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Opinion, Sports

Sunday Oliseh, Artificial Turf, Super Eagles – Wrong Equation | By: Segun Odegbami

MY piece on CHAN 2016 last week was not in any way intended to make any excuse for the poor showing of the Super Eagles at the championship. The issue of artificial turf affected all the teams equally and I believe that no matter how long players play on it, playing on plastic would never compare to playing on grass.

I have always believed that that’s why the USA would never rise to become a truly global football power despite all their application of advanced science and technology to football. Football shall always remain an Art form played best on the lush greens of grass.
America’s use of artificial turf for their professional league will keep them rooted to their present levels forever. Why they do not know this that baffles me.
The best football cultures in the world do not touch artificial turf even with a long spoon. Those that have ears let them hear. I rest my case.
On the Super Eagles and Sunday Oliseh, I am unable to pass critical comment because, as a reader rightly pointed out, I am complicit in the recruitment of Sunday Oliseh through my supportive writings and comments when he was to be appointed coach of the national team.
I believed, and still do by the way, that Oliseh would introduce a slightly different dimension to coaching the national team, an intellectual angle that would make a big difference.
I believed also that he would bring a deeper level of technical and tactical understanding and knowledge to the national team, those things that are not taught in the classroom of football, but rather are a measure of the intelligence and genius of the coach in charge.
That is what separates the great coaches from the good ones, what makes the difference between a Pep Guardiola and a Rafael Benitez, or between an Alex Ferguson and a Sam Allardyse, with all due respect to all the coaches! Genius is not taught in the classroom. It is engrained in the genes!
That is what I believed Sunday Oliseh would import into Nigerian football. Knowing him, I still think he can achieve great success if he re-sets his objectives, let everyone know where he is going, how he intends to get there and what he wants them to do and understand so that he is not distracted by the clamour for instant results.

My take is this:
1. Nigerian football is at a very low ebb at the present time;
2. The country will be extremely lucky to qualify for the next World Cup;
3. Winning the next AFCON will be a tough order;
4. Nigeria does not have the finished products in players to succeed in these two quests now; and,
5. The domestic league is not churning out exceptional players in large numbers.
All of these are not Oliseh’s handiwork.
That is why it is unrealistic to expect too much immediately from Oliseh, and too early in the day to judge his competency as Nigeria’s national team coach even if ‘morning shows the rest of the day.’
The CHAN 2016 team was definitely not his making. He used the best players assembled for him from the country’s poor production room (the domestic league) and tried to work some semblance of organisation into the team. He did not succeed as far as the results showed.
His rhetoric before and after should have been different. He should have kept telling Nigerians what his longer- term goals are and how he is going about achieving them down the line.
He should not have raised the people’s hopes and expectations (the reports by his aides from out of the Eagles camp in South Africa promised heaven and earth) with veiled promises despite people’s impatience for success and unearned victories when the players to do the job did not exist.
His biggest challenge is that he cannot conjure great players from nothing. They do no exist now given the state of the domestic league that should hone them.
Exceptional players are not being churned out in large numbers, are not being groomed well enough domestically, and are not being directed to the right teams abroad that will provide the necessary technical advancement that would take them from being good raw materials coming out of Nigeria to becoming excellent finished products after a few years in Europe. 

That’s the formula that produced the Olisehs, Kanus, Okochas Ikpebas etc. The domestic league at that time produced very good raw materials in Nigeria before the players left for Europe. The rough grounds, the harsh environments, the tough and challenging leagues on poor grass, etc, all made the players individually very skillful, hungry to learn and ready to absorb new things.
Once again, playing domestic leagues on artificial turf takes away that essential raw material that makes the big difference in the development of raw talent.
Examine this: why would the Super Eagles never agree to play at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, or anyone of the number of stadia in Maiduguri, Enugu, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Benin, Ilorin, Jos, Kano, all with artificial surfaces in Nigeria? Yet, that’s where the players that are expected to play for the same national team are cultivated and nurtured.
Can’t people see there is a contradiction there? Can’t people see that there is something wrong with that equation?
I do not expect that most people will see my point and agree with my argument on the matter because this is deep stuff!
Forgive me for always digressing to the issue of artificial turf.
Now back to the Super Eagles.
Oliseh is facing the greatest challenge of his life trying to fix Nigerian football in a hurry. It can only be done holistically, slowly and steadily from the grassroots up. He must, as Clemens Westerhof, his boss and coach, did in the early 1990s, work with local Nigerian coaches and administrators, to determine how the domestic leagues will start again to produce quality players with exceptional skills, power, speed and control.
I sided with those clamouring for Sunday Oliseh at the time because I believed he had the knowledge and guts to look Nigerian football in the eye and to prescribe the right solutions following a forensic audit to move the game beyond the level attained by Stephen Keshi, Shuaibu Amodu, Adegboyega Onigbinde and others, who had done a good job that needed to be taken to a higher plane to make Nigeria join the club of the elite football nations of the world.
His conversations and incisive analysis, added to his personal experiences as an excellent football player and product of the best of European coaching made him the excellent candidate to take Nigerian football to the next level.
He would need time to achieve this. He would demand for time, the resources and the right personnel. He would work with coaches and administrators in the domestic leagues. He would continue to scout for finished products from Europe and anywhere else in the universe and use them in the short term, but remain focused on the ultimate goal to take Nigerian football to the zenith.
He cannot hurry through the process. He cannot also tie this assignment and his own fate to the immediate successes of the present Super Eagles. He cannot afford to raise false hopes and expectations of Nigerians that he can win everything immediately when the true situation on ground is that the present Super Eagles are work-in-progress!
Sunday Oliseh’s absence from Nigeria due to what is reported as health reasons surely is not helping matters.
I have a feeling that Sunday Oliseh is succumbing to the pressures of needing to win small now at the expense of winning big later. He has not helped himself either with his rhetoric. He must henceforth be patient with critics, and be bold, sure and clear with his words and actions!
Luckily, there are a few new Nigerian players showing up on the radar in Europe that can help his immediate cause and steady his wafting ship – Ighalo, Iheanacho, and co!

Credit: Guardian Newspaper
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Entertainment

Kanu Nwankwo makes world legends list

African soccer legend and former Arsenal player, Nwankwo Kanu has been named  in the top 48 legends of football worldwide list. The list which was released by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) also features Pele, Ronaldo da Lima,  George Oppong Weah, Roger Milla, Rabah Medjer, Muhammed Aboutrika, Mohmud El-Khatub, Lucas Radebe. 

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Entertainment

Yoruba actor, Arakangudu is dead.

Popular Yoruba actor, Adeshina Sikiru, fondly called Arakangudu is dead. He reportedly passed away on Monday night in Kaduna after having a cardiac arrest. The fair-complexioned thespian who relocated to Kaduna some years back will be buried in his house at Abule Egba, in Lagos today. Some of his movie projects include, Iya Oko Bournvita, Ogbologbo to mention a few.

May his soul find repose.

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Entertainment

1976: 40 years after, the movie surfaces‎

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The streets of Nollywood were lit up few days ago with the movers and shakers of the industry attending the first private screening of Prince Tonye Princewill’s latest movie production, 76′. The Private screening was the first time the cast and crew alongside leaders of the business community; saw the finished product of six years of intense work. Linus Idausa, Uti Nwachukwu‎, Omoye Ozamere and many other celebrities joined the cast and crew for this event. 

The satisfaction of the viewers was glaring as the movie brought tears to everyone in the hall including one of the star acts, Rita Dominic. Set six years after the Nigerian civil war, ’76’ tells the story of a young military officer from Nigeria’s Middle Belt region who gets entangled in a romantic relationship and eventually marries a beautiful student from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. Their budding romance is threatened by endless military postings, and they face the ultimate test when news of the soldier’s involvement in a botched coup attempt hits the headlines.‎

Directed by award winning director, Izu Ojukwu, 76 is inspired by events which led up to and followed the botched 1976 coup d’etat, and features real life, archived, actual footage that contributes to the movie’s overall authenticity. The execution of the movie was also done with the explicit approval and support from the Nigerian Army.
The director of the movie, Izu Ojukwu, described it as a tale of love in a time post war. “The movie deals with a range of issues including the plight of the African woman, and the usually invisible pain of a soldier’s wife,” he said. “76 highlights the enduring Nigerian cultural values of courage, resilience, patience, loyalty, faith and family and the nation’s ability to surmount all challenges.”


The release of 76 comes four decades to the date after the actual events, and follows several years of work by the director and the production duo of Adonis Productions and Princewill’s Trust. 76, stars renowned Nollywood names including Rita Dominic, Ramsey Nouah, Chidi Mokeme, Ibinabo Fiberesinma, Memry Savanhu, Ada Ofoegbu, Daniel K. Daniel and a host of others.

On his part, the Executive Producer and a patron of the Nigerian Association of Movie Producers, Prince Tonye T.J.T Princewill, said: “76 is a deeply emotional movie, and it resonated deeply with me as I am sure it will do for viewers not just in Nigeria, but around the world.

 “The movie’s message presents a number of questions including how we got here, amongst many other issues. 76 is the first movie to be shot on film and was thus a very expensive project. We are however very satisfied with the finished work and we know viewers will thoroughly enjoy the experience.” 
Thanking the Nigerian Army, M-Net and other sponsors for their support, Princewill added: “None of this would be possible without the support we have received and continue to receive. The cast and crew have been phenomenal, and they gave their all to make this movie the success that it is. I’d also like to thank my partners Adonis Production led by Adonijah for showing me one of the most powerful ways to touch lives – by making movies.”


76 premieres in 2016 in cinemas across the world starting in Nigeria, thereafter it will hopefully come to TV screens across the continent courtesy of DSTv Box office, Netflix & MNET/Africa Magic.
Speaking on the Nigerian Army’s involvement in the movie, the Head Civil-Military Affairs Army Head Quarters, Major General Nicholas Rogers, representing the Chief of Army staff said “inevitably a lot has changed since 1976. As the world has evolved, so have we,” 


“The relationship between the army and the people is now even more critical. Our true strength comes from collaboration, and nowhere is it better illustrated than in partnerships such as these.” He also reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army Leadership to anything positive that tells their true story.‎

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Opinion, Sports

The Lagos City Marathon – A Participant’s personal experience.

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.2 miles), it is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. Many runners in Lagos were excited when we heard that Lagos will be hosting a marathon event. The opportunity offers many runners an avenue to test themselves with the ultimate running experience.
The time the announcement was made to the time of the event was short. Preparation for a marathon race takes about 6 months.
Myself as well as many other runners quickly registered. We assumed that the race will be well organized because it is being sponsored by a major financial institution in Nigeria.
When I went to collect running my kit & bib, I started sensing that all may not be well. After verification, & registration, I was given a bib showing my race number. I also noticed with pleasure that the bib has an electronic tag. This device is meant to track the split time between distances along the race track, I moved onward to the collection point, a man toss a bag to me, I quickly informed him that I will need an extra large vest, he smiled and said it is one size fits all, that the vests are expandable. When I brought out the vest, the quality was very poor and my instinct started telling me that this race may not live up to expectation.
On race day, I got ready quickly, I had heard on the news that the roads will be blocked around 6.30am. I joined my 2 other friends that are also participating to the stadium. We trekked from Costain roundabout to statdium because the road had been closed. 
By 7.12am the race started. The weather was a little bit cool. Spectators were cheering us as we go. From stadium to Ojuelegba to Anthony, at around 3km, we saw the first casualty been lifted into the ambulance. I said to myself “no be small thing o” many participants were not regular runners. The shoes some people wore were not running shoes. Considering the hot and humid weather, some people were over dressed. Some believed they can win the prize money. Knowing Nigerians for who we are, I believe some may have gone to their place of worship to pray for success in the race. $50,000 in this tough economic dispensation would definitely go a long way.
The organizers had promised that at 5km intervals, there will be water, energy drink, sponging spots  and probably toilet. The disappointed came when I, as well as many runners got to where we were meant to refresh with water and energy drink and found nothing. Alas !, all the drinks were gone. Many runners started experiencing dehydration after 6 – 10km. When we enquire from the volunteers at the water stations, they just waved us on as if we were speaking a foreign language. For the rest of the race, I never got any form of support in terms of drinks or water to sponge myself. The temperature was getting high. The temperature was around 34 degrees centigrade.
Thankfully, I had a running pouch with 2 water bottles, I had filled it up with energy drink. I also had three hundred and fifty naira (N350) in my pouch. That turned out to be my saving grace.  At Oworonshoki, as we approach the 3rd mainland bridge, some spectators brought out 2 bags of pure water, myself and other marathoners rushed to grab the pure water sachet as if our lives depended on it, we drank some, poured some over our bodies and kept on with the race.
While we were on 3rd mainland bridge, many participants started retiring from the race, I suspected fatigue and dehydration have set in, many BRT buses, filled to capacity passed by, conveying participants.
At Adeniji area, we were lucky to find a woman selling cold pure water, I bought 5 for N50, I took two and gave 3 to other marathoners. We needed to urinate at that time, we had to do it near the edge of the bridge. There was no toilet facility throughout the race course.
We continue to endure the race, at Osborne just before the traffic light, a gardener selling plants was wetting his flowers, we begged him to shower us with his hose. He gladly did and we thanked him profusely. The lowest point for me is when I saw a young marathoner picked up a leftover energy drink from the road and drank it. I felt so depressed. That was desperation and survival.
At the Ikoyi registry & Lekki – Ikoyi  link bridge some good Samaritans gave us pure water & bottle water respectively. We thanked them and moved on. All these while, I was running and walking intermittently so that I can finish the race within 5 hours 45 minutes which was my previous personal best at the last marathon I ran in Chicago 2013. The scorching sun with no fluids to replenish made me slow down drastically. From 37km to 41km, I trekked at a pace of 11 minutes 30 seconds per kilometer.  I started running as I entered the Atlantic city. I am happy I completed the race but so sad that I have been let down by the organizers of the race. At the finish point, there were no more medals for people like us that finished the race after 5 hours. I finished my own race after 6 hours 13 minutes. There was no water nor energy drink or food. Instead, we were lining up for medals which had been given out to participants that did not finish the race but boarded the board to the finish line. After taking pictures with my friends, I was eventually able to get a blank certificate. There was nothing to recognize my position or the time I finished the race. I now wonder what benefit is the tag on my bib for?  
As I leave the venue, runners that came after 2.12pm which is after the official cut off time were treated shabbily, there were not allowed to pass through the gate of EKO Atlantic. They were pushed and shoved by the security personnel at the gate. This, in my own opinion summarized in totality, the underlining factor which I call the Nigerian factor, we do not have respect for ourselves. We do not treat each other with dignity. This lack of respect & dignity has eaten into the fabric of all our institutions.
The experience taught me once again that I cannot rely on organizations, whether private or public to deliver a world class event. The organizers registered 36,500 participants and probably 20,000 runners started the marathon but catered for only 1,000. My running pace was about 7 minutes 20 seconds many runners before& after me did not get any water & energy drinks neither was there any sponging area to cool the body temperature down.  We were simply left to our fate and for many people that did not have money on them; they suffered through the race and were left to the kindness of proactive spectators that provided pure water while many simply retired.
I had voiced my concern that since the event is free it may not be properly organized. Many people said but they have a big sponsor, it is pertinent to note that despite having big sponsors, Chicago & Dubai Marathons participants still pay $175 & $125 respectively in order to register.
I will implore the organizers to plan future events carefully & properly and pay special attention to the following areas;
1. Weather – the event should be held when temperature in Lagos is coolest (for instance temperature on Saturday, 23rd January was cooler than on the 6th of February)
2. Cooling / refreshment stations – There should be adequate drinks (water & energy drink) as well as sponges (for cooling) for all the participants not just few. 
3. There should be toilets for participants that need to ease themselves.
4. The integrity of the marathon race track should be protected throughout in order to ensure every participants starts at the same time and are not able to join the race at any other point. 
5. The participants that could not finish the race and joined the bus should not have been taken to the finish line because medals & certificates should only be for finishers. They should have been taken to another area where they can get refreshment and go home.
6. There should be more ambulances to attend to the participants that require medical help. There should be more buses to convey runners that could not finish the race.
7. Participants should pay a registration fee in order to improve the quality of event.
8. The organizers should organize training workshops for aspiring participants and also inform aspiring runners that marathon should be prepared for appropriately. Many runners that have never run more than 5km showed up for 42km. what do you expect?
9. There should be an official result of the event of all participants that finished the race showing their position and time.
Many people have made their concerns known to the organizers through various media. I seriously hope that the organizers will take note of my sincere critic of the Lagos city Marathon 2016. Organizing this marathon is a right step in the right direction because it can attract tourists and thereby generate revenue for the state & country but the way it was organized and implemented on Saturday, the 6th of February, 2016, left much to be desired.
The organizers owe the public this duty of care.
Thank you.
Olawale Olabintan
Lagos City Marathoner – Bib number 1598
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Entertainment

From a bread seller to a model. TY Bello tells the compelling story of Jumoke Orisaguna.

Few weeks back, celebrity photographer and singer, TY Bello was taking shots of singer, Tinie Tempah for his ThisDay Style cover when a bread seller walked into the session. She was photographed alongside Tinie and the shot turned out beautiful. The picture went viral after it was shared on instagram, with many asking TY if the lady was a real model. The singer stated that she would really like to meet her and help her build a (modelling) portfolio if she’s really interested and added that she will find a way to track her down. Eventually she was led to her  by a person who saw the picture on Facebook….. She wasn’t only given a makeover, she’s on this week’s cover of Thisday Stylemagazine. Can you beat that?  Read excerpts from her chat with TY Bello. 

“Olajumoke a bread hawker from the Sabo market bakery , walked entirely by coincidence unto our set of our Thisday style shoot for @tiniegram The moment didn’t  look special at all. If anything she stood there a little confused .. Some people asking her to leave the set and others asking her to stay . I signaled if it was ok to take her photograph and she agreed and I pressed on my shutter so she could move ahead . My main subject of interest was the Okada driver that had slowed down just before she arrived .Okada riders have that cool lagos vibe and always happen to add a bit of swag to street portraits. 
I was wrong to have paid her such little attention. Ever frame with her in it was perfect .. I had found a second subject in the Tinnie’s story .. A young beautiful hawker who could have served as a love interest of some sort .Digitally I  made the red in her dress match @tiniegram sleeves to create a connection between them .

When the magazine came out last week and the images hit social media , I was proven right this girl split the limelight with the main subject effortlessly ..questions and comments started to fly : Was she a model ? How did we convince the model to balance all that bread on her head . The buzz about her multiplied when I clarified that she indeed wasn’t a model at all but simply stumbled on our set. I immediately begone my search for her .If so many felt she was beautiful enough to be a model.. Then maybe she was mean to be one .I was going to find a way to make it happen .I had assistants leave word with people in the area we shot her and to my delight the very next day , she showed up at my studio ..


Aso kan na ni mo wo kiri Lana ‘.. Jumoke the ‘model’ the Internet had been searching for speaks almost no English. She explained how she had worn the exact outfit in our photograph the day before and someone showed her her own photograph on his phone from face book. A mallam led her to my studio that morning . 
She narrated her journey to lagos …A hair stylist from Ire  in Osun state but not making enough profit between she and her husband , a sliding door installer  in from same village ,to care for their two young children .
At the invitation of a distant relative who knew someone operating a bakery , she relocated lagos with her 14 month old daughter to give bread hawking a try , leaving her husband and older 5 year old  behind .


As I listened to her I wandered if the beauty I had seen on my screen as I edited my image was a fluke ..well until she smiled ., I realized that I was wrong ., I had in fact ,underestimated the beauty of this 27 year old woman. As always ., it was her eyes and of course her perfectly chiseled features that jumped out at you when she chuckled .This lady belonged in front of my camera .After a conversation with her husband telling him the story of our meeting I decided I was going to photograph her that very afternoon..Within an hour ..Bimpe Onakoya , one of Nigeria’s leading makeup artist and Zubby one of my favourite hairstylist  were at my studio to work magic. They had both followed the story online and were more than happy to put in their very best for her.
Olajumoke .., with curly extensions out ,revealed a short natural Afro that beautifully hugged her face.@Bimpeonakoya also had decided to keep the make up minimal… She stepped in front of my camera and I almost couldn’t recognize her . She moved different too.Jumoke looked straight into my lens emoting like she had done this all her life …. I knew we had found a star


During the course of the day, @emaedosio who was making a short documentary about the process had asked her what she really wanted to do .
‘Ka ma kiri Buredi ko suwon ‘ she explained that bread hawking wasn’t the most profitable business but put enough food on her table . It also put a roof over a head .. Howbeit a roof she shared with scores of other hawkers . 
She was a trained hairdresser back in Osun state but her family could not afford the necessarily ‘freedom ‘ ceremony ; a passing out ritual that gives a trainee a sometimes unwritten permission to start a full fledged salon .
We all decided that the make over  would be incomplete if it ended at the studio . Every one started to reach out to their contacts  and through  Bimpe we were able to get her a meeting with Ugo the pioneer of Make-me salon . 
As a result of the buzz she generated from the Thisday cover Our model is now close to starting an internship at @makemesalon and  has been offered a additional internship with @sarisignature  a famous Lebanese owned salon on the island island . 
To pay Jumoke her model fee  from her first job in front of the camera we called @_ujumarshall one of Nigeria’s And matched her fees .She’s been offered a modelling contract with the help of @godsonukaegbu  from a  @fewmodels .She’s also had @payporte reach out to her to be model on their next billboard campaign . 
This is clearly only the beginning of  another chapter in Jumoke’s story . Though it seems accidental it s clearly  Devine .
Just this morning ,mentor of mine offered to foot the bill for her accommodation ,education as well as her child’s .. This finally makes it possible to be finally reunited with her husband and older child. 
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Entertainment

Full Text Of The Letter Of Apology Written By DAAR Communications To Tinubu

Further to the terms of settlement in Suit No: ID/196GCMW/2015 between Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Daar Communications Plc filed as a result of the broadcast of a documentary titled ‘Lion of Bourdilon’ and which terms were adopted at the High Court of Lagos State on 5th February, 2016 as the judgment of the court, the defendant, Daar Communication Plc, hereby retract and apologise to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as follows:

1. Daar Communications Plc, acknowledges that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is an outstanding political leader of unblemished character and integrity, as well as a leading public figure and opinion moulder who has made and continues to make immense, colossal and gargantuan contributions to the progress and development of the nation in general. And Lagos State in particular.

2. Daar Communications Plc admits that in airing the said documentary, it had no intention whatsoever to embarrass or diminish the high reputation of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu which it respects and attests to.

3. Daar Communications Plc hereby makes a public and unequivocal retraction of the said documentary titled ‘Lion of Bourdilon’, which was broadcast on its television station, AIT.

4. Daar Communications Plc hereby tenders unreserved apology to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the broadcast of the documentary on its television station, AIT.

5. Daar Communications Plc prays that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will live long to make more enormous contributions to the advancement of our nation, Nigeria, Lagos State and the world at large.Below is the letter of apology accompanied with the terms of settlement written to Bola Tinubu over a documentary.

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Entertainment

Kenyan athlete emerges winner of the Lagos City Marathon

Abraham Kipton, a Kenyan athlete has emerged winner of the Lagos City Marathon, hosted by the state government. He crossed the finish line at 2hours 16mins & 21 seconds. Halima Huseen Kayo of Ethiopia emerged winner in the female category of the competition, while Emmanuel Gyan was the first Nigerian to cross the finish line, but came in 7th place. Kenya’s Hossei and Ethiopia’s Debebe Ethosa came in second and third respectively. 
About 20,000 participants started the race from the National Stadium, Surulere but only a few of them made it to the finish line – Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island. The winner will walk home with  $50,000 while the Nigerian will receive N1 million .
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