{"id":444085,"date":"2011-06-20T06:39:33","date_gmt":"2011-06-20T06:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/06\/20\/nigeria-football-crisis-which-law-shall-we-respect\/"},"modified":"2011-06-20T06:39:33","modified_gmt":"2011-06-20T06:39:33","slug":"nigeria-football-crisis-which-law-shall-we-respect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/20\/nigeria-football-crisis-which-law-shall-we-respect\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria: Football Crisis – Which Law Shall We Respect?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Daily<\/a><\/p>\n

Jude Opara<\/p>\n

17 June 2011<\/p>\n

\n

analysis<\/p>\n

Abuja \u2014 Certainly the last is yet to be heard of the crisis that is rocking Nigerian football in recent times which may linger for some time to come.<\/p>\n

This is because the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) are now at daggers drawn over the particular law that should be followed in the administration of football in the country.<\/p>\n

The crux of the matter is also being confused by analysts who are speaking from different backgrounds. While some are speaking out of sheer passion for the game to grow, there are those who are commenting out of ignorance and yet there is another group who are only considering where they would be favoured either by the status quo remaining or otherwise.<\/p>\n

The issue about the recent crisis bothers principally on the implementation of the laws of the country as well as those of FIFA who governs the administration if football in the entire world.<\/p>\n

For the benefit of hindsight, Nigeria is a sovereign country which has its laws and ordinances. Also the Nigerian Constitution has it in black and white that whenever any law comes in conflict with the Constitution in Nigeria, that other law must become inferior.<\/p>\n

The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) was established and energized with the Decree 101 of 1990 which made it a parastatal under the National Sports Commission. The other agency of government under sports is the National Institute for Sports (NIS).<\/p>\n

It is also pertinent to point it out here that since the return of multi-party democracy in 1999, efforts have been made by some concerned individuals who truly wanted the Decree to be repealed so that football will run like it is ran elsewhere in the world.<\/p>\n

But that was not done before the Sani Lulu-led board of the NFA then went to its congress meeting in Makurdi in 2008 and changed its name from Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). That singular act also changed the name of the chairman of NFA to president of the NFF.<\/p>\n

Well Sani Lulu and his team were able to manage the heat that the change which many analysts argue was illegal because it was not carried out in accordance of the laws of the country that is the foundation upon which the football was built.<\/p>\n

However, after the board impeached Lulu and his other top officials, including Amanze Uchegbulam, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Bolaji Ojo-Oba, Aminu Maigari took over the mantle of leadership of the football house.<\/p>\n

Before the election that brought Maigari to power last year, the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) went to court to obtain an injunction to stop the election. According to the president of NANF, Harrison Jala the NFF was duly served the injunction but they went on to conduct the election which returned the then acting president Aminu Maigari to power.<\/p>\n

Expectedly, after the election the aggrieved NANF who complained that they were being left out of the scheme of things in Nigerian football went to the court again and got judgement which declared the election of Maigari al illegal and null and void.<\/p>\n

For reasons yet to be ascertained, instead of the NFF to have appealed the judgment and vacate it, they decided to go into a mutual understanding with Jala and his group to withdraw their case. The two groups were said to have reached some agreements but the NFF never complied with that, hence the decision of NANF to dust the earlier acquired judgment. The Matter was rather compounded when the Acting General Secretary of the NFF, Barr. Musa Amadu allegedly went to a Court swear to an affidavit that the NFF of today is quite different and distinct from the NFA.<\/p>\n

The affidavit equally stated that board members of the NFA were appointed while the board members of the NFF were elected.<\/p>\n

He also claimed that the NFF is a private organization that sources its funds from private sources even as it can receive aids and grants from the federal government of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

But the truth we all know is that the board members of the former NFA were also elected just as the members of the present NFF. Also the claim that the NFF is a private organization is not right because its members are all members of the State Football Associations who are also funded by the various state governments.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, each year the federal government through the supervising organ, the NSC do appropriate money for the running of the NFF thereby rubbishing the claims that they source their funds from private avenues.<\/p>\n

Many analysts have called for the investigation of the NFF since it gets money from the government each year knowing fully well that it is a private organization.<\/p>\n

As that controversy was raging, a group of people working in tandem with the NANF decided to flout a parallel football body. The group led by Jarret Tenebe say they are now the new NFA since the NFF has distanced itself from the NFA which is also the only organ known to Nigerian law.<\/p>\n

According to the group, since nature abhors vacuum, they decided to come to the rescue by establishing the NFA. They also claim that the Aminu Maigari led NFF is illegal since a court of competent jurisdiction has so declared.<\/p>\n

In trying to find a lasting solution to the crisis, the NSC as the supervising body had directed the NFF to call its congress for the 16th of June.<\/p>\n

Director General of the NSC, Dr.Patrick Ekeji told journalists in Abuja that the congress was necessary so that he will use the opportunity to inform the stakeholders of the events that culminated in the recent fears that Nigeria may be again forced to take an action that may not be favourable to football development.<\/p>\n

According to Ekeji, the call for the congress was in the best interest of the NFF because the stakeholders need to know what is happening.<\/p>\n

But the embattled NFF who seems to be clutching to anything within reach refused to call the congress stating they have no need to do so.<\/p>\n

This is truly a direct confrontation of the NSC because the implication is that Maigari and his board has drawn the dagger.<\/p>\n

The person who is so maligned by this development is the Director General who has gone out of his way to ensure that the country found a soft landing in the wake of the pressure from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to enforce the ruling of the Lagos High Court.<\/p>\n

Ekeji had two weeks ago gone to beg the Police to stay action so that he could find a solution to the crisis but just as that was in progress, the NFF board members in their individual capacities went to court to restrain the police from carrying out their duty.<\/p>\n

“In all that I have done in this matter, I have always put national interest first, I don ‘t want to wield the big stick even though I have the powers to do so, all I want is to find a way of solving the problem so that Nigeria will continue to play football without attracting the wrath of FIFA”.<\/p>\n

Now the Police will be looking at Ekeji with contempt just as the Tenebe group who have a claim to justice are equally blaming the former international for the delay which has given Maigari and his friends the chance to go to court.<\/p>\n

The main questions now are; which law should Nigeria obey in the matter, is it the Nigerian law of that of FIFA? Another question begging for answer is why did the NFF rush in changing their name without first getting the National Assembly to make the necessary adjustments? Where is Maigari drawing his powers from that he seems ready to go on a collision course with the federal government?<\/p>\n

It is in my considered opinion that the NFF should stop grand-standing and find a lasting solution to the crisis which if not properly handled will spell doom for them and Nigerian football. The fact that the NSC is approaching the matter with maturity should not be mistaken for a sign of weakness because NFA as established under the Decree 101 (Act 101) is still alive.<\/p>\n

If the government decides tomorrow to withhold funds due to the NFA, they should not turn around to blackmail them in the court of public opinion as we have seen in the past.<\/p>\n

Another disturbing scenario is that since the group decided to sue the Nigerian police, the truth is that as soon as the police get over the inhibition that is stalling their implementation of the Court judgement, your guess is as good as mine what they will do. Certainly they will not listen to anybody that will tell them stay action again.<\/p>\n

Let us learn how to bite as much as we can chew at a time.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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