It was an epic moment at the Nigeria Football Federation office on Tuesday morning as FIFA Council Member and Member of the CAF Executive Committee, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick formally handed over the reins of the NFF to the winner of presidential election at the September 30 Elective General Assembly held in Benin City, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau. A convivial atmosphere reigned as Alhaji Gusau, Board Members Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, Ms Aisha Falode, Rt. Hon. Essien Udofot and Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa, the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, Deputy General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, other members of Management and NFF Staff gave Pinnick a standing ovation as he walked into the NFF Conference Room at the Sunday Dankaro House. Pinnick charged the Management and Staff to give Gusau and the new Board maximum support as they gave him and his team, and reiterated that he remained a part of the system and would still be available to offer advice and suggestions whenever such is sought. “I thank you for your loyalty and support in the past eight years, and the encouragement and support of the Board that I worked with. It was an awesome experience all through and I give God the glory.

Football is the winner. I ask for the forgiveness of all those that I might have offended one way or the other, and I crave your support for the new team. “The General Secretary is a formidable individual, a great administrator and a good man at heart. He is a man capable of stabilizing the new Board. I have no doubt that alongside other members of Management and Staff, they will propel Nigeria Football to new heights. “As a FIFA Council Member, I am technically in charge of 22 countries including Nigeria. I will always do my best to protect and project the interests of Nigeria at all times. My administration gave its all and raised funds for the programs of the NFF and the National Teams, and built discipline within the National Teams. However, I see the new administration surpassing whatever we achieved. The new President is a strategist who is humble, dynamic and innovative.” In his response, the NFF President lauded the historic occasion, saying the warm relationship between the old and the new guards is a reflection of the wonderful relationship that was forged among the members of the last board within eight years. “We assure you, Mr. Pinnick, that we will always reach out to you for your advice and encouragement whenever the need arises. We wish you the very best in your duties and tasks at FIFA and CAF.”

Sports Minister tasks new NFF leadership to take Nigerian football to greater heights

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has tasked the newly elected Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) to improve all levels of football in the country. Dare dropped this charge on Tuesday, in his office, at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, when the NFF leadership paid him a courtesy visit. The Minister said football is a national asset, a unifying force in Nigeria and the Federal Government, through his Ministry is interested in its growth and development. His words: “I am happy to see that you have settled down to work as a team. I thank you for this courtesy visit and want to urge you to get down to business quickly to the enormous task ahead of you. “You have to move the game in the right direction, where all the genuine stakeholders want it to go. You have to hold crucial and critical conversations before you take crucial decisions. Let the interest of the nation be the first and most important consideration in all you do.” “As a new board, this is a new beginning. You have to move things to a higher level. If there are some areas of our football that are broken, then you must fix them and if some areas are unbroken, then don’t try to fix them.

“I urge you to improve all levels of our football, build strong national teams, well structured, efficiently run leagues by improving their governance structures. “This new leadership must be aware and sensitive to the issues that will lead to the growth and development of our football and I promise that as a Ministry, we will continue to do our best to seek the right kind of funding for your programmes,” he added. In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar congratulated the new board and charged them to work with the Ministry in developing the game. The newly elected NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau thanked the Minister for his support and pledged, along with other members of his board, to work in the interest of the country. Other members of the new NFF leadership on the visit were Ahmed Yusuf Fresh, Rabiu Inuwa, Aisha Falode, Margaret Icheen, Rt.Hon Essien Udofot and the General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi.