Francis Ajuonuma
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yucateco Boxing League, Omonlei Yakubu Imadu has declared that he will never be a party to wrongdoings in the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF)
Imadu, who is also the President of Boxing Promoters Association of Nigeria (BPAN), staged a walkout during Annual General Meeting (AGM)of the Board of Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) held yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State in protest of a ploy by some members of the out going board to infuse some clauses in their election guidelines aimed at preventing genuine and committed candidates, who have the growth of boxing at the back of their heart from contesting in the coming sports federation elections.
A disturbed Imadu, well known for introducing boxing League across the country which has charged the face of amateur boxing in the country for better, insisted that he will do all within his powers to ensure that the coming election in the NBF follows due process.
He stressed that if boxing in Nigeria must move forward, then the board must be occupied by credible persons ready to sacrifice for the good of the sport.
He accused some board members, who have spent over 35 years without any meanful contributions of trying to manipulate the process in their favour.
“I don’t want to be a party to wrongdoings, because each and every one of us in this life, we are publishers. Whatever we are doing today, the way we live our life today, somebody is going to tell our story tomorrow. They will document it snd when someone is going to talk about me, I want my good deed, that I fought for the right thing to reward people who speak when I leave. That’s why it’s important to me that we do things that will leave after all,” he said.
“The election must follow due process. It’s a contest. If boxing must move forward in this country, then we must have a credible board.
‘There must be a credible board, there must be a credible election. Nobody should be allowed; the NOC should not allow anybody to manipulate the process to make sure the shamble people come in again and at the end of the day, the good vision of Dikko Shehu, the Chairman of the Sports Commission, and the DG, Bukola Olopade, of which are very, very objective from the beginning, to restructure the system to make sure sponsors and private individuals are well-endowed and can come in so that this game can be developed is achieved” he added.
Though Imadu, welcomed the AGM which took place for the first time in several years, he insisted that his venture into boxing promotion is to help the abandoned youth build their boxing career for good and not taken advantage of by those who are just in boxing administration for selfish interest.
“Actually, it’s an AGM meeting for the Nigeria Boxing Federation. It hasn’t happened in a very long time. So it’s a welcome development. But while we were there, we disagreed on issues.
“I’m a boxing stakeholder and what is important to me is the development of these young, seeming youth of Nigeria, for positive engagement and for them to be able to actualize the epic of their career as far as boxing is concerned.
“So, we have to protect them. I am more or less like the voice for the voiceless as far as boxing is concerned, because one of the systemic problems that I’ve identified that actually made me come into boxing is that the majority of the people who are actually thriving and practicing this game from grassroots, are illiterates. They didn’t go to school. And the few among us, the boxing stakeholders who are there, tend to take advantage of them. They manipulate them, that is why the system is not developing,” he explained.
