Everything points in the direction of failure. As we open a new chapter in the football in Nigeria this week ominous clouds hide the treasure that lies beneath it. The outgoing year has been the worst in Nigeria’s football history. I do not think that any Nigerian would think that things could get any worse. That being so, the whole country, although mourning the passage of the year beguiled by crisis and failures, looks forward to a growth even though only very few can envision the process that would take. Where morale of the citizenry is low and the political landscape is a simmering inferno, football may not take a front seat. After all, during the annual 2012 national budget speech of The President of Nigeria some two weeks ago, no mention was made of sports as if to underline its ‘importance’ in the present dispensation.
For the first time the National Sports Commission has been beaten at the game of football politics. Amos Adamu must be laughing his head off. It has not mustered any muscle since the present crisis within football started shortly before the 2010 World Cup and up till now still appears to be prevaricating on what exactly it needs to do to resolve issues that have adversely affected the game and its fortune. In the face of this situation football on the field of play became the greatest victim.

So, as we go into 2012, on the surface, many would give up on Nigeria to rise again immediately. The rot is so deeply rooted that some time is needed to put things in shape for a development that would see the country rise again from the ashes of the past. Fortunately, because I am involved in a certain capacity and at a certain level I can see beyond the surface and predict what would be on the front-burner of football development very soon. The good news is that I see the outlines of a future filled with hope. It will all start this month of January. Aside the legal battles that are bound to go on inside the court rooms, the first tentative steps in the journey to revive sports in all Nigerian secondary schools will begin. Without question, the estimated 12 million youngsters in secondary schools will provide a very rich source of young, fresh talented student athletes for the country’s use. The process is simple.

Some level of inter-schools competitions will start or will be completed at State level by the end of January. Because the programme is starting later than originally scheduled many schools may not participate as the time available for completion of the competitions may be too short to permit ALL the schools to participate. But each State is expected to organise games that will involve as many schools as possible. By the end of February each State will select, register and present the best 20 football players observed during the competitions, call them the State Academicals and present them for the national Academicals competition that will take place in several centres all over the country in the month of March. The only eligibility rule is that the players will all be bona fide students and not above the age of 17 by the start of the competition. The States shall play in groups amongst themselves and winning teams will gradually move up the winners ladder until the best 4 States Academicals teams emerge. These will be assembled at a chosen venue for the final matches of the competition. One of the State Academicals teams shall emerge as the first National Academicals Champion of 2012 in the revival programme of the once-extremely popular developmental competition. The national champion shall take away a most befitting prize! This process will be replicated in five other sports during the same period.

When the next under-17 begins Africa should watch the quality of players that will emerge from Nigeria. They may not even win any international trophies, but they would have started a very authentic age-group programme that will see the country rise from the present depths to beyond the lofty heights reached in the 1980 to 1998 era in Nigerian football! The future of Nigerian football (albeit sports in general) shines bright.
At Club level, I see two things happening. Stephen Keshi’s interest in shopping for his next generation of Eagles players will surely generate more challenging domestic matches and better performances by the players. I see also that many State governments that own most of the clubs will recapitalise them by putting more resources into them. All of this portends a great year for sports.