Sometime last month, precisely in the middle of the month of October, the Honorable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh directed the Nigerian Football Federation’s (NFF) to expand its Congress, the Media Office of the Honorable Minister of Sports Development has revealed.
The minister gave the directives during a strategic meeting with the executive board of the Nigerian Football Federation in his office, as he reiterated his support to the Federation to bring positive change to Nigeria’s football landscape.
This, according to him, is in order to accommodate more and other relevant stakeholders which will ensure proportional representation for the good of the game.
The minister asserted that football’s economic, social and cultural value to Nigeria and its citizens means that whatever needs to be done for the development of the game should be undertaken seriously in the interest of the nation.
“There should be an expansion of the NFF’s Congress to accommodate other stakeholders.”
“NFF’s Congress should be such that it is proportionally representative enough of all interests for the good of the game,” Enoh added.
The minister Enoh added that Nigeria’s football legislation should be adaptive to the uniqueness of the country’s composition and factors peculiar to it.
“If FIFA recognizes the unique situations in each country (as mentioned), then the NFF does not need to wait for the universal statute (of FIFA), as it may not cover those unique situations and we may not have control of the timelines,” the minister added.
Minister Enoh further stated that, NFF should initiate and conclude all expected amendments from adoption through to ratification and approval within the next one year and send the amended documents to FIFA.
“NFF should submit the action plan leading to the final amended statute with definite timelines to the Office of the Minister of Sports Development,” Senator Enoh stated. “As we need to make progress and bring this to a positive conclusion,” the minister concluded.
Honestly, the minister did very well and at the right time. I see wisdom in his orders and directives to the NFF on the expansion of its congress.
It is a good and welcome development which will see more relevant stakeholders in the country’s soccer cycle in the congress.
This is what many have been crying and calling for long because we see and fault the present arrangement where few people dictate the destiny of our football in the country.
As it is now only few people numbering 44 which include the 37 state/FCT FA chairmen,
One NPFL Rep./Chairman, one NNL Rep./Chairman, one NWLO Rep./Chairman, one Woman League Rep./Chairperson, one NRA Rep./President, one Nigeria Coaches Association Rep./President and one Players Union Rep./President are congress of the NFF. And most of us see the above groups as inadequate considering the population or number of soccer followers in the country.
We also faulted the 12 people serving as the board members of the NFF because the number is inadequate compared to the population figure of the country.
The minister wants the congress to be expanded to 111 members which will see all the 37 state/FCT Football Association chairman, 20 Nigeria Professional Football League clubs, Rep./chairmen, 12 Nigeria Nationwide League clubs Rep./chairmen and12 Nigeria Women League clubs Rep./chairmen.
Others are 12 Women League clubs Rep./chairperson, 6 Nigeria Referees Association Rep./Referees, 6 Nigeria Coaches Association Rep./coaches and 6 Players Union Rep./players as members.
Even during the Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima era, the congress was over 100 people. Then we had, the 37 state FA chairmen, 37 state FA secretaries, 20 NPFL clubs Rep./chairmen, one NNL clubs Rep./chairman and one NWLO clubs Rep./chairman.
The rest are one Women L. clubs Rep./chairperson, one Federal Ministry of Sports Rep./Nominee, one NRA Rep/President, one Nig. Coaches Association Rep./President, one NAPHER-SD Rep./President and a SWAN Rep./President.
The minister wants to do away with the present formula or arrangement where only states’ chairmen of the Football Associations and few others made themselves Alfas and Omegas which everybody is seeing as an impediment to soccer growth and development.
The state’s Football Association chairmen are accused of hijacking the activities of the popular game in the world in their various states. Most of them are not genuine stakeholders because they are not the stipulated persons for the FAs.
To make the matter worst the states FA chairmen also made themselves NFF Board Members for their selfish interest thereby blocking best and genuine stakeholders from administering our football
This and many negative attitudes of theirs have negatively affected the game in most states as there were no states leagues for most states for long.
That led to deserting of state leagues in some states by clubs and opting for friendly matches or local competitions.
To bring back its glory, we need to have over a hundred or more people at the NFF congress with about twenty five people as executive members. The present 12 member Executive Committee is insufficient.
It is when we enlarge our congress that we will be able to elect the right people who will lead our fledgling soccer and transform it to the best in African countries.
At present everything is wrong with our football as our teams don’t fare well in club competitions in the African continent.
Our referees are not included in any CAF or FIFA organized competitions due to the way and manner they handled our local leagues.
As the minister rightly observed, NFF’s Congress should be proportionally representative enough to protect the interests of all for the good of the game.
The round leather game can only be developed in the country if we allow a level playing ground for all to actively participate and contribute for its betterment.
Besides, nearly all of those who are parading themselves as NFF board members are not club owners. They don’t have any stake in the federation. So they are there just to milk the federation of all its juices.
All they are after is the series of travels that they embark at any given opportunity just for the money they will get in return and nothing more.
More so, this is not what we see in other African states. They used to have a large number of people who are mostly club owners or real stakeholders.
But in our case, the situation is different as people with no teams or not genuine stakeholders run our state’s football associations.
The real stakeholders and the club owners, are relegated to the background as observers while people who have no stake occupy the driver’s seats.
My only concern with the minister’s formula is the absence of sports writers in the new proposal which I hope will be addressed in good time.
This is because I see sports writers as catalysts to sports development not in this country alone but world over.