Nigeria Football Federation#Presidents

Author and Nigerian football historian Kunle Solaja has found evidence that the Nigerian Football Federation could have been formed in 1933 and not 1945 as previously thought.

Solaja cited two Nigerian Daily Times' articles dated from 21 July and 21 August 1933. The first was an article called titled "Proposed Football Association",{{Cite web |title=The Business of Football – THISDAYLIVE Actually supposed to form in 1933 formal was 1945. |url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/04/11/the-business-of-football/ |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=www.thisdaylive.com}} the latter was an advert invited people to attend an open meeting.

{{Quote box

|quote = Nigerian Football Association

The inaugural meeting of the above will be held at Health Office, Broad Street, at 7 pm tonight to discuss the formation of the Association and to pass its Rules. All interested in Football are invited to attend

|source = Nigerian Daily Times, 21 August 1933

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}}

The FA's Public Affairs Officer David Berber, revealed that the FA held evidence of the Nigerian Football Federation existing before 1945:

"I can advise that the name of the Nigeria Football Association first appeared in the ‘FA Handbook’ for the season 1938–1939, in the list of our affiliated associations. The NFA Secretary at that time was F.B Mulford, with a Lagos address."

On the 9th July 2014, upon the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria was suspended from FIFA, briefly,[https://web.(internatinal).html.com HD-print-international-football-by-fifa-due-to-government-interference skysports – Nigeria banned from international football by FIFA due to government interference] According to a statement from FIFA the World soccer’s ruling body had previously sent a letter to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in which it expressed its concerns after the NFF received court proceedings which hindered its president from running the African country’s soccer affairs.{{Cite news |date=2014-07-09 |title=UPDATE 1-Soccer-Nigeria suspended by FIFA over government interference |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/soccer-world-fifa-nigeria-idAFL4N0PK4A020140709 |access-date=2022-12-10}}{{Cite news |date=2014-07-18 |title=FIFA lifts Nigeria suspension |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-fifa-nigeria-idUKKBN0FN22920140718 |access-date=2022-12-10}}

However Nigeria was back for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.{{Cite news |date=2014-07-18 |title=FIFA lifts Nigeria suspension |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-fifa-nigeria-idUKKBN0FN22920140718 |access-date=2022-12-10}}

In September, another dispute risked leading to Nigeria missing qualifying for 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, but problems were resolved, and Nigeria went on to the 2014 African Women's Championship.

[https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29107600 BBC – Fifa has confirmed that African champions Nigeria have avoided a ban from global football].

A Bill for an Act to repeal the Nigeria Football Association Act and endorse the Nigeria Football Federation Act ("NFF Act") has been passed by the National Assembly of Nigeria in 2019. It remains for President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent for the Bill to become law.[https://www.brila.net/nigerian-senate-passes-nff-bill/ – Nigerian Senate passes NFF Bill].[https://punchng.com/senate-passes-nff-establishment-bill/ – Nigerian Senate passes NFF Establishment bill].

The public consensus favors the passage of the Bill, as it is believed will become what Nigeria's Football Federation require to effectively grow football in the country. However, legal opinion queried the constitutionality, based on the Constitution of Nigeria as it regards to sports and sports administration of which the National Assembly has no legislative powers to pass such laws. Further still if the Bill becomes Law by the President's assent, Nigeria Football Federation will become a statutory body which will, therefore, contravene one of the FIFA statutes for their member organizations.[https://www.aluko-oyebode.com/insights/a-review-of-the-nigeria-football-federation-bill/ – a review of the Nigeria Football Federation bill].

Corruption is the unlawful enrichment of oneself by the use of one's workplace, whether through bribery, theft, or receipts of compensation for the execution of what should have been one's usual task. Corruption has been the bane of Nigerian public and private life for many years. Corruption has eaten so deeply into the fabric of Nigerian culture that it has been embraced as a way of life, it is an undeniable reality. In Nigeria, corruption has taken on a new sense, with only those who have been caught in the act of theft being labeled as corrupt. Corruption is perpetuated in the sports industry, especially in football, by the awarding of contracts, the hiring of coaches, the use of referees on the field of play, the election of board members, and the selection of players, among other things. Much of this revolves around the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), formerly the Nigerian Football Association (NFA), which is a federal government body under the sports ministry tasked with the creation of football in Nigeria. According to stakeholders in the football industry, corruption has wreaked havoc on the advancement of the sport in Nigeria. It has been so pervasive that former Nigerian Senate President David Mark described the Nigeria Football Federation as the most corrupt government agency in the country during one of house's sittings in 2013. No one knows exactly when football began in Nigeria, but one thing is certain: Nigerians began playing the game for fun and relaxation long before the Nigeria Football Association was established (NFA). It is commonly thought that former British colonial masters introduced football to Nigeria as early as 1914, after Lord Lugard's amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria.{{Cite web |title=Lord Lugard Created Nigeria 104 Years Ago |url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/lord-lugard-created-nigeria-104-years-ago |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=Council on Foreign Relations |language=en}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|ENG}} Pa Mulford (1945–1947)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} Pius Quist(Anthony) (1947–1948)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} D.H. Holley (1949–1950)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} P. Harvey (1951–1953)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} N. Miller (1954–1956)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} Dennis J. Slattery (1957–1958)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} R.B. Allen (1959–1960)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Godfrey Amachree (1960–1961)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} F.A.S. Ogunmuyiwa (1961–1962)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Louis Edet May (1962–1963)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} M.S. Adawale(Acting) (1963–1963)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} A.B. Osula (Acting) (1963–1963)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Francis Giwa-Osagie (1964–1964)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Ishola Bajulaiye (1965–1965)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Chuba Ikpeazu (1965–1967)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Godfrey Amachree (1967–1970)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Kevin Lawson(Col.) (1971–1971)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Edwin Kentebbe(Comdr.) (1971–1972)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Ademola Adeoba(Acting) (1972–1972)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Emmanuel Sotomi(Brig.) (1973–1973)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Sunday Dankaro (1974–1980)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Mike Okwechime(Col.) (1981 – May 1982)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Edwin Kentebbe(Comdr.) 1982–1983
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Tony Ikazoboh (1983–1987)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} John Obakpolor (1987–1988)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Chuba Ikpeazu (1988–1989)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Efiom Okon (Interim) (1989)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Tony Ikazoboh (1989)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Yusuf Ali (1990–1991)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Efiom Okon (1991–1992)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Amos Adamu (1992–1993)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Emeka Omeruah (1993–1997)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Abdulmumini Aminu (1997–1999)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Kojo Williams (1999)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Dominic Oneya (1999–2002)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Ibrahim Galadima (2002–2006)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Sani Lulu (2006–2010)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Aminu Maigari (2010–2014)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Amaju Pinnick (2014‒2022)
• {{flagicon|NGA}} Ibrahim M. Gusau (2022‒2023)

{{div col end}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20210312205448/http://www.thenff.com/ Official site] (archived, 12 Mar 2021)
• {{twitter|id= thenff}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070602150005/http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=nga/index.html Nigeria] at the FIFA website.
• [http://www.cafonline.com/association/nigeria Nigeria] at CAF Online

{{Sports governing bodies in Nigeria}}

{{Football in Nigeria}}

{{International football}}

{{National Members of the Confederation of African Football}}

Nigeria

Category:Football in Nigeria

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Category:Sports organizations established in 1945

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