Moving to Qatar was a big decision -Babatunde

Though he is yet to be invited to the Super Eagles squad since Franco-German tactician Gernot 
Rohr took charge, Qatari Sporting Club striker Michael Babatunde was amazing in the just 
concluded season as he scored 25 goals along with 10 assists that ensured his side gained 
promotion from the Qatargas league to the elite division, Qatar Stars League.

The 24 -year old spoke to thenff.com on his performance in the just concluded season, the
current Super Eagles under Coach Rohr, his aspiration and much more.
Excerpts:

How was the just concluded season for you?

Well, it was a fantastic season for me I must say. Initially moving to Qatar was a big
decision I had to make and My family and I reasoned together and when we were convinced that
the challenge and offer was good, I moved to Qatari SC. I scored a total of 25 goals for the
club this season with 10 assists in the just concluded season which was good enough to qualify
us from the QatarGas League to the elite division, the Qatar Stars League.

 A lot of people wondered why you chose to go to Qatar at a very young age despite having 
played for the Super Eagles at the FIFA World Cup in 2014?

Michael: After the World Cup in 2014, I had a deal to move from Dnipro in Ukraine to Morocco,
and that was Raja Casablanca, which I did. I played just five months where I scored 12 goals
with 15 assists and I won the award of the best player in the Moroccan league. A whole lot of
offers especially from Eastern Europe surfaced but you know, the experience I had playing in
Ukraine was not palatable at all and I didn’t want to go through that again. A situation where
the club isn’t fulfilling their contractual agreements and where they owe players, i couldn’t
have continued there just because I wanted to stay in Europe. So I moved to Raja and it was a
good experience for me because I was able to add my quota to help the club from the 14th spot
in the Moroccan league up to the 4th position before I left. The football in Qatar is highly
competitive and being a rich country, the clubs competing in the league are very strong with
very good players too in the league. I’m glad we have qualifed for the Qatari Stars League
where we have top players like former Barcelona captain Xavi, Ivory Coast’s Yannick Sagbo,
Mali’s and former Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita and Imoh Ezekiel of Nigeria.

 Let’s talk about the Super Eagles. What do you think about the Super Eagles under German 
tactician Gernot Rohr?

Michael: It is a fantastic set-up. The recent results of the team in the matches they’ve played
shows it. The players are young and technically sound. I commend the Nigeria Football
Federation for the appointment of Coach Rohr and I foresee better things to come for the Super
Eagles.

The last time you played for the Eagles was the friendly between Nigeria and Mali in France, 
do you still crave for a chance in this Eagles?

Well, my invitation to the national team is in the hands of the handlers. I really
still crave for a chance in the Super Eagles especially among this young set up. I’m just 24
years old and at least have had some experience playing with the team in the past so I’ll jump
at any chance to feature for my country again. I think I need to focus on my job and that is
playing consistently and performing too. At least now I’m back in the elite league in Qatar, I
hope I’ll be given a chance soon, I really do look forward to it.

What do you think about the Super Eagles’ 2019 AFCON qualifier against South Africa and the 
FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cameroon?

We are Nigeria and from the record I know, South Africa have never defeated us in a
competitive game so I believe that trend will continue when we play them in June. The last time
we played, they stopped us from qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 and its time
to take back our pound of flesh. The players we have are very good, i have no doubt that the
team will perform very well. For the Indomitable Lions, they are currently the champions of
Africa and we must have that at the back of our minds. But, I think the technical crew of Coach
Gernot Rohr will see how they perform at the FIFA Confederation cup and with that have more
knowledge of the team. I believe we have the players to beat Cameroon home and away. I’m not
boasting but I believe the Super Eagles will qualify in style for the World Cup.

Finally, the transfer window will soon be thrown open, do you have offers that may take you 
out of Qatar SC?

Michael: For now I have a running contract with Qatar SC and now that we have qualified to play
in the Qatar Stars League its a good thing. So for now, I’m a player of Qatar SC. Yes, I
already have 8 offers, four from the Chinese Super League, two from the German Bundesliga, and
two from Turkey. Soon myself, my agent and Qatar SC will decide about my future.

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Man docked over motorcycle theft

An Ota Senior Magistrates’ Court in Ogun on Thursday granted a N150, 000 bails to one Mukaila Afeez, 30, who allegedly stole a motorcycle.

Afeez, whose address is unknown, is facing a count charge.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Chudu Gbesi, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on May 15 at 11.40p.m. in Ejibotuntun in Ogun.

Gbesi said that the accused stole the motorcycle with registration number QH 873 AKD, valued at N150, 000, from Mr Mayowa Ishola.

“The accused went to the place where the complainant parked his motorcycle and stole it, but unfortunately for him, he was caught in the act,’’ he said.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Senior Magistrate, Mr S. O. Banwo, directed that the accused should produce two sureties in like sum also as a condition for his bail.

Banwo ordered that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction, be gainfully employed and show evidence of tax payment to Ogun State Government.

He adjourned the case until June 29 for substantive hearing

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Where are those wishing president Buhari death, click and see yours

Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina has decried false publications about the death of President Muhammadu Buhari who is London for follow up treatment.

In a article titled “The learnt Nothing, and forgot nothing” Adesina said it is wrong for any group of people to wish the President dead and clone websites of international media houses to announce the falsehood.

“Why do some people want their own President dead? Why do they want the eclipse of a man who is actuated by nothing other than love for his country? Why have they constituted themselves into enemies of national progress, haters of all that is good?
” But must any human being be hateful to the point of wishing another person dead, and indeed broadcasting a death that never happened? Shame. Shame upon evil wishers, purveyors of lies and wickedness. Do they have blood running in their veins at all? Do they realize that wishing another person dead, is sin before God?,” Adesina wrote.
Below is the full text of the article:
THEY LEARNT NOTHING, AND FORGOT NOTHING
By FEMI ADESINA
They showed their pernicious hands again last Sunday, and have been on the prowl since then, roaring like a lion, seeking who to devour. Purveyors of death they are, and they have killed President Muhammadu Buhari many times over, cloned the websites of international media houses to announce the hoax, but their wishes did not become horses, so they remain stranded, with nothing to ride.
Between January 19, this year, when the President first proceeded on vacation, and March 10, when he returned, they had announced his demise many times. They even created apocryphal images and footages to back up their inhuman claims, but God showed them He was the ultimate. The Real Deal, the Special One. President Buhari came back alive, and disclosed that he would still return to London at a later date for medical follow-up. He eventually left on the night of Sunday, May 7.
They saw the Deux ex machina, the Invisible Hands of God, between January and March, but they are so steeped and marooned in unbelief, evil wishes and malediction, that they have started all over again. Last Sunday, they cloned popular websites for the umpteenth time, using them to announce the figment of their diseased imagination. They learnt nothing, and forgot nothing from the immediate past experience. And you begin to ask yourself, just as the Good Book also asked:”Why do the heathens rage, and the people imagine vain things?” Why do they arrogate to themselves the power that belongs only to God? “I can kill, and I can make alive,” says God in His word. But these purveyors of hate possibly don’t know God. That is why they declare a man dead, when God has not said so. Once has God spoken, and twice have I heard it, that power belongs to God.
Millions upon millions of Nigerians love President Muhammadu Buhari. They love his simplicity, his forthrightness, incorruptibility, love of country, and many other virtues. And they are praying. Bombarding Heaven with petitions. Baba o, Baba o, Baba o. Olorun da Baba si fun wa, Baba o, Baba o, Baba o. Olorun da Baba si fun wa. Oh God, spare our Baba, the father of the country. Spare him for us, O Lord we pray. And Heaven is listening to the supplications. We await the full manifestation.
Millions of us can follow Baba blindfolded into battle. We love him that much, and it is within our rights. But have you seen a man ever loved by everybody? Show me. Even if you feed an entire city daily, some people still won’t like your guts. So, those who are not Buharists have a right to their convictions. But must any human being be hateful to the point of wishing another person dead, and indeed broadcasting a death that never happened? Shame. Shame upon evil wishers, purveyors of lies and wickedness. Do they have blood running in their veins at all? Do they realize that wishing another person dead, is sin before God? Yet they go to churches, mosques, and other worship houses. Who are they worshiping? The Unknown God.
Why do some people, a tiny but vocal minority, wish the President dead? Do they know that if God wills, the man they wish dead could outlive them by many years? There was a lady who was very active on social media in 2015, before the presidential election of that year. She was in the league of anti-Buhari elements. Oh, he was too old. Oh, he was sickly. Yes, he would soon die. The lady was rabidly pontifical in her convictions, parading herself as someone with a charmed life, who would live forever. And then, it happened! Sometime last year, she died! When I saw the news online, I just shook my head, and prayed for the repose of her soul. I did not gloat. No need to. Not in her wildest imagination could she have thought that she would pre-decease President Buhari. But who has the final say? Jehovah has the final say. The breath of man is in his nostrils, and God can decide to extinguish his candle at anytime. Jehovah has the final say. It is not by age, not by how healthy you seem, or how sickly you are. It’s a lesson some people have not learnt. They learn nothing, and forget nothing.
Back to the earlier question. Why do some people want their own President dead? Why do they want the eclipse of a man who is actuated by nothing other than love for his country? Why have they constituted themselves into enemies of national progress, haters of all that is good? Why do they prefer the dark jungle of infamy to the light of a clear and bright day, signposted by freedom from rapacity and lootocracy? Who then are these enemies?
“Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand 10 percent, those that seek to keep the country divided permanently so that they can remain in office as Ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds.”
Those were the words of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, after the country’s first military coup in 1966. You may like Nzeogwu, or you may not, depending on how you view his actions and inactions. But you can hardly deny the veracity of what he said. And 51 years later, the words still ring true.
The enemies of Buhari are the political profiteers. To them, political office is not about service, but about making profit. Ordinary people can go to hell, and stay there. Personal profit is the name of the game.
The swindlers, too. Enemies of righteousness and transparency. They swindle man, and even try to swindle God. Of course, they wouldn’t want a new sheriff in town. They’d rather shoot him, and sing the reggae song:”I shot the sheriff…”
Those that seek bribe and demand 10 percent. Enemies. Only that they are not satiated by 10 percent again. They take the entire 100 percent, and leave the country prostrate. But when a Daniel comes to judgment, and hurls them before the law, knowing neither friend nor foe, they wish that he dies. Gerrout, so that business as usual continues, they shout.
Those that seek to keep the country divided permanently. Evil souls. They use all the fault lines. Religion. Ethnicity. Language. Everything. We saw it all in the 2015 elections. They cashed in on all things that divide us as a people. But Nigerians were resolute for change, and they got it. But did those people give up? Did Pharaoh desist from pursuing the people of Israel? Hell, no! Till he ended in a watery grave. The stubborn fly follows the corpse into the grave.
For the greater part of this year, President Buhari has been away from home. But whether present or absent, he still looms large. The mere fact that his shadow hovers over the land riles evil workers to no end. But what can anybody do? Jehovah has the final say.
The old order is giving way for a new one in Nigeria. In just two years, the back of insurgency has been broken, corruption is taking a shellacking, and the comatose economy is turning round. Despite it all, some people still wish the President dead. Sad and sorry. But thankfully, they don’t have the final say.
However, if they refuse to repent, we can repent on their behalf, lest judgment comes speedily on them. How dreadful it would be.
Lord, we are sorry,
We’ve turned around and gone astray,
Your trust for us we have betrayed,
Your power we don’t recognize
Your Lordship we have all despised,
We cannot pretend
We all now repent
Forgive us Lord we pray
Bring down your glory…
May God bless Panam Percy Paul, who sang the song. May God accept our repentance on behalf of evil wishers. May God spare our President, and restore him to full health.
Baba o, Baba o, Baba o, Oluwa da Baba si fun wa.
Lord, please spare our President. Spare him for us, to the glory of your name. Let those who learn nothing, and forget nothing, be purged of all evil. Let them turn new leaf.
Amen somebody!

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Ekiti stands still for Late. Adebayo

Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, stood still for over two hours  yesterday as the body of the former Military Governor of old Western Region, Maj.-Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, arrived to receive last respects from dignitaries and ordinary people.

Thousands of people defied the sweltering heat and thronged the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, to honour the late general whose remains were brought into the arena at about 1.46 pm.

Governor Ayo Fayose and the family of the deceased led by the first son and pioneer civilian governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, arrived with the corpse alongside the funeral train.

The brown casket containing the remains of the war hero was draped the Nigerian green-white-green flag and Ekiti flag and was placed at a special dais placed at the centre of the stadium football pitch.

Dignitaries who witnessed the Day of Tributes and Lying-in-State included former Governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua; former Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Paul Alabi; former Military Administrator of Ekiti State, Navy Capt Atanda Yussuff; former Military Administrator of Ogun State, Commodore Kayode Olofinmoyin; Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye; founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola; members of the Ekiti House of Assembly and State Executive Council.

Interest groups like market women, artisans, women, youths, students, community associations and politicians who were mobilized from all parts of the state started trooping to the stadium as early as 8.00 am for an event scheduled to start by 11.00 am.

Shortly after the rendition of the national anthem and that of Ekiti, the Ekiti State Government Mass Choir ministered in songs.

Delivering a sermon at the event, the Government House Chaplain, Pastor Seyi Olusola, who quoted from Hebrews, Chapter 9, Verse 27,

stressed on the certainty of death for all mortals.

Olusola said Adebayo lived an exemplary life and was celebrated with a memorable burial, adding that burial for everybody born into the world

was sanctioned by the Scriptures in the Ecclesiastes, Chapter 6, Verse 3.

It was  tributes galore for the former Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) after the sermon with some selected groups invited to testify to the virtues of the deceased during his lifetime.

Delivering the funeral oration on behalf of Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, the late Adebayo’s alma mater, was Mr. Jadesola Babatola, whom he said entered the school in 1943 alongside other personalities like former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom,  Dr. Christopher Kolade; retired educationist, Chief Francis Daramola; and Mr. Akinola Jonathan.

Jadesola said Adebayo and his contemporaries had discipline and determination to succeed inculcated in them during their years at Christ’s School, adding that he was a patriotic general who constructed projects like dams, schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure during his tenure.

Former YCE Secretary General, Dr. Kunle Olajide, said the late Adebayo achieved greatness through diligence, industry and commitment to whatever assignment ahead of him.

Olajide said Adebayo deployed his time and skills to heal political wounds caused by the counter-coup of 1966 in the Western Region and  used his platform as YCE president to unite the Yoruba.

According to him, the greatest achievement of Adebayo was the political neutrality of the group during his presidency.

President of Ekiti Parapo in Lagos, Chief Esan Ogunleye, described Adebayo as a colossus, national hero and true Ekiti son who never forgot his roots, adding “he was a true pillar who brought us together in Lagos and his legacies live on.”

The Odoba of Ado Ekiti, Chief Alex Olu Ajayi, said Adebayo did his immediate predecessor, Lt.-Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, a honour by giving him a befitting burial after his death in the military counter-coup of 1966.

Ajayi noted that Adebayo gave his best to mankind and loved his God,  family, people and the Yoruba race.

Fayose praised Adebayo for his selfless service to the Western Region and the nation at large as a military officer who fought to keep the nation united.

The governor also eulogized the son of the deceased, Otunba Adeniyi, whom he described as “the first among equals and who remains a leader.”

Fayose said: “You remain our leader whether you are

In the APC or you are back in the PDP. You have paid your dues, you have represented us very well, you did your best and you have set the ball rolling and we are building on your work.

“I called on you to come and be the Chancellor of our university, but you cleverly turned it down because of politics and we believe with your experience, you will turn around the university for us.

“You are a replica of your father whom everybody has attested to as a peaceful man. We are celebrating him, we are not mourning him. I want everybody to pray for the Adebayo family to stand on the ideals of the General of Generals “Your father did his best; he remained the symbol of hope for governors yet to be and yet to be born. Each time he was coming to Ekiti, he would call me. He was a time keeper. If he says 3 o’ clock, he would be here.”

Fayose added: “He told me, don’t look at your critics, face your work.

He gave me counsel which I will not forget. I want you to

thank God for me because God does not make the mistake of having made me the man on the saddle at his departure.”

A member of the family of the deceased, Mr. Sunny Adeleke Adebayo, who gave the vote of thanks appreciated the entire Ekiti people for their

outpouring of love during the obsequies of their patriarch.

The Ekiti State government choir rounded off the Day of Tributes and

Lying-in-State with the Halleluyah Chorus.

The remains of the late general will be interred today after a funeral service at the All Saints Anglican Church, Iyin-Ekiti.

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