Though born in England, Ibe is eligible to play for Nigeria, the country of birth of his parents.
The player represented England at the U-18 level against Italy last year and is yet to make the a full international appearance for the ''Three Lions'' which will automatically foreclose a nationality switch.
But Keshi must make a formal approach to the player, who must also agree to play for Nigeria before the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) can initiate the necessary processes required under international football laws before he can be eligible to represent Nigeria.
In several cases, the processes may take up to six months before he can be cleared, while the effort could be futile if England also extends an invitation to him to play for the main national team.
Last year, Nigeria successfully cleared Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi, who had already represented England at youth levels for the Super Eagles, but similar effort made this year to convince German-born Sydney Sam to switch failed as the player eventually preferred Germany to Nigeria.
By Olawale Ajimotokan
Keshi Shows Interest in Liverpool Whiz-kid, Ibe
- Written by Joesef Karim
- Wednesday, 21 August 2013 00:00
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Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has described Jordan Ibe as an interesting player.
Keshi Wednesday said he would keep an eye on the pacy 18- year-old winger this season to decide whether he can fit into his plans for Nigeria.
The London-born Ibe looks to be a decent player and a prospect that will excite the fans this year having caught the eye for Liverpool during their pre-season tour of Asia where he featured against Indonesia XI, Melbourne Victory and Thailand.
Ibe joined Liverpool in December 2011 from Wycombe Wanderers for a nominal fees and is very comfortable playing from the right wing.
He is one of the many talented youths with roots in Nigeria, who ply their trade in Europe, particularly England.
Though Keshi admitted not seeing the winger play for Liverpool during the Merseysiders' Tour of Asia, he admitted that he had received positive mentions about Ibe from many quarters.
Written By: Joesef Karim
Joesef Karim is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Nigeria Travel Digest - an online magazine that started in September 2012.
Joesef Karim is a graduate of Tourism Management and has an MBA in Marketing. Mr. Karim is an Africa travel specialist and a tourism business consultant. He has been a leading Nigeria tourism stakeholder for over two decades, and is on the Board of some travel and tourism companies in Nigeria.
Joesef is a certified advertising practitioner (APCON) in Nigeria, whose specialty include strategy conceptualization, communication planning, advert scripting, copy writing, and media buying management.
In April 2013, Joesef authored a book: "Travel & Tour Operations in Nigeria". The book has since been adopted as a course material by some tourism departments in Polytechnics and Universities across Nigeria. Additionally, every quarter, he provides hands-on trainings on 'Tour Packaging & Sales Strategy' for travel agencies in Nigeria.
Presently, Joesef is the Public Relations Officer of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) - the umbrella body of the organized private sector in Nigeria's tourism and hospitality industry.
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