BAYELSA TO HOST NFF AGM
The executive board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would, tomorrow, hold an emergency meeting to endorse the Bayelsa State as host for the federation's Annual General Meeting (AGM) tentatively scheduled for this weekend.
Disclosing this to DailySunSport on telephone from Yenagua, the Bayelsa State capital, the chairman Nigerian Premier League (NPL) who doubles as the second vice president of the NFF, Chief Rumson Victor Baribote, said that the State Governor, Demipre Sylva, on Monday finally approved the request to host the congress.
'All roads lead to Yenogua this weekend for the NFF AGM as my governor, His Excellency, Depriye Sylva, has finally gave a nod to our request to hold the congress in the state. Although the board would likely meet tomorrow in Abuja to endorse the host state formally, I assure you that with the arrangements we have put in place, it is going to be a historical and memorable AGM,' Chief Baribote assured.
Asked to comment on the challenge of the political tension in the state, the NPL boss guaranteed that though politicking to elect a new governor was currently going on in the state, the governor had assured of adequate and water- tight security.
'Politics is part of the polity, but it was not as tensed as we are looking at it from a distance. The State is very calm and lively, I assure you that we are going to organise and host a very memorable AGM in Bayelsa.
'It is going to be a compendium of events because we are looking at the possibilities of building into our programme, authorities delivering quality papers on the way forward for Nigerian football. We will invite the administrators of the 20 Premier League clubs and invite possible sponsors for both the National League and Women League.
'We want to also organise a football match to entertain those in attendance and we are looking at the option of inviting league champions, Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt to square up with a selected 11. There will also be a Gala night on Sunday to round off the meeting. Bayelsa is really a place to be this weekend if the federation finally approves the programme and proposal,' the NPL boss noted.
On the possibility of the NPL organising a Super-4 before the end of this year, the League boss disclosed that the board has cancelled the event due to the limited time and the prolonged league season, stressing that they would integrate the glamour and programme of events of the Super-4 into the AGM.
'We were forced to cancel the Super-4 because of the prolonged league season in addition to the limited time in our disposal. But all I can assure you is that we will reflect some of the programmes in the Super-4 into the AGM and I can assure you that we won't miss much,' Chief Baribote noted.