In less than 48 hours to the Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), that will see to the emergence of a new President, a group under the aegis of Eagles Supporters Group(ESG), has appealed to voters and stakeholders not to miss the opportunity to elect, Ibrahim Gusau as the new President, describing him as ‘The man the cap fits’.
The group in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Osali Saleh, said Gusau over the years has demonstrated purposeful leadership quality to the development of football in the country.
The group said electing Gusau to preside over the affairs of the football body will consolidate on the achievements recorded by Amaju Pinnick.
“Gusau football trajectory has prepared him over the years for the top job. His experience is needed to inject fresh blood into the body and unite everyone to the development of sport.”
Meanwhile, football enthusiasts, who will by Friday, converge in Benin City, the Edo State capital to elect new leadership, are eager to see emplaced a new President of the Football Federation whose scorecard will far surpass that of previous occupants of the office.
Recall that after the much awaited Annual General Assembly (AGA) held on Thursday, the 18th of August, 2022, in Lagos, the beam of the searchlight on who is better placed to take over from Amaju Melvin Pinnick, the incumbent and stir the ship of the Federation to greater heights now seems to be on Ibrahim Musa Gusau, from all indications the leading contender.
Mr. Pinnick’s public declaration not to seek for re-election has opened the door for suitors jostling to succeed the Delta State born sports administrator.
At the moment, of the handful of aspirants that have thrown in their hats into the ring Gusau stands many kilometres ahead in terms of experience, level headedness and understanding of the politics surrounding the game of football.
A shrewd civil servant who rose through the ranks to the position of Finance Director in his home state of Zamfara, Ibrahim Gusau has been within the set up of Nigeria Football for decades. His vast experience as government official coupled with his down to earth attitude puts him aside the rest.
Gusau was first elected as the Chairman of Chairmen in 2014 under the Pinnick led administration and got re-elected in 2018.
He is a man of conviction. In 2020 when Delta State FA was engulfed in crisis, Gusau, who was then the chairman of chairmen was quoted as saying that in as much as the nation’s governing body for the game has no interest in who takes the mantle of leadership of the state Football Association, it could not afford to play the ostrich and shirk its responsibilities when the tenure of the immediate past board had expired.
He plunged into the matter and proffered a solution to it. This is the kind of leadership that the NFF at the moment needs and which Gusau will readily bring forth on his assumption of office as its President.
The Zamfara State FA Chairman presently heads the Security Committee of the NFF. His stellar performance as a serving board member of the NFF didn’t go unnoticed as Confederation Of African Football(CAF) appointed him as a member of African Nations Championship(CHAN) Organising Committee.
Ibrahim Gusau is acclaimed in football circles as ‘Mr. Clean’ as his name has never been enmeshed in corruption allegation.
