Gbolahan Salman Sokoto
The management of Adamawa United FC has condemned a fabricated and erroneous communique calling on the state government to dissolve management of the club.
The purported communique was said to be the outcome of Congress meeting of SWAN, Adamawa state Chapter, with the Chairman of the communique drafting Committee as Jawarti Friday Jankati and Ephraim Okpanachi, as Secretary.
Shortly after the publication was made public, Jawarti Friday Jankati outrightly denied ever playing the role of Chairman of the Communique drafting committee. Jawarti, went a step further asking SWAN not to drag her into whatever grudge some members has with the management of Adamawa United FC or its Chairman.
Rather than the diversionary call for removal of the club chairman, Kessinger Bukar, the club media officer in a press release, called on the association not to throw away it’s integrity to the wind for selfish gains but emulate its counterparts in other parts of the country to be partners in sports development.
According to the release, “the club chairman, Emmanuel Zira, rather, deserve applause because he was handed the clubs when it was in tatters. Adamawa United was about to be walked over towards the end of the first round of the league, while Adamawa Queens were about to be disbanded, after being relegated due to administrative incompetence by those in charge of the clubs then.
“Emmanuel Zira made sure that Adamawa United honoured all of their matches with full allowances paid and save the state government, the embarrassment it was meant to go through. He also ensured that Adamawa Queens got promoted back to the Premier league.
“One wonders how such a Communique signed by Secretary of the committee only with the Chairman signature missing could be adopted as the outcome of a meeting. I leave SWAN in Adamawa state to figure out if this act has not discredited the Communique.
“This ploy, however, did not come to the management of Adamawa United FC as a surprise, as we know that some members of this noble forum try to curry favours that can not be given to them and they are very bitter about that.
“The desperation of those who concocted the write-up as a Communique, laid credence to it as part of the web of plot to discredit Mr. Emmanuel Zira as Chairman of Adamawa United FC,” Kissinger stated.
Recall that recently, there was a petition indicating that Mr. Emmanuel Zira collected a loan of N30 million from Adamawa Homes and Savings Limited, among other unfounded issues, which the management had since replied the petitioners and put the records straight.
While advising SWAN not to be agents of frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations, he wondered why the association has not exerted it energies on how Emmanuel Zira, gets funds to enable the football club honour its matches.
Putting the records straight, Kessinger said, “the allocation of twelve million naira monthly, that comes to Mr. Emmanuel Zira as Chairman was to attend to the needs of Adamawa United FC, Adamawa Queens Football Club and the Feeder teams. Out of this amount, N2.4 million is deducted by the bank for the loan repayment and interest for the huge loans Mr Zira inherited.
“Instead of SWAN to call for upward review of the allocation to the clubs and hold Mr Zira accountable for the prudent utilization of such funds, they are rather calling for his removal for judicious use of the scare funds at his disposal. People must learn to applaud good work.
“On the performance of Adamawa United FC during the NPFL 2020/2021 league season, Adamawa United FC was formally handed over to Mr. Emmanuel Zira, when the team had 4 points on the league table going into the second round. The club was already condemned to relegation. No club can come out of it at that stage.
“SWAN in Adamawa state should not choose to close its eyes to factors that led to Adamawa United FC to end the league at the bottom of the league table, but applaud the huge differences Emmanuel Zira led management made since his return to the clubs.”
