The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has tasked the newly elected Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) to improve all levels of football in the country.
Dare dropped this charge on Tuesday, in his office, at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, when the NFF leadership paid him a courtesy visit.
The Minister said football is a national asset, a unifying force in Nigeria and the Federal Government, through his Ministry is interested in its growth and development.
His words: “I am happy to see that you have settled down to work as a team. I thank you for this courtesy visit and want to urge you to get down to business quickly to the enormous task ahead of you.
“You have to move the game in the right direction, where all the genuine stakeholders want it to go. You have to hold crucial and critical conversations before you take crucial decisions. Let the interest of the nation be the first and most important consideration in all you do.”
Read Also:CAFCL: Ilechukwu Promises Plateau United Will Be Brave Against Esperance
“As a new board, this is a new beginning. You have to move things to a higher level. If there are some areas of our football that are broken, then you must fix them and if some areas are unbroken, then don’t try to fix them.
“I urge you to improve all levels of our football, build strong national teams, well structured, efficiently run leagues by improving their governance structures.
“This new leadership must be aware and sensitive to the issues that will lead to the growth and development of our football and I promise that as a Ministry, we will continue to do our best to seek the right kind of funding for your programmes,” he added.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar congratulated the new board and charged them to work with the Ministry in developing the game.
The newly elected NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau thanked the Minister for his support and pledged, along with other members of his board, to work in the interest of the country.
Other members of the new NFF leadership on the visit were Ahmed Yusuf Fresh, Rabiu Inuwa, Aisha Falode, Margaret Icheen, Rt.Hon Essien Udofot and the General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi.
3 Comments
Who want take Nigeria football to another levels? Dare, you can’t give what you don’t have. Owning players match bonuses started from westerhof time till date, it has became tradition.
Hmmmmm! all i can say is the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. Pinnick had his short comings but in terms of Objectives he has pushed Nigeria in the right direction. I remember before Pinnick Nigeria were not even able to organise common International friendlies for Preparation Other Countries would be playing friendlies were as Nigeria was not because funds set aside for executing the logistics for friendlies were embezelled. Pinnick made our Dual Natioanl Internationals a priority. and was the catalyst for pushing foreign Coaches as he saw Oliseh and co Fail Nigeria. He also managed to keep our sponsorship with Nike all through his tenure befor Pinnick we lost Addidas and there was even talk of Kappa but Pinnick some how pushed the Nike deal through. this New president will heed to pressure from Ex Footballers he is also a northerner so we all know what that means. I see doom and gloom for Nigeria football going forward i hope I am wrong but the as the saying goes you can not teach an old dog new tricks.
AGAIN! my people the Devil you know is far better than the devil you do not know.
Mr Dare, it is the job of the ministry to grow Nigeria Football from the grassroot and not the NFF, the department of youth development is under your nose at the ministry and you guys don’t develop nothing. There is no football competition in schools like it used to be when you Mr Dare was in the Nigerian school system. It will take you nothing to call all the stakeholders together across the Nation and bring back sports to our school from primary to tertiary institutions. If football goes back to school it will automatically boost the local league because the talents that will be thrown up from the school systems together with their fan base shall be the people that will kickstart the return of fans back to our stadiums . Don’t plan for harvest when you did not sow during planting season.