Flying Eagles: N12m hotel bill inflation rocks NFF

Alhaji Maigari...NFF President

Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) have been enmeshed in yet another scandal with the intention to defraud the government following allegation of N12million scam involving two senior officials of the federation barely few days of the news making the rounds that the federation paid some board members and staff contingent to Germany for the recently concluded FIFA Women World Cup even when they were unable to travel, though they denied it.

It was gathered reliably that the new scandal broke out from the Port Harcourt camp of the Flying Eagles which have since travelled to Panama where they continued their preparations for the FIFA U 20 World Cup and are already in Colombia, the host country.

After the team’s camping at the Somitel Hotels and Resorts, off Peter Odili Road, Trans-Amadi in Port Harcourt, top NFF officials (names withheld), allegedly inflated the hotel bills and miscellaneous expenses of the team to the tune of about N12million, a claim that made eyes to protrude in the secretariat in Abuja.

NFF, in order to unearth the matter, aptly dispatched a staff to Port Harcourt two weeks ago to ascertain the financial claims. The initial report of the audit staff showed that a lot of shady deals actually trailed the Port Harcourt camp of the Flying Eagles.

Following the claims submitted by the top NFF officials as expenses incurred by the federation for camping the team in the garden city, it was not clear if the Chibuike Amaechi administration actually rendered any financial support to the Flying Eagles like his Edo State counterpart, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole did for the Dream V team.
Impeccable sources disclosed that the NFF in fact spent more money in the Port Harcourt venture than it would have done if the team had been camped the team in Abuja, which is more expensive ordinarily.

“It is high level of insincerity because we went to Port Harcourt so that we can get some rebate but I can tell you figures from the camp exercise are irritating to common sense and accounting principles. The NFF was forced to investigate the latest bill sent to it by some officers and it was found that the bill was in excess of what the hotel demanded.”
The source wondered why such claims should come from top officials of the federation who should be at the vanguard of ensuring that finances are managed to prevent the NFF from going cap in hand more so when the federation is crying for help.

Meanwhile, the PRO of the hotel, who simply gave her name as Julia confirmed to this reporter in a telephone interview that the Rivers State government footed part of the bill for the team’s camping but added that she was not in a position to say if the hotel forwarded any bill to the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) talk less of saying the exact amount quoted.

The PRO insisted that it is against ethics to disclose business transactions between them and their clients to a third party and noted that she could not confirm if the said bill emanated from the hotel.
When pressed further, the PRO who refused to disclose her surname said all she knows was that the national U 20 team was camped in their hotel but she could not confirm if any bill was issued to the NFF not to talk of inflating the amount.

All African Games: Nigeria, Ekeji's banana peel is AFN

Yusuf Sulaiman, Sports Minister

Disaster looms large like a dark cloud foretold on the results from the September 2011 All African Games in Mozambique. Nigeria will return with the worst ever result in recent years. Unless, yes, unless  the National Sports Commission (NSC) rise to stop the sole administrator of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Mr. Solomon Ogba from his messianic complex.
Nationalaccordsports checks revealed that the list of the team and officials to superintend the preparations for the games did not receive the approval of the board of the federation. Most members of the board heard of the list from "outsiders".
The athletes on the list are outsiders to medal range at the game. Only one athlete falls in medal range from our team. The others are below average athletes whose performance cannot be upped drastically before September.
The Ekeji phenomena:
Director General National Sports Commission (NSC) Chief Patrick Ekeji, has a unique place in Nigerian sports history. He led Nigeria to top the medal table in the All Africa Games at the eighth edition held in Abuja in 2003. We were told you don’t change a winning team. We did against the ninth edition in Algiers 2007. Dr. Amos Adamu led the crew and could not retain Ekeji’s feat in Abuja.

Some authorities consider Team Nigeria’s performance at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 in India as outstanding. However, to pundits who know, that could not have been the best that Nigeria is capable of achieving. Even at that, had the nation organised herself well, tapped into available best human resources, we could have done far better than that.

Today, Ekeji is the chief accounting officer of the National Sports Commission (NSC). Will he superintend a final rubbishing of the records he had? The pointers are obvious that the nation most likely will be heading into her worst performance in the All African games. The nation’s most potent sport where she hauls medals with absolute ease used to be weightlifting, boxing and athletics. Weightlifting is not listed for competition in this games. Our boxing is in coma. Our athletics is heading for the rock of self destruct. To save his name and record, there is need to call the ship out of the deep sea. Candidly, and in reality, it is absolutely difficult to reverse the trend. Therefore, the nation is faced with a very sad and bad outing in Mozambique.

Yusuf Sulaiman's first failure:
The new Minister of Sports and Chairman NSC, Yusuf Suleiman, though fresh in sports, will record his first failure in the Ministry in Maputo. There is no doubt that television analysts, newspaper columnists and pundits will readily blame Ekeji and the NSC when Team Nigeria fails. They will certainly call for Ekeji’s head.
This is why Ekeji needs to be proactive now and quickly. Thank God, we are so adept at planlessness and short cuts. That is why the list of athletes and coaches being submitted by each of the federations going to Maputo should be reviewed directly by the NSC and not the jaundiced federations like athletics.

If Sulaiman is forgiven for the failure in Maputo, he will have a repeat in the London 2012 Olympics. The irony and the absolute truth is that we do not have any athlete that will pick even a wood medal. Serious nations of the world would have used the Maputo games as a preparatory event for their athletes going to London.
The bone of contention in athletics:
Nigeria’s elite coaches are an unwanted specie in Solomon Ogba’s national teams. In the 51 athletes that will represent Nigeria in Maputo, 28 are female and 23 male. There is no female coach in the team. No medical doctor nor physiotherapist in the list of officials. All our elite coaches, except Harrison Momah, are excluded from the team. This shows the quality of maladministration and the extremely lack of oversight function by the NSC on its federations.

How on earth will 14 persons fraudulently tagged as 'coaches' take Nigeria to the All African games if it is not for jamboree? A peep through the list has shown categorically clear that it is either the AFN does not understand their schedules or they are confused. Many of those brought to tinker the Nigerian team have never coached in their lives! They do not have any single athlete they have produced anywhere. Some other coaches scouted or and produced the athletes they want to fraudulently use to make name. monkey dey work baboon dey chop is the mantra!

 Where has Gabrial Opuana, Sunday Bada or the others on the list trained as a coach or have coached? Yes, they ran the tracks abroad but many of them are not even graduates. One of them followed the paralympians to Australia for the 2000 Olympics. He stayed back. Years later, he was deported to Nigeria. He has been fingered repeatedly to be the supplier of enhancement performance drugs to our athletes. What does he want in our national team?

If the ‘coaches’ of Ogba and the AFN claim to have the requisite qualification, what did they read? So one wonders how the AFN arrived at the rationale of the list. The placement of the coaches also showed that 'Basket Mouth' the comedian may have drawn up the list.
How on earth did they arrive with coaches for short sprints, long sprints and relays? This is a clear admittance that they do not understand how these things are done in the game. Even the choice of the athletes is sincerely not on merit.
A particular case will suffice. Ann Nwogu, a 400m hurdler was on an initial list. She is not on the new list. When question was asked, I gathered "she was dropped because she was disobedient." The young lass was third at the National Athletics championships in Calabar. She won gold at the National Sports Festival in Port-Harcourt. She was dropped from the All African Games's list because she disobeyed AFN president by not going to the world youth championship which would have denied Rivers State the gold medal she won and increase the chances of his own Delta State. Uhn!

Criminal athletes/misplaced choices:
Did the compiler and his/her supervisors understand the meaning of the word PROBATION? They placed some athletes on "probation". I am sure that they do not know the meaning. If I were one of such labelled athletes, I will sue them because probation has to do with criminality and a suspended over sight by law enforcement agencies.
Innocent Egbunike, arguably the best elite athlete coach Nigeria has is not good for Ogba’s national team. Egbunike has led Team Nigeria to record many successes including winning the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He has also achieved success elsewhere, notably in America where he coached Angelo Taylor to win the Olympics gold medal in 400 hurdles at Beijing 2008. None of the coaches in Ogba’s camp can near Egbunike in terms of productivity.
Tony Osheku is another good elite coach overlooked by the federation. It was Osheku who coached Falilat Ogunkoya-Omotayo to win two Olympics medals at Atlanta 96 Games, and she became the best quarter-miler in the world two years later. He coached Seun Ogunkoya to become one the best sprinters in the world between 1997 and 1999. Then, big names like Ato Bolden, Maurice Green and Donovan Bailey dreaded Ogunkoya, others include Mercy Nku, late Sunday Emmanuel to mention a few.
Osheku coached Libyan Mohamed Ashour Khowaja to become the best quarter-miler in Africa at the last African Championship, he also won the event at the last Mediterranean Games in Pescara (Italy). North African are not known to be good in the quarter-mileand Osheiku produced what they consider as 'magical'. A case of prophets not being honoured at home?
Mrs. Pat Itanyi-Williams the West Virginia University trained coach who has about five athletes in camp is not good enough for Ogba’s national team. Duro Ikhazuagbe of Thisday newspaper is perfect choice for media officer. A foreigner in the media, Emelia Sturham was named as media officer. This is underlining the inanity of sacrificing merit on the anvil of job for the boys.
OUR CHANCES SPURNED:
The chances of our athletes at the games are very slim. The truth is that Botswanans, Ghanaians, Zimbabweans, Kenyans, Zambians and even North Africans like South Africans and Cameroonians are ranked ahead of Nigerians in the men’s 100m, 200m, and 400m.  We have no athlete in the first four in all these events. None of our athletes is even in the top ten medal range in the 4x100m, 4x400m, long jump, high jump, decathlon. The only exception is triple jumper Tosin Oke who is sure of a gold medal. 
Our prospect in the women events are looking like hopeful especially in 100m, 200m, 4x400m, long jump, 400 hurdles and high jump. Even at this, we do not have the elite coaches to drive these athletes to enter into these potentials. Our chances in the other events are rather slim.
Our chances in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays should have been bright with the right coaches. Nigeria has a penchance of messing up major championship with very good athletes who have very good chances of winning medals in the relays, but poor baton exchanges, in-fighting among the athletes and absence of elite coaches with strong personality will mar our chances.

MY EXPERIMENTS WITH THE TRUTH

*Yusuf Sulaiman's 9-man 'reform' committee's albatross

I am reacting to the developments in our football in the last couple of days with a dispassionate and humble spirit. I submit that I do not and will never claim perfection for the various experiments or ways out of the quagmire. Like a science, I have conducted my thinking with utmost accuracy, forethought and minuteness and an open mind for the best interest of the game in the country.

So long as my acts satisfy my reason and my heart I do not owe anyone any apology on all the issues involved in the quest to make Nigerian sports, including the entire sports industry, better than we had met it.

The truth includes the experiments with various principles that are conclusive and logical to reason. The truth is both in context, content, and conception. I am, as an individual, prepared to sacrifice the things dearest to me in the pursuit of this truth. This I also believe was the consensus of the group I am the only one who applied to belong, the NFA interim board. Others were invited.
The myopic board led by Alhaji Aminu Maigari not to know that they do not have the power to ban a journalist for being too critical of their activities and for carrying out my constitutionally guaranteed role made me to apply to join the NFA interim board.

The relative truth is my beacon, shield and buckler. It is strait, narrow and sharp like the edge of the razor. And it is, can anyone wish away the judgement of Justice Okon Abang? Since the NFF slept on its rights to vacate that order and its now statute barred, where is their moral strength to remain in office? Which legal instruments caused their continued operations? The 2^nd February affidavit remains its biggest albatross. All their trifling blunders, letters of insult to the NSC, Chief Patrick Ekeji etc can they be changed in view of the Yusuf Sulaiman nine-man panel? I keep strictly to these paths.

The solution to the problems beclouding Nigerian football is like the search for the truth. It is as simple as it is difficult. They may appear impossible to an arrogant person but quite possible to an innocent child. The seeker after the truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet but the seeker after the truth should be so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will we have a glimpse of the truth.

If anything that I write (or have said on radio and television) is seen as touched with pride, then he must take it that there is something wrong with the quest, and that my glimpses are no more than mirage. Let hundred like me perish, but let the truth prevail. Let us not reduce the standard of the truth even by a hair’s breadth for judging erring mortals like myself in this conflict.

I am not going to conceal or understate any ugly things that must be told in the defence of the best interests of this nation. I will openly admit my own faults or and errors if there are any. In judging myself I shall try to be harsh as truth as I want others also to be.

It is an unbroken torture that Yusuf Sulaiman’s committee will search for the truth in this understanding. It is the passion for the good of the nation that should be the eyelet of their various submissions. That will defeat the polar functions that caused the crisis that had broken down peace and development in the nation’s football.

What I want to achieve, -what I have been striving and pining to achieve – is national realisation. If it is possible for a kid in Johannesburg, Accra, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, London etc to have a formal, deliberate exposure to football (like in all sports) development that is supportive and educative, why should the Nigerian child not have the same?

Some of the nations who provide these environments for these kids who excel are not better both in political, social, economic and environmental context than Nigeria. Why must our nation be different, backward and retrogressing? Why must people not get things done on merit including appointment to coach, work, be an athlete or excel in the national teams?

If Yusuf Sulaiman’s committee after successfully bringing the two extremist interests of our football to agree to go this way, cannot deliver the truth in its white colours by its recommendations and the issues that will be raised before them, God will not forgive them. Then, posterity will curse them. They will therefore, become the curse of ignominy.

NFA-NFF Crises: Sports minister attempts solution

Tenebe of the NFA

…Constitutes committee to resolve football conflicts

The Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission, (NSC) Mr. Yusuf Suleiman, has spearheaded a new initiative to resolve all the lingering issues affecting the smooth management of the game in the country which led to the factionalisation of the Glass House.

All the three key actors in the crisis including the National Sports Commission, the Jarret Tenebe led-NFA and the Aminu Maigari led-NFF were said to have agreed would nominate one representative each in the committee of nine members whose term of reference would be announced later by the minister of sports. The NSC is to nominate six other members one each from the nation’s geo-political zones.

Chairman of the interim board of the NFA, Jaret Tenebe, read the communiqué arising from the meeting. He said all the parties have agreed to the need for peace to prevail as a prerequisite for football development in the country.

According to him, “there is need to reform football administration in the country and therefore, to start the process by the constitution of a committee made up of Nigerians of high standing in the society in which the NSC, the NFA and the NFF shall nominate one representative each’’.
The warring parties have also agreed with the minister of sports to withdraw any pending legal matters in court and subsequently refrain from taking football matters to court.

They also agreed that NFA and the NFF shall as a matter of urgency, put machineries in motion to reconcile the Nigeria Players Union in the interest and welfare of Nigerian footballers.
Tenebe said while reading the communiqué that all actions shall be geared towards the good of the game and its development in Nigeria and the best interest of the country.

Maigari of the NFF

Tenebe said they agreed on the need for peace to reign believing that the new minister of sports, Yusuf Suleiman is a sincere person. ‘’We have given him the support to find resolution to the problem of Nigeria football and we believe that he will do the right thing’’.

NFF President, Aminu Maigari, however, expressed gratitude to the minister of sports for the intervention brought the two parties together to jaw-jaw. ‘’I want to thank the minister for the resolution of the problem. Putting the two parties together in the committee, we will work to ensure that in the next five days, people will see the new way forward’’.

Sports minister, Yusuf Suleiman, who brokered the temporal peace said, “I told you earlier in my meeting with you, the press, that within a few days I will find resolution to the crisis. I am glad to say that in the meeting and interaction with the various groups, I learnt that it is passion for the development of football that is responsible for the crisis.’’

Suleiman said that he is encouraged that the task of administering football has been made easier due to the peace deal. He maintained that the setting up of the committee would definitely proffer the much needed solution.

Also speaking during the meeting, the Director General of NSC, Chief Patrick Ekeji, noted that “no matter how hot or deep a matter is, it can only be settled on a round table and not through war. Even when wars are fought with pains and warships, the disagreement can only be settled on a round table. So I am happy that peace has returned to our football.”

However, the NFA has nominated Mr. Harrison Jalla to represent her on the committee while the NFF has nominated Mr. Christopher Green to also represent her. The NSC’s representative and the geo-political zonal representatives are being awaited to be named with the inauguration of the panel set for next week.

FURTHER PROOFS OF THE FRAUD IN NIGERIAN ATHLETICS

Solomon Ogba,the god in Nigerian athletics

The moment a man starts to play God in any circumstance, rights will be abolished. Morality will become an alien. Superior evidence of doing things right will be measured as insubordination.

Can someone call the mini-God of Nigerian athletics, the evangelist whose conducts are not evangelising to some order before he finally destroys the heritage we have voted him to care for on our behalf?

I was so shocked to find out that two young athletes in what is variantly called "waka" in the local sports parlance but globally known as the 20kilometre Walk Race are going to be made into still birth because of selfish interest.

Joy Davis, female, broke the national record in the event at the national athletics championships in Calabar with a new time of 1:46.35.83sec while Adeyemi  Kazeem equally conspired to also break the national record in the male event with a new time of 1:35.15.76.

How were they not invited on the All African Games list? Instead, we are parading cheats all over the place. Recall I exposed the heavy ungodly conduct of the Solomon Ogba-led AFN in the team that went to the African junior meant for 20 year olds. We took a squad whose average age was 25 years there.

We repeated the same fraud in the just concluded world youth championships. Good that we returned blanks. I was so happy they did not win even recognition lest a medal. I can reveal that we lied and cheated again. Six members of that team were way up qualified cheats.

One just finished the compulsory NYSC. It is true that nobody can finish from any higher institution before clocking 20. You can’t be lesser than five years to enter primary school. You’ll spend six years there. So you can be about eleven to enter secondary school;

You’ll need to spend another six years there. So you can be about 17 years to leave  secondary school. Add four years in the university, you must be 21 years to leave the university. Add one year national service, you must be 22 years. This is given the candidate has a smooth path all through.

By the end of youth service, you can be 23 years. To have finished service and be presented at an U-20 event is a big fraud. By her records in the NYSC when she registered for the NYSC programme, she is 27 years old. She was made to run among 20 year olds yet they could not deliver.

Who will stop this monster that is ravaging the health of Nigerian athletics beyond repairs? Nigeria is sure a laughing stock of serious nations. Where is our national honour? Do we have shame at all? Have we lost conscience? Does God not tell his evangelist that he is a cheat and that He is a God of the just and fair?