Chris Giwa, factional president of the Nigeria
Football Federation, has declared that he is
ready to cooperate with football stakeholders
and bring peace to the country’s game.
Like he did on Friday, Giwa stormed the NFF
Secretariat in Abuja on Monday, accompanied
by 1st Vice President Obinna Ogba, board
members Sani Fema and Yahaya Adama and
after a short meeting with his board members in one of the staff offices of the
Glass House, addressed journalists.
He clarified that he made attempts to wave the olive branch to Amaju Pinnick, the
Fifa-recognized NFF president whose election has now been quashed by the court,
and other stakeholders even before the September 30 election, but he complained
that his effort met stiff resistance.
He also doused tensions that Fifa was ready to slam a ban on Nigerian football and
assured that it won’t happen at the end of the day.
“Wherever there is misunderstanding, there should be room for reconciliation.
Whether you like it or not, in a process like this, there will be persons who will be
aggrieved and they will be people who are pleased with it. The only way Nigerian
football can move forward is for us to get ourselves together as one family,” Giwa
said.
“I believe that things will normalize very soon. I won’t be part of what will
jeopardize the interest of Nigerians. In a family, there are always senior and junior
brothers. And by the grace of God as long as this issue is concerned, Giwa remains
the elder brother.
“I don’t have any problem with any member of the football family. So if there are
issues to be settled, it is not between me and Pinnick. It is for all the football
family to come together and sought things out. When we begin to take things
personal, the problem will still remain there,” he said.
He also disclosed that he had earlier agreed to drop his ambition in the interest of
Nigerian football but gave the condition that if the election of September 30was to
take place it must not be in Warri, Delta State but in a neutral place which was not
harkened to.
On the recent sack of coach Stephen Keshi and the Super Eagles technical crew,
Giwa insisted: “In our board meeting last week Thursday, we all agreed that the
technical crew headed by Keshi remains in charge. So any other release coming
outside that for now should not be accepted by Nigerians.
“It is not an issue of Keshi or Shaibu Amodu but the issue is that Nigeria should
qualify for the next Nations Cup. All that Keshi needs now is for him to have
support from us. If you are telling someone who started a process to go, I don’t
think whoever you are bringing here has any role to play.
“I have spoken to Keshi and we are hopeful that by tomorrow or next, we should
have him on ground,” Giwa disclosed.
Nigeria need to put aside internal wranglings if they are to defend their title at next
year's Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles are third in qualifying Group A behind South Africa and Congo but
ahead of Sudan. They will play Congo in Pointe Noire on November 15 before
welcoming South Africa to Uyo on November 19.



source: http://m.goal.com/x/en-ng/news/5546221