Anyansi, Akakem, Lekan Salami, Nwobodo and Nigerian Clubs’ Poor Management

ORI MARTINS

Enyimba of Aba had lost hope of surviving the troubled waters of relegation when then Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, newly elected, caused a paradigm change and ensured the elevation of Felix Anayansi Agwu as the chairman of the club in 1999. 

Anyansi moved into action, redeemed Enyimba from the throes of relegation in 1999, and in 2000 got the team organized. Between 2001 and 2003, the once relegation threatened Enyimba were Nigeria’s Premier League chamipns in those three seasons, consecutively. And, in a most sensational and even dramatic fashion, the People’s Elephant, became the first Nigerian club to lift the CAF Champions League, also defended it back to back in 2003 and 2004. In all, Anyansi has guided Enyimba to Premier League glory about eight times and Federation Cup success, seven times. By every standard, he is currently Nigeria’s most successful club administrator. He had been honoured by CAF,  NFF,  Sun newspapers and today, Sportsvile Platform. 

Before Anyansi, there was that great football administrator called Lekan Salami. He was the man who branded Shooting Stars of Ibadan into a national and continental champion. 

With Salami as chairman, Shooting Stars were the  first Nigerian club to win any CAF organized competition as the Ibadan side struck gold in the CAF Cup then known as African Winners Cup in 1976. The same Salami supervised the 3SC then campaigning as IICC Shooting Stars, to victorious Federation Cup and Premier League competitions. He had hand in the grooming of Best Ogedegbe, Muda Lawal, Segun Odegbami, Felix Owolabi, Tunde Bamidele and many others. Salami died tragically in a mysterious motor accident in Ibadan in 1991. To honour him, the Ibadan Stadium is named after him. 

It was Jim Nwobodo’s administrative sagacity that aided Rangers International of Enugu to their glorious campaign in the 1977 African Winners Cup competition. It was a battle of two Nigerian clubs – Rangers and Shooting Stars –  in the semi final but the cynosure of all eyes were  the two chairmen, leading the two clubs: Lekan Salami and Jim Nwobodo. Just two years earlier, Rangers has made history as the first Nigerian  club to play in the final of any CAF organized competition. Sadly, they lost to Hafia of Guinea. Thus in the 1977 battle in Kaduna,  Nwobodo’s led Rangers triumphed on penalties and went ahead to retain the trophy for Nigeria. That made Nwobodo so popular that he easily won the 1979 Anambra State governorship election. He later became minister of sports during the the General Sani Abacha regime. 

Today, Prince Lemmy Akakem is celebrating his 70th birthday. Akakem’s profound and compelling managerial skills transformed Spartans/ Iwuanyanwu Nationale and now Heartland  into a unique team – dreaded in Nigeria and respected in Africa. Working closely with the late Uche Ejimofor who at various levels was the team manager and general manager, Akakem took Heartland to the pinnacle of national and continental football glory as the Owerri based side had five Premier League and one Federation Cup titles on its shelve just as it became the third team besides Rangers and Shooting Stars to play in the final of the CAF Champions League in 1988. Akakem now a businessman and politician, is a revered football administrator. 

Besides these men, most other club administrators in the country are nothing but empty heads who have nothing to offer. Most of them do not understand what football management at club level is all about. They just wait for subvention or allocation and that is. With the exception of Fan Ndubuoke who could have done something meaningful had he not been wrongly sacked, Nigerian club administrators in the last 30 years are rudderless. This is why Nigeria now relies on Europe and some funny countries elsewhere to raise players for the Super Eagles. Since CAF came up with the idea of the Nations Cup for home based teams, you can rate Nigeria’s performance – very disappointing!