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Elections into the
board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) comes up at Abuja in six
days. It is another opportunity to get back on the right track and
develop the game into a viable industry. So many names have been
dropped into the hat and famous former footballers have joined the
contest saying they have the ingredients needed to move football
forward in Nigeria.

And for the first time, there will be a live televised manifesto night on Friday.

This mix portends
exciting times ahead for would-be occupants of the ‘Glass House’ as the
secretariat of the football federation is known.

There is the saying
that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Nonetheless, boulders will be hauled on Friday night and hopefully, the
end result will be a board composed of individuals who will leave
sentiments behind and run football in Nigeria the best way possible.
That is all that is needed – sincerity in leadership.

Here are some words from the presidential candidates about their vision for Nigerian football.

Bukola Olopade

“We should be among
the top 10 countries in the world consistently. We have everything to
be there. What we are lacking is a good administration and that is why
I want to be the next President of the NFF. With proper planning and
vision, football will bounce back from its poor state. We have so many
players abroad, yet we are having a problem of raising a quality team.
The state of facilities in the country is a big issue while we are also
not developing the game as we should.

“The records are
there to show. We (Ogun State) hosted the National Sports Festival and
emerged third, while we have also hosted a number of quality football
matches, including a World Cup qualifier. The facilities we have now
are second to none in Nigeria because we have four quality stadiums.
The Ijebu-Ode camp is now being used by the national athletes.”

Christian Chukwu

“Most of us that
graduated to the Green Eagles were discovered in the then Academicals
teams. It’s a pity that the Academicals programme is no longer in
existence, but such would be resuscitated if our football must grow.

“We have kept quiet
for too long while our football has been ruined so I urge Nigerians to
come behind people like me to stop the rot at the Federation.”

Austin Okocha

“I am still working
hard to get onto the board so Nigerians should not think my silence
means I have given up. I believe it is time we take over the running of
football in the country so we can take Nigerian football to the level
it is meant to be.”

Shehu Dikko

“I want you to know
that I have a well articulated programme for transformation of Nigerian
football. I have the best programme and I am going to release it to
football stakeholders and even my opponents. I want them to read and
have a clearer picture of the way forward for Nigerian football. Even
if in the end I am not the president of NFF, the document should be of
benefit to whoever will become the next president for the good of
Nigerian football.”

“I want to be the
president of NFF because in that position, I will be able to implement
my programmes without hindrance. Moreover, I have been working silently
but the time has come for me to enter the mainstream and contribute my
quota to the redemption of our football.”

Fan Ndubuoke

“You know it is
high time that Nigeria should be doing away with the old ideas of
putting people who they think are easy candidates at the helm of
football affairs in this country. I am saying it without any fears that
I will contest and deliver if I got voted to be the president of the
NFF. People like me have a track record in this country and what the
game needs presently is people with the track record and can give the
promise that they will do it. I can do it and I will do it for this
country”.

Sanni Toro

“We are all
witnesses to what Blatter is doing at FIFA because he knows the problem
of football at the global scale. It is not out of place if I say I that
I can fix the problem here and address it squarely, our stunted growth;
if I am given the opportunity.”

Segun Odegbami

“I’ve never been
this prepared for an election. In the past eight months I have done an
examination on what needs to be done to win an election. If we plan to
move the game forward, we must look at the most important human
resource in football development that we have neglected all through
these periods, which are the footballers. We have to look at that very
important resource and incorporate them into our administration; once
we do that we will get it right.”