By: Gracious Akujobi
The Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated the Minister of Sports/Chairman of National Sports Commission, Bolaji Abdullahi as he celebrates his birthday on the 12th of August.
NFF President, Aminu Maigari, admitted at the weekend that Abdullahi’s masterstroke of forging peace within the Nigeria football family and giving ample support to the NFF to adequately prepare Nigeria’s National Teams for major matches and championships have
contributed immensely to the new heights that our football is scaling.
“The Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission deserves all the plaudits that we can offer. He is a dynamic person with plenty of ideas and also very pragmatic.
“There is absolutely no doubt that he is one man energetically working to give meaning and essence to the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration”, Maigari stated.
Nigeria football has find its rudder on the back of a carefully-negotiated peace resolution and Abdullahi, against the preferred posture of his predecessors, opted to work harmoniously with
the Nigeria Football Federation to drive the country’s game to heights previously considered too high.
In Abdullahi’s 20 months in charge of the National Sports Commission, Nigeria has achieved a first Africa Cup of Nations trophy in 19 years, a first-ever participation in the real FIFA Confederations Cup tournament, first-ever qualification for the African Nations Championship, a first-ever Football House for the NFF and motivated the football body to put together the youngest and most promising U-17 team ever.
Both Abdullahi and NFF are presently working assiduously to reach another milestone – Super Eagles’ qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil. The Golden Eaglets are also looking to lift the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates later in the
year.
Maigari added: “The NFF and Nigeria football family are very happy with the Minister and we pray that God will continue to give him the strength of character and wisdom to push through all his brilliant ideas of setting Nigeria sports on the right path.”
