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Patrick Ekeji: The Missing Cog in the Wheel?
By Toyin | May 1, 2009
His appointment as the Acting Director General of the National Sporting Commission has been hailed as the ‘best’ decision this administration’s taken since inception regarding the development of sports in the country. This though is not farfetched bearing in mind the antecedents of the gentleman in discourse.
Patrick Ekeji as an ex-international has been in and out of sports for the better part of three decades and within this time; he’s been able to make a name for himself as a seasoned professional and astute administrator. The blueprint to take Nigeria’s sports to the next level he released last week has been hailed by some Nigerians who described the ex-Green Eagles player as a true professional who knows what needs to be done for our sports to regain its lost glory.
Having been a major participant in sports administration in Nigeria for many years and playing a major role in the formation of policies and directions for the same in the country, he could be said to be a round peg in a round hole. Our lot is not a pinch compared to the great and lofty achievements in other climes when compared viz-a-viz with what obtains in the country.
How do we break away from this ‘curse’? By playing the game according to the rule and putting selfless leaders in positions of authorities.
Recently, chief Ekeji espoused some of his views on how our sports can be taken to the next level and Vanguard Newspapers captured some of the responses of sport writers and fans to the thoughts of the gentleman below:
One of the visitors to the Vanguard website who simply identified himself as Julian said that for his ideas to blossom and bear fruit, Chief Ekeji should tell his officers to go out and scout for talents that abound in the country rather than remain in the office.
Another visitor to the website where the materials of his papers are made available and called Tosan wrote that Chief Patrick Ekeji “is a true sportsman and well read person. His ideals are very wise and should be put in place. Nigeria is a very big country with talented sportsmen and women in the rural areas but the problem is (that) nobody is scouting for them. Also rich people should be encouraged to donate (trophies) and set up competitions in their communities so that from there, these talented sportsmen and women can be found. I can still remember in the 80’s, there were sports festivals in the states and the National Sports Festival where players like Julian Isiguzo, Chidi Nwanu, Leo Ikwuema, to mention but a few, (were discovered).
There were some good sports competitions taking place in Aba, like Enyimba mock World Cup, Golf Course Super League and School Road League. Sports administrators should go out and scout for players (because) it is from Enyimba mock World Cup competition that players like the two brothers - Uche and Kalu Amadi where found. Please Chief Patrick Ekeji, tell your men that sports administration is not to stay in the office but a field work, so let them go out and find sportsmen and women roaming the streets of Nigeria looking for where to stay”.
Another visitor to the site, who goes by the name Rawlings, merely congratulated the NSC Director-General thus: “Congrats to this good man. I remember when the evil men of Nigeria tried to destroy this man. The lesson for everybody is that patience pays at the end of the day.”
In his own reaction to the Blueprint, Ed Franks wrote “Pat Ekeji is first and foremost a technocratic (professional) operator. The type that perhaps should be running Nigeria, not the Alhaji Atikus, Chief Iboris and co who we are (unfortunately) saddled with here in Nigeria. If we remember the days of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, Ndukwe & Co, how far did we get? These technocrats know what needs to be done, how to do it and, when. No amount of fasting and prayer will help us clear these logs from our eyes, until we begin to remove ethnicity, parochialism and ‘you-chop-I-chop’ from positions of impact on our lives. Now, we should begin to see Sports become an industry, just like we have with telecommunications.”
The above are some of the conclusions of the people who know who and what Patrick Ekeji is made of. It is also my sincere conviction that he’s one of the few people that can turn our sports around.
When I wrote about John Ndanusa a few months ago, I expressed my reservations on his abilities or capacity to move Nigerian sport forward. Since then, I’m yet to be proven wrong!
The exit of Dr. Amos Adamu is a like a new chapter in the country’s sport administration has been opened. Having held forth for God knows how many years; Adamu represents both the mountain and valley of our reality in this particular sector of our Nation. When he was transferred, many saw it as the big break for our sports even though I strongly disagree with this.
Dr. Adamu represented the most enlightened but curtailed tool for national renewal in our sports administration. It’s my hope and prayer therefore that Patrick Ekeji would learn to navigate the minefield that our sport administration has become and steer us in the path of glory once more.
We at 9jafans.com say, congratulations and God’s speed to a man who obviously knows his onions. All we can do is to hope that we‘ve learnt our lessons and that we are ready to move ahead once more!
Topics: Biz Football, Nigerian Football, Success Pills |
May 2nd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Chief Ekeji was and I hope is still a decent man. When he was in the Sport Ministry, he did his best to ensure athletes wellbeing. I wish him all the best in his new assignment and I hope he’s not carried away by the ’storm’ of politics in our national life.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Only time will tell if he will perform better than his predecessors.
May 5th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Well, we can only hope he decides to serve the nation and not his pocket!
May 5th, 2009 at 11:32 am
just like every good Nigerian will pray that this man delivers, i only hope, that it will not be one of those futile prayers we have prayed on behalf of his predecessors.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:41 pm
For years we have had mediocre sports administrators like Dr Amos Adamu, Sani Toro , Damishi Sango etc. The results from their administrative inefficiency and gross ineptitude has lead to the declining futunes of Nigeria’s sports development both home and abroad .Thelacklustre performances
July 1st, 2009 at 3:16 pm
sorry for this
The lacklustre performances of the nigerian contigents to previous olympic games bear eloquent testimonies to their inability to pilot our sports to an higher level. The misrule of our dear nation by our leaders gives an impression of what we have in sports . The appointment of Mr Patrick Ekeji will not add anything to sports development .He is the former director nof sports development in the same sports commission . He belongs to the unbreakable cabal that has held sports d captive . The culture of strangulating sports development in the name of making it better is in the realm of their imaginations which is pregnant with deceit and intention to siphon sports funds . The bad state of sports facilities and private sector apathy to sports development are some of the signs that the recent appointment means nothing to us .may God help us