NFF Election: Meet all 10 NFF presidential candidates

The Nigeria Soccer Federation (NFF) will elect its fortieth president at its 78th Annual Basic Meeting in Benin-Metropolis, Edo State on Friday(at present).

Whoever emerges as the brand new NFF President will, nevertheless, be the thirty sixth substantive president because the affiliation was based in 1945,

There are ten males within the race to interchange the outgoing NFF board led by Amaju Pinnick.

The candidates:

Peterside Idah
Idah is a former Tremendous Eagles goalkeeper who additionally performed for a number of native soccer league groups.

Idah, 47, is the pastor in command of Christ Ambassadors Church in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Peterside Idah:
He turned a pundit for the South African-based SuperSports channel after retiring from soccer and he has said on many events since throwing his hat within the ring that an NFF physique led by him will return to the grassroots. He believes the important thing to an excellent nationwide group is to allow native gamers to compete on an equal footing with foreign-based gamers.

Regardless of by no means having labored professionally in any soccer organisation, Idah believes he has what it takes to steer the NFF to larger heights.

Christian Emeruwa
Emeruwa is a doctorate holder in Well being Schooling and Human Kinetics from the College of Ibadan and is CAF’s Head of Security and Safety in Cairo.

He didn’t play skilled soccer however has spent over a decade in sports activities administration.

The Abia State indigene was the Nationwide Sports activities Supervisor of Particular Olympics Nigeria that led athletes to the World Summer time video games of the Particular Olympics in Shanghai, China in 2007.

He’s a member of the pioneer class, in addition to the primary African to be a Licensed Sports activities Security and Safety Skilled from the SRH Heidelberg College in Germany in a course facilitated by the Worldwide Centre for Sport Safety (ICSS) Doha, Qatar.

Emeruwa’s wealth of expertise cuts throughout the NFF for over a decade the place he served as a particular assistant to 3 successive Nigeria Soccer Federation’s common secretaries- Bolaji Ojo-Oba, Musa Ahmadu, and Mohammed Sanusi. He additionally labored as a coordinator for security and safety issues for CAF and FIFA-related video games.

As for the CAF Head of Safety and Security, he emphasised creating an “inner economic system of soccer inside Nigeria.” He additionally expressed that he would concentrate on restoring confidence to the management of the Federation if elected as President. “My rapid job as NFF president can be to revive confidence within the federation’s management”.

David Doherty
Doherty is a brand new title to many soccer observers in Nigeria. He’s a former participant.

Doherty performed for Harmony FC and Water Company earlier than a career-ending ankle damage on the camp of the Flying Eaglets forward of the 1999 U-20 World Cup in the course of the preparatory sport for the group stopped his progress.

Whereas he may not have had an excellent enjoying profession, he has made a reputation for himself as one in every of Nigeria’s best-known soccer directors and consultants based mostly overseas.

He’s the founding father of Crew Nigeria UK which simply partnered with the EPL membership facet Southampton just lately.

Identified to be an activist and a social media savvy character, Doherty needs to carry the wanted change to the Federation if elected because the President and to engender self-sufficiency.

Ibrahim Gusau
Gusau is a CAF committee member and the Zamfara FA Chairman. He isn’t an ex-international however has been concerned in administering soccer in his state and Nigeria. He’s on the present NFF board because the Chairman of all states’ FA Chairmen.

Gusau believes the NFF wants recent breath and blood on the helm of affairs. He boasts of uplifting the nationwide groups with correct expertise discovery. “My plan as soon as elected is to see that the Nigerian Soccer League is developed and engaging to sponsors.”

“I will even make sure that skills are found and are dropped at the limelight for the expansion and growth of soccer in Nigeria.”

Seyi Akinwunmi

Akinwumi is a lawyer and soccer administrator who as soon as served on the advert hoc committee for restructuring the Nigeria Nationwide League in 2012.

He’s the primary Vice President of the NFF.

Akinwumi was first elected into workplace in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018. He additionally serves because the Chairman of the Lagos State Soccer Affiliation.

His huge information of soccer administration within the nation has made him one of many main candidates prone to change Amaju Pinnick because the President of the Nigeria Soccer Federation.

Akinwumi, 54, highlighted 4 factors by which he would work to drive soccer ahead within the nation.

“I want to attain my ambition in NFF on 4 pillars. The primary is soccer growth, which incorporates grassroots restructuring and the event of the league.

Premier League giants Manchester United and English outfit Portsmouth FC in 2008, alongside Kano Pillars.

Shehu’s involvement with soccer administration dates again to 1991, and he believes that soccer in Nigeria is greater than phrases can describe.

Abba Yola
Yola is the Chief of Workers to the Minister of Sports activities, Sunday Dare, and is contesting for the NFF high seat for the second time, having misplaced out to Amaju Pinnick in 2018. In administration, Yola has spent over 40 years overseeing completely different sports activities.

He started his profession in administration as secretary of the Kano State Newbie Basketball Affiliation. He layer turned the Head of Zonal Sports activities Workplaces. He was additionally a committee member in command of two Nationwide Sports activities Festivals that have been held in Rivers and Lagos States

Yola was the Chairman of Kano Pillars from 2010 to 2014, throughout which the group gained three league titles. He claims that the explanation for his participation is the state of the soccer physique.

He believes that his intensive community will allow him to develop the soccer sector.

Adam Mohammed
Mohammed is one other FA chairman vying for the seat of the NFF president.

He’s a seasoned monetary skilled with years of expertise in soccer administration.

Mohammed studied Accounting and Economics at Middlesex College in the UK. Afterwards, he earned an MBA from the American Worldwide College in London.

He’s the FCT FA Chairman, a place he has held since 2019. He was a FIFA licensed soccer agent for 10 years, 2004-2014, earlier than going into administration.

In 2015, he based the Coronary heart Soccer Academy, Abuja, and in addition turned the 2nd Vice Chairman of the Abuja FA.

From 2015 to 2019, he served as a Particular Assistant to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

In line with Mohammed, he’s intentional about bringing core values to the Nigerian soccer ecosystem if elected as NFF president.

Suleiman Kwande :
Suleiman Kwande is a former lawmaker from Plateau State who can be vying for the NFF presidential submit.

Except for being a politician, Kwande can be a serving board member representing the North-central within the NFF.

The previous lawmaker is a type of who’ve been silent because the electoral course of as he’s but to make official statements about his ambition.

Musa Amadu
Musa Amadu is a former NFF secretary-general in the course of the Aminu Maigari-led administration, and he hopes to obtain the presidency mantle from Pinnick in the course of the September 30 election.

A authorized practitioner with a few years in soccer administration, he’s the primary Nigerian to obtain a FIFA grasp’s diploma in legislation, humanities, and sports activities administration.

Ahmadu basks within the euphoria of being a member of the golden yr of Nigerian football-2013 when Nigeria gained the Nations Cup in South Africa, a fourth U-17 World Cup in UAE, and a seventh WAFCON title in 2014 in Namibia.

He says he’ll replicate the 2013 golden yr if elected president of the NFF.