We are working for the same objective where the welfare and development of players are key was the core message in the speech of Shehu Dikko at the inauguration of All Nigeria Football Players Union (ANFPU) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Dikko, the 2nd Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, who represented the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick at the event, said that retired footballers should use their wealth of experience to support the growth of football in the country.
He noted that there can never be associations where everyone has the same view on issues of importance, but it is necessary to always to have a platform where people of divergent views can still have conversations pointing the way forward for football in Nigeria.
“We are working for the same objective. We are working to make football better and players are the most important factor. Without players, there is no football,” Dikko said.
“We believe that there is no way you can have associations without different views, but there has to be a platform where you can have conversations.
“A platform where we can negotiate issues because it is for everybody.
“Our interest in NFF is one. Fundamentally, our objective is to have unity of purpose and to pursue the same objective, which is about players’ welfare and development.
“What is paramount is the fact that you should be able to use your wealth of experience to support those that are still playing at the moment.
“Whatever positives you achieved, they should be able to surpass them, whatever deficits you might have had, they should be able to avoid them.
He also adviced the newly inaugurated executives of ANFPU to avoid turning the union into football politics, instead of focusing more on the welfare of the players they are leading.
“My advice is to see that everything you are doing should be about the players. Politics is politics. Anybody can join politics and contest elections and that should be done on the platform of politics.
“But when you have the platform of players, then you have to do things for the welfare of players. It is not to use the platform of players and turn it to a platform of petitions.
“Anybody can write petition if he feels that something is wrong, but not to use the platform of players’ union to do that.
“Whatever differences we have, we can have discussions on the table to see how Nigeria football can always move forward,” he said.
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