By ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja
Love him or hate him, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi is an oracle in Nigerian football administration. Since he made inroad into soccer administration in the country, he has always been there, deciding the tempo and direction the management of the game in Nigeria would go.
The ex-player, who has worked in different capacities at the Glass House – as secretary general, chairman Technical Sub-Committee and chairman of chairmen – certainly knows where the bones of Nigerian football are buried. When he finally bowed to pressure to speak to TS Weekend in Abuja during the meeting of the State FA chairmen recently, Ogunjobi went behind the curtain of his life and recounted his glorious playing day, the gains and pains of football administration, what he is missing being out of the Glass House and his promise to bounce back to the mainstream of Nigerian football administration very soon.
Ogunjobi did not just stop there, he also revealed how he planted the love seed that germinated and blossomed into what he now has as a family. His answers on where he met his wife, what attracted him to her, how he overcame pressures from ladies to settle for his heartthrob, why he didn’t play in Europe during his active football days among many other questions, made this chat with the former Shooting Stars FC player a must read. Enjoy Ogunjobi at his best!
What does Super Eagles’ victory at 2013 AFCON mean to Nigeria?
First of all, we have to give thanks to the Almighty God, who made it possible for us to break the calabash at last. We have broken a jinx of 19 years and we are now on top of African football once again. I am delighted that Nigeria is now occupying her rightful place in African soccer rating. No doubt, the victory is a sign of other good things to come our way. With that, we are moving towards occupying our rightful place in the comity of world football playing nations. Coach Stephen Keshi and his boys really did us proud.
What do you think our football administrators and the players did differently to bring the cup to Nigeria?
Some elements of luck really played a major role in the 2013 AFCON success the Super Eagles recorded in South Africa. When you consider the competition from the beginning, especially during the group stage, nobody gave Eagles any chance to win the tournament. But I believe that luck played a major role for Nigeria, especially during the quarterfinal clash with Cote d’Ivoire.
However, Keshi and his players deserve special commendation. They did a good job to make us proud. I pray that we should build on what they did and never to lose focus.
How can we consolidate on this success?
We must not rest on our oars. We have to give Keshi all the support to continue with the good work he has started. We must encourage him to pay more attention on discovering talents from the home league. It gladdens my heart that right from the beginning, Keshi announced that he was building a new team and we have seen so fast the result of what he promised us. We should support him to achieve more successes. Above all, the right structures should be put in place for our national teams to stand firm and develop better.
Do you think that Super Eagles will do well at the forthcoming Confederations Cup and the World Cup in Brazil?
From what we have seen, nobody can fault Keshi’s competence and technical ability again in taking Nigerian football to a higher level. He has proved himself by winning the Africa Cup of Nations. What we should do now is to give him all that he needs to succeed. Or what else do we need from a coach who has won the Nations Cup against our expectations? Even though I cannot tell how far we can go at the Confederations Cup and the World Cup in Brazil, we have no reason to entertain fears or doubt Keshi’s ability.
Why didn’t you consider Keshi a good coach for the Super Eagles when you were in a position to employ him for that job?
Yes, he came for interview like every other coach during our time at the Glass House, but all I can say is that it was not his time to get the job then. We went for Shaibu Amodu ahead of him and Samson Siasia because it was not their own time. Thank God he waited for his time and he is now enjoying it.
Not many Nigerians believed that the Glass House would function effectively without Ogunjobi, what is your opinion on this?
I want to tell those thinking in that direction that my staying outside the Glass House is temporary. All along, I have been coming and going because football is part of my life and it will continue to be so. But don’t forget that I am not far from the football family even though I am not currently operation from the Glass House. For example, I came to Abuja to attend the meeting of the State FA chairmen. It was a strategic meeting that would help us to have good rapport with each other in order to move football forward in the country. With this, you should know that I am still an integral part of the football family.
I believe that with the Almighty God, it is only time that is separating me from returning to the Glass House. In fact, I will surely bounce back.
What are you missing most now that you are not in the Glass House?
The Glass House is all about football and I am still into football at the top level. Ordinarily, I would have said that I am not directly missing anything from there since I am still a part of the administrative chain in the running of football in the country. But if you insist, I will admit that I am missing the players and the interaction with the who-is-who in Nigerian football.
I have always had a long-standing relationship with both the major and minor stakeholders in football both at home and in the Diaspora, and as I said earlier, I will not give up on the struggle to be part of the game in the country.
You really spent time in football administration in the country, what stopped you from breaking into the continental and world soccer governing bodies?
God’s time is the best for every man. I have always been very careful not to run ahead of my time. I am just waiting and praying for divine direction and approval to cross the Red Sea. I am taking my time to ensure that nobody stops my divine endorsement to break into those higher football administrative bodies when it comes. So, we should wait for that time.
Can you say that you have met the target you set for yourself in football administration?
I live, sleep, eat, and drink football and will surely die in it. I might not have reached the zenith of football administration, but as long as I live, I will continue to pursue the course of making Nigeria a great football nation. Being out of the Glass House temporarily will not in any way affect my dream or the target I set for myself in football administration. Don’t also forget that I am still administering football at the grassroots and state levels, and I am hoping to bounce back to the top echelon with the input I am currently making at the grassroots. As I earlier said, God will take me there in His time.
I played football and it was football that made me what I am today. It was through football that I got scholarship to study in America. I have contributed to the development of the game and will continue to make contributions till I breathe my last.
From your experience, what are the challenges facing football administration in Nigeria?
Football is an ever-evolving game. Every season, it comes up with new things. So, a good administrator must be ready to adjust with those changes in order to follow the trend. Any administrator, who is abreast with the changes in football and is ready to adapt to the trend, cannot somersault administrative. So, an administrator needs a regular update or he will risk running into problems.
What about the three musketeers, Sani Lulu, Amanze Uchegbulem and your humble self, I hope you are still close?
Those people you mentioned and some others you did not mention are all part of the football family. Anybody in the administration of football is qualified to be a member of that family. It is not right to exclude others from what you called the musketeers of Nigerian football administration. It was football that brought us together and we have to remain a close-knit family. That we are not in the Glass House today does not mean that we should stop relating with one another. The only way the relationship can collapse is when any of us leaves football completely. But as long as we are still in football administration, we will continue to relate with one another.
What are your regrets as football administrator?
My greatest regret has remained the deadly politics some people brought into the running of Nigerian football. We had cases where people conjured all manner of lies and falsehood against us. People conspired against me for no just reason. It was in the papers that we misappropriated funds or that certain amount of money was missing when in the real sense of it no money got lost. Some people orchestrated all those conspiracies just to get us out of the system. My happiness is that the truth is beginning to unfold and people are now beginning to understand the truth.
It’s painful that people, who had very little or no stake in football, were the ones that waged war against us. A typical example was the battle the former minister of Sports, Col. Musa Mohammed from Gombe State started. His successor, Ibrahim Biu, continued the fight from where he stopped. But they did all that ignorantly because they were not in the football system. What has been their input in the development of Nigerian football and sports in general since they left office? They only came in to disorganise the system. They messed it up and left the scene. Little wonder nobody is mentioning their names in the football circle today. They are not part of the family. If they were to be, they would have continued to remain relevant in the family till they die. As far as football stakeholders are concerned, their names have been deleted from the system.
What was the most challenging decision you took as an administrator?
I don’t need to go into specifics, but I took many challenging decisions, which is the hallmark of a good administrator. For one to succeed in whatever he is doing, one has to take some risky decisions.
Who is your ideal sports minister?
The person has to have sports background with sound education, possibly in the field of sports management. We don’t need somebody, who will destroy the structure instead of building it.
Which of the ‘three killers of men’ – sex, alcohol and smoking – do you mostly indulge in?
Let me first inform you that I am addicted to office work. When I was at the Glass House as the secretary general, I would resume work as early as 8.00am and would close around after 11.00pm. As for your question, I want to tell you that I don’t smoke and I don’t womanise. As for alcohol, I am not a heavy drinker. I can only take one or two bottles.
How did you come into football?
I came into football right from my primary school days in Lagos and was very active in the game during my secondary and university education. I played for one of the best clubs, not only in the country, but also on the continent then, that is Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan.
I was called to the Green Eagles’ camp in 1973 during the time we had a German coach for the national team. I want to also remind you that I captained the Academicals that won gold medal in the football event of the 1st Nigeria/Ghana Sports Festival in 1974. In fact, I have done a lot for Nigerian football.
Did you play in Europe?
No, I didn’t play in Europe because I went to school. But for your information, in my days, it was education first before football. This is quite unlike what is obtainable now, where people forego education for football. In those days, education was the shortest avenue to wealth and fame, and not otherwise.
I am happy that I acquired education, which is what is sustaining me today. I had always known that football without education is a rough route to an unsecured future. So, it would be right to say that education stopped me from playing football in Europe. In fact, playing professionally did not cross my mind because I was more determined to further my education and I don’t regret my decision to dump football for education.
Is your wife in any way a part of your football story?
O yes! She is a real football woman. In fact, I met her in Ibadan when I was playing for 3SC. Currently she is working with the National Sports Commission. She was very happy the day I proposed to marry her. And that was the first day we met.
What was the attraction?
Her character was what made it easy for me to single her out of the lot that were seeking for my attention then. She is a woman any man would pray to have as a wife. Moreover, she is very pretty and I can tell you that her beauty was another trait of hers that arrested me.
How did you withstand pressures from ladies in your playing days?
I was very focused and disciplined. I knew that girls would fight to get my attention because of my star status. I was popular as a footballer, but I disciplined myself and handle them perfectly.
SUN
No comments:
Post a Comment