It is no longer news that Francis Ogboro emerged the president of the Nigeria Polo Federation when he defeated the former Kaduna polo vice president, Alhassan Dantata. The election which took place on 12th of November 2010 at Kaduna polo club saw the stylish polo buff winning in a land slide victory of 48 votes to 1. Francis Ogboro was born on 26th of September, 1954 in Igarra, Edo state, Nigeria. He is the second child in a family of seven. He is married to Tonia Ogboro. He started riding at the age of nine in Zaria before he went to the United Kingdom, Francis took up a bit of riding in UK but because of studies, he couldn’t ride as much as he would have love to at that time.When he came back to Nigeria finally, a close friend advised him to take up riding more seriously and he started playing polo as early as 1994.
This jolly good fellow started business in 1979 in the UK. Initially, he was supplying uniforms to the Nigerian army and Nigerian police; he made some investment where he lived at that time
Being involved with so many people in the U.K. he met a friend who was trying to sell off his restaurant to return to Marbella, Spain at that time, the restaurant was on Queensway, a very popular street in London. It was well known to Nigerians, especially those who visit the UK regularly. He also sits atop Rockshell international, which is a consultancy outfit. Francis is the managing director of Options international, which is involved in telecoms. Options international has built exchanges for NITEL in the past and does private work now. Francis Ogboro is also the chairman of trading outfits that imports generators and air-conditions, one of the companies is called HBN and the other is RS. He is also the chairman of Bimbo Detergent. The amiable bloke spoke with National WAVES Magazine publisher, JIMMY ENYEH on his plans to take polo to the next level in Nigeria: he also opens up on his relationship with former military president, Ibrahim Babangida
Let me start by asking you how you were able to emerge as the president of the Nigerian polo federation , in spite of the fact that were some strong contenders for the position most especially when the election took place in Kaduna where one of the contenders was the president of Kaduna polo , some people are wondering how you were able to achieve this feat?
I was able to achieve this because of my past records as the captain of the Lagos polo club; it was just that I performed brilliantly over the period of 10 years that I was captain and the entire membership polo players in Nigeria eventually came together and persuaded me to run for this office, so that I can enact what I had done as captain of Lagos Polo Club, this resulted in a landslides.
You heard that the result was something like 80% to 99% of the votes that I got and this was evident long before the election itself.
The claims of most of the clubs to have me on the seat when it came to the election, they proved that they really wanted me to be at the helms of affairs of polo in Nigeria and this was what resulted in such election despite the venue where it was held in Kaduna but that didn’t really matter. What matters is the massive support from the entire membership of polo player in Nigeria.
Were you comfortable that the election was held in Kaduna given the fact that the person who contested with you was also a former polo president of Kaduna Club?
We have a standing rule that election should be conducted in Kaduna, where we hold our annual tournament. It has been like that since I came to polo club, it’s always been like that, and elections are held at the end of the Kaduna Annual Polo Tournament. So I was aware that it will going to be held, everything was free and fair despite the fact that it was held in the home of one of the contenders, I don’t bother where it was held. it is the traditional home of the election and it will continue to be until we change the by law.
Since you emerged the president, there has been a lot of hullabaloo towards the new face of polo in the country, so what are your plans for polo in the country
The direct questions you are putting to me now are my plans for polo. Well I have come into polo to make polo more visible in Nigeria, to bring more visible in Nigeria, to bring more spectators to the game of polo, improve the game in Nigeria, it has gone a long way but there is still room for improvement. I intend to seek every possible means to improve this noble game in Nigeria.
There is no doubt that I am going to be a hardliner as far as discipline is concerned, anything you do in life whether it is game, politics, sports, work if there is no discipline then you are bound to head for anarchy. There is level of discipline in polo. I will continue to improve on that. I want to attract more sponsorship to polo in Nigeria. It is very important; it is an expensive game, we are preparing to go to Malaysia in the next few months. We needs sponsors to finance the trip, take care of the player while they are there, I intend to look at the possibility of adding some new changes to the way the game is played. We have what we call the handicapped systems. All of that I intend to look into. There is a perception in Nigeria generally about polo, I intend to educate people to change their perception for those who do not really understand what polo is all about, educate people and get more spectators for the game. Right now, we have close to 25,000 or 30,000 spectators around the country. Before you came in here, I was talking to the two of the clubs that intend to join the federation of the polo. We have Sokoto coming on board; Uyo coming on board, Zaria coming o n board. I intend to find a way to accommodate all these new clubs, this will total maybe about 15 active clubs in Nigeria. I intend to look at these aspects so as to move polo forward in Nigeria.
So many people believe that polo is meant for a particular set of people, the rich and the elite, what are you doing to encourage an average Nigerian to also play polo?
This is what I was referring to when I talked about perception. The perception of people, the general public about polo, that polo a game for the high and mighty. Polo is a game for the roars, so you will expect that it is not going to be a cheap game to play because it involves horses. They are very expensive to buy and expensive to keep.
But in Nigeria, an average person can play polo, so also in other parts of the world in the sense that most of the countries in the world where polo is played, not only rich people play it, an average person can also play polo. It is a statement of fact to say Nigeria is one of the very few countries where people who can’t even afford one horse play the game of polo. A lot of the good players we have today do not have horses and some of the upcoming one cannot even afford the horse, we have them in the majority and they play polo in Nigeria.
So that perception that it is only the rich that doesn’t hold water in Nigeria. I guess Nigeria Polo players are very generous. Generous in the sense that they make their horses available to the less privileged, to have the opportunity of playing or participating in this noble game, which in most countries is reserved for the rich, the loyal and the famous, but that myth is modified in Nigeria. So I continue to say that there is a perception there.
Learnt that you have been playing game of polo at very tender age, how did you get into playing polo?
No, if you look at the newspaper yesterday, you would find out that, I didn’t start playing at a tender age. In actual fact, I started playing late. I started riding, not riding to play polo, I said in my interview in one of the newspapers yesterday that in the north you have loose horse all over the place, you have loose dogs all over the place. They belong to nobody. As kids we used to grab them, jump on them and ride around like bicycle, once you ride a bicycle once, twice, you get the hand and you will never forget how to ride it forever, you understand, so we started riding then, but I started playing polo in 1993 but because of my passion for the game. What we do, we do it for pleasure. So I would normally play at weekend when I am not attending any functions, I find time to play.
How do you cope with the game of polo and business?
Well, my participation in the game of polo is purely on amateur basis. I don’t play professional polo. We don’t have professional players in Nigeria. What we do, we do it for pleasure. So I normally play at weekends when I am not working when am not attending any social function. I find time to play. Normally we play on Saturdays and Sundays which are free days. So it does not really encroach on my business. Of course, the kind of business that I run, I have some control of it that I can determine when I want to hold meetings, when I want certain things done. It is only when the determination of the event is the choice of the party that I am doing the business when what I have to do is extremely important, and then I will have to give up polo for that weekend or that period. We have tournament round the country so many of them. Right now every club is expected to host its yearly tournament. We have 10 active clubs. That means if you have to attend all, you will be busy throughout, it is impossible for anybody to be able to attend all the tournament s. it is even going to be more demanding on me now than when I was a regular player?
As a president of the federation, it is important that I make an appearance at all the tournaments. Where it is impossible for me to attend, then I will have to ask one of my deputies to represent me. So, I try as much as possible to balance my business and my polo activities. It is not that difficult for me to do. I have succeeded in doing it all these years.
You are one of the former military president’s loyalists who persistently aligned with him, stays with him in times of difficulties or in terms of having aspiration. What is the basis of your friendship?
True friendship, we are not friend because I want to benefit from him or what he can benefit from me. We became friends for over 20 years when he had not gotten involved in politics or when he wasn’t head state. So at that time the friendship was based on mutual trust for each other, then we believed virtually the same things. We are attracts to each other’s belief. This has kept us going for these years. So when he went into politics, it was not a time to reassess our friendship just existed like we started from day one. It was not based on my support for him for politics or what I stand to gain from him or what he stood to benefit from me. Just true friendship and that is what has kept the relationship going whether in politics or out of politics, we are best friends and we will continue to be best friends for as long as we need each other.
How did you meet IBB?
I was introduced to IBB by a mutual friend.
When was that?
Way back in 1977.
You said we don’t play professional polo in Nigeria. What does it take to be a professional polo player?
What it takes is for you to have the ability to play and be a good player who will attract the needed fun and also make money. I give you an example for Arsenal to sign a player, that is a professional player who chose nothing else but to play football.
In Nigeria, most of the players whom we have are gainfully employed and they only play this as part time, so what it takes to be professional means that you do nothing but play polo, train and play polo. We have a few semi professional here, a handful of them. In polo particularly, professionals can be used by various clubs which is not the case with football. In football, if you play for Arsenal, you will be assigned for a particular season; you play for that particular season.
You don’t play for Arsenal this month and play for “Man U” next month. In polo, we have professionals who play for different clubs. For instance, in Argentina the best player in the world, Aldophous Gambians, he is certainly the best in the world, he is plus 10, he can be contracted after playing the match to play for another team in the same season. He can be called upon by the ruler of Dubai to play for his team.
That is the way it works in polo, of course, he has his regular team that he plays for Argentina but he moves around the world. He plays in Australia, any part of the world if I can afford him. I can bring him to play for me in Nigeria. We are developing, so the players are world class players and I am sure soon, we will have a situation where they will be invited abroad to join other professional players.
What will you like to be remembered for by the time your term expires as the president of the federation?
Same thing as I am remembered for in Lagos today. I brought discipline to the game. I brought loyalty to the game in such a way that Lagos succeeds in winning a lot of trophies during my time.
I want to be remembered for having developed polo, taken it to greater heights, being probably one of the first presidents to witness Nigeria play in the world cup, participate in the Olympics and gain world recognition taking polo to the few next level. When I took over a few months ago, the players said let us see what he will do in the first 100 days.
In fact, in less than 100 days we have brought recognition of the Nigerian league committee. We have been granted federation status by the federal government of Nigeria; we are going to partake in world tournament in Malaysia in June. These are some of the things I would like to be remembered for.
How did you achieve all of these in spite of the fact that we don’t really have professionals in the game?
Well, I achieved it by building on what my predecessors had started. I was able to reach out to some of my contacts to hasten a lot of these things that have been on the pipe line with the competent assistance of the federations’ secretary who is a very competent administrator and that is in polo affairs. With this, we have been able to achieve this within a short time. We have a big team working together, coming together with him, has enabled us achieve this within a short period of time and all we see ahead of us is progress for polo.
For the benefit of those who don’t know anything about polo, what does one stand to gain from playing polo?
There are no monetary rewards for it. It is said that once you start playing polo, the only time you stop is either when you die, or when you become a pauper.
To us, it is something we take passionately, it is not that we get any reward from it; the only thing you get from polo is the trophy which means a lot to us polo players. Our ability to be able to develop and play the game well. There is no point going into something you can’t do.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people succeed, but for those who succeed, the joy you derive in participating in the game. That is all we get from it. Of course, when you play polo, I talk about polo in Nigeria. Polo worldwide is those who have made fortune from it. They are those like professional make fortune from it. Some people earn as much as a million dollars to play a game. Those are professionals who play all over the world, so when you say what they gain a lot from it. They earn their living. They come from Argentina, South Africa, and England to come for a fee. The very few professionals we have here earn a living from there. But 99% of the players in Nigeria are non-professionals and the only thing they gain from it is the joy of participating in the game with friends with common interest that is what you enjoy in polo the friendship that exists between us.
Can you say something having friends in all the 36 state in Nigeria is not an achievement?
What is your typical day like?
My typical day varies a great deal l travel a lot in which case if I want to travel, make an earlier appointment, I have to be up about five in the morning, may be to catch a flight out of Lagos to attend my meeting. When I am in Lagos, I probably start about 9 o’clock or 10 in the morning and hold my meeting. I chair several companies and I am on the board of several companies may be 10-11, so I have to attend to these various companies from time to time. Either I am attending to a board meeting or have one thing to resolve with the members of the board, I have to visit these companies from time to time. I have a lot of work to do in my office and now that I have taken up this position, I have handful of that to deal with, work till 10, 11 sometimes, that Is my typical day.
When you emerged as the president of the polo federation, it culminated into a court case which you won and last Friday, you were in Katsina on the invitation of the emir. Could you let us into what transpired?
The election did not culminate into a court case. What actually happened was that the election was meant to be held on the 11th of November, we received an injunction from the court halting the election. There is absolutely no reason for that injunction and I tell you why I said there is no reason.
The party concerned has been a part of this body, some of them for a post of 40 years and they suddenly challenged the legality of that body they have been for the past 40 years.
There is only one simple reason why that was done and they only simple reason is that they said Mr. Ogboro is going to have a landside at the election.
And the only reason to stop him was to scuttle the election, so that the election will not hold. I am only saying this for the first time because the court case is over and it will not be a prejudice to an existing court case. Forces that were against my emergence simply because they would not be comfortable with the style of my leadership and the style of leadership is one that would not take any nonsense from any one.
They realize that there was no stopping us, they headed to court and under frivolous reasons to seek an injunction, and every Nigerian is entitled to go to court and the court will grant you an injunction until you come to explain to the court why that must not be the case.
As a law abiding body that we are, we cancelled the election for that day because of the existing court case. That tournament that was held under the auspices of Nigerian polo federation you understand.
It was the legality of that body that this people challenged. This body was responsible for organizing the tournament that was at the time of this challenge.
The main plaintiff to that suit anticipated in that tournament which he claimed was organized by an illegal body. How can you seek equity when you are also guilty?
You are also part of the illegal body, you participate, and he was to participate in another match on the same day.
So it is not as if you flouted court injunction?
The federation went to court No, do you understand they withdrew it on at that time, my election had not held, so contrary to what is being said that there was some dispute that followed the election. Election now held on the 12th those who inserted the court order, boycotted the election that was immaterial because they still wanted something that would not give credibility to the election.
First of all, there was no way we would have left Kaduna without a head. We have to have leadership. The previous committee had been disbanded.
We will not be going away from Kaduna without having a polo ruling body. So the club formed the quorum, 49 people voted, and I got 48, this is what they feared from day one. So the committee was inaugurated so the fact that he withdrew the case something happened. What happened was that if you withdrew the case, you are supposed to return it in the court file.
How they managed not to put it in the court only God knows. So as the judge was concerned, he had not seen it. But we didn’t want to take chances; we are to appear in court on the 1st of December.
The emir is our father and is a father of polo.
So anybody who wants to see him for their own reason was free to book appointment with him but this particular one was a courtesy visit and to seek his blessing and seek his advice. We sought his blessing, he blessed us, and he gave us his advice and assured us, of his 100% support for my executive team.
You are now the father of the polo federation. Do you intend to integrate all the members, I means those who contested the same position with you?
I just said to you , as long as I am concerned, I don’t have any dispute with anybody and victory put me in a position where I become the father of the polo federation and in my way of life, I don’t begin to look at the back or look at people below me, I look forward. As I said to you now, I don’t have dispute with anybody. I only contested against one candidate and the first thing I sought to see him immediately after the elections, before the election I met with him, and we both indicated our interest to support whoever emerged victorious. And I said to him, we have been friends for over 30-40years, if you win, and you do the same. I sought to see him when I won but he declined to see me. Do you understand? And if the reverse was the case, I would have gone to him and congratulate him. He has no grouse with me because in all what you been hearing; you heard that the election was rigged. I do not have any problem with him, he does not have any problem with me, he wasn’t there at the election and I wasn’t there too. I was in Lagos when the election took place. So we had nothing to do with the conduct of the election.
