At the end of the visit by a FIFA/CAF delegation on the recent challenges in Nigerian football, and the conversations that were held with various selected stakeholders, it appears to me as if there is a general convergence in thought and direction on the way forward.
To start with, there is unanimity in the call for a sweeping change, for a reset, and for reforms in the organizational structure of the country’s football house. There appears also to be agreement that the process of resolving the present challenge shall not be easy, and will require Nigerian football stakeholders to face hard and harsh realities, and be willing to accept and implement FIFA’s verdict.
At the end of FIFA intervention, fresh elections will be held under FIFA/CAF monitoring, and the newly elected Executives Board will carry on with dealing with the other less contentious issues, and consolidate the reforms. The National Sports Commission appears to be working in tandem with FIFA/CAF on resolving this matter, this time, permanently! There is something different in what I see emerging this time around.
In the past, solutions proffered were always long and more difficult to implement than the problems themselves. They never offered an easy passage for practical implementation.
This time around, with the fallout from the visit by the FIFA delegation, it appears to me that there is a convergence of agreement on the one critical issue that, when fixed, would create a pathway for resolving other smaller issues (into the future) without disrupting the equilibrium of the whole system again. This FIFA delegation seemed to have identified and nailed the root cause during their conversations this week.