A former national Vice President, North-Central of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Terkula Atom has assured the teeming fans of Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi, that the club will not go on relegation despite the challenges that it is currently facing in winning its League matches.
Atom gave the assurance to sports journalists on Wednesday, while reacting to Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi 0-3 loss to the Rangers Int’l FC of Enugu, in the Match Day 14 Game of the 2024/25 NPFL tie decided Mid-Week, in Enugu.
He said, “what is happening to Lobi now is a temporary setback. Coach Daniel Amokachi inherited all these players he is using now from Dominic Iorfa. They may not be his kind of players but he is making do of what he has and is improving on their pattern of play and we are believing that when the transfer window opens in the second stanza of the League, he will get the kind of players that he wants and inject them into the team. This will reinforce the team for a better performance”.
The former Media Officer of Lobi Stars FC who appealed to the fans and Benue people to be patient with the new management of the club led by Dr Philip Nongu and give them a little time to adjust and put the club on the right track, explained that, “Iorfa handled the team for almost two decades and the only achievement he recorded during his time was that the team did not go on relegation. That is a good development quite alright but he did not generate any revenue for the club”.
He cited Arsen Wenger who he said, “he generated a lot of revenue for the Arsenal FC during his long time stay with the club and built a stadium for them after which he left without looking back and thinking he must remain in the club forever. This is what a manager who has stayed in a club for long should do”.
He further asked, “if you stay in a club for a very long time and you are not bringing new innovations, is that not enough for you to honourably tender your resignation letter and leave when the time comes?
“Also, if your services are no longer needed in a club and you are asked to leave, would you not humbly thank the authorities that gave you such opportunity to serve and then leave respectfully so that you will earn and maintain your respect?
The former Sports Editor of The Voice Newspaper of Makurdi noted that if the allegations against the immediate past Vice Chairman/CEO of Lobi Stars FC, Dominic Iorfa that he is one of those who are working tirelessly against the success of the club, are true then Lord have mercy on us.
He expressed shock saying, “I find it very hard to believe in the allegations that a man whom we thought had the interest of the club and the state at heart, we believed was sympathising with the governor for his financial commitment to the club and was also supporting him for his commitment to the development of sports in the state, is plotting the downfall of the club that was once paying his bills and the club that the Governor holds so dearly to heart, then it is also unfortunate”.
Atom while advising those who for selfish reasons claimed to be fighting for Iorfa to return to Lobi Stars again, cautioned them to desist from the act and support the Dr Philip Nongu’s leadership of the club to succeed and not cry more than the bereaved. He said, “you shouldn’t make it look as if Iorfa is fighting the government that he had at a point served diligently and now destroying the good name that he built and left as one of the best managers of the club”.
The veteran sports journalist pleaded with those who are behind the scene fighting against the club, to have a rethink. “They should support Governor Hyacinth Alia for his commitment to the development of sports in the state. The governor is pumping a lot of money into the team in order to bring it back to life, so we should sympathise with him by supporting him so that Lobi will return to Makurdi”.
He called on the leadership of SWAN in the State, to task its members to give Lobi Stars the adequate coverage and to support the leadership to succeed in their bid to take the club to greater heights. He said, “Dr Nongu did not lobby for the chairmanship of Lobi and so for the governor to have appointed him chairman of Lobi, that is to say he knows that he can deliver. All we need to do is to give him the maximum support that he needs to succeed because as far as I am concerned, Lobi will not go on relegation”.
He advised Dr Nongu to remain focused and not allow those who do not mean well for Lobi and the state but are rather selfish, to distract him, urging him to continue to pray for the success of the club as he had been doing. “Every good leader faces such challenges and what makes him stand out as a good leader is when he is able to remain focused and overcome the challenges”.
