civil War, we were given a timeframe that the war will end by a particular time. I think it is a natural thing and there is nothing wrong to say that by end of December there is going to be an end to insurgency. And like I said, we have largely succeeded in meeting that deadline. We cannot have insurgency forever and no serious government will stay and say because there is insurgency and it is not a regular one; therefore there is not going to be any deadline.

    What is the government doing to purge himself of the Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky issue because there are information that the Shiite Islamic Movement has elements in the hierarchy of government and even in the military?  

    There is a lot of rumour everywhere but what I can assure you that the government of this administration would respect religious freedom but this administration at the same time would not allow any group or body to hold it hostage. What is important to us is the freedom of every Nigerian to practices his or her faith within the confines of the law. You cannot in the practice of your faith inconvenience another Nigerian. And I think this is the bottom line for us in this government. We are going to respect religious freedom but it must not be at the expense of the right and freedom of other Nigerians.

    Some economists have said that 2016 would be a tough year for Nigerians. What is your opinion?

    I will say tell them that they should persevere. They should trust this government and this government is also very aware of the top predictions. But, because the government is determined to stop leakages, fight corruption and to also diversify the economy, that would definitely soften what otherwise should have been very hard to Nigerians. They should just continue to trust this government.

    What is the Federal Government planning to do about the abandoned national monuments, including the National Theatre?

    the National Theatre is a national monument and a tourist attraction and we will not allow it to go derelict, neither will we allow it to become a magnet for hoodlums. The monument is the pride of the entire nation. It is one of the most iconic buildings we have and for a long time, it also served as the point of convergence to Nigerians during festivities or public holidays. And that is why we sincerely regret the unfortunate incident on Christmas Day, when some fun seekers were molested by some hoodlums. I want to assure you that all efforts would be taken to ensure that there is not a reoccurrence of that kind of incident. We have held meetings with both representatives of police command in Lagos State and the Department of State Services and we have held several meetings. We know where our challenges are. Primarily, our perimeter is very unsafe because it is quite long and it is in the middle of town. We know what the challenges are but we assure you that we will not again allow that kind of thing to reoccur. We say clearly that that kind of behaviour is unacceptable.

    The National Theatre is not just an iconic building; it is also a veritable vehicle for the promotion of arts and the creative industry. We have gone round the various components of the National Theatre; we have seen what efforts have been made in the last few years to renovate and bring to date the facilities in the complex. We also know the challenges we face because we begin to wonder why with our location, facilities and structures; why we should not be the first point of call for anybody who want to exhibit his arts or who want to premier his films or why this place cannot come back and become the centre of activities for all creative industries. We have discussed with management of National Theatre and we are also going to reach out to the major stakeholders in the industry and see how we can make the National Theatre really the hub of the creative industry in Nigeria. We have the location, facilities and we believe that there should be no other better alternative to us, but we also know what the challenges are. There are issues of security, power and perception and these are the issues we are going to address.

    In line with the administration’s resolve to move away our addiction to oil as the only source of revenue, we will look at the creative industry as another veritable vehicle for creating jobs for our youths. We are going to revive the craft centres in the National Theatre. We plan to have an auction centre in National Theatre, where people will come from all over the world to come and bid for our arts. As of today, we have to go to Senegal, United Kingdom to exhibit some our arts, even though they are one of the best in the world. So, we want to assure Nigerians that we will leverage on the unique power of culture and tourism to create more jobs for Nigerians. As you are already aware, we have reached out to all the states and arts councils in every state to give us 10 cities with their crafts, arts and festivals, so that by the end of the day we are going to have about 365 festivals including the five local governments in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja. The idea is to ensure that we have at least one festival a day in Nigeria. It might be in Arungungun, Osun, Calabar; so that we will have a compendium of our festivals and arts. So, that any tourist coming to Nigeria can go to our website and know the city he can visit in a particular day or month. This is also going to open our economy in a way it used to be before.

    Is the National Theatre generating enough funds for government?

    The issue of the internal generated revenue of the National Theatre is a moot point in the sense that whatever is being generated is paid directly back to government in respect to the TSA. We know what we do generate. It is not substantial enough and this is because we have not been able to put our major facilities in a state that would make it able to attract enough patronage. For instance, we have the main bowl, which can accommodate about 5,000 people but we have challenges. The National Theatre structure is almost 40 years old; it would be 40 years old in two years time. We have been battling with the maintenance and replacement of certain infrastructures. It is only when we are able to restore fully the main bowl and other exhibition halls that we will be able to full-fledge go out to market the National Theatre. We also have to address the issue of security. One thing any tourist wants is peace of mind and security. I think we have paid very little attention to security. So, don’t look at the National Assembly just from the point view of a complex. Look at it from what it means to Nigeria. It is a national monument. It is iconic and I think it deserves more security presence than many other buildings and this is what we are going to work at.

    Is Federal Government planning to privatise the National Theatre?

    I can assure you that National Theatre will always remain a national monument. We are not selling the National Theatre. I can assure you that. However, we are not averse to a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement with anybody that wants to develop around the National Theatre. We are not averse to those who want to add value to the complex. I have just been informed by the General Manager of the National Theatre that a couple of years ago the Federal Government did advertise and we are at the process of selecting successive bidders but clearly the National Theatre will always remains in the hands of government.

     

  • ‘How to win anti-terror war’

    ‘How to win anti-terror war’

    Emeka Nwankpa, an activist,  is a leader of the Concerned Professionals’ Congress (CPC), a non-governmental organisation canvassing support for the military in its fight against the Boko Haram group. He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on how Nigerians can assist the military in combating the insurgency. 

    What is this CPC movement all about?

    I wish to quickly share an exciting encounter I had not too long ago during a trip to the U.S. We were taking a connecting flight from Houston to New York. Shortly after take-off came an announcement by the crew that there some men of the U.S Marine on the flight. Almost spontaneously, the announcement drew a loud applause from passengers on board, some sitting, others standing chorusing ‘God bless America! God bless America! Itlasted for 10 seconds or so but, my God, it was so electrifying that I didn’t know when Ijumped on my feet and started clapping too. It didn’t matter to me that I didn’t know for whom the applause was meant. What mattered to me at that auspicious moment was that the spontaneous response that greeted the crew’s announcement was for a good and worthy cause. They say when you are in Rome, do like the Romans.

    Quite frankly, it was a very touching experience, which I still carry in my memory to this day. My acquaintance on the flight, Dr. Sagwozi Kubanti, a Ugandan geologist later told me he had lived in the U.S for over two decades long enough to appreciate Americans for the way they adore their service men,dead or living. He said the consciousness runs very deep especially after 9/11.

    So, what is the implication of this?

    What it tells us is that every country has institutions and monuments that, by their sheer existence signal core values that instantly translate to national strength and pride. Our military is such.  In CPC (mind you this is not the political party!) we are students of history, and professionals, united by a sense of concern, patriotism and common identity, for solutions to our issues. We shall draw attention to epochal moments in our history and the lessons for us as a people.

    We shall x-ray our crises and compare by peer review with epochs elsewhere that produced today’s world super powers. This is the meat of my U.S story. Our soldiers have amply demonstrated conspicuous gallantry in the multiple military operations they are involved across the country, especially in the Northeast where they have worked under very strenuous conditions. They deserve our commendation. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their sacrifices. On one occasion, they bombarded Bama, chased the Emir away, hoisted their flag,declared their Caliphate and started collecting levies, taxes and what have you, from the conquered territories.In Borno State alone, 21 out of the 27 LGAs were under Boko Haram. It was a horrible blight on our sovereignity as a nation.  But thank Godthat today all that nonsense has stoppednot without a heavy price paid by our military.

    A new crop of officers with the passion, patriotism, commitment and zeal are now in charge. I had expected that our citizens will roll out the drums to appreciate our soldiers. We thank the active Minister of Defence, Brig. Gen Muhammad Dan-Alli for his Christmas lunch and ‘welfare’ for our troops which he gave in the company of theChief of Defence Staff, General Ayobami Olonisakin, a first-class professional officer who seldom talks, the cerebral Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai whose village has been attacked twice apart from two failed assassination attempt she has survived and the brilliant Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Sadiq. Our troops have regained their rhythm because they have never had it so good since these guys came on board. This is leadership magic.

    But, why are we still recording terrorist attacks in isolated places?

    I’m glad you used the term isolated places. It is so because they (Boko Haram) can no longer hold on to specific places to launch their attacks. They have been degraded, scattered and in disarray. Their center can no longer hold. In other words, it is no longer at easy for them. You now find them sneaking into towns, villages and settlements, forming sleeper cells, adopting funny antics to lure innocent people at soft targets to kill through suicide bombing. This is where you and I need to come in.

    The troops under our committed, courageous and highly passionate commanders are doing a wonderful job. We’ve never had it so good. And that is why we are witnessing many operational  successes in the epicenter of war. I am not a soldier but as a journalist, observation is a good tool. It enables me to see what many cannot see. Check out the excellent chemistry between the Army and Air Force Chiefsboth of whom I hear are always with the troops on the battlefield. For them, holidays are a taboo.They have proved that the President made a good choice of their appointments.

    But, what has this got to do with the anti-terror war?

    Military apologists? Please count us out. But if we have to be called apologists to appreciate the sacrifices of our troops, then so be it. For crying out aloud, we lovethese soldiers for their bravery and courageous gallantry. We have no apologies whatsoever. History will judge. Altitude responds to attitude. You know that since these guys came, it has been not been business as usual at the battle front. Our military has done a good job to actualise Mr. President’s deadline. In fact, I learnt that the President actually gave the military high command a timeline and not a deadline because the military works by timelines, not deadlines. I do not know how timeline became deadline, maybe the press substituted it. You know you media guys have a way of imposing your preferences on the system. And that is why we considered it fit and proper to bring our message first to Lagos, a global media centre. The timeline was actually meant to guide the service chiefs on the President’s objective. Timelines are subject to review where operational goals have not been met. But in this case, the objectives have been largely met. The Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, quoting top military briefings, has said that much. You may have also observed that Boko Haram has not released their hollow video and audio messages for some time now. That was only possible before. A thoroughlydecimated, degraded and disoriented groupthat has been reduced to a fleeingragtag force cannot think of any video or audio recording now. Common criminals. How is that possible?

    Was the December 12 bloody Army/Shi’ites clash avoidable?

    It will be unfair and absolutely pre-emptive to begin to comment or apportion blames at this juncture until the judicial commission of inquiry of the state government comes up with its findings and recommendations. However, the point must be made that all hands must be on the deck by all segments of the society especially our leaders to assist the government in the on-going de-radicalisation process. It is regrettable that lives were lost in a matter and manner that could have been avoided ab initio. The entire citizenry have a major role to play in security awareness. Either you a citizen or a friend of Nigeria, you have a stake. Why won’t we support our soldiers when people abroad describe our military as one of the best and most rugged. The war is not about religion, region or race. This blood-letting must stop.

    Does your group support amnesty for repentant Boko Haram members?

    The operative word in your question is repentant. Even God Almighty welcomes repentance. Remember the story of the prodigal son in the Bible? All religions and societies welcome repentance. Governments welcome their rebellious citizens. Former rebels have become rulers. Ours cannot an exception. That is why nations offer state. We fully support repentance as long as the conditions and parameters serve the broad objectives of equity, peace and justice.

    Can Nigeria actually win the anti-terror war?

    Peace is winnable when we all act together against the common enemy. Peace is winnable when we see terror as their war. Peace is winnable when everybody including the media sees the activities of terrorists as acts against our national interest. Peace is winnable when we don’t sit on the fence at critical moments such as we presently have. Peace is winnable when we acknowledge that the country must exist first before we all can ply our trade either as lawyers, artisans, engineers, traders, politicians, journalists, barbers, etc.

  • Nigerian trio win Bahrain Super Cup

    Nigerian trio win Bahrain Super Cup

    Nigerian trio of Akarandut Orok, Uche Agba and Ifedayo Omosuiyi has won the Bahrain Super Cup 2015 after Al Hidd beat Al-Muharraq 5-4 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 in regulation time.

    The trio featured in the game with Orok playing the full game, Agba was substituted in the second half, while Omosuiyi assisted for Al Hidd’s equaliser.

    Orok scored one of the penalties for Al Hidd.

    The one-time highest goal scorer in Nigeria League said this Super Cup success will serve as morale booster for the team.

    “I feel excited about it. It’s my first time of playing in the Super Cup and I won it. I give God all the glory,” he said.

    “The victory means a lot to me and the entire team because it will serve as morale booster for us to win more trophies this season.”

    The Akwa State-born striker has now won three trophies with Al Hidd after winning King’s Cup and Bahrain Federations Cup last season.

  • Teacher beats 76 others to win award

    A mathematics teacher, Mrs Temitope Bankole has bagged the 2015 Teacher of the Year Award of the African Church Model College’s Model Press Club.

    She was crowned winner of the annual competition in a grand ceremony held in the school’s multipurpose hall in Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos State.

    Congratulating her teacher, President of the club, Udo Idorenyin said the winner emerged from a free, fair and credible electoral system void of workers’ involvement.

    She said: “We believe that our teachers are our friends and second parents so this is just a way of rewarding them for their tireless efforts in imparting knowledge to us. The competition was conducted strictly by students. We started with all students in the school voting for their best teachers. Obviously, there were so many nominations, because we have 76 teachers, so from there, we moved down to the choice of all class captains and assistants, then we narrowed down their nominations through the choice of all prefects. From the prefects, we arrived at our six finalists. At this stage, we conducted interviews for the finalists and our criteria were: accuracy, composure, fluency and dressing. From there, we picked our winner.”

    Udo added: “Mrs Bankole won totally based on merit. In the interview, she really surprised the judges because she spoke so freely and honestly. Also, being my Maths teacher, I understand her so well. She teaches excellently and, trust me, she deserves this award.”

    She advised teachers to continue being diligent, friendly and tolerant as their inputs can determine the fate of the pupils.

    In her speech, guest speaker at the event, Director of Dansol High School, Agidingbi, Mrs Adun Akinyemiju, emphasised the importance of teachers to the development of the society.

    She said: “There is no professional that has not passed through a teacher and so we see that the tone of the society is determined by the teacher.  Someone says ‘products of negligent doctors are in the grave.’ But products of negligent teachers are in the society, looting treasuries, becoming negligent doctors that kill, pervert justice and so on.”

    Mrs Akinyemiju, who spoke on the theme: “Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies,” called for respect and better remuneration for teachers to aid their efficiency and boost the economy. Mr Olumide Renner, coordinator of the club, was also honoured as the most diligent and creative teacher in the school.

  • Eaglets win final World Cup warm-up 3-1

    Eaglets win final World Cup warm-up 3-1

    • Beat Racing, off to Santiago

    Nigeria’s U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets rounded off their tour of Argentina on Monday with a convincing 3-1 win over the U-20 side of Racing Club of Buenos Aires.

    The coach Amuneke-led Eaglets  will on Tuesday depart for Santiago for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Chile between October 17 and November 8. Victor Osimhen grabbed a brace in the 12th and 56th  minute while Samuel Chukwueze added a third for the Eaglets. Gutiares scored for Racing in the highly entertaining  match.

    Amuneke described the impressive  performance of the Eaglets as very encouraging, adding that the pre-World Cup camping in Buenos Aires has added value to the team’s preparation ahead of Chile 2015.

    “The most important thing is to see the players grow from strength to strength and I’m particularly pleased with their performance against Racing today,” Amuneke told thenff.com “We are impressed because the Eaglets were able to implement all what we have been teaching them since we started.”

    He was also of the view that winning their two-match friendly against the Argentine U-17 (2-1) and U-20 side of Racing Club (3-1) has positively boosted their morale before their departure to Chile.

    “We are not getting carried away despite winning our two matches here but we are happy we have achieved part of our objectives of coming to Argentina but we are grateful for the opportunity to be here for our preparation;  we have been struggling to adjust to the cold weather since it is colder in Chile.

    “The World Cup is a different ball game because all the 24 teams have the chance to win but we are going to Chile with the objective of defending the trophy and we are looking forward to a good tournament.”

    Meanwhile, a squad of 21 players and 10 officials including NFF Assistant Director (Technical), Siji Lagunju  on Tuesday evening headed to Santiago for the defense of the FIFA U-17 World Cup won for a record fourth time by Nigeria two years ago in the UAE. The Golden Eaglets have been drawn against USA, Croatia and hosts, Chile in Group A.

  • CHAN Eagles win test game 6-2

    CHAN Eagles win test game 6-2

    The home-based Eagles preparing for a 2016 CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso defeated Blessed Academy of Port-Harcourt 6-2 in a test match on Thursday.

    Abia Warriors forward, Chisom Chikatara scored a brace with Gbolahan Salami, Osas Okoro, Ezekiel Bassey and Tunde Adeniji also getting on the scoreboard.

    The players will be excused today to play for their various clubs in the league this weekend and return to camp latest Tuesday in time for the qualifier against Burkina Faso on Sunday, October 18, in Port Harcourt.

    Salami opened scoring in the eighth minute when he dribbled past three markers before he struck.

    Tunde Adeniji doubled the Eagles lead in the 36th minute after he was set up by the lively Salami from the left flank.

    Chikatara made it 3-0 seven minutes after resumption when he was put through on goal by Usman Mohammed.

    Chikatara and Usman replicated the same move moments later, but the Abia Warriors star blasted his effort wide off target even after he had rounded up the goalkeeper and had only an empty goal in front of him.

    New invitee Osas Okoro increased the tally for the Eagles in the 69th minute with a deflected shot after he was released by Chikatara

    However, Blessed Academy pulled a goal back in 71st minute, before Chikatara scored his brace when he sped past a defender and fired a low shot into the left corner of the net.

    Enyimba forward, Ezekiel Bassey scored the Eagles sixth goal in the 85th minute.

    Blessed Academy will then score a consolation goal three minutes from time.

  • Emeteole hopes for El-Kanemi win against Sharks

    Emeteole hopes for El-Kanemi win against Sharks

    El-Kanemi Warriors FC head coach, Kelechi Emeteole has expressed hope of continuing with the team’s unbeaten momentum by picking maximum points when they host Sharks FC on Sunday in a Glo Premier League match day 32 fixture in Katsina.

    The Warriors have enjoyed a two-match unbeaten run including battling to a 1-1 draw last weekend against relegation-haunted FC Taraba in Jalingo.

    Emeteole popularly called ‘Caterpillar,’ told www.npfl.ng that the Borno state team must come up with their big game attitude if they are to win at home against a Sharks side battling relegation. He added that teams in the lower rung of the league are dangerous and very difficult to play as they come fighting for whatever they can get without fear or favour.

    ‘Caterpillar,’ who joined El-Kanemi two months ago on a rescue mission, said the team have what it takes to retain their Glo Premier League status considering the way they have gradually climbed away from the relegation zone despite an attitude of wilting away when playing teams in the lower half of the table only to rise to the occasion when faced with big teams.

    “Our match against Sharks of Port-Harcourt is another crucial match, forget the fact that they are in the struggling line. We don’t want to lose points because we don’t want to allow any team to overtake us.

    “I don’t think we would take them for granted, teams like these are very difficult to beat. Looking at the way we outplayed Enyimba in our last home game we ought not to be where we are. I’m hopeful that we would get a good result. I would work with what I have to ensure that we get the required result,” he said.

    Commenting on the draw against FC Taraba, Emeteole said: “We managed to get a point in our match against FC Taraba but I was still not happy because we did not play up to our expectation. We were giving away the ball and doing things very casually. Every department was faulty, the defence was relaxed, the attack were not biting, we would work on the whole team and put them on their toes.

    “I’m happy that Lobi Stars also drew their last match because they are the team closest to us. If they had won, they would have moved above us. But still we retained our position and if we continue picking results like this, we would survive relegation.”

  • Rangers win test game 4-2

    Rangers win test game 4-2

    Enugu Rangers have thrashed non-league side and 2013 National Shell Cup champions Purple Krown College 4-2 in a friendly ahead of this weekend’s league cracker against Kwara United.

    But Rangers had to come from behind to earn this win as their opponents, who are Enugu State league champions, drew the first blood after half an hour.

    Michael Ogbodo latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Igweke Michael to dribble his way past two defenders and find the top of the roof beyond a bewildered Itodo Akor in goal for Rangers.

    But this lead did not last long as Osas Okoro quickly restored parity two minutes later when he fired home from an acute angle cross from Bobby Clement.

    Further goals from Bobby Clement on 55 minutes, Duru Arinze on 76 minutes and Kola Anubi on 85 minutes completely extinguished the fighting power of the school boys, who could only get a goal back with virtually the last kick of the match as Kingsley Kama’s long-range effort sailed past Itodo Akor.

    Coach Imama Amapakabo said after the encounter: “It was a good game and our opponents gave a good account of themselves. The match really served the purpose and we hope to make some corrections before our next league encounter. We expect a tough match from Kwara United but our target remains to earn all points at stake.”

    Proprietor of Purple Krown College, Adewale Alao, said: “We played a very good first half, but when we introduced some new players who are trying to break into the team in the second half, we fell apart.

    “However, I am very impressed with the level of competition displayed by my players as it will greatly help us in our quest to win a ticket to play in the national amateur league next season.”

     

  • AMUNEKE NOT UNDER PRESSURE TO WIN

    Golden Eaglets coach Emmanuel Amuneke is unfazed by the defending champions tag ahead of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup next month and has stressed that he is not under pressure to deliver.

    Looking back at a glorious career, the creator represented Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon and played for Nigeria at the World Cup and African Cup of Nations, so he is used to performing at a high level.

    “I’m not under any pressure but I have the sense of direction that we are the defending champions at this level,” Amuneke told thenff.com.

    “I don’t want us to dwell so much on that. We keep working quietly and hard; when the time comes, we shall be ready. We must psyche ourselves that we can do it, but I’m not under any pressure. I think I’ve always been used to pressure, previously as a player and now as a coach. I believe in hard work and I don’t think hard work disappoints anyone.”

    As part of their preparations for the tournament which they have won four times, the Golden Eaglets finished third at the Suwon Tournament in Korea.

  • ‘You can’t win with ethnic card’

    A group, Bayelsa Patriots (BP), has told Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and a former governor, Diepreye Alamieyesigha, that they cannot win the December 5 governorship election by playing the ethnic card.

    The group addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja “on recent happenings in Bayelsa State”.

    Its leader Chief Preye Alaowei said the warning became necessary, following what he called unguarded statements by Dickson and Alamieyesigha in the media.

    Alaowei noted that Bayelsa Patriots, as a group of concerned Bayelsa State residents, has urged security agencies to hold Dickson and Alamieyesigha responsible, should something go wrong during the election.

    He said: “These two ethnic jingoists should be told that playing ethnic cards will never give them victory in the governorship election.

    “The Nigerian electorate, especially the Bayelsans, are now wiser. They know those who are really committed to their welfare.

    “We would have applauded these two men, if they had focused on issues that matter most to Bayelsans rather than manipulating the people and employing ethnic sentiments to win an election.”