Why Emergency Congress Cannot Hold Now – NFF Official

David Ngobua

14 June 2011

Indications emerged yesterday from the secretariat of the Nigerian Football Federation that the proposed emergency congress at the behest of the National Sports Commission, NSC, may not hold for lack of funds.

The National Sports Commission, last week wrote to the football federation asking it to convene an emergency congress where relevant stakeholders would come together and discuss the lingering crisis in Nigerian football.

However, going by revelations in the Glass House, the congress proposed for tomorrow, may not hold again as the football house has cited non-availability of funds to host the meeting as the reason why the NSC’s request may not see the light of the day.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a top official of the Nigeria Football Federation said the secretariat would require more than the time it has been given by the commission for it to convene an emergency meeting.

He said the secretariat does not have the money that is required to put together the emergency congress which would entail bringing stakeholders across the country to Abuja at a short notice.

The official said to make matters worse, the National Sports Commission, whose idea it is to hold the emergency congress is not going to support the hosting with funds, thereby making it practically impossible for the glasshouse to foot the bills alone.

He noted that the football house is at the moment constrained in its finances and would not like to expend what it has already budgeted for competitions at hand to host a meeting which it does not consider very important.

The NFA bigwig said if the National Sports Commission is keen on bringing stakeholders together to deliberate on a problem that does not exist in the first place, it should be ready to cough out the needed funds.

His words: “I don’t think this secretariat has the funds to convene the congress. We are presently contending with international competitions which require huge sums of money. Unfortunately, we are only managing to prepare the teams. We do not have the money to spend on a congress which to us is not even necessary.

“If the National Sports Commission can fund the congress, let it go ahead but for now, there have been no sign from them. If they do not give us the financial support, where do they want the money to be raised?.

“Moreover, the time given for us to organize the congress is so short. We require enough time to be able to get across to the relevant stakeholders and also put on ground the necessary logistics. In view of these cogent reasons, I don’t think the congress would hold”.

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