Social Studies described a leader as someone who directs the activities of a group of people. The subject further itemized some qualities which every good leader must possess to answer the name a leader.
Those leadership qualities are personal characteristics and skills which can help him to be effective at influencing and directing other people to work and produced results from the impact he have on the people and the respect he garner.
In fact, some of the qualities expected from a good leader according to the subject includes, he must love his people more than he loves himself; he must not do anything to excess; he must be around or within his people always; he must not be lousy; etc.
To me, for a leader to answer his name as a good leader, he must openly have or attain some of these few qualities mentioned above.
But sadly, these qualities necessary for a leader to be a good leader are lacking from the leadership of the Kano State Sports Commission.
This is due to the poor way the Ag. Chairman of the commission who recently retired from service having attained the age of retirement has been handling the affairs of the athletes and the commission.
My judgment for the above was due to an online story I came across few days ago in one Whatsapp sports group that the Kano state Athletes that represented the state in the just concluded 8th National Youth Games which held in Asaba Delta state have enjoined Governor Abba Kabeer Yusuf out of his magnanimity to do the needful over their camp allowances.
The athletes regretted what they collected on a daily basis, was far below that of their counterparts from neighboring Northwestern states collected.
According to them, they were paid less than N20,000 while their fellow athletes from Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, were paid 50,000.
Jigawa state athletes, according to them were paid the highest allowance of N80,000 to their athletes.
They further explained that the huge disparity didn’t harm or affect their performance during the just concluded NYG as they won Five Gold Medals, Three Silver and One Bronze.
That is why they appealed to the People’s Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, the leader who they described as one that usually matches theory with practice to look into their issue with a view of solving the matter as soon as possible to avoid the danger it will rake in future.
The athletes further expressed their firm believe that their outcry will be a thing of the past going by the human face of the Executive Alhaji Abba Kabeer Alias Abban Kanawa.
The athletes then thanked the Commissioner of the Ministry Youths and Sports Departments Hon. Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso for his tirelessness in boosting the wellbeing of other sportsmen and women representing the state in some events like Football and Basketball hoping same will be extended to them in the interest of fairness, justice and equality.
After going through the athletes’ appeal and summation I came to the conclusion that thing were very bad in Kano’s camp while in Asaba, Delta state.
I also remembered how a journalist in the Kano’s entourage called and intimated me that they were facing hardship and difficulties because the part of money given to them as their DTA has finished and some of the officials were even thrown out of their hotel rooms.
I also remembered how the commission failed to pay the DTA of the drivers, doctors and others that accompanied Kano Team to Abuja the venue of National Para Games months ago.
I remembered that the commission took a team of players, coaches, organizing secretaries, doctors, press, drivers, security etc to Abuja, the venue of the National Para Games without their DTA but with the promise of getting their pay on arrival.
Sadly, the commission did not redeem its promise of paying the entire team and that was how the players played all their matches with empty stomachs.
And that was how other officials like coaches, organizing secretaries, doctors, press, drivers, security etc suffered as they had nothing to feed, accommodate and even transport themselves to various centers.
Some of them who were family men who were supposed to leave something at home for the family’s upkeep didn’t an action which inflicted serious pains to them because there was nothing from the breadwinner.
Alas, that inhuman action put the entire Kano team into an indescribable hardship as some of them, especially those that do not or have anybody in Abuja, had to beg to eat and find where to sleep.
As I said before, the commission should have source for funds and do the needful to reduce the suffering of those people; they only told them that they were expecting funds from the government.
As expected when my brethren in the pen profession that accompanied the team to Abuja that also suffered started complaining in their various sporting programs that the acting chairman to quickly sourced for the money and paid only them together with players thereby exempting organizing secretaries, coaches, doctors, drivers etc. from payment.
As I said before most of us see the selective payment of the athletes and the press crew as an act of bribery to shut the mouth of the press.
As I stated in my previous write ups, the organizing secretaries, the coaches, the doctors, the drivers, the security and other members of the team that the acting chairman did not see worthy to get their DTA had their various contributions to the trip. So they need their DTA just
As a stated above a true great leader like his people more than he likes himself. He will rise for them to the top in troubling times.
He is someone with a clear vision and unstoppable fortitude to lead an organization like sports commission through its worst times, when funds are not available during national competitions.
An effective leader must have told the government the true situation on the ground before taken athletes to national event or while away so that the government will send reinforcement.
He must do his homework well and find out how other states are paying their athletes before the trip so that his athletes will do their best.
The huge disparity between what our athletes gets compared to that of the other tiny state is shameful.
And where the government didn’t listen to him or approve his budget he can use some of the money he is generating internally to cover up or alternatively reduce the number of the people making the trip so that only the necessary ones went.
I am appealing to whoever is succeeding the retired acting chairman not to follow his system of leadership because is bad.
As for whoever will succeed him, to become a great leader, he needs to be able to communicate clearly and take good decisions.
He most learn to effectively and truly communicate to the government so that the government can approve and release the requested amount for any national event.
The new acting chairman should know that the era of lavish spending through over inflating figures for their own good is over.
His summation must be sincere and clear so that the government can do the needful and also try as much as possible not to follow the former acting chairman’s style of leadership.
