Oh Lord, pray for your own Zadok

Once again, the irony of Nigerian football is not lost on me: just as the entire world is preparing for the biggest World Cup in history without the Super Eagles, a youngster from this very country is making the most expensive transfer ever made from Sweden to the Premier League in less than a year playing in Europe.

This is, once again, a strong case that private enterprise is what will drive football in Nigeria and not a handful of incompetent and selfish civil servants and part-time politicians and opportunists, even with the luxury of receiving billions of naira from the government.

Nigerian football was once the standard bearer of this proud country of more than 250 million people.

Today, Afrobeats and Nollywood are Nigeria’s biggest ambassadors around the world and have prospered primarily through private initiative and enterprise rather than waiting for government handouts.

Without a doubt, football is the national sport and government must always provide the enabling environment for sport to thrive not only as entertainment but as a big business with the capacity to generate billions of naira in revenue as well as many jobs and opportunities.

But it is not the business of the government to own football clubs nor of public servants to run the NFF secretariat or for the NFF congress to be dominated by state FA chairmen at the expense of the sport’s genuine investors and stakeholders.

I still remember that just a few years ago Mohammed Ayi alias Ikon Allah (which means Grace of God in Hausa) was packing his team of youths into a Sharon car to make the trip from Kaduna – the home of football’s rough diamonds – to Abuja in search of better opportunities for them.

He worked on a shoestring budget, with no government largesse to waste his time on.

His passion and tenacity remain his driving force and over the years he has worked with some of the country’s leading players, forging strategic partnerships and collaborations at home and abroad so that the benefits start coming now.

Last summer, he arranged for Ogbomosho speedster Elijah Odede to move to French club Troyes for €3 million after just half a season with Sheriff of Moldova.

He stood by Zadok even when both the Golden Eaglets and the Flying Eagles didn’t believe him when he maintained that “this kid is money in the bank.”

It is now an important source of inspiration for all those who believe that even when they tell you it is impossible, do not give up, rather stay the course of your dream and the conviction that the rough, unpolished diamond you have been begging for will shine sooner rather than later.

Congratulations Icon God!

Yes, it is IKON ALLAH FOR THE WORLD!!