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Tag: Tamuno Danagogo

  • NFF accused Keshi of insubordination – Danagogo

    NFF accused Keshi of insubordination – Danagogo

    The Minister of Sports, Tammy Danagogo, has finally revealed reasons why the Nigeria Football Federation hesitated in reappointing Stephen Keshi as Super Eagles coach.

    Keshi, who recently signed a two-year contract with the NFF to continue as Super Eagles coach, was left hanging in the wind for nine months before he was confirmed to continue, although he handled the team on interim basis after his contract expired last July, sl10.ng reports.

    And Danagogo has revealed that the NFF’s hesitation was not down to incompetence on Keshi’s part, but due to “lack of respect’ and ‘insubordination.”

    “When I interviewed the NFF board members when they were yet to re-sign him, they weren’t even complaining about incompetence or anything of the sort.

    “But it was more of them complaining of Keshi not respecting their superiority and insubordination on his (Keshi’s) part,” he told sl10.ng.

    The outgoing Sports Minister however said he believes both Keshi and the NFF have learnt their lessons and advised they should cooperate more and work better together.

    “I believe Keshi has learnt his lessons, and so also the Nigeria Football Federation. I think they should cooperate and work well together and if they do, they will succeed,” Danagogo concluded.

  • Minister stops Maigari from office

    Minister stops Maigari from office

    The Controversial Sports Minister, Tamuno Danagogo, has again stopped the Nigeria Football Federation president, Aminu Maigari, from office.

    World football governing body has said Maigari and his secretary-general Musa Amadu must resume work this week after the federation’s office would have been vacated by Chris Giwa and his group, who claimed to have won a recent election.

    Amadu resumed work on Monday, while Maigari returned to his desk Tuesday.

    But Danagogo, whose poor handling of the impasse bedeviling Nigerian football has been condemned in several quarters, stirred more controversy on Tuesday when he said Maigari should not have returned to the Glass House.

    FIFA has asked Maigari to convene an executive committee meeting to set a date for the body’s general assembly as soon as possible.

    The global body has equally warned the country will be banned till its next congress in May 2015 should there be any hindrance to the NFF elections planned for this month.

    “I’m not aware that Maigari or whoever has resumed office. The secretary general Musa Amadu who I’m aware resumed office on Monday told me that he has been able to discharge his duties without any problem,” africanFootball.com  quoted  Danagogo as saying to journalists on Tuesday.

    “As at this morning (Tuesday) when Amadu spoke to me, he didn’t tell me any other person had reported to office.

    “I will not rely on hearsay until I get report from persons who are meant to brief me about that.

    “Before now, we advised all parties, Maigari group, Giwa group, or persons involved in the entire crisis to stay aside pending when issues are sorted out.”

    He claimed his directive was to avoid a fight between the groups.

  • NFF: Amadu threatened with arrest, Giwa files FIFA defence

    NFF: Amadu threatened with arrest, Giwa files FIFA defence

    The Nigeria Football Federation General Secretary, Musa Amadu, has again been threatened with arrest by security agencies if he fails to “co-operate” with the sports ministry bid to install Chris Giwa as president of the federation.

    However, Giwa has concluded plans to send his response to the World’s soccer governing body, FIFA, before Monday’s expiration of deadline given him to vacate the Glass House.

    Amadu was detained by the Directorate of State Security alongside the NFF president Aminu Maigari and the chairman of the federation’s technical committee, Chris Green, before last Tuesday’s  “kangaroo” election that produced Giwa as NFF president.

    Giwa had in a letter to FIFA said Tuesday’s elections were free and fair and as such the world football governing body should recognise him as the duly elected president of the federation, africanFootball.com reports.

    However, his defence will not be complete without the approval of Amadu, who was whisked to the congress venue by the Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo.

    The factional NFF president, according to africanFootball.com, had said last Friday that his presentation will prove beyond reasonable doubt that his election received the full blessing of the 44-man congress.

    Findings however showed that only five bonafide members of the general assembly attended the meeting.

     

  • Minister endorses Giwa-led NFF

    Minister endorses Giwa-led NFF

    Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo on Thursday expressed immense confidence in the new Nigeria Football Federation’s executive committee led by Chris Giwa to take Nigerian football to new heights, africanFootball.com reports.

    Speaking during a courtesy call on him by the new NFF board, Danagogo also urged the new helmsmen to open channels of communication with all aggrieved institutions and individuals with a view to reconciling all parties and achieving lasting peace in Nigerian football.

    “I congratulate you on your election and have confidence in you to take our football to where it should be,” africanFootball.com quoted the minister as saying at the forum.

    “I have known some members of this board for several decades now, and some others for quite some time now. You are all people I can easily relate with.

    “But the challenges ahead are huge. I want you to start reaching out to all persons who have issues and discuss with them, and find amicable solution to all matters.

    “You must be ready to reconcile with all institutions and individuals of interest, such as government, FIFA, members of NFF and stakeholders.

    Speaking earlier, Giwa thanked the sports minister for his continued support for the NFF, the national teams and Nigerian football generally, and pledged that his board would work assiduously towards taking the nation’s game to a new height.

    “The truth is that the NFF has been beset by crises for a long time, for more than a decade. This new team is determined to bring these crises to an end. We will work hard towards bringing everyone together and reconciling in the interest of the Nigeria game,” he vowed.

    Present at the meeting with the minister were Giwa, NFF 1st Vice President Obinna Ogba, executive committee members Effiong Johnson, Sani Fema, Felix Amaechi Obuah and Adams Yahaya.

    There were also former Nigeria Premier League Chairman, Rumson Baribote, former NFF board member Ben Agarry, NFF assistant director (Communications) Ademola Olajire, head of International competitions Bola Oyeyode, chief legal officer, Barr. Okey Obi and the Special Assistant to the General Secretary, Christian Emeruwa.

  • Uncertainty surrounds NFF congress

    Uncertainty surrounds NFF congress

    It is clear on Tuesday afternoon that the much publicized Nigeria Football Federation congress slated for Chida Hotel, Abuja, will no longer hold following the arrest of NFF president, Aminu Maigari and two other principal officials of the federation by operatives of the State Security Service.

    Maigari’s loyalists who had earlier clashed with loyalists of Sports Minister, Tamuno Danagogo and NFF vice president, Mike Umeh, at the hotel, were detained for demanding the release of Maigari and Chris Green, the NFF technical committee chairman.

    The Secretary of Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, Comrade Austin Popo, who spoke to our correspondent on telephone, said the congress member were detained for asking for the NFF officials’ release.

    “They told us that we have no business in their office. The SSS operatives insisted that since they don’t have business at Chida Hotel, they will remain in their office, pending when they decided to go back to the hotel for the congress without Maigari and Green,” Popo said.

  • Abba Yola faults minister’s insistence on NFF poll

    Abba Yola faults minister’s insistence on NFF poll

    Former Kano Pillars chairman, Abba Yola, has questioned the desperation of the country’s sports minister to support a “faulty” process leading to elections to the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation.

    Both FIFA and NFF have agreed for elections to the NFF executive committee be moved from August 26, but Sports Minister Tamuno Danagogo has insisted the poll must be conducted on that day.

    Yola was one of the major stakeholders stopped from buying a form for the elections, saying “for the past one month I have tried to pick the presidential form but could not do so. And nobody has given me any reason as to why I cannot get the form.”

    In an open letter dated August 23 to the sports minister, Yola contested the fairness of the electoral process, while also narrating his personal encounters with the chairman of the electoral committee, Amoni Biambo, which further questioned the integrity of the entire process.

    Yola, who has been in sports administration for over 30 years, argued the minister has maintained double standards on the NFF electoral process.

    “Your turn around and support the electoral committee to go ahead with the elections as earlier scheduled despite what you told Nigerians about the entire exercise has left many of us in doubt over the integrity of the process.

    “The SGF (Secretary to the Federal Government, Pius Anyim) directive that only those that have written formal complaints should be sold forms to fill and submit on Monday for the elections is inequitable especially coming after the FACT.

    “This directive smacks of a desperate attempt to legitimize a faulty process. Hon. Minister I would like to appeal to you as a lawyer to appreciate the grave impropriety of the SGF’s directives which in the event of litigation will not stand the test of judicial scrutiny.

    “Any decision taken by a public officer must always avoid causing unnecessary embarrassment to the government,” africanFootball.com quoted Yola as saying in the letter.

    He therefore demanded a reversal of the decision for elections to still go ahead on Tuesday.

     

  • NFF: Nigeria safe from FIFA hammer – Minister

    NFF: Nigeria safe from FIFA hammer – Minister

    The Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo, on Wednesday assured that Nigeria is not at risk of the world football ruling body, FIFA’s hammer over the crisis that engulfed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    Apart from a court order, some members of the NFF board removed its Chairman, Aminu Maigari from office. FIFA had threatened to sanction Nigeria if the government was behind the crisis in NFF.

    Speaking with State House correspondents, the minister said the government did not unduly interfere in the issue as a legitimate NFF Congress was responsible for Maigari’s ouster.

    According to him, the NFF crisis was fuelled by moves to stop Maigari from manipulating and succeeding himself in the forthcoming NFF executive committee elections billed to hold in the next few weeks.

    He said: “Nigeria is safe, I can tell you that. What FIFA wants is for the right things to be done and there should be a high level of independence in what is happening. So far, if you look at what has happened, I think government has been very fair, government has done everything possible not to unduly interfere.

    “As a government, we have constitutional duty to maintain law and order. When factions in football family begin to dispute, we have a duty to see that we don’t allow them kill themselves, we don’t allow them destroy the buildings where they are operating. Beyond that, we have not done anything. What we have done, is to see that law and order is maintained.

    “Firstly, you must understand that the first thing that happened as soon as we returned from Brazil, was the old NFF, that is the Maigari-led NFF on the 3rd of July, wrote to me, informing me that there is a court order saying that they are not the legitimate executive council of the NFF and that a civil servant has been appointed or directed to take over and then urged me to intervene to maintain law and order. And what we did was to ensure that there is a law and order.

    “And of course, the group of FA chairmen and stakeholders, who also didn’t want the Maigari government to continue, called their congress and the congress passed a vote of no confidence on that exco. At the beginning, FIFA thought maybe it was a government action, a court action, but we have gone far beyond that. We are talking about a legitimate Congress of NFF, of the football family in the whole country meeting and passing a vote of no confidence. That is not government action. It is strictly a decision of a majority of football stakeholders in the country.

    He went on: “Ordinarily, the tenure of the Maigari led exco has almost come to an end, may be by July or August. And it is a routine, even in our national politics, that once we get to election season, there is always a dispute between parties who are interested.”

     

  • FG demands N2.591b account from NFF

    FG demands N2.591b account from NFF

    • Lifts ban on Ogunjobi, Baribote  

    • Ultimatum expires today 

    The Federal Government has ordered the sacked board of the The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to render a detailed account of how it spent the sum of N2.591billion allocated to it for football administration in the country.

    Furthermore Sports Minister / Chairman, National Sports Commission, Mr. Tamuno Danagogo, also in a July 2 letter to former NFF President, Aminu Maigari has demanded for the  refund of  the $3,600,000 released  to the Super Eagles as their allowances for the World Cup second round encounter  with France.

    The letter, NSC/HMC/GEN/CON/2014, signed by Justice Joffa, reads: “I am directed by the Honourable Minister and Chairman, National Sports Commission to request a detailed statement of account of all monies received from the Federal  Government, other sponsors/donor companies and FIFA, by the Nigeria Football Federation under the following headings within 48 hours (today):

    •  One hundred and fifty thousand naira (N150,000,000) monthly Federal Government subvention from January 2013 to date

    •  Eight hundred and fifty million naira (N850,000,000) released by the Federal Government for the preparation and participation for the Super Eagles for the first round of matches at the FIFA World Cup, Brazil 2014.

     

    •  One million and five hundred thousand dollars (US$1,500,000) FIFA grant the Federation received for the preparation of the Super Eagles for the World Cup.

    •  Receipts from the various donors/sponsors companies for the prosecution of the 2014 World Cup and management of our leagues.

    “You are also expected to provide details of how the total of $14million expected from FIFA for Nigeria advancing to the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup will be used to develop football in Nigeria.

    “You are to note that the $3,600,000 Mr. President graciously advanced for the appearance fees of players is not a donation. You are directed to ensure a refund of the said amount to the Honourable Minister without any further delay.

    “You are to further note that all the funds entrusted to you are to be deployed for the development of football in Nigeria and not for any political re-election bid.

    “This is for your information and strict compliance.”

    A reliable government source said: “The government is unhappy at the allegations of mismanagement of funds by the NFF. This is why the government is demanding accountability.

    “The government also is trying to prove to FIFA that the issue with the NFF borders on transparency and accountability. Therefore, it has become imperative for the government to put the problems with the NFF before the public for FIFA to appreciate.

    “FIFA has threatened to sanction Nigeria Tuesday (today) but the World Football governing body will also not tolerate alleged corrupt practices.

    “Nigerians can now appreciate why the players held the nation to ransom by demanding appearance fees before their last match with France.

    “The players appeared to have known much about the NFF than the government.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “Security agencies are already looking into the activities of the NFF.”

    In dissolving the NFF, the extra-ordinary congress of stakeholders and delegates also lifted the ban on both Taiwo Ogunjobi and Victor Rumson Baribote by the Maigari-led NFF.

    FIFA gave Nigeria up till today to let Maigari be after a Plateau State High Court last week voided his emergence as NFF Chairman.

    The congress in a resolution at its Abuja meeting “expressed heartfelt appreciation to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, in his personal capacity, and the Federal Government in general, for total and unflinching support to the Nigeria Football Federation for the development of the game.

    It also “Commended the players and officials of the Super Eagles for their impressive performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil. Bemoaned the unfortunate incident of the international embarrassment caused the Nigeria nation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, by failure of the Maigari–led NFF to fully and firmly resolve issues of finance with the Super Eagles ahead of the championship.

    “Accused the Maigari administration of short-changing grassroots development by failure to regularly avail State Football Associations of annual grant, and abuse of NFF Statutes in its constitution of NFF Electoral Committee, by altering the list of persons approved by the Congress at the 2013 General Assembly in Warri, Delta State, and inaugurating a different Committee. A new NFF Electoral Committee and NFF Appeals Committee were constituted.

    *Unanimously endorsed the dissolution of the Aminu Maigari –led NFF Executive Committee, and immediate termination of the employment of all Management Staff.

    “Endorsed the dissolution of the Boards of the Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women League and the Nigeria Nationwide League. The Secretaries are to take over the running of the Leagues and report to the Acting General Secretary of NFF.

    “Approved the appointment of Mr. Lawrence Katken as Acting General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, pending the appointment of a substantive General Secretary.”

    It approved the constitution of an electoral committee to conduct a fresh election into the NFF.

    FIFA warned Nigeria about possible suspension after the Plateau State High Court ordered the sacking of the soccer association and the appointment of a new administrator to run the game.

    It gave the Federal Government until today to restore the leadership of the Nigerian Football Federation failing which  the country could be suspended from playing in international competitions.

    “FIFA has learnt from various sources that the Nigerian Football Federation has been served with court processes and that consequently an order restraining the President of the NFF, his Executive Committee members and the NFF Congress from running the affairs of Nigerian soccer has been granted by a High Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” said a FIFA statement.

    FIFA has reminded the NFF that all FIFA member associations have to manage their affairs independently and without influence of any third parties.

    The Plateau State High Court  had granted an injunction restraining Maigari and co from running the affairs of soccer in the country.