By Ngwuta Chinedu, Abakaliki
Over time sports Lovers within and outside the state has accused successive administrations in the state of ignoring the most lucrative aspect of the economy-sports Though, during Sam Egwu’s reign the state had a football club called Ebonyi Angels. No thanks to the teething challenges faced by the Ebonyi as one of the youngest states that was barely ten years before the expiration of Egwu’s administration. Sporting was swept under the carpet.
It was on this premise that Martins Elechi as the second civilian Governor of the state came, for the Economist turned politician he had little interest let alone sponsoring football clubs in the name of the state. So, within the eight years of his reign nobody talked about Sports in the state.
To worsen the situation, Governor Umahi took over the mantle of leadership of the state with no intention of wasting the state fund in a venture he was not certain whether it would increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state. However, Umahi’s policy thrust forbids any project that cannot give him immediate gain. So, his administration concentrated on building concrete rigged pavement in the name of road constructions.
Today, the long awaited Messiah came equipped with a listening ear to the yearnings of the Ebonyi Youths who have clamored for Ebonyi own football club to represent the state during annual football leagues in the Country and possibly generate revenue for the state and as well serve as means of job creation for teeming Ebonyians who wants to make ends meet through that channel. But the question hanging is, has this dream shared by Ebonyi Youths been able to quench the taste of Ebonyians in that direction or has the aim of portraying the image of the state beyond its environs defeated?
This may sound rhetoric to so many, no doubt this may have been pricking peoples’ minds.
In all sincerity, the state government may have acted in error. Firstly, the state government under the able leadership of Governor Francis Nwifuru was betrayed by Senator Obinna Ogba despite the trust reposed in him. According to available information, Ogba had approached Governor Nwifuru to set up a football club in the state and he had obliged to the request and sought his advice as one who has been into sports and the immediate past Chairman, Senate committee on Youths and Sports.
But Ogba in his over zealousness to amass wealth, had convinced Nwifuru to buy his already made sports club based in Enugu on the ground that it was late to begin to hunt for fresh talents which Nwifuru in his quest to satisfy Ogba’s request , quickly agreed with him without carrying out proper consultations.
Nwifuru’s liberalism in attending to his people’s Chatter of needs mantra has made him suffer the same fate in all his dealings with every dick and Harry in the state.in all sense of judgement Nwifuru’s aim to establish state own football club has been sacrificed on the altar of accommodation of stakeholders in the party. The aim of the governor was defeated because his core mandate to provide jobs to the Youths through talents hunting has become inaccessible.
An average Ebonyi man and woman who had wished to see young talented Ebonyians whose names would have been ringing bail in the team (De Abakaliki Rice boys) was left in limbo. Today I can vividly inform you that the three outings of the football club were a show of shame. After several outings they are yet to bring good news home to the glory of the state government, Indeed one wonders what the Managers would have as their excuses before the governor.
I wish to call on the Governor to suspend further outing of the inexperienced members of Ogba’s team and direct the ministry of Youth and sports to proceed on talent hunt to savage the state huge investment in the sector from total collapse.
Sources close to the government who preferred anonymity said they were disappointed with what Senator Ogba is parading as the state government football club classified the players as amateur and does not have the capacity to compete with other state own clubs.
Most worrisome, the aim of the government to take some Youths out of the street through sports has been defeated because over ninety percent of the players are not from Ebonyi State and as a matter of fact, this will not help us as a state in anyway.
Regrettably, after pumping millions of Naira generated from tax payers into the sports sub sector bearing in mind that it would benefit Ebonyians, on the contrary it has eventually hit the brick wall.
In an interview The member representing Abakaliki North state Constituency in the Ebonyi state House of Assembly, chief Chidi Nwoke revealed that he is working on a bill that would mandate the thirteen council Area Chairmen in the state to own and sponsor football clubs to save the state from the impending danger of buying football club from other states with tax proceeds of Ebonyi people.
Nwoke who is the chairman House committee on Youths and Sports in Ebonyi state made the revelation while filing questions from newsmen in his Abakaliki residence.
He informed that when the bill is passed into law the state government will have no choice to buy football clubs from individuals whose components are made of players outside the state adding by the time he is done foreigners will no longer Play for the state.
However, a sports activist has opined that the woeful failures of the team was a managerial pitfall .
“De Rice boys football club of Abakaliki on Saturday 25 January engaged the Solution football club of Anambra state at the PA Ngele Oruta township stadium Abakaliki Ebonyi State with a goalless draw. If we continue like this, we cannot make a breakthrough .These millions would have been better spending it on our own young footballers”
“This is not good. The governor is doing well in all other areas, but his decision to pay for a-good -for -no -goal football club is the wrong way to go. Alternatively, while we are pushing millions to Ogba and the state commissioner for Youths and Sports ministry for their frivolities,. Beyond Ogba’s grandstanding,we should also plan to package our local content that would represent the state after ward”
At the moment, while the state government patiently waits for a harvest period of Ogba’s team ,we should not sit hand akimbo without option B. Indeed arrangements should be geared up in the tapping of our local contents , for the future no doubt remains bright for those that plan how to implement it.