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Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr? By Tunde Odesola

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Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr? By Tunde Odesola
Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr?  Since May 29,  2015 when it bumbled into  power, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has been moonwalking along the path of tyranny and confusion, yet pretending to be on a roller skate to integrity and democracy made in Katsina. Painfully, there are no moments of accidental brilliance in an administration blighted by hypocrisy, impunity, insensitivity, clannishness and fruitlessness.
Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr? By Tunde Odesola
Even in death, the world remains indebted to eternal King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Hailing from a large family of musical greats, Michael didn’t own a patent for his Jackson surname, but with a matchless class of genius, he made his first name the most popular of all Michaels.
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His initials, MJ, he distinguishingly owned in a world brimming with millions of people who share the same acronym but not his pizzazz. With 39 Guinness Book of Records milestones, MJ was the most awarded artist in the history of popular music. He was also the ‘Most Successful Entertainer of All Time’.
Call him the king of music, lord of entertainment and god of dance, you won’t be charged with blasphemy. Michael popularised the ‘Moonwalk’ dance, also known as ‘Backslide’ or ‘Glide’ in his hit song, Billie Jean, in 1982.
Moonwalk is a dance move wherein the dancer glides backwards while appearing to be walking forward. Lord, rest his soul; Michael was more melodious than music and smoother than dance. Michael understood the unspoken language that vitalises the soul and body – dance.
Since May 29,  2015 when it bumbled into  power, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has been moonwalking along the path of tyranny and confusion, yet pretending to be on a roller skate to integrity and democracy made in Katsina. Painfully, there are no moments of accidental brilliance in an administration blighted by hypocrisy, impunity, insensitivity, clannishness and fruitlessness.
The number of fresh skulls at Golgotha climbed up yearly since 2015, spiralling in 2020 with unaccounted deaths from Boko Haram terrorists, kidnappers, cultists, bandits and the recent #ENDSARS protests.
Days after the EndSars protest which started as a campaign against the alleged brutality and abuse of citizens rights by the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police force turned bloody resulting in orchestrated arson attacks, reckless attacks and killings of persons both civilians and security agents, burning and looting of public and private properties across the country, there is an uneasy calm as grief, despondency and anger still reign in the air.
Despite the promised Midas touch by President Buhari, Nigeria’s economy hasn’t turned to gold but dust has continued to swirl from the cracks and fragments of a crumbling economy. Sadly, the nosedive in all segments of the national economy appears unpreventable by the President and his uncreative team.
Virtually, no segment of Nigeria’s growth indices hasn’t witnessed decline since 2015 when Buhari took over the reins of power with Nigeria winning the global capital of poverty title under his watch in  2018.
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Just as governance has been on the decline since 1999, sports have not fared any better in the last few years. Nigerian football, especially, has clattered down the peak of honour and prestige since 2013 when the departed Stephen Okechukwu Keshi shockingly guided the Super Eagles to win the African Cup of Nations in South Africa, land of the Madiba.
Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr? By Tunde Odesola
The competence of the current manager of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, was questioned when the team pathetically surrendered a 4-0 lead to the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone in Benin a few days ago during a Group L, African Nations Cup qualifying match, drawing 4-4.
Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr? By Tunde Odesola
Before the shameful show in Benin City, the senior national team, since 2014, had been a lackluster convocation of wingless, beakless and clawless Eagles, flocking on land with chickens.
In the same year that Buhari became president, the land-dwelling Eagles failed to qualify for AFCON to defend the title they won in 2013. They also failed to qualify for AFCON in 2017.
Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr? By Tunde Odesola
But there is a point of divergence between the Buhari-led team and the roar-less team led by Rohr.
Whereas Buhari built his federal executive cabinet team with the best brains within the All Progressives Congress, Rohr inherited a team whose best players made insignificant impacts in their respective clubs.
Disenchanted by the horrendous 4-4 draw against Sierra Leone at home and 0-0 draw away, Nigeria’s best sports minister in decades, Sunday Dare, apologised for the disaster, tweeting that Nigeria deserves a better coach.
Who should Nigerians trust: Buhari or Rohr? By Tunde Odesola
Similarly, a member of the 1980 AFCON-winning Eagles, Segun Odegbami, and a  member of the 1994 AFCON-winning team, Daniel Amokachi, expressed the frustration of Nigerians with the 4-4 draw against Leone Stars, calling for the sacking of the German, who had won 29 matches, drew 14 and lost 10.
Popularly called ‘Mathematical’ because of his pin-point touchline dribbling runs, an exasperated Odegbami lamented, “He (Rohr) may be a good coach but what are his credentials? My belief is that anyone who will coach the Eagles must make the team a world class team capable of winning the World Cup.
The trained engineer added, “Rohr cannot deliver that. He’s not the world class coach we are looking for. We’ve seen him work for four years, and what we saw in two critical moments in Russia and Egypt, he convinced me that he’s not the one to lead Nigeria tio Eldorado.”
Amokachi, who featured in two World Cups, said: “Football these days, there’s no patience. It’s the result that matters. The person (Rohr) has been in charge of the team for five years, but you cannot write anything about those years he has been in charge. Is he the right person to take Nigeria in the right direction, I don’t think so.”
But a popular football pundit and CEO, Elegbete TV/Radio, Eseoghene Edafe, backed Rohr to stay on the job, saying sacking Rohr, a former Bayern Munich player and former manager of Bordeaux FC of France, wasn’t in the interest of the country.
A mechanical engineer from the University of Port Harcourt and former Sharks FC player, Edafe said, “Nigeria runs a football system that is poorly funded. We used to have players that played regularly for Inter Milan, Ajax, Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, Club Brugge, Anderlecht, Everton, Dortmund, Monaco etc but not anymore.
“When Rohr came, we didn’t have a league, our leagues were ending abruptly. Our players have not been consistent in the last four years in Europe. You can’t put our players side-by-side with those of top African players like Mane, Salah, Aubemeyang, Mahrez, whose teams have been together in the past eight years. Osimhen is a good player but he needs to settle in, he has played for five clubs in the last three seasons.”
“We should consider the fact that three key players, Mikel Obi, Victor Moses and Odion Ighalo, have left the team. When Rohr saw the inconsistency of the team, he began to invite Nigerian players of foreign descent. Take a look at our defence, you will see that the players we have are struggling – Kenneth Omeruo is battling with injury, Leon Balogun didn’t play for an entire 10 months, and Troost Ekong is neither here nor there.
“Who among our keepers today can bench any of these our former keepers, Peter Rufai, Ike Shorunmu, Wilfred Agbonavbare, Alloy Agu and Vincent Enyeama, who all played regularly for their respective first division clubs in Europe? Nowadays, our keepers play for second, third and fourth divisions of unknown leagues.
Edafe said the Eagles midfield lacks bite because there’s no creativity, insisting that Keshi won the AFCON because he had an admixture of very good home-based players and Europe-based pros, which he said is lacking today.
He said such options were available when Clemens Westerhof had the likes of home-based players such as Chidi Nwanu, Friday Elahor, Edema Fuludu, Isaac Semitoje, Humphrey Edebor etc who could bench Europe-based players.
Now, I ask: if Nigeria sacks Rohr, can she afford to pay his $50,000 monthly salary for the remainder of his three-year contract, which is $1.8million, if we add that of his assistants to it, it will come down to roughly $3.5million?
If the country negotiates an out-of-court settlement and the money comes down to say $2.5million, Nigeria that couldn’t send her athletes to major competitions can’t pay such money and hire a new coach.
I’ll choose Rohr over Buhari. Each time Nigerians looked up to Team Buhari and chorused, “All we are saying, give us one goal,” the ever-disappointing team booted the ball out of the entire stadium. Begging scoring chances in security, economy, education, infrastructure etc sectors had been wasted by the captain and his lame team.
Facebook: @tunde odesola
Twitter: @tunde_odesola

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Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

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Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

 

Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo state, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has said that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, was in panic over losing the election.

 

However, the APC has dismissed the PDP claim as hogwash, insisting that the governor would win the poll in a landslide.

 

PDP Publicity Secretary, Hon Kennedy Peretei, said: “As the Ondo election approaches the Zero Hour, those who said the election was a walk-over for them have been unable to have sound sleep, slipping into a ‘panic mode.’ A good number of them, who initially proclaimed that they are ‘Lucky’ are singing a new song, based on the realities they encountered on the field.

“The comfort of their offices from where they proclaimed being ‘Lucky’ are the exact opposite of the streets in which hunger and lack, walk in all four legs.

“The electorate sent the signal wherever the campaign train of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa visited that there is pain in the land, orchestrated by the All Progressives Congress, Aiyedatiwa’s party. In their confusion, the National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, in one breath, said the Edo ‘Template’ will be applied in Ondo State. In another, he said, the APC does not need to rig the Ondo election to win.

“This was the first sign that the APC national leadership has come to terms with the reality that nobody can rig the November 16 election, and they are not as lucky as they hitherto assumed.

“Having failed to convince the people why they should trust him with their mandate, some panicky measures were taken.

“Because they were not all well thought out, they all fell flat on their backs. The 416 political appointees, carefully selected from the 203 Electoral Wards were shocked to discover that, for October, 2024, they received no salary alert.

“What is the guarantee that, after losing the election in November, they will be paid? Are these not the same people shouting they are ‘Lucky’? They should know better by now.

 

 

“When the alarm that the N73,000 minimum wage was announced at a campaign rally was another promise that would never be met, some people dismissed it. Those workers who went to endorse the governor for another term should ask themselves again if indeed, they have been lucky with this Governor.

 

“After spending 10 months in the saddle, it is his programmes and projects that should have done the campaigns for Governor Aiyedatiwa. Instead, he is recruiting propagandists to lie to Ondo State people, as if we are blind and deaf.

 

“Out of fear of losing the election, the Commandant of Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye was drafted to head a 25-member security committee of the campaigns. Instead of apologizing to the people, the Spokesman of the Aiyedatiwa Campaign denied that such was ever proposed. How can anybody trust people who lie so shamelessly in this manner? Those who think Ondo State is lucky with this kind of administration should pinch themselves to be sure that they are not dreaming.

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Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers’ Forgiveness

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Domestic Violence: Lagos Assembly Urges Enlightenment Units In Schools

Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers’ Forgiveness

 

Suspended chairman of the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Jelili Sulaimon, has pleaded with the state Assembly men for forgiveness, nearly a month after he was axed for non-compliance, defiance and unyielding attitude to the legislative House.

In a ‘Letter of Apology’ personally signed by the embattled chairman, addressed to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and read on the floor of the House on Tuesday, Jelili agreed that his actions may have caused disrespect to the House.

Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers' Forgiveness

While expressing regret, he promised to henceforth show maximum respect to the House and work closely with the legislators.

The suspended chairman also informed the House, through a letter by his lawyers, that he had withdrawn the suit he filed against the Assembly before a Federal High Court, Abuja.

“I am writing to express my most sincere and heartfelt apology for any actions or inactions, misrepresentation or conduct on my part that may have contributed to the recent misunderstanding between myself and the esteemed Lagos State House of Assembly under your leadership.

“Upon reflection, I realised that my conduct and certain decisions I made might have been perceived as disrespectful or contrary to the standard of leadership and the mutual respect that defines the relationship between the Assembly and the local government leadership.

“This was never my intention. I deeply regret any discomfort or displeasure this may have caused your personality as well as the entire House.

“I have always held the Lagos State House of Assembly and your esteemed office in particular, in the highest regard.

“Any action or miscommunication that may have suggested otherwise was an unfortunate oversight on my part. I am committed to fostering a more constructive and respectful relationship going forward.

“Once again, I sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused by my actions or inactions,” the letter read as Jelili promised to work closely with the House henceforth.

The House is yet to debate the letter.

Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

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Speaker Obasa Congratulates Oba Akiolu At 81

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Speaker Obasa Congratulates Oba Akiolu At 81

– commends monarch’s commitment to public service

 

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has congratulated His Majesty, Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos as he marks his 81st birthday on Tuesday.

In a statement by his media office, Speaker Obasa, the Baa’sofin of Lagos, said at 81, the revered monarch remains committed to excellent community and public service with results that keep promoting the growth and progress of Lagos.

Dr. Obasa extolled the Eleko’s virtues, said Oba Akiolu, Permanent Chairman of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, has constantly brought his wisdom to bear in the advancement of the traditional institution as well as the running of the state.

“Oba Akiolu remains a strong believer in the Yoruba tradition, a faithful custodian of culture and a traditional ruler whose knowledge has continued to help Lagos grow in leaps and bounds.

“His reign has mostly brought peace to Lagos just as the monarch has constantly sustained our traditional institution in the state.

“It is exciting to say that Eleko has always brought honour to the throne of his ancestors. His reign has been characterised by unwavering dedication and compassion for Lagosians.

“His guidance, advice and love for his subjects cannot be over-emphasised; his roles in our lives make him a worthy father. As the monarch, he remains our rallying point.

“A source of inspiration, Eleko’s leadership has actuated us to greater heights while bringing value to the throne and strengthening the bond that exists among traditional rulers in the state.

“On behalf of my family, colleagues, management and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly, I celebrate you on this occasion of your 81st birthday and pray that your reign continues to be a blessing for our dear State and beyond,” the statement released by the Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Eromosele Ebhomele, said.

Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

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