It has been confirmed that Bala Sani Malam is no longer serving as the acting Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission and this is not unconnected with his exit from the service early last month having completed his 35 service years.
And to keep the flag flying, Ibrahim Umar Fagge aka FIFA, having been the most senior director in the commission has been asked to oversee the affairs of the commission on acting capacity pending when the new chairman of the committee will be appointed by the government.
Against all odds, I must bid farewell to the immediate former acting chairman of the commission even though sports under his watch has seriously suffered and bastardized mainly due to his carelessness and negligence to his job.
This is because the government, under the leadership of Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf had given to him all necessary support to operate and succeed so that sports in Kano can be develop, but he chose to fail through his unpopular decisions.
That is why I still can’t believe why the former acting chairman placed his interest above that of those he worked with when he neglected the welfare of his athletes, their officials and other supporting officials when he led the state team to national games or tournaments without their full DTA in their respective pockets.
I am sure everybody will agree with me that that was not how his predecessors operated during their respective times because in those days everybody used to get his or her DTA a day to the departure.
But sadly, during the reign of Bala Malam the situation was not the same. I was reliably told that anytime he took his ambitious budget to the government for any national event, the government after thorough study of his submission used to ask him to cut down the size of his request.
Ordinarily, he should simply go back to his office and reduce the number of games to be participated which will ultimately reduce the number of players and that of officials on the trip.
I also gathered that in most cases, the government even told him point blank that his budget was high and must be reduced to the amount it can approve.
But instead of the former acting chairman to return and do as expected by reducing the number of athletes, officials and other accompanying staff, he will acted otherwise believing or thinking that the government will release more money while on the event.
This was wrong and exactly what put him in the bad book of some athletes, their officials and other team members like drivers, doctors etc.
I have recalled how the Kano state team of players, coaches, organizing secretaries, doctors, press, drivers, security etc that participated in the 2023 of the National Para Games, Abuja, suffered an untold hardship due to the inability of the Kano State Sports Commission under Bala Malam failed to source for funds and pay them their DTA.
Remember that the commission took them to Abuja, the venue of the National Para Games empty handed without their DTA but with the promise of getting their pay on arrival, the payment which up to now did not materialize.
That inhuman action had put the entire team into serious and untold hardships because while in Abuja they played empty handed with empty stomachs and with nowhere to sleep.
I remembered that those that do not know or have anybody in Abuja, had to beg to eat and also find where to sleep.
Another blunder by the former acting chairman was his refusal to release full DTA for the officials of the last 8th National Youth Games which was held in Asaba Delta state.
The athletes also cried out over their camp allowances which they described as too small and inadequate when compared with that of other tiny states.
The athletes regretted what they collected on a daily basis, which they said was far below that of their counterparts from neighboring Northwestern states.
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 add salt to the injury some of the officials did not get their full DTA which made the hotels they are occupying to sent them packing.
The officials had to appeal to the People’s Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, to come to their aid as soon as possible to avoid the danger it will rake in future.
I remembered how the acting chairman quickly sourced the money and paid only a few ones among them leaving or exempting organizing secretaries, coaches, doctors, drivers etc. from payment which was too bad.
But I thank Allah (SWT) that the new acting chairman, Ibrahim Umar FIFA who now replaced Bala Malam was there when all these bad leadership styles of the former boss happened because I was told that they worked very closely and have seen all that Bala did during his reign which gave him a bad name.
Ibrahim Umar FIFA needs to be very careful by doing everything possible to derail from such a bad leadership style. He should do his possible best so that he will not follow Bala’s path.
Ibrahim Umar FIFA should not allow himself to be carried away by the pride of the office but try his best to right all the wrongs of his predecessor.
Therefore to fix sports in the state, Ibrahim FIFA needs to know that Kano, a state with a rich sporting history and immense talents, has struggled to translate its potential into tangible success on the national stage.
The sports sector in Kano faces numerous challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, poor management, and insufficient funding.
FIFA needs to address the key issues so that his regime will offer solutions and revitalize the sports sector in Kano.
I hope FIFA, as he is proudly called, should be realistic and work exactly in accordance with the rules and regulations of his new role.
He should work with or use whatever the government approved to his commission for any trip so as to forestall the types of disappointment and embarrassments Bala Malam for himself into.
The previous style is bad so the new acting chairman must not follow it as it is not only faulty but an outdated and obsolete type of leadership.
The new leader, if at all wants to triumph, must study all the past mistakes committed by the past chairman and try his possible best and run away from them.
He should know and put in mind that the era of lavish spending through over inflating figures for their own good is over because the government has a lot to do with its sacred resources so he should go for things that are necessary and not those that are otherwise.
He should strictly work with the government directives on the number of people he goes with anytime the state is participating in any national competition.
But if there are people he wants to take to any meet because of their importance or whatever, he should use the lots of revenue the commission is generating from Sani Abacha, Kano Pillars Stadiums, the Kofar Mata In-door Sports Hall and rents collected from the shops of Ado Bayero Square just to mention a few.
I expect Ibrahim FIFA not to just sit in the office and enjoy its comfort but also to go round the state and find the true number and situation of facilities and infrastructure in the state.
The challenges of the sector are numerous buut FIFA needs to work hard and achieve something.
Those I discovered according to be militating sports development according to my investigations are:-
(a) Inadequate infrastructure: It is a fact that Kano lacks modern sports facilities which is hindering athlete development and competition hosting.
(b) Poor leadership is yet another problem which brought about ineffective leadership, corruption, and mismanagement in the sector sports administration.
(c ) Insufficient funding because everything rests on the government and the lack of private investment is stifling sports growth.
(d) Another problem is Talent Drain: The state is losing top athletes to neighbouring states due to better opportunities and support.
Therefore, to stop these ugly trends, FIFA as the new head of the commission must tell the government to double its investment in infrastructure. The government needs to develop modern sporting facilities, including stadiums, training centers, and equipment in the state.
(e) There is a need for reforms to ensure transparency by holding officials accountable.
(f) Increase Funding: The government needs to allocate sufficient funds, encourage private investment, and explore public-private partnerships.
(g) Another important point is Talent Development: This can be achieved through the establishment of grassroots programmes, provide coaching and training, and offer incentives for athletes to stay in Kano.
I was at Mahaha Sports Complex on my way to Sharada Juma’at mosque last week and I was shocked with the situation and condition of the hostels there.
I expect Ibrahim FIFA to urgently inform the government the situation of the center and the need to put it in order because the hostels in Mahaha can serve a lot of purposes and save the government finances.
FIFA must tell the government that if the hostels are in order they can generate a lot of money for the government.
FIFA also needs to advise the government on the need to do something about Ado Bayero Square, Sabon Gari because the relocation of Tomato sellers from Sabon Gari market has seriously affected its architecture. Therefore, something needs to be done to save the situation.
Once again, FIFA should not put pride in his new role but work hard to rejuvenate sports in Kano. He should try not to be an excessive leader who is more interested in his position than his work.
Allah ya ta ya riko, amen.