OPEN LETTER TO ALHAJI AMINU MAIGARI, FORMER PRESIDENT NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION My Oga and very good friend, I greet you with the love of God, the most high and the most merciful. This letter is from the depth of my soul and it’s about reflection of life which will mirror down to the four years you held sway in the glass house as the czar. I can recall vividly that immediately after the world cup in South Africa in 2010, some members of the Lulu led board were impeached and the mantle fell on you via negotiations, even when some people were not comfortable with you and didn’t want you at the helm. On the Election Day, a court injunction stopping that election was to be served on the electoral body, but some strong forces/Hench men blocked it from seeing the light of the day because they were determined for the business of the day to go on. Finally my Boss you emerged the president of the Federation. After your election, you tried your best to bring the house and aggrieved members together again to the best of your ability, unfortunately you had unprecedented litigations, which was a heavy distraction. I will also recollect some Hench stakeholders in the industry helped quash some of these cases, thus given you and your board a new lease of life. I will also recollect you address during your first AGM in Kaduna with the late Kaduna state governor in attendance, the only visible achievement you read out that day was the AYC won by coach Obuh in south Africa and lots of reasons were given for the poor first year you had [LITIGATION]. I still have a copy of that address. From the second term when your board settled down, God in his infinite mercies showered your board with victories and good results, you won the AFCON after 19 years, won the U-17 world cup, my team the flying eagles picked up bronze in Algeria, the female teams did well in their own sphere, FUTSAL, BEACH EAGLES, all inclusive. Nigeria became nation in the world to qualify for all FIFA competition after Germany; it was a high point in Nigeria Football. Like every other thing in life, when success is not managed well, it becomes a problem; it becomes a clog in the wheel of progress. Sorry to tell you my boss, you did not manage the success your board achieved vehemently; it became torn on the flesh of your administration. As humans we are not perfect, but certain qualities are basic for a leader to possess. I will strongly infer that the success your board achieved caked you as a person and got into your system…this was immediately after the AFCON and the U-17 world cup. First and foremost, you opened up a lot of war channels, with lots of stake holders, who helped you and your board to achieve stability even journalists were not spared. Let me not bore you with names, because we all have conscience and power of reflection, I leave you to do that. All these culminated in your failure to clinch the CAF seat, which you lost to Anjorin of Benin Republic [your failure was packaged in your presence], but unfortunately you didn’t see that as the first pointer to the bigger things to come. Your board became a big torn on your flesh, because you employed the divide and rule tactics, majority of them felt sidelined, they grumbled until the day, they got their pound of flesh. Truth be told, only four members of your board actually enjoyed being board members, others were mere spectators. My Boss in life there must be a balancing act, as you had your hatchet men on the board, you should have as well have balancers , but unfortunately some of them were either frozen out, banned on some ridiculous charges, journalist were banned also and some major stake holders. This act made you have the whole high way, which was very dangerous. [There was no check]… Sir the height of it all was in Brazil, when stories filtered in that some board members were penciled to come back and some will not. This action polarized the board further and they almost did the needful in Brazil, but waited for us to exit the world cup. Those who pray for downfall of others are concentrating negative thoughts towards them, without taking cognizance of the slippery ground in which they are standing, which could lead to their own downfall. I won’t bore you with the row with players, which was not helpful either. [Most times in life, those that ride the tiger, ends in the belly of the tiger]. Immediately we exited the world cup all aces from all aggrieved persons came to the fore, they capitalized on it and wielded the big hammer. I can call you a cat with nine lives, a lucky man, but there is an extent a man can ride on his luck, there is also an extent a cat can survive attacks, may be the tenth time might do the cat in. FIFA have stood by you, the congress has stood you, I will urge you not to squander the good will you enjoyed from the congress. As the elective congress approaches, a lot of rumour have been flying about how lots of people have been promised your seat, hence all of them bought forms to contest the NFF presidency. I was at the bently meeting and had feelers from people. The best you can do for Nigeria football as you prepare to hand over is to conduct a credible election, devoid of rancor, bitterness, and setting of land mines and littering everywhere with Banana peels. The football family needs all the peace and stillness we can afford now. A leader that leaves his house in tatters is a failed leader, irrespective of what he may have achieved. I leave you with this quote from Etienne de la’Amour ‘’You know, we worry about the Bomb, a thought interceded, and yet just look around: there are millions of people out there, just like you and me, with their thumb on the self-destruct button’’. I sincerely wish you the best in your entire future endeavor. It’s always good to leave the stage when ovation is the loudest… Yours Sincerely Chika Nwankwo Former Coordinator U-20 Male Team..[Flying Eagles]
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 10:42:27 +0000
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