Change is the buzzword in Nigeria as we speak.
In the early hours of Wednesday, April 1, 2015, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, pronounced GeneralMuhammadu Buhari as the president-elect.
The former Military Head of State, polled a total 15,424,921 votes to trump the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, who got 12,853,162 votes.
As much as this represents a paradigm shift in our politics, it may or may not directly affect some decisions in football.
Last week, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, revealed that there was a new deal for Stephen Keshi on the table. The technical and executive committees of the federation, held a meeting and decided to offer the Big Boss a new deal for the next two years.
After Keshi‘s last deal ran out in after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, there were calls for him to quit. He was relieved of his duties on October 16, 2014, only to be reinstated two weeks later in a dramatic turn of events. It was reported at the time, that senior NFF officials were instructed by Jonathan to give Keshi a new contract.
Keshi himself seemed to add credibility to the stories by saying, “If the president of my country asked me to return, who am I to refuse?”
He did not still put pen to paper. And the #KeshiOut gang resumed hostilities, after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, following a limp 2-2 draw against South Africa in Uyo.
That the former national team captain, remains in the position to continue as Nigeria coach, is a clear indication of the friends he has in ‘high places’.
But things are about to truly change.
Colin Udoh, a well respected voice in these parts, claims Buhari has made it clear to the sports associations, that his administration will respect their independence. This essentially lays onus on the Pinnick-led board to review their decision on Keshi, without external influences.
The smart money is on Pinnick to withdraw the contract offer.
Feelers say the former Delta FA chairman does not rate Keshi. It is not as if a lot of Nigerians do. He seemed to have hit the apex when he won the AFCON 2013. Since then, the quality of our football has dropped and we have struggled to beat the weakest opponents.
So it won’t be a big shock, if a number of names are linked to the Eagles job in the coming days. Buhari’s victory under the APC, implies the political circles are changing.
Keshi‘s shield might just have been blown away, by the wind of change.
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