Nigeria: Lumumba Cautions Against Hasty Resolution of Football Crises

David Ngobua

22 July 2011

Former Nigeria Football Federation presidential aspirant Hon. Lumumba Dah Adeh has warned against any hasty resolution of the ongoing crises in the nation’s football saying the result may not stand the test of time.

Speaking to Trustsports yesterday, the former member of the House of Representatives supported efforts being made by the new minister of sports, Yusuf Suleiman to bring lasting peace to Nigerian football but said it must not be done in a hurry.

Lumumba advised the minister to take his time to study the history of Nigeria football crises which he said is not something that can be done in haste.

He explained that if the minister rushes things, he would be misled by those who are bent on destroying the country’s football as he said such unscrupulous people would feed him with the wrong information.

Lumumba maintained that in as much as the minister has demonstrated genuine interest in resolving the crises, he should first carry out an in-depth investigation into the causes of the problems in the sector and then bring together all relevant stakeholders for mutual deliberation.

His words: “It is encouraging to know that the new minister of sports is interested in resolving the crises that have bedeviled the nation’s football. My advice to him is that he should not rush into solving the problems.

“The problems are multifaceted and need to be thoroughly studied and dealt with carefully. He has to go back to the history of the crises as he tries to understand the issues therein. The minister must be ready to carry out an exhaustive investigation into the crises.

“He should not depend too much on those around him as they may easily mislead him. Most of them are interested parties and would not be willing to tell him the whole truth. They normally have interest and as such the minister should not over depend on them for advice”.

Lumumba also said the minister should not shy away from according football the necessary attention as he said the game has brought the country so much honour at the global stage and should not be placed at the same level with other sports.

He substantiated that the minister can pay attention to other sports but should not make the mistake of trying to reduce the attention that football deserves saying Nigerian’s passion for football is not unfounded.

“Like his predecessors, the minister is talking about giving equal attention to all sports but he should not lose sight of the fact that football remains the number sport in the country. The records are there to show what football has achieved.

“Nigerians are passionate about the game and everything should be done to sustain the growth of football. The minister should not be deceived by anyone. He must accord football sufficient attention”.

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