It is really sad that, the very time the athletes who registered to participate in the maiden edition of the Aspira Kano Heritage Marathon got confused and asking so many questions about the possibility, reality and certainty of the validity of the 6th May date of the commencement of the competition, a massage of its indefinite postponement suddenly surfaced in the official platform of the competition.
The message which was signed by the Secretary Organizing Committee, Malam Bashari Ahmed Maizare and dated 3rd May, 2023 reads: ATTENTION PLEASE! To all stakeholders. RE: ASPIRA MARATHON 2023 INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT: As we are waiting to receive a response from our sole sponsors, the 6th May, 2023 date fixed for the event is no longer valid. Sorry for the inconveniences that might have caused pls.
Seeing this announcement the fear of not only another postponement but total cancellation of the multi-million Naira tournament looms in the minds of nearly all the stakeholders.
Alas, before the secretary’s announcement both the registered players and some officials of the competition are entertaining the same fears and at loss that the postponements are too many and will likely affect its take-off.
And now that the secretary of the main organizing committee has spoken, I doubt if this important sports event will be held in the state.
This is because the company which promised to bankroll the event has not released a part or full amount needed to run the competition and presents the various prizes to those that excelled.
This to most of us is a danger signal that the much awaited and much publicized the Aspera Kano Marathon is not going to be a reality after all.
Most of us put the blame of its presumed failure to the internal crisis that perpetuated itself into the main committee of the competition that made the Aspera Company to delay or think otherwise.
Remember that it is on record that the Aspira Kano Heritage Marathon is the only non-governmental sports event that draws large amounts of funds to the tune of millions of Naira from sponsors but the dangerous power play within the main organizing committee is making it not see the light of the day.
It is sad and really unfortunate that the on-going power play within the main organizing committee of the competition was what most followers are blaming for its woes.
I remembered how the crisis first forced itself into the main committee of the competition when its chairman was unjustly removed from his position on the request of one of the committee members without cogent reason(s). That to my understanding was the first blood as it did not go down well with so many people especially members of the organizing committee.
That unholy act made some of the committee members draft a team of four legal men to write a letter of complaint and sent a letter to the chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, on behalf of Hon. Abdurrasheed Saleh Michika, Hon. Alex Osaka and others of the organizing committee.
The letter hinted that their clients are the bonafide nominees and members of the constituted organizing committee of Kano Heritage Marathon scheduled to hold on 11th February 2023 which is a joint project between his Commission and Bunubunu Culture and Supporting Company Limited.
To most of us the contents of the letter are simple, which the Sports Commission chairman can easily resolve and save competition from the unfortunate situation it found itself in.
The letter informed the commission that their clients are the pioneers and promoters of the project and they had worked tirelessly over the years toward the success of the project/program.
“Our clients’ financial and moral commitments, dedication and sincerity to see that the project has become successful and colorful cannot be over emphasized,” it stated.
The letter further drew the attention of the commission to recall that a memorandum of understanding was duly executed between the commission and Bunubunu Culture and Supporting Company LTD, where terms and specifications on how the project shall be implemented were co-opted to bind the parties.
The said memorandum of understanding according to the letter has made adequate provisions on the obligations, duties, functions and entitlements of all persons concerned in the project and in particular the composition of the organizing committee.
The lawyers then unfolded that they had scrutinized the said memorandum of understanding with microscopic eyes but were unable to decipher any provision which empowers the commission or any member of your commission to assume chairmanship of the organizing committee.
“The memorandum of understanding equally does not envisage a situation where Bunu Bunu Supporting Company LTD can alter or modify its representation in the organizing committee as it purportedly sought to do now by its letter dated 12th January 2022,” it explained.
The lawyers then added that they consider the commission’s concession to cede the chairmanship position of the organizing committee as per their letter dated 9th December 2022 a flagrant abuse and uncondonable breach of the memorandum of understanding in terms of composition of the organizing Committee.
The letter also frowned at the purported resolution of the commission to shut-down its bank accounts opened for the purpose of the program in which their clients are the lawful signatories.
The lawyers submit that the purported resolution of the commission is against the set goals, yarning and aspirations designed to achieve in the project.
The lawyers equally see and qualify that purported action in that regard as unilateral and arbitrary decision to serve his interest, the interest of some selected members of the organizing committee and other stakeholders of the project to the detriment of their clients.
The lawyers’ passionately then call upon the chairman of the commission to abide by the terms and specifications set out in the MOU duly executed to govern the implementation of the project under review.
The lawyers therefore, demand for the following on behalf of their clients:-
(1) The immediate reinstatement of Hon. Abdurrasheed Saleh Machika as chairman of the organizing committee in line with provisions of the MOU duly executed to bind the parties.
(2) Allowing the organizing committee to carry out their functions, powers and operate without any external interference.
(3) Scraping any other account subsequently opened to receive money or any other financial benefit for the project from the sponsors.
(4) Recognition of the accounts opened by the promoters and organizing committee as the surviving accounts to operate for the project.
The lawyers then warned that, the chairman’s failure to meet their demands mentioned above and abide by the terms will leave them with no option but to take drastic legal action to enforce their clients’ rights and recover all the financial benefits due to them from the project if implemented.
They hope that the chairman will heed and act wisely to avoid the consequences of their contemplated legal action.
But according to my findings the refusal of the chairman of the sports commission to do the needful by wading in in good time when it received the complaint from Hon. Michika’s legal team was the greatest mistake.
Bookmakers are of the opinion that, on the receipt of Michika’s lawyers’ letter, the commission ought to work past and resolve the calamity within because of the benefit Kano is going to derive from.
But about weeks or months after the letter was sent to the chairman of the Sports Commission, neither the commission nor its chairman or the main organizing committee said anything pertaining to Michika’s lawyers’ demand.
I thought by now the chairman of sports commission will do the needful by correcting all anomalies that impede the progress of the competition and allow peace to reign in the interest of the competition and that of the state.
But sadly, up to now both the athletes and some of the organizers are in the dark on the true state of things, an action which is dangerous to the state.
As I said before, I expected the Sports Commission to have consulted their lawyers on the receipt of the letter from Michika’s lawyers and take urgent steps not to lose this big opportunity of missing the over 30 Million Naira Marathon sponsorship in Kano.
I don’t see any rationale or reason why the sports commission will allow itself to be dragged into this kind of mess.
To me, the commission is there to guide and put things in order and straight but not to spoil them especially now that the government is fully encouraging private participation in so many aspects of human lives.
I am aware that the commission is very busy with lots of activities especially now that the government of the day is about to wind-up. But that notwithstanding, it should have brought all to the table and settled the rift between them.
The commission should not allow itself to enter into unwarranted and selfish power tussles that will radicalize and smear its image and give it a bad name. As I said it before, the commission is by now expected to be busy preparing handover notes to the incoming new administration of the state.
As I stated in my previous write-ups, the sports commission was created to run, supervise and regulate sports and not to plot a coup and add another burden on itself.
And whoever told or advised the commission to infringe in the Marathon activities which brought hiccups in the whole competition did not do well. I advised the commission as a matter of urgency and interest of sports in the state to revert everything to status-quo without delay and allow the sponsors and organizers to go ahead with what they have been doing.
As I said before, the power to manage their activities as enshrined in the signed MOU should be respected and returned back to the bonafide members of the committee as the lawyers demanded.
Allah ya taimaka, ameen