It is natural for one to look back at an outgoing year with evaluation and give thanks and praises for achievements recorded. Such achievements and with relative peace when compared to activities of the previous years will naturally give one hope for the coming year. This seems not to be the case with Nigerian football where our teams emerged African champions, picked continental ticket for the African Nations Championship, the Olympic Games while also producing a record-making world champions at the under-17 level.
Beyond the on field achievements, there were also off field breakthrough in marketing. Except actions are decisively taken, our sports administrators and a section of stakeholders may drag us back into the trenches and again make Nigerian football a global laughing stock.
Whatever the situation is, Nigerian football is always the centre of attention. It is either for the exploits of the players on the field as did the Golden Eaglets in Chile and replicated by the Under 23 side in Senegal or for off-field activities and unending feud that has beset football administration almost since the turn of century.
It has become almost a cycle of events that the headship of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is fiercely and bitterly contested that the winner hardly had time to either formulate or implement any developmental agenda. No one since Sunday Dankaro era 35 years ago has had an uninterrupted tenure, let alone running two terms in a row.
One was almost hailing the seeming peace in football administration since November 2014 when indication emerged that contenders are bracing to get back into the trenches. A potentially turbulent 2016 is in the offing except a decisive action is taken.
The past few days have been filled with insinuations that Chris Giwa’s faction of the NFF is staging a dramatic comeback. There is no official confirmation yet. But rumours of impending war have filled the air. Press releases have emerged from unexpected sources claiming that a purported mandate of August 26, 2014 obtained by Chris Giwa is about to be validated.
It was claimed in the press release sent via e-mail that the group met in Abuja on December 21 and 22 and resolved on what can be termed as “Operation Occupy NFF Secretariat” from January 12, 2016 till August 26, 2018.
The press statement was reportedly issued on behalf of the Minister of Sports which office has since denied it. But as there is no smoke without fire, there are indications that something sinister is in the offing. The issue was also the subject of Ray power Radio programme, “Fact File” last Friday.
The originating press release which was denied by the office of the sports minister and discountenanced by most newspapers had it that sports minister had ordered the NFF to “respect all court orders pending his assumption of office as the Sports Minister.
Even though a media release from the office of the sports minister has denied the statement reinstating Chris Giwa’s faction into office, the minister’s denial is not totally assuring. There are indications of underground actions. But one will still want to hold that a wiser than Solomon is in the saddle of our sports administration.
There is the unhealthy insinuation that the Giwa support group may be latching on the fact that the club owner comes from the same state with the honourable minister. This has to be nipped in the bud. The earlier press release announcing the impending action of the possible forceful takeover of the NFF secretariat on January 12hinged the action on enforcing a 2014 court order. It should be noted that only the court and its instrument of enforcement can determine whether an order has been flouted.
It is the security apparatus that the court will employ for the enforcement and not individuals whose motive appears to merely cause commotion that will then ensure the drafting of security personnel.
Be that as it may, it is doubtful if any order is being flouted considering that the Giwa –led faction of the NFF – Obinna Ogba and Yahaya Adama – had withdrawn the case from court and the presiding judge; Justice Ambrose Allagoa had struck out the suit. How can there be an order from a suit that had been struck out 14 months ago?
What is more disturbing is the timing of the impending invasion of the NFF secretariat. The January 12 date is just four days to the kick off of Rwanda 2016 African Nations Championship and Nigeria’s participation and use of the tournament to improve on FIFA ranking to obtain a favourable World Cup qualifying draw later in 2016 may be in jeopardy.
The Latin phrase, “Cui Bono” comes in appropriately. It simply means “in whose interest?” So in whose interest will it be if Nigerian football gets a setback of possible exclusion from the African Nations Championship and derail preparations for a possible good outing at the Olympics?
Or does it profit anyone if our four clubs in the continental inter clubs competitions due to begin in February are thrown out?
Recall that it was in similar confusing situation that the Super Eagles opened the campaign for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and incurred the first home loss in a competitive duel in 34 years. That loss to Congo in Calabar meant the Nigerian team had to trail to the end of the series and eventually failed to qualify.
On the contrary, the relative peace in football administration saw Nigeria winning the African Women Championship in October 2014, the U-20 African Youth Championship in March 2015, the Under 16 World Cup in November 2015 and the Under 23 Africa Nations Cup in earlier this month. Why should we embark on self destruct mission again?
Even though no reason has been offered for the sudden resurgence of old wounds, Giwa’s action may have been informed by the wordings and the spirit of item 16 of the communiqué of the last NFF general Assembly which has effectively locked him and other non-congress members from the 2018 and subsequent NFF elections.
This may be the source of the impending row. As stated last week, the resolution borrowed from CAF is totally undemocratic and had shut out many stakeholders. The NFF should seriously look into that resolution which is capable of obstructing a level playing ground for aspirants into the NFF board.
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