The Chairman, Board of Trustees of Athletics and Others Sports Commission, an NGO that advocates for accountability and transparency in sports, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, says only a comprehensive probe of the sports sector, not only football, will turn around the fortunes of the nation’s sports.
Gombe said this probe will start from investigating the tenures of Aminu Maigari, Amaju Pinnick and that of Ibrahim Gusau, in addition to the government constituting the board of the National Sports Commission to oversee sports administration in the country.
He further argued “Besides, it is not Only Nigeria football that needs reform.Even the National Sports commission needs reform.Look at what is happening in Basketball, Athletics federation,etc. It runs in a circle.”
VDCInsights reports that Gombe made this call while weighed in on the recently concluded Nigerian Football Federation Congress, in Yenogao in a statement made available to the media on Thursday in Abuja.
He pointed out “These mishaps will continue to happen in NFF until an investigation is carried out starting from from Aminu Maigari tenure, else, we are going nowhere.”
The former Gombe FA Chairman stated “All these players talking today once visited the President Tinubu soon after he secured the mandate from his party in 2023. Nwankwo Kanu, Waheed Akanni, Pastor Taribo West JJ Okocha, etc went before Tinubu and could not present any paper on the way forward for Nigerian football.”
“Today, they want regime change claiming they own the game,says who? They didn’t go with an agenda to meet the president.Now, they want to talk .It was obvious they went for their personal interest,”he alleged.
Gombe pointed out “No country plans to go to FIFA World Cup in 2 years, it’s a transition, a programme driven by process and backed by genuine activities.I have been speaking about the rot in Nigerian football for over 25 years and no one listens to me.”
The sports entrepreneur stated that the vote of confidence passed on NFF President Ibrahim Gusau and his team by the Congress in Yanegoa was not unexpected, because it falls with their right to do so.
According to him “I refrained in recent times in talking about the management of Sports or Nigerian football generally,but let me talk about the vote of confidence passed on the NFF leadership,which for me is their right and normal to pass a vote of confidence.
He noted “It has a precedent, it is not a new thing. To think that the vote of confidence passed on Gusau led NFF is the first one,It is not.”
The former Gombe FA Chairman argued “Any offence the Gusau led NFF is said to have committed, is 10 times less than what former NFF President Amaju Pinnic committed”
He stated ” A vote of confidence on Amaju led NFF was passed. Why should people complain now? There was precedence, every single thing the Gusau led NFF had done badly, the worst happened during Amaju Pinnic tenure and a vote of confidence was still passed on him.”
The sports entrepreneur argued that Amaju Pinnick allegedly spent 8 years destroying Nigerian football, mismanaging our money. When these things were happening, the man leading the National Sports Commission (NSC) today Mallam Shehu Dikko was Amaju’s Vice president.”Would there be any reform in Nigerian football with Shehu Dikko in charge?
He challenged those Those calling for the sack of the NFF leadership for a new one to tell him “where would the new leadership come from to replace Gusau,insisting, If Amaju can do 8 Years, Gusau also Must finish 8 years.”
He noted “All we are doing now is recycling hypocrisy,and wondered where people talking today, were when Amaju Pinnick was there, insisting that Gusau is also a Nigerian.
Gombe who described himself as a non-sentimental person, said “I don’t discuss the region you come from or who you are, let the truth be told. I have heard some ex-players like Mikel Obi talking ***about reforms in NFF, why were they silent for 8 years when Amaju Pinnick was in office?
He stated “The Mikel Obi that’s talking today, was a beneficiary of our football.What happened to Vincent Enyeama, one of our best goalkeepers, the most capped player? Mikel Obi was there and he hypocritically kept quiet. Is it now his eyes opened that we need reforms in Nigerian football or regime Change.?
Gombe pointed out “My friend Harrison Jallah that is now writing, I warned him, when Shehu Dikko came into office, they were arranging to visit Dikko,I was invited but i refused to go. More than 60 solidarity visits were arranged by various stakeholders,organisations,etc .Where are they today, all these solidarity visits, what has changed?
“They were doing this because the President Bola Tinubu watched television, unlike the late President Buhari.They were running Sports in the Media.The President saw it,He told them I have seen it, you earn it,you deserved it. But the president didn’t understand that corruption and arranged visits and decay in Nigerian Sports goes beyond Newspaper and television accolades and Solidarity visits,”he stated .
“When Harrison Jallah told me of a visit to Shehu Dikko, I told him point blank that I will not visit them and that nothing will change.JALLAH said we should give them a chance, they would bring reform to NIGERIAN FOOTBALL and the sector etc, I told JALLAH again that it will not happen. I am surprised that Jallah suddenly started attacking NFF instead of Attacking those who promised him a REFORM.”
He alleged “Amaju Pinnick led NFF committed more crime than Ibrahim Gusau led NFF. Did Amaju Pinnick qualify Nigeria for World cup, No. Has money not been mismanaged under Amaju Pinnick, what happened? Nothing.
“Ibrahim Gusau is trying to manage the little he has to run the NFF, we have more money during the Amaju Pinnick tenure in NFF than today.”
The former Gombe Athletics Association chairman, noted “Amaju contested for CAF elections based on NFF vote of confidence, even with all his bad records and his inordinate ambition made him secure one vote, at a point Amaju boasted he does not need Nigeria, it’s Nigeria that needs him in FIFA, so where’s he now?
He stressed “NFF Congress has the right to pass a vote of confidence on its leadership and I saw it coming. I hate this selective attack. Nigeria football got this bad when Amaju Pinnick and Shehu Dikko led NFF for 8 years. Reform must begin from the top.”
He concluded “NSC must initiate it by putting its board together to Manage the National sports commission and Account for Tax payers money in the last 5 years.
