Headline

Opinion: Vital Lessons For Nigeria From The World Cup

Published

3 years ago

November 26, 2022

Eric

By Michael Effiong

It is another World Cup year and already Qatar 2022 World Cup is living up to the hype. The victories, the upsets, the records, the excitement and of course, the controversies.

Talking of controversies, the mere reason that the tournament is holding at this time at in Qatar is controversial why was the country given the nod to host a summer tournament when everyone knows that it is practically impossible to play football in that country in the usual time of June-July?

Anyway, this is a testament to the fact that the only thing that is constant in life is change. But for football buffs, this world cup which has been squeezed into the calendar by FIFA in the middle of the season is none like any other.

Many have applauded it because the players will be in tip top shape, others have said it will be bedeviled by injuries because of the amount of stress the players had gone through before the tournament.

Whatever camp you belong to, one thing is sure, football is a huge platform. From the way Nigerians are discussing Saudi Arabia’s monumental defeat of Argentina and Japan’s silky victory over Germany, you will almost forget that our country is not in the tournament. This means that like all those participating countries, non participating countries are not left out of the FIFA World Cup fever.

In the midst of the frenzy, there are key lessons to learn from oil-rich Qatar as it throws its doors open to the world. The first lesson is that there is virtually nobody in any part of the world who will not know where Qatar is on the map. The country is selling itself big time! Many who thought that Qatar was a part of UAE now know better.

Lesson two is that the infrastructure in Qatar even if it was great before has received a big boost. The country has built eight fantastic stadia for the tournament with the biggest being the Lusail Stadium with its capacity at 88,966.

Interestingly, this giant stadium will be transformed into a community centre with schools, shops, cafes, sports facility and health clinics. This means that we need not spend a fortune on an edifice that is not convertible and after the one-month tournament it becomes a waste.

Lesson three is the fact that football is a big brand. It is a money spinner that can be used to market our country and our culture. Imagine Qatar telling the world that it has its own ideals. For example, fans are barred from drinking alcohol openly, warned that they cannot cavort in the open or showcase their sexual idiosyncrasies publicly and many of such cultural restrictions.

From time immemorial, we have imbibed the notion that “when you are in Rome behave like Romans” but some people were bent on forcing their own way of life on the people. But the Qataris have stuck to their guns and said a capital No.

The power of the football brand is also brought to fore Imagine the millions of dollars that will be spent in the country these few weeks, the hotels, the restaurants, local businesses. No wonder, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino the other confessed with a smile that the body was going to make over $700million dollars profit from the tournament compared to the last one in Russia.

The fourth lesson is that in football, like in life, never underestimate any opponent. The Argentine team which includes one of the best football players ever, Lionel Messi, in their training camp, would never in their wildest imagination think that they could be beaten by the Saudis who are ranked 53rd in the world. Of course there were other upsets. Always expect the unexpected.

Lesson five and the most important lesson, only the best make it to the tournament. If you are not there, you were not good enough, Period! You have to be the best to rub shoulders with the best. Nigeria was missing in action because we have fallen way below par. And this is the point that I want to drive home today.

The Nigeria Football Federation or Nigeria Football Association as it is legally known, should begin preparation for the next world cup from now. We have to fix our local league immediately. Amaju Pinnick, the immediate past NFF President has done his best, but his best was to get him a seat at the FIFA Executive Committee but left Nigerian football in doldrums.

With all the talents we have, how come we cannot have a viable professional league?, How aome we cannot have a private sector-driven league? I am told the South African League attracts over $1billion dollars in sponsorship but ours is struggling because of organization. I think the first thing to do is to have a strict entry-level criterion for all clubs that will make it to the professional league: Good facilities, academy, contracts for players and a proper board.

If this is done, we will begin to have stars again in our league and that will not only attract the big brands but will also attract fans to the stadium. As a kid, I was a fan of Stationery Stores aka Flaming. I remember that we used to go and see the club’s stars then getting ready at their Guest House somewhere in Lawanson before heading to the UAC Stadium to watch them play. We had our stars, the Peter Rufai’s that we all envied at the time.

Our players used to shine here in the local league, get into the national team before being headhunted by top European clubs. Today, no one cares about the local league, we struggle these days to have even one local player in our National team. This has to stop.

For the new NFF boss, Ibrahim Gusau, I believe this is the time to tear up Amaju Pinnick’s template, cut himself off Mr. Pinnick’s apron string and begin to build a pathway for himself.

He can carve a niche for himself and make history by being the man to bring back the glorious days of Nigerian football. He should begin to work with the State FAs after all, they are the cabal that voted him to power. They must restructure grassroots football. He should work with the NPFL to make Nigerian league viable. If we can watch Zambian league, Ethiopian League and Kenyan League on TV, are these football administrators not ashamed that Nigerian league is missing?

If he learns this very vital lesson and begin the rebirth, Nigeria will have a firm foundation which would help to build a team that can compete favourably with the best in the world. We would be able to produce a team that will not only qualify effortlessly but shake the world like we did in USA 1994.

Headline

Tinubu Seeks Transfer of Jailed Ekweremadu Back to Nigeria

Published

2 days ago

November 11, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a strong delegation to London to address the situation of Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, who has been imprisoned in the UK since March 2023.

The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.

The team arrived in London on Monday and held discussions with officials from the UK’s Ministry of Justice.

Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for Tuggar, said on Tuesday that the presidential delegation was in London to engage with UK authorities to consider the possibility of Ekweremadu serving the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.

The London Metropolitan Police detained the Ekweremadus in June 2022 after a man was deceitfully presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a relative of their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to convince medical professionals to perform an £80,000 transplant.

The 21-year-old man, who had allegedly been promised employment in the UK, reported the incident to the police in May of that year, saying that he had been brought to the country for an organ transplant.

In March 2023, the former presiding officer of Nigeria’s Senate was convicted of organ trafficking by a UK court. Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor connected to the case, were also found guilty.

This verdict marked the first of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.

On May 5, 2023, Ekweremadu received a nine-year and eight-month prison sentence, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months, and Obeta was given a ten-year prison sentence.

In his ruling, Judge Jeremy Johnson determined that Beatrice should serve half of her sentence in custody and be supervised for the remainder. However, she was released from prison in January and has since returned to Nigeria.

Headline

Tinubu Congratulates Soludo on Reelection As Anambra Governor

Published

4 days ago

November 9, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Prof Chukwuma Soludo on his re-election as Governor of Anambra State.

Soludo was returned for a second term in office after recording a landslide victory, winning all 21 local government areas in the election, according to results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday.

The massive victory makes the professor the third governor in Anambra’s political history to win a second term.

In a statement he personally signed, President Tinubu described Soludo’s re-election as a testament to his visionary leadership and the significant progress recorded under his administration.

“Governor Soludo, the Solution, has demonstrated that knowledge is indeed power and that academic principles can be applied in serving the people, undergirding accountability, transparency, and prudent management of people and resources.

“I visited Anambra State in May this year, where I inaugurated some projects executed by the Soludo administration. I highlighted the good thinking behind the landmark projects embarked upon by Mr Solution. That experience is indeed remarkable and will remain indelible in my mind.

“I commend Governor Soludo for bringing discipline, grace, brilliance, and a fresh perspective to governance in Anambra. Under him, Anambra is living up to its motto as the Light of the Nation.

“I urge Governor Soludo to be magnanimous in victory and to seek the cooperation of his opponents in the just-concluded election.

“I assure Governor Soludo of my unwavering support, and I look forward to continued collaboration between Anambra and the Federal government.

“The victory of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance in the election again demonstrates the vitality of our political system and the fact that victory for any progressive and hardworking leader can hardly be encumbered or denied,” the President said.

President Tinubu also commended the new INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, and his team for conducting what he described as a credible election, based on reports received so far.

He charged the commission to maintain high standards and continue to improve its performance “so we can strengthen and deepen our electoral system.”

The State Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Omoregie Edoba, who announced the result, declared Soludo the winner after the collation of results from the local government areas.

“I hereby declare that Soludo Chukwuma Charles of the APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” he said at the State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Awka, the state capital.

Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), secured 422,664 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 99,445 votes.

Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes. George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) polled 10,576 and 1,401 votes, respectively.

Headline

Soludo in Landslide Victory, Relected As Anambra Governor

Published

4 days ago

November 9, 2025

Eric

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has secured a second term in office until 2030 after he was declared the winner of the November 8 Anambra State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

According to the results announced by INEC in the early hours of Sunday, Soludo won by a landslide in the 21 local government areas of the South-East state.

The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Omoregie Edoba, declared Soludo as the winner of the exercise after the collation of results from the local government areas of the state where the election was held.

“I hereby declare that Soludo Chukwuma Charles of the APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Edoba, a professor, told a gathering at the state headquarters of INEC in Awka, the state capital, where the election results were collated.

Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), secured 422,664 votes to trounce his closest rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Nicholas Ukachukwu, who polled 99,445 votes.

Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes.

George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and Jude Ezenwafor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 10,576 votes and 1,401 votes, respectively.

Shortly after the results were announced, there was jubilation at the residence of the governor in Isoufia community, Aguata LGA.