When General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida(IBB) came toAkwa Ibom State in 1991, then as a military president, 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.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Nigeria ask Lagerback to stay on
Nigeria Technical Adviser Lars Lagerback was on Wednesday asked to stay on at his post by the Nigeria Football Federation.
The Swede's current five-month deal runs out in July, but despite a poor World Cup performance, where the Super Eagles finished bottom of the group with just one point from nine, Nigerian football officials have asked him to stay on.
At a meeting in the team's base camp at Richards Bay, Lagerback met with top officials of the NFF where he was asked to stay on, with the offer of what sources told KickOffNigeria.com was a four-year deal up till the 2014 World Cup.
But Lagerback told the NFF that he would like to defer the decision until after a holiday and discussion with his family.
NFF Executive Committee member Taiwo Ogunjobi would not confirm the story when asked, but conceded that the Swede was within his rights to want to take a break.
"It is a normal thing for him to go home, stay with his family and then decide what he wants."
Officials told KickOffNigeria.com that a fresh deal would be under significantly reduced remuneration, with the Presidential Task Force, which picked up the tab for Lagerback's wages, now all but dissolved and the federation facing cash flow challenges.
The Swede's current five-month deal runs out in July, but despite a poor World Cup performance, where the Super Eagles finished bottom of the group with just one point from nine, Nigerian football officials have asked him to stay on.
At a meeting in the team's base camp at Richards Bay, Lagerback met with top officials of the NFF where he was asked to stay on, with the offer of what sources told KickOffNigeria.com was a four-year deal up till the 2014 World Cup.
But Lagerback told the NFF that he would like to defer the decision until after a holiday and discussion with his family.
NFF Executive Committee member Taiwo Ogunjobi would not confirm the story when asked, but conceded that the Swede was within his rights to want to take a break.
"It is a normal thing for him to go home, stay with his family and then decide what he wants."
Officials told KickOffNigeria.com that a fresh deal would be under significantly reduced remuneration, with the Presidential Task Force, which picked up the tab for Lagerback's wages, now all but dissolved and the federation facing cash flow challenges.
Africans must look to local coaches
Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback has advised African countries to look the way of indigenous coaches and trust in continuity if they hope to do well at major tournaments.
All but one of Africa's six representatives at the 2010 World Cup are coached by foreigners, with Algeria the only exception. And with three already eliminated, Lagerback suggested that Africans may need to look inwards in the future and give the coaches more time.
"What is the problem for Africa in general? The only thing I can see, and I am not sure if I am right is that maybe they need a little bit more continuity.
"I have talked to Kanu a little bit about that and maybe the players that have been around and played for a long time, I hope that they could come back into the African countries and work as coaches and help to influence the development of football in their countries.
"I think a person like Kanu could be perfect for that kind of position if he wants to go into coaching himself."
Kanu agreed, but said he was looking more at going into football administration.
"When it comes to reading the game, I dont think there is anybody who can read the game better than I can. But when things are going wrong, it is always from the top, and that is where we have to start from if we want to make a difference.
"Right now, I don’t know if I want to go into coaching, but it is something I have to go back and think about."
All but one of Africa's six representatives at the 2010 World Cup are coached by foreigners, with Algeria the only exception. And with three already eliminated, Lagerback suggested that Africans may need to look inwards in the future and give the coaches more time.
"What is the problem for Africa in general? The only thing I can see, and I am not sure if I am right is that maybe they need a little bit more continuity.
"I have talked to Kanu a little bit about that and maybe the players that have been around and played for a long time, I hope that they could come back into the African countries and work as coaches and help to influence the development of football in their countries.
"I think a person like Kanu could be perfect for that kind of position if he wants to go into coaching himself."
Kanu agreed, but said he was looking more at going into football administration.
"When it comes to reading the game, I dont think there is anybody who can read the game better than I can. But when things are going wrong, it is always from the top, and that is where we have to start from if we want to make a difference.
"Right now, I don’t know if I want to go into coaching, but it is something I have to go back and think about."
I can’t be bought over – Jega
ABUJA—The Chairman-designate of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, yesterday, told the Senate that judging from the assurances he received from the Presidency when he was nominated for the appointment, he did not envisage any interference in the discharge of his duties.
Prof. Jega, who was grilled by the Senate for over four hours, stressed that the compilation of a credible voter’s register which, he noted, was vital to the conduct of a credible election; internal re-organisation in INEC and the actual preparations for the 2011 elections were his main challenges.
N50 million can’t sway me, says Jega
The chairman-designate, who was ushered into the Senate chambers by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Abba Aji, at 11:16 a.m. told senators that he would not be swayed or bought over by any amount of money.
In an answer to a question as to whether he would faint at the sight of a N50million bribe, Jega said as a vice-chancellor of a federal university, ”I have seen more than N50 million.’
When asked whether he still agree with the recommendations of the Uwais committee of which he was a member, Jega said though he still believed in the report, neither he nor any member of the committee had an illusion that the report would be implemented hundred per cent.
“The fact of the matter is that members of the Uwais committee of which I am privileged to be one, were very patriotic Nigerians. They have studied all the problems and have made appropriate recommendations.
They believe that those recommendations if taken holistically will go a very long way in addressing the problems of elections in this country. I do not think any of us has any illusions.
” Our role was to recommend, but it is unlikely that everything that we recommended will be taken. No matter how strongly you feel about specific recommendations. So, as far as I am concerned, the key issue is whether the constitution is respected, the Electoral Act is complied with and there is due process in this regard. So, if I look at the Electoral Act, the constitution, I think I am satisfied with it.”
‘Presidency can’t influence me’
On whether he would succumb to pressure from the President if he ever comes under such pressure, Jega stated: ”I think frankly I do not expect that this issue will arise. I am satisfied so far about the assurances I have got from the Presidency about commitment to free and fair election.
And, in any case, my relationship with the Presidency is defined by law and the constitution and God willing, that will guide us to have a seamless relationship in dealing with issues of conflict if indeed, the need arise.”
On credible voter-register
On the centrality of a credible voter-register to the credibility of the elections, Jega said the commission under his leadership will work towards ensuring that the voter-register represents the true position of registered voters in the country
On the issue of election violence, Prof. Jega said he would collaborate with the police and other security agencies to ensure that appropriate sanctions were brought to bear on perpetrators of violence.
He said: “In terms of the perceived roles of the police and INEC staff in rigging elections, I want to say that what we intend to do and what I will do certainly, if confirmed as chairman of INEC, is to ensure that right from the outset there is dialogue.
”There is interaction and reviews in terms of our relationship with the police and other security agencies and indeed, with all stakeholders and obviously the success of an election is predicated not only on the personality of INEC chairman but the commitment of the other members of the commission. It is a partnership. We must build it as such.
“It is a priority issue for us to engage the leadership of the Police to see how we can prepare the Police to see how we can have a free, fair and credible elections and I believe that as a commission come out with very concrete strategies of engagement of examining the cause problems and ensuring that we adopt measures and strategies in order for past mistakes are not repeated either with the Police or any other group of stakeholders.”.
On corrupt INEC officials
On the perceived corruption of members of INEC, the chairman-designate said he and his team would have zero-tolerance for corruption but promised that he would work out a system of compensation and reward for staff of the commission to insulate them from corrupt practices.
He denied media reports that he was a consultant to INEC, pointing out that, “I have never been a consultant to INEC. I know that there has been a lot of speculations in the newspapers.
”Well, as an academic, once in a while, I get invited to give paper presentations as a resource person and as somebody who has studied elections in Nigeria, I have been invited three times or so by the then INEC boss mostly before the 2007 elections to present papers.
I have made paper presentation as resource person. I am not a consultant to INEC. Most of the consultancy jobs I have done are through the Bayero University Consultancy Services,” he added.
Prof. Jega, who was grilled by the Senate for over four hours, stressed that the compilation of a credible voter’s register which, he noted, was vital to the conduct of a credible election; internal re-organisation in INEC and the actual preparations for the 2011 elections were his main challenges.
N50 million can’t sway me, says Jega
The chairman-designate, who was ushered into the Senate chambers by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Abba Aji, at 11:16 a.m. told senators that he would not be swayed or bought over by any amount of money.
In an answer to a question as to whether he would faint at the sight of a N50million bribe, Jega said as a vice-chancellor of a federal university, ”I have seen more than N50 million.’
When asked whether he still agree with the recommendations of the Uwais committee of which he was a member, Jega said though he still believed in the report, neither he nor any member of the committee had an illusion that the report would be implemented hundred per cent.
“The fact of the matter is that members of the Uwais committee of which I am privileged to be one, were very patriotic Nigerians. They have studied all the problems and have made appropriate recommendations.
They believe that those recommendations if taken holistically will go a very long way in addressing the problems of elections in this country. I do not think any of us has any illusions.
” Our role was to recommend, but it is unlikely that everything that we recommended will be taken. No matter how strongly you feel about specific recommendations. So, as far as I am concerned, the key issue is whether the constitution is respected, the Electoral Act is complied with and there is due process in this regard. So, if I look at the Electoral Act, the constitution, I think I am satisfied with it.”
‘Presidency can’t influence me’
On whether he would succumb to pressure from the President if he ever comes under such pressure, Jega stated: ”I think frankly I do not expect that this issue will arise. I am satisfied so far about the assurances I have got from the Presidency about commitment to free and fair election.
And, in any case, my relationship with the Presidency is defined by law and the constitution and God willing, that will guide us to have a seamless relationship in dealing with issues of conflict if indeed, the need arise.”
On credible voter-register
On the centrality of a credible voter-register to the credibility of the elections, Jega said the commission under his leadership will work towards ensuring that the voter-register represents the true position of registered voters in the country
On the issue of election violence, Prof. Jega said he would collaborate with the police and other security agencies to ensure that appropriate sanctions were brought to bear on perpetrators of violence.
He said: “In terms of the perceived roles of the police and INEC staff in rigging elections, I want to say that what we intend to do and what I will do certainly, if confirmed as chairman of INEC, is to ensure that right from the outset there is dialogue.
”There is interaction and reviews in terms of our relationship with the police and other security agencies and indeed, with all stakeholders and obviously the success of an election is predicated not only on the personality of INEC chairman but the commitment of the other members of the commission. It is a partnership. We must build it as such.
“It is a priority issue for us to engage the leadership of the Police to see how we can prepare the Police to see how we can have a free, fair and credible elections and I believe that as a commission come out with very concrete strategies of engagement of examining the cause problems and ensuring that we adopt measures and strategies in order for past mistakes are not repeated either with the Police or any other group of stakeholders.”.
On corrupt INEC officials
On the perceived corruption of members of INEC, the chairman-designate said he and his team would have zero-tolerance for corruption but promised that he would work out a system of compensation and reward for staff of the commission to insulate them from corrupt practices.
He denied media reports that he was a consultant to INEC, pointing out that, “I have never been a consultant to INEC. I know that there has been a lot of speculations in the newspapers.
”Well, as an academic, once in a while, I get invited to give paper presentations as a resource person and as somebody who has studied elections in Nigeria, I have been invited three times or so by the then INEC boss mostly before the 2007 elections to present papers.
I have made paper presentation as resource person. I am not a consultant to INEC. Most of the consultancy jobs I have done are through the Bayero University Consultancy Services,” he added.
Sacking Amodu was a mistake
In a surprise turn-around, Osaze Odemwingie has said that it was a mistake to fire Shaibu Amodu and replace him with Lars Lagerback.
Odemwingie was one of the players who spoke up against Amodu at the African Nations Cup in Angola, leading to the axing of the former BCC Lions coach.
But after a disastrous World Cup where Nigeria finished bottom of a winnable group with just one point out of nine, the Lokomotiv Moscow forward said that it was a mistake to fire Amodu.
“They should not have fired Amodu. I think that was a mistake,” he said.Odewmingie went on to say that Nigeria did not have a team good enough to challenge the best.
“To be honest, we don’t have the team that can win the World Cup. If you go down to the roots, most of us, including myself, in our clubs we are not doing great.
“We are not like the big team we used to be, having players in the big clubs and coming here with the ambition to win the Cup. But definitely we could have
done much better.” Odemwingie also criticised coach Lars Lagerback’s selection and tactics, but says if the coach can learn from his mistakes, he would do better with the Super Eagles.
“I think the World Cup experience and being with us has given him some advantage over the next candidate.
“People learn from mistakes. If he takes the positives from this one and he feels good with working with Nigerian boys then yes, I think he should stay.”
“Three games three losses. I think a few things he did were big mistakes,” Odemwingie said,
“Like telling two strikers not to participate in defending.
“I think that is a big mistake with Nigerian football when we have one defensive midfielder and one creative in front of him. All our middle was open and that was the problem we had against Greece.
“Today the instruction was that three people did not have to participate in defence. I think that also was a big mistake.”
Odemwingie was reported to have erupted in the dressing room after the Greece loss, and explained that he had good reason to.
“Yeah I said to him that there are some key players in this team that he didn’t give enough playing time. And I was one of them. I said to him we have been here for a few years and we have qualified this team for the World Cup and he was putting us aside and it’s not fair.
“Some of us like myself and Martins are leaders in this team and we have been making the difference for the country and we needed to get more playing time and more chances to play.”
Odemwingie then suggested that his tirade may have been the reason he was left out of against Korea.
“It is possible that that’s why he didn’t play me today.”
Odemwingie was one of the players who spoke up against Amodu at the African Nations Cup in Angola, leading to the axing of the former BCC Lions coach.
But after a disastrous World Cup where Nigeria finished bottom of a winnable group with just one point out of nine, the Lokomotiv Moscow forward said that it was a mistake to fire Amodu.
“They should not have fired Amodu. I think that was a mistake,” he said.Odewmingie went on to say that Nigeria did not have a team good enough to challenge the best.
“To be honest, we don’t have the team that can win the World Cup. If you go down to the roots, most of us, including myself, in our clubs we are not doing great.
“We are not like the big team we used to be, having players in the big clubs and coming here with the ambition to win the Cup. But definitely we could have
done much better.” Odemwingie also criticised coach Lars Lagerback’s selection and tactics, but says if the coach can learn from his mistakes, he would do better with the Super Eagles.
“I think the World Cup experience and being with us has given him some advantage over the next candidate.
“People learn from mistakes. If he takes the positives from this one and he feels good with working with Nigerian boys then yes, I think he should stay.”
“Three games three losses. I think a few things he did were big mistakes,” Odemwingie said,
“Like telling two strikers not to participate in defending.
“I think that is a big mistake with Nigerian football when we have one defensive midfielder and one creative in front of him. All our middle was open and that was the problem we had against Greece.
“Today the instruction was that three people did not have to participate in defence. I think that also was a big mistake.”
Odemwingie was reported to have erupted in the dressing room after the Greece loss, and explained that he had good reason to.
“Yeah I said to him that there are some key players in this team that he didn’t give enough playing time. And I was one of them. I said to him we have been here for a few years and we have qualified this team for the World Cup and he was putting us aside and it’s not fair.
“Some of us like myself and Martins are leaders in this team and we have been making the difference for the country and we needed to get more playing time and more chances to play.”
Odemwingie then suggested that his tirade may have been the reason he was left out of against Korea.
“It is possible that that’s why he didn’t play me today.”
NIGERIA BEGS FIFA
The Minister of sports/Chairman, National Sports Commission, NSC, Alhaji Ibrahim Isa Bio, yesterday, met with FIFA president, Sepp Blatter and Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, to seek the body’s assistance to reform football in Nigeria.
Bio was accompanied by the Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd), NSC Director-General, Dr. Patrick Ekeji, former Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, as well as FIFA and CAF Executive Committee member from Nigeria, Dr. Amos Adamu to the meeting.
The meeting which was held at the FIFA headquarters Johannesburg was to discuss the way forward for Nigeria football.
Members of the FIFA Executive Committee received the minister and his team warmly and they expressed their sympathy at Nigeria’s early exit from the World Cup as he (Bio) told the FIFA members that he is not happy about the present state of Nigeria football.
Nigeria, he told FIFA, should not be where she is today in global football, positing that countries that are not endowed as Nigeria are up there, using new methods of training and management to achieve great things.
He argued that Nigeria must join the rest of the world and the only way the nation can achieve this is through the restructuring of her football. He also told Blatter that there is need for FIFA to look into the relationship between the government and the Nigeria Football Federation and assist Nigeria in setting up new academies.
FIFA assured Bio of the body’s readiness to assist Nigeria in every way to make her football more competitive and take her place among global giants and asked that all football academies be register with it so that players could be protected from greedy agents and clubs.
The world football governing body admitted that while Nigeria is doing well in age grade football same could not be said of the country’s senior team as it urged Nigeria to adopt new tactics at the senior level.
It also encouraged the government to get a good coach that will work on a longer term, blaming Nigeria and other countries like Cote d’ Ivoire’s poor run at the World Cup on lack of continuity. FIFA posited that it will be impossible for a coach to turn a team around in two months when he is just getting to know most the players.
Bio was accompanied by the Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd), NSC Director-General, Dr. Patrick Ekeji, former Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, as well as FIFA and CAF Executive Committee member from Nigeria, Dr. Amos Adamu to the meeting.
The meeting which was held at the FIFA headquarters Johannesburg was to discuss the way forward for Nigeria football.
Members of the FIFA Executive Committee received the minister and his team warmly and they expressed their sympathy at Nigeria’s early exit from the World Cup as he (Bio) told the FIFA members that he is not happy about the present state of Nigeria football.
Nigeria, he told FIFA, should not be where she is today in global football, positing that countries that are not endowed as Nigeria are up there, using new methods of training and management to achieve great things.
He argued that Nigeria must join the rest of the world and the only way the nation can achieve this is through the restructuring of her football. He also told Blatter that there is need for FIFA to look into the relationship between the government and the Nigeria Football Federation and assist Nigeria in setting up new academies.
FIFA assured Bio of the body’s readiness to assist Nigeria in every way to make her football more competitive and take her place among global giants and asked that all football academies be register with it so that players could be protected from greedy agents and clubs.
The world football governing body admitted that while Nigeria is doing well in age grade football same could not be said of the country’s senior team as it urged Nigeria to adopt new tactics at the senior level.
It also encouraged the government to get a good coach that will work on a longer term, blaming Nigeria and other countries like Cote d’ Ivoire’s poor run at the World Cup on lack of continuity. FIFA posited that it will be impossible for a coach to turn a team around in two months when he is just getting to know most the players.
We gave our best – Kanu
Super Eagles skipper, Nwankwo Kanu, said the team was unlucky to have crashed out of the ongoing World Cup in South Africa.
Nigeria drew 2-2 with South Korea on Tuesday in Durban in a match they needed to win by any simple margin.
Kanu said the players gave their best to make it to the second round but that they were unlucky.
He said, “We were all out for victory to move on in the competition. You saw our efforts on the field all through. The Koreans were simply luckier.
”Football is not predictable. We missed some good chances that could have given us a two-goal lead in the game.
“People are talking about the second half misses but again that is part of the game. Those who missed chances never planned to do so; they wanted to score for Nigeria.
“It is unfortunate we are out but what can we do? We just have to learn from the mistakes of this competition.”
It was the first match for Kanu in the competition and he gave a good account of himself in the encounter. He was substituted in the 56th minute
Nigeria drew 2-2 with South Korea on Tuesday in Durban in a match they needed to win by any simple margin.
Kanu said the players gave their best to make it to the second round but that they were unlucky.
He said, “We were all out for victory to move on in the competition. You saw our efforts on the field all through. The Koreans were simply luckier.
”Football is not predictable. We missed some good chances that could have given us a two-goal lead in the game.
“People are talking about the second half misses but again that is part of the game. Those who missed chances never planned to do so; they wanted to score for Nigeria.
“It is unfortunate we are out but what can we do? We just have to learn from the mistakes of this competition.”
It was the first match for Kanu in the competition and he gave a good account of himself in the encounter. He was substituted in the 56th minute
the worst miss I‘ve ever seen.”
Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu has criticised Yakubu Aiyegbeni after the Everton forward missed an open goal during their 2-2 draw with South Korea in their last World Cup group game in Durban on Tuesday.
The result helped the Asians progress to the knockout stages of the tournament in south Africa at the expense of the Eagles.
Yakubu spurned a glorious opportunity to level up with the game standing at 2-1, directing his shot wide when he was presented with an open-goal, inside the six-yard box.
“As a striker, I think that‘s the easiest one to score, so if you miss it then I don‘t know what you will do,” Kanu said of Yakubu‘s miss during a post-match press conference.
”If we didn‘t create the chances we would have complained, but in fact we made them but didn‘t take them.
”The fact is that we played South Korea, a very good team who worked very hard, and we didn‘t take our chances.”
Former England international striker Alan Shearer said on the BBC, “I reckon that‘s the worst miss I‘ve ever seen.”
South Korea gave Guus Hiddink honorary citizenship after he led them to the 2002 World Cup semifinals and Yakubu will no doubt also have a special place in Korean hearts after his gaffes in front of goal allowed them to make the last 16 this time around.
It marks the first time South Korea has advanced to the second round of World Cup finals on foreign soil.
They were helped in no small part by some woeful Nigerian finishing, including the miss of the tournament when an unmarked Yakubu somehow managed to sidefoot the ball wide from six metres out and an open goal at his mercy.
It was an astonishing miss, one of the worst of any World Cup, and will undoubtedly be replayed in Yakubu‘s mind and on ”Football‘s Funniest
The result helped the Asians progress to the knockout stages of the tournament in south Africa at the expense of the Eagles.
Yakubu spurned a glorious opportunity to level up with the game standing at 2-1, directing his shot wide when he was presented with an open-goal, inside the six-yard box.
“As a striker, I think that‘s the easiest one to score, so if you miss it then I don‘t know what you will do,” Kanu said of Yakubu‘s miss during a post-match press conference.
”If we didn‘t create the chances we would have complained, but in fact we made them but didn‘t take them.
”The fact is that we played South Korea, a very good team who worked very hard, and we didn‘t take our chances.”
Former England international striker Alan Shearer said on the BBC, “I reckon that‘s the worst miss I‘ve ever seen.”
South Korea gave Guus Hiddink honorary citizenship after he led them to the 2002 World Cup semifinals and Yakubu will no doubt also have a special place in Korean hearts after his gaffes in front of goal allowed them to make the last 16 this time around.
It marks the first time South Korea has advanced to the second round of World Cup finals on foreign soil.
They were helped in no small part by some woeful Nigerian finishing, including the miss of the tournament when an unmarked Yakubu somehow managed to sidefoot the ball wide from six metres out and an open goal at his mercy.
It was an astonishing miss, one of the worst of any World Cup, and will undoubtedly be replayed in Yakubu‘s mind and on ”Football‘s Funniest
I don’t want Eagles job – Kanu
Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu has denied he is interested in a role in the national team.
Kanu, whose effort could not yield Nigeria dividends as the team crashed out of the ongoing World Cup after a 2 - 2 draw with South Korea on Tuesday, had been tipped for a role in the Eagles after retirement.
The Portsmouth forward was quoted by London Evening Standard on Wednesday as saying he would not take any job with the team unless the Nigeria Football Federation was reorganised.
Kanu said, ”The organisation from above has to be right for anyone to want to take the job. I would not take that nonsense.
“Portsmouth has offered me a new contract and I have to think about that. It has been a crazy season with Portsmouth but this is worse because it is my country.”
Meanwhile, coach Lars Lagerback has admitted he does not know what the NFF plans to do with him after failing to take the Eagles beyond the group stage of the World Cup.
“I‘m the one doing the game plan and the one training the team. Maybe with a little more time it could have been a little different,” Lagerback told thelocal.se after the game against South Korea.
“I have felt privileged to be the coach of Nigeria. It‘s been a fantastic journey in many ways. As for the future, I don‘t know, the focus has been on the World Cup.”
Lagerback was hired in March to take over from coach Shaibu Amodu, who was redeployed to the home-based Eagles.
Kanu, whose effort could not yield Nigeria dividends as the team crashed out of the ongoing World Cup after a 2 - 2 draw with South Korea on Tuesday, had been tipped for a role in the Eagles after retirement.
The Portsmouth forward was quoted by London Evening Standard on Wednesday as saying he would not take any job with the team unless the Nigeria Football Federation was reorganised.
Kanu said, ”The organisation from above has to be right for anyone to want to take the job. I would not take that nonsense.
“Portsmouth has offered me a new contract and I have to think about that. It has been a crazy season with Portsmouth but this is worse because it is my country.”
Meanwhile, coach Lars Lagerback has admitted he does not know what the NFF plans to do with him after failing to take the Eagles beyond the group stage of the World Cup.
“I‘m the one doing the game plan and the one training the team. Maybe with a little more time it could have been a little different,” Lagerback told thelocal.se after the game against South Korea.
“I have felt privileged to be the coach of Nigeria. It‘s been a fantastic journey in many ways. As for the future, I don‘t know, the focus has been on the World Cup.”
Lagerback was hired in March to take over from coach Shaibu Amodu, who was redeployed to the home-based Eagles.
African football needs overhauling to compete with other continents’ - Okocha
Nigeria’s former star, Jay-Jay Okocha, says African football needs to "go back to the drawing board" if it is to succeed in future World Cups. The 36-year-old said that African nations were not going "that extra mile to get results".
Okocha blamed a lack of investment in local coaches and youth players, adding that the continent's big stars had not delivered on the world's biggest stage. "It's about character. Our players have not shown enough passion," he said.
"It's an African tournament - we thought we could capitalise on that. That hasn't been the story." South Africa is the first World Cup host that has not progressed past the first round despite beating France on Wednesday.
And, while Ghana also recorded a group win, the four other African nations competing - Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast - have struggled.
"I think the players have failed to understand that they need to go that extra mile to be able to get results," added Okocha. "They are not looking for the solution on how to win games. We go back to our drawing boards and invest in youth and start planning.
"In Africa, I don't think we plan enough. We always wait for an event and then get ourselves ready for just that event." Okocha, like all of Africa's biggest sporting names, has spent the majority of his footballing career abroad, playing for European clubs, including Bolton and Hull. He believes that if African football is to move on, coaches as well as players should look to foreign leagues to gain expertise and professionalism.
"I thought that the officials should be given the opportunity to go abroad and update themselves - but we haven't done that. We've not invested in our local coaches," Okocha commented.
"After going to Europe to prove yourself as a player, you come back to that old mentality - that old way of playing.
"Then sometimes players get caught in the middle. They try to bring you down to their level - and if you don't want to come down to that level, it's as if you're losing your culture, losing your respect."
Okocha, who retired from football in 2008, had scathing words for some of Africa's better known players, criticising their performances at the Mundial when compared to what they did for their clubs.
"I don't have to cover up those players because they haven't really performed. They've underachieved," he said.
"It's all about character. I don't think our players have shown enough passion for the game. That's the difference between the way they've played here, and the way they play in their various clubs."
Okocha blamed a lack of investment in local coaches and youth players, adding that the continent's big stars had not delivered on the world's biggest stage. "It's about character. Our players have not shown enough passion," he said.
"It's an African tournament - we thought we could capitalise on that. That hasn't been the story." South Africa is the first World Cup host that has not progressed past the first round despite beating France on Wednesday.
And, while Ghana also recorded a group win, the four other African nations competing - Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast - have struggled.
"I think the players have failed to understand that they need to go that extra mile to be able to get results," added Okocha. "They are not looking for the solution on how to win games. We go back to our drawing boards and invest in youth and start planning.
"In Africa, I don't think we plan enough. We always wait for an event and then get ourselves ready for just that event." Okocha, like all of Africa's biggest sporting names, has spent the majority of his footballing career abroad, playing for European clubs, including Bolton and Hull. He believes that if African football is to move on, coaches as well as players should look to foreign leagues to gain expertise and professionalism.
"I thought that the officials should be given the opportunity to go abroad and update themselves - but we haven't done that. We've not invested in our local coaches," Okocha commented.
"After going to Europe to prove yourself as a player, you come back to that old mentality - that old way of playing.
"Then sometimes players get caught in the middle. They try to bring you down to their level - and if you don't want to come down to that level, it's as if you're losing your culture, losing your respect."
Okocha, who retired from football in 2008, had scathing words for some of Africa's better known players, criticising their performances at the Mundial when compared to what they did for their clubs.
"I don't have to cover up those players because they haven't really performed. They've underachieved," he said.
"It's all about character. I don't think our players have shown enough passion for the game. That's the difference between the way they've played here, and the way they play in their various clubs."
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