Newly appointed Acting Chairman of Abia Warriors Football Club, Innocent Oweh, has told sports journalists that he is driven by the passion and desire to turn the club into a ‘true professiinal club’.
Oweh also revealed that the welfare of the players and officials also sit high in his programmes for the Umuahia side.
“When I assumed office, I met practically nothing on ground but that won’t derail my vision for the club,” the 44-year-old club boss said.
“But we must move the club forward. We’ve to go back to the drawing board to achieve our mission objective.
“To achieve this dream, we must have to reactivate the club’s youth teams. This has been a major driving force of the club in the past before it was abandoned.
“The youth team had in the past produced young talents who went on to form the back bone of Abia Warriors before going on to play for the National Teams and later moved to Europe.
“My mission is to make Abia Warriirs a truly professional clubside. And we can’t achieve this without the reinventing the youth teams.”
On welfare, Oweh said, “My policy trust will also lay critical emphasis on the welfare of the players and officials.
“As a first step, I’m trying to source for funds so that by next week, we would be able to start paying the players their outstanding match bonuses.”
He also revealed that he acknowledged the importance and role of the supporters as the team’s ’12th player on the pitch’.
“Yes, the supporters are essential part of a team. In fact, they form the 12th player on the pitch in every given match. Their singing and drumming during games go a long way in motivating the players. So, within the week, I will have to meet with the supporters club so that we chart the way forward.”
Oweh hinted that he’s pleased with the team’s technical crew headed by Erasmus Onu.
“We’re not envisaging any change in our coaching department,” the young club boss said.
“Our Technical Adviser, Erasmus Onu, joined us last season in a two-year contract. So, he still has one more season left on his contract.
“Continuity, as is often said, is a key ingredient for success. We’re pleased with his performance last season. For the first time in recent seasons, Abia Warriors did not struggle against relegation. We did not have our fate in other clubs hands during the season where we would resort to mathematical calculations as to what happens if our opponent win this match, or we draw the other match.
“It’s a credit to the crew that we finished on 4th position in the Group B of the abridged league. This performance thus qualified us for the Dozy Mmobuosi/NPFL Super 8 Tournament.”
There were dissenting voices when he was appointed as Acting Chairman of the club by the Abia State Government.
This was predicated upon the wrong notion that he was a driver.
But Oweh who has put in 10 years active service in the club rubbished that malicious insinuation.
“I’m not a driver,” he reacted sharply.
“No doubt I entered the civil service as a driver in Government House in 2000 during the Orji Uzor Kalu administration.
“But upon reaching the position of Chief Driver on Level 7, I stopped driving when I acquired the necessary qualifications and was elevated to the position of Works Superintendent on level 8.
“At this time, my resume becomes supervisory role. That was in 2014 when I was promoted to the position of Principal Works Superintendent on level 12.
“My next promotion would be Assistant Works Superintendent which will come any time this year.
“So anyone saying I’m a driver is either being economical with truth, mischiveous or lacks knowledge of civil service routine.”
