Maigari resumes as NFF president

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari

Nigeria Football Federation president Aminu Maigari has resumed in office in Abuja. The NFF boss returned to office in spite of alleged resistance by erstwhile acting leader Mike Umeh.

Maigari was purportedly impeached last month by the NFF Executive Committee members on allegations over sundry issues.

But last week, FIFA’s Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner stated in a letter to the NFF that the removal breached several statutes guiding the sacking of officials at that level and asked that the impeachment be reversed. The world football governing body also directed that Maigari should preside over the forthcoming NFF elections fixed for Warri, Delta State. The letter demanded that the NFF should revert to how it was structured before the 2014 World Cup which held in the months of June and July in Brazil.

The Minister of Sports Dr. Tammy Danagogo accordingly asked the NFF board to comply with the FIFA directive and addressed the media on Friday with Maigari to make the stand of the government on the issue public.

Danagogo said in part, “Let me tell you if tomorrow a competent court of law orders me not to come to this office, I will not come until I get advice from the Attorney General of the country that I should do so.

“And if any international federation does same, that is what I would do. And that is what we have done with the issue of NFF. Once an order comes, you would obey until the Attorney General says do not obey for certain reasons or the court says the matter has been decided in one way or the other. And that is what we did.”

On Monday, Maigari said that all he had always wanted was the best for the country’s football.

He said, “There is no victor and no vanquished. We must all come together in the interest of the game. We are all adults and we must have differences, but I am happy that those differences are now in the past and we are now of the same accord.”

The NFF board is scheduled to meet on Tuesday under the new dispensation. The PUNCH learnt that two major issues would most likely be on the agenda for the meeting. They are the NFF elections and the contract renewal talks with Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi as the Super Eagles prepare to host Congo on September 6 in Calabar.