I am trying to help our football — NFF President

ESTHER EGBE spoke with NFF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick. From being Chairman of the State’s Sports Commission to becoming Chairman of  Delta State Football Association, the former P.A to Joseph Blatter is a sport’s technocrat. Enjoy except.

Tell us about growing up?
Growing up in a polygamous setting was full of memories as we were brought up in an atmosphere of peace, love and unity of purpose despite the fact that some of us are from different mothers. My father worked with the U.A.C in the 30s, where he rose to become one of the company’s pioneer Nigerian managers. He gave his family a modest lifestyle and his topmost priority was the welfare and well-being of the children. He never compromised on discipline. I was barely twelve (12) years when my dad passed on. Upon his death, things changed for the worse as we had to face the harsh realities of losing a very caring father and a breadwinner. My mother a petty trader worked extra hard as she struggled to keep alive the dream of educating us.
So, I grew-up in a middle-class neighbourhood. Being a disciplinarian, my father would want us to stay indoors to avoid keeping strange companies. However, as a child, I would sneak out of the house to mingle with my pals. Most times, I got punished for this yet I was never deterred.
At times, my dad wondered what kind of child I was. Whatever I experienced then, contributed to my success story today. One thing he always wished for his children, was to be educated and I think that dream was fulfilled in me.

How did you venturing into sports?
Prior to my venturing into sports .This remark has remained remarkable memory. Sports has been an integral part of me since my childhood. At the University of Benin, where I studied Political Science/Public Administration and graduated with a second class upper in 1994, my interest in sports especially football knew no bounds.
During the over four weeks of FIFA sojourn in Nigeria, I worked in the Technical Study Group (TSG) under Walter Gagg, with the Event Manager, Michael Bakini and ended up being one of the direct aides to the FIFA President, Mr. Joseph Sepp Blatter.
It needs not be overstated that my position as the Personnel Assistant to the FIFA President, Mr. Joseph Sepp Blatter during the tournament amongst other roles, remained a defining moment in my life in terms of sports administration. Since then, I have attended series of national and international workshops, seminars, expo and conferences that had adequately prepared me for the challenges of sports administration.
Sports development in Delta
As Chairman of both the Delta State Sports Commission and Delta Football Association,(DFA), I have received many accolades and achieved feats which have been the force behind the growth of sports in Delta State.
We have trained more than 100 coaches at the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Lagos and the College of Physical and Health Education, Mosogor, Delta State respectively in the last eight years. Apart from sponsoring the yearly copper test and seminar for referees for the past five years, for the past 11 consecutive years, we’ve secured the longest football sponsorship deal in Nigeria’s sports administration(FA) history with Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank).
We have been able to intern a lot of our coaches and athletes overseas.
Women and men. I pay more attention to my family because I have a wife who is a combination of beauty and brain. And my four lovely kids are very dear to my heart. I try not to be distracted by any woman. Though I have a lot of female friends within and outside the shores of this country, I know where to draw the line.

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Why foreign coach?
Foreign coach are more mature. They believe in their name. I don’t like to talk about Nigerian coaches, only few Nigerian coaches believe in themselves.

What is your reacted to the revelation by Mikel Obi that he paid his own bill to save the Sports Ministry from embarrassment in Brazil?
NFF don’t have money. Nigerian football is not a destination, is a journey. Before we are getting money from FIFA. Camping takes a lot of money. Nigerian are passionate about the game. We should accept change in a hard way. We have the best team and coaches.

What are the plans, other than the new technical adviser, to ensure we qualifier for the world cup from the tight group we have found ourselves?
We have a coach, who will bring the German discipline and French finesse into our team He is very passionate about football. There are a lot of advantages that one gets for having such a coach around us.

Are there still coaches owed salaries and when does the NFF hope to have a clean sheet as per coaches backlogs are concern?
We are coming up soon with something new .We will get more sponsors. I am trying to help our football.

Were you interested in the FIFA council or CAF?
I never filled form for CAF to consider for nomination. I don’t know where the news is coming from.

How did you meet your Wife?
It was love at first sight. I spotted her first time at a wedding ceremony.
Again, I ran into her in the company of her siblings at a club the same day. Immediately, I approached her and made my intention known to her. I acknowledged her beauty and thereafter proposed. Initially, she was skeptical, especially in view of the fact that we hailed from two different cultures.
I am an Itsekiri man while she hails from Abia State. My parents and siblings wanted me to marry from my tribe, but the good news is that at the end of the day, love prevailed and everyone gave us their support.

What do you do during leisure?
I do a lot of swimming as well as other exercises. I don’t drink or smoke. I’m an introvert.

Dress sense?
In all modesty, I love fashion a lot. I also love wrist watches and perfumes, no matter the cost. I love good quality clothes and shoes with or without label. I love the Itsekiri traditional outfit which I wear mainly on special occasions. My mood affects the way I dress. But most importantly, I dress with a good combination of colours.

Relaxation?
I spend quality time watching movies with my family. I love my family a lot and whenever I’m around I always stay close to them. Sometimes, I swim or read stories to my two younger kids.