By Najib Sani
Bauchi state elders under the aegis of the ‘Bauchi Concerned Citizens’ have faulted the recent suspension of their sons, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, as president of the National Football Federation (NFF), describing the development as an act of injustice to Maigari in view of the successes he brought to the country in the football sector.
Speaking to journalists yesterday in Bauchi, the spokesman of the elders, Alhaji Umaru Dahiru, who is also the ‘Baraden Bauchi’, appealed to the football stakeholders in the nation to consider national interest rather than personal interest in trying to solve their differences, describing the recent rancour within the football families in Nigeria as most unfortunate.
Baraden Bauchi explained that the sudden suspension of the NFF president, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, NFF board and the congress was most unfortunate and was capable of retarding the development of football in the country and Africa in general.
He claimed that the NFF board under, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, had recorded remarkable achievements in the field of soccer both within Nigeria and internationally which gave the nation more recognition and respect in the world of soccer.
“If the present NFF board could win different laurels for the country through football especially by winning the Africa Nations Cup in South Africa, outstanding performance of women’s National teams, winning the U-17 World Cup by Golden Eaglets in 2013 and qualifying the country to play in the on-going World Cup competition then it is amazing for someone to start talking about dissolution of the board at this material time,” he argued.
Alhaji Umaru Dahiru stated that it is pertinent that the game of soccer is generally acknowledged as a great unifying factor to Nigerians, it also provides relief to Nigerians against the socio-economic and security challenges that bedevil the nation, saying the sector should not be allowed to be clouded by avoidable rancor.
He, therefore, appealed to the parties concerned to resolve their differences amicably so that Maigari would be reinstated and the board would forge ahead.
