Nigerian football not being administered on sound legal framework
Are you in any way surprised that Nigerian football is once again engulfed in crisis? I am not surprised by what is happening. Let me take you a little bit back into history. It will be difficult to discuss issues like this without looking into the background. Some of us always knew that this was something that was waiting to happen. I came out in 2006 to contest elections for the FA Chairmanship. Before then, we had never had such democratization of the NFA election. We were able to raise the stakes. I reeled out a 10-point agenda which did not mean anything to a lot of people who didn’t understand where I was coming from. The first thing, I said let me be the chairman of NFA because as a football administrator and a politician, I know the working of government. I can interface with the football community and government to give us what we need. Considering the fact that we were withdrawing or seeking to withdraw the power of government in running football with decree 101, I promised I was going to use my legislative experience, get into the National Assembly and ensure the football bill was passed into an act where the decree 101 or existing act of the National Assembly would be abrogated and a new law domesticated in line with FIFA statues. In view of what is happening now, let me saw, it has always been a joke. Whoever comes around makes feeble efforts and it crashes. And that is why there has been this circle of crisis in every four years. It has been on and off. People hardly remember that we are still bound by the law, that act that transmitted from decree 101 to an act of the National Assembly which by right the elections are not supposed to be conducted in the manner they are conducted. Although we have made some progress, I cannot say we have not made any progress, we have continued to go round the same circle such that people who get in there only think of perpetuating themselves in office.
Are you therefore saying there is endless crisis in Nigerian football because of lack of enabling law to govern the game?
There is no sound legal structure on which Nigerian football is standing. The subsisting law is decree 101 which does not provide for some of these things we are doing. We are only pretending saying that we are working with statues. These statues have not been domesticated. So what are we talking about? We want to be part of FIFA, we want to apply their statues, we have a law that limits us, and we are administering football on the basis of no law. It does not just add up. We can never get it right. The statues of the NFF which they passed at their congresses are deliberately fashioned to shut out other stake holders. It is meant to suit them. When there is a legal frame work, it clearly states how you can get involved. At that point it won’t be a matter of people being shut out or some people attempting to perpetuate themselves in office.
What then is the way out of the present crisis that has engulfed Nigerian football?
The present crisis is uncalled for. I do not have the sufficient information apart from what I gather in the media. If you look at both sides of the crisis today, they try to be economical with the facts. They are kind of secretive. They keep some of these things to themselves. It is hard to know the true facts of the matter. But I am aware that the immediate past President of Nigeria at some point in time intervened through a knowledgeable Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in person of Senator Pius Anyim, who is a lawyer and a law maker. There was a kind of compromise, a consensus which made the Giwa side to mellow the threat that would have long brought down the house. However, some people ruined it. The spirit of give and take was not there. I believe if Giwa’s grievances were addressed at that time, we wouldn’t have been where we are now.
Do you therefore support calls for another Presidential intervention in the crisis?
Why do we have to reduce the office of the President to that level because of football?. Yes football is big passion in Nigeria but it does not require the attendance or direct involvement of the person of Mr. President. I do not agree. The President shouldn’t be dragged into this. At this point, the right thing should be done. Whoever is wrong must be told and whoever is right must be told. Then the house must be put in order. I remember also that some time ago, the minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung set up a reconciliation committee. I also made a presentation to that committee. Many other stakeholders also did. Up till this moment, nothing has been heard of the report of the committee that was headed by one of our own, a major stakeholder, a well respected and distinguished sports administrator, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima. I believe if government reverts to that report, football will see the light of the day in Nigeria.
What advice do you have for the warring factions?
My advice is that both parties, in this case Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa should put the interest of Nigerian football over and above personal interest. Particularly Pinnick, he should be at the forefront of trying to dissuade FIFA from contemplating suspending or banning Nigeria because of the implication on football in Nigeria and the future of the youth who play football for a living. FIFA ban would affect the present generation of footballers in Nigeria and football business in the country in general.