NFF Election 2022: The Case Against Amaju Pinnick’s Tenure Elongation Tricks News

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NFF Election 2022: The Case Against Amaju Pinnick’s Tenure Elongation Tricks

By By Victor Enyinnaya on June 27, 2022

The intrigues for the September 2022 election into various positions in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) executive committee board has began in earnest. The father fox is on prowl trying ways to outwit the opponents of his camp.

Luck seems to have run out of his tricks. His plans have been leaked. The current situation looks as if the hen is home to roost. However, being a cat with nine lives he would have plan B as an anti-climax.

The plan would distinguish him as a member of FIFA who knows where to press the buttons to meet his bidding to install his stooges in the forthcoming executive committee board.

In short, as the present executive committee of the apex football governing body in the country led by Amaju Pinnick according to reports last week was frantically making efforts to convince FIFA on his board’s tenure elongation for another one year to enable it tidy up whatever loose ends that currently exist, which it has already notified the World football governing body (FIFA).

However, the bubble was busted by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare who promptly nipped the move by Amaju Pinnick and his cohorts on the bud. According to reports, the Federal Government has ordered election to be held in September as scheduled earlier. It further has directed that whatever case in the Court of law that would obstruct the elective congress of the NFF must be withdrawn immediately.

It would be recalled that the only known case against the NFF in the Court is the one from Bayelsa State and with what is on ground presently the case is as good as being withdrawn and settled out the Court. FG move was a master stroke that hit Amaju Pinnick led NFF Presidency like a thunderbolt. Since that revelation, there has been unease calm in the NFF high command.

The point this columnist has been hammering/making all these while is the kind of arrogance power that has been injected into this regime. The present leadership of the body has displayed administrative emptiness since it took the driver’s seat to steer our football affairs. A lot of water has passed under the bridge. The way and manner they came into power on popular vote and demand have long been completely eroded. What a sad commentary.

The expectations Nigerian reposed in them then have all been dashed. What they (football pundits, analysts and book makers) had expected as was told by Amaju Pinnick and his team on assumption of office turned a mirage. The current executive committee board has spent nearly two tenures which will expire in August to give way for fresh election into the body for continuity and smooth administration of our football come September.

After initial flash on the pan success that brought Nigeria her third AFCON win in South Africa in 2013 through late Stephen Keshi, it has been from one failure to the other till date. For instance, the country could not go beyond second round in the last AFCON football summit held in Cameroun. That ill-fated adventure further exposed the administrative ineptitude of Amaju Pinnick administration.

It further put the NFF leadership on the spot on their inability to put their house in order. The lack of administrative acumen totally reduced the performances of the national teams to nothing. The country has lived with such dilemma waiting for the election year to show them the exit door but that trouble with Nigeria reared its ugly head as the present regime had a tenure elongation agenda up its sleeves as nearly perfected with FIFA via their lying lips before it was quickly busted by FG.

It is obvious that desperation usually associated with Nigerian politicians found its way into our football. Amaju Pinnick like his counterparts in larger Nigerian political terrain wants close successor that would always listen to them when out of office.

Now that the game is up against this regime in NFF and the keen interest by the Federal Government to ensure elective congress of the body will be possible in September, was applauded and now the stage looks set for a titanic battle of wits and brawns against those angling to be administrators of our football in the next dispensation.

We are aware that some great minds and administrators have signified their interests to vie for the Presidency of the body with Emeruwa Christian leading the pack. Recalled that Emeruwa Christian has worked in NFF for many years before moving to FIFA and so he knows the nitty-gritty in there. In short, he has seen its all. He is tested and good to go if a level playing field is provided that will usher in new NFF leadership and by extension new dawn for our downward trending football.

Least I forget, Emeruwa Christian is currently working in Zurich headquarters of FIFA. He is round peg in a round hole. He has been in full administration all these while and understudied different NFF General Secretaries including the incumbent, Mohammed. I’m not campaigning for him though, but he is the one the cap fits most presently to give our drowning football life saver instincts and growth.

He has great potentials also long experience and connections that he would exploit to the advantage of our football to attain her prospect. My passionate appeal to others like Peterside Idah, great Umuahian

(Old student of the prestigious Government College Umuahia) and former national team goalkeeper and Benedict Akwuegbu a former Super Eagles player and sundry to pull their support towards Emeruwa Christian to lead the incoming NFF executive committee since he expressed his interest to do so. They should in the spirit of the game contest for other positions as all will be geared towards greater and quality football administration in the country to lift our football in the continent and world at large.

We need cooperation from all and sundry to root out these people and their agents that have never moved the game forward.

Truth is that, election into NFF over these years has been slippery and cunning. The leadership has always manipulated the system. It has remained same till date. It has never helped matters to enthrone the kind of leadership Nigerian football needs but it has been the other way round.

As it is in the larger Nigerian polity where our third eleven are always manipulated into leadership applies to NFF also. It has been our bane. From all indications, that is the road Amaju Pinnick led executive committee wants to tread too. I.e. maintaining the status quo.

At this juncture one prays that the Federal government would sustain the tempo of rescuing our football from the hands of these hijackers of the first and worst order. Supporting fresh candidates that either played this game or have shown depth administration in the game over the years to take over should be the way forward.

Amaju Pinnick and his co-travelers have shown they are failures. It has never been this worst for Nigerian football. The time is now and we cannot afford to miss such begging opportunity knocking.

We will keep being on top of this development and report back to our teeming readers across the globe. Keep shooting hard till next week. Meanwhile, we wait!!

Source Daily Sports Nigeria

Posted June 27, 2022