Football veterans take Nigeria president-elect to task on football development as the NFF contract talks with Stephen Keshi remains at the crossroads
Completesportsnigeria.com sets up a Jury amidst the unending Super Eagles coaching job palaver. The NFF, still awed by the influence of the presidency in recalling out of contract
coach Stephen Keshi after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, still can’t do without the dissent Big Boss who later made a public apology on Saturday. How intriguing! And our jury returned almost unanimously with a proactive recommendation: that Nigeria’s president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) must learn from the mistake of the incumbent, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and not interfere in the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation, instead must provide the enabling environment for the development of football, nay sports in Nigeria. Adegboye Onigbinde, Adokiye Amiesimaka, Felix Owolabi and Mike Umeh spoke to Completesportsnigeria.com about moving Nigerian football forward without any presidency interferance.
Buharism
Nigerian football, nay sports fraternity are already looking forward to seeing what the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari’s slant for or against sports will look like after assuming office on May 29. But particularly, the larger population of the football-crazy Nigerians has been expectant. There is a consensus that Nigerian football which has plummeted terribly needs a serious revamping.
Buharism is the sobriquet ascribed to Buhari’s military regime of December 1983 to August 1985, for its peculiar no-nonsense and steadfast approach to issues in governance. Nigerians who voted him in massively now hold that firmness of character in his honour and expect that the retired General will uncork that formula yet as a civilian Head of State, to sanitize Nigeria. And the ailing Nigerian football is virtually begging to feel the sweeping effect of Buharism and spring back to life. But “how” is is the concern of Completesportsnigeria.com’s Jury in this discourse.
Most of our jury members condemned the the mistake of the incumbent head of state: going too far in meddling in the affairs of the NFF, influencing the body to recall Stephen Keshi for his Super Eagles contract extension. About nine months after that presidential ‘mediation’, the NFF and Stephen Keshi are yet to find a common ground to formalize a new contract. And Nigerian football has suffered the setbacks induced by the prolonged saga.
Buhari’s crown: Golden Eagets with the FIFA/JVC U16 World Cup title in 1985
Unknown to many, President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari is an ambitious football lover. Leadership newspaper on January 22, 2015 quoted General Buhari’s secondary school classmate: former Inspector. General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie as saying that the President elect Will grab any good opportunity to express his love for football.
Coomassie said: “…While we were in school, Buhari was the head boy. He loves playing football. We were all close friends in school. After we finished secondary school, General Buhari decided to join the military, I joined the police and Justice Abdullahi decided to go to the university…”
As a military Head of state, Buhari had the honour of motivating the national team, the Green Eagles to Silver medal 
feat at the 1984 Nations Cup hosted by Côte d’Ivoire. Nigeria’s cadet team, the Golden Eaglets made Buhari’s government proud by winning the first ever cadet (now U-17) World Cup in China. In fact, Buhari reportedly nicknamed the Ngeria’s national U17 side the Golden Eaglets when he staged a reception in honour of the triumphant team captained by the current Flying Eagles assistant coach, Nduka Ugbade.
feat at the 1984 Nations Cup hosted by Côte d’Ivoire. Nigeria’s cadet team, the Golden Eaglets made Buhari’s government proud by winning the first ever cadet (now U-17) World Cup in China. In fact, Buhari reportedly nicknamed the Ngeria’s national U17 side the Golden Eaglets when he staged a reception in honour of the triumphant team captained by the current Flying Eagles assistant coach, Nduka Ugbade.
General Ibrahim Babangida’s military setup dethroned Buhari’s regime immediately after that cadet World Cup triumph.
Another pointer to Buhari’s unwavering love for football was recorded when he turned up at the Abuja National Stadium on June 11 2003 (during General Olusegun Obasanjo’ regime), to cheer the Super Eagles during an international friendly match with Brazil.
General Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) manifestos during their 2015 Presidential electioneering campaign may have been silent on sports, but there is no ruling out the possibility of his innate passion for football holding sway after assuming office at Aso Rock.
Courtesy: Completesportsnigeria.com
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