President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has inaugurated the Interim Management Committee (IMC) for the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Inaugurating the committee at the NFF Secretariat on Friday, Gasau said it is incumbent on the members to imbue the nation’s elite domestic cadre with integrity, credibility, and a firm hand on management and administration in order to turn things around for the better.
The committee will be led by Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye as Chairman and Paul Bassey as Vice Chairman. It also has Davidson Owumi and Daniel Amokachi as Head of Operations and a member respectively.
The NFF President pinpointed the lack of television broadcasting as one of the major drawbacks of the elite league.
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“There is a lot of work to be done by this committee of eminent and respectable persons in Nigeria football, people with the pedigree and real calibre to effect change. One of the changes must be to ensure that our league is back on television and that there is a lot of integrity and credibility in the way and manner it is being administered.
“I have tremendous confidence in the chairman and members of the committee that they will justify the confidence reposed in them by the Government and people of Nigeria.”
Gusau thereafter presented to the chairman, Elegbeleye, one-time Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), the terms of reference of the committee, which will be in place for three months.
In his response, Elegbeleye thanked the NFF President and his board for the confidence they have proclaimed in the committee and assured that the IMC will do its best within the three months lifespan to put in place building blocks that a substantive team will improve on to rejuvenate, upgrade and upscale the NPFL.
“Definitely, we have a lot of problems in the League. We have problems with officiating, a lack of television, and several other hiccups. Our job will be to do a lot to redress these within the short time we have, and we also appeal to the media to ensure credibility in their reporting of the League,” Elegbeleye, also a former vice chairman of the Youth and Sports Development Committee of the House of Representatives, said.
Also at the occasion were Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa and Mr. Timothy Henman Magaji (NFF Executive Committee Members); Dr. Mohammed Sanusi (NFF General Secretary); Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme (NFF Deputy General Secretary); Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi (Chairman of NFF Task Force on Youth Competitions); Mr. E. C. Kadiri (Director of Finance & Admin); Mr. Augustine Eguavoen (Technical Director); Mr. Ademola Olajire (Director of Communications); Dr. Robinson Okosun (Deputy Director, Technical); Mr. Femi Adetula (Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Olympic Committee) and; Mr Kola Daniel (Media Aide to the Hon. Minister of Youth and Sports Development).
MEMBERSHIP
The following are members of the committee:
. Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye – Chairman
. Elder Paul Bassey – Vice Chairman
. Prince Davidson Owumi – Head of Operations
. Hon. Kunle Soname – Member
. Mr. Daniel Amokachi – Member
. Mr. Calvin Emeka Onwuka – Member
. Mallam Aliyu Adamu – Member
. Rep. of Nigeria Police – Member
. Barr. Danladi Ibrahim – Member
. Mr. Mohammed Nasiru Sa’idu- Member
. Barr. Poubeni Ogun – Member
. Auwalu Baba Jada – Member
. Mr. Olumide Bamiduro – Secretary
. Dr. Ayo Abdulrahaman – Asst. Secretary
