TheCable

Dear Honourable Sports Minister, Dr. Tamuno Wenike Danagogo, kindly take time out of your busy schedule to ‘google’ the name ‘Danagogo’.

I did and here are some of the results the search engine came up with:

• Danagogo confident no FIFA ban for Nigeria
• NFF crises: Danagogo denies fueling feud
• Danagogo hopes FIFA has mercy on Nigeria
• Danagogo hopeful FIFA won’t ban Nigeria
• Danagogo: FIFA will not ban Nigeria
• Danagogo endorses Giwa-led NFF executive
• Reps, Danagogo meet over NFF
• Danagogo should quit now – Obienu
• Danagogo dares FIFA to come to Nigeria
• Mr. Aliyu Mohammed: Danagogo has … (wrecked Nigerian football)
• Danagogo: NSC working to resolve Nigerian football crises
• Most people on the previous NFF board were not sincere … (Danagogo)

Sir, you came on board just days before Brazil 2014 World Cup began in June and three months down the line, even Google tags your name with ‘FIFA’, ‘ban’, ‘crises’, ‘NFF’, ‘endorses’ etc.

Like Mario Balotelli, you may be tempted to ask: ‘Why always me?

Honourable Minister Sir, you are the boss. And that’s why.

Dr. Tamuno Danagogo (I’m sure you prefer the much catchy Tammy), in this period of Ebola virus, Boko Haram, ISIS, IS, and according to Barack Obama, ISAL (when he pronounces it, it sounds like ‘eyesore’), I should not be writing an open letter to you on Nigeria football and the crises bedevilling the Glass House (or Burnt House).

Sir, never mind those uninterested people who derisively call the most beautiful game ‘’a game where 22 grown-up men are chasing a ball”; Never Mind Them, like a popular Nigerian song of yore advised because, sir, of all the most unimportant things in the world, football is the most important.

It is important to me being a sports (football) writer. It is important to you being a sports (football) minister.

We don’t have to be friends or enemies.

Sir, I recall the only time I was privileged to speak with you. It was in response to an SMS I sent to you after you came back from Brazil.

In my message, I relayed the allegations a source close to the team availed me. I won’t bother repeating them here in details but to jog your memory, it relates to the skirmishes you had with the Maigari-led board during the World Cup.

One was about the money you brought for the team prior to Super Eagles game with France. And the other relates to your inability to gain entrance to the VIP stand during one of the group games involving the national team. On both occasions, you saw it as spite to your person and position.

“People should be careful before they bring up unnecessary story,” you rebuked me.

“I have 41 different sports federations under me and I make request to the president as a minister. They then disburse according to their need,” you educated me on how requisitions are made in your office.

When I asked (politely, of course) that you seemed to be acting in a vindictive way and that it now reminds me of a grumpy editor, an Old Roger (albeit still alive) in my former place of work that prides itself on covering all sports in a complete way, you laughed at my analogies. But your response was firm.

“People should distinguish between personal and official issues. Maybe Maigari does not like me as a person but we don’t need to be friends before we can work for government. We don’t have to be friends or enemies,” you had said.

Honourable Minister Sir, I take it for granted that you and I are still friends so I have some questions for you.

I tried to get across to you via SMS and phone calls to no avail (you ignored me, but that doesn’t mean we are enemies). So pardon me if I ask my questions via this medium.

I am not Baba Iyabo, so I will make it as short and brief as possible.

• Why the hasty fiat sending the NFF executive committee packing due to a court injunction in Jos?
• Why the swift appointment of a caretaker committee headed by Lawrence Katken, the most senior civil servant in the NFF, as the acting secretary-general, pending the determination of the suit?
• Why did you reinstate Maigari after sanctioning his impeachment and resignation?
• Why did you get personally involved in brandishing a resignation letter of the ‘sacked’ Maigari?
• Why use tip-ex to erase a word from the letter?
• Why the insistence on proceeding with the elections after the federal government, through its secretary, had okayed it for a fortnight’s time?
• Why the open endorsement of Chris Giwa despite the anomaly in the process that brought him to office?

Honourable Minister Sir, you have a Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D in Private and Public Law, specialising in Human Rights and Disputes Settlement; but sir, I am sure the dispute in the leadership tussle in the football house should have been better handled.

Sir, you and I know that in times of crises, tact, caution, and stealth are required, not brash, rash and all-guns-blazing spontaneity.

Honourable Minister Sir, forgive me if it seems I’m hitting you below the belt. I’m not a boxer, only a writer.

Sir, you are a man of letters yourself; a learned gentleman; a Master’s degree holder in Law. So, sir, I expected a better understanding from you to the various letters from FIFA threatening ban and brimstone.

So, should I blame your aids for misleading you to address some of the letters from the world football governing body with scarce understanding? Back to my Google search for what I mean:

July 8, 2014

“What I am aware of is that FIFA has not threatened to ban Nigeria. What I am aware of is that they [FIFA] said they are aware of what is happening in Nigeria. And what that means is that they have heard what happened, and they are expecting the parties involved, that is, the stakeholders in the football family, to brief them.

“As a government, we are doing everything possible to ensure that there is peace, that there is no breakdown of law and order and that our football continues to make progress. And I can assure Nigerians that we have very good intentions and, at the end of the day, Nigerians will be happy.

“Normally, as a minister of sports from a country like Nigeria that is so much in love with football, we cannot do without meeting FIFA. So, in the course of time, I may certainly meet with FIFA. But, right now, I am around (in Nigeria) trying to ensure that everything is going on well.

“The parties involved will go and brief FIFA first and, if I am coming in, I am coming in not as one of the disputants, but as the minister of sports. Let the disputing parties do their briefings and, in fullness of time, I will be able to relate with FIFA. I will relate and agree with them on the possible ways forward. That is if there are grey areas. But, if there is no grey area, I will not need to see them.”

July 9

“Nigeria is safe, I can tell you that. What FIFA wants is for the right things to be done and there should be a high level of independence in what is happening. So far, if you look at what has happened, I think government has been very fair; government has done everything possible not to unduly interfere.

“As a government, we have constitutional duty to maintain law and order. When factions in football family begin to dispute, we have a duty to see that we don’t allow them kill themselves, we don’t allow them destroy the buildings where they are operating. Beyond that, we have not done anything. What we have done, is to see that law and order is maintained.

“Firstly, you must understand that the first thing that happened as soon as we returned from Brazil, was the old NFF, that is the Maigari-led NFF on the 3rd of July, wrote to me, informing me that there was a court order saying that they were not the legitimate executive council of the NFF and that a civil servant had been appointed or directed to take over and then urged me to intervene to maintain law and order. And what we did was to ensure that there was law and order.

“And of course, the group of FA chairmen and stakeholders, who also didn’t want the Maigari government to continue, called their congress and the congress passed a vote of no confidence on that exco. At the beginning, FIFA thought maybe it was a government action, a court action, but we have gone far beyond that. We are talking about a legitimate congress of NFF, of the football family in the whole country meeting and passing a vote of no confidence. That is not government action. It is strictly a decision of a majority of football stakeholders in the country.

“Ordinarily, the tenure of the Maigari-led exco has almost come to an end, may be by July or August. And it is a routine, even in our national politics that once we get to election season, there is always a dispute between parties who are interested.”

September 2

“I am aware that FIFA does not ban countries over internal wrangling among stakeholders. What I expect FIFA to do is to listen to both sides in the dispute and fashion out a peaceful resolution of the crisis. It is also not fair for FIFA to ban a country over the actions of individuals. If they feel that an individual has gone against their statutes, such individual should be singled out and sanctioned and not the entire country.”

“We expect that they would carefully look into the matter after listening to both sides and seek a peaceful resolution. If they say the way out is for another election to be held, we would ensure that it is done for peace to return to our football.”

Sir, your words do not seem to match your actions.

Sir, these crises and how you handle them will define your tenure as sports minister. I am sure you like words like ‘’resourceful’’ and ‘’problem solver’’, unlike the Google words mentioned earlier, to be written in your biography.

Now that I mentioned Google again, sir, I’m sure by now you have googled ‘’Danagogo’’?

When you do, you will see seven pictures of yourself in different postures. Six pictures actually because one appears twice. Defining the pictures by the way you are dressed, one can reduce them to two, though.

In one set, you are dressed like your Ijaw brother, President Goodluck Jonathan, complete with a fedora. In the others, you look like a banker – an MD/CEO to be precise.

You were called ‘’the demolition man’’ during your time as commissioner in the ministry of urban development in Rivers state. I disagree. Those pictures show an amiable and nice personality. But that’s not why I want you to Google ‘’Danagogo’’.

When you Google ‘’Danagogo’’ one result reads: Dana GoGo.

Click and you shall find, I told myself. Even curiosity told me the same.

But you know what they say – it kills the cat.

PS: Honourable Minister Sir, we lost at home to Congo in the 2015 AFCON qualifier in Calabar on Saturday. Sir, the last time Nigeria lost a competitive match at home was in 1981 in Lagos.

The Green Eagles lost 2-0 to Algeria and were eventually bundled out 4-1 on aggregate to dash our hope of qualifying for Espana ’82 World Cup.

Three reasons were responsible for the loss in Lagos.

One was the inadequacies of the coaching crew.

The second was the gross lapses in preparation.

The third was…

The third was the breakup of the Nigeria Football Association!

Congratulations, Honourable Minister Sir.

By now you must have heard that your friend parading himself as the NFF president was barred by four unfriendly-looking security personnel from gaining access to the UJ Esuene  Stadium for the Super Eagles and Congo clash. So the fear of a FIFA ban on Monday should be allayed, no?