Emma Njoku
President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has charged the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the death of Nasarawa United player, Chineme Martins, to come up with steps that would safeguard the players in the domestic football scene.
The gave the charged, yesterday, while inaugurating the committee in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
“Your job is a very serious one. You are free to tinker with the terms of reference and avail safety, security and us the steps that will safeguard the future of our players in the areas of medical. We pray that the soul of Chineme Martins rest in peace, but we are pained by his death and we must use it as a wake-up call to enforce compliance with the provisions of Club Licensing as well as the fresh medical and security protocols that this committee will draw up,” the NFF boss said.
Pinnick and members of the committee, as well as NFF Executive Committee member Aisha Falode, who was present at the inauguration observed a one-minute silence in honour of the departed player, who slumped and died during a Nigeria Professional Football League match between his club, Nasarawa United, and Katsina United, at the Lafia City Stadium, on Sunday, March 8, 2020.
Chairman of the committee, Dr. Peter Singabele, who is a member of the CAF committee on sports medicine, thanked the NFF President for the opportunity given the committee to take a very critical look at organisation of football matches in Nigeria and assured that the committee will draw up recommendations that would plug the lapses that led to the unfortunate death of Martins.
After the inauguration, committee members paid a visit to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, venue of this year’s National Sports Festival (now postponed), to conduct checks on safety, security and medical facilities and equipment, and advised on areas that needed to be upgraded.
Meanwhile, the committee has advised that the ongoing construction of three more exit gates at the arena be completed quickly. It also advised that ambulance’s cylinder must always be filled with oxygen, while the clinic should have a sterilizer. The committee further said there must be examination tables and showers in the doping control room.
The committee will visit Lafia City Stadium for similar checks before submitting its report to the NFF president.