I warned Keshi on President’s request.

More prominent Nigerian coaches
are beginning to voice out their
frustrations over the sit-tight
attitude being employed by the
out-of-contract Super Eagles head
coach, Stephen Keshi who is bent
on continuing as coach of the
national team.
A former coach of the national
team, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde,
highly respected for his candid
opinion on football matters, has
revealed how he advised Keshi
against assenting to President
Jonathan’s request to come back
and manage the Super Eagles.
Keshi’s contract with the Nigeria
Football Federation elapsed after
the 2014 World Cup. The coach
was recalled by the Minister of
Sports and Chairman of the
National Sports Commission,
Tammy Danagogo to oversee the
first phase of Nigeria’s 2015 Afcon
qualifiers against Congo, Sudan
and South Africa.
Keshi recorded a home loss
against Congo, an away draw
against South Africa and a loss to
Sudan. It was Sudan’s first victory
over Nigeria in over three decades.


Although he won the return fixture
3-1 in Abuja, the newly constituted
NFF board fired him, hours after
that match in Abuja.
But the Presidency intervened and
Keshi was taken back as Eagles
coach. His attempt to qualify
Nigeria for the 2015 Afcon, where
the Eagles would have defended
the title they won in 2013 ended in
a disaster as they failed to beat
South Africa in Uyo. This has
sparked off calls for Keshi’s sack.
The technical director of the NFF,
Amodu Shaibu, once Keshi’s boss
has voiced his disapproval of
Keshi’s continuous stay, branding
him, “a failure.”
On Onigbinde’s part, Onigbinde
said, “on the very day the
Presidency asked him to return to
his job I personally sent him a text
message to politely thank Mr
President for the offer and bow out
honourably and quietly, too.
“Keshi respectfully replied the text
message thanking me and that
was it as he went ahead with the
two remaining 2015 AFCON
qualifying matches against Congo
and South Africa, I’m sure the rest
is history.”
Chief Onigbinde said further, “I
volunteered the advice to Keshi
because I understand that he
won’t work with the Presidency but
a different set of people as well as
an entirely different environment.
“Now that others have picked up
the calls I have the privilege to
have said over two months ago I
won’t like to engage in an exercise
that will appear repetitious so that
I won’t be accused of having
interest in the whole matter.
“I’m not used to pressurising
people to act in certain way, I’ve
passed my view directly to him, I
don’t need to pressurise him
further on same thing.”
Another prominent Nigerian coach,
Kashimawo Laloko has also
expressed surprise at Keshi’s
reluctance to leave the national
team. Said he, “Keshi has shown
he doesn’t have the tactical ability
to lead the Super Eagles to
success in the future. The manner
in which he failed with the team is
woeful; he should go.”
Continuing, Laloko said, “This
should not be seen as a witch-
hunt. Every coach that has failed
with any team has always been
asked to leave. Why should Keshi’s
case be different? We need to have
another coach so the team can
move on. Amodu has said it well,
so has Chukwu.