Amaju Pinnick seeks positive vibes from Nigeria football stakeholders after NFF exit

Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick says what the Federation needs now from football stakeholders is positive vibes.

The FIFA Council Member while recently handing over the reigns of NFF to the newly elected NFF President opined that the new President should be given positive vibes to succeed without quarrels or court cases.

“We need to do the right thing, but football stakeholders have a major role to play in polishing and rebranding the Federation,” said Pinnick in an interview at the handover ceremony which was made available to nigeriafootball.ng.

“For eight years, when I came, the initial suspicion was that I was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They went and researched to find out that I was not a member of PDP.”

Last Tuesday, FIFA Council Member and Member of the CAF Executive Committee, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick formally handed over the reins of the NFF to the winner of the presidential election at the September 30 Elective General Assembly held in Benin City, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau.

He said: “Battle started afterward. A friend of mine told me that I fought against all odds, everybody, raised through the storm, and came out clean.”

Pinnick, who was in charge of the NFF for four years of two terms from 2014 to 2022, urged the Management and Staff to give Gusau and the new Board maximum support as they gave him and his team, and reiterated that he remained a part of the system and would still be available to offer advice and suggestions whenever such is sought.

Meanwhile, the new President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau recently gave his pledge to run an inclusive administration, in which all stakeholders will be welcome to make suggestions and recommendations on the best way to deal with knotty and not-so-knotty issues.

Having served two terms as Chairman of Chairmen and Member of the NFF Executive Committee under Pinnick’s administration, Gusau says he is determined to focus hard on the welfare of players and officials of the various national teams, to ginger and motivate them for podium successes at international competitions.