CP G. B Umar is one of the Nigeria police officers whom sports could be said to be running in his veins like blood. He is the chairman of Police Football Association and Head, National Central Bureau, Interpol.
The super cop, who is the security advisor to the nation’s soccer governing body, NFF, disclosed in this interview he granted The Nigerian Xpress Sports in Cairo, Egypt during the just concluded Egypt 2019 Cup of Nations, that the Nigeria Police Force under the able leadership of the Inspector General (IGP) Mohammed Adamu Abubakar is planning big for sports. Enjoy the interview:
By George Aluo
Sir, can we start by you giving us an insight into your sporting background?
Well, my involvement in sports started right from my early days. Right from primary school to secondary school and my days in the higher institutions and Police academy. I used to play for all the classes that I have mentioned in football, lawn tennis, table tennis and badminton. Sports has been part of me for long and, as we speak, I’m still a sportsman inside out.
You are in charge of the Police Football Association. What is it like running the police soccer body?
It is like one doing what he has passion for. The Police FA oversees the Police Machine FC, male and female. I’m also the security adviser to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The Police to a large extent has been doing well for Nigerian sports. The force produced the likes of the late Sunday Bada, Chioma Ajunwa, etc. How is the police planning to sustain this?
As you rightly pointed out, long time before now, senior and junior police officers had been representing and doing Nigeria proud in international sporting competitions. What we are doing is to ensure that such officers are encouraged. We have been encouraging police officers, who are involved in sports. We ensure that police participate in major local competitions, as a way of discovering talents within the force. Internally, we organise sporting activities and competitions. We also ensure that police officers, who do well in sports are well remunerated and promoted. Generally, the Nigeria Police has a robust policy that encourages sports.
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Your department, the Interpol, is planning something big in August…can you shed more light on this.
Yeah, we are planning the Interpol Week. The Interpol Week is about letting Nigerians know the tools that we use in Interpol to fight crime. This would also help Nigerians assist us in this direction. What we do in Interpol is to ensure that there is no hiding place for a criminal in any country. A criminal can commit a crime here and runs away to another country to hide, but under the Interpol arrangement to which 194 countries are signatories, there won’t be any hiding place for the criminal. We intend to use the week to create awareness. We will also do some charity work by visiting the orphanage homes and, of course, take to the pitch to play football. We are organising a novelty game that would attract the nation’s ex-internationals. The Interpol X1 would be slugging it out with the ex-internationals in Abuja. For now, I don’t want to mention the names of the ex-internationals that would be part of the event, but be rest assured that it would attract the big boys that have played for our great country in the past. We want to use the game to give the Interpol week a big boost. The Interpol Week would be taking place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
What is the present Police High Command doing to take sports in the force to greater heights?
For your information, the new Inspector General of Police (IGP) has earmarked a certain number of intakes (recruits) into the police for sportsmen and women. These are people that can come into the Force through sports. This is a way of bringing in fresh blood or fresh sporting legs if you like, into the police. This is a way of ensuring replacement for those of us that would in no distant time bow out of the stage. One thing that I would like to say also is the fact that the present IGP, Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, is somebody that loves sports. Not only that, he is a person that has been in Interpol. He has this passion for bringing in and giving officers good exposure so that their talents can be fully exploited not only in academics but also in sports. As we speak, we are moving into a new seven-storey building constructed and located in a very strategic place in Abuja. Under him, the West African Police Information Service (WAPIS) that connects all West African countries is up and running. The IGP has held the highest position in Interpol, that is the Vice President of Interpol that comprises 194 countries. That is a big achievement for the man that is today saddled with the responsibility of policing Nigeria. He is exposed, very talented and well educated. Moreover, he has the wherewithal to ensure that the Nigeria Police succeeds on all fronts.
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Away from the police, let’s talk about Nigerian football. Are you impressed with the performance of Super Eagles in Egypt?
A lot of people may be disappointed that the Eagles didn’t win the AFCON trophy, but from what we saw and given the circumstances, the boys did well. People should understand that for us to have beaten the defending champions, Cameroon, stopped South Africa and reaching the semi final is not easy. This is a tournament in which we failed to qualify in the last two editions, back to back. Staging a return and finishing with a bronze is not a bad performance. For me, what we won is a golden bronze. Luck was not on our side in the game against Algeria…We have a very young and talented team that would do better in the near future. I’m proud of the Super Eagles and I think every Nigerian should be proud of the team.
There has been so much crisis in Nigerian football… What is your take on this?
Well, I don’t want to go into the politics of NFF, but as the security adviser to the body, I have seen it. Some people are hellbent on bringing down the sporting activities in Nigeria. They don’t want continuity, they don’t want sports to grow… This doesn’t augur well. Other smaller countries run their show without any rancour. What is happening is not good for our football. You can see some people celebrating that NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, has been sacked from CAF, which is not correct. The man is still a member of the CAF executive. What would it profit us, as a nation if our own man goes down? This is a case of people putting personal interest above national interest. Patriotism demands we put the interest of our nation first in whatever we do. I, for instance, the NFF is not paying me for the services I’m rendering them, as their security adviser. I’m doing it in the interest of the nation. I have not taken a dime from anybody… Whatever I spend, I spend from my hard earned money…I do what I’m doing because I want Nigeria to progress. So, people should understand that Nigeria is bigger than an individual.
Finally, what should we do as a nation to rule the sporting world?
We need to re-strategise and know what our shortcomings are. Nigeria has got the talents to rule the world in sports. We are blessed with everything. All we need do is put our house in order, build more sporting facilities and infrastructure… We can do better; there is no country in the world that is as blessed as Nigeria. Look at Egypt, everybody is hailing and shouting Nigeria, Nigeria, Nigeria… Everywhere you go it’s Nigeria. For me, I’m appealing to every stakeholder; let us move forward. Let us give peace a chance, let us allow peace to reign in sports, especially football. Football is a unifying factor in our country.