The drumbeats of war have been beating at high pitch as the Elective Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation holds next Tuesday in Warri, with a new President set t to succeed Aminu Maigari. In this report, JOHN EGBOKHAN chronicles the agenda of the aspirants bidding to take Nigerian football to the proverbial next level. Era of mediocrity will end- Taiwo Ogunjobi One of the things that I will do when elected NFF President is to reconcile all our stakeholders because our football has been rocked by crisis. We have had series of litigations and these do more harm than good to our football.  I will make sure that the football family is united once again. I promise to bring an end to the crisis and bring everybody together again. When elected President, I will rework our youth programme, so that our youths will graduate from one level to another level and eradicate all forms of age-cheating from the system. We have been deceiving ourselves for a long time and it is high time that we stopped this deceit. Taiwo Ogunjobi I will ensure that our league returns to its glorious days, when the stadia were filled with fans on match days. I will also work assiduously to ensure that our pitches comply with acceptable world standards. I heard players complaining of the pitch at the U.J Esuene Stadium in Calabar, after Congo defeated Eagles 3-2. The players said the pitch was not good enough and that it affected their performance. This is not good for our football. The emphasis on astro-turf has to stop. We must have regular pitches, with green grasses, not artificial grasses. All our league matches will be played on natural grasses, when I resume work as NFF President. The era of tolerating mediocrity will be over when I get to the Glass House. I will also work hard to ensure that we qualify for all major continental and international competitions. We will not only qualify but also perform well The problem of Decree 101 will also be resolved during my tenure as I will collaborate with the National Assembly to fast-track the passing of the bill into law so that football can thrive without limitations. has to change, I will use my contact to pass it to law. Concerning marketing and financial independence, I was instrumental to the signing of the contract with Adidas. I also brought in Globacom, Indomie to support our national teams but all of a sudden, I read that Adidas will be backing out in December. That is not good for our football development. Adidas is a global leader in sports wear merchandising and we cannot be losing such deals because such will send out wrong signals to the world. When I come in I will make sure we get the best brands to partner with NFF. I will use my vast network of experience to bring back top global brands. I will make sure that the welfare of all football stakeholders is my priority. As a former player and top football administrator, I have done more for former players than any other aspirant. During my time as the Secretary of NFA, I was instrumental in the co-option of ex-internationals into the management of our national teams. The roll-call of ex-players who were made coaches of our teams include Christian Chukwu, late Joseph Ladipo (Jossy Lad), Samson Siasia, Bitrus Bewarang, Daniel Amokachi and Ike Shorunmu. Ex-players did a lot for the country but not all of us can come in as NFF members but we can serve in other roles for the good of our football. Our administrators are guilty of non-adherence to the statutes. Once you fail to do what the statutes say, then you are guilty of all and that is why you hear of FIFA ban every now and then. You are bound to have problems when you do not follow the statutes. And sadly too, our people are guilty of not knowing the rules governing football. As NFF President, I will ensure that all State FAs follow the statutes religiously. We will organise training courses for all state FA chairmen and their secretaries and club administrators, so that al of us will be on the same page My experience stands me out among the other candidates. If you look at the other candidates, you cannot compare my pedigree with theirs. I played for the best teams in the country before graduating to the higher level and later administered Nigerian football as the secretary of the NFA. I am coming to serve Nigeria again. This ambition has been on for a long time. I even went back to school, the National Institute for Sports in Lagos in 2013,where I bagged a Higher Diploma in Sports Management. That is aside my degree from Clemson University in 1978. At my age, I went back to school to update my knowledge of the game. I urge delegates to put sentiments aside and vote for someone someone with my kind of experience and pedigree, If I call CAF and FIFA to offer us help, they will listen to me. Above all, I want to serve my country again. I will bring innovation to NFF—Mike Umeh I will bring innovations that will make a difference. The difference must be clear between what we did in the last four years what we are about to do now. We were about the luckiest board of the last three boards of NFF. We had a lot to show in terms of achievements, we won the African Cup of Nations, won the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the female teams also did very well in all the competitions we participated in, our rankings in both CAF and FIFA rose to enviable heights but now it is beginning to drop because we are not there. I have been in football for almost 30 years. I have been team manager of the Super Eagles, managed the most successful coach in Nigeria ClemensWesterhof and was in charge of Rangers. We will request the minister to send us a desk officer who will occupy an office at the NFF secretariat. This is to ensure understanding and a proper appreciation of the workings of the NFF by the ministry. Because we want to be very very transparent, the desk officer will see to whatever money we spend. This will curb the frequent misunderstanding between the ministry and the NFF. The league is the most important aspect of football development in any country. You must straighten your league in order to improve the lot of your players. Football will thrive in my dispensation—Pinnick Amaju I am assuring delegates and Nigerians that if elected the next President of the NFF that we will concentrate more on youth development. We will also make the league a thriving business for the players and ensure that our referees go on refresher courses to update their knowledge of the game,  I promise to bring my wealthy of experience and robust business network to attract the best sponsorship deals for all our programmes if elected NFF President. Under my leadership, the Delta State Football Association, currently enjoys the longest-running football sponsorship deal in Africa, spanning 14 years with Oceanic Bank, now Ecobank. The DFA has also interned over 500 coaches in the last 12 years at the NIS & Sports Institute in Mosogar, while some coaches have gone overseas for training, through private sector initiative. Pinnich Amaju Under my stewardship, the DFA also sent referees to England for training, with one referee, officiating in Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford as part of the training, which was financed by the private sector. Delta is the first State FA to broadcast its FA Cup finals live on television. This has been on for three years. And to my credit, Delta is the first State or Regional FA in Africa to build a World Class Secretariat, called Patrick Okpomo Football House, which was built through private sector initiative. * Shehu Dikko: Players welfare will be my priority I will resolve all the legal issues hindering the progress of football in Nigeria because the endless litigations and court cases against the NFF slow down our football development. I will champion the strengthening and enhancement of the Technical department of the NFF to enable it deliver its services of safeguarding the future of Nigeria football (from amateur football, women, youth development, professional football to the national teams as well as effective Governance. I will work to ensure a credible performance and success of our national teams in al international competitions at all levels. The aim is to win these tournaments. I will place a premium on players development and promote the unity of all footballers and resolve issues affecting players (both active and retired). I will introduce a minimum players and other technical personnel welfare package in Nigeria and use appropriate legislation and regulations to enforce it at all levels. I will set up a unit within the NFF in charge of players’ welfare to provide advisory services and support to current players and ex-internationals. Amanze Uchegbulam: NFF will witness great changes If elected NFF President, I promise to do things that will make the game grow to great heights. Under my regime, the NFF will be a strong and progressive organisation. I will address all the problems that have polarized the football fraternity and ensure that lasting peace returns to our football. Ex-internationals will have a great role to play in the administration of football during my regime and I make bold to say that I will midwife a new change that will usher in the real development that Nigerians so much yearn for.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 07:23:43 +0000
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