NFF AGM a ‘tea party’, didn’t address key issues, says Jalla

The 79th Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on September 9, has been described as a mere ‘tea party’ following its failure to address some key issues affecting football development in the country.

The Chairman, Task Force, Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), Harrison Jalla, said yesterday, that it is now obvious that one year into the Ibrahim Gusau-led board, the hegemony of the States Football Association Chairmen would continue to run the skewed administrative structure of the Nigeria Football Federation.

“This became evident in the content of the communique issued at the 79th AGM in Uyo on Sunday, September 9, 2023,” Jalla said. “As usual, no issue on the agenda was debated or contested in the 45 minutes closed door session.

“Not even the most contentious issues that suspended the NFF AGM for over nine months from convening before the September 30th, 2022, controversial election that birthed the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF Board.

“The issues of reforms, composition of the Board, and congress on equal representative basis by all the statutory members of the NFF, which is still an ongoing litigation process as a resistance to the current order of the NFF administrative structure in both the Federal high court and the court of Appeal in Abuja was not even mentioned at the Uyo AGM,” he stated.

Speaking further, Jalla said: “This dangerous signal started manifesting in the list released on August 8, 2023, as members of NFF Standing and Adhoc Committees, where qualified and competent Nigerians with expertise in different disciplines relevant to such committees were shut out.

“From all intent and purpose, the Ibrahim Gusau-led board has already shut out other statutory members of NFF, and is plotting a return in 2026 through the usual block vote of the states Football Association Chairmen.

“Will Nigeria Football continue to wallow in this circus of the monopoly of these grossly incompetent States Football Association Chairmen? The months ahead will give a clearer picture whether this imbalance in the administrative structure would be addressed or the old order would brazenly continue to be sustained.

“There is no alternative to opening up the NFF administrative structure on equal basis for all statutory members, qualified Nigerians in relevant disciplines and the private sector for corporate participation. Nigeria Football cannot continue to remain a clan or kingdom for the States Football Association,” Jalla stated.

No official of the NFF was ready to speak on the issue, yesterday.