Dear Coach John Obuh, you should lead by example

It is actually tiring and worrisome having to write about Nigerian football clubs failing to fulfil contractual agreement with players.

My conclusion is that the Nigeria Premier Football League Board, and the Nigeria Football Federation have turned deaf ears to the plight of players.

The NFF Players Status and Arbitration  Committee raised our hopes a little bit, but if they are firm, Abia Warriors should not be fielding newly registered players. I will go straight to the point and not bore you.

After Coach John Obuh left Kwara United, he was being owed outstanding sign on fees, salaries, match bonuses and other allowances from his contract of 2016 amounting to a sum of Ten Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand  Naira (N10,450,000.00), he laid claims to his entitlement before the NFF PSAC against Kwara United.  He won the claim in May 2024 and was paid his entitlements by the Club.

He is aware of what the rule says, Kwara United cooperated with him and  did well to offset the overdue payables to avoid the hammer of ban of registration of new players for the current season.

It is now his turn to take heed and do the needful, he is now proving to be bigger than the NFF Players Status and Arbitration Committee and NPFL.

As the Chairman of Abia Warriors, the Abia State Government owned club has been ordered to offset what's due to Imoh Ezekiel, Alegbe Victor, Ikedinachi Nwakanma and Obinna Julius a total sum of about Fifteen million Naira due to the players who also won their claims of breach of contracts before the NFF PSAC against  Abia Warriors since June 2024.

John Obuh smiled to the bank in his own case, but he's now the stumbling block subjecting players who worked hard for their money to hardship.

Speaking to one of the affected former players of Abia Warriors he said he felt disappointed with the current situation.

"My wife just gave birth and I was hoping this payment will be made so I can attend to some very pressing needs, particularly my wife and my new born baby.

"One of my former teammates affected who played for Enyimba FC confirmed to me he has since been paid.

"I'm currently living on borrowed funds and certainly I don't know when I'll even pay back these loans. I've decided not to play for any NPFL club again because the issue of players indebtedness is happening in almost all the clubs in the league you can see from the number of NPFL clubs banned from registering new players by the PSAC.

"I'm looking for a way to get someone who will give me a car I can use for car hailing  service, so I can take care of my family, I can't continue like this."

It's on record that the NFF PSAC ruled that the overdue payables be completely paid before Abia Warriors would be able to register their newly signed players, but unfortunately, they have registered the players and no one is asking questions, so who cleared them to go ahead and keep playing with ineligible players? Are they bigger than the NPFL or the NFF?

Speaking on condition of anonymity one of the members of the NFF PSAC, said he is still dumbfounded with the situation of Abia Warriors.

"Our committee didn't issue any waiver or stay of execution on the Abia Warriors decision, which is only appealable to CAS within the applicable timeline. We are still dumbfounded why the NPFL still allows Abia Warriors to parade their newly registered players till date. 

"The same directive our committee issued to the NPFL, was obeyed by Lobi Stars, Plateau United, Katsina United, Enyimba FC, Elkanemi Warriors, Kwara United and others and the Claimants were either paid in full or debt settlement agreement was executed.

"We really can't tell where this is coming from, if it's the leadership of the NFF which will amount to abuse of power or if the NPFL led by Gbenga Elegbeye decided to act in willful blindness to these gross violations of the NPFL rules and FIFA regulations."

"Some of these former players of Abia Warriors always call and chat me up to know what next they need to do to get paid. I don't even know the right words to respond to them. These players do have friends from other affected clubs who have since received their payments.

"We have done our job where Abia Warriors and the Claimants made representation before the committee and decisions were passed. It is now left for NFF/NPFL to enforce the  Abia Warriors decision or not," the source concluded

Messages sent to Coach John Obuh to respond to the current situation of indebtedness, were not responded to by the Abia Warriors Chairman.

This issue will be revisited, but Nigerian football fans should know that John Obuh is contributing to the hardship being meted out to Nigerian League players, and it's high time he's called to order to practice what he has benefitted from, or quit his position if Abia Warriors will not pay those they are owing.

Ramadan Olaifa