Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, President of Nigeria Football Federation (2006-2010), was guest of the Osun State chapter of the Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria, SWAN, in Osogbo, recently where the gentlemen of the press fi elded him a number of questions bordering on his administration of NFF to a number of issues. May you tell us your mission in Osun State? I consider it a rare opportunity, a privilege, to be invited to yourForum, and to be your guest in the Osun SWAN parley.
I wish to use this medium to thank the Chairman of the State Football Association, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi, members of the football family and the entire people of the state for the warm reception given to me. I am here to seek partnership with a tertiary institution for my boys, FOSLA Academy Karshi- Abuja, and for admission of those who are through with their secondary education. We also played a number of matches, which have helped to expose the boys as well as toughen them. It was a worthwhile experience. A lot has been said about the administration of the game under your tenure as President of NFF, may you tell us the secret of the remarkable turnaround which Nigerian football experienced that t the country even attained the 9th best position on FIFA monthly rankings while the country won the FIFA World-17 Cup, among other achievements?
I feel fl attered whenever people like you say my administration is a success story. As a humble person, I feel anybody can lead in any aspect of human endeavour, if God Almighty so wishes. My getting to NFF leadership was ordained by God, as it also took me some time before I got to the position. I wish to also thank the government and the people of this country for the opportunity they gave me to serve t my nation. Th e fi rst thing I did was to identify Nigerians who could help me to succeed, from the 15-member Board; those who could help me drive my mission. I had a vision to use football to make a better Nigeria, to launder the image of my country. I thank God for making the vision a reality, and I thank him for giving me experienced people like Taiwo Ogunjobi and Amanze Uchegbulam, among others. I felt since they are older and more experienced than me, I had to humble myself before them. Together we formed a powerful management team. We got results because we were able to create an enabling environment that would make results possible. I ran an open and transparent administration. It was towards this end that I initiated a Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN Forum, where at every quarter; I had interactive sessions with sports journalists, sports editors, in Lagos. Th ey were always serious sessions, where I gave account of my stewardship to the people. We did our work transparently, and openly as well. I had nothing to hide. We even met debt, huge one on the ground. I thank God we achieved results because we were organised. Our Board was not corrupt, not even our Secretariat. We also pursued youth programmes with vigour.
We introduced the Under-13 championship which produced Iheanacho and others. We were always thinking of how the entire society would be lifted, how Nigeria could take its rightful place in the entire world. We were not only number nine in the world; my Federation should be the best. Th e country’s leader by then, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo endorsed new statues for us, which we forwarded to FIFA. It was on this account that we changed NFA to NFF. But see what happened to us in 2010.In everything I thank God. I had to return to my immediate constituency, which is grassroots football development, and that was how I embarked on FOSLA Academy project. Most of the students are from very poor homes, from primary schools. I have, by the grace of God been able to sponsor most of them; In fact more than 70 percent of the students are under my scholarship. I am proud of what they have achieved in their fi rst six years. Th e fi rst set of students has graduated and I am making eff ort to take them to tertiary institution so that they can continue with their education. Th ey all did well in their WAEC, NECO, and JAMB. Th e school scored 100 per-cents in all. Th e great thing about FOSLA is that we are very strict on their age. No room for age cheats in any form, with proper documentation of all the students. Th ey are identifi ed with right ages right from the school. Th ey all have their ages on their international passports. I feel Nigeria can be the greatest country in the world, if we all key into the change mantra of the present administration of General Muhammadu Buhari. How do you feel that after inheriting debt of more than N300 million on assumption of offi ce as President of the NFF, you were still forced out despite leaving a whooping N2.8billion in the coff er of the NFF? Worst still you were still charged to court? It is already seven years we left the scene, and each time I refl ect on what they did to us, and what is still happening, I feel sad, very sad. Here was the place we met huge debts on the ground, and at the time we were leaving, we left so much in various accounts of the NFF. I feel pained, anguished. During former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, I wrote several letters, including advertorials, to the then Nigerian leader, where I made it known in my letters how I met a debt of N300 million in the NFF, and left N2.8 billion when I was forced out of offi ce in 2010. Th e plot to remove me was because of the huge money we left in the accounts; some corrupt people wanted us removed so that they could lay their hands on the money in the coff ers of NFF. I see myself as having rendered selfl ess service to more than 170 million people of this country. Th ey know my plight. In all this matter, there is nowhere anybody can hold me and my Board culpable, if the Finance Committee and the Secretariat are not involved. Th ere is an issue that beats my imagination, greatly. While we were impeached in July 2010, in December of the same year, my impeachment was vacated by the NFF Congress. I had taken NFF and FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS, and because of the embarrassment this would bring to FIFA and Nigeria, Issah Hayatou, former CAF President intervened in the matter. With this development, ordinarily my case was supposed to be withdrawn, and for me to be given my position back. I have not taken action on this because I am passionate about Nigerian football. May you still share with us the magic behind your Board’s much talkedabout success, the type not witnessed in the annals of football administration in this country? We tried to monitor whatever programmes we carried out, and we also ensured that we were present in virtually all the activities of FIFA. We would always ensure that we were present in all, as many as were humanlypossible. FIFA president by then, Sepp Blatter was amazed at the level of Nigeria’s participation in all their organized championships, and he hailed us for this. Again, we did our work with utmost humility and fear of God.
