₦airaland Forum

Bros,

How many questions I get now? and what is my prize?

whiteroses:
we love nigeria but she doesn't care.

And U didn's stay huh?

I suppose don answer since then, but I know just sabi why I no do am. Na the ones I know since then be that but I no just get myself to answer them.

Athletes on the run — from uncaring nation - Abiodun Raufu

When Nigeria held trials to pick athletes to represent the west Africa nation in
one of the world’s most prestigious athletic events, two key competitors were conspicuously absent.

Gloria Alozie, Nigeria’s foremost hurdler and silver medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics,
and Francis Obikwelu, the nation’s 100 and 200 metres sprint champion, dumped Nigeria
for their newly adopted countries mere weeks before the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF)
world championship in Edmonton, Canada.

Their departure is not unique among African athletes: Canadian immigration officials are sorting through
the refugee claims of 106 athletes and artistes — mostly from Africa — who chose not to return home
after the 10-day Francophone Games ended in Ottawa on July 24.

Both Obikwelu’s defection to Portugal and Alozie’s decision to acquire Spanish nationality
have stunned Nigerians. They have also spurred some timely introspection.

Alozie was embittered by the shabby treatment of her late fiance, Hyginus, by
Nigerian sports officials at the Sydney Olympics last year.

Hyginus, a sprinter who failed to make the Nigerian Olympic team, travelled with the squad to
Sydeny to give Alozie moral support. But Nigerian officials did not allow him to stay with the
contingent, infuriating Alozie and sparking a well-publicised row in the Nigerian press.

Hyginus was later killed in a hit-and-run road accident in Sydney and the initial reluctance of
Nigerian officials to pay to fly his body back home further angered Alozie.

Despite her grief, she went on to win silver in the 110m hurdles. But by then,
she had decided to abandon her country of birth.

On June 29 Alozie was granted Spanish citizenship and she jumped at the offer to run under Spain’s national colours.

Alozie’s decision — revealed a week later by sports officials — upset friends and stunned Nigerians.

“She was not made in Spain but here in Nigeria,” said Amelia Edet, chief coach with the
Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and close friend. “Her exit is a challenge to us to work hard
and produce another world-class athlete.”

Coach Gad Onumaegbu, who trained her for the Sydney Olympics, was more sympathetic.
“Has she not tried for this country?” he said. “As a Nigerian, I feel bad about her decision.
But what can I do? Nothing.”

The dust raised by Alozie’s defection had not quite settled when the report came of
Obikwelu’s decision to run for Portugal.

The news was broken in July by Nigerian sprinter Mercy Nku, who like Obikwelu is
based in Lisbon. She said Obikwelu took the decision because of neglect by Nigerian
sports officials when he was injured while representing Nigeria in Sydney.

“Do you know that Francis Obikwelu was left alone to take care of the injury he
sustained in the Sydney Olympics?” Nku said. “he had to go to Canada to undergo
an operation on his knee spending his own money.”

Nku said she had also been invited to change nationality by a number of European countries and,
she added, the incentives are tempting. “But I have made up my mind not to take off,”
she promised. “I love Nigeria and will remain here.” (Suffer head )

Yet Nku was quick to add that life is difficult for Nigerian athletes.

“We are most of the time neglected,” she said. “Some officials even claim that we make so
much money and so do not need government assistance, which is really not true.
Corporate bodies here do not in any way assist athletes, even with the abundance of talents.”

Nigerian long jumper Angus Bodunde agrees, but unlike Nku he would
change citizenship if he had the chance. (Sharp guy, but unfortunately not known )

“If I have the opportunity to travel out, I will grab it, and I will prefer the USA or Britain,”
Bodunde said. “My first task, if I get to any of these two countries,
will be to start the process of becoming a citizen.

“Nigeria as a country is killing sports,” he added. Some observers even blame
President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

“Nigerian athletes are used to cash awards from government before, during and after
major competitions,” said Funmi Erinle, editor of Sporting Tribune, a sports weekly newspaper
based in Ibadan, Nigeria. But since 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo became President,
all that has stopped and the defections have simply increased.”

There have been defections earlier as well. Basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon took American
citizenship in 1993 to represent the USA at the Olympics. He is now a star player in the
National Basketball League (NBA), the top professional basketball league in North America.

David Dafiagbon, a promising Nigerian amateur boxer who won gold in the Commonwealth
Games for Nigeria, changed nationality in 1995 to represent Canada at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta,
where he won a silver medal for his new country. In 1999, Nigerian wrestler Daniel Igali followed in
Dafiagbon’s footsteps when he went on to win gold for Canada at the Sydney Olympics.

It was the same story for Emmanuel Olisadebe, a relatively unknown Nigerian footballer
until he joined a club in Poland. He immediately became the toast of Polish soccer fans and
was persuaded to play for the Polish national soccer team. He agreed and was granted Polish citizenship.
Today, Olisadebe’s crucial goals are the main reason why Poland is likely to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

Adeniyi Adesina, a sports writer with The Punch newspaper in Lagos, blames the defections on
“lack of policy on how to take care of the athletes’ future even when they are poorly compensated while still active”.

“Nigerian sports are still not run transparently,” he said. “It is full of policy somersaults as a result
of lack of focus on how to manage and reward performance and to develop sports.”

Former AFN President Oluyomi Adeyemi-Wilson said one of the means of stemming the exodus is to offer welfare packages to athletes.

“When athletes are assured of a brighter future,” he said, “they will not run away.” — Gemini News

@ Kola,
Sorry I ignored this quiz.

My try:

1) David Dafiagbon is a boxer. He won the Commonwealth gold for Nigeria in Auckland 1990. He has dumped Naigeria for Canada I think.

2)Rashidi Yekini scored Niageria's only goal at the onlympics in Seoul 88 vs Yugoslavia. Who laid the pass?

3) Andrew Uwe

4) (How many passes did JJ lay for Aghahowa?)

5) Chioma Ajunwa , ASP, Long Jump

6)

7) Chief Francis Aiyegbeni

Kayode Oluyemi, ran the 3rd leg in that "golden" silver.

9) Baba no regret , Adeboye Onigbinde.

10) JJ Okocha and Co.

Rate me quiz master.

Priscila:
Lampard! this man fascinates me with his kicks> so hot and lethal
what a striker?

Priscy, I really admire your enthusisam in this forum. I can't just imagine that this is the same person that was new to the game some months back!

Keep it up baby.

The question: Gerrard by far!

lordimpaq:
@asanga,
if you r a manure fan, just sit down and plan for next season, because there is no other silverware left for this season,

after all you have the carling cup

Count UNITED out at your own PERIL!

Goals! Goals!! Goals!!!

Seen quite a lot of them.

Jayjay vs Kahn in Karlsruhe (kahn will NEVER forget that goal)

Ryan Giggs Vs Arsenal (Who can beat that)

There is this pure magic that Zola and Poyet did again Sunderland one year like that (Kola please remind me the year ). A freekick and Zola chipped the ball for Poyet to meet it mid air with a wicked shot. Classical

Oliver Bierhoff's header @ USA 94 against Mexico. Campos was left to catch the post with the wicked header.

Why didn't anybody remember that Paul Gascoigne classic @ Euro '96? The match against Scotland! GREAT GOAL!!!

More to come.

Thank you o my brother. The last season's ECL, Barca outclassed their team but they were able to win. Nobody talked about Barca's class afterwards because it is the victory that matters.

I don't know if they give points/ awards based on display.

I know U will always have something to say. I trust you.

nightrider:
i am defntly hoping Man-u catch Chelsea. But Man-u is sure to slip up on sunday against arsenal

Please this is all about Chelski and United. Carry ur wahala go the proper thread

Please reyes no abuse here

whether they are back or not is the issue.

The koko is that the gunners are gonna be gooners on the 9th

Igwe or whatever name you call him will definitely meet his size on that day.

Let's just wait and see

@lordimpaq

Who is manure? U no serious at all.

@Kola,

One thing about U people is that you will know the truth but will still continue to make yeye mouth. The same thing happen against Barca when U guys were making unnecessary noise but after the matches what happened? U were all

Now it is the turn of the premiership and U are still making mouth when you know that the farmers @ the potato farm of yours are already tired and worn out

Let's wait and see what they can come up with against West Ham. Then we go come see levels

@Kola

Have U read this? http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=363711&cc=%
I'm sure it will start making U shit 4 dross now

Did U say Mourinho didn't promise to rap it all up by April?

I'm now convinced you are trully a blue. Drogba said he used to dive and immediately retracted that and said it is people putting words in his mouth.

If I search this thread, I would have found lot of post by ur ilks that the title will be won by April.

Thank God you are all eating your words now sha.

Final Verdict: IT IS NOT OVER YET!

True YARN!

I think the kill starts from next week and ends at Stamford bridge

We want to show everybody we fear no foe. The same happened to newcastle 10 years ago. They lost the title when they lost to United @ St. James' Park of all places.

For those who don't know, 10 years ago, in January Newcastle United with the great Sheare, Andy Cole, Aspirilla, Tomas Brolin, was leading Man U by a whooping 16 points! But By April of that year, the lead was cut to "0" with the comeback of the GREAT Cantona from suspension At the end of the season, United won the premiership.

Last week, I told my uncle IT IS NOT OVER YET! but he told me to sit down and stop ranting. I hope to ask him by Monday if I am still ranting now

This is a warning to all Chelsea people: THE BATTLE IS NOT OVER YET!

You will definitely at the end of the day. Just watch ur back, we are coming for you

Greetings to all my United gees!

I remember this kind of thread coming up in a soccer forum last year b4 the FA Cup final.

It didn't go United way that very day but we all knew who played better.

This time around, levels go change, walahi I'm 100% sure United is carrying the day!

Thank God there are no Viera, Keane and Keown this time around!

THERE'S ONLY ONE UNITED!

asanga:
Man U will win ofcourse what do you expect they call Arsenal our wives we know how to beat them silly ask Lauren he will tell you what he suffers from C Ronaldo.

@teeroy

Whats up man? where have you been since all these days? I hope all is well with you.

Akolawole:
I rember mike onyemachara

Mike Onyemachara played his part to an extent till he faded out in the 90s, at least he was with the 1989 U20 squad to Saudi.

Most of the guys we have mentioned on this thread were those who have flattered to deceive. Can U imagine one guy in jasper United then, Paul Kpoughol or whatever. he came out really hot in the 90s then he was even close to scoring twenty goals one season like that only for him to vanish into thin air. This was a guy that was on the scene before Olisadebe came to Jasper United then.

charlisco:
is fire work a graphic application?

Yes Charlie!

thekrafter:
They aren't really comparable.
Compare Fireworks with Illustrator instead. They're both vector based. Photoshop is for image manipulation/creation.

Why if I may ask? To me, FW is as good as PS

Etoo is not a Nigerian! 4get that crap His father was intervied sometimes back and he said: "WE ARE NOT FROM NIGERIA!"

dominobaby:
Of dese two, i think i'l take Dan. Its more or less as if u are comparing Rhythm n Cool fm presenters which is a tough one 4 me. On Rhythm, i love JAJ- jacob akinyemi johnson, Nanya, Tope Brown n Femi Showolu. On cool f.m: Ebele n Dare

Dominobaby! Do you still reside in Naijaland?

Femi and Tope Brown left Rhythm long time ago!

Which do you prefer?

Me: Fireworks all the way.

Ynot:
Where are the programmers in the house at? Someone should be thinking of making a nairaland screensaver that look like that.

True yarn! Please who will take up this challenge oooo

Akolawole:
All the big teams get decisions in favour of them
Just yesterday, Fulham deserve a penalty against Chelsea which was not given.

So why is he complaining that Fulham influenced the Refree in disallowing that Drogba's goal that was purely a handball?

A sign of confusion?

Oga if you no wan give prize talk say U no wan give. Which one be that No 4 question? Haba

Can U even tell us the no of matches Yekini and Amokachi played together? Ask any of them did question and they will tell you they can't remember.

Na wah for u o.

BTW, how many should one get to qualify for your gift?

slimgene:
@ nightrider,
I think your pick here is reasonable so why r u so unreasonable on the other thread? Ruud scores more than Henry. Why cantcha see that?

Tommy how far now?

So glad to see your posts here. never knew you are a member of this forum.

Remember me? Ade, Deji Bab's cousin. I've been trying to get deji to join this forum but the guy is just over busy.


You are really going my guy! Don't worry God will definitely lift you up.

Will Holla @ u when I come to Agege any time.

The problem with this thread is that it was starter by a gunner. So whatever anybody says seem to be irrelevant

People keep shouting arsenal, but the thread is about the last ten years, not 3 or 5 years.

@Babs in case you need to know, Cantona retired in 1997 after helping Man u to another trophy. So I wonder if 1997 is not part of this decade.

So guys let's put objectivity into this discussion or probably the starter should change the question into in the last 2/3 years.

As per the coaches, we all know that is settled, 19 trophies in 19years is a feat no coach has and will ever match! So argument is closed for that side.

Thanks Charlisco and Ynot for this info.

@Seun, we will all appreciate it if this is done.