Nigerian Football
UNDERGROUND MOVES TO SCHEME OUT NFF PROTOCOL OFFICER FROM BENUE FA ELECTIONS
With elections into the various states’ football associations on going, there has also been political scheming.
Easily the most embattled chairmanship aspirant is Robert Terlumun Akpenpuun in the race to the top position of Benue State Football Association.
Even before the elections into the various states’ associations were suspended by the NFF early this year, Akpenpuun had to cry out in January when a tailor-made discriminatory clause in the electoral guidelines was targeted at him.
The offensive clause, which is item “h” of the guidelines, reads: “The candidate (for chairmanship) must not be in the employment of any government or its agencies or an aid to any government official.”
Akpenpuun works in the Nigerian Immigration Service and has been involved in the activities of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as a member of the protocol committee.
He is also an NFF Match Assessor. On his line of duties, The Nigeria Immigration officer cum member Nigeria Football Federation Protocol committee ushered in top football personalities to Nigeria such as FIFA President, Giannini Infantino; CAF President, Ahmad; Athletico Madrid Coach Diego Simone and visiting foreign teams among others.
The discriminatory clause was not in the guidelines that the state used in the 2015 election. According to Akpenpuun, he was a direct target of the inclusion of the offensive clause.
His petition to the NFF produced results as the discriminatory clause was later expunged. But he still has no respite as another clause had been included to still oust him when the screening committee meets on Thursday June 13 ahead of the Saturday June 15 election.
As a protocol officer and a staff of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Akpenpuun is based in Abuja and that is being employed to scheme in out. An observer informed that every new clause into the electoral guidelines into the Benue FA seems to be targeted at just one person. He is Robert Terlumun Akpenpuun.
Owing to his domicile in Abuja, another clause, Article 2.1a states that chairmanship candidates must have a five-year continuous service to football.
Akpenpuun, apart from being a protocol officer for the NFF, has been a football referee and a Nigeria Professional football league assessor.
Those seem not relevant in the eyes of those who wanted him disqualified.
They are asking that the contributions were national and international in nature. They wanted it narrowed down to only Benue State.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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