The irony that is Nigerian football has again not been lost on me – Just as the whole world is warming up to the biggest ever World Cup without the Super Eagles, a youngster from this same country is making the most expensive transfer ever out of Sweden to the Premier League in less than a year of playing in Europe.
This is yet again a strong case that private enterprise is what will drive football in Nigeria and not a handful of self-serving, incompetent civil servants and part-time politicians and opportunists even with the luxury of having billions of Naira from Government.
Nigerian football was once-upon-a-time the standard bearer for this proud country of over 250 million people.
Today, Afrobeats and Nollywood are Nigeria’s biggest ambassadors across the world and they have thrived mainly on private initiative and enterprise and not on waiting on Government handouts.
Football is undoubtedly the national sport and Government must always have to provide the enabling environment for the sport to thrive not just as entertainment but as big business with the capacity of generating trillions of Naira in revenue as well as many jobs and opportunities.
But it is not the business of Government to own football clubs or for public servants to drive the NFF secretariat or for the NFF congress to be dominated by state FA chairmen at the expense of genuine investors and stakeholders of the sport.
I can still recall that just a few years ago Mohammed Ayi aka Ikon Allah (meaning God’s Grace in Hausa) would pack his squad of young boys in a Sharon car to make the trip from Kaduna – the home of rough football diamonds – to Abuja seeking better opportunities for them.
He worked with a shoe-string budget, no largesse from Government to fool around with.
His passion and tenacity remain his driving force, and through the years he worked with some of the country’s top agents, forged strategic partnerships and collaborations at home and abroad for the benefits to now start rolling in.
Last summer, he got Ogbomosho speedster Elijah Odede to move to French club Troyes for three million euros after only half a season with Sherriff of Moldova.
He backed himself on Zadok even when both the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles did not believe him when he maintained that “this boy is money in the bank”.
He is now a major source of inspiration to all those who believe that even when they tell you it is impossible, do not pack it in, rather stay the course of your dream and convictions that the rough, unpolished diamond you have been begging for will go on to shine through sooner rather than later.
Congratulations Ikon God!
Yes, it’s IKON ALLAH TO THE WORLD!!
