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Nigeria, as usual, through the numerous unqualified and corrupt people in sport administration was brought into ridicule again. This time, it is the unmitigated corruption that has eaten deep into the fabrics of Nigerian Football Federation. Unraveling the way funds were appropriated in the past few months is now the preoccupation of  the EFCC.

While the World Cup was going on in South Africa with the Super Eagles performing woefully, the NFF officials were busy plotting how to remain in office and perpetuate the mediocrity that has become their lot in the recent past. Sanni Lulu and his co travelers knew that the time was up for them to put in the towel but they were not ready to do so. They however believe that they can go one better than their enemies by quickly arranging for another elections that would put them back in the saddle not mind the fact that there’s absolutely nothing to show for their years in office.

Towards this, they sponsored all the 36 states FA chairmen to South Africa to perfect their strategy. When the Sports Minister, Isa Bio got to know of the plan, he tried to stop the scheme by telling NFF to postpone the planned election. Lulu and his ‘people’ quickly reported to FIFA that government is interfering in football administration again! FIFA of course frowns at any kind of meddling in football administration due to the way politics is played all over the world. The organization warned Nigeria not to interfere in the election and to leave the NFF alone.

Thereafter, the Minister wrote a letter to FIFA concerning Nigeria’s determination to set her football right and craved the understanding of the world football body. The letter was however put aside with the organization reiterating the need for government to stay clear of the NFF. The only snag is that the NFF is pending tax payers’ money and with a ridiculous budget of N1.3 billion for the world cup alone, government could not afford to be looking the other way.

At the end of the day, Nigeria came back from the World Cup with only a point and lots of stories of internal wrangling, corruption etc. our performance was so bad that the President decided to do the unthinkable: ban the national team from FIFA competition for two years to enable ‘real’ changes to our sports administration. FIFA also threatened us and at the end of the day, the President rescinded his decision but not until the NFF quickly moved to impeach its president and two other people.

However there’s no real difference between the Lulu led NFF and the current one; they are all the same. For a real change to come to football administration in Nigeria, we must borrow a leaf from Ghana and see how they have quietly, yet efficiently re-engineered the game in that country. We cannot be different from other countries that allow their football to be administered by competent people rather than a bunch of politicians and civil servants who see nothing wrong in poverty of ideas, no initiatives, poor planning and lack of goals.

What most of them are concerned with is how to loot, share money and collect estacodes for their numerous mindless and unnecessary trips. How do we hope to achieve anything tangible with this kind of people? The truth of the matter is that our football administration needs a total turnaround and the only way this would be achieved is to allow competent and selfless people to occupy the Glass House.

People who have the knowledge of modern football administration and could prove their success and absolute competency in their areas of endeavours should be allowed to contest election into the federation. Enough of political jobbers and appointees who have no inkling of what the game is all about save that it is played by eleven men per side and on a green field!

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