Posted by By Pa John Ojidoh on
BEING one of the few Nigerians who made significant contributions to the Documents that our powerful Minister and Galadima took to Zurich, ...
BEING one of the few Nigerians who made significant contributions to the Documents that our powerful Minister and Galadima took to Zurich, I was highly disappointed when wide media publicity was given to Blatter's "alleged" approval of the two Documents. While it is true that one Mrs Moore and her colleague in the Legal Department held wide consultations with relevant stake holders and consequently put forward a master piece of a Draft Amendment to Decree 101, I am aware that the Permanent Secretary and the minister caused some clauses to be inserted which in normal circumstances could never have been approved by FIFA.
When therefore it was reported that Blatter and his Executive Committee were happy with Nigeria to the extent of unconditionally accepting the documents and commending the Ministry and the Government I became so skeptical that I forecast anarchy, vindictiveness and discrimination in our Football Administration. It is disastrous that less than a fortnights after the mysterious pilgrimage to Zurich the Honourable Minister has let loose his armoury on those he does not wish to see. He has descended to the level of believing that Nigerians have no commonsense to understand what he is doing.
(A) Sacking of Departmental Heads except Abubakar. Alhaji or Mr Salihu Abubakar is Civil Servant, he is Head of the Department of Pro-League, his is Personal Assistant and/or Adviser to the Honourable Minister. He holds the three posts simultaneously. At 79 years (the next birth day) I have never known this to happen in any country or a precedent in this country from Colonial Days to date. I am tempted to capture overt irregularities repugnant to the Laws of the Land and of commonsense. Are other factors not based on merit not playing a shameful and scandalous role. I challenge the President to speak up and marry this scenario to our slogan of Due Process, Probity, Accountability, Transparency, Federal Character Blah-Blah-Blah.Wauh.
(B) Setting up of Pro League Management Committee
Football is now big business everywhere. In this business it is mainly professional clubs that are Stakeholders promoting their business in most cases at huge losses. Out of sheer passion and patriotism they have succeeded between 1990 and today to keep the Business going and we now have our Premier League, Division 1 League and Division 2 League. Each of these is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as a company with its Board of Directors and Management. Chief (Nathaniel) Idowu, Femi Olukanmi, Daniel Idama, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Izuchukwu and several others spent fortunes to keep the Leagues going. Guineapigs like worked night and day for 96 Hours to draw up necessary Rules, Regulations and Documents.
Now that the Leagues are relatively stabilised and have been recognised in the Football World, one powerful minister has appointed non-Stakeholders to run other peoples' private business. UAC is a company, PZ, Unilever, Connoil, OANDO, Mobil, Vitafoam, UBN, Zenith Bank, First Bank, UBA, Okomu Oil are all companies. Will Col. Mohammed tell me that he or any Minister can appoint a Management Board or committee for such companies? His action in setting up a Pro-League Management Board for the Club/Company owners is a criminal violation of the Fundamental rights of the Club Owners crying to the president, the national Assembly, The Judiciary, the Human Right Activists and to Heaven and Earth for redress and vengeance.
The club owners can decide and even with immediate effect to disband or liquidate their business so that the Minister's Board can manage a decadent of cattle or a group of prisoners as clubs. I can not understand where the minister derives authority or legitimacy for his action. As a semi-illiterate layman, I am not aware that Decree 101 has already been legally abrogated and replaced with an Act of the National Assembly. What was presented to FIFA was a mere draft and in any case it is not FIFA's business to approve the Political Laws of any country. It approves the Football Statutes of every country. Unless the National Assembly has passed the New Laws and it has been duly signed by the President, Decree 101 remains extant and the Minister cannot enforce any provision of the Draft Document. (Please pardon my ignorance in case the New Bill has been passed and signed into Law).
(C) Appointment of a New Secretary-General
It has been the practice to advertise vacancies in the National Dailies so that qualified candidates can apply, be interviewed and consequently appointed. Chief Segun Odegabmi is over-qualified for the position of Secretary-General given his track records and antecedents but Due Process has not been respected. Unless that position has been zoned to a Geo-political Area the contest for that position should have been open so that we can overtly appreciate merit and relevance.
I am not a prophet of doom but most of my forecasts always come true. Blatter's FIFA has empowered an over-zealous Minister to introduce and enforce measures capable of causing anarchy, distraction, confrontation , rebellion and justifiable Litigation. If the president and National Assembly fold their arms and watch an ill-advised Minister carry on with repugnant measures FIFA's next "Missionary Journey"? May be too devastating for the Nation to bear. What is happening now amounts to much greater interference than that which FIFA once complained about. Is Doomsday or Redemption Coming? The President, the national Assembly, Stakeholder and Elders should act quickly to save our Sport in general and Football in particular from avoidable catastrophe or extinction.