The Nigerian Professional Football League season is gradually coming to a close after 22 matchdays in an abridged 24-team league format before the playoffs where the winner for the 2019 season will be determined.

Only last season, the league was stopped after the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the leadership tussle within the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) on matchday 24 which resulted in Lobi Stars becoming champions by virtue of being on top of the league at the time.

The League Management Committee (LMC) agreed to run a 24-team format for the 2019 season since no team was relegated in the previous 2018 season in spite of four teams being promoted from the Nigeria National League (NNL).

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/29/who-becomes-the-nigerian-professional-football-league-2019-season-winner/

The National Assembly is Nigeria’s highest legislature and is comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together, we have 469 legislators- 360 members in the House of Representatives representing the 360 federal constituencies and 109 senators.

For 181 days of the 365 days we have in a year, the National Assembly is in session, painstakingly gaining insights into the plight of the common man and looking for ways to ensure that new laws are introduced to address the challenges Nigerians face while old laws may be reviewed to ensure that they are still relevant.

The average Nigerian works at least 261 days in a year without taking into consideration public holidays, annual leave, sick leave or any other situation that may take someone out of work.

So to be fair to the National Assembly (NASS), they work just as long and as hard as the average Nigerian, even more so because they are making laws that affect the whole country. Whoever said ‘uneasy lies the head that wears the crown’ must have had NASS in mind.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/27/who-is-complaining-of-the-giveaway-sales-at-the-nigerian-national-assembly/

In the next two days, Babajide Sanwo-Olu will be sworn in as the new governor of Lagos State, succeeding Akinwunmi Ambode, the governor that was “removed” by the landlord who controls all the nooks and crannies of the state.

However, this might have not been possible if Ambode did not step on the people’s toes, being that the Lion of Bourdillon did not act unilaterally. According to the information that I gathered, it was the people who went to Tinubu and told him that they did not want Ambode again. And since Tinubu draws his power from the people, he had to oblige.

Nonetheless, it will be wise if Babajide Sanwo-Olu runs a people-centred government in order to avoid the repetition of what happened to his predecessor. In other words, for Sanwo-Olu to be a man of the people, he must do the following in his first 100 days in office.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/27/babajide-sanwo-olus-first-100-days-in-office-what-lagos-state-residents-expect-from-the-new-governor/

Ever since GSM phones were introduced in Nigeria back in 2001, the country has gradually begun to see new forms of technology take over almost every aspect of our lives. From electricity to transportation, and even construction, the processes we are involved with are gradually being influenced by emerging technologies.

All over the world, the discussion has been on what jobs would soon be lost to increased automation and the development of Artificial Intelligence. The simple answer is all repetitive jobs that require little or no mental exertion.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/27/10-jobs-in-nigeria-that-may-no-longer-exist-in-10-years/

As a Nigerian, and indeed an African, I have watched in earnest almost every game of the Under-20 FIFA World Cup presently going on in Poland. In particular, I am excited at the prospect of the Nigerian Flying Eagles, as the younger Nigerian football teams tend to do better than the Super Eagles in international tournaments.

The reason I watch these FIFA tournaments closely this is that I have no doubt that African football players are gifted with quickness, pace, and agility. However, it still puzzles me why our players magically stop excelling once they get over 20 years, despite dominating in the younger FIFA-based tournaments.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/26/is-it-the-eba-effect-or-is-it-older-age-players-why-do-some-nigerian-flying-eagles-players-at-the-fifa-under-20-world-cup-in-poland-look-older-written-by-funsho-ayoade/

Earlier this month, I was at a local grocery store to get beverages. Instinctively, I used my left hand to pay for what I bought. The store attendant, a relatively older woman, refused to collect the money from me. She claimed that as a Yoruba man that I am, I ought to know it’s rude and disrespectful giving money to someone, no matter how young, using my left hand.

She wasn’t bothered that I used my left hand naturally. Rather, she started preaching to me to drive her point home. According to her, the left hand is the devil’s while the right hand is God’s.
Every good thing, she claimed, is associated with the right hand while the bad and not-so-good ones are associated with the left. She even linked the matter to her religious belief about the Judgement Day and how good people whose good deeds outweighed their bad deeds will be on God’s right-hand side, and bad people, whose bad deeds outweighed their good deeds, would be on God’s left-hand side.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/25/the-curse-of-being-left-handed-in-nigerian-society-and-other-stereotypical-judgements-written-by-segun-ogunlade/

When President Muhammadu Buhari in 2014, was campaigning vigorously for the office of the president, “war against corruption”, was the overwhelming theme of his change mantra. And seeing how the corrupt led administration of Jonathan was about to run the country aground, most Nigerians threw their weight around Buhari, which consequently led to his emergence after making several failed attempts.

Indubitably, since Buhari assumed office in 2015, he has fought corruption vigorously through the enforcement of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) that mandates all receipt, revenue, and income are collected into one single account and the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) with a mandate to validate controls, assess risks, prune personnel cost, ensure compliance with public financial management reform, detect errors and make recommendations to management for necessary actions.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/15/why-the-buhari-administration-may-never-win-the-war-against-corruption/

Lagosian in New York City podcast show notes: On this episode, Lagosian is joined by Aji, Totti, and Hoyas on the Football Round Table to discuss the English Premier League (EPL) and UEFA Champions League. They argue which of the other top 6 EPL team players would make it into Man City’s starting eleven. Who is better Aubameyang or Aguero? What’s wrong with Leroy Sane? The discussants place bets on what teams will win the UEFA Champions League and Europa Cup finals. Hoyas spills his heart passionately summarizing Manchester United’s performance this season.

Check the information on the link if you want to be a guest on the show.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/14/listen-to-the-lagosian-in-nyc-football-round-table-podcast-pepfection-poor-liverpool-auba-vs-aguero-uefa-champions-league-guests-totti-aji-hoyas/

There is no consensus answer as to who is the greatest or best male African football player of all time. Take the Qwenu! poll below and tell us who you think he should be. Tell us why you chose the player in the “Leave a response” section below. Tell us the criteria you used to make your decision – club and country appearance, performances, awards and accolades, etc Feel free to include your country of origin.

Qwenu Poll: Who is the greatest male African footballer of all time? (One choice only. Feel free to add your response if not on the list)

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/12/who-is-the-greatest-african-football-player-of-all-time-written-by-okechukwu-ekemezie/

When it comes to the national team of any country, age counts for nothing as only competence and ability matter. This explains why the likes of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé and Kylian Mbappé became World Cup winners as teenagers for Brazil and France respectively.
Ronaldo de Lima of Brazil and Argentina’s football wizard Lionel Messi both went to their first World Cup as teenagers even if they had limited roles to play.

In the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Micheal Owen justified his place in the English squad coached by Glenn Hoddle as a then 18-year-old with his iconic displays especially against Argentina in the second round before England lost on penalties. Recently, Nigeria seems to have been caught in the web of deciding whether Samuel Chukwueze should play for the Flying Eagles in Poland at the Under-20 World Cup or for the Super Eagles at the African Cup of Nations holding in Egypt.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/11/is-samuel-chukwueze-too-young-to-play-for-the-super-eagles-of-nigeria/

Honesty is a serious crime in Nigeria. Those who follow this path risk being victimized, demonized, and ostracized from the scheme of things. No wonder that many who are averse to evil, injustice, and corruption would rather keep quiet and watch the system rot than to constructively confront it for fear that they might be witch hunted.

If you are very familiar with the story of the late Dora Akunyili and Nuhu Ribadu when they headed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), then you will realize that honesty is a dangerous venture.

Before Dora Akunyili became the director of NAFDAC, no fewer than 40 per cent of the drugs in the Nigerian market were fake. As a result of this, deaths related to fake drugs in the country were high. However, the narrative changed when President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed her to oversee the agency.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/09/the-cost-of-honesty-in-nigeria-from-dora-akunyili-nuhu-ribadu-to-sanusi-lamido/

For two consecutive seasons, Barcelona F.C has gone out of the UEFA Champions League unceremoniously after a 3 goal advantage at the Camp Nou.

And Messi has once again suffered another heartbreak after he had promised the Camp Nou faithful that he would bring the UEFA Champions League trophy back home this year.

After Real Madrid and Ronaldo’s Juventus went out of the UEFA Champions League, we all knew the next team to win the tournament was Barcelona.

And with Messi’s brace last week at the Camp Nou, you would never have thought Liverpool would do the unthinkable.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/08/can-messi-still-win-the-2019-ballon-dor-after-being-knocked-out-of-the-uefa-champions-league-written-by-dr-okechukwu-ekemezie/

For two consecutive seasons, Barcelona F.C has gone out of the UEFA Champions League unceremoniously after a 3 goal advantage at the Camp Nou.
And Messi has once again suffered another heart break after he had promised the Camp Nou faithfuls that he would bring the UEFA Champions League trophy back home this year.
After Real Madrid and Ronaldo’s Juventus went out of the UEFA Champions League, we all knew the next team to win the tournament was Barcelona.
And with Messi’s brace last week at the Camp Nou, you would never have thought Liverpool would do the unthinkable.

But they did it and as they have done before at Istanbul in 2005 against A.C Milan.

https://qwenu.com/2019/05/08/can-messi-still-win-the-2019-ballon-dor-after-being-knocked-out-of-the-uefa-champions-league-written-by-dr-okechukwu-ekemezie/

One thing the arrival of Roman Abramovic did to the English Premier League, was to make it competitive as a result of spending big to buy the best players across the world in order to challenge the duopoly of Arsenal and Manchester United. And subsequently, the emergence of Manchester City, who are backed by an Arab billionaire, raised the standard to the extent that teams who were spending frugally became “weak”.

Today, traditional teams like Arsenal are no longer competitive because they stick to the culture of frugal spending and buying average players, when it is crystal clear that they need to dip their hand deeper into their pockets in order to compete with big teams, or at least place at the top four every season. Arsene Wenger, despite knowing how to manage average players, at a point could not survive the competitive race to top four, because of the massive upgrade that accompanied the heavy spending of the big teams and the consistent doggedness of Tottenham, which is why he bowed out at the end of last season.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/30/arsenal-players-that-should-leave-at-the-end-of-the-season/

The Paul Pogba effect: How the timing of the recent Manchester United slump correlates with Zidane’s reappointment at Real Madrid


So I spent the past few days trying to figure out how a team that won many games after Jose Mourinho was replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could all of a sudden return to the depressing form that led to the special one’s exit. Yes, some players have not looked elite this season – Alexis Sanchez and Fred especially. But these players were Red Devils with the rejuvenated United after Solskjaer’s impressive start.

So what happened!

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/27/the-paul-pogba-effect-how-the-timing-of-the-recent-manchester-united-slump-correlates-with-zidanes-reappointment-at-real-madrid/

The game of football thrives on cooperation and teamwork in winning laurels and achieving dominance whether in the short run or the long run. This explains why the two football geniuses, Messi and Ronaldo may never lift the prestigious World Cup trophy.

In fact, it took sheer determination and effort for Portugal to win the European Nations Cup in 2016 against France while Argentina with Messi, failed to win either the World Cup or the Copa America in four finals.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/25/can-virgil-van-dijk-win-the-ballon-dor-2019/

He came into the limelight with this 2013 video. Notice that the event is the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations. He, at the time, was representing Nigeria in the 200m boys category. Sustaining an injury in the final, he would go on to finish in the 6th place.
When this video went viral on social media, he was the butt of everyone’s jokes because he had said “I never espered it” and that “the final will be a deadly day…both of us is going to die on the line.” Most of us did not notice his determination to succeed or the fact that he was actually very fast on the field. No, what we were bothered about was his inability to properly express himself in a language he most likely did not grow up speaking. Undeterred, and unmindful of the memes Nigerians had made of him on social media, he went again in 2014 and finished in second place. He was neither given the popularity he deserved nor was he picked up and sponsored by anyone here in the country to be trained further. In 2016, in the 200m heat of the Rio Olympics, he finished second place behind Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest runner, with just 0.06 seconds. Nigerians celebrated this achievement, but soon threw him into the dustbin of history when he finished 7th in the heat of the semi-finals.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/23/we-all-failed-divine-oduduru/

Not a few Nigerians in the diaspora have soiled the country’s name through crimes and other various ignoble deeds. One of these conducts is staying illegally in these countries, which may now earn Nigeria visa restrictions from the United States.

President Donald Trump is said to be considering imposing travel restrictions on countries including Nigeria whose citizens often overstay short-term visitor visa, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/17/visa-overstay-united-states-punishing-nigerians-for-the-mistakes-of-a-few/

With the 2018/2019 English Premier League (EPL) season coming to an end, it is still very difficult to predict who will win the title. But certainly, it appears to be a two horse race between Manchester City and Liverpool, as both teams have meticulously and consistently continued their winning streaks in order to remain in the title race. Depending on who you talk to, or poll, it is split somewhere in the middle as to what team will hoist the cup.

That aside, this year’s Premier League has also produced outstanding individual players in serious contention for this season’s PFA Player of the Year Award. However, despite the many individual flashes of brilliance that we have seen thus far, attention will only be given to these three players (Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling, and Virgil Van Dijk) that Qwenu! considers front runners because of the exceptional contributions they have made to their teams.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/11/2019-english-premier-league-player-of-the-year-vs-most-valuable-player-who-should-win/

Cast: Joke Silva, Kate Henshaw, Funke Akindele, Nkem Owoh, Patience Ozokwor, Falz, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Richard Mofe Damijo, Ini Edo, Zainab Balogun, Beverly Naya, Chioma Omeruah, Shaffy Bello, Linda Ejiofor

Chief Daddy is the third Nollywood movie in the history of Nigerian cinema to break the ₦300 million mark, doing so at record pace too. It is the third biggest Nollywood movie of all time. The movie is centred on the life of a very rich and generous industrialist Chief Beecroft also known as “Chief Daddy” who serves as a benefactor to everyone around him including immediate and extended family, staff and mistresses.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/11/nollywood-on-q-chief-daddy-movie-review/

Interesting read guys. Soon Nigeria will be Africa's silicon valley.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/10/10-tech-companies-disrupting-nigerias-startup-ecosystem/

The year is 2007 and the main contenders are Rauf Aregbesola of the Action Congress (AC) and Oyinlola Olagunsoye of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Prince Oyinlola Olagunsoye had been declared the winner of the elections but Rauf was having none of it and took him to court.

In 2008, the Osun state election petition tribunal upheld the results and insisted that Olagunsoye was the rightful governor. But prior to the July 15 judgment, the AC had alleged that the chairman was compromised and had petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) to sack him. Rauf once again refused the judgment and took his case to the Appeal Court where he was in 2010 finally declared winner of the elections.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/04/osun-state-is-the-apc-paying-the-pdp-back-in-their-own-coin/

The 2019 general elections are gradually winding down with Rivers state and other legislative seats to be sorted out in the coming days. However, amidst the various litigations that have greeted the outcome of the elections and party primaries in Nigeria, it appears the biggest political drama in town is who will be in the saddle of leadership at the 9th National Assembly which will be inaugurated early June 2019.

Already there are intense horse trading and reverberations going on in both camps of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as different individuals have thrown their hats into ring to contest for the available positions of the Senate president, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The APC, in a bid to avoid a repeat of 2015 when unfavoured candidates – Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerged against party preference is already brewing hot to see that both Ahmed Lawan (APC Yobe) and Femi Gbajabiamila (APC Lagos) become Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives respectively.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/03/opinion-between-party-supremacy-and-legislative-independence-in-nigeria/

The importance of education in any society whether formal or informal cannot be overemphasized. This explains why the top and serious nations of the world spend hugely towards developing their human resources. The late sage Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo is still a reference point for how he and his Action Group and later Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) were able to drive education programmes and policies in the then western region under the free education paradigm.

Indeed in “Path to Nigerian Greatness” (1981), Awolowo was of the opinion that no child should walk more than 5 km to access a school which explains why free education became a cardinal programme of UPN.

https://qwenu.com/2019/04/02/nigeria-where-is-the-free-education-sef/

Lagosian is joined by guests around the world to discuss football/soccer on the round table. On this episode, Aji, Bayuze, Lanre, and Totti join the round table. They discuss Solskjaer’s appointment as Manchester United manager, what team will win the EPL this season, UEFA Champions League predictions, and whether Callum Hudson-Odoi should stay or leave Chelsea FC.

Anyone can be a guest, see link for more details.

https://qwenu.com/2019/03/31/listen-to-the-football-round-table-ranking-the-best-epl-managers-tactically-solskjaer-appointment-callum-hudson-odoi/

Mr Symon Dripa, a displaced man from the English-speaking part of Cameroon presently living in the forest with his family after his village was burnt down 2 years ago. Symon details his experiences and thoughts on the cause of the war. He chronicles the tragedies and unfortunate events that he has witnessed. He also makes a plea to the world to help bring the war to an end.

https://qwenu.com/2019/03/31/listen-to-the-lagosian-in-new-york-city-podcast-symon-dripa-trapped-in-the-forest-consequences-of-the-cameroon-anglophone-crisis/

Does Emmanuel Amuneke’s success in Tanzania mean that Nigerian coaches are good?

Markedly, African football has the challenge of administration and organization. The fact that only a few countries like South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco have a semblance of what it means to run professional football is a testament to this assertion.

Over the years, most African countries have had to rely on foreign coaches, especially from Europe, and Nigeria is not an exception. Regardless of how one will look at the argument, it will still boil down to the fact that hiring foreign coaches has been a bittersweet experience for African countries.

https://qwenu.com/2019/03/29/does-emmanuel-amunekes-success-in-tanzania-mean-that-nigerian-coaches-are-good/

GidiTraffic started in 2011 as a traffic observer in Lagos which, till date, continues to experience some of the worst gridlocks in the world. It gets its traffic update from different Twitter users reporting on the traffic in their location.

But today, GidiTraffic has evolved to become so much more. It monitors the traffic situation in other parts of the country; it shares interesting stories, videos, and pictures to possibly keep its 1.63 million followers entertained in whatever situation they may be at the moment, including traffic situations; users can come to the platform to ask whatever question they need answers to and get responses from other followers, and just yesterday, it launched its own cab-hailing app, GidiCab

https://qwenu.com/2019/03/29/can-the-new-gidicab-revolutionize-cab-hailing-services-in-nigeria/

John Obi Mikel is absolutely underrated as a Nigerian football legend

There is no doubt that Nigeria is blessed with exciting and iconic footballers whether still playing or retired. A roll call of those who qualify to be accorded legendary status or inducted into Nigeria's historical hall of fame will always put everyone in an intense debate.

For instance, an attempt to compare who is best of all between Peter Rufai (Dodo Mayana) and Vincent Enyeama (the cat) will polarize people. Just like attempting to compare the best Super Eagles manager between Clemens Westerhoff and the late Stephen Keshi would throw people at opposite ends.

https://qwenu.com/2019/03/29/opinion-john-obi-mikel-is-absolutely-underrated-as-a-nigerian-football-legend/

Cardi B is in the news again, and it isn’t because her husband, Offset has gone off to cheat on her or because her video dissing President Trump has gone viral.

The American rapper has appeared in a 3-year-old Instagram live video where she was ranting about how she was forced to become a stripper to make a living, and how she would lure men into hotel rooms with the promise of sex where she would drug and rob them

Source: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/28/should-cardi-b-receive-the-same-punishment-as-alleged-sex-offenders/

Unfortunately, Nigerian leaders are recalcitrant people. They do not learn from history even if it is shouting on top of its voice and perpetually repeating itself. Good students of political history who have been following the cyclical events in Nigeria will agree with me that, inequitable distribution of power has partly contributed to the agitation for secession in the country.

Despite the fact that the Igbo are a major ethnic group in Nigeria, they have never produced a president or head of state since the civil war ended. The highest offices they have occupied in postbellum Nigeria are the office of the vice president (1979-1983) and the office of the senate president (1999-2007).

Source: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/27/opinion-the-equitable-distribution-of-power-why-an-igbo-person-must-be-the-next-senate-president/

Nigerians were mostly disappointed when, even after video and pictorial evidence of widespread violence and voter intimidation, as well as underage voting and other electoral malpractices in the just concluded general elections were released, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) went ahead to announce results and declare winners.

Supplementary elections were only allowed during the gubernatorial elections, and for states like Kano and Benue, it was fraught with even more violence, apparent voter intimidation and disruption of the voting process.

Source: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/27/why-is-inec-announcing-results-of-clearly-compromised-elections/