By Daily Sports on July 17, 2017

Way back in the 1990’s during my very good old days in Nigeria’s Flagship of journalism, the biggest and best, the Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN) as a Sports Journalist, my Sports Editor on the Sunday Times Desk, Mr. Ikpo Igbinoba, a no nonsense professional took me out one day on what he tagged a special lunch at the Calabar Restaurant, right opposite the DTN. It was where the big boys and girls ate.  He had special interest for excellent Reporters and you cannot work with him if you are not out for hard work because he keeps you on your toes always. He is a core professional, headline casting expert and ace columnist. His column at the back of Sunday Times was acknowledged by legendary Peter Enahoro of the Peter Pan fame.

He told me a story about Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima. He mildly described him as a gentle man but suave administrator; one man that has the solution to the mounting problems, mostly man made, confronting Nigerian football cum other sports  due to his honesty and sincerity of purpose. He quickly added that Galadima would be stopped by the sports cabal swimming in corruption. He further told me that his unassuming posture is spiced with natural and academic intelligence. He did not stop there. He informed me how the Kano State born all-round administrator fared when he served at the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) as a First Vice President as he wept for Nigerian sports way back in 2002. Igbinoba further described him as an ideal man whose selfless antecedents in the true sense of it hunt people with questionable characters around. A mere mention of Ibrahim Galadima scares people serving with him in any board or committee because of his hard-line stance on wasteful spending of government money.

How he was nearly stampeded in 2006 brought to the fore, the fact that the polity is sadly not ready for his honest kind. And till today, men without honour have held on and sports, athletes, their coaches and sundry in all ramifications have been the worse for it. For instance, Sports Federations Presidents and their dubious Secretaries shamefully feed fat on the supposedly main actors of the trade.

Worse results have been harvested. For instance, since Amaju Pinnick came on board as NFF President but he stays put because he believes in playing along. I digress.

Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima does not believe in calling white, black and insist nilly-willy it is. His straight forward character has been a lesson. He administered sports wholehearted in his home state, Kano before his transparent stewardship earned him places to do same at the national level and as a one-time helmsman of the Nigeria Football Association, a certain top man then at the Sports Ministry was brutal once you don’t dance to his tune and that was the sin of Galadima. The now Executive Chairman of Kano State Sports Commission has remained in circulation while that character that brought lots of misery to sports and athletes in Nigeria today is hiding his head in shame after that international disgrace some years back. He left sports administration with his naughty, roguery and twisted head bowed in shame till this moment.

This week, Sports Pulse is X-raying some of the qualities of this rare gift of an administrator which Nigeria, like a hen that destroys its productive or the finest of its eggs has kept on the back bench. However, one applauds the eagle-eyed Governor of Kano State, His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR, who   graciously spotted Galadima with his enduring qualities and made him to head the newly created State Sports Commission. Galadima’s credentials in sports administration is impeccable, and even his most acclaimed critics have come to acknowledge this. He brought his state sports to the pinnacle and football performance was dripping.  After selfless service at the national level; after many years on the sideline he was appointed in 2015 as Vice Chairman specially set up to guide Kano Pillars to that year’s CAF Champions League.

The one-time NFA chieftain returned as Vice-Chairman of a continental committee for former Nigerian champions, Kano Pillars brought his immense experience to the fore.

The incumbent Governor, Ganduje served as the Chairman of the 15-man committee. Galadima was also involved in a similar committee when Pillars reached the semi-finals of the 2009 CAF Champions League. He has paid his dues diligently. A man of many parts, he once upon a time announced his support for the 1 GAME, an initiative, Football without Violence campaign, believing that football will benefit immensely from the creativity. The football administrator vehemently believes that the round leather game requires discipline from all quarters to attain sustainable growth.

He emphatically said that he has been following with profound concentration, some distinguished Nigerians that have joined the campaign and obviously, it is worth extolling. “Those who are behind this need to be esteemed for what they are doing,” he was quoted to have said.

As keen believer in the rules of the game he posited thus: “I want to strongly suggest that the nation should stand up against every act that brings us so much embarrassment and problem in our football. I’m fully in support of whatever is done by people of this kind of idea. We must do everything we can to curtail violence in football.” Galadima added. The above must have given you, dear readers that knew him from afar the kind of person he is. He is discipline personified and his passion for the most populous game in the globe is also deep down.

Born on June 14, 1951 in Fagge, Kano, Galadima was Chairman of the Kano State Football Association between 1977 and 1979. He was Executive Chairman of the Kano State Sports Council between 1981 and 1983. The following year, he was appointed a Member of the Caretaker Committee of the National Sports Commission.

He was elected 1st Vice President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in 1985, a position he held until 1987 before he was again made Chairman of the Kano State Sports Council.

Galadima was appointed Commissioner for Social Welfare, Youth and Sports in 1989 and later made the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport. He was appointed member of the Presidential Monitoring Committee on stadia development for the Nigeria 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship (FIFA moved the summit at the eleventh hour citing health issues) and has also served as Member of CAF’s Youth Competitions Committee.

In 1999, Galadima was Chairman of the Kano Sub-seat of the Nigeria 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was elected Chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association in 2002. His credential and experience have never been in any doubt. He is an eminent person in Nigerian football, Africa and the global stage.

He believes that only government intervention can end Nigerian football crisis as he kept insisting that government should not be reluctant from intervening in the ongoing Nigeria football crisis. The judicious sports administrator brought his humility to the limelight when he thanked God that after over three decades, the people still feel that he still has some good things, fresh ideas to offer the state. A notion he quickly described as show of faith, poise and enough for celebration. According to him, “if after 30 years, one is again named to render services to society, there can be nothing more nourishing than this. Sports administration is synonymous with my entire life.” He once revealed that he told the Governor that “after over 34 years when I served as Chairman of the State Sports Council when even Jigawa State was not created out of the old Kano State, if I am called back, to him, it is to render selfless services to the state and nothing more so I am ready to serve the people.”

He does not shy away from commenting objectively on what affects sports in the country no matter whose ox is gored.  He likes setting the tone. Hear him: “It is so disturbing that nothing is on ground. I heard some Presidents of sports Federations threatening to resign from their positions because nothing is being done for them to prepare for the Olympics. It is something that calls for concern. It is taking our sports deeper into shame and crisis. I just hope they would find a way out. As far as some of us are concerned, the country is retrogressing instead of moving forward internationally in football. If it has to do with funds management then we can understand and there are better ways of going about it instead of putting Nigeria in bad light for the wrong reasons internationally.”

The sorry state of our sports adds more grey hair to his hair and he has never failed to take such to the desks of those that are on the driver’s seat. “Actually it is something we have said over time. We have to sit down to get a direction for Nigerian sports. We have to try and know what we want, and hope to achieve in sports. What really are we yearning for? We just need a road map. As it is, nobody can tell us where we are going. Everything is happening by accident. We depend on luck to win. Nigerians expect miracles to keep happening. We are talking about going to the World Cup in 2018 in Russia and AFCON in Cameroun in 2019 and age grade champs, women tournaments and the Commonwealth, Africa Games and Olympics but nothing is being done in terms of thorough planning. How can we take on the whole world with countries parading ruler to measure happening athletes running in splendid timing and sundry? It won’t work. It does not work that way. We have to be more serious.

“I keep telling people it is so disturbing and this is the more reason that whether we like it or not government has the responsibility of getting involved. This issue of government should not interfere does not hold water. Government provides the money for sports and cannot fold its hands to watch when things as embarrassing as these keep happening. We are supposed to be one indivisible family as far as sports and football in particular are concerned, so that everybody will participate and make contributions but it is turning into a war. So I don’t know where this is going to take us.”

The above assertions are vintage Galadima. He does not speak from both sides of his mouth or talk on drop of hat. It has become his core value, which earns him respect from the heart not lips. Galadima joins a reputable list of local and international icons from the sporting world whose involvement in the 1 GAME, campaigns has helped promote its call for an end to violence and fanaticism in football.

We know his headship of Kano State Sports Commission is for a purpose, which is for this sports icon to lay solid foundation that would last for many years to come. He does not hide his ever unquenchable thirst for excellence, diligence, result oriented, transparency and what have you. Those that know him closely know how his countenance changes when people make moves to short change the state. 

“The government decided to pull out the sports affairs of the state from the Ministry of Information, Youth, Internal Affairs and Culture to an autonomous body answerable to the office of the Governor.

The Commissioner for Information, Garba Mohammed attested that the nomination of Galadima was done purely on merit as he possesses the pedigree to lead the state to glorious outings in both local and international competitions.

Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima is a fearless and thoroughbred crusader that proffers solutions to problems instead of either sitting on the fence or resort to arm chair criticism. He does not speak for the fun of it. He is also not one that plays to the gallery. He speaks when it is appropriate to do so hence his views carry lots of weight and reverence. He is not a ‘notice me’ kind of personality. A patriot of the first order;  a team player who believes more in building than engage in unnecessary flogging of issues.

He, on June 15, 2017 accused the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung of ruining Nigeria’s sports industry. He further described Dalung as a cog in the wheel of sports progress. It is obvious that for him to raise his voice to pronounce the above in the public means that he has stomached the rubbish that has been ongoing in sports polity and it has gotten to his neck.

He voiced out the shocking riddle over the confusion and intrigues that reportedly greeted the federations’ election in Abuja on June 13, stressing that the Minister had succeeded in supervising the destruction of sports in the country. “The whole drama of intrigues and manipulation of the election process will create confusion in sports. Dalung has run sports down and there is no likelihood that it will improve under his tenure.”  The former Kano Pillars Chairman took that swipe on the Minister for appointing him to head a committee for the reform of football in the country but failed to receive the report, one year after the committee completed its work.

“He appointed the committee and gave us two weeks to submit our report. We finished the work since April last year but he has refused to receive the report despite reminders to him. He has shown he is not serious about any reforms. Sports in Nigeria have been going down since he came. And something urgent must be done to salvage the situation.” An advocate of sterling management of affairs of sports does not border who is on the spot and he says it as it is. For instance, since he came to the saddle, Kano State is collaborating with National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to improve sports. The supremo knows the gains of such partnerships. The state government is collaborating with the NYSC to improve sports activities in the state. Galadima noted that engaging in sports activities was one of the ways to bring the youths together and get them united.

The versatile administrator restated that sports also contribute a lot to maintaining and improving our health status, hence the need for more efforts to improve the sector.

He revealed that plans are afoot by the state government to conclude moves to kick-start organising sports activities and competitions among higher institutions in the state.

There will also be such version of sports activities and competitions among Ministries and government agencies. This, he said, would help to maintain and increase peaceful coexistence and unity, especially among the youths. Galadima is a selfless and committed goal getter of all times. The records are there.  It is never in any doubt that by the time he have finishes laying the foundation for the State Sports Commission, Kano will become one stop sports haven. He does not believe in poaching of athletes for championships. He ensures athletes are groomed and then developed into world class. One of the factors that brought sports to its knees today in the country is the policy that enthrones quick harvesting of results no matter how it comes. The harsh, roguery and Ad-hoc policy of Dr. Amos Adamu to elongate his stay in office and make it look as if he is a star performer before the government of that day clearly destroyed sports. He and his cohorts had field period pretending to be impressing and hurriedly discarded the solid system on ground which revolves around the development of the Nigerian child through sports; which placed our sports on the fast development lane. Adamu’s sports development programme led us to nowhere except flashes of occasional triumphs at international meets. It has been the country’s lot in sports till date. In short, one would humbly call on Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima to kindly step forward and take a bow as sports administrator extra-ordinary amidst standing ovation!

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s bold step to appoint Galadima to pioneer the Sports Commission in the state remains one of the landmarks of his administration. He will as usual steer the affairs to safety anchor.  That is why we unveil him via this executive summary of an article. His is a study in character. Nigerian sports administration history and that of Kano State will not be complete without giving Galadima a good mention. He has played and continued to play leading roles, fair play and sundry in sports circle. It could be safe to describe him as our present diamond in sports. In short, he is sports administrator par excellence.

Let’s continue discussion on this legendary administrator on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp. Keep shooting hard, till next week!

Source Daily Sports

Posted July 17, 2017

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