Former Nigeria coach and player Samson Siasia says he is still
in the dark as to the whereabouts of his abducted mother.
Mrs Ogere Siasia, 76, and two others have been held captive
since they were seized in Bayelsa Staet, ten weeks ago.
But Siasia says the police are no closer to finding her.
“The police said it’s been difficult to track these kidnappers,
but my great concern is that my mother is very sick,” Siasia told
BBC Sport.
“For someone who is unwell to be held against her will is not
only callous, but heartbreaking and sad.
“So I can only keep appealing to these guys to please let my
mother go. I would like for the government or whoever is capable to
help me bring my mother back.”
Siasia also recently filed an appeal against a life ban for
match-fixing, imposed by world football’s governing body FIFA.
It’s the second time in four years that Mrs Siasia has been
kidnapped after she was held by gunmen for 12 days, before her
release back in November 2015.
Siasia, who played over 50 times for his country while scoring
16 goals, has had little contact with his mother, but believe she
is unwell.
Although the Bayelsa state police said they are currently trying
to rescue her unharmed, the former Nantes and Lokeren striker says
he is a broken man who needs the support of a nation he served.
“What more can I do but plead for assistance from the
government, police and my country that I served as a player and
coach,” he said.
“My mother is seriously sick and this bothers me a lot. I don’t
know where or who to turn to at this point.
“I’ve not had a job for three years, battling with a Fifa ban
appeal and to have my sick mother in the hands of kidnappers, I
just feel extremely tired.”
A former international, Siasia won the 1994 Africa Cup of
Nations with Nigeria and played in their maiden World Cup
appearance later that same year.
As a coach, he led his country’s under-20 and under-23 sides to
continental success in 2005 and 2015 respectively.
He also guided the U20s to a runners-up finish at the 2005 World
Youth Championships (as it was known at the time) in the
Netherlands.
Siasia is the most decorated African football coach at the
Olympics, winning silver at the Beijing Games in 2008 and bronze at
the 2016 Games in Rio. (BBC)
Subscribe ToNairalaw News!
Read more siasia-pleads-for-help-over-kidnapped-mum-10-weeks-on/
EU-British Council Launches €18.5m ACT Programme in
Nigeria
To ensure an accountable and democratic government, the European
Union (EU) British Council has stressed the need to invest in, and
engage with Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s), saying their
contributions to sustainable development in any country cannot be
over emphasised.
To this end, the Council on Tuesday, launched the €18.5 million
funded Agents for Citizen-driven Transformation (ACT) programme in
Abuja, a programme to be implemented in the North East, North West,
South East, South West and North-Central following increasing rate
of conflicts.
While describing the essence of the project, the EU Ambassador
to Nigeria and ECOWAS Ketil Karisen, said that the programme aims
at supporting and strengthening institutional mechanisms,
structures, and processes in Nigeria.
According to him, “there was the need to improve the internal,
external and pragmamatic competence of CSO’s, networks and
coalitions in the country.”
“ACT will seek to facilitate improved CSO regulatory frameworks
through the provision of support that promotes self-regulatory
mechanisms amongs CSO’s while exploring ways to support the
evolution of a functional and effective national regulatory
framework that will be acceptable to all stakeholders,” he
said.
Karisen added that, “the programme’s aim is to strengthen donor
coordination on CSO engagement in Nigeria with a view to ensuring
that there are strategic linkages and opportunities for knowledge
sharing amongst key donors and international development partners
supporting CSO strenghning in Nigeria.”
However, the Director, International Cooperation at the Ministry
of Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs. Elizabeth Egharevba,
assured of government’s support to the strengthening of CSO’s, and
successful implementation of ACT in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Sub-Saharan Africa Portfolio Lead and Programme
Director for ACT Bob Arnot, said that the programme seeks to also
address and support gender related issues.
Arnot informed that, ” the ACT is funded by the European Union
(EU) under 11th European development fund EDF and implemented by
the British council.”
He further disclosed that, ” a total of £13.5m which is
equivalent to an estimate of six billion eighty-nine million
eighty-seven thousand nine hundred twenty-five was given by the EU
towards the support of the project and assures of a successful
implementation.