The honourable minister of sports Sunday Dare has been reported as giving reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari has not assented to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Bill.
The National Association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF) has always maintained its position in this matter and wishes to reiterate that football does not need any special legislation to run its affairs in Nigeria.
Whatever shape and complexion stakeholders of football agree to follow the Corporate Affairs Commission is there to play its statutory role for proper incorporation of the NFF as an entity.
The proposed Nigeria Football Federation Act was flawed from inception and the NANF duly informed and drew the attention of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives through a petition dated 21st of October 2017.
The petition reads in part, “The NANF has very strong reservations on the proposed Nigeria Football Federation Act 2017 as too many sections are in conflict and inconsistent with the 1999 constitution as amended and contains several ouster clauses unacceptable to football stakeholders.
“The NANF is strongly opposed to the process that produced this proposed Act because stakeholders have no input.
“In the light of the above, the NANF states as follows-: That the proposed Nigeria Football Federation Act having not followed due process in its making through vigorous adverts in national newspapers for memoranda from stakeholders and its public hearings clandestinely shrouded in secrecy has no imput from football stakeholders in the country.
“The NANF therefore rejects in its entirety sections 1(f) (g) (k) and sections 3 and 4 of part 1 under the Establishment of Nigeria football federation. Sections 5 and 6 of part 3 of Establishment and functions of the Nigeria football congress. sections 2 and 3 of part 4 of the Establishment and functions of the Executive committee of the federation, part 5 general secretariat of the federation and part 6 the leagues.”
The proposed Nigeria football federation Act 2017 a sham packaged by the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF Board with an orchestrated mission to hold football hostage in Nigeria with a mantra that Nigeria football already has 65% self-funding.
The NFF proposed Act has its first reading on the floor of the senate on the 12th of April 2016, second reading Wednesday 11th November 2016, and third reading and passage on Thursday 30th May 2017.
That is the speed with which the proposed NFF progressed driven by a band of alleged looters of our football treasury and bouyed by the recalcitrant leadership of the National Assembly under His Excellency Senator Bukola Saraki.
The current leadership of the NFF misled and goaded the National Assembly to even legislate on a private company ,the League Management Company(LMC).
That was the level of desperation!
Even if by commission or omission President Muhammadu Buhari assents to the Bill, the NANF has laid down a template to launch a judicial process to set the Act aside.
Sports.Minister Dare sir, going forward that proposed Act is dead on arrival.
Your ministry also raised strong objections to sections of the proposed Act, you can check your records.
We don’t need a legislation to run football in Nigeria, what obtains in other saner climes is to incorporate the federation under the Corporate Affairs Commission.
By HARRISON JALLA, President (NANF)
