A coalition of over 87 Civil Society Organizations, the Civil Society Network for Good Governance, has called on vested interests trying to destabilize Nigerian football to retrace their steps. In a press conference held in Abuja, the President of the Network, Barr. Adefila Kamal, said that “the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and its recognized affiliates, is the only body known to FIFA as being responsible for football governance matters in Nigeria”.
Barr Kamal also cautioned that “all attempts to change the leadership of football in Nigeria must follow due process as laid down in the statutes of the NFF and endorsed by the FIFA statutes”.
The group also cautioned Nigerians to “recall that over the years our country had been on the brink of suspension from involvement in international footballing activities a couple of times” and no one should attempt to take Nigeria back to the dark ages of football administration in the country.
The group pointed out that “right reasoning Nigerians are weary of these antics of selfish individuals who, when they don’t get what they want through due process, resort to under-the-table methods that run foul of the established football order that has been in place for decades”.
The group condemned the protest action by a group led by Harrison Jalla, while noting that Jalla “embarked on a campaign of calumny against the NFF President Amaju Pinnick, as he had done during the tenure of Alh. Sani Lulu as President, when he was denied a demand for a contract from the NFF due to his not meeting due process checks”.
The group also noted that “Mr. Jalla and his group do not represent any players as he purports to, with the National Association of Nigerian Professional Footballers (NANPF), having made a publication denouncing him and his group”. Barr Adefila challenged Jalla “to produce a verifiable register of players who are members of the so called association he has been using to rain blackmail on the leadership of a duly constituted and recognized institution such as the NFF”.
While noting that Jalla was in court in Warri delta State, and that “the protest action he embarked on was an act of contempt of court”, the group said it would “take him up appropriately in court”.
The group warned “Harrison Jalla and his fellow agents of destabilization to desist from tampering with one of the few institutions that unite Nigerians especially at this time”, while stating that “Nigerians will hold him responsible for any further attempts to disturb the peace using football as cover”.