SANI TORO’S NFF COMMITTEE. ISSUES ARISING

Dr. Adamu...mediated but the space was lost

Yes, the impression built in the football world is that I have not and will not see anything ‘good’ due to the legality issue of the NFF. That is true. That does not also remove that if anything looks sensible in their actions it should not be praised or seen from an objective perspective. When Jubril Tahir wrote the story, as the Editor of the sports pages of the national accord about committees being set up, I went out of my way to search for the terms of reference of the committees. One committee that attracted my attention is the one headed by Sani Ahmed Toro.

I read and for once thought inside of me that someone is doing a heavy intellectual development package which is far bigger than the entire NFF board. It was in the course of this investigation I found out there was a Nigeria Football Transformation Summit in the burners to hold sometimes later in the year.

The people behind the seminar have really done a good job of their tasks. My thinking and fears like always has been that Alhaji Aminu Maigari as President of the NFF had all the rooms in the world to have nipped the current crisis in the bud and move to become the best man to have ruled Nigerian football. He fluffed the chances.

He and his team had a legal necklace from day one. They brought in another person I don’t like but you can’t afford not to respect him for the positions he has held in Nigerian sports, Dr. Amos Adamu. There was the silent hand of Dr. Rafiu Ladipo in all these. A short term peace was achieved. After the battle, the NFF people went to town celebrating their victory in a winner-takes-all manner. This opened the door to a new battle in the war.

Had they been honourable and carried out the agreements of that informal peace document, would we be in the same shoes today? For me, the reform would have been on ground. These efforts through the Sani Toro committee is essentially reform agenda. Added to Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi’s moves, does it make a meaning to watchers? Given Toro’s role in the last Senate committee public hearing and the fact that he belonged to the Oneya Committee, how does he achieve these roles in one?

Now, how does this Toro committee get the ‘opposition’ into working out a seamless route into the future? Can this future be trod without the ‘opposition’? Can the NFF achieve the objectives she has set for the Toro committee without working well with all parties interested in Nigerian football?

Review of Toro’s Committee: The 90 days for the committee is simply a manacle. How on earth are the NFF people thinking these events can be concluded in 90 days? Haba! Did the committee members see what I am seeing? I see an error of judgment in the timing there. Two, if the Nigerian Football Transformative initiative is on-going, why is this committee not using that platform to build a bridge of reconnection with all parties?

Maigari, Jalla...can they meet on this? 

Like I said earlier in this platform, can there be peace without justice? How can these brilliant concepts be managed and delivered without peace? That is where the peace committee set up by the NFF becomes deficient and handicapped. Are the members of the committee having the clout to be listened to by any of the aggrieved parties? Or can football development be carried out in the present state pretending that the ‘opposition’ does not exist?

Is the Toro committee not going to be undertaking the core roles that Mr. Tom Saintfiet, NFF’s technical director, is expected to working on? Is Toro’s committee not going to be embarking on foreign trips to say they want to go and learn what exists elsewhere whereas they can get every information from the internet? How will the members make enough money for themselves in 90days while still pretending to be doing what they are expected to do?

Maigari’s board, honour and reform: Some of us cannot trust the current NFF board. We have our friends on board we know and can trust. One fear that gnaws a lot of serious beings who had made secret moves to get peace going in the game is, can this board be honourable and trust worthy to deliver if this Toro committee come up with a correct position acceptable to all?

Will the Maiagari board be honourable to accept and deliver a ‘Glasnost and Perestroika’ in this reform match? What will this committee do outside the Oneya committee tasks? What if they come up with the Oneya option again? Can we trust them all in this their match? Many more questions to answer.

Woe to those who call evil good - The Bible

Maigari...we disagree but not to insult him

A sponsored fool keeps coming to my blog to write all manners of thrash and indecent choice of gutter language certainly, he is a lackey of the NFF.
He trips me because he identifies where he is coming from. Each time his masters gets factual hits, his nerves rupture. I have learnt not to reply the monkey.
As soon as he wrote his last comments less than five minutes after posting the facts about Chris Green, a lady called my phone. She prayed un-end for me and added, "the Bible said: woe to those who call evil good."
I got so much relief knowing afterall I am standing on the pedestal of truth. Was this whole fight about personalities? No.
It pre-dated the appointment of Dr. Patrick Ekeji as DG of the NSC. Was the same Dr. Ekeji never been so harrassed on this blog severally? Must I abuse him when I don't have my facts?
The same way I refused to take on Alhaji Aminu Maigari because as an individual, I have nothing against him. At personal level, I respect him. As a member and President of the NFF he and his journeymen represent illegality. QED.
No matter what my views remain scientific meeting all the indices of science. No wonder two Courts of law pronounced same in tandem with my earlier presentations about them.
If they spend all their years inside the Glass House. It does not change my position. They are free to come here to express their frustration but the fact remains, the biblical curse remains like a necklace on them for calling evil good. 

Chris Green took NFA to court in 1998. So why is it a sin now to do same?

Green...Kettle calling pot black

To have a rich history and be proud of it is a strong heritage. To want to re-write history is fool hardy. The latter is what the Japanese call sciolists and advise we should ignore because they are the biggest of fools.

The Hausas say "ban gwan kwali, uban dutse" which the Yoruba equivalent is "ogulutu baba oko" and the adulterated English version is "those who live in glass house don't throw stones".
If anyone follows threads here well, I had reason to question the hordes of 'lawyers' in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Today, I can reveal that Christopher Green was the one who, on behalf of Sharks FC of Port-Harcourt, took the NFA to court after instigating fans against Rangers of Enugu to cause some confusion in the league.
I saw the court papers in the course of looking for another document and laughed myself hoarse wondering what they in the Glass House now say about taking football matters to court.
Yet, this same Green (wonder if it were not he only read law courses) would chastise NANF and others who went to courts of the land because he's now in the NFF (twice declared illegal by courts of the land).
Chris Green was the secretary of Sharks FC when he instigated fans of the club against Rangers International FC of Enugu leading the NFA to descend on Sharks.
Does Mr. Green think that our memory is so short? Or if we do not keep records? I read his affidavits and feel like many of those in the saddle of football today are not just comedians of grave error.
Is the same Green not the law illiterate who wrote the Police that I caused libel and defamation against the NFF? I have just briefed a lawyer to "sue the bastards" like a popular lawyers' sticker screamed in advise. Their legal troubles will in a matter of days increase by one. I am going to court against them.

There can never be peace where justice is not served.
 
 
 

To have a rich history and be proud of it is a strong heritage. To want to re-write history is fool hardy. The latter is what the Japanese call sciolists and advise we should ignore because they are the biggest of fools.
The Hausas say "ban gwan kwali, uban dutse" which the Yoruba equivalent is "ogulutu baba oko" and the adulterated English version is "those who live in glass house don't throw stones".
If anyone follows threads here well, I had reason to question the hordes of 'lawyers' in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Today, I can reveal that Christopher Green was the one who, on behalf of Sharks FC of Port-Harcourt, took the NFA to court after instigating fans against Rangers of Enugu to cause some confusion in the league.
I saw the court papers in the course of looking for another document and laughed myself hoarse wondering what they in the Glass House now say about taking football matters to court.
Yet, this same Green (wonder if it were not he only read law courses) would chastise NANF and others who went to courts of the land because he's now in the NFF (twice declared illegal by courts of the land).
Chris Green was the secretary of Sharks FC when he instigated fans of the club against Rangers International FC of Enugu leading the NFA to descend on Sharks.
Does Mr. Green think that our memory is so short? Or if we do not keep records? I read his affidavits and feel like many of those in the saddle of football today are not just comedians of grave error.
Is the same Green not the law illiterate who wrote the Police that I caused libel and defamation against the NFF? I have just briefed a lawyer to "sue the bastards" like a popular lawyers' sticker screamed in advise. Their legal troubles will in a matter of days increase by one. I am going to court against them.

There can never be peace where justice is not served.
 
 
 

Why government can’t leave sports funding

Chukwumerije, invested in Taekwondo

I met an avuncular friend, he was 73 years old just two weeks ago. He was at the two-days of thousand laughs at the Senate last week. A first edition of the funs and comedies had taken place at the lower chambers of the National Assembly, the House of Representatives.

This friend lamented how “my time was seriously wasted because I now believe nothing will and can come out of the charade called Public Hearing.” Along the line, he asked: “why do you think the government can’t leave out the NFF wholly to source for and fund itself?”

I first went on a bout of laughter then reminded him of his own days at the saddle of the NFA. That week in the National Sportslink, I had a full page article arguing for the NFA to be weaned wholly financially from government funding. The NFA called a press conference the following Monday morning 

to debunk what they then called “satanic and unprogressive thinking of enemies of Nigerian football” which made Muyiwa Daniel, GboyegaOkegbenro, and a whole chunk of seniors to wonder what is wrong. Good enough, the NFA that day was almost short of mentioning my name and the paper but everyone at the conference knew what was at stake.

I went on to tell him, do you know that every match played by the Super eagles cost on the average $800,000 (about N125m)? He screamed. I told him “if the NFF gets free N156m monthly from the federation account and they don’t have to account for the money, why do they need the private sector?

I asked him if he’s aware that the NFF submitted to the National Assembly that in a single match they fed the Super Eagles with N9m?it’s a public document. No one in the NFF has denied or can deny such till date. He almost fainted with the quality of the revelations he was hearing.

I finally posed to him, “how then will those inside and outside the NFF who benefit and smile to the banks when the national team plays will ask such government patron to stop? Why should it stop? If anyone tries it, nothing is and will be too small to fight such a person including killing.

Since there is a Hembe-spirit in the members of the National Assembly (in the name of oversight function), who then stops this well-orchestrated practice? For so long as this remains, then, we will continue to wallow in the same mud for years, yes, years to come.

Odegbami, invested in Ajunwa's gold

GOD, SPORTS AND RESULTS: It is fraudulent not to sow and expect a bountiful harvest. That is the Nigerian sports industry in summary. Absolute fraud. What annoys some of us is dragging the name of God into such monumental fraud. The second is, officials who know there is calamity ahead and know also that the nation did not work or deserve any medal will start manufacturing stories from some credible names and using the athletes to spread hope. I gathered many of the news reports credited to coach Innocent Egbunike in recent times were not from the coach.

In nations where sports is seen as a science and not as a gamble, it takes between six and eight years of consistent hardwork, training, planning, conscientious exposure to produce an Olympian medallist.

All the medals we have won in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, All African Games etc are functions of gamble and the efforts of the individual athletes, brilliance of some of the coaches and definitely NOT as a result of systemic planning.

Let me quickly hit a nail on the head. As soon as ChiomaAjunwa’s first ban was nearing expiration, Chief Patrick Olusegun Odegbami’s Worldwide Sports Limited started working with the athlete. They shipped her to London to hone her training.

By the time the ban was lifted, she entered into competition and matured into the Olympics where she got the first individual gold medal in athletics and long jump.

As soon as she got the gold, the NSC and NOC buffs celebrated and took over the glory. Till date, who has appropriately recalled or paid for the investment of Chief Odegbami’s company in the media to getting that gold  medal?

We are heading to London with just weeks to go. If we were a serious nation, we had all the years to prepare. Take athletics as example, they just employed Innocent Egbunike reluctantly. It was like the NSC imposed Egbunike on them. It took almost a month before his demands for experienced Tony Osheiku was approved and they rejected Pat Itanyi.

Rather, 11 “Olympians” were recruited before Egbunike was recruited. In this population, many of them never attended any Olympics andliethey are Olympians. One of them is an international drug courier. Many of athletes caught in the drug web have a link to him. Many of them never finished in any school for any degree lest coaching.

Explaining last week, AFN claimed Itanyi was not good enough to coach the senior national team. My investigations show that in the build-up to Maputo, she was listed as “Welfare Officer” whereas, she rejected such designation saying she is a trained coach. They asked for her certificate which she scanned and sent to them. Why can’t the same AFN use the same judgment for their 11 coaches and let’s see who survives?

What do we expect from such jaundiced group? When the same Itanyi was combing the United States to recruit athletes for the nation, nobody told her she is not good enough to coach the national team. In such circumstances, can they pray and have their prayers answered? Is God a partial one? Is He sleeping? Will He bless such efforts?

WHERE IS ADEWALE OLUKOJU? Is he not better in terms of magnitude, depth and intellectitude than some of those who never finished in universities but because they can bootlick to be appointed to the national teams.

Did ShaibuAmodu not qualified us twice to the World Cup? Was he not sacked twice? What did we get in return? For those who care, check the results in the two World Cup outings, does it tell you about God being at work?

God will bless the work of your hand according to how just, fair and the quality of the input you invested and deserve. Can we say amen in sports and on our way to London?

Itanyi: Trained coach rejected
 for being "stubborn"

If amen can be said, then, only Jonathan Akinyemi and the taekwondo team will be able to say amen. If they win any medal, can we say we worked for it? Yet, the NSCand NOC will lay credits to it. See the fraud therein? Like chief Odegbami, you will see Senator Uche Chukwumerije’s silhouette in the dark behind the taekwondoists.

Ask quickly, where was our old and traditional strength in games like weightlifting, table-tennis, boxing? As soon as we fail woefully in London, I will recommend another round of comedic public hearing by the National Assembly to find out why we failed and keep the reports in the ledges until Jesus comes.