Today, SCORENigeria calls on the Federal Government, the biggest investor and financier of Nigerian football, to declare forthwith a state of emergency for the national sport.
Like the Super Falcons proved Thursday night in Casablanca, Morocco, Nigerian football is now down and out for the full count.
It is a very painful fact that as a result of a 2-1 loss to South Africa in a Play-in game, the Super Falcons will for the very first time fail to qualify for the Women’s World Cup since it was founded in 1991.
This was again a case of the gross inepititude of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who neglected Africa’s most successful national team whether male or female.
The NFF did not properly prepare them for the defense of the WAFCON crown they won only last year in the same Morocco.
And so hugely compromised was the well being of this team that they dragged the NFF to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in pursuit of unpaid allowances and bonuses running over many years even when the Government provided a bailout fund to clear these monies.
The NFF have failed to take full responsibility for their ineptitude by taking the path of honour to resign their positions with immediate effect and instead will always be quick to scribble the usual letters of apology to the President, Government and the people of Nigeria.
Rather they desperately seek to cling on to power for another disastrous four years through a pre-arranged election that will again produce the same men and women that have ruined the sport through their incompetence and selfish interests.
Now the Government therefore has no choice than to set aside the NFF Statutes that has brought more harm than good for millions of Nigerians, whose passion for the sport is without question.
The so-called NFF elections fixed for September 27 in Lafia should not hold, and the fear of a FIFA hammer must not deter Nigeria from doing the right thing for its football.
The Government has to now make a special representation to the now-embattled FIFA about the skewed and flawed governance structure of Nigerian football and the urgent need for meaningful and drastic changes, not just cosmetic ammendments as has been the case.
An interim administration, made up of men and women of integrity and capacity, will therefore be tasked with the mandate of re-organising the governance structure of Nigerian football right from the local government levels.
This new structure will be more inclusive and no longer dominated by state FA chairmen, who have shamelessly failed to uphold the trust of Nigerians.
A forensic audit of the NFF finances dating back to 2014 has to be carried out and those indicted prosecuted.
SCORENigeria is clear and convinced that anything short of these drastic measures would only inflict more pain and misery on a football nation like Nigeria.
Enough to continuity of failure in Nigerian football!
