Giwa, Others Referred to Disciplinary Board

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday took a bold step to reign in some football stakeholders who are threatening the peace of the game in the country as it referred them to the Disciplinary Board of the Federation.


At  its  Extra-Ordinary General Assembly held in Abuja, the NFF said that the stakeholders namely Chris Giwa, Yahaya Adama, Muazu Suleyman, Sani Fema and Effiong Johnson brought Nigeria football and Nigeria to ridicule, opprobrium and disrepute by their actions which was in contravention of the NFF Statutes and other extant football laws.

Part of their actions which the General Assembly frowned at was “illegally contracting a law firm in South Africa in the name of the NFF and refusing to pay for the services up to a point where judgement was given against the NFF by the South African Court” and thus “violating the Statutes, regulations, directives and decisions of FIFA, CAF, WAFU and NFF.” Members, according to the communique, noted the motion for the suspension (of the erring members) pursuant to Article 37 (1) of the NFF Statutes but “in the spirit of Article 37 (3) and in the interest of fair hearing,” want them to defend themselves before the Disciplinary Board. Some other persons, namely Rumson Baribote, Shehu Adamu, Ben Agary and Jide Fashikun, accused of “aiding and abetting the above gross misconduct, thus collectively contravening provisions of NFF, WAFU, CAF, and FIFA Statutes” were also referred to the NFF Committee on Ethics and Fairplay to defend themselves.

The General Assembly attended by all the 44 members as well as the Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, the Chairman Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba, who was alleged to be among those who took the NFF to a Jos Court and the representative of the Inspector General of Police, affirmed the indivisibility of the NFF as governed by the NFF Statutes (2010 edition).

Apparently aware of the bitterness caused among the football family by the introduction of a clause in the NFF Statutes which forbids non-members of the Congress from contesting election into the Executive Committee at the 71st General Assembly in Abuja last year, the General Assembly, following “a passionate appeal by the Executive Committee”, suspended the adopted clause, pending its ratification at the next meeting. The Congress re-assured all stakeholders that “all eligible and qualified persons under the NFF Statutes are eligible to contest elections.”