As the countdown to the forthcoming NFF elective congress in Benin begins, it is now certain that Nigeria Football Federation will have a new President to pilot the affairs of the nation’s football administration at least for the next four years.
After the much-awaited AGA on Thursday, the 18th of August in Lagos, the coast now seems to be crystal clear on who fills in the vacuum to be left by the outgoing NFF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick as the FIFA council member finally winds down the curtain of his stewardship as the captain of the NFF ship having served for eight years.
Mr. Pinnick’s public declaration not to seek re-election has opened the door for suitors jostling to succeed the Delta State-born sports administrator.
At the moment, a handful of aspirants have thrown their hats in the ring but even among equals, Nigeria Football deserves the best. However, talking about the best, one name surely rings a bell, and that name is no any other than Ibrahim Musa Gusau.
A shrewd civil servant who rose through the ranks to the position of Finance Director in his home state of Zamfara, Ibrahim Gusau has been within the setup of Nigeria Football for decades. His vast experience as a government official coupled with his down-to-earth attitude puts him aside from the rest.
Gusau was first elected as the Chairman of Chairmen in 2014 under the Pinnick-led administration and got re-elected in 2018 outnumbering Senator Ifeanyi Ubah during the election with a landslide victory to seal one of the most exalted positions in Nigeria’s football administration.
The Zamfara State FA Chairman presently heads the security committee of the NFF.
His stellar performance as a serving board member of the NFF didn’t go unnoticed as the Confederation of African Football, CAF appointed him as a member of CHAN organising committee . Furthermore, in the month of April, CAF also appointed him as a Member of the Organizing Committee for Youth AFCON, a committee saddled with the responsibility of organizing AFCON U17, U20, and U23.
Ibrahim Gusau’s slate is clean as his name has never been enmeshed in corruption allegations. He is one man that possesses great qualities as he is personified by the three Cs, Courage, Character, and Competence.
There is no doubt Gusau’s emergence as the next NFF President will calm the flaring nerves of some disgruntled stakeholders who feel sidelined and with this, there comes a new dawn in Nigeria Football.
