Yes there should be a new Nigeria Football Federation.
New members, new modus operandi, new mentality and new culture.
It is no news that Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 world cup, the most important, most prestigious, most honourable football competition in the world and rightly organised by the global body overseeing football, FIFA.
Apart from missing out on this competition twice in a row (the last time we appeared was in Russia 2018) what is most painful is the fact that, for the first time, 10 countries are representing Africa and the great (?) Super Eagles are not among. If you juxtapose that with the fact that they were expected to top their group and hence qualify automatically then you will shout "shame". No disrespect but who would not expect Nigeria to qualify in a group consisting of
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Benin. But we flattered to deceive. We became the scorn of the rest of Africa and indeed the whole world. Big players no national impact. Stars without national success. There was nothing super about them, they looked lethargic and at times confused on the pitch.
It was now even more shameful that we were hoping to qualify through the back door. How inglorious!
We have often blamed the NFF for the failures of the Super Eagles, and indeed most of our national football teams. The core reasons adduced for this blame are:
a. Planlessness
b. Faulty recruitment of coaches
c. Corruption
d. Player welfare
I will not try to stretch this piece unnecessarily by explaining the above points because every lover of football in Nigeria is very much aware that the NFF, both present and past, has been guilty of them.
In moving our football governance away from these four evils we need to have people who know football, who have played the game and have suffered some of these demons. We need people who know what it takes to represent the country and who will fight to get rid of those demons so that the Super Eagles, the Falcons and all the others will always soar.
Let me quickly add here that we also need a new NFF that will ensure that the NPFL (Nigerian Professional Football League) rises above the joke that it is now. We need to create stars locally. There could not have been a Stephen Keshi of Anderlecht without the Keshi of ACB Lagos or New Nigeria Bank of Benin City. There could not have been Rashidi Yekini of Vitoria Setubal without the Yekini of UNTL Kaduna or Shooting Stars Ibadan (and later Abiola Babes of Abeokuta).
Nonetheless, a new NFF must come with a new membership structure and i am happy that one of the heroes of the game, Chief Olusegun Odegbami (MON) has taken it upon himself to challenge the present structure. Mathematical Odegbami, as he was fondly called in his days, has criticised the current structure of the NFF accusing it of "disproportionately empowering State FA chairmen while limiting the influence of key stakeholders including players, coaches and referees in decision making processes."
Chief Odegbami further said that, "we have made state football associations registered members of the Nigerian football board. They are not members, members are the stakeholders like the players, coaches, referees, medical personnel and so on. Those that register with Nigerian football association to participate in their competitions; the state football associations are organs of that main body in the states. They are absolutely independent they don’t have anything to do with the national FA except those that register to participate in their competitions to go up there."
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n conclusion he said, "that’s how it was, but, for political agenda we one day converted them into members so they will vote one of their own to lead the body. To do the amendment is possible because they can remove power from themselves that’s why in my retirement age now, I am not interested in contesting, I am a valid stakeholder I want to do what is right or to right what has been wrong."
I believe this amendment will, in no small way, give the real stakeholders the opportunity to really participate instead of having charlattans and political appointees run our football. Indeed Odegbami has some fight on his hands as he has threatened to go to court, if need be, in order to stop the next NFF election in September. I want to call on all players (present and past), coaches and football lovers to support this worthy cause.
Nigerian football must come out of mediocrity. Nigerian football must be the envy of the world. We must get it right.
Jogofully yours,
RO
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