From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick, on his election into the FIFA Executive Council, the highest decision-making organ in world football.
This is even as he has charged Pinnick to see his new assignment as an opportunity to enhance Nigeria’s reputation and identity as a football loving country and optimally utilize the role of sports, through football, as a driving force to engender development, peace and stability at the regional and international levels.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, noted that “by dint of handwork, dedication and consistency, Pinnick has proven to be an efficient football administrator and the world has taken notice of his competency skills by electing him into the FIFA Council and one of the Vice Presidents of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).”
He further noted that this feat of enhanced visibility and prestige of Nigeria in the international community “is coming on the heels of recent elections of other well qualified and endowed Nigerians into strategic leadership positions in international organisations.”
President Buhari added that as an active supporter of the round leather game, he joins other enthusiastic fans in Nigeria and across the continent in wishing the NFF president the best in his new position.
In the same vein, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media), John Joshua-Akanji on Friday in Abuja felicitated with Pinnick.
Pinnick was elected into the FIFA council on Friday at the CAF 43rd general meeting in Rabat, Morocco, winning by 43 votes to his opponent’s eight votes.
Dare described the victory as an opportunity for Nigeria and indeed Africa to contribute to the administration of world football.
The minister charged Pinnick to use his position to reposition Nigerian and African football.
“This is an opportunity to use your new position to make Nigerian, African and World football great again and make it better than you met it.”
