An appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all Nigerians: Stop the NFF elections, please! By Segun Odegbami

On March 22, 1998, I was officially decorated with the honour and title of ‘Sports Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’ in Abuja by the then Minister of Sports. It was in addition to a previous national honour of ‘Member of the Order of the Niger’, MON. I take both honours very seriously.

They are earned, the rewards for national duty through hard work, dedication, sacrifices, patriotism, discipline, and trophies. They also come, of course, with additional demands and even more responsibility. That’s why I try, always, to appreciate the country’s generosity by attempting to live a simple, decent life of exemplary good conduct to serve as a model for generations coming after me through the window of sports.

How far I have fared with these unwritten expectations and standards I leave for Nigerians and posterity to judge. Today, football in Nigeria is at a crossroads. The time comes to test my judgement and character, a burden that I must carry even in the evening of my life.

I find that there is really nothing for me to lose in standing by what I believe are the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! To be silent now means to fail the government, the people and the game of football itself. Nigerians know me for my activities and contributions in sports and in football, in particular – playing the game, administering it, organising it, promoting it, deploying it as a tool to drive education, empowerment, health, patriotism, eradication of illiteracy, diplomacy and national orientation.

As an undergraduate student I was invited to the national football team of Nigeria, the Green Eagles, from the National Sports Festival, to start a relationship that has remained unbroken to this day. In the 53 years since then, I played for the country; rose to be Captain of the national team and also of the national contingent to the Olympic Games; administered the game as a member of the board of the Nigerian Football Association and as Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Institute of Sports; single-handedly managed two Nigerian athletes (in a sport outside of football) to win Gold and Silver medals at the Olympic Games; served in several panels, commissions and committees promoting sports and seeking solutions to challenges in Nigerian sports; established an NGO/institution that has b…