Oduah tasks Ubah on football development in Anambra
Former member of the Nigeria Football Association {NFA}, Prince Isidore Oduah has welcomed the election of Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah as the Chairman of Anambra State Football Association and advised him to hold tight to humility as he embarks on the enormous task of reviving and bringing the state to her former pacesetting role in football.
The former Vice Chairman of Anambra State Football Association made the assertion during an exclusive interview with Extra Time in his country home, Ogbaru, Anambra State, adding, it is by so doing that Ubah can realise the confidence the government and the people of the state reposed in him.
“I will advise him to work with his board and foremost listen to them so as to run an all-inclusive football body that would meet the aspirations of the people.
Once he brings himself to the level of learning and also allowing other people to contribute their quota on how football would be moved forward in the state, his job is half done,” Oduah said.
He further implored Ubah to go down memory lane as a business mogul and follow the footprints left by the likes of Alhaji Isiaku Ibrahim who did a lot to grow Mighty Jets FC of Jos; Israel Adebajo’s enduring handiwork in Stationary Stores FC of Lagos and MKO Abiola’s tone setting strides in the defunct Abiola Babes of Abeokuta.
The highly travelled sports administrator stressed that the aforementioned were money bags like Ubah, but they maintained their cool and gave the game their best shot, thus the history of Nigerian football would be incomplete without mentioning them.
The former board member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) however expressed his fears on what he called dangerous temper the State FA boss allegedly exhibits anytime things don’t go his way, adding that if he could considerably checkmate it accordingly, he would make steady impact in the comatose game.
He further affirmed that Ubah inherited good coaches wasting away in Awka, thus he should send them for refresher courses at National Institute of Sports, Lagos, so that they will be further armed to fish out teeming talents in the state.
The Financial Secretary of Association of Sports Veterans Nigeria, reminded Ubah that Anambra has many smart administrators’ keenly watching and therefore appealed to him to ensure he will construct a befitting Football House where football matters would be discussed and far reaching decision on football development taken instead of the old order where some chairmen held FA meetings in their country homes.
