Jonathan, Keshi & The Little Things By Michael Egbejumi- David

President Jonathan has meddled in Nigerian
football matters before.  Then, as at now, it
ended in a fiasco.  That first time, June 2010,
after Nigeria crashed and burned at the
World Cup due in large part to the
incompetence of one Lars Lagerback and a
small helping hand from Sani Kaita,
Jonathan imposed a two-year international
ban on the Super Eagles.

Thankfully, FIFA came down hard on Jonathan
and threatened Nigeria with expulsion before that
ridiculous ban was rescinded. If Jonathan had
been allowed to have his way, Nigeria would have
missed out on the qualifications for the AFCON
championships which we eventually won in
February 2013. We also would have missed out on
the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
But, Jonathan did it again! After the Nigerian
Football Federation (NFF) did what was long
overdue and showed brother Keshi the door,
Jonathan stepped in and forced Keshi’s
reinstatement. The net result? We failed to
qualify for the next championship.  We don’t even
have the honour of defending our title.
Often, in governance, it is not the major speeches
or policy initiatives. To the average citizen, it is
those things that they see that are often important to
them. Societies are set up by and large already,
and life will continue, regardless. The mark of the
astute leader is not just how you shape the general
direction of your society but by the perception you
create among your citizens. And you do this by the
little things that you do; the things you allow to
happen or not to happen over time.
A President is not meant to run the whole
enterprise himself. The policy direction must be
amenable to allow Ministers, Permanent
Secretaries, Administrators and others get on with
implementation. The leader then does the little
things that let his citizens know that their welfare
comes first and that they are in safe hands.
Ministries such as Agriculture and Aviation
excelled not because Jonathan imposed himself on
them or interjected himself into their daily minutiae
but because they have competent Ministers who
have free hands to be creative and to do their thing.
Over-ruling the NFF was as short-sighted as it
was damaging.  Keshi and subsequent Managers
will know that they only need drop the name of the
President to have their way. Worse, NFF
administrators have been castrated, their authority
yanked from them in a humiliating manner. Going
forward, they would triple guess themselves to
ascertain that whatever decision they want to take
would be palatable to an interloping President or
his anointed(s).  What an untenable position to find
oneself.
With Keshi gone, our players would have been
motivated anew for those two last games. They
would have been playing to impress the new man, to
keep their place in the team now and in the future.
They certainly wouldn’t have played any worse
than they did for Keshi. Rather, you have the
same ineffectual players been played in every game
whether they perform or not and the players know
it!
Under Keshi, the Super Eagles played with no
discernible pattern or tactics.  Our team was easily
and painfully outfoxed tactically by opposing
managers. No new players were groomed or given
a look-in. Established players that were doing
relatively well around the globe were menacingly
ignored. Instead, apart from possibly Vincent
Enyema and Mikel Obi, we had a national team
comprising of middle of the road journey men from
obscure teams and unheralded leagues.
When you start losing to teams like Iran and
Sudan, you ought to know that you’re not just
having bad days; something is fundamentally wrong.
I have always felt that Keshi is a decent enough
football coach but that is as far as it goes. I think
that he is good for a Mali or a Togo; teams that
are looking to come to the level where Nigeria
currently is. However, I don’t think Keshi can
take a Nigeria or a South Africa to the level
where Argentina or France is.
In 2006, Nigeria was ranked by FIFA as the 9th
best team in the world. In 2008, we were 19th.
Under Keshi, we have plummeted to number 42.
In Africa we are currently number 9 - two places
below one country called Cape Verde! This is the
manager for whom Jonathan went to bat and forced
on the NFF and on Nigeria for more agony.
Well, we are all beneficiaries of that splendid
intervention today.
A leader’s involvement must be dynamic, and it
must be for the greater good.  It is not acceptable
to cut a forlorn figure afterwards as all manner of
malfeasance happens around one the way Keshi
cuts a pitiful figure on the touchline as Amenike
runs aimlessly, his head downwards, hacking down
defenders.
It is the little things. Jonathan, our Commander-
in-Chief has not visited Chibok or the Northeast to
reassure the folks up there. Lagos State, First
Consultant Hospital and Dr Adadevoh helped us
immensely in curtailing the dreadful Ebola disease,
I don’t know if Jonathan has paid specific visits to
these places or written to relevant families to show
appreciation and solidarity.
Citizens don’t tend to remember big policy
statements, but they will remember an
Alamieyeseigha being given Presidential pardon.
They will remember Mrs Jonathan as a paid
Perm Sec in Bayelsa.
People remember double standards, impunity.
People will remember the assault on treacherous
Tambuwal and the National Assembly. People
will remember the circus, the wastefulness, the
tastelessness and the Abacharism of an incumbent
democratic President being ‘begged’ all across the
nation to seek re-election.
Now Jonathan has gone and dropped another
clanger. He only went and added the Super
Eagles’ debacle to his list of accomplishments.  How
about that for a campaign run.
demdem@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter: demdemdem1

Source:SaharaReporters