NFF, one crisis too many

Galadima

There seems to be no end to the lingering crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF as more issues continued to spring up. The recent issue is whether there would be another election on September 4 or not but if the comments of the present president of the federation is anything to go by, then problems might loom if the other faction go ahead with the proposed election.

HOW THE PROBLEM STARTED



Sani Lulu



Although, some analysts claimed that the problem started when Kojo Williams was impeached in less than one week in office. The more that is linked to the present crisis is said to have started in 2006 when Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima was forced out of office illegally because he failed to qualify Nigeria for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. His case was compounded when he told the press that qualification for the world cup is not Nigeria’s birthright.

After Galadima, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi Lulu was brought in, in an election that saw him beat other candidates including ex-international Segun Odegbami, and ex-lawmaker, Lumumbah Adeh.



Maigari



Sani Lulu served the NFF for four years with so many crisis around him. The most prominent is the one between him and the Nigeria Premier League, NPL headed by Chief Oyuki Obaseki. Lulu met his waterloo when Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2010 Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea. As soon as Nigeria came back from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Lulu was forced out and dragged to EFCC along with some board members and secretary general, Bolaji Ojo-Oba.

HOW MAIGARI EMERGED

Sani Lulu and other board members’ case in the court saw the emergence of Aminu Maigari as the acting president of NFF. Maigari was in Sani Lulu’s board and incidentally former committee chairman on finance. After the congress dissolved Lulu’s board, Maigari contested just like Lulu and became the president of the NFF in 2010.

Since the emergence of Maigari, it has been one crisis or the other. It was court case upon court cases from different quarters.

WHY MAIGARI WAS REMOVED FROM OFFICE

Before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, everything was rosy for Maigari until the Super Eagles failed to get to the quarter-final of the World Cup. Before the match against France that saw the elimination of the Eagles, the players have threatened not to play because of their allowances; it took the intervention of the Senate President, David Mark before they agreed to play. The embarrassment forced President Jonathan to send cash to Brazil for the players to play. This was apart from the N2.3 billion earlier released for the mundial and the $1 million received from FIFA for preparation.

Giwa

Meanwhile, the players protest was prior to the agitation for bonuses in South Africa during the Nations Cup campaign which saw the Eagles lift the trophy. Even though they won the trophy, the President was not happy with the embarrassment it cost the country and information also has it that Maigari was warned against future occurrence.

The repeat was said to have necessitated his removal by government despite his achievements. While in Brazil, the board members were said to be aggrieved because of the way he was running things.

According to one of them who spoke on anonymity, Maigari went to Brazil with 300 people from Bauchi apart from his friends and cronies in Abuja, Lagos and other states. “He kept us in a below standard hotel while he stays in five star hotel. I can afford any best hotel in the world.”

The treatment did not go down well with the board members who alleged foul play. While speculations were on by the board members to unseat the president, the Bauchi State born administration was picked up on arrival from Brazil at the airport by security officials, but was released soon afterwards.

After his release, Maigari was impeached and dismissed for financial misappropriation, misapplication and maladministration. According to them, “A vote of no confidence was passed on him by eight of the 12 members of the board.” Some members, Ahmed ‘Fresh’ Yusuf and Chris Green were also banned from all football activities for between three and six months respectively while Hon. Suleiman Kwande was being investigated for anti-board activities.

After that, an Extraordinary Congress of the NFF was called on Saturday and the Aminu Maigari-led board was dissolved alongside the NNL and the NWL citing abuse of football house statutes.

Chairman of the Communiqué Drafting Committee, Obinna Ogba, who briefed journalists after their meeting in Abuja, said the board was also dissolved for denying state football associations of their annual grant.

This happened after the withdrawal of the case from Jos court by Mrs. Baribote. The withdrawal made the world football governing body, FIFA to lift the suspension imposed on Nigeria.

While the problems seem to be dying down, Maigari lobbied his way back by using the state football federations. While the lobbying was on, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Pius Anyim, helped out in brokering some level of peace.

At the meeting, with other board members, Maigari was alleged to have tabled his resignation letter. Maigari was reported to have submitted his resignation letter to the NFF scribe, Musa Amadu, on Wednesday morning in Abuja.

A source in the Glass House who pleaded anonymity said, “I can confirm to you that Aminu Maigari submitted his resignation letter and the board accepted it. I can further tell you the Federation forwarded a copy of the letter to FIFA immediately for necessary actions.”

The spokesperson for the Nigeria Football Federation, Ademola Olajiire also confirmed to a media house that it is true that Maigari sent in his resignation letter. “Well, I can only tell you that something like that happened today but I have not been officially briefed. I didn’t see the text of the letter.”

While the drama was on, a letter was said to have been written by FIFA for the reinstatement of Maigari.

In the letter, FIFA on Thursday stated that the impeachment proceedings on Maigari did not follow the laid down statutes and that Maigari must be the conductor of the upcoming election into the NFF board.

However, many questions are still being raised on the letter from FIFA because investigations have shown that FIFA does not write two-page letters. They go straight to the point and secondly, FIFA gives warning whenever they reply any letter. Another reason is that the letter was signed by its deputy secretary general, Marcus Kattner but that is not to say he cannot. Most letters are signed by the secretary general.

Due to the letter, the Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo, and the embattled president, held a joint press conference in Abuja on Friday where it was revealed that Maigari would be back at the Glass House on Monday.

Maigari told reporters that, “Yes, the problems in Nigerian football are over right now and hopefully we can move forward.” Little did he know that that was just the beginning of the crisis?

On Monday, while Maigari was resuming for the day’s job, the acting president, Tony Umeh also resumed hence there were two captains in the ship. However, NFF acting president claimed that FIFA letter did not order Maigari’s reinstatement. Recalled that the NFF was operating without a secretary general, as Musa Amadu was reported to be in the Maigari’s camp; he was alleged to have written FIFA on the crises rocking the House.

Meanwhile, former Chairman of then Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, questioned FIFA’s position on the crisis rocking Nigerian football.

The Kano-born football administrator also faulted CAF’s inability to wade into the problem in the NFF. “Nigeria has been in this type of problem for the past eight years or more. What has been done by FIFA to address the issues? “This problem has been consistent over time and to me, CAF should have been the one to start leading the way in terms of finding solutions to the problem. But, what have they done?” Why have someone in CAF or FIFA not shown interest in proffering solutions to the crisis by looking at the fundamentals in order to tell the actors not to involve in the act of disunity anymore?

Galadima alleged that FIFA is playing hide and seek because there is no sign of sincerity with the way they are handling the issue. The issue of government interference is subjective. “The same government that is being accused of interference asked Aminu Maigari to return to his position as NFF President and FIFA is not complaining about their action.“So, it’s a matter of inconsistency on both sides.”

However, a day after the Maigari-led board had its board meeting which saw the absence of some board members including the acting president, Umeh, the Glass House became a Shattered House as it was engulfed by fire.

There have been accusations and counter accusations from different quarters. The fire was said to have started from the office of the accountant before spreading to the ICT and the secretary general’s office.

A fire brigade officer claimed that the fire was caused by electric spark but the accountant disclosed that he put off every gadget in his office before he went home the previous day. The police as usual said they are going to brief the press as soon as they complete investigation. Meanwhile, Umeh claimed that it was sabotage.

However, there are allegations that saboteurs are responsible for the fire outbreak. Some critics claimed that some people must have been involved in some transactions while the president was away while some claimed that it must have been that the money expended on the FIFA World Cup in Brazil was not accounted for hence their actions.

It would be recalled that the federal government through the National Sports Commission, NSC gave the sum of N2.3 billion to the NFF to prosecute the football event. Despite the huge sum, the NFF had problems with the players because they were alleged to have refused to pay them. The money was different from the $1 million and $8 million dollars there were given to NFF by FIFA for preparation and for the reward for reaching the second round.

THE UNTOLD MISSING MONIES IN NFF

Meanwhile, the latest findings revealed that the NFF refused to move to its permanent office because they were refused money by the NSC to acquire new furniture. The NFF was said to have written the NSC, the minister in turn, ‘minuted’ it to the director who incidentally was the former general secretary of the NFF.

He was said to have alerted the minister that they left the sum of $1 million in the coffers of the NFF for that purpose. Meanwhile, investigations revealed that the NFF officials have shared the money amongst themselves even before the new secretariat was built.

Before now, there were allegations that allowances meant for the Super Falcons was missing in the plane and up till date, nobody said anything about it. The sum of $236,000 also got missing in the secretariat and after arrests were made, nothing came out of the investigation.

Former president of the NFF, Sani Abdullahi Lulu told our correspondent recently that he left the sum of N2.8 billion in the account of the NFF. This is aside from the $2 million for the proposed NFF secretariat and another $2 million for furniture.

Recent investigation also showed that the Maigari-led board acquired latest furniture for its electoral/campaign house in Wuse for the sum of N120 million. The amount for the said house is yet to be estimated.

Some football critics are pessimistic that nothing will come out of the recent investigation into the burning of the NFF secretariat. They believe that some saboteurs intentionally burnt the house especially the said departments because they don’t anything or documents to be traced to them as the ICT, secretary general and the accounts offices have been burnt.

MAIGARI: THE END OF AN ERA

The tenure of Maigari came to an abrupt end when he agreed not to contest for the second term. According to the minister, for peace to reign and in the spirit of sportsmanship, Maigari agreed not to contest.

On the 28^th of August, a congress was convened to map out a roadmap for the election for September 4 and before the commencement of the congress Maigari was picked up by the men of the Directorate of State Security, DSS and handed over to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS for scrutiny.

In his absence, the vice president, Chief Tony Umeh dissolved the board of Maigari and the congress progressed but with few members as some of them have gone to protest the arrest of their president at the DSS and SARS headquarters respectively.

THE EMERGENCE OF CHRIS GIWA

Meanwhile, while some congressmen were protesting at the DSS and SARS offices, the remaining people on ground went ahead after the minister in company of the secretary general, Musa Amadu declared the congress officially opened.

Soon after the minister addressed the congress, and left, the secretary general also left out of annoyance. The remaining FA chairmen and secretaries moved a motion for an election to be conducted. Election was conducted and Giwa and others emerged as president and board members.

The number of people that voted is yet to be ascertained; whether they are eligible or not, is the issue that is presently being argued.

Meanwhile, the Giwa-led board has seen assumed office at the NFF secretariat with heavy armed DSS and policemen.

On the other hand, shortly after Maigari and others were released, their faction went ahead to conduct another congress at Bentley Hotel after doing accreditation in Chida Hotel. It was agreed within themselves that an election will be conducted on September 4 in Abuja. While the faction was holding meeting, the Giwa-led board pay a courtesy visit to the minister of sports at his Abuja national stadium office.

The latest is that a letter was sent by FIFA threatening to ban Nigeria on the lingering crisis. The ultimatum has elapsed and FIFA is yet to ban Nigeria.

Recent investigations have shown that most of the letters allegedly being sent by FIFA are not from the secretariat of the world football governing body. We gathered that the last letter on ban was actually sent from Zurich but not from the secretariat of FIFA.

Some stakeholders are worried that the crises are increasing by the day. They are wondering if the football house is living up to its name because before now, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF was known as the Nigeria Football Association, NFA and some critics nicknamed it as ‘No Future Ambition’ because of the so many crises the organization is associated with.

Since its inception, it has been crisis-galore. It is either age-cheat or money is missing from the Glass House as the secretariat is widely known for, or in-fighting amongst board members.

Stakeholders are worried on the new development which might see another crisis looming especially if another election is held in September. If that happen, two presidents will emerge in the NFF secretariat and that may spell doom for the country’s football which might see the world football governing body, FIFA slamming a ban on the country.

With the brouhaha on ground, the question on the lips of every stakeholder is what is responsible for the unending crises? Could it be a man-made or God’s wrath? Will/can it ever come to an end? Only time will tell. (The story continues)