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Thank God I am back home, after another eye-opening and very
refreshing youth football development coaching course, organised by the
University of Worcester, UK, and the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The moment the plane landed at the airport in Lagos and I
switched my handset on, an overwhelming number of text messages rushed in.
About 95 per cent of the messages had to do with issues concerning Nigerian
football. I have now spent two weeks studying the issues, the people involved,
the state of the nation called Nigeria and have come up with a position, not
likely to be popular, which I believe will form part of the solutions to the
web of deception and ruckus, into which this greatly blessed nation is now
caught. It is the TRUTH, only, that can move Nigeria sports forward.

The sham election

Nigerians have been deceived into believing that Sani Lulu was
impeached because of his alleged high-handedness and failure to “carry them
along”. I beg to absolutely disagree. Lulu’s fate was sealed before, during and
after the massive “chop-chop” of the so-called FIFA U-17 World Cup finals,
hosted in 2009. It has been alleged — officially and otherwise — that some
highly placed and influential sacred cows, no one can joke with, especially
when it comes to football matters in Nigeria, Africa and the entire world, were
dubiously schemed out of some mouth-watering, juicy, 10-figure contracts
awarded by the NFF’s local organising committee. The truth of the matter is
this: you do not bite the finger that has fed you, and go unscathed. When a
river, no matter how big, forgets its original source, it will dry up. Please,
let someone counsel Lulu to go back to Amos Adamu and settle matters. Who
knows, he might end up grabbing a CAF or WAFU appointment?

Nigerians are also being deceived into thinking that an election
meant to choose the next NFF Board members, will hold on August 21, 2010. This
is another deception. Election in Nigeria? I beg your pardon; the notion itself
is laughable.

Now, to think of an ‘election’ concerning football in Nigeria,
in the year 2010, without the input and influence of Amos Adamu, is to say the
least, a very big joke. The truth is that nobody in Nigeria has the football
clout commanded by Adamu.

None! The strings are firmly in his hands. I am made to
understand that he is being strongly considered by the Presidency as a Senior
Special Assistant on sports. Well, believe me, the only one who can stop Amos
from getting there is God Almighty or Adamu himself. That is one aspect of
Adamu I personally appreciate. Abuse him, attack him on the pages of
newspapers, on the radio or television, the man is focused and goes on with
what he wants to achieve. And as a gentleman that he is, if you overstep your
limits, he takes you to court. He sued one of us busy-body sports writers about
two years ago, for 500 million naira.

Getting back on track

So, what can we do to get out of this web? Go back to the
drawing board, as most Nigerians superficially say. The drawing board should be
the ‘self-ban’ we imposed on ourselves a few weeks ago. This time, we can
employ a very wise approach and strategy. Please, think about this: what will
eventually happen if the federal government, through its agency, the NSC,
withdraws all financial assistance given to sports in Nigeria? Can we call the bluff
of FIFA that way? Is FIFA capable of funding football in Nigeria? Has FIFA got
the right to interfere in such internal domestic issues?

The other immediate solution may be for Goodluck Jonathan to
summon all the ‘party’ leaders to Aso Rock and ask them to submit a candidate
each, and agree on a sharing formula. After all, the cake is large enough to go
round and still remain for those at the grassroots. I am not joking at all. If
Nigerians allow this so-called forth-coming ‘elections’ to take place, then, we
must be prepared to face the consequences and that will not only be very sad,
it will be very painful. It will be a shame and a travesty. Nigerian football
must not be allowed to move backward anymore.

May God rescue football in Nigeria from the grips of the evil doers, Amen.