Suleiman must walk the talk

“A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage.”-Sydney Smith

Dr. Patrick Ekeji  with  Yusuf Suleiman

Perhaps no columnist has taking the pains to set agenda for incoming Minister of Sports / Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC) as much as this writer.

My trepidation could therefore, be better imagined upon the announcement last week that former Transport Minister, Honourable Yusuf Suleiman has been charged with  the responsibility of overseeing the much-troubled ministry.

Since the dawn of the regime of late President Umaru Yar’Adua through the tenure of Acting President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) who later morphed into substantive President after the death of his former boss, it has become a tradition on this page to issue out a working memorandum for the person responsible to administer sports.

With the near collapse of the economy and little dividends of democracy to cheer about, sports, especially the beautiful game of football, has become the elixir of life for many that have become disenchanted with the ruling class.

Several sports ministers have been appointed since Yar’Adua/GEJ came on board in 2007, yet that important sector is still in a sorry state, all because those saddled with the responsibility would rather pursue personal agenda than a common good.

At the end of the first term of Yar’Adua/GEJ, four ministers had actually taken their turns but their best efforts could be précised as motion without movement.

As I noted in the past, Barrister Abdulrahman Hassan Gimba, who was first to be appointed by the Yar’Adua/GEJ administration, engaged in personal tiffs with top directors at the NSC and practically had nothing to show for his 15-month tenure. Agreed, Gimba had every course to be bitter with the way resources at the NSC have been plundered over the years, but it was there for all to see that he lacked the wisdom and the diplomacy to manage people at such levels.

No tear was shed when he was dropped in a cabinet reshuffle, which led to the appointment of Engineer Sani Ndanusa.

If there was any appointment that elicited joy and hope within the Nigerian sporting fraternity, certainly it was that of Ndanusa’s.

He brought to the job, years of selfless service to the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), which he headed for over 12 years. He was also the Vice President, Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) and Vice President, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and he was also credited with some useful work as Commissioner for Works in his native Niger State. It was on the strength of this that many widely regarded Ndanusa as the proverbial round peg in a round hole.

I equally subscribed to the fact that Ndanusa would make things happen for sports in  Nigeria  and  offered on this page that :“One of his legacies (at the NTF) is the now popular Governor’s Cup, which came into existence during the tenure of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the immediate past of Governor of Lagos State. A tennis buff told me that it was at the instance of Ndanusa, who as the Vice President, Confederation of African Tennis (CAT), that the Governor’s Cup is now regarded as the Number One Features Competition in Africa. So what other testimonial does anybody need than the good work Ndanusa did at the NTF? Ndanusa's appointment was, to borrow the Barack Obama cliché, 'the change we need' to move Sports in Nigeria forward. As many suggested, he is indeed a breath of fresh air given the fact that the last regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo foisted all kinds of people on the sports ministry and you could hardly point to any tangible thing they did in eight years.”

Ndanusa’s 15-month ‘terms and tours’ to say the least, was an abject disappointment, proving true the saying that ‘human’s confidence is vanity!’ Rather than look at ways and means of putting things in better shape, Ndanusa’s major priority was how to acquire juicier portfolios. His acrimonious fight with his long-time ally, Alhaji Habu Gumel for the leadership of the NOC heated the system so much that so many things were left unattended to. His integrity was equally knocked over allegations that he presented forged documents while bidding for the presidency of the NOC.

The League of Sports Editors issued a communiqué to that effect:

“Ndanusa  squandered all the goodwill that trailed his appointment as sports minister as having ‘come  from within the sports’ fraternity’ by pursuing his own personal agenda of acquiring more portfolio both at the local and continental level without  paying interest to the development of sports. In fact, the League believed Ndanusa’s ambition to head the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) at all cost created so much bad blood within the Olympic family which has turned the country into a laughing stock.”

What about Alhaji Ibrahim Bio? Same of the same. One of his first tasks upon assumption of duty was a visit to the abandoned National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

In front of the cameras, Bio actually wept at the deplorable state of the facilities, promising to ‘give the edifice a face lift before going into partnership with would-be investors.’

I equally warned Bio that he should be wary of the sycophants at the NSC, whose stock in trade over the years was to deceive and fool successive ministers in order to enlarge their own power base so as to further festoon their burgeoning nest

Permit me to quote myself: “Sure, you might not have the so-called ‘background in sport’ but your resume is impressive with one of your confidants quoted in the Vanguard Newspapers as saying that ‘you may be nobody in sports but you are a good administrator.’ What I think you need is commitment to do the right thing because as John C. Maxwell said in The 21 Indispensable Qualities of A Leader, ‘True commitment inspires and attracts people.’

“Of course, the only real measure of commitment is action and you would be judged by the actions you take henceforth. The problem here is that the time is too short between now and 2011 when the tenure of this administration would come to an end but you can take a cue from the wise saying that ‘you can get bigger things done if you lead with vision and not rancour.’”

Yet Bio’s tenure would go down in history as the most rancorous. He aligned with some do-gooders at the NSC to set the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on fire and we are yet to recover from the effect of the crisis post Super Eagles poor performance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Curiously, Bio, who promised to clear the Augean stables, would abandon the job midstream to pursue his ill-fated bid to become Governor of Kwara State. So much for the much-vaunted puritan.

With barely six months left in the life of the Yar’Adua/GEJ administration, little or nothing was expected of Professor Tahoeed Adedoja who took over from the runner way Bio.

But given his enthusiasm for the job, it was there to see that Adedoja could move mountains:

“I know I have just five months in charge as minister of sports and Chairman of National Sports Commission (NSC) unlike my predecessors that had longer time but I’m ready to leave a legacy before my time is over and at the end of my tenure,” noted Adedoja who was commended for Good Leadership as Provost of Federal College of Education, Oyo by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I want to be judged about what I promised to complete and what I promised to commence. Something has gone wrong for our sports development and that is what I’m here to correct. I want to lay the foundation for Nigeria not just for 2012 but for the future.”

But for time as well as uncooperative attitude of certain officials at the NSC, who were clapping for Adedoja ‘with one hand’, the ministry for the first time in many years, was set forth on a new dawn. Posterity would be kind to Adedoja for achieving much given his circumstances and hopefully, he would pass this way again in the future.

While we ruminate over what would have been if Adedoja had stayed a little longer, we are left with no choice than embrace the ‘new kid on the block’ - Honourable Suleiman.

Expectedly, he has been warmed into the office by the Director General at the NSC, Dr. Patrick Ekeji, who described Suleiman as ‘an astute politician who has the capacity to change things for the better at the sports ministry’ (I paraphrased him).

In the last seven years or so, Ekeji has said same of successive minister and it was on record that he vowed to walk away from the job if his man Friday, Ndanusa was not retained in that cabinet shake up that threw up Bio.

Incidentally, Ekeji has been fingered as the man causing ripples all over the place particularly at the NFF. In my last offering, I said the greatest problem befuddling Nigerian sports today is Ekeji and was openly accused recently by Barrister Chris Green, the NFF’s Technical Committee Chairman as the brain behind the splinter group parading them as Nigeria Football Association (NFA).

It was therefore not surprising that Suleiman in his first press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, harped on the crises at the NFF, promising to severely deal with any NSC official implicated in the matter

 “I will not only have the courage, I have the courage to do whatever it takes to manage sports in Nigeria,” Suleiman said. “I have heard a lot of speculations but the good thing about me is that I am totally independent.

“I am just coming into this circle and I do not belong to any of the feuding parties. I will have to take a decision to tell the world that we cannot allow personal egos to hamper sports in Nigeria,” he added.

Smart talk. But can Suleiman walk the talk? Does he have the raw courage to deal ‘ruthlessly’ with the cartel that has hindered the development of sport in the country? Would he last long enough in the saddle before he is pushed off without realising his set objectives? How long can he stave off pressure from principal officials at the NSC who might what to win him over to their side with pecuniary gains? What does Suleiman know about being courageous?

John C. Maxwell in Talent Is Never Enough quoted Professor C.S Lewis as saying that: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point.” He added: “You cannot do anything worthwhile without courage. The person that exhibits courage is often able to live without regrets.”

Without any doubt, Suleiman has sets himself up for the high ideal but whether he would be courageous enough to do right things at the ministry yet remains to be seen.

Japanese Women show Super Falcons the way

 After watching the total demolition of Germany and Sweden  in their quarterfinal and semi-final clashes at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, I had a feeling that nothing would stop Japan from winning the trophy irrespective of which team they were to meet in the final.

Even when it emerged they would be meeting all-mighty USA in the final, something just told me that this Japanese team, having ‘eaten so much bitter’ would pull off the chestnut from the fire. True to type, the Japanese went on to claim the prize following a nervy game that was eventually settled via penalty shoot out against the Americans.

It is not the victory itself that is worthy of commendation. It is the fact that the Japanese practically rose from the rubbles following spates of natural disasters occasioned by flooding and earthquakes in March that makes this famous win so special.

I’ve always been a great admirer of Japanese football since the launch of the J-League in the 1990s and I have this gut feeling that it just a matter of time before they would be rubbing shoulders with the best soccer playing countries in the world.

The Japanese women’s team, with their triumph in Germany, has again shown that there’s always a way where there’s a will. 

“We knew that what we were doing here could be about a little more than just a football tournament,” stated Captain Homare Sawa “If winning this makes one person, someone who lost something or someone who was hurt or damaged by the events that touched our country, feel better for even one moment, then, we have really achieved a most special thing. If it makes everyone happy and joyful and gives them a reason to cheer after such difficult times, then we have been successful.”

Any lessons for our Super Falcons?

When the Super Falconets came within a distance of winning the FIFA Under-20 World last year, I said the future can only be feminine if conscious efforts were made to reposition the women’s game in the country.

That the women’s game is in a state of comatose today is perhaps stating the obvious. With no structure in place, it is not hard to decipher that the Super Falcons would continue to struggle on the world stage.

Henrietta Ukaigwe, the foremost Women’s Football enthusiast and originator of the Female Football Interest Group (FFIG) is of the view that authorities have paid lip service to the game for so long, consequently, the Super Falcons lacked the capacity to excel at the top level despite being Africa’s perennial representative at the FIFA Women’s World Cup since 1991.

The NFF did so much in ensuring that the Super Falcons were better prepared for the World Cup in Germany. They have repeatedly conquered the continent winning the African Women’s Championship a record six times out of seven tournaments, but much work needs to be done for the Super Falcons to be world beaters.