Nigeria Vs Cameroon Preview : Moses & Iheanacho Key, Aboubakar Exposed, Strengths &Weaknesses

Back in November 2016, Indomitable Lions of Cameroon’s coach Hugo Broos had said it was hard to find any weakness in Super Eagles.

The Eagles had just defeated Zambia 2-1in Ndola and Algeria 3-1 in Uyo, their first two games of the 2018 FIFA world cup qualifier and were poised to take on Cameroon who were in the same group B but were yet to pick a win, with two draws from their opening two games.
Hugo Broos had told reporters that he was lucky his team would not be facing the Super Eagles until eight months later.
''They (Super Eagles) are on a high, hard to find any weakness in them at the moment, maybe we are lucky because we don’t play them until next year.
''Hopefully we would have built up confidence to explore any weakness,'' he said.
Between November 2016 and August 2017 Cameroon played 13 games while Nigeria only played just four matches.
During this period, Cameroon also emerged Africa champions having defeated teams like Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Egypt on their way to winning their fifth AFCON title in Gabon 2017.
As African champions, they represented the continent at the FIFA Confederations cup where they drew 1-1 with Australia, lost 2-0 to Chile and also lost 3-1 to world champions Germany to crash out at the group stage.
The Super Eagles on the other hand drew 1-1 with both Corsica and Senegal, beat Togo 3-0 all in friendly games and lost 2-0 at home to South Africa in a 2019 AFCON qualifying game.
Buoyed by his team’s progress in eight months, Broos now has a new message for his 2018 FIFA world cup qualifier opponent. Read more
''We won the AFCON trophy in style beating teams like Senegal, Ghana and Egypt in the final.

Saraki reveals those responsible for many Nigeria’s problems

The President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, has said Nigeria is passing through a difficult phase of nation building, economic recession, rising insecurity and threat to its corporate existence as a nation due to actions of some citizens.
In view of this, Saraki called on Nigerian pilgrims currently performing this year’s hajj to pray for the nation.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said “a prayer for your country and her leaders is as important as asking Allah to grant you your personal wishes.”
The Senate President, who is currently in Saudi Arabia for hajj, also asked Nigerians to use the occasion of the significance of Arafat Day holding today, Thursday, to pray for the quick recovery of the nation’s economy and good health for President Muhammdau Buhari.
The statement read: “The 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah is the day pilgrims gather at the plain of Mount Arafat, at the outskirt of Mecca, praying and supplicating to the Almighty Allah.
“Arafat Day was also the day Islam was perfected and approved for mankind by the Almighty Allah. The gathering is expected to consist of nearly two million faithful from across the world.

“Today our country is passing through a difficult phase of nation building occasioned by economic recession, rising insecurity and threat to our corporate existence as a nation by actions of some citizens.
“The health of our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, is also of national concern to all, and every opportunity must be utilized to pray for his continuous recuperation for him to continue to restore the lost glory of Nigeria.
“It is, therefore, not only advisable but necessary for our pilgrims to seize this rare opportunity the Arafat Day offers to offer prayers for our nation to overcome these challenges and for all development plans and policies initiated by government to start yielding fruits but that we as citizens should rededicate ourselves to the service of our country.
“Our people back home should also join in the prayers on the Arafat Day as Muslims believe that wherever you are on this special day, if you supplicate to the Almighty, he will answer the prayers.”

Nigerian government not holding hundreds in secret facilities – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has described the claim by Amnesty International (AI) that hundreds of people are being held in secret detention facilities in Nigeria as untrue.
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Mohammed stated this yesterday in a swift reaction to the said AI’s report.

According to him, if there were such facilities, he would be aware of such.
The Minister told journalists: “I should know if such a thing exists. This government is not in the least repressive, this government is tolerant of all views.
“It is a big shame if an organisation like Amnesty International will cook up this kind of story.
‘’I should know. Who are the dissidents that are being kept in an unknown place? I should know. I face a lot of criticism, I face a lot of attack. Who are the dissidents that are being detained there? It is certainly untrue, let them come out with facts and should stop relying on hear-say and some so-called NGOs.

Nigeria, must be restructure - Afenifere

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere on Wednesday reaffirmed its calls for the restructuring of Nigeria.
It lamented that Nigeria at the moment is a dysfunctional country sliding towards the edge of the precipice.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of its monthly meeting in Akure.
The group noted that the only panacea to the many problems confronting Nigeria was restructuring.
It therefore called on Nigerian leaders to revisit the 1966 constitutional model.
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, who read the communique condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s stand on restructuring.

“We are not impressed by the broadcast by the President after his return especially his stand on the restructuring in Nigeria which he said is a matter only for the National Assembly and the council of state.
“We do not agree that the sovereignty in the land rests with these two bodies but sovereignty rests with the people and the people therefore must be the one to determine the way forward for the country in crisis.
“We believe at this point now we need a constituent Assembly elected by the people of Nigeria to deal with the question of restructuring so that the country can be put on a sound footing.
“By restructuring we mean that Nigeria at the moment is a dysfunctional country sliding towards the edge of the precipice with crimes rising day by day, the economy in a parlous state, and forces of disintegration have been let loose, all the good things that are made for good living are beyond our people and the price of food today in Nigeria is at an eight-year high,” the group said.

The group stated further that the problems confronting the nation would be a thing of the past only if the present administration restructure the country.
“It is clear at this point that we cannot resolve any of the problems confronting Nigeria today except we restructure, and by restructuring, Nigeria should go back to the 1960 constitutional model that guaranteed that all section of Nigeria live under a federal constitution with which they fulfil their aspiration, development, productivity and accountability.

“Only authors of confusion that are saying today that restructuring means different things to different people but there is only one definition of restructuring,” they added.

Biafra: Fulani herdsmen tell Nigerian government to give Nnamdi Kanu second chance

The National Coordinator of Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, Alhaji Garus Gololo, has called on the Nigerian government to handle the issue of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kani with utmost care.
According to him, the Nigerian government must be carefull in order not to aggravate an already heated situation.

He was reacting to the recent moves by the FG to rearrest the IPOB leader for breaching bail conditions.
Gololo, said, “Kanu is a Nigerian who knows the implication of violating a court order. But I am advising the Federal Government to handle the matter with care in order not to aggravate the tensed situation in the country.I sincerely advise that he should be called and advised appropriately.
“Government should give him another chance to make amends and by sticking to the conditions upon which he was granted bail.
“After that, if he goes ahead with his activities which are in contravention of his bail conditions, government would then be left with no other option but to seek his re-arrest. But for now, he should be given a second chance. That is our position.’’

PDP behind survival of Nigeria’s democracy – Makarfi says as party clocks 19

Makarfi

National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Makarfi, has attributed Nigeria’s survival to the sacrifices and investments made by the founding fathers of the party.
Makarfi, in a statement issued by Chinwe Nnorom, Head of Publicity Division on behalf of the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Dayo Adeyeye, stated this while congratulating members and supporters of the party across the globe on the occasion of the 19th Anniversary of the PDP.

The statement reads: “The PDP formally came into being on the 31st of August, 1998 and has since then, remained the only Viable, Prosperous, Strongest and Most Visionary Political Party in Nigeria.
“We commend the Efforts of our founding fathers that dared the Military Establishment at that time to usher in a history of reformation and innovation in the Country’s political landscape by returning Nigeria to the path of Civil Rule. We pledge to continue to uphold all their virtues and aspirations as we work to rebuild, reconcile and reposition the PDP for greater heights.
“Nigeria as a Country is today celebrating close to two decades of uninterrupted civilian rule because of the Sacrifices and Investments made by the Founding Fathers of the PDP. We are proud of them and their legacies will be immortalized in the anal of Nigerian history.
“We also thank the people of Nigeria for the overwhelming support and confidence reposed on us in our sixteen years of administration. As a human organization, there might have been some issues or areas we could not cover when we were governing. We promise to make amends as when given the opportunity again in 2019.

Ohakim: Those Pretending Ignorance of Restructuring are Liars

Ikedi Ohakim

A former governor of Imo State, Dr Ikedi Ohakim, in an interview with Amby Uneze, took a swipe at those claiming not to understand what restructuring the country means accusing them of being economical with the truth. Excerpts:
What do you think is the solution to the leadership problem in Nigeria?
The solution is very simple once we are ready to change the system. The problem in Nigeria is systemic and therefore its solution must be systemic. If you bring a Barack Obama here or wake up Nelson Mandela or Margaret Thatcher to govern Nigeria, they will fail because the system won’t let them succeed. Remember that at a point, President Buhari confessed that what he saw after assuming office tempted him to think of running away. The system we currently have is structured for failure. It has not worked for 50 years. Each president or head of state would serve his own tenure and go and leave the highly fractured system behind.
So, the system must be redesigned to shift it from consumption oriented to production oriented. What we operate currently is a system of cap-in-hand instead of hoe-in-hand. The structure was designed for sharing, not for producing. How did we come about 774 local government areas? Was it not because of sharing mentality? If the system were based on production, we would not have the number of local government areas and even states we have today. If the system was such that people needed to go and work and then bring something to the central table, nobody will agitate for states. Initially, the idea was that states would take development closer to the people. But what did we end up with? We ended up with states that cannot generate half of what they need simply because there is money to share in Abuja every month. It is not the fault of the state governments per se. It is because the system allows it. The system allows for sharing not producing. But whether we like it or not, something has to give. What we now have is a burst pipe but instead of calling a plumber to replace it, we are merely scooping water. But no amount of scooping can solve the problem. What we need is to change the pipe. Read more