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Helping Hopeless Young Nigerians My Priority – Rt. Hon Nse Essien

Published

3 years ago

October 17, 2022

Rt Honourable Otuekong Nse Essien is the new elected board member of the Nigeria Football Federation, is also a current Member Akwa Ibom State House Assembly in this interview with Joel Ajayi spoke about his desire to build capacity, grassroots development, help the helpless, Nigeria league challenges amongst other.

You are the proprietor of a football club FC One Rocket playing in the National league. Can you tell us what led you to that?

I am not just into the National professional side, I also have an academy that grooms players to the main team, FC One Rocket and by the grace of God the club is not doing badly, we are trying to give the young people an opportunity to exhibit their God giving talent.

Life is about having a platform to exhibit what you can do in life and that is what we do for the young people.

How long have you been sponsoring this team or funding this team?

Over four years, I have been funding the club and academy.

What motivated you in pushing this project?

The desire to develop the young people and give them the opportunity to become whatever they want to become in life and also looking at football globally as a business.

Basically, no one wants to put his money where there is no benefit. Look at a player like Victor Oshimen, six years ago nobody expected him to be where he is today, he had an opportunity and today he was transferred for over 70 million euros, which is big for him.

Can you estimate how much this project has cost you in the last four years?

I can’t, it’s running into millions of naira to sustain a team, take care of the players, payment of salaries for over 50 staff and all that, it’s huge, medical, feeding and the rest.

You have been grooming players, what is your focus for them, to play in the national team, club in abroad or what?

My focus is not just one player, I have players in the national team, my player Daniel Daka, an assistant captain of Nigeria team at the just concluded WAFU tournament In Niger.

So, my duty is to groom them, and expose them to Nigeria and the world at large.

And I would expect that revenue will come when these players are being transferred which will go a long way to help others to grow.

How is football and its economy coming to you in Akwa Ibom State?

We have been successful in transferring players overseas, a lot of young players want to come to my team because they know the platform we are giving to them.

Definitely, if one is earning money it will at least affect the father, mother, wife and relatives in one way or the other.

So, what we do is to encourage society. It’s also a known fact that anytime there is a football match the crime rates in the society reduce all over the world, football goes beyond barriers, tongue and ethnicity and so everybody comes together. It also goes beyond just the economic aspect of it, maybe you have people angry at home and one big match is going on, it will definitely reduce stress of such people in the society.

As a proprietor of FC One Rocket in Nigeria league, what is your target for the club?

Let me tell you, I envy people like Kunle Soname, who is my model, I want to be like him, look at the facilities he provided for the CAF Cup, I want to be like him, have such magnificent stadiums and also be able to go to Africa.

My desire for the club is to be in the premier league and even represent Nigeria in the continent of Africa. I am not here to play a second fiddle, not at all.

How would you describe your experience in the Nigeria league?

Actually it’s not very encouraging, that is why people like us came to NFF so we can also directly contribute our quota.

I travel to all match venues, except where we have security challenges, I go to all matches and when you go there, you are not encourage with what you seen, I don’t expect that we must win at all cost at home, that is why some of our teams are not doing well in the continent, my position is, let the better team win, once there is no cheating, syndrome of winning at all cost doesn’t help our league.

What would you attribute to be the major cause of these?

Fund, sponsorship and league should be on TV, I don’t Feel Okay, when I see the league like the Zambia league and other countries on TV, they are not lesser countries, but with their population they are lesser than us. Population of over 200 million people and our league is not on TV, is not encouraging at all.

So, funding is a problem, I think with people like us coming on board we will try and make sure that we have sponsorship not just for the league but for the National team.

With what we saw in Niger Republic, there is no doubt all eyes will be on your player Daniel Daga, how has it been managing him toward putting his head down to be another star for Super Eagles Players?

Daniel is a gift to Nigeria, he is next generation of footballers that Nigerian are expecting, he is cooled headed, I am managing him directly, he stay with me, he is young boy I don’t allow his fame to enter his brain, the parent handed him over to me, so I am grooming him directly, I am not living him for anyone to influence in negatively.

Now that you have the opportunity to be on the NFF board. What will be your contribution to Nigerian football?

By the grace of God, I am bringing capacity that is the truth, we will bring integrity as well as grassroots development . That is why I have an academy, like I said earlier, my academy supplies most players. So these younger people are there in the rural and urban areas. There is a need for us to give them a platform.

I remember in the past, we use to have what we called the principal cup, where secondary schools are gathered across the state, this are kind of things I am reinventing in Akwa Ibom state, and I will also try to encourage the leadership of the federation to look into, thankfully NFF President have said he will not play with grassroots development.

We need to go back to the era when we had a state league, state league is not functioning anymore, I wish to also have a Governor’s cup in my state, and these are the kinds of things I want to encourage.

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Presidency Refutes Afenifere’s Deceitful Statement on President Bola Tinubu’s Midterm:

Published

4 days ago

June 5, 2025

The Gleamer

Chief Sunday Dare

The statement from a factional Afenifere group raises serious concerns about a penchant and deliberate attempt to find faults and trade in deceit instead of objectivity. The group has found it challenging to accept that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s comeback story is firmly underway.

The rebellious Afenifere claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s performance over the past two years has witnessed a regression in human development, economic mismanagement, and democratic backsliding.

This is a jaundiced view, echoing the view of opposition politicians, one of whom the group supported in the 2023 election.

A balanced assessment based on available data reveals a more objective and progressive picture, with significant achievements amid the challenges expected from a country like Nigeria with decades-old problems.

Beyond its confounding conclusions based on prejudice, the statement raises the following issues. With the ensuing point-by-point clarification, it will become clear that the group’s position is neither grounded in facts nor logic.

Economic Reforms and Their Impact

The factional Afenifere’s claim that Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, have led to “unmitigated sufferings” and “economic deforms” seeks to draw attention to some of the challenges but overlooks the macroeconomic gains. The removal of the fuel subsidy, announced on May 29, 2023, saved the government over $10 billion in 2023 alone, reducing fiscal strain and redirecting funds to other sectors. Unifying the foreign exchange market and the naira’s floatation aimed to address distortions in the currency market, boosted foreign reserves to $38.1 billion by 2024 and achieved a trade surplus of N18.86 trillion for the country.

Under the Tinubu administration, Nigeria’s annual inflation rate fell to 23.71% in April 2025 from 24.23% in the prior month. Food inflation, the most significant component of the inflation basket, remained elevated but moderated to 21.26% from 21.79%

While these figures indicate stabilisation, the immediate impact on ordinary Nigerians is not lost. The government’s cash transfer programme, which provides funds to the poorest households and benefits over 5.7 million households, is a credible outreach.

However, dismissing the twin policies as “unforced errors” ignores the unsustainable nature of the previous subsidy regime and multiple exchange rate systems, which were draining public finances. A more balanced critique would acknowledge the necessity of reform while emphasising the need for better-targeted social safety nets.

As of today, the Tinubu administration has recorded over 900,000 beneficiaries of the Presidential Loan and Grant Scheme, over 600,000 beneficiaries of the Students’ Loan Scheme, NELFUND, N70,000 minimum wage, NYSC monthly stipend increase from N33,000 to N77,000, Free CNG kits distributed to thousands of commercial drivers across Nigeria with CNG buses rolled out in partnership with state governments, leading to a significant drop in transport costs. The administration also recorded over $10 Billion FX debt cleared, Federal account allocation to states growing by 60%, enabling more local development projects, N50 billion released to end the perennial ASUU strikes, and over 1,000 PHCs revitalised nationwide with an additional 5,500 undergoing upgrades.

The administration also disbursed N75 Billion in palliative funds to states and LGs for food distribution and cash transfers, over 150,000 youths are being trained in software development, tech support and data analysis under the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) project, over 20,000 affordable housing units under construction under the renewed Hope cities program launched across Nigeria, N200 Billion in Loans to farmers and agro-processors. Other gains: over two million Nigerians are now connected to new digital infrastructure and community broadband hubs and public WiFi projects, 3.84% GDP growth in Q4 2024 (highest in 3 years), over $50 Billion in new FDI Commitments, Net Foreign Exchange Reserves up from $3.99 Billion (2023) to $23.11 Billion (2024), over $8 Billion in new oil and gas investments unlocked, and over $800 million realised in processing investments in solid minerals in 2024 and inflation as at April was down to 23.17%.

It is now pertinent to inquire from opposition leaders about alternative strategies they would propose in contrast to this administration’s extensive list of significant achievements currently benefiting Nigerians in real-time.

Cost of Governance and the Oronsaye Report

The assertion that the Tinubu administration has failed to implement the Oronsaye Report and instead increased governance costs is inaccurate. The Oronsaye Report, which recommends the merger or scrapping of government agencies to reduce expenditure, has not been fully implemented and has drawn criticisms; it must be noted, however, that the administration has made some efforts to improve fiscal discipline. The fiscal deficit was reduced from 5.4% of GDP in 2023 to 3.0% in 2024, and the debt service-to-revenue ratio dropped from nearly 100% in 2022 to under 40% by 2024. The government also recorded over N6 trillion in revenue in Q1 2025, partly due to removing Ways & Means financing and fuel subsidies. These steps demonstrate fiscal prudence and will eventually translate into immediate, tangible relief for citizens. The administration is working earnestly to address these optics and prioritise cost-cutting measures, including implementing the Oronsaye Report, to restore public trust.

Allegations of Prebendalism and Corruption

Afenifere’s claim that the administration favours “the privileged and connected” through corrupt palliative distribution and mega-project allocations is questionable. Reports of palliatives being mismanaged or distributed through unverified channels have no doubt surfaced, raising concerns about transparency.

The administration has taken steps against corruption, such as suspending Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu in January 2024 over alleged fund diversion, signalling some commitment to accountability. Critics may argue that more systemic action is needed, but dismissing all the efforts as propaganda overlooks these initial steps.

Without abusing Presidential powers, the administration is working on expediting action on all pending investigations and prosecution of corrupt practices. At the same time, critical agencies are collating credible evidence on ongoing corruption litigations. It must, however, be noted that in 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured a record-breaking 4,111 convictions, marking its most successful year since its inception. They recovered over N364 billion and significant amounts in foreign currencies, including $214.5 Million, $54,318.64, and 31,265 Euros.

The EFCC achieved its single most significant asset recovery in 2025, with the final forfeiture of an Abuja estate measuring 150,500 square meters and containing 725 units of duplexes and other apartments. The EFCC concluded the final forfeiture and handed the estate to the Ministry of Housing in May 2025.

Democratic Concerns and Centralisation

Afenifere’s accusation that the Tinubu administration is pursuing a “one-party state totalitarianism” and undermining democratic institutions is unsupported and lacks merit. The claim of neutralising the legislature and judiciary is also a false alarm.

The public should note that the Supreme Court has upheld opposition victories in states like Kano, Plateau, and Abia, suggesting judicial independence. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has faced criticism for allegedly appointing individuals said to be ruling party affiliates, but no evidence confirms these appointees are card-carrying APC members.

The allegation that the Tinubu government cracks down on peaceful protesters is primarily unfounded. It is a regurgitated rhetoric deployed under previous administrations as a reflection of broader challenges in Nigeria’s democratic culture.

The issue of the State Police is more complex than the oversimplified approach of the factional Afenifere’s statement. Every administration policy is subject to security impact assessment before implementation, and there is a difference between the State Police being widely advocated and a Police State that critics may blame the Federal Government for if implemented without caution.

Security and Social Welfare

Contrary to the impression created, the administration’s security record is impressive. Over 13,500 terrorists, bandits, and insurgents have been neutralised and 7,000 arrested in the past year, though there is still some news of abductions and violent attacks. The administration’s proactive response to security-related matters has paved the way for more farmers to return to their farms, impacting food production and supply.

The administration also embarked on agricultural initiatives, including tractor procurement, fertiliser distribution, and increased mechanisation.

The government has also not relented on its Regional Development drive as the administration succeeded in establishing Development Commissions across 6 Geopolitical zones (South West, North West, North Central. North East, South East and the Niger Delta) to empower communities and accelerate developments.

Political Climate and 2027 Elections
The claims of government-sponsored conflicts within opposition parties lack concrete evidence and should be ignored.

Economic reforms are undoubtedly laying the foundation for long-term stability, with GDP growth at 4.6% in Q4 2024 and a Fitch B credit rating upgrade as evidence. Moody’s Investors Service’s latest upgrade of Nigeria’s rating from Caa1 to B3, with a Stable Outlook, indicates that the Tinubu administration is on the right path.

The government is not oblivious to some discontent and difficult times among Nigerians. There is an urgency to deliver more tangible results, which is guaranteed given the impressive performance of the administration in just two years.

Afenifere’s statement saw the cup as half empty. On the contrary, it’s half full. Under President Tinubu’s administration, some of Nigeria’s hydra-headed problems are being tackled headlong.

The administration has achieved fiscal improvements, such as reduced deficits and increased revenues, which will eventually translate into meaningful microeconomic relief for most Nigerians in the short term, even as the government moves to address these issues with greater empathy and transparency.

The administration’s demonstrable priorities are securing the nation, fixing the economy, and improving human capital development.

Responsible citizens and political leaders must work collaboratively with the administration to address the challenges and counter disinformation, as highlighted in the admonition against fake news and deceptive AI videos.

Under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria is turning the corner. From stabilising the naira and curbing inflation to reducing debt burdens and

expanding access to education and health, the administration delivers bold reforms with actual results. With improved security, regional inclusion, anti-corruption measures, and institutional rebuilding, Nigeria’s comeback story is not yet complete — but it is firmly underway.

– Sunday Dare is the Special Adviser to Mr. President on Media and Public Communications.

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