101 Reasons Siasia Deserves Super Eagles

WHY SIASIA DESERVES THE JOB

    The last time I thoroughly checked, in view of the overall impact of sports, particularly football otherwise known as soccer, on both individual and national development, the leadership of any nation needed not to be reminded that it’s meant to be treated as a priority in its scheme of work. But in Nigeria, alongside other developing countries, it’s conspicuous that in the recent times, rather than being celebrated or adored, the aforementioned game coupled with many others has been relegated to the background as if that’s where it belongs thereby constituting series of colossal societal pandemonium among the teeming Nigerian citizens on a daily basis.

    It’s so pathetic and humiliating to realize that a country that once occupied the fifth position in the global football ranking as being compiled by the world soccer governing body – FIFA, is currently headed toward the hundredth position of the said ranking. It really sounds absurd thereby making it very hard to believe by anyone who truly thinks good of this country. This unequivocally implies that there’s something fishy and opaque taking place somewhere, probably behind the scene, thus requires to be addressed by the apt authority.

    It’s no longer news that the country’s football national team reckoned to be Super Eagles wouldn’t make it to Gabon come 2017 for the event that’s expected to showcase the greatest Africa’s soccer tournament popularly addressed as African Cup of Nations (AFCON) or ‘Nations Cup’. It’s pertinent and perhaps extremely painful to note that this very unexpected knock-out that’s only imaginable would mark the second consecutive time (back-to-back) the acclaimed giant of Africa would be absent at the aforesaid championship. And if adequate care is not taken, Nigeria is likely to be missing in the forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Russia.

    Few weeks ago, Samson Siasia the former Nigerian International striker who’s presently a practising coach, was contracted to qualify the Super Eagles for the next year’s Nations Cup following the abrupt resignation of the team’s main Coach, Sunday Oliseh barely three weeks to the match against the Pharaohs of Egypt; just like how he (Siasia) was tasked during the first time he was employed to handle the team, precisely in November 2010. As luck wasn’t on his side, unfortunately his 2011’s fate repeated itself in 2016.

    It’s gratifying to acknowledge that Coach Siasia is currently the main coach of the Nigeria’s U-23 team otherwise known as the Flying Eagles, and within a short while the team in question had obviously toured places to the glory of God. Now Nigeria can boast of a formidable, reliable and classy U-23 team. We need to urgently note that this very accomplishment wasn’t done magically or through a magical means, rather it was recorded tactically.

    Similarly, Siasia isn’t just a coach; he’s as well a manager. It takes only a manager to form a team, whilst it takes a coach to build the team having formed it. Forming a team simply means making each of its members possess only one voice; making the members act or operate like a family. And, you would wholeheartedly agree with me that formation of a football team remains the most paramount step because that’s the rudiments towards building a team.

    One of the basic qualities of a good manager is discipline. Believe me, Siasia is a core disciplinarian. For example, he never jokes with time management when it call for camping toward preparation of any match, be it friendly or crucial. He knows how to show a player the way out if the player violates the rule no matter whose ox is gored; in order words, he strictly sticks to the rules. We are all not unaware of what transpired when the Super Eagles were camping in Kaduna ahead of the AFCON qualifier match against Egypt; some of the players couldn’t make it to the match owing to indiscipline. For the umpteenth time, Siasia is highly disciplined and austere.

     Furthermore, Siasia understands how to make amends. The moment he was contracted as an interim coach for the Eagles, he went straight to the immediate past goalie and former skipper of the team in the person of Vincent Enyema with a view to reconciling him with the team, though his motive proved abortive. It would be recalled that Enyema left the team as a result of the misunderstanding that emanated between him and the erstwhile coach, Oliseh.

     In the same vein, Siasia having understood that the Nigerian midfielder, Mikel Obi was aggrieved, he thought it wise to transfer the post of the Captaincy from Ahmed Musa to him (Mikel), which was a commendable step and a well deserved recognition, in order to close the lingered ranks. He knew as a good manager that, he wouldn’t boast of a reliable team if he failed to settle such scores. And in a spirit of sportsmanship, Musa amicably relinquished the post to Mikel due to the tactics utilized by Siasia.

     For crying out very loud, why would Siasia be blamed for not qualifying Eagles for the AFCON 2017? Even, to my utmost surprise the team he tactically managed to build within a very short period performed impressively. The only side that was porous in that team was the defence, and suchlike loophole would have been corrected if enough time was given to the coach prior to the matches between the Pharaohs of Egypt. Anyone who keenly watched those matches must testify that the Eagles played practically far better than the Pharaohs.

     I’ve come to realize that, not just the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) but Nigeria in general, is accustomed to the Fire Brigade approach. This is why within a very short period, the NFF engaged three different Nigerian coaches to man the Super Eagles. Any slight mistake from a coach, he would be fired instantly as if mistakes are crimes. But come to think of it, if really we’re to apportion blames, who truly is to blame for all these crises that have been rocking not only the country’s football but sports generally?

    It’s of course no longer news that non-payment of coaches’ salaries and allowances or payment in arrears has become peculiar to the ‘almighty’ NFF. Even though that an element of politics is found in every facet of human endeavour, we must note that institutional politics has no meeting point with sports; both aren’t unlike two parallel lines. You can’t be treating your employees like mere slaves and expect them to keep quiet or remain calm as if they are imbeciles. Besides, if we couldn’t pay the local coaches, how do we intend to pay the foreign coaches we’re clamouring for?  It’s even laughable and preposterous to note that such plan is occurring when Nigeria is concerned with how to promote her locally made products or indigenous services. How do you reconcile this?

    Another remarkable idiosyncrasy of Coach Siasia is humility. If you were in his shoes, you wouldn’t accept the responsibility to coach the U-23 team after being sacked as the Super Eagles’ coach. Everyone prays and makes frantic effort to progress or climb to the top and not the other way round. Needless to say that, Siasia possesses a commendable temperament and mentality. It takes only maturity to act in such direction. In a nutshell, Siasia is good; he’s a coach and a manager too.

    It’s worrisome to note that we no longer exercise patience again because the people in question are local or indigenous coaches. As if we have forgotten; it would be recalled that it took the erstwhile Super Eagles’ foreign coach, Clemens Westerhof good five years or thereabouts to form as well as build the dynamic and outstanding 1994 Super Eagles team that is still the talk of the day across the globe. No doubt, Nigeria and Nigerians need to have a rethink.

    Without mincing words, the NFF led by Amaju Pinnick with the supervision of the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung needs to go back to the drawing board if it must succeed. Then, having returned from the drawing board, it would be left with no other option than to give the job to Coach Siasia. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Researcher, Blogger, Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

Twitter: @mediambassador 

        

2016 World Malaria Day

2016 WORLD MALARIA DAY: ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON MY MIND

    Last time I checked, Malaria remained a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by a group of single-celled parasitic micro-organisms known as protozoa belonging to the genus plasmodium. The disease is mainly transmitted by mosquito bites, and the symptoms often commence few days after the bite.

     Malaria is transmitted most commonly by an infected female Anopheles mosquito. The mosquito bite introduces the parasite called plasmodium from the mosquito’s saliva into a person’s bloodstream. The parasites then travel to the liver where they mature and reproduce.

     The signs and symptoms of malaria typically begin eight to twenty-five days following infection; however, symptoms may occur later in those who have taken anti-malarial medications in the past as prevention. Initial manifestations of the disease, which is common to all malaria species, are similar to flu-like symptoms and can resemble other conditions such as septicemia, gastroenteritis and viral diseases.

     The presentation may include headache, fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting, haemolytic anaemia, jaundice, haemoglobin in the urine, retinal damage, and convulsions. The classic symptom of malaria is paroxysm – a cyclical occurrence of sudden coldness followed by shivering and then fever and sweating; occurring every two days in P. Vivax and P. Malariae infection.

      Severe malaria, which might lead to death, is usually caused by P. Falciparum – often referred to as ‘Falciparum Malaria’. Its symptoms arise nine to thirty days after contracting the infection. Individuals with cerebral malaria frequently exhibit neurological symptoms including abnormal posturing, nystagmus, conjugate gaze palsy i.e. failure of the eyes to turn together in the same direction, opisthotonus, seizure, or coma.

     It is worthy to note that, concurrent infection of diseases like HIV with malaria increases mortality rate. Malaria in pregnant women is the major cause of stillbirths, infant mortality, abortion and low birth weight, particularly in P. Falciparum infection.

     Symptoms of malaria can recur after varying symptom-free periods.  Depending upon the cause, recurrence can be classified as either recrudescence or relapse. Recrudescence is when symptoms return after a symptom-free period; it is caused by parasites living in the blood as a result of inadequate or ineffective treatment. Whilst, relapse is when symptoms reappear after the parasites have been eliminated from blood but persist as dormant hyponozoites in liver cells; relapse commonly occurs between eight to twenty-four weeks and is common among P. Vivax and P. Ovale infections.

     The primary sources of mosquitoes include sewage, refuse, dirty stagnant water, and untidy environment. In most cases, mosquitoes are peculiar to damp and dirty environments or substances such as gutter, pool, faeces, and urine, among other solid and liquid waste materials. This is why residents of untidy localities are at a high risk of contracting malaria.   

     Methods used to prevent malaria include medications, mosquito elimination through fumigation coupled with regular environmental sanitation, as well as prevention of mosquito bites via regular cum proper use of the mosquito nets, among others. Prevention of malaria, which is yet to have a vaccine, may be more cost-effective than treatment of the disease in the long run; though the initial measures required are out of reach of many of the world’s poorest people.

     Microscopy is the most commonly used method to detect the malaria parasite in the body. In spite of its widespread usage, diagnosis by microscopy suffers from two main drawbacks: many settings especially rural are not equipped to perform the test, and the accuracy of the results depends on both the skill of the lab technician and the levels of the parasite in the blood.

      It is obvious that malaria is a killer disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2010 alone, there were about 219 million cases of malaria outbreak resulting 660,000 deaths. The majority of cases, about 65%, occur in children under fifteen years. Survey also indicates that about 125 million pregnant women are at risk of infection each year; in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Nigeria, Angola, Chad, Congo, Benin, Ghana and several others, maternal malaria is associated with up to 200,000 estimated infant deaths yearly. In a nutshell; globally, about 3.3 billion individuals in 106 countries are at risk of malaria, mostly among African children.

      Due to the widespread of malaria infection and its deadly consequence, the WHO thought it wise to proclaim World Malaria Day. In view of this, in May 2007 during the 60^th session of the World Health Assembly, April 25 of every year was unanimously adopted as the World Malaria Day. Needless to say; today the world over is commemorating the World Malaria Day. The day was established to provide education and thorough understanding of malaria disease across the globe, especially in countries where the disease seems to be endemic.

      As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the annual World Malaria Day, I urge every individual in the country regardless of age or status, to be extremely conscious of the outlook of his/her surroundings or immediate environment since malaria is mainly attributed to unhealthy vicinity. Thus, we should always endeavour to properly dispose any form of waste found within our place of residence as well as thoroughly sanitize our gutters and toilets at all times. In addition, we ought to ensure that our beds are always covered with treated mosquito net whenever we lie in it.

      Among all, we should endeavour to see our physician from time-to-time or whenever we notice any abnormality in our body system, for onward review of our health status. In the same vein, the various health workers/personnel across the country are expected to contribute meaningfully and immensely in creation of awareness regarding the causes and possible effects of malaria disease as well as its epidemic. Above all, we ought to always bear in mind that prevention is invariably better than cure. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

2016 World Book and Copyright Day

2016 WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY: PLAGIARISM ON MY MIND

    Today Saturday April 23, the world over is commemorating the World Book and Copyright Day. It was on this day – April 23 in the year 1616 that some prominent authors including Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso Vega left the world; it is also the date of birth or death of other global literary icons like Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejia Vallejo.  

     It was a natural choice for the General Conference of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held in Paris in 1995, to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors on this date in order to encourage everyone, particularly young people, to discover the pleasure of reading as well as gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. In this regard, UNESCO created the World Book and Copyright Day.

     A book is a collection of pieces of paper comprising a set of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets made of ink, parchment and other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. In the same vein, copyright can be defined as the legal prerogative of ownership and exclusive distribution of any creative work such as article, book, music or movie originally done by a person or a group of persons.

     On the other hand, plagiarism is the illicit practice of using or copying someone else’s idea or creative work and the impersonation of its ownership. In other words, plagiarism is an unauthorized and unlawful faking or imitation of thoughts or works that are already legally credited to a person or group. Suffice to say; plagiarism, which is popularly known as piracy, is a criminal act that is punishable by law.

     A book could be majorly classified into two namely, academic and literary. An academic book is one that is written on a certain subject or about a particular area whilst a literary book is mainly a creative work that is written with the knowledge of literature. Irrespective of its class, just as anything under the sun can be identified by one or two idiosyncrasies, the unique or basic features of any book include the content, authorship, the ISBN, its title and cover page, among others.

     No doubt, every book has a unique content regardless of its size or number of pages. Likewise a movie or music, a book may go beyond a particular edition or version, hence can transcend to additional two or more editions based on the choice of the author or the kind of message intended to be conveyed by it. The content of any book is expected to be original; in the sense that, it must be the initiative of the acclaimed author/writer.

     Also, any book must be authored by one or two persons and as long as the book lasts, the specified author(s) remain the rightful owner of the intellectual property. Needless to say; no part of such publication would be reproduced or translated to any other language, or even transmitted in any form or by any means without the authorization or written permission of the author or publisher as the case might be.

     The International Serial Book Number (ISBN) is another unique feature or mode of identification of any book. The ISBN of a published compilation, which is widely regarded as its individual identification number, is the only globally recognized means of identifying a text-filled book. Thus, any published book is entitled to a certain ISBN which will never be allocated or assigned to any other publication across the globe. Even if the book in question is expected to have a subsequent edition/version in future, each of the additional editions, when published, would be entitled to different ISBNs.

     Furthermore, the title and the cover page of a book speak volumes as regards its identification; though in some cases, like in the movie or music sector, two books authored by different writers might coincidentally comprised of the same or similar title. In a situation of coincidence of titles or where two/more publications of different authors comprise the same title, the books involved would be contrasted by the names of the respective authors. 

     Apart from other features of a book, it is noteworthy that, its title and cover page are the major recipes that attract the target audience, especially in a situation where the name of the author is relatively new in the system. This is the reason most notable authors pay much attention while creating a title for their works. Due to the significance or delicacy attached to titling of a book or any creative work, sometimes the title of a work in progress may be yet to be created by the author/inventor until the work is duly completed.

     Taking a painstaking consideration of the aforementioned features of a book, there is no gain reiterating the fact that book publication is all about creativity. Surely, it is obvious that every aspect of book compilation coupled with its publication cum printing thoroughly deals with originality which is the basic element of any creative work.

     Apparently, the societal impact of a book cannot be overemphasized. It is through a book that a literate society is formed; it is through a book that an awaited civilized society is actualized; through a book, an intellectual group can be created; of course through a book, the socio-economic level of a nation can be uplifted or boosted; it is through a book that a nation can actualized its utmost desire; and  it is through a book that a leader can be made; above all, it is a book that can guarantee optimum peace and unity in any society.

     This is why those who are widely read such as the likes of late Marcus Tullius Cicero and Jane Austen would always tell you that “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” Or that “A person, be it gentleman or lady, who has no pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid.” It was the late Jorge Luis Borges that said “I have always imagined that paradise would be a kind of library.” In the same vein, Lemony Snicket stated “Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”

     Considering the indelible role of a book in any society, there is need to fiercely safeguard the copyright of a book or any other creative work such as music or movie. Against this backdrop, as the world commemorates the World Book and Copyright Day, I enjoin every group in Nigeria concerning authorship such as the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Nigerian Literacy Society (NLS), and many others to join in the crusade towards the complete eradication of plagiarism which has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society.

     The production of fake works which is on the rampage in Nigeria is solely attributed to the ongoing alarming pace of plagiarism. It is longer news that plagiarism has indeed endangered the wellbeing of millions of creative persons across the globe thereby constituting apathy among prospective writers or artistes as the case may be. This singular fact is the reason many incoming/potential creative individuals have chosen to remain idle rather than embarking on a venture that would end-up being futile and worthless.  

     So, as the global community marks the World Book and Copyright Day, the ANA and other indigenous authorship associations are expected to form a synergy with other related societies such as the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) with a view to fighting the scourge squarely. In view of this, the concerned groups ought to carry out a holistic campaign towards conscientizing the legislators to enact a strict law that would assign capital punishment to anyone found guilty of any form of piracy by any court of competent jurisdiction. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Researcher, Blogger, Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056