DAVIDO MUSIC WORLDWIDE: THE GIFT AND THE CURSE

A DMW contract automatically means you get to be among the richest artistes in Nigeria.You are guaranteed a posh Lekki residence,designer drip,overseas trips with the gang on a private jet and new Benz cars thrown your way because Davido is in a good mood.You can only imagine how much cash an OBO trademarked for N1M gifts to even the most random of persons makes available to them.No one is thinking of leaving DMW-not super star Mayorkun whose peers of similar clout have long gone solo and definitely not Ichaba who hasn't as much as dropped an EP since he joined the team in 2016.

But career-wise, DMW is the last place a musician would want to be right now especially one in the mould of recently signed singer,May D who has a pre-existing reputation in the music industry.It is basic knowledge that the more the artistes,the harder it is to cater for the careers of everyone as each will have to wait their turn for promotion and releases no matter what they have in mind.A May D eager to get back his career on track only needs to look at someone like Sanboribobo rapper, Sinzu (formerly known as Sauce Kid) who signed with that as an objective after he was released from prison in the US.The label boss is himself an artiste.A very busy one at that who is set to release his second album in 2 years.

His artistes are contented with the occasional singles,videos and seasonal albums because they are very well pampered.With the exception of Mayorkun who guarantees a strong chance of making every song count, other DMW artistes have to their names a high miss rate and it is not because they are not talented,it is because it takes more than that to succeed in music these days.Having an artiste in our faces for a while before sending them to the back seat doesn't always work.Some need to keep pushing even without a hit to help their brands with the publicity being here and there generates.An artiste like Idowest could use that.

The most elaborate DMW roll out is a single or 2,an album and a video shortly afterwards.Nothing extraordinary.

Peruzzi's HeartWork EP was a much better work than his Huncho Vibez album.The only song with a video off Heartwork is the song i rate lowest-Majesty.That EP had breath-taking songs like Did You,the radio friendly Champion Lover featuring Burna boy & Ola with Mayorkun, perhaps Nigeria's very first pop medley.Peruzzi was still milking off his feature on 2baba's Amaka and badly needed some buzz of his own.

Dropping 3 catchy videos instantly in one fell swoop would have not only given the work the publicity it deserved,it would have ensured Peruzzi took over the airwaves and maybe got to score a first hit of his own.

The artistes need to be better promoted and not made to bank on the premise that being on DMW or having Davido on their single wins them everything.

Dremo dropped 2 great songs-Faaji and Wahala Dey before he dropped an album that resonated with fans in Codename Vol.2.He shouldn't just have another video or two shot,he could build on that buzz by recording a joint mixtape or album with Sinzu.That way both rappers on the label get to max off a period where there is a dearth in quality rap music.

Idowest's Shamaya with Patoranking may not be the biggest song around right now but maybe a song or 2 back to back will earn him some valuable presence even if he doesn't drop an album.

Well,at least no one is complaining.None of the artistes have felt a need to have their careers in their grasp and manage it how they see fit.They are living it up and that is enough.The case of upcoming street rapper Lil Frosh is a sad one.He needed a label that would make him a priority and devote much time and resources to promotion and establishing a pattern of consistency in trying to make him an industry mainstay.

I was saying he was likely to have Davido on his first DMW single and that having Davido on a song wasn't enough promotion till i got told he had already released a single titled Fame with Davido.Newest signing May D will definitely hope to hit previous heights but it would be very difficult to do so by not only having to share his label's attention with 8 other artistes but by also being at a place where promotion and strategy isn't quite top notch.But who cares?.A DMW deal entails cash and an exotic lifestyle.Justifiably or not,at the expense of career.

BABA-INNA,DAURA & WHY IT APPEARS MAGU WILL ONLY GET THE BOOT IF INDICTED

Let the facts speak for themselves-Was President Buhari aware of a DSS report indicting embattled EFCC boss,Ibrahim Magu of hobnobbing with criminals and even living in a N20M per annum house they paid 2 years for?.Yes,he was.Was he also aware that the Police Service Commission found Magu guilty in 2010 of offences including withholding and unlawful removal of EFCC files?.Yes,he was.

The DSS at that time was headed by a kinsman he brought out of retirement,Lawal Daura and their findings were made known to the senate when Magu's name was brought for confirmation as Chairman of the EFCC.Magu was not a known associate of Buhari's prior to 2015 like Lawal Daura was and the million dollar question is why did Buhari insist so much on having such a man as head of the EFCC and even go to war with the senate over it?.

Only one answer appears plausible-Buhari needed a man like Magu for what he had in mind.There would be no courtship stage to be sure of what he would or would not do,a man with such 'proven' antecedents will hit the ground running.Magu's nemesis from what some sources say, stems from an altercation he had with the Attorney General of the Federation,Abubakar Malami SAN and his subsequent refusal to go and lobby Buhari to ensure Malami doesn't get him to act solely on his version.

Malami was able to convince Buhari that Magu had grown too much wings and even when he wrote a recommendation that he be fired for corruption,Magu didn't try to meet Buhari then or after.As a matter of fact his first response was to leak a letter from the Ministry of Justice (Malami's office) requesting the ICPC,EFCC,DSS and the Police to stop investigating the Managing Director of Nigeria Incentive-based Risk-Sharing System For Agricultural Lending,Aliyu Abdulhameed for a N1bn fraud.Abdulhameed is also being accused of fraudulently awarding a N2bn ICT contract to his son.

Make no mistake about it,Buhari and Malami knew perfectly well who Magu was maybe with the exception of his stubborness.He fitted into Buhari's plans till he felt he shouldn't be bossed around by the AGF and didn't care what the President thought about that.

Now Magu has been held way past the constitutionally stipulated 48 hours without any court order granting the authorities any power to hold him past that; only being ferried to face the Presidential panel and back to police custody.He is hesitant about approaching a court of law to demand his release because it would appear confrontational and disrupt his chances of getting a soft landing.He has also not had any of his cronies leak anything to the press and all that may in the end prove a very wise call.

The Buhari administration has a reputation for threading cautiously with friends it decides to turn its back on.There is the case of Sani Baba-Inna, Aisha Buhari's former ADC who was accused of defrauding people of N2.5bn in her name.His family confirmed what many suspected to be the case when they told popular activist,Deji Adeyanju that they knew he stole her money and that he had been a front for her,even buying a house in Abuja for one of her daughters.Baba-Inna was handed over to the police about 2 years ago and till date,has not been prosecuted in court.

As a matter of fact,no one has heard anything since and that is likely due to either the man having a story they don't want told or them having a troublesome conscience.There is also the case of former DSS Chief,Lawal Daura,the man under whom the damning report on Magu was prepared en route his rejection by the senate.Questions started being asked of Daura when proof that he was listed as an APC committee member prior to Buhari being President became public.

There were also the suspicions that he was helping Buhari carry out a fulani supremacist agenda when his DSS announced that 5 fulani corpses had been found in a forest in the east and that they were kidnapped and killed by IPOB members.It is really saying nothing out of the ordinary to say that no security agency talk more the secret police would make such remarks publicly without having apprehended the culprits.Why were they looking to start trouble?.

First,how did they know the buried corpses they unearthed were fulanis?.Secondly,how did they they know the IPOB was responsible?.Weeks later, heavily armed herdsmen attacked Nimbo town in Enugu and killed 46 people.Daura was Buhari's right hand man and when he shut down the national assembly which was locked in a bitter feud with the presidency,it was obvious on whose orders he was acting.That lock down had foreign countries scared and Buhari who was in the UK at that time for treatment was feeling the heat like his Vice and then Acting President,Yomi Osinbajo who was being beseiged with calls and visits by envoys of countries who were scared a coup was taking place.

Daura was made to take the fall and despite being handed over to the police 2 years ago,he has still not been prosecuted.Like Baba-Inna, nothing has been heard ever since though there have been a few rumours of him now living overseas with some members of his family.Buhari's handlers ridiculously tried to insinuate that he was working with then Senate President,Bukola Saraki to give the Buhari administration a bad name.

The thing is just weeks before the invasion,the entrance of Saraki's house and that of his deputy were blocked by the DSS and police.Buhari couldn't claim to have suddenly woken up to Daura's excesses just like he can't claim not to know what Magu was capable of.He saw his record and decided, infact insisted that he needed a man like Magu to work with.

Judging from the treatment those that have helped do their dirty job have gotten,Magu may end up with just a sack if indicted or worst case,be remanded in police custody till he is secretly let out when everyone has forgotten.

Under Buhari shame has left us.

FROM 'NIGERIANS THE FRAUDSTERS' TO 'NIGERIA THE HOME OF FRAUD': THE CASES BEFORE OUR AUTHORITIES & THEIR CULTURE OF SILENCE

Most people seem to under-estimate how profound the yahoo yahoo problem actually is.Two serving members of the House Of Representatives and a Court Ordained governor of the Federal Republic are said to have quite a reputation in the world of fraud.We already know that one Chika Odionyenma who was on Former Imo state Governor, Emeka Ihedioha's inauguration committee appeared on FBI's list of 77 Wanted Nigerian fraudsters and despite Ihedioha's denial of Odionyenma sponsoring his election,most people think he did along with a host of other wire wire exponents.

Internet fraud is not just a crime for Benz-hungry and Champagne-loving youths,it is also one for the very 'righteous' in our midst.These fraudsters are not only sponsoring elections,they are running themselves and winning elections into government.Gradually they will bamboozle their way to the very highest levels and not only protect themselves but also do as they please with the full cover of the state apparatus.A lot of them already have a reputation for philanthropy.

With more than enough money to dole out to the less privileged and enormous political power in their kitty, we may have a similar situation with Mexico and its drug cartels.The yahoo problem is much more serious than it appears.When the North Georgia District Attorney's office indicted the owner of Air Peace Airlines, Allen Onyeama for fraud and money laundering, the EFCC said it wanted to investigate the 'nigerian aspect' of the offence.The anti-corruption body outrageously stated that an application for extradition can only be entertained after the suspect has been arraigned before a court.

The Chairman of the Coalition of Arewa Youth Groups, Shettima Yerima who 2 years earlier issued a quit notice to all ibos living in the north started talking about northern youths going to demonstrate at the US embassy.The US was investigating Onyeama as at the time he sent his planes to bring back nigerians in South Africa and while that appears likely now to have been a move to launder his image before an indictment,the volte face by a man like Shettima was probably brought about by a hefty 'donation' to him and his groups.No other reason can support such a man turning round to sing Onyeama's praises and planning a protest on his behalf.

It has been 7 months since the EFCC assumed jurisdiction over that case.Obtaining financial records of his accounts with Nigerian banks and perusing them shouldn't take more than 2 weeks at most.The EFCC has stayed silent and hasn't given the public even the slightest hint that it is still on the case.Based solely on its own understanding of our mutual treaty agreement,it can't hand over Onyeama if he hasn't been arraigned in court.Barring any drastic change, that case is as good as dead.

The killing of a multi-millionaire ex-policeman and kidnapper sharing the same nickname with flamboyant and generous socialite, Emmanuel Okonkwo alias E-Money made news some time ago and most of the blogs in assembling click baits, had nothing to suggest it was another 'E-Money' in their headlines.The word is persons close to the Presidency complained bitterly about these individuals with crazy names moving around with police escorts and flaunting suspicious wealth.Emmanuel Okonkwo was invited by the police on the orders of the Inspector General to explain his source of wealth and then set free hours later.The police till date has not told us what its findings were.

Weeks later it was the turn of self-styled Celebrity Barman, Cubana Chief Priest whose notable business interests are the Cubana Night clubs and a hotel.The popular stories round Cubana have always been that he was a 'G-Boy' and that he introduced an afro-pop music star from a rich family who he is good friends with to it as well.No one has any proof to back up their claims of course until he is investigated or caught.While E-Money may try to justify his stupendous wealth on his shipping business,Cubana will have a much harder task doing that on the back of his known sources of income.The police invited him on the same grounds as E-Money- undesirable use of police escorts and a probe on source of wealth.He spent hours with the police and left.No word from them.

There is a culture of silence by our authorities.There is a very shameless protection of rich and highly connected criminal suspects and this is very worrying.We already have a global reputation for internet fraud and it would hurt us severely if we earn another for condoning it.The Allen Onyeama case is a ready reference point for how corrupt and useless Buhari and his anti-corruption foot soldiers are.Why invite people in the first place if you aren't going to thoroughly investigate them?.Is it a means of making money off them?.Because i see no other reason why they would invite people they had no real intention of looking into.

This has also happened in a few recent cases unrelated to highly suspicious billionaires.The Kogi state commissioner of water resources was accused of raping a girl in Lokoja named Elizabeth prompting a massive outcry on social media and also by women activists.Much after the incident reportedly happened and a complaint filed,he was finally invited to the Force Head quarters Abuja again on the orders of the Inspector General only to be set free hours later.How many persons accused of rape in Nigeria enjoy the privilege of strolling into the police head quarters to be asked questions and then leave that same day?.

Judging from what we have all seen so far,there is a strange pattern of loud screaming by the EFCC and the police when they move in on these persons with questionable wealth and then a deafening silence ensues.Do they really think nigerians are stupid enough to laud them for a good job based on the publicized invitations and then ignore the fact that these individuals are released moments later without any statement whatsoever?.

International experts will tell you there is an 'unofficial' reason why the US issued a visa ban to Nigeria and other countries on that list.We must bear in mind always that the whole world is watching.Its one thing to claim ignorance of these stupendously rich individuals flaunting businesses that don't support their spending and another entirely to actually invite these people with a view to investigating their sources of income only to send them back home hours later while keeping mute and wishing it all out of everyone's consciousness.We will no longer just be 'Nigerians,the fraudsters',we would also be 'Nigeria, the home of fraud'.

'TRADITIONAL RULERS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO HELP BANDITS KILL THEIR OWN PEOPLE BUT DISREGARD THAT, NASTURA SHARIFF IS THE REAL ENEMY'

About a week ago, a video and several photos of armed bandits riding into a town in Katsina surfaced on social media.They not only arrived to a very frightened people who resorted to cheers to escape their wrath,the bandits mingled freely; individually in some cases on their motor cycles without any sign of discomposure.What that video and photos prove more than anything else is the extent to which those in rural communities have been abandoned to their fate.

There were no reports of any police station being sacked or of any law enforcement agents on patrol running for cover,the bandits moved there unchallenged, 'hung out' with the people and calmly went away without having to worry about the police or the military responding to an SOS call or one for back up.The state governor, Rt.Hon Aminu Masari has decided to come clean and apologize for being unable to secure the lives of the people but ultimately the blame for security challenges of this magnitude falls on the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari.He has only just established a task force after all these years and that was only in response to the protests by Katsina people who poured out to the streets en masse to say they had had enough.

One thing is not in dispute,at least prior to then,the Buhari administration wasn't really serious about stopping the killings and nothing has reiterated this more than anything of recent than Presidential spokesperson,Garba Shehu's utterances on the Monday 15th June 2020 edition of Channels TV's Sunrise Daily programme.To use Shehu's exact words-"SOME TRADITIONAL RULERS HAVE BEEN FOUND COMPLICIT IN COLLABORATION WITH THE BANDITS TO HARM THEIR OWN PEOPLE".These traditional rulers are not being suspected of doing such,they 'have been found complicit'.The man didn't bother telling us why they have not been arrested and made to provide the authorities with more information.Attribute the killings to whatever reason you may but the very obvious thing is that this administration doesn't or at the very least, didn't want the killings to stop.It took Katsina people protesting on the streets for them to set up a task force countless human lives later.Those in the rural areas had all this while been at the mercy of bandits who could stroll in at any time to wreck havoc and leave.The Condemner-In-Chief,President Buhari would then issue the usual statement 'condemning' the killings meanwhile they had been sitting on the names of traditional rulers that work with these bandits to kill their own people.

Save yourself the embarrassment of arguing otherwise, the Buhari administration never really wanted to stop the killings in Katsina and indeed other parts of the north.The real enemy is the one man that mobilized the people of Katsina to protest the killings,Nastura Ashir Shariff.They have arrested him and taken him to Abuja.The protests have forced them to set up a task force to save face and they don't like that somebody is getting the people to demand that they act.

What would anyone make of the fact that those whose complicity in the killings has been established as relayed to us by none other than the President's spokesman are free and don't have to worry about a thing while the man that got his people to try and push government into safeguarding their lives is the one they have arrested?.Simple.Government doesn't want to stop the killings and is willing to punish anyone who asks it to.

LETTER TO THE SENATE PRESIDENT: INTERNATIONAL POLITICS IS NOT WHY INSECURITY PERSISTS

Dear Senate President,

I hope this meets you well.Over the last few days,the legislative arm which you lead has come under criticism for not refusing the N27bn ear marked by President Buhari for renovation of the National Assembly Complex.As i am sure you must have heard or seen several people say on social media,that sum is enough to upgrade government hospitals to appreciable standards and ensure none of you panic when countries abroad lockdown.

In the heat of the outrage by nigerians,you perhaps in a bid to reciprocate President Buhari's generousity by taking some pressure off him, told the media that 'International Politics' was responsible for our security agencies' inability to contain insecurity in the country.You said it was hard to buy what we needed from countries abroad and that while it takes others just 2 months,ours lasts 6-9 months.Let me start off with this question; did Buhari come into power 6-9 months ago?.

Going by the duration you have put forth,we should at the very least have gotten a consignment of arms and other equipment once every year for the 5 years Buhari has been President.There are countries plagued with just as much security issues that haven't bought anything for their military in 3 years.It is simply not possible to justify the dreadful handling of security with that explanation.If anything,it is an indictment on this government's incompetence.In a nutshell,boko haram,bandits and killer herdsmen have operated unhindered over the years because the Buhari administration cannot equip the security agencies every 2 months.What sort of rubbish is that?.The least you all can do is refrain from insulting our collective intelligence.

The reason why we are losing to terror and crime is simple-Government simply doesn't want to tackle the problem head on.President Buhari unlawfully withdrew $496M from the Excess Crude Account without Senate approval to pay for 12 Super Tucano planes in the US because according to him, he wanted to beat a deadline.He notified the Senate of this in April 2018 but the contract for those planes wasn't even awarded by the US Pentagon till November 2018 and it turned out the contract sum was $329M with an unequivocally clear not-too-exceed sum of $344M.Till date the man hasn't told us where over $150M of our money is.

Those planes were originally scheduled to arrive this year but subsequent reports suggest the date has been pushed back.$496M is half of the $1bn he had the governors approve for him to tackle insecurity; a move many attributed to the need to have a financial war chest ready for the 2019 elections.Do you honestly think it was wise to spend that much on military hardware that won't be available for use till 2,3 or 4 years from the date of purchase?.Will the animals killing nigerians seize their dastardly acts till our security operatives are formidable enough to give them a good fight?.Say it as it is,Buhari's incompetent and corrupt government lack the will to tackle insecurity.

Some of your peers in the APC were very vocal about the theory that President Jonathan was sponsoring boko haram and didn't want the war to end.It is very sad that they are now silent under a President that has provided justifiable reasons to be labelled a terrorist.Do you know what it does to the morale of the average soldier to know that government is setting free terrorists they are still in a war with in the name of 'repentance'?.Or that a Major General who made a video on how him & his troops were led into an ambush by bad intelligence ended up being punished for it?.

There is also the issue of how the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces sat and looked the other way instead of liasing with Chad as the leader of the Joint task force set up by President Jonathan when they embarked on an onslaught against the sect to ensure they are no hiding places on our side of the border.Nigeria sat back and resorted to arguing whether Chad crossed our borders or not.The whole world; the US especially see all this and know our leaders are not committed to tackling insecurity.France moved down to Africa months ago to help their former colonies fight terrorism and as i write this,they are all celebrating the killing of the African leader of Al-Qaeda, Abdelmalek Droukdel in Mali.Countries don't consider our arms purchase requests a priority because they know it really isn't so.The least our colonial masters; the UK would do is help us fast track purchases but i doubt anyone has even asked them to talk more sending troops down here.'International Politics' is not the problem,President Buhari's lack of commitment to the cause is.

The Chadian President has promised never to allow any Chadian soldier fight outside their territory again.Maybe that is what Buhari wants.With a man like Idris Derby around to make a lot of noise,it is impossible to imagine Buhari being named 'ECOWAS Covid-19 Champion' without some sort of secret donation to member countries ahead of places like Senegal that not only have thrice as fewer cases despite testing more than twice as much but have also been profiled in the foreign media for producing $1 test kits & improvised ventilators.

Let me ask this Sir-How many boko haram members are being prosecuted in our courts today?.How many killer herdsmen are being made to face the law as a deterrent to those out there?.None we know of.Under Buhari,we assume they are all treated as 'repentant' souls.Please let us lick our wound in peace and stop rubbing salt on it by attributing our problems to 'International Politics' when we all have eyes and ears.Get Buhari to tackle insecurity.Thank you.

                                      Concerned Nigerian

THINK CAREFULLY, YOU HAVEN'T CAUGHT CYNTHIA MORGAN IN A LIE

Usually when a label owner laments a breach to a contract entered into with an artiste, you hear things like "After all we did for him/her..We gave a brand new car,an apartment in Lekki and millions to upgrade".The contract Jude Okoye of Northside Inc had with his artiste doesn't stipulate any of these.Anyone who isn't hopping on the 'So Cynthia Morgan Lied' social media trend becaue everyone else is would immediately sense a need to scrutinize the available facts before reaching a new conclusion.It is common practice among label owners to provide these things later either in a bid to make the artiste a slave to gratitude or perpetually indebted by a huge sum of money they unilaterally determine and deduct after a percentage that is rightfully theirs.

It is disgusting to see even seasoned industry stakeholders rush to the conclusion that 'Cynthia Morgan Lied' just because her contract papers were made public.How do they prove that she was paid everything due to her or that the label fulfilled every obligation on its end?.Jude Okoye, a man whose blood brother says he had to break free from, claims Cynthia Morgan collected money from him to build a house for her mother among other things and that he seized her Vevo channel in a bid to recoup N40M she was owing him.Bear in mind the common practice i earlier stated of label owners creating endless debts with expenses not stated any where in their contract with artistes.

Going by that contract,Cynthia Morgan can only owe Jude Okoye his 50% share of earnings or production,video and promotion costs.Nothing else.It is not in dispute that she was paying her rent because her court case over unpaid rent was very well publicized.How exactly did Cynthia Morgan rack up a N40M debt?.

Her contract says the label is entitled to 50% of the artiste's earnings and that the artiste would cover 50% of video,branding,promotion and all other major costs but that it would initially foot 100% as a debt to be deducted from Cynthia Morgan's gross earnings without any stipulation as to the extent it would reach footing the bills.

In saying that shooting videos was all he really did, she rightly complained that they weren't properly promoted.We were all alive from 2013-2017 and the biggest promotion Cynthia Morgan got in that period,she earned for herself in 2015 when holding a baby with one hand and smoking with the other in the photo for her single; Baby Mama led to a squabble with Nollywood actress Caroline Danjuma.From where i'm standing,Jude Okoye has done nothing to squash Cynthia's claim that she wasn't fairly treated.It is shocking that people suddenly jumped to the conclusion that she was lying because he produced contract papers.In her live session with Sandra of MsVanila7,she was asked questions based on copies of that same contract which her interviewer had.How does the mere production of that contract now mean she was lying?.Did the Cynthia Morgan ever say she didn't sign any contract?.

If you claim she lied about her social media platforms being seized by Jude,the man has openly admitted to having commandeered her Vevo channel to recoup a N40M debt.An unlawful act if i may add considering that the contract is clear on all disputes being arbitrated upon.She made it clear that she didn't want to raise dust then because she felt it was unnecessary.To put it another way, she probably was too broke to start a legal battle and may have allowed every threat stand-'Don't use that name (We saw it with Kiss Daniel not too long ago if you recall) and hand over your social media to us'.

If 'Olowo', 'Lead Me On' or 'German Juice' gets played in any movie today,Jude will hold onto her 50% of whatever the pay is in the name of clearing a debt he has all by himself pegged at N40M.Northside Inc owns the masters of all the songs made for the 4 years she was signed to them.You may not like to hear it because of reasons you can't explain but nothing has changed,Cynthia Morgan deserves our sympathy.She is still another sad case of a talented artiste whose desperation to move up in their music career was exploited.

CORRUPTION IN THE EAGLES: WHY YOU SHOULDN'T TAKE OBASI & TAIWO TOO SERIOUSLY

Over the last 5 days, the football world has been rattled by the allegations of 2 former Eagles' players,Chinedu Obasi and Taye Taiwo.Both claim there was corruption going on in the national team during the era of late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi as head coach.Former team media officer, Ben Alaiya has come out to strongly deny Obasi's claim of being asked to pay to be in the 2014 World Cup team while former assistant coach,Ike Shorunmu's disavowal included that of Taye Taiwo who said he left the team because Keshi was involved in 'dirty dealings'.

The denial hardly ever gets as much attention as a mind-blowing allegation so as such,these players' accounts of what transpired in their time is still buzzing.Frankly,you wouldn't blame anyone for paying little or no attention to the denials.The mind of the average nigerian has been moulded by the numerous stories of corruption in nigerian football over at least the last 2 decades to absorb these allegations as definitely true.

We have heard of FA officials arranging fake friendlies that eventually get cancelled so that they can pocket the funds allocated and also of players buying rolex watches for coaches after the era of the Eagles mafia; a group of players that determined who played and who didn't.The current NFF President,Amaju Pinnick and other members of the glass house are currently being accused by the EFCC of diverting a total sum of $8.4M in FIFA grants.

In an open letter i wrote to the sports minister,Mr Sunday Aare after Pinnick discussed terms of a contract Rohr was yet to receive on TV,i cited unconfirmed stories suggesting Pinnick was angry at head coach,Genort Rohr for refusing to allow his players give 'gifts' and didn't discuss or notify Rohr of the appointment of Joseph Yobo (who is his preferred choice of head coach) as Rohr's assistant because he was hoping Rohr would quit due to the disrespectful manner in which he was being treated.

However if one chooses to set aside the notoriety of the major stakeholders in football as a parameter for judging the allegations by Taiwo and Obasi and analyzes the matter wholistically, the conclusion would have to be that it is not safe to attach too much weight to what they are claiming.At least until strong corroborative evidence surfaces.

To start with,Chinedu Obasi and Taye Taiwo were never an integral part of Stephen Keshi's plans when he became coach.As Keshi's policy of unearthing young talents home and abroad started to take shape,most members of their era started to make way for younger and 'poorer' players.

Prior to the provisional list for the 2014 World Cup being released,Nigeria had played and won the Afcon in South Africa a year before.Obasi and Taiwo were not in that team.More notably,the 2014 World cup team which Obasi claimed to have refused to pay a bribe to be part of had players like Azubuike Egwueke of Warri Wolves,Kunle Odunlami of Sunshine stars,Ejike Uzoenyi of Rangers and Godfrey Oboabona, the former captain of Sunshine stars who had just left the team months earlier to go overseas.

There were a plethora of foreign stars at that time lwho could afford to pay to be in the team ahead of these players and others like Juwon Oshaniwa of Ashdod in Israel who was the left back of the team; the position Taye Taiwo plays.While Obasi didn't mention names as he was urged to by the former Eagles media officer, Taiwo it would be recalled was more explicit and cited the 'dirty dealings' of Keshi as his reason for leaving the Eagles.

Taiwo never told anyone then he had left the Eagles and wouldn't honour any more invitations.He played only one game under Keshi and that was an Afcon qualifier against Rwanda.That nigerians never bothered asking back then why he wasn't being invited speaks to the fact that he wasn't the player he once was.As a matter of fact, Taiwo told Goal.com's Shina Oludare afterwards that he would play for the Eagles if he was ever invited and that Keshi hadn't been answering his calls.It is shameful for Taiwo to say now that he 'packed his things and left' the Eagles.

In November 2012,Obasi was telling the press that he would be happy to return to the Eagles if Keshi gave him a chance to fight for a place in the Afcon team after returning from injury.Keshi went on to win the Afcon and at about that same time a year later,Obasi was left out of the provisional team for the 2014 World Cup because he was injured again.Shorunmu has said this so has Ben Alaiya.Obasi is not disputing these claims now like he also didn't in 2014.

Without outrightly dismissing what they allege,the evidence available points to both players being victims of Keshi's revolution than of the players being pushed out for refusing to pay bribes.The closest thing to a corroboration both have gotten from anyone was Keshi's assistant Daniel Amokachi telling KweseESPN that striker, Brown Ideye deserved to be in the World cup team.However,he didn't say Keshi received bribe,he only said he was helpless because he wasn't the coach.Amokachi impeached his own credibility when he said 'players he didn't even know' made the team when every member of the final 23 was part of a provisional team of 30 that he camped with.

More intriguing is the fact that he was suggesting Ideye's dropping had something to do with him (Amokachi) fighting a lot of people.If anything, his interview points more to him being the corrupt one since 'his boy' would be dropped by people he was fighting with to annoy him.

Anyone who watched that team would attest to the fact that Ideye was not a stand out performer.His goals ratio tell the whole story.The young and hungry template had worked for Keshi at Afcon 2013 and had come to be accepted as his trademark in 2014.

From where i am standing these players were more victim of that than anything else.