Why We Settled With Jaja And Nnaji

Musa Amadu, general secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, explains to FRANCIS ACHI why the Federation resolved its dispute with Dr. Sam Jaja, former president of the Nigeria Referees Association and Ray Nnaji, former Commissioner for Sports in Enugu State

Musa Amadu

You said peace has finally come to Nigerian football. How was this achieved?

Yes, we can say there is peace now. This peace was achieved through the strong leadership qualities of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, together with the efforts of the Minister of Sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi; chairman of the National Sports Commission, Dr. Patrick Ekeji and members of the Nigeria Football Federation board. They invited Sam Jaja and Ray Nnaji, who had taken their grievances regarding how they were treated by the Nigeria Premier League, NPL, to court. Thankfully, the two men honoured the invitation. At the meeting, we reached an agreement to end the crisis amicably so that peace will reign in Nigerian football and the NFF can continue to run its developmental programmes without distractions.

What assures the NFF that peace has, indeed, returned?

Senator Anyim made it clear to all parties that the federal government is determined to ensure that peace reigns in our football. Peace had been brokered before but was shortlived. Some people were adamant and still went to court to seek redress, disregarding the football process of settling disputes. We strongly believe and are full of assurance that this time, it will last. We are sure that peace has returned to Nigerian football. I am fully confident that the intervention of Chief Anyim and Malam Abdullahi will not be in vain.

So what kind of agreement was reached?

The NFF banned Nnaji for anti-football activities when he took his case to court. But now, he has been assured that such a thing will never happen again and he is ready to withdraw the case from court. This made the NFF to lift the ban placed on him. As a lawyer, he believed that the ban has affected him both in his career as a lawyer and in football administration in Nigeria. Lifting the ban will enable him to start participating once again in football activities. The NFF can assign him to any function where he can apply his knowledge as a lawyer and as a former referee for the development of the game. We also agreed to look into all his claims to see how we can pay his referee allowances.

Jaja too was fighting to clear his name, which led him to the court. The NFF agreed to tender an apology over all the things that happened to him. His disqualification from participating in football functions in Nigeria will no longer be effected and he is free to contest in any election he is interested in. He, on his own part, agreed not to enforce the judgment he got from the court on 20th January 2012 declaring the NFF and NPL as illegal football bodies in Nigeria. The NFF also agreed not to pursue the matter of the appeal of the judgment in court to allow peace to reign.

 What was the response of the NFF to the demand of club owners for an NPL congress?

I don’t know how the club owners arrived at that decision. The NPL should be able to handle this matter. The league body should be able to settle their differences and avoid crisis. We don’t want the NPL to be embroiled in a fresh crisis that will affect the game, especially now local players in the NPL are becoming relevant at the national team. I am advising them to take things easy. The troublemakers in the NPL should find their way out of our football.

If people want to call an NPL congress, they should follow the NPL statutes. It is as simple as that. I think it is time all the stakeholders resolved their differences and made sacrifices for the good of the game.