GALADIMA CHIDES NFF OVER CAF SEAT

By NBF News

FORMER Chairman of the defunct Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Ibrahim Galadima, has chided the president and board members of the Nigeria football Federation (NFF) over their roles in the events leading up to the re-entrance of suspended member of CAF and FIFA executive member, Dr. Amos Adamu, into the CAF executive seat race.

Galadima, who was earlier nominated by the NFF as Nigeria's replacement for Adamu, who was suspended for three years by world football ruling body, FIFA, told The Guardian in a telephone chat that the whole thing was an embarrassment to the country.

The Kano State-based football administrator noted that it was wrong for anybody, including those on the NFF board, to see the CAF battle as a Galadima affair, adding that he did not even in the first place lobby anybody to nominate him. He queried the NFF for nominating him in the first place, only to turn around to embarrass him by saying it has dropped his name.

'Who asked them to nominate me in the first place? Their action is very unfortunate,' Galadima said. 'It is very embarrassing to the entire country and not to me. Nobody has got back to me since we came back from Cairo. It is not about me, it is all about Nigeria and if the NFF is handling the matter this way, then something is wrong somewhere.'

The former NFA chairman noted that what was happening now was the manifestation of what the NFF had in mind, adding that with the present situation, Nigeria had already lost out because the list released by CAF showed that the country was not going in for any election.

He maintained that the country was supposed to nominate the replacement, who would serve out the tenure following what happened to the last occupant of the position, adding that as things stood, CAF would now have to choose the replacement and it could be from any country it chooses.

An angry Galadima maintained that the election took place in 2009 and by CAF Statutes, the country that produced the member should equally produce the replacement. But for NFF to handle the matter this way, it meant it has no interest in the image of the country.

He regretted that the Aminu Maigari-led NFF has proved that it is under some influence by the way it has muddled the CAF seat issue, adding that the president has neither picked his call nor bothered to communicate with him on the development since they returned from Cairo.