A senior official of the NFF has painted a graphic and rather disturbing picture of the NFF secretariat, which is supposedly the engine-room to drive Nigerian football, while demanding that a planned reform of the national sport must beam its spotlight on the staffing at the glasshouse.
“Nigerian football reform will not be complete without a thorough forensic audit of the NFF secretariat, in fact the reform has to start here,” demanded the top official, who has worked at the secretariat for more than two decades.
“The secretariat has been basterdised that non-professionals are now masquerading as professionals, senior management staff have doctored their ages to remain in service, core professionals have not been allowed to function and civil service rules as per recruitment have been thrown to the dogs.”
“I remember a former general secretary raised alarm when he resumed office, saying he cannot work with illiterates,” he continued his narrative.
“What has happened in this office in the last 10, 11 years has been scandalous to say the least.
“Can you imagine a management staff who has been on a contract for 20 years, when the civil service rules only allow for two two-year contracts at the most?
“Or an administrative officer who was not properly employed and did not properly convert to a sports officer now heading one of the most important departments?
“Or a staff in the protocol department who cannot properly fill a visa application form or this extra ministerial agency employing casual staff?”
The senior official told SCORENigeria that the way forward is to ensure core professionals are now allowed to function and new hands are brought in to understudy them to bring fresh energy at the glasshouse.
