Former President of Nigeria Football Federation, General Dominic Oneya (rtd) on Thursday explained that the responsibility for Federal Government delegations to international has never been that of the NFF, but that of the National Sports Commission/Ministry of Youth & Sports.
Oneya’s explanation was a direct response to the allegation by new Youth & Sports Minister, Solomon Dalong, that he was shortchanged by football administrators while on a Federal Government delegation to the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Mali.
The highly –respected Oneya, presently a member of the CAF Organizing Committee for Inter-Clubs competitions, who also served as military administrator of Kano and Benue states, said that as the head of Nigeria’s football governing body at the time, he would not have condoned the shortchanging of anyone by the board or management.
“I remember very well how we went to the Africa Cup of Nations in Mali. The late Patrick Okpomo, God bless his soul, was then NFA Secretary General, and he would not have been involved in such untidy act.
“The responsibility for government delegations at matches/tournaments has never been that of the football body; it fell solely on the Ministry of Youth & Sports/National Sports Commission, and still does. So, it is not the NFF, or then NFA as it was known then, that shortchanged Barr. Dalong.”
Oneya went ahead to advise that leading sports administrators should avoid certain comments that tend to paint the sector in bad light, as these are capable of discouraging away investors.
“The present NFF administration has been doing an excellent job, in the areas of capacity building and education of coaches and referees, and recently launched a youth development program. There have also been successes on the field in the form of triumph at the U-17 World Cup, qualification for the CHAN, qualification of the U-20 girls for the World Cup and progress by the Super Eagles in the 2018 World Cup race.
“The League has continued to improve and we just finished the season on a high. We are also looking towards earning an Olympics ticket. These are positives by all means. Negative comments by those at the top are not good for sport; they discourage investment and make life difficult for those seeking private sector support.”
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