TENDING A GARDEN OF STONES

NPL seat for a fugitive?

 DECISION ON THE NPL WAS FRAUDULENT: It was actually the decision of the Maigari-led Executive Committee of the NFA that took the decision to sack Davidson Owumi and not the Congress of the NFA. Those who were present and who knew said, the matter was not brought up at anytime. So why the Executive Committee had to smuggle a regular decision and make it look like it was a Congress decision?

Owumi...NFF seeks trouble?

LAW AND REASON: Those who crafted the Statute of the NFA must be practical illiterates who dream that it is only their ilks that should continue to govern a very important and high intellectual field like football by saying the minimum requirement to contest any office is having a School Certificate. No wonder the quality of human resources found therein from the grassroots to the secretariat. That apart for now.

Now to the law books of football in the country. Article 68 of the NFF Statutes 2010 edition page 42. Adopted in the Congress that ratified the sack of Lulu & Co. after the election. Though, a retroactive decision.

The Article has it that: “NFF shall create an Arbitration Tribunal which shall deal with all internal national disputes between NFF, its members, players, officials, match and players agent that do not fall under jurisdiction of its judicial bodies. The Executive Committee shall draw up special regulations regarding composition, jurisdiction, procedural rules of this Arbitration Tribunal.”

Did FIFA not ask that the “NFF statute should regulate the basic organisation of the NFF”? FIFA stated unequivocally: The NFF statutes CANNOT interfere in the organisation of other entities, including its members.” I think they either did not see this or read it upside down.

FORGIVING THE NFF TROIKA: Given the fact that they have been forgiven the sins of their impeachment by the same board, this time, ratified by Congress. Can we become speculators? In the matter filed before the Court of Arbitration (CAS) the “Fantastic Four” (including Dr Bolaji Ojo-Oba) postulated that their impeachment was done in error. If they go to court, they can win. If they win, Maigari’s entire board is out! Myopic? Re-assess the legal implications of that decision again? I forsee the Lulu gang coming back through the back door! One of them is designed to take Owumi's seat. Their argument in the NFF? Owumi and Mike Umeh are from the South East. Both of them CANNOT be first and second Vice of the NFF. So Owumi should be sacrificed for a South West person. This is why the candidate for Secretary General (a south east person) can't be announced. So if Owumi gives way, they will sort out these other "jobs for the boys."

IS THE NFA POPULAR?: One truth is, there is no point in time I have seen Nigerians being as unanimous as this case between the NFA and the NPL. My measure is a simple medium. Brila FM has a daily audience participative programme called BACK PASS. It was the last edition for 2010. What a way to close the year? The issue? The NFA decision to sack Davidson Owumi. The anchor was Lawrence Nwachukwu who by the tradition of the said programme is THE SPEAKER. 38 callers, two inductees, seven women. They all voted against Maigari’s NFA. Not one saw any wisdom in their decision. Can this be a good measure of the popularity or and acceptability of the Maigari board?

Ikpeba...exposed fraud in NFA decision

FRAUDULENT TECHNICAL COMMITTEE: So the Technical Committee headed by Barrister Chris Green is afterall a fraud. Did the committee meet to discuss, nominate and ratify the names of Samson Siasia’s assistants as they make Nigeria and Nigerians believe? I heard a member of the committee, the Prince of Monaco Victor Nosa Ikpeba, on Brila FM, insinuating the committee did not meet on these issues. How was the appointment of the coaches then reached? This is fraud. Someone should be told to resign I think.

I thought Ikpeba went to school and is educated. So he should not behave like some of the drop out footballers who know how to play football but will bootlick to survive. Can this be done to Ikpeba and other members of that committee using their names to lie publicly, what then is the hope of our football on the anvil of integrity? This is sad. This is the type of Maigari’s men. Kudos to Ikpeba for speaking out loud. This is also why we beg our athletes to go to school so that they can stand firm like Ikpeba did on this occasion.