The Many Amazing Parts Of Amaju Pinnick
L ETme join all Nigerians to congratulate Mr. Melvin Amaju Pinnick, the current president of the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF), for his amazing victory at last week’s elections for a seat on the exalted Executive Committee of FIFA.
To many Nigerians, it is a remarkable achievement because it runs against the tide of the state of Nigerian football over which he superintendents.
Many people wonder how he did it? Some question the significance of his new position in FIFA to Nigeria’s fortunes in football. How will he, now a global citizen representing the interest of Africa in FIFA, impact the domestic game in Nigeria and its development?
Despite all these unanswered questions hanging like fruits from a tree, Nigerians have been largely supportive of his success, wishing him well, and hoping with great expectation that he will influence Nigerian football from that height and impact its rapid development.
So, whilst we wait to witness the next stage in the evolution of Amaju Pinnick, I seize the opportunity to look into the many amazing parts of this man who knows how to fight. Amaju - The Student Of Sports Politics
I don’t quite remember the first day I met Amaju Pinnick. I recall, however, that we shared a mutual interest in who became the next president of the Nigeria Football Association during the ‘ coup’ against Ibrahim Galadima in 2005, or so.
The meetings of that period in Abuja and Kano have become jumbled in my memory even though I faintly recall being immediately impressed with Amaju’s contributions whenever he spoke, his infectious enthusiasm, plus his zeal and passion for ‘ justice’ in Nigerian football administration.
I recall that we may have been in the same political ‘ camp’ at the time until the long hand of ‘ government’ under the steering wheel of Amos Adamu, came to topple the applecart, and truncated Galadima’s second- term agenda.
When the dust of that ignoble venture in Kano settled, Amaju must have learnt useful lessons, settled into a well- calculated corner of Nigerian football, studied the crazy system, mapped out a strategy from which he would, at the opportune time, launch his climb up the ladder of football administration in Nigeria.
It was a private dream he did not share then.
He had the advantage of age on his side ( he was young, in his 30s, I believe), had a growing ‘ war chest’ and immense political clout with his close relationship to Governor James Ibori originally to the bargàin.
Like a bird of prey, he patiently bid his time, and, almost 10 years later, he struck. He was elected president of the NFF, an incredible feat considering the history of NFF elections in the country.
For him to head Nigerian football was no ordinary deal. He learned very quickly, taking useful lessons along the circuit of Nigerian football.
Amaju - The Political Diplomat
One day, two years into his reign as president of the NFF, I invited Amaju Pinnick to my house for breakfast and a heart- to- heart conversation. He obliged and came, I believe, out of respect for my person, something he has always demonstrated throughout our carefully cultivated and maintained relationship.
As we sat over morning coffee, I revealed to him my intention to contest for the presidency of FIFA. As president of the NFF he was to be my starting point. Without his buy- in, the project would never leave the ground.
He was obvìously initially stunned by the magnitude and sheer bravado of what I just told him, almost casually. He must have been thinking I was either mad, drunk, joking, or all of the above. I could ‘ see’ his mind racing - the audacity of my ambition, and ( as I got to learn later) the ‘ conflict’ with other interests and intents that I did not know about until he revealed them to me after calming down from the effect of my volcanic announcement.
He did not mince words. He told me clearly: If I wanted to become FIFA president there was no way I could do so and succeed with Issa Hayatou still on the saddle of African football. Of course, I understood that.
It was his prescription of what I should now do about it that left me perplexed. He advised ( knowing fully well it was not even an option I would choose in a million years) that I should go to the Cameroun, visit and inform Issa Hayatou, secure his blessing, and convince him to drop his own well- advertised ambition. Failure to do those things and to get his support would leave my ambition in tatters and stranded in the hangar.
Go to Issa? Haba, I was not on a suicide mission. How could I, one of Issa’s most virulent critics and a regular antagonist, go and get the same Issa’s support?
Our breakfast and conversation abruptly and uncomfortably came to an end. But before we parted, Amaju ensured that he left clear hints that I understood would not make him seem to have betrayed my trust when he finally decided to pursue his own dream, an almost similar ambition to contest and to have a solid foothold in the Confederation of African Football ( CAF).
Without saying more than that, I understood immediately. I might become a clog in the wheel of his own ambition and fortune. He would not scuttle my ambition, but he would not push it too.
I admired his forthrightness to tell me where he stood, even though his response shook me. I respected his candour.
He must have correctly weighted the effect of our subtle ‘ confrontation’, found that I was ‘ harmless’, and simply went ahead to pursue his own dream, without guilt or fear.
It was a masterstroke. After that, he did not need to pretend to me, or anyone else for that matter, about his ambitions.
Amaju knew what he wanted and was going to go for it.
Two years after that breakfast meeting, he was in CAF as a member of the Executive Committee, his dream fulfilled. Meanwhile, I was still nursing the bruises of my own failed attempt to even secure endorsements from five presidents of African Football
Federations that I could not muster from my home base in Nigeria, and Amaju could not muster for me because he too was ‘ involved’ and interested. My ambition was in conflict with his future aspiration. We cannot be flying two planes within the same airspace.