Governing Bodies
It is 60 years today since government first interfere in Nigerian football governing body
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Today, 10 May 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the first time that a board of the Nigerian football governing body was sacked
Government interference in the running of football in Nigeria has been a recurring decimal for close to three decades.
Yet, it was not so many years ago as the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) was an independent body. But all that changed on this date, 10 May in 1962.
It was on that day that the Nigerian government intervened in the running of the football governing body of the country for the first time since the NFA was founded in 1933 (not 1945 as erroneously being believed).
Chief Joseph Modupe Johnson, better known as JMJ who was the Minister for Labour and Welfare and also in charge of sports announced the dissolution of the then NFA and constituted an eight-man caretaker committee.
That was the sack that changed the course of history, being the first governmental interference in the running of the NFA.
Oblivious of what was in the offing, the NFA members headed by its chairman, Francis Sodolamu Ogunmuyiwa, a magistrate judge, attended a hurriedly called meeting by the minister.
Other NFA members then were Fred Anisha, the vice chairman, Adetayo Awolesi, the secretary, Israel Adebajo, the treasurer and Alhaji Saliu. They were all elected at the poll conducted on 26 March 1961.
After levying allegations of fund misappropriation and lack of administrative skills, the minister, Modupe Johnson dropped the bomb as he announced the dissolution of the board and appointed a eight-man caretaker committee to run football in Nigeria.
The Acting Deputy Inspector General of Police, Louis Edet who later became the first Nigerian Inspector General, headed the committee. The Police Headquarters in Abuja is named after him.
Other members included M.E.K Roberts, a deputy commissioner of Police and Brig. Sam Ademulegun who was killed in the first coup in Nigeria. The committee also had Commodore Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey, a former footballer who later rose to the position of Vice admiral and Chief of Naval Staff.
He also served at various times as acting foreign minister and Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters, making him the de facto Vice President during General Yakubu Gowon’s regime. He was also the best man when General Gowon married in 1969.
Also in the first appointed board of the NFA were Mustapha Adewale and Pius Anthony. The later, whose previous name was Pius Quist, was of Ghanaian descent and had been the first African to head the NFA in 1955.
The other members were Luke Emejulu, the secretary and Alhaji Koguma.
Francis Ogunmuyiwa, the chairman of the sacked NFA board initially queried the minister’s power to summon the meeting in which the sack was announced. He cited sections of the NFA constitution to back his claims.
The minister responded that the government considered public interest in taking the action. He pointed out that government was not going to take back seat in sports again.
The minister disclosed that the Ogunmuyiwa team took off with a balance of £8,500 but incurred a debt of £9,900. He emphasized that if the team were to go on, the gulf would continue to widen.
He also revealed that the Federal Government gave a loan of £9,900 to the NFA. No previous administration of the NFA had asked for Federal Government’s aid.
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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