Nigeria Content Online

This past week, I
had the opportunity to be in Port Harcourt for the AIT Football Awards,
2010. The Awards Panel, led by Paul Bassey, had done an excellent job
in my opinion, even if I am a member. I say so because at least three
of the awards recipients were echoed by the audience even before their
names were announced as winners.

For instance, the
top award, Footballer of the Year, it was the state governor, Rotimi
Amaechi’s job to announce the winner. When he said, “And the winner is
…” the audience yelled, “Vincent Enyeama!”

A number of
football personalities made their way to the Garden City at the
instance of the event promoters and organisers. One of them was Fabio
Lanipekun. Uncle Fabio always comes to my aid in the resolution of
arguments and controversies, with all the facts no matter how distant.
Veteran of many continental and global sport events coverage, Uncle
Fabio tells me things in sports, in styles that make many university
dons look very ordinary.

This time in Port
Harcourt, though, it was the turn of Uncle Fabio to ask me questions
about Football Nigeria, the domestic league. “Godwin,” he said, “what
can we do about bringing the crowd back to our stadia?” To be honest,
only a man of Uncle Fabio’s profile and standing would get a comment
out of me on this subject. The truth is, I have exhausted myself, voice
almost going hoarse, on what to do about the league, and I really do
not think previous sponsors and club owners really care. On
sponsorship, I see no leveraging activities. Absolutely nothing to sell
the league to first timers and old fans. Matters are, the league is
almost halfway through without a sponsor because of the megalomaniac
tendencies of those who have the powers. Matters in court as to title
rights and who to have it are unhelpful. The league is being killed by
ghostly claims and counter claims. Someone, please stop the
anti-football activities in the name of sponsorship fights. Our
football can do without such de-motivating distractions.

No help from club owners

Club owners do not
help matters. They always will engage managers who have no credentials
for jobs. Competence is in very short supply. In any case, I have my
suspicion that professional football league clubs, which many years ago
constituted the PR bastion for state governments, mostly military in
those times, have descended to being conduit pipes for siphoning tax
payers’ money. Huge budgetary allocations are made out for these clubs,
NPL clubs, all of them owned by state government and its agencies, and
just a small slice of the money actually gets used for the running of
the clubs and its affairs. This trickle of funds is never enough to get
the teams firing, brimming with local lads as heroes who the home fans
can look to see in a match and bond with. Local heroes ignited football
in the 70s and 80s.

In Benin, as young
lads, we all saved up to see Bendel Insurance stars, Eyo Essien, Victor
Oduah, Tony Ottah, Sebastine Broadricks, Sunny Izevbigie, Emmanuel
Egede, John Oganwu, Sam Ikedi, Felix Obasuyi, Starford Ekpere in the
early 70s. In the late 70s, our new heroes were Felix Agbonifo, Leotis
Boateng, Francis Monidafe, Christopher Ogu, George Omokaro, Peter
Egharevba, Henry Ogboe, Rufus Ejele, Kadiri Ikhana, David Adiele, Agwo
Nnaji, Tony Oviawe, quickly followed by Damian Ogunsuyi, Ibrahim
Akali-Dafe. The next generation of Roland Ewere, Augustine Igbinadolo,
Friday Elaho, Prince Afejukwu, Ikponmwonsa Omoregie, Humphrey Edobor,
Bright Omokaro, George Ebojoh may not have been as heroic as their more
illustrious predecessors but they did attract us to Ogbe stadium.

Shooting stars had
real stars, Segun “Mathematical” Odegbami, Muda Lawal, Best Ogedengbe,
Folorunsho Ganberi, Idowu Otubusen, Moses Otolorin, Kunle Awesu, Felix
Owolabi, Sam Ojebode, Segun Adewale, Zion Ogunfemi, Torunarigha
Ojokojo, Mutiu Adepoju, Adegoke Adelabu etc.

Up North were
Raccah Rovers held sway, these names ignited the crowed, Iliyasu
Yashin, Abdulwahab Haruna, Babaotu Mohammed, Shefiu Mohammed, Captain
Hussain Alabi and Dahiru Sadi. From the East and for Rangers
International, Emmanuel Okala, Patrick Ekeji, Christian Chukwu, Dominic
Ezeani, Nwabueze Nwankwo, Stanley Okoronkwo, Emeka and Ifeanyi
Onyedika, Kenneth Abana, Dominic Nwobodo, Ogidi Ibeabuchi, later
Patrick Okala, Nnamdi Nwokocha, Christian Nwokocha, Okey Isioma, Arthur
Egbunam etc. In Lagos, Haruna Ilerika, Tajudeen Ajagun, Yomi Peters,
Collins Ebitimi alias Barbwire dragged people to Onikan.

So, instead of club
owners and managers shopping for ready-made players from the previous
seasons’ winners as new recruits, they should create home grown heroes
to power their teams and bring back the crowd that struggles to
prioritise its spending in the face of shrinking expendable incomes on
leisure and entertainment. Until such concerted efforts are deployed to
the game, security assured at the stadium which will engender good
officiating and credible match results, viewing centres will remain the
place to be.