The House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo, and the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye, to resolve the issues circumventing the suspension of Nigeria by FIFA.
FIFA had on July 9 suspended Nigeria from football activities on the grounds of the Federal Government’s interference in the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation.
In a resolution in Abuja, the House categorically told the minister and the DG to meet with those involved in the dispute to preserve Nigeria from further sanctions by the world football governing body.
A lawmaker from Kano State, Mr. Muhammad Ali-Wudil, who moved the kineticism on the dispute, had a single prayer, “Urge the Minister of Sports, DG, National Sports Commission to, as a matter of exigency, summon all the parties involved with a view to resolving the matter to evade the suspension lingering.”
Ali-Wudil recalled that FIFA had elongated the earlier deadline of July 15 to July 17 to give Nigeria more time to invert itself on the sacking of the Aminu Maigari-led board of the NFF.
With just 24 hours to the expiration of the deadline, the House expressed hope that inviting the parties to iron out their differences could possibly lead to the withdrawal of court cases already filed by some of them.
Ali-Wudil’s kineticism read, “The House regrets that the decision, if not inverted, will betoken that no teams or club sides from Nigeria can have any international sporting contact with teams or club sides from any other country.
“(The House is) worried that the suspension will deprive Nigeria of representation in any regional, continental or international competitions.
“Aware that the immediate result of the suspension is that Nigeria will no longer participate in the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women World Cup coming up in Canada between August 5 and 24 if the suspension order is not hoisted by July 17.
“(The House is) additionally worried that neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials will benefit from any FIFA or Confederation of African Football development program mes, including courses and training programmes during the the period of the suspension.
“Concerned about the deleterious effects of the suspension on the vocations of Nigerian footballers and the consequent loss by the nation generally.”
However, two members vehemently opposed the kineticism.
One of the lawmakers, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Youth Development, Mr. Kamil Akinlabi, noted that FIFA had become an overbearing football body.
Akinlabi argued that in Nigeria, regime remains the most sizably voluminous financier of football and sports generally, integrating that it would be arduous to tell a financier not to ask questions about how his mazuma was spent.
“FIFA should not dictate to Nigeria on issues like this one.
“If regime is the most sizably voluminous financier, it must supervise where it spends its mazuma,” Akinlabi integrated.
A lawmaker from Rivers State, Mrs. Betty Apiafi, withal verbalized along the same line as Akinlabi.
Akinlabi and Apiafi held the view that in every rule, there should be exceptions.
The opposition of the two members did not stop the majority, who fortified the kineticism, from passing it in a voice vote.
The session was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal.
