Sports

Mixed Reactions Trail Siasia’s Sack

Published

14 years ago

October 31, 2011

Mixed reactions have started to trail the sack of Nigeria Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia, last Friday, by the board of Nigeria Football Federation.

The action of NFF was occasioned by the inability of Siasia to qualify the national team, for the forthcoming Orange Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equitorial Gunea, January, next year.

In his reactions, the Chief Coach of Sharks FC, Port Harcourt, Imama Amapakabo, said the contracted agreement should be respected, adding that the sack of Siasia was based on the terms of agreement.

According to him, Siasia is not the problem, but the structures of Nigeria football, adding that NFF has failed to address the fundamental problems.

“The issue is not the coach we are failing to address the real problem, what is our league like? Amapakabo asked?

Amapakabo stated that the major problem facing the country is lack of developmental programmes for football in the country.

“How many Nigerian players that plays in first team in their various clubs abroad? You can imagine in our local league there are no credible personal to take our football to the next level in terms of administration and technically.

In his view, the Chief Coach of Rivers state football Association, Tony Chuku, said that the sack is justified as Siasia signed in agreement with NFF to qualify the Eagles for Nations Cup pointing out that his failure was no body’s fault.

“I believed in agreement and as he signed the agreement with NFF to qualify us, since he has failed, he will be sacked because agreement is agreement” he said.

Meanwhile former Enugu Rangers skipper and national team invitee Ndubisi Ajomiwe, said that the NFA had no moral right to sack the beleaguered coach.

“Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the nation’s cup was caused mainly by the ineptitude of the NFA so it should also give way for the nation’s football to be repositioned.

“It will be difficult for a new coach to succeed under the defective structure put in place by the NFA, so the changes should be holistic.’’

Chief Adol Awam, foremost sports promoter in the state, supported Siasia’s sack, noting that the Eagles needed a coach who could effectively manage the players considering their complex orientation.

“The deplorable situation of our football warrants the appointment of a coach who would command the respect of the players and make them understand the significance of playing for the national team.

“Siasia failed in his assignment because he saw the players as rivals, on whom he must enforce discipline without recourse to diplomacy or other friendly means.”

Nicodemus Omenka, a former Ebonyi Commissioner for Youths and Sports, however, condemned Siasia’s sack, saying that he could have been allowed to correct his mistakes.

“Siasia started a rebuilding process of the team which ought to have been given some time to materialise.

“His antecedents with the various national teams show that he could have identified his shortcomings and fashioned out modalities that would bring back the glorious days of our football,’’ he said.

Ifeyinwa Ezeakum, a member of Ebonyi female football team, called on the NFA to appoint a foreign coach for the Falcons to return the team’s dominance on the African continent.

“Female football globally has gone above the knowledge of local coaches, so a reputable foreign manager is needed to infuse the desired technical input into the team,” she said.

Technical Director, Awka United FC of Uyo, Charles Bassey, has welcomed the sack of Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia, by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) saying “the decision was justified.”

Siasia was relieved of his appointment over the weekend by the Executive Committee of the NFA over his inability to qualify the team for the Africa Nations Cup.

Bassey, a former coach of defunct Mobil Pegasus FC of Eket, told the Tidesports over the weekend in Uyo that Siasia did not live up to the terms of his contract.

“He was doing well initially but later lost grip. He had a problem of quarrelling with the players.

“Players are your tools. If you scold them, you later draw them close to yourself again.

“Siasia is, however, growing, this is a big lesson to him. In future he will be able to handle situations properly,” Bassey said.

He said that the problem of Nigerian football was not that of coaching alone.

“NFA also needs to search itself. We need a good league system to enable us select good players,” Bassey said.

Also reacting to the sack of Siasia, the Akwa Ibom Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Mr Uwem Ekoh, said the decision of the NFA was a welcome development.

“The decision is a way of moving forward. Siasia was too concerned about discipline in the team to the detriment of other considerations, so let him rest,” Ekoh said.

In the same vein, Former Nigeria Football Association (NFA) Technical Director, Kashimawo Laloko, and Super Falcons coach, Paul Hamilton, have backed the sack of the Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia.

The two coaches, however, warned the NFA against employing foreign coaches for the national teams.

The executive committee of the NFA last Friday sacked Siasia after ratifying the decision of the technical committee at their extra-ordinary meeting in Abuja.

Hamilton, who had also handled the Green Eagles, said that it was expected that Siasia would be sacked following his inability to qualify Nigeria for the 2012 Africa Nation‘s Cup.

While maintaining that Siasia‘s sack was not the solution to the problem,they added that hiring a foreign coach would be a mistake.

“NFA employed Siasia and as far as he could not keep to the terms of the contract, then he should not be surprised at the decision.

“The NFA should go back to the drawing board to know where we got it wrong, then proffer solution because foreign coaches cannot give us the solution,’’ Hamilton said.

Reacting to the disengagement of Siasia, Laloko, the proprietor, Pepsi Football Academy, said that it was not a surprise that he was sacked.

He, however , advised against the employment of foreign coaches, stressing that local coaches would perform better if given adequate international training.

“Siasia had many assumptions. In that kind of job, one needs patience, concentration, perseverance and a heart of forgiveness.

“Our coaches need adequate international training and FIFA licence to perform better. Even Siasia is not FIFA licenced,’’ Laloko said.

He advised the NFA to go to the grassroots to scout for viable players for football to take a new shape in the country.

Sports

NDG: Rivers Coach Appeal To NDDC In Talent Discovery

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Chess coach Nnamso Umoren has appealed to relevant authorities, most especially the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to provide funds for scouting of hidden talents at the grassroots.

He stated that lack of funds is hindering most coaches from doing what they are expected to do; hence, they don’t have enough money to travel to rural areas to discover talents.

Umoren made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday, in Benin, Edo State, shortly after the second edition of the Niger Delta Games drew her curtains closed.

According to him, without coaches no athlete can perform better, as coaches are the ones that teach athletes the techniques and rudiments of every sport.

“I appeal to the commission to support the coaches with funds to enable them to go to the areas and discover talents. Lack of funds for coaches limits the extent to which they can move around within the state in search of talents.

“I am of the general opinion that without coaches, athletes cannot perform better; hence, the coaches teach them the rudiments of the sports,” Umoren said.

The Chess coach called on the Rivers State government to organise tournaments in the State to know the strength of athletes discovered, saying that will improve sporting activities in the State.

However, he commends NDDC, who are the major sponsors of NDG, and Dumamis Icon Limited for close to perfect organisation.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Rivers Sports Director Rates Niger Delta Games High

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Director of Sports, Obia Inyingikabo has that the just concluded second edition of the Niger Delta Games, held in Benin, Edo State, was very impressive and well organised.

She commended both the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Dumamis Icon Limited for the sponsorship and organisation respectively.

According to her, the problem of the team was the epileptic situation of shuttle buses, which was not under the direct control of the sports council.

Inyingikabo said this in a telephone interview with Tidesports yesterday; she confirmed that apart from the poor transport system for athletes, every arrangement went successfully as planned.

The director praised her athletes for making the State proud by winning gold, silver, and bronze medals during the games. She assured the people of Rivers State that in the next edition they will perform better and also used the opportunity to commend Rivers State promoting sports in the State.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Treat Bees, Silkworms As Valuable Resources – Don

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

A Professor of Applied Entomology and Pest Management, at the Federal University of Technology Akure,(FUTA), Olufunmilayo Oladipo, has said insects such as bees ,houseflies silkworms and similar species should be seen and treated as valuable resources whose careful management could enhance food security, generate income, support industrial applications, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic diversification.

Prof. Oladipo made the remark while delivering the 193rd Inaugural Lecture of the institution on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Citing the honeybee as a prime example, Oladipo noted that beyond honey production, bees provide beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and venom used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, while their pollination services significantly increase crop yields and biodiversity.

She also referenced silkworms, whose silk supports textile industries and export earnings, as well as black soldier flies and houseflies, locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms and crickets which are increasingly used in the production of high-protein livestock and aquaculture feeds, thereby reducing dependence on expensive imported feed ingredients.

Speaking on the topic, “Six-Legged Arthropods: Food Security, Health and National Economic Development,” Professor Oladipo highlighted the multiple contributions of insects to national development in a monolithic economy like Nigeria, where over-dependence on crude oil has limited diversification.

She pointed out that insects serve as food for humans and feed for livestock, provide income for households through apiculture, sericulture, and insect-based enterprises, and supply raw materials for pharmaceutical and industrial uses. Beneficial insects also enhance food security through nutrient recycling, biological control of harmful species and weeds, and pollination of crops and horticultural plants, resulting in bumper harvests and increased biodiversity.

Professor Oladipo further mentioned termites and dung beetles for their role in nutrient recycling and soil aeration, improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Ladybird beetles and parasitic wasps, she explained, serve as natural biological control agents, reducing populations of destructive pests without harming the environment.

In the area of public health, Oladipo declared that though “the economic toll of insect vectors is staggering, stretching from the household to national economy, thereby undermining productivity, draining family resources, and constraining national growth, certain insects negatively affect agriculture, public health, and livelihoods”.

The professor pointed to the importance of understanding mosquitoes and other disease vectors such as tsetse flies, whose management is critical in combating malaria, yellow fever, dengue, sleeping sickness and other vector-borne diseases that weaken workforce productivity and strain national resources.

She cited data showing that malaria alone costs Africa over 12 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, and reduced investment. Beyond mortality, she emphasized, insect-borne diseases also contribute to morbidity, chronic disability, and reduced workforce efficiency, imposing heavy burdens on families, health systems, and national economies.

She referenced maggot therapy, currently practiced in teaching hospitals in Kano, as a safe and effective treatment for chronic diabetic wounds adding that bioactive compounds from fungus-insect complexes such as Bombyx batryticatus and Beauveria bassiana, which have been developed into medicines with anticonvulsant, anticancer, antifungal, anticoagulant, and hypolipidemic properties.

Weaver ants, bee venom, and cantharidin from blister beetles, she stated, also possess therapeutic value, including immune-boosting, anti-diabetic, anti-arthritic, and antiviral applications. She maintained that strategic government investment in entomotherapy could strengthen healthcare delivery, reduce pharmaceutical import dependence, save lives, and support national economic diversification.

According to her, these examples demonstrate that insects are not merely pests to be eradicated but strategic biological assets that, if properly managed, can enhance food security, strengthen public health systems, generate employment, and support Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

The Agric expert noted however, that certain pest species continue to pose threats to agriculture and public health, thereby negatively affecting economic growth. She stressed that proper management, rather than indiscriminate eradication, is key to maximizing the benefits of these six-legged resources.

Professor Oladipo advocated integrated pest management strategies that prioritize environmentally friendly approaches, including botanicals, pheromones, biological control agents, growth regulators, and semiochemicals, while minimizing the use of broad-spectrum synthetic insecticides.

She warned that excessive reliance on chemicals has resulted in resistance, environmental pollution, and harm to non-target organisms. She also called for stricter regulation of pesticide importation and usage under professional supervision, and for stronger surveillance by regulatory authorities to prevent the introduction of exotic pest species.

To strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in entomology, she urged the government to support insect rearing and the conservation of beneficial species and to establish more Departments of Entomology in universities.

On the benefits of insects, she stressed the need for shifting societal perceptions and promoting sustainable practices, calling for stronger linkages between universities and industries to translate research findings into practical applications and commercial opportunities.

Professor Oladipo further appealed for increased funding for research and for targeted support for brilliant but indigent students in science-based disciplines, emphasizing that nurturing the next generation of entomologists and agricultural scientists is critical for national development.

Presenting the inaugural lecturer, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, FAS, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Professor Sunday Oluyamo, described Professor Oladipo as a distinguished scholar whose research has significantly advanced the field of entomology and strengthened FUTA’s academic and research profile.

The Vice Chancellor who described the lecture as ‘timely’, given Nigeria’s challenges in food security, public health, and economic diversification, commended the inaugural lecturer’s scholarly depth, resilience, and dedication to mentoring students, reaffirming FUTA’s commitment to research that addresses pressing national development priorities.