The Executive Committee of Nigeria Football Federation met at the Hampton Hotel, Asaba, Delta State on Monday, 25th March 2019 to deliberate on important issues in Nigerian Football and resolved as follows:
1. The Executive Committee formally congratulated His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR and His Excellency, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, GCON on their successful re-election as President and Vice President of the Federal Republic respectively, during the 23rd February 2019 Presidential Elections. Commending the President and Vice President for their deliberate policies of encouragement and support for football to thrive in a conducive environment in their first term of office, the Board pledged to work very hard to to take Nigerian Football to new heights of excellence in the second term of the Buhari administration, to the glory of the Nigerian nation.
2. In honour of the former NFF Board Member and Chairman of the Osun State Football Association, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi who passed on in February 2019 and was buried on 15th March 2019, the Executive Committee endorsed a pronouncement of the President of NFF, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick to christen the Mini-Secretariat being constructed in Osogbo, Osun State capital as Taiwo Ogunjobi Football House.
3. After expressing its commitment to give maximum support to the prorgamme of the technical crew in order ensure victory for Nigeria at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Egypt this summer, the Board approved that the Super Eagles play two more friendly matches during the FIFA –free window before the championship. Committee reiterated an earlier position that Nigeria National Teams would always compete favourably for honours at major championships, and not attend simply to make up the number.
4. In the same spirit of guaranteeing that Nigeria National Teams perform creditably at major championships, the Board approved a proposal that the Senior Women National Team, Super Falcons, should attend a tournament in Spain in the first week of April, and then take part in the WAFU Cup Tournament in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in May, as part of preparations for the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup in France this summer. It was also unanimously agreed that the team will have its final, pre-World Cup camp at the same Avita Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf that the Super Eagles made use of before flying to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.
5. In line with the new thinking and focus of world football –governing body, FIFA with regards to laying less emphasis on building infrastructure and more on football pitches, the Executive Committee resolved that after the ongoing Mini-Secretariat projects must have been completed in each of the 36 States and the FCT, the mission of building two Football Pitches in each State of the Federation and the FCT would commence apace. In the meantime, work would proceed quickly on the building of Mini-Secretariats for the next batch of selected beneficiary States as soon as the sponsors release the money for the project, expectedly before the end of March 2019.
6. The Board charged all persons and entities involved in the planning of the 2nd AITEO/NFF Football Awards, slated for Monday, 1st April 2019 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos to pull no punches in putting together a seamless and colourful ceremony that would fulfil the sponsors and make the nation proud, with so many dignitaries already invited from within and outside the country. The Awards Committee was mandated to hold an all –inclusive meeting this week to harmonize all areas of organization of the event.
7. The finals of the NFF/Zenith Bank Future Eagles Championship will now hold in May 2019. Board restated its passion for the youth programme that has thrown up a number of players for the junior National Teams and believes that in the next few years, players from the Future Eagles Championship would constitute the dominant group in most of the National Teams. For now, the Board restated its position that products of the Future Eagles Championship should dominate the U17 National Team, Golden Eaglets.
8. Board congratulated former Super Eagles’ ace and FIFA U17 World Cup –winning coach Emmanuel Amuneke for becoming only the second Nigerian after Stephen Okechukwu Keshi (of blessed memory) to qualify another country for the Africa Cup of Nations. Amuneke is Head Coach of Tanzania’s National Team, Taifa Stars, who qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, by defeating Uganda 3-0 in Dar es Salaam on 24th March 2019. It will be the first Africa Cup of Nations participation for Tanzania since they featured at the finals hosted by Nigeria in 1980.
9. The Executive Committee heaped plaudits on the Executive Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa and his administration for the magnanimous gesture in fully sponsoring the Super Eagles’ 2019 AFCON qualifying match against Seychelles and the prestige friendly against Egypt, and also augmenting the expenses for the U23 AFCON qualifying match between Nigeria and Libya.
IN ATTENDANCE: Amaju Melvin Pinnick (President); Seyi Akinwunmi (1st Vice President); Shehu Dikko (2nd Vice President); Ibrahim Musa Gusau (Member); Yusuf Ahmed ‘Fresh’ (Member); Felix Anyansi-Agwu (Member); Babagana Kalli (Member); Sharif Rabiu Inuwa (Member); Musa A. Duhu (Member); Ganiyu Majekodunmi (Member); Emmanuel Ibah (Member); Chidi Ofo Okenwa (Member); Aisha Falode (Member); Mohammed Alkali (Member); Mohammed Sanusi (Secretary)
ABSENT WITH APOLOGY: Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande (Member)
