Pinnick's third term agenda dead on arrival : Possible replacements for current NFF boss

I do not think there could be any bigger slap on our faces and ridicule on our collective sensibility as Nigerians that could be heavier than such remark coming from a member of the Federation.

That’s the highest level of insult you could dish out to a pained Nigerian following our inability to qualify for the mundial.

We will come back on a separate day to talk about this.

I am yet to recover from the shock that the pride of over 150 million crazy Nigerian football followers, the Super Eagles, will not hoist the Country’s flag at the world's most prestigious single sporting showpiece, the FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar in November and the fact that the people who contrived to put us in this mess have seen nothing wrong in what they have done makes me bleed and unparalleled anger.

For the fact that Nigeria failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 and the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick immediately left the country for the World Cup draws in Qatar is a simple an explanation of how these people rate Nigerians.

I must say it here without mincing words that I am absolutely disappointed in the Minister at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare for not taking drastic decisions to remove the NFF President from Office.

Removing Amaju Pinnick from office is pretty simple and the Minister knows what to do.

Simply use government machinery and bring the elective congress together and take him out.

Once the removal is endorsed by congress that helps us avoid the FIFA ban they’ve always used to hold us to ransom.

That’s the only way out as these people will never resign no matter the circumstances and even the devil knows that.

He said he is coming for third term but the lofty third term agenda as beautiful as it looks is dead on arrival and I could tell you this for free.

If Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, who by all standard is a more responsible administrator than Pinnick could be removed as President of the NFF in 2005 following Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany then removing Pinnick will be a piece of cake.

The Minister must not wait until the NFF elective congress is convened. Pinnick must step aside now or be forced to do so.

Nigerian football has nosedived drastically under his administration and he must take full responsibility for the collective failure of the board.

The glamour of the FA Cup is dead, Youth Football that used to be our pride in those good old days is dead, as a matter of fact we have not been able to produce a qualitative under-17, under-20 and Olympic teams since 2016.

Football at league level is almost going grounded as the leagues don’t have sponsors.

Even the little sponsorship monies we make here and there are shrouded in secrecy.

There were some verifiable levels of corruption allegations against Pinnick and these allegations were swept under the carpet because some very powerful people at the presidency in Abuja interceded on his behalf.

There is one sure thing, this government has less than 12 months and when that time come we will all remind the courts, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offenses Commission of their statutory responsibilities as enshrined within the constitution of the land.

Pinnick is leaving and there is no doubt about that but keeping him until his own terms at a convened congress is what lot of us are not comfortable with.

There is no doubt about him leaving but he must face all the corruption charges against him and time is coming his benefactors within the presidency will no longer be there to help him out.

Sure banker no third term.

Possible replacements for Pinnick

From the provision of the constitution of the NFF it is almost certain that we will not get a President to replace Pinnick from outside the Board unless a miracle happens or the Minister of Sports attempts to be more daring, brazen and adventurous.  


These names are all heavyweights in their own right but from the way things are going the mantle of leadership may go in the way of either Shehu Dikko or Hon. Suleiman Kwande.

Dikko will have the support of the highly influential Yusuf Fresh if Fresh will eventually not contest the presidency of the board and besides Fresh’s support Dikko has the big bucks to throw around.

Dikko is presently the 2nd Vice President of the NFF and also doubles as the Chairman of the League Management Company, the body responsible for organizing Nigeria’s topflight league.

Dikko would have easily won the September 2014 NFF elections in Warri but the powers that be wrestled him out of the race for Pinnick who by every standard has turned out to be catastrophe and nightmare to Nigerians.

Hon. Kwande is a respected board member and a former Chairman of Mighty Jets FC of Jos and a member of the Nigeria Joint-Congress where he represented Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency in the House of representatives for eight years.

Hon. Kwande is highly connected to government at all levels and is from an influential family in Plateau State.

We are made to understand he is very close to the incumbent Amaju Pinnick but if that will play against him no one can tell for now.

Wherever the pendulum swings, Nigerians must get a better Federation that must do everything right or four years from now we will come back to square one and God forbids as we may be forced to lead protests.