By Abdulgafar Oladimeji
Kano state government, lawmakers , Kano born sports administrators, Kano state Football Association, KSFA , Kano Pillars fans club, the media , former players and regimented section of Kano football supporters constitute the hydra headed demon that is destroying Kano Pillars.
The like hydra headed demon destroying Kano Pillars is an twin semblance of the hydra headed demon in the Greek mythology, when one head is cut off, it is replace by two others.
Kano Pillars is the most fancied club side in the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, no doubt.
Sai Masu Gida possess the potentials to excel to the level of the most successful football economy in Nigeria, ask those who know, they will affirm this assertion.
Since the club ‘s envious maiden continental glorious campaign , Pillars despite winning the country’s league title in an historic back to back famous achievement , it is now a shadow of its former self, it is always one day , one trouble for Kano Pillars.
If not for the hydra headed demons at work, why would Pillars continue to live and exit from the valley of failure at intervals.
The following demonic heads have possessed Kano Pillars and had defy various sports tricks, magic and left to suffer from the political trial and error methods been imposed on the club by the owners.
Kano state Government
The owners of the club are the chief culprits behind the myriads of problem being suffered by the club.
The state government led and has continued to champion the mission of those scavengers that have succeeded in turning the club into a football carcass.
The club is confirmed to be registered with CAC as a Limited liability company.
The state government has refused to inject life into the club by not allowing it to comply with the laid procedures of cooperate governance.
Kano state government in the past nine years have continued to treat this precious asset with levity and non chalant attitude.
Kano state government in recent years is confused over how to manage the club, it resorted to converting the club into a dumping ground, for out of tune football administrators and former athletes cum politician, to thank them for being good party boys.
A then serving Kano lawmaker was widely reported in the media, citing the facilitation of the recruitment of an unamed player from his constituency, into the club as one of his well-executed constituency projects.
Corruption
Another canker worm destroying Kano Pillars is corruption, government officials have and are allegedly conniving with those in the club system to steal from government coffers.
The lean resources been channeled to the club from the state government coffers, is now a victim of kill and divide.
There is a racketing in the sales of tickets, illicit players transfer deal s and misappropriation of the proceeds from such deals.
One of the mother of all corruptions in the club, is in the buying of equipment’s, how on earth will a club with the highest prospects in sports branding and merchandizing continue to budget and spend millions on the purchase of equipment, this submerges football business imaginations, in an sane clime.
The club is swimming in over inflated receipts from away trips.
Recruitment of players for the club is now a conduits pipe, recruitment process and contractual terms of coaches and the salaries of the players and other officials stinks.
Sabotage
Some section of Kano born sports administrators, since they are not in charge and their close allies are not in charge, invoke the heavens to fall on the club.
Hatred and envy have continued to inspire some persons, who feel, it is either they are in charge or no one else is good enough, they don’t hide their hatred and vigorously continue to work against the interest of the club, these clique, whenever outside the management of Pillars will work hard and stop at nothing to sabotage the club, they care less to ruin the efforts of those in charge to pave way for their return to take charge directly or by proxy.
Kano Pillars is now a spoil of war, the winner takes all.
Media
The most abused, disjointed, ill equipped football media brand in Nigeria is Kano Pillars.
A good number of media practitioners in the city have suddenly turned football expert dishing out misguided, polluted and fetish concocted opinion polluting the air enveloping the club with toxic.
We need not get it wrong, Pillars is a darling club, it deserves all the mention, the worries here, is how some journalists have sold out by prostituting around the club.
Media practitioners around the club lack the courage to engage those assigned with the task of running the club, whenever the chip are down, those few who take bold step and have the courage to engage the club are branded as either white or blue enemies, by the self-appointed vuvuzelas.
Some journalists have continued to fall over themselves to be in the good books of the club management or the state government to see how to satisfy their lust of seeing to their been enlisted into the club media crew, lacking the bravery to speak truth to sports authorities in the state.
Seekers want to become the Media Officer of Kano Pillars, even at the cost of ethics and self-pride.
Fans club
Kano Pillars fans club has failed to claim its economic, political and spiritual shareholding in the club.
Former players
A clique of former players see Kano Pillars as their birth right, nobody, no matter how good your capacity , you are not welcome, if you find your way to the club, you will be caught in their web, you cannot operate without the blessings of these players, who will not hesistate to mobilize local forces against any perceived foe.
Kano State Football Association
KSFA has failed in playing it supposed role as the football think tank in the state, KSFA is supposed to be the reservoir of Kano Pillars, herein today , that is not the case.
The state FA is always busy with the war with imaginary and real enemies of the game, seeing Kano Pillars as its greatest foe.
Kano Pillars does not and has continue to reject the superiority of the state FA over the club.
KSFA seem lost in understanding its powers over the affairs of Kano Pillars.
Today, Kano Pillars is assumed to be bigger than Kano FA, imagine a son becoming bigger than his paternal uncle, this undisputedly has created an unwarranted, unhealthy rivalry between the two Kano football super powers.
This cold war between Kano FA and Kano Pillars has cost Pillars so much pains, those who know knows, what this is all about.
What bothers you is that Kano state government is the oga at the top over these two football giants, rather than call them to order, Kano state government officials past and present have continued to exploit the war to pursue their various nefarious agenda within the system.
Way forward
Kano state government must sit down and have a rethink, if possible contract independent minded football technocrat, locally and abroad, who will be willing to offer their services pro bono, they abound, because the club is well loved, they will be willing to offer their services for free.
Kano state government must decide on whether it wants a Kano Pillars that is a private, commercial or social club side.
The state government must proceed to give the club a disciplined and properly knitted system of governance to deliver on the set mission and vision behind the establishment of the club.
Appointment of all kinds of people into the club management in the name of political compensation to run the club must stop.
If the club is to be redirected towards been commercially driven, technocrats drawn from sports administration, hospitality industry, merchandizing, branding, sports media sectors must be drafted to govern the club.
If the mission of the state government is to run the club as a social entity for the purposes of public relations, then appoint a board of five man that would be a mixture of politicians and sports digital technocrat not analog sports technocrat, then ensure adequate funding for the club to project the image of the government and also win laurels to make the people happy.
If Kano state government wants a Kano Pillars that is truly a limited liability company, it should contract football investment experts to help unbundle, then sell shares worth billions of naira to football happy Kano people and football investors from far and wide, who will be forever happy and grateful to own the smallest ownership portion of their darling club, the state government could also keep a good chunk of the ownership to itself.
Then the media, medical security units of Kano Pillars will go haywire.
The fans club will take their rightful place in the affairs of the club.
All loop holes presently demonizing the club will be beheaded and buried.
Pillars will proceed to be the role model club that it was destined to be, since its inception.
To they that have ears, let them hear.
