MARTYRDOM VERSUS NATIONAL INTEREST

Maigari...running a script well

When General Olusegun Obasanjo became President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1999. His sponsors into the office tried breathing down his neck. The man stood his ground and squealed: I want to be my own man. He committed political martyrdom and defended National interest.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos governor when he finished his second term supported the ambition his Chief of Staff, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) as governor. At a point after one year in office, Fashola chose martyrdom in the defence of the people’s interest. He like Obasanjo got second term. Fashola got a deserved second term for good performance.

IS MAIGARI’S BOARD INCOMPETENT?

Fashola...stood his ground

It is only in a clime of incompetence do you find things not working well. I stand up today to say that no one can or should accuse or describe the Aminu Maigari’s board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of being incompetent. I hold one key person here in ‘prison’ and it is Mike Enahoro of the Africa Independent Television (AIT)’s Sports File. He thinks these goons are grossly incompetent.

I am now convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that the NFF chieftains are not incompetent. They deserve a national award. President Goodluck Jonathan please swing into action. These guys have a script. They have managed their script to the last letter.

Part of the script was to manufacture a special rule to sack Davidson Owumi. A Professor Ibidapo-Obe Committee was set up. They did the hatchet’s job. Owumi was sacked and left to become the aggressor.

NO, THEY’RE PLAYING A SCRIPT

They swore never to allow any former player of the game to get to manage the game. All the former players who came out were all chased out.

They swore that Aisha Falode and all those who participated in the sacking of Lulu, Uchegbulam and Ogunjobi will never return. Dominic Iorfa, Princess Bola Jegede, Obinna Ogba et al never returned.

They made Aminu Maigari to beg and prostrate to be forgiven. He was forgiven and installed as President. He had an “Aburi Agreement” to retain the staffers who worked with the Lulu administration. Incidentally, the tenure of these men expired.

Aisha Falode, it was decided in a meeting two days ago in Abuja, that she must be stopped from emerging the Chairman of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) for daring to remove “our anointed candidate”. Yet, the same goons had decided that Princess Bola Jegede must not return. Yet, Dilichuckwu Onyedinma CANNOT re-run the election. How does Maigari achieve this little task?

In meeting up with the dictates of his godfathers, Maigari has won again. He has extended the tenure of these men for six long months meant to ease out the tenure of the current minister, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, to go.

ADEDOJA FAUX PAS

The plan is when this minister goes, before a next minister comes, the tenure of these men would be renewed for four years.

Adedoja...missing his tracks

The issue is, what is the minister doing that the nation’s football is being played with like a chess game to which he himself is a pawn in the grand scheme of things? Khartoum in Sudan has shown that the minister is just a piece not recognized on the board.

The way we are going it is sad that Professor Adedoja does not seem to understand the import of this inanity. What stops the appointment of a new Secretary General? It is the job of the Secretary General to recruit his staffers and

manage the administration of the game.

The board of the NFF ordinarily is not Executive but one that is expected to churn out policies. The board is now involved in administration which is the functions of the office of the Secretary General. Since the minister has decided to go on leave over his oversight function, who then saves the game from extinction as we are made to head to hara-kiri?