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Tag: Sani Lulu Abdullahi

  • Lulu, former NFF President, promises to transform Kogi State

    A former president of the Nigerian Football Federation, (NFF) Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, has promised to turn around the fortunes of Kogi State if voted into office as the next governor.

    Speaking after he purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination form to contest for the party’s governorship, Lulu, who was in charge of the NFF between 2006 and 2010, said it was incumbent on him to work tirelessly to bring smiles to the faces of Kogites whom he said have become despondent in the last three and a half years as a result of hunger, deprivations, and economic disempowerment.

    “It is a known fact that I inherited a debt of N300 million when I assumed office at the Glass House as the president of NFF  in August 2006 but left a robust N2.8 billion at the end of my tenure in 2010,” explained Lulu.

    “A state like Kogi in dire straits today needs an experienced, focused and one that has zero tolerance for corruption like me, at this point in time.”

    Meanwhile, a close confidant of Lulu, Alhaji Abdullahi Ndanusa, has enjoined Kogites to work collectively to ensure that his friend of over 40 years wins his party’s ticket and the overall state election, describing him as one of the most focused, down-to-earth and egalitarian administrators he has ever related with.

    He lamented the current situation in Kogi, saying it has degenerated to the level that the people of the state can no longer fold their arms and allow the situation to deteriorate further.

    Read Also: Kogi deputy governor as ghost worker

    Speaking in a similar vein, Otunba Adekunle Olawoyen described the aspirant as a household name in the country and one that has made his mark in sports and other spheres.

    Olawoyen said Lulu is the man that will rescue the state from its grinding poverty and general backwardness even as he charged the APC card-carrying members in the state to effect the real change by voting Sani Lulu as the party’s flag bearer in the coming primaries.

    Women Leader of Lulu’s Campaign Organisation, and a front line of Buhari/Osinbajo Support Group, Ambassador Fatima Adams, equally described Lulu as the best person to take over the reins of leadership of the state, describing him as a tested and trusted administrator.

    “He is a calm and accessible person. He has a listening ear, he has tasted power before but he does not allow that to intoxicate him; Kogi State will turn a new leaf with Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi in charge,” she noted.

  • Former NFF President decries poor publicity of National Sports Festival

    Alhaji Sani-Lulu Abdullahi, former President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday decried the poor publicity being given to the 2018 National Sports Festival (NSF).

    Abdullahi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that NSF was not being given befitting announcement it deserved as a national sporting event.

    He, therefore, urged the organizers to rise up to occasion by giving the festival the required publicity, for a successful outing.

    “I wonder why the organizers are not publicizing the event which is about to kick-off.

    “A sporting event that about 36 states of the country will be participating in, there ought to be enough publicity given to it,” he said.

    The NSF 2018 will kick-off on Dec. 6 and last till Dec. 16.

    Read Also: ‘Revive National Sports Festival’

    NSF is a biennial multi-sport event organised by the Federal Government through the National Sports Commission for athletes from all over the country.

    The festival which started in 1973 at the National Stadium; Surulere in Lagos, was originally conceived as a unifying tool to promote peace and ensure cross-cultural affiliation in Nigeria, after the 1967-1970 Nigerian civil war.

    According to the organizers, the game is also a development and training event to assist athletes prepare for continental and international tournaments.

    NAN

  • Corruption, biggest obstacle to Nigeria development

    Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi has described corruption as the biggest obstacle to the nation’s development, saying President Buhari remain the only antidote for corruption in the country.

    Speaking at his investiture as Patron of the Women for Buhari and Osibanjo, Lulu said he will join in mobilizing support for the second term bid of the President whom he said has been a blessing to the nation.

    The formal NFF Boss hailed President Buhari for sanitizing the nation and the great efforts he has been making in addressing corruption which he said has been the greatest impediment to the development of the country.

    Read Also: As NFF faces the future

    He said: “Before the coming to power of Buhari, Nigeria used to be seen as money-laundering, pariah nation. But today, the story is different, as Buhari is the first leader to really tackle corruption headlong, and the task has not been easy.

    “In all my years on earth I have not seen a leader who has fought corruption like Buhari. There is no doubt that God has ordained him to lead Nigeria and no human being can change this.”

    He scored President Buhari high on security, adding that without him coming to office Boko Haram insurgents would have taken control of the larger part of the country, especially the North. He scored Buhari and his team more than 90 per-cent and urged Nigerians from all walks of life to rally round Buhari and his deputy in the 2019 elections.

    Leader of the Women for  Buhari and Osibanjo, Amb.Fatima Adams said they decided to confer the honour of a patron on Alhaji Lulu Abdullahi because of his track records in football administration, especially when he was the president of the Nigerian Football Federation from 2006-2010.

    She said Lulu’ s transparency in the administration of the place, as well as his overall administrative qualities speak volume about his competence and eligibility, where he impacted on the people that came across him, especially those from his home state Kogi.

    Ambassador Adams said even since his leaving office, Alhaji Lulu Abdullahi has continued to conduct himself exemplarily, providing education and jobs for the poor and those in need. She said with Lulu’s appointment into President Buhari’s Support Group, he should bring his qualities to bear in ensuring that President Buhari is re-elected in 2019.

  • I’m not desperate – Lulu

    I’m not desperate – Lulu

    The former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Sani Lulu Abdullahi, has said he is not desperate but destined to return to his former post as president of Nigeria’s football governing body.

    Sani Lulu stated this while responding to questions about his desperation to return to the Glass House at his home town, Idah yesterday at the finals of the FOSLA U-13 Cup.

    Lulu, who hinted that he was only succumbing to intense pressure from the football family and stakeholders to return to the Glass House, said he had made up his mind to return to the position he lost to impeachment in 2010.

    He argued that his record as NFF boss are incomparable with that of the current Aminu Maigari-led NFF as there was all-round success and no complaints from any quarter.

    According to him, “Once again, I have heeded the clarion call. It is a call to national duty. Football is a game I love with passion and my achievements when I was the NFF President before I was forcibly impeached are still very visible.

    “If Nigerians that realized the positive contributions I made towards the growth of the game of football in the country want me to return to my former position, then, I have no option than to oblige them,” he said.

    Under the former FCT Director of Sports, the Federation witnessed a tremendous development of grassroots football in the country, starting from the U-13 in 2007, from which the likes of Chidera Ezeh, Kelechi Iheanacho and a host of other members graduated into the 2013 World Cup U-17 winning Golden Eaglets after U-15.

    It is worthy to note that during his period in office, Super Eagles soared high to an enviable 9th position in FIFA ranking as well as all the various national teams qualified for all the FIFA-organised competitions.