Archive for nigeriang

Towards the Nigerian-Ghana Music Festival

19/09/2010 No comments

Towards the Nigerian-Ghana Music Festival

According to
Musiliu Peregrino Brimah, Majek Fashek’s first outing was in Ghana
where he performed a series of concerts. While there, he won the
Nigerian Music Award. On his return he played concerts around Nigeria
and eventually left for the United States of America, where he signed
up with the InterScope Record label that also had Snoop Dog in its
stable.

Brimah picks up the
story. “Majek played at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York
and, in the appreciative audience were Carlos Santana and other top
musicians. He was a big hit because they had never heard a band play
reggae with talking drums; his diminutive dancer, Pogo, who also played
shekere, thrilled the audience. The Jamaicans in particular, inventors
of reggae music, were shocked. Generally, Majek was well accepted on
the American music scene and he appeared on the famous David Letterman
Talk Show. He made a record in America which was favourably reviewed in
music journals as well as the upscale Esquire magazine. He was
described as the new voice of international reggae! When Fajek came
back to Nigeria, the first thing he did was to kiss the ground.

“I again advised
Majek to be closer to God. We went to a party in Ikeja where Sunny Ade
was playing and when Sunny saw Majek he started praising him in song.
Later, I told Majek I did not like the way he was behaving as he was
always restless and, that, if he had lost the key he should look for
that key that controls the mind. I asked him if he was taking drugs and
he said: no. Rather, he told me, he had read the spiritual book, ‘Seven
Books of Moses’ on the way to America. I have not seen Majek since
then. All I hear now are stories.”

The first Oxygen

Musiliu Peregrino
Brimah himself had to move on with his art. He designed the label for
the new Punch newspapers’ record company, Skylight Records. He designed
album covers for Ebenezer Obey, Orlando Owoh, Christie Essien-Igbokwe,
I.K.Dairo, Oriental Brothers, Kabaka, BLO, Manu Dibango, Tee Mac, Dele
Abiodun and Jonny Haastrup, amongst many others.

He delved further
into his passion for identifying and producing young talents. He worked
with a young group, Special Branch from Festac and, one of the members,
Tony, brought Paul Play Dairo. “I interviewed Paul Dairo,” Brimah
recalls, “and gave him an assignment to do the Johnny Cash song ‘I can
see clearly/now the rain is gone’; and sing it in the style of Seal. He
did the song and I was overwhelmed by [his] talent. So, I formed a
group which I called Oxygen, with Paul and Tony in 2002. Paul brought
in Slam and Bayo and, they all had talent. We were doing Hip Hop and
Hiplife; a mixture of highlife and hip-hop. We were doing fantastic
sounds and we were about to release our sound when Paul did ‘Mosorire’
for his father. I had already gotten Oxygen a record deal in America;
but Paul went to Kenny’s Music who released Moserire and it became a
big hit. That was the end of the first Oxygen.”

The second Oxygen

Brimah did not give
up! “I formed another Oxygen group,” he reminisces, “with Modog, Cool
Irie and, then a fellow producer told me he wanted me to meet a girl
called Asa who had talent. When I auditioned Asa and heard her voice I
was fascinated. With her in this new group called Oxygen Track 2, we
did a recording at Ayo Bankole’s Mainstream studio in Surulere. After
we shot the video, Asa told me she wasn’t too happy with the behaviour
of some of the other musicians so she decided to go solo. I continued
working with young musicians and, I worked with OJB who later produced
the hit ‘African Queen’ for Tuface Idibia.”

Brimah’s Peregrino
Music has continued to produce cutting-edge innovative popular music in
Nigeria and Ghana. Two of such products currently in the market and
making waves are ‘Ekute Oyingbo’ by Kaduna-based King Suleiman and
‘Ikebe’ by Katsina Rankies, based in Nima, Accra, Ghana. The lyrics in
both recordings are in Hausa and English.

When will he
release his earlier musical experiments with Oxygen and other groups?
“I think the time is right now,” he responds. “They were unknown
musicians then and the music industry then had not become what we made
it to be.” What are the special factors that now drive the Nigerian
Music industry? “These young musicians are money-spinning machines
today, not like before. The publicity, their involvement with
telecommunication companies and the fact that their music now has
international appeal has made all the difference!”

Celebrating Nigeria and Ghana

Musiliu Peregrino
Brimah’s pet project now is the Nigeria-Ghana Music Festival scheduled
for November 2010. It is a project that has gestated for some time. “I
first conceived the idea back in 2004/5. Then in 2007 I went to Ghana
to see the then President of the Ghana Musicians Association, Sidiku
Buhari, and told him that the purpose was to develop our culture
through music. He liked the idea. I then talked to Tee Mac who was then
President of PMAN and he too liked the idea. Then in 2008 I went to the
then Minister of Culture and Tourism, Adetokunbo Kayode, and the
Ministry gave me approval for supporting African Music and Culture.

“I then went into
collaboration with CBAAC and we did a promotional mini-documentary for
the Nigeria-Ghana Music Festival with the theme, ‘A Bit of Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow’ and aired it on the Music Africa programme on
Silverbird Television for nearly two years. In the promotional film, we
talked about the Beats of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow including
Highlife, Juju, Afrobeat, Fuji, Kpalogo, Adowa (both from Ghana) and
others. We have done enough publicity and we believe this is the right
time to do the Nigeria-Ghana Music Festival because of Nigeria’s 50th
Anniversary and Kwame Nkrumah’s centenary. The theme of the Festival is
Integration and Development because Nigeria and Ghana are like
twin-sister countries!

“We are looking at 10 musicians, four from Ghana and six from
Nigeria. We are definitely planning on having great musicians from
Nigeria and Ghana. Already, some state governors are part of the
sponsorship we have received. We plan on using the Lagos City Hall and
more details will be available as we embark on the final advertising
and awareness push very soon,” Brimah concludes.

Click to read more Entertainment news

entertainment

PERSONAL FINANCE: Financial aid and the adult child

19/09/2010 No comments

PERSONAL FINANCE: Financial aid and the adult child

It is the desire of every parent, to educate their children and to see them move on to become self-sufficient. With today’s challenging global economy, however, there is a huge increase in the number of grown ups having to depend on parents when the real world becomes too tough to cope with. Described as ‘the worst job market in a generation’, huge numbers of graduates face more economic uncertainty than their parents who were born at a time of relatively greater opportunity and promise.

A challenge of 21st century parenting is the sheer number of dependent adult graduates. The question is, have today’s parents raised a generation of spoiled young people who are unable to cope with the real world? Are we perpetuating the ‘Boomerang Generation’ phenomenon, which has seen parents welcoming adult children back home after university, paying off their debts, keeping their mobile phones funded, and paying all their bills? Or, is today’s world just so difficult that they are unable to make their way without our assistance?

What stage are your children at? Have they completed their education? Are they looking for jobs? Have they started work? How much do you continue to support them? Do you give all that they ask for or just a part. Will the money help them to become more self-sufficient or will it just lead to more and more requests for help? The answers will vary from family to family. Consider these scenarios and see where you fit:

• You feel that your financial obligations end when your children graduate

• You support your children financially, and expect to do so for the rest of your life

• You will give your child the first few month’s rent and a security deposit for a new apartment and then they are on their own

• Your child can continue to live at home rent-free and doesn’t need to contribute to any of the household expenses.

• You will set them up in an apartment which you will fund until they are on their feet

• You have educated your child and will not give any further financial support, either because you cannot afford to, or you choose not to.

When should you step in and when should you hold back?

Take the time to analyse the request carefully, particularly if a significant sum is required. Is there a genuine need? If they desperately need the money for an important, legitimate need and you can afford it, then there is no harm in giving or lending as the case may be. Most parents would not mind stepping in during a true emergency, such as if a child or grandchild needs medical care, or school fees must be paid to keep children in school.

The implications for your retirement

It is wonderful to be able to support your children but, at what cost to yourself? For many parents, continuing to financially support adult kids who return to the empty nest could have serious consequences for your financial future, particularly your retirement. If you sit down to actually assess the numbers in terms of how much longer you must continue to earn, it puts it into perspective. Remember you need to look after yourself so that you do not become dependent on them in later years.

Family dynamics

Every child is different. Take a good look at each of your children’s money personalities. In the same family, you will discover that various children deal with money matters differently. You find one child has been frugal from their earliest years, whilst another who is a spendthrift and extravagant, feels that you owe them a living. Some children are simply unwilling to accept that they may need to take a step down on the economic ladder when they leave home. Indeed, many young adults seek to imitate their parent’s lifestyle that has taken nearly a half-century to build.

Emotional and psychological aspects of financial aid

Be aware of the emotional repercussions for the whole family, of financial aid. If the handouts are jeopardising family relationships and family finances, then things need to change. When adult children constantly demand and receive money, there may be feelings of dependency that this creates, which can lead to resentment. Parents too may feel resentful, about being constantly pressured to provide.

The psychological dynamics get even more complicated if some adult children are getting help while others aren’t. You find families where for example two self-sufficient sons deeply resent the hundreds of thousands of naira being given to their spoilt sister; the brothers may have concerns that they are being penalised for being financially responsible.

Does helping do more harm than good?

There is a fine line between helping and spoiling your children. How much are you really helping by keeping them dependent on you? If your children know that they can always come back to you for a bail out, they may never learn how to deal with financial setbacks or how to manage their own money. Studies show that the more dependent children are on their parents, the less able they are to be economically self-sufficient.

Of course it makes smart economic sense for a child to move back home where life is comfortable and rent is usually nonexistent. But by allowing adult children to live at home free of charge so they can spend more money on travelling and eating out is not teaching them financial responsibility. At a minimum they should be encouraged to cover some basic expenses whilst putting away some savings to prepare them for the realities of starting out on their own.

Help your child to be self-sufficient

Even if money is no object for you, make an effort to wean your child off you financially, and consider ways to help them become more self-sufficient. If you are going to help a child pay off mobile phone or other debt, put something in writing clearly stating the terms including interest and repayment schedule. Clear expectations and definite limits are always better for all parties involved. Adult children also need to know in advance when financial aid will begin to be withdrawn and may eventually stop.

Saying no is one of the most difficult things for a parent to do, but sometimes you have to step back, take a deep breath, and let whatever happens, happen. Even if some pain results, your child may just learn some valuable life lessons before its too late. They might not appreciate it now, but remember that your efforts to make them financially self-sufficient will ultimately result in more balanced, more purposeful and more empowered adults; the alternative can be grim.

Click to Read more Financial Stories

Money

Financial markets dim on AMCON pace

19/09/2010 No comments

Financial markets dim on AMCON pace

It has been three weeks since the board of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) was inaugurated. Since then, much of its activities have been shrouded in confidentiality. Apart from ongoing covert plans to recruit management staff which was not publicly advertised, the financial district for which the corporation is expected to provide succour, is in the dark as to the strategy for roll out. Since the inauguration, investors in the Nigerian capital market have lost a whopping N132 billion, while the market performance indices has reached its lowest level in six months.

AMCON portends good

Finance minister, Olusegun Aganga insists that the AMCON portends good for the economy. According to him, the aim is to remove obstacles in the banking sector and bring it to closure. “So that the financial sector and the economy can start moving again and there is liquidity in the market,” he told journalists at a briefing in Lagos last month.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi, is worried about the reluctance of banks to lend to the real sector. “Bank lending has not been growing as fast as we would like it to grow. Bank lending is a major worry because we would like to get more money into the real economy,” he told Reuters.

A major source of concern has been how the project will be funded. Mr. Aganga said he is taken a cue from other parts of the world where it has been done. “In other parts of the world where this has been done, the banking sector which you are helping contributes to the cost. The banks, the Central Bank and the ministry of finance have to agree. Banks will generate about N1 trillion towards the cost of AMCON. I want to do this at minimal cost to government,” he said.

Beyond funding

However, beyond the issue of funding, the apprehension among financial sector operators is how the toxic asset to be taken over will be priced. Emmanuel Moore, chief economist and head, Market Risk Management, Access Bank Plc said at a forum in Lagos at the beginning of the year that the pricing of the assets needs to be sorted out before AMCON begins operation. “They can adopt fair value accounting or mark to book value in which case the assets will be marked at current market value,” he said. He said if the assets are priced low, the banks may not be willing to sell to the AMCON and if priced too high, the banks may be unnecessarily rewarding the shareholders. “So this is going to be the most contentious issue,” said Mr. Moore.

Delay in AMCOM operations

More importantly, many see the delay in the take-off of AMCON as eroding the value of the banks it is supposed to rescue. Unity Bank and Wema Bank initially tied their recapitalisation plans to success of AMCON but are now looking beyond it in order to meet the September 30 recapitalisation deadline set by the CBN. Wema Bank company secretary, Oluwole Ajimisinmi said the N10 billion which the bank requires for its regional banking license is not solely hinged on AMCON. “We are raising N9 billion via a special placing offer which has been approved by the Nigerian Stock Exchange. We already have commitments equal to the amount on offer,” he stated via text message. Ndu Eke of the corporate communications department of Unity Bank said the existence of AMCON would give a boost to its recapitalization effort. “Our rights issue was successful from which we raised over N23 billion. Our success is not hinged on AMCON but it is going to be a boost.” He said the bank was well on its way to maintaining its national banking license.

Many operators are of the opinion that the longer the CBN and shareholders of the eight banks take to agree to sell the banks, the less attractive they become. This sentiment is shared by Dianna Games, the honorary chief executive officer of the South Africa-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, who believes that the delays were affecting the performance of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

“Problems at the NSE, and the possibility that due diligence of the ailing banks may show a worse situation than originally thought, may have eroded investor confidence,” Games was quoted as saying by Times Live, a South Africa based online publication.

No compromise

However, there are no indications that the CBN will reach a compromise with the banks’ shareholders any time soon. The minority shareholders still insist that the regulator has no moral standing to seek investors for institutions it does not own. According to them, the CBN should allow the existing shareholders recapitalize the banks while it supervises the process. On the other hand, the regulator maintains that the N620 billion which it injected into the rescued banks gives it no option that to hand the institutions over to new core investors, or in the alternative, hand the banks over to the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) for liquidation.

Boniface Okezie, president of one of the shareholder groups said the insistence by the CBN to hand the banks over to a new group of owners was in the manner of riding roughshod over other interests.

“What we are saying is that the management appointed by CBN cannot midwife the handover of the banks. Up till now, the Central Bank has not told us how much is required to recapitalise each bank,” he said. According to him, aggrieved shareholders have sought legal protection by obtaining caveat from courts in Lagos, Abuja, and Ibadan restraining any investor from investing in any of the rescued institutions. Meanwhile, the search by the CBN for new core investors for the rescued banks continues.

Click to Read more Financial Stories

Money

Ekeji slams federation, Friends of Rugby

18/09/2010 No comments

Ekeji slams federation, Friends of Rugby

The Director
General of National Sports Commission (NSC), Patrick Ekeji has accused
officials of Nigerian Rugby Federation and Friends of Rugby of double
talk and insincerity.

Ekeji, who was in
Lagos for elections into the executive committee of the National
Olympic Committee (NOC), said the unease in the rugby family in the
country was the result of officials of both bodies refusing to bury the
hatchet.

“All stakeholders
must be honest and sincere. There are a lot of discordant tunes in this
matter. There was a clamour for private sector involvement in sport. As
result, we did what we thought was right and concessions came as a
result of that. The Rugby Federation took up the offer and we did the
concession. Now some of them have told lies and are now saying that
they did not want the concession after it had been done,” Ekeji said.

Ekeji has however
said that the only way out of all the mess in the federation is for all
interested parties to work together and sort out their problems.

Ekeji’s comments
came on the same day Friends of Rugby held a press conference at the
National Stadium in Lagos accusing the NSC of indifference concerning
the case of the ban placed on Rugby by the International Rugby Board.

Spokesperson for
the organisation, Ntiense Williams, said efforts to get the NSC
involved in resolving the issue were unsuccessful.

“Our discussions
with them (NSC) and the Sports Ministry have all proved abortive. Do
they want the federation to spend four years before they take charge?
Two years is still long way to go and we need to salvage what we can
right now before it is too late,” he said.

The call for action
by Friends of Rugby is coming on the heels of last week’s protest by
Rugby players under the aegis of All Rugby Football Players staged at
the National Stadium.

Independence tourney

Friends of Rugby
also unveiled their programme for Nigeria’s 50th independence
anniversary at the briefing. Olatunji Fasimoye, a member of Friends of
Rugby, explained the reason behind the tournament. “It is a way the
Rugby family celebrate independence but this year’s would be special
because of the golden jubilee. It is going to be 7’s tournament between
16 teams made up of men and women clubs in Nigeria. We are also hoping
to bring in some African countries to join us as we celebrate Nigeria.
The tournament would hold on the first and second of October. Winners
in the men and women category would be awarded trophies and a cash
prize,” he said.

Last year’s men’s tournament was won by Cowrie RFC while the Edo
team won the women’s category. The finals of the Lagos Rugby Union
League that was scheduled to hold this weekend has been postponed till
the 16th of October.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Barca wary of more madness at the Calderon

18/09/2010 No comments

Barca wary of more madness at the Calderon

Barcelona’s recent
trips to play Atletico Madrid in La Liga have been end-to-end thrillers
that have usually ended up with a victory for the home team.

The Calderon has
witnessed 25 goals in the last five league clashes between the teams,
with Atletico stringing together 2-1, 4-3 and 4-2 victories in the last
three years.

The champions
suffered their only defeat of last season there and midfielder Andres
Iniesta has warned his team mates to heed the lessons from those
matches when they return on Sunday (1700 GMT).

“Sometimes these
games are mad, and I can remember in some of them they have scored
twice against us in five minutes,” the scorer of Spain’s winner in the
World Cup final told daily Sport.

“We have to try and
play our own game and above all else to be very focused. We can’t
afford to give them any chances because they have dangerous players,
especially up front.”

Atletico strikers
Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan have been in devastating form over the
last month, helping their side build on last season’s Europa League
triumph by winning the European Super Cup and their opening two league
games.

They travel to play
Greek side Aris in the Europa League on Thursday and hope Aguero
recovers from a bruised leg in time for Sunday.

Shock defeat

Barca recovered
from their shock 2-0 home defeat to promoted Hercules last weekend with
a midweek pummelling of Panathinaikos in the Champions League, when
Lionel Messi led them to a 5-1 victory.

Pep Guardiola
perhaps paid for resting a number of first-team regulars against
Hercules but will no doubt field his strongest side against Atletico,
as he did on Tuesday.

Real Madrid travel
north to play promoted Real Sociedad on Saturday (2000), battling to
win over their demanding fans after some uninspired opening
performances.

New coach Jose
Mourinho is still fishing for his best side but will have been lifted
by the energetic display they put on to defeat Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 in
their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

New boys Mesut Ozil
and Angel Di Maria impressed against Ajax and it was only profligate
finishing from the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo that
denied them a more flattering scoreline.

Defender Sergio Ramos dropped out of the squad on Wednesday with a suspected calf injury and is doubtful.

Second division champions Sociedad have the same record as Real from their first two games — a win and a draw.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Laurent Blanc’s tough assignment

18/09/2010 No comments

Laurent Blanc’s tough assignment

As I learned of
France’s home defeat against Belarus, I wondered if this was the lowest
ever point for French football, and more importantly, how are they
going to turn their fortunes around?

The loss was Les
Bleus’ fourth in a row and there seems to be no light at the end of the
tunnel for a team that lacks confidence, personality and experience. I
was in South Africa when France’s players decided to strike in protest
of the French Football Federation’s (FFF) decision to send Nicolas
Anelka home following an altercation with Raymond Domenech. I couldn’t
believe that professional athletes would actually refuse to work during
a tournament which should represent one of the highlights of their
careers. It would have to take a lot of anger and frustration for a
group of players to take such a decision. Some of those feelings are
surely still present now in the French squad even if some World Cup
squad members are no longer part of the national team set-up.

Healing the wounds

So how is Laurent
Blanc going to heal these wounds and create the team spirit and unity
necessary to get results? Well to be fair, he already tried a bold
motivational approach, inviting his friend and fellow 1998 World Cup
champion Zinedine Zidane to a training session in a bid to inspire the
squad. He also handed out sheets of paper containing the words to La
Marseillaise to players, encouraging them to sing the national anthem
before the game. I guess the Belarus result showed both of those
tactics didn’t work and it will take a lot more work on the training
pitch and in the dressing room to raise the morale of these players. We
should also remember this is a very young team that doesn’t really have
many role models on the pitch. There is not a Zidane, a (Patrick)
Vieira or a (Didier) Deschamps, who can lead by example. Still, it’s my
belief that this team will improve quickly under the guidance of Blanc
and qualify for Euro 2012. The talent is there with young players such
as Lamine Sakho, Yoann Gourcuff and Karim Benzema and the spirit will
eventually return.

Of course France is not the only national team with an identity
crisis. Italy is clearly in a transitional period with a new coach and
new set of players. They struggled to beat Estonia and will also take a
while to gel with Cesare Prandelli and without the leadership skills of
the retired Fabio Cannavaro and injured Gigi Buffon. Last but not
least, I have to admit that I am very worried about my beloved
Portugal. With coach Carlos Queiroz suspended for six months by the
national football federation for his role in disrupting an anti-doping
test, and with Cristiano Ronaldo injured, they could struggle to make
the European Championship.

The players looked lost, especially in
defence, during a 4-4 draw with Cyprus on Friday. There was no
leadership, no direction, no clear game plan. By the time Queiroz comes
back, the qualifying campaign could be in tatters. As with any identity
crisis, each of the three sides need some urgent self-analysis and
rehabilitation, if they are to regain the team psyche that saw each
side compete for top honours in recent times.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Genuine restitution for sports

18/09/2010 No comments

Genuine restitution for sports

How does anyone explain the shame experienced by millions of
sports loving Nigerians between Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th 2010?

Samuel Peter was given a battering I am sure, he never expected.
Samson Siasia’s Heartland football team was kicked out of the CAF Champions
league by Ahly of Egypt and Congo DR made sure that our U-17 men – oh, so
sorry, boys – will not be in Rwanda in 2011.

The implications are varied and several. For instance, while
Wladimir Klitschko, his trainers and fans are basking in the euphoria of a well
deserved victory, what we are experiencing here in Nigeria is a horrible
nightmare.

While there is celebration in Egypt, the opposite is happening
here in Nigeria, especially amongst those, who are either mischievously or
ignorantly advocating for the installation of Siasia as the Super Eagles’
technical adviser or coach.

As regards the U-17 football match, I am absolutely unperturbed.
As long as we refuse to establish a culture of excellent football development –
with integrity, as the foundation, the systemic evolution of genuine age-grade
footballers, will never be actualised in this massively blessed nation, endowed
with the potentials to rule the world of football. It is as simple but as
serious as that.

Add the above to the disgraceful situation our football
administrators have put us in the global setting and then ask why this should
be happening.

Various perspectives

Remember the case of three blind men who were told that an
elephant has been killed? They requested to be given an opportunity to touch
the dead elephant, in order to ascertain the veracity of the story. Their
request was granted. The first man touched the ear of the elephant and said it felt
so smooth like the cocoa yam leaf. The second touched one of the legs and said
it was like the mahogany tree, while the third touch the elephant’s tusk and
exclaimed that it was an iron. Check our newspapers, listen to the radio, watch
the TV, and you will be amazed at the various perspectives from which current
football issues are being discussed.

One angle that is of paramount interest to me is the issue of
divine intervention and the call on Nigerians to pray. I agree absolutely. I am
however aware of the sensitive nature of my position and approach to the
quagmire in which our football has been enmeshed, but make bold to declare
unreservedly, that this is the “drawing board” we must return to, in order to
have God-fearing people manage and administer football in this nation.

Courage is often something which others recognise rather than
behaviour that anyone ever deliberately sets out to display. I am also aware of
the fact that an idea, such as this issue of restitution, has to go through
three clear stages: the stages of it being ridiculed, aggressively opposed and
of course being finally accepted as self-evident.

The power of prayers Restitution, we are made to believe is the
act of, returning something to its rightful owner, or compensation for a loss,
damage or injury, or the return of something to the condition it was in before
it was changed.

Let me remind fellow Nigerians of the price paid by some God-fearing South
Africans between the years 2000 and 2002. I was not told. I participated in it
and was officially mandated to organise such programmes here in Nigeria, in
order to stand in the gap for our South African brethren. What was the price?

Thousands of football administrators, stake holders, footballers,
supporters/friends of football, would gather at various stadiums all around
South Africa, to confess the atrocities going on in South African sports,
especially football. Not only that, they set some days aside during which all
they did was to fast and pray to God for forgiveness. Did it work? Yes. The
2010 FIFA World Cup finals is a testimony. Can we pay the price to bring about
the desired changes Nigerians are clamouring for? Yes, we can!

The good news however is that whether we are ready or not the One who
created sports for His own pleasure, is already at work. Nigeria is blessed
with people, who pursue their dreams, regardless of the threats, dangers and
what is said or thought; and people, who have made sacrifices and displayed
incredible persistence – in short, people who are M.A.D. (making a difference).

One of such is our own Olajide Fashiku. Happy birthday, Jide. As you
celebrate today, we pray that your ideas to ensure that sports returns to its
rightful place in Nigeria do not run dry. Your efforts and sacrifice will not
be in vain. FIFA, CAF and the NFA may not recognise you, but on behalf of
millions of sports loving Nigerians, we say thank you. It will be well with
you. We love you Baba JID.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

A lot of determination and history

18/09/2010 No comments

A lot of determination and history

Today, a lot of
teams with history on their side will be trying to take new strides in
the 2010 version of the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid, with a new
coach and lots of young players will resume a quest for a 10th title.
Five-time champions Bayern Munich, who fell at the last hurdle in the
2009 finals will be hoping to better their last performance. Ajax come
into their match against the Bavarians with their own share of European
glory combined with the deadly aim of Luis Suarez and are gunning for a
fifth title. The Uruguayan striker has scored nine goals in the last 11
matches.

The elusive 10th title

Real Madrid had
great expectations last season when the final match was scheduled for
the Santiago Bernebeu – what a way to actualise a tenth title than in
your home stadium before adoring fans…

But it remained a
mirage as the European giants were sent packing in the 2nd round by
French club, Olympique Lyon. That made it the fifth year consecutively
that Madrid had not made it beyond the round of 16.

Enter Jose Mourinho
– the self styled ‘Special One’. After winning the competition with
Inter Milan, the Portuguese tactician’s main brief is to win the
Champions League; as well as the small matter of dethroning Barcelona
as Spain’s best team.

“This is the
competition of competitions,” he said on UEFA.com. “Not only the most
important but the grandest competition in football. Only a few coaches
have won it with two different clubs, so my great ambition is to become
the first to do so with three different clubs.” Though Mourinho is
known for his ability to build winning sides, whether he will achieve
that in his first year at Madrid is another mather. He will start the
campaign against four-time winners, Ajax. The Dutch coach of the
Amsterdamers, Martin Jol also spoke to UEFA.com on the history and the
will to replicate the past.

“At Ajax, the first
thing they do is invite you to the museum to see all of the cups; there
aren’t many clubs with more trophies,” Jol said, but the last time they
won was 16 years ago with the Nigerian duo of Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi
George.

“We won our last
UEFA Champions League in 1995 and it’s probably impossible to win it
again. But because of our history, it’s very important to us. The home
games are already sold out, which shows what it means to our fans.
Hopefully we can bring the old times back”.

Chelsea in need of relevance

Carlo Ancelotti has
been telling anyone who cares to hear that Chelsea’s benefactor, Roman
Abramovitch has not put the team under undue pressure to win a first
Champions League trophy. But last season’s loss to Inter Milan in the
quarter-finals under Jose Mourinho must have hurt a bit. There is also
the added incentive of playing the finals in England, which could help
or mar the club.

“For Chelsea,
winning the UEFA Champions League is as important as winning the
Premier League. Last season, we won domestically and it would be nice
to be crowned European champions in London,” Ancelotti said on uefa.com.

Club stalwarts like
John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba will want to ride into the
sunset of their careers basking in the knowledge of helping the club to
the highest club honour ever. Terry will still be having nightmares of
the penalty loss to Manchester United in the 2008 finals; maybe he will
have the chance to remedy that history come May 2011.

Milan needs to find right combination

No club in Europe or the world can currently boast of the forwards that AC Milan possess.

Zlatan Ibrahimović
and Robinho have joined Ronaldinho, Pato and Fillipo Inzaghi. The
challenge is how to place these parts to make an effective unit. The
2-0 loss to Cesena at the weekend showed obvious frailties and European
matches can be very cruel in exposing these flaws.

Newly installed
coach, Massimiliano Allegri is not oblivious to the enormity of the
task before him. It will be a battle for the Rossoneri to progress from
a group that has other European heavyweights but younger squads.

“These are
fascinating matches,” the former Cagliari Calcio coach told UEFA.com.
“Such ties immediately give you the right focus for the UEFA Champions
League. It’s my third year in Serie A and to coach Milan in this
prestigious competition is fantastic.”

Arsene Wenger confident of his side

Maybe, just maybe,
Arsenal are about ready to win a maiden European Cup. Manager Arsene
Wenger, who has spent four years at the club, believes that these set
of players have both the experience and the youth needed to win the
only trophy missing in Wenger’s collection.

Wenger believes his side are stronger and better equipped to overcome mental hurdles.

“We have to show
that last year was an accident. Unfortunately we went out against
Barcelona who were better than us over two legs.

“We have to come back and show we can compete with them. Overall I think it was an accident but we will see.”

On the added
incentive of the final being played at Wembley, Wenger said, “It is
only six miles, but unfortunately it is a long way,” Wenger concluded.

Arsenal’s
Portuguese opponents SC Braga are also known as Minho’s Arsenalistas
after the Portuguese club took Arsenal’s colours in 1921. And Nigerian
left-back, Uwa Echiejile is expected to make an appearance for the team
against the Gunners.

Abou Diaby has an
ankle problem suffered in last weekend’s league win over Bolton while
Thomas Vermaelen has been ruled out with an Achilles injury. They join
Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner and Aaron Ramsey, all
ruled out with various injuries.

UEFA largesse

There is a cash
bonanza for teams that have qualified for the UEFA Champions League
group stage this season as they will receive about €7.2m according to
the revenue distribution system in place for the 2010/11 campaign.

Each of the 32
clubs taking part in the UEFA Champions League group stage will receive
a participation bonus of €3.9m, plus a match bonus of €550,000 per
group game played. On top of that, the following performance bonuses
will be paid: €800,000 for every win, and €400,000 for every draw in
the group stage.

There will be
additional payments made to the teams that progress in the competition
with €3m the reward for advancing to the round of 16, €3.3m for
reaching the quarter-finals and €4.2m for a semi-final place. The
winners of the final at Wembley Stadium on 28 May will collect a
further €9m, with €5.6m going to the runners-up.

The teams are also
entitled to a share of the commercial value of their domestic
television market, the number of UEFA Champions League matches they
play this season and their final position in the domestic league table
last term. They will also keep their UEFA Champions League gate
receipts.

Each of the 20 teams that contested the play-offs received €2.1m.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

Top golfers to vie for Nigeria Cup

18/09/2010 No comments

Top golfers to vie for Nigeria Cup

As many as fifty
professional golfers from across the country are expected to take part
in the fast approaching Nigeria Cup 2010 National Day Golf Tournament.

The tournament
which is now in its 14th year at the Ikoyi Club, Lagos, following its
inaugural edition back in 1997, is part of activities by the club to
commemorate Nigeria’s national day, and this year’s edition will see
some of the country’s top golfers competing alongside their amateur
counterparts for honours.

Frank Gboneme the
vice captain of the host club’s golf section disclosed this in Lagos on
Tuesday at a press briefing to herald this year’s tournament. Gboneme
also revealed the other programmes lined up by the event’s organisers
to mark Nigeria’s golden jubilee anniversary.

The qualifiers for
the Nigeria Cup took place last on Saturday at the Ikoyi Club but the
main draw doesn’t take place until September 28 when the professional
players will vie for the two million cash prize that is up for grabs
with their amateur counterparts in the Pro-Am tournament.

This event will
however be preceded by a golf tournament for children, as well as a
children’s creative class on September 25 and 26. The latter is in
conjunction with the African Art Resource Centre which will be
providing over 20 renowned artists to tutor the children.

A day later, on the September 27, the caddies will take to the course, while the ladies will have their turn on September 30.

Four-Club competition

On October 1, an
innovative event, tagged the Four-Club competition, will be held at the
venue. It will allow each competitor take to the golf course – not with
their complete range of golf clubs, but with their favourite four clubs.

“In a normal
tournament, a golfer can take to the course with as much as 14 clubs
but this competition will see the golfers limiting themselves to just
four clubs,” Gboneme said. “So it becomes tricky at some stage.”

The Four-Club
competition won’t be the only event planned for Nigeria’s national day
as there will also be a cultural night with fireworks to precede the
Gentleman’s Final which comes up the following day.

Gboneme also used Tuesday’s press briefing to thank the various
corporate bodies that have contributed to the success story of the
Nigeria Cup National Day Golf Tournament. They include UBA, Diamond
Bank, Oando Petroleum and Nigeria Breweries, makers of Heineken in
Nigeria.

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports

South Africa leads the way in Casablanca

18/09/2010 No comments

South Africa leads the way in Casablanca

There are over 250
athletes representing 19 countries at the 2010 Senior African Swimming
Championships holding in Morocco. But after the first day of
competitions, the South African team is head and shoulders above the
rest. Team South Africa snagged 11 medals and set four tournament
records at the end of day one.

Karin Prinsloo
began the medals haul for South Africa in the Monday morning heats when
she broke Lauren Roets’ six-year-old record in the 100m freestyle with
a time of 56:48s. She then took 800th of a second off that morning
record in the evening finals clocking 56:40s. Compatriot, Leone Vorster
took the silver medal in 57:50s.

In the men’s 100m
breaststroke event, William Diering, who posted the fastest time in the
morning heats, finished second in 1:03:13s in a hard fought race with
Algeria’s Nabil Kebbab. Nabil has a South African connection as he is
being coached by former South African coach Karoly Torros, who
currently heads Algeria’s swimming.

The South African
show continued when Kathryn Meaklim finished the 400m individual medley
and set a new Championships Record time of 4:45:76s, improving on her
previous morning heat record of 4:53:72s. Bianca Meyer claimed bronze
in 4:52.69.

There was another
gold and silver haul for South Africa in the women’s 50m backstroke.
Chanelle van Wyk set a new Championship Record clocking 29:31s while
Jessica Ashley-Cooper claimed silver in 29:90s.

In the men’s 50m
backstroke, youngster Darren Murray swam his way to the top of the
podium in a time of 26.56, with Garth Tune coming in a close second in
27.03.

The women’s 4 x
200m freestyle relay promised to be an exciting final, following
Tunisia and Algeria’s quick times earlier in the day. The race lived up
to the expectations as the crowd rose to their feet in a nail-biting
final sprint which saw Team South Africa break the 2006 Championship
Record in 8:27.61, with Tunisia and Algeria completing the remaining
medal placings.

Medal rankings
after day 1 Wednesday’s event Day 3 15 September 2010 15 400m Freestyle
Women 16 100m Freestyle Men 17 100m Backstroke Women 18 200m Backstroke
Men 19 50m Backstroke Women 20 50m Butterfly Men 21 4X100m Free Relay
Women 22 4X200m Free Relay Men

Click to Read More Sports Stories

Sports
« Older Entries   Recent Entries »