NFF bigwigs absent as Dare receives 10-year football masterplan

No member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board was present yesterday as the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, received the 10-year football development masterplan in Abuja.

Following an order from President Muhammadu Buhari, the ministry in September 2021 constituted a 17-man committee which included the NFF’s General-Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, to produce a Ten-Year Football Development Masterplan that will ensure youth football development, in line with FIFA’s commitment.

It would be recalled that during the inauguration of the committee, the leadership of the NFF was conspicuously absent but Dare allayed concerns that the ministry and the NFF were on ‘war path’ as he told journalists that the federation was duly invited.

Meanwhile, while receiving the report submitted by the Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima led committee in his office at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, Dare assured that the recommendations will not gather dust as he said the report will be implemented.

“I want to assure you that this report will be submitted to Mr. President and its action plan followed through to the letter. This will not be one of those reports that will be allowed to gather dust in some office or book shelf without implementation. This will be different.

“Upon the receipt of this report, the next journey will be to deliver it to Mr President who will direct a white paper upon which the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will drive the implementation in phases,” he assured.