Buhari’s Growing Popularity Is An Indictment Of Jonathan’s Dismal Rule – New York Times

February 17, 2015

New York Times has again reflected in its latest Editorial that the emergence of Presidential Candidate of opposition All Progressives (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari and as potential winner of the March 28 election is more of an indictment of the dismal rule by the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the same election.
“That Mr. Buhari, who helped launch a coup against a democratically elected government in 1983 and ruled until late 1985, has emerged as potential winner (of the March 28 election) is more of an indictment of Mr. Jonathan’s dismal rule than a recognition of the former military chief’s appeal.”
The United States-based New York Times said that the postponement of the February 14 and 28 elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was masterminded by President Jonathan to frustrate General Buhari.
According to the newspaper, Jonathan appeared to be afraid of the increasing popularity of Buhari, who most Nigerians were likely going to vote for.
The full text of the Editorial, which the paper ran yesterday, Monday titled: “Nigeria’s Miserable Choices” reads:
The Nigerian government was supposed to hold presidential elections this past weekend, which presented voters with the dispiriting choice of keeping a lousy incumbent or returning to power a former autocratic leader. Now they will have to wait at least six weeks to cast votes.
The Nigerian election commission said earlier this month that it had pushed back the vote until at least March 28, after the country’s security chiefs warned that they could not guarantee the safety of voters in northeastern areas of the country where Boko Haram, the extremist militant group, captured international attention last spring when it abducted hundreds of schoolgirls. On Friday, Boko Haram fighters attacked a village in neighboring Chad for the first time, an alarming sign of the group’s expanding strength in a region that also includes areas of Cameroon and Niger.
Any argument to delay the vote might be more credible if President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had not spent much of the past year playing down the threat posed by the militants and if there were a reasonable expectation that the country’s weak military has the ability to improve security in a matter of weeks.
It appears more likely Mr. Jonathan grew alarmed by the surging appeal of Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who has vowed to crack down on Boko Haram. By dragging out the race, Mr. Jonathan stands to deplete his rival’s campaign coffers, while he continues to use state funds and institutions to bankroll his own.
That Mr. Buhari, who helped launch a coup against a democratically elected government in 1983 and ruled until late 1985, has emerged as potential winner is more of an indictment of Mr. Jonathan’s dismal rule than a recognition of the former military chief’s appeal.
Nigerian voters have grown increasingly worried about the stunning rise of Boko Haram, which has committed terrorist atrocities including bombings.
The abductions and attacks by the group have exposed the weaknesses of Nigeria’s armed forces and the dysfunction of the government. Although Mr. Jonathan’s government has in the past been less than enthusiastic, and at times obstructive, in response to offers of American and European aid, he appears to be growing increasingly worried. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, he said he would welcome American troops to fight the insurgency.
Beyond security matters, entrenched corruption and the government’s inability to diversify its economy as the price of oil, the country’s financial bedrock, has fallen have also caused Nigerians to look for new leadership. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, and a relatively young democracy, cannot afford an electoral crisis. That would only set back the faltering effort to reassert government control in districts where Boko Haram is sowing terror. The security forces may not be able to safeguard many districts on Election Day. But postponement is very likely to make the security threat worse. [myad]

APC Says PDP’s Grains For Internally Displaced Persons Are Greek Gifts

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Organisation has described as “Greek Gift” the PDP branded grains that were distributed by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to Internally Displaced Persons in some parts of the country.
The party’s Presidential Campaign Organization, which expressed disgust over what it called the federal government’s systematic destruction of state institutions, the latest of which is NEMA, said that NEMA was forced to shed its garb of a neutral by donning/branding their grains with PDP logo and Jonathan campaign slogans.
In a statement, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Campaign Organization, Garba Shehu, accused the federal Government of re-bagging all the grains at the nation’s strategic grain reserves, paid for with public resources in PDP colours and Jonathan campaign slogans ahead of issuance to the public.
“When will this regime and its exponents stop deceiving Nigerians and betraying the people’s confidence hitherto reposed in them? Or how will they explain the rationale behind the collusion between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to evacuate grains from the Strategic Grains Reserve and package them in GEJ and PDP scripted branded bags, for onward distribution to IDPs in Nigeria and her immediate neighbours.
“It is in fact disgraceful and denigrating to our national image to hear that the Nigerian IDPs in Diffa village in Chad had turned down the political Greek gift of rice, maize and millets; instead they have asked the President to live up to his Commander in Chief status to reclaim their homeland and create a secure atmosphere for them to return home, to their familiar terrain where they can fend for themselves, rather than being reduced to the penury of forced refugees and beggars on dole-out in a foreign country.”
Garba Shehu said that the belated food gesture to IDPs is yet another fraudulent political gimmick and crass opportunism by an incumbent government that is deploying state apparatus for polls advantage, even at the expense of both the beneficiaries and the national treasury.
He called for the preservation of the integrity and sanctity of state institutions, saying that without these pillars, the superstructure of the state cannot be kept in place.
“These institutions predated the president and long after he is gone, these institutions must remain in the service of the people.” [myad]

Ex Council Boss Escapes Harsher Punishment From Appeal Court On Corruption

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

Former Chairman of Aniocha North Local Government, Chief Callistus Nwawolo narrowly escaped a harsher punishment from the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, Edo State for corruption for which he had earlier been jailed three years by the lower court.
The Court of Appeal, in an unanimous judgment read by Justice Inn Salauwa on behalf of others, dismissed the appeal by the former Chairman, and contended that the prosecution had proved the allegation of corruption against him beyond reasonable doubt.
The Court blamed the trial judge at the lower court, Justice G. B Briki- Okolosi for giving the Chairman an option of fine on the basis that Section 12 of the ICPC Act which he contravened, and upon which he was tried and convicted, did not allow the trial judge any discretion to impose a fine.
The former chairman was charged to court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for corruption, but he went on to challenge his conviction which was handed to him on 9 August 2007 by the Delta state High Court Of Justice.
The former Chairman was sentenced last year by the court to a 3-year imprisonment term or payment of a fine of N300,000 for corrupt enrichment through a contract he awarded while in office.
ICPC had in 2004 arraigned the former Chairman before High Court Of Justice, Delta State in Kwale for acquiring interest in a contract awarded by his office during his tenure and in the process conferred corrupt advantage on one of his relations who executed the contract, contrary to section 12 & 19 of the ICPC Act.
Callistus, not satisfied with the judgment, which was considered as even mild, proceeded to file an appeal to challenge the Court’s decision. [myad]

Jonathan’s Government Eases Access To N220 Billion Fund For Medium, Small Scale Business People

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

President Goodluck Jonathan’s National Council on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has now eased access to the N220 Billion which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) instituted for Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs.
Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, who presided over a meeting of the stakeholders in the system today at the Presidential Villa, called on Nigerians to go ahead and access the fund.
Namadi Sambo asked the relevant stakeholders to mount publicity campaign to would-be beneficiaries, even as he sees the scheme creating jobs and wealth for Nigerians.
“This Council is one of the major organs through which the government ensures the development of this country.”
Namadi Sambo directed relevant government agencies, particularly the CBN and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to immediately commence sensitization of Nigerians on the availability and accessibility of the Funds.
He also directed that the National Planning Commission should collaborate with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Finance, including the Ministry of Women Affairs, the CBN and SMEDAN among other relevant agencies to prepare a comprehensive disbursement plan of the funds for effective monitoring and evaluation by the Council. The monitoring and evaluation, he said, would be done on a monthly basis, including also a bi-monthly report on the level of disbursement.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina appealed to women to as a matter of urgency, go to Banks to access the funds.
She said that the fund is being disbursed at low interest rate.
She disclosed that 60 per cent of the fund was specifically set aside for women.
The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele said that the apex bank is committed to the disbursement of the fund across all the economic sectors of the country.
President of the Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Adeboye Abioye, praised President Jonathan for recognizing their importance to economic growth of the country. He commended the government for the two percent of the fund set aside for access by the persons with disabilities. [myad]

Rivers APC Thanks Okrika People For Honouring Dakuku, Condemns Shooting At The Rally

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

The Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign has expressed gratitude to the people of Okrika Local Government Area for turning up en mass to the governorship campaign rally today.
The rally had earlier been aborted on two occasions. Okrika is the home Local Government of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and former warlord, Chief Ateke Tom.
The Gubernatorial Candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside was said to have pulled an unprecedented crowd at the rally which was held at the National School field Okrika.
However, today’s rally was held amidst multiple explosions and shootings which destroyed parts of the school buildings, though, according to the party leadership, it did not affect the turnout of party faithful, including PDP decampees, who joined in shouting and singing the name of Dakuku.
Dakuku Peterside sang and danced with the people in what was termed by some of those that attended the rally as a victory dance over the powers of darkness.
Upon arrival in Okrika, Dr. Peterside first visited Government Secondary School Okirika, where he had his secondary school education, before hitting the venue of the rally.
In his address to the people of Okrika before the rally was allegedly disrupted by the PDP hoodlums with explosives and assorted sophisticated guns, Dr. Peterside assured them that if he elected, he will liberate them from the hands of the agents of darkness that have held them hostage all these years.
Peterside said that no amount of intimidation will deter APC from forming the next government in Rivers State even as he made it clear that he is out to serve the people of the State and will not look back even if the struggle will cost him his life.
“Let the PDP continue to bomb us and we will continue to spread the gospel of peace and love for our State.”
He reassured the people of the State that he will not disappoint them, saying: “Our people are progressives and we are determined to provide leadership and the few unprogressives in our State will not deter us from this divine mandate to liberate our people from evil minded people who are desperate to gain power against the will of our people.”
The APC Guber Candidate introduced his ‘Road Map to Prosperity’ describing it as the best strategy to take Rivers people to the Promised Land where they are destined to be.
Such road part include the empowerment of all Rivers State people, including the non-indigenes “through my Four-Point Agenda titled: ‘Road Map to Prosperity’ for the people of Rivers State.”
He explained that ‘Road Map to Prosperity’ will aim at taking Rivers State to the next level, include Public Sector Accountability and Security of Lives and Properties; Employment Generation and Wealth Creation; Social and Human Capital Development and Empowerment; as well as Institutional and Physical infrastructure Development and Food Security.
Rivers State APC Chairman, Dr. Ikanya Ibiamu, condemned the unwarranted attacks on party faithful, which made it impossible for the party to hold the rally before now.
He described PDP as a dying party which is clinging at everything, including promoting insecurity.
“With the success of the Okrika rally not minding the explosions and shooting to scare our people away from the rally ground, we have demonstrated character by uniting against the evil and darkness pervading our State. We heartily thank the great Okrika people for turning out en masse to welcome their Governor, Dr. Dakuku Peterside. Darkness cannot be allowed to prevail over light. We are happy that by this rally, the First Lady, Dame Jonathan Patience, whatever she stands for, is destroyed and demystified. We are proud of the Okrika people and we are assured that they will demonstrate this during the election proper so that collectively we ensure that those threatening our lives will not succeed in their evil plots against our State.
“Rivers APC unreservedly condemns the continuing resort to violence by a desperate Peoples Democratic Party, which, having seen the handwriting on the wall of its imminent defeat during the polls, is bent on making Rivers State ungovernable. Let the world see how PDP intends to ruin our economy by promoting insecurity in our State but God will surely protect us from all this madness. We urge the entire world not only to condemn this act of violence by the PDP Leadership but intervene by calling those behind these unwarranted attacks on our party faithful to order.”
The party asked the security people to fish out all those behind the incident which sought to disrupt the party’s rally.
APC acknowledged with sadness, that one of the policemen at the Okirika rally who was hit by the gun men’s bullet has just died in a hospital in Port Hacourt, the state capital. [myad]

Ex-Militants Threaten Obasanjo And His Business Interests In Niger Delta Region

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

Hundreds of ex-militants have threatened the former Nigeria President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, pronouncing persona non-grata in the region and attack on his business interests in Port Harcourt, Warri, Asaba, Calabar, Uyo and other cities in the region.

The militants were said to have thronged the Ohoror Junction axis of the East-West Road yesterday to make the pronouncement, which came on the heels of Obasanjo attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan recently.

They made it clear that since he had decided to label President Jonathan as an enemy, he is also an enemy to the region.

Preye Ekpebide, Delta State Chairman Phase Three Amnesty Programme, who addressed newsmen during the peaceful protest, said Obasanjo’s aspersion on Jonathan was as a result of his failure to use the president as a puppet and surrogate. [myad

We Won’t Reject INEC’s Card Reader – PDP House Of Reps Members

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

Members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Nigeria House of Representatives have turned their back on the party which wanted them to endorse the rejection of the use of the Card Readers and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the deferred polls.

It was gathered that about 100 members of the PDP in the lower chamber of the National Assembly were earlier summoned to a nocturnal meeting in Abuja by the House Leader, Mulikat Akande and her deputy, Leo Ogor. It was learnt that despite the attempt by the leaders to make them toe the line of the party, they stood their grounds that they would not lend their support to any move that could truncate the nation’s democracy.

A member of the ruling party from one of the South-South states, who was at the meeting held in Apo, said that members were aggrieved that the Presidency and the leadership of the PDP were trying to exploit them for selfish political gains after dumping them during its just-concluded primaries.

The members were said to have shouted down on the conveners of the meeting for trying to exploit them after denying most of them tickets to return to NASS.

The aggrieved PDP members are reported to have asked the House Leader to convey their displeasure to the Presidency and the PDP leadership over their refusal to assist them either politically or financially to pursue their ambitions.

They said it was wrong for the party to seek their support for any cause after abandoning them to the whims and caprices of governors when they needed its support most during the primaries of the party last December.

They reasoned that although President Goodluck Jonathan initially agreed to give some of them a chance to return to the House, the party sided with their governors and rejected the presidential intervention, leaving most of them out of the contest.

The members reportedly requested the party and the presidency to refund the money which some of them spent to prosecute their political ambition as a first step in discussing any issue or forget it.

“As soon as the issue of card readers and PVCs was mentioned by the conveners of the meeting most of the members present rose against it and that was how the meeting ended in confusion,” the lawmaker said.

“None of us gave them any chance to even discuss much in the issue since we already knew where they were going. As far as we are concerned, it would be difficult for the PDP to get the kind of support it is looking for to discredit the elections, which the country spent a fortune to organise.

“How are we going to explain to the outside world that we who spearheaded the electoral reforms and spent a lot of money to acquire the facilities to ensure a credible election and give Nigeria a good image will be the same trying to discredit the system?” [myad]

Card Reader May Be A Coup To Achieve Stalemate For Interim Government, By Ariyo-Dare Atoye

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

As a group, strongly committed to sound democratic ideals and robust youth participation in politics, we are saddened by the emerging developments in our nation in the build-up to the conduct of the 2015 general elections. From the facts available to us, the signs are ominous: we are in a deep mess and heading toward a major electoral disaster.
Everything points to the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may have bungled the entire electoral process, either by choosing to hide its inadequacies for a long time or a deliberate act by moles within, to sabotage the elections.
We make bold to say that we have our fears that the conspiracy to achieve an interim government may have been a ploy cooked before now with the use of the card reader machine. We wish to remind Nigerians that the House of Representatives saw this untidiness ahead, when it passed a motion on January 13, 2015, asking INEC to allow the use of the Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) for the 2015 elections.
While we share the concerns of Nigerians in using an untested machine for highly sensitive elections, we are equally mindful of the serious danger it portends for the elections. We are disappointed that INEC deliberately chose not to experiment the card reader for any of the elections it was opportune to conduct between 2012 and 2014. The last was a Senatorial bye-election in Niger State, which could have been another veritable platform to test the card reader. Why is INEC putting Nigeria through this great risk of uncertainty?
On all fronts, either by legal implication – based on the electoral act, or by defect in operation – as revealed in some tests carried out in the training of poll officers, the card reader is likely primed as a booby trap to cause a stalemate. If INEC insists and proceed with the card reader system, there is a high tendency that a good number of the machines will not be properly operated and consequently fail on the first Election Day across the country. The consequences will destabilize the nation.
We also suspect a secret plot to use the court to nullify the outcome of the general elections, citing the violation of the electoral act, if the elections fail to meet the expectation of some people. They will rely heavily on Section 52 (2) of the Electoral Acts, which states that, “the use of electronic voting machine for the time being is prohibited.”
We must know that voting on Election Day is a total package which includes identification and verification of persons for voting. The card reader is an electronic platform for verification and identification and it forms part of the voting process, giving the election an outlook of e-voting. INEC ought to have listened to the House of Representatives and avoid this controversy. It is never too late.
Although, INEC chose to ignore the wisdom in the patriotic decision of the House of Representatives to allow TVCs; however, recent developments have now exposed its imprudence. For us, the number one priority of a patriotic electoral umpire is to ensure that no eligible voter willing to vote within INEC’s timeframe is disenfranchised by its inadequacies.
If millions of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are available for collection, and yet millions of Nigerians are daily visiting INEC centers to get their PVCs unsuccessfully, it simply means INEC has not got it right with PVCs distribution. We must call a spade a spade and address this problem.
It is surprising that with the abundance of technologies in the world that aid easy identification and distribution of cards, INEC chose to put Nigerians through the rigour of queuing endlessly to obtain their PVCs. The Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) is an institution like INEC, and it has adopted an effective Driver’s License collection system, which allows owners to produce a code sent via sms to their phones. This code makes it very easy for the FRSC staff to identify each card and deliver within a few minutes. Why can’t INEC do this?
INEC got four good years to adopt the best practices for the 2015 general elections and experiment the card reader in smaller elections, but failed to do so. It is dangerous for INEC to ignore the advice of the House of Representatives at this very challenging moment.
As a group, we urge INEC to listen to wise counsels and do the needful. The peace and stability of Nigeria must be placed above all other interests. Electronic technology is good for election, but it must not come at the expense of national peace or undermine the nation. We submit, as a concerned youth body, that whatever is not tested before the 2015 general elections, should not be tasted for the elections.

Ariyo-Dare Atoye is National Coordinator Democratic Young Patriots. [myad]

Danger Of Inviting Foreign Interests Into Nigeria’s Affairs, By Nicholas Hanlon

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

Inviting foreign consultants, foreign Governments and foreign troops and their intrigues openly into Nigeria in this election season is a recipe for disaster. These foreign interests in Nigeria does not look good from all the angles at this time, because of volatile, quick to anger, unrestrained fragile illiterate population all over Nigeria while Nigeria internal security is strained to limit. Nigerians being so gullible will look at this as a good affirmation of their party and country, but it makes Nigeria look like a banana Republic and Nigeria prestige is already downgraded in the eyes of serious minded people of this world by these actions. No self respecting country can openly invite foreigners to come and conduct their national election openly.
Nigerians and Africans have no shame and it means that with all the educated elites and local consulting firms in Nigeria, none among 170 million Nigerians is smart enough to conduct Nigeria election. Nigerians by these actions have just told the world is a nation of dumb people and it shows. The are many ways a foreigner can help Nigeria, but not running around Nigeria campaigning with corrupt politicians with spreadsheets in their looted private jets, tinted jeeps and vans all over Nigeria during campaign seasons. What a shame for this country.
For me in African level, Republican party policy towards Africa is much more better and beneficial to Africans than Democratic party policy towards Africa at least in the last 20 years. The election in Nigeria will be determined by Nigerians in their own ways. Foreign interference has always been the reasons for most of the conflicts in Africa. As things are looking now in Nigeria and its election, foreign interference has taken hold in Nigeria from USA, Britain, AU, ECOWAS, Chad, Niger Republic, Cameroon etc. with the multinational force coming into Nigeria to fight Boko Haram and this a recipe for disaster for Africa. When these foreign interest  start the problem 170 Nigerians and millions of Africans will suffer the consequences. Nigeria interest counts more than any foreign interest.
“Thanks to the reporting of Adam Kredo, we now know that it was something more nefarious. David Axelrod is  Mr. Buhari s lobbyist and in this administration you can buy the presidency of Africa’s most populous nation. According to the Washington Free Beacon report, Mr. Axelrod’s firm, AKPD, was employed by Mr. Buhari’s APC party as recently as December 2014. The timing of Mr. Kerry’s visit the next month within in that context puts a shorter lifespan on the Jonathan presidency. President Jonathan must now fight without firm footing against Boko Haram, his political opponents, U.S. diplomats and their lobbyists. He has about a month to make something happen. “unquote. This article is written by Nicholas Hanlon, Chief Africa Analyst at the Washington based Center for Security Policy for the WASHINGTON Times a Republican leaning National Newspaper.
“President Jonathan must now fight without firm footing against Boko Haram, his political opponents, U.S. diplomats and their lobbyists. He has about a month to make something happen. At such a crossroad, it’s important to have a good measure of who Mr. Buhari is. The fundamental political difference between Mr. Buhari’s group and those who would become Boko Haram back in 2000 was a factional split over who could best purify the Muslim north of political corruption and enforce the best interpretation of shariah law. In the year 2000,  Mr. Buhari ’s political colleagues were debating whether they could accept a moderate enforcement of shariah law in the North. “I can die for the cause of Islam. If necessary, we are prepared to fight another civil war. We cannot be blackmailed into killing Sharia” – Muhammadou Buhari, 2000 Freedom House.” unquote Written by Republican leaning Major News paper the Washington Times. This article is written by Nicholas Hanlon, Chief Africa Analyst at the Washington based Center for Security Policy for the WASHINGTON Times.
Comparisons for me personally, Republican Party policy towards Africa is much more better and beneficial to Africans that Democratic party policy towards Africa at least in the last 20 years. Let me give some recent examples of the different policies of these two American political parties  policy towards black sub-Saharan Africa. Examples, during the civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Republican President Bush after many world effort to end the war failed , sent American troops and war ships to the shores of Liberia and Sierra Leone to stop the war and the leaders of that war like Charles Taylor and his group are presently in Prison or awaiting trial in court. The long civil war in Sudan ended because a Republican Party President Bush seriously started and supported the peace process and peace effort has held. During the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the world was helpless and Africa was and is still most affected by HIV/AIDS epidemic. It was the Republican President Bush that allocated almost 20 Billion dollars to fight this disease cure and prevention, and the result has been huge decline and free or affordable HIV/AIDS medication for average African with the disease.
In contrast with the Democrats, The Rwanda and Burundi Genocide when more than one million people were killed and another one million suffered dislocation , wounded and traumatized . No one came to help them  for over one year while the massacre and genocide was happening was under a Democratic President Clinton. For five years now, The Boko Haram Islamic insurgency taking place in Nigeria and have spread to Chad, Niger and Cameroon have intensified under a Democratic President Obama; and yet the Government under Democrats have refused to approve supply of weapons and resources to help Nigeria and these countries to fight the insurgency.
For me as an African, security is very important for future development and advancement of Africa. I have always questioned people who said that Africa will benefit from President Obama administration and Democratic Party, and I have always given them the above examples between Democrats and Republican party policy towards Africa. President Obama is a nice man, but African have really not benefited from his administration like some people made us believe and I want them to point out one example of real commitment to Africa apart from rhetoric’s and paper proposals that have not happened and will never happened.

Nicholas Hanlon is Chief Africa Analyst at the Washington based Center for Security Policy for the WASHINGTON Times a Republican leaning Newspaper. [myad]

Taking Female Football To The Next Level In Nigeria, By Gracious Akujobi

Greenbarge Reporters

February 17, 2015

The way and manner women footballers are looked down upon and abandoned in this country leave much to be desired. The female national teams have no doubt, won more laurels and made Nigerians proud than their male counterparts. One is thus, baffled and surprised that these girls are being neglected and abandoned- from the state up to the federal level, the story is the same.
The qualifiers for All Africa Games and the Olympics will soon begin and the girls will give it their all to make sure they qualify for these two events. Our ladies have never disappointed their teaming supporters who believe in them. They have really brought joy to football supporters and indeed all Nigerians since the inception of female football in the country.
It is no longer news that these girls were the first to qualify for the Senior World Cup even before their male counterparts. The girls have presented Nigerians with trophies when their male counterparts were not forthcoming.
They have conquered Africa when their male folks were struggling to conquer their region, and have played a brand of football which is purely made in Nigeria with European touch.
In retrospect, 2014 was a superb year for the female national teams. The girls went, saw and conquered. The year started with our girls going to U-17 World Cup in Costa Rica and doing the nation proud by getting to the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
The U-20 girls picked up the baton and went to the World Cup in Canada where they did excellently well. Though they did not beat the record set by the class of 2010 players in Germany who got to the final, they emerged silver medallists in style as they picked individual awards and a star was born in the person of newly acquired Liverpool of England striker, Asisat Oshoala.
After that superlative performance by the U-20’s, the senior team, the Super Falcons went to Namibia against all odds and won the Africa Women Championship (AWC) trophy for a record 7th time, thereby qualifying for the World Cup in Canada.
Falcons won the trophy in the hardest and most trying time in Nigeria football .They were proper ambassadors who rose up to the occasion. They played with all their hearts even when their bonuses were not paid and there was no trouble back home. Recall what their male counterparts did when they had issues with their bonuses during the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil?
Our girls are not like that as they are ever ready to make the country proud again. They are always ready to fly the nation’s flag high during all tournaments and championships that are up for grabs. But the very burning question is: who will rescue female football in the country and sponsor these girls for the professionals that they are?
The bulk of these girls play in our local league and methinks it’s high time sponsors get involved in our female football project. I wonder why sponsors did not leverage on the successes the girls achieved last year to enter into partnership with the league and by extension the national teams.
Success, they say, begets success but I wonder why no telecommunications company or any high profile company has deemed it fit to use one female player to endorse their products. Is it that these companies did not see these successes or it is because they are not “Jay Jays or Kanu Nwankwos?” Players like Asisat Oshoala and Desire Oparanozie are reigning sensations in the country now since we cannot boast of any of their male counterparts making exploits, yet there is no single advert on television or anywhere with their names on it.
I also see adverts and campaigns where some ex-male footballers are the main feature and I wonder why a living legend like Perpetual Nkwocha is not being celebrated in such campaigns.
Perpertua Nkwocha, a lady who has been decorated as African Female Footballer of the Year for a record four times has been relegated to the background. With sadness I watch television and see montages of that moment when Super Eagles’ then captain, Joseph Yobo lifted the 2013 AFCON trophy and I ask: what happened to the clip where Evelyn Nwabuoku lifted the trophy Falcons won last October 2014?
Does it mean these television stations do not have that clip of a team who won a trophy for a record seven times or something fishy is going on when it comes to promoting and celebrating our female footballers? This goes to show how female football and its players are looked down upon in this country.
The Federal Government, Nigerians, nay the organised private sector must all come together to repositioning women football in the country. It should not be left in the hands of the Nigeria Football Federation alone. Agreed that NFF is the custodian of football in Nigeria, but it’s every body’s business to see that women football rises above where it is at the moment.
Motivation must come from the Federal Government that is always filled with pride and are given the bragging rights each time these girls do the nation proud. The Government must play its role very well by creating a balance between the female and male national teams.
They should both be treated the same way, both in rewards and recognition and removing any form of discrimination against the female teams.
The time for sponsors to act is now. They should take advantage of the successes recorded by the various female national teams. There should be no fear whatsoever in sponsoring the women league or the national teams because I dare say that it will not be an effort in futility.
Chairperson of the Nigeria Women League, Dilichukwu Onyedinma stated that non-sponsorship of the league is not peculiar to women league alone and that her board is really working hard in talking to sponsors to come and invest in the league.
They should be encouraged in sponsoring a League that has produced the likes of Perpetua Nkwocha, Desire Oparanozie and more recently, Asisat Oshoala and more talents will definitely emerge. To even think that Oshoala was not the league highest goal scorer last season means that with corporate sponsorship of the league more “Oshoalas” will be discovered.
In pursuit of gender equality in Nigerian football, government at all levels and the Nigeria Football Federation should create an enabling environment for unfettered participation of our girls in the largesse and recognition that comes with the game in the country.
Similarly, those factors which militate against our girls, especially in the areas of leadership, policies, structure, programmes, training, resource allocation, education, training, publicity, welfare and health issues, must be eliminated.
The attainment of gender equality in our football will afford Nigeria the opportunity to actualise the vast potential that Nigerian women constitute to take the game to the next level.

Gracious Akujobi, Super Falcons Media Officer, writes from Abuja. [myad]

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