By Ikenna Okonkwo
Abuja
Hard times seems to be brewing for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after the minister of sports and chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, shunned their invitation to be one of the special guests to perform the foundation laying ceremony of the NFF/FIFA Regional Technical Centre otherwise known as goal project in Bauchi yesterday.
Despite the absence of the minister, Blueprint Sport gathered that the event still went ahead with some NFF officials led by president Alhaji Aminu Maigari in attendance.
Incidentally, NSC D-G, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, who was one of the expected guests did not show up as he was said to be out of the country.
The absence of two key personalities in the NSC might have sent uneasy calm in the midst of the country’s football governing body as many suggested that the relationship between the football federation and the supervising ministry might have also gone soar.
A reliable source within NSC who does want his name on print informed Blueprint Sport that the Maigari-led NFF board may have incurred the wrath of the presidency after their effort to meet with the minister on Monday to brief him of the FIFA technical center proved abortive.
The source further disclosed: “I’m yet to understand what really made the some NFF officials not to have seen the minister when they came to meet with him on Monday. There is information that the minister was not officially invited for the foundation laying ceremony in Bauchi but the NFF officials insisted they did.
“I don’t really know what transpired at the end of the day but the SA to minister whose job was to take any incoming mails to the minister said he didn’t receive any letter from the federation.”
NFF’s assistant director of media, Ademola Olajire, had issued a press release last week Thursday expressing optimism that the sports minister would lead other dignitaries to the foundation laying event.