₦airaland Forum

Stephen Keshi has confirmed that
the Nigerian Sports Minister, Dr
Tammy Danagogo made it possible
for him to take charge of the two
Afcon 2015 qualifiers against Congo
and South Africa.
There has been a lot of uncertainty with the current
situation at the Nigeria Football Federation's post
world cup leadership crisis as well as the planned
congress and elections into the Board,.
Keshi exclusively told supersport.com from his
California home in the US, that "the Minister has
asked me to come take charge of these matches
while the NFF situation is sorted out. I am a Nigerian
and love to contribute to anything that will help my
fatherland always".
It will be recalled that following the end of Nigeria's
world cup campaign in Brazil, Keshi said he was tired
of his current working conditions and relationship
with the then NFF Board and was leaving his post.
The NFF on their part agreed that his contract had
expired and were not too keen to renew it.
Things seems to have changed as Keshi is keen to
continue his work with the crop of players he has
made African Champions in South Africa in 2013 and
taken to the World Cup. The NFF on their part seem
to have had a change of plans and started negotiating
with the coach.
"Yes, we have been discussing about a new contract"
Keshi says. "The documents are with my lawyers and
we are hopefully going to find a level ground so we
can move on. In the meantime, we have to get
through these qualifiers first"
According to a source in the NFF, part of the contract
talks with the coach includes "arrangements to get
him to attend coaching courses in Europe regularly
as part of us offering him the assistance he needs for
the task of coaching the country".
On his assistants the source says "the new deal will
see the NFF paying his assistants that the coach
chooses and the former situation will not be allowed
to rise again where Keshi paid them himself"
Stephen Keshi informs that he drew up the list of
players "yes, it was my list of players and I hope to be
able to get the required results with them. Those not
on the lists have not been permanently excluded as I am always on the lookout for good Nigerian players
all over the world"
The current situation with Stephen Keshi has split
public opinion through down the middle in Nigeria.
Many believe that the team's performance at the
World Cup was not good enough and that he should
go and another man takes over. They also believe
that he comes with a lot of drama and seems to
encourage or stick to some or same players.
There is another school of thought who would rather
Keshi leaves with his reputation intact instead of
working in an environment that does not encourage
hard workers and successful people like him.
These school believe that a coach who has won a
prestigious tournament like the AFCON and qualify
for the world cup deserve to be treated much better
than he has been currently so he is better off without
it all.
Whatever the case might be, Nigeria has an AFCON
title to defend in Morocco next year with qualifiers to
negotiate first, they stand a better chance with Keshi
in charge one is likely to think.

Truck-load of bush meat suspected to be monkey
meat smuggled into the country by a yet to be
identified smuggler, yesterday, was destroyed by
operatives of Kaduna and Katsina command of the
Nigerian Custom Service.
According to Customs Comptroller of Federal
Operations Unit (FOU, Zone B), Maina Tijjani
Suleiman, the truck was intercepted Thursday
morning at the Katsina border…
Suleiman also said the truck contained 351 bags of
bush meat and that each of the bags weighed 100Kg,
stressing that the seized meat may have come from
Libya.
He explained that the seizure was necessary in view
of the current challenge of the dreaded Ebola
disease, noting that had the meat made its way to
Nigerian markets, “only God will tell the extent of
damage it may cause.”
He warned importers of similar products to desist
from doing such or face the full wrath of the law,
assuring that the customs would not shirk from its
responsibility of supporting the ongoing fight against
Ebola.
“The driver abandoned the vehicle and ran away after
he was chased by our men. But then, some
hoodlums attempted to attack our men and it took
the reinforcement of operatives before the truck was
retrieved.”

Mercy Johnson speaks on why she loves Genevieve Nnaji Mercy Johnson has spoken once again of her love for actress Genevieve Nnaji, who she says is her role model. Speaking with City People magazine, Mercy Johnson said she adores Genevieve and doesn't know what she can do that will be better than what Genevieve has done in the movie industry "I think I have one of the best role models ever. I like Genevieve like crazy. I started watching her movies from the onset but I didn't want to be Genevieve, I wanted to be Mercy with the motivation that a Genevieve could give me. So I watched lots of movies. I don't play with her movies. I don't know what I can do that will be better than what she has done. But I just try to improve on it, try to do it the way she will do it and perhaps even better to my own level. I practice like all the time. It is like a passion. It is just where I want to be. I am alive and I am in my space. It was paramount to perfect that space. I need everything. I watch everything. Nothing passes me by. I watch newscasters reading there news and after they are done, I sit down the way they do and read the news like that. So it is practice and Passion." she said. Continue... Mercy went further to say that her love for Genevieve has never been hypocritical. "It was never a hypocritical kind of love or likeness. It was plain. I didn't even ever think I will become close to her. It is like I can meet her anytime I want to". On how she felt when she first met Genevieve Nnaji; "Ahh! The first time I met her, my friend took me there. When we got to where she was, I became nervous. I told my friend "no, let me hide in your boot". And I did. I got into her boot. Can you imagine I came to see her and when I got there, I wanted to run back. I jumped into my friend's boot. So when she came out of the hotel, I could not see her, I could only hear her voice. The 2nd time I saw her was on set. When she came down and I met her, she said" "Ahh! Mercy, I like your movies" and I started crying. I was in tears of joy. I said "Aunty Genny, so you watch my movies?". She was sort of embarrassed. Before I met her, she had already known that there was somebody who was crazily insane about her. She was really nice to me, receptive. And even whenever we work together, she will correct me and say, that thing you did, you could have done it this way. Usually in life, you will know somebody, who is more than you. Give him or her that respect. You can't fight a battle you can't win. It does not make any sense. If somebody is much more bigger than you, there is nothing as big as you admitting it and hearing it from that person. I didn't come into the picture to compete with anybody. I came to learn, do it well, make it and be there" she said