Nigeria, Sept. 28 -- They called him "Jay-Jay" because he was so good they named him twice, football analysts say. Austin Jay-Jay Okocha is a name that evokes magic, audacity, and pure, unadulterated footballing genius. It is precisely this emotional connection that makes the growing calls for his ascension to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) chairmanship so dangerously seductive and so profoundly misguided.

The fundamental challenge facing Nigerian football is not a lack of passion; it is a crisis of leadership.

The standard for the NFF chairman has eroded to such a degree that we seem to have forgotten what the role requires. A true leader is not merely a famous name but a visionary, a strategist, and a manager of complex systems...