Chelsea fc: A New Era Or A False Dawn?

As the exquisite and elegant looking Andre Villas Boas put pen to paper to complete his signing from F.C Porto to Chelsea, many have lauded the appiontment and called it a mastersroke. However, some have handled the decision with caution. Villas Boas became the sixth manager to inherit the coaching shoes at the Bridge. He certainly has the luxury of youthfulness and the advantage of a polished english language in his arsenal. However, he must have been aware of the demands of his new job. He has the unlucky fate of having a boss with a short patience, and an inordinate obsession with the Champions league. Moreover, he inherits a team of players in their last legs, and with age closer, or above his own. As if this is not enough, he has the burden of satisfying a fan base that have becone used to winning laurels and seeing their team succeed. Indeed, the odds are stacked against him.

However, there is something about the Pourtugese that suggests that he will be a star at the Bridge. He booasts an impressive C.V, and shares the inevitable merit of working alongside the famous Bobby Charlton, and the special Jose Mourinho. For once since Jose left, Chelsea suddenly looks intresting again. Even though he possesses a knack for winning thropies, Sir Alex must be having some sleepless nights, while Wenger must be hoping that this is not another Mourinho in the making. Villas Boas has all the makings of a genius, but only time will tell if this is a mere smokescreen or the beginning of a famous dynasty.

Beware Of Friends!

They might be the most priceless pearls to have, but they could also bite with more venow than a snake. Without mincing words, friends are one of the most integral part of our lives. They bring a certain ray of hope to our existence and help to ease the cumbersome journey of our lives. However, history affords us with a plethora of analogies to see that friends could be the architect a man's colossal fall. From the legendary Julius Caesar to the famous Bill Clinton, they all had a turbulent experience with those they call friends.

It has been said, and not without reason, that our close friends are really our true achilles heel. Being an integral part of your life, friends can easily concieve jealousy and hatred. It takes a friend that is made of sterner stuff, not to generate envy for his successful friend. This is true because your friend often expects both of you to move at the same pace in life. The moment it appears as if you have moved in a speed of light, leaving him at a snail's pace, he begins to hatch plots that will lead to your monumental fall. Suffice it to say, friends are really the closest persons to us. They hold our secrets, they know our fears, and they are fully aware of our flaws.

Before you go to find succor in that person you call your friend, never forget the English saying that reads "Never think that anybody loves you." This does not mean that you should either be cynical, sceptical or critical about people, its just a necessity in a world that is polluted with callousness and sheer resentment. Remember, friends in your life could make or mar you, build or destroy you, create or break you! Thus, a reassessment of those you call friends is imperative if you must attain the glorious future that you envisage.

The Dilemma Of Boko Haram

Just when the novel adminstration was hoping to heal the deep wounds inflicted on their opponents who were taken to the cleaners at the just concluded elections, it appears that the new government will have to contend with an unfamilar foe, Boko Haram. The Islamic extremist group presents a turbulent torn in the flesh of president Goodluck Jonathan and his co-horts. While it is true that our nation has been hallmarked by a myriad of daunting challenges in the past, the very thought that terrorist threats will join that infamous list, is very scary. If the Boko Haram group can penetrate the citadel of security, then there is much truth in Jonathan's assertion that, 'Everyone is a target'. It is pathetic that ours' is a nation where laws are brought to its knees and security is a distant dream. Thus, Jonathan and his team must raise up to the new challenge of Boko Haram, and stop paying mere lip-service to the issue. What then is the essence of government if it cannot protect? This is not a time to start flaunting amnesty, as if it is a license to insanity. Cowardice by those in authority that promised to protect us, is a misnomer we must not condole. Having said that, it is high time the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, and his team, show some dexterity in their duty. Emphasis should be more on intelligence reports and less on the erection of numeration road-blocks, as if we are a people in servitude. Boko Haram and their linchpins should remeber that, to endanger peace has never, and will never be the best way to state your point!

Tribute To A True Legend, Kanu!

Bidding his final goodbye to the game that had brought him fame and fortune, he fought back tears in a scene that could best be described as completely emotional. Kanu Nwankwo finally hung his magical boots at the Teslim Balogun stadium on the 11th day of June 2011. As he dazzled with the ball for the penultimate time, fans chorused his name and wished he had the legs to spare some more years for the Super Eagles. However, like everything that had a beginning, Papilo's glittering footballing career was bound to come to an end. Players from several nationalities converged to honour the lanky one. Kanu's legacy might have began on the football field, but it will surely not end there. A better part of papilo's fortune, he gave back to charity. Today, he has several foundations and companies that are solving some of societal problems. Despite attaining enviable heights in football, Kanu's humility was a beauty to behold. While his contemporaries lost their heads, Kanu kept his, being the ideal role model for not just his generation, but also for posterity. Little will doubt that Kanu was not a special player. His vision on the field was made of eagle stuff, his movement was unrivalled, his touch was class and his passing was simply clinical. He remains the greatest Nigerian player to have won the most laurels. And to think that there was a time when doctors said he was never going to play football anymore! His career is a tale of doggedness, a victory of will over limits, a triumph for determination over odds, a study of excellence in the face of daunting trails. It is a career that begets inspiration. In the words of Larry King, Take a Bow, Good Son!

The Albatross of Dimeji Bankole

The uncertainty that is power, has again been proved in the murky waters of Nigerians Politics. The travails of Dimeji Bankole is a reminder of how swift one can dwindle from the glitz of power to the incredulous depths of shame. Of how fast one could go from the comfort of luxuries to the discomfort of lack. Bankole's enviable educational background and youthful nature, endeared him to the Nigerian public and made him the epitome of a new era. However, those that percieved the former speaker as a face of change, appears to have been clutching on shadows. His recent ordeals has soiled the image of his dynasty, and it boggles the mind to think that Nigerian politicians never learn. Bankole's immediate predecessor, Patricia Etteh, was ridiculed out of her role as speaker due to a 628 million naira scam she was embroiled in. Yet, not even this recent history held any lessons for Dimeji. In addition, considering the fortune he takes home as salary and allowances, one wonders why his greed wasn't tamed. As his stink permeates the political terrian, his godfathers appears to have deserted him. When he most covets the influence of the powers that be, they have all turned blind to his travails. Though time might still vindicate him, not even Bankole would have bargained for this harsh fate that have befallen him. Is this the making of some cronies he had rudely stepped on their toes, while acting as the speaker of the House? Or is this karma having it's pound of flesh. Only time will tell where this will lead to!

Poem: It is time to dream again!

Cuddled by the burden of the past, yet the piercing brightness cannot be a false dawn. Sins of a trobuled land hovers like a cloud, yet the day of atonement screams for recognition. Eyes pregnant with tears, memories tainted with gloom, heart bleeding with no reprieve. Whispers of pains, sours of old wounds and scars of yesterday all conspires, yet the voice finds it message: it is time to sail against the tide, to defy the odds and live the dream. Mind sucking on new conviction, the days of wishes finally lurking around. It is time to dream again. Fasten your will, oil your conviction, massage your hope and embrace your vision, for the land have found a new resolve, the creeks and the vallies have learnt to smile, the mountains and the hills are spurred to reward. Hurrah, the days of lamentations have met their end. No longer will the roads threaten us with death, no longer will power pose a luxury for us, no longer will portable water be a distant dream for us, no longer shall our children toil to get jobs. After epochs in the dark, posterity must know that we lived to see the days when the green white green colours commanded enormous respect. Quit your despondency and dream again!!!