By Paul BASSEY

How time flies.

Faster than we ever think or visualize.

I have been reminded that though we are celebrating the second anniversary of the awards, it should have come three months ago.

In other words, not only are the Awards late, but it is high time we started thinking about the next one.

The danger of allowing awards of this nature lapse is that it could confuse and throw shadows on perceptions.

For the footballer of the year Award 2010, we had instances where respondents sang to high heavens the explosion of Osaze and Nsofor in the Premiership…….long after the 2010 time line had closed.

But who is to blame? 2010 will remain , I can swear, the darkest year in the history of Nigerian football.

I have never seen such in all my life and I have lived long enough to see much. Some of the things that happened to our football in the year just gone by can only be imagined and scripted in a world of make belief.

Fantasy.

Then the regularity of such occurrences. Even as you are reading this, there are still doubts that issues have been resolved. The result was inertia. Road blocks and our football suffered immensely.

Those who are in the business of the sport were also hit. The game became “bad business”. Those sponsors and partners who did not with draw were embarrassed. That is the atmosphere in which the AIT Football awards was supposed to hold.

The enabling environment as we are wont to say was definitely non existent and the award suffered due to no fault of the organisers. Also worthy of note is that just as the game was suffering off the field, on field performances were as outrageous as they were heart broken.

So, how will an award set out to enthrone mediocrity? Here, as chairman of the Awards Panel I owe members of the panel for the professionalism that they have brought to bear on the awards.

Instituting an Award in Nigeria could be very tasking, but if you have around you, a Mumini Alao, Nneka Anibeze, Ikeddy Isiguzo, Fela Ban Olemoh, Waidi Akanni and Dudu Orumen and Mitchell Obi, those problems evaporate fast. Whether they like it or not.

A case in point was just last week when the panel decided to drop the category of the year after further investigation had proven that there were no sufficient criteria and performance based indices to allow the category fly.

This year also we have decided to review the number of awards available in order not to only enhance the quality but guarantee credibility. Most importantly, this year the award will be held and commendation goes to the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi for delivering on his promises.

This year the award is expected to be an improvement on last year’s ( Of course ) as more football people are penciled to not only attend but be involved in the award of trophies and plaques.

Though the high point of the award tomorrow will be the battle for Footballer of the year 2010, it is to the credit of this award that all the key actors will be physically present.

Osaze Odemnwigie, Vincent Enyeama, Kalu Uche…gentlemen all, who have decided to run out of their training grounds to be able to attend the awards.

Vincent for instance will land in Port Harcourt around 7pm and the organizers may need a standby helicopter to ferry him to award venue in time.

That is what is done abroad, that is what we can do here.

Tomorrow’s award will respect the women. 2010 was the year Nigerian women shone and tried to rewrite our name on football’s history books.

Tomorrow the category of National team of the year will be a straight fight between the Falcons, the Falconets and the Flamingoes. I remember that at the last CAF general Assembly in Sudan, the FIFA and CAF presidents poured encomiums to no end on our female national teams and believed an African Women team is most likely to win a world cup sooner than the men.

Then comes the big one, the Star Guest appearance of Asamoah Gyan, the Ghanaian and Sunderland Star who became the ambassador of Africa at the world cup with his five star performance that incidentally was not enough to push Ghana and Africa to an historic semi final spot.

Must I write more on the awards? No. tomorrow is D-day.

ENCOUNTER WITH ADAMU.

Last week, I wrote on the CAF elections and the circumstances that led us into contesting a FIFA seat that we should not have touched even with a ten foot pole.

That article led to a phone call by Dr Amos Adamu.

In brief, he protested the attempt to fill the CAF seat without the courtesy of contacting him. He swore that he was only told that Ibrahim Galadima was going for the FIFA elections and he gave his blessings.

He is still interested in clearing his name and the phase he is now passing though has been a welcomed school that has opened his eyes to the meaning of life.

Last week, this issue was continued when some journalists asked me in Abuja why Dr Adamu refused to “step down” for Ibrahim Galadima. I related my encounter with Dr Adamu to them and how he said no one had approached him and that the matter was even more than approach.

Can the Minister or the President not ask him to step down?

I said the approach should not be uncouth or personality based. That Dr Adamu can still further his CAS cause but relinquish his CAF position to NIGERIA ( since we do not know how long the case will take and we cannot pretend to be gods)

It therefore follows that it is not Mr President, the Minister, the NFF President, Dr Adamu’s friends or family that will appeal to him to step aside. It is NIGERIA lest we waste two years that he had helped us to gain.

NAKED TRUTH

Paul O,

This one is a masterpiece. The five FIFA votes and the naked drama of canvassing for votes. It is the naked truth of stripping naked to avoid hidden cameras and tapes.

If it is adopted, women would be getting more votes when they come campaigning and agree to go naked. The message would go deep down without any acrimony. But I have no tears for Fahmy.

For moving ahead, he has created a job for another person.

If one person remains in office for 32 or 42 years, Ghaddfi style, how would the youths be the leaders of tomorrow? –TONY UBANI

See you next week

Quote: The enabling environment as we are wont to say was definitely non existent and the award suffered due to no fault of the organisers.