EYO FESTIVAL,MUMINI ALAO, NFF'S VERY SAD DECISION

Eyo Festival is the symbol of Lagos' rich history and culture.See story below.

(photo from nigerianwiki)

MUMINI ALAO'S SOCCER TALK

Mumini Alao: Ace sportswriter

Although many people have chosen to make sarcastic remarks about the Nigerian government's brand pay-off line "good people,great nation", the truth is, Nigeria is actually blessed with so many 'good people'.My definition of good people here being a people with abundant talents that, through sheer hardwork,creativity and honesty, have been harnessed to achieve world class performance in various vocations. How else will you describe people like Cardinal Arinze,Enoch Adeboye,Chinamanda ,Wole Soyinka, Wole Oguntokun, Emegwali,Austin Okocha,Chinua Achebe,Dele Olojede,and so on and so on, if not as good people ?

Well, one good person that fully deserves all the accolades that have come his way is the highly influential sports journalist Mumini Alao.Today will see Mumini mark his second full decade as a sportswriter, and from the tone of the accolades one would think the guy is some old veteran in the throes of retirement. But the guy is probably only in his early 40s: In 20 years this young man has steadily progressed in his chosen profession to become, probably, the most influential sportswriter in Nigeria.

I have the good fortune to have followed Mumini's career right from the very beginning. As at the time he joined Complete Communications I was already a huge fan of his publisher Sunny Ojeagbase and his Sports Souvenir newspaper (now Complete Sports). In fact Ojeagbase was one of my early influences in sportswriting.The others were Chris Okojie of Vanguard,late Owoblow of Punch and Mitchel Obi of Guardian. So Mumini had the singular good fortune of starting his career under the best tutelage possible.The difference between him and the many others who passed through Ojeagbase is that,first of all he wrote in very similar style and conviction as the boss, and more importantly he had the patience to stay put with one employer and develop his career - something that's indeed very rare these days.

In the 1990s I had the priviledge of publishing several of my articles in their newspaper (in fact they published everything I sent to them), and incidentally till date I've never enterred their offices or even met Mumini. So maybe this article can also be regarded as official thank-you to Mumini for the priviledge they gave me to 'shine' !

From a distance it's easy to see that the arrival and efficiency of Mumini Alao provided the much needed room for his publisher,Sunny Ojeagbase to concentrate on the business side of his enterprise.The result is that,from the 80s when the newspaper seemed like a bad risk and guaranteed failure, Complete Sports is today about the most widely read newspaper in Nigeria, with readersship cutting across various segments - from mechanics to medical doctors to captains of industry.

But what is it that has stood Mumini Alao out from the rest of the pack ? Simple answer; he writes in a dispassionate and balanced manner, and always takes the trouble to research his facts before commiting his pen. Hardly would Mumini criticise someone without also mentioning some positives things about the person. The only time I felt dissappointed with him was in 2002 when I felt he and other influential journalists at the time did not do enough to dissuade the sports authorities from committing an obvious and needless suicide when they disbanded the National Team,Super Eagles, barely five months to the World Cup finals. The subsequent woeful performance of the team in Korea/Japan apart, Nigeria is,seven years later, still trying to recover from that premature termination of a whole generation of world class and patriotic footballers.I only hope we never repeat such madness again.

That however does not diminish the great respect I have for Mumini, whose Soccer Talk column has become the major reference point for enthusiasts and regulators alike in the industry. For instance it is in Soccer Talk that the name 'dutchgerian' was given to Clemens Westerhoff; 'Goalsfather' to Rashidi Yekini, and several other now household sobriquets.The book containing a compilation of past Soccer Talks will also be launced today, and I intend to buy several copies of it, to be given as precious gifts to friends and associates.

Keep the flag flying, Mr. Soccer Talk !

NFF'S VERY SAD DECISION

Nigeria's Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets : NFF should give us their educational records.

(photo from FIFA.com)

I've just written about the senseless disbanding of the National Team in 2002; but yet another such inconceivable decision has just been taken by the Football Federation ,with their sacking of the Golden Eaglets' coach, Henry Nwosu during the week. And Nwosu's offence ? 'The team has not been playing well'.

With just a few months to the Under 17 World Cup, the clear message the NFF is sending out is that the 'win at all cost' mentality for cadet compeitions is still very much the in-thing. What do we expect the new coach to do now, if not to load the team with super-old men masquerading as teenagers. The opportunity for Nigerian schoolboys to savour a festival on their own soil with their peers on parade will now elude them, and another bunch of old cargos who cannot withstand competition with their true agemates will most probably be assembled, ride majestically through the competition, and win the cup. And we continue to deceive ourselves.

Thereafter, just like what we have seen with the last 'world champion' Eaglets, the celebrations would only last for the moment, as plotting a natural transition to a higher level will prove a herculean task.

Let's be clear on this: Building a team of genuine Under 17 footballers would make the task of winning the U-17 World Cup very difficult (though certainly not impossible).The reason being that most other teams from the so called 'third world' countries probably cheat at this level. However,if we are serious about the developmental process of our football, we have to take the crucial decision of jettisoning the win-at- all- cost mentality at the Under-17 level.

Whatever be the case, I will only challenge the NFF to ensure that they publish the educational records ( primary and secondary schools and dates) of all the players that will eventually be selected to represent Nigeria at the U-17 World Cup.That way any inquisitive citizen can check to confirm that the country is not living a lie once again; not now that the competition is holding right here on our own soil. Let our kids have their due, whether we win or not !

EYO FESTIVAL

As a 'Lagos boy' I feel immensely proud of the Adamu-Orisa festival, popularly known as Eyo. This is the cultural pride of the people of lagos, dating back well over a decade: From an origin traced to Badagry, and eventually settling as an important annual ceremony in Isale Eko ( lagos Island). My excitement this time around is that the government has stepped in to make the festival the gigantic tourist spectacle that it should be.

In years gone by, the Eyo masquerade has danced in honour of several illustrous indigenes of Lagos (originally as an important part of the rites of passage): From Oba Akitoye,Eletu- Odibo,Aromire Aiyedun and many others. Sometime before independence, we were told, the festival was even held in honour of Queen Victoria of England.Many musicians have also waxed hit records in praise of the festival. King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall and Ebenezer Obey's have to be the most famous of the lot.

Apart from fitting in very well with the Mega City vision of the 'new' Lagos,I'm happy that unlike in our youthful days when we held the masquerade in fear and mystery, our children and visitors to Eko (aka las gidi to the young at heart) will henceforth join in the celebrations with absolute free mind, savouring the frills and awesome spectacle. I dream of the day that the Eyo festival will attract the same worldwide reputation as the Rio festival in Brazil - and if that will also mean more euros and dollars for the people, so be it !

EASTER ,HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS,SUPER EAGLES.

HAPPY EASTER !

As a Christian, I'm humble enough to know and accept that Easter is the bedrock of my faith and therefore Love the essence of this life. Let me just say happy Easter to you all !

HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS: REFLECTIONS ON NAIJA MUSIC

D'Banj ruled the streets in 2008.
(Photo courtesy Hip Hop World)

I love music; and contemporary Nigerian pop music is no exception.In fact I have my own recorded material containing songs in afro-beat, galala and of course hip hop genre. I flow easily with this generation you know, and I must say that despite all the defects I'll definitely give kudos to everybody involved: the singers, producers (eventhough in most cases are no more than sound engineers),publishers (the magazine type that is, eg Hip Hop World),marketers, video producers,....and ehm ehm, well, the 'record companies' - oh sorry I mean labels.

Ayo Animashaun's Hip Hop World Awards has earned its place as the most respected industry award show today, and whenever it comes around, it sets the industry abuzz. This time around the organisers say they have deliberately excluded some songs from nomination because ot their not-so society-friendly lyrics, and this is supposed to be the magazine's own little contribution towards sanitising the industry.Good talk.

On the streets, 2009 was another exciting year, with so many dance hits to reckon with. Bigiano's Shayo, Sheyman & Dr Pat's I'm On Fire (aka Kondo Olopa !), J.Martin's Good or Bad ( aka Do Me pt. 2 ), Kelly Handsome's Maga Don Pay (aka Yahoozee pt. 2 )and the whole load of D'Banj's stuff all ensured that there was no dull moment. One of my personal favorites was Styl Plus' Four Years which unfortunately was thoroughly whipped by the 'critics' even before it got to the shelves.

From a creative point of view however and as usual, there were very few songs worthy of mention. 9ice's Gongo Aso ( which I still regard as an adulterated fuji song.....ha ha ha !) was definitely the year's best material. The other was Lord of Ajasa's Le Fenu So (also a fuji twist !). Frankly speaking, I couldn't see anything near those two.

The rap scene was particularly interesting, and not just because of Lord of Ajasa. Ruggedman, the self-appointed headmaster and inspector-general of the Nigerian rap scene met his nemesis in non other than his former buddy, Mode 9. Taken word for word, line by line, Ehen Pt 1 would sound like absolute child's play compared to the venom of Death Row.

On the positive side though, 2009 witnessed the release of one of the best rap albums yet in Nigeria - Naeto C's You Know My P. It was also the year of a new star MI. And yet another star in the making, Kel.

Afrobeat came alive with the release of the long awaited debut album by Seun Kuti, Many Things. It would appear though that the young lad still has many things to learn as far as his recording career is concerned.

Asa is doing the real branding job for Nigeria

Although D'Banj ruled the airwaves and the streets, the two most significant artistes of the year were Asa and Tuface. Asa in fact must be Nigeria's most popular artiste in Europe today - maybe with the possible exception of Femi Kuti. Her Jailer collection is absolutely awesome and has been doing the real branding business for Nigeria. I hope aunty Dora has been taking note !

Many have commented that Tuface's last album was weak. I agree. I also think the negative perception is essentially because he packed too many irrelevant and unnecesary songs into the album - a practice that has become commonplace in the hiphop era. Back in the day, our great artistes like Fela and Sonny Okosuns used to release magnificient 4-trackers, sometimes 6, and the market accepted the works, for essentially each song was memorable in it's own right.

These days most of our local hiphop cds come with 11 - 16 songs, most of which do nothing than bore the listener. I can count only very few that sustained a positive and consistent tempo throughout, and interestingly Tuface's first two albums are among these. Some artistes take it to really dramatic levels; eg Naeto C's rap album contains a pure and vintage highlife material ! Why waste money producing so many tracks when the market is only interested in one or two - or maybe four or five as in the case of Styl Plus' Olufunmi,P Square's Game Over or D'Banj's The Entertainer ?

That apart, Tuface's collaboration with R Kelly- one of the greatest r'n'b stars in the world- in Flex was quite a significant achievement which, if properly promoted should open the door for Nigerian acts to gain real international acceptance and fame. In any case the song is a very good one, and I dream of the day Mr Idibia will climb the stage with Kelly to perform it. Then we can truly say Naija hiphop/ r'n'b has arrived.

I hope I've not stirred too many controversies , for the real fun cometh with the Hip Hop Awards in a few weeks !

SUPER EAGLES: THE TRUTH ABOUT NIGERIAN FOOTBALL

John Mikel Obi is the only thing close to USA '94 quality in today's Super Eagles

When I noticed from their very first match in the World Cup qualifying series last year, that analysis of the Super Eagles' matches has been reduced to the single pedestrian exercise of highlighting the weaknesses - real and imaginary - of the coach, Amodu Shaibu, I knew the man was once again living on borrowed time.

Although the team still has not lost a game, the away draw to 'lowly' Mozambique in a weekend that saw rivals Tunisia win their own away fixture, would provide sufficient amunition for the carnivorous hawks whose appetite has only been wet by the recent sacking of Ladan Bosso in the Flying Eagles, to strike. And the cry has been loud and scathing ever since :'Nigeria is on the brink of missing the World Cup again'; 'Sack him'. And the replacement ? 'Bring Westerhoff', 'bring Siasia','bring foreign coach','bring.......'. All these coming after only the first of six round of matches !

Truly,I also share patriotic concerns about Nigeria's chances of qualifying for the World Cup. But I do not support any call for the sacking of the coach. For one, the man has proven more than sufficiently that he is as capable as anyone else of handling the National Team. And then everytime I remember the blatant 'suicide' that our Sports administrators committed in 2002 when they sacked the technical crew on the eve of the World Cup I catch instant cold. If the current administrators ever choose to walk that road again, posterity will be very harsh on them.

We must be honest with ourselves in analysing the current situation. Nigeria does not as at today have (or maybe have not discoverred) the quality of players she had between 2004 - 2006. At that time we had no less than 8 world class players, most of who could easily have won the African Footballer of the Year award on merit. Today we only have Mikel Obi to look up to. Maybe also I.K. Uche. Who else ?

Given this scenario, the key to success is to build a strong team spirit and make the squad function maximally as a unit, and I believe this is what the coach has been trying to do.With 5 rounds of matches to go, 2 of which will be against our main rivals Tunisia, the qualification ticket cannot be said to have been lost. The rest of us outside the coaching crew have the crucial patriotic role of motivating, not destabilising the players and technical crew.

I will advise the coaches to use the forthcoming grade A friendly matches to try out some new players in the major areas of weakness; namely, the playmaker, winger (right or left) and centre forward. I strongly agree with those who say Amodu should be more flexible in inviting players to the team.He should forget about the mediocrity of the local leaque and give some promising players a try. You never can tell.

THE TRUTH IS BITTER....

The low quality of the Nigerian National Team is a direct reflection of both the insipid local league where most young players with any sign of real talent are shipped out by the lucre-minded scouts to various obscure leaques abroad even before the fans and coaches discover them here, and the dubious system whereby glaringly overaged players are selected for the age-group teams,thereby giving us a false sense of the quality of talent at our disposal.

The earlier we start addressing these issues approrpriately, and stop hypocritical postures, the better for our football.