SPORTS DEVELOPMENT: THE HISTORIC MEETING!

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Posted: Oct 23, 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011, will be a historic day in sports development in Nigeria. On that day a solid foundation for an authentic sports revolution will be laid. The capital city of Abuja will play host, for the first time in the country since independence, to a gathering of all 74 Commissioners of Sports and Education in the 36 States and the FCT and the Presidents of the 6 Sports Federations to be introduced to kick-start the academicals revival programme this year. They shall be meeting along with the leaderships of the association of Nigerian principals of secondary schools, (ANCOPSS), the private schools proprietors (NAPPS), the Directors of Sports of Military and para-Military secondary schools in Nigeria, the civil society advocacy group for education (CSACEFA), representatives of the Governors Forum, representatives of the Ministers of Health, Youth Development, Women Affairs, Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, and the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP).

On that day, the vision of Mr. President to revive Sports Development in all secondary schools in Nigeria will be presented to all those directly in charge of the schools for better understanding of the objectives, targets, strategy and relationship with sports as enumerated by the Nigeria Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM) working under the guidance and supervision of the National Sports Commission (NSC).
The meeting is historic because, for the first time, there is an effort to amalgamate the activities of the Ministry of Education in the area of Sports with those of the Ministry of Sports and sports federations. Without such a collaboration maximum benefits cannot be derived from the exercise. A return to the academicals tradition means secondary schools deliberately undertaking the promotion of sports within their campuses and participating in inter-schools competitions within the Local Governments and the States. It is only this participation and competitions at the grassroots that can make the sports federations and the States sports councils to start identifying the most talented youngsters amongst the students, and to train and present them for national academicals as well as relevant age-group competitions that would guarantee an authentic discovery of genuinely young and talented student athletes in various sports from a large national pool.

Beyond the national academicals competitions there are sports competitions being proposed in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation that will give unprecedented exposure to the best Nigerian student-athletes pitched against their colleagues from the Caribbean Islands, the West African sub-region and the United States of America, to start with. the competitions will be designed with the objective of fostering a cultural, social, sports and educational relationship between the youths of the different regions. Furthermore, opportunities and incentives would be created for the student-athletes that excel to take their sports beyond secondary school to professional careers, educational and technical institutions abroad, as a support mechanism for the federal government's programmes to eradicate illiteracy, reduce school drop-outs, eradicate poverty, and engage the youths in projects and schemes that will empower them for a life beyond secondary school.
This entire project aims at ensuring that there is a better, well designed future for the youths that are presently in secondary schools. The active participation of the State Governments and all the invited agencies is a critical success factor in the mission to revive the academicals sports. Unlike the fire brigade programming that has not helped the growth and sustenance of progressive development in Nigerian sports these past 20 years, or so, Nigerians will be informed not to expect instant result and to know that a proper sports development project that will impact on the nation and its generations of youths, and sustain for several future generations is a slow but steady marathon race that takes between 8 and 10 years for its first and proper fruits to ripen.

THE BASHING OF EX-INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALLERS MUST STOP!

The way some people are going about the issue of Nigeria's ouster from the 2012 African Cup of Nations one would think that their world has come to an end. It has become so ridiculous that I am not finding it funny anymore. If there is any world coming to end for any group as a result of that match it must be the world of those of us in the football 'business', either playing it or making a living out of it! We are the ones that lose the most when failure comes as it inevitably does from time to come in this game where generally there are more failures than successes and where the beauty and excitement of the game is in its unpredictabilty. That’s why it is a game to start with. It is not a science with universal laws which when applied will produce the same results over and over again. It is an art form where no two moves and results are ever the same.

From inception as players we grew in the game understanding that football is about winning and losing, that, in fact, there are more failures than success stories in the course of most footballers' career. That every failure must be a stepping stone for a future success. That in a competition only very few players can be in the winning team. What happens to the rest of the players in the other teams? Are they counted as failures and destroyed? At the end of the day everyone except those in the winning team are losers at different stages of the competition and every loss can be painful and even devastating.
As players we may not necessarily recover from the pain of a loss but we learn to go on quickly even in spite of it. Or how else can we explain the situation where players who had just suffered one of the most painful and humiliating failures of their careers, three days later, find the emotional strength to play in another ordinary international friendly match - the Ghana Nigeria match in London? Fans were still mourning. The public was still in agony. But the players were apologising to their fans and their countrymen and participating in an 'unimportant' friendly match. So, footballers are made like that, kind of used to losing one day and getting up to play the next day hoping to win.
So, for us ex-international footballers with our work and survival inextricably linked to the fortunes of Nigerian football it is our world that stands still when our national team loses. That is the stark reality. Other people go on to their other jobs and vocations, but we remain to clean up the debris of our failure. In my work that cuts across the whole gamut of sports I have found, in my experience, that any time the Nigerian national teams, particularly the Super Eagles, are doing well our business fortunes rise, and we get plenty of work and assignments. Companies and organisations struggle to align with the sport they know is close to the heart of most Nigerians. They look for those of us in the football business to make the connection. We are hired to do analysis of matches, run commentaries, write columns, present special radio and television programmes, advertise products and services, and so on and so forth. At these times the streets are full of the faces of Kanu, Siasia, Rufai, Jay Jay and, so on, on giant bill boards.

Whenever Nigeria fails to qualify for any of the major championships our business plummets! We hide in shame. Endorsements temporarily dry up and everywhere we turn there is someone asking us to explain what our players did, why they played the way they did, why we did not intervene and tell them or teach them or advise them. So, apart from the emotional trauma we suffer, we also suffer heavy economic losses. So, I wonder why some people would now take advantage of this poor state of affairs and start throwing arrows at us even when for majority of us we have nothing directly to do with the team.
I watched a sports television programme the other day on Channels TV. It was perhaps the worst one hour of sports I have ever seen on television. Never has the Nigerian football player been more lampooned. On the set were the presenter, a football analyst and an ex-international football player. They were discussing Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. Peter Nieketen, the ex-international on the set struggled through the entire hour to make his voice heard above the vituperations being unleashed on Nigerian football ex-internationals. What have ex-internationals got to do with the 'failure' of Samson Siasia to qualify Nigeria for the Nations Cup. The topic for discussion on the day was 'how ex-internationals have failed Nigerian football' . Does Samson Siasia equate to all ex-internationals, or is there something more than drawing a last match against a strong (maybe even superior) opposition and failing to qualify? And what 'failure' are we talking about anyway? Has football stopped being a game to be won and to be lost on the strength of an endless number of factors turning logic on its head and making fool of even those that profess to be experts in the game? Last season did we not sit and watch the greatest football team on the planet lose a league match they dominated for 85 of the 90 minutes and could not find the back of the net, to the team at the lowest rung of the Spanish La Liga? I am referring to Barcelona and Hercules FC? Sometimes football simply turns its back on a team and 90 minutes just disappear in a flash of disappointment and failure.

Samson Siasia's emerging new team played all the matches before the Guinean match and Samson became the toast of journalists, analysts, the public and commentators. He was hailed as Nigeria's version of Mourinho, the one that is in the process of bringing forth a new Eagles from the one he inherited that stank with poor performances and disjointed play. Now people have suddenly forgotten all of that, and have now not only turned the one match against Guinea as a measure of Siasia's capability, but along with Siasia used the presence of Jay Jay and Kanu on the bench of the Eagles to castigate and condemn all ex-internationals as incompetent and uneducated failures! Holding Jay Jay and Ikpeba responsible, because they are members of the Technical Committee not led by any of them, for the failure of the Eagles is tantamount to describing all Nigerians as thieves because a Nigerian was caught stealing!
This must stop. Ex-internationals have not been giving the respect they deserve, their dues and the opportunity to serve Nigerian football in positions that would make them bring out their best. Putting one or two in the technical committee of the NFA is tokenism and cannot be used to measure their contribution to football administration in the country. Samson Siasia's eventual failure, like that of every other coach in the game, was bound to happen at one time or the other. The unfortunate thing for him is that it came at a critical time, in a decisive match, and when so many things were not right with the system upon which the entire football structure in the country was built. Nothing was right about Nigerian football. so, why should Siasia's Eagles be the exception? Blame that not on the ex-internationals but on those that will not give the ex-internationals a chance, and yet sponsor propaganda to discredit them in order to stop them yet again!

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Comments

Kola, Usa

Oct 23, 2011

Segun where was this piece when Amodu was been humilated ,insulted, and castigated for winning a bronze medal at the last AFCON in Angola? In my life i have never seen any coach so humilated like Amodu, and when you look at it , this was created by Siasia when he said he won the interview in 2006 , and because money was changing hands was why they gave it to Amodu. Segun where were you when Lulu's mother was kidnapped? The hatred of Lulu and Amodu was created by insuniation, innuendos, lies by Siasia just to forster his own ambition. All the fans thought we had an ace in our back pocket that will trasnform our football, by installing Siasia as the head coach, but now we can see he has no clue.Lulu as president of NFF hosted a successfull world cup in 2009 , and Nigeria won a silver medal, he won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, won a bronze medal through Amodu in 2010 in Angola. In 2007 won a gold medal with coach Tella and again won a silver medal with the falcons in 2010 and a lot of other achievements by qualifying us to the World cup in South Africa, just because of our love for Siasia and to install him at all cost we destroyed everything. Lulu did not make the decision to hire a white man 3 months to the world cup , that destroyed our hopes for the world cup, but he was the one that suffered the consequence. We lost all that Lulu achieved or could have achieved by pushing him out, and this is what we end up with. I hope everybody is happy now,i know Lulu, Ogunjobi and Amodu are laughing right now. THIS IS GOD'S WORK AND IT WILL BE A MYSTERY TO YOU AND EVERYBODY. YOU SAID NOTHING BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE BENEFITTED FROM THE WHOLE EPISODE. Segun just because you are of God , that is why Maigari and Siasia are the ones who are going to suffer and Nigeria will feel the pain. The ex 94 Eagles are hawks waiting to prey on us, look at Oliseh now trying to be the next coach, they all leave outside Nigeria and just using us to pay their bills. Just because you were a good footballer does not mean you will be a good administrator, people should be judged on merit not what they USED to be, until we get that mentality off our heads , Nigeria football will remain in the ages.Segun if you wait for your time by not forcing issues like Siasia everthing will be alright.
Achem Mustapha

Oct 24, 2011

Its a big lesson for nigerian for forcefully removed LULU despite all he has done for nigeria football. Nigerian should ask LULu for forgiveness if not God would continue punishing us
Kuma

Oct 24, 2011

To add more to Kola's post, one sholud also remember that during the search for a new coach after Lagerback (sp), Siasia is always about to take a job as manager in Thailand, Vietnam etc or some fake English top club. The so called sports journalist caused all these rubbish and now they are coming with all sorts of excuses.
Lots of Nigerians hate to accept there mistakes and failures, hence the lack of progress within the society.
Kuma

Oct 24, 2011

To add more to Kola's post, one should also remember that during the search for a new coach after Lagerback (sp), Siasia is always about to take a job as manager in Thailand, Vietnam etc or some fake English top club. The so called sports journalist caused all these rubbish and now they are coming with all sorts of excuses.
Lots of Nigerians hate to accept there mistakes and failures, hence the lack of progress within the society.
Kuma

Oct 24, 2011

To add more to Kola's post, one should also remember that during the search for a new coach after Lagerback (sp), Siasia is always about to take a job as manager in Thailand, Vietnam etc or some fake English top club. The so called sports journalist caused all these rubbish and now they are coming with all sorts of excuses.
Lots of Nigerians hate to accept there mistakes and failures, hence the lack of progress within the society.
Kuma

Oct 24, 2011

To add more to Kola's post, one should also remember that during the search for a new coach after Lagerback (sp), Siasia is always about to take a job as manager in Thailand, Vietnam or some fake English top club etc. The so called sports journalist caused all these rubbish and now they are coming with all sorts of excuses.
Lots of Nigerians hate to accept there mistakes and failures, hence the lack of progress within the society.
Kuma

Oct 24, 2011

To add more to Kola's post, one should also remember that during the search for a new coach after Lagerback (sp), Siasia is always about to take a job as manager in Thailand, Vietnam or some fake English top club etc. The so called sports journalist caused all these rubbish and now they are coming with all sorts of excuses.
Lots of Nigerians hate to accept there mistakes and failures, hence the lack of progress within the society.
The Watcher

Oct 24, 2011

Some Nigerians are just clueless. Common sense after all is not common. Nigeria football is just a part of the larger problem Nigeria is facing. Our football is not played in isolation. Whatever troubles Nigeria troubles our football. Name them - corruption, power, poor education, bad roads, unemployment, etc.
To say we should go and beg one man somewhere does not make sense, especially in this country where all of us have soiled our hands in one area or the other.
We want thinking Nigerians to chart the way forward for our nation. Let us stop this fire-brigade approach to issues and start planning. Beyond planning, we need people who have the will to implement these plans. There are too many recommendations and reports no one is bothering to implement. Our problem is not rocket science.
Name-calling, blaming games and all these retrogressive approaches at solving problem won't get us anywhere. My heart is heavy when I consider that we might find some of the those posting comments here in our National Assembly and Sport Ministry. I fear!
Adeniyi

Oct 24, 2011

@Kola & Kuma, i want to believe both of you are the same. Did you really followed the lines of Segun's comment? I doubt not! You're just out to castigate him because he was responsible for Amodu's problem? Why do we have people who are so parochial like these? He was talking about a programme that was sponsored by people like you to discredit the ex-internationals which other countries even in Africa respect so much, e.g. Zambia & Guinea. How did Amodu issue crop up? Please give honour to whom honour is due: all the ex-international should be the one running our sports. They will make mistakes & correct them & get things right by God's grace. Lets all the barristers of this conutry face their profession or is it not profitable again? All the engineers should pick up their spanners & all jobbers like you should look for something to do. May God bless all the nigerian ex-internationals in all sports-them will take over soonest.
Kuma

Oct 25, 2011

@Adeniyi, no me and Kola are not the same, am sure if the admin check our IPs, he will see we are at opposite ends.
Back to your comment, Please don't get me wrong, I love baba Sege as a player and a national hero during his playing days (no sentiments).
You need to ask yourself first, wasn't Odegbami once part of NFA/NFF before? what happened during those periods (what did they achieve)?
Being a good player does not make you a good coach or sports administrator (talk is cheap- its easy to say/write, but when it comes to the practical side, you found these people wanting). But the problem we are having did not start today. nuff said on that.
On Amodu, I only added to Kola's comments. I have also commented on it in the past either on Mumuni's page or others.
Godwin

Oct 26, 2011

Its unfortunate that people like Segun who should provide the light to the path to the regeneration of football in Nigeria is so sentimental.

Immediately after the Guinea match Segun came out with a write up, and I was shocked he said he could not watch the match, a match so dear to the country and I believe a stake holder like him, yet he came out exonerating Siasia. What a shame. Ex-international yes, but that is absolute success on the technical bench. The examples are there globally and why should our be different. A coach of honour will not wait a minute on the job when he feels and has failled to produce results. The situation has got to such a point when failure is talking about envy, my pay should be intact, give me time, etc. What is the contract and the agreement, and what is the result? Failure for me. Let the press and all those who have access to reach people not misinform the populace. There is an icion in the sporting press and he is Mumuni Aloa the Editor of Complete sports and nobody is appreciating him. He has through he comments and write up contributed to the success of our national teams from the inception of his great paper. Let me ask who are those in the NFF? has nothing changed in the last three years. Like us take self out of the future of this great game, we all played it and cheerished it so let us tell the truth and not all sentiments apparent stake holders are turning this Siasia saga into. The game of football will rise again in Nigeria, let us kick start now.
Prince T

Oct 27, 2011

There are very string feelers that Siasia will be sacked or has been sacked and we hope to then have rest but they should not think that is the end of the problem o. It actually has nothing to do with the issue but to satisfy a group and cover up another.
As per the meeting coming up may it see success may it work may it correct the I'll and may it bring us medals and empower our children. Thanks uncle Sege
Prince T

Oct 27, 2011

It is however unfortunate that people find it hard to see credit in this write up. Some people are die hard negative people. When you speak in public domain wise people try to see point in what others are saying. This article has not vindicated or excused Siasia's failure except if a reader deliberately refuses to see that but what I understand from this is that no one should blame that inability to secure the ticket to every past player of the national team. We must be objective if we mist find an answer to the problem on ground being subjective will leave the ailment to apply the medicine for something else which won't solve any problem.
If we put all our problems on Siasia's failure to get the ticket we are just being fools because that is not the problem, that summit this article speaks about is what we should pay close attention to. the material a coach works with is about the most important thing in sports. If a nation fails to work in such a way as to push her youth into sports early then it risks what is happening to Nigeria right now. If sports leave the streets to schools it would not only secure medals it will preserve the future of the sportsmen and women. Why is Segun Odegbami and Amesimeka still relevant? Isn't it because of their literacy? But someone playing on the street no matter how good is not open to relevant competitions that will create opportunities relevant to his career such a person eventually get to play at under 17 level when he is already in his 20's by his 30's he will just be trying to get into the super eagles that is if he is exceptionally good he plays for a season and starts fluttering. we need school sports now and that will help in a long way for a long time.
It is however possible to use the scenario to demand a pound of flesh and take sides between Siasia and Keshi, between Siasia and Amodu, between Siasia and Eguavoen and so on and so forth meanwhile all of them are victims of the same evil, but only wise people can be rational enough to see that, there is a common enemy and we should identify that and fight it with all our venom. Amodu struggled and struggled and became older and probably sick physically coaching SE for him to continue might have sent him to an early grave... he qualified us with an only goal at an over extended extra time at Abuja if the referee had stopped the match at the right time what happened to Siasia would have been his portion, the question therefore is, was it his expertise that saved him or luck? And it was this same set of players except the irregular newly injected ones, the same player scored Siasia's second goal meanwhile I don't think these players are as agile as they were when they played for Amodu. My point is that we have been at this point for long without us addressing the issue I believe providence has now pushed us into the opportunity to do a long lasting and holistic reform and thereby laying a solid foundation for the future. Let us put aside our differences even if we have been hurt and let us for the love of our nation do the right thing. Do we have any good lesson to learn from Siasia? Sentiments and disappointment apart do we have any improvement in the team? These are questions that we can begin to ask. Should we get another coach and what would he do differently? That is another question? But one question that won't help us is to higher another foreign coach... if you understand present day international politics let develop our football ourselves. it is possible. Should we sack Arsene Wenger for Arsenal's woe in the beginning of the season? Some would still say...yes. Sacking a coach is the simplest thing to do... Ask Mourinho, Ancelloti and others in Chelsea and ask yourself if Chelsea has won the premiership since, except the problem is solved Boas won't win it again... Sacking coaches is the simplest way to cover up.
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame
Sam

Nov 09, 2011

Kola usa, You should give respect to whom it is due, If for nothing else at least, uncle sege played for Nigeria and investment of his time ,money and expertise to the development of youth soccer in this country. The people destroying or that destroyed Nigerian football are those that created a system that allows people like lulu, maigari etc to be at the helm of football in Nigeria. Tell me any other country in the World that will pick lulu ahead of Mr odegbami to lead her football, haba compare the two of them and tell yourself the truth or pick any other person ahead of John Fashanu the year he contested,they lied against him that he did'nt answer national call during his playing days when he actually did. Other countries are laughing at us because of the calibre of people we allow to administer our football,they are jobbers, stoogies of the cabal behind the scene. The reason for their interest in football is nothing but their pocket,can't you see, all we have left is participatory and hosting right football where they can get estacode and award contracts, no time for grassroot development. And the most annoying part is that when anyone talk about going back to the grassroot they will say they have National U13 team, to them that is grassroot development, what a shame