By Martin Odiete
Acting President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Aminu Maigari, has said that the 36 states Commissioners for Sports that directed the Nigeria Football Federation to dissolve the boards of the State Football Associations before elections into the executive committee of the NFF are conducted are ignorant of the rules of the game.
Speaking shortly after being screened by the NFF Electoral Committee yesterday, the interim president of the NFF dismissed the directive of the commissioners, who had after meeting with the National Sports Commission (NSC) last week ordered the committee to hold a congress where the dissolution of the states FA boards would be sanctioned.
Maigari said it was unfortunate that in spite of superintending over sports in their respective domains, they were ignorant of the operations of football and needed to be properly educated, adding that any foul act would attract FIFA’s sledge hammer on Nigeria.
“The issue is that we have to be very mindful of FIFA Statutes. If we yield to the pressure to dissolve the state FA boards just to allow their elections to be conducted before ours that will amount to extending the tenure of the present NFF executive committee, and that’s exactly what FIFA does not want.”
He said it was on the basis of this that FIFA issued a warning letter to football federation following spates of sudden impeachments of FA chairmen which raised concerns from sundry quarters that there was external influence in the exercise.
“You saw the warning letter they gave to Sudan. Their eyes are on us and any contrary move from us will receive sanction. So, we will strongly object to whatever will likely be interpreted as government interference in the administration of the game.”
Though he said he appreciated the stand of the commissioners on the matter, the acting president said the incoming board of the football federation would work hard to correct whatever inadequacies were observed before the conduct of elections into the committee.
“My plea is that we should all join hands to ensure that we organise the elections and get over with all these issues. When the new board emerges they will to look into elections of the States FAs and subsequent once,” he pleaded.
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