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Ayo Ositelu, one of
Nigeria’s most experienced journalists has advised President Goodluck
Jonathan to call the bluff of world football governing body, FIFA over
its decision to ban Nigeria from all its global football competitions.

Ositelu, former
Sports Editor of The Punch Group of Newspapers, said by banning Nigeria
the way it has done FIFA has shown disrespect to a sovereign nation.

“It is about time
Nigeria called the bluff of the arrogant dictators or self-styled
overlords who delight in issuing threats and terrorising mostly
developing countries on the flimsiest of excuses. I really do not know
how the self-serving opportunists who found themselves running world
football got the idea that the Nigerian government decides what goes on
in the courts of law,” Ositelu said.

“Where was FIFA
when government gave Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) N900 million for
the South Africa World Cup? Where was FIFA when government was
financing all NFF programmes? And where will NFF be without government?
Does FIFA know that corporate bodies do not support sports or football
in Nigeria? It is the government that fund the sport.

“Everybody knows
who is behind all these problems, the same person who has controlled
sports for 20 years with little to show for the government’s massive
investment in sports,

particularly
football. I’m sure the government knows what to do before one man
single-handedly destroys what Nigeria has built for more than seven
decades.”

Fishing out culprits

He said FIFA ought to show Nigeria more respect.

“What is the
problem of FIFA if government say they want to increase the number of
club in the league? If FIFA can do without Nigeria, they should go
ahead so that the country could organise its football,” Ositelu said.

“On June 6, 2006,
when FIFA ordered England, Spain, Italy and Germany to reduce the
number of the teams in their leagues so that players play less matches,
these nations told FIFA to go to hell and why is FIFA concerning itself
with unimportant issues instead of focusing on important issue like
goal-line technology. The tenure of Sepp Blatter as FIFA boss is the
most corrupt in the history of FIFA.”

Ositelu also called for an investigation to expose those behind the nation’s recent predicaments.

“The person or
persons must be brought to book. After all, no person (not even
President Jonathan) is bigger than Nigeria. The sports minister is not
minister of football but of sports, I think the FIFA ban will help us
to focus on other sports… money spent on football should be diverted
to other sports in Nigeria”.

NPL responsible

In a related
development, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has said it is not to
blame for the enlargement of the Nigeria Premier League to 24 teams
from its original 20. Olukayode Thomas, Special Assistant to the Sports
minister, Ibrahim Bio, said neither Bio nor Patrick Ekeji unilaterally
increased the number of teams in the premier league “On the issue of
the league, the decision not to relegate any team was taken by the NPL,
NFF and the club owners, who met in Abuja to resolve the dispute
between Baribote and the NPL. So what is the ministry’s role in that
case?” Thomas asked.

The
ban placed on Nigeria by world football governing body, FIFA, over what
it described as government interference in the affairs of the Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF), may be a blessing after all.

Mary
Onyali-Omagbemi, one of Nigeria’s most accomplished athletes, said this
at a meeting of concerned members of the sports fraternity who met on
Monday to review the state of sports in the country.

“It was what we did
that warranted FIFA to drop the hammer on us. It is one of us that
wrote FIFA that made them come down on us,” Onyali-Omagbemi said.

For her, the ban was not all bad news. She believes there might be a silver lining to it.

“Maybe what has
happened will make us return to the grassroots,” she said. “We must go
back to the grassroots because it is the only way out of this terrible
situation we have found ourselves in. All sports federations in the
country must as a matter of urgency seek to embrace the grassroots
options if we must make any headway.”

Onyali-Omagbemi,
who won medals for Nigeria at the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games,
and the Olympics during her days as a competitor, said new talents were
not being discovered nationwide. Instead, she said what is happening is
that tired and aging athletes are being recycled.

“We must find a way
out of this mess. We cannot continue like this but first of all we must
accept collective responsibility for what has happened and then chart a
way forward,” she said.

No more negativity

Onyali-Omagbemi said that one of the things to do is to believe in Nigeria.

“We must overcome the tendency to stop being negative about our
country. There are a lot of positives we can take away from Nigeria.
There good people doing great things here and we must always emphasise
that. It is because we keep running ourselves down that bodies like
FIFA always threaten us. It is sad that some people in this country are
writing to organisations like FIFA, IOC etc to drop the hammer on us.
It is very unfortunate,” she said.

The
indefinite suspension placed on Nigeria by football’s world governing
body, FIFA may soon be lifted as the National Association of Nigerian
Footballers (NANF), led by Harrison Jalla, has agreed to an out of
court settlement – regarding the case the association brought against
officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The association had
sued the elected board of the NFF as well as several top officials
including FIFA executive committee member Amos Adamu to the Federal
High Court in respect of the disputed August 26 elections into the NFF
executive committee.

The action was
however contrary to FIFA regulations and was one of the reasons given
by the world body on Monday for its decision to suspend Nigeria from
international football.

In a communiqué
jointly signed by Jalla, Adamu, former Super Eagles defender Taribo
West and five others, NANF agreed to an out of court settlement so as
to “ensure that Nigeria does not lose any of its FIFA-organised
qualifiers” scheduled for this weekend.

The qualifiers
comprise the African Under 20 Youth Championship qualifier between the
Flying Eagles and their Mauritian counterparts, and the 2012 Africa Cup
of Nations match in Conakry between Nigeria and Guinea.

There are however
certain conditions that need to be in place, in the opinion of NANF,
before the next hearing of the case on October 25 in Lagos. Top of the
conditions is that, all the issues contained in the suit filed by the
association must be resolved amicably between all the parties concerned
before the next court hearing.

Nigeria-Guinea game in doubt

Meanwhile, Guinea’s
national team coach Frenchman Michel Dussuyer has said the game between
the Super Eagles and Guinea, scheduled for Sunday has been postponed.

Speaking on
Wednesday morning to French sports magazine L’Equipe from Abidjan, Cote
D’Ivoire where the Guineans are preparing for the match, Dussuyer said
he got a fax from the Guinean FA saying the Nigeria encounter has been
postponed indefinitely.

“No reasons were given. We’re waiting for further clarifications,” Dussuyer said.

The NFF is however in the dark regarding the development.

According to its
media officer, Robinson Okosun, there has not been any official
communication from either the Guinean FA or the confederation of
African Football (CAF). Okosun said efforts had been made by the NFF to
get in touch with CAF’s media head Suleiman Habuba regarding this
development.

There is however a
possibility that the presidential election run-off in Guinea may have
been the reason behind the Guinean FA’s decision to postpone the game.

The presidential
election run-off now scheduled to take place on October 24, was meant
to take place in September, but was postponed after violent clashes
between rival supporters.

A subsequent date
of October 10 – the day the Nigeria-Guinea match was initially expected
to take place – was proposed but was not agreed upon because of a row
over who should lead the electoral commission.

The electoral commission was plunged into chaos last month when its
president was convicted of electoral fraud during the first round. He
later died after a long illness.

Nigeria’s U-18 male
basketball team, the Junior Tigers, will on Friday start its quest for
a ticket to next year’s World Youth Championships coming up in Latvia
from June 30 to July 10, 2011.

The Nigerian team
is one of the twelve African teams competing at the 17th Afrobasket
competition, which begins tomorrow in Rwanda and runs through October
17.

The championships,
which is also serving as a qualifying event for the world tourney also
has Algeria, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Angola, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Congo
Brazzaville, hosts Rwanda and defending champions, Egypt all competing
for the two tickets allocated to the continent.

The nine-day tournament will be jointly staged at Amahoro Indoor stadium and Green Hills academy.

La Palisse
Nyandungu hotel will host six teams, five teams will stay in Lemigo
hotel, while the home team is already settled in at Belvedere village.

Before leaving for
the event yesterday for the tourney, the players alongside the team
handlers said they were ready to make the country proud in Rwanda and
also to secure one of the available ticket.

Emmanuel Odah and
Ogoh Daudu are in charge of the Nigerian team, which had twelve players
making the trip. The draws for the competition will take place later
today with the twelve countries on parade expected to be split into two
groups.

Earlier in the year, The Nigeria female U-19 team secured a ticket
to represent the continent at the World championships in Chile next
year after finishing second in the Afrobasket championship for the
females held in Cairo, Egypt.

The battle for top
honours at the ongoing Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship
will be a straight fight between the Kwara and Delta State
representatives, Sani Turi, coach of Kaduna’s Queen Amina College has
said.

Kwara’s Dalex Royal
College have been impressive so far in the championship and they won in
their first game against Adamawa’s Government Girls Secondary School
with ease.

The same goes for Delta’s Asaba Girls Grammar School who demolished Queen Amina College 44-12.

Judging from what
he has seen of the Kwara and Delta representatives, Turi believes both
sides are a class above other teams taking part in the championship,
although he said he will be satisfied to see his team finish in third
place.

“We will be
definitely be satisfied with the bronze medal because I don’t think
that the young players I brought for this championship can rub
shoulders with the Kwara and Delta teams,” said Turi.

“The two teams are
very strong sides and I think the title will be fiercely competed for
by these teams. For us, we will settle for the bronze medal which we
believe will inspire our young team to aim higher at the next edition
of the tournament.”

Adamawa coach not left out

Just like his
Kaduna counterpart, the Adamawa State coach, Dickson Tinism, also
believes the Kwara and Delta representatives are in a league of their
own. Nonetheless, Tinism looks forward to a tough semi-final clash
after qualifying for the tournament’s last-four after Zamfara’s
Government Girls Secondary School failed to turn up for their match on
Wednesday.

As a result, the
Adamawa team were given the maximum points, which guaranteed them a
place in the last-four – alongside group winners, Kwara’s Dalex Royal
College.

“It is painful that
we could not use the match against Zamfara to tune up for the semi
final clash but with what we had achieved this year, I think we have a
good chance even though we will be facing a tough side in the
semi-final stage,” said Tinism.

Commited sponsors

Nestle Nigeria PLC,
sponsors of the annual championship, reaffirmed its commitment to the
development of basketball. The company promised participants and
spectators an exciting time at the national finals.

Walter Okafor, the Category Business Manager (Beverages) of the
company, said that no expense has been spared to ensure a befitting
national final in the usual Nestle Milo tradition. He expressed delight
at the high standard of play demonstrated by the various teams so far
at the national finals saying that the youngsters have displayed great
skills, discipline, fair play and commitment to the game.

The 2010 Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship, got underway on Tuesday in Lagos with the representatives of Delta and Kwara respectively enjoying good starts to their quest for honours at the annual tournament.

In the girls category, Delta’s Asaba Girls Grammar School defeated their counterparts from Kano state, Queen Amina College 44-12 to set the ball rolling in the championship that is now in its 12th year.

If the opening match of the championship, which is taking place at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, was one-sided the very next game proved otherwise as Kwara’s Dalex Royal College took on Adamawa’s Government Girls Secondary School.

It proved to be a thrilling contest but the Kwara state representatives ran out winners at the end of the day, winning 35-22.

More matches are expected to take place today in both the girls, as well as boys categories.

Commitment

In a related development, the sponsors of the annual championship which remains a high point in the country’s school sports calendar, Nestle Nigeria PLC, reaffirmed its commitment to the development of basketball in Nigeria, while also promising participants and spectators alike an exciting time at the national finals.

Speaking at the event, the company’s Business Manager (Beverages), Walter Okafor said that no expense has been spared to ensure a befitting national final in the usual Nestle Milo tradition.

Okafor said the closing ceremony of the tournament, billed for October 9 at the National Stadium, will feature not only the best of basketball, but also great entertainment from some of the best artists in the Nigerian music industry.

“We are most delighted that our efforts over the years have yielded positive results not only with the players and coaches but also with the administrators,” he said.

“The annual Nestle Milo basketball championship has not only ignited the interest of youth in the game but also raised the standard of play, officiating and performance by coaches and administrators.”

He then added: “We therefore wish to reiterate our firm commitment to keep up the standard of our sponsorship with a view to maintaining our set objectives.” According to the President, Nigeria School Sports Federation, Ibrahim Muhammad, over four thousand schools took part in the preliminary stage of this year’s championship.

Muhammad said that the annual Nestle Milo Secondary Schools Basketball Championship has gained massive recognition and acceptance, especially as it is a landmark event in the development of sports in the country with yearly participation by schools nationwide on the increase.

The Board of
Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has appointed George Wiltshire as the
General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the Federation.
Wiltshire will be the pioneer COO of the NCF to be appointed.

In a statement, the
Federation said Wiltshire, a seasoned administrator and
ex-International Cricketer, with over 20 years of cognate
administrative experience, will be in charge of the day-to-day running
of the secretariat and also all national leagues and the national
teams.

Wiltshire holds a
Masters degree in Political Science from the University of Lagos and
has attended various courses in Nigeria and abroad. He has had his
hands in cricket administration in 1990 as the Secretary of the Club
Cricket Committee (CCC) Lagos, the body responsible for running the
biggest Cricket League in West Africa, which he co-founded and he
served for 9 years before his recent appointment as the GM/COO of the
NCF.

Wiltshire, who had
been a Member of the Publicity & Logistics Sub- Committee of the
NCF and Editor of its newsletter, previously worked in the Federal
Ministry of Information as an aide of the minister. He also served as
Head of Corporate Affairs Departments of Financial Merchant Bank,
Federal Mortgage Finance, EIB International Bank Plc, AGM General
Services of EIB International Bank and AGM Project Monitoring, Skye
Bank Plc.

Adding value

Wiltshire, the
Federation stated, has extensive experience across various areas of
Cricket administration such as formulation and Implementation of
Cricket Development programmes, Budget and Planning, Marketing &
Communications, Organisation of Tournaments and liaison with members of
the Cricket.

The board is
confident that the incoming leadership and administrative experience
Wiltshire will add value to the growth that has been achieved by the
Kwesi Sagoe led Board of the NCF.

The appointment of
Wiltshire was in compliance with the International Cricket Council
(ICC) criteria for its associate members, of which Nigeria is one.

The council also
commended the federation for holding three cricket administration
programme modules and for being the only Federation in Africa that has
executed the CAP 2010 Modules.

The senior national
cricket team is now ranked 6th in Africa and 39th in the World while
the U-19 team is now ranked 7th in Africa.

Nigeria’s women’s
table tennis team on Tuesday advanced to the quarter final rounds of
the team event at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.

Playing in Group 2,
the Nigerian women’s team, who are one of the favourites for a medal at
the Games, defeated their counterparts from Northern Ireland 3-1 to
secure a spot in the knockout rounds.

The key match of
the tie was the fourth game of the match between Nigeria’s Offiong Edem
and the Northern Irish side’s Liu Na which saw Na, who is of Chinese
decent, winning the first set 12-10 before losing the subsequent three
sets 8-11, 4-11, 11-13.

The matches which
came up at the Yamuna Sports Complex also saw the likes of Canada,
England and Singapore, who like Nigeria are one of the favourites for a
top-three medal finish in the women’s team event, advancing to the last
eight.

The Canadians were
taken to four matches by the plucky islanders from Guernsey but emerged
as comfortable 3-1 winners, finishing as Group 1 runner-up behind top
seed Singapore who, for their part, completed its group games with a
straightforward 3-0 win over Tanzania, thus maintaining its perfect
record of not dropping a single set so far.

England comfortably beat the Maldives 3-0 to consolidate top spot in Group 2 ahead of Nigeria.

In tennis, top seed
Somdev Devvarman of India progressed to the second round of the Men’s
Singles event by defeating Bahamas’ Devin Mullings 6-4, 6-2.

Mullings pulled a
rabbit out of the hat when he raced to a 4-1 lead in the opening set
but Somdev clawed his way back in the match by winning five games in a
row. The Bahamian left-hander’s thunderous forehand left Somdev
gasping. But before long, Mullings’ game succumbed to body cramps,
preventing the big upset.

India grabs first gold courtesy shooting

The host nation
however, won its first gold medal of the Games in shooting courtesy of
Abhinav Bindra and Gangan Narang who fired in unison and shot a
Commonwealth Games record 1193 in the men’s 10 metre Air Rifle event.

The pair together scored 1193 to break their own record, which they had set four years ago in Melbourne.

It was also a good
day for India in the boxing ring as Indian boxers opened their campaign
in style with Amandeep Singh (49kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) advancing to
the pre-quarterfinals, following thumping wins in their opening bouts
of the Games.

An almost packed
Talkatora Stadium cheered lustily for every blow Amandeep and Manoj
landed making it a day to remember for the Indian boxing team.

While Commonwealth
gold-medallist Amandeep defeated Kenya’s Peter Warui 6-2 for the second
successive time this year, Manoj was so dominant against Sirrera
Leone’s Daniel Lassoyo that the referee had to award the bout to the
Indian midway through the second round when he was leading 17-1.

Amandeep will next face Rawanda’s Haziza Matusi and Manoj will now square off against Gomotsang Gaasite of Botswana.

I was preparing to do a comparison about similarities between preparations for the ongoing Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India with Nigeria’s typical preparations for competing in and hosting events when the bombshell of FIFA’s 50th Jubilee gift to Nigeria was received. Analysing the potential implications of course took precedence.

The FIFA Emergency Committee decided on Monday October 4 to suspend the NFF with immediate effect on account of government interference. In a statement issued, the world football governing body said during the period of suspension, the NFF will not be represented in any regional, continental or international competition, including at club level and friendly matches. In addition, neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials can benefit from any development programme, course, or training from FIFA or CAF while the federation remains suspended. FIFA said the suspension will be in place until the court actions have ceased and the duly elected NFF Executive Committee is able to work without any interference.

In truth the ban had been a long time coming. With the bomb incident in Abuja, we have rapidly received two unwanted 50th birthday presents to go with other negative issues already being dealt with.

FIFA also summarised their reasons for justifying government intervention by citing the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Sports Ministers’ taking over the Nigeria Premier League (NPL), and subsequent decisions not to relegate any teams from last season and announce the start of the 2010/11 season without the NPL’s involvement; forcing the NFF Secretary-General Musa Ahmadu to step down on the basis of contempt charges filed against him (and several others) in court.

Since the charges have been dropped, Musa Ahmadu is expected to return to office.

This is not the first time we have been banned by FIFA and only last July, we came very close to a ban when Goodluck Jonathan announced the withdrawal of Nigerian teams from international competition, to enable us sanitise our domestic football organisation. He had to withdraw that statement with some egg in the face after FIFA threatened to ban us.

This ban will be reversed…as usual! I have listened to a couple of the reputable radio sports shows since the announcement, to gauge the public’s reaction and it has surprised me to realise that a majority (above 90%) of those who called in or sent their comments via sms supported the ban, in the hope that it would lead to change football administration in Nigeria.

It made me ponder whether their hopes, our hopes, could be met through this ban in the expectation that it could be one step backwards and many more steps in the right direction in retrospect years down the line. This is where I have my doubts. We have been through this cycle before, but didn’t get the change we desired so why do Nigerians expect something different this time? It is a known fact that no one can keep doing the same thing and expect change. So what makes this different?

Without a doubt in my mind, before Nigeria’s African Nations Cup qualifier against Guinea is cancelled, we will satisfy FIFA’s requirements and the ban reversed to enable us return into the international fold and play the match. Already, the political wheels are turning. The NFF absolved the Minister and NSC of interference in the decision to start the league with the abridged format through a press release by its Media Officer, Robinson Okosun.

The release insisted that at a meeting of stakeholders of the NPL, the NPL Board, Premier League club owners, NPL management and leadership of the NSC, the decision was unanimously agreed. What was the role of NSC ? Okosun explained on behalf of the NPL that “the prevailing situation prompted the NFF to seek the assistance and intervention of the NSC.”

Another question is “what prevailing situation?” He also attempted to shed more light by explaining that these decisions were taken “because there is no NFF Board in place for now”.

In my opinion the statement reeked of political double-talk and an attempt to mask the truth. However, that statement in one fell swoop exonerated both the NSC and Minister of interference leaving only the court case against the NFF outstanding. To strengthen Nigeria’s hand, FIFA cannot hold government responsible if an individual or group decides to take the NFF to court as National Association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF) have done. Therefore, it leaves no plausible reason for FIFA’s ban and could force FIFA to rapidly re-examine and reverse the decision.

But what if we still remain banned and miss the coming Africa Nations Cup qualifier with Guinea; the Falcons miss the African

Women’s Championship, Sharks are booted out of the WAFU Cup and we cannot play in next year’s CAF tournaments? The question would then be whether we would sincerely use the ban period to sanitise our football. That I doubt.

I did state in an earlier piece that Government needs to be ‘wise’ in making changes to benefit Nigeria football without encroaching FIFA territory and also be prudent enough to make a substantiated case against those opposing the growth of football in Nigeria; especially as government still funds a large chunk of NFF operations. Will Anything Change?

On the one hand, FIFA is correct to demand that government do not interfere with football but on the other, that is hypocritical and nigh impossible (for now) in Nigeria because of the under-development of Nigeria’s Sports industry. Which is why I advocated FIFA’s dealing different with Nigeria and other African nations with similar funding backgrounds by applying a formula different from that of developed countries in my previous article “Who’s got the Power?” Nothing will change in Nigeria Sports so far government is involved financially and the industry is used as a political tool for appeasing individuals and gaining cheap popularity. So long as sports are not run like businesses, we cannot see a turnaround.

In football, state government fund teams without any demand for accountability so we constantly witness team administrators enriching themselves without paying players salaries or either using teams as weapons against opposing political enemies or as facades to demonstrate fake love of the people by riding on emotions.

If FIFA’s ban is overturned, it would mean the acceptance of the new NFF Board. Therefore I would advocate allowing them to work in the great hope they would be committed to doing the right things. However, we are warned that power corrupts (or reveals?). To be wary of the many financial temptations that come with power, lower our expectations of the new Board and well, pray because they will be legally covered by FIFA and existing approved governing statutes.

It really is up to them to prove themselves and earn the respect and trust of Nigerians. If they are determined to do so, it would be refreshing for the Board to give Nigerians a detailed blueprint of what they plan to achieve within their time in office and the strategies to execute those plans. Better still; their goals should include correcting the constitutional wrongdoings of past Boards instead of riding on them e.g the tenure of state Federation, their eligibility to vote and diluting the powers of the NFF President.

Does it sound like too much to ask for?

Human beings were given the liberty of choice, when we were created by God.

Well, that is if
you agree with me that you are not a descendant of a gorilla,
chimpanzee, baboon, monkey or the ape. So, take your choice and decide
your own source. Look at yourself in the mirror today, and decide. As
for me, Paul, I have been wonderfully created by God and because He has
given me the freedom of choice, I have chosen to be a part of the
solution to Nigerian sports and not an albatross.

As a man/woman thinks, so he/she is. I will be a solution to Nigeria. I will be a blessing to this great nation. What about you?

Saving Nigerian sports

We wish to
appreciate all of you patriotic and sports loving Nigerians, who
faithfully participated in the 3-day fasting and prayer programme, that
took place between September 29 and October 1, 2010.

We say thank you.
We want to assure you, that your sacrifice has not been in vain. We are
very proud of you and very soon, you, too, will be proud of your
contribution to save Nigerian sports. Please, always remember, that
weeping may last all night, but joy will definitely come in the
morning. Believe me, I personally have a strong feeling that the
“morning” of Nigerian sports, has begun. The foundation was laid as we
celebrated the jubilee of our beloved great nation – Nigeria.

You were part of
that foundation and we welcome you on board the journey that we believe
will birth the sports jubilee, millions of sports loving Nigerians are
genuinely craving for.

This will ensure a
credible legacy for the future of Nigerian sports. This is a project
which will also focus on the eradication of those horrible vices that
has plagued our sports during the first 50 years of its existence.

Nigerian sports must be rescued from the grips of this nation’s enemies.

The works of SANSI

We promised that
details of the modus operandi of Save Nigerian Sports Initiative
(SANSI) will be made known, to all those genuinely interested in being
part of this project. We will highlight some of them today.

Segun Odegbami was
the first person to inform me that God is a sportsman. He was to
deliver a key note address at a sports summit I organised in 2009. When
asked for the theme of his paper, Segun said “God is a sportsman”.
Austin Okocha, after he was taught some electioneering skills, that
left him gasping for breath, called for urgent divine intervention for
Nigerian football. Go through most of the commentaries on the
independence anniversary and you will notice that almost all the
writers believe that only God Almighty can save this nation. So, our
primary assignment is to hand Nigerian sports over to the One who
created sports for His own pleasure. Prayer is the key. And it is your
registration card, to be part of this project.

Next is the process
of reconciling all the parties involved in the brouhaha that has
enveloped sports in Nigeria. Apart from the litigations known to the
public, there are several other embarrassing issues, we may not be able
to mention in this column.

For instance, I
find it rather absurd that many of our sportsmen/women prefer to amass
wealth – by all means, to the detriment of sports development in
Nigeria. A lot of them support the issue of age falsification and
winning at all cost. Some of them even prefer to have the status quo
remain the same. Those amongst them with grown up wards are not even
thinking about the future of sports in Nigeria. It is so sad a
situation. Some of these issues, we will be able to influence, while we
will hand most of them over to the One who can enthrone and bring down,
if He so wishes.

SANSI will also be
involved in sports development, especially at the grassroots level. For
instance, we will pursue the issue of bringing the Education and Sports
ministries together – from the Local Government Council areas, to the
State and National levels, with wisdom, in order to ensure that
millions of Nigerian children are prepared for future leadership roles,
through sports. We will consult and partner with organisations like the
Parents/Teachers Associations of Nigeria, for the implementation of the
Diamond Structure Philosophy, we have mentioned in this column
severally, in the past.

One of SANSI’s long term projects is our determination to ensure
that Nigeria wins the FIFA men’s senior World Cup trophy, in the year
2018 deo volente. Yes, please go ahead and laugh as much as possible.
But remember, that the one who laughs last…