Chief Effiong……Hello who is
this?
Chief Effiong….Ah
interesting how are you? You are the one who wants to teach me how to manage my
son? When I bought him his first ball when he was three years old where were
you? At age six, I got him a football boot because I knew he was destined for
greatness.
You needed to be at my house on that day of the final.
Over fifty people came to watch the match with me. Neighbours, relatives and
well wishers they all came.
And my wife had to cook for all of them because we
knew there was going to be a celebration at the end of the match.
Do you know how much we spent for food and the drinks?
Without consulting me as the father, you went and
wrote the two million naira cheque in his name. Do you know how much we spend
every time he plays? You went and wrote a two million naira cheque in the name
of a 16 year old?
I want to return the cheque so that you can reissue it
in my name.
Alhaji Maigari.….on the
contrary sir, I advice that you use the cheque to open an account in his name,
so that as he grows up you can help him to invest and….
Chief Effiong.. ( cuts in )
Invest what? I have told you what we have put in so far to bring him to this
level and you want to put enmity between me and my son?
Alhaji Maigari….God forbid
sir. In fact that is why I called to first of all congratulate you for siring a
child who has the potential of becoming a great footballer if properly nurtured
Chief Effiong….Did you hear
when I told you that I knew he was going to be great? Look if not for injury,
today I would have been one of Nigeria’s best footballers. I played for my
primary school and I was always the one called upon to take corner kicks…
Alhaji Maigari….No wonder
your son is so good. Congrats Sir. As earlier said we will find time to sit
with you and discuss how best to handle your son’s future, because right from
UAE, we noticed the influx of scouts who we believe can short circuit the
future of these boys if we do not intervene.
Chief Effiong…listen Alahaji
Maigari, I am not a novice, I know what is good for my son and I do not need
you to tell me about his future…
Alhaji Maigari.….hold on sir,
talk to the Honourable Sports Minister.
Chief Effiong….Hon Minister,
are you one of those who want to reap from where you did not sow?
Hon Minister…..I beg your
pardon Chief…..reap from where we did not sow? If you must know. We are the
ones that have sowed. This country invested millions in those children. For the
past three years we have given them the best in terms of comfort of living and
personal development. I don’t know about your son, but nearly all those kids
stayed in hotels for the first time when we took them over. None of them had
flown in an aircraft before. Since we adopted them they have benefited the best
of training from first class coaches and international academies.
Ask them about the Aspire Academy in Dubai, five star
hotels, best of airlines……they owe this country Sir you owe us for bringing
your child to the level where he has become a global celebrity…dines with
Presidents, met face to face with Mr Vice President, Senate President, Speaker
of The House, Ministers…..
Chief Effiong ….Hon
Minister, I withdraw my statement.. I think you have a point there…..I
apologise. In fact it was when he always came back from camp that we discovered
he could eat rice with a fork and knife.
Hon Minister.…Apology
accepted. Sir I asked the NFF President to call you because I heard, and
authoritatively too, that an agent offered you one million naira which you
collected….
Chief Effiong….Don’t go
there….don’t just go there. A whole country gave my son two million naira, an
individual brought one million naira and you are querying me…?
Hon Minister…The Federal
Government’s donation was an appreciation, one that is bound to open the flood
gates for more of such. The one million naira from the agent may be an
invitation to slavery, a bet that you may regret…..
Chief Effiong …What makes
you think you people are the only ones that know about football?
Hon Minister.…Far from it,
we are not the only ones, but this is our culture medium. We plan and sincerely
too to bring together experts in the business to sit down with all the parents
of the kids and the kids themselves to advice on the way forward. We have
multiples examples of bright youngsters whose careers were destroyed by self
seeking and selfish agents. We do not want that to happen to this glorious
bunch at our disposal.
Let me also congratulate you for being the father of
such a wonderful footballer as I hand you back to the NFF President
Alhaji Maigari….So sir we are
planning to come and see you.
Chief Effiong….Are you
coming alone?
Alhaji Maigari…No sir, I am
likely to come with one of the coaches and the chairman of the technical
committee of the NFF. In fact if possible with other members of that committee
including Chairman Christian Chukwu, JJ Okocha, Victor Ikpeba, Garba
Lawal…….those who have seen it all and are in a position to give wise
counsel…….we also have your country man Paul Bassey in that committee
Chief Effiong……Ah Paul
Bassey….we are proud of him. Tell him I saw him on Tv during the Algeria
Burkina Faso match. He has added weight…..he is chopping FIFA money….
Alhaji Maigari....We thought
so too but when we confronted him he said the cold forced him to wear two
jackets that is why he appeared fat…
Chief Effiong …..None of you
will admit to chopping money until we catch you with oil on your lips. On a
serious note, let me know when you will come because we must celebrate with a
feast
Alhaji Maigari…..Sir that
will not be necessary. What we are coming for is serious, bordering on the
future of your child and of course the sustained sports glory of this country.
Chief Effiong….My friend we
in this part of this country are noted for culinary excellence ask Paul Bassey.
Do you know what it means to be visited by the Award winning NFF president? I
am not talking about all those junk you eat in hotels….I am talking about home
made buffet that includes afangsoup, edikang ikon, white soup with goat meat to
go with pounded yam, fresh fish pepper soup……..do you eat dog meat?
Alhaji Maigari…..No thanks I
don’t like it.
Chief Effiong… What is no
thanks? How can you not like what you have not tasted? The day you eat well
prepared dog meat with unripe plantain to boot that day you will bow…..
Alhaji Maigari…(..laughter)……I
pray that day does not come ( more laughter) so sir in summary of what the
Honourable minister said, it is our desire and the wish of all Nigerians that
these boys be guided and monitored for a better tomorrow. Rather than collect a
one million that is like a one off…
Chief Effiong….President,
forget this one million….forget it. I have collected it and have spent it,
except you want to refund it…
Alhaji Maigari…..Sir I was
saying that rather than collecting a one off, we will prefer a 500,000 thousand
that will come again and again…..I give you the classic case of Mikel Obi and
how two great clubs Man U and Chelsea were fighting for him. On paper, Man U
was the better choice, but a lot of other factors were taken into consideration
in counseling him, including playing regularly and the presence of Africans in
the team that will help him settle down faster, and today Mikel is one of the
world’s greatest footballers whose profile rises daily…
Chief Effiong….Alhaji
Maigari, I am not dumb, I appreciate all you are trying to say…..my only
concern is that you people should consider the interest of the parents in all
that you do. I could not have invested so much in a child only for you to come
and issue a two million naira cheque in his name.
Alhaji Maigari….Sir, again
this is a one off. What we are saying here is a stable future. Go to Jos and
see what Mikel has done to his parents and siblings…..Kanu, Okocha, Finidi
George, Obafemi Martins. With the benefit of proper counseling and good
upbringing, even the sky will not be his limit…. Chief Effiong…Anyway,
money is like a spirit. If you don’t have, no problem, but the moment it enters
your hand you feel like taking a big bottle of stout with every meal. Besides
this agent looked quite honest and serious…
Alhaji Maigari…..Sir we are
not saying all agents are bad. By the time we know who you are dealing with, he
may just be someone we can trust.
Chief Effiong….Ok till you
come. You people must bring something for me and my wifeoooooo. You are busy
chopping CAF and FIFA money
Alhaji Maigari….( laughter
)Have I also added weight? You must be a very interesting person.
Chief Effiong….See let me
tell you, did you see that first goal my son scored? That was me in my youth.
All I needed from my team mates was for them to put the ball in my left leg and
off I went. My nick name was okokobioko…….
Alhaji Maigari (prolonged
laughter….)
To be continued…
Vanguard
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