By Mark Baber
December 30 – As the battle between rival factions for control of Nigeria’s Football Federation (NFF) hots up again, the country’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has warned “that violence will amount to a breakdown of law and order which will not solve the 14 month old crisis and will not be acceptable to the government.”
Currently two factions are claiming to be legitimately in control of the NFF, with the faction led by Ambassador Chris Giwa saying it will take control of the NFF headquarters on January 12.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Nneka Ikem-Anibeze, Dalung said: “It has come to my knowledge once again, that anarchy is being adopted as a method for addressing grievances in the Nigeria Football Federation. As a peacemaker and also a Minister of Youth and Sports, I will always implore Nigerians to apply the use of dialogue and consensus in resolving crisis. This my posture should not be taken as weakness but as a well-intended way of promoting peace among people. I reiterate this again and again that I am standing with nobody in the crisis of the NFF but will always stand for due process.”
In his statement, Dalung says: “If there are grievances, which have already been brought before me by both parties, I should be allowed to look into them and take a decision. Chris Giwa and his group should not take the petition brought to my table as a license for anarchy. I will not endorse that today. I will not endorse that tomorrow and I will not endorse that forever.”
“Therefore, I urge all warring factions to remain very calm and peaceful so that we will not destroy the image and progress built so far in football. While wishing Nigerians a prosperous New Year and a hopeful outing at the Olympics, I charge all stakeholders to be more responsible and patriotic in their deeds. God bless Nigeria”
Whilst Jérôme Valcke was Secretary-General, FIFA took a strong line against the Giwa faction, effectively blocking attempts by Giwa et al to enforce their rights through the Nigerian courts and leading to the Giwa group dropping legal moves to claim leadership of the NFF based on a mandate from polls held on August 26, 2014, in order to avoid a FIFA ban.
The faction in charge of the Nigeria Football Federation, led by NFF President Amaju Pinnick has taken steps to reinforce its position, ahead of the expected show-down, reconstituting its Emergency Committee with Pinnick as chairman and first Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi as his deputy, following the dissolution of the federation’s 18 standing committees and two judicial bodies immediately after the 71st Annual General Assembly which took place on December 16.
According to an NFF statement: “The membership of NFF emergency committee is drawn from across the geopolitical zones, with Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu reappointed as the Chairman of the Technical and Development Committee, representing the South-East.
“Yusuf Ahmed-Fresh retained his position as the Chairman of the Referees Committee representing the North-Central, while Babagana Kalli is the Chairman of the Players’ Status Committee representing the North-East.
“Ibrahim Gusau is still the Chairman of Chairmen representing the North-West,” the statement said.
NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, will serve as the Secretary of the Emergency Committee.
On Tuesday December 22 the Giwa group announced that: “The executive of the NFF, that is our board, will resume at the NFF secretariat on Jan. 12.” The Giwa board has, unsurprisingly, ruled that “all decisions and resolutions taken by the purported board of the NFF led by Amaju Pinnick is declared null and void; appointments made during the time are also declared null and void.”
So the fight for control of Nigerian football has begun again in earnest, with Giwa’s faction supported by a court order from the Federal High Court sitting in Jos, the Nigerian Sports Minister seeking to keep things amicable and it being unclear whether Pinnick and his faction will continue to receive the steadfast support they received under FIFA’s old regime.
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