The proposal to change the limit on the terms of office of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President from the two four-year terms to three is selfish, immoral, and irresponsible. It is an ill-conceived agenda to serve the parochial interests of the present administration, not least Kurt Okraku, the President, who will be the chief beneficiary if the proposal is accepted.
That explains my point about selfishness. It is immoral because some of the elements behind this proposal vehemently opposed ex-GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi’s firm grip on power and desperately wanted him out after 13 years in office. Today, some of the same people want to elongate their stay in office from eight to 12 years.
Never trust human nature for our nature is patently corrupt. The actions of those fronting this proposal smack of hypocrisy, double standard, and for that reason, their motives must be questioned. The term-limit extension is couched under the pretext of aligning it with that of FIFA, which is three four-year terms.
On the surface, it appears reasonable because if the President of the parent body of world football has a maximum of 12 years in office, there may be nothing wrong with a member association’s president having the same number of years in office. Do not be deceived, however. The quest for changing the GFA’s Presidential term limit has other undertones than the surface level evidence.
The current administration mooted this term limit elongation before they would even exhaust their legally mandated first term. That is irresponsible. Which responsible leadership conceives a constitutional amendment, especially on term limits when their original, initial term of office has not ended?
Ghana football suffered from the unprofitable, football corruption exposé #12. Our game has gone through a checkered path. How to straighten out that path does not include officers of the GFA extending their power beyond what is already there. Our football needs visionary, selfless leaders who will exit responsibly when their tenure ends – not power drunks who stay on through a so-called constitutional change.
Ghana football bleeds for stronger governance systems – structures that will outlive individuals who lead the association anytime. Football people must think about the greater good of the game, not about themselves. That is one way to develop the game. And that is how organisations like the GFA also are built.
Institutions excel when structures are allowed to grow with their flaws and with time, identifiable faults are chopped off. This one is too early. October will be six years since the Kurt ensemble assumed office. Whatever governance systems or structures they have installed, six to eight years are not enough to accurately assess those structures.
Men of conviction must reject the selfishly conceived proposal. I do not have so much hope in Congress of the GFA though. I am however confident of one thing which is that, whatever happens to this proposal, posterity will be the best judge and may it be kind to us, including those who condemned some for holding unto their constitutional mandate in the past but today are zealously urging others to stay on beyond their original schedule via a supposed legal route.