IGP and his Billions

 

I decided to tune in and watch the “News at 10” on Channels TV after the 8pm news I watched on AIT. Their headlines were quite similar to those of other media outfits but the story of the Inspector General of police appearing before the senate committee on police affairs caught my attention.

He was at the hearing to defend the police force budget accompanied by a platoon of officers with a good number of them clearly overweight with significant undercuts beneath their abdominal regions. I could not help but admire how smartly dressed they all were in their crisp blue shirts on black trousers and berets which for some reason they never remove. I managed to listen to some of the submissions by the IG but could not get the exact details of the figures he had gone to the senate to defend, though I am sure it was to the tune of about 10 billion Naira not Dollars.

He told the rather bemused members of the panel that he may not be able to pay the salaries of police men for the year covered by the budget due to a massive shortfall in the funds provided. He went on to describe how poorly adorned the average policeman on the street was and how kiting one policeman was so expensive, I am not sure if I heard over 1 million Naira for that purpose. One million seven hundred thousand naira to provide clothes and shoes for only one cop? He further mentioned that people who came in from outside the country wondered why our policemen could not look like the ones in more civilized nations. He asked them how they expected him to expect his men to stop crime, halt kidnappings and maintain law and order if the funds required were not provided. The IG further stated that he was not even asking for walkie- talkies or pistols for the men in question.

I think I would have maintained an equally bemused look like the senators on that panel if I was in their midst. The IG was talking about uniforms when his and those of his senior and favored officers were looking top quality. How is money enough for these aforementioned to maintain regular uniforms and the blue combat fatigues they wear about like a fashion statement?  Why did it take so long for the very junior officers to have a taste of wearing the light blue shirts the equivalent of which the Army, Airforce and Navy officers have been wearing since like forever?

Was he trying to heap the present and future failures of the police force on the limited budget he had come to defend? I hope he has not just realized that the systematic destruction of the police force commenced even before he joined? Does he realize that he and the past IGs before him have been instruments in the hands of past rulers to pulverize the force? I do not want to talk about their pension funds that took a walk or the police training scandal exposed recently, too much information on those.

Does the IG think that whatever peanuts the cops are getting or a change of uniforms and shoes would improve morale and efficiency in the force? He must be joking! These IGs are lords in their own domain, rubbing shoulders with the four service chiefs and are accorded similar if not the same respect in government circles. The photo of the jet operated by the force was even on their website a while back. I'm not sure if the other service chiefs have such luxury though the Air Marshall could always hitch a flight anytime he needs one.

I remember in 2007, being in the same room in Abuja with Mike Okiro who was then the IG. I do not remember the number of aides that came with him then, plain clothes and uniformed ones. One held his phones, another held newspapers and all sorts. That does not look like a force starved of funds. I also remember seeing the supposedly disgraced Tafa Balogun within LUTH late last year on a Saturday. The huge and ebony toned man was dressed in all white 'buba and soro' and was on his way out after attending a wedding reception. He got into a Honda 4WD with police plates and there were about 2 other vehicles as escorts with armed, uniformed mobile policemen if I remember correctly. How does the police force afford this type of luxury when the dog schools and horse training schools are lacking in raw materials. I had firsthand exposure passing regularly the dog training school in Bukuru back in 2008/ 2009; although I recollect a time when they said they bought a lot of police German shepherd canines and dog collars. I do not know if those facilities operate optimally at the moment.

We operate an already divided unit where discrimination features prominently. I experienced this first hand in 2009 just outside the British deputy high commission at Victoria Island. I had gone there with my fiancée who had been requested to visit for a visa interview very early that morning. We got there in good enough time but I had to wait outside as I had no personal business there. Across the embassy was a building occupied by Siemens and they had a covered shed in front. I strolled repeatedly along Walter Carrington to while away time observing the various embassies that occupied that crescent and the number of people that had visited the American embassy that day. Then out of the Siemens building appeared my friend from UI, Dipupo who I had not seen since she graduated 2 years before me. She was glad to see me but had to rush to meet her colleague in their company car. They were on their way to Ibadan for a meeting with officials of the” Celtel” office there. The elderly man dressed in faded, black police uniform and security detail at the Siemens office saw the two friends exchange pleasantries and goodbyes. He decided to do good to me having noticed that I must have paced across his building a few times. He offered me a spot in the shed outside his building.

I couldn't refuse cover from the forces of nature and found myself though uncomfortable in the midst of about 5 mobile police officers who had come there to relax from an embassy that must have been about 2 or 3 buildings away. Their talk was dominated by the individuals they escorted the day before and whatever tip they must have gotten from such missions. I watched as a few discharged their rifles in sand containers outside the embassy before coming to sit under the shade.

 

The problem started when one of them started to attack the elderly police man, questioning him on why he permitted a common civilian to sit alongside them. One of them with characteristic “Egbira” tribal markings tried to calm issues when the exchange of words intensified with the agitated “mopol” completely trash talking the good Samaritan who was not so privileged to be part of the security detail to embassies or expatriates like they were. I subsequently moved along before any accidental discharge came my way.

They now have a counter terrorism unit, cops who have now been reduced to dipping hands into luggage for check-in at the Lagos International Airport alongside customs officers; one of  them told me in October last year to "bless the table" when he saw some food items I was taking along to the UK for my sister. I saw another group of counter terrorism cops as I was driving out of Ilorin last month. They didn't wear their full regalia that Sunday morning in a bid to appear like mopols or highway patrol cops. They stopped me and said their 'twales' before asking for some change to get breakfast that morning.

The Nigeria police force must be run as a proper institution, able to attract the best of minds and graduates to man the various divisions that ought to be part of the force. I still think some agencies are duplications of what the police ought to be doing and they are plenty of them. Many go for NYSC and after one year are unable to find dignified employment. A professional force would have been able to accommodate potential officers that could end up instead as generator operators, cyber-crime kingpins or touts for politicians.

There are serious problems with the police that admittedly did not start 10 years ago but what persists is the lack of political will to make the force professional and liberated from the grip of politicians who never cease to use them for their own selfish ends.

Why are they afraid of state police? Why do they want police men perpetually reduced to drivers and escorts for the wives and children of the elite and politicians? Even Chief Medical Directors go around with them as escorts within the hospital grounds.

We all should be part of policing our country and advocacy for what is right and needful is a start.

Jide Akeju

26/02/2014

The Clincher.

THE CLINCHER

It was a warm Saturday with no evidence of rain to spoil the events scheduled to conclude the inter-house sports competition of the Federal Government College in Lagos. The seventh day of March 1998 was the day and canopies were all set for the students at the end of the school sports field closer to the fence bordering the legendary 'white house'. The pavilion was also adorned in readiness for parents, invited guests and schools. Chinedu 'Ngigz' Ngige had arranged on the evening of the sixth for the transport of the high jump equipment and those for the torch lighting ceremony by some junior students. It was his duty as the sports prefect to run around the field with a flaming torch in hand accompanied by selected captains of the six houses before proceeding to the centre of the field to complete his task. Ngigz was on the school football and basketball teams and not much of a sprinter. He did his job majestically and the games began.

Moremi house had never won the inter-house sports competition before and had a particularly dreadful showing the year before coming in a distant last. Ogochi Uwakwe and Saheed Ashafa were the major threats in 1997 but Ogochi was edged to second in her sprint events by the dominant Helga. Saheed on the other hand was hampered by injury and produced next to nothing for his house.

The same duo were now third year seniors and completely dominated in all their events in the two days of the heats; Ogochi in the short sprints and Saheed in the long distant races. However, the other houses proved to have their own stars capable of winning the overall honour for themselves. Chike Nwaocha was set to sweep all the senior boys sprint events for Jaja house. He was the fastest senior in school from the year before and was a close second in the 100 meters two years prior, his first year as a senior. Dan-fodio and Macaulay houses had strong all-round athletes who performed creditable well on the heat days and were poised to continue from where they stopped at the main event.

The events started with the customary march past, an event judged by quality of the parade, house banner, appearance, and some factors known only to the judges. The assistant house captain of Moremi house, Jide Akeju was set to lead out his marchers and was understandably nervous. It was his first event but more scary was the fear of the perennial victors of this event; the boys and girls dressed in purple. One couldn't help but feel that Macaulay house thought of winning the parade as their right and they sent shivers down the spines of other crews during the nights of practice. The experience of the marchers and the baritone voice of their commander during the practice periods, Tarfa Kpamber cutting through the darkness demanded others to stop and observe. 

Jide calmed down considerably when he realised that Tarfa had opted not to command but instead relinquished that duty to the very experienced Tosin Oyedele, a second year senior. The parade, itself started very well but something seemed to go wrong just at the end of the salute. The Moremi marchers in their fancy face caps just seemed to move outside of the instructions of their barking commander. They somehow composed themselves in time, got into the required formation and ended the march to stand at ease alongside the other houses in front of the pavilion to await the verdict. Jide had lost his voice but didn't fail to berate his troops for the slip up. The first miracle happened when with two houses left, Moremi was somehow declared winner of the march past ahead of the formidable Macaulay crew. The victorious commander couldn't contain his joy as his voice returned via some divine intervention.

Moremi was in third place after the heats and trailed the leading Dan-fodio house led by the imperious Obinna Obiakor by as much as 3 gold medals. Obinna was leading his house to victory, victorious in both the long and triple jump senior boys events. He was in confident mode for the sprint events of the main day and his house members just seemed to be basking in similar confidence. Moremi house's victories from the heats  were largely due to the efforts of Saheed, Ogochi and an inspired group of junior students. Winning the march past was like a sign that an upset was on the cards.

Ogochi won the senior girls 100 meters event with ease but it was the boys event that had all the seniors on the edge. Macaulay house had two rookies making the final in Tobechukwu Obi and Benedict Okobi. The two boys only came to prominence as sprinters in their third year as seniors. Moremi's fastest boy was a second year senior, Aghedo Ikponwosa who made the final ahead of Charles Woghiren who had come in fourth in his own heat. The major issue was the acknowledgement of Chike Nwaocha as the undisputed king of the tracks. The debate started in 1995 when Chike just about shaded the junior boys event ahead of Collins Mbaike, Jude Chiedu, Tokunbo Osho, Obinna Obiakor and Ahmed Rufai. Chike let his running do the talking and completely obliterated the field and the school record in a dazzling run putting at least 10 meters between himself and second place. Benedict failed to complete the 100 meters, dropping out due to an ankle sprain he picked up during the football finals a few days before. That however didn't stop him from storming to first place in the 400 metres event and getting ready for the 4x100 meters relay.

The events were running out quickly and Moremi had made up ground on the leaders  nearly equaling their gold medal count. The invited schools were having their time on the tracks as well as parents and old students. The senior boys high jump event was very much underway. Chinedu 'Prex' Engele was the favorite to win for Macaulay house. He had won the same event two years before in his first year as a senior ahead of more accomplished jumpers. His main rivals were fellow Macaulay jumper and all-rounder Tarfa Kpamber, Oduduwa's Niyi Adelusi and the Jaja house duo of Tomi Fajulugbe and Abiye Fubara. Tomi was third the previous year ahead of Abiye who may have been regarded as a perennial underachiever, always coming close but never placing. Prex somehow faded away as Abiye somehow tossed his body repeatedly and accurately with an eastern cut off style over the beam to claim victory. This was not as shocking as the school soccer captain and javelin novice, Fatai Martins claiming victory for Dan-fodio house over the clear favorite in the javelin event, Niyi Adelusi and strong challenger Anthony Anyanwu. Ugo Nwokolo was completely dominant in the senior boys shot put and discuss events.

The main event to determine the victors was fast approaching. A few houses had their four runners already figured out while one or two were torn between their heads and their hearts. Moremi only had two runners who were sure to run from the 100meters event, Aghedo and Charles. Macaulay with two very strong runners in Tobechukwu and Benedict opted to restore the once reliable Tokunbo Osho to their quartet as the anchor leg while the reliable Tarfa ran the second leg. Tokunbo had the unpleasant history of losing out twice from leading positions as the anchor leg in 1995 and 1997. Jaja house were the clear favorites, a position made stronger by the emphatic display of Chike in the 100 meters event. They also had two other fast third year seniors in their quartet; Abiye and Tayo Adewale and it was all set for them to coast home. Oduduwa house had no choice but to have Jude, Eyo Inyang as their second leg and Bisola Aworinde as anchor. Their combination didn't inspire any confidence of placing. The silent El-kanemi house led by the school captain Collins Mbaike had Collins' bunk mate for six years, Ejomafu Obere in their four with the day student Emmanuel Okhiade while the apprehensive Dan-fodio house called up Fatai Martins as first leg, Obinna to handle the 2nd curve and Akeem Ashafa as anchor. Obinna had  had to watch in agony as Ogochi stormed from a losing position to overtake his house anchor in the senior girls 4x100 meters relay, a race that Dan-fodio had fielded their fastest junior without the detection of the officials. Saheed Ashafa who left all in his wake at all the long distance races put himself forward to run the third leg for Moremi, Charles was to go second and Aghedo last. A decision for the first leg runner had to be made. Chidozie Ugochukwu had braced himself to race and Chidozie Okonkwo was also an option. After a brief conversation between Saheed and the assistant house captain Jide Akeju, the choice of Kizito Salubi was made. Jide made his way to look for kizito and on his way commandeered a yellow shirt from a junior boy for kizito to hurriedly put on.

The race started and Moremi stayed close in fourth place while Fatai appeared to move in slow motion. The  first changeovers were smooth and no one appeared to really run clear of the rest as Dimgba king compensated for Dan-fodio's very slow start. The next miracle happened when the long distance runner, Saheed appeared to snatch the baton from Charles and speed off away from the other third legs only to be caught about five meters from the last change over by the determined Benedict.. Tokunbo took off first and it was deja vu all over again. Jide who was across the finish line and watching the event unfolding started to pace towards the finish line as he saw Aghedo receiving the baton just a few meters after Tokunbo. A few strides later and Aghedo was ahead and Akeem  from the third position gained after a devastating run from Obinna on the third leg caught up with Tokunbo in no time too. With ten meters to go, it was clear that Moremi would win the race and the inter-house sports event of 1998. Chike surged forward but failed to usurp Tokunbo from the third position, the small price Jaja paid for fielding the stocky Chidi Chigbufue. The third miracle happened, Aghedo crossed the line and Moremi won against all odds for the first time.

Jide akeju

29/3/2014

A near accurate recollection of the events that marked my happiest day as a student of FGC Ijanikin Lagos.

UNJUST ME

He accuses me of waste

But he should know the pain in my waist

I'm scared.. I have a brain this big

But I possess no strength to dig

It's always about his goods 

And Never about my moods 

Oh, what a cruel and hard man!

A lament for my crafty, soft hands

Why do I have to beg?

When his debtors I have to use

It's always been about his ways

Now, it's time to try my thoughts

Wait... He's blessed me with so much

I like to feel his touch

His grace is like free lunch

But yet I fail to launch

All I have, he gave me

What he gifted, I buried deep

I breathe and live for the moment, unaided

My eyes I've shut, blinded.

Oh master, master.. son of David

My world around is caving

Please dig me out, save me!!

I yield my life, use me.

Unjust me is based on the parables of the unjust servant and talents. It was initially titled Diggers and Beggars.

jide akeju

10/05/2014

To the Unknown soldier

To the unknown soldier...isn't this kind of an insult to the memory  and families of every young man and woman in uniform who have been lost in every battle for the soul and integrity of Nigeria?

I remember being out on the major road of the Langtang local government  on this day in 2009 and could not help but notice the crowd of ex-service men clad in various generations of military uniforms. A good number of them were adorned with rusted medallions pinned to their chests. They matched at different paces, some aided by crutches as their matching  lower limbs were perhaps left to decorate the many battle fields from Ore through Asaba to Enugu.

A few have thrived on the haemoglobin from these unknown bleeders to amass wealth and become presidents. These faceless ones remain nameless with no individual monuments, no record of their sacrifices and no hope for their families in most cases. They were the same ones that assaulted the mother of Fela kuti according to reports back in the day.

It is a pity that those who have not studied their history are busy looking pious and laying wreaths to those perpetually tagged nameless.

They are not unknown, they have names. Their names, everyone that died at home and for diamond should be highlighted and properly honored. Their sacrifices should be taught in our schools, then they'd be properly remembered.

God save our service men and women.

Jide akeju

15/01/2014

JULY '93.

I drifted in and out of lethargy as I hung on loosely on the back of my father as we approached Mafoluku. We had to end our journey abruptly, alighting from the rickety yellow ‘molue’ with black stripes that we boarded from Western Avenue to Oshodi.  There were scenes of unrest that had become unpredictable and characteristic of Lagos roads following the cancellation of the June 12 presidential elections with the protests and violence that ensued.

We had waited for several minutes before the rush began for the limited spaces available on the molue. My parents somehow muscled their way through and we were soon seated somewhere in the belly of the overcrowded bus on the right side. I was too weak to partake in the hustle and still wonder till this day how my mother clung to her limp son during the ‘pinball’ rush for seats. A high grade fever, loss of appetite and vomiting necessitated the early morning adventure. The vomiting continued during the journey till my bowel was perhaps drained of all fluid. My mother must have used her handkerchief and wrapper to clean me up every time my gullet twitched.

I was barely able to stay awake or stand upright when we left the bus. The driver had decided against making any further progress beyond the Oshodi Bridge as he was apprehensive of getting caught up in any mob action that was rumoured to have broken out. My parents must have feared that the great beyond beckoned for their first son if they did not get him to the hospital on time. The post-election unrest had plunged the State in particular into such chaos and uncertainty. Businesses were closed, filling stations vandalized with everybody either staying indoors or joining in further enforcing lawlessness and the revolt against the man behind the annulment of the ‘best’ election ever conducted in the land. The crisis that confronted Nigeria had left my father’s Peugeot 504 without fuel and the city generally unsafe.

The race to the Holy Savior’s Hospital at Mafoluku began and my parents took turns to carry me on their backs till we got to the hospital safely. Dr. Aluko was my father’s mate when they studied together at Aquinas College Akure in the late ‘60s. His practice in the Oshodi area of Lagos was doing well and my father had him more or less as his personal physician. I remember attending his son’s birthday party a few years earlier with my siblings. I somehow failed to get into my father’s car for the return journey home after the party. I must have gone to the rest room when my dad departed with my siblings only for me to reappear and realized I was left behind. It took the good doctor to calm me down and give reassurances that my father would return for me…someday. Those were the days when mobile phones were light years away in the minds of many but reality in the imaginations of a few. My father indeed returned to fetch me after about one hour of holding back the flood gates. I was later told that he took a head count while driving when he felt that someone was missing in the car. He must have made a sharp turn and sped all the way back. How was he going to explain to his wife that he mistakenly forgot her son at a friend’s birthday party?

After a few tests, the diagnosis was typhoid fever and the doctors and nurses did their best to resuscitate my frail frame. The good doctor’s wife was very kind to me and the aroma of her well prepared ‘jollof’ rice helped to revive me further on the second day. I am not quite sure if I owe my decision to choose medical school to my early encounter with my father’s friend. He must have definitely played a role in the formation of such thoughts in my young mind. The good doctor paid a condolence visit to my mother in May 2008 after my father passed on. I remember very clearly what he said to me on that visit. He pointed out that my father living up till 2008 defied logic as he could have been gone at least on two occasions in the past. I reflected on those words and thanked God for every extra day we had to spend with him. The man who wanted to join the Nigerian Army during the Civil war was prevented unknown to him by his older cousin who was then enlisted. His younger brother once told me that he was just too precious to be allowed to go on such adventure. My father stood for what was simply right and fair, he always saw through the deception of the PDP- led government from 1999. He had his flaws though but also possessed an open mind devoid of cages to lock up those who let him down.

I remember the sacrifices my parents made that day to ensure I lived and I am eternally grateful. It was not their fault that our dear nation was plunged into confusion at the time. Greedy men, thirsty for power and not afraid of a bloodbath forced themselves upon a nation already scared by war and injustice. The open wounds are hid by royal robes and those who nurse are themselves sick. Those who wrote and fought for her are long forgotten while the remnants are regarded as noisy.

What if I succumbed that day in July? Would I not have been saved from this present embarrassment and uncertainty? What if I lived just to tell this tale so that those who read it would arouse themselves from their luxurious sofas and delusions? There is indeed fire on this mountain and it would take everybody to put this one out. I do not want this greatly endowed nation to be perpetually crippled by violence nor stunted by mediocrity. I do not want to bear children, brothers or mothers upon my aging spine to where help dwells.

There must not be an encore of July ’93, God forbid that I stay silent and do nothing.

Jide Akeju
12/05/2014

I WON'T JUDGE THE MAN

I WON'T JUDGE THE MAN.

I believe it is safe to say that a sports person or establishment lives and dies by the media. The same weapon that is effective for propaganda can in one second assassinate the character of even established greats.

I have stated times without number that David Moyes would never have been in my shortlist to replace Sir Alex Ferguson when he chose to throw in the towel. I felt the best United needed at that time was someone from within, somebody who understood the scaffolds and the cosmetics enough to rebuild the team. It had become clear to me that the great SAF himself couldn't psyche his team beyond being relevant in the English Premier League race. He had endured 3 years of failing to win the league due to the dominance of the 'invincible' arsenal and the arrival of Jose to manage the millions at Chelsea. His then No. 9 couldn't hold the ball upfront to save his life and everything else revolved around a master poacher in Ruud Van Nistelrooy. His big money signing centre-back looked like a school boy in a 4:0 bashing at Middlesbrough and when O'shea started to feature regularly, many questioned why so much was spent on the former Leeds man. A big money signing of the sporting Lisbon youngster was already looking like wasted investment with his many needless dribbles and wayward crosses. He looked like another Pobosky-esque waste of the highly revered No. 7 jersey. SAF also brought in the highly gifted boxer from Liverpool, the lad could take on every type of defender and clap himself to a red card. He was simply uncontrollable and so was the entire squad.

Fergie started to take the League cup more seriously and noticed a marked improvement in the coordination of his  No. 9 while he played alongside the highly promising captain of the United youth squad, Guiseppi Rossi. SAF chose to continue with Saha even till the final against Wigan at the expense of the indispensable RVN, a move that perhaps led to his sale  to Real Madrid. United moved on and started the next season in electric fashion putting 5 past Fulham in the opening game with devastating counter attacks. The team that endured failure for a few years was finally coming together. United now had a steady No. 1, far better than the eccentric Fabian Barthez, the porous Tiabi and the stimulated former villa stopper Mark  Bosnic. Edwin Van Der Sar was about 7years too late and would have most definitely saved united from humiliation at the hands of Deportivo a few years earlier. The back four of Evra, Rio, Vidic and Garry were formidable and were ably supported by Heinze, Wesley Brown and John O'shea. Michael Carrick was brought in from Spurs after Mikel tore up the contract he initially signed with United, he had a reputation  of having the ability to play a range of passes from midfield. There was the energizer bunny from south Korea and the ever reliable old heads from the glory days in the 90's. The young guns upfront were firing on all cylinders and were outpacing defences with ease, they put 7 past a good Roma team to reverse a 2:1 first leg deficit. The rest of the squad were far better than mediocre and only a major injury crises led to their exit in the UEFA Champions League to Milan.

A few 'ins and outs' later, United were champions league winners and regularly featured in the latter stages of the competition including 2 finals. The very experienced squad had started to fade and one of the stars earned United an eighty million pound windfall that seemed to follow the wind to America.

That was the last great team that SAF built. The recurring tendinitis experienced by Hargreaves wiped the ink from any contract renewal, VDS was suddenly 40 and his wife almost died. Nani flattered to deceive more often than not and Anderson spent most of the season injured. The battery from Korea had become slow and the brave heart from Glasgow had intestinal trouble. Gary never recovered from his devastating knee injury, Fergie recalled his premature loanee to Sunderland and promoted him to the no. 6 jersey after he sold Brown and O'shea in the other direction. Fergie was still capable of making genius signings like that of the 'little pea' from Mexico as well as the strange signings like the 7million quid paid for a certain Portuguese winger.

The financial fair play rule and the need to increase the local content in the squad must have led to the purchase of Smalling, Jones and Young. Rooney finally got his top striker position and the 2011/2012 witnessed the exit of the highly gifted Berbatov and the retirements of VDS and Scholes led to a few new faces and promotions.

2011/12 started with a bang, Cleverly made Scholes look  really old school and the new signing hit the ground running until the opposition realised that the new United goalie had a fear of heights. The 8:2 bashing of arsenal quickly became stale when the likes of Basel almost embarrassed united at Old Trafford. Things were clearly falling apart and the retired Scholes was somehow persuaded to return  before January and steady the ship. The shambles at Manchester city, the home loss to Blackburn and a 1:0 loss at Wigan in a must win match contributed in no small measure to United losing the title by goals difference despite having at least a 6 point gap with only a few games left. This was perhaps less embarrassing than the feeble exits in the UCL group stage and the subsequent dismantling at the hands of Athletico Bilbao in the Europa league.

2012/13 was looking bleak with no significant signing in sight. Fergie had found it difficult to attract new and young talent to United. He found it rather easier to tease English players from lower rated clubs. Samir Nasri, Lucas Moura, Eden Hazard, and even the 5million rated  Aaron Ramsey were well documented failed pursuits as well as the non-conversion of Tevez's loan deal to a permanent one due to third party ownership. It was like an earthquake when reports filtered in that SAF had somehow convinced Wenger to give him his injury prone but lethal striker, RVP. Robin had a great season in 2011/12 earning the player of the year award especially with the number of goals he scored for the arsenal and particularly the sheer audacity of a few of those goals. That was more or less his only injury free season and he was yet to win the EPL. A move to United was a no-brainer and he promptly slotted in, bursting the onion bag on a regular while United somehow won games they had no business winning, a few while benefiting from controversial refereeing decisions. United won the league without significant contributions from Rooney and the perpetually injured captain, Vidic. RVP's goals contributed a great deal as well as the internal crisis within Manchester city especially with respect to then striker Balotelli. One of the games lost by City last term was the away game at Everton. Everton beat Mancini's men 2:0 despite Steven Pienaar receiving a red card in the first half. David moyes was the toast of the press and many clamored for him to get his shot at one of the big teams in England. Moyes had started the season by decisively beating Manchester united 1:0 with an emphatic header by Felliani. It was not just about the goal but the manner in which Everton overpowered United. I think that was the moment SAF thought he had found his successor.

Moyes' Everton finished 6th above Liverpool and generally impressed with their style of play. Steven Gerrard frustrated after drawing with Everton accused them of not keeping the ball on the ground. He soon retracted his statement and apologised for the inaccurate stereotype after he realised that it was actually Liverpool that had the ball in the air for most of the game.

Why did Moyes fail at United ?

1. He overrated the team he inherited. Only a person who followed the league last season  exclusively on social media would be using the 11 point gap over city as a debating point. United had 89 points, the same total when losing on goals difference the season prior. They didn't really improve, the challengers simply imploded or didn't have the squad, patience and experience to sustain a challenge.  A good number had aged and become considerably slower, one striker in particular didn't have a good sense of the location of the goal post and could only muster one league goal all season. Many say Mr Mourinho would have still achieved with the same squad but i beg to disagree. He would not have used this crop of players, not a chance. Mr Mourinho would not be caught playing Johnny Evans at centre back and he would surely have found a spot at Middlesbrough for Cleverly and Wellbeck. Mr Mourinho doesn't even play his trusted ally Ashley Cole at left back, he instead entrusts that position to Azpiliicueta while he sent the reserve left back, Bertrand on loan to Villa.

2. They did nothing in the transfer windows: The summer window would have been put to better use if a proper assessment of the squad had been done. I insist that the likes of Mata and Ozil are not worth their price tags. United didn't necessarily need mega names but young, dynamic players to cover the deficiencies in midfield and the full back positions.

3. The back room staff: Part of overrating the squad manifested in the overhaul of the backroom crew. He changed virtually all the guys who had figured out how to prepare the suspect players for key games and how to do damage limitation especially against the top sides. United had in some way become a slow and lethargic team only able to up the ante when it mattered most, against the big teams in the first half or when chasing a game. The players knew their roles and supported RVP well in his task. Moyes thought he could bring in his own crew to get the champions to play combative football but they just didn't have the legs.

4. The players: They just are not good enough. It told in pre-season, they struggled and could not even win games. A good squad could still make the worst of managers look reasonably good. Too many average, lazy and faded players who despite a nearly 2 week break could not muster anything against a team that played only a few days earlier. Couldn't they just play for themselves even if they couldn't play for the manager?

5. He wanted to become a top manager overnight: It may be safe to say he was not himself, he must have assumed the natural thing to do as the manager of a big club was to start chasing bigger names and dangling huge wads of cash. He got the likes of Mirralas, Baines and Distin to Everton. He got Donovan on successful short term loans on two occasions and did well even when he had only the Australian midfielder as his only option upfront. He would have done much better if he managed the way he knew how to.

6. The press: I believe the emphasis on many of the exhumed records and stats were absolutely irrelevant and in bad taste. Listening to commentators saying that Mata was stuck to the wings even when they saw him drifting across the frontline was laughable. I even heard the commentators of the Everton-Palace game describe how remarkably attack minded Martinez had made Baines and Coleman. What were they doing when Moyes coached Everton?. The same press heap heavy praise on Martinez forgetting that he constantly wallowed in relegation waters with Wigan before eventually drowning last season. How has he suddenly become a top 6 manager? He inherited a solid squad from Moyes. Whatever he has achieved should not be exclusive of Moyes. It would be totally unfair to wipe his memory from Everton and ridicule him because Martinez has gotten 66 points. The same Martinez was snubbed after a failed audition for the Liverpool job, would we say now that Liverpool were right to pick Rodgers ahead of him?

Moyes has failed this season and I believed he deserved another season at least to try again. To tag him as clueless and archaic is over the top. The man has insulted no one, he may not have been tactful during his press conferences but I don't believe he played any player he was not supposed to or that he did not play the ones he was meant to play. The press have done him injustice by allowing the blame of this season's debacle to fall solely on him. He has his part in the mess, I'm sure he knows it. At least Welbeck may be going to the world cup and many are jostling for a Kosovo player. To smear his name and reputation is unfair, the man won 53% of his games and got to the quarter final of the UCL. Free the man and let him move on with his career. The problems with Manchester United have not suddenly departed, sacking Moyes alone is not the answer. Dead wood and  very old cargo have to be cleared out. One United.

FADING HOPE?

Now to serious issues apart from the distractions of a mere 4:0 dismantling of a certain German football club. What is 'doing' Nigeria now pass 'wetin' any champions league match fit solve.

I made a quick switch to channels TV after the game last night to catch the headlines of their 10pm news and lo and behold, wailing women mostly robed in black as if mourning their dead. They had come all the way from Borno state to Abuja, most likely with their own resources all in a bid to get close enough to the national assembly building to make their requests to the government of the day.

What kind of country watches mothers carry placards, weeping and rolling in the dust for what ought to be their right? They were not asking for contracts or appointments but for the powers that be to help return their daughters, 15 days after they were forcefully taken from their school while preparing for their senior school leaving certificate examinations. About 200 girls, each larger than the size of figurines have not been located since.

Senator Gemade, the erstwhile PDP chairman who as chairman in 2003 got a titanic 17 votes in the PDP primaries for nominating their presidential candidate went out to meet them. That was the year we had a compulsory 6 months break from school on account of an ASUU strike that miraculously ended after Obj was re-elected for a 2nd term in office. Those of us registered in our institutions to vote were disenfranchised that year, a tactic put into good use and perfectly executed.

Sixteen days it is already since the WAEC exams in that  Chibok school was scuttled. The same day many bodies were blown to smithereens or set ablaze in an early morning bomb attack in the early hours of a Monday morning. We have even forgotten about the girls that were said to have been whisked away from the school in Yobe where young boys were ambushed as they dreamt and cut down like antelopes as they fled.

The media outfits were soon buzzing with messages of condolence, condemnation and coverage of dignitaries visiting the scene of the blasts and making promises while a few others leaked out one pint of hemoglobin laden fluid from their cubital fossae.

The next day witnessed baffling scenes of the president gyrating at a welcome party in Kano and then joining the 100yr old Olubadan to cut his birthday cake before telling how remarkable the monarch was. The Kano show was a strong signal to the defiant insurgents..." We are not going to be distracted by the enemies of the president...". How apt?

Impoverished people who may not be able to reason effectively  would see a petroleum product tanker involved in an accident and leaking its product but would yet swarm to drain every liter of oil from such only for an explosion to occur. It happened in Rivers state on July 12, 2012 claiming over 200 lives and the sad event did not get a mention at the FEC meeting. This occurred just over a month after Flight 992 crashed in Lagos. It had a few officials of NNPC and NUC on board and earned a mention and a minute silence during the next FEC meeting. We still don't know what caused the plane to fail and go down, they said the flight data recorder and black box were damaged due to the fire and no one asked any questions. The conspiracies and rumour regarding events preceding that day in June have simply vanished into thin air.
The FEC meeting for today has been cancelled due to the tragic passing of the younger brother of the vice-president.

Hundreds were killed by a bomb blast and  attending  the birthday bash of an old Oba was deemed as  an important executive function while young girls were taken further away from home and school. Is it until these mothers resort to moving around bare chested to press home their demands before they are taken seriously?

I learnt the attack on the DSS may have been stage managed and many roads leading to key structures in Abuja have been blocked off (I wouldn't know) for added security. AIT news did a report of the traffic situation in and around Abuja following the security challenges as well as the state of the roads to and from areas outside the city proper. It was sad to see deplorable roads except the kubwa road and the reporter pointed out that the contracts for those roads are awarded every year without any progress being made. Is Nigeria only meant for the few privileged and their cohorts that live in Asokoro, Maitama and Wuse?

Participants for the coming World Economic summit scheduled to take place in Abuja have been assured of flawless security. The same security that failed to checkmate suicide bombers would surely be ready for the grand event, the threats of bombings and kidnappings are just mere distractions and the handiwork of disgruntled elements that are hell-bent on making the country ungovernable for the president.
 
Airlines, mobile network suppliers, the police force, lecturers, hospital administrators, public utilities etc. have been trampling upon Nigerians for decades now with no one to rescue them. Nigerians have been trampling upon Nigerians without any hope for justice. The same Nigerians that trample on others only care about themselves, family members and friends with common interest whether local or international.
 I remember attending to a male patient past midnight who had several facial lacerations following a vehicular road traffic accident sometime in 2007/ 2008 when I worked in Abuja. He was the driver of a vehicle that was conveying American expatriates to the airport that night. One American had died from his injuries; a second who was seriously injured was taken in for emergency surgery while the third and least injured was isolated just opposite the area where I was working. Two individuals strolled in behind me and quickly spoke to the injured American before taking their exits. It took me a few minutes later to realize that the men that had just departed were the retired Generals, Tunde Ogbeha and David Mark, I confirmed from the male nurse working that night with me as if I needed any convincing. They were familiar with the expatriates and had come to visit which I had no problem with. I was rather disappointed that they did not deem it fit to check on the Nigerian driver involved, even if it was just a word of assurance.

Nigerians are degraded in their own land, perpetually dwelling in servitude to more privileged Nigerians and any fellow with lighter skin tone able to pose like an expatriate. Nigerians work under inhumane conditions that prisoners in other climes would find deplorable. Nigerians are robbed, defrauded and hacked down without any hope for justice. Nigerians are kidnapped, murdered for ritual purposes, raped and shot by drunk policemen who end up getting redeployed to settle the issues. Nigerians get arrested by other Nigerians for any and every flimsy reason, banks fold up and saved monies vanish and nobody does a thing.

An Air France plane was hijacked on the 27th of July 1976 and forced to land at Entebbe, Uganda. 106 Israeli citizens were held hostage with the backing of the tyrant Idi-Amin while other passengers were allowed to depart. It took less than 7 days to plan a rescue and on the 4th of July, approximately 100 Israeli soldiers landed in Entebbe and overran the terrorist hijackers and Ugandan forces in less than 60 minutes rescuing 102 Israelis alive with 3 hostages caught in the crossfire and the commander of the assault dead. The Israeli government in 2011 exchanged one soldier, Gilad Shalit for hundreds of Palestinian captives. He had been captured since 2006 and was 25yrs old when eventually released.

These are the lengths responsible governments would go to rescue their citizens irrespective of whether they are related to individuals in government or not. The celebrated cases of the recoveries of the kidnapped mother of Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the allegedly kidnapped son of the president’s ‘godfather’, Edwin Clark and a few other high profile individuals related to powerful people are by and large the major successful cases by our security agencies. Nigerians generally have to provide their own power, water and security.

A cruise ship was sinking gradually off the coast of South Korea with numerous students on a field trip on board. The captain delayed the evacuation and it was too late, many perished but he did survive. He was soon arrested for prosecution while the prime minister resigned a few days ago, apologizing profusely for the delay in launching a rescue mission and for the lives needlessly lost.

The Nigeria immigration service organized a small event the other Saturday that led to 'just' a few deaths. The minister of interior Moro, is currently under the radar and may just aim for a political post in the coming regime. This clearly shows the difference between how two nations value the lives of their respective citizens. If demanding for better treatment and justice equates playing politics with fragile and combustible national issues, then we should continue to play such politics until the status quo is altered for the best.

Many suggest it is impossible for our contraption to succeed due to our many incompatibilities. They forget that the numerous tribes and tongue we have today evolved over centuries. Wars, trade zones and nomadic farming may have contributed to significant migration over the years. My father told me that his grandmother was so light skinned and may have originated from some area distant from where I now call my home town. If traders could relate with cowries and by barter in times past, why can’t the nations within our Nigeria run and be part of a country as long as there is equity and fairness on the table?

Nigerians, Arise for Righteousness, Justice and Equity. Let’s resist evil and drown the voice of corruption. Recovering those girls would be the loudest message to insurgents and terrorists; they should move heaven and earth to achieve that.  We shall arise like a phoenix out of this charred union called Nigeria. God help us.

jide akeju
30/04/2014