By Daily Sports on September 25, 2017

In my sojourn in journalism, which has seen me travel to other countries both in the third and developed world for assignments, I can compare Nigeria with other countries of the world. And, I can say without prejudice that Nigeria’s multi-faceted problems are pathetic in all ramifications.

To take it a little further, it is a nation that thrives mainly on intrigues. I had wanted to do a piece on our players that graciously switched national team allegiance to Nigeria; to salute their courage and urge them on. But two things happened. One was the claim made by the Executive Chairman of 3SC FC of Ibadan Oyo State, Gbolagade Busari, where he alleged that the problem of the relegated club side was not finance. To be candid, that nonsense claim by the political appointee of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State aggravated my anger due largely to the tissue of lies in his mischievous claim.

Another was the tale of Tammy Abraham, a Chelsea player on loan to Swansea, another English Premiership side that unsuspecting Nigerian football fans were told had agreed to switch over to play for the Eagles after lacing his boots for England’s under age team. The tale continued to gain ground especially when the photograph in which the player appeared with NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, went viral. That photo trick or falsehood gave teeth to the sponsored reports that trended in the media, which of course I refused to file in for Daily Sports. My reason was that after reading the copy sent to me and a couple of others published by some traditional and online media, I was strongly convinced that there was no iota of truth in the report of Tammy agreeing to play for Nigeria. It was cooked up.

Why this Amaju/Tammy show of shame is being given some space on this platform is because truth has triumphed over falsehood. Daily Sports ran the bubble that burst story to further show how those that claimed to have won election to administer the game in the country toy with it. To further bring to the fore, the many lies of Amaju Pinnick, my question is: What prompted this in the first place and why? What is so spectacular about the lad in this eye of the storm? I have watched the boy play in some matches and I did not see him as being more imaginative than those that switched to play for Nigeria.

However, I must acknowledge that he is a talented player whose efforts would complement that of his teammates because football is a team sport. If you see anybody singling out a player as exceptional in a team, actually such a fellow does not understand the tenets of the beautiful game. Let me say it clearly here that I don’t have anything against the young and promising player but rather the controversy Amaju Pinnick brought for reason that is best known to him. Nigeria is not progressing because her leaders are serial liars and rogues. They loot how much they desire and quietly move away without any let or hindrance. I’ am sad that the NFF supremo has rubbed off his mess on this innocent chap that knows next to nothing about the terrible image of Nigerian leaders and administrators.

Let me confess that I’ am still at a loss as to why Amaju Pinnick that is pride and arrogance personified engaged in such an expedition where Nigeria lacks no excellent players to prosecute 2018 World Cup if we eventually qualify at the expense of Zambia on October 7, in Uyo. The revelation by Tammy Abraham was one of the reasons why Daily Sports ran his refutal story.

The Amaju/Abraham story of agreeing to switch national team to Nigeria was a sponsored one, but I have looked at it from all perspectives of news and could not discover why it was given that kind of hype. I did not border a hoot because it was deceitful and why it was vigorously pushed beats my imagination because it remains an unnecessary venture. It can be safely described as a misadventure. But only in Nigeria can such fly because the individuals vested with governance at every level are men and women without honour. Nothing pricks their conscience. They don’t care because the citizenry have been pushed to the wall and with their illegally acquired wealth, they return the next few seconds later same day same venue where they carried out their looting spree and bribe their way to higher position they eye. That is the way we are in this coat of many colours called Nigeria.

Newsmen sadly, have lost their integrity and strive in the practice of yellow Journalism.  If you like, hand out Journalism. Falsehood, hearsay, speculative, cash and carry journalism and sundry shamefully became the order of the day.  That is what has taken the centre stage in Nigeria media today. No end in sight. Sports Journalism is no exception. Sports Minister, Sports Ministry, NFF, NOC and Sports Federations have their reporters they dictate what they want the public to read, hear or view. It is now an open ritual.

I digress.

The toga called Tammy Abraham and CAF executive committee member, Amaju Pinnick drama. The bubble burst Friday, September 22, when the boy laid bare the clothed falsehood Amaju spread and his reporters quickly disseminated it. The lad bluntly said there was no time he talked about such with Amaju rather he came to greet him because the NFF chief is his father’s friend. He pledged allegiance to England, which his coach at Swansea hailed him for. In journalism, bad news sells out and so far the lad did not switch his national team allegiance to Nigeria, it could be safely be likened to such category and it sold out. As you are aware, our readers that cut across all ages fell over themselves and the traffic hits jumped to high heavens. Kindly, read Tammy’s side of his so called London meeting with Amaju as captured by Daily Sports edition of last Friday……Have a swell time reading!

Tammy Abraham makes U-turn, dumps Eagles 

After much publicity about him switching allegiance to his home country, Tammy Abraham has made a U-turn to reaffirm his commitment to England.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick had claimed that the 19-year-old Chelsea striker, Abraham, who is on loan at Swansea this season, had committed to declaring for the African nation to secure a place at next summer’s World Cup.

However, Abraham, who has three England Under-21 goals to his name, has distanced himself from those claims. In a statement, Abraham said: “Contrary to reports in the media I would like to clarify that I have not agreed to switch my national team allegiance.

“I can confirm I met the President of the NFF after our last game against Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday, given he is a friend of my father.

“However, any suggestion that I have made a decision to change my international representation is incorrect and wide off the mark.

“I have informed the FA that I remain available for selection for England.” Abraham’s words will be welcomed by his Swansea manager Paul Clement, who urged the striker to remain in the England setup.

“For me, from my point of view, I hope he stays with the English national team,” Clement said.

Really, that is the kind of leadership Nigerians have in all facets, if you like to stress it further, more than what they bargained for. Leadership of deceits, lies, hopelessness, pretenders, fraud and what have you. It never matters to them because they have no image to protect. They sit tight even in the face of obvious ridicule to their high office despite the huge damaging and embarrassing effect on the little remaining good will the country has. Truly, Nigeria is a country without a defined and entrenched system.

As if the shocking news was not enough for last week, a shocker came from the ancient city of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital where Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his gang made a mess of 3SC FC of Ibadan, a.k.a Oluyole Warriors an oldie in the Nigerian football league terrain.

Just as you just finished reading the commando like script Amaju Pinnick wrote, directed and acted on Tammy, on Tuesday, September 19, Daily Sports like other newspapers traditional and online went to town with this banner headline:  Shake up in 3SC imminent. It was credited to the executive chairman of the football club, Gbolagade Busari. Busari was a Sports Journalist before he joined politics which qualified him to head one of the all-important public corporations in Oyo State.  His account on what happened to the once pride of Nigerian football bleeds the heart and calls to question where integrity has gone.

The story of 3SC FC of Ibadan so far as the just out gone season was concerned was not a hidden one to warrant someone somewhere to wake up from his deep slumber to tell cock and bull story about a team the Oyo State government left at the beginning of the road, that is, immediately  last season kicked-off.

Busari told lies that even implicated and indicted him as executive chairman. His account of what happened or transpired in the football club gave him away as a bad administrator. His tissue of lies did not tally with what the players and their crew underwent during the out gone season. It was not a good way to save face and defend his principal; rather he pitched Ajimobi against the Oyo electorate.

Gbolagade Busari did not do his homework thoroughly. When I read his very watery defence on why 3SC went to relegation, what readily came to my mind was who advised him to come to the public with this half-truth, For instance he claimed that the major problem of the club was not financial. But I have these few questions for him: Why is it that the players dead and alive are owed salaries, allowances, bonuses and sundry. The same applies to the technical crew and the backroom staff.

Why did 3SC players play several games on an empty stomach?

Why is it that the Busari led management and board still owe late Izu Joseph up till now?

Why did the club find it extremely difficult to raise fund to prosecute their matches?

Where was Busari when 3SC was near stranded in Calabar, Kano, Makurdi, Maiduguri, Akwa Ibom etc?

Why did the players embarked on strike at the tail end of the league?

What did he do with the N12 million subventions every month he claimed was extended to the team by the government and over N1 million from gate takings in every home game of the club?

In short, Busari was economical with truth. He betrayed whatever confidence if any the players and their technical crew reposed in him. He shot himself on the foot by coming out the way he did. It showed him as unready for the job and in a very big football club like 3SC that has large followership across the country. If not that he is Gov. Abiola Ajimobi’s boy and what political patronage has done to Nigeria, who is Gbolagade Busari to be 3SC Chairman?

To put it bluntly, he and his principal made mincemeat of the team and the way and manner he came out to save face smacks of blackmail and unbecoming of a public official being paid from tax payers money.  He further showed his incapability to do the job. From all his allegations and body language, he has pushed his ineptitude to the players and their officials who did all within their limits to honour games in the face of hardship which Busari and Ajimobi deliberately meted out to them.

Busari must pay the players and technical crew all that are being owed. Their sign on fess, salaries, allowances and bonuses that run into millions of naira. Once he does that for the players and officials he does not require their service for the next season nobody would care a hoot. But if Nigeria is like other climes where honour holds water, Gbolagade Busari would have resigned before making himself a laughing stock in the name of making policy pronouncement on the state of 3SC FC of Ibadan. Dear readers let me pause here as you take a critical look at what the bulk passing chairman of 3SC fed the unsuspecting fans of the team. …Enjoy!!

Executive Chairman of the Shooting Stars Sports Club, 3SC of Ibadan,  Gbolagade Busari, has hinted that major decisions at improving the fortunes of the club will be made in a matter of weeks, emphasising that the club’s poor performance was not due to the lack of funding.

He said that both the players and the technical crew are going to be evaluated by the management with proper restructuring in the pipelines. Busari, therefore, appealed to the teeming fans of the team to remain calm, assuring that necessary measures will be put in place to marshal the team back to the premiership in due course.

This was after the unfavorable outcome of Gombe United/Wikki Tourists rescheduled match in Maiduguri. He disclosed that the current situation of the team was not as a result of lack of adequate support from the government, stressing that 3SC is the only agency that still gets its monthly subvention regularly from the government despite the cash crunch in the country.

Also, Busari further explained that the Club gets monthly subvention of N12 million for players’ salaries, technical crew and administrative staff while gate takings (at an average of N1 million. He described 3SC relegation as unfortunate.

He said N1 million per match with the money realised from sponsorship deals) are all utilised for match prosecution, allowances as well as bonuses of the players.

“We tried everything we could, not to be in this situation but it’s obvious our best is not good enough. We got the necessary support from the government but we have not been able to justify the investments on the club.

“We had identified the problems even before the end of the season and necessary actions were put in place to ensure that these challenges did not lead us to relegation. We will do everything within our capacity to ensure that the team bounces back in due course,” Busari assured.

From the above therefore, it is clear that Busari declared himself unfit to manage the affairs of the team. He also clearly stated that 3SC FC overwhelmed him hence he pointed accusing fingers at the direction of the players and their technical crew, an easy way to look for a scapegoat.

Discussion continues on our Twitter handle, Linkedin, WhatsAPP and Facebook. Keep shooting hard, till next week!

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 25, 2017

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