Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has identified inability to place national interest above personal interest, lack of sincerity, the winner takes all syndrome and lack of sportsmanship on the part of the actors as critical factors responsible for the current lingering crisis in the Nigerian football house.
The minister also explained that his pro-active step to secure the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) from forceful take over by a faction in the crisis and his principled stand as an unbiased empire “of belonging to all while belonging to none” has saved the country’s football house from being turned to theatre of warfare.
Dalung made these remarks on Thursday while briefing the House Committee on Youth and Sports on issues plaguing the NFF and his suggestions on how to find a lasting solution to them.
Lamenting that his honest decision to broker peace between the two warring factions due to the complex nature of the crisis has been largely misconstrued by a section of the press, Dalung said he remains undaunted in his conviction that dialogue and the spirit of give and take in the true African fashion is the best option to the enduring resolution of the crisis.
The Minister also threw light on the recent Jos High Court ruling, which purportedly removed the Pinnick-led administration, saying the inference is not true.
According to Dalung, the situation today is the leadership of NFF is in place and that Chris Giwa is in court challenging the validity of the election that brought the current executive committee to power.
Dalung drew the attention of the National Assembly to the need to give legislative backing to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and help domesticate the FIFA Statutes to make it part of our national laws.
