BY PAUL LUCKY OKOKU
๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐: ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐/๐๐ ๐ ?
Nigeriaโs national football association dates back to ๐๐๐๐.
That is ๐๐ years of football administration.
Across those ๐๐ years, how many documented former Nigeria senior internationals have occupied the substantive position of NFA Chairman or NFF President?
๐๐๐๐.
๐%.
Not one.
Yet whenever qualified former internationals are mentioned for football leadership, one of the first questions is:
โBecause you played football, what makes you qualified to administer football?โ
Fair question.
But fairness demands another:
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
Nobody is saying every former international is qualified.
Some are.
Some are not.
The same is true of lawyers, businessmen, politicians, administrators, academics and everyone else.
Judge the ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ.
Judge the personโs ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐, ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ, ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐.
But do not disqualify an entire constituency simply because they once played football.
The historical record leaves us with one stubborn number:
๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐.
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐/๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐/๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐%.
Before pointing to one club, one State FA, one committee or one former playerโs tenure somewhere elseโ
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐%.