It is understandable that some people are not familiar with the title here but a brief description in this introduction clears the air. Some advance countries’ governments in the past years, artificially created problems or divisions within some developing countries as a means to be able to resolve such conflicts in order to boost their ratings at home, which is a necessity to retain their seat in the next election. The reasoning is essentially that resolving those conflicts would more than likely boost trade that would likely create jobs at home.
Now, let us look at the present situation in Nigeria, specifically on sports (very sure it’s everywhere) where one needs not look farther than just see all the happenings of several federations including the Football Federation. That federation endorsed by NSC was declared null and void by the country’s judiciary but yet the NSC disobeyed extant court orders and continues to fund such rogue entity even though the Presidency directed that the court orders be enforced. Such illegal affairs remained the root cause of the problems with football and funny thing was that the Sports Minister announcements through his cronies that he had resolved all agitation within football family and that he is very good in resolving disputes. That’s a deliberate lie and the Minister must be in a dreamy state, so proven by the Inspector General of Police summoning all parties to suit that remain the law of the land to iron out enforcements.
Before going any further, it is a good idea to review this issue in detail ;
The identified problems
(a) Football federation declared illegal entity more than a year ago,
(b) NSC continues to fund this rogue and illegal entity,
(c) Football federation claimed its fund is limited,
(d) National team Coach threatened to quit after his assistants were terminated by the illegal entity,
(e) Players strike based on the bonus issue,
Who created the problems?
Obviously, the NSC created this problem for failure to enforce an extant court order as instructed by the Presidency. No action by an illegal entity can or should stand.
Wag the Dog syndrome
(1) Rather than comply with court orders as demanded by the winning parties and the Presidency, the Sports Minister and the rogue federation created an entity to handle football known as the League Management Committee (LMC),
(2) Clubs’ managers disagree with the appointment of LMC,
(3) Bolaji Abdullahi now intervenes in this disagreement at taxpayers’ expense,
(4) Bolaji Abdullahi as Minister turned over reports of his performance to the Presidency among which the media reported that he is very good at resolving football disputes.
Anyone that thinks this is only happening in football better think again. Here is the same artificial creation of problems in athletics.
The identified problems (sample from athletics there are many)
(a) Innocent Egbunike was announced to be the Head Coach imposed on Athletics federation,
(b) Athletes welfare packages,
(c) The NSC would no longer be part of Federation elections whether as secretary general or President,
(d) Past Federation Presidents will not be returned,
(e) New Board election criteria will be used for federation election requiring strong financial status of candidates,
(f) That the country will now rely on foreigners of Nigerian origin.
Who created the problems?
Again the NSC created these concerns simply to have the opportunity to correct itself at greater costs to Nigerians.
Wag the Dog syndrome
(1) Bolaji Abdullahi announced that Egbunike was never hired or had any contract,
(2) Bolaji Abdullahi announced that federations must cater to athletes not NSC,
(3) Bolaji Abdullahi went before the National Assembly to advocate for retaining control of federations secretary general and the Presidency,
(4) Bolaji Abdullahi returned his friend Solomon Ogba as Presidents,
(5) Bolaji Abdullahi returned NSC staff as federation Board members and imposed some of them without any election,
(6) Over 75% of Board members imposed without election by Bolaji Abdullahi do not have a strong financial background,
(7) The Federation shouts that NSC fails to fund them as Blessing Okagbare shouted bloody murder recently.
I am very sure everyone got the point but what bothers some people remain the bravado of Bolaji Abdullahi to continue these escapades without anyone seeing through all these shenanigans.
Why do we need NSC?
I rest
Dr. Rashid A. Balogun, CPA, LLB(Hons.), LLM(London)