BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
What really worked for the organisers was the proper planning and early preparation. Flykite Productions which was the main organisers led by Mr Jekins Alumona started the preparation for the tournament early enough. They were able to recruit young vibrant people as ad-hoc staff with their existing staff. I was recruited to be among the ad-hoc staff. We went to rigorous in-house training not once but at least three times to prepare us for the competition.
Though I missed the trip to Eket, I was able to monitor all the matches on SuperSport. No doubt, the playoff matches in Eket were not only superb, but were applauded by the Nigerian football stakeholders.
Another factor that worked for the organisers was the team’s spirit. All the staff and the ad-hoc staff of Flykite Productions were committed to the laudable project. Mr Alumona always reminded us of the goals and objectives of the competition. He always charged us to give in our best. This helped us to achieve the set targets.
In addition, organisation is another key that really contributed to the success of the competition. As a member of the ad-hoc staff of Flykite Productions, I was able to work with the stadium manager and staff of Onikan Stadium. I also had an opportunity to work with neighborhood officers, Nigerian army and the police from the beginning to the end. Let me say all the security agencies performed creditable well. They even contributed to the success of the competition.
I am not the only one working with the security officers, we were four in numbers and all of us were on top of our duty.T he same things applied to others who were assigned for one position or the other.
Everybody knows his or her role and we also helped ourselves to ensure that no lapses before during and after each match. The final was another tough one for us. The fans in their usual way wanted to beat the security to find their way to the match venue but we were able to curtail them.
At this moment i don’t want to talk more about the fans attitude but my next article would focus on fans behaviour before, during and after the final.
Another area that gave the competition popularity among Nigerian football fans was that Flykite Productions was able to go extra mile as it partnered with SuperSport to broadcast all the matches live. The awareness was too much. No wonder the stadium was filled to capacity at the closing ceremony.
The final between Sporting Lagos and Remo Stars on Sunday reminded me of the good old days when Super Eagles used to play at the National Stadium in Lagos. Before the kickoff, the National Stadium used to be filled up.
No wonder, before 5pm which was kick-off of the final match, Onikan Stadium was already jam-packed to the extent that more than a thousand fans who came to the stadium during the glamorous and exciting final could not find the seat rather they remained standing throughout the game.
In my conclusion, the success of the competition cannot be written or said without mentioning Mr Jekins Alumona who worked round the clock to ensure that everything went as planned. He is the man who I admire so much in terms of giving out instructions to us. He always tells us we can do better and proffer solutions to any challenge brought to him and his management team.
Mr Alumona hardly bend the rules, as he follows standard. He believes in nothing but the best. May I use this medium to thank him for his immense contribution to the success of the competition. I also want to thank the Flykite Productions members of staff for their cooperation throughout the event. I won’t forget Mr Godwin Enakhena who recommended me to Flykite Productions as one of the ad-hoc staff. It is a new experience for me, and I also thank my colleagues for their resilience, doggedness and commitment to the competition.
Thank you all and God bless.
