ubamobile

29
Wed, Jul

Can any human being be certain when a goat gets angry? No, it’s not about instigating such observation rather it is about how the animal deals with everyday bondage its’ been subjected to. Bondage living is a situation whereby an individual has no control over his or her liberty because others predetermine it, arguably a slave mentality coupled with useless and meaningless human rights enshrined in a country’s constitution. This writer asks what the effective value of human rights is when societal necessaries diminish such rights.

An average athlete has freedom of liberty, right to free speech and association but in order to eat or provide for his family, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Sports federation habitually invites athletes to a slave camp where those fundamental rights are thrown away. Is this not bondage or enslavement? Is this not gross violation of the constitution? Carrots and sticks analogy or bribery metaphor does not explain the magnitude of these atrocities that continues unabated. This must stop.

Sports governance begins with leadership with qualities of a true leader not an imposed perambulator. The followers must predetermine a true leader; he must be an individual with extremely high leadership qualities including a strong academic and working experience related to such endeavor. In Nigeria however, this is a fantasy or dream right out of academic folklore because such view of leadership is tantamount to treasonable offence when advocated and that explains why people considers it bravery for any individual to challenge several rotten agenda.

 In recent days, sports commands brief mention in the media simply because the country’s football is in hiatus and the politics of the day are so sexy for the media. Examples include Sanusi imbroglio, Boko Haram finger pointing, PDP implosion, APC calculations, Okonjo-Iweala resignation or not.

These issues are simply preventing and impeding coverage about sports, although, Angie Taylor, the American hired recently, noted that she did not come to Nigeria with magic wand to reverse the rotten trend about Nigeria’s sports. The question that ought to have been asked, what does she brings to the table that cannot be handled by others including Nigerians at about $200,000 salary while athletes are gagged and caged at slave camp in Abuja for about 50cents per day? Is this right? Angie’s got freedom of speech while the country’s athletes are simply muscled like a pitbull. It must be noted that athletes are not really forced to be enslaved rather they arrived there as a way out of poverty that is preventing them in achieving greater heights in their chosen past times.

Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi on his part continues to be out of limelight due to precarious political situation that he finds himself. Of course he is currently in lame duck position without any political card to play and more importantly, Mr. President has been assertive these days than usual following Mr. Sanusi imbroglio. As to sports federations, they are all trying to reposition themselves based on this writer’s suggestion on what sports governance is all about and of course, they lacked such mandate based on their governing instruments.

 Way forward

Athletes ought to be catered for - wherever and whenever. Slave (athletes) camps and rules of gagging athletes must be abolished rather it’s the officials that ought to be gagged for making senseless and discriminatory utterances, specifically, favoring a specific state over others contrary to the country’s constitution. ONE NIGERIA I was told and that’s still valid as at now.

I rest.

Dr. Rashid A. Balogun, CPA, LLB(Hons), LLM(London)

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday approved the release of N50m to the Nigerian Football Supporters Club in order to motivate them to participate at the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup.

He announced the approval on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa during his decoration as Grand Patron of the Supporters’ Club, which held just before the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Jonathan praised members of the Supporters’ Club for their support to the national teams, saying the money will motivate the supporters to further support the team in Brazil.

“We need to encourage you to go to Brazil. We will give you a token. We will start with N50 million and we will talk to some of our senior boys to support you”, he said.

He dedicated his decoration as Grand Patron to all members of his cabinet and all Nigerians of goodwill, and also pledged that being a keen supporter of all sports, he would be with the team and the supporters in Brazil.

President-General of the Nigeria Football Supporters’ Club Worldwide, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo revealed plans of the club to travel to Brazil with 1,000 members, and also joined the campaign for team coach, Stephen Keshi to have free hands over the composition of the technical staff.

“Our plan is to go with 1,000 supporters to the World Cup. Five hundred will go from Nigeria while the remaining 500 will come from other countries”, he said, adding that the Eagles would qualify for the semi-finals at least, with the support of everyone.

“Steven Keshi has done very well, but he still needs two or three people to help him read the game because he cannot see everything by himself”, he said. “But nobody should force down anybody on him. He should be allowed to make his decision”.

Human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo has described reports of plans by the National Football Federation (NFF) to hire a foreign technical assistant for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as unpatriotic, untenable, illogical and consequently unacceptable to Nigerians.

In a statement released on Tuesday, he argued that Nigerians cannot be swayed or fooled by the reported decision of the NFF that Stephen Keshi will remain the Head Coach of the Super Eagles while the foreigner will merely assist him. Describing the move as nothing but a smoke screen to execute the hidden agenda of the NFF, he listed a number of reasons.

“When Lars Lagerback was brought in as a technical adviser five months to our 2010 World Cup preparation, he did nothing but to break up the bond the team had created, lowered the morale of the indigenous coaches and players (who never worked with him) and that led to our disastrous outing at the World Cup in South Africa”, he said.

“In addition to that, the issues of corruption surrounding the hiring of his services have not been properly addressed till today. After initially negotiating the sum of $500,000 with Lars Lagerback (i.e $100,000per month for 5 months), the bill overnight jumped to $1.5Million(for three months) with Nigeria even paying his taxes. Those who did that damage to the country were never brought to book and the issue was swept under the carpet. Now, it is obvious that certain corrupt characters want to cash in again on the issue of a foreign technical adviser.

“The state of our football before Stephen Keshi and his crew took over was that we even failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations’ Cup and the team was in disarray. Sponsors abandoned the team. Now, nearly two years later, we have won the Nations’ Cup, qualified for the World Cup, took bronze at CHAN, and raised a bunch of local boys that can easily walk into the main Super Eagles. If that is not progress, then I don’t know the definition of progress. Now, the sponsors are back and Nigerians are again watching their team with some hope. Instead of encouraging the coaching crew, the imposition of a foreigner in their midst will lower their morale, blunt their patriotism and kill the spirit in the team. This should never be allowed to happen”.

Keyam punctured NFF’s position that the CHAN Eagles could not break down 10-man Black Stars of Ghana as very puerile, saying examples abound all over the world where 10-man team reverts to defensive roles and frustrates the opposing team.

“The greatest teams in the world have lost to 10-man defensive teams, for example Barcelona (at its peak) did not get the required two goals against Inter Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions’ League in 2010 despite playing nearly 70 minutes against a 10-man Inter Milan side”, he added.

“A third-place finish for the CHAN team hurriedly assembled six weeks to the tournament is not a bad result, considering the fact that the other leagues in Africa are even better organized than the Nigerian Premier League. Stephen Keshi, the head coach, has said it repeatedly that he does not need a foreign technical adviser.

“Since Keshi is supposed to remain the head of the team, what is the use imposing a technical adviser on him that he is not prepared to consult? Is that not the waste of public funds? All over the world, managers of teams are allowed to choose their back room staff. Stephen Keshi has said if he needs an assistant, it will be Sylvanus Okpala. So, why not bury the hatchet with Sylvanus Okpala for the good of the team? Are we going to allow ego wars to destroy the Super Eagles? Again, from where will the money come to fund the foreign adviser, when the NFF complain it had no money to even pay the local assistant, Sylvanus Okpala?

“This decision cannot just stand. I am appealing to all well-meaning Nigerians, sport enthusiasts, patriots and the sports community in Nigeria to oppose this decision. This is the same attitude of the NFF that led to the unjust dropping of Shaibu Amodu, who twice qualified Nigeria for the World Cup, but was not allowed to lead the team to the Mundial. We cannot continue to destroy our own because of corruption.

“The plain truth is that the decision of the NFF is borne out of corruption and the need to cut Keshi down to size. The NFF is allowing selfishness to destroy our football. If the decision is not rescinded, I will be reaching out to anti-corruption groups and the sports community to march on [to] the Glass House in Abuja”.

President Goodluck Jonathan (GCFR) has approved the concession of the National Stadium in Lagos.

According to Special Assistant on Media and Strategy to Honourable Minister for Sports, Julius Ogunro, the approval was granted last week.

With the approval, the Honourable Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi will constitute the Project Steering Committee and the Project Delivery Committee, which will liaise with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to draw up modalities for the concessioning.

The Federal Executive Council set up a committee in September 2012 to look into the mode of maintenance of federal stadia and to develop a sustainable funding framework for sports in general.

That committee in turn set up a technical sub-committee, which would in collaboration with the Bureau of Public and Enterprise (BPE) and Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), recommend the most viable option for the maintenance of the six federal stadia.

The Technical Sub-Committee recommended the involvement of private sector participation in the management and operations of the stadia with concessioning as the preferred and most sustainable approach. It also recommended that the concession of the federal stadia should start with Nation al Stadium, Lagos.

Ogunro also confirmed that further announcements concerning the commencement of the process would be made soon.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday night rewarded members of the bronze-winning Eagles of the 2014 African Nations Championship, at a dinner in Abuja held in their honour.

Jonathan commended the team for raising the nation’s flag with pride t the tournament, and announced a donation of N1m for each players and N1.5m for the coach. The assistant coaches also got N1m each, while other classes of team officials received N500,000 each.

“I am delighted to receive the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who did the nation proud with their brilliant performance at the recently concluded 2014 Orange Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa”, the president said.

“The team’s impressive performance adds to a memorable season for Nigerian football, starting with victories at both the 2013 African Cup of Nations and the FIFA Under-17 World Cup competitions.

“I am particularly proud of this team, which, even though they placed 3rd at the championship, exhibited an uncommon degree of resilience, discipline, commitment and patriotism throughout the competition.  This is even more noteworthy considering that this is the first time that Nigeria is qualifying for this particular championship. 

“My dear Super Eagles, I keenly followed your performance from the group stage up to the last third-place match.  I noted that you epitomized the true never-say-die Nigerian spirit, especially in the match against Morocco’s Atlas Lions where you came from a three-goal deficit to win the match against all expectations.

“You may not have won the championship, but you performed gallantly, competed fairly and made all Nigerians proud.  You also produced the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and, today, some of you are being sought after by renowned football clubs around the world.  As the coach has confirmed, some of you may make our team to the FIFA World Cup in June this year. 

Jonathan noted that their exploits at the championship further demonstrated the fact that the efforts being put into rebranding and reinvigorating the Nigerian Football League are yielding positive results.  While admitting that there is still much more work to be done, he observed that it is gratifying to note that, today, the Nigerian league is ranked among the best in Africa. 

“On behalf of all Nigerians, I would like to specially congratulate each and every member of the team for your remarkable achievement.  The glory and honour which you have brought our fatherland is greatly appreciated. You are a credit to Nigeria, your Clubs, and your families”, he continued.

 

“Let me encourage you all to remain committed. To take your game to greater heights, you must not forgo the discipline and all other qualities you displayed and the experience and exposure you have gained from the competition.

“Let me also commend the technical team for their dedication in preparing this team for this commendable result. It is evident that we are reaping the dividends of our investments in the sports sector.  

“The Supporters Club deserves special commendation for the unflagging inspiration they continue to provide our national teams. I will like to seize this opportunity to assure you all that our Administration will continue to give maximum support to our sportsmen and women to enable them optimally realize their potentials for excellence on the international stage

“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, as a token of our appreciation for the heroic efforts of these gallant patriots, we have decided to reward them as follows: 

i.                   Players                                        -       N1,000,000 each

ii.                Head Coach                                -       N1,500.000

iii.              The 3 Assistant coaches            -       N1,000,000 each

iv.             Team Secretary                          -       N500,000

v.                Team Doctor                               -       N500,000

vi.             Team Physiotherapist                 -       N500,000

vii.           Chief Technical Officer               -       N500,000

viii. Team Coordinator                       -       N500,000

ix.  Team Media Officer                    -       N500,000

x.   Curator                     -       N500,000

  

“Congratulations our Super Eagles. Thank you 

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics has rated the Nigerian football league, known as the Globacom Premier League, as the fourth strongest league on the continent for 2013.

It also rated the Spanish La Liga as the best in the world during the same period under review.

The Tunisian league was rated Africa’s best, followed by those of Egypt, Morocco and then Nigeria. Mali, South Africa, Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Ghanaian held the other spots in the top ten.

Despite the loss of their two most powerful clubs in the semi-final of the year’s UEFA Champions League, La Liga was still voted the strongest league, while the English Premier League is ranked second. The German Bundesliga, which has the two finalists of the 2013 UEFA Champions Leagues in Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, was rated third best, beating off the Italian Serie A and the Brazilian league to fourth and fifth respectively.

 

Legendary Former AC Milan midfielder, Clarence Seedorf has announced his retirement from his lengthy playing career in order to assume the vacant coaching role at the San Siro side he served for a decade.

The Dutch veteran made more than 400 appearances over an impressive10 years with Milan, winning two Serie A and two UEFA Champions League titles. The 37-teay-old is expected to be named the new coach any moment, following Sunday’s sack of Massimiliano Allegri in the wake of a humbling 4-3 defeat to lowly Sassuolo.

 “I am here to announce that I will retire from playing after 22 years”, said Seedorf, who has been playing for Botafogo since 2012.

“I leave an improved club, especially in terms of their mentality and team spirit. Milan? We will meet again. This experience of the last year and a half has made me grow up a lot and will help me in my next step as coach of Milan, who have hired me in both an elegant and correct manner.

“I like challenges and coaching Milan will be another challenge in my career. I couldn't say no to Milan after having spent 10 years there”.

Seedorf also spoke on the difficulty of reaching the decision, as well as Brazil’s chances at summer’s World Cup.

“The sacking of Allegri was crucial to my decision. The call from [Adriano] Galliani only came yesterday. I want to travel to Milan today. If I don't make it, then I will travel tomorrow”, he said.

“I made the decision to join Milan today, but last night was a difficult night for me. But I made the right choice. I'm very happy about the opportunity Milan have given me and I'm very motivated”.

 On Brazil, he said: “I hope that Brazil can have a memorable World Cup and the national team can honour its colours. Thank you”.

More Articles ...

  1. 2013: NSC Official Year of Scandals, Intimidations and Burial of Sports. How I See it.
  2. Toure Edges Mikel, Moses, Others to BBC African Footballer of the Year Award
  3. Eaglets’ Friday Njengo Dies
Page 5 of 13

Latest

solokowa

Today298
Yesterday576
This week1212
This month12809
Total1379004

Visitor Info

  • IP: 216.73.216.215
  • Browser: Unknown
  • Browser Version:
  • Operating System: Unknown

Who Is Online

3
Online
2026-07-29

Joomla! Debug Console

Session

Profile Information

Memory Usage

Database Queries