This na Pinnick do what you want with it
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This na Pinnick do what you want with it
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tfgYO1gDLGc[/video]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UHK03jIq-_0[/video]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dsCiAA4Bg5g&t=15s[/video]
You're welcome.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UHK03jIq-_0[/video]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dsCiAA4Bg5g&t=15s[/video]
You're welcome.
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Pinnick na wayo man
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
You are free to say whatever you like about him. E don talk am.
It.s a free world.
Enjoyed the interview.
Elegbete TV interviews are always a good use of my time.
It.s a free world.
Enjoyed the interview.
Elegbete TV interviews are always a good use of my time.
"Ole kuku ni gbogbo wọn "
-
EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA
- Eaglet
- Posts: 29728
- Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 10:39 am
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Kai.....there's a lot more to our football than 433,352 and the opaks yanned here on CE. He has a very tough job under very unpleasant and chaotic circumstances. We want results but we can't pay for it, constant back biting, infighting and sabotage always around the corner.
The fact is that Nigerians are not used to the idea of developing and Improving a product or process. Having been one that yabs the man on the regular, I must confess that I believe he's the right man for the job at this point. He might be a wayo man but that element is absolutely essential to be a successful NFF chair. He has no funds, limited by contractual obligations. I tip my hat to chairman Pinnick.
The fact is that Nigerians are not used to the idea of developing and Improving a product or process. Having been one that yabs the man on the regular, I must confess that I believe he's the right man for the job at this point. He might be a wayo man but that element is absolutely essential to be a successful NFF chair. He has no funds, limited by contractual obligations. I tip my hat to chairman Pinnick.
OCCUPY NFF!!
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
You too you see am?EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA wrote:Kai.....there's a lot more to our football than 433,352 and the opaks yanned here on CE. He has a very tough job under very unpleasant and chaotic circumstances. We want results but we can't pay for it, constant back biting, infighting and sabotage always around the corner.
The fact is that Nigerians are not used to the idea of developing and Improving a product or process. Having been one that yabs the man on the regular, I must confess that I believe he's the right man for the job at this point. He might be a wayo man but that element is absolutely essential to be a successful NFF chair. He has no funds, limited by contractual obligations. I tip my hat to chairman Pinnick.
CE pages are full of commentaries by unchallengeable experts.
No room for 'I might be wrong sha, but..."
"Ole kuku ni gbogbo wọn "
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
OkDamunk wrote:You are free to say whatever you like about him. E don talk am.
It.s a free world.
Enjoyed the interview.
Elegbete TV interviews are always a good use of my time.
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Why is that Nigeria recordings are always over-drowned in LOUD MUSIC? Does it mean they don't understand what "background music" is all about? Their movies, their YouTube, anything dem record, na di same thing. You no go hear the thing weh dem dey talk. Only loud music! Haba!
-
EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA
- Eaglet
- Posts: 29728
- Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 10:39 am
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Noise and Nigerians go hand in hand. To you it sounds loud but they can barely hear it. If we had enough ENT Doctors in Nigeria we would discover that 75% of our people are actually deaf from as a result of the constant noise, loud music and honking in Nigeria.Igugu wrote:Why is that Nigeria recordings are always over-drowned in LOUD MUSIC? Does it mean they don't understand what "background music" is all about? Their movies, their YouTube, anything dem record, na di same thing. You no go hear the thing weh dem dey talk. Only loud music! Haba!
OCCUPY NFF!!
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Impressive. I like the guy.
If purge dey worry you, you no dey select toilet
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
We are in the minority, that's why the thread is dead.deanotito wrote:Impressive. I like the guy.
Difficult to bash the guy from all he has said.
Let some faceless twitter feed accuse him of chopping money, this thread go don reach 3 pages since.
"Ole kuku ni gbogbo wọn "
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Rohr was signed until January 2023
By the grace of God I am a Christian, by my deeds a great sinner.....The Way of a Pilgrim
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Yeah, those primed to reflexively bash him are impressed too....so they're saying nothing.Damunk wrote:We are in the minority, that's why the thread is dead.deanotito wrote:Impressive. I like the guy.
Difficult to bash the guy from all he has said.
Let some faceless twitter feed accuse him of chopping money, this thread go don reach 3 pages since.
On a larger note, people in public offices should do well timed interviews like these that are freely available on youtube. Its very easy for people to demonize people they don't know. When you do things like these, it humanizes you, and brings you closer to the people.
The other extreme is Buhari...who has turned hiding in a bunker into an art form.
If purge dey worry you, you no dey select toilet
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
I enjoyed the interview....He was so passionate talking about Warri and I love the fact that he's giving back to his community. Working with Consulting firms to liaise with Sponsors is a sham and a secret way to funnel money to NFF officials in my own opinion. Nevertheless, he's the right man for the job at this point. His achievements surpasses other NFF Presidents. He has made a tremendous improvement in the areas of securing lucrative sponsorship deals for the national teams and NFF is on course to reach self-funding goal. Pinnick's message of continuity and a self-sustaining football federation resonate with me, because that has always been our achilles heel.
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
I was thinking the exact same thing.deanotito wrote:Yeah, those primed to reflexively bash him are impressed too....so they're saying nothing.Damunk wrote:We are in the minority, that's why the thread is dead.deanotito wrote:Impressive. I like the guy.
Difficult to bash the guy from all he has said.
Let some faceless twitter feed accuse him of chopping money, this thread go don reach 3 pages since.
On a larger note, people in public offices should do well timed interviews like these that are freely available on youtube. Its very easy for people to demonize people they don't know. When you do things like these, it humanizes you, and brings you closer to the people.
The other extreme is Buhari...who has turned hiding in a bunker into an art form.
PR is crucial.
Having said that, it wont always work. Shifting public opinion in Nigeria is very difficult. People do not need any credible evidence. They choose one side, run with it and stick with it.
What I have found over the years is that what a person is like in reality is often very different from what the public chooses to believe.
'Devils' are worshipped and 'saints' are reviled...and we are none the wiser.
We are not the most sophisticated when it comes to evaluating our fellow human beings - esp fellow Nigerians.
'Enemies' dey everywhere
"Ole kuku ni gbogbo wọn "
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Amaju Pinnick Is Doing Something Right In Leadership
The first in a two-part analysis of the structural ills of the Nigeria Football Federation and how Amaju Melvin Pinnick, against incredible odds, is fundamentally righting the course of Nigerian football.
For many Nigerians, depending on their age, the ’70s/80s and the early to mid-’90s represent the absolute height of Nigerian football and everything that has followed since pales in comparison.
While it should give food for thought that Nigerians still look to the past for football greatness, it is vital to understand why the successes of those eras were possible and also, what went wrong in the intervening years.
This would enable discerning Nigerians recognise the current Nigeria Football Federation under the visionary leadership of Amaju Melvin Pinnick is on track to ensure the wholesale repositioning of Nigerian football for sustained and self-replicating success.
The ’70s marked the era when Nigerian football truly came of age; a period when football truly belonged to Nigerians.
Ask the old-timers and you’re likely to be regaled with tales of a thriving domestic league underpinned by massive crowds at sold-out stadiums and superstar footballers.
You’ll hear how the domestic and continental prowess of fierce rivals Shooting Stars and Enugu Rangers was the direct catalyst for Nigeria’s first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title as hosts in 1980.
It was the ultimate statement confirming Nigeria’s status as behemoths of the African game.
Triumph in a FIFA tournament followed five years later when the Golden Eaglets lifted the U17 World Cup trophy to become the first African side to win a FIFA organised tournament.
The ’90s provided even more glamour and represent a period of unrivalled achievements beginning with a second U17 FIFA World Cup title in 1993 which precipitated an avalanche of glorious triumphs.
An exciting team – Nigeria’s greatest-ever in the eyes of many – led by Dutchman Clemens Westerhof bagged a second AFCON title in ’94 and also competed in Nigeria’s first-ever senior FIFA World Cup in the USA. There they left an indelible impression and, despite losing to eventual finalists Italy in the second round, achieved a FIFA ranking of fifth in the World – never since replicated.
More glory followed in ’96 when the U23 team became the first African side to win Olympic football gold at the Atlanta Games.
The ’90s gave Nigeria its first African Footballer of the Year with Rashidi Yekini taking the honours in 1993. Emmanuel Amuneke followed suit in 1994. Nwankwo Kanu was Africa’s best in 1996; Victor Ikpeba in 1997 before Kanu notched a second in 1999.
More than twenty years later and the nation awaits another winner.
What then was responsible for the successes outlined above? In a nutshell: stability. Stability enabled an atmosphere conducive to the implementation of plans that culminated in the stupendous successes.
Sure, the country had a pool of talented players to call upon, but, it should not be lost to the discerning observer that the successes of the ’70s culminating in the 1980 AFCON win coincided with the period when the NFF (NFA as it was then) had a measure of stability with Sunday Dankaro who was at the helm between 1974 and 1980 the first NFF head to last more three years.
That stability was also the common thread in the ’90s with Emeka Omeruah, a former Minister of Sports, only the third person to enjoy some stability at the helm of the federation where he was in charge between 1993-97.
It must, however, be pointed out that while the country excelled in tournaments at both club and country levels, the singular failure to institutionalise the means that ensured the good times and also entrench good governance practices in the federation continues to cost the nation dearly.
Only now, under the guidance of the Pinnick-led board, as will be made clear, are genuine, profound and far-reaching efforts being made to correct these structural ills.
NFF president Amaju Pinnick flanked by 1st vice president Seyi Akinwumi (r) and 2nd vice president Shehu Dikko
But it is also important to understand a bit of the intriguing history of the NFF.
A particular playbook is repeated roughly every four years and it goes something like this:
Nigeria qualifies (or fails to qualify) for the World Cup, regardless of how the country performs, the NFF president is hounded out of office either through the polls or by NFF “stakeholders” often acting on the instructions of the sports minister.
This has happened like clockwork after every World Cup since 1998 unfailingly – that is, until the triumph of Mr Pinnick at the 2018 elective congress put a halt to the charade.
Omeruah’s successor as NFF (then NFA) boss Abdulmumini Aminu lost his reelection bid to the government-backed candidate Kojo Williams in 1999.
Abdulmumini Aminu
Williams, young and successful if slightly hubristic, was impeached after 90 days by the NFF congress on frivolous charges when he appeared to be growing too big for his breeches.
Kojo Williams
His successor, General Dominic Oneya was jettisoned after the 2002 World Cup for Ibrahim Galadima who had the misfortune of failing to oversee the qualification of the Super Eagles for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Dominic Oneya
Although Galadima managed to win elections in 2005 against incredible odds, by July 2006 he was sent packing and replaced by Sani Lulu.
Ibrahim Galadima
Lulu, despite singlehandedly sponsoring nearly everybody with more than a passing interest in football to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, was impeached by a group of “stakeholders” immediately after the Mundial.
Sani Lulu
Aminu Maigari’s fate following the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was even worse and saw the country suspended by FIFA for outrageous and brazen government interference in NFF matters.
Aminu Maigari
Subjected to every kind of humiliation including being impeached (later overturned by FIFA) and borderline kidnapped, he was forced to resign but not before, with FIFA’s help, overseeing the elections that ushered in Mr Pinnick for his first term in September 2014.
As expected, a similar situation ensued in 2018 in the aftermath of the World Cup in Russia.
Former sports minister Solomon Dalung, having spent the entirety of his time in office undermining Mr Pinnick’s NFF at every turn, resurrected a dead, buried and globally rejected claim of Chris Giwa as NFF president in a desperate bid to stop the reemergence of Mr Pinnick.
Solomon Dalung’s disastrous tenure as Sports Minister destablised the NFF
Dalung’s action precipitated a period of destabilisation as Giwa, with state muscle, hijacked the NFF offices thereby exposing the country to the threat of a FIFA ban.
Rejected by FIFA & CAS, Chris Giwa relied on Dalung to hijack the NFF
A timely intervention by the presidency, however, saw the ban averted and Mr Pinnick regain control of the federation.
Rather than wilt in the face of the raging fire wrought by Dalung, Pinnick like the finest of steel was tempered by the flames and emerged even more resolute.
Pinnick was undaunted in face of fierce opposition
He rode to an unprecedented second term in office with an overwhelming majority at the perhaps the fairest NFF elections of all time conducted on Thursday, 20 September 2018 in Katsina.
Pinnick, Akinwunmi & Dikko confounded incredible odds to win a second mandate
Pinnick’s victory marked a significant milestone and turning point – perhaps forever – in the affairs of the NFF.
It has ensured, on the one hand, a chance at the elusive stability needed to push through much-needed reforms to reposition Nigerian football.
But more importantly, it was a victory – and this cannot be understated – for the soul of Nigerian football and will forever be a reference point in the struggle for NFF independence.
It marked for the first time, the successful re-election of an incumbent on the strength of his accomplishments and vision for Nigerian football against mafia-like “stakeholders” and outsized government meddling.
It was a resounding affirmation and validation of his work and reflected the will of Nigerians.
As has become quite clear, the rotten NFF infighting that soundtracked the steep decline in Nigeria’s football fortunes has never been about the game but about pecuniary gains for certain categories of people and their backers in government.
Take, for instance, the abominable “recommendations” made by a so-called “Elders Committee” instituted by Dalung to essentially blackmail and strong-arm the Pinnick-led board into submission.
Among various execrable suggestions, the myopic committee constituted by the likes of the shortest-serving NFF president in history Kojo Williams and former NFF presidents Ibrahim Galadima and Abdulmumini Aminu enjoined the government to compel the withdrawal of Nigeria from FIFA for two years.
The full text of the Elders Committee can be found here [pdf].
This recommendation which was ostensibly made to give ample room and scope to rectify the ills of Nigerian football was in reality, a smokescreen to effect regime change at the NFF.
Interestingly, the committee also recommended that Giwa, having disrupted and hindered the growth of Nigeria football should be “compensated” for his efforts.
The laughable nonsense was promptly dismissed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The contrast between previous NFF boards riven by infighting and self-serving interest and the Pinnick-led board cannot be starker.
The unity of purpose and fierce integrity shared with his able vice presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko and the rest of the Executive Committee has ensured unparalleled unity in the face of the most uncharitable and barbaric attacks.
Nigerians must recognise what this achievement means and throw their weight behind the Pinnick-led board as they work to right the course of our common heritage and unifying factor.
The current NFF stands at the precipe of forging a permanent break from the visionless charade of the past and permanently consigning to the dustbins of history, the corrupt interests that have long fed fat on the chaos that characterised the old NFF.
But these disgruntled haters of Nigeria will resist this good wind of change tooth and nail.
Indeed, as can be seen by the numerous petitions, investigations and litigations against the Amaju Pinnick-led board – all of which have been found to be without a single shred of merit by the courts, these traducers won’t give up without a dirty fight.
Having been thwarted at the polls, these traducers and haters of Nigerian football continue to undermine the NFF through sensationalist but patently untrue reports and ludicrous claims.
The second part of this article can be accessed here.
https://www.busybuddiesng.com/amaju-pin ... eadership/
The first in a two-part analysis of the structural ills of the Nigeria Football Federation and how Amaju Melvin Pinnick, against incredible odds, is fundamentally righting the course of Nigerian football.
For many Nigerians, depending on their age, the ’70s/80s and the early to mid-’90s represent the absolute height of Nigerian football and everything that has followed since pales in comparison.
While it should give food for thought that Nigerians still look to the past for football greatness, it is vital to understand why the successes of those eras were possible and also, what went wrong in the intervening years.
This would enable discerning Nigerians recognise the current Nigeria Football Federation under the visionary leadership of Amaju Melvin Pinnick is on track to ensure the wholesale repositioning of Nigerian football for sustained and self-replicating success.
The ’70s marked the era when Nigerian football truly came of age; a period when football truly belonged to Nigerians.
Ask the old-timers and you’re likely to be regaled with tales of a thriving domestic league underpinned by massive crowds at sold-out stadiums and superstar footballers.
You’ll hear how the domestic and continental prowess of fierce rivals Shooting Stars and Enugu Rangers was the direct catalyst for Nigeria’s first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title as hosts in 1980.
It was the ultimate statement confirming Nigeria’s status as behemoths of the African game.
Triumph in a FIFA tournament followed five years later when the Golden Eaglets lifted the U17 World Cup trophy to become the first African side to win a FIFA organised tournament.
The ’90s provided even more glamour and represent a period of unrivalled achievements beginning with a second U17 FIFA World Cup title in 1993 which precipitated an avalanche of glorious triumphs.
An exciting team – Nigeria’s greatest-ever in the eyes of many – led by Dutchman Clemens Westerhof bagged a second AFCON title in ’94 and also competed in Nigeria’s first-ever senior FIFA World Cup in the USA. There they left an indelible impression and, despite losing to eventual finalists Italy in the second round, achieved a FIFA ranking of fifth in the World – never since replicated.
More glory followed in ’96 when the U23 team became the first African side to win Olympic football gold at the Atlanta Games.
The ’90s gave Nigeria its first African Footballer of the Year with Rashidi Yekini taking the honours in 1993. Emmanuel Amuneke followed suit in 1994. Nwankwo Kanu was Africa’s best in 1996; Victor Ikpeba in 1997 before Kanu notched a second in 1999.
More than twenty years later and the nation awaits another winner.
What then was responsible for the successes outlined above? In a nutshell: stability. Stability enabled an atmosphere conducive to the implementation of plans that culminated in the stupendous successes.
Sure, the country had a pool of talented players to call upon, but, it should not be lost to the discerning observer that the successes of the ’70s culminating in the 1980 AFCON win coincided with the period when the NFF (NFA as it was then) had a measure of stability with Sunday Dankaro who was at the helm between 1974 and 1980 the first NFF head to last more three years.
That stability was also the common thread in the ’90s with Emeka Omeruah, a former Minister of Sports, only the third person to enjoy some stability at the helm of the federation where he was in charge between 1993-97.
It must, however, be pointed out that while the country excelled in tournaments at both club and country levels, the singular failure to institutionalise the means that ensured the good times and also entrench good governance practices in the federation continues to cost the nation dearly.
Only now, under the guidance of the Pinnick-led board, as will be made clear, are genuine, profound and far-reaching efforts being made to correct these structural ills.
NFF president Amaju Pinnick flanked by 1st vice president Seyi Akinwumi (r) and 2nd vice president Shehu Dikko
But it is also important to understand a bit of the intriguing history of the NFF.
A particular playbook is repeated roughly every four years and it goes something like this:
Nigeria qualifies (or fails to qualify) for the World Cup, regardless of how the country performs, the NFF president is hounded out of office either through the polls or by NFF “stakeholders” often acting on the instructions of the sports minister.
This has happened like clockwork after every World Cup since 1998 unfailingly – that is, until the triumph of Mr Pinnick at the 2018 elective congress put a halt to the charade.
Omeruah’s successor as NFF (then NFA) boss Abdulmumini Aminu lost his reelection bid to the government-backed candidate Kojo Williams in 1999.
Abdulmumini Aminu
Williams, young and successful if slightly hubristic, was impeached after 90 days by the NFF congress on frivolous charges when he appeared to be growing too big for his breeches.
Kojo Williams
His successor, General Dominic Oneya was jettisoned after the 2002 World Cup for Ibrahim Galadima who had the misfortune of failing to oversee the qualification of the Super Eagles for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Dominic Oneya
Although Galadima managed to win elections in 2005 against incredible odds, by July 2006 he was sent packing and replaced by Sani Lulu.
Ibrahim Galadima
Lulu, despite singlehandedly sponsoring nearly everybody with more than a passing interest in football to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, was impeached by a group of “stakeholders” immediately after the Mundial.
Sani Lulu
Aminu Maigari’s fate following the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was even worse and saw the country suspended by FIFA for outrageous and brazen government interference in NFF matters.
Aminu Maigari
Subjected to every kind of humiliation including being impeached (later overturned by FIFA) and borderline kidnapped, he was forced to resign but not before, with FIFA’s help, overseeing the elections that ushered in Mr Pinnick for his first term in September 2014.
As expected, a similar situation ensued in 2018 in the aftermath of the World Cup in Russia.
Former sports minister Solomon Dalung, having spent the entirety of his time in office undermining Mr Pinnick’s NFF at every turn, resurrected a dead, buried and globally rejected claim of Chris Giwa as NFF president in a desperate bid to stop the reemergence of Mr Pinnick.
Solomon Dalung’s disastrous tenure as Sports Minister destablised the NFF
Dalung’s action precipitated a period of destabilisation as Giwa, with state muscle, hijacked the NFF offices thereby exposing the country to the threat of a FIFA ban.
Rejected by FIFA & CAS, Chris Giwa relied on Dalung to hijack the NFF
A timely intervention by the presidency, however, saw the ban averted and Mr Pinnick regain control of the federation.
Rather than wilt in the face of the raging fire wrought by Dalung, Pinnick like the finest of steel was tempered by the flames and emerged even more resolute.
Pinnick was undaunted in face of fierce opposition
He rode to an unprecedented second term in office with an overwhelming majority at the perhaps the fairest NFF elections of all time conducted on Thursday, 20 September 2018 in Katsina.
Pinnick, Akinwunmi & Dikko confounded incredible odds to win a second mandate
Pinnick’s victory marked a significant milestone and turning point – perhaps forever – in the affairs of the NFF.
It has ensured, on the one hand, a chance at the elusive stability needed to push through much-needed reforms to reposition Nigerian football.
But more importantly, it was a victory – and this cannot be understated – for the soul of Nigerian football and will forever be a reference point in the struggle for NFF independence.
It marked for the first time, the successful re-election of an incumbent on the strength of his accomplishments and vision for Nigerian football against mafia-like “stakeholders” and outsized government meddling.
It was a resounding affirmation and validation of his work and reflected the will of Nigerians.
As has become quite clear, the rotten NFF infighting that soundtracked the steep decline in Nigeria’s football fortunes has never been about the game but about pecuniary gains for certain categories of people and their backers in government.
Take, for instance, the abominable “recommendations” made by a so-called “Elders Committee” instituted by Dalung to essentially blackmail and strong-arm the Pinnick-led board into submission.
Among various execrable suggestions, the myopic committee constituted by the likes of the shortest-serving NFF president in history Kojo Williams and former NFF presidents Ibrahim Galadima and Abdulmumini Aminu enjoined the government to compel the withdrawal of Nigeria from FIFA for two years.
The full text of the Elders Committee can be found here [pdf].
This recommendation which was ostensibly made to give ample room and scope to rectify the ills of Nigerian football was in reality, a smokescreen to effect regime change at the NFF.
Interestingly, the committee also recommended that Giwa, having disrupted and hindered the growth of Nigeria football should be “compensated” for his efforts.
The laughable nonsense was promptly dismissed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The contrast between previous NFF boards riven by infighting and self-serving interest and the Pinnick-led board cannot be starker.
The unity of purpose and fierce integrity shared with his able vice presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko and the rest of the Executive Committee has ensured unparalleled unity in the face of the most uncharitable and barbaric attacks.
Nigerians must recognise what this achievement means and throw their weight behind the Pinnick-led board as they work to right the course of our common heritage and unifying factor.
The current NFF stands at the precipe of forging a permanent break from the visionless charade of the past and permanently consigning to the dustbins of history, the corrupt interests that have long fed fat on the chaos that characterised the old NFF.
But these disgruntled haters of Nigeria will resist this good wind of change tooth and nail.
Indeed, as can be seen by the numerous petitions, investigations and litigations against the Amaju Pinnick-led board – all of which have been found to be without a single shred of merit by the courts, these traducers won’t give up without a dirty fight.
Having been thwarted at the polls, these traducers and haters of Nigerian football continue to undermine the NFF through sensationalist but patently untrue reports and ludicrous claims.
The second part of this article can be accessed here.
https://www.busybuddiesng.com/amaju-pin ... eadership/
Last edited by iworo on Fri Dec 11, 2020 6:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
iworo, how much is self praising articles going for on Busybuddiesng.com?
By the grace of God I am a Christian, by my deeds a great sinner.....The Way of a Pilgrim
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
I guess you've never heard the saying "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it". Studying history is necessary to avoid repeating past mistakes. This is not a self praising article, but a detailed history of NFF's political instability and the implications for the development of the “beautiful game” in Nigeria. What I took away from the article is that, for us to achieve a lot of successes, we need to provide a stable environment to implement long-term plans.fabio wrote:iworo, how much is self praising articles going for on Busybuddiesng.com?
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Have no real dog in the fight, but that was not an objective article. Had all the tell tale signs of being a puff pieceiworo wrote:I guess you've never heard the saying "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it". Studying history is necessary to avoid repeating past mistakes. This is not a self praising article, but a detailed history of NFF's political instability and the implications for the development of the “beautiful game” in Nigeria. What I took away from the article is that, for us to achieve a lot of successes, we need to provide a stable environment to implement long-term plans.fabio wrote:iworo, how much is self praising articles going for on Busybuddiesng.com?
If purge dey worry you, you no dey select toilet
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
I take it you disagree with virtually everything - fact and opinion - in the article, right?fabio wrote:iworo, how much is self praising articles going for on Busybuddiesng.com?
Broda Fabio, you won't be the last, but it was predictable you were likely be the first.
We await The Usual Suspects.
"Ole kuku ni gbogbo wọn "
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Dunno who wrote the article, but it would have been far more effective if they had stuck with pure facts without infusing brazen adulation into the thing. For example, this was just so amateurish and simply cringe-worthy, even for those of us ready to recognise his strengths:iworo wrote:I guess you've never heard the saying "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it". Studying history is necessary to avoid repeating past mistakes. This is not a self praising article, but a detailed history of NFF's political instability and the implications for the development of the “beautiful game” in Nigeria. What I took away from the article is that, for us to achieve a lot of successes, we need to provide a stable environment to implement long-term plans.fabio wrote:iworo, how much is self praising articles going for on Busybuddiesng.com?
"Rather than wilt in the face of the raging fire wrought by Dalung, Pinnick like the finest of steel was tempered by the flames and emerged even more resolute."
The article actually has quite a lot to serve as positive 'food for thought' for any objective reader, but the personal idolisation completely ruined it. The problem there is that the whole article will be dismissed by those unwilling and unable to approach it with an open mind.
Too bad. It could easily have been quite an authoritative piece.
"Ole kuku ni gbogbo wọn "
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
You are most definitely entitled to your opinion, but I respectfully disagree. The only thing I take issue with is your statement that you've no real dog in the fight! Hah hah, that's the biggest joke of the yeardeanotito wrote:Have no real dog in the fight, but that was not an objective article. Had all the tell tale signs of being a puff pieceiworo wrote:I guess you've never heard the saying "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it". Studying history is necessary to avoid repeating past mistakes. This is not a self praising article, but a detailed history of NFF's political instability and the implications for the development of the “beautiful game” in Nigeria. What I took away from the article is that, for us to achieve a lot of successes, we need to provide a stable environment to implement long-term plans.fabio wrote:iworo, how much is self praising articles going for on Busybuddiesng.com?
.Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
I utterly agree with you.Damunk wrote:Dunno who wrote the article, but it would have been far more effective if they had stuck with pure facts without infusing brazen subjectivity into the thing.iworo wrote:I guess you've never heard the saying "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it". Studying history is necessary to avoid repeating past mistakes. This is not a self praising article, but a detailed history of NFF's political instability and the implications for the development of the “beautiful game” in Nigeria. What I took away from the article is that, for us to achieve a lot of successes, we need to provide a stable environment to implement long-term plans.fabio wrote:iworo, how much is self praising articles going for on Busybuddiesng.com?
It actually has quite a lot to serve as 'food for thought' for any objective reader, but the personal idolisation completely ruined it. The problem there is that the whole article will be dismissed by those unwilling and unable to approach it with an open mind.
Too bad. It could easily have been quite an authoritative piece.
Re: This na Pinnick do what you want with it
Amaju Pinnick Is Doing Something Right In Leadership [Part 2]
The second instalment of a two-part analysis of the structural ills of the Nigeria Football Federation and how Amaju Melvin Pinnick, against incredible odds, is fundamentally righting the course of Nigerian football.
Cleaning up the NFF will always be fraught with challenges and as the Pinnick-led board works assiduously to permanently loosen the grip of corrupt actors on the federation, these corrupt elements will fight back often using the vehicle of government.
Take for instance the shameful or indeed shameless levels of absurdity the disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel descended in 2019 when it dispatched a letter to the Confederation of African Football in the course of investigating the NFF over the retirement of the 2014 FIFA World Cup funds.
Simple commonsense would have obliged the now-wanted Okoi Obono Obla who headed the SPIP to contact the NFF for any clarifications in the matter.
But, blinded by hate and propelled by malice, Obla fired a missive to Cairo in June 2019 seeking more insight into outlandish claims the NFF “paid” $565,471 to CAF to attend the Congress held in Cairo on 7 April 2019.
CAF, itself ravaged by monumental corruption as revealed by an independent review and completely abandoning the FIFA code of ethics as has been the case in the sad and troubling presidency of Ahmad Ahmad, set a bad precedent by entertaining the request without recourse to the NFF.
NFF secretary-general Dr Mohammed Sanusi, as has become his hallmark, promptly published a detailed breakdown of all expenses captured in the $565,471 which formed part of a total $836,805.28 received from FIFA.
It was shown that estacodes for the said Congress for NFF’s delegation of three persons was actually $19,588.15. The bulk of the $565,471 outlay was expended for matches involving the Super Falcons and the U23 men’s team.
The full publication can be accessed here [in pdf].
And there is a lesson here for the media who must take their constitutional given role as the Fourth Republic of the realm with the utmost seriousness.
The media must realise it has a part to play in creating the enabling environment for football to thrive and, for this to happen, it must resist being a tool in the hands of those who would destroy Nigerian football.
The media must be diligent in establishing fact from fiction and understand that a vibrant, working football ecosystem being championed by the Pinnick-led board is in the interests of everyone.
Equally as important, the media must sustain a campaign to see the signing into law of the NFF Bill that will go a long way in guaranteeing autonomy for the Federation and eliminate government interference.
The SPIP is just one of several vehicles in the long campaign to oust Mr Pinnick as revealed by Dr Sanusi whose uprightness must be commended when one considers how previous NFF secretaries-general were master turncoats who served as willing tools and trojan horses for those would wreak havoc in the federation.
“I must tell you that it wasn’t easy at all because right from the time he was elected in Warri, I was under extreme pressure to ditch him,” Dr Sanusi reveals of his resolve in the face of a long-term campaign by traducers to destabilise Mr Pinnick.
Dr Mohammed Sanusi has been dogged in the service of truth
“From the election to petitions and what have you, I stood not by Amaju but by the truth. And fortunately for Amaju, he was on the side of truth.
“He was elected in Warri and people wanted his election annulled. I was the secretary of the Appeals Committee, and the rule of law was followed. I also talked to the other members and showed them why they have to go by the side of the truth.
“There was pressure from the top of course, but we were able to cement everything. And FIFA too, because we know the rules and regulations of FIFA, we had no problems in conveying our views to FIFA and FIFA looked at it and elections stood.
“Now since that time I’ve not been finding it easy. When the election came it was another battle. I was harassed, intimidated, I was blackmailed, but I refused to submit to all the blackmails.
“Unlike what happened to my predecessors, if you look at it they had one time or the other they had gone against who employed them, and they paid for it because they got what they deserved. The wages of sin, they got sacked.”
It should also not go unnoticed how Nigeria’s profile on the continent and the global football stage has soared due to the efforts of Mr Pinnick.
Mr Pinnick’s selflessness in promoting Nigeria’s interest on the global stage is testament to his firm belief that what benefits a Nigerian ultimately benefits Nigeria.
The first Nigerian to become 1st vice-president of CAF and the president of CAF’s AFCON Organising Committee as well as being a member of FIFA’s Football Committee, Mr Pinnick has used his influence to ensure Nigerians have become well represented in both organisations.
His astonishingly rapid rise from a tiny ethnic group of about 400,000 people to NFF president and a global football behemoth is clear proof of his innate brilliance.
One doesn’t achieve what Mr Pinnick has in so short a time without being a capable hand.
Yet, traducers would rather Nigeria lost all it has gained since Mr Pinnick assumed the reins at the NFF rather than rally around him to achieve even more.
“He came from an ethnic minority in Nigeria, but if you look at the support he had, there is no president that got that kind of support. He went to the northern part of the country and clinched the votes,” Dr Sanusi says.
“Those of us who go to CAF and FIFA meetings with him, know that Nigeria should be happy to have a person like him because he is a household name, he is a rallying point.
Amaju Melvin Pinnick enjoys a close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino
“It pains me to see a person who is like that, instead of Nigerians to celebrate him, instead of Nigerians to rally round him, what they are after is how they can bring him down. It is very very painful.
“Go to CAF, go to FIFA events and see how the name of Amaju Pinnick is being called everywhere, everybody wants to associate with him.
“But here in Nigeria, it’s ‘what can we do to bring Amaju Pinnick down. I’m always telling people it’s not about Amaju Pinnick, it’s about Nigeria. No Nigerian had gone to where he has reached.
“Look at the number of Nigerians that have gotten positions in CAF. We have not less than seven people in CAF committees now, courtesy of Amaju Pinnick.”
Felix Anyansi-Agwu, chairman of Nigeria’s biggest club side Enyimba and a member of the NFF board adds: “How many Nigerians are in CAF, how many Nigerians have moved up to FIFA committees? It’s about leadership, it’s [Mr Pinnick’s] leadership providing those avenues.
“What is it that you’re now looking for, compared to where you’re coming from?”
Mr Anyansi-Agwu reveals how Mr Pinnick has managed to retain the trust and devotion of NFF board members, which is a significant departure from the infighting and self-serving Balkanisation that characterised previous boards.
“It has to go with leadership,” Mr Anyansi-Agwu reveals. “His style of leadership does not show autocracy. He has been that type of leader that values other people’s opinions, and he allows it to play a role where even in most cases, the majority are able to get their way.
“It’s not an easy organisation to manage. So, his leadership style has done all the magic by carrying people along. He has a wonderful heart, he has a forgiving heart, he’s also a leader that apologises when he feels that he may be made a mistake, he’s that kind of person.
“That is the magic, that is why there is no rancour in the board.”
Transparency in NFF financial dealings has been a marked characteristic of the Pinnick-led board and a clear departure from opaque practices of the past.
Indeed, under Mr Pinnick, the NFF began publishing its annual accounts as audited by the globally-renowned firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in national dailies and on FIFA’s website.
This practice has been instituted to entrench transparency and establish a new paradigm at the NFF that will serve as a benchmark for Nigerians and a beacon for future administrations.
It is on this commitment to transparency and accountability that has seen NFF attract an unprecedented level of private sector investment and sponsorship with the net result being a self-sufficiency rate of sixty-five per cent.
The journey to total emancipation from the strings of government funding is well and truly on.
The Pinnick-led board understanding the need for a root and branch reform of the NFF immediately after securing a second term in office, instituted the congress-ratified Reforms and Statutes Amendment Committees.
These committees have the mandate of forensically scrutinising the structure of football administration in the country and recommending various means of charting a new structure and course for football administration in Nigeria and bringing the NFF in line with global best practices.
Unlike previous red herring committees which were often constituted at the behest of the government, these committees which will incorporate the opinions of Nigerians, are a manifestation of a strong will to ensure far-reaching solutions to the structural problems that are the bane of the NFF.
The significance of these committees will become more apparent as the coronavirus pandemic easies up.
On the football side, there is a concerted drive to articulate, for the very first time, an all-encompassing policy for Nigerian football.
To ensure the institutionalisation of self-sustaining and seamless processes that would guarantee a conveyor belt of talent for the national teams, the NFF in partnership with Zenith Bank reestablished the U13/U15 Future Eagles project.
Mr Pinnick has laid a foundation for the future with the Future Eagles
This project apart from ensuring a steady stream of talent for various categories of the national teams, will strengthen academies in Nigeria, provide a pathway to the adoption of the sport and expose young kids to world class coaching while an extensive database will serve to eliminate the spectre of age cheating that has blighted Nigerian football.
The work that has been done to build a brand new Super Eagles almost from scratch is nothing to be sniffed at either.
A vast majority of Nigerians will agree that the current crop of Super Eagles players represents the most exciting set since the 1994 squad and many believe they could go on to surpass the achievements of that lot.
To ensure domestic players are on the same page as their foreign counterparts, the NFF mandated the coach of the national team to live in Nigeria and nurture domestic players.
Women football has been an area of particular concern for Mr Pinnick who has never hidden his passion for ensuring a level playing field between the women and their male counterparts in all departments.
Esteemed journalist turned football administrator Ms Aisha Falode who sits on the NFF Executive Committee as head of Nigeria Women Football League sheds more light on Mr Pinnick’s commitment to women’s football.
Ms Aisha Falode heads the Nigeria Women Football League
“Amaju Melvin Pinnick has shown and demonstrated commitment to the upliftment of the women’s game. He’s one man who is very passionate, about leaving a legacy in women’s football,” Ms Falode says.
“He will be remembered as a president who helped to impact in the lives of the young women who are playing women’s football in Nigeria, and also as the one who raised the bar in terms of welfare for the players and also how his policies have not only raised the confidence and the level of participation and performance for the girls.
“For domestic women’s football, we all know that not only in Nigeria, funding and sponsorship for women’s sports generally comes with it’s drawbacks and challenges, but he has done everything that he can to market the women’s league alongside what he does with even the national teams.
“He has done that for us, and we know that someday very soon it will be part of his legacy that for the first time since after 2006 we will be able to get sponsors for the women’s game.”
Indeed, while the rest of the world is only beginning to address the issue of pay disparity between men and women footballers, the current NFF under the direction of Mr Pinnick practically eliminated this gendered pay gap since 2018.
“At the last AFCON for women, our players were paid the same bonus for winning the finals of the AFCON tournament as the men,” Ms Falode confirms.
“Each of the girls were paid $10,000 which was apart from the money for the qualifying round, from the first round to the quarter-finals to the semi-finals and to the finals, those monies were paid and the girls were very happy.
The Pinnick-led NFF is ahead of the curve in eliminating gender-based pay gap
“The participation money for the Women’s World Cup in France has just been paid now [and] just like the men, the girls are going to get a share of thirty per cent of that participation fund from FIFA, and these are policies the president brought to the board of the NFF, and it was approved.
“In essence, he has impacted the game for women, his dream is to do much more, and his dream is to keep on trying, just so that when history is being written, it would be said that Amaju Melvin Pinnick did this much for women’s football in Nigeria.”
What makes these accomplishments all very remarkable is that these great structural building blocks are being put in place just as financial support from the federal government has dwindled.
The NFF has gone from a total budget from the federal government of N2.9 Billion (about $22m at 2011 rates) in 2011 when Aminu Maigari led the federation to N1.1 Billion (about $3m) in 2019.
To place this in proper context, N2.7 Billion (about $20m) of the 2011 allocation was earmarked for sporting activities – in a year where Nigeria participated in no major competition.
Contrast the above with the N775 Million (about $2m) the NFF got for sporting activities in 2019.
The 2011 NFF Appropriation Bill can be accessed here [pdf] while the 2019 NFF Appropriation Bill can be accessed here [pdf].
In 2019, Nigeria competed at the AFCON in Egypt, FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland, U17 World Cup in Brazil, Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay and the U23 AFCON Olympic qualifiers in Egypt amongst other qualifiers and friendlies for that year.
It becomes clear that Mr Pinnick’s assertion that the NFF has become 65% self-funding under his watch is no empty rhetoric as the federation not only pulled off the feat of participating in all the tournaments but ensured the prompt and full payments of all allowances and bonuses.
An examination of Mr Pinnick’s public record makes clear his reformist bent and reveals a man deeply committed to internalising world class standards and building institutions that stand the test of time.
Last year, when Ese Brume won Nigeria’s first medal at the World Athletics Championships since 2013 with bronze in the long jump, the focus was rightly on her fantastic accomplishment.
World Athletics bronze medalist Ese Brume was discovered and nurtured during Mr Pinnick’s time as Delta State Sports Commission
But the foundation for that success was laid years back by Mr Pinnick who as Executive Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission designed and instituted the template that discovered and nurtured Ms Brume who is also a Commonwealth champion and a triple African champion.
Indeed, the person who last won a medal for Nigeria at the World Championships in 2013 and one of Nigeria’s greatest athletes Blessing Okagbare is a product of Mr Pinnick’s work.
National 200m record holder Divine Oduduru who has gone on to establish himself as one of the top sprinters in the world is yet another success story. The names and accomplishments abound across different disciplines.
That Delta State is today synonymous with athletic prowess and excellence is largely down to the visionary efforts of Mr Pinnick who conceived and implemented the programs that continue to bear fruit today.
As Chairman of the Delta State FA for a glorious nine years, Mr Pinnick was unrivalled in his ability to attract private sector funding for his programs. The Delta State FA Cup sponsored by Ecobank and whose final matches were beamed live by Supersports was a thing of wonder.
Before assuming the position of Nigeria’s top football administrator, Mr Pinnick completed and commissioned the State FA Secretariat which was christened Patrick Okpomo Football House completely from private sponsorship.
This, in essence, is the very fabric of which Mr Pinnick is made of; a man who makes no apologies for shooting for the moon.
A man thoroughly committed to the mundane, painstaking and unglamorous labour of building long-lasting institutions where others might opt for the seductive ephemeral fix of quick but ultimately meaningless wins.
Mr Pinnick’s greatest legacy which is bound to last a hundred years will be that of the man who rescued football from the murderous grips of vultures and laid the foundations for a glorious future.
He will forever be remembered for banishing mediocrity, raising the bar, entrenching and internalising transparency and accountability and ultimately handing control of football back to Nigerians.
Indeed, Africa must look to him in the coming months.
Mr Pinnick has repeatedly ruled out running for a third term at the NFF even in the face of tremendous pressure to continue beyond 2022.
But for Mr Anyasi-Agwu, there is no doubt the NFF board would love nothing more than to call on his leadership for many more years.
“If you allow this board to continue under his leadership even in the next 10, 15 years, it will still be the same,” he says.
Dr Sanusi believes Nigerians must band together and give unalloyed support to Mr Pinnick as he works to make Nigerian football great again.
“Let all of us come and support this gentleman. Whether we like it or not, if he becomes anything in this world, they will say Amaju Melvin Pinnick is from Nigeria.
“His first constituency is Nigeria. So whatever he thinks, he thinks for the country, he thinks for the continent, he thinks for the world. But more importantly, he fights for his country.”
With Mr Pinnick at the wheel, Nigerians can rest assured that the future of Nigerian football is in extremely capable hands and our brightest days yet are just ahead.
https://www.busybuddiesng.com/amaju-pin ... ip-part-2/
The second instalment of a two-part analysis of the structural ills of the Nigeria Football Federation and how Amaju Melvin Pinnick, against incredible odds, is fundamentally righting the course of Nigerian football.
Cleaning up the NFF will always be fraught with challenges and as the Pinnick-led board works assiduously to permanently loosen the grip of corrupt actors on the federation, these corrupt elements will fight back often using the vehicle of government.
Take for instance the shameful or indeed shameless levels of absurdity the disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel descended in 2019 when it dispatched a letter to the Confederation of African Football in the course of investigating the NFF over the retirement of the 2014 FIFA World Cup funds.
Simple commonsense would have obliged the now-wanted Okoi Obono Obla who headed the SPIP to contact the NFF for any clarifications in the matter.
But, blinded by hate and propelled by malice, Obla fired a missive to Cairo in June 2019 seeking more insight into outlandish claims the NFF “paid” $565,471 to CAF to attend the Congress held in Cairo on 7 April 2019.
CAF, itself ravaged by monumental corruption as revealed by an independent review and completely abandoning the FIFA code of ethics as has been the case in the sad and troubling presidency of Ahmad Ahmad, set a bad precedent by entertaining the request without recourse to the NFF.
NFF secretary-general Dr Mohammed Sanusi, as has become his hallmark, promptly published a detailed breakdown of all expenses captured in the $565,471 which formed part of a total $836,805.28 received from FIFA.
It was shown that estacodes for the said Congress for NFF’s delegation of three persons was actually $19,588.15. The bulk of the $565,471 outlay was expended for matches involving the Super Falcons and the U23 men’s team.
The full publication can be accessed here [in pdf].
And there is a lesson here for the media who must take their constitutional given role as the Fourth Republic of the realm with the utmost seriousness.
The media must realise it has a part to play in creating the enabling environment for football to thrive and, for this to happen, it must resist being a tool in the hands of those who would destroy Nigerian football.
The media must be diligent in establishing fact from fiction and understand that a vibrant, working football ecosystem being championed by the Pinnick-led board is in the interests of everyone.
Equally as important, the media must sustain a campaign to see the signing into law of the NFF Bill that will go a long way in guaranteeing autonomy for the Federation and eliminate government interference.
The SPIP is just one of several vehicles in the long campaign to oust Mr Pinnick as revealed by Dr Sanusi whose uprightness must be commended when one considers how previous NFF secretaries-general were master turncoats who served as willing tools and trojan horses for those would wreak havoc in the federation.
“I must tell you that it wasn’t easy at all because right from the time he was elected in Warri, I was under extreme pressure to ditch him,” Dr Sanusi reveals of his resolve in the face of a long-term campaign by traducers to destabilise Mr Pinnick.
Dr Mohammed Sanusi has been dogged in the service of truth
“From the election to petitions and what have you, I stood not by Amaju but by the truth. And fortunately for Amaju, he was on the side of truth.
“He was elected in Warri and people wanted his election annulled. I was the secretary of the Appeals Committee, and the rule of law was followed. I also talked to the other members and showed them why they have to go by the side of the truth.
“There was pressure from the top of course, but we were able to cement everything. And FIFA too, because we know the rules and regulations of FIFA, we had no problems in conveying our views to FIFA and FIFA looked at it and elections stood.
“Now since that time I’ve not been finding it easy. When the election came it was another battle. I was harassed, intimidated, I was blackmailed, but I refused to submit to all the blackmails.
“Unlike what happened to my predecessors, if you look at it they had one time or the other they had gone against who employed them, and they paid for it because they got what they deserved. The wages of sin, they got sacked.”
It should also not go unnoticed how Nigeria’s profile on the continent and the global football stage has soared due to the efforts of Mr Pinnick.
Mr Pinnick’s selflessness in promoting Nigeria’s interest on the global stage is testament to his firm belief that what benefits a Nigerian ultimately benefits Nigeria.
The first Nigerian to become 1st vice-president of CAF and the president of CAF’s AFCON Organising Committee as well as being a member of FIFA’s Football Committee, Mr Pinnick has used his influence to ensure Nigerians have become well represented in both organisations.
His astonishingly rapid rise from a tiny ethnic group of about 400,000 people to NFF president and a global football behemoth is clear proof of his innate brilliance.
One doesn’t achieve what Mr Pinnick has in so short a time without being a capable hand.
Yet, traducers would rather Nigeria lost all it has gained since Mr Pinnick assumed the reins at the NFF rather than rally around him to achieve even more.
“He came from an ethnic minority in Nigeria, but if you look at the support he had, there is no president that got that kind of support. He went to the northern part of the country and clinched the votes,” Dr Sanusi says.
“Those of us who go to CAF and FIFA meetings with him, know that Nigeria should be happy to have a person like him because he is a household name, he is a rallying point.
Amaju Melvin Pinnick enjoys a close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino
“It pains me to see a person who is like that, instead of Nigerians to celebrate him, instead of Nigerians to rally round him, what they are after is how they can bring him down. It is very very painful.
“Go to CAF, go to FIFA events and see how the name of Amaju Pinnick is being called everywhere, everybody wants to associate with him.
“But here in Nigeria, it’s ‘what can we do to bring Amaju Pinnick down. I’m always telling people it’s not about Amaju Pinnick, it’s about Nigeria. No Nigerian had gone to where he has reached.
“Look at the number of Nigerians that have gotten positions in CAF. We have not less than seven people in CAF committees now, courtesy of Amaju Pinnick.”
Felix Anyansi-Agwu, chairman of Nigeria’s biggest club side Enyimba and a member of the NFF board adds: “How many Nigerians are in CAF, how many Nigerians have moved up to FIFA committees? It’s about leadership, it’s [Mr Pinnick’s] leadership providing those avenues.
“What is it that you’re now looking for, compared to where you’re coming from?”
Mr Anyansi-Agwu reveals how Mr Pinnick has managed to retain the trust and devotion of NFF board members, which is a significant departure from the infighting and self-serving Balkanisation that characterised previous boards.
“It has to go with leadership,” Mr Anyansi-Agwu reveals. “His style of leadership does not show autocracy. He has been that type of leader that values other people’s opinions, and he allows it to play a role where even in most cases, the majority are able to get their way.
“It’s not an easy organisation to manage. So, his leadership style has done all the magic by carrying people along. He has a wonderful heart, he has a forgiving heart, he’s also a leader that apologises when he feels that he may be made a mistake, he’s that kind of person.
“That is the magic, that is why there is no rancour in the board.”
Transparency in NFF financial dealings has been a marked characteristic of the Pinnick-led board and a clear departure from opaque practices of the past.
Indeed, under Mr Pinnick, the NFF began publishing its annual accounts as audited by the globally-renowned firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in national dailies and on FIFA’s website.
This practice has been instituted to entrench transparency and establish a new paradigm at the NFF that will serve as a benchmark for Nigerians and a beacon for future administrations.
It is on this commitment to transparency and accountability that has seen NFF attract an unprecedented level of private sector investment and sponsorship with the net result being a self-sufficiency rate of sixty-five per cent.
The journey to total emancipation from the strings of government funding is well and truly on.
The Pinnick-led board understanding the need for a root and branch reform of the NFF immediately after securing a second term in office, instituted the congress-ratified Reforms and Statutes Amendment Committees.
These committees have the mandate of forensically scrutinising the structure of football administration in the country and recommending various means of charting a new structure and course for football administration in Nigeria and bringing the NFF in line with global best practices.
Unlike previous red herring committees which were often constituted at the behest of the government, these committees which will incorporate the opinions of Nigerians, are a manifestation of a strong will to ensure far-reaching solutions to the structural problems that are the bane of the NFF.
The significance of these committees will become more apparent as the coronavirus pandemic easies up.
On the football side, there is a concerted drive to articulate, for the very first time, an all-encompassing policy for Nigerian football.
To ensure the institutionalisation of self-sustaining and seamless processes that would guarantee a conveyor belt of talent for the national teams, the NFF in partnership with Zenith Bank reestablished the U13/U15 Future Eagles project.
Mr Pinnick has laid a foundation for the future with the Future Eagles
This project apart from ensuring a steady stream of talent for various categories of the national teams, will strengthen academies in Nigeria, provide a pathway to the adoption of the sport and expose young kids to world class coaching while an extensive database will serve to eliminate the spectre of age cheating that has blighted Nigerian football.
The work that has been done to build a brand new Super Eagles almost from scratch is nothing to be sniffed at either.
A vast majority of Nigerians will agree that the current crop of Super Eagles players represents the most exciting set since the 1994 squad and many believe they could go on to surpass the achievements of that lot.
To ensure domestic players are on the same page as their foreign counterparts, the NFF mandated the coach of the national team to live in Nigeria and nurture domestic players.
Women football has been an area of particular concern for Mr Pinnick who has never hidden his passion for ensuring a level playing field between the women and their male counterparts in all departments.
Esteemed journalist turned football administrator Ms Aisha Falode who sits on the NFF Executive Committee as head of Nigeria Women Football League sheds more light on Mr Pinnick’s commitment to women’s football.
Ms Aisha Falode heads the Nigeria Women Football League
“Amaju Melvin Pinnick has shown and demonstrated commitment to the upliftment of the women’s game. He’s one man who is very passionate, about leaving a legacy in women’s football,” Ms Falode says.
“He will be remembered as a president who helped to impact in the lives of the young women who are playing women’s football in Nigeria, and also as the one who raised the bar in terms of welfare for the players and also how his policies have not only raised the confidence and the level of participation and performance for the girls.
“For domestic women’s football, we all know that not only in Nigeria, funding and sponsorship for women’s sports generally comes with it’s drawbacks and challenges, but he has done everything that he can to market the women’s league alongside what he does with even the national teams.
“He has done that for us, and we know that someday very soon it will be part of his legacy that for the first time since after 2006 we will be able to get sponsors for the women’s game.”
Indeed, while the rest of the world is only beginning to address the issue of pay disparity between men and women footballers, the current NFF under the direction of Mr Pinnick practically eliminated this gendered pay gap since 2018.
“At the last AFCON for women, our players were paid the same bonus for winning the finals of the AFCON tournament as the men,” Ms Falode confirms.
“Each of the girls were paid $10,000 which was apart from the money for the qualifying round, from the first round to the quarter-finals to the semi-finals and to the finals, those monies were paid and the girls were very happy.
The Pinnick-led NFF is ahead of the curve in eliminating gender-based pay gap
“The participation money for the Women’s World Cup in France has just been paid now [and] just like the men, the girls are going to get a share of thirty per cent of that participation fund from FIFA, and these are policies the president brought to the board of the NFF, and it was approved.
“In essence, he has impacted the game for women, his dream is to do much more, and his dream is to keep on trying, just so that when history is being written, it would be said that Amaju Melvin Pinnick did this much for women’s football in Nigeria.”
What makes these accomplishments all very remarkable is that these great structural building blocks are being put in place just as financial support from the federal government has dwindled.
The NFF has gone from a total budget from the federal government of N2.9 Billion (about $22m at 2011 rates) in 2011 when Aminu Maigari led the federation to N1.1 Billion (about $3m) in 2019.
To place this in proper context, N2.7 Billion (about $20m) of the 2011 allocation was earmarked for sporting activities – in a year where Nigeria participated in no major competition.
Contrast the above with the N775 Million (about $2m) the NFF got for sporting activities in 2019.
The 2011 NFF Appropriation Bill can be accessed here [pdf] while the 2019 NFF Appropriation Bill can be accessed here [pdf].
In 2019, Nigeria competed at the AFCON in Egypt, FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland, U17 World Cup in Brazil, Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay and the U23 AFCON Olympic qualifiers in Egypt amongst other qualifiers and friendlies for that year.
It becomes clear that Mr Pinnick’s assertion that the NFF has become 65% self-funding under his watch is no empty rhetoric as the federation not only pulled off the feat of participating in all the tournaments but ensured the prompt and full payments of all allowances and bonuses.
An examination of Mr Pinnick’s public record makes clear his reformist bent and reveals a man deeply committed to internalising world class standards and building institutions that stand the test of time.
Last year, when Ese Brume won Nigeria’s first medal at the World Athletics Championships since 2013 with bronze in the long jump, the focus was rightly on her fantastic accomplishment.
World Athletics bronze medalist Ese Brume was discovered and nurtured during Mr Pinnick’s time as Delta State Sports Commission
But the foundation for that success was laid years back by Mr Pinnick who as Executive Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission designed and instituted the template that discovered and nurtured Ms Brume who is also a Commonwealth champion and a triple African champion.
Indeed, the person who last won a medal for Nigeria at the World Championships in 2013 and one of Nigeria’s greatest athletes Blessing Okagbare is a product of Mr Pinnick’s work.
National 200m record holder Divine Oduduru who has gone on to establish himself as one of the top sprinters in the world is yet another success story. The names and accomplishments abound across different disciplines.
That Delta State is today synonymous with athletic prowess and excellence is largely down to the visionary efforts of Mr Pinnick who conceived and implemented the programs that continue to bear fruit today.
As Chairman of the Delta State FA for a glorious nine years, Mr Pinnick was unrivalled in his ability to attract private sector funding for his programs. The Delta State FA Cup sponsored by Ecobank and whose final matches were beamed live by Supersports was a thing of wonder.
Before assuming the position of Nigeria’s top football administrator, Mr Pinnick completed and commissioned the State FA Secretariat which was christened Patrick Okpomo Football House completely from private sponsorship.
This, in essence, is the very fabric of which Mr Pinnick is made of; a man who makes no apologies for shooting for the moon.
A man thoroughly committed to the mundane, painstaking and unglamorous labour of building long-lasting institutions where others might opt for the seductive ephemeral fix of quick but ultimately meaningless wins.
Mr Pinnick’s greatest legacy which is bound to last a hundred years will be that of the man who rescued football from the murderous grips of vultures and laid the foundations for a glorious future.
He will forever be remembered for banishing mediocrity, raising the bar, entrenching and internalising transparency and accountability and ultimately handing control of football back to Nigerians.
Indeed, Africa must look to him in the coming months.
Mr Pinnick has repeatedly ruled out running for a third term at the NFF even in the face of tremendous pressure to continue beyond 2022.
But for Mr Anyasi-Agwu, there is no doubt the NFF board would love nothing more than to call on his leadership for many more years.
“If you allow this board to continue under his leadership even in the next 10, 15 years, it will still be the same,” he says.
Dr Sanusi believes Nigerians must band together and give unalloyed support to Mr Pinnick as he works to make Nigerian football great again.
“Let all of us come and support this gentleman. Whether we like it or not, if he becomes anything in this world, they will say Amaju Melvin Pinnick is from Nigeria.
“His first constituency is Nigeria. So whatever he thinks, he thinks for the country, he thinks for the continent, he thinks for the world. But more importantly, he fights for his country.”
With Mr Pinnick at the wheel, Nigerians can rest assured that the future of Nigerian football is in extremely capable hands and our brightest days yet are just ahead.
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