The FCT FA Chairman Adams Mouktar Mohammed has stoutly defended the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau over the composition of Ad-hoc and Standing Committee, describing the composition as a good balance, diversity and good representation in our football ecosystem.
Gusau has been put on the slaughter’s slab and severally castigated for putting grossly incompetent individuals over the appointment with chairman of PFAN task force, with Harrison Jalla calling on Gusau to immediately withdraw the list and come out with impeccable characters who have made their marks in football administration in the country.
“Standing and Ad-hoc committees are the engine rooms of successful football federations worldwide. Membership of these committees should be open to qualified and competent Nigerians with expertise in different disciplines relevant to such committees to reposition Nigeria Football. Football-loving Nigerians and stakeholders have been disillusioned with the maladministration and incompetence that characterised an NFF dominated by states Football Association Chairmen agitating for reforms which the Federal government has since bought into.
“Gifting these committees to known grossly incompetent NFF Board members who also double as State Football Association Chairmen with nothing to show for football development in their states is complete lack of seriousness to return our football to the global stage it once attained” Jalla said.
But in a swift reaction, FCT FA chairman Mouktar Mohammed exclusively told Blueprint sport that “I see a wide range of stakeholders that have been in football and will add value and bring to bear their knowledge and experience in Nigerian football development in the composition of the committee”
“For the NFF president to nominate certain individuals, it means he has confidence in them and they can deliver with the support of Secretariat staff. Committee leadership is to support the work of the federation. All eyes are on them to justify.
Mouktar who also is a member of the NFF Task Force on youth competitions added that “the NFF president has done well to carry as many people along as possible and to balance along gender, geopolitical spread and various group representation.”
On the withdrawals of Hon.Bukola Olapade and Amanze Uche Uchegbulam, the sports technocrat said, “they are outstanding men of capacity. They have been serving the nation in various capacity over the years. Declining to serve right now is a normal thing to do. Not everyone will be available at every moment. I think capable replacements will be found. I’m sure they have other engagements and feel they cannot
give their 100% hence they declined. I don’t see it as a problem. We must also find new talented Nigerians to grow and replace the older generation as most countries do and give chance to younger people.”
The astute and renowned FA chairman, however cautioned those bent in criticizing the Gusau led NFF that life is a revolving door with some coming in while others are going out. Not everybody can be accommodated at all time. Also, some fought the new leadership before it emerged and as you know spoils of war are shared among loyalists. Politics is competition some wins other lose but the future holds better opportunity,” he cautioned haters.
Mouktar however, admonished the NFF president to “ give each committee a set of key performance indicators on what he wants them to achieve.”
