The Nation Newspaper

Category: Ade Ojeikere

  • Good night Odegwa Imadebelo

    Forgive me dear reader, for beginning this piece with a special tribute to a departed sister. She deserves this because she was a gem. She was part of the Ojeikeres. We all loved her as eptimomised by the comments from everyone in my family, when I broke the late news of her demise.

    Whenever Odegwa was around, you knew from the gate. Her voice was unmistakable. She had too much energy (boisterous). She wanted to do things with the speed of light. For Odegwa, nothing was impossible.

    I hate (yes hate) reading the last two inside pages in most newspapers, ironically so. These pages should contain sports stories, which is my beat as a journalist. They usually don’t – no thanks to advertorials. A few times, my hand plays a trick on me. I end up flipping through my newspapers, most mornings, until one odd advertorial stings me like a bee.

    I end up jumping out of the bed to pick up my pair of glasses to see if what I have read is true. I read through such bad news repeatedly, praying that the name is just a coincidence not somebody I know. Nine out of 10 of such wild goose chases end up being a lost soul I had seen decades ago.

    So it was on Monday, when I was reading thorough The Guardian. I shouted. I recognised the face of Odegwa Imadebelo Imoisili. She hadn’t changed. The difference from the picture was her sliver eye glasses. I wept. Words like “impossible” rushed out of my mouth as I pondered why Odegwa. But that appears to be the hallmark of death – taking away the best.

    Writing about Odegwa hurts. She was my mother’s favourite. She was respectful, taking over any job she found my departed mother doing. Odegwa was my younger sister’s (Ronke’s) friend. But she blended well with everyone. A bookworm, she read all the time. And my late mother loved her for that. She was a brilliant girl.

    I thought I was putting a stale story in our family’s whatsapp platform when I wrote “Ronke, Odegwa is dead. What happened to her? Was she ill?” It took a while for any of my siblings to reply. I was shocked; very much unlike them. But I drove out of Lekki on Monday morning heading for Silverbird Television for a sports show, only to see my sister’s jeep heading towards me. I wasn’t shocked but surprised because it was quite unlike her.

    My younger sister, Aimalohi flagged me down, her eyes wide open in shock as she asked: “What happened to Odegwa?” Words failed me. I tried to reply but my voice also failed. I took the copy of The Guardian and showed her Odegwa’s picture. I couldn’t look at Aimalohi, I quietly drove off. All I heard her say was “I will go and buy my copy to find out if it is true.”

    Our 85-year-old dad wrote about Odegwa: “Terrible. I knew her. May her soul rest in peace, Amen. Even Odegwa’s favourite, Ejemai, said about her death: “So sad. May her soul rest in peace, Amen.” Ronke was distraught. She kept asking “What happened to Odegwa?” Such tributes and prayers are all that we owe her. We fervently pray for the repose of her soul. And pray that the good Lord grants Odegwa’s soul eternal rest.

    Good night Odegwa. You were a gem. You took charge wherever you were. You are gone but your good work speaks for you. It is well with your soul.

    Odegwa died on September 30 in Abuja and her remains were buried yesterday in Igueben, Edo State. Rock in your casket, Odegwa Imadebelo Imiosili.

     

    Thank you, Rohr

    I’m an advocate of foreign coaches (the good ones) simply because they show enough initiative to tell doubters that they know their job. They put their cards on the table from the time of negotiations, such that issues like the selection of players are transparent, making the role of the technical committee otiose. They are team players, knowing where to draw the line between what their employers can contribute to their job and why the former must accept their technical inputs to discussions concerning the Thank you, Rohr

    I’m an advocate of foreign coaches (the good ones) simply because they show enough initiative to tell doubters that they know their job.

    They put their cards on the table from the time of negotiations, such that issues like the selection of players are transparent, making the role of the technical committee otiose. They are team players, knowing where to draw the line between what their employers can contribute to their job and why the former must accept their technical inputs to discussions concerning the team. These rules are embedded in the contract. I challenge any Nigerian coach who has handled the national team, aside from Sunday Oliseh, to show us his contractual papers with the NFF?

    The Nigerian coach “eats” alone. He can’t spare a dime for any third party, not even a lawyer. But he cries loudest when things go awry. The foreign coach heads for the arbitration court at FIFA to seek redress. I hope our coaches learn a bit from this.

    Foreign coaches come in prepared for their jobs. They have the dossier of the players that they need. Their methods are akin to what our players are exposed to in their European clubs. This makes them earn our players’ respect. I look forward to the day a Nigerian coach will do things on conviction, not because agents have spoken to him.

    Nigerian coaches are naïve. They don’t know how to take responsibility. They blame everyone but themselves when the team loses, but shout to the roof top about their tactical savvy when the team wins matches. They complain about the team’s inadequacies after the result of matches.

    Nigerian coaches are all-knowing, with many of them unprepared to manage their big players’ egos, including those who were big stars in their Super Eagles’ days.

    The talk about the inactivity of the NFF technical committee in Rohr’s era is cheap and filled with mischief because our coaches lobby for their employment, without any contractual agreement before, during and after they would have been sacked. Since most of the technical committee members helped them to secure their jobs, they dare not talk. Forget about what they say in the media. It is the reason we keep recycling them, with most of them always jobless and always available for it when any lacuna exists.

    The technical committee members are bystanders now, with Rohr’s team playing well unlike when Nigerian coaches picked all manner of players without stating the parameters for selecting them. The foreign coaches tell you what they want. They are used to working with standards and time lines, hence the visit to Europe by the Eagles manager.

    I walked into the NFF’s secretary’s office on October 10 only to find Rohr, NFF president and few members of the NFF technical department coming out of a meeting. I was introduced to Rohr. He told me all his plans for the Algerian game, 33 days before it. Rohr also told of how he hoped to achieve his plans, one of which the media are awash with – visits to our players in their European clubs. The Nigerian coach would be evasive. He would have said such things like: “Old boy, time still dey now. Make we enjoy the moments of beating Zambia at home first na. Abi make we change winning team?”  Another would have said: “You will hear from the NFF. We only discussed a few things. Old boy wetin make we do? Na today we just dey enter office after we beat Zambia.”

    Penultimate week in this column I wrote about Rohr’s trip to Europe and his plans. I wrote that Rohr wanted to meet with Chelsea’s manager Antonio Conte, Leicester’s boss Claudio Rainieri and Arsenal’s tactician Alex Iwobi. Rohr was particularly disturbed by his captain John Mikel Obi’s bench role at Chelsea. He told this writer in Abuja on October 10 that he would hold a soul-searching session with Conte where he would tell the Italian that he should use Mikel for his team’s youth team’s matches to make him fit. Rohr also told me that his visit to Leicester would be hinged on the need for Ranieri to use Ahmed Musa frequently for him to be fit for Nigeria’s crucial 2018 World Cup qualifiers, with the November 12 cracker against Algeria inside the nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo. For Rohr, Mikel, Musa, Iwobi and Victor Moses must be playing regularly, if Nigeria must qualify for her sixth World Cup appearance in Russia.

    The flipside to Rohr’s current visit to Europe is that many Nigerian coaches have undergone this kind of visit, with tales of how messages left on our players’ telephone answering machines were ignored as if we sent them to make those calls. Their messages back here painted the scenario of our players not committed to national team matches.

    I laughed off such tales, knowing that our coaches could have done better with personal visits to the training sessions of our players’ clubs. Otherwise, they could also watch their matches and seek to meet with their European managers, using the procedure for such an exercise in those clubs. I was tagged a hater of Nigerian coaches. Now we have pictures of Rohr watching Arsenal beat Reading 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. Rohr discussed with Arsene Wenger the best position in which Iwobi could function. Wenger discovered Iwobi, making it imperative for the Nigerian manager to rub minds with the Frenchman to help his job with the Eagles. Rohr left the meeting better informed on the positions he could use Iwobi when the need arises. Two thinking heads, they say, are better than one.

    Rohr didn’t restrict his visit to benchwarmers. He visited everyone to show a sense of belonging. He would have used the visit to secure the support of their managers. His discussions with their managers would create the platform for them to see if Rohr has what it takes to handle their boys in between key matches. This visit, if you ask me, has resolved the club versus country imbroglio. Had Rohr undergone this visit before the Zambian game, it would have been difficult for Victor Moses and Isaac Success to dodge the Chipolopolo tie with feigned injuries.

    And this…

    A worker must be paid as at when due. But such a worker must exercise caution in handling issues that arise from delays. Samson Siasia vowed to occupy the Glasshouse if he doesn’t get his five months’ salaries. The media splashed his threat, which was good. But today, Siasia has been paid. He has kept mute, leaving the media in the lurch.

    Perhaps, Siasia would say that disclosing such sensitive information would make him vulnerable to attacks. True. How about the battered image of his employers? Siasia, please show some maturity in this kind of matter.

    I also hope that Siasia doesn’t raise his hands for any Nigerian job in the future because we can’t change. It is an African FA problem. He would still be owed salaries.

  • Fixing our football

    Constriction twines me like a snake every time I listen to Sports Minister Solomon Dalung’s panacea to take the NFF out of its financial crises. He gives the impression that he doesn’t know the problem with the federation. Yet, when untoward things about the body happen in his presence, he glosses over them as if it isn’t his duty to give resolve such problems.

    We are tired of this sickening setting where a few people are insisting on gate-crashing into our football administration, after losing elections. It is about time these troublemakers faced the wrath of the law. If they have a matter in court, it is important that they let it run its course. All the sides to the matter have the right to state their cases no matter how long it takes.

    Dalung’s simplistic approach to the Jos court drama, NFF and NPFL chieftains’ dilemma leaves much to be desired. Dalung did well to ensure that NPFL Chairman Shehu Dikko wasn’t arrested, shortly after arriving in the country from Zambia at midnight of October 9 outside the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s lounge in Abuja. But I have been waiting to read his reaction to what happened that night. I thought Dalung should have raised the matter at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, considering the grave danger which our foreign legion faced that night, especially when one of the operatives released a shot into the air. It was scary to say the least.

    A team couldn’t have left this country, secured a victory on away soil, only for some people to lay ambush to arrest one of the NPFL chiefs. What was the hurry about the arrest? It behoves of Dalung to let us know the government’s position on the matter. This idea of the NPFL sending stories to the media as fallouts of the saga isn’t the best.

    Minister sir, Nigeria is one of the few countries whose soccer is measured by the contributions of players who ply their trade outside here. Elsewhere, countries measure how well the domestic league players perform on the international platforms through their dominance in the national teams. It is so bad in Nigeria that we don’t see anything wrong with inviting Nigeria-born lads in Europe to play in our age-grade teams. This isn’t fair. We need to develop the game at the grassroots. It can only happen when there is stability in the administration of the domestic league.

    The domestic league champions hardly compete with their counterparts in Africa. Now that we have some semblance of growth in the domestic league, the minister should ensure that interlopers stay away from the local scene.

    The minister needs to put his foot down on those who should run our football across all the levels as demanded by FIFA statutes. About 210 countries have applied themselves to the tenets of the FIFA statutes. It is shameful that Nigeria, easily the most talented soccer nation in the world (no hyperbole) has refused to appreciate the importance of the game in shaping people’s perception of the country. If we fix our soccer, other sports will thrive. But soccer can’t get its desired results when everyone wants to administer it without complying with the laid down rules and regulations.

    The FIFA president was here. He related with those who won elections supervised by FIFA. So, knowing those who run soccer shouldn’t be a difficult task for the minister.

    The minister would write his name in gold if he could persuade the National Assembly to hasten the process of making NFF independent of government funding. In other climes rich in soccer talents like Nigeria, the administration of the game is not tied to government funding.

    I’m sure that if President Muhammadu Buhari removes NFF from the Sports Ministry’s apron and tag it with the office of the vice president, for instance, there won’t be all this noise of heading to courts by people who administered the game in the past without good results. We repeat the mistakes of the past yet we expect to change our rankings in the world. Not possible.

    I was excited reading the tweets from Senate Sports Committee Chairman Obinna Ogba that moves had begun to ensure that NFF funds itself. That will be the day. What this means is that those clueless administrators will be forced to quit the scene.

    Senator Ogba’s Wednesday tweets on states: “Yesterday, several Tweets on the Senate’s Official handle quoted the Chairman, Senate Sports Committee Senator Obinna Ogba propose an amendment to A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Football Association Act CAP N110 LFN 2004 and enact the Nigeria Football Federation and for other matters connected therewith, 2016 (SB.154). The Bill is to reduce the government’s spending and perhaps propose a law that will incorporate the FA and encourage greater participation of Corporate Nigeria.”

    Closing the debate, Senate President Bukola Saraki said: “In line with best practice, those of us who follow football progress will see the evidence of funding problems. It is important that we improve the funding problems as seen in Olympics and reduce government interference.”

    The Bill surely comes with some exciting buzz to it but without the finer details, like all else that has transpired in the last couple of years in Nigeria football, to be skeptical is safe.

    Going to Ndola in Zambia offered me the best opportunity to study Dalung closely to find out if he easily gets excited when faced with microphones or that he loves hearing his voice. The latter impression is the case as he enjoys talking when he ought to be observing. The mood inside the aircraft after beating Zambia at home opened up the flanks of most quiet people. It was good watching the minister in a relaxed mood, showing that he is after all human. It is on this score that I want to plead with the minister to copy some of the things we saw in Ndola, particularly the relationship between the Zambia FA chieftains and their sports minister.

    The Zambians and Nigerians resident in that country welcomed us into the country as kings. Movement was swift. No hiccups. We settled down easily. The Zambians were warm. The only unfriendly aspect of the trip was the weather. Even the Zambians complained. Otherwise, they shocked us with their hospitality.

    Reading through the papers in the hotel, the talk was uniform – beat Nigeria. No conflict talks between the minister and ZIFA chiefs. Few hours before the game between Nigeria and Zambia, the Zambia FA boss and the minister drove into the Eagles hotel to fast track our passage to the stadium.

    It was seamless. I was shocked that their president could drive into the stadium without blocking where he would drive through. The president arrived early for the game. He took the kick-off and watched the game till the end. He left the stadium, satisfied that the Chipololopolo fought a good fight against a very young and talented Nigerian side. From the blast of the whistle signaling the opening of the game, I noticed that Zambians thought they could beat us. They rallied their boys. Even with two goals down late in the first half, their fans, who were clad in their country’s colours raised, their voices to propel their players.

    The deafening noise that accompanied the Zambian goal was unparallel. It almost brought down the stadium. The young and old danced to their native tunes. It was a sight to behold. But it showed too that the people see Chipololopo as the symbol of their existence. But they were not violent in appreciating their players. Chipolopolo lost, but the fans still swarmed around their favourites. I wished our fans could replicate this kind of love to our players, irrespective of results. Sport is for friendship, not war. I hope our fans will learn from the Zambians by supporting the Super Eagles during their matches, not matter the scoreline. Even if it doesn’t favour the team, embrace them and salute them for their gallantry. But is it sport to win all games? I don’t think so.

    Thursday’s news that Nigeria moved four places upwards to 60th is commendable. It should be sustained by beating Algeria in Uyo on November 12. However, Nigeria’s 11th placing in Africa is preposterous, given our abundance of talents.

    The minister should support the NFF to get a World Cup budget for the federation, now that our players are insisting on being paid in dollars. I won’t blame them because they earn their wages in foreign currencies, with many of them not interested in running local accounts when they hardly live here.

    Moses and Success

    It is difficult to placate Victor Moses and Isaac Success for missing the October 9 cracker between Zambia and Nigeria in Ndola. Nigeria secured a nail-biting 2-1 victory. But the result would have been better had the team’s manager Gernot Rohr had Moses and Success on the bench. A good team is as good as the quality of players on its bench. Having Moses and Success in Ndola would have been a bigger boost for the Eagles.

    It is true that players are susceptible to injuries. But where it appears that any player feigns an injury to dodge a game, it is only fair that such lads are punished no matter whose ox is gored.

    Success was the MVP in Watford’s 1-0 away win over Middleborough FC. Moses was a delight to watch, scoring Chelsea’s third goal in the Blues’ 3-0 whiplash of defending Barclays English Premier League champions Leicester City.

    The way Moses and Success played for their European teams put a big lie on their claim of not being able to play for Nigeria, six days earlier. It would, therefore, be unfair to those who also play in Europe if both men walk into Nigeria’s next game against Algeria inside the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo, no matter how important the game is to us. We mustn’t compromise discipline on the altar of sentiments. We shouldn’t have sacred cows in the Eagles. Moses and Success can return for the Cameroon game next year, not this one against Algeria, please. Besides, shouldn’t the doctrine of not changing a winning side that coaches advocate for stay?

  • Clap for the Zambians

    Call me an incorrigible optimist, I don’t mind. Sneer at this early prediction that Nigeria may qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup with a game to spare, I will courteously wink back. Pray, I can say without any form of contradiction that the Super Eagles are back, playing exciting football with the best of them ahead of us. I’ve been travelling with the Eagles since God knows when. I can safely tell you that this bunch represents the best of our game – many of them are products of our age grade teams. They are talented; they know how to play the Nigeria way – short, crisp passes and plenty of vision.

    The last time the Eagles had such fluid players in the midfield was when Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Okocha played prominent roles in the Eagles. These two dribbled with ease. When they surged forward, they opened up the defence of the opposition. If the opponents made the mistake of going for them – it turned out to be their albatross. Kanu and Okocha on their days were difficult to stop. Since they left the Eagles, the team has lost its shine.

    However, the emergence of Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho brings back the shine to the Eagles. My optimism stems from the fact that Iwobi and Iheanacho are under the tutelage of two of the best tacticians in the world who don’t make noise- Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola.

    Under Guardiola, Iheanacho is condemned to improve on his game if he wants to remain in Manchester City. Keeping Iheanacho on his toes at City will rub off on his game with Nigeria. It is on this premise that I feel strongly that Nigeria’s flag will be hoisted among the comity of nations in Russia in 2018. It is a thing of joy that Iheanacho knows the burden on his shoulders. He has promised to continue to learn with City and that is the biggest fillip the Eagles need to perch in Russia.

    As for Iwobi, I note the prophetic submission of former Super Eagles chief coach Sunday Oliseh that Iwobi would be Africa’s best soon. And I’m excited with the fact that Wenger would polish the Nigerian’s game to effectively influence the way the Eagles will play, leading to the Mundial.

    Indeed, I must commend Gernot Rohr for the initiative to sit with Chelsea’s manager Anthonio Conte to discuss Mikel’s future with him, at least in the short term. What Rohr wants to tell Conte is to allow Mikel play for Chelsea’s youth team so that he can acquire playing time to be fit, even if he doesn’t fit into the manager’s plans for the Barclays English Premier League matches for now. This is a brilliant move by Rohr.

    If Mikel plays regularly, then the Eagles’ midfield will stretch any team on its seams. Mikel, Iheanacho and Iwobi are some of the best players in Africa. Having them play for one team is a big plus. Mention must be made of Oguenyi Onazi, who was the pillar in the team’s defence against the Chipolopolo on Sunday.

    I also had the privilege of talking with Rohr on Tuesday in Abuja. He told me that a lot of work needed to be done. He didn’t single out any player for blame. He told me that he was going to suggest to the football federation that the players should be at match cities 48 hours to the game.

    Rohr felt strongly that if his boys had rested well, they could have lasted longer. He is the expert and I believed him when he said: “We arrived in Ndola on Saturday at noon. The boys slept for four hours and then trained on the pitch

    from 5pm. The next day (Sunday) by 9am, our pre-match schedule began. Game began at 2pm. My view, we should have been there a day earlier. Given the circumstances that they went through, the boys did their best. It would be sacrilegious if such a country doesn’t qualify for the World Cup.”

    The decision to tour Europe to discuss with our players’ manager is not only exciting but would help create a working relationship between the clubs and the NFF that should transcend the Rohr era. With this kind of relationship, it would be difficult for any player to connive with his club to shun the national team assignment. Besides, such a relationship would help our football administrators see the players as assets, not disposable materials, who are only needed when they are fit and dumped when they sustain injuries.

    This Rohr initiative of making the European clubs to see the NFF as partners would further strengthen the need for them to understand the importance of making players’ insurance a must and not a privilege. Players are prone to career threatening injuries. They will only give their best when they know that their insurance packages are backed by the right cash. No one prays for players’ injuries.

    So much has been said about the Eagles’ sloppiness in the second half of Sunday’s game. Many of these submissions are germane. But for us in Ndola, we only prayed that no player should collapse because the heat in Ndola was indescribable. It got so bad that renowned broadcaster Colin Udoh wanted to jump out of the bus that carried us to the stadium. Udoh couldn’t believe that the bus had an air-conditioner. It just didn’t help matters.

    With a climatic condition of 38 degrees Celsius, it didn’t come as a surprise that our boys lasted for 60 minutes. For us at the stands, we guzzled bottles of water all through, without rushing to the toilet to wee. Such was the impact of the weather. Notwithstanding the Eagles were brilliant in the first half, with their swift interchange of passes that left the Zambians reeling in pains after 90 minutes. The Zambians were incredibly friendly after the loss. They struggled to touch their favourites among the Eagles.

    With the way the Zambians swarmed on the Eagles, it was obvious that the EPL is the most watched league competition in Africa. Most of us were shocked at the standing ovation that the EPL players in the Eagles got when the announcer reeled out the names of our first 11 players before the game. It didn’t stop there. When Ahmed Musa was to be introduced in the second half, his name again reverberated at the stands when he walked towards to warming up spot before he was introduced in the game.

    I make bold to say here that the world should expect Nigeria in 2018 as one of the favourites for the trophy. My hunches tell me that Nigeria may just be the first African team to play in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

    I’m peeping into the future believing that nothing would go wrong with their preparations before, during and even after matches. Indeed, I’m hinging my optimism on the kind of synergy I saw between our cantankerous Sports Minister and chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in Ndola, although the minister was still haughty with some of his decisions.

    The minister must, as part of the fallouts of the Ndola expedition, tell President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria has her first home game in Uyo on November 12. The minister must not play the spoiler by repeatedly blasting the NFF, when he can use the euphoria of the Ndola victory to persuade President Buhari to approve a World Cup budget for the Super Eagles, which should start from the November 12 game. The minister has been the NFF’s biggest opponent to source for cash from the private sector with his irritating submissions as if the private sector doesn’t know where the power of attorney rests in convincing them that they are dealing with the right people.

    It won’t be out of place for the minister to plead with President Buhari to approve a World Cup fundraising where the corporate world, individuals and state governors would be invited to contribute towards the project, such that they won’t have to always go to the government for cash for every game. This is the new direction, Solomon Dalung, not your devious method of always lampooning the NFF and ascribing every good thing to yourself. We are tired of Dalung’s spoilsport role. Team work, please Dalung not what you are doing. Nigerians can’t be fooled by your rants anymore.

    With a World Cup budget, not a Presidential Task Force, Nigeria’s quest for the group’s sole qualification ticket would be a stroll in the park. Thankfully, Nigeria doesn’t have any away game until next year. Until this fundraising is held, it won’t be out place if Dalung sends his memo to President Buhari telling him what it takes to run a game, what the players and officials entitlements are, the technical crew’s salaries, hotel accommodation, cost of flight ticket refunds etc.

    Dalung should stop this buck-passing. He needs to grow up and act as the eye of the President not being the major problem in the industry.

  • No excuses please

    No excuses please

    The future of the Nigerian game is here. The next 60 days will define if we can be called a football nation or one that adds to the number of countries who never make it to the big stage (God forbid). Ordinarily, we should make qualifying for any soccer competition a birthright, given our players’ exploits in Europe and the Diaspora. Besides, our feats in age-grade tournaments ought to provide the pool of talents needed to strengthen all the national teams.

    The reverse has been the case because many of the players don’t know how to manage their initial success. They are quick to jump at any contract outside Nigeria, not minding the effect of such moves on their future. The effect is that they never make it to the top. I won’t blame them since the flipside to their not going to Europe is the deplorable conditions of services in almost all our domestic league clubs.

    Players who earn a meagre N25,000 monthly and are being owed for over six months, would do anything to earn $4,000 (N1.8 million) a month anywhere else. The disparity in wages is so large for them to consider the future. After all, the productive life span of most athletes is between six years and 15 years. In the twilight of their careers the cash doesn’t come because there are limited options, for those who are injury-free. For the injury-prone ones, the time with the game is less. And such injuries could lead to their deaths, if poorly handled, which has been the case with our big stars in Nigeria.

    Our players’ mass movement to Europe in search of greener pastures has greatly affected the domestic game, resulting in the apathy shown towards the national teams during competitions. There is much for them to play for. Many would rather remain in the European clubs with the slightest knock than risk playing for Nigeria. One won’t blame them because of our penchant for using and dumping our injured stars, even for injuries sustained while playing for us.

    This kind of setting isn’t encouraging but we can’t sit back and moan while others dethrone us in FIFA’s monthly chart. It is the reason we sulk whenever our national teams don’t qualify for major competitions such as the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.

    Nigeria won’t be at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Gabon. It serves us right because our administrators created the confusion that lead to a divided NFF. The former Sport Minister condescended to the level of trying to fix the next NFF President, against the democratic processes as enshrined in FIFA’s statutes. We always feel that there is a Nigerian way of doing things even when others adopt better but universal models. For us, it is business as usual, yet we expect changes reminiscent of what we see elsewhere. It won’t happen, hence the inertia with our game.

    It is pertinent to state here that football is our national sport. And if our players excel in their tournaments, the effect rubs off on other sports in many ways, especially funding, which is the nexus of making the industry to continue to exist as a business. Ministers, who ought to be neutral in NFF’s matters, fuel the crises that derail our progress.

    It appears we are ready to correct this flaw, now that the roof has fallen on our heads. And the new direction starts on October 9, when the Super Eagles file out against the Chipolopolo of Zambia in Ndola in one of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

    We celebrated when our foreign legion arrived in Uyo on time for the meaningless Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania. And it showed in the way the team played, although they frittered away goal scoring chances. It was expected, just as it raised the hope that at least the coaches have a squad that they can tinker with in subsequent matches. This wish appears to have been thrown into the lagoon, with Victor Moses, Isaac Success and Leon Balogun injured. Besides, Odion Ighalo is absent. He has sought permission to attend his father’s funeral this weekend in Nigeria.

    This unfortunate injury saga is the best test for the team’s depth in strength. No stress for a country with talented players. But the players must recognise the problems inherent in the team and report to the camp early to prepare for key matches.

    Nigeria is notorious for changing coaches, especially with the Super Eagles. Our notoriety is worse, with changing NFF board, with FIFA serving as the reason we are not fragmented in the Glasshouse. The new Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr, has stuck with most of the boys who beat Tanzania 1-0 in Uyo. Lack of continuity in the Eagles’ structure has been chiefly responsible for the perpetual building (or is it going back to the drawing board) of the team.

    However, those who would be picked to start the game against Chipolopolo of Zambia in Ndola know that they won’t be playing on lush green turfs akin to what they find in Europe. The bumpy pitch is part of the strategies that the Zambians hope to use to frustrate the Eagles. They will strive to kick our players, knowing that they won’t want to give their all in crunchy tackles.

    But the Zambians would be shocked to find the Eagles having swift dribblers who would leave their hard-tacklers sprawling on the turf. My hunches tell that at least two Zambians would be sent off by the referee, if they don’t play the game according to the rules.

    The Zambians will find in the Eagles an admixture of the younger generation of players from our World Cup winning squads and experienced players, most of whom are playing for European clubs.

    I note the Zambians’ rants that the Eagles are average players. I didn’t expect them to talk less. But they would surely eat their words because Mikel Obi isn’t the benchwarmer that he has been tagged by the host, not with his sparkling form at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

    I’m sure that many Zambians won’t watch the game till the end. Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho are two of the best youthful players in the European game. By the time the referee would be blasting his final whistle, many of these boastful Zambians would be struggling to have their autograph books signed. They would be too stunned to repeat their pre-match cheap talk in which they described the duo as kids. Seeing is believing, dear Zambians.

    Curiously, Rohr is preparing Iheanacho and Iwobi for twin attacking onslaught on the Zambians, so they have their hands full, especially if both players reproduce their club form in Ndola on Sunday.

    Ordinarily, a game between Nigeria and Zambia anywhere should be a stroll in the park, with the kind of players that we have. But that is the beauty of football. There are no minnows anymore.

    Indeed, a game where Zambia beats Nigeria (God forbid) will attract the attention of European clubs’ scouts, who would want to see if there are players to pick.

    But the Zambians are in for a mouthful because most of the younger boys are from the domestic league, even though they presently play for European clubs. The Zambians would be shocked that the new Eagles will play very well on the bumpy pitch in Ndola. They play on such surfaces when they come home on holidays. But the difference this time is that they must ensure that Nigeria beats Zambia on Sunday.

    The message to the Eagles in Ndola is for them to convert as many goal scoring chances as they have. We must fight for the ball. We must dominate the play, such that their fans would applaud than jeer at us. If we beat them resoundingly, their fans would seek autographs from our players who they watch weekly on television. Goals will definitely decide the winner of the group’s sole qualification ticket.

    On form, the Eagles should beat Zambia, making the Algeria versus Camroon tie a cracker. We don’t want to start permutations with the first game. This fixture is in our hands to decide. We must beat Zambia with at least three goals, such that the results from Algeria won’t affect our top position. We shouldn’t start this group’s matches in second place. If we succeed to trounce Zambia and Algeria draws Cameroon, it gives us two points advantage and a big edge to beat the Algerians anywhere in Nigeria in November.

    With six points and a home game against Cameroon as our next fixture next year, we would have gained a two-point advantage even if the Algerians win their second game. The Algerians are the best in Africa. If we win our first three games, all we will need to do is go for the break against the Cameroonians in Yaoundé in the reverse fixture. We should be praying that the Zambians play for pride by at least holding Algeria in Ndola in the third game.

    If the Zambians succeed to stop Algeria and Cameroon from beating them at home after our victory over them on Sunday, then Russia here we come. But the qualification ticket won’t come cheap, dear Eagles.

    The flipside would be if the Algerians beat the Cameroonians and we win, it becomes a straight fight between us. It is for this reason that the Eagles must beat the Zambians with three goals or more. The Cameroonians are big stage fighters. They don’t look like a team to lose their first game by three goals. It would be much easier for Nigeria to win a two-team qualification contest with Cameroon than with the Algerians.

    The North Africans use the advantage of their inclement weather to the optimum. The fans motivate them from the stand. They are the 12th man on the field. They also employ all the tricks in the books to win games that they need to.

    Beating Zambia, coupled with winning our three home matches fetches us 12 points. It leaves us with two games against Algeria and Cameroon to pick the sole point. You can see why we stand a better chance to grab that extra point, playing Cameroon at home than the Algerians.

    Did I hear you say the permutations have started? Yes. We must know where every victory leaves us. Otherwise, we are out of the series. Good luck Nigeria. Good luck Super Eagles.

  • All we are saying

    Today is Nigeria’s 56th Independence anniversary. It is a day for sober reflection for Nigerians – given the economic recession. Some state governors celebrate their ability to pay workers half salaries monthly. What has happened to all the promises made before their elections? Some state capitals are like glorified villages.

    Most of the local government areas are replete with rustic structures, not forgetting the miserable conditions of the residents. The villagers have been marooned. Their welfare is better imagined. The health centres in the villages, aside looking like shanties, don’t have drugs. The villages where the governors come from aren’t any different. This is the story of most villages after 56 years.

    Will our villagers see the light? Maybe, if the governors decide to allow the grants for the local governments go to them directly. That way, the villagers can hold their leaders by the jugular, if their situation remains the same. Until this is done, our villages will continue to look like museums than places where people aspire to retire to. We must reinvent our villages for a better Nigeria. I digress!

    Today, I was tempted to title this article “Let’s boo Dalung”. I changed my mind. Now, I plead with Sports Minister Solomon Dalung to tell Nigerians when the physically challenged athletes will be rewarded by President Muhammadu Buhari. I had goose pimples anytime the world stood still to listen to our national anthem, preparatory to decorating the eight physically challenged athletes who won gold medals for us at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. It was quite elevating listening to the dialogue among the commentators about Nigeria.

    Most times, the feats of our heroes past dominate their discussions. It is therefore surprising to read in the media the proposal that what was paid to the physically challenged athletes in Brazil is all that they will get. Foul. What manner of justice? What a shame?

    Dalung, sir, these athletes are asking us to pity them. They deserve to get all that the able-bodied athletes get, irrespective of the recession. Nigeria won’t cease to be a sovereign nation if we give each gold medalist N2.5 million, silver N2 million, bronze medalists N1.5million and others N1million. The coaches who handled the gold medalists should get N2 million, N1.5 million for the silver medal coaches, bronze coaches (N1 million).

    Those whose wards didn’t win a medal can get N500,000 each. These figures don’t add up to N150 million (this is about the price of two bulletproof vehicles driven by government officials) and it is less than $500,000.

    Rewarding these physically challenged athletes with cash will empower them to do their private businesses. It will shock Dalung that most of them took loans to prepare for the feats achieved in Rio. Many of them did menial jobs to live. They have dependants who rely on them, not forgetting their siblings.

    These physically challenged athletes are a special breed, who visit the hospitals daily to stay alive. Or should we remind Dalung that their conditions most times arose from an ailment? It is true that $5000 was paid to each gold medalist in Rio. But that figure amounts to a drop in the ocean, considering how much they spend daily. Are we expecting these special athletes to return to their shanties and motor parks? It shouldn’t happen. They are world champions who must be treated as kings and queens, not destitutes who must live in squalor.

    National honours, cash and houses will make these special athletes to feel wanted. They can use the cash to buy vehicles, which will get them to training grounds and other places without stress. A roof over their heads will free them from shylock landlords. This isn’t too much for this administration to do. Is it, Dalung?

    Sir, let these physically challenged athletes meet with the President, shake his hand, dine with him and literally jump out of their wheel chairs to embrace Buhari, after receiving their cheques, among other incentives.

    We cannot wish away their feats on the altar of recession. That will be callous. It is instructive to remind Dalung that a reception for the physically challenged athletes could offer Buhari a chance to tell us his plans for sports, which I believe should be run as a business, not a recreational undertaking, where all the funding comes from the government. Such a reception offers Dalung the cheapest platform to invite the big players in our economy to support sports. The minister could in the euphoria of the reception whisper into the President’s ears to cajole the invited dignitaries into pledging funds for a sports budget.

    The minister could get an event management firm to package it. The video showing the president reeling out his plans for sports will be a credible marketing tool to source for cash for sports, even outside the country. Of course, Buhari would have talked about what the government has in stock for firms that back sports.

    Such a fund raising video is the fillip that sports needs to develop into a veritable industry, where people can be gainfully employed. Sports could also be retooled if the President uses the event to persuade the governors to contribute their quota to the industry through the grassroots. This could be by repairing the dilapidated facilities that litter their states.

    The corporate world won’t identify with sports except they know what is in it for them. And such incentives must come from a personality such as the President. This initiative would serve as pivot to run our sports through the Sports Commission – by technocrats, not civil servants, who are used to spending government money. Sport is big business in other climes, where only those with the knack for revamping moribund organisations are given the opportunity to serve.

     Sports federations: Going, going…

     We don’t have the culture of resigning when we fail. Otherwise, the media ought to be awash with stories of failed federations’ chieftains stepping aside for others. The Rio Olympics ought to be a marker for them to bow out honourably.

    But many of them are hiding under the cover that their tenures end next year. The lacuna arising from the time difference is being wasted because of an inept sports ministry that isn’t proactive to trends in the industry. They may have their plans but such should include making sure that the next set of federation members must have marketing skills to outsource their incomes.

    Members must understand the game and have a passion for it. Such membership structure would make it difficult for the facilities to decay, since members would love to play the game for recreation. We are tired of having retired or serving civil servants leading the federations.

    The new federations should be asked to organise at least four national competitions per sport every year. This means that the biannual National Sports Festival will be competitive. The Sports Ministry must host this multi-sport event, not leaving it to states willing to sponsor it. This is the reason the Sports Festival has been held in the last four years.

     Can Iwobi topple Iheanacho?

     The year is coming to an end. It is time to pick Nigeria’s best footballer. And it is a tough job, given the spectacular forms of Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho and John Mikel Obi for club and country.

    Ordinarily, pundits will settle for Mikel, for his role in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where he held the team’s midfield with his defence-splitting passes. There was also Mikel’s financial assistance to the team after the minister’s antics towards their presence in Atlanta, preparatory to the Games. Sadly, Mikel isn’t playing for Chelsea, although reports in the dailymail.co.uk on Monday suggested that top players in Chelsea have appealed to Manager Conte to return the Nigerian to his midfield role. Chelsea has been tottering since it won its first three matches.

    Mikel’s game with the Super Eagles has been quite impressive. And, as the captain, he has shocked his critics with his leadership qualities. But with pundits, you never know the parameters for picking the best.

    The flipside to the choices are Iheanacho and Iwobi. It is difficult to pick the best. Iwobi hasn’t scored goals for Arsenal yet. But he has been the link to many of Arsenal’s goals in the English Premier League, the League Cup and the European Champions League matches.

    The essence of the game is scoring goals. And that is where Iheanacho has distinguished himself despite the cameo roles he plays for Manchester City. Iheanacho must strive to bench Argentine Aguero for the top striker spot. It is a task that can be done. But I align with Iheanacho that he has a lot to learn from the big boys at Manchester City. If the votes are cast today, Iheanacho looks like the pundits’ choice since his absence from the country’s Olympic Games’ matches was because his club didn’t want to release him for the multi-sport event.

    There is still time for the trio to distinguish themselves. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that they can recreate their European club form in the Super Eagles.

  • Forbidden list

    One interesting line on every university graduate’s certificate is the phrase “you have been found worthy in character and learning”. This statement rings so true with how Lille FC of France’s goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, a university graduate, has handled his resignation. He walked out of the camp when he couldn’t stomach former Super Eagles chief coach Sunday Oliseh’s antics. Both ex-internationals couldn’t co-habit. Enyeama bowed out since Oliseh was the boss and had the support of his employers. Besides, he resisted the urge to confront Oliseh, despite provocation, including the latter’s tweets.

    So, when the story broke after Nigeria beat Tanzania 1-0 inside the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo, penultimate Saturday that Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr was considering talking Enyeama out of retirement, I was excited for two reasons. The first is that Enyeama is one of our best goalkeepers. Any coach worth his name would attempt to talk Enyeama into a change of heart. Rohr truly knows his players. He is also ready to create in the team competition for shirts, which has been missing in previous Eagles settings. Rohr has told us that he won’t build his team around any player. The search for quality players underlines his motive for the Eagles. We wish him good luck. I was bowled over when Enyeama politely absented himself from Nigeria’s international matches, insisting that he had retired from the game at that level. He told Rohr ‘thank you’ for considering him.

    Some fifth columnists have insinuated that Enyeama said he doesn’t want to work with the NFF board. I didn’t bother to call up Enyeama to verify if he said that, knowing him to be a fearless person when it comes to expressing his feelings, no matter whose ox is gored.

    The second is that Rohr doesn’t have any forbidden list of players from his employers. So, if in the course of the Eagles’ campaign for the Russia 2018 World Cup sole qualification ticket there are hitches (God forbid), nobody will allude to any forbidden list of players given to Rohr by anyone. Adegboye Onigbinde, easily Nigeria’s most successful coach won’t be shocked about the revelation of a forbidden list. Take a bow sir.

    Good to know that Gohr is not giving up on Enyeama’s return. Let’s see if the goalkeeper will yield to the manager’s request. Rohr needs our best to succeed. If he finds anyone who is retired but is willing to help us get the 2018 World Cup ticket, such a player should be invited to compete for shirts with those in the team.

     Between Iheanacho and Iwobi

    Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi are the match sticks which Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr hopes to use to burn the Cameroonians’ and Algerians’ wish to grab the group’s sole qualification ticket to the 2018 World Cup slated to hold in Russia. Both players are the raves of the moment in England for two of the biggest European clubs. I’m excited because Arsenal and Manchester City are loaded to the hilt with world class players such that earning a regular shirt for both Iheanacho and Iwobi isn’t a stroll in the park. They have worked their socks wet in training. They have justified their manager’s preference for them, with their sterling performances since the European season began early August.

    It is always nice to have our big players playing regularly for their European clubs. Such feats rub off on the way the Eagles prosecute their matches. It is the reason we have failed in previous attempts to play either at the continental or international levels. The bulk of players available to Eagles coaches in the past had been mostly bench warmers or second half substitutes. And it showed in our game, leading to the seeming inertia in our soccer.

    Iheanacho, aside being in scoring mood, also provides assists (passes) to his better placed mates to score goals for Manchester City. This means Iheanacho is a team player. This ingredient is missing in the Eagles. Thankfully, another Eagle, Iwobi provides passes for his mates at Arsenal. This explains why Rohr may wish to parade them in the Eagles’ midfield.

    Can this combination deliver the Russia 2018 World Cup ticket to Nigeria? Yes, but not in a twin midfield formation. Iheanacho and Iwobi need the experience of their captain John Mikel Obi and, possibly, Oghenekaro Etebo (if he is fit). This four-man midfield can compete with the best anywhere in the world. But the question will be, do we have the striker to convert all the chances created from this formidable midfield?

    Rohr must exercise patience with the strikers he used against the Tanzanians. Rather than weed them out of the squad because of the wasted goal-scoring chances, he should show them how to be calm in front of the goalpost before placing the ball beyond the goalkeeper. Those missed chances were the result of players wanting to appease the fans following Nigeria’s exit from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

    Rohr should get the right combination of the two-man attacking option. It will pay him to stick with Ahmed Musa, now that Odion Ighalo isn’t available and Brown Ideye. He could in the course of the game introduce Victor Moses to fortify the attack. Rohr could move Iheanacho up front when Moses is introduced in the second half as it has become apparent that he is an impact player like we have seen him do with Chelsea.

    The Zambians are the weakest of the other three teams in our group. They are embattled, with their fans nervous, given the field of formidable opponents (Algeria, Cameroon and Nigeria) in their group. If Rohr gets his tactics right, Zambia will fall at Ndola, with fans not angry as they would have been if they had a good team. This is Nigeria’s best chance to lead the group from the first game, because it seems to me that Cameroon will get a draw against the Algerians in Algiers. I pray this result happens. But the big question is, will the Eagles soar over the Zambians by scoring goals aplenty?

    Points haul and huge goals difference will play key roles in deciding which team among Nigeria, Algeria and Cameroon will get the sole qualification ticket. The Zambians look like the whipping team of the group – no disrespect to them. They seem not to know the enormity of the task before them. They are still looking for a foreign manager, less than 15 days to the opening game against Nigeria.

    Will Nigeria get the sole ticket? Yes – if we play our best, who must be motivated to give their best.

     Mikel’s masterstroke

     John Mikel Obi has come out with another masterstroke that could stun Chelsea’s management when they sit with the Nigerian to decide his future. With a few months to the expiration of his contract at Chelsea next year, Mikel looks poised to leave the team where he has won everything there is to be won in club football. It is instructive that Mikel is taking his time to decide his future. And that includes ensuring that he leaves the club without any animosity. He could return to Chelsea as a coach, who knows?

    On Wednesday, Mikel flew a kite of his plans to play in the Major Soccer League (MSL) in the United States of America (USA). He hinged his choice on the need to play with a former Blues’ mate Frank Lampard or play against him. One thing is clear,: Mikel is heading for America. It also means that he wants to retire there, except any European club comes with an irresistible offer. He could then play for the club until he is 33 and then head for the MSL.

    The MSL should be Mikel’s retirement platform after an illustrious career. Mikel ranks behind Nwankwo Kanu as Nigeria’s most decorated footballer. My prayer is that Mikel doesn’t join the list of big stars who stopped playing for their countries. We still need Mikel’s experience and – wait for it – his cash to bail us out of troubled times. Thumbs up Mikel, for parting with 30,000 pounds to rescue Nigeria’s quest for a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It doesn’t matter that he was given the money back.

    If Mikel didn’t pay the money, we won’t be celebrating the bronze medal feat. All hail John Mikel Obi.

     Wenger’s humility lesson

     Arsene Wenger needs no introduction. His love for Nigerians and indeed dark skinned players is legendary. He has eyes for discovering players. Need I waste space listing them? But what has intrigued this writer about Wenger is how he has been able to assemble every season good players who dazzle the world with their sublime skills.

    Brow-beaten by Arsenal fans, Wenger has stuck to his philosophy, which has made the Gunners one of the richest clubs, aside being one of the European teams that have made participating in the yearly UEFA Champions League their birthright. And he does it with burgeoning players.

    But on Monday, Wenger left his flanks open to divulge one of his tricks for success – tasking his young players to be humble, irrespective of what they have achieved. I wish that Rohr could cut out the report and make it the rule for our players.

    Wenger told the world why he kept Alex Iwobi in the senior team – to develop. One isn’t therefore shocked how Iwobi has grown in his game and his mannerisms outside the field of play.

    It is easy for Wenger to achieve this with Iwobi, largely because of his parental background. Humility it is the biggest key to stardom. Thanks Wenger for this vital lesson.

    “He is 20 years old, and I think he has talent, he has ambition, he has a big passion for the game and until now he has humility,” the Arsenal manager said of Iwobi.

    “We have to take care that he keeps that quality because it’s an important one. But he has gained confidence and power. I believe as well he has a good combination of quick passing, picking players out and running with the ball. He gets that balance right, until now, and that’s not easy.”

  • Needless comparisons

    Sports Minister Solomon Dalung enjoys controversies. He is easily excited when he comes before cameras. He loses control when he is swarmed by journalists’ microphones. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be entangled in this needless comparison of able-bodied athletes and the physically-challenged sportsmen and women participating at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. The Spartan fighting spirit is in every Nigerian, irrespective of his or her disciplines. It isn’t peculiar with sports.

    Indeed, given the Federal Government’s resolve to end of polio by 2020, we shouldn’t be talking about Nigerians at the Paralympics. Let somebody say a big “amen” to the prayer of a complete elimination of polio.  Most of these Paralympians don’t like their physically-challenged status. It shows in the zeal they bring into anything that they do. For them, there is ability in disability. It has also driven them to embrace sports and other activities that the able-bodied people can do. So, we shouldn’t abuse their sensibilities by this needless blame game.

    What Dalung should be telling us now is the government’s plan for the Paralympians when they return. The world isn’t surprised that Nigeria is doing well at the Paralympics. This is not the first time these magicians have outshone their able-bodied counterparts. It will, therefore, be wrong for any minister to bask in the euphoria of their feats, knowing too well that but for their feats in sports, not even Dalung knows how they keep themselves alive.

    It would shock Dalung how these physically-challenged sportsmen and women push themselves to earn a living. Dalung’s focus should be how to cater for them after the games. They must not be allowed to return to their squalor until another four years. Dalung should let them know how they can get their drugs. He must tell us what the government is doing to ensure they can put food on the table, aside ensuring that they train adequately for subsequent assignments. These physically-challenged athletes don’t want us to pity them. They want to live like everyone of us. So, Dalung must plead with President Muhammadu Buhari to institute a welfare package, which should include a workable insurance policy that will cover them. Dalung should tell us how the government wants to create jobs for them to make ends meet.

    These world champions shouldn’t be allowed to return to the motor parks as touts? Surprised? Don’t be. Just visit the front gate of the National Stadium, Sururlere, Lagos, after the games. You will find some of them holding court to collect their fees at the bus stop.

    It wouldn’t cost the minister anything to allocate offices to the Paralympics body. They should have a large hall where they can relax after each day’s training. Nigeria’s anthem was sung eight times in Rio, which means they are worthy ambassadors of this country, who shouldn’t be seen touting in motor parks.

    President Buhari should also assure these athletes by announcing big cash incentives to their sports federations to help them attend competitions which would help them to improve on their performance by 2020. This idea of the Sports Ministry abandoning these athletes until a few months to the next Paralympics isn’t good enough.

     Iheanacho, this is your life

    Pep Guardiola needs no introduction either as a player or a coach. He seems poised to earn more respect as a coach than as a player. Good to know he cut his teeth playing for his pet club Barcelona and producing young talented players who have dazzled the world with their sublime skills and soccer artistry.

    Guardiola was Emmanuel Amuneke’s captain at Barcelona. Little wonder pundits are not surprised with Amuneke’s rich coaching dossier, in spite of the fact that he won the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup for Nigeria as a coach. He was assistant to Garba Manu in the coaching crew that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup for this country in 2013.

    Amuneke had a bad patch with the Flying Eagles but that experience served as a learning curve for him. It is quite gratifying that Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) chieftains are retaining his services with the U-20 squad. But Amuneke isn’t the reason for this column.

    Guardiola is set to nurture Kelechi Iheanacho as the next Super Eagles striker. And the world is waiting with bated breath. Guardiola thinks Iheanacho can fit into Aguero’s shoes in Manchester City’s central attacking position. And the Nigerian has shown that Guardiola’s instincts are right.

    Many wondered who Guardiola would unleash on Manchester United last weekend in the Manchester derby, with Aguero out due to suspension. This puzzle troubled the Special One, Jose Mourinho, who told everyone that Manchester City were more dangerous without Aguero. Trust Mourinho and his antics. He factored that Iheanacho could replace Aguero, though he couldn’t place a bet on it, given Guardiola’s pedigree as one capable of doing many things.

    Therefore, Iheanacho’s choice as Aguero’s replacement may have shocked Mourinho, because he didn’t plan for the Nigerian as was evident with his assist to Kevin De Bruyne to score the first goal. And Iheanacho’s tapped goal into an unguarded net from a De Bruyne rebound.

    This is the first time Iheanacho has scored goals for City. He may have shocked himself last season when he took advantage of the few minutes he had as substitute to score goal that made an instant choice for Guardiola, who replaced Coach Manuel Pellegrini.

    With the way things are at Manchester City, Iheanacho is Guardiola’s replacement for Aguero. Can Iheanacho cope? He answered that question on Wednesday night when he replaced Aguero in the second half. He scored a sitter, his first in the UEFA Champions League, but City’s fourth on the night. Manchester City beat Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0.

    Are we expecting a fierce battle between Iheanacho and Aguero. Hmm… Aguero, you have a bad rival who could bench you. First, he is younger. Secondly, he is a Nigerian with the can-do spirit. But above all, Aguero is too injury-prone such that in his absence, Iheanacho could make the striker’s shirt his.

    Is there the likelihood of Guardiola pairing Iheanacho and Aguero in a twin attacking formation? I feel so strongly, but in all these permutations is my joy that Nigeria may have found a striker who can lead our charge for the sole qualification ticket in Group B for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

    Iheanacho, welcome to the most challenging period in your bourgeoning career, especially as a former World Cup champion at the U-17 level in 2013.  If Nigeria makes it to the Russia 2018 World Cup and Iheanacho plays, he would have justified FIFA’s mantra of using grassroots competitions to produce world class stars.

     Thank you Mikel

     The furore that accompanied the choice of John Mikel Obi as Nigeria’s torchbearer at the 2016 Olympic Games was deafening. Those against his choice wanted Segun Toriola. They argued that since it was his seventh Olympic Games, it was just appropriate to crown his efforts with that privilege.

    Good point, except that Mikel was Nigeria’s biggest athlete at the games. There are very few footballers in the world today who can point at their wardrobe of laurels having all the medals Mikel has inside his. Asking Mikel to captain Nigeria was the best decision taken, irrespective of his previous tantrums. Mikel’s feats placed him ahead of Toriola and he made amends of his past sins by the way he rescued Nigeria’s Olympic Games’ bronze medal achievement by splashing 30,000 pounds on the players, when the government abandoned them in Atlanta.

    Would Mikel have done that if he wasn’t Team Nigeria’s captain? He would because he was the soccer team’s captain, playing for a coach (Samson Siasia), who nurtured him to stardom. Besides, Mikel is also the Super Eagles captain, who knows how to get his cash back from chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), including the minister.

    I’m glad that Mikel didn’t disappoint those who picked him. He was exemplary in both his conduct and play during the Olympics. If Mikel doesn’t have a national award, then he rightly deserves one when the next list of awardees is being written.

    Talking about national awards, Nduka Odizor doesn’t have one too. He revealed early this year that a sports administrator asked him to part with some cash, if he wanted to have a national award.

    Dalung sir, please google Nduka Odizor’s achievements in sports and see if he isn’t better qualified than many of those who are awardees today. Our star Olympians, whether or not they won medals, should be honoured. It is the best way to show that their efforts are appreciated. Their kids would love to emulate them too.

     Sorry please, Onazi!

     Oguenyi Onazi should accept the fact that perhaps those beasts who raided his home in Jos didn’t know the landlord. I am not saying that what they did was right. If they were not under hard drugs, they would have seen on the walls inside the house Onazi’s picture and spared his family their tortuous moments when they raided the place last week. Thankfully, the police have fished out the bandits in Lagos while they were about selling off Onazi’s father’s Toyota Highlander jeep. It is sad that those who strive to reshape people’s perception of our great nation can be rewarded in this manner by these wicked souls.

    Onazi should consider this a mistake. The idiots claimed they attacked his father because he lives alone and assists no one. Please, also ignore their ‘threats’ because they have been caught. Good luck in your weekend match. Best wishes to your dad, who is out of the hospital. God has healed him already.

    Tears for Papilo’s mother

    Nwankwo Kanu says he is still in shock following the death of his mother last week. Who wouldn’t be? Most of us who have lost our mothers still rue their absence. This isn’t to say that our fathers are less important.

    Kanu, Mama has gone home to rest; no more worries and aches. She lived to see you achieve greatness. She train your siblings to be worthy kids. She has played her part and needs to rest, like we will all do some day, when Our Father in heaven calls us up.

    Good night Mama, you left behind a great son, who would continue to rock the world. Laa nk’oma (farewell) Mama.

  • Open your eyes

    On Saturdays, I stay indoors to rest and
    follow sporting trends on television. I
    also relax by surfing the internet in the evenings for the big stories. But last weekend, I reluctantly sat up to watch the meaningless Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles and their Tanzanian counterparts inside the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo.

    I wasn’t expecting a massacre of the Tanzanians. I knew we would be fielding a new team that needed time to blend. I wasn’t shocked that all our big boys reported to camp on Monday. See what it means to have a foreign coach? It also didn’t come as a surprise that those who had knocks with the European clubs came late but with evidence of receiving quality treatment.

    I was excited that we had Gernot Rohr to underscore the fact that our foreign legion knows when we are serious with any adventure. I shouted when I didn’t see Sports Minister Solomon Dalung doing the introduction of players and match officials. I was bowled over by the foreign manager’s decision to field Kelechi Iheanacho for 90 minutes, in spite of the fact that he reported to the camp, having not played for his English side recently due to injury – lesson number one for Nigerian coaches.

    I monitored how the manager pulled Iheanacho aside talking to him after watching him train on his own in the days leading to the match. Gohr knew Iheanacho would deliver but left the decision for the team’s medical crew. When the doctors cleared Iheanacho to play, it didn’t matter if he had not trained with others. With a Nigerian coach, the best Iheanacho would have got was a meaningless late substitution. And we would have been asking did Iheanacho play? Iheanacho’s club form was enough for Rohr to field him. And he justified that trust by scoring the only goal that separated Nigeria from Tanzania. Lesson number two for Nigerian coaches – fielding your best players at all times. No stories.

    Aren’t the Nigerian coaches surprised it took Rohr just three training sessions to know that our best right back is former Golden Eaglets Captain Mohammed Musa, who stood like the proverbial Rock of Gibraltar in the Eagles defence? He held sway on the right wing intercepting passes by the Tanzanians. He gave the hitherto wobbly Eagles defence the steel to ward off the visitors. Of course, Gohr said our defence needed fortification. It showed with the defenders’ outing last weekend.  There wasn’t any nervy moment in the defence. I was excited with the way our taller players came back to defend during corner kicks.

    Indeed, fielding Elderson Echiejile at the left back gave the Eagles width at the rear as he joined the attacking onslaughts against the visitors. Interestingly, Echiejile showed he had improved in recovering when he lost the ball. But in the team’s central defence, Leon Balogun and William Troost-Ekong were peerless, although the Tanzanians hardly troubled them.

    What impressed me most about the team was the presence of younger boys as substitutes. It showed when the coach made his substitutions. Every change improved on the team’s performance. Who would have thought that Wilfred Ndidi, a former Eaglets star, would have fitted like glue when he replaced an injured Mikel? Lesson number three for Nigerian coaches – learning to take a risk on younger players. The Nigerian coach would have introduced Nosa Igiebor, hinging his decision on experience. When would the younger players grab this experience when they are always kept on the bench?

    Little wonder people are dreaming of Nigeria securing the group’s qualification ticket. We can, if the players exhibit the kind of resolve to win matches which they display when they play for their European clubs. The players’ mentality towards national team matches must improve. They must understand that they should leave the Eagles at the level where they met it – the top echelon in Africa, to say the least. It is laughable that the Eagles are 16th in Africa. No coach enters the field to play. Players interprete the coach’s tactics on the pitch. We have made several changes in the coaching crew with no movement forward. It simply means that the players are the problem. It shouldn’t be because these boys excel in European clubs. It is, therefore, the belief that with a European manager, a new dawn beckons for Nigeria. Let it start now. The players must secure this ticket for the teeming Nigerian fans.

    Was goalkeeper Carl Ikeme really tested? Rohr took a gamble on Ikeme, who arrived Uyo two days to the match. He didn’t trust those were in the camp. He opted for experience. Looking back, was Ikeme  worth the coach’s gamble? Not exactly, but we know his worth, although it is also wise for the coach to consider having a chat with the team’s former captain, Vincent Enyeama, to rescind his decision not to play for Nigeria. Rohr hasn’t worked with Enyeama before. He knows his worth and may be comfortable with Enyeama in goal than Ikeme. Rohr wants to close his eyes to the fact that his goalkeeping problem has been solved, with two renowned hands. I align with Rohr’s decision to have Enyeama back because the task of doing well at the Russia 2018 World Cup begins with the qualification matches.

    Some people have expressed reservations with Enyeama’s return. They are asking what would happen to Mikel Obi’s captaincy. Mikel has turned a new leaf with his output in the national teams. Rohr certainly knows these details. I also don’t think that Enyeama wants to be captain again. Enyeama left the team because of the rift with the former coach, Sunday Oliseh. Enyeama also has good relationship with Mikel and could ignore the captaincy band. He could return to spite Oliseh. A pointer to Enyeama’s return to the Eagles rests with his post-match comments of the Tanzanian game. Enyeama was quoted to have applauded his mates, urging them to increase the momentum as the struggle for the World Cup ticket begins. Enyeama couldn’t have been bothered about the Eagles when Oliseh and Samson Siasia were in charge. So, good luck to Rohr. I feel strongly that Enyeama should return akin to what Lionel Messi did with Argentina.

    I’m encouraged by Rohr’s resolve to invite others to the camp. His choice of Alex Iwobi and Etebo shows that he has been following our boys’ exploits in Europe. Players, such as Osimhen, Moses Simeon, Iheanacho, Moses, Muhammed, Shehu Abdullahi, Jamiu Alimi et al, capture the essence of developing the game from the grassroots. It raises the hope that Rohr understands the need for us to have a team with an average age of 21 years so that they can compete with others at the Mundial in Russia.

    I was excited watching the Eagles return to the four-man midfield play which ensured that we dominated the Tanzanians, although it didn’t reflect in the scores, largely because our strikers were too anxious to impress the new manager. Iheanacho, Mikel, Victor Moses and Oguenyi Onazi are very talented players. Perhaps, Rohr needs to drop Onazi, if Etebo is fit. Etebo has shown the penchant for scoring goals with his long range shots. If we have two boys who can shoot the ball hard from the distance in our midfield, it would go a long way in increasing our goals haul, especially when the opposition has a very good goalkeeper like the Tanzanians. Again, Rohr could start Musa with Alex Iwobi upfront. Iwobi is slow but swift with the ball. He also can be calm in front of the goalpost like we have seen him do for the Barclays English Premier League side, Arsenal.

    Odion Ighalo has been unlucky with the Eagles as our top striker. I agree with Victor Ikpeba that Ighalo should be more selfish with the ball. But Ighalo isn’t such a player. He could be introduced in the second half with specific instructions from the coach, having seen the first half. Brown Ideye and Sunday Mba were the pivot in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations feat in 2013. The Eagles lost its balance when Mba and Ideye were excluded from the team’s camp. Ideye isn’t as flamboyant as Austin Okocha; nor does he have the sublime skills of Nwankwo Kanu. He does the dirty job in the midfield with his impact only recognised by a good tactician. If our players learn to shoot accurately in front of the goalkeeper, we may not rush the quest for a striker yet.

    Need I score the team? Rather, I’m impressed with the camaraderie Rohr has with his Nigerian assistants. He spoke glowingly about them. I was thrilled when an insider in the Eagles told me that Rohr assigned Imama Amamakabo to his match reading crew. Indeed, the source revealed that Rohr relied on this match-reading team’s remarks to chart his counter strategies as the game progressed. I wasn’t surprised, therefore, when Imama returned to Enugu Rangers, his Nigerian club, to guide the team to crush high-riding Rivers United 4-0 in one of the NPFL games.

    Imama, Salisu Yusuf and Alloy Agu represent the best of our coaches in the domestic league in terms of records. It is also important to state that they are ex-internationals. I hope they can open their eyes and ears to listen to how the Germans prepare the Eagles for matches. They also must scribble down points during tactical discussions. They must ask the Germans questions on puzzles they cannot decipher. Learning is a continuum.

    Salisu, Agu and Imama are gentlemen, not the boastful type. I expect peace within the group. They are not the flippant. There won’t be stories of infighting in the camp or tales of the unexpected. If Salisu, Agu and Imama understudy these Germans, they could be the Eagles’ next technical crew, who would have gained experience on the job and prosecuted a World Cup campaign, by the grace of God in Russia in 2018.

    It won’t be out of place if they can ask their boss to talk to German clubs for them to have attachment training with the clubs to enhance their knowledge. Our football needs a new direction. We could copy the German model. After all they are the World Cup champions.

  • Can we ever change?

    My ears are full. The noise over Nigeria’s poor outing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is deafening. The reasons range from the serious to the laughable and the ridiculous. Were we expecting medals, when only a few of our athletes are world-ranked?

    Nigeria will always fumble at big sporting tournaments, unless we adopt a model which accommodates the sports calendar year budget, not the fiscal budget we run here. The reason is simple. Countries that excel in events such as the Olympics don’t operate a yearly budgetary system like ours in sports. What they have is a sports calendar system where cash is earmarked by the government over four years, which is the time limit between big tournaments, such as the Olympics, World Cup etc.

    A critical example why we should run the sports calendar system is the politics being played between Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Dalung begs NFF to pay Samson Siasia and NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi says Siasia’s outstanding wages have been delayed by the new government policy – TSA. Dalung keeps quiet instead of urging Siasia to wait a bit longer. Most ministers like Dalung make issues out of NFF’s affair, yet worse things happen in the other 28 sports federations. We haven’t heard Dalung cry out the way he is doing with the NFF for all the cases of humiliation to other federations’ contingents who were refused entry visas to compete, leading to Nigeria being walkover in major competitions.

    Dalung, unlike other ministers, is the problem with our sports. Anytime we have major soccer competitions, he creates problems where there are none. He is fueling the Siasia salary saga as if he doesn’t have the powers to pay him from the ministry’s contingency cash and then withdraw at source from NFF’s monthly subventions which pass through his ministry.

    We need to ask the minister if it was wrong for the NFF chiefs to impound the official vehicle driven by the coach’s wife. What does the rule say about those who can drive an official vehicle? Does it include the wife driving it in her husband’s absence? Is there any rule that gives the official’s wife permission to drive his official car when he is away on national assignment? Honourable minister sir, you know the truth. You are the problem with our sports, with the derisive decisions you have taken since your assumed office.

    Dalung denied knowing about the Dream Team VI’s stay in Atlanta only to swallow his vomit. It didn’t matter if he knew that NFF employed Rohr as Super Eagles manager. Basketball and table tennis federations, for instance, have foreign coaches grooming. Need I waste space to celebrate their feats?

    Dalung’s meddlesomeness in NFF’s affairs is the reason we didn’t win a gold medal at the Olympics. Dalung’s comments about the NFF have been awful, making it impossible for the federation to generate revenue to drive its operations outside government funding like it is done in other climes.

    Dalung must tell Nigerians what he did with these anomalies listed below to see if he has been fair with the NFF. For instance, Turkey denied visa to the Nigerian wrestling team to participate in the Rio Olympics qualifying tournament. Funds prevented the women team from participating at the 2016 World Championship in Malaysia. The men’s team sponsored themselves to the tournament.

    The Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) admitted that lack of funds hindered its preparation for the 2016 Olympic qualifying tournament. This stopped the team from fielding quality athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, for the first time in the last four editions of the games.

    The Spanish embassy in the country refused to issue entry visas to the national women U-17 basketball team, which was billed to feature in the 2016 world championship hosted by Spain.

    Lack of fund stalled the Handball Team’s participation in the 2016 Nations Cup in Egypt. Dalung, sir, if all these had happened in NFF, its members would have been languishing in cells.

    We have in the last ten years had over nine sports ministers, who discarded the jobs done by their predecessors. Policy summersaults is chiefly responsible for the dearth of talent hunting programmes. In the past, National Sports Festivals were held in years preceding any major competition, such as the Olympics. Governors now jostle to host it to win it. Several events are dropped because the host cannot provide the facilities or have states hoping to use those medals to win the multisport event marooned. The National Sports Festival was a carnival, where new talents emerged to replace ageing stars. Athletes now beat their chests to have attended several Olympics because the nursery has been destroyed. Schools sport is dead because it isn’t in their curriculum. The open spaces and parks around the cities where kids recreate have been built up. Schools hardly have play grounds. There are no more Colleges of Physical and Health Education to produce the games masters and mistresses who teach the kids the rudiments of games.

    The Ministries of Education in the states are idle. Sports councils are relics, simply because most governors don’t think that sport is central to their programmes for the people. It is customary for some states not to attend national sports competitions, with the state governors not perturbed. I digress!

    Those who excel in competitions run models learned from others. But the common dominator is the sports commission idea led by technocrats with business-minded ideals that help to raise funds outside government. Countries with such a model only get cash from government for competitions. The cash, needless to say, come as when due. What we have in Nigeria is a situation where sports, which is a money spinner, is kept as an arm of the Youth Ministry. Isn’t it the youth that participates more in sports? Isn’t it the youth that have the energy to burn in sports? If we engage them, won’t that create more jobs for people across the 774 Local Government Areas?

    For those yearly sporting events, these countries have evolved cash-driven initiatives anchored on sports lottery schemes, which mostly is all encompassing in the sense that everyone participates in contributing cash to the scheme. Besides, these countries’ governments create the enabling environment for sports to thrive by providing the facilities, which will go a long way in attracting the attention of blue-chip companies to contribute their quota towards stabilising this industry.

    Companies don’t jump into sporting events for the fun of it. They are into any enterprise for business. In the case of sports, the people oil the operations, making it imperative for companies to deploy their CSR personnel to consider some sports for support, most times because their top men play the games. But the government can make many companies bankroll sports if they offer big rebates to them. Tax reliefs, for instance, help these companies’ books at the end of the year, since they are in business to make money for their shareholders.

    The Nigerian Paralympians will always do well because many of them are record holders. They are the ones to beat. Ironically, they don’t prepare well for competitions like their able-bodied counterparts. We have a systemic problem which can only be resolved, if we are professional in the administration of the industry. After the Olympics and Paralympics, nobody remembers the athletes until it is time for another tournament. I digress.

    Indeed, 209 countries were at the Rio Olympics. The multi-sport event is the platform for the best among the best to compete. A competition for champions, not upstarts. It isn’t a podium to celebrate mediocrity, which was what Nigeria’s presence at the Games meant, given our usual shambolic outing at big sporting events.

    Perhaps it is time for our sports administrators started considering the option of making each region concentrate on producing athletes in areas where it has comparative advantage over others.

    For instance, Plateau state is known for its high altitude; hence, the state should be made to produce athletes for the long distance races and marathon. The South-South region, blessed with huge water resources, should produce swimmers; the North, known for men with good heights, should be encouraged to produce basketballers, high and long jumpers. There may be raw talents, but grooming them over a period of four to eight years, with adequate exposure to local and international training and competition, will do the magic.

    The sports ministry, backed by the might of the government, can have an arrangement with corporate bodies for sponsorship of such discovered talents. This will take a huge financial burden off the government, which will only reciprocate sponsorship deals with tax holidays or rebates for the sponsoring firms.

    I align with President Muhammadu Buhari if he is happy with our outing in Rio. The president was definitely comparing notes with what happened in 2012 Olympic Games in London. Nigeria didn’t win any medal in England. The bronze in Brazil is good but the president knows better, considering our status at the Olympics when things were right.

     

    Where is that (Nigeria)?

     

    I’m a proud Nigerian. I get easily irritated when the media celebrate foreigners who don’t recognise us simply because they are achievers for other countries. It typifies what the late Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapko Kuti (the Ebami Eda of exciting memory) tagged colonial mentality in one of his songs.

    Most of these so called Nigeria-born kids have single parentage and perceive any link of them to our great country as a taboo. Little wonder, they are quick to ask when Nigeria is mentioned to them: where is that? We must learn how to develop our talents at the grassroots by providing the facilities for them to train. This has been the missing link between homegrown talents and those “foreigners” we annoyingly call Nigerians. This must stop.

    Nigeria is too big to be tagged “where is that?” not with the exploits of our compatriots in all fields of human endeavour. It is the reason their so-called parents find it difficult to convince them to play for us. They come up with all kinds of reservations, as if we are in a jungle.

    Many of these so-called Nigeria-born won’t represent us except they can’t secure a place in those countries. But we hurry to admit them to compete. And the results are there for everyone to see especially in athletics.

    We must never run to them. The future of our sports is here, not with any Nigeria-born tokunbo athlete. If they must compete for us, it must be done on their own volition.

  • Buhari, please save our sports

    Buhari, please save our sports

    We have started again. Those who don’t want peace at the Glasshouse are up to their pranks, which could dovetail into a major distraction that may ultimately cost Nigeria the 2018 World Cup ticket. We should call them to order.

    The Japanese philanthropist’s donation is not enough for us to lose focus, considering the importance of the World Cup, especially after winning a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. What should be in our minds as a nation is how to set a template which will make Nigerian athletes rise to the occasion to compete with the World’s best. That is the only way Nigeria can be considered for hosting big competitions that will help provide for us the kind of facilities that we found in Rio and its surrounding cities during the Olympics. We shouldn’t spend quality time apportioning blames when we knew four years ago that the Olympic Games’ calendar is a four-year exercise.

    No doubt, mistakes were made en-route the Rio Olympics. But that shouldn’t be the reason to settle scores and make a few people scapegoats. A holistic approach towards achieving better results in Tokyo in 2020 should occupy our minds. And it starts with challenging the Muhammadu Buhari administration to tell Nigerians what its sports policy is.

    Is it about participating in major competitions without providing an enabling environment for sports to be run as a business like we find in other climes? Is it one in which the government does not want to exploit the potentials of creating jobs for the masses through the renovation of dilapidated structures across the country? Is it out of place for the sports policy to create a platform for people to recreate and stay healthy?

    Imagine the situation where there one sporting facility in each of the 775 Local Government Areas based on the natural talents of the people in a locality. There will be jobs for three coaches, three trainers, six doctors, six nurses, two grounds men, two cleaners and two games masters. Twenty-four people will be gainfully employed in each o f the 775 LGAs. Do the arithmetic of multiplying 24 by 775 to find out how many jobs that would be created if this pilot scheme is initiated. When that happens, there would be enough sporting activities to engage the youth who would be compelled to channel their energies towards sports instead of crime.

    If the Buhari administration adopts this plan, which should be backed by a legislation, that will make it binding on each of the 36 states and Abuja to take one sport different from the pilot one in the council areas and employ 12 people, using the same template. Again, multiply 775 by 12. It could trickle down to the local government, such that no one is left out. Amazed? Don’t be. It appears simple but it can work if only the Buhari administration has the political will to implement this initiative.

    The first ripple effect of this will be the return of sports to the grassroots-primary schools, colleges, polytechnics and universities. Young men and women won’t just be training daily without testing themselves to know their strengths and weaknesses. The moribund competitions that served as veritable hunting grounds for talents will be resuscitated. New ones will, of course be introduced.

    The new dawn in sports across the country wouldn’t go unnoticed by blue-chip companies and the rich. They would want to key into the initiative since their target audiences are the people.

    But the government needs to woo them with tax rebates for sponsoring sports. This is one of the ways successful nations lure the corporate world to bankroll sports.

    Part of the strategies towards outsourcing cash to run sports would be for the Buhari administration to find out what happened to the cash from previous Sports Lottery schemes headed by several wealthy Nigerians, such as the late Moshood Abiola. One is convinced that so much cash can be sourced outside, if the government introduces a transparent scheme in which sports-loving Nigerians can pay a token into a consolidated account run by the office of the Vice President. The cash can be drawn when the athletes need it instead of waiting endlessly for it. In the past, fund-raising events were organised prior to the Olympics, with the government opening the show with a substantial amount to convince the people and the business community that they are truly behind the project.

    Indeed, the calibre of Nigerians in the fund-raising body will further convince everyone to support sports. At the end of each major sporting event, the fund raisers will give an account of their stewardship. Statements of the body’s audited accounts should be made public.

    This transparency would lure more companies to associate their products and services with sports, like we see elsewhere. No company will want to smear its corporate image with ventures mired in corruption and controversies like we have in sports.

    The beauty of this aspect is that it is the engine-room that drives all the operations. The funding of sports shouldn’t be left in government’s hands. But, like I said earlier, it behoves on the government to set the templates to woo the corporate world into sports.

    The next question will be: what other things do sports nations do to excel? Simple. They choose a workable model, depending on what their targets are. For instance, after the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Jamaicans wanted to emulate the Americans in athletics. They got back home after the games and sent people to understudy the Americans in their schools, colleges and universities. These sports missionaries returned to Jamaica and today the fastest man and woman in the 100 metres are Jamaicans. The Americans are fighting back by deploying their former athletics greats to the schools, colleges and universities to groom new athletes, recount their experiences to them while serving as their role models, as they aspire to greatness.

     Britain returned home after an inglorious outing at the Atlanta’96 Olympic Games to reinvent their sports through the grassroots. They swallowed their pride and invested in long distance runner Mo Farah, a Somalian, who has now won for his adopted country four gold medals in two consecutive Olympic Games, first in London in 2012 and only recently in 2016 in Rio in the 5,000 metres and 10,000metres.

    We are beginning to see the Asians excel in athletics as one of the fallouts of hosting the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Today, the Japanese are the second fastest in the men’s 4×100 metres relay race. Imagine what the Japanese will do in 2020 when they host the next Olympic Games in Tokyo.

    Successful sporting nations don’t run the ministry system because the industry is dynamic – full of changes which occur as each game evolves. This is one of the biggest challenges that confront Nigerian athletes in big sporting competitions where they find out that most of the facilities that they trained with at home are obsolete. The ministry model encourages laziness since the people are used to waiting for government money. These lazy people in the ministry create the administrative bottlenecks that slow down adequate funding of sports. Of course, the people who have run our sports recently have left much to be desired.

    President Buhari sir, Nigeria needs a National Sports Commission (NSC) comprising tested technocrats, not recycled people who have reaped from the tardiness of the ministry system. The commission should be headed by a renowned business guru with the pedigree of having revamped moribund institutions, preferably a banker or an industrialist, who would find the time to monitor what goes on in the commission. The members of the NSC shouldn’t be Lilliputians. They should be of the same stature as the chairman to avoid a one-man show. The secretary of the NSC should never be a civil servant. That position should be advertised to get the best person for the job.

    The NSC Chairman should be able to sit at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings, like ministers, to debrief the President about his commission. The clout of members of the NSC will be such that getting cash from the corporate world would be a piece of cake.

    President Buhari sir, the overbearing nature of most ministers has been the reason for the induced rifts and controversies at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC). To avoid a repeat of this wahala, there is the urgent need to detach these two critical bodies from the NSC. The reason is that both bodies can generate enough cash to run their operations.

    Consequently, both the NFF and the NOC should be covered by a legislation which makes them legal entities, not this setting where they always run to the ministers for approvals. What has caused the needless controversies in the NFF and the NOC is the ego of the men running the two bodies and the minister, with the latter asserting authority.

    A case in point is the Atlanta saga involving the U-23 team where our bronze-winning players, coaches and officials had a torrid experience en-route Rio. Those who denied knowing where the players and coaches were shamelessly got to Rio, apologised to them and now want Nigerians to believe that their intervention helped the Dream Team to win the bronze medal. Indeed!

    The NFF and the NOC play a big role towards shaping people’s perception of Nigeria. Both bodies should be placed under the office of the Vice President for proper supervision. It will be foolhardy for any NFF or NOC group to confront the Vice President, who in any case will be too busy with other state matters. Both bodies cannot source for cash when the minister keeps insinuating that they are corrupt.

    The NOC has become a docile body since we started having the sports ministry decide who its president should be. After Alhaji Raheem Adejumo, the late NOC President, the body ‘died’. The NOC has become a platform for sports ministry chiefs, desperate aspiration. It explains why the minister became the bursar for Nigeria’s Olympic contingent instead of the NOC. This is part of the misnomer, which makes us the laughing stock in the comity of nations. We should reform or get permanently deformed.