NFF General Assembly 2011

Days and weeks before, there were those who doubted that Kaduna could host, or whether the delegates to the General Assembly, comprising of Chairmen and Secretaries of the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT, as well as Chairmen and Secretaries of the Nigeria Premier League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women’s League, Nigeria Amateur […]

Days and weeks before, there were those who doubted that Kaduna could host, or whether the delegates to the General Assembly, comprising of Chairmen and Secretaries of the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT, as well as Chairmen and Secretaries of the Nigeria Premier League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women’s League, Nigeria Amateur League, Coaches Association, Referees Association and Players’ Union could make it there.

At all times, the NFF affirmed that the Annual General Assembly would take place in Kaduna. Days before the event, when bombs went off in nearby Niger State, right on the road leading into Kaduna, the fears were palpable, not among delegates, but among those who felt and wished negatively.

The Executive Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, CON, surprised everyone when he arrived well before the 10am starting time for the General Assembly. Alhaji Adamu Gumba, chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports and Social Development, confessed how truly impressed he was.

The Honourable Minister/Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, represented by the Director of Federations and Elite Athletes department of the NSC, Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba gave a stirring speech, in which he sued for peace in the house of football and charged the NFF to wake up and take decisions that would ultimately return Nigeria to the glory days, and even higher.

“It is true that little can be achieved without peace, harmony and tranquility. I wish to earnestly appeal to all stakeholders of the Nigeria game to unite and forge a common front to tackle the malaise and give our football the filip it needs to step back into sunshine and give our people joy through positive results, once more.

“Football is a huge binding factor among Nigerians, no doubt. I wish to assure you all that the Government of His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR takes football serious, and the President personally monitors the performances of our teams at home and abroad. The last quarter of the year brought much to worry about. While we cannot continue to moan over spilt milk, we must reflect hard on the factors that undermined our teams in those important matches and competitions and root out those evils.

“On the part of the National Sports Commission, we will continue to provide the necessary support and encouragement for football, as well as other sports, not only for our youths to have noble areas to channel their energy, but in realization of the fact that sport has replaced warfare as the key tool in international relations in the past decades.

“The NFF also has a responsibility to re-orientate football players selected to represent the country at all levels. Commitment on the field of play and patriotic zeal go a long way in achieving results, but the tenor of of these virtues in our National Teams has been appreciably low.

“Several persons and interest groups have advocated a return to the grassroots, and to the schools to unearth talents, which would be harnessed and refined appropriately through a well-structured and dynamic process to become good enough to represent our country”.

 

Inspiring words, no doubt. And Governor Patrick Yakowa also added his own wise counsel with a speech that had knowledge about, and keen interest in, football written all over it. The delegates appreciated this very much and gave the man a standing ovation.

 

The speeches of Governor Yakowa and Honourable Minister/Chairman, NSC reminded me of our visit to the Sultan, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III last weeek, during which the football-passionate Royal Father admonished the NFF to go back to the grassroots and bring out the talented home boys who would show commitment and passion on the field of play while wearing the green and white.

 

This message resonated through the auditorium at the Annual General Assembly, and showed clearly the level of its acceptance when the Congress unanimously adopted a proposal by the NFF Executive Committee to set up an independent Task Force, as a matter of urgency, to fashion a roadmap for sustainable development of Nigeria football.

 

With the mandate given by the Congress for the NFF Executive Committee to go ahead, it is only a matter of time before we come out with the composition of this committee, which will surely have a lot of work to do collating ideas from far and near, and harmonizing and articulating before presenting its report.

 

Some of the Congress members told me in private that they were impressed with the decision of the NFF Executive Committee in that regard and are excited at the level of acceptance this will receive by Nigerians at home and abroad.

 

I have said several times that we are all worried about the dwindling state of our football, at home and internationally. It is wrong for anyone to think that the NFF is not bothered. The business we do is football, and we hold office in trust for over 160 million Nigerians who follow the game passionately. It is our responsibility, at all times, to come up with policies and guidelines that will continue to improve the game and boost our country’s image in the international arena.

 

I watched Alhaji Ahmad Muazu Kawu, chairman of the Nigeria Amateur League, grin from ear to ear as his proposal for changing the name to Nigeria Nationwide League sailed through effortlessly. As captured in the communique, this was easily accepted in recognition of its critical position in football development, and to enhance its glamour and marketability.

 

The 2nd Vice President and chairman of the Nigeria Premier League, Chief Rumson Baribote was another happy man as all the decisions of the NPL AGM were ratified by Congress.

 

So, by and large it was an exciting day, followed by a novelty match and the Charity Shield match between Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt and Heartland FC of Owerri at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium. Dolphins, champions of the Premier League, lost 0-1 to the winners of Federation Cup, Heartland FC and I made this clear to Chief Baribote as we stepped out of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.

 

Our collective appreciation goes to the Kaduna State Governor, Sir Patrick Yakowa, CON, members of the Kaduna State cabinet and House of Assembly, the Honourable Minister/Chairman, NSC, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Alhaji Adamu Gumba, chairman of the House of Reps Committee on Sports, Honourabl Godfrey Gaiya, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye and former NFF President Colonel Abdulmumuni Aminu, former NFF General Secretaries Mr. Momodu Kadiri, Alhaji Sani Ahmed Toro, Dr. Ahmed Tijjani Yusuf and Ambassador Fanny Amun.

 

There were so many dignitaries, invited guests and stakeholders of the game that one cannot go on to mention everyone present, but there is no how I would not mention the President-General of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Dr Rafiu Oladipo, who enlivened the place with his people.

 

There are also the Members of the NFF Executive Committee, including myself, who worked hard with the Management team to ensure the day was a success. And how can one forget the Chairmen and Secretaries from the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT, who refused to be intimidated or discouraged by fear slogans of all types and turned up in Kaduna.

 

TO ALL OF YOU, AND INDEED TO EVERY NIGERIAN, I WISH A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS YEAR 2012.

 

 

 

NEXT WEEK: Our Expectations For Year 2012 (1)