NFF Appoints Ikpeme As Acting General Secretary

NFF Postpones League Resumption

Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, has been appointed by the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation as the Acting General Secretary, this is coming as a result of allegation leveled against former General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi.

The announcement was revealed on Tuesday night after a long timed meeting of the NFF Executive Committee at the football secretariat in Abuja, NAN reports.

Sanusi had been ordered to step aside for investigation to be carried out into the allegations of financial corruption levelled against him to give way for appointment of an acting Gen Sec till the committee will declare a substantive General Secretary.

Otunba Dele Ajayi, the Chairman, Communique Drafting Committee, while addressing journalist after the meeting, stated that the present NFF leadership had decided to restore match bonuses and allowances to all age group teams.

“We are new in office, we have to collate records and when we are done with that we will let you know.

“If we say we are restoring the match bonuses and allowances of all age group teams, it does not mean we will pay arrears immediately.

“The board will meet to decide whether to pay outstanding debts to the teams or continue on a clean slate.

“We will later fashion out a way to pay the outstanding debts and we are starting again to pay allowances to the age grade teams,” Dele Ajayi said.

According to him, the teams in question are the U-23 team, Flying Eagles, Golden Eaglets, Falconets and the Flamingoes.

He said the Giwa-led NFF had taken note of the various national teams preparations for Africa and World Cup qualifiers, noting that financial and moral support would be given to them to succeed.

“The board notes the activities of NFF for the rest of the year which include the Flying Eagles qualifiers against Mauritania, as well as the Falconets World Cup preparation and tournament.

“We have also noted the Super Eagles Nations Cup qualifiers against Seychelles in September and the Golden Eaglets African Nations qualifier in Niger Republic in September,” he added.

The executive committee also resolved that the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) earlier scheduled to resume on July 18, be postponed by two weeks.

The Giwa-led board has also fixed an emergency congress on July 27 to find a lasting solution to the perennial crisis in Nigerian football.