The Super Eagles’ poor showing at the ongoing World Cup finals in South Africa and President Goodluck Jonathan’s pledge to remove partisan nominees for positions on the nation’s electoral body captured headline news in Nigeria during the week.
Nigeria on 12 June lost 1-0 to Argentina at World cup 2010 and “nailed its coffin” 17 June with an embarrassing 2-1 loss to soccer minnow Greece in their second group B. The result leaves Nigerians with little or no hope of progressing further in the competition.
And back home, the president pledged to remove those nominees for the positions of commissioners in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said to be card-carrying members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a development that has attracted positive reactions from majority of Nigerians.
On the Super Eagles’ performance, the Independent on Saturday wrote the headline “Let The Mathematics Begin!”, while the Guardian said “Nigeria Looks To Maradon a For Favour”.
According to the Independent, the poor showing against Greece has set the tone for Nigerians to pick up their calculators and return to the basics of arithmetic, quoting former Nigeria international, Thompson Oliha, as saying that the chance of the Super Eagles reaching the next round hangs on a thread.
The Guardian suggested that without a World Cup point from two matches, Nigeria must now turn to an unlikely ally – Argentina – to help boost its Group B qualifying chances.
Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to Greece at Bloemfontein’s Free State stadium left Nigeria rock-bottom of group B, with Greece and South Korea on three points and Argentina on six with one round of matches to play.
That leaves the Super Eagles with a must-win South Korea showdown on 22 June, with coach Lars Lagerback also hoping that Greece will lose to an Argentina side almost certain of reaching the knockout stages on the same day.
The punch which headlined its story “How the Eagles fared”, carried a survey of how each of the players fared in the Greece debacle.
It rated some of the players as follows:- goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama eight over 10 (8/10), Chidi Odiah 4/10, Taye Taiwo 4/10, Danny Shittu, 5/10, captain Joseph Yobo 5/10, Sani Keita, “who killed the game for Nigeria with his red card for kicking an opponent”, 1/10, Kalu Uche, scorer of Nigeria’s goal, 5/10, Haruna Lukman 3/10, Dixon Etuhu 4/10, Osaze Odemwinge 2/10, Yakubu Aiyegbeni 4/10, Rabiu Afolabi 2/10, Elderson Echiejine 4/10, Chinedu Ogbuke, 2/10.
In another angle to the Eagles’ story, the Tribune reported the jailing of a Nigerian for three years by a World Cup-dedicated court in South Africa for allegedly being in unlawful possession of 30 match tickets.
On politics, all the papers reported Jonathan’s pledge on INEC membership with the Punch headline reading “INEC commissioners with PDP membership card to go â” Jonathan”.
Thisday used the story under the headline, “INEC: Partisan Nomineesâ~ll be Dropped, Says Jonathan”; Vanguard – “INEC job: Jonathan drops PDP members”; and the Tribune – “Some INEC officials are PDP members â” AC alleges”.
In other stories, the papers reported the ratification of the nomination of Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo as the Chair of the ruling PDP; alleged moves by elders from the Northern part of the country against a Jonathan presidency in 2011; ex-president Ibrahim Babangida’s vow not to step down for any candidate in 2011; and moves by the National and State Houses of Assembly to review the 1999 constitution.
Outrage over Senators’ jumbo allowances, government’s approval of a new power reform structure, and the call by the nation’s most-vocal opposition party, the Action Congress, on Jonathan to declare his presidential ambition for 2011 also made headline news early in the week.