Some Nigerians did not know that before a compatriot ever became Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, Pius Quist, a Ghanaian, was there. It was during the colonial era. However, that trend still goes on. Men from the Sagoe family lay claim to heading more than a Sports Federation board.
When the Nigeria Football Association was established on August 21, 1933, there were capable citizens who could have managed the organization. They were not lucky enough to be chosen as head. Henry Porter, became the first President of the NFA. His Secretary was another white man, Joseph Mead.
Two prominent Nigerians were chosen to occupy the position of Vice President. In all there were three Vice Presidents. Barrister Adeyemo Alakija and Dr. Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, joined Baron Fred Mulford [Baba Eko] on the board.
In 1945, the year present Nigerian soccer administrators think the NFA was founded, the Chairman remained British. Captain D.A. Holley occupied the position and was able to take the first Nigerian team to the United Kingdom in 1949. The players became known as UK Tourists.
In 1957, Pius Quist, took over as NFA boss. That was also the year his country of origin, Gold Coast, gained independence from the British and changed name to Ghana. It was also two years after that country had battered Nigeria 7-0 in an international game.
Quist was an ‘Eko Boy’ and had played for the Lagos Town Council [LTC] team.He was also a member of the first Nigerian senior national team that defeated Ghana in an inter-colonial match at the King George Stadium, Onikan, Lagos, in 1938. That squad was captained by Alfa Bello Fashola, whose nephew, Babatunde, is today, minister of Works, Housing and Power.
There was another Quist, Alex, often referred to as Quist Junior. He was at St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos with fellow Ghanaian, Francis Mensah. Both played for the Nigerian national team. Mensah later changed position from attacker to goalkeeper, in his later years.
The Quist Brothers played for Nigeria, and Alex grew to join his elder brother in the national team. They moved back home to Ghana later but had cleared the road for other Ghanaians to grab opportunities in sports administration in Nigeria.
It took two more years after 1957, for the first Nigerian head of the NFA, F.S. Ogunmuyiwa to emerge in 1959. That was just a year to independence. However, there was a cordial working relationship between both countries. They exchanged referees during their FA Cup finals.
After Quist came Dr. Kwao Sagoe. The Sagoes came from Cape Coast in the then Gold Coast to settle at Campos Square, Lagos. This Sagoe was born in 1895 and rose to head the Nigerian Lawn Tennis Association [NLTA]. He was also Vice Chairman of the NFA and medical officer of the Nigerian Boxing Association [NBA].
Kwesi Sagoe emerged much later as President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation [NCF]. From there, he moved up to head the African Cricket Confederation. His tenure was not smooth. It got to a stage that he was removed from office in Nigeria and the national coach, Olisa Egwuatu, was ready to challenge him anywhere in court. There was a senior Sagoe too. He was called Pa Alex Sagoe.
Col. Evaristus Armah replaced Col. Iliya Bisalla as Commander, One Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Enugu shortly after the Civil War. Many thought he was Igbo. How wrong they were. Armah was from Ghana but joined the Nigeria Army. He also rose to head the Nigerian Golf Association.
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One name that rang a bell when Nigerian soccer went professional in 1991 was Kwame Arthur. He represented Lagos and found a place on the board of the NFA. The man knew Lagos more than millions of Nigerians and the only thing that distinguished him from others was just the name Kwame.
We all know of Jerry Rawlings and his Ewe roots in Ghana. The Ewe are also found across the Aflao border in Togo. Many Ewe who could be mistaken for Ghanaians also found home in Lagos.
The first president of the West African Football Union [WAFU], John Kwamina [JK] Tandoh, lived and died in Lagos. He was Vice Chairman of the NFA. A trained pharmacist, he was the one to consult on technical matters during the tenure of Sunday Dankaro as NFA chairman.
It is therefore no surprise that his son, Kweku, a medical doctor, is the current Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission. He replaced the late Deji Tinubu. Many could have seen him stand in for governor Akinwunmi Ambode when the EUFA Champions League was brought to Lagos.
Chief Sebastine Williams was not only a Lagos Chief, he was Chairman of the National Sports Commission [NSC]. Under him, Clemens Westerhof was recruited to manage the Green Eagles. The Dutchman led the team to the country’s first World Cup appearance in1994.
Kojo Williams was not as lucky as his father. The younger man became Chairman of the NFA in 1999. He is best remembered as a chairman whose head was full of ideas but who did not carry other members of the board along. In 2000, the Federal Government kicked him out.
There was also Brigadier Kofi Fidelis. He worked his way into the Nigeria Army and just like, Dr. Sagoe, became president of the NLTA. During his tenure, there was improvement in tennis with Academies providing grounds for development. Fidelis continued with the legacy of Alhaji Raheem Adejumo.
It is obvious that when people mention ‘Ghana Must Go’, they do not mean these ones who have done so much towards the development of Nigerian sports. And the rivalry between both countries is interesting.
