On behalf of all Nigerians I welcome the delegation from FIFA to Nigeria.
I wish them an enjoyable and fruitful stay.
I pray that this will be the last time Nigerian football officials shall invite FIFA to the country for the purpose of resolving our self-inflicted domestic problems. Each time we did so (invite them) we put the organisation in a tight corner, making them to walk the thin line between Intervention and interference.
According to FIFA’s fundamental principle, each of its members must be an independent private organisation. Secondly, the member’s internal affairs must not be interfered with by any Third Party, including government and FIFA itself. It is simple and straightforward. We conformed to it for decades.
Suddenly, in 2004, the situation changed.
Since then, Nigeria must now hold the world record for inviting FIFA to come and meddle in its domestic affairs. Nigeria has been doing so since it discovered that ‘inviting FIFA’ is a formula that allows any form of ‘manipulation’ to be carried out without consequence. The mere presence of FIFA officials around sends Nigerians scurrying for cover, proper electoral process abandoned, inadvertently creating what has now become catalyst for the ‘worst’ football governance structure in Nigeria’s history.
Successive Executive Boards deployed the same FIFA formula, the presence of an ordinary official used to achieve any narrow agenda. It was so simple. Every 4 years since 2004, FIFA became a witness to the perpetuation of a faulty system of electing the leadership of Nigerian football. Nigeria is paying the price now!
The consequence for FIFA is that in the eyes of Nigerians, the organisation is a monster, an Albatross around the neck of the country. Many aggrieved persons resorted to the civil courts frustratingly and worsened the situation. The court judgements were never respected or enforced. The fear of FIFA became the beginning of wisdom for all Nigerians. Even when the Nigerian government saw wisdom in changing the system it was forced to withdraw its actions at the mention of FIFA.
It was all an exaggerated and misplaced lie! It was a ‘dummy’ that worked for decades because it was never allowed to be properly scrutinised by those benefiting.
Even the media fell for the ‘dummy’. Many sports journalists were complicit in spreading the fear, either through silent conspiracy, or in ignorance of the true situation. Either way, FIFA, without realising it, became complicit too. The plot sustained for the sake of ‘peace’ that lasted 4 years each time, and has now brought Nigerian football to its knees – the worst period in Nigeria’s football history. This weekend, FIFA are back again, invited to come and use their presence to validate whatever will happen after their consultations with various stakeholders.
For some reason, FIFA’s reaction this time is different. FIFA stated clearly in their letter to the new acting Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Association, that their coming is not an interference. They are coming at the invitation of the secretariat to listen to stakeholders and to make an assessment of the situation and nothing about the elections must go on.
Nigeria is on good ground.
For the first time since 2004, this present FIFA has extricated itself from any accusation of interference. It is intervening on request. It has not taken any decisions. It will listen to all stakeholders to ensure transparency in its activities and will not be drawn into issues that contradict its basic principles.
Nowhere in the statutes of FIFA does it state that FIFA has any role to play in the elections into the board of their members. Nowhere is it stated in FIFA statutes how such elections/selection should be done beyond using democratic principles. Nowhere in FIFA statutes does it offer a template on structure and stakeholders, and funding and electoral guidelines and so on, for adaptation by members.
FIFA is treading carefully this time around. They accepted the process of the resignations of the Executive Committee members. After that what?
The NSC had difficulty navigating the next stage in the process of dismantling whatever is left of the last association, that’s why they went to FIFA either to get the solution, or to get FIFA to come and validate the solution they intend to put in place. Either way, FIFA are here. We must make the best use of their presence.
Contrary to the general impression in Nigeria, FIFA is not a monster. It is not a clog in the wheel of progress. It will not interfere. It will witness the process of our internal resolutions that will still come from within us.
FIFA is not all-knowing and infallible. It is made up of humans too, ordinary folk that are hired and saddled with the responsibility to organise global competitions, to make money for the organisation, and to support the development of their member associations, and to continuously enhance the quality and marketability of their competitions. They are not gods sent down from Mount Olympus to crush any erring member.
Nigerians are in FIFA committees, doing well.
Nigerians are very smart people, our intellect and industry are acknowledged by the rest of the world.
The matter of our football is not rocket science. Take away the greed and power around it, and find a simple and straightforward matter that has the capacity to embrace and take care of every stakeholder.
This time around, the elements have sided with the prevailing conditions, and Nigeria has the perfect opportunity to set things right whilst FIFA assesses and validates the process and decisions as the buttons of true development and governance of Nigerian football are reset.
This whole matter can be resolved completely in one month. The critical issues are very few. We are not starting afresh to reconstruct Nigerian football. Let us discuss the main contentious amongst ourselves, make reasonable compromises, arrive at reasonable decisions, and get every stakeholder to sign on to it for the good of the game and the country only.
Let us allow FIFA to go back happily, to go and face their own global challenges, and never come back here again to resolve any challenges in our internal affairs.
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