As the race for the head of Nigeria Football heats up, NFF Vice- President Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi believed his experience as the chairman of Lagos State Football Association will be brought to bear to the Sunday Dankaro House, OLUWAMAYOMIKUN OREOYA writes.
First Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Seyi Akinwunmi has said that if elected as the President of the NFF, he plans to leverage on four pillars which will include development, business, infrastructure and technology.
Akinwunmi on Tuesday, formally declared his intention to run for the leadership of Sunday Dankaro house slated for September 30 in Benin City, Edo State.
Akinwunmi, who is the chairman of Lagos State Football Association, added that he had all the experience and exposure to take Nigerian football to the zenith and make it compete with the world’s best practices.
He said: “In the course of my journey through the administration of Nigerian football, my interaction with international football administrators, my engagements with stakeholders as a member on the presidential committee on football development, my role as chairman NFF reform committee and as a member of the recently completed assignment of the presidential committee on the 10-year football master plan and through deep research, I have conceptualized the pathway to make Nigeria football great again. It is themed; FOOTBALL FIRST.”
“It leverages on four pillars, the first one being Football development; two being football business; three being infrastructure and four being football technology. I believe that through the football first pathway, I am uniquely qualified to turn things around and take us back to the top of global football.”
He continued: It is why I believe strongly that a transparent and effective football plan must be premised on good governance and must start at the grass roots restating phase that are well funded, empowered, independent and supported by the NFF much in the same way as member associations are supported by FIFA through FIFA grants.
“It must have an original football structure that includes a physical and infrastructural development plan with the NFF merely having an oversight function. Including a plan to ensure that NFF is focused on national football policies and the administration of national football matters while budgeting for and providing grants for grass root football development and will be measured against key performance indicators.
“It must include building a business and football ecosystem that incorporates a commercial partnership and sponsorship development plan with private sector participation at the heart of financing our football,” he added.
Akinwunmi also stressed the need to amplify the use of technology to develop football in Nigeria, ensuring that as president of the NFF, he would make Nigerians proud of our football again.
He said: “I tend to run as a unifier and as a harmonizer as the work requires all hands to be on deck. I commit to being the leader of an all-inclusive team that will take Nigerian football to new heights as indeed a new dawn beckons.
“A new dawn where grass root development takes pre-eminence, football as a business is promoted, infrastructure and technology are utilized to ensure our boundless pool of talents are discovered, nurtured and developed to the highest possible level.”
“Only when football is built from the ground up through intentional strategic planning and execution can we begin to have sustainable success.
“As the president of the Nigerian Football Federation, I will ensure that we make our people proud and bring smiles to the Nigerian football stakeholders. I invite you all to join me on this new challenging but exciting journey to move our football forward. I trust that I can count on your support as we take these steps forward as one big indivisible football nation.” he concluded.
Meanwhile, former Sokoto FA chairman Dr Nasir Danladi Bako endorsed Akinwunmi while urging football stakeholders not to bring religion and ethnicity into the elections.
He said: “If me, Danladi Bako, along with my elder, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, along with Dr. Tijani Yusuf and Sir Joe.
“Four of us from above the Niger, if we can endorse Seyi, I have endorsed him, the rest are present here and they have a choice to make when the time comes whoever they want to endorse but my presence here has given support to Seyi.
“So if i, we do not want to bring politics of region and ethnicity into the elections. What goes around will come around. Once upon a time you had Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima followed by Sani Lulu followed by Magari, One stretch of three chairmen from the north so why didn’t complain at that time. If you follow my drift I am looking for the merit and the best material. Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, please,” he said.