Governing Bodies
DARE, FRESH, OKE, SWAN, OTHERS MOURN CHIDI OKENWA
Nigeria’s Youth and Sports Development Minister, Sunday Dare on Thursday mourned the “painful demise” of Member of the NFF Executive Committee and Chairman of the Nigeria National League, Chidi Ofo Okenwa. Okenwa, who was also Chairman of the Enugu State Football Association, died on Tuesday morning at his home in Enugu after battling leukemia for some months.
“On behalf of the Government and sports-loving Nigerians, we express deepest condolences and sympathize with the family of the late football administrator of rare qualities. Our prayers and feelings are with his immediate family, the Enugu FA, the football family and all sports lovers in the country,” Dare said in the statement signed by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Gabriel Aduda.
On his part, Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Yusuf Ahmed Fresh lamented that he was yet to get over the demise of the charismatic Okenwa, who was his deputy in the committee.
“We lost a very active member, a friend of the football family, a technocrat of the highest order, who not only knew the laws of the game but rose stoically to defend the Statutes at all times, calling the attention of the Board and the Congress to the Statutes to defend his assertions when necessary.
“We lost a good man and I lost a friend and confidant,” Fresh said.
Former Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Oyo State, Yomi Oke said: “With a heavy heart, I commiserate with you and the football community on the passing of Chidi Ofo Okenwa.
“He was passionate about football particularly the development of Nigeria football, was very committed and dedicated. He was a brother, friend and administrator. May the Almighty grant his family and friends the fortitude to bear the loss.”
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), in a message signed by its president, Honour Sirawoo, revealed that the late administrator was a true friend who identified with the body and attended its programmes.
“As a member of the Executive Committee of NFF, Okenwa was a stabilizer who at all times promoted peace. He was an incubator of ideas which perhaps saw his enviable rise in football administration.
“The NFF President, Amaju Pinnick was apt when he described his late colleague as ‘brilliant, humble, eloquent and one man that was full of ideas’. We condole with his immediate family and assure them that the association will continue to identify with them despite the passing of their patriarch.”
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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