Senator John Owan Enoh, minister of sports development, has demanded that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Congress be expanded in order to include additional relevant stakeholders and guarantee equitable representation for the benefit of the game.
He claimed that because of the economic, social, and cultural importance of football to Nigeria and its people, whatever needed to be done to advance the sport should be done so in the best interests of the country.
In order to include more stakeholders, he suggested that the NFF Congress be expanded.
The Minister added, “NFF’s Congress should be such that it is proportionally representative enough of all interests for the good of the game.
He continued by saying that Nigeria’s football laws ought to be flexible enough to take into account the peculiarities of the nation’s makeup and population.
“If FIFA recognizes the special circumstances in each nation (as mentioned), then the NFF does not need to wait for the universal statute (FIFA), as it may not cover those special circumstances and we may not have control over the timelines,” Enoh continued.
In accordance with his instructions, the NFF must begin and complete all anticipated amendments, including adoption, ratification, and approval, within the following year and then send FIFA the updated documents.
“NFF should submit the action plan leading to the final amended statute with clear timelines to the Office of the Minister of Sports Development,” Senator Enoh said. As we need to advance and bring this to a successful conclusion, he explained.
Therefore, the minister once again expressed his support for the football organization’s efforts to improve the state of Nigerian football.