Who Is Fooling Who? A Call for Sense in NFF Politics

By Mohammed Saliu

There is a deliberate attempt to paint the Presidency as a threat to continuity in Nigerian football. The question is simple: who is fooling who?

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is focused on national continuity and on mobilising support ahead of the next general election. It is therefore misleading for certain voices to suggest that he is preoccupied with meddling in the Nigeria Football Federation’s elections slated for September.

For the record, this is the same administration that endorsed Nigeria’s hosting of the CAF General Assembly and the CAF Awards later this year. It is also the same administration that, acting through the National Sports Commission in concert with the NFF, approved the extension of the Super Eagles’ head coach’s contract and approved a significant increase in prize money for the next NPFL season. These are actions of support and stability, not interference.

Common sense should prevail. The Presidency has enough pressing national issues to manage and cannot afford to create needless tension in a sector that is currently enjoying relative peace. To imagine that the President is oblivious to developments in football administration is to misread the situation entirely.

Also, Villa’s priorities lie elsewhere. The notion that the Villa is bent on joining the politics of the NFF elections does not reflect reality. Those who continue to push that narrative should consider the consequences. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Anyone who drags the Presidency into a campaign against continuity in the NFF should be prepared for the same standard to be applied in return. As the saying goes, “he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.”

It is time to read the signs correctly before it is too late. Nigerian football does not need manufactured crises. It needs clarity, responsibility, and a focus on progress.

In case they don’t know, there is a strong synergy between the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation more than before so “who is fooling who”?

He that has an ear, let him hear.