WHO IS AFRAID OF SEGUN ODEGBAMI?

  That there is something vitally wrong in the system is not a secret, what is unacceptable is the manner in which we try to justify our failure and our corruption, I read with disgust and incredulity this morning that the NFF electoral committee has disqualified the only candidate among the pack who understands our football, haven served our nation as a footballer for more than a decade, a member of the glorious nations cup winners in 1980, Chief Segun Odegbami, M.O.N, who has been closely involved with football even after he resigned as an active player.

  The excuse given by the committee was that his form was not endorsed by his state F.A commisioner and that it came in late. Nigerian football, especially our local league has been in the doldrums for ages, all the youth programs put in place in the late 70s and the early 80s that helped consolidate our football during those periods are all derelict and corrupt today. There has not been any feasible innovations in recent times, year after year we read and discover with great disappointment about the wanton corruption plaguing our football governing body, the NFF. while our football, one of the few remaining, if not the only national unifying activity in this country is left to suffer. 

  Time after time, our national team players and their coaching crew are made to undergo their preparation for a big competition in which nigerians are very optimistic, under a very unsuitable condition, sometimes our football and our nation are brought to international disrepute because while other teams arrive at big competitions, concentrated fully for the competition, our players are still involved in an endless haggle with our nation´s football governing body, the NFF on the issue of match bonuses and winning allowances.

  And rather than look for the right person to put the dirty house in order it appears as if those who have corrupted the system will stop at nothing to maintain the status quo and make way for another square headed football ignorant to continue to live at the expense of our major national unifying factor. What is wrong if for once we allow a real football expert to manage the affairs of football in our country? Why do we always prefer to regret than to do the right thing and begin to advance in strides? Who amongst all the listed and cleared candidates understand football better than Segun Odegbami? It would be recalled that this is not the first time that the former national team captain, Segun Odegbami would be stepping forward to make known his intention to run for the presidency of the NFF and each time it appears some people who are hell bent on never allowing progress to come into our football delibrately mark him out of the line.

  What does it take for a people to stand up and do the right thing? Who is afraid of Segun Odegbami?