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semid4lyfe: Someone should please tell me what Keshi sees in Efe Ambrose cos I don't see it?How many games involving Ambrose Efe have you watched closely? I mean recoreded and rewatched or are you part of the large army of those that remain sentimental over these issues. I have watched Ambrose in action very closely and observed that he is one of the most intelligent and composed defenders we have now. He is by far the fastest in the team and does a lot of great work in the defence. He was the best Nigerian defender on parade against Rwanda last June. Please get tapes and watch |
[b]Nigerians deserve the kind of leadership they have always got. Instead of pushing the elected leaders to perform, they keep on attacking unelected individuals that clamour for good governance. If Goodluck Ebele Johnathan exhbits about 1% of his incompetence in any saner country, he would have long been removed or impeached. Not in Nigeria where many see every issue from the ethnic, sentimantal and emotional lens. By the way, what are the acceptable performance standards for elected officials in Nigeria? I ask this because of the many depressing and uneducated contributions from people in most Nigeria dominated forums. Is it 10%, 30%, 40%... What are those? How are these measured or to be measured? It is only through this that we can truly and intelligently assess the performance of any elected official in Nigeria. Does building one road for example out of 100 roads qualify a leader as a good one in the road sector? Let us engage in Intelligent and educated debates instead of the usual attack of personalities. In an exam, does any body who scored 30% get automatic pass just because all those that took same exam before him scored below 30% even when the pass mark is 70%. I am yet to see Jonathan's comprehensive plans on how to tackle Nigeria's numerous problems in a short, medium and long term manner. By now most of the short term problems would have been tackled. For example, we know that corruption problem can be tackled within one year with modern technology, sincerety and creativity (which is lacking in Nigeria). But people have continued to wonder what manner of system that gives people access to public funds in an unchecked and undetected manner. Why is it that people are not suppervised on minute, daily and weekly basis to ensure that are doing what they are supposed to do as is done in developed countries....This debate is open[/b] |
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/docarchive_20120628-0100a.mp3 The question then becomes; what kind of system allows people to steal this kind of money? |
Most People commenting here are truly worthless. The piece below reminds one of where Tunde Bakare stood and still stands. He has being vocal against bad governance in Nigeria, the reason Nigeris has remained castrated since 1960. Only the beneficiaries of the present corrupt and inept Nigerian leadership will speak against Tunde Bakare. I am sorry for those that don't benefit from the present Nigerian fraud yet speak against the truth. The evil you seek will find you! Save Nigeria Group (SNG), a coalition of human rights and civil society groups led by Prof. Wole Soyinka and Pastor Tunde Bakare among others, next Wednesday (March 10) will organize a protest march in Abuja to demand the invocation of section 144 of the Constitution in resolving the lingering leadership crisis in Nigeria. Also, the Action Congress (AC) has said the resort to the section 144 would not only solve the problem but also save President Umaru Yar’Adua from humiliation. Section 144 of the Constitution requires the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to constitute a medical panel to determine if the President is incapacited to carry out his duties to enable the Vice President to take over and discharge such duties. A text of a press conference on the state of the nation jointly signed by Buba Galadima, Yinka Odumakin, Osita Okechukwu, Mike Igini, Mallam Tanko and Mallam Salihu on behalf of the SNG, said Nigerians had been fed with falsehood for the past 100 days regarding the health of President Yar’Adua. The SNG wondered how a man who was said to be having daily 25 minutes acrobics could come back and refuse to spare a minute to meet with acting President Goodluck Jonathan who had been holding forte for him since he went to Saudi Arabia for treatment. "The alleged return of President Umaru Yar’Adua under the cover of darkness on February 23, 2010 and the refusal by his handlers to allow any person, including the acting President, access to him has further demonstrated the deep contempt the cabal that has hijacked the president to hold the nation to ransome and for the rest of Nigeria," read the statement. The SNG lamented the inability of the FEC to deliberate on the health of the President at its Wednesday’s meeting, stressing that such a deliberation would have led to the invocation of section 144 to resolve the leadership debacle. Noting that such actions were direct affront on the dignity of Nigerians, the SNG said Nigeria had already become a laughing stock of the world. As the way forward, the SNG resolved to embark on graduated measures, including the Wednesday’s protest and other civil disobedience measures, to retrieve Nigeria from the grip of the cabal. "Our patience has run out as a nation as there is limit to how far a country can survive on good luck. If we want to retrieve our country back we must do the needful. To this end we have resolved to settle for these irreducible minimum: "A constitutional resolution of the anomaly of an invisible President co-existing with an Acting President constantly undermined by the cabal by the invocation of Section 144 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without further delay; " Urgent electoral reforms with a wholesale implementation of the Uwais report as the benchmark to restore the integrity of the ballot box so that never again shall we be governed by a set of officials with dubious mandate like those who have taken us through 100 days of the theatre of the absurd; "In furtherance of the above, the Acting President must urgently come up with a Harmonisation Committee on what the Senate and the House of Representatives are doing on the Uwais report; "A non-partisan transitional cabinet of the brightest and the best from all corners of Nigeria must be put together by the Acting President to chart a new course for the country while the Presidential Advisory Committee can remain truly advisory as the nation requires new thinking and new thinkers; and "Immediate implementation of the Public Procurement Act signed into law in 2007 by Yar’adua but which has yet to be implemented because of the sustenance of the corrupt tendencies associated with the weekly award of contracts by FEC," read the statement. Also, in a communique issued in Benin on Wednesday, after its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Constitution did not envisage an indefinite acting presidency. ``The mere fact that the President is right there in Aso Rock, whether he is fully conscious or not, is like a sword of Damocles hanging over the Acting President. Executive power is simultaneously vested in the President and the Acting President, and this is a recipe for confusion. ``The Acting President can neither dissolve the cabinet nor appoint new members into it. He cannot take bold actions, like dealing decisively with the electoral reform,’’ AC said. It also said if today - God forbids - the Acting President takes ill or he is otherwise unable to perform the functions of his office, the nation will be thrown into another round of constitutional crisis, with terrible consequences. ‘’Simply put, the Acting Presidency as we have it now is like a car moving on three tyres, instead of four, and without an extra tyre….since there is no Vice President. The Acting President is at the mercy of the ailing President and his kitchen cabinet,’’ the party said. It called on the Governors’ Forum, which seems to have emerged as a major player in the ensuing power show in Abuja, to use its clout to put pressure on the FEC (most members of which were nominated by the governors) to act fast in the interest of the nation. ``It is obvious that President Yar’Adua is not in a position to decide whether or not to resign on the basis of his health. Therefore, in order to save the President from a possible impeachment, which we believe is not the best option, the FEC should give him a soft landing by invoking Section. 144. ``Once that is done, the Governors’ Forum should also use their collective power to get the National Assembly to act fast on the FEC declaration, thus paving the way for Jonathan to become a substantive President so he can in turn act without constraints to move the nation forward,’’ AC said. http://ndn.nigeriadailynews.com/templates/?a=25031 |
The Pharoes of Egypt will be missiong out again during the 2013 edition of the Nations cup. Central Africa Republic played out a 1 all draw with Egypt at home, eliminating the seven-time African champions on 4-3 aggregate. CAR had won the first leg in Egypt 3-2. Draws for the last round of the knock out holds in South Africa on July 5. |
[size=13pt]In a country, where 99% are blind. In a country where 99% can not make intelligent arguement devoid of sentiments and emotions. In a country where the arguements of about 99% can not withstand intellectual and logical scrutiny, the one-eyed man will continue to be the king. Nigeria will continue to be a joke as long as we continue to allow misfits to continue to rule. Is the end to these in sight? definitely not. At least not with the tacit support of some proudly ignorant folks here who are mostly paid to support mediocrity. Yes it is said that "he that settles for lowered standards celebrates mediocrity". That is the situation of Nigeria today. Some support mediocrity because of lack of knowledge. Others support it because of the financial gains the reap from such unholy support. The media chat today, was not dissappointing to me after the last disgraceful media chat where the president was shamelessly defending oil thieves. Let me say that no amount of preaching, sermonizing or inaction can change any nation, Nigeria in particular. Yes Jonathan was right to order investigations but the crucial part of the issue is ensuring that no crime goes unpunished. At least that is how decent countries operate. Nigeria, to my estimation has the highest number of financial fraudstars in both the private and public circus at least as we read in the papers everyday yet non (at least the big ones) are going to jail. None since 1999. This country will never move forward until we set up an enquiry to look into how all monies appropriated since 1999 till date at all levels-local to federal, were used and all those found to have stolen the money made to pay back and sent to jail. Anything short of that will amount to continued celebration of incompetence and mediocrity. You can see that this is a tall task for our incompetent leaders and their supporters most of whom are paid to attack anyone that opposes Jonathan's methods. Let me also say that I have come to this conclusion that the biggest mistake we ever made as a nation was allowing the whiteman leave on October 1, 1960. Had they continued to stay, say till 1990, Nigeria would have continued to maintain the giant of Africa status. I took this conclusion after waiting patiently to see things change since 1999. I will also love to be proved wrong that a black man especially the Nigerian type can lead intelligently in the mist of largely ignorant, mischievous and docile citizenry. Paid agents over to you[/size] |
[size=14pt]It just beats me how people begin to analyze a game they did not watch. A game that was haphazardly run by BBC (about 10 lines of live commentaries-no line-ups, no substitutions) and MTN (better but still poorly done) can not be used to judge the performance of the team. I do not know where this idea that Super Eagles must win every game and by wide margin came from. No team in the history of soccer has ever done that. I do not also know where the idea that teams, no matter how good they are cannot concede goals any time (1st to 90something minute. ) That is the game of soccer. Even the first and the best Super Eagles squad of 93 had to wait till the final whistle to qualify for US 94. It was a draw and we were under incredible pressure for most part of the last 20 minutes. What were fans doing. They were on their knees praying for them. On the road to the finals, they lost to Ivory Coast. They did not win all their matches. Did they? Things have changed. It is a reflection of lack of respect for other teams and ignorance that pushes us into believing that we can easily beat any team anywhere these days. It is realistically impossible. This is the main reason we drew with Guinea, a team we knew little or nothing about, a team we hitherto chose to ignore at our peril, a team I consider one of the most dangerous teams in Africa today. The result- we lost out in the qualification series for 2012 AFCON. I remain one of those that believe that Siasia's sacking remained one of the most foolish sporting decisions we ever took. However, after carefully watching the video of Keshi's new home boys a number of times, I have come to believe, that they must be given a chance because of their tendency to fight for the ball from start to finish unlike some of our so-called regulars that stroll on the pitch in times of danger. We must learn to be patriotic and support the national teams and make constructive criticisms when the need arises. Let us give the Super eagles the kind of Support we give to Chelsea, Man United even when they do not play well and particularly when we gain nothing form such foreign teams. I reserve my comment on today's game until I watch the full video of the game. That, to me, is a rational and sensible thing to do![/size] |
Stephen Keshi has never been known to be a tactician. Football is not about inviting players. It is about maping out killer strategies to win games. In this game, there was none. With the inclusion of lazy players like Dickson Etuhu in Nigeria's games, we should forget winning anything. Dickson is not among the top ten midfielders we have in Nigeria. Why use him? Anybody that has repeatedly watched Dickson during the world cup will konw what I mean-always committing error, faulty passes and does not move with the ball. Please read the commentry by MTN and we will know that the bad days are here. |
May God bless you Gen Buhari for the love you have for Nigeria. May more pains be inflicted on many dishonest and foolish Nigerians that continue to castigate your person. Most Nigerians have proved overtime that they are incurably s.t.upid and da.ft and have chosen to continue to ignorantly tread the path of self destruction |
kasiem:Because no coach in the history of Soccer has won in every competition he has participated in. That is why it is sports- win some, lose some. In case you do not know, go and ask Imo state governemnt if Siasia transformed Heartland. It is absolute foolishness to expect a coach to win all the time. Please name any "super-human" coach in the world that has won with every club or country or competition he had coached. I need answers |
texazzpete:People like you do not deserve any decent response. You belong to the zoo. Read this and after reading, list the coaches that you will like employed, their achievemts so far and your expectations of the coaches. I don't work with sentiments. Nigeria's Samson Siasia Conundrum Nigeria's Siasia Conundrum Posted: 2011-10-21 17:39 ‘Half the problems that people get into is the fact that they get rid of managers too soon. We would not make that mistake.’ - Sir Bobby Charlton on Alex Ferguson Last November, the whole country stood as one to salute the appointment of Samson Siasia as Nigeria coach. Well, almost. Naturally there were a few who nursed silent rumblings, but even they grudgingly adopted a fence-sitting approach. Siasia swept in with the populace high on hopes that he would be the man whose magic touch would bring a fresh revival to the fortunes of the senior national team after a labourious World Cup that left the nation with a bitter taste of bile, like a first-time drunk the morning after a wild binge. Eleven months on, it all appears to have gone pear-shaped after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the African Nations Cup. A 2-2 home draw to Guinea ruined those hopes, and the man touted as Nigeria's football messiah has been left fighting for his national coaching life. As many have pointed out endlessly, his minimum remit was to reach the African Nations Cup semifinal. Not to even qualify for the tournament has been pointed to as grounds for dismissal. That might be correct, and the NFF would be well within their rights not to extend his contract, but the question that should be asked is this: has the team improved under Siasia? As an insider, my quick and honest answer to that would be a resounding ‘yes’. Agreed the team failed to qualify for the Nations Cup, but a lot of work has gone into turning this team around, and it would be a shame to let all that work go to waste. At the World Cup, the Super Eagles scored three goals in three games, drawing one and losing two games. Under Siasia, the Super Eagles have played nine games, won five, drawn three and lost just once. In that time they scored 20 goals, letting in just nine. That would be an average of 2.2 goals per game. Numbers aside, it would be in the intangibles that we can see what effect Siasia has had on the team. The challenge, when the former striker came in, was two-fold. One was on-field, the other was off-field. The first, on-field challenge, was to move the team away from the slow, laborious, and predictable play, to quicker ball movement, more efficient use of the wide players, and finding the forward quicker with more direct play. To achieve that, Siasia changed the shape of the team from the 4-4-2 he met, to a more flexible 4-2-3-1. The tactical strategy was for the team to press high and quick to deny the opponents time and space on the ball while controlling possession as much as possible. Overall, the objective was to create more chances and score more goals by controlling possession through denying the opponents time and space. A good illustration of this was when Joel Obi drifted out from central midfield to motor past Nicolas Otamendi and cross for Ike Uche to score Nigeria's first goal against Argentina in that 4-1 win in Abuja. A barometer of how much this is working is the marked increase in the average chances per game created by the Super Eagles. A rough estimate puts that figure at a minimum of between 5-8 clear chances per game. Which explains that average of 2.22 goals per game. On the more intangible side, the players are moving the ball quicker, the wide players are more involved in the game, and the team as a whole are getting more comfortable with how they are expected to play. More importantly, Siasia encourages the players to communicate more on the field and solve problems on their own rather than look to the bench at every opportunity. During training, or in analysing opponents’ videos, players are presented with various scenarios and allowed to work out solutions on their own before the coach steps in. That has translated to players taking more responsibility on-field. Again, the effect has been on the numbers. Naturally, some errors remain. But these kinks take a while to iron out and these Eagles are on the right track. The second was in dealing with the lax attitude of players to national team duty. While they do get rewarded amply, more perhaps than almost every other national team on the continent for representing their country, it was a fact that Nigeria players did tend to treat the national team with some levity. While attitude like that cannot be excused, it is sometimes understandable. Some of these players play for clubs where things are planned and organised in a way befitting of international stars, and come home to meet a situation that doesn’t quite meet up to those expectations. Siasia set himself a personal task of ensuring players treat the national team, and each other, with respect. That meant reporting to camp on deadline, being present and punctual to all team gatherings, and respect for officials. He de-emphasized stardom and tried instead to elevate the team above the individual. His recurring mantra was that 'the team is the only star here'. The so-called 'fall-outs' with members of his squad were simple cases of keeping those boundaries well policed. In doing so, Siasia also tried to protect the players. All of those incidents were usually brought to the public not by Siasia, but by others. He always insisted on keeping things in-house, and spoke only when the issues became public knowledge. A remarkable sense of self restraint for a man who enjoys jousting with the media at every turn. In the days before the last game, the team had settled into an ordered rhythm. Players no longer reported late for meals or departure for training. In fact, most had started to come in around five minutes early, where in the past some would saunter in long after the others had left the dining area, for instance. More impressively, players were taking it upon themselves to ensure that team mates respected set times. That was the kind of team that Samson Siasia was building for Nigeria. There is a sound argument of those who want the coach sacked. But eight coaches in eight years have done little for the fortunes of our football. Clemens Westerhof is always pointed to as the symbol of Nigeria's glory years, but he had five years, even after stumbling in the World Cup qualifiers in 1989 which, like Siasia, he picked up from someone else's start. Allowing Siasia to continue would be the best possible solution for Nigeria at this time. This Super Eagles team is seriously deficient in certain key personnel areas, and he is working hard, away from public glare, to fill in those gaps. He has set up a scouting system in England wheer players of Nigerian descent will get together at regular intervals and play games. Those who cut it will then be recommended to the youth team squads and monitored for the Super Eagles ahead of 2014 and beyond. He has planned a training camp for local players to find the few who can fit into the squad in the long term. He enjoys a superb working relationship with the federation, has built trust and respect with his squad, and is playing within a tactical system that allows his players the freedom to play the kind of football that leads to goals. Siasia has made mistakes. Even he will admit it; scratch that, even he HAS admitted that! But he will learn from those mistakes, he IS learning from those mistakes. Qualifiers for the 2013 African Nations Cup start in January. There are only two ties of four games to play to reach that tournament. Should we tear down a house that is halfway built to satisfy an urge, or should we give it at least one more year and see where it takes us? Voters in our KickOffNigeria poll are 70-30% in favour of keeping him. That is surely a good sign. In 1990, in Alex Ferguson's third year at Manchester United, fans unfurled a banner at Old Trafford which said "Three years of excuses and it's still crap, ta-ra Fergie." A quarter of a century later, he enjoys legendary status after becoming the club's most successful manager. Perhaps this is the time to show some faith in a coach who is clearly doing most of the right things. In time, we may well look back at this time and be thankful we did. Colin Udoh |
[size=14pt]Who is the only Nigerian coach to lead Nigeria to Olympics finals? Who is the only Nigerian coach not to have lost to Ghana in 5 games?. Who is the only Nigerian coach not to lose to Brazil in any competition? when you answer these questions, then you begin understand how evil, wicked, irrational a typical and average Nigerian is. Shame!!![/size] |
megapro:I was making reference to appearing in the final of two different FIFA/International games: Under 20 and Olympics (next thing to world cup). Broadricks led the under 17 (same age level and the lowest FIFA level) to 2 finals. Sub regional tournaments do not count. Nigerian home team has proved not to be good enough. Many coaches have tried but they are yet to make it to nations cup. Your game 32 ended 3-2 in favor of Germany and not 2-1 and that game explains why Haruna Lukman is yet to taste Super Eagles under Siasia |
[/quote]People like you don't deserve a decent response. You are too raw and crude!gascoign1:[quote author=gascoign1 link=topic=780513.msg9333765#msg9333765 date=1318536839]OP you dey craze well well, how does this record qualify us for O'level exams(AFCON), A dead Amodu is far better than charcoal black and cheap packet shirt Siasia, Show me a country in the world where the coach cant qualify them for continental championship and still remain the next day? Are you one those idiots been paid by Siasia? Has there been any improvement in our senior team since he took over? Our SE is just the product of the chop chop party ruling Naija, so throw your useless records to the bush, ! |
Siasia remains the best. Let's stop this emotional outbursts that will lead us no where. Sometimes I wonder if an average Nigerian has analytical skills. |
Yes, Nigeria has failed for to qualify of AFCON 2012 courtesy of the last second equalizer in Abuja last Saturday. A lot of people have taken the result too far by advocating for the sack of Nigeria's most accomplished coach. This position if adopted will mean 20 steps backwards. The coming of Siaisa has brought keen competition in the Super Eagles unlike in the past when you can easily predict who gets invited and who gets to play. The play pattern of the Eagles has improved tremendously. They fight for the ball and play more as a team. Any attempt to get rid of Siasia by enemies of football in Nigeria will mean that indiscipline pays. Taking a look at Siasia's records below so far one cannot understand why the sudden change in attitude by some so called Nigerian fans. It has indeed happened before that, Siasia has failed to qualify the under 23 team for the all African games but went ahead to clinch the second spot in the olympics losing narrowly to Argentina in the final.I have a feeling that Siaisa will take us far in Brazil 2014 FACTS 1. Siaisa has never lost to any African team in any competition. I stand to be corrected. Met Ghana 5 times now. Never lost a single game to them. We must remember Ghana Vs Nigeria in London without Siasia 4-1 against Nigeria. Nigeria Vs Ghana, AFCON 2008 2-1 without Siasia, 2010 AFCON without siasia 1-0. 2011 All African games qualifier in Ghana without Siasia 2-0. 2. Siasia is the only Nigerian coach in recent memory to have taken us to the olympics final 3. Siasia is the only Nigerian coach that has taken us to FIFA competition cup final twice(Holland 05 and Olympics 08) 4. Siasia is the only Nigerian coach to have held Brazil in any competition 5. Best Attacking football by any Nigerian coach dead or alive. In just one year of taking over the Super Eagles, his team has incredibly scored a whopping 20 goals in 8 matches. In every game the Eagles had played, they had score at least a goal with the exception of Ghana friendly • Vs Sierra Leone: 2-1 • Vs Ethiopia: 4-0 • Vs Kenya: 3-0 • Vs Argentina: 4-1 • Vs Ethiopia: 2-2 • Vs Madagascar: 2-0 • Vs Argentina: 1-3 • Vs Guinea: 2-2 How then does this translate to poor performance? For the game against Guinea which everybody seems to be focusing on, these factors must be considered for fairness; • Timing: Did the 2pm start time play any role in the performance. When was the last time Nigeria played at that time and won? • CAF’s confusing qualification method. Did it affect the entire qualification series? • Prophesy, TB Joshua style: did it have any psychological effect on the team? • Is there any reason to suspect sabotage on the part of players who were unusually missing “unmissable” chances. • Siasia did not start the series, someone else started it and threw away the vital away game in Guinea and we have been chasing Guinea ever since then. The point is that Siasia is our best bet for now. We must organize serious friendlies to continue to shape the team. The qualifiers for 2013 AFCON starts January 2012, about 3 months from now. Let us not cause more confusion by talking about the sacking of the coach. |
You are right. Most Nigerians have become the dumbest creatures on earth!. It is revulsive |
Despite Nigerians' emotional outburst, though expected, Samson Siasia remains Nigeria's best option for now. We have seen some real transformations in the team. Their must be discipline in the team and our loss today must not be blamed on Enyeama's exclusion. It is childish to think so, after all, the same Enyeama was between the post when Tunisia came to Abuja and snatched a 2-2 draw in the same manner. If Siasia had not fielded Osaze, the same people would still think that we lost because Osaze was not fielded. We must not eat our cake and have it. We had about 4 clear scorable chances in the first half and we missed all. We had about another four in the second half and we missed them and we blame the coach because we eventually did not make it. If professionals can not convert simple chances, then we must look elsewhere to get our players. Siasia did everything right except, perhaps, the substitution of a midfielder (joel) for an Attacker (Ehiosun). If we ever make the disastrous mistake of sacking Siasia, it will send the message to all players that some of them are indispensable and that indiscipline pays. Not only that, we will spend another 2 years to look for a coach and by the time we get one, he will lose a vital away game during the world cup qualifier and the chase to catch the top team will start all over again. Anybody who has not watched the first leg game in Guinea should go and watch it and will cry for the type of pathetic display shown by Nigeria. THat is where our real problem started just like we lost to Angola in the build up to Germany 2006. Allow Siasia to learn from his mistakes. He remains the most professional Nigerian coach we have. 2013 nations cup is almost here. We can use the period to continue the building process. Clemence Westerhorf did not win the nations cup nor qualify for the World cup during his first year as a coach. It took him four years to qualify for the world cup and five years to win the nations cup. Nigerians must stop this viciousness with which they attack and insult our coaches and be reasonable for once. I know the enemies of Siasia will want to use this opportunity to want him removed so that they can continue to perpetrate their inequity. There must have being some supernatural forces working against Nigeria’s progress that is why prophets had seen this doom. |
[size=14pt]The only honorable and disciplined man in the whole of Nigeria[/size] |
I have never seen a hopeless Nigerian team as this. Players and coaches with very low IQ. Started defending from start to finish. No urgency, no intelligence, no formation, poor passes, lack of vision. Pure disgrace!!! |
As it is with what most Nigerians do-no thorough research, no indepth analysis, most people believe that Nigeria will not qualify if the place second-LIE. Nigeria can still go through if they place second and their points rank among the best 2 second placed teams all groups. The nations cup features 16 teams. There are 11 groups, two host countries and defending champions-Egypt. All group winners qualify (11 teams), two host countries qualify (13 teams), defending champions qualify (14 teams) and then 2 second best placed teams. |
[size=14pt]It is only when a man's heart is troubled that he seeks friendship with all manner of people. Jonathan's conscience is troubled that is why he wants to continue meeting with everybody. Presidential elections were crimminally rigged in the south east and south south. Only honest people will continue to agree with this. Dishonest people will always defend lies and fraud. While we agree that there is no permanent friends or foes in politics, there must be permamnent interests-interest of the masses. Jonathan has go to have principles and stand for something or he will continue to fall for anything[/size] |
Cement should't cost more than N700 -Manufacturer •exposes cabal behind price hike | Print | E-mail Written by Jackson Udom and Stephen Gbadamosi Sunday, 22 May 2011 The price of cement that recently hit all-time high of between N2, 700 and N3, 000 was the handiwork of a cabal that was interested in making undue profits from the locally-made variety of the commodity, Sunday Tribune has learnt. Although the Federal Government has already issued a deadline within which the price of cement must come down, failure of that directive to have potency might spell doom for the Federal Government Housing Policy. A cement manufacturer who is also the chairman, Cement New Entrants Forum, Prince David Iweta, disclosed this to Sunday Tribune at the weekend, while speaking about the growing concern among the masses over their inability to buy the commodity. Iweta disclosed that a particular cabal had, last year, hoodwinked the Federal Government into increasing the duty and levy on imported bulk cement from five to 15 per cent and introducing a certain Cement Technology Levy (CTL) of 20 per cent, adding that this caused the total levy on imported bulk cement to 35 per cent. He said unknown to the Federal Government, the target of this cabal, members of which are major players in the cement industry as well as local manufacturers, was up the price of imported cement and surreptitiously increase that of locally-produced ones too so as to swindle unsuspecting consumers. “I warned on this outcome when the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, recommended to the President to approve an upward review of duty on imported bulk cement from five per cent to 15 per cent and further introduce Cement Technology Levy (CTL) of 20 per cent; this made the duty and levy to go up to 35 per cent. “This happened late last year and the effect came up this year. This is supposed to affect imported bulk cement only and not locally manufactured cement. The game plan by the cabal was to enable them to cash in on the increase on imported cement to hike the price of their locally-manufactured cement; to equate it to the cost of imported cement at N1, 700 at the factory gates of local cement manufacturers. “This would also enable them to make abnormal profit to enable them to pay off their bank loans within two to three years as against long-term repayment of capital project funds of 10 to 15 years,” he said. The industrialist added that Nigerians should not listen to some stakeholders in the cement industry who attributed the exorbitant hike in the commodity’s price to problems of Low Power Fuel Oil (LPFO) from the Kaduna Refinery and the price of diesel that had gone up to about N140 per litre, disclosing further that the Federal Government had, long ago, approved exclusive importation of LPFO, with special duty concession, to cement manufacturers. “They should not cite the problems of Low Power Fuel Oil (LPFO) from Kaduna Refinery and price of diesel at N140 per litre as reasons for sharp increase in price of cement. The Federal Government had long approved the exclusive importation of petroleum products, particularly LPFO, with special duty concessions for cement manufacturers. They should stop passing the buck over possible inability to bring cement price down to N1, 000 by local manufacturer before the 30-day deadline. “I want to state here that with the deceitful plot by the so-called cement manufacturers and the fake figure given for local capacity in cement production, the Federal Government will not achieve 10 per cent of its programme of housing for all. “Therefore, I make bold to say that such programme will end in futility, except the Federal Government makes deliberate efforts to discard the tissue of lies and misleading information coming from the so-called cement manufacturers. “Our own association was empowered by late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who deemed it necessary to break the monopoly in the cement industry by granting six companies Special Cement Import Permit to crash the price from N2, 500 it was then to between N1, 400 and N1, 600. “It remained at these prices before the appointment of the minister, who aided the cabal in what led to the current high price being experienced in the country. It was the good effort of the late president that supported many cement stakeholders who had been denied access to Cement Import Permit from 2002 when the cabal came into force in Nigeria and was supported by the government in power from 1999 to 2007. Therefore, our presence created fear in the minds of the cabal as price became stabilised and came as low as N1 400 per 50 kilogramme bag,” Iweta explained. He, however, said there was hope that situation would come to normal, if government could reverse levies on imported bulk cement to five percent and approve the licence of some cement companies which applications were currently with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, adding that it was even possible for Nigerians to buy cement for as low as N700, as obtained, according to him, in countries like China, Liberia and Turkey. “The Federal Government’s directive that the price of cement must come down to N1, 000 per bag is very possible, particularly for locally-produced cement, while imported cement could be around N1, 400 per bag, if the duty remains at five per cent on bulk cement. The claim by cement manufacturers that price of LPFO and diesel for transporting cement from their factories to consumers is responsible for price hike is a bundle of lies. “What is the price of diesel in China? What is the cost of diesel in Liberia? What is the price of diesel in Turkey? What is the price of cement in these countries? It ranges from equivalent of N500 to N700 per bag from their local plants. “Therefore, the so-called cement manufacturers have no business selling locally-manufactured cement above N700 per 50 kilogramme bag. I stand to be challenged and I am ready, willing and able to defend this position. There are facts and figures to support my position. The cement manufacturers are robbing Nigerians by over 100 per cent. “To prove my case, only a few days ago, a member of the Cement Manufacturers Association declared financial statement for a three-month period and there was a gross profit of over 60 per cent as well as a 51 per cent net profit. Let the economic advisers to the president analyse this account and come up with a report on whether or not this is good for the country. “There is nowhere in the world today where this kind of profit is recorded and even from a product over which the masses are crying of high price. It has taken government a very long time to issue this directive because the cabal, with the aid of the ministry, has continuously told the public and the president that the country has attained self-sufficiency in local cement manufacturing and will start exporting by 2011 to African countries; these are in all national dailies and are lies.” |
Eziachi:Eziachi, You have done your part as a truthful and intelligent person. One thing I have observed about most Nigerians in the past couple of weeks is that they are irredeemably lost. Most are ignorantly proud of the foolishness. They sound so unintelligent (they think they are). They sound illogical (they think they are logical). The same failed reasoning and excuse, Nigerians have been using since 1960 to support failed leadership is what they continue to use to support the worst set of leaders in the world. Tragically, these lost Nigerians (who keep on repeating their mistakes over and over) have decided, devilishly to malign the only credible and corrupt free Nigerian that came out to save the lost souls of Nigeria. Nigeria has always had crisis almost every week for the past many years and nobody has been held responsible neither has there been any efforts to deal with the security agencies for failure to deal with these recurring crisis. Now they want to continue to politicize the post election riot in the north. Until the security agencies step up and do the work for which they are paid, more riots, more violence will continue to happen. Nigerians (most go to church) are terribly dishonest people. God must be angry with most of the so called Christians who go to church everyday asking for God’s mercies when it is difficult for them to confess that the presidential elections in the South South and South East and most part of Nigeria were rigged. The judgment day will soon be here and all liars and dishonest people will not inherit the Kingdom of God |
[size=14pt]And nobody knows the contents of the bill? Nigerian journalists are too d.umb for modern day journalism[/size] |
[size=14pt]Let's keep on justifying election fraud. All of you will be exposed soon. What a country of fraudsters parading themselves as supporters[/size] |
Anger in South East over NASS zoning*Igbo leaders divided on support for Jonathan By Ben Duru, Snr Correspondent, Umuahia Emmanuel Nzomiwu, Correspondent, Enugu, Felix Uka, Abakaliki andOkey Maduforo, Awka The zoning arrangement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which leaves no key position for the South East in the Presidency and National Assembly, is generating a lot of negative reactions from leaders and other stakeholders in the zone. Saturday Independent gathered from top political sources that the zone feels left in the cold especially with the silence on the issue of sharing of political offices by the Presidency. This paper learnt that the issue has become a serious challenge to the political class and that its integrity is on the line with obvious implications for 2015, adding that the people feel betrayed by the current moves within PDP. “We are not finding the current situation funny. It looks like everything we negotiated for before the election is crumbling before our eyes and there is nothing we can do about it. What is troubling most of us is how we are going to justify our actions before the people. It is a situation that needs urgent attention and the Presidency has to come out and clarify it. Whatever happens now will definitely have a spiral effect on the next election. “The truth is that all of us, the governors of the zone, the political class, the traditional institution, the Ohaneze Ndigbo and the pressure groups are all in this. None of us will escape the wrath of the people if we fail to get none of the four or five key positions. The post of Secretary to the Government of the Federation is not what we bargained, for and it will not be enough to placate the people. The ball is now in the court of President Goodluck Jonathan and if he really loves the South East, the time to really show it is now. “We have scheduled meetings on this matter and we are also waiting for the governors to speak on it. After that, we are going to come out with a common position because we need to protect our integrity. We are planning a delegation to the President anytime from now principally on the issue so that we know where we stand and what other steps to take,” a source said. Confirming this position to Saturday Independent, a leading politician in Abia State, Rufus Chimobi, lamented that Ndigbo has no fair share of the spoils of office if any of the key positions is not allotted to the area, adding that the massive votes the PDP received from the people would have amounted to a waste “The South East committed all its resources and the commitment yielded the desired dividend by the success recorded by Jonathan and the contributions of the zone requires a handsome reward. “If we are going to concede the Senate Presidency, definitely we are not going to concede the Speakership of the House of Representatives,” another speaker said, while calling for patience as the issue is resolved. As things stand, President Goodluck Jonathan is from the South South (Bayelsa State), while Vice President Namadi Sambo is from North West (Kaduna). The ruling PDP hierarchy has voted in favour of retaining the current zoning arrangement at the National Assembly. By that arrangement, the next Senate President will come from the North Central while the Speaker of the House of Representatives will come from the South West. But founding chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chekwas Okorie blamed Igbo leaders for the relegation of South East in the affairs of the country, which was demonstrated by PDP in its zoning for the coming political dispensation. Okorie, who spoke in a phone interview with Saturday Independent, said Ohanaeze Ndigbo and South East governors committed a blunder by endorsing Jonathan without brokering a deal with him. He argued that the bad fortune of Ndigbo was self-inflicted, arising from the miscalculation of Igbo leaders who decided to support the President unconditionally without “looking at the other side of the coin.” He regretted that the Igbo have been schemed out of everything, notwithstanding that God gave them number, ingenuity, especially in trade and other endowments needed to remain relevant in the affairs of the country. Okorie said: “The position of Ndigbo in Nigeria is self-inflicted. “If anybody thinks we were taken unaware, it is a mistake. Political relevance is either acquired through political action and negotiation from point of strength. It is not out of friendliness. That is the way I see it, but Igbo leaders think differently. “They will fall cheaply and come out to cry. When Ohanaeze started acquiring adverts in newspapers, endorsing Jonathan, I asked them, what was the deal. Ohanaeze lacks the position to do that. That is one thing Afenifere never did. Arewa never did that. “When APGA was burning, I cried, but people thought it was just Chekwas Okorie raising alarm until it was clear that (Anambra Governor) Peter Obi has sold out to Jonathan and PDP. We saw him attending PDP presidential rallies, wearing the same uniform with PDP governors and even offering vote of thanks. “Rather than think about what we can get from supporting the President, they were busy assigning Igbo names like Ebele and Azikiwe to him. I have never seen such naivety. PDP is presently a Northern party as constituted. They have 15 governors from the North and eight from the South. The North controls 75 per cent. Whatever they want to pass sails. This new zoning arrangement was presented by the northern governors.” Okorie, however, disclosed that Igbo leaders have been regrouping and engaging in consultation on how to chart a new course for the South East and would likely meet before the end of June in this regard. He said that the level of consultation now could be equated with the level in the formative days of APGA, adding that everybody has seen the importance and not just people seeing it as an Okorie affair Also, the acceptance of the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), as the slot for the South East by the governors in the area has sparked off varied reactions with most people in the zone saying it was a sellout. Chris Nwankwo, a senator-elect from Ebonyi State, said it was of less consequence where the best person for a position comes from. Jerry Obasi, former state chairman of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) said the post of the SGF should rather be a palliative to Ndigbo, not to be negotiated as their take in the PDP power sharing arrangement. Obasi, who is the state chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) explained that all the major political parties in the zone joined their interests to throw up Jonathan and have done much to deserve regards and due shares in the scheme of things.” As confusion continues to reign over the sustained agitations by the South East for the post of Senate President or Speaker of House of Representatives former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has said it is too early to conclude that Jonathan has sold them out. According to him, “Mr. President did not sign any agreement in principle with Ndigbo, but we had a good understanding with him as a brother that his regime would better the lot of the South East. But it is rather too early for one to begin to shout or cry that he has abandoned Ndigbo. “Though we did not have a pact with him for the post of Senate President or whatever, common sense and good reasoning demand that it should be zoned to us” Ezeife noted, however, that it is not for the zone to complain to Jonathan about the Senate presidency but for PDP to review its position about zoning. But national secretary of Igbo’s Elders Forum, Prince Chynna Iwuanyanwu, alleged that several efforts by the body to meeting and iron out some important issues with Jonathan proved abortive. He argued that if Jonathan had any agreement with any zone by, it was probably with the northern part of Nigeria. Iwuanyanwu insists that there was never any consensus in the first place and that the President does not owe the zone anything more than what it deserves. |
[size=13pt]No amount of propaganda, emotional and inciting outbursts will justify the electoral fraud perpetrated in the south east and south south and some other parts of Nigeria. I have come to the conclusion that most people from the south are fraud infested that's why they enjoy it. Time will tell. I am still waiting for the clueless Jonathan regime to arrest and prosecute all previous perpetrators of violence in Nigeria starting from Jos, Akwa Ibom, Abuja, Kaduna etcetera. It is the job of the government to prevent and stop violence no matter the circumstance. As we wait for them to do this, let lovers of fraud like Beaf continue to rule the waves with their illogical rhetoric. Honest people will definitely laugh last [/size] |
ALMAJIRI OR YOUTH CORPERS: WHO SERVED NIGERIA BETTER? - Deadly truth Speaks by Emeka Enechi on Wednesday, 27 April 2011 at 11:17 Gadafi called them ‘miscreants’. The U.N. called them Libyan rebels. President Jonathan called the Nigerian version ‘miscreants’. I called them Rebels without a cause. Everybody else calls them Almajiri. If your ballots are stolen, and the Police and Courts do nothing, it is legitimate to go violent - like in Libya. NATO is supporting the Libyan miscreants bombing shit out of those that stole their wealth. In Nigeria, we vote for our thieves, our heroes. Democracies are not won by words but by the blood of martyrs and innocents, because autocrats NEVER give up power easily - the English Civil Wars, French Revolution, American War of Independence – blood, blood, blood – and autocrats always call rebels “miscreantsâ€. In Africa blood still flows. In Kenya 1000 died when Mwai Kibaki tried to cheat Raila Odinga. South Africa, Mozambique, Angola - their paths to democracy all soaked in blood. Few countries got independence like Nigeria on a platter of Gold. But soon the Gold tarnished and the blood began –Operation Wetie in wild west, Coups, Igbo genocide in the North and Biafra, all because 1964 elections were rigged. In our present Democracy hundreds have died - Ekiti, Ondo, Uyo, Ebonyi? In Jos, they rigged a local Government Election on 28th November 2008. The Almajiri began burning and killing. They fought the police with machetes. The police shot over 400 of them. A cold kind of heroism. With the Presidential elections the North exploded. The miscreant Almajiri were killing again. They were cursed for “irrational†violence but no one asked why the youth corpers were targeted? I want to change that debate, by asking – the Almajiri and the Youth Corpers, whose actions served Nigerian democracy best? The Almajiri, uneducated in Western education but schooled in Islamic education, did something no army of internet warriors could dare. There is an internet group dreaming digital dreams of revolution. The Almajiri did not dream. They acted – with their own electoral revolution. They were the only people, it seems, that understood that defending their vote was a do or die battle and that those who impoverish the people by stealing their wealth deserve to die. I decided to ask some Almajiris why the Youth Corpers were attacked. The answer revealed a political sophistication many Southerners lack. The youth corpers were easily bought. In a Nigeria were criminality is normal, youth idealism is dead. Corpers were caught thumb printing ballots. In the North, it seemed Southern Corpers clearly showed a preference they were willing to rig against Buhari, because of their Southern support Jonathan. There is an even more dangerous dimension. Southern Youth Corpers are sent to the North without any orientation to explain the history and values of the place. They come with poor images of Northerners as primitive, dirty, cattle rearers, smelly bunch of megads, etc. The condescension is terrible and the Northerners know it. I have always wondered about the corper whose facebook post is now popular. “This CPC people , “ it said. In that statement the contempt was clear. SOUTHERN YOUTH CORPERS WERE SERIOUSLY ANTI-CPC. And they did not hide it. Southern Youth Corpers can be very visible and disliked in the Muslim Far North for their disregard of and misconceptions of Islam. Southern women youth corpers gallivant about, feeling superior, totally ignorant they are causing offence in manners and clothing and seen as easy whores. They openly show disgust at “smelly†Almajiri children. Just reading the posts of Southerners in Facebook reveal this. The ignorance about Islam; about the fact the Almajiri religious training system is teaching young people respect and kindness to the poor through a rigorous experience of begging, but they also learn Islamic political consciousness. The Southerners also lack a knowledge of the history of the North. The North had City States and empires in the Sahel and trade routes with the Arabs as far back as the 14th Century, long before Portuguese Sailors met Southern primitives at the Atlantic Coast. It is these pent up anger against what many Muslim Far Northerners see as contemptuous youth corpers, the resistance to CPC whilst supporting PDP rigging, the rumours that many accepted quick money, made the Youth Corpers partisan in the territory of the “enemy†but they looked down on the "enemy" and thought he could do nothing being so primitive, uneducated, stupid, moo moo, etc. Yes the Corpers were not all exactly "innocent". Stories spread of the money that some took to betray democracy. It was said that in one State, the Governor gave each N30k to thumbprint – and such incidents soiled the names of the innocent Youth Corpers. But Southerners just saw the death of Youth Corpers. Nobody saw the death of Almajiris - their mothers, somewhere, are crying too. They were defending our democratic rights. Through the night in Bauchi, they battled with machetes against police with guns. Many died fighting for their hero - “Sai Gaskiya†– the man of truth. They struck at those they believed were the agents of the Ruling PDP who had given them no education, no health, no future. They attacked their Emirs, whom they heard were bribed; the Emirs that oppressed them with false interpretations of Islam. They attacked the PDP stalwarts, their agents and the Youth Corpers that sold out. Then the real Miscreants took over to kill and loot. I thought about the Almajiri and the Southerners that condemned them. I thought of the day I travelled with a Southerner into a Muslim area and left the car and doors wide open with my computer in the back. The Southerner was shocked. Lock the car she shouted. Look at all those boys, they will steal the computer bag. I smiled and tried to explain to her Southern mind, full of armed robbers and kidnappers, that my computer was as safe as houses. Those dirty boys will protect my bag with their lives. It seems that Southerners do not really understand Northern concepts of honour and honesty. The Northern Muslim, can kill, yes kill, when his sense of honesty and honour is breached. Arabs have the same sense of blood honour. But what fascinated me most in the choices of the Southerners and the Almajiri, was that given a party of known thieves and two honest men, the Southerners chose the party of thieves whilst the Almajiri were willing to fight and die for two honest men - profound. It would seem that the Almajiri are no fools. They targeted everything that represented their oppression. They knew that Jonathan was part of that Ruling PDP unlike Southerners who somehow think they voted for Jonathan (a good man) but not PDP (an evil party). What delusion. The Almajiri are far more politically astute. They know we need honesty and truth at the top to save our country – and were prepared to die for it. As I watched the efforts made during this Governorship polls to be transparent, it occurred to me that the sanity was because of the action of Almajiri rebels. In the tally of the bloody cost of democracy, that was a small price to pay to clean up our democracy. Nobody planned the Almajiri revolt. They are educated in Islam and know how to use mobile phones. Buhari had no idea. His vehicles were smashed in the mayhem because his convoy did not know of the uprising. Yet our PDP Ruling Oligarchy chose to behave like all autocrats. It was their rigging and bribery that caused the violence, yet they are using the highly compromised media to put the blame on Buhari. But who are to blame? Those that put the Youth Corpers in harm’s way and those who rigged. I agree that a statue should be erected for Youth Corpers who honestly served democracy? But I also think of the hundreds of Almajiri who died in Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano. And inside me I formed a second statue, in memory of the Almajiri dead, of an Almajiri with a machete held high. And at the base an epitaph: “I am President Jonathan’s Miscreant No deadlier than his rascals that rant My blood has flowered our course For I am no rebel without a cause†I could be a Northerner. I could be a Southerner. The Truth has no tribe or religion. The Truth is Neutral. The Truth is Deadly. But the Truth shall set us free. |
Odunnu:No I am not a hater. I also fought for Goodluck to be enthroned during the Yaradua debacle. This was purely based on principles and not sentiments and emotions ruling Nigerians today. As for the statistics, I will give it to you: In Nigeria, a plate of food costs about |


