EFCC arrests Nigerian Football Federation VP Mike Umeh

Umeh (right) presenting AFCON trophy to Liyel Imoke

*To appear in Sokoto High Court for money laundering

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has confirmed the arrest of the Vice President of the Nigerian Football Federation, (NFF) Cheif Mike Umeh.

In a brief statement signed by Wilson Uwujaren
Acting Head, Media & Publicity of the EFCC and made available to www.gongnews.net dated
27th May, 2013 he said Umeh was picked up by operatives of the Commission today in Lagos following a warrant by a Sokoto High Court.

He will tomorrow, 28^th May, 2013 appear before Justice Bello Abass of the Sokoto High Court.

He further explained that, “Umeh is an accomplice in the case of money laundering and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N15billion for which former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto State is standing trial.”

  Culled from www.gongnews.net

Strangers in the house of Nigerian sports

*Directors of sports made a whole lot of money from elections

*Four-some boycott in basketball

Minister Bolaji Abdullahi

We can reveal to you that some sports will never wake from their deep slumbers due to the fact that those who are saddled with the management of the sport disciplines in question are absolute strangers to the sport they are supposed to manage.

In the Squash Racket, there is heavy disquiet within the rank and file of the players of the game. The President was a hockey player. He was on the board of the heavily infected last management that helped strangulated the sport. His Vice is a tennis player who does not know how the squash racket looks like.

In Darts, it is a slightly wild case. Those that won the election (is it not better we call it selection process) belong to another body called Nigeria Darts Association (NDA) and not the registered body known as Darts Federation of Nigeria (DFN). Both the new President and his Vice belong to the Association and not to the Federation.

Meanwhile, our investigations revealed that the method designed by the National Sports Commission (NSC) whereby the 37 Directors of sports, including that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are he electors at the zonal level was bastardised. They practically collected monies from all the parties contesting. Where you refuse to part with your money, you are sheved and where you do not pay enough, you are dropped.

Those who got elected to serve on the various boards of the sports federations were the highest bidders. That is why many of the sports federation boards had practical strangers sitting on their boards thus, making nonsense out of the plans of the NSC to attract worthy representation as a media to galvanise the various sports.

Our investigation showed a critical case in squash racket where a former Nigerian number two player came out to join in the management of the game that produced him, took him to several nations and made him rich today. Unknown to him, he was persuaded to leave the slot for another person who had no business of any sort since he can come in from the athlete representative.

Another case in the Kaduna centre, a particular candidate from Kano never sponsored any championship as required by the guideline. When the matter was raised, the Directors of sports pleaded that he should be left and will be voted out for the former player of that sport. The result turned otherwise. That was how the loser protested “despite each of the Directors of Sports collecting N50,000 and accommodation from me.”

A further investigation revealed that the winning party had doled out more. How much he gave became a conjecture as neither the giving party nor the taking party confirmed the amounts involved.

Four-some boycott: In basketball, there was protest by the quadruple of Messrs Musa Khida (south-south), Babs Ogunade (south-west), Osita Nwachukwu (south-east) and Mark Oguche (north central). Ironically, they are two-third of the members elected from the zones. The remaining two were joined by the selected five stakeholders and held the election.

As it is, the quartet will carry over the boil to the rest of the four years of that board. Will these not make one of the three sports federation in the last term (2009-2013) being Basketball, Scrabble and Chess not be made to face a new crisis that can destroy all the gains of the steady development of the last four boards which culminated in the De’Tigers’ London 2012 spectacular qualification? Can the wounds be healed for the sake of the game?

Pockets of dissent rent the air: With the outcome of the protestations and tribulations expressed by the old but retired player structures against the population and manipulation of outsiders to manage their game, is it safe to predict that some of the federations especially the prime ones may witness earthquakes?

The forebodes came on the eve of the inauguration of the sports federation when handball was taken to court by a league of the former international players. As soon as the court papers came, I screamed that the virus of litigation that struck our football with internal bleeding is here. Where and when will this stop?

Once one or two sports pick the virus, the entire body polity of Nigerian sports would have been destroyed. Certainly, there are likely going to be such legal niceties in a couple of years. People realizing they can approach the courts to adjudicate on conflicts which years back were left to chance then we run the circle of drifting backwards into oblivia.

Sports justice: The case of an overbearing sports federation killing opposition voices with bans not commensurate to punishment as was the case of athletics on the eve of the election remains a new addition to the quality of injustices in the land.

There are no Courts of Arbitration in Sports (CAS) in Nigeria with a virile field of operation. This need was obviously on the front burner when the litigations started in football. Here we are, the need gnaws us at the face again. A situation where the sports minister is a stranger to issues and developments in the industry, he/she CANNOT and WILL NEVER understand these felt needs of the industry.

I won’t be surprised if one day some aggrieved parties seeing the fact that going to a regular court will not give them justice will not learn to out of frustration take the laws into their hands and do what they think is best. We are heading to the Hobbesian state of anomie where the rule of the strongest is survival.

Olympic holiday continues: Safe for some other lesser sports like Taekwondo, Weightlifting, (not too sure of table tennis), and Chess who got some fresh air who ironically are not on the radar of development plan by the NSC, I presage Nigeria for another 12 years may be on Olympic medal holiday. The omen are bleak, the paths are dark, the travellers have no idea of navigating out of the deep forest. God help Nigeria.

The ritual of selection or election has come and gone. The imagined stronger foundation for real time development seems to have refused to cross the hurdles. For the gods of sports, the NSC has performed the rites, where the propitiation and libations are correct, the pregnancy in the belly of time will tell what type of child is to be born. Like the human will born in nine months, we wait for the Expected Date of Delivery (EDD) in Rio de Janeiro. May this belly not be blank like London.

Strangers in the house of Nigerian sports

*Directors of sports made a whole lot of money from elections

*Four-some boycott in basketball

Minister Bolaji Abdullahi

We can reveal to you that some sports will never wake from their deep slumbers due to the fact that those who are saddled with the management of the sport disciplines in question are absolute strangers to the sport they are supposed to manage.

In the Squash Racket, there is heavy disquiet within the rank and file of the players of the game. The President was a hockey player. He was on the board of the heavily infected last management that helped strangulated the sport. His Vice is a tennis player who does not know how the squash racket looks like.

In Darts, it is a slightly wild case. Those that won the election (is it not better we call it selection process) belong to another body called Nigeria Darts Association (NDA) and not the registered body known as Darts Federation of Nigeria (DFN). Both the new President and his Vice belong to the Association and not to the Federation.

Meanwhile, our investigations revealed that the method designed by the National Sports Commission (NSC) whereby the 37 Directors of sports, including that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are he electors at the zonal level was bastardised. They practically collected monies from all the parties contesting. Where you refuse to part with your money, you are sheved and where you do not pay enough, you are dropped.

Those who got elected to serve on the various boards of the sports federations were the highest bidders. That is why many of the sports federation boards had practical strangers sitting on their boards thus, making nonsense out of the plans of the NSC to attract worthy representation as a media to galvanise the various sports.

Our investigation showed a critical case in squash racket where a former Nigerian number two player came out to join in the management of the game that produced him, took him to several nations and made him rich today. Unknown to him, he was persuaded to leave the slot for another person who had no business of any sort since he can come in from the athlete representative.

Another case in the Kaduna centre, a particular candidate from Kano never sponsored any championship as required by the guideline. When the matter was raised, the Directors of sports pleaded that he should be left and will be voted out for the former player of that sport. The result turned otherwise. That was how the loser protested “despite each of the Directors of Sports collecting N50,000 and accommodation from me.”

A further investigation revealed that the winning party had doled out more. How much he gave became a conjecture as neither the giving party nor the taking party confirmed the amounts involved.

Four-some boycott: In basketball, there was protest by the quadruple of Messrs Musa Khida (south-south), Babs Ogunade (south-west), Osita Nwachukwu (south-east) and Mark Oguche (north central). Ironically, they are two-third of the members elected from the zones. The remaining two were joined by the selected five stakeholders and held the election.

As it is, the quartet will carry over the boil to the rest of the four years of that board. Will these not make one of the three sports federation in the last term (2009-2013) being Basketball, Scrabble and Chess not be made to face a new crisis that can destroy all the gains of the steady development of the last four boards which culminated in the De’Tigers’ London 2012 spectacular qualification? Can the wounds be healed for the sake of the game?

Pockets of dissent rent the air: With the outcome of the protestations and tribulations expressed by the old but retired player structures against the population and manipulation of outsiders to manage their game, is it safe to predict that some of the federations especially the prime ones may witness earthquakes?

The forebodes came on the eve of the inauguration of the sports federation when handball was taken to court by a league of the former international players. As soon as the court papers came, I screamed that the virus of litigation that struck our football with internal bleeding is here. Where and when will this stop?

Once one or two sports pick the virus, the entire body polity of Nigerian sports would have been destroyed. Certainly, there are likely going to be such legal niceties in a couple of years. People realizing they can approach the courts to adjudicate on conflicts which years back were left to chance then we run the circle of drifting backwards into oblivia.

Sports justice: The case of an overbearing sports federation killing opposition voices with bans not commensurate to punishment as was the case of athletics on the eve of the election remains a new addition to the quality of injustices in the land.

There are no Courts of Arbitration in Sports (CAS) in Nigeria with a virile field of operation. This need was obviously on the front burner when the litigations started in football. Here we are, the need gnaws us at the face again. A situation where the sports minister is a stranger to issues and developments in the industry, he/she CANNOT and WILL NEVER understand these felt needs of the industry.

I won’t be surprised if one day some aggrieved parties seeing the fact that going to a regular court will not give them justice will not learn to out of frustration take the laws into their hands and do what they think is best. We are heading to the Hobbesian state of anomie where the rule of the strongest is survival.

Olympic holiday continues: Safe for some other lesser sports like Taekwondo, Weightlifting, (not too sure of table tennis), and Chess who got some fresh air who ironically are not on the radar of development plan by the NSC, I presage Nigeria for another 12 years may be on Olympic medal holiday. The omen are bleak, the paths are dark, the travellers have no idea of navigating out of the deep forest. God help Nigeria.

The ritual of selection or election has come and gone. The imagined stronger foundation for real time development seems to have refused to cross the hurdles. For the gods of sports, the NSC has performed the rites, where the propitiation and libations are correct, the pregnancy in the belly of time will tell what type of child is to be born. Like the human will born in nine months, we wait for the Expected Date of Delivery (EDD) in Rio de Janeiro. May this belly not be blank like London.

Ogba: Welcome the athletics oil sheikh to his second term

Omatseye Nesiama and Solomon Ogba at the AYAC in Warri…coasting home to a home run for second term?

If all things, like economists are wont to say, remains equal, it is a smooth sail to a second term for Mr. Solomon Ogba. Delegates to the elections holding in Abuja will enjoy the cozy Transcorp Hilton and business class flights from their bases to Abuja and post the election will earn half a million Naira for being loyal.
This is the juicy package for electors who will vote in for second term the outgoing President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba. One of the delegates said, “a military officer got in touch with me, gave me these details asking me to shift away from the life of poverty and enjoy what is good. I almost shed tears looking at what future holds after these brief enjoyment,” said the coach who turned down an earlier bait from Mr Ogba’s camp.
The delegates are to be camped together to make House of Representatives member, Ibrahim Gusau not have access to them. Gusau, we were told is contesting for the federation’s Presidency. Also named is Prof Tunde Makanju as a possible candidate. So, to us, these two must not come together while we work our schemes out and secure the victory. With Gadzama and the Kwara in our side, we have started partying. We have won. Enemies especially those writing dirty things about Ogba can have more to write,” said our source in their camp.
Another member who turned down Ogba said “it is sad that the officer who hangs the equivalent of a Brigadier-General can become an errand boy to Ogba. It hurts my head. What does he want? What shocked me the more was Gadzama who I had seen as the first athlete that will lead the federation. I cried when I heard the story. I have wished it is not true,” said this former international.
To show how the election will go, our source pointedly asked about the votes at a recent chat with some reporters in Warri, the outgoing President was quoted to have said of a medical doctor who was supposed to be his armada, he snided the doctor with “anytime I say let’s go to the USA, he runs. He won’t ever go to the USA because of his criminal records. No wonder he has no wife in his house. He is such a useless man.” Yet, he counted his vote as “unshaking’. We are checking to find out who this doctor is. When we know, we shall let you also know.
Of the ‘outside votes’ expected to deliver for him, Messrs Tunde Abdulkareem and Wadzani Tafida Gadzama having enjoyed a Doha trip would have been handsomely settled and these two votes are as good as in the kitty.
Like they say in baseball, it is a homerun, walk, sprint, jog, crawl it is like no one can stop the Sheikh of Nigerian athletics, Solomon Ogba. Their eggs have been counted and they will be hatched.

AFN Presidency: How Ogba schemed Gadzama, Abdulkarim

Ogba...craftily and foxily lures 'enemies'

*Minister’s name dragged in to the politicking

*Succession plan organised as campaign strategy

As part of the desperate efforts to return as the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Mr. Solomon Ogba having failed with confusing the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) in respect of the international federation members has devised a new means.

He succeeded half way and failed half way. He was able to lure into his fold 4x400m Sydney Olympic gold medallist Tafida Gadzama and Tunde Abdulkarim while he could not secure the duo of Dr. Gloria Chukwukere and former international, Falilat Ogunkoya.

The gist is, Ogba realized that two people are likely to contest with him on the seat for the Presidency of the federation. Professor Tunde Makanju who is regarded as ‘too straight to be bent’ and former athlete, TAfida Fidelis Gadzama. To recruit Gadzama, his team and his errand boy called Special Assistant, Enefiok Udo-Obong worked on Gadzama and delivered a juicy invitation to Doha, Qatar.

Gadzama fell for the bait. Elected member of the AFN from the South-East, Dr. Gloria Chukwukere was to be worked on by Maria Woophil, the AFN Secretary General. Chukwukere got an invitation to Doha a day after her election. She refused to fall for the bait.

Former Nigerian quarter miler, Falilat Ogunkoya (MON) got the same bait. She was so pressurized and practically begged but she stood her grounds, refused the offer and did not travel.

Former Accountant General of Kwara state, an ICAN fellow, “fell for the tout’s bait” said a former national team athlete in his angry demand to know from this reporter if he travelled to Doha. He asked, “what does this man want from a motor park tout”?

The former athlete added, “you know what, Ogba told him that he would emerge as first Vice President. And that he (Ogba) would do just one term and hand over to him (Abdulkarim) as President.”

In the bid to get Gadzama, said the former athlete, “sport minister’s name was variously dropped. Gadzama told some of my friends that he had a meeting with Ogba and the sports minister in the Transcorp where the minister diplomatically asked him to work for Ogba’s emergence.”

We called on the minister’s assistant, Julius Ogunro who angrily said, “I am sufficiently close to the minister to know he would not descend so low to that level. He abhors Transcorp as a principle.”

Later in the evening, the minister responded to an e-mail request on him. “It is absolutely untrue. I don't even know who this Gadzama is. You can ask him if he has ever met me. If they have any evidence let them produce it. I have worked hard to produce guidelines to ensure a level playing field in the elections. If no one would give me credit for this they should at least grant that I would not subvert my own hard work. But this is Nigeria. But I thank you for asking me, which is pleasantly surprising.”

AFN leads new level of lying via omission

*Shuts out Nwajei

*NTTF omits Oladapo?

*Handball forgets Glover

*Ebewele fraudulently listed as CAA Athletes Commission member

Sports minister Abdullahi...who used AFN to lie in order to gain inordinate advantage

In a very desperate bid to perpetuate themselves in office, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) like some other desperate ilks shut out top Nigerians in the boards of international sports confederations.

The Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) incredibly failed to list the name of Mrs Violet Odogwu-Nwajei as a member of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) executive board in the list of its members who are in the Boards or Commissions of African Confederation or International Federation.

Also, former President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Dr. Lanre Glover who is the Vice President of the Confederation of African Handball (CAHB) was seemingly forgotten.

It would be recalled that the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) had in an e-mail dated Monday, 15^th April, 2013 requested the federations to send list of their members who have been elected into Boards or Commissions of African Confederation or International Federation.

The e-mail which was authored by former national team hockey player, Tunde Popoola, as the Secretary General of the NOC also requested that the date when such member(s)
was elected should be stated.

Following the request, the AFN listed the quartet of Maria Worphil (its general secretary), Solomon Ogba (out-going
president of the federation), Dr Ken Anugweje (out-going board member of the federation) and Brown Ebewele, a former
technical committee chairman of the federation as members of the CAA commission.

In fact, in an astonishing bare faced lie, the AFN reply shamelessly listed Ebewele as a serving board member of the federation. A double check of the list of the federation members revealed otherwise.

www.gongnews.net can reveal with authority that while Mrs. Nwajei, the first Nigerian nay African woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in long jump, is still a serving vice-president of the CAA, the status of Ebewele who is listed as a member of the athletes commission is fraudulent.

A double check of the members of the CAA commissions did not reflect the name of the former decathlete. So who lied in an official document to gain unnecessary advantage in this situation?

Dr. Ken Anugweje who is also listed as a member of the medical and doping CAA commission cannot be confirmed.
as if the fraud was ot limited to Athletics alone, a curious check on the other sports federation lists showed that in Table Tennis, the name of the erstwhile secretary general of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Banji Oladapo, was also
conspicuously missing. Albeit, he is still a serving member of the International Table-Tennis Federation board of
directors.
In fact, Oladapo has been in the executive board of the ITTF since 1997 and should be on top of any list from the NTTF
alongside that of George Segun who is the chairman of the ITTF Presidential advisory committee.

In Basketball, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) did not list the names of Muktar “Malone” Khaleh and Sam
Ahmedu. Albeit, they play prominent roles in the continental body for the sport.

Malone is ironically not only the President of FIBA Africa Zone 3, he is also a member FIBA Africa Executive Committee while
Ahmedu is an active member of the marketing commission of FIBA.

God save our nation from the hands of the fraudulent persons who have taken over the administration of the game.

Globacom’s N1.89b league money: Justice Okorowa’s wraith haunts LMC?

Now that the League Management Company (LMC) has made ‘a staggering break through’ in getting Globacom Nigeria Limited to pay about N1.89billion as the title sponsor of the Nigeria Professional Football League, some respite seems to be coming their way despite the club owners discountenancing the event.

Taking a careful look at the cheque presented to the public whose replica should be what is taken to the bank, can we say there are many other new questions to be answered?

The cheque carries the name of the payee as “Nigeria Professional Football League.” As at the last count, I am aware there is no such company registered as such. We have the League Management Company which has become a muddy case. What with the illegality and fraud of the Nigeria Football Federation President, Aminu Maigari, signing as the President of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) which he is not?

Back to were we are coming from. To discount the Globacom cheque, if the name on the massive cheque displayed is anything to go by, it can only be discounted by the payee.

A sundry review means that the operators of the League may have registered secretly another company called the Nigeria Professional Football League since the League Management Company cannot be paid such monies because they are not the named payee.

Ordinarily, I stumbled on the fact that the League Management Company is involved in a contempt before Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court Abuja. They were sued both in their personal and corporate personalities by Harrison Jalla’s National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF).

Omorodion vs Pinnick: The inner truth will come public

Omorodion...rain of truth

Thanks Pinnick for your reply. Taking your point one after the other, I maintain that you are a small boy because I am older than you by nine years. Your smallness however, is hinged on the way you react to issues.

I now know that you are not a man of honour if you say you never called me some 13 years ago. I have never told anyone this except, of course, Tony Ubani who was with me the day you called. Because we were not in the GSM era then, you are now denying it.

If you insist you never did, can you swear in the name of God for His wrath to befall you if you never called me? If you have forgotten, I cannot forget it. You know who you reported me to, I don't want to mention any name.

I have written stories that were not palatable to even Edo State where I come from but they stated their own side and never reported me to my bosses. Why must Delta State be different? Even if Delta State owns Vanguard, am I not entitled to my own opinion? 

I have not said Delta State doesn't have programmes to develop their athletes or coaches but does that remove from the fact that they still poach athletes for the Sports Festival? Can you beat your chest and say that all the athletes you present at Sports festivals are groomed by the state?

Poaching of athletes: Why did you engage a renowned poacher of athletes at one time or the other for some of the Sports festivals in which you excelled? I must confess that Delta did not start the poaching approach to sports festivals, Kano did at a time, Edo perfected it before Rivers imbibed it in 2011.

Most states do but is it the right thing? If you say you don't know the master of poaching you employed in the past then you are stingy with the fact.

As for the athletes you discovered at the AYAC in Warri, time will tell how really young they are. We are in this country and will see how they will scoop gold in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games since they are truly 17 years old now.

Amu and Okpomo: I mentioned Fanny and Okpomo to let you know I know you. I also know that you schooled with my cousin in Warri. I have not said you are a dullard but I maintain that your rise is not necessarily because of your intelligence but your closeness to those in power, so don't write some of us off who don't have godfathers to push them.

Adamu vs. Ekeji: Yes, now to Ekeji. Whether you like it or not, Ekeji is a better administrator than the man you and all other apostles tend to worship, Dr Amos Adamu. I met both men and chose to support Ekeji because he had better grasp of administration than Adamu. Ekeji played the game, coached and taught it and administered it. 

It is a pity that Ishaya Mark Aku, former sports minister is late, I would have asked you to see him and ask him why he preferred Ekeji to your main man. If you want to ask about Ekeji's performance, go to the ministry and ask the staff, don't sit in Warri and swallow what his detractors feed you with.

For your information, when some Board members of the Cycling Federation bungled and mismanaged the sponsor money for the Maltina Cycling tour causing the cyclists to protest and abandon the tour at a point some years ago, I took it up with Ekeji and told him what I know about it all since I covered the tour from Abuja through Nasarawa, Enugu, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Osun, Oyo to Lagos.

But when he preferred to protect them because of some of the sports ministry staff who were involved, I blew open the scandal and the sponsors were shocked. You can ask if you were not following sports at that time.

I was not on Ekeji or sports ministry's payroll like some people are with you and Delta and see every thing in Delta as the best in Nigeria when it is not. Whatever relationship I had with Ekeji was purely professional. I never visited or slept in his house because of what I want to collect from him like most of your loyalists do to you and Adamu.

If you want us to throw stones, start it and we shall see who will be mostly hurt. Definitely your loyalists who paint Delta as if it is God's footstool. The same people who hate Ekeji because he refused to make them the sports ministry's contractors like Adamu did purely because he was always being blackmailed. They knew his weaknesses and loopholes of course.

Adokie Amiesimaka: You don't have to drag Adokie Amiesimaka into this. Adokie definitely has his impression about Ekeji, the same way he has about Adamu and even you who tried to rubbish him because he aired his opinion against your principals sometime ago. Ekeji is not a saint but you cannot wave aside his achievements which you cannot attain even if you remain the altar ego of everything sports in Delta for thy kingdom come.

So don't use this forum to reconcile with Adokie after he carpeted you for venturing to undermine his achievement in Nigeria's football.

University graudation: I'm happy you graduated 19 years ago from the University of Benin and 43 years now. I graduated from the University of Ife (not Obafemi Awolowo University) 28 years ago and also have three children from one wife also, so don't think I'm a polygamist.

If you care to know, like you know Okpomo, I also come from a disciplined family where the truth is our watchword. You can find out from my cousin, Larry Izamoje, at least, you schooled with his younger brother.

Again, I maintain I don't do stories or air an opinion because of what I will 'chop' or because I want to pull somebody down. If you don't want people to talk about you, then don't accept a public office. You don't have to invite me to Warri, I choose where I go.

I know that if I have compromised myself before you or Adamu, you would have caused me to be thrown out of Vanguard by now. I urge you to dig deeper for the missiles you want to use against me. Employ all the spies you have in Warri and Asaba, I don't mind. Very soon the hen will come home to roost.

I don't need any forgiveness from you because I haven't wronged you. You can also not get forgiveness from me because you have not sinned against me. Friends, yes, we can be but have I ever professed you are my enemy?

Many people think Adamu is my enemy but far from it. The man knows I do my job and he says so whenever we meet. Only that people want him to hate or even harm me. The man however, has the fear of God despite everything. God bless you all who will read this.

Patrick

Amaju replied Omorodion:We don't have to fight, my brother

Sincerely, I wouldn't have bothered to respond to Patrick Omorodion vituperation but for the sake of educating this group of well respected journalists against the blatant falsehood or half truths being reeled out by Patrick. 

First, at almost 43 with a wife and 3 children and having graduated from the University 19 years ago, would Patrick call me a small boy? How old is the British PM, Deputy PM, Donald Duke when he was Gov et al. 

Second, in his imagination  Patrick said I called 13 years ago and requested ----. To say the least, I never called and if I needed anything printed in Vanguard I know who to meet. 

Every discerning mind knows that Patrick is an unrepentant hater of Delta State, even though he claims otherwise. So his journalistic assessment or views on Delta State are always biased. 

How can he opine that AYAC adjudged to be very successful both in Organisation and discovering of future athletes for Nigeria was put together for selfish reasons. What a shame. 7 of the 12 gold medals won where athletes that our Technical Directorate discovered in our periodic talent hunt programs. The two greatest teenage sensations right now in Nigeria, Divine Oduduru and Ese Brume are products of our youth programs. I will truly appreciate if I can invite this group of journalists to Delta State to see first hand our various programs and interact with the locals and they will find out why Delta State will always finish decently in any organized tournament. 

As Chairman of Delta FA, it is on record that we run the best State FA in Nigeria. All our programs are 100% private sector driven, having the longest sponsorship deal in the Country spanning 14 years. Quality capacity  building programs for Coaches and Referees etc. The high point of our achievement will be the Commissioning of our  ultra modern Football secretariat christened Patrick Okpomo Football House in August . The $1m project is 100% private sector driven. My 'big brother' Patrick Omorodion will be my special guest.

What has my consanguinity with Dr  Uduaghan has to do with my being in Govt. what is wrong with that. Am I not qualified having made a 2nd class upper, .2 shy of 1st class from the highly revered UNIBEN. Patrick should know that I went through the ranks from 1999 till date. From 2nd Vice Chairman, 1st Vice Chairman, Chairman of the Delta FA, served also as SSA to Gov Ibori on Foreign Relations and now as Executive Chairman, DSSC. Meanwhile by His Grace, we have been running a very successful Marine and Offshore business for over 10 years and so the likes of Patrick should think otherwise if he feels my life is dependent on Govt.

On the Sunday MBA issue. I don't see anything wrong if money is the issue because all clubs like private businesses are out to make money or take advantage of situations as they unfold. Warri Wolves admittedly stopped his salary when he reported to Rangers camp in Oct without recourse to civility or approval from the club. Each club has its own internal disciplinary mechanism. Today Wolves have been vindicated. 

I never one day ran to Fanny Amu for anything ( he is around and can testify to that). We are friends and I will always be proud of our friendship. Unknown to Patrick, it was my father that nurtured,sponsored and mentored Patrick Okpomo from childhood to adulthood. Growing up, I never knew he was not a Pinnick so if I ran to him for anything, what was wrong with that,anything wrong in running to your elder brother. Till date, I maintain a very warm,close and robust relationship with his immediate family. 

If Patrick Omorodion is objective as he claims, why doesn't he see anything wrong in Patrick Ikeji, a man that his exit from office was celebrated in the highest heavens. A man that even his close friend and associate Adokiye Amasiemeka openly acknowledged not only his inadequacies but an abysmal failure in Sports Governance. We know  who the paymasters are.Patrick will be flabbergasted to learn about the depth of what we know. Stop throwing stones. 

Today, even in my absence, the festival has been thrown open, again we have been vindicated and let's wait and see the advantage of an open festival. 

Why won't they shout me down? Ikeji was in charge and the entire script was written by him. 

My dear brothers, honestly it is not my style to do a piece like this. It might sound offensive to some of you  who might perceive it differently but for the sake of posterity et al I decided to damn the consequence. 

As a Christain I have forgiven him and I expect him also to forgive me. We can be friends again. 

Cheers

Amaju 

Melvin

Pinnick