August 7 – Nigerian football is being made to take more time to regroup following the removal of its president and the threat by FIFA, subsequently lifted, of suspension. A federation Congress scheduled for later this month which would see elections to the board will likely be pushed back a month.
At the end of July the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) president, Aminu Maigari, was sacked by the NFF executive committee following allegations of “financial misappropriation, misapplication and maladministration”.
The news of the elections scheduled for August 26 were met with a number of complaints over the electoral process that have reportedly forced FIFA to intervene to move the date. FIFA has also requested information around the impeachment of former president Maigari.
The complaints centred around the electoral process and that some potential candidates being unable to meet deadlines for submitting candidacy forms as those forms were unavailable.
So the race for the NFF presidency was caught in contriversy before it had even properly begun. It is also bringing some old Nigerian football faces back into the frame.
Former NFF General Secretary, Taiwo Ogunjobi and former second vice president, Victor Rumson-Baribote are rumoured to be keen to run even though both are currently banned from all football activities by the NFF.
Ogunjobi was banned for ten years from all football related activities following a transfer deal involving former Nigeria junior international, Olanrewaju Kayode and his then club, Asec Mimosas of Cote D’ Ivoire. The ban was reduced to two years on appeal.
Baribote was banned for 15 years for challenging the NFF in court. Also banned were former NFF board member and former chairman of the NFF organising and disciplinary committee, Leye Adepoju, who was handed a five year ban for allegations of corruption and bribery.
The current NFF executive committee were believed to be meeting to lift these bans that were imposed under Maigiri’s regime.
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