Neymar's Influence: A Social Media Phenomenon

Neymar's Social Media Stardom

In the world of professional football, few players can match the electrifying charisma and global impact of Neymar Jr. His on-field skills are only rivaled by his social media presence, making him a true influencer both on and off the pitch. One remarkable testament to his influence is the unprecedented growth that clubs experience across their social media platforms when Neymar is associated with them. One such example is Al Hilal, a football club that saw an astounding 100% growth in its social media following after the announcement of Neymar's involvement. In the realm of drawing numbers and attention, Neymar stands tall alongside legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Neymar's prowess on social media platforms is nothing short of astonishing. With over 200 million followers on Instagram alone, he ranks among the most-followed individuals on the platform. His vibrant posts, engaging stories, and interaction with fans create a sense of intimacy and connection that transcends the distance between stadiums and screens. Neymar's content strategy skillfully balances his personal life, training glimpses, and philanthropic efforts, endearing him to a diverse audience that includes football aficionados and casual fans alike.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Neymar's influence is its direct correlation with the growth of clubs' social media platforms. The announcement of Neymar's association with a club has consistently resulted in a surge of followers and engagement. A prime example is Al Hilal, a Saudi Arabian club that witnessed an extraordinary 100% increase in its social media following following the revelation of Neymar's involvement. This phenomenon showcases the profound influence Neymar wields, turning him into a catalyst for generating online attention and buzz.

Neymar's ability to pull numbers and capture attention puts him in the same league as football's most iconic figures, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While Ronaldo and Messi have been dominant forces on and off the pitch for years, Neymar has managed to carve out his own niche, harnessing the power of social media to solidify his status as a global icon. The trio represents an elite group of players who transcend traditional boundaries, shaping the landscape of modern football and setting new standards for influence and engagement.

Neymar's influence extends far beyond the boundaries of the football pitch. His mastery of social media platforms has transformed him into a global influencer, capturing the hearts and attention of millions around the world. The exponential growth witnessed by clubs like Al Hilal upon Neymar's association underscores the magnitude of his impact. As he stands alongside legends Ronaldo and Messi in terms of pulling numbers and commanding attention, Neymar's influence remains an unparalleled force in the ever-evolving world of football and digital media.

Homecoming to Nigeria Is Dangerous

                                                                                                                                                                              

Reviewing the Assassination of Ogacheko Atanu and a Warning to Nigerians in Diaspora on the State of Insecurity in Nigeria

                                                             

Ogacheko Atanu, an Idah born, world acclaimed and Saudi Arabia based drilling engineer was assassinated by unknown gunmen on Saturday, 9th of January, 2021 while holidaying in his country home in Idah, Kogi State of Nigeria. He was scheduled to travel back to Saudi on the morning of the next day before he was killed on that night in his hometown.

Ogacheko had such a brilliant career while he was at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Nigeria. It was his sheer brilliance and distinction while at Shell that got him headhunted by Saudi Aramco, the world largest oil company based in Saudi Arabia, where he worked until his assassination in his house in his hometown of Idah.

Homecoming for Ogacheko has had a bad history. Some years ago, after he started work at Saudi Aramco, he decided to visit his hometown and in course of the journey, on his way to Idah, he had a terribly fatal car accident which broke his limbs. Saudi Aramco did not take chances regarding the treatment of one of its best executives. So the company flew a special air ambulance (a chartered plane equipped with specialised medical equipment) into Nigeria and evacuated Ogacheko for treatment in Saudi Arabia. That’s how valuable he was to the company. And it didn’t matter whether he was a Nigerian and a non-national of Saudi Arabia.

So why would Ogacheko choose to come to his hometown under the present circumstances and be brutally murdered in his country home in such a wicked manner? Reports say he was asked by the gunmen to say his last prayers and despite offering them so much money, probably in dollars, they shot at him several times and he died instantly. Why?

Shouldn’t Ogacheko have taken the state of affairs in local security seriously enough to stay away from Nigeria at this time? With his status, he had enough money to arrange armed private guards or special police protection but why didn’t he do that? He also had the means to obtain a licence to own guns with which he could have repelled the assassins or defended himself. Why would uneducated, barbaric, unskilled hoodlums just kill an expatriate of that repute just like that without any resistance? Ogacheko was helpless even in his hometown; he was murdered mercilessly in his country home. Why?

Some Nigerians in diaspora get so accustomed to their host countries which have secure environments that they underestimate the Nigerian security situation. These members of the diaspora should seek proper travel advisory before coming home for holidays and other purposes. But they are usually overconfident in their belief that Nigeria is their original country where they started. So they don’t feel so threatened as if things are not as bad as when they were once here. No! Things are no longer as they were. The security situation in Nigeria seems to be deteriorating by the day. Those of us who live here know the daily risks we face and we trust in God in unusual terms, everyday for our security. Why do you think many Nigerians say crazy prayers using terms like ‘fire and die’ and ‘Holy Ghost fire’?

The Nigerian government needs to do more to assure Nigerians in diaspora and indeed all Nigerians that there is enough security before certain travels can be made in our country.

In the meantime, all Nigerians in diaspora, especially the successful ones who are popular for their generosity, should weigh carefully all their travel plans to Nigeria. A direct advice is for them to stay away completely until the security situation improves or they should be prepared to learn and adopt the needed skills together with resources required to survive in Nigeria, in these precarious times of insecurity, whenever they visit.

Frank Tietie
Human Rights Lawyer
& Executive Director, Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER),
Writes from Abuja

Nigeria thrashes Guatemala 5-0 in under 20-World Cup

On account of its 5-0 drubbing of Guatemela on Sunday, Nigeria is definitely the team to beat and can count itself among the favorites after the third day of the FIFA Under-20 World in Colombia.

Edafe Egbedi scored twice for the Flying Eagles in the Group D match as the goalkeeper from Guatemala produced two fantastic saves in the opening minutes before conceding the opening goal.

Egbedi scored in the 8th and 39th minute of the first half. The third and fourth goal came from the boot of Ajagun and Kayode before enterprising winger Ahmed Musa completed the rout in the 76th minute.

Egbedi was substituted in the 94th minute for Sanni Emmanuel.

The Flying Eagles will have abundance of confidence to take into its next match on Wdnesday, August 3 against Croatia, while Guatemala will have to regroup ahead of its match with Saudi Arabia the same day.

Nigerian Line up
Dami Paul, Terna Suswan,Kenneth Omeruo, Ganiyu Ogungbe, Ahmed Musa, Olanrewaju Kayode, Abdul Ajagun, Emmanuel Anyanwu, Philemon Daniel, Edafe Egbedi, Ramon Azeez

Coach- James Obuh

OPEC confirms Nigeria as second largest oil producer; Iran objects

Conflicting reports by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)pitched Iran and Nigeria as who should be the second-largest producer of petroleum despite the group’s report that Nigeria has now obtained the rank.

However, the news agency ISNA quoted the country’s OPEC governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi as saying Iran remains the second-largest on Saturday.

The Annual Statistical Bulletin has put Nigeria ahead of Iran, adding that Iranian experts were examining the report.

“OPEC rationing is based on production, not export, and Iran still holds the second-largest OPEC producer status and no change has happened in this regard,” said Khatibi.

Khatibi said Iranian experts had found ambiguities in some of the figures in the OPEC report and thus the experts “did not confirm Nigeria’s export increase.”

“In the report Iran’s oil income exceeds that of Nigeria in 2010. Then how would it be possible for Nigeria’s oil income to be less than that of Iran despite having boosted its exports?”

Khatibi said it was predictable that Venezuela would overtake Saudi Arabia since in the past two years it had taken measures to boost its reserves.

OPEC’s growth in oil reserves was mainly due to Venezuela, whose holdings rose to 296.5 billion barrels from 211.2 billion in 2009, as the report said. Top OPEC exporter Saudi Arabia’s reserves were steady at 264.5 billion barrels.

Iran and Iraq also boosted their reserves last year. In October, Iran increased its reserves to 150 billion barrels within a week of an upward revision by Iraq, ensuring that Tehran continued to rank above Baghdad.

Reserves are one of the criteria OPEC has used in setting output targets. Iran and Iraq were rivals in the past over OPEC quotas and OPEC in the next few years is expected to tackle the issue of bringing Iraq back into the quota system. Iraq is exempt at present.

Three Nigerians executed for killing countryman

Three Nigerians who murdered fellow countryman in Saudi Arabia were executed on
Sunday at Baiah Square in downtown Jeddah after they carried out a fatal robbery, the Saudi Arabian authorities said in a statement according to the SPA.

Muhammad Ismail, Abdul Quddus Adam Abdul Quddus and Muhammad Abdullah were found guilty of murdering fellow countryman Umar Muhammad Adam in a home invasion in 2008.

In addition to breaking in, the men were found guilty of beating the victim’s wife and stealing mobile phones and cash from the home.

The body of the victim was found bound and gagged, indicating he was alive before being tied up, along with his wife. An Interior Ministry statement said the victim was strangled to death.

Gharaffa faces uphill task against KSA's al Hilal

AL GHARAFFA Sports Club despite going down 0-3 to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in first leg quarterfinal of the AFC Champions League in Riyadh last week, is in an upbeat mood as it takes on the Saudi club in the return leg on home turf on Wednesday.

Gharaffa coach Caio Junior, well aware of the fact that his players have a mountain to climb, put up a brave front on eve of the match.

He said, “In football the approach is either theoretic or practical.

Hilal will come all out to play and maintain its lead.

We will, however, be at an advantage because my players are in good shape and will enjoy the support of home crowd.” Ciao emphasised the value of fans’ support and said that his players greatly value them.

He urged them to pack the stadium on Wednesday and make the atmosphere ‘an intimidating one’ for the opponent.

Gharaffa, however, will miss the services of star Brazilian midfielder Juninho in the match.

Coach Caio Junior exhorted his players to prove that theirs is not a one-man team.

Caio said he has got capable player to replace him in the squad and the replacement had proven himself in the Qatar Stars League encounter against Lekhwiya.

“Juninho will not be playing for us and it gives me a chance to evaluate the team’s performance without him,” said Junior, adding, “This won’t do us any harm as I believe rest of my players can compensate for his absence.

We played without him against Lekhwiya and won comfortably.” The Qatar Stars League champion club comes to the match high on confidence after beating a strong Lekhwiya side in its opening QSL match, with Iraqi striker Younes Mahmoud and Clemerson de Araujo producing some magic.

Younis Mahmud, though not underestimating his opponent, is optimistic of Gharafffa advancing to semifinal of the prestigious tournament.

“Hilal players are used to playing such matches.

They have a lot of experience.

But we are Qatar champion and will make it crystal clear that we are capable of progressing beyond this stage.” Hilal, who has been consistently impressive under Belgian great Eric Gerets, is positive of a good outing in Doha.

They are expected to welcome back Christian Wilhelmsson to the starting line-up after the Swedish winger missed the first leg through suspension.

Gerets, said, “Naturally in any competition, matches become tougher in the later stages.

Ghaffara is a strong team and many good players play in the team.

“We will take things seriously and search for goals.

We will try not to concede goals as we are eager to maintain our 3 goals advantage.” Defender Osama Hawsawi knows it is vital for Al Hilal not to slip against Al Gharaffa in the second leg.

He said his teammates were determined to put up a stellar performance against them.

“We are prepared and confident of progressing,” he said.

“I know Gharafa will come all out to attack.

They will be fearless in their approach as they have nothing to lose.

We will, however, search for goals as attack is the best form of defence.” The match will be officiated by officials from Singapore.

The referee is Abdul Malik, who will be assisted by Jeffrey Goh Gek Pheng and Mohammed Mousa Abu.

The final of Asia’s top club competition will be staged at Tokyo’s National Stadium on November 13.

Winner of the tournament will qualify for the lucrative FIFA Club World Cup in December 2010.