resident, people lined the streets to welcome him; after all, he was seen as the father of the state which he created about four years earlier. That was about 17 years ago; now things have changed. About 30 per cent of the population now was not even born when the state was created 23 years ago; so they don’t really have much to do with a Babangida except as an historical figure.
Thus, when IBB visited again recently to inaugurate the advisory council of the Faculty Board of Initiatives, an agenda setting group in the House of Representatives, only a few people knew about it. So, the street was empty. But the Ibom Hall, the state’s makeshift auditorium was filled to the brim. Those who were not aware, or did not believe IBB would come in person, got to learn about his physical presence, rushed to the hall.
And there, he was sitting among the politicians. Many people did not even recognize him again. An elderly gentleman who rode to the hall on a bicycle, said, when Babangida stood up to address the audience: “Is that IBB? He doesn’t look like him again. O! owo idoho akaprawa ukpaiba (One is not a youth twice).
But when IBB started to speak, the old man said; “Yes! That is his voice.”
The voice might have reminded him of that broadcast on September 23, 1987, which resulted in what is today Akwa Ibom and Katsina states.
IBB himself didn’t forget that history. He saw his visit as home- coming “because this visit affords me the opportunity to re-assess the judgment I took some 23 years ago by creating the state, and providing the people the opportunity to fully utilize their potentials and natural endowments. I have no doubt in my mind that going by what I have set my eyes on, from the short distance from the airport to this hall in terms of infrastructural development, if given another opportunity, I will recreate Akwa Ibom State, in a manner of speaking.
“The state brings me a sense of nostalgia in several ways. I could recall vividly the circumstances that led to the abrogation of the onshore/offshore oil dichotomy. If I may recall, perhaps, it was in this hall when the demand was made by one of your illustrious daughters and the golden voice of all times, Lady Christy Essien- Igbokwe, who pleaded with our government to drop the dichotomy issue to enable the state enjoy her natural resources. I’m proud to say that despite the criticisms against some of our initiatives, the growth and development of Akwa Ibom State is an eloquent testimony to the fact that we took the right decision for the right people at the right time, to spread development across the land and make government closer to the people of common affinity and cultural heritage.”
IBB gave a list of prominent Akwa Ibom people, dead or alive, who had made tremendous contributions to the development of the nation, but zeroed in on Gov. Godswill Akpabio thus; “With due sense of responsibility, let me say without fear or favour that Akwa Ibom is lucky to have Dr Godswill Akpabio at the helm of affairs in the state. He is truly God’s will to be at the saddle at this critical time of developing the state. And the numerous infrastructural development I have seen, or read about are indices that further strengthened my earlier argument that the people of Akwa Ibom qualified for a state. Unlike other states where lamentation of poor revenue has taken primacy, Godswill Akpabio has been able to aggregate the collective aspirations of the people with programmes and policies that bear meaning and value to the ordinary people of the state. Without equivocation, Dr Godswill Akpabio deserves our standing ovation and a big pat on the back.”
Facing the business of the day which was the inauguration of the advisory board of the Initiatives, the former president said the goals and decisive attainment of good governance aspiration of the board members could not have been more apposite than now where good governance should be seen as essential ingredient of corporate governance with attributes of transparency, accountability, responsibility, responsiveness and diligence.
“As part of your mandate as initiatives, I hasten to suggest that it is high time the government at all levels had what I would call annual performance report showing how much revenue was generated and how it was expended. This will serve as a millennium antidote to corruption and of course, in graphic terms how the government has fared in relation to budget performance.
“I strongly believe that the masses that elected leaders and government deserve this form of feedback mechanism.”
He didn’t, however, forget to remind the people of his presidential aspiration which he promised would launch Nigeria unto the “global highway of possibility and abundant opportunities. I will not behave like the ubiquitous politician who gives promises and sets unachievable deadlines. I will concern myself with those plausible issues.”
When IBB was speaking, singing the praises of the government and people of Akwa Ibom State, Gov. Akpabio was not there. He was at the stadium taking salute from kids as they celebrated the Children’s Day. It was his deputy, Obong Patrick Ekpotu, who stood in for him, and as usual, went into his didactics in socio-political developmental evolution, and concluded that the Initiatives as an offshoot of the legislature, has the responsibility of pioneering progressively realistic legislation. Were some people lost listening to him? Maybe not.
And then, the governor arrived, and the tempo changed. He stood by what the deputy said, probably not wanting to subject the people to another lecture. Akpabio just burst into songs; the kind of praise singing never heard from him to any man except God. First, he improvised a song on IBB which even caused the retired general to stand up and clap along though not understanding the wordings of the song rendered in Ibibio. He leaned over to the deputy governor, who must have given him the right interpretation.
Akpabio was not done yet; he sang IBB’s praises again and again and the crowd joined him. His gratitude first to God and then to IBB for creating the state which has now given the people the opportunity to experience unprecedented development like the construction of Nung Udoe Itak Use Ikot Amama Road, the Afaha Obon-Iwukem-Utu Etim Ekpo Road, the Etebi Enwang Road, the Enen Nsit Road and very may other roads in IKot Ekpene, Ikot Abasi, Eket and Oron or the completion of Ibom International Airport, the Ibom Power Company which the residents have been expecting to start generating the 191 megawatts of electricity and many other projects. All this could not have been possible if IBB did not create the state.
But Akpabio was careful. The euphoria did not leade him to make the mistake of endorsing IBB as the presidential candidate of the state. Maybe, being the father of the state as IBB was described at the event was more of spiritual antecedent than its temporal relevance in 2011.
To the dean of the Faculty Board of Initiatives, Mr Eseme Eyiboh, the Initiatives is a post-era and agenda-setting forum of a league of some cerebral legislators in the House of Representatives, who believe in the realization of Vision 2020, and who are passionately committed to good governance in Nigeria through proactive and people oriented legislation.
“As a group in the House of Representatives, we seek to achieve a generational shift in the country’s legislative processes. The Initiative is a selfless, non partisan project that aims to achieve good governance through informed, proactive and responsive legislation toward a better Nigeria. This is done through public consultation and mobilization strategy on the platform of the national roundtable for proactive laws and good governance.”
Eyiboh explained that the ideals of the national roundtable serves to present an effective and informed interface between the legislature and the public as well as draw the abundance of talents and resource persons outside the legislature with the aims to capture and incorporate diverse opinions in legislation against primordial considerations.
The advisory board has the former Chief Justice of Federation, Mohammadu Uwais as Chairman, former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, vice chairman, and many notable Nigerians as members.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
FIFA to meet over Nigeria’s pull-out from events
APPARENTLY shocked by Nigeria’s sudden pull-out from all its championships, the Federation of International Football (FIFA) yesterday said it would soon meet on the development.
The world soccer governing body, however, claimed ignorance of the Federal Government’s dissolution of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
FIFA said yesterday that it would only speak after official briefing on the development.
The world soccer governing body, however, claimed ignorance of the Federal Government’s dissolution of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
FIFA said yesterday that it would only speak after official briefing on the development.
Kadiri, Okocha, Ndanusa in football caretaker committee
The Federal Government yesterday named an 11 man Caretaker Committee that will restructure the administration and management of football following Nigeria’s voluntary withdrawal from CAF/FIFA competitions.
At the head of the 11 man committee is former Secretary General of the NFA, Mammud Kadiri. Other members include former broadcaster Danladi Bako, veteran sports journalist Mitchell Obi, Coach Samson Siasia, a former Super Eagles star, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim and Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi.
Also on the committee is former Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha who is representing ex-internationals. The list also includes former minister of sports Engineer Sani Ndanusa, Mrs. Jamila Buhari, the first Nigerian female FIFA badged referee. Representative from the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and candidate from the North East Zone to be named later.
The Caretaker Committee according to the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Patrick Ekeji, will be inaugurated on Monday at the media center of the National Stadium, Abuja.
At the head of the 11 man committee is former Secretary General of the NFA, Mammud Kadiri. Other members include former broadcaster Danladi Bako, veteran sports journalist Mitchell Obi, Coach Samson Siasia, a former Super Eagles star, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim and Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi.
Also on the committee is former Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha who is representing ex-internationals. The list also includes former minister of sports Engineer Sani Ndanusa, Mrs. Jamila Buhari, the first Nigerian female FIFA badged referee. Representative from the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and candidate from the North East Zone to be named later.
The Caretaker Committee according to the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Patrick Ekeji, will be inaugurated on Monday at the media center of the National Stadium, Abuja.
Ken Saro-Wiwa
In Ken Saro-Wiwa’s best-known work, Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English, the narrator is so confounded by the horror of war that the words of his “rotten english” can barely describe it.
Mr Saro-Wiwa’s execution at the hands of Nigeria’s then government in 1995, aged 54, has become, for many, a symbol of the infliction of military might upon the innocent. His reported last words were: “Lord, take my soul but the struggle continues.”
His execution with a group of other environmental campaigners, on charges of murdering four rival leaders, caused international outrage and led to Nigeria being suspended from the Commonwealth.
A member of the Ogoni people, whose hometown in the Niger Delta has been used for crude oil extraction for over 50 years, Mr Saro-Wiwa was educated in an Anglican home, then Government College Umuahia and the University of Ibadan.
During the Nigerian Civil War, he held a government post as administrator for the port city of Bonny in the Niger Delta, and supported the Nigerian government against the seceding Biafrans. His diaries from this time, On a Darkling Plain, were published, and Sozaboy is set during this war.
After leaving the government’s service, he wrote Basi & Co, an sit com which was once one of Africa’s most popular shows, watched by over 30 million people. Set in Lagos, it often poked fun at Nigerian bureaucrats and the police.
He re-entered politics in the late 1980s when he was appointed by the newly-installed military dictator Ibrahim Babangida to help the country's transition to democracy.
However, he did not last long under the Babangida government and quit, claiming that it was not committed to democracy.
During this time, he helped found the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which campaigns for more power for the Ogoni people, a fair share of the proceeds of oil extraction, and repair of the damage to Ogoni lands inflicted by oil extraction. He was said to have been offered the post of oil minister in an attempt to get him to stay quiet.
MOSOP championed peaceful protest in the early 1990s, with one series of marches involving around 300,000 Ogoni - more than half the tribe’s entire population.
Yet the movement was not free from violence, and in May 1994, four Ogoni elders who disagreed with some of MOSOP’s ideas were killed at a rally by MOSOP supporters.
Although Mr Saro-Wiwa was not present at the killings – he had actually tried to attend but been turned away by the army – the father of four was tried and sentenced to death.
The execution caused an international outcry, but the military government continued in power for several more years.
Ken Wiwa, his son, a former journalist who now works as a special adviser to the Nigerian government on international affairs, has spearheaded the campaign to sue Shell over allegations that it was somehow complicit in his father’s death.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Shell allege that the company used its influence with the Nigerian government to target the MOSOP campaign and Mr Saro-Wiwa. Statements submitted to the court say that Brian Anderson, then managing director of Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, met with Owens Wiwa, Mr Saro-Wiwa’s brother, and said that he would be released in return for an end to the protests against the company.
Mr Saro-Wiwa’s execution at the hands of Nigeria’s then government in 1995, aged 54, has become, for many, a symbol of the infliction of military might upon the innocent. His reported last words were: “Lord, take my soul but the struggle continues.”
His execution with a group of other environmental campaigners, on charges of murdering four rival leaders, caused international outrage and led to Nigeria being suspended from the Commonwealth.
A member of the Ogoni people, whose hometown in the Niger Delta has been used for crude oil extraction for over 50 years, Mr Saro-Wiwa was educated in an Anglican home, then Government College Umuahia and the University of Ibadan.
During the Nigerian Civil War, he held a government post as administrator for the port city of Bonny in the Niger Delta, and supported the Nigerian government against the seceding Biafrans. His diaries from this time, On a Darkling Plain, were published, and Sozaboy is set during this war.
After leaving the government’s service, he wrote Basi & Co, an sit com which was once one of Africa’s most popular shows, watched by over 30 million people. Set in Lagos, it often poked fun at Nigerian bureaucrats and the police.
He re-entered politics in the late 1980s when he was appointed by the newly-installed military dictator Ibrahim Babangida to help the country's transition to democracy.
However, he did not last long under the Babangida government and quit, claiming that it was not committed to democracy.
During this time, he helped found the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which campaigns for more power for the Ogoni people, a fair share of the proceeds of oil extraction, and repair of the damage to Ogoni lands inflicted by oil extraction. He was said to have been offered the post of oil minister in an attempt to get him to stay quiet.
MOSOP championed peaceful protest in the early 1990s, with one series of marches involving around 300,000 Ogoni - more than half the tribe’s entire population.
Yet the movement was not free from violence, and in May 1994, four Ogoni elders who disagreed with some of MOSOP’s ideas were killed at a rally by MOSOP supporters.
Although Mr Saro-Wiwa was not present at the killings – he had actually tried to attend but been turned away by the army – the father of four was tried and sentenced to death.
The execution caused an international outcry, but the military government continued in power for several more years.
Ken Wiwa, his son, a former journalist who now works as a special adviser to the Nigerian government on international affairs, has spearheaded the campaign to sue Shell over allegations that it was somehow complicit in his father’s death.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Shell allege that the company used its influence with the Nigerian government to target the MOSOP campaign and Mr Saro-Wiwa. Statements submitted to the court say that Brian Anderson, then managing director of Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, met with Owens Wiwa, Mr Saro-Wiwa’s brother, and said that he would be released in return for an end to the protests against the company.
Glenn Hoddle's corruption allegations over Nigeria job lead to inquiry
Glenn Hoddle's decision to walk away from a near-£1m contract to manage Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup has sparked a corruption investigation. Nigerian police are seeking statements from Hoddle and the agent who represented him, Olatunji John Shittu.
The police will also talk to Lars Lagerback, the former Sweden coach who took the job, and executives from the Nigeria Football Federation and the national sports commission.
Hoddle is believed to have claimed to the Nigerian state authorities that he came under pressure to arrange a bung for one of his new employers. Hoddle's allegation is said to be that, having agreed a US$1m (£650,000) short-term deal last month, an official told him it would be announced as US$1.5m.
Hoddle, who has not responded to attempts by the Guardian to contact him on the matter, was informed he would have to return the £325,000 difference as a kickback.
The former England manager is said to have refused. Dr Bukola Saraki, a Nigerian state governor, says Hoddle approached him to report the incident before returning to the UK from Abuja. "When we met, Hoddle complained that he was asked to part with US$500,000 out of his US$1.5m [the contract fee to be paid] and that was the only way to do business in Nigeria," Saraki said.
An investigation by the Presidential Task Force for the 2010 World Cup found no wrongdoing. But now, according to its spokesman Femi Babafemi, Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has launched a formal inquiry.
The police will also talk to Lars Lagerback, the former Sweden coach who took the job, and executives from the Nigeria Football Federation and the national sports commission.
Hoddle is believed to have claimed to the Nigerian state authorities that he came under pressure to arrange a bung for one of his new employers. Hoddle's allegation is said to be that, having agreed a US$1m (£650,000) short-term deal last month, an official told him it would be announced as US$1.5m.
Hoddle, who has not responded to attempts by the Guardian to contact him on the matter, was informed he would have to return the £325,000 difference as a kickback.
The former England manager is said to have refused. Dr Bukola Saraki, a Nigerian state governor, says Hoddle approached him to report the incident before returning to the UK from Abuja. "When we met, Hoddle complained that he was asked to part with US$500,000 out of his US$1.5m [the contract fee to be paid] and that was the only way to do business in Nigeria," Saraki said.
An investigation by the Presidential Task Force for the 2010 World Cup found no wrongdoing. But now, according to its spokesman Femi Babafemi, Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has launched a formal inquiry.
Jonathan slams two-year ban on foreign outings
Apparently angered by the Super Eagles’ dismal performance, which led to their early exit from the 2010 Football FIFA World Cup in South Africa, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered Nigeria’s withdrawal from all international football competitions for the next two years.
Wielding the big stick, which also affects the Under 17 and Under 23 soccer competitions, the President said it was to enable the country to re-organise its football administration. Nigeria will officially inform the world football governing body of its decision to stay away for the next two years.
President Jonathan has also ordered a probe of the money spent on the world soccer fiesta by Nigeria.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting between President Jonathan and members of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the 2010 World Cup, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ima Niboro, said Jonathan also approved the auditing of all the money spent during the ongoing World Cup. “President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that Nigeria withdraws from international competition for two years to enable the country put its house in order.”
Niboro stated that the President also approved that an audit of the World Cup finances be looked into and bring whoever was culpable to book.
Also speaking, the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who is the chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), said: “Our recommendation is based on what is on the ground. We went to the World Cup and found all sorts of problems and we felt we should sit back and look inward.” The governor who was joined by other members of the PTF, said: “We will formally write FIFA to say that Nigeria won’t engage in international football competitions.”
Amaechi explained that the government’s decision had nothing to do with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
He, however, lamented that Nigeria had not done well in continental and intercontinental football competitions, stressing that “you cannot have tumour and continue to massage it with all the blood.”
Amaechi said Nigeria’s outing in South Africa was characterised by all sorts of maladministration and that the country had been punished enough as far as football was concerned. After playing three matches in the preliminary rounds of the ongoing soccer tournament, Super Eagles crashed out last week.
The national team’s performance in all their Group B matches was disappointing, as the Super Eagles finished at the bottom, with only one point. The result was not wholly unexpected. The Super Eagles’ best game was the match against South Korea, which they drew 2-2. They lost the other two games 0-1 to Argentina, and 1-2 to Greece.
President Jonathan was reported to have reacted to the Eagles’ early exit by telling a delegation of officials led by Sports Minister, Ibrahim Bio, that despite his personal support for them, the players lacked the commitment to fly Nigeria’s flag high in South Africa.
Despite the Super Eagles winning a bronze medal at the last African Nations Cup in Mali, the team’s performance was called into question even before the World Cup.
In the tournament, the Eagles were quite unimpressive. The team managed to beat Algeria by a goal, struggled for a draw with Mali and escaped with a goal victory over Liberia in the preliminary round. A slim quarter-final win of one nil over Ghana and a one to two loss to Lions of Senegal in the semi-final saw the team out of the final of the Nations Cup. The team subsequently defeated Mali, the host country, with a goal in the third place match.
Wielding the big stick, which also affects the Under 17 and Under 23 soccer competitions, the President said it was to enable the country to re-organise its football administration. Nigeria will officially inform the world football governing body of its decision to stay away for the next two years.
President Jonathan has also ordered a probe of the money spent on the world soccer fiesta by Nigeria.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting between President Jonathan and members of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the 2010 World Cup, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ima Niboro, said Jonathan also approved the auditing of all the money spent during the ongoing World Cup. “President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that Nigeria withdraws from international competition for two years to enable the country put its house in order.”
Niboro stated that the President also approved that an audit of the World Cup finances be looked into and bring whoever was culpable to book.
Also speaking, the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who is the chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), said: “Our recommendation is based on what is on the ground. We went to the World Cup and found all sorts of problems and we felt we should sit back and look inward.” The governor who was joined by other members of the PTF, said: “We will formally write FIFA to say that Nigeria won’t engage in international football competitions.”
Amaechi explained that the government’s decision had nothing to do with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
He, however, lamented that Nigeria had not done well in continental and intercontinental football competitions, stressing that “you cannot have tumour and continue to massage it with all the blood.”
Amaechi said Nigeria’s outing in South Africa was characterised by all sorts of maladministration and that the country had been punished enough as far as football was concerned. After playing three matches in the preliminary rounds of the ongoing soccer tournament, Super Eagles crashed out last week.
The national team’s performance in all their Group B matches was disappointing, as the Super Eagles finished at the bottom, with only one point. The result was not wholly unexpected. The Super Eagles’ best game was the match against South Korea, which they drew 2-2. They lost the other two games 0-1 to Argentina, and 1-2 to Greece.
President Jonathan was reported to have reacted to the Eagles’ early exit by telling a delegation of officials led by Sports Minister, Ibrahim Bio, that despite his personal support for them, the players lacked the commitment to fly Nigeria’s flag high in South Africa.
Despite the Super Eagles winning a bronze medal at the last African Nations Cup in Mali, the team’s performance was called into question even before the World Cup.
In the tournament, the Eagles were quite unimpressive. The team managed to beat Algeria by a goal, struggled for a draw with Mali and escaped with a goal victory over Liberia in the preliminary round. A slim quarter-final win of one nil over Ghana and a one to two loss to Lions of Senegal in the semi-final saw the team out of the final of the Nations Cup. The team subsequently defeated Mali, the host country, with a goal in the third place match.
FOR YOUR RECORD:More than just a game
Football in Africa has long provided much-needed relief from the socio-economic and political problems that plague many countries on the continent.
But the game has also been used as a political tool, and still continues to play a major role in helping to boost the popularity of some rulers or settle old scores with other governments.
The late Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha used the 1996 African Cup of Nations to express his anger over South Africa's condemnation of the decision to hang the human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa the previous year.
The Super Eagles were ordered not to travel to the tournament in South Africa because Nelson Mandela was seen as the leader of a campaign to isolate Abacha's regime.
Even in the best of times, football in Africa has never been insulated from political impact.
Indeed, there have always been political and nationalistic undercurrents whenever big tournaments like the Cup of Nations come around.
The latest example is Rwanda's president Paul Kagame, who is a high-profile supporter of his country's national team, the Wasps.
Kagame stands accused by his critics of using football as a vehicle to win public opinion by bankrolling the Wasps and rewarding players with handsome bonuses.
The Rwandese president also sponsors East and Central Africa's annual championship, now known as the Kagame Cup, but formerly called the Cecafa Challenge Cup.
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe had been famously indifferent to the plight of his country's national team, preferring to spend his spare time watching cricket instead.
In fact, Mugabe - the patron of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union - is responsible for uttering one of the most famous cricketing quotes in history.
"Cricket? It civilises people and creates good gentlemen. I want everyone to play cricket... I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen," said Mugabe when questioned about his love of what many of his people still regard as a colonial sport.
But since the Warriors' qualification for their first-ever Cup of Nations finals, Mugabe has been portrayed in the official media as a long-standing football fan.
"My wife knows and always complains that each time I watch soccer I make a lot of noise because I truly enjoy the game," Mugabe told one of the state-controlled newspapers recently.
Suddenly, years of official neglect of the Zimbabwe Football Association are over and the government is now funding the Warriors.
The information minister Jonathan Moyo even wrote a song for the team, which is given plenty of airtime on national radio.
Critics say it is no accident that Mugabe's sudden interest in football coincides with the worst period of his presidency, and Zimbabwe's maiden Cup of Nations appearance.
Indeed, Africa is awash with examples of autocratic regimes lacking tangible success stories who have hijacked the achievements of the national football team for their own agendas.
Cameroon's long-serving president Paul Biya always makes a point of aligning himself with the country's successful football teams, both senior and junior.
Biya's longevity in politics, according to the Cameroonian opposition, has had much to do with the success of the Indomitable Lions over the years.
In fact, Biya personally intervened and ordered Roger Milla's call-up for World Cup duty in 1990. And when Milla set Italia '90 on fire, the president took all the plaudits, naturally.
Observers in Zambia say it is no coincidence that the country's decline as an African superpower started soon after the end of Kenneth Kaunda's rule.
Kaunda's government allocated huge financial and material resources to the team, then known as the 'KK XI'.
In return, the football team became a potent symbol of national unity, as espoused in Kaunda's 'one Zambia, one nation' philosophy.
It just remains to be seen which political leader will be basking in the glory of cup success come 14 February.
But the game has also been used as a political tool, and still continues to play a major role in helping to boost the popularity of some rulers or settle old scores with other governments.
The late Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha used the 1996 African Cup of Nations to express his anger over South Africa's condemnation of the decision to hang the human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa the previous year.
The Super Eagles were ordered not to travel to the tournament in South Africa because Nelson Mandela was seen as the leader of a campaign to isolate Abacha's regime.
Even in the best of times, football in Africa has never been insulated from political impact.
Indeed, there have always been political and nationalistic undercurrents whenever big tournaments like the Cup of Nations come around.
The latest example is Rwanda's president Paul Kagame, who is a high-profile supporter of his country's national team, the Wasps.
Kagame stands accused by his critics of using football as a vehicle to win public opinion by bankrolling the Wasps and rewarding players with handsome bonuses.
The Rwandese president also sponsors East and Central Africa's annual championship, now known as the Kagame Cup, but formerly called the Cecafa Challenge Cup.
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe had been famously indifferent to the plight of his country's national team, preferring to spend his spare time watching cricket instead.
In fact, Mugabe - the patron of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union - is responsible for uttering one of the most famous cricketing quotes in history.
"Cricket? It civilises people and creates good gentlemen. I want everyone to play cricket... I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen," said Mugabe when questioned about his love of what many of his people still regard as a colonial sport.
But since the Warriors' qualification for their first-ever Cup of Nations finals, Mugabe has been portrayed in the official media as a long-standing football fan.
"My wife knows and always complains that each time I watch soccer I make a lot of noise because I truly enjoy the game," Mugabe told one of the state-controlled newspapers recently.
Suddenly, years of official neglect of the Zimbabwe Football Association are over and the government is now funding the Warriors.
The information minister Jonathan Moyo even wrote a song for the team, which is given plenty of airtime on national radio.
Critics say it is no accident that Mugabe's sudden interest in football coincides with the worst period of his presidency, and Zimbabwe's maiden Cup of Nations appearance.
Indeed, Africa is awash with examples of autocratic regimes lacking tangible success stories who have hijacked the achievements of the national football team for their own agendas.
Cameroon's long-serving president Paul Biya always makes a point of aligning himself with the country's successful football teams, both senior and junior.
Biya's longevity in politics, according to the Cameroonian opposition, has had much to do with the success of the Indomitable Lions over the years.
In fact, Biya personally intervened and ordered Roger Milla's call-up for World Cup duty in 1990. And when Milla set Italia '90 on fire, the president took all the plaudits, naturally.
Observers in Zambia say it is no coincidence that the country's decline as an African superpower started soon after the end of Kenneth Kaunda's rule.
Kaunda's government allocated huge financial and material resources to the team, then known as the 'KK XI'.
In return, the football team became a potent symbol of national unity, as espoused in Kaunda's 'one Zambia, one nation' philosophy.
It just remains to be seen which political leader will be basking in the glory of cup success come 14 February.
Barca target Cesc Fabregas hints he may stay at Arsenal
Cesc Fabregas has hinted he could stay at Arsenal, despite continued interest from Spanish champions Barcelona.
The Gunners have already turned down a bid of about £30m from the Catalans and said they would not entertain further interest in their 23-year-old captain.
And Fabregas, in South Africa preparing for Spain's World Cup quarter-final tie against Paraguay, suggested he could stay at the Emirates next season.
"I haven't said that I will definitely leave Arsenal," he told Sky Sports.
"Everything is possible. Now I have my head and my focus on the World Cup.
"I am very proud to be captain of Arsenal and I love the club and have respect for them. It gave me such pride to be made captain."
Barcelona have made it clear they regard midfielder Fabregas, who played in the youth team at the Nou Camp before moving to north London seven years ago, as one of their chief transfer targets this summer.
New Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has already secured the services of striker David Villa for £35m and could have more funds available, with Yaya Toure linked with a big-money move to Manchester City.
Fabregas signed an eight-year contract with the Gunners in 2006 and has been quoted as saying he would only join Barcelona if he left the north London club.
He has featured twice in Spain's World Cup campaign, coming on as a substitute on both occasions.
The Gunners have already turned down a bid of about £30m from the Catalans and said they would not entertain further interest in their 23-year-old captain.
And Fabregas, in South Africa preparing for Spain's World Cup quarter-final tie against Paraguay, suggested he could stay at the Emirates next season.
"I haven't said that I will definitely leave Arsenal," he told Sky Sports.
"Everything is possible. Now I have my head and my focus on the World Cup.
"I am very proud to be captain of Arsenal and I love the club and have respect for them. It gave me such pride to be made captain."
Barcelona have made it clear they regard midfielder Fabregas, who played in the youth team at the Nou Camp before moving to north London seven years ago, as one of their chief transfer targets this summer.
New Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has already secured the services of striker David Villa for £35m and could have more funds available, with Yaya Toure linked with a big-money move to Manchester City.
Fabregas signed an eight-year contract with the Gunners in 2006 and has been quoted as saying he would only join Barcelona if he left the north London club.
He has featured twice in Spain's World Cup campaign, coming on as a substitute on both occasions.
Nigeria denied window to the world
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan must be a brave man. I've travelled to 80-odd countries and nowhere have I ever found such seething energy as in Nigeria - an electricity which translates into both rampant passion and expectation when applied to football.
While covering the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, I'll never forget the outrage of Nigerian fans who - infuriated by the hosts' failure to beat group rivals Congo - smashed the team bus and were only prevented from accessing the dressing rooms by volleys of tear gas.
Many Nigerians believe football to be the only area which ever unites their vastly disparate land of over 300 tribes and 150 million inhabitants.
Now though, the sport has been taken away from them.
For the government's dissolution of the national team for two years means - should it ever come to pass - that the Super Eagles, now dubbed the Super Chickens, will miss the 2012 Nations Cup. Perhaps Libya 2013 as well.
Well known for taking an exceedingly dim view of governmental interference in a national federation's affairs, football's world governing body Fifa may also threaten a ban.
But one wonders whether such a suspension - from the government or Fifa (although a Normalisation Committee may well be looming) - is the best way of getting Nigeria's football house in admittedly much-needed order. For this year's World Cup preparations were certainly bumpy.
Shortly after January's Nations Cup, coach Shaibu Amodu was fired despite achieving his NFF targets of a) qualifying for South Africa and b) reaching the Nations Cup in Angola, where Nigeria took third.
Lars Lagerback was appointed in February but only after Glenn Hoddle said he'd rejected the post after being told his short-term deal worth US$1m would be announced as US$1.5m by the NFF - and financial accountability is forming part of the government's ongoing investigation.
Nigeria then warmed up by having more friendlies cancelled than played while their World Cup base camp was changed at the last minute - costing the NFF a US$125,000 Fifa fine. But still the squad ended up at sea level in South Africa, which seemed strange when their first two matches were at altitude.
Player selection also had the Nigerian media speculating about favouritism, with Lagerback forced to deny he had selected Kanu under NFF pressure, and though coming within a whisker of qualifying, undone by Sani Keita's moment of madness, was it any surprise Group B didn't go to plan?
Nigeria suffered a continental ban in the nineties after being barred from the 1998 Nations Cup by Caf for withdrawing from South Africa 1996 following criticism from Nelson Mandela over the ruling military's hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other human rights activists.
That prevented one of Nigeria's, and Africa's, best ever sides from contesting the 2008 Nations Cup - just two years after the Okocha, Oliseh, Babangida, Kanu, Amuneke generation had proved truly golden when winning the 1996 Olympics.
Nigeria did reach the last 16 at France '98 - but the West Africans haven't won a World Cup game since and their 2002 and 2010 campaigns, either side of their failure to qualify for Germany, ended in the first round.
Given that this disappointing World Cup prompted the government's drastic move, one wonders whether they're prepared to sacrifice the 2014 campaign for the long-term future? Or this is simply a dramatic way of decapitating the current NFF board?
Meanwhile, the fans who've long bemoaned their federation's failures probably don't
know whether to laugh or cry.
"We are a rich nation but very poor, because we've made mistakes in many areas, but the one area where we've ever shown greatness is football," says Segun Odegbami, who won the 1980 Nations Cup, when explaining his compatriots' fervour.
"The players show our best side to the world and the whole nation unites behind them. Very simply, football is a reminder of our potential as a great country."
Not at the moment. Good luck Jonathan indeed.
While covering the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, I'll never forget the outrage of Nigerian fans who - infuriated by the hosts' failure to beat group rivals Congo - smashed the team bus and were only prevented from accessing the dressing rooms by volleys of tear gas.
Many Nigerians believe football to be the only area which ever unites their vastly disparate land of over 300 tribes and 150 million inhabitants.
Now though, the sport has been taken away from them.
For the government's dissolution of the national team for two years means - should it ever come to pass - that the Super Eagles, now dubbed the Super Chickens, will miss the 2012 Nations Cup. Perhaps Libya 2013 as well.
Well known for taking an exceedingly dim view of governmental interference in a national federation's affairs, football's world governing body Fifa may also threaten a ban.
But one wonders whether such a suspension - from the government or Fifa (although a Normalisation Committee may well be looming) - is the best way of getting Nigeria's football house in admittedly much-needed order. For this year's World Cup preparations were certainly bumpy.
Shortly after January's Nations Cup, coach Shaibu Amodu was fired despite achieving his NFF targets of a) qualifying for South Africa and b) reaching the Nations Cup in Angola, where Nigeria took third.
Lars Lagerback was appointed in February but only after Glenn Hoddle said he'd rejected the post after being told his short-term deal worth US$1m would be announced as US$1.5m by the NFF - and financial accountability is forming part of the government's ongoing investigation.
Nigeria then warmed up by having more friendlies cancelled than played while their World Cup base camp was changed at the last minute - costing the NFF a US$125,000 Fifa fine. But still the squad ended up at sea level in South Africa, which seemed strange when their first two matches were at altitude.
Player selection also had the Nigerian media speculating about favouritism, with Lagerback forced to deny he had selected Kanu under NFF pressure, and though coming within a whisker of qualifying, undone by Sani Keita's moment of madness, was it any surprise Group B didn't go to plan?
Nigeria suffered a continental ban in the nineties after being barred from the 1998 Nations Cup by Caf for withdrawing from South Africa 1996 following criticism from Nelson Mandela over the ruling military's hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other human rights activists.
That prevented one of Nigeria's, and Africa's, best ever sides from contesting the 2008 Nations Cup - just two years after the Okocha, Oliseh, Babangida, Kanu, Amuneke generation had proved truly golden when winning the 1996 Olympics.
Nigeria did reach the last 16 at France '98 - but the West Africans haven't won a World Cup game since and their 2002 and 2010 campaigns, either side of their failure to qualify for Germany, ended in the first round.
Given that this disappointing World Cup prompted the government's drastic move, one wonders whether they're prepared to sacrifice the 2014 campaign for the long-term future? Or this is simply a dramatic way of decapitating the current NFF board?
Meanwhile, the fans who've long bemoaned their federation's failures probably don't
know whether to laugh or cry.
"We are a rich nation but very poor, because we've made mistakes in many areas, but the one area where we've ever shown greatness is football," says Segun Odegbami, who won the 1980 Nations Cup, when explaining his compatriots' fervour.
"The players show our best side to the world and the whole nation unites behind them. Very simply, football is a reminder of our potential as a great country."
Not at the moment. Good luck Jonathan indeed.
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